land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

2

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

18 And when they came to Reucl their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?

19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have

5 Or, prince.

left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name "Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

23 ¶ And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

7 Gen. 15. 14, and 46. 4.

8 Heb. knew.

Chap. 18. 3. Verse 3. "Bulrushes," N, Gome, Heb.-By comparing Isaiah xviii. 2, where we have, vessels of bulrushes," with a passage of Theophrastus when describing the papyrus, augis, we at once perceive that the Cyperus papyrus and the Gome are identical: zai yg hoa TOLODON I AUTO" they make boats and ships of it." The cyperus is distinguished by its cluster of elegant little spikes, which consist of a single row of scales, ranged in a straight line on each side. These clusters are "weak," or hang down in a nodding position, and, unlike the rest of the plant, are inapplicable to any useful purpose. The root is about the thickness of a full-sized man's wrist, and more than fifteen feet in length, and so hard that all kinds of utensils were made of it. The stem is about four cubits or six feet long, was eaten raw, roasted, or boiled, and served as material for boats, sails, mats, clothes, beds, and books. Its Greek name Tavęs has imparted its derivative to our "paper," while its Egyptian designation appears in the venerable name of "Bible." The Arabic is bardi, and the Syriac seems to intimate that it is a plant liable to wither, as it comes from a verb signifying "to flee." This harmonises with what is said in Job viii. Î1, "Can the rush (or papyrus) grow up without mire? can the flag (or Cyperus esculentus) grow without water ?"

"Slime,” (Chemer, Heb.) doquλToxiroa, bitumen, Vulg. mineral pitch. See the note on Gen. xi.

"Pitch,", Zepheth, Pix, whence our pitch was derived from Tirra, which came ultimately, by a transposition of letters, from Zepeth. The Greek and Latin terms were applied to the solid resins obtained from the pine and fir-trees. Both the mineral and the vegetable productions were employed on this occasion for the obvious purpose of keeping out the water, and thus preserving the child from its intrusion till some kind heart should be moved to pity for him. There seems to be considerable analogy between the ark or boat in which Moses was deposited and the curious vessels which are at the present day employed in crossing the Tigris. They are perfectly circular in shape, and are made with the leaves of the date-palm, forming a kind of basket-work, which is rendered impervious to the water by being thickly coated with bitumen.

"Flags," suph.-We are unable at present to satisfy ourselves as to what particular plant is here intended. It is more than probable, however, that suph was a general term for sea or river-weed. Theophrastus describes several plants akin to the papyrus, as common in the marshes of Egypt. Among them the Sari, which produced a root that was much used by smiths as fuel in forging their iron. The Arabic seems applicable to a species of bulrush, scirpus: the Vulgate has, " in carecto,”-in a bed of reeds. The Red Sea is always called in the Scriptures DD, yam-suph, or "the weedy sea," probably from the great variety of marine vegetables which grow in it, and which at low water are left in great quantities upon the shores. Now in Egypt this sea was, from an allusion to the same circumstance, called the “Sari-Sea,” which seems to demonstrate the identity of the suph with the sari.

15. "The land of Midian."-There is a difficulty attending this subject, which has not yet been indisputably settled. There seem to be two lands of Midian ;-this on the Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea; and another east and south-east of the land of Moab, which was on the east of the Dead Sea. It is therefore concluded by some good authorities, that the tribes inhabiting these lands were different people-those near the Dead Sea being the descendants of Abraham through Keturah; and those near the Red Sea being the posterity of Midian, the son of Cush. The latter conjecture is strengthened by the certainty that some of the Cushite tribes did settle in, and on the outskirts of, Arabia, which was therefore called Ethiopia in common with the different countries which the Cushites occupied. Accordingly Zipporah, the wife of Moses, is called a Cushite or Ethiopian, in Num. xii. 1; and in Habakkuk iii. 7, the Midianites are mentioned with the Cushites. There are those, however who believe that all the Midianites mentioned in Scripture are descended from Abraham; and that those near the Red Sea were merely a ramification from the same stock. That the latter were called Ethiopians, may be sufficiently accounted for by their inhabiting a country to which the name of Ethiopia was applied. We incline to this opinion; but in order not to interfere with the other, we shall notice each branch separately as the text brings it before us; and it is the more easy to do this, as the Scripture history connects the one people little, if at all, with the other. The Midianites near Moab will be noticed in the note to Num. xxii. 4. 7; while those on the Red Sea will engage our present attention. There is little to say about them, as they are scarcely noticed in the Bible, except in the early chapters of this book. One of the earliest notices of the Midianites confounds them with the Ishmaelites (Gen. xxxvii. 25, 28), with whom all the tribes springing from Abraham were in the first instance closely connected, and into whose body they were all ultimately absorbed. As that notice describes them as engaged in commercial pursuits, besides being a pastoral people, and as they seem to have become a numerous and wealthy race, it would be interesting to inquire whether their settlement on the Red Sea had not some connexion with VOL. I.

maritime trade and navigation. We have no data on which to form distinct conclusions on this matter; but it may fairly be conjectured, that being a trading people they would, when situated on the Red Sea, scarcely abstain from building some kind of vessels in which to explore the shores of the gulf and the contiguous coasts at the least. Josephus says the people of this part of Midian were not shepherds, which allows us to imagine that they were engaged in commerce. He adds, rather contradictorily, that they left the care of their sheep to women. This agrees with the fact of Jethro's flock being watered by his daughter; and, which is still more striking, it agrees with the existing practice in this part of Arabia, where the duty of attending the flocks is considered degrading by the men, and is more entirely left to the young women than perhaps in any other part of Arabia. The territory of these Midianites on the Red Sea would seem to have extended farther southward than that of the Edomites, as it is not unlikely that the latter people ultimately superseded them altogether in these parts. These were undoubtedly the Midianites who trembled for fear when they heard that the Israelites had passed through the Red Sea (Hab. iii. 7.) The Orientals do not appear to know any other land of Midian than this. Abulfeda says that the name is preserved in a ruined city, called Madyan, on the shore of the Red Sea, on the route of the pilgrims from Egypt to Mecca. This city, he says, was the capital of the tribe of Midian among the Israelites; and that there was still to be seen near it the famous well at which Moses watered the flocks of Schoaib, as the Moslems call Jethro. Josephus mentions the "city of Madian on the Red Sea ;" and it is no doubt the same that Ptolemy calls Modianam.

CHAPTER III.

1 Moses keepeth Jethro's flock. 2 God appeareth to him in a burning bush. 9 He sendeth him to deliver Israel. 14 The name of God. 15 His message to Israel.

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the

flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a 'flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

1 Acts 7.30.

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13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they Josh. 5. 15. Acts 7.33. 3 Malt. 22. 32. Acts 7.32. 4 Or, but by strong hand. 5 Chap. 11. 2, and 12. 35. 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;" by whose name also the mountain, supposed to be Horeb, is now distinguished. 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 built over the spot were the Divine Presence was manifested to Moses; and where,

afterwards, the present fortified convent was erected under the direction of the emperor Justinian, it was made to include the same sacred spot. (See Carne's Letters from the East;' and Burckhardt's 'Tour in the Peninsula of Sinai.')

5. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet."-The reverence indicated by putting off the covering of the feet is still prevalent in the East. The Orientals throw off their slippers on all those occasions when we should take off our hats. They never uncover their heads, any more than we our feet. It would every where, whether among Christians, Moslems or Pagans, be considered in the highest degree irreverent for a person to enter a church, a temple, or a mosque, with his feet covered; and we shall observe that the priests under the law officiated with bare feet. And not only is this form of showing respect exhibited in religious observances, but in the common intercourse of life. Few things inspire an Oriental with deeper disgust, than for a person to enter his room with shoes or boots on, regarding such conduct both as an insult to himself and a pollution to his apartment. These usages influence the costume of the head and feet. The former, being never uncovered, is in general shaven, and the head-dress generally is such that it could not be replaced without some degree of trouble; while for the feet they have loose and easy slippers, which may be thrown off and resumed with the least possible degree of inconvenience.

CHAPTER IV.

1 Moses's 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 Zip-
porah 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

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.

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 secing, 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.

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.

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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, 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, oven 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 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 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 the signs which he had commanded him.

29 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.

19 And the LORD said unto Moses in 1 Heb. shall be and shall be. 2 Heb. a man of words. 3 Heb. since yesterday, nor since the third day. 4 Matt. 10. 19. Mark 13. 11. Luke 12. 11. 5 Or, shouldest. 6 Chap. 7. 1. 7 Or, knife. 8 Heb. made it touch.

Verse 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, showing 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 used 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 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.