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Exodus Chapter
Eight
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
EXODUS 8
In this chapter Pharaoh is
threatened with the plague of frogs
in case he refused to let Israel go
which
accordingly was brought upon him
Exodus 8:1 and
though the magicians did something similar to it
yet these were so troublesome
to Pharaoh
that he promised to let the people go
and sacrifice to God
if
they removed; and a time being fixed for the removal of them
it was
accordingly done at the entreaty of Moses and Aaron
Exodus 8:7 but
there being a respite
Pharaoh's heart was hardened
and the plague of lice is
ordered
and which was executed; and though this the magicians essayed to do
and could not
but owned it to be the finger of God
yet Pharaoh's heart was
hardened
Exodus 8:15
wherefore he is threatened with a swarm of flies
which should not infest
Goshen
only the places where the Egyptians dwelt
and it was so
Exodus 8:20 upon
which Pharaoh called for Moses
and declared himself willing the people would
sacrifice in the land; but this not being satisfactory
he agreed they should
go into the wilderness
but not so far; and on the account of the entreaty of
Moses
the plague was removed; but still Pharaoh's heart was hardened
and he
would not let the people go
Exodus 8:25.
Exodus 8:1 And the Lord spoke to
Moses
“Go to Pharaoh and say to him
‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My
people go
that they may serve Me.
YLT 1And Jehovah saith unto Moses
`Go in unto
Pharaoh: and thou hast said unto him
Thus said Jehovah
Send My people away
and they serve Me;
And the Lord
spake unto Moses
.... Either whilst the plague upon the waters continued
or
immediately upon the removal of it:
go unto
Pharaoh
and say unto him
thus saith the Lord
let my people go
that they may
serve me; mentioning neither time nor place
where
when
and how long
they should serve him
for which their dismission was required
but insist on
it in general.
Exodus 8:2 2 But
if you refuse to let them go
behold
I will smite all your territory
with frogs.
YLT 2and if thou art refusing to send away
lo
I
am smiting all thy border with frogs;
And if thou
refuse to let them go
.... Will not obey the orders:
I will smite
all thy borders with frogs; he gives him warning of the blow before he
strikes
which shows his clemency and goodness
his patience and longsuffering;
and this he did
not only that he might have time and space for repentance
and
thereby avoid the blow; but that when it came
he might be sensible it was not
by chance
or owing to second causes
but was from the Lord himself.
I will smite
all thy borders with frogs: fill the whole land of Egypt with them
to
the utmost borders thereof on every side. SomeF17R. Chananeel apud
Abendana
and some in Aben Ezra in Ioc. say the word signifies a large Egyptian
fish
which in the Arabic tongue is called Altamsach
that is
a crocodile
with which the Nile abounded; but such a creature could not invade and attack
them in the manner as is after related.
Exodus 8:3 3 So
the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly
which shall go up and come into
your house
into your bedroom
on your bed
into the houses of your servants
on your people
into your ovens
and into your kneading bowls.
YLT 3and the River hath teemed [with] frogs
and
they have gone up and gone into thy house
and into the inner-chamber of thy
bed
and on thy couch
and into the house of thy servants
and among thy
people
and into thine ovens
and into thy kneading-troughs;
And the river
shall bring forth frogs abundantly
.... The river Nile; and
though water
and watery places
naturally produce these creatures
yet not in
such vast quantities as to cover a whole country
and so large an one as Egypt
and this done at once
immediately; for they were all produced instantaneously
and in one day were spread all over the nation
and removed the next: and
besides what follows is equally miraculous:
which shall go
up and come into thine house; which though they may come up out of
rivers
and be upon the banks and the meadows adjacent
yet are never known to
come into houses
and especially into bedchambers and other places after
mentioned
being not a bold but timorous creature
and shuns the sight and
company of men; but these came even into the royal palace
nor could his guards
keep them out:
and into thy
bedchamber
and upon thy bed; and by their leaping upon him
and croaking
in his ears
disturb his rest:
and into the
house of thy servants
and upon thy people both nobles and common
people
and not only get into their houses
but upon their persons
on their
hands when about their business
on their laps
and into their bosoms
as they
sat; which must be very offensive and troublesome to them
what with their ugly
shape
croaking noise and filthy smell
and the disagreeable touch of them
leaping on them
and even upon their food
and all vessels used for the same
which must make it very nauseous and distasteful to them:
and into thy
ovens; where they baked their bread
and would be now hindered from the
use of them:
and into thy
kneadingtroughs; where they kneaded their dough
and made it into loaves
and
prepared it for the oven; or the "dough"F18במשארותיך "in tuas pastas"
Pagninus; "in
farinam tuam aquis conspersam"
Tigurine version; "in reliquiis
ciborum tuorum"
V. L. itself
which they leaped upon and licked
and made
it loathsome for use.
Exodus 8:4 4 And
the frogs shall come up on you
on your people
and on all your servants.”’”
YLT 4yea
on thee
and on thy people
and on all
thy servants do the frogs go up.'
And the frogs
shall come up both on thee
and upon thy people
and upon thy servants. No doubt by
the interposition of divine power and providence
and it may be by the ministry
of angels; so that let them use what care
caution
and diligence they would
there was no keeping them out; but they came upon all the people of the land
high and low
rich and poor
and upon the king's ministers
courtiers
and
nobles
and the king himself not excepted; though by this particular
enumeration of him
his people
and servants
the children of Israel may be
thought to be exempted from this plague
as R. Japhez observes; though Aben
Ezra dislikes his remark
but it seems to be just.
Exodus 8:5 5 Then
the Lord
spoke to Moses
“Say to Aaron
‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the
streams
over the rivers
and over the ponds
and cause frogs to come up on the
land of Egypt.’”
YLT 5And Jehovah saith unto Moses
`Say unto
Aaron
Stretch out thy hand
with thy rod
against the streams
against the
rivers
and against the ponds
and cause the frogs to come up against the land
of Egypt.'
And the Lord
spake unto Moses
.... By a secret impulse upon his mind
for he was now in the
presence of Pharaoh
who had refused to let Israel go:
say unto Aaron
stretch forth thy hand with thy rod; for Aaron carried the
rod
and he was the minister of Moses
who was appointed a god to him; and be
was to speak and to do whatever he ordered him from the Lord:
over the
streams
over the rivers and over the ponds; the seven streams of the
river of Nile
and over the canals cut out of it
and over all places where
there was a collection of water for any use for man or beast:
and cause frogs
to come up upon the land of Egypt; out of the streams
rivers
and ponds
immediately.
Exodus 8:6 6 So
Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt
and the frogs came up
and covered the land of Egypt.
YLT 6And Aaron stretcheth out his hand against the
waters of Egypt
and the frog cometh up
and covereth the land of Egypt;
And Aaron
stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt
.... That is
towards the
waters of the Nile
and towards all places where any water was; for it was not
possible he could stretch out his hand over all the waters that were in every
place:
and the frogs
came and covered the land of Egypt: they came up at once
and in such multitudes everywhere
that the whole land was full of them; this
was done on the twenty fifth of Adar
or February
the same day the former
plague ceased; so ArtapanusF19Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praepar. Evangel.
l. 9. c. 27. p. 425.)
the Heathen historian says
that Moses by his rod
produced frogs
locusts
and lice. And the story which Heraclides LembusF20Apud
Athenaei Deipnosophist. l. 8. c. 2. tells seems to be hammered out of this
account of Moses
that in Paeonia and Dardania such a number of frogs fell from
heaven
as filled the public roads and private houses; at first the inhabitants
killed them
and keeping their houses shut
bore it patiently some time; but
when it signified nothing
and their household goods were covered with them
and they found them boiled and roasted with their food
and lay in such heaps
that they could not tread for them
and were so distressed with the smell of
the dead ones
they forsook their country.
Exodus 8:7 7 And
the magicians did so with their enchantments
and brought up frogs on the land
of Egypt.
YLT 7and the scribes do so with their flashings
and cause the frogs to come up against the land of Egypt.
And the
magicians did so with their enchantments
&c. By their secret
wiles and juggling tricks:
and brought up
frogs upon the land of Egypt
that is
some few
as a proof of their art
and skill
and to show that Moses and Aaron did but what they could do; but
what they did either were only in appearance
deceiving the sight of Pharaoh
and his people
or real frogs were brought to them by the help of devils
but
not in such numbers: and besides
this was adding to the plague
and not
diminishing it; had they done anything to the purpose
they should have removed
it at once
or destroyed the frogs; but that they could not do
of which
Pharaoh being sensible
he therefore entreated for the removal of them by Moses
and Aaron. To this plague there seems to be some reference at the pouring out
of the sixth vial
Revelation 16:13.
Exodus 8:8 8 Then
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron
and said
“Entreat the Lord that He may
take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go
that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”
YLT 8And Pharaoh calleth for Moses and for Aaron
and saith
`Make supplication unto Jehovah
that he turn aside the frogs from
me
and from my people
and I send the people away
and they sacrifice to
Jehovah.'
Then Pharaoh
called for Moses and Aaron
.... He sent for them:
and said
entreat the Lord
that he may take away the frogs from me and from my people; he begins now
to know the Lord
whom he knew not before
by the judgments he executed on him
to acknowledge his hand in those judgments
and tacitly to own that none else
could remove them; and his proud heart was so far humbled
as to beg the favour
of Moses and Aaron to intercede with the Lord to cause this plague to cease
which was intolerable: and it may be observed from other instances in history
somewhat
similar to this
that whole cities and countries have been deserted by their
inhabitants on a like occasion
as those of Paeonia and Dardania
in the
account above given; and Justin reportsF21E Trogo
l. 15. c. 2. of
the Abderites
a people of Thrace
that because of the multitude of frogs and
mice
were obliged to leave their native country
and seek new habitations; and
Diodorus SiculusF23Bibliothec. l. 3. p. 164. and AelianusF24De
Animal. l. 17. c. 41. relate much the same of a people called Autariatae; and
VarroF25Apud Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 29. affirms
that in a city
in France
the inhabitants of it were drove away by frogs; which instances
as
they show how very distressing such a calamity is
so they serve to illustrate
and confirm the truth of the divine history
cavilled at by infidels
when
anything is related in it exceeding the common and ordinary course of things:
and I will let
the people go
that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord; as had been
frequently required of him
Exodus 5:1.
Exodus 8:9 9 And
Moses said to Pharaoh
“Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for
you
for your servants
and for your people
to destroy the frogs from you and
your houses
that they may remain in the river only.”
YLT 9And Moses saith to Pharaoh
`Beautify thyself
over me; when do I make supplication for thee
and for thy servants
and for
thy people
to cut off the frogs from thee and from thy houses -- only in the
River they do remain?'
And Moses said
unto Pharaoh
glory over me
.... If thou canst; take every advantage
against me of lessening my glory
and increasing thine own; or vaunt or boast
thyself against me
as the phrase is rendered
Judges 7:2 or take
this honour and glory to thyself over me
by commanding me
and fixing a time
to pray for thee
and I will obey thy orders; which agrees with the Septuagint
Syriac
and Vulgate Latin versions
and the paraphrase of Onkelos
"appoint"
or "order for me"; that is
when I shall pray
for thee; or do me this honour
to believe me in the sight of the people
to
declare before them that thou dost believe that upon my prayer for thee this
plague shall be removed:
when shall I
entreat for thee
and for thy servants
and for thy people
to destroy the
frogs from thee and thy houses
that they may remain in this river only? Moses agreed
to entreat the Lord for him as he desired
but leaves it with him to fix the
time for doing it; and this he did
that it might appear that the removal of
the frogs
as well as the bringing of them
would not be owing to chance or to
any natural cause
but to the Lord himself; and though Moses had no direction
from the Lord for this
that is recorded
yet he might presume upon it
since
he was made a god to Pharaoh
and had power to do as he pleased; and also he
knew the mind and will of God
and might have now a secret impulse upon his
spirit
signifying it to him: and besides
he had the faith of miracles
and
strongly believed that God would work this by him
and at whatsoever time should
be fixed.
Exodus 8:10 10 So
he said
“Tomorrow.” And he said
“Let it be according to your word
that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.
YLT 10and he saith
`To-morrow.' And he saith
According to thy word [it is]
so that thou knowest that there is none like
Jehovah our God
And he said
tomorrow
.... Which according to Bishop Usher was the twenty sixth day of
Adar
or February. It may seem strange that Pharaoh
and his people
being so
greatly distressed with this plague
should not desire that the Lord would be
entreated to do it immediately
and not put it off to another day: two reasons
are usually given; one is
he might hope that it would by that time go off of
itself
and then he should not be beholden to the Lord
nor to Moses; and the
other is
that he thought an affair of this kind could not be done immediately
but that it required time for making the intercession
and performing rites and
ceremonies
which he supposed might be used
as were by his magicians; and it
might be now the evening of the day
and therefore deferred it till tomorrow:
and he said
be
it according to thy word
as if he had said
it shall be done as thou hast desired
and at
the time fixed:
that thou
mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God; that can send
plagues
and remove them at his pleasure
which the deities he worshipped
and
the magicians he employed
could not do.
Exodus 8:11 11 And the frogs shall depart
from you
from your houses
from your servants
and from your people. They
shall remain in the river only.”
YLT 11and the frogs have turned aside from thee
and from thy houses
and from thy servants
and from thy people; only in the
River they do remain.'
And the frogs
shall depart from thee
and from thy houses
and from thy servants
and from
thy people
.... Signifying there should be a full and clear riddance of
them:
they shall
remain in the river only; the river Nile.
Exodus 8:12 12 Then
Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the
frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.
YLT 12And Moses -- Aaron also -- goeth out from
Pharaoh
and Moses crieth unto Jehovah
concerning the matter of the frogs
which He hath set on Pharaoh;
And Moses and
Aaron went from Pharaoh
.... To the place where they used to pray to the Lord
and meet
with him
and receive messages from him; this they did the same day the plague
was inflicted
the day before the morrow came when the frogs were to be
removed:
and Moses cried
unto the Lord: prayed unto him with great fervency
and with a loud voice
most
fervently entreating that the frogs might be removed on the morrow
as he had
promised
that so he might not be covered with shame and confusion before
Pharaoh; his faith of the miracle being wrought did not hinder the use of
prayer to God for it:
because of the
frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh; as an army: or "put
upon"F26שם לפרעה
"posuit"
Parhoni
Pagninus
Montanus; "imposuerat"
Junius
& Tremellius. him
as a judgment on him; or rather the sense is
as it may
be rendered
"because of the business of the frogs
which he had proposed
or promised to Pharaoh"F1"Super causa vel negotio ranarum
quod proposuerat Pharaoni"
Fagius. ; that is
for the taking of them
away
he had proposed to Pharaoh to fix the time when he should entreat the
Lord for the removal of them; and he having fixed on the morrow
Moses promised
it should be done according to his word; and now he is importunate with the
Lord
that it may be done as he had promised.
Exodus 8:13 13 So
the Lord
did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses
out
of the courtyards
and out of the fields.
YLT 13and Jehovah doth according to the word of
Moses
and the frogs die out of the houses
out of the courts
and out of the
fields
And the Lord
did according to the word of Moses
.... He heard his
prayers
and fulfilled what he had promised Pharaoh:
and the frogs
died out of the houses
and out of the villages
and out of the fields; the word for
"villages" signifies "courts"F2מן החצרת "ex atriis"
Montanus
Tigurine version
Piscator.
and may be so rendered here; and the
sense is
that they not only died out of their dwelling houses
but out of
their courtyards
and even out of their gardens
orchards
and fields
so that
there were none near them to give any manner of trouble and offence. And their
dying
and remaining dead upon the spot
were clear proofs that they were real
frogs that were produced
and not in appearance only
as the frogs of the
magicians might be; God could have caused them to return to the river from
whence they came
or have annihilated them
or removed them out of sight in an
instant; but the killing of them
and letting them lie dead
proved the truth
of the miracle
and gave apparent evidence of it both ways
both in the
bringing and removing them.
Exodus 8:14 14 They
gathered them together in heaps
and the land stank.
YLT 14and they heap them up together
and the land
stinketh.
And they
gathered them together upon heaps
.... Swept them up
and
laid them in heaps out of the way:
and the land
stank; with the stench of the dead frogs
which was another proof and
evidence of the reality of the miracle; and that dead frogs will cause such an
ill smell appears from the above account of what befell the inhabitants of
Paeonia and Dardania
unless that should be the same with this
only the names
of places and some circumstances altered; See Gill on Exodus 8:16.
Exodus 8:15 15 But
when Pharaoh saw that there was relief
he hardened his heart and did not heed
them
as the Lord
had said.
YLT 15And Pharaoh seeth that there hath been a
respite
and he hath hardened his heart
and hath not hearkened unto them
as
Jehovah hath spoken.
But when
Pharaoh saw that there was respite
.... From his affliction
as the Targum of Jonathan adds; the plague was removed
and he found himself
and his people at ease: or there was a "breathing"F3הרוחה "respiratio"
Pagninus
Montanus
Tigurine
version
Junius and Tremellius
Piscator
Drusius. ; before he and his people
were so oppressed
that they could scarce breathe
but now being delivered from
the judgment on them with which they were straitened
were enlarged and at
liberty
and in easy circumstances: he hardened his heart; See Gill on Exodus 7:14.
and hearkened
not unto them; to Moses and Aaron
to let the children of Israel go
as they
had required
and he had promised:
as the Lord had
said; had foretold that he would not hearken to them
nor let Israel
go as yet.
Exodus 8:16 16 So
the Lord
said to Moses
“Say to Aaron
‘Stretch out your rod
and strike the dust of the
land
so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’”
YLT 16And Jehovah saith unto Moses
`Say unto
Aaron
Stretch out thy rod
and smite the dust of the land
and it hath become
gnats in all the land of Egypt.'
And the Lord
said unto Moses
.... On the twenty seventh day of the month
according to Bishop
Usher
the same day the flogs were removed; no warning is given him of the next
plague
at least there is no account of any:
say unto Aaron
stretch out thy rod
and smite the dust of the land; in some one
part of the land
that place nearest to him where there was a quantity of dust;
for it cannot be imagined that he should smite all the dust of the land in
every part of it
but smiting one part served for the whole:
that it may
become lice throughout all the land of Egypt: not gnats
as some
nor
flies
as others
but lice
though perhaps not of the common and ordinary sort
but new and extraordinary
and it may be of different sorts
suitable to
different creatures.
Exodus 8:17 17 And
they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust
of the earth
and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land
became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
YLT 17And they do so
and Aaron stretcheth out his
hand with his rod
and smiteth the dust of the land
and the gnats are on man
and on beast; all the dust of the land hath been gnats in all the land of
Egypt.
And they did so
.... As
follows:
for Aaron
stretched out his hand with his rod; as directed and ordered:
and smote the
dust of the earth
and it became lice in man and in beast; which shows
it was a miraculous operation
since lice do not usually spring from dust
but
thrive in the sweat of bodies
and the nastiness of them
through sloth and
idleness; and moreover
this was like the creation of man at first
which was
out of the dust of the earth
and alike the effect of almighty power:
all the dust of
the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt; that is
the
greatest part of it
not that every atom of dust became lice
nor was the land
of Goshen
in which the Israelites dwelt
infected with this plague
unless
where any of the Egyptians were; though Dr. LightfootF4Works
vol.
1. p. 705
706. thinks
that lice were in Goshen as in other parts of Egypt
there being no severing between Goshen and Egypt mentioned until the next
plague; and since Israel had partook of many of the sins of Egypt
they must
partake of some of her punishments; and he thinks this is the reason that the
plague of lice is not reckoned among the plagues of Egypt in Psalm 78:44 because
it was common to Israel
and to the Egyptians
and which is the sense of Aben
Ezra on Exodus 7:24. The
account that ArtapanusF5Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praepar. Evangel. l.
9. c. 27. p. 435.)
the Heathen historian
gives of this plague
is
this;"Moses smote the earth with a rod
and produced a certain flying
animal
which greatly distressed the Egyptians
and raised ulcers in their
bodies
which no physicians could cure.'And so OrigenF6In Exod.
Homil. 4. fol. 35. col. 2. describes this creature as"having wings and
flying in the air
but so subtile and minute as to escape the eye
unless very
sharp sighted; but when it lights upon a body
it stings most bitterly
so that
what a man cannot see flying
he feels stinging.'Both seem to design the gnat
but this sort of vermin do not stick in and abide with men or beasts
as these
here are said to do
but buzz about and bite
and then are gone.
Exodus 8:18 18 Now
the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice
but they
could not. So there were lice on man and beast.
YLT 18And the scribes do so with their flashings
to bring out the gnats
and they have not been able
and the gnats are on man
and on beast;
And the
magicians did so with their enchantments
to bring forth lice
.... They made
use of their magical art
and juggling tricks they were masters of
to produce
the like sort of creatures
or at least to make such appear
or seem to appear
to the eyes of men:
but they could
not; God would not suffer them to do it
to impose upon Pharaoh
and
deceive him and the Egyptians any longer; and a stop is put to them
when such
small and despicable creatures were produced
the more to put them to shame and
confusion
and to show that what they did before was not real
and that what
they did in appearance was only by divine permission:
so there were
lice upon man and upon beast; these lay in great numbers on both
biting
and distressing them in a most terrible manner; for as the magicians could not
produce such creatures
it was not in their power to remove them.
Exodus 8:19 19 Then
the magicians said to Pharaoh
“This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s
heart grew hard
and he did not heed them
just as the Lord had said.
YLT 19and the scribes say unto Pharaoh
`It [is]
the finger of God;' and the heart of Pharaoh is strong
and he hath not
hearkened unto them
as Jehovah hath spoken.
Then the
magicians said unto Pharaoh
this is the finger of God
.... This is
to be ascribed to a power superior to human
to a divine power; so long as they
could do something similar
or impose upon the senses of men
and make them
believe they did the like
they would not acknowledge divine omnipotence; but
when they no longer could deceive the sight of Pharaoh and the Egyptian
then
they own the effects of a superior power: and this they did partly to detract
from the power of Moses and Aaron
because they would not have them pass for
more skilful persons in the magic art than themselves; and therefore suggest
that this was done not by virtue of any human skill and art
but by the power
of the Supreme Being; and partly to detract from the honour of the God of
Israel; for they do not say this is the finger of Jehovah
whom they accounted
as Dr. LightfootF7Ut supra. (Works
vol. 1. p. 705
706.) observes
as a petty trivial god
but this is the finger of Elohim
the Supreme Deity. It
is conjectured by someF8Vid. Scheuchzer. Physica Sacra
vol. 1. p.
132.
that in memory of this plague the Egyptian priests scrape their whole
bodies
lest there should be a louse or any unclean thing on them when they
worship their gods
as HerodotusF9Euterpe
sive
l. 2. c. 37.
relates:
and Pharaoh's
heart was hardened
and he hearkened not unto them; either not
unto the magicians owning the hand of God
and his divine power in the plague
inflicted; or to Moses and Aaron demanding the dismission of the people of
Israel
which latter seems to be confirmed by the usual phrase
as follows:
as the Lord had
said; see Exodus 7:4.
Exodus 8:20 20 And
the Lord
said to Moses
“Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes
out to the water. Then say to him
‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My
people go
that they may serve Me.
YLT 20And Jehovah saith unto Moses
`Rise early in
the morning
and station thyself before Pharaoh
lo
he is going out to the
waters
and thou hast said unto him
Thus said Jehovah
Send My people away
and they serve Me;
And the Lord
said unto Moses
rise up early in the morning
.... Of the day
following
the twenty eight of Adar
or February
according to Bishop Usher;
this was the fittest time to meet with Pharaoh
and the most likely to make
impressions on him:
and stand
before Pharaoh: meet him as he comes along
and stop him
and stand before him
as having something to say to him; this was using great boldness and freedom
with a king; but as Moses was ordered to do it by the King of kings
it became
him to obey him:
lo
he cometh
forth to the water; See Gill on Exodus 7:15.
and say unto
him
thus saith the Lord
let my people go
that they may serve me; which had
often been required before
but to no purpose
and in case of refusal he is
threatened as follows.
Exodus 8:21 21 Or else
if you will not
let My people go
behold
I will send swarms of flies on you and your
servants
on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians
shall be full of swarms of flies
and also the ground on which they stand.
YLT 21for
if thou art not sending My people away
lo
I am sending against thee
and against thy servants
and against thy people
and against thy houses
the beetle
and the houses of the Egyptians have been
full of the beetle
and also the ground on which they are.
Else
if thou
wilt not let my people go
.... But remainest obstinate and inflexible:
behold
I will
send swarms of flies upon thee; the word used is generally thought to
signify a "mixture"
and is interpreted by many a mixture of various
creatures; the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it a mixture of wild beasts
and
so JosephusF11Antiqu. l. 2. c. 14. sect. 3. understands it of all
sorts of beasts
of many forms
and such as were never seen before; according
to Jarchi
all sorts of evil beasts are meant
as serpents and scorpions
mixed
together; and so Aben Ezra says it signifies evil beasts mixed together
as lions
wolves
bears
and leopards; but it is not likely the houses should be filled
with these
or the ground covered with them
as after related: and besides
they would soon have destroyed
all the inhabitants of the land
since as it
follows they are said to be upon them; rather a mixture of insects is intended;
the Septuagint; version renders it the "dog fly"
and so Philo the
JewF12De Vita Mosis
l. 1. p. 622. ; which
as PlinyF13Nat.
Hist. l. 11. c. 34. says
is very troublesome
to dogs especially
about their
ears
and this version BochartF14Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 4. c. 15. Colossians 555. approves of:
and upon thy
servants
and upon thy people
and into thy houses; they should
be sent unto and settle first on his own person
and also on his ministers and
courtiers
and upon all his subjects in general
and get into their houses
and
be very troublesome guests there:
and the houses
of the Egyptians shall be full of the swarms of flies
and also the ground
whereon they are; their number would be so very great.
Exodus 8:22 22 And
in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen
in which My people dwell
that
no swarms of flies shall be there
in order that you may know that I am
the Lord
in the midst of the land.
YLT 22`And I have separated in that day the land of
Goshen
in which My people are staying
that the beetle is not there
so that
thou knowest that I [am] Jehovah in the midst of the land
And I will sever
in that day the land of Goshen
in which my people dwell
....
Distinguish it from other parts of the land of Egypt:
that no swarms
of flies shall be there; which was a very wonderful thing
and so the word may be
rendered. "I will marvellously sever or separate"F15והפליתי "faciamque mirabilem"
V. L.
"miraculose agam"
Fagius; "marvellously sever"
Ainsworth.
and so the Targum of Jonathan
"I will do wonders or miracles in that
day": as they were to make such a difference in one part of the country from
another
and so near as Goshen was to the place where Pharaoh lived
and to
bound and limit such sort of creatures as flies
which move swiftly from place
to place
and particularly to keep the land of Goshen clear of them; when
as
Bishop Patrick observes
it was a country that abounded with cattle
whose dung
is apt to breed flies:
to the end thou
mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth; he is God
over all the earth
and rules as a King in the midst of it
and does whatsoever
he pleases in it; see Psalm 74:12 and in
the midst of the land of Goshen where his people dwelt
and over whom he was
King in a peculiar manner
and took a peculiar care of them
to protect and
defend them; and which must the more vex and distress the Egyptians
when they
saw the Israelites clear of those plagues they were afflicted with.
Exodus 8:23 23 I
will make a difference[a] between My
people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.”’”
YLT 23and I have put a division between My people
and thy people: to-morrow is this sign.'
And I will put
a division between my people and thy people
.... Or
a
"redemption"F16פדות
"redemptionem"
Pagninus
Montanus
&c. ; for by distinguishing
them in his providence from the Egyptians
he might be said to redeem or
deliver them; thus God makes a difference between his chosen people and the
rest of the world
through his Son's redemption of them by his blood
out of
every kindred
tongue
people
and nation:
tomorrow shall
this sign be: which
according to Bishop Usher
must be the twenty nineth day
of Adar or February.
Exodus 8:24 24 And
the Lord
did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh
into
his servants’ houses
and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted
because of the swarms of flies.
YLT 24And Jehovah doth so
and the grievous beetle
entereth the house of Pharaoh
and the house of his servants
and in all the
land of Egypt the land is corrupted from the presence of the beetle.
And the Lord
did so
.... And this he did immediately of himself without any means;
not by the rod of Aaron
to let the Egyptians see that there was nothing in
that rod
that it had no magic virtue in it
and what was done by it was from
the Lord himself
who could as well inflict plagues without it as with it; see Psalm 105:31 and
there came a grievous swarm of flies; or a "heavy"F17כבד "gravis"
Montanus
"gravissime"
V. L. one
which was both very numerous
and very troublesome and distressing:
into the house
of Pharaoh
and into the houses of his servants
and into all the land of Egypt: into the
palace of Pharaoh
and into the palaces of his nobles
ministers
and
courtiers
and into the dwelling places of all his subjects
throughout the
whole land
excepting the land of Goshen:
the land was
corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies; JosephusF18Ut
supra. (Antiqu. l. 2. c. 14. sect. 3.) says
the land lay neglected and
uncultivated by the husbandmen; it may be
the air was infected by the flies
which produced a pestilence that took off many of the inhabitants; so among the
Eleans
as PlinyF19Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 28. reports
a multitude of
flies produced a pestilence; however
it is certain many of the inhabitants of
Egypt perished by them; they might sting them to death
suck their blood
and
poison them with their envenomed stings; see Psalm 78:45.
Exodus 8:25 25 Then
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron
and said
“Go
sacrifice to your God in the
land.”
YLT 25And Pharaoh calleth unto Moses and to Aaron
and saith
`Go
sacrifice to your God in the land;'
He and his people not
being able to endure this plague of flies any longer; and we read in profane
history of such creatures being so troublesome
that people have been obliged
to quit their habitations
and seek for new ones; so PausaniasF20Achaica
sive l. 7. p. 400. relates of the inhabitants of Myus
that such a number of
flies rose out of the lake
that the men were obliged to leave the city
and go
to Miletus; so AelianF21De Animal. l. 11. c. 28. reports
that the
inhabitants of Megara were driven from thence by a multitude of flies
as were
the inhabitants of Phaselis by wasps
which creatures also might be in this
mixture of insects:
and said
go
ye
sacrifice to your God in the land; that is
in the land of
Goshen
in the place where they were; he was willing to allow them the liberty
of sacrificing to their God
which it seems they had before; but then he would
not consent they should go out of the land to do it.
Exodus 8:26 26 And
Moses said
“It is not right to do so
for we would be sacrificing the
abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice
the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes
then will they not stone
us?
YLT 26and Moses saith
`Not right to do so
for the
abomination of the Egyptians we do sacrifice to Jehovah our God; lo
we
sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes -- and they do not
stone us!
And Moses said
it is not meet so to do
.... It being the command and will of God that they should go
three days' journey into the wilderness
and sacrifice there; and besides it
was dangerous
the Egyptians might be provoked by their sacrifices to fall upon
them
and kill them:
for we shall
sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God; by which
Moses is not to be understood as calling the idols of Egypt an abomination
as
being so to God and to all good men
that were not idolaters; for though they
were
Moses would scarcely call them so before Pharaoh
when he could have made
use of another word as well; but his meaning is
that the Israelites would
sacrifice that which would be an abomination
and very detestable to the
Egyptians for them to do. And so the Targum of Jonathan;"for the sheep
which are the idols of the Egyptians
we shall take and offer before the Lord
our God.'HerodotusF23Euterpe
sive l. 2. c. 41
42
45. says
it was
not accounted with the Egyptians lawful to sacrifice any creature but swine
and male oxen
and calves
such as were clean; but nevertheless
as after these
times the Egyptians did offer such creatures as oxen
sheep
and goats
at
least some of them did
Bishop Patrick thinks this may only refer to the rites
and ceremonies of sacrificing
and to the qualities and condition of the beasts
that were offered
about which the Egyptians in later ages were very curious;
however
be it which it will
something might be done which would displease the
Egyptians
and therefore it was best to sacrifice out of their land:
lo
shall we
sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes
and will they not
stone us? rise up in a body in great wrath
and fall upon us and slay us
by taking up stones and casting at us
or by some means or another dispatch us
while offering; just as Pilate mingled the blood of the Galilaeans with their
sacrifices
Luke 13:1 and the
Egyptians were a people that greatly resented any indignity done to their
deities
and would prosecute it with great wrath and fury; as appears from an
instance which Diodorus SiculusF24Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 75. reports
he was an eyewitness of
as that a certain Roman having killed a cat
(which is
an Egyptian deity
) the mob rose about his house
so that neither the princes
sent by the king of Egypt to entreat them
nor the common dread of the Roman
name
could deliver the man from punishment
though he did it imprudently
and
not on purpose.
Exodus 8:27 27 We
will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He
will command us.”
YLT 27A journey of three days we go into the
wilderness
and have sacrificed to Jehovah our God
as He saith unto us.'
We will go
three days' journey into the wilderness
.... As was first
insisted on
and from which demand they should not depart:
and sacrifice
unto the Lord our God
as he shall command us; both what sacrifices
shall be offered
and the manner in which they shall be done
both which seemed
for the present in a good measure undetermined and unknown; and therefore it
was possible
and very probable
that in one or the other they should give
offence to the Egyptians
should they sacrifice among them
being at all events
resolved to do as the Lord should command them.
Exodus 8:28 28 So
Pharaoh said
“I will let you go
that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in
the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.”
YLT 28And Pharaoh saith
`I send you away
and ye
have sacrificed to Jehovah your God in the wilderness
only go not very far
off; make ye supplication for me;'
And Pharaoh
said
I will let you go
that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the
wilderness
.... He does not say three days
though as he allowed them to go
into the wilderness and sacrifice
they could not go and come again in less
time; nor would Moses have accepted of the grant
as it seems by what follows
he had
if he had obliged them to less time:
only you shall
not go very far away; his meaning is
as Aben Ezra observes
that they should go no
further than three days' journey; he was jealous that this was only an excuse
to get entirely out of his dominions
and never return more. He might have
heard of their claim to the land of Canaan
and of their talk
and hope
and
expectation
of going and settling there; and so understood this motion of
theirs
to have leave to go into the wilderness for three days
to sacrifice to
the Lord
was only a pretence; that their real intention was to proceed on in
their journey to Canaan; however
being in this great distress
he made as if
he was willing to grant what they desired
and very importunately urged they
would pray he might be delivered from this plague:
entreat for me; the words
seem to be spoken in haste
and with great eagerness and vehemence.
Exodus 8:29 29 Then
Moses said
“Indeed I am going out from you
and I will entreat the Lord
that the
swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh
from his servants
and
from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting
the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
YLT 29and Moses saith
`Lo
I am going out from
thee
and have made supplication unto Jehovah
and the beetle hath turned aside
from Pharaoh
from his servants
and from his people -- to-morrow
only let not
Pharaoh add to deceive -- in not sending the people away to sacrifice to
Jehovah.'
And Moses said
behold
I go out from thee
.... Directly
immediately
to the place where
he was wont to meet the Lord
and receive orders and instructions from him:
and I will
entreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh; for as he
sent them
he only could remove them
and he could do the one as easily as he
did the other:
from his
servants
and from his people
tomorrow; that there might be a
thorough and clear riddance of them from him and all his subjects
and out of
every part of his kingdom; which should be done
and was done on the morrow
that is
on the thirtieth day of Adar
answering to part of our February
and
part of our March
so that this must be about the middle of March:
but let not
Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more
in not letting the people go to sacrifice to
the Lord; as in the plague of frogs
refusing to let them go when it was
past; which Moses calls an illusion
a mocking of them
and dealing
deceitfully
to which he here refers; see Exodus 8:15.
Exodus 8:30 30 So
Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord.
YLT 30And Moses goeth out from Pharaoh
and maketh
supplication unto Jehovah
And Moses went out
from Pharaoh
and entreated the Lord. He did as he promised he
would
and prayed to the Lord to remove the flies from Pharaoh and his people.
Exodus 8:31 31 And the Lord did according
to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh
from
his servants
and from his people. Not one remained.
YLT 31and Jehovah doth according to the word of
Moses
and turneth aside the beetle from Pharaoh
from his servants
and from
his people -- there hath not been left one;
And the Lord
did according to the word of Moses
.... Did as he entreated
him to do
as follows:
and he removed
the swarms of flies from Pharaoh
from his servants
and from his people; by what means
is not said
whether by destroying them at once
as the frogs
or by driving
them away with a wind
as the locusts afterwards:
there remained
not one; the meaning is not
not one swarm of flies
but not one fly
there was not one left; which looks as if it was in the latter way that they
were removed
since
if in the former
they would have remained
though dead
as the frogs did
for a little while.
Exodus 8:32 32 But
Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people
go.
YLT 32and Pharaoh hardeneth his heart also at this
time
and hath not sent the people away.
And Pharaoh
hardened his heart at this time also
.... As he did before
when he found the plague was removed
and the flies were gone:
neither would
he let the people go; through pride and covetousness
being loath to have the number
of those under his dominion so much diminished
and to lose so large a branch
of his revenues arising from the labour of these people.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Exodus 8:23
Literally set a ransom (compare Exodus 9:4 and 11:7)