Exodus 4

Chap. IV. Ver. 1—31. The objections of Moses silenced.—It seems remarkable that Moses, who, forty years before, had visited his nation, and offered them his services, should now shrink back, when he had the assurance of the Almighty to encourage and support him: but the fact is, we are often most prompt to such services when we are least prepared for them. Experience increases diffidence, and cures presumption. At the same time, it is alike sinful to refuse the duties to which we are called in Providence, as to presume before we are called. Moses, at the former period, had received intimation of the duties to which he should be called, but the time was not yet come. He ran before he was sent, and, therefore, ran in vain.

Now he is clearly called to the work, with every promise of support, his courage fails, and he must have miracles to persuade him. First, the wand in his hand is turned into a serpent, and he is ready to flee from the serpent he had thus unwittingly produced. He was, secondly, himself made the subject of a miracle, being afflicted with a momentary leprosy, in which his feelings were appealed to (as his sight in the other) for the genuine nature of the miracle. The first of these miracles was afterwards wrought before Pharaoh, not by Moses, but by Aaron, as we shall presently see; but both were wrought before the children of Israel. ‘Another excuse is now raised by Moses, that he was “not eloquent;”

that is, not fluent, but slow of speech, and of few words. Of the folly of this objection we have abundant evidence in the reply. The Lord is angry, and said, “Who made man’s mouth?” Is not he that made it able to furnish it with words? ‘I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what to say.” Nothing, however, can satisfy Moses. He feels the weight of the undertaking as if he were to bear it all alone, and withdraws his shoulder from the burden. The command, however, must be obeyed; but, in condescension to his objections, Aaron, his brother, is coupled with him, as a man that could speak well;” that is, promptly and fluently: for otherwise, though Moses was slow in speech, he was “mighty in words,” as well as deeds.” It is no uncommon thing, that those who say the least speak most to the

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Notes on the verses

Chap. IV. Ver. 2. And he said, A rod.—The heathen made their wands staves, and sceptres, of the wood of the laurel tree, which they called directories, under a notion of its possessing prophetic powers. “* From the story of Moses’ rod, the poets invented the fables of the Thyrsus of Bacchus, the Caducmus of Mercury. Homer represents Mercury as taking his rod to work miracles, precisely in the same way as God commanded Moses to take his. Ver. 10. Not eloquent.—Hebrew, ‘Not a man of words’——Neither heretofore, nor since.—Heb. “Neither since yesterday, nor the third day.”——Slow of speech.—Heb. ‘Heavy of speech and of tongue.’ These idioms, which are preserved in the margin, are so beautiful and expressive, that we could wish to have had them in the text.

From this excuse of Moses, some commentators have strangely supposed that Moses stammered; and others, that he had lost the use of his mother-tongue, the Hebrew language; but neither the text, nor any other circumstance, that we are aware of, supports either of these ideas. ‘The most that can be inferred is, that he had a thick and indistinct pronunciation. See (Exodus 6:12). / “ae 14. [know that he can speak well.—The Hebrew reads, “In speaking he can speak;” i.e. clearly, promptly, fluently. 7 Ver. 19. Midian.—[A country in Arabia Petraea, on the eastern coast of the Red sea, not far from] Mount Sinai. This place is still called by the Arabs the Land of Midian, or of Jethro. Abulfeda, speaking of the city of Midian, says, ‘“Madyan is a city, in ruins, on the shore of the Red sea, on the opposite side to Tabue, from which it is distant about six days’ journey.

At Midian may be seen the famous well at which Moses watered the flocks of Shoaib, (Jethro.) This city was the capital of the tribe of Midian in the days of the Israelites.”’—Bagster. Ver. 21. But I will harden his heart—Though our object is not polemical, it seems here necessary to remark upon a phrase which we shall often meet with in this history. The Hebrew verb chazak, literally signifies to strengthen, confirm, make bold, or courageous, and is often used in a good sense in Scripture, as Joshua i. 7.. xxiii. 6. And even here, Ainsworth renders it, “make strong.” The word in itself is equivocal, and must be interpreted by context. See the Exposition of Chap. vii. Ver. 24—26. And it came to pass by the way, &c.—An incident is here related of a most mysterious nature, and so concisely told as to be scarcely intelligible.

[Because it does not express who the angel would kill, nor at whose feet Zipporah cast herself, (or the foreskin,) nor what is the nominative case to “let him go.” The Septuagint render it, ‘And it came to pass in the way, in the inn, (place of unloosing,) that the angel of the Lord met him (Moses,) and sought to kill him, (Moses probably.) And Zipporah took a stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and fell down at his feet, (the angel’s,) and said, ‘The blood of my son’s circumcision is stopped.’ And he (the angel, as it is in MS. Oxon. and Comp.) departed from him, (Moses;) because she said, The blood of my son’s circumcision is stopped.’—Bagster. The words are evidently a parenthesis, and perhaps have been accidentally misplaced.

Dr. Boothroyd renders the passage more intelligible by connecting with it ver. 20, (in this order, ver. 20, 24, 25, 26, 21, &c.) as at present there is no antecedent to the pronoun him. The sense then is, ‘The Lord met with Moses;’ and so it is generally understood. But here every word is attended with so much difficulty, that after examining a host of commentators, we must be content to refer to them, particularly to Poole’s Synopsis, and to the Assembly’s Annotations.