A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Exodus

"^ ' THE STANDARD SERIES. ^ ^ A CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF EXODUS, WITH A NEW TRANSLATION. c/^ BY JAMES G-f MURPHY, D.D. T.C.D., PROFESSOR OF HEBREW, BELFAST. WITH PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION B7 JOHN HALL D.D. JUI 9 1881 v ^fwa5h ^^ NEW YOEK: ;; I. K. FUNK & CO., Publishers, 10 AND 12 Dey Street. 1881. '7r Copyright, 1881, By I. K. FUNK & CO. PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. The Rev. Db. Muephy has, by long, faithful, and efeective discharge of his duties as an instructor, secured the confidence of the British public. A minister of the Gospel, and a useful and edifying preacher, he became known to a generation, now in middle life, as an efEective teacher in the Royal Academical I^titution, Belfast, Ireland, from which for many years went forth the educated men who have, like Lord Cairns in England, and many in America, India, and Australia, rendered distinguished public service in all the professions. Nearly forty years ago the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland decided on the establishment of a theological college, substantially the same in plan and relations with Princeton and Yale seminaries— in close sympathy with adjoining colleges, and at the same time under the control of the Church. To the chair of Hebrew Dr. Murphy was appointed. His career has been uniform, useful in a high degree, and eminently influential in promoting the critical and exegetical study of the Old Testa- ment. He has reached the period of life when most men are supposed to be entitled to honorable rest but his energies ; have suffered no abatement, and they who see him among his students, or taking his part in the benevolent work of the great centre with which he has been so long identified, or enjoying summer leisure among books and scholars in London, would hardly realize that he has been a foremost and most labori- ous educator for half a century. Though not a student under the care of Dr. Murphy, it has been my privilege to be associated with him in many objects of common interest ; and if the issue of this vol- ume should carry his thoughts into new circles of readers, there will be to me the great pleasure of making a valued friend known where, until later, his influence would not have been appreciated. The plan of Dr. Murphy in his Commentaries on the early books of the Bible has been his own. Brief critical notes — no more lengthened than a careful reader acquainted with Hebrew requires -precede an original translation of the sections. Then follow the explanations, in which, without nicely marking off the exegetical or the critical from the theological, or even the devotional, the effort is made to reflect to an ordinary reader the mind of the Spirit. The results of wide reading, of careful and most conscientious study, and of long-continued application of revealed truth to the conscience and the life of men, are presented in a style which not unfitly represents the simplicity, modesty, and clear directness of the author. That this estimate of Dr. Murphy as a commentator is not formed through the par- tiality of a friend will appear from the fact that when his Commentary on Genesis appeared, Dr. Thompson of " New York pronounced it the most thorough, satisfactory and exhaustive Commentary upon the book of Genesis that has yet been written in the English language." — 4 PREFACE TO THE AMERICANS EDITION. The reasons which, to say the least, justify the reissue of Dr. Murphy's " Exodus" may be briefly stated. In the first place, the second half of the present year is devoted to the study of this book in the Sunday-schools using the International system. The great majority of the Sunday-school teachers of America adopt this arrangement, and it is known that the best of them eagerly avail themselves of the most useful helps they can find. To aid them in a work so full of blessing to the people of the land, and so often done by them in the face of difficulties and under the pressure of many other imperative engagements, is itself motive enough for adding to the list of books of interpretation. But, in the second place, this work is especially adapted to their needs. It does not occupy space and time with the processes of critical inquiry, but lucidly states results. It does not bewilder with long and formal catalogues of diverse and contradic- tory interpretations, but presents that which in the writer's judgment is adequately sustained. Its exm)sitions are intelligible to ordinary English readers, while its learn- ing is sufficiently apparent to inspire the confidence of ministers and others accus- tomed to examine and compare the various forms of exegetical apparatus. It is, it may be further stated, a recommendation of this work that it gives a revision of our translation. In 1863 Dr. Murphy published a new rendering of Genesis, when the whole idea of revision was less familiar to the public than it has since be- come ; and while it naturally aroused criticism at the time, it is no mean tribute to the worth of the work that it has grown in public favor. The late revision of the New Testament (whatever may be thought of its merits), and the fact that the Old Testa- ment is undergoing a corresponding process, tend to give interest to this earlier and reverent attempt to improve our translation. And, finally, the fact that our author has never been a mere critic, or even a professor exclusively devoted to the duties of a chair, but that he is actively interested in all Christian work, and a very frequent preacher of the Everlasting Gospel, secures what one so often misses with regret in otherwise valuable works, namely—the prac- tical uses and applications for spiritual ends of the truths elucidated. This con- sideration alone gives the work a peculiar fitness for the table of the Sabbath-school teacher, who is intent not only on showing ichat God has said, but what use we are to make of the statements now that we understand them. But it would be to present a partial view of this work if we confined attention to its adaptation to the requirements of the Sabbath-school teacher. Dr. Murphy is conver- sant with the best literature on the Old Testament. He is keenly alive to the ardor and apparent force of the assaults on the older books of inspiration, both from the side of a narrow criticism and a broad science. He has never allowed these to be out controversial, there is of his view in his work ; and in many a passage, not formally the sufficient rejoinder to the arbitrary writer who would parcel out the book among various authors, or to the self-complacent scientist, who cannot separate in his mind between the medium of current and familiar language—the only language the recipi- ents of revelation could understand—and the new and unfamiliar truth which consti- tutes the revelation, and patiently does its work among a hundred imperfect or perverted views of it, in renewing and sanctifying men and lifting up the whole re- ligious and social structure. With this estimate of the work, it is sent forth in American dress and at a price bring, ing it within the reach of multitudes of Christian workers not approached hitherto by such aids, with some measure of the prayerful spirit in which, I am sure, from my — AUTHOR S PEEFACE. knowledge of the author, the undertaking was carried through by him. Dr. Murphy's bearing always suggests to those who know him the qualities of Paul's fellow-worker —"a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." May the sequel to this lofty description of excellence be here also realized in a good degree, through the book " much people was added unto the Lord." J, HALL. Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, June, 1881. AUTHOK'S PREFACE If the one God make a world and write a book, it is to be expected that nature and Scripture will agree. But their interpreters may differ. It is notorious that there has been a philosophy that was only vain deceit—a science falsely so called. This was simply a false interpretation of nature. It could not be presumed that such would agree with the Bible. It is equally well known that false principles of interpretation have been ax3plied to the Scripture, the results of which have also been at variance with nature. Admitting, however, the word and the work to come both from God, men, v/ith the narrow and partially erroneous philosophy of their day, have endeavored to harmonize them. In doing so they have in some instances imposed a sense upon Scripture which has eventually turned out to be incongruous with the conclusions of a wider and more exact philosophy. But while the former results of speculative and scientific inquiry have been modified or reversed, it has been generally taken for granted that the old meanings attached to those portions of Scripture that touch upon physical or metaphysical phenomena remain true and incontrovertible. It is to be remembered, however, that these meanings flowed from minds otherwise well cultivated, but at the same time imbued with the errors of their day on physical and other questions. Their mistaken preconceptions insensibly guided their interpretation ; and hence they found in Scripture, and fixed upon it, the prejudices of a dogmatic science.

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