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Verse 1. Horeb.'-We shall give some account of this mountain when tracing the course of the Israelites in their march from Egypt to the Land of Promise. We may here observe, that the sacred locality is under the guardianship of a body of Greek monks, who occupy an ancient convent at the foot of the mountain, called the Convent of St. Catherine.' The monks indicate, as the spot where Moses fed the flocks of Jethro, a valley at the back of the mount, between two ranges of mountains, in the centre of which is a solitary group of trees. They state that the original church, built here by the empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, was erected over the spot where the Divine Presence was manifested to Moses; and when, afterwards, the present fortified convent was erected under the direction of the emperor Justinian, it was made to include the same sacred spot.

What is called the Chapel of the Burning Bush, in this convent, stands at the back of the altar of the church, and is regarded as the holiest spot of the peninsula; and as Moses put off his shoes in order to approach it, all who now visit the place are expected to do the same. The walls of this chapel are covered with mosaics and old Greek paintings, and from the ceiling are suspended thirty silver lamps, which are all a-light during the celebration of Divine service. The precise spot which the sacred bush is supposed to have occupied is marked by an oblong shaft of white marble, over which is an altar sustained by four columns, also of white marble. From under the table of this altar are suspended three silver lamps, kept continually burning. That this marks the exact site of the burning bush is doubtful enough; but a degree of curiosity and interest nevertheless attaches to the structures by which, amid these wild solitudes, men have sought to commemorate the remarkable events which occurred in them.

5. Put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.-It is well known that it is a custom of all the Orientals to appear with bare feet in a superior presence, or in any place accounted holy; thus manifesting the same sentiment of respect which a Euro

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pean does by uncovering his head. But it is not so well known that it is a custom belonging to the most ancient times. What were the patriarchal usages in this matter we know not; but monuments far more ancient than Herodotus confirm the testimony of that historian-that when the Egyptian priests adored any of their deitics their feet were uncovered. To Moses, therefore, who had been brought up in all the conventional usages of Egypt, this was a call to manifest the same respect to the Being who now addressed him, as the Egyptians were wont to shew to their gods, and was an impressive preparation for the oral declaration of the Divinity which immediately follows. It announced He who speaks to you is God;' and then he is told what God- The God of thy fathers.' Under the hierarchy afterwards established, the custom for the priests to minister barefoot in the temple, was maintained. Such also was the custom among other nations. According to Strabo (lib. viii.) it was the practice with the sacerdotal order among the Germans, and such was the case in the worship of Diana and Vesta, which the Fathers assert to have been borrowed from Moses. In 2 Chron. xxviii. 14, the captives taken by the children of Israel from the cities of Judah and Jerusalem are depicted as barefooted, previously to the harangue of Oded; and Isaiah walked barefooted to typify the captivity in Babylon. Several Gentile philosophers affected to do the same, to enforce reverence from their disciples.

It is well remarked by the Rev. R. M. Macbriar, that this eastern custom of uncovering the foot instead of the head is not an arbitrary practice, but proceeds from the kind of clothing which is adopted in hot countries. The head is usually surrounded with many folds of cotton or muslin to shelter it from the powerful rays of the sun; and it would hence be very inconvenient to adopt our European manner of salutation. On the other hand, slippers or sandals are universally worn in eastern climes; and the taking off these is attended with no trouble whatever, as the shoes are worn with the heels down. It is true that the higher classes wear an inner slipper, of very fine leather, which

sits close to the foot, and which is not taken off; but this is an invention of modern luxury, and is only practised by the richer classes of persons inhabiting the larger towns or cities.

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20. I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders: There is a learned and curious book, by M. Eusèbe Salverte, on the Occult Sciences of the Ancients (Des Sciences Occultes, ou Essai sur la Magie, les Prodiges et les Miracles), the author of which, while professing to be a firm believer in the truths of revealed religion, yet falls into the grievous error of referring to superior science in the acting parties, the prodigies which the Bible records as miracles wrought by the finger of God. The wonders wrought by Moses in Egypt are, with this writer and others of the school to which he belongs, special objects of this kind of explanation.' As many readers of the Bible are-as much in society as in books-harassed by remarks of this tendency, we are tempted to introduce some sensible remarks with which a writer in the Foreign Quarterly Review (vol. vi. 453-4), concludes a very elaborate review of the work we have named. He says: That some few of the miraculous phenomena recorded in Scripture may be explained upon physical principles is unquestionably true; but that in nearly fifty instances this should be the case, is a position as incorrect as it is untenable. Granting that one of the plagues of Egypt might have occurred accidentally, the doctrine of chances to which M. Salverte so frequently appeals with so much reason will not support the hypothesis that they are all fortuitous. When even admitting Moses to have been, as he was, "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," he is represented as excavating and charging with combustibles a pitfall for Korah and his associates, and Joshua applying gunpowder to overthrow the walls of Jericho, etc., our smile at the absurdity of the author is suppressed from sorrow for the man that should class the ministers of the true God with the thaumaturgists of polytheism, the more than authorized-the commanded-manifestations of heavenly power by the first, with the artifices of the last, and not see that by so doing he was undermining the faith he pretended to hold, is an instance of mental blindness, too frequent, we admit, in the present illuminated schools, but not the less reprehensible from the guise it may assume, or the names which may be adduced in its support.

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Throughout these volumes, in whatever concerns the sacred narrative, we find the ridiculous speculations of the Jewish Rabbins mixed up with the historical truths of Philo and Josephus. The test of miracles, improperly ascribed to Paley (having been proposed by Calmet nearly a century before), is not infallible; but the rationalizing system strikes at the root of all. The question here is not, which is a miracle and which is not, but-is there such a thing as a miracle at all? Is not whatever is reported as such, the effect of superior science directed in its application by the highest order of human intellect? On what basis, then, doth religion rest? The systems of the Old and of the New Testament are too intimately connected for an evaporation of the miracles of either not to produce the same effect. Pascal has sagaciously remarked (Pensees, ii. 2.): "Moses was a skilful man, that is manifest. If then his design had been to deceive, he would have done it so that he could not be convicted of deceit. He hath done altogether the contrary, for if he had brought forward fables (an observation equally applicable to his works and writings), there was no Jew who would not have been able to detect the imposture." Conceding, however, that the acts of that great man were imposture, inasmuch as resulting from science, not from inspiration, what science could the other Jewish prophets have possessed? men taken from the plough and fold; and if in one instance inspiration could be proved, down comes the whole system together. The strangest fact, however, is that, while every miracle is to be explained away, the inspiration of the individuals reputed to have performed them is not denied.'

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22. Every woman shall borrow of her neighbour.. jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.-The word borrow' is an exceedingly unfortunate rendering of the Hebrew word shaal. But this unhappy rendering is quite peculiar to our version. The proper meaning of the term is to ask,' or to demand,' and Horne states that it is so understood in every ancient version, and in every modern version except our own. The fact would seem to be, that the Hebrews were instructed to take advantage of the consternation of the Egyptians at the death of the firstborn (see ch. xii. 33), to demand compensation for having been so long obliged to labour without wages in their service. The Egyptians, in the anxiety they then felt to have the Israelites gone, were in no condition to refuse the demand.

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"JEWELS OF SILVER AND JEWELS OF GOLD." COMPOSED FROM EGYPTIAN DRAWINGS AND SCULPTURES IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM,

Perhaps they feared that there would be some new calamity if they did not comply; and the natural effect of the terrible infliction they had just sustained would be, for the time, to render the precious things which the Hebrews required, of small value in their sight. The word rendered jewels' does not mean jewellery in precious stones, etc., but denotes in a general way any articles of superior value, whether for personal ornament or any other purpose. It would be better translated: articles of gold and articles of silver,' without specifying what articles. As

'raiment' is added in ch. xii. 35, personal ornaments were most probably included among the valuables which the Hebrews obtained on this occasion; and as they almost certainly wore during their forty years' wanderings the ornaments which they obtained now, and which they afterwards took from the Egyptians overthrown in the Red Sea, we have introduced a cut, with a number of such ornaments as are known, from existing paintings and sculptures, to have been worn by the ancient Egyptian females.

CHAPTER IV.

1 Moses' rod is turned into a serpent. 6 His hand is leprous. 10 He is loth to be sent. 14 Aaron is appointed to assist him. 18 Moses departeth from Jethro. 21 God's message to Pharaoh. 24 Zipporah circumciseth her son.

27 Aaron is sent to meet Moses. 31 The people believeth them.

AND Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it,

and it became a rod in his hand:

5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom and ! when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river 'shall become blood upon the dry land.

1 Heb. shall be and shall be. 2 Heb. a man of words. Luke 12. 11.

10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not 'eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

12 Now therefore go, and I will be 'with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt

say.

13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

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15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 And the LORD said unto Moses, 3 Heb. since yesterday, nor since the third day. 4 Matt. 10. 19. Mark 13. 11. 5 Or, shouldest. 6 Chap. 7. 1.

When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

24 T And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

26 So he let him go: then she said, A 7 Or, knife.

bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

27 And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all thei signs which he had commanded him.

29 T And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped:

8 Heb. made it touch.

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ass.

We do not recollect any modern instance of asses being employed in a journey across this desert, whereas the present is far from being the only ancient instance. In fact, there seem to have been, in very ancient times, greater facilities for travel through this desert than at present. Perhaps it was not so desolate as now; although even now we believe that during the winter and early spring it might be crossed on asses. Then there seem also to have been caravanserais in districts where no one now expects to find such a convenience; and that the way across this and other deserts was comparatively safe appears from numerous instances, such as the journeys of the patriarchs to Egypt, those of Eliezer and Jacob to Mesopotamia, and this of Moses to Egypt from the eastern gulf, with his wife and two children. Indeed, if there were no attendants with this party, it would seem that the wife of Moses returned to Midian with her two sons, unaccompanied by any man. We think it very possible, however, that there may have been attendants, although the Scriptural narrative has no intimation to that effect. However, the absence of any acts of robbery, or of the fear of any such acts, from those who traversed the deserts in all the early Hebrew history, is a remarkable circumstance when we consider the acts of constant violence upon travellers which now take place, and the strong apprehensions with which a journey across any of the Arabian or Syrian deserts is now regarded.

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25. Zipporah took a sharp stone.-Flints and other hard stones formed the tools and cutting instruments of almost all nations before the art of working iron was discovered. We find such instruments still in use among savages, and discover them occasionally buried in different parts of Europe and Asia, shewing the universality of their use when the people were ignorant of iron. They were, no doubt, formed, as savages form them at present; that is, they were shaped and sharpened on a kind of grindstone, until, at a great expense of time, labour, and patience, they were brought to the desired figure. They were then fitted to a handle, and employed nearly in the same way as we use our instruments and tools of iron. From the act of Zipporah, we are, however, not authorized to infer that instruments and tools of metal were not common at the time and in the neighbourhood before us. We shall

EGYPTIAN FLINT-KNIVES.

soon have occasion to see the contrary. The fact seems to be, that Zipporah knew that sharp stones were exclusively used in Egypt and elsewhere, in making incisions on the human person; and she therefore either used such an instrument, or employed in its room one of the flints with which the region they were traversing is abundantly strewed. Specimens of the ancient Egyptian flint-knives have been found, and are preserved in collections of Egyptian antiquities.

It is not expressly said in the leading narrative that Zipporah returned with her two sons to her father. But, as no notice of her presence is subsequently taken, while we find that her father brought her and her sons to Moses when he was in the Desert of Sinai, this shews that she did leave, and no occasion for her leaving seems so likely as that which the text suggests.

CHAPTER V.

1 Pharaoh chideth Moses and Aaron for their message. 5 He increaseth the Israelites' task. 15 He checketh their complaints. 20 They cry out upon Moses and Aaron. 22 Moses complaineth to God.

AND afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go ? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

3 And they said, "The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.

6¶ And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

10 And the taskmasters of the people

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went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?

15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.

17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.

18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

20 ¶ And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh :

21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have

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