And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,
It came to pass on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, marking the time, place, and setting of His speech and message to Moses alongside the genealogy of Moses, as He commissioned Moses to act for Israel and placed what follows in the setting of deliverance from bondage. That speech belongs to God's renewed promises to Israel after Moses and Aaron's first appearance before Pharaoh had brought harsher oppression.
It stands in the first, mainly historical division of Exodus covering chapters 1 to 18, in the book whose Greek name means going out concerning Israel's departure from Egypt. Within that division it stands in chapters 5 to 10, also described as chapters 5 to 8, recording the interviews with Pharaoh, the contest with his magicians, and the warnings and infliction of the plagues culminating in the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, and the hurried departure.
The speaking occurred three and one-half millenniums ago when Egypt ruled the world as the greatest of the kingdoms of earth, acknowledged for might and power and skill and wisdom in statecraft. The land drew abundant substance from its river whose annual overflow fertilized the land, so it deified the river as one of its gods, and with the sun joining the river in producing food it worshiped the sun, from whom its kings received their title as the representative of the sun-god upon the throne of men.
The few descendants of the nomadic patriarch Abraham had sought supplies from Egypt's granaries after Joseph, a captive slave of the same people, taught Pharaoh to store grain in plenteous years to become rich in time of famine and instituted one of the best land-laws the world has known with easy combined rental and taxes. While this truly great young man was prime minister and as long as his memory lived and was honored his laws governed and the country flourished and prospered and the people living in Egypt knew no oppression. But afterward Israel grew more and mightier than the Egyptians and lay in bitter bondage and oppression with the whole power of Egypt set against them.
The LORD spoke in Egypt to Moses as Israel's chosen leader, whose life runs from romantic rescue from Egyptian malice in infancy through his wonderful experiences leading Israel. The setting is connected with God making the name Jehovah known to Moses.
It stands at the beginning of God's mighty work of wonderful deliverance from Egypt and at the Red Sea, opening the detailed story of their making into a nation with thorough organization, efficient leadership, a complete code of laws, and an established form of worship. That work closes with Israel's song of triumph beyond the Red Sea with the host of Egypt overthrown, a manifestation of creative power over again such as was never done in the saving of any other nation. That deliverance demonstrated His wisdom, love, and power, His ability and right to rule, and Israel's obligation to obey, before they were tested and tried to prove whether they would walk in His law.
It shows the LORD reproving Israel for refusing to keep His commandments and His laws when some went out to gather manna on the seventh day. It proves the definite day of the holy Sabbath unto the LORD was pointed out before the command went forth from Sinai in a manner none could misunderstand, by a threefold miracle aside from the giving of the manna itself. Twice as much bread was given on the sixth day for gathering a double portion to last over the Sabbath, what was kept over from the sixth to the seventh day did not breed worms or decay while what was kept over from other days bred worms and stank, and no manna was found on the seventh day, showing direct divine interposition for observance of a definite day.
It came to pass on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, marking the time, place, and setting of His speech and message to Moses alongside the genealogy of Moses, as He commissioned Moses to act for Israel and placed what follows in the setting of deliverance from bondage. That speech belongs to God's renewed promises to Israel after Moses and Aaron's first appearance before Pharaoh had brought harsher oppression.
It stands in the first, mainly historical division of Exodus covering chapters 1 to 18, in the book whose Greek name means going out concerning Israel's departure from Egypt. Within that division it stands in chapters 5 to 10, also described as chapters 5 to 8, recording the interviews with Pharaoh, the contest with his magicians, and the warnings and infliction of the plagues culminating in the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, and the hurried departure.
The speaking occurred three and one-half millenniums ago when Egypt ruled the world as the greatest of the kingdoms of earth, acknowledged for might and power and skill and wisdom in statecraft. The land drew abundant substance from its river whose annual overflow fertilized the land, so it deified the river as one of its gods, and with the sun joining the river in producing food it worshiped the sun, from whom its kings received their title as the representative of the sun-god upon the throne of men.
The few descendants of the nomadic patriarch Abraham had sought supplies from Egypt's granaries after Joseph, a captive slave of the same people, taught Pharaoh to store grain in plenteous years to become rich in time of famine and instituted one of the best land-laws the world has known with easy combined rental and taxes. While this truly great young man was prime minister and as long as his memory lived and was honored his laws governed and the country flourished and prospered and the people living in Egypt knew no oppression. But afterward Israel grew more and mightier than the Egyptians and lay in bitter bondage and oppression with the whole power of Egypt set against them.
The LORD spoke in Egypt to Moses as Israel's chosen leader, whose life runs from romantic rescue from Egyptian malice in infancy through his wonderful experiences leading Israel. The setting is connected with God making the name Jehovah known to Moses.
It stands at the beginning of God's mighty work of wonderful deliverance from Egypt and at the Red Sea, opening the detailed story of their making into a nation with thorough organization, efficient leadership, a complete code of laws, and an established form of worship. That work closes with Israel's song of triumph beyond the Red Sea with the host of Egypt overthrown, a manifestation of creative power over again such as was never done in the saving of any other nation. That deliverance demonstrated His wisdom, love, and power, His ability and right to rule, and Israel's obligation to obey, before they were tested and tried to prove whether they would walk in His law.
It shows the LORD reproving Israel for refusing to keep His commandments and His laws when some went out to gather manna on the seventh day. It proves the definite day of the holy Sabbath unto the LORD was pointed out before the command went forth from Sinai in a manner none could misunderstand, by a threefold miracle aside from the giving of the manna itself. Twice as much bread was given on the sixth day for gathering a double portion to last over the Sabbath, what was kept over from the sixth to the seventh day did not breed worms or decay while what was kept over from other days bred worms and stank, and no manna was found on the seventh day, showing direct divine interposition for observance of a definite day.