The plague of

Before CHRIST

1491.

| Or, a mixture of noisome beasts, &c.

19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

20 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve

me.

21 Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon

sphere was the vehicle of conveyance, here their sleight of hand was ineffectual, and the superiority of Aaron became more conspicuous. Script. illust.

19. This is the finger of God:] Acknowledging that the power by which Moses was assisted was superior to their's. Pyle. The power of God is represented by his hand or finger in the Scripture phrase, Psal. viii. 3; Luke xi. 20. Bp. Kidder,

20. -lo, he cometh forth to the water ;] Moses was ordered to accost Pharaoh, and to disclose to him the will of God, at the time when he was taking his morning walk upon the banks of the Nile. It was probably a season of customary adoration; when the prince of the country shewed his reverence to the stream, which was esteemed so beneficial and sacred. Bryant. See note on chap. vii. 15.

:

21.- I will send swarms of flies upon thee,] The judgment to be denounced was a plague of flies: which were brought all over the land in vast numbers; and seem to have been not only formidable for their swarms, but for the painfulness of their sting, as well as of their bite, which was intolerable. There is reason to think, that the Egyptians had particular deities, whose department was to ward off those natural evils to which their votaries were liable. The province allotted to several deities was particularly to drive away flies. But this is not all these insects, however incredible it may appear, were in many places worshipped. This reverence seems to have been shewn, sometimes, to prevent their being troublesome; at other times, because they were esteemed sacred to the deity. Nor did they only shew an idolatrous regard to flies in general; there was a deity styled Deus Musca, who was particularly worshipped under the characteristick of a fly. This idolatry originated in Egypt, whence it was brought to Palestine, &c. by the Phenicians to Sidon, Tyre, and Byblus; and so into other regions of the world. Such being the worship of this people, nothing could be more striking and determinate, than the judgment brought upon them. They were punished by the very things which they revered; and though they boasted of spells and charms, yet they could not ward off the evil. They had gods, who, they thought, could avert all mischief; but their power was ineffectual; and both the prince and the people were obliged to acknowledge the inferiority of their own deities, by suing through Moses to the God of Israel. Bryant.

swarms of flies] Flesh flies, or dog flies, very bold, troublesome, and venomous. Some think the Hebrew word means a mixture of different insects, all manner of flies. Bp. Patrick. Perhaps this is the insect called Zimb in those countries. As soon as this plague appears, and its buzzing is heard, all the cattle

Before

1491.

flies threatened. thy servants, and upon thy people, CHRIST and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

22 And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people: I to morrow shall this sign be.

24 And the LORD did so; and

Heb. a or, by

redemption.

to morrow.

forsake their food, and run wildly about the plain, till they die, worn out with fatigue, fright, and hunger.

Bruce.

per

22. – I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, &c.] The first three judgments were experienced by the Israelites, as well as by the Egyptians. They were not so grievous as those which succeeded. Yet they were sufficient to teach the inhabitants of Goshen, that there was no illusion in these mighty operations; which haps they might have suspected, had they not seen, and felt, and borne some share in the evil. On the other hand Pharaoh and his servants, when they saw God's people involved in the same calamities with themselves, might have fancied, that there was nothing particular in the judgments; and in consequence of it, not so distinctly seen to whom they were directed. Hence the scope of Providence would have been defeated. It therefore pleased God, in the plague of flies, and in those which came after, to separate the land of his own people and preserve them from these evils. The Israelites, having experienced the former evils, must have been more intimately affected with this immunity, by which they were distinguished. And they must, in consequence of it, have been more ready to follow their great leader; who was the immediate agent of Providence, both to punish and to preserve.

The land of Goshen was a tongue-like piece of land, where the Nile first divided at a place called Cercasora. Said, or Upper Egypt, lay above; and Mesre, or Lower Egypt, was in a line downward. Nothing but a miracle could have preserved this intermediate land from flies, which swarmed both above and below. Bryant.

We cannot read the history of the plagues which God brought upon Pharaoh by the hands of Moses, without stopping a moment to consider a singularity, a very principal one, which attended this plague of the fly. It was not till this time, and by means of this insect, that God said He would separate his people from the Egyptians. And it would seem, that then a law was given to it, which fixed the limits of its habitation. The land of Goshen was a land of pasture, not tilled or sown, because it was not overflowed by the Nile. But the land overflowed by the Nile was the black earth of the valley of Egypt; and it was here that God confined the flies for, He says, it shall be a sign of this separation of the people, which He then made, that not one fly should be seen in the sand or pasture ground, the land of Goshen: and this kind of soil has ever since been the refuge of all cattle, emigrating from the black earth to the lower part of Atbara. Bruce.

24. And the Lord did so; &c.] The land of Egypt, being annually overflowed, was pestered with swarms of flies, They were so troublesome, that the people

The plague of flies.

Before CHRIST 1491.

b Wisd. 16 9.

|| Or, destroyed.

"there came a grievous swarm of
flies into the house of Pharaoh, and
into his servants' houses, and into all
the land of Egypt: the land was
|| corrupted by reason of the swarm
of flies.

25 ¶ And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.

26 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the. LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?

27 We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to e Chap. 3. 18. the LORD our God, as he shall command us.

C

The flies are removed.

LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. 30 And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.

31 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.

32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

It was

were in many places forced to lie on the tops of their houses, which were flat, where they were obliged to cover themselves with a network. As the country abounded thus with these insects, it might be thought that the judgment was effected in a natural way; if it were not, that it was brought about, as was that also of the frogs, in the coldest and most ungenial season of the year in Egypt. These noxious animals could not have been produced at such a season by natural means. contrary to all experience. They used to be produced at a different, and for the most part an opposite, time of the year and before this season they were either diminished or extinct. So also with respect to the change in the waters of the Nile, which cannot be imputed to a natural cause. The stream of the Nile indeed is sometimes of a red colour; and the same is said of the river Adonis, in Phenicia: but this is always during violent inundations, when the rivers, by the exuberance of their waters, wash away ochre, and other minerals, from the sides of their banks. This circumstance in Egypt never happens but in summer, when the Nile is rising; at which time its waters are turbid. But in January and February the river is not only reduced to its channel, but is lower than in any of the preceding months, and particularly pure and wholesome. The change therefore was not produced by any natural cause; such as mineral tincture and common pollution: the season of the year shews the contrary. Bryant. Concerning the season, see Dr. Hales's note on chap. ix. 31.

a grievous swarm of flies] How intolerable a plague flies can prove, may be known from places near lakes and pools, which have been on their account deserted, and rendered desolate. Such was the fate of Mynus in Ionia, and of Atarnæ. The inhabitants were forced to quit these cities, not being able to stand the flies and gnats, with which they were pestered. Trajan was obliged to raise the siege of a city in Arabia, before

CHAP. IX.

1 The murrain of beasts. 8 The plague of boils and blains. 13 His message about the hail. 22 The plague of hail. 27 Pharaoh sueth to Moses, 35 but yet is hardened. HEN the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Before CHRIST 1491.

which he had sat down, being driven away by the swarms of these insects. "The fly of Egypt" seems to have been proverbial. Hence Isaiah says, "The Lord shall hiss for the fly of Egypt," chap. vii. 18. We are told by Moses, that the hornet drove out the Canaanite: by which we may infer, that, before the coming of the Israelites, several cities had been evacuated through the terrour of this insect. Bryant.

26.—the abomination of the Egyptians] That is, the oxen, sheep, goats, &c. which they worshipped. Locke. Herodotus expressly tells us, that the Egyptians esteemed it a profanation to sacrifice any kind of cattle, except swine, bulls, clean calves, and geese; and that heifers, rams, and goats were held sacred, either in one province or another: and if he came any thing near the truth, in his account of the early superstition of Egypt, the Israelites, we see, could not avoid sacrificing abomination of the Egyptians." And with what deadly hatred and revenge they pursued such imaginary impieties, the same Herodotus elsewhere informs us. Bp. Warburton.

"the

From what is here said about "animal sacrifices," it is probable that the Israelites were debarred from the exercise of their religious rites during their slavery. Their minds were enslaved still more than their bodies, by the most cruel of all despotisms, to render them incapable of the enjoyment of rational liberty, as moderated by religion, pure and undefiled. Dr. Hales. ye shall not go very far away:] He was apprehensive of their flight, like his predecessor, who first enslaved the Israelites. Dr. Hales.

28.

32. And Pharaoh hardened his heart &c.] No sooner was the scourge taken away, than his pride and covetousness discovered themselves afresh, and made him as unrelenting and perverse as ever. Pyle. This he did after a new plague, that spoke not only the power, but the peculiar providence of God, in severing between his people and the Egyptians. Bp. Kidder.

The murrain of beasts.

Before CHRIST 1491.

let them |

2 For if thou refuse to go, and wilt hold them still, 3 Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep there shall be a very grievous murrain.

4 And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.

5 And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.

6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

Chap. IX. ver. 3.—the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle &c.] We may observe a particular scope and meaning in this calamity, if we consider it with regard to the Egyptians, which would not have existed in respect to any other people. It is well known that they held in idolatrous reverence the lion, wolf, dog, cat, ape, and goat. But they had gods which they held in still greater reverence than these; such were the ox or steer; the cow and heifer; and the ram. Among these the Apis and Mnevis are well known; the former, a sacred bull adored at Memphis; and the latter, at Heliopolis. There was also a cow or heifer which had the like honours at Momemphis. To these may be added the goat at Mendes, though perhaps not so celebrated as the others. This judgment, therefore, upon the kine of Egypt, was very significant in its execution and purport. The Egyptians not only suffered a severe loss, but, what was of far greater consequence, they saw the representative of their deities, and their deities themselves, sink before the "God of the Hebrews." There is reason to think, that both the camel and ass were held sacred, which were involved in the same calamity. Hence it is said by the sacred writer, "upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments," Numb. xxxiii. 4. See Exod. xii. 12; also Exod. xviii. 11. These events, we may well imagine, had a happy influence on the minds of the Israelites, to whom the worship of the Egyptians must at this time have appeared in a most contemptible light, and their gods despicable. Their separation, too, and exemption during these evils, must have had still greater weight. It rendered them more ready to quit a people, from whom they were in so salutary a manner distinguished, and to embrace a better and more rational religion. Bryant.

6.

- all the cattle of Egypt died:] It appears from ver. 19, that some survived; therefore the meaning is, either that all in the field, ver. 3, not those in the houses, died; or else that a great many of all sorts of cattle died, as the word all may be expounded. Bp. Patrick. See note below on ver. 19.

In this act of Divine power, we see, that all the ways of God are mercy, as well as truth. The exact completion of the prediction proved his veracity-the appointing of the set time was an act of mercy. Wogan.

8. And the Lord &c.] The former plague having moved so little the proud and stubborn heart of Pharaoh, the Lord instantly, without any further message to

The plague of boils and blains.

7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

8 And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.

9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.

10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.

Before CHRIST 1491.

him, commands Moses to bring another judgment upon the Egyptians, more dreadful and noisome than any of the rest had been. Bp. Patrick.

Take to you handfuls of ashes &c.] This plague, like those which preceded, was well calculated to confound the Egyptians, and confirm the faith of the Israelites. The Egyptians had many gods, and those of high rank, who were supposed to preside over pharmacy and medicine; and to these the people looked up with great confidence, in all those pains and maladies to which the human frame is subject. Among these Esculapius was held in particular honour for his skill in this science. The Egyptians believed the art of medicine to have been found out by these gods; and from them to have been transmitted to particular persons in succession, who under their influence carried it on to the advantage of the nation. Hence in this instance, as in the preceding, the Egyptians were not only punished, but were shewn the baseness of their worship, and the vanity of their confidence, where they most trusted. They could dig for water, and in some degree shelter themselves from flies; but there was no resource from this evil, which was brought more home to them. It was a taint of the human frame; a grievous internal malady, under which the priests, as well as the people, smarted, to their astonishment and confusion. Hence it appears, that the prince of the country was deserted of his wise men, as well as of his gods: "the magicians could not stand before Moses, because of the boil: for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians." Bryant.

9 And it shall become small dust] Instead of the ashes, which they threw into the air, there was to come down a small sleet or dust, that should scald the flesh of man and beast, and raise a blister, “a boil breaking forth with blains," on every part on which it should fall. The Hebrew word properly signifies an inflammation, which first makes a tumour or "boil," as we translate it, and thence turns into a grievous ulcer. Moses speaks of it afterwards as an unusual plague, which he calls "the botch of Egypt," Deut. xxviii. 27. Bp. Patrick, Stackhouse.

10. And they took ashes of the furnace, &c.] There was something very significant in this plague. "The furnace," from which the ashes were taken, aptly represented "the iron furnace" of Egyptian bondage, Deut. iv. 20; and the scattering of the ashes in the air might

The plague of

Before CHRIST 1491.

11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.

12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened a Chap. 4. 21. not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.

13 And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me,

refer to the usage of the Egyptians in their Typhonian sacrifices of human victims, some of whom probably were Israelites; at the close of which sacrifices the priests gathered together the ashes of the victims, and scattered them upwards in the air. This plague also converted another of the elements and of their gods, the air or ether, into an instrument of their chastisement. Dr. Hales, Bryant.

11. the magicians could not stand &c.] We read of no attempt made by the magicians, since the plague of lice, which they could not counterfeit, to vie in working miracles with Moses and Aaron. Still they seem to have remained with Pharaoh, and to have endeavoured to fix him in the resolution not to let Israel go. But now the plague seized on them, as well as on the rest of the Egyptians, which perfectly confounded them, so that they could not stand before Moses, or look him in the face. Bp. Patrick. Though, by the Divine permission, the magicians could change their rods into serpents, yet, as a manifest token of superiority, Aaron's rod swallowed all their's; though they could turn water into blood, yet it was above their skill to restore it to its former nature; though they contrived to produce frogs, yet they were utterly unable to remove them from the Egyptian palaces and houses; though they did in short some things, which only added to the calamities of Egypt, yet they could do no one thing to redress them; nor even to relieve themselves from the plague of the | boils. So true and so severe withal is the observation of the author of the Book of Wisdom, chap, xvii. 7, 8. Stackhouse,

12. And the Lord &c.] Now "the Lord," for the first time, "hardened the heart of Pharaoh," after he had so repeatedly hardened it himself, "and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had foretold unto Moses." Though Pharaoh probably felt the scourge of the "boil," as well as his people, it did not soften nor humble his heart. And when he wilfully and obstinately turned away from the light, and shut his eyes against the luminous evidences vouchsafed to him of the supremacy of the GOD OF THE HEBREWS, and had twice broken his promise, when he was indulged with a respite, and dealt deceitfully, he became a just object of punishment; and God now began to increase the hardness or obduracy of his heart. And such is the usual and the righteous course of his providence; when nations or individuals despise the warnings of Heaven, abuse their best gifts, and resist the means of grace, "God then delivers them over to a reprobate or undiscerning mind, to work all uncleanness with greediness," Rom. 1. 28; Ephes. iv. 19. Dr. Hales. Even now God did not infuse into Pharaoh's heart any bad qualities, or ungodly resolutions; but only He did not vouchsafe to him those convictions which might have softened him;

boils and blains.

"and he gave him up to his own heart's lust ;" and likewise ordered things so to fall out, that he became more and more obdurate. Bp. Patrick.

15. that I may smite thee &c.] I will smite thy people with that pestilential disease, which shall take off all the firstborn of the Egyptians; and thou thyself shalt be cut off, by being drowned in the Red sea. Dr. Wells.

The following plagues were formally announced to Pharaoh and his people: "I will at this season send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I could stretch out my hand, and smite thee and thy people with pestilence," or destroy thee at once, like thy cattle with the murrain, "and thou shouldest be cut off from the earth; but in truth, for this cause have I sustained thee, that I might manifest in thee my power, and that my name might be declared throughout the whole earth." This rendering of the passage is more conformable to the context, to the Chaldee Paraphrase, and to the foregoing observation of Philo, alluding thereto, than the received translation: "For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence." For surely Pharaoh and his people were not smitten with pestilence; and "they were preserved,” or kept from immediate destruction, according to the Septuagint, "to manifest the Divine power," by the number and variety of their plagues. Dr. Hales.

16. for this cause have I raised thee up,] In the Hebrew the words are," I have made thee stand;" that is, I have preserved thee alive, when the pestilence would have cut thee off, as the murrain did thy cattle, that I might destroy thee in a more remarkable manner. "I have raised thee" from the foregoing sickness; that is, spared thee in the midst of the most malignant ulcers. Bp. Patrick. I have made thee to stand, preserving thee, and suspending to punish thee, when I sent all my other plagues, that I might shew my power more illustriously in thee. Dean Tucker. The Greek translates the place very justly, "For this cause thou hast been preserved :" and most of the versions express the true meaning of the passage better than our English translation. The reason of the words, and the true meaning of them, is this: Moses had wrought several miracles before Pharaoh, without effect. Hereupon he delivers him a severer message, threatening that God would send all his plagues upon his heart, &c. to smite him with pestilence and to cut him off from the earth: and "indeed," continues he, speaking still in the name of God, "for this cause have I preserved thee hitherto, to shew in thee my power:" that is, I had cut thee off sooner for thy obstinacy, but that I intended to make my power over thee more conspicuous. So that the words signify, that Pharaoh was hitherto preserved by the forbearance of