ther: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?

14 And he said, Who made thee i a prince and a judge over us; intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.

15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

m

1

16 Now the "priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and P watered their flock.

18 And when they came to ther, he said, How is it that soon to-day?

Reuel, their faye are come so

hi Acta 7. 27,23-i Heb. a man, a prince. Gen 13. 8-k Acts 7. 29. Heb. 11. 27. 1 Gen. 24. 11. & 29. 2-m Ch. 3. 1-n Or, prince, as Gen. 41. 45-0 Gen. 24. 11. & 29. 10. 1 Sam. 9. 11,-p Gen. 29. 10- Numb. 10. 29. Called also Jethro or Jether, Ch. 3. 1. & 4. 18. & 15 1, &a-r Gen. 31. 54. & 43. 25-8 Ch. 4. 25. & 18. 2.

other, by disputes concerning comparatively unessential points of doctrine and discipline; in consequence of which, both they and the truth have become an easy prey to those whose desire was to waste the heritage of the Lord. The Targum of Jonathan says that the two persons who strove

were Dathan and Abiram.

Verse 14. And Moses feared] He saw that the Israelites were not as yet prepared to leave their bondage; and that though God had called him to be their leader, yet his providence had not yet sufficiently opened the way; and had he staid in Egypt he must have endangered his life. Prudence therefore dictated an escape for the present to the land of Midian.

Verse 15. Pharaoh-sought to slay Moses-but Moses fed from the face of Pharaoh] How can this be reconciled with Heb. xi. 27. By faith he (Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king?-Very easily: the apostle speaks not of this forsaking of Egypt, but of his and the Israelites final departure from it; and of the bold and courageous manner in which Moses treated Pharaoh and the Egyptians, disregarding his threatenings, and the multitudes of them that pursued after the people, whom, in the name and strength of God, he led, in the face of their enemies out of Egypt.

Dwelt in the land of Midian] A country generally supposed to have been in Arabia Petrea, on the eastern coast of the Red sea, not far from mount Sinai. This place is still called by the Arabs, the Land of Midian, or the Land of Jethro. Abul Farajius calls it the land of the Arabs. It is supposed that the Midianites derived their origin from Madian, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, thus; Abraham, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan and Midian, Raguel, But Calmet contends, that if Jethro; see Gen. xxv. 1. Jethro had been of the family of Abraham, either by Jokshan or Midian, Aaron and Miriam could not have reproached Moses with marrying a Cushite, Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel. He thinks therefore that the Midianites were of the progeny of Cush, the son of Ham; see Gen. x. 6.

Verse 16. The priest of Midian] Or prince, or both: for the original, in cohen has both meanings. See it explained at large, Gen. xv. 18. The transaction here very nearly resembles that mentioned in Gen. xxix. concerning Jacob and Rachel; see the notes there.

Verse 17. The shepherds-drove them] The verb Dr yegareshum, being in the masculine gender, seems to imply that the shepherds drove away the flocks of Reuel's daughters, and not the daughters themselves. The fact seems to be, that as the daughters of Reuel filled the troughs, and brought their flocks to drink, the shepherds drove those away, and profiting by the young women's labour, watered their own cattle. Moses resisted this insolence, and assisted them to water their flocks; in consequence of which, they were enabled to return much sooner than they were wont to do, ver. 18.

Verse 18. Reuel their father] In Numb. x. 29. this person is called Raguel; but the Hebrew is the same in both places. The reason of this difference is, that the y din in Sp is sometimes used merely as a vowel, sometimes as a g, ng, and gn, and this is occasioned by the difficulty of the sound, which scarcely any European organs can enunciate. As pronounced by the Arabs, it strongly resembles the first effort made by the throat in gargling, or as Meninski says, est vox vituli matrem vocantis, it is like the

19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

B

21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

W

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22 And she bare him a son, and he called his
name Gershom: " for he said, I have been a
23 And it came to pass in process B. C. cir. 1500
stranger in a strange land.
of time, that the king of Egypt died:
and the children of Israel sighed by reason of
the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came
up unto God by reason of the bondage.

24 And God heard their groaning, and God
a remembered his covenant with Abraham,
with Isaac, and with Jacob.

t That is, a etranger here.-u Ch. 18. 3.-v Acta 7. 29. Hebr. 11. 13, 14.-w Ch. 7.7. Acta 7.30-x Numb. 20. 16. Deut. 26. 7. Psa. 12 5-y Gen. 18. 20. Ch. 3. 9. & 22. 33, 27. Deut. 21. 15. James 5. 4.-z Ch. 6. 5.-a Ch. 6. 5. Paa. 105. 8, 42 & 105. 45.-b Gen. 15. 14. & 16. 4

sound made by a calf in seeking its dam. Raguel is the worst method of pronouncing it; Re-u-el, the first syllable strongly accented, is nearer to the true sound. A proper uniformity in pronouncing the same word wherever it may occur, either in the Old or New Testament, is greatly to be desired. The person in question appears to have several names. Here he is called Reuel; in Numb. x. 29. Raguel; in Exod. iii. 1. Jethro; in Judg. iv. 11. Hobab, and in Judg. i. 16. he is called p Keyni, which in the 4th chap. we translate Kenite. Some suppose that Re-u-el was father to Hobab, who was also called Jethro. This is the most likely; see the note on chap. iii. 1.

Verse 20. That he may eat bread] That he may be entertained, and receive refreshment to proceed on his journey. Bread, among the Hebrews, was used to signify all kinds of food, commonly used for the support of man's life.

Verse 21. Zipporah his daughter] Abul Farajius calls her "Saphura the black, daughter of Rewel the Midianite, the son of Dedan, the son of Abraham by his wife Keturah." The Targum calls her the granddaughter of Reuel. It appears that Moses obtained Zipporah, something in the same way that Jacob obtained Rachel; namely, for the performance of certain services; probably keeping of sheep, see chap. iii. 1.

Verse 22. Called his name Gershom] Literally a stranger-the reason of which Moses immediately addsfor I have been an ALIEN in a strange land.

The Vulgate, the Septuagint, as it stands in the Complutensian Polyglott, and in several MSS. the Syriac, the Coptic, and the Arabic, add the following words to this verse, And the name of the second he called Eliezer; for the God of my father has been my help, and delivered me from the hand of Pharaoh. These words are found in chap. xviii. but they are certainly necessary here, for it is very likely that these two sons were born within a short is plain, that he had space of each other; for in chap. iv. 20. it is said, Moses took his wife and his sons, by which both Gershom and Eliezer at that time. Houbigant introduces this addition in his Latin version, and contends that this is its most proper place. Notwithstanding the authority of the above versions, the clause is found in no copy printed, or MS. of the Hebrew text.

Verse 23. In process of time the king of Egypt died] According to St. Stephen (Acts vii. 30. compared with Exod. vii. 7.) the death of the Egyptian king happened about forty years after the escape of Moses to Midian. The Hebrew words on va-ychi ba-yamim ha-rabbim ha-hem, which we translate, And it came to pass in process of time, signify, And it was in many days from these, that the king, &c. It has already been remarked, that Archbishop Usher supposes this king to have been Rameses Miamun, who was succeeded by his son Amenophis, who was drowned in the Red sea, when pursuing the Israelites: but Abul Farajius says it was Amunfathis, (Amenophis) he who made the cruel edict against the Hebrew children.

Some suppose that Moses wrote the book of Job during the time he sojourned in Midian, and also the book of Genesis.

Sighed by reason of the bondage] For the nature of their bondage, see on chap. i. 14.

Verse 24. God remembered his covenant] God's 193 covenant is God's engagement-he had promised to Abra

25 And God

Israel, and God

looked upon the children of dian: and he led the flock to the backside of the had respect unto them. desert, and came to the mountain of God, CHAPTER III. even to Horeb.

Moses, keeping the flock of Jethro, at Mount Horeb, 1, the angel of the Lord appears to him in a burning bush, 2 Astonished at the sight, he turns aside to exunine it, 3, when God speaks to him out of the fire, and declares himself to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 4-6; announces his purpose of delivering the Israelites from their oppression, and of bringing them into the promised land, 7-9; commissions him to go to Pharaoh, and to be leader of the children of Israel from Egypt, 10. Moses excuses himself, 11; and God, to encourage him, promises him his protection, 12. Moses doubts whether the Israelites will credit him, 13, and God reveals to him his Name, and informs him what he is to say to the people, 11-17, ani instructs him and the elders of Israel, to apply unto Pharaoh for permission to go three days' journey into the wilderness to sacrifice unto the Lord, 18; foretells the obstinacy of the Egyptian king, and the miracles which he himself should work in the sight of the Egyptians, 19, 20; and promises, that on the departure of the Israelites, the Egyptians should be induced to furnish them with all necessaries for their journey, 21, 22.

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NOW

OW Moses kept the flock of Jethro
his father-in-law, the priest of Mi-

f

e Ch. 4. 31. 1 Sam. 1. 11. 2 Sam. 16. 12. Luke 1. 25.-d Heb. knew.-e Ch. 3. 7. f Ch. 2. 16.

ham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give their posterity a land flowing with milk and honey, &c. They are now under the most oppressive bondage, and this was the most proper time for God to show them his mercy and power in fulfilling his promise. This is all that is meant by God's remembering his covenant, for it was now that he began to give it its effect.

Verse 25. And God had respect unto them] N vaiyeda Elohim-God knew them, i. e. he approved of them, and therefore it is said that their cry came up before God, and he heard their groaning. The word yyada, to know, in the Hebrew Bible, as well as vox in the Greek Testament, are frequently used in the sense of approving; and because God knew, had respect for, and approved of them, therefore he was determined to deliver them. For s Elohim, GOD, in the last clause of this verse, Houbigant reads on alihem, UPON THEM: which is countenanced by the Vulgate, Septuagint, Chaldee, Coptic, and Arabic, and appears to have been the original reading. The difference in the original, consists of the interchange of two letters, the yod and hè. Our translators insert unto them, in order to make up that sense, which this various reading gives without trouble.

THE farther we proceed in the Sacred Writings, the more the history both of the grace and providence of God opens to our view. He ever cares for his creatures, and is mindful of his promise. The very means made use of to destroy his work, are, in his hands, the instruments of its accomplishment. Pharaoh orders the male children of the Hebrews to be thrown into the river-Moses, who was thus exposed, is found by his own daughter, brought up as her own son; and from his Egyptian education, becomes much better qualified for the great work to which God had called him; and his being obliged to leave Egypt, was undoubtedly a powerful means to wean his heart from a land in which he had at his command all the advantages and luxuries of life. His sojourning also in a strange land, where he was obliged to earn his bread by a very painful employment, fitted him for the perilous journey he was obliged to take in the wilderness, and enabled him to bear the better the privations to which he was in consequence exposed.

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

i

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Ch. 18. 5. 1 Kings 19. 8.-h Deut. 33. 36. Isai. 63. 9. Acta 7. 30.-i Paa 111. 2
Acts 7. 31-k Deut. 33. 16.

healthy exercise, is generally cramped, their natural pow
ers are prematurely developed, and their whole course is
rather an apology for living, than a state of effective life.
Many of these live not out half their days, and their off-
spring, when they have any, is more feeble than them-
selves; so that the race of man, where such preposterous
conduct is followed, and where is it not followed? is in a
state of gradual deterioration. Parents, who wish to fulfil
the intention of God and nature, will doubtless see it their
duty to bring up their children on a different plan. A
worse than the present can scarcely be found out.

Afflictions, under the direction of God's providence, and the influences of his grace, are often the means of leading men to pray to, and acknowledge God, who in the time of their prosperity, hardened their necks from his fear. When the Israelites were sorely oppressed, they began to pray. If the cry of oppression had not been among them, probably the cry for mercy had not been heard. Though afflictions, considered in themselves, can neither atone for sin, nor improve the moral state of the soul, yet God often uses them as means to bring sinners to himself, and to quicken those, who, having already escaped the pollutions of the world, were falling again under the influence of an earthly mind. Of many millions besides David, it may truly be said, before they were afflicted, they went astray.

NOTES ON CHAPTER III.

Verse 1. Jethro his father-in-law] Concerning Jethro, see the note on chap. ii. 18. Learned men are not agreed on the signification of the word nn choten, which we translate father-in-law, and which in Genesis xix. 14. we translate son-in-law. It seems to be a general term for a relative by marriage, and the connexion only in which it stands, can determine its precise meaning. It is very possible that Reuel was now dead, it being forty years since Moses came to Midian; that Jethro was his son, and had succeeded him in his office of prince and priest of Midian; that Zipporah was the sister of Jethro, and that consequently the word in choten, should be translated brother-in-law in this place, as we learn from Gen. xxxiv. 9. Deut. vii. 3. Josh. xxiii. 12, and other places, that it simply signifies to contract affinity by marriage. If this conjecture be right, we may well suppose that Reuel being dead, Moses was continued by his brother-in-law Jethro in the same employment he had under his father.

The bondage of the Israelites was also wisely permitted, that they might with less reluctance leave a country where they had suffered the greatest oppression and indignities. Had they not suffered severely, previous to their departure, Mountain of God] Sometimes named Horeb, at other there is much reason to believe, that no inducements could times Sinai. The mountain itself had two peaks, one have been sufficient to have prevailed on them to leave was called Horeb, the other Sinai. Horeb was proit. And yet their leaving it was of infinite consequence, bably the primitive name of the mountain, which was in the order both of grace and providence, as it was in- afterward called the mountain of God, because God apdispensably necessary that they should be a people sepa-peared upon it to Moses; and mount Sinai, o from rated from all the rest of the world, that they might see the promises of God fulfilled under their own eyes, and thus have the fullest persuasion that their law was divine, their prophets inspired by the Most High, and that the Messiah came according to the prophecies before delivered concerning him.

From the example of Pharaoh's daughter, (see note ver. 4.) and the seven daughters of Jethro, (ver. 16.) we learn that in the days of primitive simplicity, and in this respect the best days, the children, particularly the daughters of persons in the highest ranks in life, were employed in the most laborious offices. Kings' daughters performed the office of the laundress to their own families: and the daughters of princes tended and watered the flocks. We have seen similar instances in the case of Rebekah and Rachel; and we cannot be too pointed in calling the attention of modern delicate females, who are not only above serving their own parents and family, but even their own selves: the consequence of which is, they have neither vigour nor health; their growth, for want of

sench, a bush, because it was in a bush, or bramble, in a flame of fire, that this appearance was made.

Verse 2. The angel of the Lord] Not a created angel certainly; for he is called Jehovah, ver. 4, &c. and has the most expressive attributes of the Godhead applied to him, ver. 14, &c. Yet he is an angel, D malac, a messenger, in whom was the name of God, chap. xxiii. 21. and in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, Col. ii. 9. and who, in all these primitive times, was the messenger of the covenant, Mal. iii. 1. And who was this but JESUS, the Leader, Redeemer, and Saviour of mankind ?-See the note on Gen. xvi. 7.

A flame of fire out of the midst of the bush] Fire was not only among the Hebrews, but also among many other ancient nations, a very significant emblem of the Deity. God accompanied the Israelites in all their jour neyings through the wilderness as a pillar of fire by night; and probably a fire or flame in the Holy of Holies, between the Cherubim, was the general symbol of his presence: and traditions of these things, which must have

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CHAP. III.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; form he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of " the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

q Gen. 11. 5, 7. & 18. 21. & 50. 24-r Ch. 6. 6, 8. & 12. 51.-8 Deut. 1. 25. & 8.7,8,9.
t Ver. 17. Ch. 13, 5. & 33. 3. Numb. 13. 37. Deut. 26. 9, 15. Jer. 11. 5. & 32. 22.
Ezek. 32. 6-u Gen. 15. 18,-y Ch. 2. 23-w Ch. I. 11, 13, 14, 22.

hence he speaks of their performing their sacred rites bare-
footed: Sat. vi. v. 158.

Observant ubi festa mero pede sabbata reges.

The ancient Greeks did the same: Jamblicus, in the life of
Pythagoras, tells us, that this was one of his maxims-
von Os Xxvvs-offer sacrifice, and worship,
with your shoes off. And Solinus asserts, that no person
"Edem Numinis
was permitted to enter into the temple of Diana, in Crete,
till he had taken off his shoes.
(Diana) præterquam nudus vestigio nullus licitò ingre-
ditur." Tertullian observes, de jejunio, that in a time of
drought, the worshippers of Jupiter deprecated his wrath,
and prayed for rain, walking barefooted. "Cum stupet
cœlum, et aret annus, nudipedalia denunciantur." It is
probable that by neâlim, in the text, signifies sandals,
translated by the Chaldee So sandal, and No sandala,
see Gen. xiv. 23. which was the same as the Roman solea,
a sole alone, strapped about the foot. As this sole must
let in dust, gravel, and sand about the foot in travelling,
and render it very uneasy, hence the custom of frequently
washing the feet in those countries, where these sandals
were worn. Pulling off the shoes was, therefore, an em-
blem of laying aside the pollutions contracted by walking
in the way of sin. Let those who name the Lord Jesus
Christ depart from iniquity. In our western countries,
reverence is expressed by pulling off the hat; but how
much more significant is the eastern custom!

The place whereon thou standest is holy ground] It was now particularly sanctified by the Divine Presence: but if we may credit Josephus, a general opinion had prevailed that God dwelt on that mountain; and hence the shepherds, considering it as sacred ground, did not dare to feed their flocks there. Moses, however, finding the soil to be rich, and the pasturage good, boldly drove his flock thither to feed on it.-Antiq. b. II. c. xii. s. 1.

Verse 6. I am the God of thy father] Though the word N abi, father, is here used in the singular, St. Stephen, quoting this place, Acts vii. 32. uses the plural, GEO TV #Tagov rou, the God of thy FATHERS; and that this is the meaning the following words prove The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. These were the fathers of Moses in a direct line. This reading is confirmed by the Samaritan and by the Coptic. ABRAHAM was the father of the Ishmaelites, and with him was the covenant first made. ISAAC was the father of the Edomites, as well as the Israelites, and with him was the covenant renewed, JACOB was the father of the twelve patriarchs, who were founders of the Jewish nation; and to him were the promises particularly confirmed. Hence we see, that the Arabs and Turks in general, who are descendants of Ishmael; the Edomites, now absorbed among the Jews, see the note on Gen. xxv. 23. who are the descendants of Esau; and the Jewish people, wheresoever scattered, who are the descendants of Jacob, are all heirs of the promises included in this primitive covenant; and their gathering in, with the fulness of the Gentiles, may be confidently expected.

And Moses hid his face] For similar acts, see the passages referred to in the margin. He was afraid to lookhe was overawed by God's presence, and dazzled with the splendour of the appearance.

Verse 7. I have surely seen] N N reoh reiti, secing, I have seen-I have not only seen the afflictions of this people, because I am omniscient; but I have considered their sorrows, and mine eye affects my heart.

Verse 8. And I am come down to deliver them] This is the very purpose for which I am now come down upon this mountain; and for which I manifest myself to thee.

Large land] Canaan, when compared with the small tract of Goshen, in which they were now situated, and where, we learn, from chap. i. 7. they were straitened for room, might be well called a large land; see a fine description of this land, Deut. viii. 7.

A land flowing with milk and honey] Excellent for 195

pasturage, because abounding in the most wholesome herbage and flowers; and from the latter an abundance of wild honey was collected by the bees. Though cultivation is now almost entirely neglected in this land, because of the badness of the government, and the scantiness of the inhabitants, yet it is still good for pasturage, and yields an abundance of honey. The terms used in the text to express the fertility of this land, are commonly used by ancient authors on similar subjects. It is a metaphor taken from a breast, producing copious streams of milk. Homer calls Argos, outap apoupas, the breast of the country, as affording streams of milk and honey. Il. ix. ver. 141. So Virgil,

Ρει δ' οίνω, ρει δε μελισσαν Νεκταριο Eurip. Bacch. Exos. ver. 8. "The land flows with milk; it flows also with wine; it flows also with the nectar of bees (honey.") This seems to be a mere poetical copy from the Pentateuch, where the sameness of the metaphor, and the correspondence of the descriptions are obvious.

a

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is b my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

a Ch. 6. 3. John 8. 58. 2 Cor. 1. 20. Hebr. 13. 8. Rev. 8. 4.-b Pea. 135. 13. Hos 12. 5.

of Genesis, if even written, (for some suppose it had been composed by Moses during his residence in Midian) had not yet been communicated to the people; and being so long without any revelation, and perhaps without even the form of divine worship, their minds being degraded by the state of bondage in which they had been so long held, and seeing and hearing little in religion, but the supersti tions of those among whom they sojourned, they could have no distinct notion of the Divine Being. Moses himself might have been in doubt at first on this subject; and he seems to have been greatly on his guard against illusion: hence he asks a variety of questions, and endeavours, by all prudent means, to assure himself of the truth and certainty of the present appearance and commission. He well knew the power of the Egyptian magicians, and he could not tell from these first views, whether there might not have been some delusion in this case. God, therefore, gives him the fullest proof, not only for the satisfaction of the people to whom he was to be sent, but for his own full conviction, that it was the Supreme God who now spoke to him.

Verse 14. I AM that I AM] man en ma EHEYER asher EHEYEH. These words have been variously understood. The Vulgate translates-EGO SUM QUI SUM, I am cho am. The Septuagint-Ey su o v. I am, he cho exists. The Syriac, the Persic, and the Chaldee, preserve the original words, without any gloss. The Arabic paraphrases them-The Eternal, who passes not away; which is the same interpretation given by Abul Farajius, who also preserves the original words, and gives the above as their interpretation. The Targum of Jonathan, and the Jerusalem Targum, paraphrase the words thus"He who spake, and the world was-who spake, and all things existed." As the original words literally sig nify, I will be what I will be, some have supposed that God simply designed to inform Moses, that what he had been to his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he Verse 12. Certainly I will be with thee] This great would be to him and the Israelites, and that he would event shall not be left to thy wisdom and to thy power-perform the promises he had made to his fathers, by my counsel shall direct thee; and my power shall bring all these mighty things to pass.

Place of the Canaanites, &c.] See Gen. xv. 18, &c. Verse 11. Who am I, that I should bring] He was so satisfied that this was beyond his power, and all the means that he possessed, that he is astonished that even God himself should appoint him to this work! Such indeed was the bondage of the children of Israel, and the power of the people by whom they were enslaved, that had not their deliverance come through supernatural means, their escape had been utterly impossible.

And this shall be a token] Literally, And THIS to thee for a sign, i. e. this miraculous manifestation of the burning bush; shall be a proof that I have sent thee; or, my being with thee to encourage thy heart, strengthen thy hands, and enable thee to work miracles, shall be to thyself and to others, the evidence of thy divine mission.

Ye shall serve God on this mountain] This was not the sign, but God shows him that on their return from Egypt, they should take this mountain in their way, and should worship him in this place. There may be a prophetic allusion here to the giving of the law on mount Sinai. As Moses received his commands here, so likewise should the Israelites receive theirs in the same place. After all, the Divine Being seems to testify a partial predilection for this mountain. See the note on ver. 5.

Verse 13. They shall say-What is his name ne?] Does not this suppose that the Israelites had an idolatrons notion even of the Supreme Being? They had probably drunk deep into the Egyptian superstitions, and had gods many, and lords many; and Moses conjectured, that hearing of a supernatural deliverance, they would inquire who that God was, by whom it was to be effected. The reasons given here by the rabbins are too refined for the Israelites at this time. When God, say they, judgeth his creatures, he is called as Elohim. When he warreth against the wicked, he is called a tsebaoth; but when he showeth mercy unto the world, he is called mm Yehovah. It is not likely that the Israelites had much knowledge of God or of his ways, at the time to which the sacred text refers; it is certain they had no written word-the book

giving their descendants the promised land. It is diffi cult to put a meaning on the words; they seem intended to point out the eternity and self-existence of God.-See the conclusion of this chapter, and on the word Jehovah, chap. xxxiv. 6. and 7.

Verse 15. This is my name for ever] The name here referred to is that which immediately precedes, DɔÓN MO Yehovah Elohim, which we translate the LORD GOD, the name by which God had been known from the creation of the world, (see Gen. ii. 4.) and the name by which he is known among the same people to the present day, Even the heathens knew this name of the true God; and hence out of our mm Yehovah, they formed their Jao, Jeve, and Jove; so that the word has been literally fulfilled-This is my memorial unto all generations. See the note on the word Elohim, Gen. i. 1. As to be selfexistent and eternal must be attributes of God for ever, does it not follow that the dy le-ôlam, for ever, in the text, signifies eternity. "This is my name to eternityand my memorial," ledor dor, to all succeeding generations." While human generations continued, he should be called the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; but when time should be no more, he should be Jehovah Elohim. Hence the first expres sion refers to his eternal existence, the latter to the discovery he should make of himself as long as time should last. See Gen. xxi. 33. Diodorus Siculus says, that "among the Jews, Moses is reported to have received his laws from the God named Jao," 1xw, i. e. Jeue, Jove, of Jeve; for in all these ways the word Yehovah, may be pronounced: and in this way I have seen it on Egyptian monuments.-See Diod. lib. 1. c. xciv.