Exodus 6

Chap. VI. Ver. 1—30. The Lord renews his promise and the commission of Moses.—It is worthy of remark, that whenever any of the Hebrew patriarchs began to faint, and sink into despondency, the Lord constantly reminded them of his covenant, which was renewed from time to time, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and now to Moses, and generally with some new circumstance to animate their faith. Moses is now sinking in despair, but he is encouraged by these words, “Thou shalt see what I will do to Pharaoh.” I will make him know who Jehovah is. I will do that to Pharaoh which shall make him not only willing to let Israel go, but he shall “drive them out” himself. A passage here occurs—“By my name Jehovah was I not known unto them”—that has uncommonly perplexed the commentators, both Jewish and Christian, in all ages, since it is certain that the name Jehovah was known to all the patriarchs, and even to Eve herself.

((Genesis 4:1).) Some have, therefore, proposed to read the text interrogatively, ‘And by my name Jehovah was I not known to them?’ implying that nor any point of argument. The preceding verse, just quoted, will perhaps lead to the true meaning of this passage. If we ask, How does the God of Israel make himself known as Jehovah? the Psalmist will inform us, “Jehovah is known by the judgment which he executeth.” ((Psalms 9:16). ev. 7.) And, therefore, when it is predicted of any person or nation, “They shall know that I am Jehovah,” this is generally connected with some signal judgment, calculated to display his supremacy above all other gods, and above all competition with them. Thus, in the verse before us, “‘Ye shall know that I am Jehovah, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt.” ((Exodus 7:5).) So to Pharaoh, (verse 17.) ‘‘Thou shalt know that I am Jehovah: behold, I will smite thee,” &c. Thus was he that said, “Who is Jehovah, that I should obey him?” made to “know him by the judgment which he executed.” And so the prophet Isaiah, referring to a future state of Egypt, (whether now future we need not inquire) saith, ‘‘Jehovah shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day, and Jehovah shall smite Egypt,” &c. Therefore, is his “‘great and terrible name,” by which God was and would be distinguished among the nations, in a manner in which he never was distinguished till this period: “I am Jehovah thy God, that brought thee out of the land of Egypt.”

((Exodus 20:2).) The name Jehovah, we have observed, was known from the and from henceforth distinguish him as Jehovah, and in consequence of which this became his appropriate and proper name, as distinguishing him from all other gods, were not known to the Hebrew patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They had not seen “his marvellous works in Egypt, nor his wonders in the land of Ham.” (Ps. ev. 27.) These were the works by which he made himself known to Pharaoh, and to all future generations, as the God Jehovah, who brought up his people from the land of Egypt. To know God by his name Jehovah, was to witness a display of his power and his glory, “I am Jehovah; that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another.”

(Isaiah xlii. 8.)

Notes on the verses

Chap. VI. Ver. 8. I did swear.—Hebrew, “Lift up my hand.” [The ancient mode of appealing to God was by lifting up the right hand, and was considered as a form of swearing. Hence yamin, in Hebrew the right hand, is in Arabic an oath, and as a verb, to take an oath. A similar custom prevailed among the heathens. (Genesis 14:22). (Deuteronomy 32:40). (Ezekiel 20:5, 6, 15, 23, 28, 42).; Xxxvi. 7.; xlvii. 14.]—Bagster. a Ver. 12. Uncircumcised lips.—Perhaps having a thick and indistinct pronunciation, which made his speech ungraceful, and not easy to be understood. Ver. 14. These be the heads.—(The following genealogy was simply intended to show, that Moses and Aaron came in a direct line from Abraham, and to ascertain the time of Israel’s deliverance.—The whole account from this verse to verse 26, is a kind of parenthesis, and does not belong to the narration: and what follows from verse 28 is a recapitulation of what was spoken in the preceding chapters.

}–Bagster. Ver. 16. The years of the life of Levi were 137.—Bp. Patrick observes, that Levi is thought to have lived the longest of all Jacob’s sons; and Levi’s sons attained to nearly the same age.—Dr. Dodd. Ver. 20. Amram took Jochebed peers sister to wife.—[Dodatho, has been supposed to mean cousin and not aunt; on the authority of the LXX. and Vulgate, who render it, “his paternal cousin:” but this construction was probably put on the original word to save the credit of Moses and Aaron, because the marriage of an aunt is afterwards forbidden, ((Leviticus 18:12, 14).:) for the meaning of the word is fixed by another passage, where it is said, ‘‘The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt.”—((Numbers 26:59).) Moses, then, is more important than his commentators. |—Bagster. ’ oye Ver. 28. And it came to pass.—Here the chapters should certainly be divided, as Dr. Clarke remarks, and as Dr. Boothroyd has done; these verses being a repetition of ver. 11 and 12, in order to introduce what follows.