Exo 11:9 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 9. Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you ] Though shall and will are both reputed signs of the future tense, and by many indiscriminately used, yet they make a most essential difference in composition in a variety of cases. For instance, if we translate lo yishma , Pharaoh SHALL not hearken , as in our text, the word shall strongly intimates that it was impossible for Pharaoh to hearken, and that God had placed him under that impossibility : but if we translate as we should do, Pharaoh WILL not hearken, it alters the case most essentially, and agrees with the many passages in the preceding chapters, where he is said to have hardened his own heart ; as this proves that he, without any impulsive necessity, obstinately refused to attend to what Moses said or threatened; and that God took the advantage of this obstinacy to work another miracle, and thus multiply his wonders in the land. Pharaoh WILL not hearken unto you ; and because he would not God hardened his heart-left him to his own obstinacy. To most critics it is well known that there are in several parts of the Pentateuch considerable differences between the Hebrew and Samaritan copies of this work. In this chapter the variations are of considerable importance, and competent critics have allowed that the Samaritan text, especially in this chapter, is fuller and better connected than that of the Hebrew. 1. It is evident that the eighth verse in the present Hebrew text has no natural connection with the seventh. For in the seventh verse Moses delivers to the Israelites what God had commanded him to say: and in the eighth he appears to continue a direct discourse unto Pharaoh, though it does not appear when this discourse was begun . This is quite contrary to the custom of Moses, Who always particularly notes the commencement of his discourses. 2. It is not likely that the Samaritans have added these portions, as they could have no private interest to serve by so doing; and therefore it is likely that these additions were originally parts of the sacred text, and might have been omitted, because an ancient copyist found the substance of them in other places. It must however be granted, that the principal additions in the Samaritan are repetitions of speeches which exist in the Hebrew text. 3. The principal part of these additions do not appear to have been borrowed from any other quarter. Interpolations in general are easily discerned from the confusion they introduce; but instead of deranging the sense, the additions here made it much more apparent; for should these not be admitted it is evident that something is wanting, without which the connection is incomplete.-See Calmet . But the reader is still requested to observe, that the supplementary matter in the Samaritan is collected from other parts of the Hebrew text; and that the principal merit of the Samaritan is, that it preserves the words in a better arrangement. Dr. Kennicott has entered into this subject at large, and by printing the two texts in parallel columns, the supplementary matter in the Samaritan and the hiatus in the Hebrew text will be at once perceived. It is well known that he preferred the Samaritan to the Hebrew Pentateuch; and his reasons for that preference in this case I shall subjoin. As the work is extremely scarce from which I select them, one class of readers especially will be glad to meet with them in this place. "Within these five chapters. vii., viii., ix., x., and xi., are seven very great differences between the Hebrew and Samaritan Pentateuchs, relating to the speeches which denounced seven out of the ten judgments upon the Egyptians, viz., waters into blood, frogs, flies, murrain, hail, locusts and destruction of the first-born . The Hebrew text gives the speeches concerning these judgments only once at each; but the Samaritan gives each speech TWICE. In the Hebrew we have the speeches concerning the five first as in command from GOD to Moses, without reading that Moses delivered them ; and concerning the two last, as delivered by Moses to Pharaoh, without reading that GOD had commanded them . Whereas in the Samaritan we find every speech TWICE: GOD commands Moses to go and speak thus or thus before Pharaoh; Moses goes and denounces the judgment; Pharaoh disobeys, and the judgment takes place . All this is perfectly regular, and exactly agreeable to the double speeches of Homer in very ancient times. I have not the least doubt that the Hebrew text now wants many words in each of the seven following places: chap. vii., between verses 18 and 19; end of chap. vii.; chap. viii., between 19 and 20; chap. x., between 2 and 3; chap. xi., at verses 3 and 4. The reader will permit me to refer him (for all the words thus omitted) to my own edition of the Hebrew Bible , (Oxford 1780, 2 vols. fol.,) where the whole differences are most clearly described. As this is a matter of very extensive consequence, I cannot but observe here, that the present Hebrew text of Exod. xi. did formerly, and does still appear to me to furnish a demonstration against itself, in proof of the double speech being formerly recorded there, as it is now in the Samaritan . And some very learned men have confessed the impossibility of explaining this chapter without the assistance of the Samaritan Pentateuch . I shall now give this important chapter as I presume it stood originally, distinguishing by italics all such words as are added to or differ from our present translation. And before this chapter must be placed the two last verses of the chapter preceding, : And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast well spoken, I will see thy face again no more . EXODUS XI HEBREW TEXT AND PRESENT � SAMARITAN TEXT AND VERSION � NEW VERSION � 1. And the Lord said � 1. Then Jehovah said unto Moses, Yet will I �unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more �bring one plague more upon Pharaoh and upon �upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt, afterwards he �Egypt, and afterwards he will let you go hence: �will send you out hence: when he shall let you go,�when he will send you he shall surely thrust �away, he will surely you out hence altogether.�drive you hence �altogether. 2. Speak now in the � 2. Speak now in the ears of the people; and �ears of the people; and let every man BORROW of �let every man ASK of his his neighbour, and every �neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, �woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and � vessels of silver, and jewels of gold. � vessels of gold and � raiment . 3. And the LORD GAVE � 3. And I will give the people favour in the � this people favour in sight of the Egyptians. �the sight of the �Egyptians, so that they � shall give them what � they ask . � 4. For about midnight � I wilt go forth into the � midst of the land of � Egypt . � 5. And every first-born � in the land of Egypt � shalt die, from the � first-born of Pharaoh who � sitteth upon his throne, � unto the first-born of � the maid-servant that is � behind the mill; and even � unto the first-born of � every beast . � 6. And there shall be a � great cry through all the � land of Egypt, such as � there was none like it, � nor shall be like it any � more . � 7. But against any of � the children of Israel � shall not a dog move his � tongue, against man or � even against beast; that � thou mayest know that � Jehovah doth put a � difference between the � Egyptians and Israel . Moreover the man Moses � 8. And thou also shalt was very great in the �be greatly honoured in land of Egypt, in the �the land of Egypt, in sight of Pharaoh's �the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the �servants, and in the sight of the people. �sight of the people. � 9. THEN Moses said unto � Pharaoh, Thus saith � Jehovah, Israel is my � son, my first-born; and � I said unto thee, Let my � son go that he may serve � me . � 10. But thou hast � refused to let him go; � behold, Jehovah slayeth � thy son, thy first-born . 4. And Moses said, Thus� 11. And Moses said, saith the Lord, About �Thus saith Jehovah, midnight will I go out �About midnight will I go into the midst of Egypt. �forth into the midst of � the land of Egypt. 5. And all the � 12. And every first- first-born in the land �born in the land of Egypt of Egypt shall die, from �shall die, from the the first-born of Pharaoh�first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his �that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the �throne, unto the first- first-born of the �born of the maid-servant maid-servant that is �that is behind the mill; behind the mill-and all �and even unto the first- the first-born of beasts.�born of every beast. 6. And there shall be � 13. And there shall be a great cry through all �a great cry through all the land of Egypt, such �the land of Egypt, such as there was none like �as there was none like it, nor shall be like it �it, nor shall be like it any more. �any more. 7. But against any of � 14. But against any of the children of Israel �the children of Israel shall not a dog move his �shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or �tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know � even against beast: that how that the Lord doth �thou mayest know that put a difference between �the Lord doth put a the Egyptians and Israel.�difference between the �Egyptians and Israel. 8. And all these thy � 15. And all these thy servants shall come down �servants shall come down unto me, and bow down �to me, and bow down themselves unto me, �themselves to me, saying, saying, Get thee out �Go forth, thou and all and all the people that �the people that follow follow thee; and after �thee; and then I will go that I will go out. And �forth. he went out from Pharaoh � 16. Then went he forth in great anger. �from before Pharaoh in �great indignation. 9. And the Lord said � 17. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall �unto Moses, Pharaoh not hearken unto you, � doth not hearken unto that my wonders may be �you, that my wonders multiplied in the land of�may be multiplied in the Egypt. �land of Egypt. 10. And Moses and Aaron� 18. And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders �performed all these before Pharaoh: and the �wonders before Pharaoh: Lord hardened Pharoah's �but Jehovah hardened heart, so that he would �Pharaoh's heart, so that not let the children of �he would not let the Israel go out of his �children of Israel go out land. �of his land. "The reader has now the whole of this chapter before him. When, therefore, he has first read the 28th and 29th verses of the preceding chapter, and has then observed with due surprise the confusion of the Hebrew text in chap. xi., he will be prepared to acknowledge with due gratitude the regularity and truth of the Samaritan text, through these many and very considerable differences."-REMARKS on select passages in the Old Testament , 8vo., Oxford, 1787. The reader will pass his own judgment on the weight of this reasoning, and the importance of the additions preserved in the Samaritan text; a conviction of their utility has induced me to insert them.

‏ Exodus 11:9

Verse 9. Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you] Though shall and will are both reputed signs of the future tense, and by many indiscriminately used, yet they make a most essential difference in composition in a variety of cases. For instance, if we translate lo yishma, Pharaoh SHALL not hearken, as in our text, the word shall strongly intimates that it was impossible for Pharaoh to hearken, and that God had placed him under that impossibility: but if we translate as we should do, Pharaoh WILL not hearken, it alters the case most essentially, and agrees with the many passages in the preceding chapters, where he is said to have hardened his own heart; as this proves that he, without any impulsive necessity, obstinately refused to attend to what Moses said or threatened; and that God took the advantage of this obstinacy to work another miracle, and thus multiply his wonders in the land.

Pharaoh WILL not hearken unto you; and because he would not God hardened his heart-left him to his own obstinacy.

To most critics it is well known that there are in several parts of the Pentateuch considerable differences between the Hebrew and Samaritan copies of this work. In this chapter the variations are of considerable importance, and competent critics have allowed that the Samaritan text, especially in this chapter, is fuller and better connected than that of the Hebrew. 1. It is evident that the eighth verse in the present Hebrew text has no natural connection with the seventh. For in the seventh verse Moses delivers to the Israelites what God had commanded him to say: and in the eighth he appears to continue a direct discourse unto Pharaoh, though it does not appear when this discourse was begun. This is quite contrary to the custom of Moses, Who always particularly notes the commencement of his discourses.

2. It is not likely that the Samaritans have added these portions, as they could have no private interest to serve by so doing; and therefore it is likely that these additions were originally parts of the sacred text, and might have been omitted, because an ancient copyist found the substance of them in other places. It must however be granted, that the principal additions in the Samaritan are repetitions of speeches which exist in the Hebrew text.

3. The principal part of these additions do not appear to have been borrowed from any other quarter. Interpolations in general are easily discerned from the confusion they introduce; but instead of deranging the sense, the additions here made it much more apparent; for should these not be admitted it is evident that something is wanting, without which the connection is incomplete.-See Calmet. But the reader is still requested to observe, that the supplementary matter in the Samaritan is collected from other parts of the Hebrew text; and that the principal merit of the Samaritan is, that it preserves the words in a better arrangement.

Dr. Kennicott has entered into this subject at large, and by printing the two texts in parallel columns, the supplementary matter in the Samaritan and the hiatus in the Hebrew text will be at once perceived. It is well known that he preferred the Samaritan to the Hebrew Pentateuch; and his reasons for that preference in this case I shall subjoin. As the work is extremely scarce from which I select them, one class of readers especially will be glad to meet with them in this place.

"Within these five chapters. vii., viii., ix., x., and xi., are seven very great differences between the Hebrew and Samaritan Pentateuchs, relating to the speeches which denounced seven out of the ten judgments upon the Egyptians, viz., waters into blood, frogs, flies, murrain, hail, locusts and destruction of the first-born. The Hebrew text gives the speeches concerning these judgments only once at each; but the Samaritan gives each speech TWICE. In the Hebrew we have the speeches concerning the five first as in command from GOD to Moses, without reading that Moses delivered them; and concerning the two last, as delivered by Moses to Pharaoh, without reading that GOD had commanded them. Whereas in the Samaritan we find every speech TWICE: GOD commands Moses to go and speak thus or thus before Pharaoh; Moses goes and denounces the judgment; Pharaoh disobeys, and the judgment takes place. All this is perfectly regular, and exactly agreeable to the double speeches of Homer in very ancient times. I have not the least doubt that the Hebrew text now wants many words in each of the seven following places: chap. vii., between verses 18 and 19; Ex 7:18-19 end of chap. vii.; Ex 7:25 chap. viii., between 19 and 20; Ex 8:19-20 chap. x., between 2 and 3; Ex 10:2-3 chap. xi., at verses 3 and 4. Ex 11:3-4 The reader will permit me to refer him (for all the words thus omitted) to my own edition of the Hebrew Bible, (Oxford 1780, 2 vols. fol.,) where the whole differences are most clearly described. As this is a matter of very extensive consequence, I cannot but observe here, that the present Hebrew text of Exod. xi. did formerly, and does still appear to me to furnish a demonstration against itself, in proof of the double speech being formerly recorded there, as it is now in the Samaritan. And some very learned men have confessed the impossibility of explaining this chapter without the assistance of the Samaritan Pentateuch. I shall now give this important chapter as I presume it stood originally, distinguishing by italics all such words as are added to or differ from our present translation. And before this chapter must be placed the two last verses of the chapter preceding, Ex 10:28-29: And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast well spoken, I will see thy face again no more.

EXODUS XI

HEBREW TEXT AND PRESENT � SAMARITAN TEXT AND

VERSION � NEW VERSION

�

1. And the Lord said � 1. Then Jehovah said

unto Moses, Yet will I �unto Moses, Yet will I

bring one plague more �bring one plague more

upon Pharaoh and upon �upon Pharaoh and upon

Egypt, afterwards he �Egypt, and afterwards he

will let you go hence: �will send you out hence:

when he shall let you go,�when he will send you

he shall surely thrust �away, he will surely

you out hence altogether.�drive you hence

�altogether.

2. Speak now in the � 2. Speak now in the

ears of the people; and �ears of the people; and

let every man BORROW of �let every man ASK of his

his neighbour, and every �neighbour, and every

woman of her neighbour, �woman of her neighbour,

jewels of silver, and �vessels of silver, and

jewels of gold. �vessels of gold and

�raiment.

3. And the LORD GAVE � 3. And I will give

the people favour in the �this people favour in

sight of the Egyptians. �the sight of the

�Egyptians, so that they

�shall give them what

�they ask.

� 4. For about midnight

�I wilt go forth into the

�midst of the land of

�Egypt.

� 5. And every first-born

�in the land of Egypt

�shalt die, from the

�first-born of Pharaoh who

�sitteth upon his throne,

�unto the first-born of

�the maid-servant that is

�behind the mill; and even

�unto the first-born of

�every beast.

� 6. And there shall be a

�great cry through all the

�land of Egypt, such as

�there was none like it,

�nor shall be like it any

�more.

� 7. But against any of

�the children of Israel

�shall not a dog move his

�tongue, against man or

�even against beast; that

�thou mayest know that

�Jehovah doth put a

�difference between the

�Egyptians and Israel.

Moreover the man Moses � 8. And thou also shalt

was very great in the �be greatly honoured in

land of Egypt, in the �the land of Egypt, in

sight of Pharaoh's �the sight of Pharaoh's

servants, and in the �servants, and in the

sight of the people. �sight of the people.

� 9. THEN Moses said unto

�Pharaoh, Thus saith

�Jehovah, Israel is my

�son, my first-born; and

�I said unto thee, Let my

�son go that he may serve

�me.

� 10. But thou hast

�refused to let him go;

�behold, Jehovah slayeth

�thy son, thy first-born.

4. And Moses said, Thus� 11. And Moses said,

saith the Lord, About �Thus saith Jehovah,

midnight will I go out �About midnight will I go

into the midst of Egypt. �forth into the midst of

�the land of Egypt.

5. And all the � 12. And every first-

first-born in the land �born in the land of Egypt

of Egypt shall die, from �shall die, from the

the first-born of Pharaoh�first-born of Pharaoh

that sitteth upon his �that sitteth upon his

throne, even unto the �throne, unto the first-

first-born of the �born of the maid-servant

maid-servant that is �that is behind the mill;

behind the mill-and all �and even unto the first-

the first-born of beasts.�born of every beast.

6. And there shall be � 13. And there shall be

a great cry through all �a great cry through all

the land of Egypt, such �the land of Egypt, such

as there was none like �as there was none like

it, nor shall be like it �it, nor shall be like it

any more. �any more.

7. But against any of � 14. But against any of

the children of Israel �the children of Israel

shall not a dog move his �shall not a dog move his

tongue, against man or �tongue, against man or

beast; that ye may know �even against beast: that

how that the Lord doth �thou mayest know that

put a difference between �the Lord doth put a

the Egyptians and Israel.�difference between the

�Egyptians and Israel.

8. And all these thy � 15. And all these thy

servants shall come down �servants shall come down

unto me, and bow down �to me, and bow down

themselves unto me, �themselves to me, saying,

saying, Get thee out �Go forth, thou and all

and all the people that �the people that follow

follow thee; and after �thee; and then I will go

that I will go out. And �forth.

he went out from Pharaoh � 16. Then went he forth

in great anger. �from before Pharaoh in

�great indignation.

9. And the Lord said � 17. And Jehovah said

unto Moses, Pharaoh shall�unto Moses, Pharaoh

not hearken unto you, �doth not hearken unto

that my wonders may be �you, that my wonders

multiplied in the land of�may be multiplied in the

Egypt. �land of Egypt.

10. And Moses and Aaron� 18. And Moses and Aaron

did all these wonders �performed all these

before Pharaoh: and the �wonders before Pharaoh:

Lord hardened Pharoah's �but Jehovah hardened

heart, so that he would �Pharaoh's heart, so that

not let the children of �he would not let the

Israel go out of his �children of Israel go out

land. �of his land.

"The reader has now the whole of this chapter before him. When, therefore, he has first read the 28th and 29th verses of the preceding chapter, and has then observed with due surprise the confusion of the Hebrew text in chap. xi., he will be prepared to acknowledge with due gratitude the regularity and truth of the Samaritan text, through these many and very considerable differences."-REMARKS on select passages in the Old Testament, 8vo., Oxford, 1787.

The reader will pass his own judgment on the weight of this reasoning, and the importance of the additions preserved in the Samaritan text; a conviction of their utility has induced me to insert them.