10:1 Et dixit Dominus ad Moysen : Ingredere ad Pharaonem : ego enim induravi cor ejus, et servorum illius, ut faciam signa mea haec in eo :
*H And the Lord said to Moses: Go in to Pharao; for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants: that I may work these my signs in him,
Ver. 1. Servants. They took occasion, from God's withdrawing his chastisements, to become more obdurate. S. Aug. q. 30. and 36.
10:2 et narres in auribus filii tui, et nepotum tuorum, quoties contriverim Aegyptios, et signa mea fecerim in eis : et sciatis quia ego Dominus.
And thou mayst tell in the ears of thy sons, and of thy grandsons, how often I have plagued the Egyptians, and wrought my signs amongst them: and you may know that I am the Lord.
10:3 Introierunt ergo Moyses et Aaron ad Pharaonem, et dixerunt ei : Haec dicit Dominus Deus Hebraeorum : Usquequo non vis subjici mihi ? dimitte populum meum, ut sacrificet mihi.
Therefore Moses and Aaron went in to Pharao, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews: How long refusest thou to submit to me? let my people go, to sacrifice to me.
10:4 Sin autem resistis, et non vis dimittere eum : ecce ego inducam cras locustam in fines tuos :
But if thou resist, and wilt not let them go, behold I will bring in to-morrow the locusts into thy coasts;
* Footnote
* Wisdom
16 : 9
For the bitings of locusts, and of flies, killed them, and there was found no remedy for their life: because they were worthy to be destroyed by such things.
10:5 quae operiat superficiem terrae, ne quidquam ejus appareat, sed comedatur quod residuum fuerit grandini : corrodet enim omnia ligna quae germinant in agris.
To cover the face of the earth, that nothing thereof may appear, but that which the hail hath left may be eaten: for they shall feed upon all the trees that spring in the fields.
10:6 Et implebunt domos tuas, et servorum tuorum, et omnium Aegyptiorum, quantam non viderunt patres tui, et avi, ex quo orti sunt super terram, usque in praesentem diem. Avertitque se, et egressus est a Pharaone.
And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of thy servants, and of all the Egyptians: such a number as thy fathers have not seen, nor thy grandfathers, from the time they were first upon the earth, until this present day. And he turned himself away, and went forth from Pharao.
10:7 Dixerunt autem servi Pharaonis ad eum : Usquequo patiemur hoc scandalum ? dimitte homines, ut sacrificent Domino Deo suo ; nonne vides quod perierit Aegyptus ?
*H And Pharao's servants said to him: How long shall we endure this scandal? Iet the men go to sacrifice to the Lord their God. Dost thou not see that Egypt is undone?
Ver. 7. Scandal, or source of repeated misery; whether they meant their own resistance to God's orders, or Moses, with the Hebrew nation. C.
10:8 Revocaveruntque Moysen et Aaron ad Pharaonem : qui dixit eis : Ite, sacrificate Domino Deo vestro : quinam sunt qui ituri sunt ?
And they called back Moses, and Aaron, to Pharao; and he said to them: Go, sacrifice to the Lord your God: who are they that shall go?
10:9 Ait Moyses : Cum parvulis nostris, et senioribus pergemus, cum filiis et filiabus, cum ovibus et armentis : est enim solemnitas Domini Dei nostri.
*H Moses said: We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, with our sheep and herds: for it is the solemnity of the Lord our God.
Ver. 9. Herds. Out of which the Lord may choose what victims he requires. M. — The people of Egypt kept solemnities of this description. Herod. ii. 58, 59.
10:10 Et respondit Pharao : Sic Dominus sit vobiscum, quomodo ego dimittam vos, et parvulos vestros, cui dubium est quod pessime cogitetis ?
*H And Pharao answered: So be the Lord with you, as I shall let you and your children go: who can doubt but that you intend some great evil?
Ver. 10. So be. A form of imprecation mixed with scorn: as, I shall not let you go, so may God abandon you. C.
10:11 non fiet ita, sed ite tantum viri, et sacrificate Domino : hoc enim et ipsi petistis. Statimque ejecti sunt de conspectu Pharaonis.
*H It shall not be so. but go ye men only, and sacrifice to the Lord: for this yourselves also desired. And immediately they were cast out from Pharao's presence.
Ver. 11. Desired. Moses had requested that all might go. He had not specified the men only, as the king boldly asserts. M. — A partial obedience will not rescue him from the threatened plague. H.
10:12 Dixit autem Dominus ad Moysen : Extende manum tuam super terram Aegypti ad locustam, ut ascendat super eam, et devoret omnem herbam quae residua fuerit grandini.
And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand upon the land of Egypt unto the locust, that it come upon it, and devour every herb that is left after the hail.
10:13 Et extendit Moyses virgam super terram Aegypti : et Dominus induxit ventum urentem tota die illa et nocte : et mane facto, ventus urens levavit locustas.
*H And Moses stretched forth his rod upon the land of Egypt: and the Lord brought a burning wind all that day, and night; and when it was morning, the burning wind raised the locusts.
Ver. 13. Wind from "the south," (Sept.) or "east," (Kadim) or perhaps blowing from the south-east. Bonfrere. The locusts would come from Ethiopia, or from Arabia, in both which countries they abound. Ludolf, &c. They lay their eggs in autumn, and hatch in spring. Frequently they devastate one country after another. They are very large in the East, and sometimes will fasten upon the heads of serpents, and destroy them, as they did on this occasion the Egyptians. Wisd. xvi. 9. — In Cyrene, bordering upon Egypt, it is requisite to encounter these creatures thrice in the year. C. See Lev. xi. 22.
10:14 Quae ascenderunt super universam terram Aegypti : et sederunt in cunctis finibus Aegyptiorum innumerabiles, quales ante illud tempus non fuerant, nec postea futurae sunt.
*H And they came up over the whole land of Egypt; and rested in all the coasts of the Egyptians, innumerable, the like as had not been before that time, nor shall be hereafter.
Ver. 14. Hereafter. Joel i. 2, speaking of locusts which infested Judea, uses the same expressions to denote a very heavy judgment. Two events never perfectly agree. C.
10:15 Operueruntque universam superficiem terrae, vastantes omnia. Devorata est igitur herba terrae, et quidquid pomorum in arboribus fuit, quae grando dimiserat : nihilque omnino virens relictum est in lignis et in herbis terrae, in cuncta Aegypto.
And they covered the whole face of the earth, wasting all things. And the grass of the earth was devoured, and what fruits soever were on the trees, which the hail had left; and there remained not any thing that was green on the trees, or in the herbs of the earth, in all Egypt.
10:16 Quam ob rem festinus Pharao vocavit Moysen et Aaron, et dixit eis : Peccavi in Dominum Deum vestrum, et in vos.
Wherefore Pharao in haste called Moses and Aaron, and said to them: I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.
10:17 Sed nunc dimittite peccatum mihi etiam hac vice, et rogate Dominum Deum vestrum, ut auferat a me mortem istam.
*H But now forgive me my sin this time also, and pray to the Lord your God, that he take away from me this death.
Ver. 17. Also. Heb. "only," and I will amend. — Death, or plague. M.
10:18 Egressusque Moyses de conspectu Pharaonis, oravit Dominum.
*H And Moses going forth from the presence of Pharao, prayed to the Lord:
Ver. 18. Moses. The printed Heb. and Chal. do not read his name; but some MSS. have it agreeably to the Sept. and Syr. versions. Ken.
10:19 Qui flare fecit ventum ab occidente vehementissimum, et arreptam locustam projecit in mare Rubrum : non remansit ne una quidem in cunctis finibus Aegypti.
*H And he made a very strong wind to blow from the west, and it took the locusts and cast them into the Red Sea: there remained not so much as one in all the coasts of Egypt.
Ver. 19. West. Heb. sea, (Mediterranean) to the north and west of Egypt. — Red sea. Heb. "of suph," or green herbs, which abound there. It has also a reddish appearance in some places, from the coral branches of a saffron colour. It probably was called red from Edom, or Erythros, the son of Isaac. C. — God drowned the locusts in this sea, by means of the wind, which often proves the destruction of those animals. Plin. xi. 29.
10:20 Et induravit Dominus cor Pharaonis, nec dimisit filios Israel.
And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, neither did he let the children of Israel go.
10:21 Dixit autem Dominus ad Moysen : Extende manum tuam in caelum : et sint tenebrae super terram Aegypti tam densae, ut palpari queant.
*H And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out thy hand towards heaven: and may there be darkness upon the land of Egypt so thick that it may be felt.
Ver. 21. Darkness upon the land of Egypt so thick that it may be felt. By means of the gross exhalations, which were to cause and accompany the darkness. Ch. — Thus were the Egyptians punished for keeping the Hebrews in dark prisons. M. — Philo says, even a lighted lamp or fire was extinguished. The Egyptians were affrighted with hideous spectres and evil angels. Ps. lxxvii. 49. Wisd. xvii. 4.
10:22 Extenditque Moyses manum in caelum : et factae sunt tenebrae horribiles in universa terra Aegypti tribus diebus.
And Moses stretched forth his hand towards heaven: and there came horrible darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
10:23 Nemo vidit fratrem suum, nec movit se de loco in quo erat : ubicumque autem habitabant filii Israel, lux erat.
No man saw his brother, nor moved himself out of the place where he was: but wheresoever the children of Israel dwelt, there was light.
* Footnote
* Wisdom
17 : 2
For while the wicked thought to be able to have dominion over the holy nation, they themselves being fettered with the bonds of darkness, and a long night, shut up in their houses, lay there exiled from the eternal providence.
* Footnote
** Wisdom
18 : 1
But thy saints had a very great light, and they heard their voice indeed, but did not see their shape. And because they also did not suffer the same things, they glorified thee:
10:24 Vocavitque Pharao Moysen et Aaron, et dixit eis : Ite, sacrificate Domino : oves tantum vestrae et armenta remaneant, parvuli vestri eant vobiscum.
And Pharao called Moses and Aaron, and said to them: Go, sacrifice to the Lord: let your sheep only, and herds remain, let your children go with you.
10:25 Ait Moyses : Hostias quoque et holocausta dabis nobis, quae offeramus Domino Deo nostro.
Moses said: Thou shalt give us also sacrifices and burnt-offerings, to the Lord our God.
10:26 Cuncti greges pergent nobiscum ; non remanebit ex eis ungula : quae necessaria sunt in cultum Domini Dei nostri : praesertim cum ignoremus quid debeat immolari, donec ad ipsum locum perveniamus.
All the flocks shall go with us; there shall not a hoof remain of them: for they are necessary for the service of the Lord our God: especially as we know not what must be offered, till we come to the very place.
10:27 Induravit autem Dominus cor Pharaonis, et noluit dimittere eos.
And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, and he would not let them go.
10:28 Dixitque Pharao ad Moysen : Recede a me, et cave ne ultra videas faciem meam : quocumque die apparueris mihi, morieris.
And Pharao said to Moses: Get thee from me, and beware thou see not my face any more: in what day soever thou shalt come in my sight, thou shalt die.
10:29 Respondit Moyses : Ita fiet ut locutus es : non videbo ultra faciem tuam.
*H Moses answered: So shall it be as thou hast spoken, I will not see thy face anymore.
Ver. 29. More. Of my own accord. M. — Thou wilt send for me. C.