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Exodus Through the Centuries Scott M. Langston M. Scott Exodus Through the Centuries Blackwell Bible Commentaries Through the Centuries Series Editors: John Sawyer, Christopher Rowland, Judith Kovacs, David M. Gunn John Judges Mark Edwards David Gunn Revelation Exodus Through the Centuries Judith Kovacs & Christopher Rowland Scott M. Langston Forthcoming: Genesis 1–11 Through the Centuries Jeremiah Through the Centuries Danna Nolan Fewell & Gary Philips Mary Chilton Callaway Genesis 12–50 Through the Centuries Lamentations Through the Centuries Danna Nolan Fewell & Gary Philips Paul Joyce Leviticus Through the Centuries Ezekial Through the Centuries Mark Elliott Andrew Main 1 & 2 Samuel Through the Centuries Jonah Through the Centuries David Gunn Yvonne Sherwood 1 & 2 Kings Through the Centuries Mark Through the Centuries Martin O’Kane Christine Joynes Esther Through the Centuries Luke Through the Centuries Jo Carruthers Larry Kreitzer Job Through the Centuries Romans Through the Centuries Anthony York Paul Fiddes Psalms Through the Centuries Galatians Through the Centuries Susan Gillingham John Riches Ecclesiastes Through the Centuries Pastoral Epistles Through the Centuries Eric Christianson Jay Twomey Isaiah Through the Centuries 1 Corinthians Through the Centuries John F. A. Sawyer Jorunn Okland 2 Corinthians Through the Centuries Paula Gooder Exodus Through the Centuries Scott M. Langston M. Scott © 2006 by Scott M. Langston BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Scott M. Langston to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo- copying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2006 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2006 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Langston, Scott M. Exodus through the centuries/ Scott M. Langston. p. cm.—(Blackwell Bible commentaries) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-631-23523-1 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-631-23523-X (alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-631-23524-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-631-23524-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Bible. O.T. Exodus— Commentaries. I. Title. II. Series. BS1245.53.L36 2006 222b.1207—dc22 2005012642 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in 10 on 12.5 pt Minion by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd, Hong Kong Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt Ltd, Kundli The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable forestry policy, and which has been manufactured from pulp processed using acid-free and elementary chlorine-free practices. Furthermore, the publisher ensures that the text paper and cover board used have met acceptable environmental accreditation standards. For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: www.blackwellpublishing.com Contents List of Illustrations viii Series Editors’ Preface xi Preface xiii Introduction 1 Jewish and Christian Uses 2 Political and Social Uses 4 Oppressive and Contradictory Uses 6 Artistic Uses 8 Aim and Design 10 vi Contents Exodus 1–2 13 1:1–14 The Israelites’ Suffering 14 1:15–22 Attempts to Kill Israel’s Male Infants 17 2:1–10 Moses’ Birth 21 2:11–25 Moses’ Early Life 35 Moses and Modern Biographies 38 Exodus 3–4 42 3:1–6 Moses Encounters YHWH 43 3:7–4:17 Moses and YHWH Negotiate 61 4:18–31 YHWH Attempts to Kill Moses 72 Exodus 5–10 78 5:1–7:7 Moses and Pharaoh Begin Negotiations 78 7:8–10:29 The Plagues 88 Exodus 11:1–13:16 105 12:1–13:16 The Passover 105 11:1–3; 12:33–6 The Plundering of the Egyptians 116 11:1–10; 12:29–32 The Death of the Firstborn 119 Exodus 13:17–15:21 126 13:17–14:31 The Exodus 126 15:1–21 Israel’s Celebration 159 Exodus 15:22–18:27 170 The Testing of Israel 171 Exodus 19–31 185 Chapters 19–24 The Ten Commandments and Other Laws 186 Chapters 25–31 The Tabernacle 221 Exodus 32–40 231 Chapters 32–34 The Golden Calf 232 Chapters 35–40 The Completed Tabernacle 250 Epilogue: A Personal Word 254 Bibliography 256 Ancient and Medieval 256 Early Modern and Modern 264 Contents vii Biographies and Glossary 283 Name Index 289 Subject Index 292 Illustrations Plate 1 Jacopo Barozzi, The Finding of Moses.27 Plate 2 Gentileschi, Finding of Moses.28 Plate 3 He Qi, Finding of Moses.29 Plate 4 Alain Foehr, Slavery.34 Plate 5 Burning Bush, Golden Haggadah.51 Plate 6 William Blake, Moses and the Burning Bush.53 Plate 7 Alain Foehr, Mandela, New Moses.69 List of Illustrations ix Plate 8 Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh.98 Plate 9 William Blake, Pestilence: Death of the Firstborn. 122 Plate 10 The Crossing of the Red Sea. Ashburnham Pentateuch, fol. 68r. 131 Plate 11 Proposal for the Great Seal of the United States by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. 142 Plate 12 Howard Cook, Exodus. 157 Plate 13 Alain Foehr, Crossing the Red Sea. 158 Plate 14 Valentin Bousch, Moses and the Law. 203 Plate 15 Demonstrators lie on the ground and pray in the plaza of the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery, Alabama. 215 Plate 16 A moving crew uses a bar to lift one end of the Ten Commandments monument in the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery, Alabama, August 27, 2003. 216 Plate 17 The Tabernacle. Ashburnham Pentateuch, fol. 76r. 223 Plate 18 Sébastien Bourdon, The Israelites Dancing around the Golden Calf. 246 Color plates fall between pages 98 and 99. Color plate 1 Maja Lisa Engelhardt, Burning Bush.98 Color plate 2 Maja Lisa Engelhardt, Pillar of a Cloud.99 Preface Series Editors’ The Blackwell Bible Commentaries series, the first to be devoted primarily to the reception history of the Bible, is based on the premise that how people have interpreted, and been influenced by, a sacred text like the Bible is often as interesting and historically important as what it originally meant. The series emphasizes the influence of the Bible on literature, art, music, and film, its role in the evolution of religious beliefs and practices, and its impact on social and political developments. Drawing on work in a variety of disciplines, it is designed to provide a convenient and scholarly means of access to material until now hard to find, and a much-needed resource for all those interested in the influence of the Bible on Western culture. Until quite recently this whole dimension was for the most part neglected by biblical scholars. The goal of a commentary was primarily if not exclusively xii Series Editors’ Preface to get behind the centuries of accumulated Christian and Jewish tradition to one single meaning, normally identified with the author’s original intention. The most important and distinctive feature of the Blackwell Commentaries is that they will present readers with many different interpretations of each text, in such a way as to heighten their awareness of what a text, especially a sacred text, can mean and what it can do, what it has meant and what it has done, in the many contexts in which it operates. The Blackwell Bible Commentaries will consider patristic, rabbinic (where relevant), and medieval exegesis as well as insights from various types of modern criticism, acquainting readers with a wide variety of interpretative techniques. As part of the history of interpretation, questions of source, date, authorship, and other historical-critical and archaeological issues will be dis- cussed, but since these are covered extensively in existing commentaries, such references will be brief, serving to point readers in the direction of readily accessible literature where they can be followed up. Original to this series is the consideration of the reception history of specific biblical books, arranged in commentary format. The chapter-by-chapter arrangement ensures that the biblical text is always central to the discussion. Given the wide influence of the Bible and the richly varied appropriation of each biblical book, it is a difficult question which interpretations to include. While each volume will have its own distinctive point of view, the guiding principle for the series as a whole is that readers should be given a representa- tive sampling of material from different ages, with emphasis on interpretations that have been especially influential or historically significant. Though com- mentators will have their preferences among the different interpretations, the material will be presented in such a way that readers can make up their own minds on the value, morality, and validity of particular interpretations. The series encourages readers to consider how the biblical text has been interpreted down the ages and seeks to open their eyes to different uses of the Bible in contemporary culture. The aim is to write a series of scholarly com- mentaries that draw on all the insights of modern research to illustrate the rich interpretative potential of each biblical book. John Sawyer Christopher Rowland Judith Kovacs David M. Gunn Preface No work is the product of one individual, and so it is with this one. It has been a collective effort. The work, insights, and impact of many people are present throughout this book, even though the reader may not be aware of them. Although it is impossible to mention everyone who has assisted me in so many ways, I nonetheless risk mentioning a few while remaining mindful of my indebtedness to all.