he was fent upon fo glorious and important a meffage, or because he had deferred to circumcife his youngest fon, the child. Thofe who follow the Jerufalem Targum, which fays, that Jethro and Zipporah took offence at it (26), feem to forget, that Jethro was a Midianite, defcended from Abraham by Keturah; and confequently, that circumcifion was moft probably adopted by them, as it was by the Imaelites, and all other defcendants of that patriarch. Befides, they are fallen into this notion by mistaking the words and action of Zipporah, and thinking that there was a fharp difpute between Mofes and her about it; the contrary of which will appear presently. We omit feveral other conjectures equally obfcure and uncertain, to come to inquire into her behaviour and words, after fhe had performed the ceremony; which have proved the main ftumbling-block of moft tranflations. For, firft, they have underftood it, that the threw the child's forefkin at his (Mofes's) feet, though the text doth not fay, whether it was at his, the child's, or the angel's feet; and the words are fo far from fignifying flinging, efpecially in anger, that they rather imply a laying the prepuce down in a decent or humble manner: for the literal fenfe is, fhe made it touch his feet. We come now to the words, A bloody husband art thou to me, &c. which one of our learn either ed divines has fully proved not to have been spoken to Mofes, but the child (27). He very judiciously observes, that the word nn chatan, which we tranflate husband, fignifies only a bridegroom; and it is not likely that Zipporah should call him by that name, after having been married fo long, and having had two children by him; that appellative ceafing immediately after the eight days of the nuptial folemnity were over. Another obfervation he makes is, that this word chatan doth properly fignify a fonin-law; and fo expresses not the relation the man has to his wife, but to her parents; for which reafon it never has any affixed pronoun, unless it be with relation to the latter. The fame may likewise be faid of the word calah, bride, or rather daughter-in-law; it being used only with relation to the husband's parents, who alone can properly call the married woman n calathi, my daughter-in-law; but the bridegroom never calls her by that name to fignify his bride; it being certain, that the Hebrew language has no word to exprefs a bridegroom or bride, with refpect to the relation they bear to each other. It would therefore have been nonfenfe in Zipporah to have called him by the name of chatan, which neither expref (26) Targ. Hierof. in loc, Jun, Simler, Pelican, Pifcat. & al (27) JJ. Med. fermon on the words, fed either out of regard to his tender age, or in complaifance to his wife, who might fear, left fuch an operation fhould make him unfit to travel for a while, if not endanger his Zipporah life in that hot country. Zipporah, however, taking it circumcifes in the latter fenfe, made what hafte fhe could to get a her fon, fharp ftone, with which the cut off the child's prepuce, and Mofes and laid it at his feet, telling him at the fame time, that is restored. he was now become a joyful bridegroom to her by the blood of this circumcifion. The ceremony was no fooner over, but Mofes was reftored again, and able to purfue his jour ney towards mount Horeb, whilft his wife took the two children back to her father Jethro, refolved to wait there till a more favourable opportunity offered to rejoin her hufband. fed an old nor a new husband. nify here by me, as it doth in a great many other places of Scripture, the fenfe will be fill more plainly this; Thou art now by me made a circumcifed child which was the form of words ufed in the circumcifion, and might be more pro perly rendered, I do pronounce הנשים לקרא לבן כאשר,tan ומול חתן an bin (33). Kimchi fays, that it fignifies originally one that gives joy, and is therefore used to exprefs the joy that attends a wedding, or the circumcifion of a child (34). Accordingly we find, that the Arabians called the circumcised machtun, or one that is made a chatan, in the fame manner as we call a baptized child, chriftened. The words then ufed by Zipporah ought to have been tranflated, thou art (now) to me a joyful circumcifed fon. To which if we add the laft obfervation of the fame learned author, that the word li, which we tranflate to me, doth more properly fig (33) Idem ibid. tuagint. & al thee circumcifed. Neither is In the mean time Mofes and Aaron met at the foot of Joins his mount Horeb, and after the first embraces of two brothers, brother at who had not feen one another during the space of forty mount Hoyears, Mofes acquainted him with the commiffion he had reb. received from GOD. Aaron expreffed a fenfible joy at the news, and promifed to be obedient in all things to the divine will; they continued their journey towards Egypt; and, being happily arrived at the land of Goshen, their first Declares care was to affemble the elders or heads of the Ifraelites, bis comand to impart to them the joyful news of their fpeedy miffion to deliverance; and Mofes, to confirm their hefitating be-the Ifrael) lief, wrought thofe miracles before them, by which GoDites. had commanded him to establish his credit and authority among them. These firft effays were received with incredible joy by the whole affembly, every one bowing themselves in token of gratitude and adoration to the divine goodness, which had at length taken pity of their miferable flavery b. But this docile difpofition lafted no longer than they thought their deliverance would cost nothing but miracles, and that the care and danger of it would only fall upon Mofes and Aaron; but when it came to touch them a little nearer, they became fo refty and defponding, that Mofes found them as hard to be perfuaded to embrace their freedom, as Pharaoh was to grant it (B). Year of the flood 857Bef. Chr. 1491. MOSES and Aaron did not delay to open their com- Delivers miffion before the Egyptian king: but the preamble, Thus his meffage faith the LORD GOD of the Hebrews, founded fo ftrangely to the king in his ears, unused to fuch an expreffion, that he could Egypt. b Exod. iv. p. tot. (B) Some hiftorians have ventured to give us the name of this Pharaoh, though Jofephus doth only call him the new king (36). Apion calls him Amofis or Amafis; Eufebius, Chencris ; but archbishop Uber thinks after Manetho, that it was Amenophis the fon of Ramefes Miamun, and father of Sethafts, called alfo after his grandfather Ramefis. (36) Ant. l. ii. c. 9. before, vol. ii. p. 41. & feqq. VOL. III. He is alfo of opinion, that this (37) Uber an. fub A. M. 2427. (38) See not not forbear wondering at their boldness, telling them that he knew no fuch GOD, and that as to the Ifraelites, they fhould not find him fo easy to part with them. To this they answered, that this very GOD, whom he refused to acknowlege, had injoined them to go three days journey to celebrate a feftival to him; and that if they should omit complying with his command, he would foon punish their difobedience, either by peftilence, or by the fword. This more amazed the haughty monarch, who thereupon difmiffed them with a fevere reprimand, for putting fuch idle notions into their people's heads, and debauching them from their work, bidding them return to their own tafks, and they fhould foon know the fuccefs of this wife embaffy. As this proved the beginning of that famous contest between Mofes, or rather the GOD of Ifrael, and the king of Egypt, so it became the fatal fource of new The Ifrael-forrows and complaints to the Ifraelites. For Pharaoh, ites bur fearing their exceffive numbers, and thinking, or at leaft dens in- pretending, that idleness and wantonnefs were the caufe creased. of this rambling fit of religion, ordered their tafk-mafters to harden their work ftill more, and inftead of giving them ftraw to dry their bricks with, to make them wander over the land, fince they had fuch an inclination for a change of air, and to gather themfelves ftubble inftead of it, without diminishing one tittle of their work. This order was foon obeyed by their mercilefs tafk-mafters, who failed not to punish their overfeers, whenever they found them come fhort of their appointed tafk. These therefore came in a body to make their grievances known to the king, who, inftead of minding their piteous complaints, only accused them of being grown idle and wanton for want of work, and difmiffed them with the utmost unconcern. They were fcarce got out of Pharaoh's palace before Mofes and Aaron met them, against whom they began to inveigh in the bittereft terms, as the authors of this new addition of mifery, which could Determinate in nothing but death and defpair. It would have been in vain for Mofes to have offered any thing, either in his own defence, or by way of comfort to them at that time; he thought it more advifeable to apply himself to GoD, and in the humbleft terms to expoftulate with him for the ill fuccefs of this firft meffage. Exod. v. p. tot. -MOSES MOSES had no fooner made an end of his complaint, Mofes is but God gave him fresh affurances. of his love and com-bid to go paffion for his groaning people, and bid him go to them, again to and affure them from him, that he would fpeedily let all Pharaoh. Fgypt fee that he was their GOD, and would be their deliverer and conductor into that land which he had promised to their fathers, to whom he had indeed appeared, and been known heretofore by the name of El Saddai (GOD Almighty or All-fufficient), though never till now by his great name Jehovah (C), promifing them to fignalize their deliverance, by fuch tokens of juftice on that obftinate prince and people, as fhould force the proud monarch to difmifs them. All thefe divine promifes, however, were fo little regarded by the defponding Ifraelites, that, when God commanded Mofes to go again to Pharaoh, and to renew his demand in his name, he was fo difheartened at his ill fuccefs, that he could not forbear fhewing an exceffive reluctancy to obey. Alas! faid he, if my words can find fo little credit with thy own people, how can I expect that they will be regarded by that unbe lieving monarch, especially confidering with what difficulty I am forced to utter them! To this GOD was pleafed to reply, Behold, Mofes, I give thee a miraculous (C) Those who conclude from this paffage, that the name (37), or the genuine meaning (38), or, laftly, the true pronunciation, of the word Jehovah (39), had been unknown to the patriarchs Abraham, Ifaac, &c. and that Mafes used it by way of anticipation, and spoke according to the time in which he wrote, when God had made it fully known to his people, feem to forget, that Abraham called the mountain, on which he was to have facrificed his fon, Jebavab jired. However, it muft be owned, that there is a great obfcurity in the words of Mofes, out of which many He (37) Kimch. Abenezra, Oleafter, &c. Cajetan. Toftat. nius, & al. brew and Christian commenta- (38) Paul, Burg. Rupert. Lyra, (39) Oleaf. gloff. Berruyer, &c. power |
