Pharao refuseth to let the people go. They are more oppressed.
Moyses and Aaron require of Pharao in the behalfe of God, to let his people the Hebrewes goe and sacrifice in the desert. VVhich he contemning, 5. oppresseth them more, denying them stravv, and yet exacting the accustomed number of brickes. 20. The people oppressed impute their miserie to Moyses and Aaron. 12. But Moyses prayeth to God for them.
1After these things, Moses and Aaron went in, and said to Pharao: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Let my people go, that they may sacrifice to me in the desert.Dopo di ciò andarono Mosè, e Aronne a dire a Faraone: Queste cose dice il Signore Dio d'Israele: Lascia andare il mio popolo affinché mi offerisca sacrifizio nel deserto.AFTER these things Moyses and Aaron went in, and said to Pharao: This saith the Lord God of Israel: dismisse my people that they may sacrifice to me in the desert.Post hæc ingressi sunt Moyses et Aaron, et dixerunt Pharaoni: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israël: Dimitte populum meum ut sacrificet mihi in deserto. 2But he answered: Who is the Lord, that I should hear his voice, and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.Ma quegli rispose: Chi è il Signore, onde io debba udir la sua voce, e lasciar andare Israele? non so chi sia il Signore, e non lascerò andare Israele.But he answered: Who is the Lord, that I should heare his voice, and dismisse Israel? I know not the Lord, and Israel I wil not dismisse.At ille respondit: Quis est Dominus, ut audiam vocem ejus, et dimittam Israël ? nescio Dominum, et Israël non dimittam. 3And they said: The God of the Hebrews hath called us, to go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and to sacrifice to the Lord our God; lest a pestilence or the sword fall upon us.Disser quegli: Il Dio degli Ebrei ci ha chiamati, affinché andiamo tre giornate di strada nella solitudine a sacrificare al Signore Dio nostro, perché non venga sopra di noi la peste, o la spada.And they said: The God of the Hebrewes hath called vs, to goe three daies iourney into the wildernesse, and to sacrifice to the Lord our God: lest perhappes there chance to vs pestilence or sword.Dixeruntque: Deus Hebræorum vocavit nos, ut eamus viam trium dierum in solitudinem, et sacrificemus Domino Deo nostro: ne forte accidat nobis pestis aut gladius. 4The king of Egypt said to them: Why do you Moses and Aaron draw off the people from their works? Get you gone to your burdens.Disse loro il re d'Egitto: Per qual motivo voi Mosè, ed Aronne disturbate il popolo dai suoi lavori? andate alle vostre incumbenze.The king of Aegypt said to them: Why do you Moyses and Aaron solicite the people from their workes? Goe you to your burdens.Ait ad eos rex Ægypti: Quare Moyses et Aaron sollicitatis populum ab operibus suis ? ite ad onera vestra. 5And Pharao said: The people of the land are numerous; you see that the multitude is increased; how much more if you give them rest from their works?E disse Faraone: Il popolo è grande nel paese: vedete, come la moltitudine si è augumentata: quanto più se li lascerete respirare da' lavori.And Pharao said: The people of the land is much: you see that the multitude is secretly increased: how much more if you geue them rest from their workes?Dixitque Pharao: Multus est populus terræ: videtis quod turba succreverit: quanto magis si dederitis eis requiem ab operibus ?
6Therefore he commanded the same day the overseers of the works, and the task-masters of the people, saying:Allora adunque comandò a' soprastanti de' lavori, ed agli esattori del popolo, dicendo:Therefore he commanded in that day the ouerseers of the workes and the exactores of the people, saying:Præcepit ergo in die illo præfectis operum et exactoribus populi, dicens: 7You shall give straw no more to the people to make brick, as before; but let them go and gather straw.Voi non darete più come prima le paglie al popolo per fare i mattoni; ma vadano essi a raccoglier le stoppie.You shal no more geue straw to the people for to make brickes, as before: but let them selues goe and geather straw.Nequaquam ultra dabitis paleas populo ad conficiendos lateres, sicut prius: sed ipsi vadant, et colligant stipulas. 8And you shall lay upon them the task of bricks, which they did before; neither shall you diminish any thing thereof, for they are idle, and therefore they cry, saying: Let us go and sacrifice to our God.E imporrete loro la stessa quantità di mattoni di prima senza diminuzione alcuna: perocché hanno bel tempo, e per questo gridano, e dicono: Andiamo a sacrificare al nostro Dio.And the taske of brickes, which they did before, you shal put vpon them, neither shal you diminish any thing: for they are idle, and therfore they crie, saying: Let vs goe, and sacrifice to our God.Et mensuram laterum, quam prius faciebant, imponetis super eos, nec minuetis quidquam: vacant enim, et idcirco vociferantur, dicentes: Eamus, et sacrificemus Deo nostro. 9Let them be oppressed with works, and let them fulfil them; that they may not regard lying words.Opprimiamoli co' lavori, e li dieno compiti, affinché non dieno retta alle ciance.Let them be oppressed with workes, and let them accomplish them: that they hearken not to lying wordes.Opprimantur operibus, et expleant ea: ut non acquiescant verbis mendacibus. 10And the overseers of the works, and the taskmasters, went out and said to the people: Thus saith Pharao: I allow you no straw;Andarono adunque i soprastanti de' lavori, e gli esattori, e dissero al popolo: Faraone così dice: Io non do a voi le paglie:Therefore the ouerseers of the workes and the exactors going forth said vnto the people: Thus saith Pharao: I allow you no straw:Igitur egressi præfecti operum et exactores ad populum, dixerunt: Sic dicit Pharao: Non do vobis paleas: 11Go, and gather it where you can find it; neither shall any thing of your work be diminished.Andate a raccoglierne dove potete trovarne: e non si sbasserà nulla del vostro lavoro.goe, and geather if you can find any where: neither shal anie thing of your worke be diminished.ite, et colligite sicubi invenire poteritis, nec minuetur quidquam de opere vestro.
12And the people was scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather straw.E il popolo si disperse per tutta la terra d'Egitto a raccoglier le paglie.And the people was dispersed through al the Land of Aegypt to geather straw.Dispersusque est populus per omnem terram Ægypti ad colligendas paleas. 13And the overseers of the works pressed them, saying: Fulfil your work every day, as before ye were wont to do, when straw was given you.E i soprastanti de' lavori li pressavano, dicendo: Compite il vostro lavoro dì per dì, come solevate, quando vi si davan le paglie.And the ouerseers of the workes were instant, saying: Finish your worke euerie day, as before you were wont to doe when straw was geuen vnto you.Præfecti quoque operum instabant, dicentes: Complete opus vestrum quotidie, ut prius facere solebatis quando dabantur vobis paleæ. 14And they that were over the works of the children of Israel, were scourged by Pharao’s taskmasters, saying: Why have you not made up the task of bricks, both yesterday and to day, as before?E furono flagellati i maestri de' lavori de' figliuoli d'Israele dagli esattori di Faraone, i quali dicevano: Per qual motivo non avete compito ieri, e oggi la quantità dei mattoni secondo il solito?And the ouerseers of the workes of the children of Israel were scourged of Pharaos exactors, saying: Why do you not make vp the taske of brickes as before, neither yesterday, nor to day?Flagellatique sunt qui præerant operibus filiorum Israël, ab exactoribus Pharaonis, dicentibus: Quare non impletis mensuram laterum sicut prius, nec heri, nec hodie ? 15And the officers of the children of Israel came, and cried out to Pharao, saying: Why dealest thou so with thy servants?E i capi de' figliuoli di Israele andarono gridando a trovare Faraone, e dissero: Per qual motivo tratti male così i tuoi servi?And the ouerseers of the children of Israel came, and cried out to Pharao, saying: Why dealest thou so against thy seruantes?Veneruntque præpositi filiorum Israël, et vociferati sunt ad Pharaonem dicentes: Cur ita agis contra servos tuos ? 16Straw is not given us, and bricks are required of us as before; behold we, thy servants, are beaten with whips, and thy people is unjustly dealt withal.Non si danno a noi le paglie, e ci si ordinano i mattoni come prima: ecco che noi tuoi servi siamo straziati coi flagelli, e si fa ingiustizia al tuo popolo.Straw is not geuen vs, and brickes are commanded vs in like sorte: behold we thy seruantes are beaten with whippes, and thy people is vniustly dealt withal.paleæ non dantur nobis, et lateres similiter imperantur: en famuli tui flagellis cædimur, et injuste agitur contra populum tuum.
17And he said: You are idle, and therefore you say: Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.Disse egli: Siete gente infingarda, e per questo dite: Andiamo a far sacrifizii al Signore.Who said: You are idle, and therefore you say: Let vs goe and sacrifice to our Lord.Qui ait: Vacatis otio, et idcirco dicitis: Eamus, et sacrificemus Domino. 18Go therefore and work: straw shall not be given you, and you shall deliver the accustomed number of bricks.Andate adunque a lavorare: non vi saran date le paglie, e darete il solito numero di mattoni.Goe therfore, and worke: straw shal not be geuen you, and you shal geue vp the accustomed number of brickes.Ite ergo, et operamini: paleæ non dabuntur vobis, et reddetis consuetum numerum laterum. 19And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in evil case, because it was said to them: There shall not a whit be diminished of the bricks for every day.E i capi de' figliuoli di Israele si vedevano a mal partito, perocché dicevasi loro: Non si diminuirà nulla dei mattoni da farsi dì per dì.And the ouerseers of the children of Israel saw them selues in hard case, because it was said vnto them: There shal not a whitte be diminished of the brickes for euerie day.Videbantque se præpositi filiorum Israël in malo, eo quod diceretur eis: Non minuetur quidquam de lateribus per singulos dies. 20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood over against them as they came out from Pharao:E usciti da Faraone si imbatterono in Mosè, e Aronne, i quali aspettavano colà presso.And they mette Moyses and Aaron, who stood ouer against them, coming forth from Pharao:Occurreruntque Moysi et Aaron, qui stabant ex adverso, egredientibus a Pharaone: 21And they said to them: The Lord see and judge, because you have, made our savour to stink before Pharao and his servants, and you have given him a sword, to kill us.E disser loro: Il Signore vegga, e giudichi; perocché voi ci avete messi in cattivo odore dinanzi a Faraone, e ai servi di lui, e gli avete posta in mano la spada, perché ci uccida.and they said to them: Our Lord see and iudge, because you haue made our sauour to stinke before Pharao and his seruantes, and you haue geuen him a sword, for to kil vs.et dixerunt ad eos: Videat Dominus et judicet, quoniam fœtere fecistis odorem nostrum coram Pharaone et servis ejus, et præbuistis ei gladium, ut occideret nos. 22And Moses returned to the Lord, and said: Lord, why hast thou afflicted this people? wherefore hast thou sent me?E si rivolse Mosè al Signore, e disse: Signore, per qual motivo hai tu afflitto questo popolo? Perché mi hai tu mandato?And Moyses returned to our Lord, and said: Lord why hast thou afflicted this people? wherfore hast thou sent me?Reversusque est Moyses ad Dominum, et ait: Domine, cur afflixisti populum istum ? quare misisti me ?
23For since the time that I went in to Pharao to speak in thy name, he hath afflicted thy people: and thou hast not delivered them.Imperocché dopo che io son venuto a trovar Faraone per parlargli in tuo nome, egli ha afflitto il tuo popolo, e tu non gli hai liberati.For since the time that I entered in to Pharao to speake in thy name, he hath afflicted thy people: and thou hast not deliuered them.ex eo enim quo ingressus sum ad Pharaonem ut loquerer in nomine tuo, afflixit populum tuum: et non liberasti eos.
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Year of the World 2513, Year before Christ 1491.
Menochius
Sacrifice, which is the principal part of a religious festival. (Menochius)
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The Lord. Is there any one above me?
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Upon us. They include themselves in the common danger, in case of disobedience; and they admonish the king respectfully, that there is no resisting the God of the Hebrews with impunity.
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Haydock
Get you. He knew not that Moses had been so long absent; and if he had known, he would not probably have treated him more mildly. (Haydock)
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Menochius
Increased, the edict against children being abrogated. (Menochius)
He insists upon their labour being so intense and toilsome, as to thin their ranks.
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Overseers, natives of Egypt, who had under them some Hebrews for task-masters, as the people were more willing to obey them, ver. 14.
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Straw, beaten small and mixed with clay, to make brick and mortar. See Ezechiel 13:11, 15; Chardin, Perse 2:p. 76.
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Idle. Thus the impious speak of those who consecrate any part of their time to the service of God: and thus Protestants often condemn the holy-days prescribed by the Catholic Church!
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Haydock
Lying words, alluding to the proposals of Moses. (Haydock)
Calmet
Let them not spend their time in idle conversation. (Calmet)
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Straw. While some continued at the works, (Menochius) others went about the fields to gather up every grain of chaff and piece of straw which they could find.
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Haydock
And they, the officers of the children of Israel, established over their brethren, as the Hebrew more clearly insinuates, were scourged, or bastinadoed on the soles of the feet, as smaller faults are commonly punished in the East; (Calmet) or they were beaten also with rods, ver. 16. (Haydock)
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Calmet
Withal. Hebrew, "the fault is in thy own people," who require impossibilities. (Calmet)
Haydock
They throw the blame upon the king's officers, (Menochius) though it was his own. (Haydock)
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Menochius
Kill us. You are the occasion of our more cruel treatment. You have made the king have a bad opinion of us. Hebrew, "you have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharao." So Jacob said, (Genesis 34:30,) you have made me stink or become odious. Those who attempt to do a kindness, unsuccessfully, often experience a similar ingratitude, Exodus 14:11. (Menochius)
Calmet
It does not appear from the original, whether the officers or Moses was coming from the king's presence. They met in some appointed place. (Calmet)
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Menochius
Wherefore. These are not words of anger, but of earnest prayer. (St. Augustine, q. 14.) Moses does not attempt to satisfy the exasperated officers, but commits the whole to God. (Menochius)
Tirinus
In great undertakings, there are commonly many difficulties; which ought not to discourage us. (Tirinus)
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VVordlie men thinke Gods people encrease most by rest, but indede they multiplie more, when they are oppressed. S. Cyprian de exhort. Mart. c. 10.
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The craftie diuel knowīg that weake men afflicted are easely moued to murmur, sturred this people against their owne leaders S. Greg. li. 29. c. 14. Moral.
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Gods prouidēce suffereth his children, to be most afflicted, when relife is nere at hand. Theod. q. 13 in Exod.
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 43
And this I say, because I know many, who like Pharaoh are even now saying, “I know not God,”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 62
Let us then become lowly, that we may be high. For most utterly doth arrogance abase. This abased Pharaoh. For, “I know not,” he saith, “the Lord,”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 20
… So entirely the same is this failing and that. And another of a strange nation says again, “I am God and not man” ( Ezech. xxviii. 2 ); and another again, Can God save you, or deliver you out of my hand?” ( Dan. iii. 15 .) And the Egyptian too, “I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 147.1
… Yet doom overtook him when he pursued through the wilderness the people whom he had previously let go and presumed to enter the very sea in the eagerness of his pursuit. For only in this one way could he learn the lesson that He is to be dreaded whom even the elements obey. He had said: “I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go;”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 12.8
… the most High;” the other, “Though He was in the form of God, yet He emptied Himself and took the form of a servant, and humbled Himself and became obedient unto death.” The one says, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;” the other, “Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart.” The one says, “I know not the Lord and will not let Israel go;”
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St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 16.4
… but nevertheless he reserves the dregs, the last drop of His anger, that He may pour it out entire upon those who, instead of being healed by His kindness, grow obdurate, like the hard-hearted Pharaoh,
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John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 21.28
… “They are idle and therefore they cry saying: Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord our God. Let them be oppressed with labours, and be harassed in their works, and they shall not be harassed by vain words.”
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 93.6
… When good and bad do the same actions and suffer the same afflictions, they are to be distinguished not by what they do or suffer, but by the causes of each: e.g. Pharaoh oppressed the people of God by hard bondage; Moses afflicted the same people by severe correction when they were guilty of impiety:
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1. AFTER THESE THINGS MOSES AND AARON ENTERED IN, — with the elders of the people, says Lyra: for thus the Lord had commanded in chapter III, verse 18. Tostatus and Pererius better think that Moses alone with Aaron carried out this embassy: for they alone are named here and in verse 4. For the elders, whom God at first added to the timid Moses, he afterwards substituted Aaron, who would be a companion to Moses, and a leader of the word, as is evident in chapter IV, verse 14. Note here that Moses had a different spirit and character than Calvin, who under the pretext of reformed religion incites the people to arms and rebellion against their princes, thus propagating his gospel: Moses does nothing of the sort, but at God's command goes to the king himself, admonishes and beseeches him to obey God's command, and to let the people go. Where note secondly the remarkable and strong character of Moses, both his obedience toward God and his charity toward the people: for he could justly have feared lest he be rejected by the tyrant, and yet he goes to him, unfolds God's commands, and asks for the people's release. THAT HE MAY SACRIFICE. — In Hebrew vejachoggu, that is, that he may celebrate a feast, namely by sacrificing solemnly: for we celebrate feasts especially by solemn sacrifices.
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2. Who is the Lord? — Pharaoh expresses the proud contumacy of the devil, says Rabanus; for blind pride so blinded his mind that the foolish man said: There is no God, there is none more powerful than me, especially the deity of the Hebrew nation, foreign and admitted here by sufferance and abject, which could compel me to let the Hebrews go, so that I ought to obey him. I know not the Lord, — I know not your God, O Moses and Hebrews. Again, I know not any God who commands me with such authority that I should let the Hebrews go. Pharaoh was therefore most proud, and for this reason an atheist. Thus Pererius. Although it is true in itself that God is known per se, if we consider the matter in itself, it is not however known to us per se, but it ought to be demonstrated to us from effects: otherwise there would not be so many pagans and atheists. Thus St. Thomas, I part., Question II, article 1.
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3. THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS HATH CALLED US. — Artapanus adds, according to Eusebius, lib. IX De Praepar. cap. ult., that four miracles happened to Moses when he went to Pharaoh. First, that fire burst forth from the earth with a voice saying that the Hebrews would soon be freed by him and brought back to their ancient homeland. Second, that Moses was shut up in prison by Pharaoh, but came out of it at night, the guards being dead and the doors broken, to the king himself. Third, that the king himself, when the name of the tetragrammaton was pronounced in his ear by Moses, became mute, but was soon healed by Moses. Fourth, that all the priests of Pharaoh expired in spasm at the same name. But these seem to be inventions of the Jews. LEST PERHAPS THERE COME UPON US PESTILENCE OR THE SWORD. — In Hebrew, lest (God) befall us with pestilence or sword, if namely we do not obey him, so as to go out of Egypt and sacrifice to him in the desert. Whence it is evident that the explanation of St. Cyril, lib. I De Adorat. in spir. et ver. fol. 21, is not genuine; for thus he explains it, as if Moses said: We must sacrifice in the desert, not in cities or fields, lest there befall us there a corpse killed by pestilence or sword, which among you and other idolaters, in sacrificing is wont to be avoided as unclean. For in Hebrew it is not, lest there befall us pestilence, but, (God) shall befall us with pestilence, that is, lest God strike us with pestilence.
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4. Ye Make Cease. — In Hebrew, ye cause to cease.
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5. AND PHARAOH SAID, — to his overseers of the works. BEHOLD THE PEOPLE OF THE LAND IS MUCH, AND YOU MAKE THEM CEASE FROM THEIR WORKS. — Hence it is evident that the law of infanticide, as infamous and execrable, had long since been abrogated. Thus Cajetan.
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7. YOU SHALL NOT GIVE STRAW TO THE PEOPLE ANY MORE TO MAKE BRICKS. — Straw is used for bricks, not to kindle fire by which bricks are baked, as St. Bernard explains presently to be cited: but chopped and mixed with clay, it serves to hold the clay together, to bind and unite it, and to make the bricks more tenacious and firm, says Lyra; for this reason straw is mixed with clay, with which clay walls are incrusted, and perhaps Egyptian earth coheres less and is less coagulated than ours, so that it needs to be joined and consolidated with straw into bricks. Symbolically St. Bernard, sermon 34, among the small ones: "Under the yoke," he says, "of Pharaoh are made works of clay, that is, dissolved and sordid; from him are given straws, that is, light thoughts. It is the nature of straw to be kindled lightly and consumed in a moment: so also evil thoughts sent by the devil are quickly kindled in our minds, with the consent of the flesh's softness; but if we manfully strive to resist, with God's help they are straightway extinguished. Straw being kindled baked the clay and solidified it into bricks: similarly evil thoughts, which are as it were clay (as St. Gregory teaches, lib. XXXIV Moral. IX), are kindled by straws of delight: which when they pass into act, then they are baked; but when they are led into habit, then as it were into bricks they are solidified."
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8. AND YOU SHALL IMPOSE UPON THEM THE SAME MEASURE OF BRICKS WHICH THEY MADE BEFORE. — That is to say, You will compel them to pay daily the customary measure of bricks and weight, whether as to number, or as to structure and bulk; whence the Septuagint translates it, syntaxin tes plintheias, that is, the construction, or the customary structure of brick-making, that you may restore. FOR THEY ARE IDLE, — they are lazy and remiss, they grow sluggish in idleness. Thus the Hebrew.
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9. THAT THEY MAY NOT ACQUIESCE IN LYING WORDS. — Behold, Pharaoh does not hear Moses, nor does he believe that he was sent by God, but either that he lies about this, or that he dreamed it, as the Lord had foretold in chapter III, 19.
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10. I give, — I will not give you straw: this is an enallage of tense. Behold here the subtle tyranny of Pharaoh, by which he oppresses the Hebrews, and drives them almost to desperation, so that they have no leisure to think of their deliverance, or of God calling them forth. But when the temptation pressed most vehemently, salvation was at hand; thus God is accustomed to act. Whence Procopius notes mystically that Pharaoh, that is the devil, to sinners who strive to give themselves to God, by denying the straw of conveniences, presents a difficult malice, lest its abundance breed disgust in his worshipper; for we always strive toward what is forbidden, and we desire what is denied.
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12. And the people was scattered. — For one part mixed the earth and formed bricks, another part arranged them, another part baked them, another part gathered straw; for the measure of bricks was not exacted from individuals severally (for this would have been a very long task, and would have required a great multitude of overseers for this work), but in common and generally from the Hebrew overseers; whose duty it was to urge their own people to the work and to render the measure, and who, if anything was lacking from the measure, paid the penalty to the Egyptian overseers.
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16. Unjustly is it done. — Lest they offend the king, they attribute his injury to the fault and cruelty of others, namely the overseers: whence they do not say, Thou actest unjustly, but, It is done; in Hebrew it is, Sin is committed against thy people.
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17. You are idle. — In Hebrew, idle you are idle, or lazy lazy, that is, you are most lazy. "Idleness," says one, "kills the body and mind; exercise makes both most beautiful." St. Chrysostom, homily 45 on Genesis: "Idleness," he says, "is a grave evil, and makes all easy things appear difficult; just as by study and vigilance even arduous and difficult things become easy for us." And homily 54 on Acts: "Cares," he says, "and anxieties are the gymnasium and school of philosophy, etc. Iron, if it lies idle, corrodes; if it is exercised, it shines: the soul is similarly situated, which moves and labors." St. Bernard, On Consideration, book II: "One must beware," he says, "of idleness in idleness; one must flee idleness, the mother of trifles, the stepmother of virtues." St. Ambrose, sermon 11 on Psalm CXVIII: "Idlenesses tempt," he says, "those whom wars had not broken; therefore the idlenesses of peace are dangerous." He said the same of himself in epistle 41 to Sabina: "I am never less alone than when I seem to be alone; nor less idle than when I am idle." See St. Augustine, book On the Work of Monks. St. Anthony, affected by the weariness of solitude, exclaimed: I wish to be saved, O Lord, and my thoughts are against me. Soon after he went out of his cell, he beheld a man (he was an angel), girded in monastic habit, now weaving baskets, now prostrating himself to pray, who said to him: Do thou likewise, Anthony, and thou shalt overcome temptations. Wherefore St. Anthony shunned idleness, and he who was about to live a noble life, was both exhorted to labor, and to consider carefully with himself what he had done by night and by day, as Sozomen says, book I of History, chapter XIII. Theodosius the monk held the same opinion, as found in Theodoret in the History of the Holy Fathers, chapter X. Indeed, Alexander the Great also said: "It is royal to labor, it is servile to be idle and to indulge in luxury." Finally, this was the opinion of the ancient monks: "One who works is struck by one demon, the idle by many." Cassian is witness to this, chapter XXIII, book X of the Institutes.
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19. They saw themselves in evil, — in evils, in straits. Here is expressed the type of God's callings and illuminations, which are immediately accompanied by temptation, but for those who persist courageously liberation is near. First therefore, the Hebrews are called forth by God from Egypt through Moses; secondly, they believe the calling, and immediately are scourged most cruelly; thirdly, shortly after God liberates and leads them forth with admirable portents. Aeneas Silvius relates in his History of Bohemia that this was said by Capnion: "When the bricks were doubled, then came the liberator Moses," by which he signified that God's aid is at hand when adverse circumstances press in. The same was the course and progress of the whole Church of Christ; the same is that of each calling, so that he who is in the second stage should not doubt of his calling, but rather know that he is progressing in the right order established by God, and should most certainly expect the third. Thus St. Gregory, in the 29th book of the Morals, chapter 14: "When," he says, "divine light illuminates the human heart, immediately temptations arise from the devil, so that they feel themselves urged more by temptations than when they did not see the rays of internal light." And Origen here in homily 3: "Unless," he says, "the trumpet of God's word sounds, battle is not joined; but where the signal of war has sounded through the trumpet of preaching, there all the struggle of tribulations arises. Hence we learn from daily experience," says St. Bernard, "that those who deliberate to be converted are tempted more sharply by the desire of the flesh; and are pressed more heavily in the works of clay, those who strive to escape the dominion of Pharaoh." Thus he himself in On Conversion to Clerics, chapter 18. Cassian also, in Conferences 21, chapter 28, relates that the elder Fathers in the desert observed by experience that in the days of Lent, in which men are wont to turn to better things, and monks to more perfect things, then the monks are harassed more sharply and troublesomely by demons than usual, and are incited to leave the monasteries and abandon the solitude. Note secondly: God wills that in the benefits promised by him, we be prepared for temptations: and therefore when he gives great hope to someone, he immediately tempts him through those things which seem to bring despair, and seems to wish to demolish the hope which he gave, or to make it doubtful and uncertain. Thus God promised Abraham through Isaac a most numerous offspring, and immediately commanded him to sacrifice Isaac to him. Thus he commanded the Hebrews to fight with the Benjaminites and immediately permitted them to be defeated by them a second time, Judges chapter 20. Thus to Moses here and the Hebrews he promised liberation from Pharaoh, and immediately permitted them to be afflicted more grievously by the same.
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20. And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood over against them, going out from Pharaoh. — The word "going out" is to be referred not to Moses and Aaron, but to "they met," and to the prefects of the Hebrews, whom Moses was expecting at a certain place as they went to Pharaoh and returned from him, eager to know what answer they had brought back. Our Interpreter also sufficiently indicates this, when he says that Moses and Aaron stood: for going out in the strict sense is impossible while standing. The sense therefore is, the prefects of the Hebrews, going out after their complaint from Pharaoh, met Moses and Aaron, who stood over against them, so that they might see and know the whole matter.
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21. Let the Lord see and judge. — In Hebrew it is added: Upon you, that is, let him take vengeance upon you. Thus the Chaldean. For the Hebrews often take judgment for the end and result of judgment by metonymy, so that to judge is the same as to avenge, and judgment is the same as vengeance. Behold the weak and ungrateful faith of the people: Moses and Aaron, whom they had believed to be liberators a little before, they now calumniate as murderers. You have made us to stink before Pharaoh, — you have made us hateful and abominable to Pharaoh: it is a metaphor. The same phrase is in Genesis 34, 30, in the Hebrew; 2 Corinthians 2, 15: "We are," he says, "a good odor of Christ," namely because we spread abroad a good reputation of Christ and Christianity, so that men may think and speak well of us and of Christ. "For morals have their colors, and they also have their odors; color in conscience, odor in reputation," says St. Bernard, sermon 71 on the Canticles. And you have given him a sword to kill us. — You have given him occasion to oppress us with burdens, since you have stirred him up raging against us. Where note: Sword in Scripture is called everything that pierces, strikes, torments or tortures, says St. Jerome in Isaiah 66. Hence Amos 9, 10, it is said: "All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword." And Psalm 7, verse 13: "Unless you be converted, he will brandish his sword."
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22. And Moses returned to the Lord. — The Septuagint translates, he turned to the Lord; for indeed when Moses saw the Hebrew overseers harshly received by Pharaoh, afflicted and agitated by excessive suffering, and therefore incapable of correction, he fell silent on this account, and withdrew into his own place, and turned himself to God alone as his sole refuge in straits, after his manner by prayer. Hence prudently St. Basil, in the sermon On Giving Thanks to God, prescribes the manner of consoling the afflicted, saying: "Allow him whom you wish to console to grieve a little first. Then, when his sorrow is somewhat calmed by tears and lamentation, then you will gently and humanely reprove him, and thus gradually recall him to patience and tranquility of mind. For even horse-tamers, when horses do not obey the bridle at all, do not immediately restrain them with reins or drive them with spurs: for thus riders learn to agitate and unseat them; but by obeying them from the beginning, and not resisting at all, after they see their anger and impetuosity gradually consumed and failing, then by a certain art, making them obedient and docile to all things, they tame them." Again, observe here how Moses' patience and unconquerable constancy overcame the murmurings of the Hebrews, and made them obedient to him. Let the faithful hear the admonition of St. Augustine, in sermon 18 On the Words of the Lord: "When any Christian, he says, shall have begun to live well, to be fervent in good works, and to despise the world; in the very newness of his works he suffers reprovers and contradictors, cold Christians. But if he shall have persevered, and overcome them by enduring, and shall not have failed in good works, those very same shall obey us, who before forbade us." Lord, why hast thou afflicted this people? — Why hast thou given it occasion of affliction, by sending me to Pharaoh, and yet not freeing the people from him, but rather permitting him to burden them more heavily? Why didst thou send me? — Calvin here severely blames Moses, as if he had abandoned his office, and with bitter weariness sought dismissal and release from his office. Surely a harsh critic: a milder censor is St. Augustine, Question XIV, when he says: "These are not words of contumacy or indignation, but of inquiry and prayer." And that this is so is evident from the Lord's response, who does not reprove the infidelity of Moses, but instructs him what he ought to do. Moses already knew, taught beforehand by God, that Pharaoh would harden his heart, and would not let the people go; yet he had learned nothing from God about this affliction of the people, and hoped that Pharaoh, though he would not let the people go, would nevertheless deal more mildly with them; but on the contrary he now sees that it has happened otherwise, whence he piously expostulates with God.
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23. For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath afflicted thy people, and thou hast not delivered them.
A Moral Lesson: On the Harshness of Servitude Learn in this chapter how harsh was the servitude of the Hebrews in Egypt, and consequently what a great benefit God did them when he led them out from there; which he therefore inculcates to them everywhere, so that they might be grateful to God, and love and worship him: "I, saith the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of the Egyptians, that you should not serve them, and who broke the chains of your neck, that you might walk upright," Leviticus XXVI, 13. For servitude is a kind of death, namely the loss of civil life, that is, of liberty: hence nations fight for it, and prefer to die rather than to serve. Philip, king, breaking into the territory of Sparta, said to a certain Spartan: What will you do now, Lacedaemonians? He answered: "What else but die bravely? For we alone of the Greeks have learned to be free, and not to obey others." After the defeat suffered under the general Agis, when Antipater demanded fifty boys as hostages: Eteocles then, as Ephorus, refused to give them, lest they be badly educated, and becoming estranged from the institutions of their country, become a burden to the state: but he offered double the number of old men or women, if he wished. And when Antipater threatened terrible things, unless they were given, he answered in the name of the people: "If you command things more difficult than death, it will be easier for us to die." Hence a Lacedaemonian, when asked what he knew, said: "I know how to be free:" thus Plutarch in the Lives of the Lacedaemonians.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
5:1
v. 1 « Post haec ingressi sunt Moyses et Aaron, et dixerunt Pharaoni : Haec dicit Dominus Deus Israel : Dimitte populum mewnm, ut sacrificet » — LXX &opzácocw — « mihi in deserto ».
5:2
v. 2 « At ille », prima vice audiens nomen lahve, quod in hae narratione esse genuinum totus contextus clamat, licet lectio LXX h. l. sit incerta, et etiam v. 17. 91 LXX nm mutaverint in &nox — « respondit : Quis est Dominus »,1. e. lahve, « u£ audzam vocem etus », « obediam eius mandato » (Tost.), « et dimittam Israel? Nescio Dominum et Israel non dimittam ». v. 3 dierum in solitudinem, et sacrificemus Domino Deo nostro : ne forte accidat nobis pestis aut gladius », si eius neglexerimus mandatum. Efferuntur duo mala oppido nota ceterisque terribiliora, quorum prius supponebatur immediate infligi manu Dei, alterum a Deo per homines infligebatur (70s£.). Efferuntur haec duo pro malis quibuslibet; duae voces sunt sono satis affines. Timentur autem haec mala proxime non pro Pharaone vel Aegyptus, licet servorum mala etiam ipsis futura sint detrimento, sed pro Hebraeis, quorum cura sit oportet Pharaoni. Ei petita v. 3 accuratius quam v. 1 explicantur : pro /srae!, nomine illi nequaquam ignoto (cf. v. 2; DilIm.), substituitur altera appellatio Hebraeorum aut aeque aut magis nota, quae tum fortasse praeter Israelitas alios etiam Semitas complectebatur (cf. ad Gen. 10,91); exprimitur spe- HUMMELAUER. — IN EX. ET LEV. — 5 cialis lahve vocat?0o ; loci distantia, rei periculum definitur.
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v. 4 « A?t ad eos rex Aegypti », omisso iam sermone de Iahve, cuius mandatum effinxisse Moysen arbitrabatur turbarum commovendarum praetextum (Kn.): « Quare Moyses et Aaron. sollicitatis », Chald. otiari facitis, « populum ab operibus suis? Ite ad onera vestra ». Moysen et Aaron ad onera mitti cum summo opprobrio, censet Tos. ; ad solos seniores dirigi sermonem , autumat Drs. (Critici Sacri); melius statuas dirigi ad ommes, qui adessent, indiscriminatim , quique operibus reapse addicti essent. b. Angariae auctae Ex. 5,5:9,
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v. 5 « Dixitque Pharao » : — alterum àN" (cf. v. &) non prodit consutos centones (D?/Im.), sed dimissis Moyse et sociis sermonem dirigi ad aulieos (Tost.), quorum aliqui videntur mitiora consilia suggessisse. At Pharao, considerata Hebraeorum multitudine, putavit rem agendam esse non suaviter sed fortiter. — « Multus est populus terrae », quem Sylv. interpretatur Hebraeos, fortasse £erram intelligens Gessen ; Drus. « infimam plebem », et quidem (Di/Im.) tam Hebraeorum quam aliorum; tandem Sa. lectionem habet 22 : plures sunt quam populus terrae, i.e. Aegyptii. Merito autem hinc colligit Ca?., iussum de exponendis pueris iam non observari consuevisse : eiusmodi leges violentae difficile subsistunt per integros quadraginta annos. « |V?detis quod turba succreverit :] quanto magis, si dederitis eis requiem. ab operibus? » Hebr. priori membro inserens vocem nc pergit : e£ requiescere illos facietis ab operibus? Quo non tam maius futurum incrementum (quanto magis) demonstratur, quam inter multos homines otiantes turbae facile oriturae. Non insiplenter argumentatur Pharao, qui potentiae et auctoritatis Iahve nullum adhuc conspexit signum. Porro, qui
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v. 1 recensentur praefecti operum et scribae (radix ?5 in omnibus linguis semiticis excepta hebraea reperitur, significatione scribendi, Schrader) in monumentis depicti multoties conspiciuntur : illi baculis armati adstant operariis, hi operis confecti rationem describunt. v. 6 « Praecepit ergo in die illo praefectis |operum) et exactoribus populi, dicens » :
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v. 1 « Nequaquam ultra dabitis paleas populo ad conficiendos lateres, sicut prius; sed ipsi vadant et colligant stipulas ». In antiquis structuris Aegypti inveniuntur lateres, tam qui luto admixta habent palearum segmenta, quam qui his carent (Ebers, Gosen p. 76). Citat etiam CAabas (Mélanges égyptol., 2* série p. 133; ap. Vig., Bible 1I. 231 sq.) textum, qui agit de aedificio constructo in urbe quadam Ramesses, regnante fortasse ipso Merenpthah I, quique testatur debuisse operarios quotidie certum laterum numerum conficere.
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v. 8 « Et mensuram laterum, quam prius faciebant, imponetis super eos nec minuetis quidquam : vacant entm et idcirco vociferantur dicentes : Eamus et sacrificemus Deo nostro ». « Pigritiae attribuitur religio » (Caz.).
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v. 9 « Opprimantur operibus et expleant ea : ut non acquiescant verbis mendacibus ». Pro Yoy" Sam. LXX Syr. *vvv, ut sit vertendum : Fiat labor gravis super eos, et aspiciant illum : et non aspicient verba mendacia, fictitia del sui mandata. Carebunt tempore, ne ad eiusmodi attendant, dummodo constanter occupentur. Tale autem mandatum a rege promulgatum esse 7pso dze (v. 6; Dillm.) expetiti favoris, fuit sane Hebraeis perdurum.
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v. 10 « Igitur egressi praefecti operum et exactores », 1. e. scribae, « ad populum dixerunt ; Sic dicit Pharao : Non do vobis paleas ». Pro Nx! LXX uti v. 13 "xx", et urgebant.
Arg. — Seribae hebraei, ubi in subditorum sibi operariorum angaria aliquid desideraretur, flagellis immeriti caesi, querelas ad Pharaonem deferunt incassum. Ab eo reduces in Moysen et Aaronem impingunt eosque conviciis impetunt. Seniores non comparent, populus (cf. 6,9) a Moyse et Aarone retrahitur. Moyses ad Iahve conversus ab eo de portentis brevi eventuris in salutem populi monetur.
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v. 11 « Ite etcolligite, sicubi invenire poteritis; nec minuetur quidquam de opere vestro ». Hebr. : quoniam nihil minuetur etc. Hoc *2, inquiunt, non dat rationem praecedentium ; ergo supple « festinate » (Rasc/z), vel « nolite putare vobis iam minus opus fore perficiendum » (Di/[m.); qui auctor tamen statim deflectit ad coniecturam, sententiam causalem esse centonem ex alio documento assutum. Facilima solutio est, cum exactores repetant mandatum idem, quod modo Pharao pronuntiaverat, auctorem sacrum indulgere brachylogiae cuidam.
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v. 12 « Dispersusque est populus per omnem terram Aegypti », non sane omnem omnino, uti vult Tost., « ad colligendas paleas ».
5:13
v. 43 « Praefecti quoque operum instabant dicentes : Complete opus vestrum quotidie », rem diei die suo, « ut prius facere solebatis, quando dabantur vobis paleae ». Hebr. nvinz 12nn, quibus vocibus Sam. additum habet 225 1nz, quam eandem fortasse lectionem sequebantur Vulg. LXX Syr. Chald.
5:14
v. 4& « Flagellalique sunt, qui praeerant operibus filiorum Israel, ab. exactoribus Pharaonis dicentibus : Quare non impletis mensuram laterum sicul prius , nec heri, nec hodie? » Clarius : neque nudtustertius, neque heri, neque hodie. Non primo illico, sed tertio die haec flagellatiofieri coepta est. Huiusmodi operariorum flagellationes depictas habes apud V5., Bible II. 223. Ceterum Hebr. habet : Et percussi sunt scribae filiorum Israel, quos posuerant super eos praefecti Pharaonis. Ergo praefecti seu exactores, qui baculum gestabant et utique erant Aegyptii, scribas constituerant viros Israelitas et, ubi statutus laterum numerus deficiebat, non solum operarios flagellabant, sed vel ipsos scribas Hebraeos, quorum tamen illud unum erat officium laterum confectorum , quotcunque ii essent, habere rationem.
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v. 15 « Veneruntque praepositi » seu verlus sczibae « filiorum Israel, et voctferati sunt ad Pharaonem dicentes : Cur 1ta agis contra servos tuos? »
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v. 16 « Paleae non dantur nobis, et lateres similiter àmperantur ; en famuli tui flagellis caedimur, et inzuste agitur contra populum tuum. ». JY niN'm debet verti et peccat populus tuus, admittitque sententia triplicem sensum : nos scribae vapulamus, et tamen peccat populus tuus Hebraeus (Field); punimur pro peccato non nostro. Vel: peccati reus fit populus tuus Hebraeus; hunc enim sensum induit verbi Kal Gen. 43,9 et Qy quandoque genere fem. adhibetur. « Imputatur peccatum populo tuo, quasi rebelles sint et nolint parere mandato » (Vat.). Vel : et peccat populus tuus Aegyptius im eos (Chald.). LXX Syr. punctabant jJ nxuom, &Oucjocts ov zbv Aaóv cov; neque necesse esse (Ros.) nomini praefigere » docet Lev. 5,16. Quam sententiam Ros. suadet intelligendam esse interrogative, ne Pharao accusari videatur. Qui item apud Symm. accusatur : jq nwom, xoci &uaprlaw Éycw. Profecto omnem crediderim a limine excludendam interpretationem, quae aut Pharaonem vituperet aut apud Pharaonem Aegyptios. Statum constructum nominis (DnN*m9) punctabant Aq. («ot &uapxta Aat» cov) et. Theod. (xoX fj &x.opzx ci; xov Aaóv 209). Monet Ros. haberi oppositionem aliquam inter famuli tui (scribae) et populum twwm : omnino, non ea tamen, ut Hebraei opponantur Aegyptiis, sed ut scribae hebraei opponantur plebi hebraeae. Nobis praeplacet explanatio Field : consonat ea textui et punctationi, illudque ipsum facit scribas dicentes, quod potissimum debebant illi habere et in mente et in ore, sc. nolle se puniri pro deliquiis aliorum. DOnwN Syr. retulit ad filios Israel : intuiti sunt eos aegre; potest autem vox cum Vulg. LXX accipi reflexive (cf. ler. 7,19; Ez. 34,2. 8.10). Viderunt ergo scribae illi Hebraei se ipsos esse in malo seu « in maligno » (1 Io. 5,19), « in angustiis undique constitutos » (Bonfr.), — $:2N5, ut dicerent seu, quod in idem recidit, « eo quod A Moysis v. 1 sqq. cum Pharaone colloquio effluxerant (v. 14) dies saltem tres vel quatuor (Tost.).
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v. 20 « Occurreruntque Moyst et Aaron, qua stabant ex adverso, egredientibus a Pharaone ». Hebr. : et impegerunt in. Moysen et Aaronem , qui stabant ad occurrendum eis, dum egrediebantur a. Pharaone (cf. 1,15). H1 exspectabant redeuntes, seribis congressus tum erat fortasse inexspectatus. Quare indignatione abripiuntur. Vocem /gÀve v. 21 eos crediderim ironice adhibuisse : neque Moysi iam fidebant (cf. 6,9) neque Deo nomine Iahve invocato.
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v. 914 « Et dixerunt ad eos : Videat Dominus » super vos, cognoscat causam (Vat.) « et iudicet, quonzam foetere fecistis odorem nostrum coram. Pharaone et servis eius », « nos reddidistis abominabiles » (Vat.), « et praebuistis e gladium » , occasionem , praetextum , « uf occideret nos ».
5:22
v. 99. « Reversusque est Moyses ad Dominum », vel mente tantum, vel se recipiens ad orationem. « Non respondet praefectis, utpote nimium exasperatis et salutarium monitionum incapacibus, sed ad Deum recurrit » (Sylv.). « Et ait : Domine, cur afflixisti populum istum? quare misisti me? »
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v. 93 « Ex eo [enim], quo ingressus sum ad Pharaonem , ut loquerer in nomine tuo , afflixit populum tuum ; et non liberasti eos ». Afflictio eadem modo Pharaoni adscribitur, modo Deo; misisi, inquit, ad liberandum ab afflictione, et pergis affligere. Cap. VI
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.