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Exodus Chapter
Thirteen
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
EXODUS 13
This chapter begins with
an order to sanctify or set apart the firstborn of man and beast to the Lord, Exodus 13:1 and the
people of Israel are charged to keep the feast of unleavened bread in its
season, from year to year, when they came into the land of Canaan, the reason
of which they were to acquaint their children with, Exodus 13:3 and
they are also directed, when come into the land of Canaan, to set apart every
firstling of a beast unto the Lord, and particularly the firstling of an ass
was to be redeemed with a lamb, or its neck to be broke, and all the firstborn
of men were to be redeemed also, Exodus 13:11, and
when their children inquired the reason of it, they were to be told it was on
account of the Lord's slaying the firstborn of men and beast among the
Egyptians, when Pharaoh would not let Israel go, and of saving the firstborn of
his people, Exodus 13:14, and
it is observed, that when the children of Israel went out of Egypt, they were
not led by the nearest way, the way of the land of the Philistines, but a round
about way, the way of the wilderness of the Red sea, when they took the bones
of Joseph with them, as he had adjured them to do, Exodus 13:17, and
the chapter is concluded with an account of their journeying from Succoth to
Etham, the Lord going before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar
of fire by night, Exodus 13:20.
Exodus 13:1 Then the Lord spoke to
Moses, saying,
YLT 1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
And the Lord
spake unto Moses,.... When he and the Israelites were at Succoth:
saying; as follows.
Exodus 13:2 2 “Consecrate to Me all the
firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of
man and beast; it is Mine.”
YLT 2`Sanctify to Me every first-born, opening any
womb among the sons of Israel, among man and among beast; it [is] Mine.'
Sanctify unto
me all the firstborn,.... That is, of males, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, for
those, and not females, were only either sacrificed or redeemed, see Exodus 13:12, and
this sanctification of them to the Lord signifies the separation or devoting of
them to the service of God; if the firstborn of clean creatures they were to be
sacrificed, if unclean to be redeemed with a price, and so the firstborn of
men, because it was not lawful to sacrifice them; and the money for the
redemption of them was given to the priests, the ministers of the Lord, and so
to him; who these first, born were is further explained:
whatsoever
openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast; that is, if a
male; for, if a female, though it openeth the womb, was not reckoned a
firstborn, because not to be offered; nor even a male after the birth of a
female, because that openeth not the womb; and so if a man married a widow, and
she had had children by her former husband, though she should bring him a son,
which was his firstborn, yet not being her's, and not opening the womb, was not
subject to this law; but if a man married several wives one after another, or
together, who had never been married before, or had had no children; if each of
them brought him a son at first birth, they were all of them firstborn, and to
be sanctified to the Lord; but the Jews sayF21Misn. Becorot, c. 8.
sect. 4, 5. & Bartenora in ib. , if a woman at her first birth brought
forth a male and a female, the father was free from this law of the redemption
of the firstborn, because the female might come forth first: this phrase,
"among the children of Israel", shows that this law only belonged to
them, and not to the Gentiles; wherefore the Jewish doctors sayF23lbid.
c. 2. sect. 1. , if a man buys cattle of an Heathen, and sells to him, or is in
partnership with him, and gives and takes of him, he is free from the law of
the firstborn; for it is said "among the Israelites", and not among
others:
it is mine: all
creatures, man and beast, are the Lord's by creation; but these firstborn were
his in a peculiar manner, and which he reserved to himself, to his own use and
service; and the people of Israel were under great obligation to devote them to
him, since he had spared all their firstborn, when all the firstborn of the
Egyptians, both man and beast, were destroyed: this may denote the special and
peculiar interest the Lord has in the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, whose names are written in heaven, through the special, particular,
and eternal choice of them in Christ, and the redemption of them to him by the
price of his blood; and who, on account both of their election of God, and
redemption by Christ, are laid under obligation to give up themselves to God, a
holy, living, and acceptable sacrifice, which is but their reasonable service.
Exodus 13:3 3 And Moses said to the
people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place.
No leavened bread shall be eaten.
YLT 3And Moses saith unto the people, `Remember
this day [in] which ye have gone out from Egypt, from the house of servants,
for by strength of hand hath Jehovah brought you out from this, and any thing
fermented is not eaten;
And Moses said
unto the people,.... After the Lord had spoken to him, and said the above things:
remember this
day in which ye came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; or "of
servants"F24מבית עבדים
"e domo servorum", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator, Vatablus, & Drusius. where they had been servants to
the Egyptians, by whom they had been made to serve with rigour, and their lives
made bitter with hard bondage; that country had been like a prison house unto
them, where they had been detained captives, and treated in a very cruel
manner; but now they were come out of this place and state of servitude, even
that very day, the fifteenth of Nisan; and which therefore it became them to
remember, they and theirs, in all succeeding generations, as the Lord had
directed, and which is afterwards repeated to impress it the more upon their,
minds and memories:
for by strength
of hand the Lord brought you out of this place; it was not by their own
might and strength that they were redeemed from their state of bondage, but by
the mighty hand of the Lord who wrought such signs and wonders before Pharaoh
and his servants, and inflicted such plagues upon them, which none but an
omnipotent hand could do, which obliged them at last to let them go: and if the
Israelites were under obligation, on account of this redemption, to remember
the day when it was in this wonderful manner wrought out, much, more reason
have we to remember the redemption by Christ the mighty Redeemer, whose own arm
wrought salvation for us, and delivered us out of the hands of our spiritual
enemies, that were stronger than we, by frequently attending the ordinance of
the Lord's supper, which is instituted to bring this amazing affair to our
remembrance, and which is to be continued for that purpose unto the second
coming of Christ:
there shall no
leavened bread be eaten; as they then on this very day had no other but unleavened bread to
eat, so they should eat no other on this day and the six days following, in
successive ages unto the coming of the Messiah.
Exodus 13:4 4 On this day you are going
out, in the month Abib.
YLT 4To-day ye are going out, in the month of
Abib.
This day came
ye out,.... Out of Egypt, on the fifteenth of Nisan, as the Targum of
Jonathan:
in the month
Abib; which signifies an ear of corn, because in this month barley was
in the ear, see Exodus 9:31, the
Syriac version renders it, "in the month of flowers"; when the
flowers were rising up out of the earth, being spring time, and a very fit time
to travel in; and this is observed, not only because they might not know what
month it was, in such a state of ignorance, as well as servitude, were they
kept in Egypt; but as Jarchi also intimates, to point out to them the mercy and
goodness of God to them, in bringing them out at such a seasonable time to
travel in, when there were neither heat, nor cold, nor rain. This month answers
to part of our March, and part of April.
Exodus 13:5 5 And it shall be, when the Lord brings you
into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the
Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land
flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.
YLT 5`And it hath been, when Jehovah bringeth thee
in unto the land of the Canaanite, and of the Hittite, and of the Amorite, and
of the Hivite, and of the Jebusite, which He hath sworn to thy fathers to give
to thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou hast done this service
in this month.
And it shall be
when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites,.... Though
the whole land was called the land of Canaan, yet there was one tribe or nation
of them particularly so called as here, distinct from those that follow:
and the
Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites; there were
seven nations in all, but two are here omitted, the Girgashites and Perizzites,
but they are added in the Septuagint version, see Deuteronomy 7:1.
which he swore
unto thy fathers to give thee; to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; so that they
might be assured they would be brought into it, since they had both the word
and oath of God for it; and which is the rather mentioned now for their
encouragement, since they were at this time set forward in their journey
thitherwards:
a land flowing
with milk and honey; See Gill on Exodus 3:8,
that thou shalt
keep this service in this month; the month of Abib; that is, the following
service concerning unleavened bread; it is concluded from hence by some, that
those laws concerning the passover, and eating unleavened bread, and
sanctifying the firstborn, did not oblige the Israelites, while in the
wilderness, only when they came into the land of Canaan; and it seems pretty
clear that this was the case with respect to the two latter, but not the
former, since it is certain they did keep the passover in the wilderness, and
were obliged to it, Numbers 9:1 but
then it may be observed, that there is no mention there of their keeping the
feast of unleavened bread, only of the passover, as here no mention is made of
the feast of the passover, which, though they followed one another, were, two
distinct feasts.
Exodus 13:6 6 Seven days you shall eat
unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.
YLT 6`Seven days thou dost eat unleavened things,
and in the seventh day [is] a feast to Jehovah;
Seven days
shalt thou eat unleavened bread,.... The JewsF25In Siphre apud
Manasseh Ben lsrael. Conciliat. in loc. gather from this place, and from Deuteronomy 16:8,
that the obligation to eat unleavened bread lasted no longer than the first
night of the seven days, but on the rest it was enough if they abstained from
leavened bread, and it was lawful for them to eat of other food as they
pleased; see Gill on Exodus 12:15, but
the words are very express in both places, and so in the following verse, for
eating unleavened bread, as well as abstaining from leavened; and, indeed,
otherwise it would not be so clear and plain a commemoration of their case and
circumstances, in which they were when they came out of Egypt; this bread of
affliction, as it is called, Deuteronomy 16:3
being what would put them in mind thereof:
and in the
seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord; an holy convocation, in
which no work was to be done, except what was necessary for preparing food to
eat, see Exodus 12:16.
Exodus 13:7 7 Unleavened bread shall be
eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall
leaven be seen among you in all your quarters.
YLT 7unleavened things are eaten the seven days,
and any thing fermented is not seen with thee; yea, leaven is not seen with
thee in all thy border.
Unleavened
bread shall be eaten seven days,.... From the evening of the fourteenth day,
to the evening of the twenty first, Exodus 12:18, this
is very express as before, that not only they were to abstain from leaven, but
that they were obliged to eat unleavened bread; and as for the cakes of eggs
and sugar the Jews now use, these, as Leo Modeua saysF26History of
the Rites, &c. of the Jews, par. 3. c. 3. sect. 5. , are for those that are
dainty and of tender stomachs and such as are sick, who eat unleavened bread
also:
and there shall
no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with
thee in all thy quarters: See Gill on Exodus 12:15 and
the above mentioned writer saysF1Ib. sect. 4. ,"they begin
before the passover, with all the diligence and care they can, to put away all
leaven, or anything that hath had leaven in it, out of their houses, and out of
their power; searching all their cupboards and bins, and cleansing the whole
house and whiting it all over; and they provide themselves also of new utensils
for their kitchen and table; or else they new make the old again, and scour
them well; or else they have a select number of vessels set apart for the use
of the passover only, that so they may be certainly assured that they use not
anything during those eight days, that hath had leaven in it:'and Aben Ezra
upon the place says, that the sense of it is, that the Israelites ought not to
suffer any to sojourn in any place subject to them, but on this condition, that
they abstain from leavened bread at the time of the passover, and this he takes
to be the meaning of the phrase, "in all thy quarters or borders".
Exodus 13:8 8 And you shall tell your
son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord did for me
when I came up from Egypt.’
YLT 8`And thou hast declared to thy son in that
day, saying, `[It is] because of what Jehovah did to me, in my going out from
Egypt,
And thou shall
show thy son in that day,.... On the first of the days of the feast of unleavened bread,
the reason of eating it; and this is to be shown not to a son or single child
only, but by parents to all their children, sons and daughters, and even
unasked, as MaimonidesF2Hilchot Chametz Umetzah, c. 7. sect. 2, 3.
interprets it; and so Jarchi's note is, to a son that knows not how to ask or
what to ask about; see Gill on Exodus 12:26, Exodus 12:27,
saying, this is
done because of that which the Lord did unto me, when I came forth out of Egypt: that is, this
unleavened bread is eaten because of the quick and speedy deliverance of Israel
out of Egypt, so that they had not time to leaven their dough.
Exodus 13:9 9 It shall be as a sign to
you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be
in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of
Egypt.
YLT 9and it hath been to thee for a sign on thy hand,
and for a memorial between thine eyes, so that the law of Jehovah is in thy
mouth, for by a strong hand hath Jehovah brought thee out from Egypt;
And it shall be
for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes,.... These are
not the words of God or of Moses to the children of Israel, but of an
lsraelitish parent to his son, telling him that this feast of unleavened bread
would serve the same purpose to refresh his memory with what God did for his
people of old, as the tying of a thing on the hand, or placing it before the
eye, is to a person to bring anything to his remembrance, to which the allusion
is; the like figurative phrases may be observed in Proverbs 1:9, the
Jews understand this literally, and hence the use of phylacteries among them,
which they bind upon their left hand, and place upon their foreheads between
their eyes, of which See Gill on Matthew 23:5, but
such a practice could be of no use to answer the end next mentioned:
that the Lord's
law may be in thy mouth; for surely this cannot be taken literally, but the sense is, that
being instructed by the observance of the above feast, and being taught the
meaning of it, they might be able to speak of it to their children, and so
transmit it from age to age to their latest posterity:
for with a
strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt; See Gill on Exodus 13:3.
Exodus 13:10 10 You shall therefore keep
this ordinance in its season from year to year.
YLT 10and thou hast kept this statute at its
appointed season from days to days.
Thou shall
therefore keep the ordinance in his season,.... Not the ordinance of
the phylacteries, as the Targum of Jonathan, but the ordinance of unleavened
bread:
from year to
year; every year successively, so long as in force, even unto the
coming of the Messiah. It is in the Hebrew text, "from days to days"F3מימים ימימה "a diebus in
dies", V. L. Montanus, Munster, Vatablus, Drusius. ; that is, either year
after year, as we understand it; or else the sense is, that the feast of
unleavened bread, when the season was come for keeping it, was to be observed
every day for seven days running.
Exodus 13:11 11 “And
it shall be, when the Lord
brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your
fathers, and gives it to you,
YLT 11`And it hath been, when Jehovah bringeth thee
in unto the land of the Canaanite, as He hath sworn to thee and to thy fathers,
and hath given it to thee,
And it shall be
when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites,.... Put for
all the rest of the nations:
as he sware
unto thee, and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee; to them as
they were in their loins, and from thence might certainly conclude it would be
given them.
Exodus 13:12 12 that you shall set apart
to the Lord
all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal
which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s.
YLT 12that thou hast caused every one opening a
womb to pass over to Jehovah, and every firstling -- the increase of beasts
which thou hast: the males [are] Jehovah's.
That thou shalt
set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix,.... Or
"the womb", as in Exodus 13:2, and
this phrase, "set apart", explains the word "sanctify"
there, and shows that it signifies the separating of such to the use and
service of God, causing it to "pass", as the wordF4והעברת "et transire facies", Pagninus, Montanus,
Fagius, Vatablus, Drusius, Cartwright; so Ainsworth. here used signifies, from
a man's own power and use, to be the Lord's only:
and every
firstling that cometh from a beast which thou hast; or "even
every firstling"F5וכל פטר "etiam quicunque vel quicquid aperuerit",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Ainsworth. , explaining what is meant by
what opens the matrix or womb, even every firstborn of a beast; though Jarchi
interprets it of an abortion, what comes before its time, that this also should
be set apart to the Lord; this must be understood of the firstlings of clean
creatures, fit for food and sacrifice, such as the firstlings of cows, sheep,
and goats, Numbers 18:17 as
distinguished from unclean ones in the following verse:
the males shall
be the Lord's; which explains what sort of firstborn of man and beast were to
be set apart for his use, not females, though the first that opened the womb;
but males.
Exodus 13:13 13 But every firstborn of a
donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then
you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you
shall redeem.
YLT 13`And every firstling of an ass thou dost
ransom with a lamb, and if thou dost not ransom [it], then thou hast beheaded
it: and every first-born of man among thy sons thou dost ransom.
And every
firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb,.... Which was
given to the priest for it; and according to the Jewish canonF6Misn.
Becorot, sect. 1. sect. 5. , it might be redeemed with that only;"not with
a calf, nor with an animal (a goat or a ram, as Bartenora interprets it), nor
with a lamb slain, or torn to pieces.'Jarchi thinks the ass only was to be
redeemed, and not the firstling of any other unclean creature, but his reasons
are insufficient; all unclean creatures, as horses, camels, dogs, swine,
&c. are included in it, as should seem from Numbers 18:15 and
this is the rather particularly mentioned, because there was a greater plenty
of them than of horses and camels, and because they were very useful creatures;
and if these were to be redeemed, then much more those of less value, and less
useful. Hence might arise the story and calumny, as some have thought, of the
Jews worshipping an ass's head:
and if thou
wilt not redeem it, then thou shall break its neck; cut off its
head on the back of the neck with a knife or cleaver, such as butchers use, as
the MisnahF7lbid. sect. 7. Maimon & Bartenora in ib. , and its
commentators, interpret it, so that the owner should have no profit by it:
and all the
firstborn of man amongst thy children shall thou redeem; with the
price of five shekels of the sanctuary, and within thirty days of the birth of
it, Numbers 18:16 and
these being to be redeemed as the unclean beasts were, shows that men are by
nature unclean, and even the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven, the
elect of God, and need redemption by the blood of the Lamb.
Exodus 13:14 14 So it shall be, when your
son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say
to him, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage.
YLT 14`And it hath been, when thy son asketh thee
hereafter, saying, What [is] this? that thou hast said unto him, By strength of
hand hath Jehovah brought us out from Egypt, from a house of servants;
And it shall be
when thy son asketh thee in time to come,.... Or "on the
morrow"F8מחר "eras",
Pagninus, Montanus, Tiguriue version. , the day following such a separation of
the firstborn of clean creatures, or such a redemption of the firstborn of
unclean ones, and of man, or in any later time:
saying, what is
this? what is the meaning of this? for what reason are such things
done?
that thou shall
say unto him, by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt from the
house of bondage: by laying his mighty hand upon the firstborn of Egypt, and
destroying them, which made the king of Egypt, and his people, willing to let
Israel go; See Gill on Exodus 13:3.
Exodus 13:15 15 And it came to pass, when
Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of
beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the
womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
YLT 15yea, it cometh to pass, when Pharaoh hath
been pained to send us away, that Jehovah doth slay every first-born in the
land of Egypt, from the first-born of man even unto the first-born of beast;
therefore I am sacrificing to Jehovah all opening a womb who [are] males, and
every first-born of my sons I ransom;
And it came to
pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go,.... Showed great
reluctance to it, and with difficulty was prevailed upon to dismiss them:
that the Lord
slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of men, and the
firstborn of beast: which he did in one night, making use of a destroying angel or
angels for that purpose:
therefore I
sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth thee matrix, being males; that is, the
firstborn of all clean creatures, as oxen, sheep, and goats:
but all the
firstborn of my children I redeem; by paying five shekels
apiece to the priest for them, as before observed; and this law continues to be
observed with the Jews; the manner of which, as related by Leo ModenaF9History
of the Jews, par. 4. c. 9. sect. 2. , is as follows,"Thirty days being
expired after the birth of the child, they call a priest to them; that is to
say, one that is descended of the stock of Aaron, whom the father of the child
pleaseth; and so, many people being gathered together at the time appointed,
the father of the child bringeth before the priest, in a bowl or basin, a good
quantity of gold and silver, and then they give him the child into his arms;
the priest then calling the mother of it before him, saith unto her, mistress,
is this your son? she answereth, yes; then, replies he, have you never had any
child before, either male or female, or have miscarried anyone? she saith unto
him, no; then doth the priest say, this child is mine, as being the firstborn;
then turning himself toward the father, he asketh him, whether he will redeem
it or not? who answereth him, saying, see, here is gold and silver, take your own
price; then saith the priest unto him, you will redeem it then? the father
answereth, I will redeem it; it shall be so then, saith the priest, this child
is mine as being the firstborn, as it is written, Numbers 18:16. I
therefore take this in exchange, &c. and so he takes the sum of two French
crowns, or thereabout, as he thinks good, and then delivers the child to his
father and mother, and this day they make a feasting day.'This custom was used
in Christ's time, and was observed with respect to him, Luke 2:27.
Exodus 13:16 16 It shall be as a sign on
your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the Lord brought us out
of Egypt.”
YLT 16and it hath been for a token on thy hand, and
for frontlets between thine eyes, for by strength of hand hath Jehovah brought
us out of Egypt.'
And it shall be
for a token upon thine head, and for frontlets between thine eyes,.... These
laws observed concerning the setting apart the firstlings of their beasts, the
redemption of the firstborn of unclean ones, and of the firstborn of men, will
bring the reason of it, the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt, and the
preservation of the firstborn of Israel, as fresh to remembrance as any token
upon the hand, put there to bring things to mind; and it will be as easily and
as clearly discerned as anything upon a man's forehead may be seen by another:
for by strength
of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt: which is often
mentioned, that it might be observed; it being the signs and wonders which the
omnipotent hand of God wrought, especially the last, which worked upon Pharaoh,
to let the people of Israel go; and their posterity, in all succeeding ages,
would speak of this affair as if personally concerned in it, they being then in
the loins of their ancestors, and represented by them, as well as they reaped
and enjoyed all the benefits of that wonderful deliverance, the possession of
the land of Canaan, and the blessings of it, as well as many other privileges
both of a civil and religious kind. And so MaimonidesF11Hilchot
Chametz Umetzah, c. 7. sect. 6. says,"in every age a man is obliged to
consider himself as if he in himself now went out of the bondage of Egypt, as
it is said, "and he brought us forth from thence", &c.'
Exodus 13:17 17 Then it came to pass, when
Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the
land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest
perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
YLT 17And it cometh to pass in Pharaoh's sending
the people away, that God hath not led them the way of the land of the
Philistines, for it [is] near; for God said, `Lest the people repent in their
seeing war, and have turned back towards Egypt;'
And it came to
pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go,.... Gave them leave to
depart out of Egypt, and even urged them to be gone in haste upon the death of
his firstborn:
that God led
them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; the land of
the Philistines was the Pentapolis, or five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod,
Ekron, and Gath, which lay between Egypt and Canaan; and their way through it
to Canaan, out of Egypt, was the nearest they could go; and was, as Aben Ezra
says, about ten days' journey; but Philo the Jew saysF12De Vita
Mosis, l. 1. p. 627. it was but three days' journey; and it seems, by the sons
of Jacob going to and fro for corn, that it was no very long journey:
for God said: within
himself, or he declared the following reason of so doing to Moses:
lest
peradventure the people repent: which is said not as ignorant or doubtful,
but, as Aben Ezra says, after the manner of men:
when they see
war: the Philistines coming out against them to hinder their passage
through their country; they being a warlike people, bold and courageous, and
the Israelites, through their long servitude, of a mean, timorous, and cowardly
disposition; and indeed as yet unarmed, and so very unfit to engage in war, and
therefore would at once be intimidated:
and they return
to Egypt; judging it more eligible to continue in their former bondage,
than to fall a prey into the hands of such fierce and cruel enemies. This is
the only reason mentioned for not leading them this way; but there were other
secret reasons for it, which afterwards opened in Providence, as the doing that
wonderful work for them, leading them through the Red sea as on dry land, and
the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in it; and by being brought into a
wilderness, a solitude, they would be in the fittest place to receive and
attend to the body of laws given them, and where they were formed into a
commonwealth and church state, previous to their entrance into, and possession
of, the land of Canaan; and here also they were humbled, tried and proved, and
had such instances of the power and goodness of God to them, as were sufficient
to attach them to his service, and lay them under the greatest obligation to
him, as well as would be of use to strengthen their faith and hope in him in
future times of difficulty and distress.
Exodus 13:18 18 So God led the people
around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of
Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.
YLT 18and God turneth round the people the way of
the wilderness of the Red Sea, and by fifties have the sons of Israel gone up
from the land of Egypt.
But God led the
people about,.... Instead of their going to the west, or northwest, towards
Gaza, &c. and the Mediterranean sea, the Lord going before them in a pillar
of cloud and fire, as after related, directed them to turn off to the right,
between the east and south, to the southeast:
through the way
of the wilderness of the Red sea: the wilderness of Etham,
by the Red sea:
and the
children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt or
"girt"F13חמשים
"accincti", Fagninus, Vatablus, Cartwright; so Onkelos, Aben Ezra.
about the loins under the fifth rib; not with armour, as someF14Kimchi
& Pen Melech. understand it, for it is not likely that they could, or that
Pharaoh would suffer them to be furnished with armour, but their garments were
girt about them, and so fit for travelling; or they went up "by
fives"F15"Quintati", Montanus: "quini",
Piscater, Rivet. , as it may be rendered, either by five in a rank, or rather
in five bodies or squadrons, and so marched out, not in a disorderly and
confused way, but in great order and regularity. The latter is much more
reasonable to suppose, for five in a rank is too small a number for an army of
600,000 men to march in; since allowing the ranks to be but three feet asunder,
and a mile to consist of about two thousand yards, the front and rear of the
army would be sixty miles distant from each otherF16See the Bishop
of Clogher's Chronology of the Hebrew Bible, p. 272. .
Exodus 13:19 19 And Moses took the bones
of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath,
saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here
with you.”[a]
YLT 19And Moses taketh the bones of Joseph with
him, for he certainly caused the sons of Israel to swear, saying, `God doth
certainly inspect you, and ye have brought up my bones from this with you.'
And Moses took
the bones of Joseph with him,.... And his remains might well be called
bones, since at such a distance from his death the flesh must be gone, and
nothing but bones left; of the place where Joseph's coffin was laid; see Gill
on Genesis 50:26. The
Jews pretend, that Moses was informed where Joseph was buried by Sarah, the
daughter of Asher, who they say was living at this timeF17T. Bab.
Sotah, fol. 13. 1. ; and many other fables they relate concerning the manner of
finding him, which are not worthy of any notice. Jarchi thinks, that the bones
of all the tribes, or of the sons of Jacob, were carried with them, but that
does not appear from the text; though it seems, according to Stephen's account,
that they were carried over to Canaan; but then, whether immediately after
their death, or at this time, and also by whom, is not certain, see Acts 7:15,
for he had
straitly sworn the children of Israel; his brethren; or
"in swearing had caused them to swear"F18השבע השביע "adjurando
adjuraverat", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius. , had given them a very strict
oath, and which they had related to their children, and so from one generation
to another, and thus it became known, and Moses looked upon himself and the people
of Israel as bound to observe it:
saying, God
will surely visit you; in a way of mercy and goodness, and bring you out of Egypt, and
put you it possession of the land of Canaan:
and ye shall
carry up my bones away hence with you; See Gill on Genesis 50:25.
Exodus 13:20 20 So they took their journey
from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness.
YLT 20And they journey from Succoth, and encamp in
Etham at the extremity of the wilderness,
And they took
their journey from Succoth,.... On the second day, as Jarchi observes,
from their coming out of Egypt, which was the sixteenth of Nisan:
and encamped in
Etham, in the edge of the wilderness which had its name from it, and
was called the wilderness of Etham, Numbers 33:8. Etham
is said to be eight miles from SuccothF19Bunting's Travels, p. 81. .
JosephusF20Antiqu. l. 2. c. 15. sect. 1. calls Succoth Latopolis,
which had its name from the fish Latus, formerly worshipped them, where, he
says, Babylon was built when Cambyses destroyed Egypt, and is thought by manyF21See
the Universal History, vol. 3. p. 387. to be the same with Troglodytis, by the
Red sea; and Etham is supposed to be the Buto of HerodotusF23Enterpe,
sive, l. 2. c. 59, 63, 83, 155. , where were the temple of Apollo and Diana,
and the oracle of Latona.
Exodus 13:21 21 And
the Lord
went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a
pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
YLT 21and Jehovah is going before them by day in a
pillar of a cloud, to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire,
to give light to them, to go by day and by night;
And the Lord
went before them,.... Who is called the Angel of the Lord, Exodus 14:19, not a
created but the uncreated Angel, the Angel of Jehovah's presence, in whom his
name, nature, and perfections were, even the Word and Son of God, the Lord
Christ, see 1 Corinthians 10:9
who went before the armies of Israel, as their King, Leader, and Commander:
by day in a
pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; through the Red sea, and
the wilderness, at the edge of which they now were, which was untrodden, and
trackless, and the way through it very difficult to find; and being a sandy
desert, as soon as a path was made, it was immediately covered with sand, and
to be seen no more: this cloud was not an ordinary one, but extraordinary,
supernatural, and miraculous; in the superior part of it, it was in the form of
a pillar, rising upwards towards heaven; in the lower part of it, it was more
spread, and covered the camp of Israel; for, besides the use of it to show the
way through a trackless wilderness, it was a shelter and protection from the
scorching heat of the sun in a sandy desert, where there was scarce anything to
screen them from it, to which the allusion is in Isaiah 4:5 this
cloud was an emblem of Christ, who has sometimes appeared clothed with a cloud,
Revelation 10:1 of
the obscurity of his human nature, of the fulness of grace in him, and being in
the form of a pillar, of his uprightness, firmness, stability, and visibility
in it; and of the use and benefit he is to his people, partly to show them the
way in which they should go, by his Spirit and word, and lead them in it by his
own example, whom it becomes them to follow, he being a wise, safe, and
constant guide; and partly to shelter and protect them from the heat of a fiery
law, from the flaming sword of justice, from the wrath of God, from the fiery
darts of Satan, and from the furious persecution of wicked men, sometimes compared
to the violent heat of the sun, Song of Solomon 1:6.
and by night in
a pillar of fire, to give them light; whenever they travelled
by night, as they sometimes did, and in those hot countries it was very
agreeable; and this pillar of fire gave them light when the moon shone not, and
was a direction to them which way to go: sometimes it is night with the people
of God, a night of darkness and desertion, of drowsiness, sleepiness, and
carnal security, or of affliction and distress: Christ is the light and comfort
of his people, and by his Spirit and word illuminates, guides, and directs them
what to do, and where and how to walk:
to go by day or
night; to direct them in their journey, whether by night or day: this
was but one pillar, though Aben Ezra thinks they were two; but it may be
observed they are mentioned as one, and that the pillar of cloud in the night
was a cloud of darkness to the Egyptians, and gave light to the Israelites, Exodus 14:19, see
also Numbers 9:21 and it
is easy to observe that what appears as a cloud or smoke in the daytime, looks
like fire in the night: so when Alexander's army was on the march, as a
signal,"fire was observed in the night, and smoke by day,'as says the
historianF24Curtius, l. 5. c. 2. : nor can, this account of Moses
seem incredible to the Heathens themselves, as Clemens of Alexandria observesF25Strom.
l. 1. p. 348. , since they relate a story somewhat similar to this, which they
profess to believe; as, that when Thrasybulus brought the exile Grecians from
Phyle, and willing to do it secretly, a pillar was his guide, and as he passed
in the night through untrodden paths, when the moon shone not, and it was a
dark winter night, a light was seen going before him, which brought them safe
to Mynichia, and then left them: indeed this was not so extraordinary and
miraculous, if true, as this pillar, as Bishop Patrick observes, because it was
but for a night, whereas this continued all the forty years in the wilderness,
until the Israelites came to Canaan's land, as follows: the Arabic geographerF26Climat.
3. par. 8. speaks of exhalations arising out of caves at the sides of
mountains, which in the daytime looked like smoke, and in the night time like
fire.
Exodus 13:22 22 He did not take away the
pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the
people.
YLT 22He removeth not the pillar of the cloud by
day, and the pillar of the fire by night, [from] before the people.
He took not
away the pillar of the cloud by day,.... It always appeared
in the daytime, and was a guide and shelter:
nor the pillar
of fire by night, from before the people; this continued till they
came through the wilderness to the borders of the land of Canaan, when they
needed it no longer, and then it left them; for when they passed over Jordan
the ark went before them, Joshua 3:6.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)