
Text -- Exodus 9:29 (NET)




Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics



collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Wesley -> Exo 9:29
The world, the heaven and the earth.
JFB -> Exo 9:27-35
JFB: Exo 9:27-35 - -- This awful display of divine displeasure did seriously impress the mind of Pharaoh, and, under the weight of his convictions, he humbles himself to co...
This awful display of divine displeasure did seriously impress the mind of Pharaoh, and, under the weight of his convictions, he humbles himself to confess he has done wrong in opposing the divine will. At the same time he calls for Moses to intercede for cessation of the calamity. Moses accedes to his earnest wishes, and this most awful visitation ended. But his repentance proved a transient feeling, and his obduracy soon became as great as before.
Clarke -> Exo 9:29
Clarke: Exo 9:29 - -- I will spread abroad my hands - That is, I will make supplication to God that he may remove this plague. This may not be an improper place to make s...
I will spread abroad my hands - That is, I will make supplication to God that he may remove this plague. This may not be an improper place to make some observations on the ancient manner of approaching the Divine Being in prayer. Kneeling down, stretching out the hands, and lifting them up to heaven, were in frequent use among the Hebrews in their religious worship. Solomon kneeled down on his knees, and spread forth his hands to heaven; 2Ch 6:13. So David, Psa 143:6 : I stretch forth my hands unto thee. So Ezra: I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God; Ezr 9:5. See also Job Job 11:13 : If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thy hands towards him. Most nations who pretended to any kind of worship made use of the same means in approaching the objects of their adoration, viz., kneeling down and stretching out their hands; which custom it is very likely they borrowed from the people of God. Kneeling was ever considered to be the proper posture of supplication, as it expresses humility, contrition, and subjection. If the person to whom the supplication was addressed was within reach, the supplicant caught him by the knees; for as among the ancients the forehead was consecrated to genius, the ear to memory, and the right hand to faith, so the knees were consecrated to mercy. Hence those who entreated favor fell at and caught hold of the knees of the person whose kindness they supplicated. This mode of supplication is particularly referred to in the following passages in Homer: -
Iliad i., ver. 407
Now therefore, of these things reminding Jove
Embrace his knees
Cowper
To which the following answer is made: -
Iliad i., ver. 426
Then will I to Jove’ s brazen-floor’ d abode, That I may clasp his knees; and much misdeem Of my endeavor, or my prayer shall speed. Id. See the issue of thus addressing Jove, Ibid., ver. 500-502, and ver. 511, etc
In the same manner we find our Lord accosted, Mat 17:14 : There came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him
As to the lifting up or stretching out of the hands, (often joined to kneeling), of which we have seen already several instances, and of which we have a very remarkable one in this book, Exo 17:11, where the lifting up or stretching out of the hands of Moses was the means of Israel’ s prevailing over Amalek; we find many examples of both in ancient authors. Thus Homer: -
Iliad xxiv., ver. 301
For right it is to spread abroad the hands To Jove for mercy
Also Virgil: -
Corripio e stratis corpus,
Tendoque supinas ad coelu
cum voce manus, et munera libo
Aeneid iii., ver. 176
I started from my bed, and raised on hig
My hands and voice in rapture to the sky
And pour libations
Ptt
Dixerat: et Genua Amplexus,
genibusque volutans Haerebat
Ibid., ver. 607
Then kneel’ d the wretch, and suppliant clung aroun
My knees with tears, and grovell’ d on the ground
Id
- media inter numina divum Multa Jovem
Manibus Supplex orasse SUPINIS.
Ibid. iv., ver. 204
Amidst the statues of the gods he stands
And spreading forth to Jove his lifted hands
Id
Et Duplices cum voce Manus ad sidera
Tendit. Ibid. x., ver. 667
And lifted both his hands and voice to heaven
In some cases the person petitioning came forward, and either sat in the dust or kneeled on the ground, placing his left hand on the knee of him from whom he expected the favor, while he touched the person’ s chin with his right. We have an instance of this also in Homer
Iliad i., ver. 500
Suppliant the goddess stood: one hand she place
Beneath his chin, and one his knee embraced
Pope
When the supplicant could not approach the person to whom he prayed, as where a deity was the object of the prayer, he washed his hands, made an offering, and kneeling down, either stretched out both his hands to heaven, or laid them upon the offering or sacrifice, or upon the altar. Thus Homer represents the priest of Apollo praying: -
Iliad i., ver. 449
With water purify their hands, and tak
The sacred offering of the salted cake
While thus, with arms devoutly raised in air
And solemn voice, the priest directs his prayer
Pope
How necessary ablutions of the whole body, and of the hands particularly, accompanied with offerings and sacrifices were, under the law, every reader of the Bible knows: see especially Exo 29:1-4, where Aaron and his sons were commanded to be washed, previously to their performing the priest’ s office; and Exo 30:19-21, where it is said: "Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands - that they die not."See also Lev 17:15. When the high priest among the Jews blessed the people, he lifted up his hands, Lev 9:22. And the Israelites, when they presented a sacrifice to God, lifted up their hands and placed them on the head of the victim: "If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord - of the cattle of the herd, and of the flock - he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering, and it shall be accepted for him, to make atonement for him;"Lev 1:2-4. To these circumstances the apostle alludes, 1Ti 2:8 : "I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."In the apostle’ s word
From a great number of evidences and coincidences it is not unreasonable to conclude that the heathens borrowed all that was pure and rational, even in their mode of worship, from the ancient people of God; and that the preceding quotations are proofs of this.
Calvin -> Exo 9:29
Calvin: Exo 9:29 - -- 29.And Moses said In this answer Moses indirectly hints, that he leaves the presence of Pharaoh, in order duly and purely to supplicate God; since by...
29.And Moses said In this answer Moses indirectly hints, that he leaves the presence of Pharaoh, in order duly and purely to supplicate God; since by his unbelief he would in a manner pollute the sacrifices. For, as he had already shown, that legitimate worship could not be offered by the people except away from Egypt, so now he seeks to be alone for prayer; and thus, by this change of place, he indicates that the place, in which Pharaoh dwells, is unholy. We have already said, that Moses promises nothing out of mere rash impulse, but that, taught either by the inspiration of the Spirit, or by sure revelation, he pronounces, with the authority of a prophet, what God is about to do. Moreover, it is not without reason that Moses exhorts Pharaoh to learn from the remission of the punishment, that the God of Israel is the Lord of Egypt also; for the word earth seems here to be limited to Egypt; although I do not deny that it may be properly understood of the whole world; but, whichever you may prefer, Moses rightly concludes, that the glory and dominion of God is perfectly manifested, not only when he appears as an avenger in the infliction of punishment, but that He also shows it in an opposite way, when all the elements are subservient to His mercy. Besides, His power is still more clearly shown forth, when He himself heals the wounds which He has inflicted; and, therefore, in Isa 41:23, and Isa 45:7, in order to prove His divinity, He joins the two together, viz., that it is His prerogative and attribute both to “do good, or to do evil.”
TSK -> Exo 9:29
TSK: Exo 9:29 - -- spread : Exo 9:33; 1Ki 8:22, 1Ki 8:38; 2Ch 6:12, 2Ch 6:13; Ezr 9:5; Job 11:13; Psa 143:6; Isa 1:15
that the earth : Deu 10:14; Psa 24:1, Psa 24:2, Psa...

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Exo 9:13-34
Barnes: Exo 9:13-34 - -- With the plague of hail begins the last series of plagues, which differ from the former both in their severity and their effects. Each produced a te...
With the plague of hail begins the last series of plagues, which differ from the former both in their severity and their effects. Each produced a temporary, but real, change in Pharaoh’ s feelings.
All my plagues - This applies to all the plagues which follow; the effect of each was foreseen and foretold. The words "at this time"point to a rapid and continuous succession of blows. The plagues which precede appear to have been spread over a considerable time; the first message of Moses was delivered after the early harvest of the year before, when the Israelites could gather stubble, i. e. in May and April: the second mission, when the plagues began, was probably toward the end of June, and they went on at intervals until the winter; this plague was in February; see Exo 9:31.
For now ... - Better, For now indeed, had I stretched forth my hand and smitten thee and thy people with the pestilence, then hadst thou been cut off from the earth. Exo 9:16 gives the reason why God had not thus inflicted a summary punishment once for all.
Have I raised thee up - See the margin. God kept Pharaoh "standing", i. e. permitted him to live and hold out until His own purpose was accomplished.
A very grievous hail - The miracle consisted in the magnitude of the infliction and in its immediate connection with the act of Moses.
In Egypt the cattle are sent to pasture in the open country from January to April, when the grass is abundant. They are kept in stalls for the rest of the year.
The word of the Lord - This gives the first indication that the warnings had a salutary effect upon the Egyptians.
The Lord - Thus, for the first time, Pharaoh explicitly recognizes Yahweh as God (compare Exo 5:2).
The earth is the Lord’ s - This declaration has a direct reference to Egyptian superstition. Each god was held to have special power within a given district; Pharaoh had learned that Yahweh was a god, he was now to admit that His power extended over the whole earth. The unity and universality of the divine power, though occasionally recognized in ancient Egyptian documents, were overlaid at a very early period by systems alternating between Polytheism and Pantheism.
The flax was bolled - i. e. in blossom. This marks the time. In the north of Egypt the barley ripens and flax blossoms about the middle of February, or at the latest early in March, and both are gathered in before April, when the wheat harvest begins. The cultivation of flax must have been of great importance; linen was preferred to any material, and exclusively used by the priests. It is frequently mentioned on Egyptian monuments.
Rie - Rather, "spelt,"the common food of the ancient Egyptians, now called "doora"by the natives, and the only grain represented on the sculptures: the name, however, occurs on the monuments very frequently in combination with other species.
Poole -> Exo 9:29
Poole: Exo 9:29 - -- Or, that this land is the Lord’ s , even his whom thou deniedst to have any jurisdiction in it, or over thee, Exo 5:2 . Or the earth is put ...
Or, that this land is the Lord’ s , even his whom thou deniedst to have any jurisdiction in it, or over thee, Exo 5:2 . Or the earth is put for the world, the heaven and the earth: q. d. That thou mayst see that he can either cause the heavens to send forth such thunders and hails, or restrain them as he pleaseth.
Gill -> Exo 9:29
Gill: Exo 9:29 - -- And Moses said unto him, as soon as I am gone out of the city,.... Zoan or Tanis, for it was in the field of Zoan where these wonders were wrought, Ps...
And Moses said unto him, as soon as I am gone out of the city,.... Zoan or Tanis, for it was in the field of Zoan where these wonders were wrought, Psa 78:12, the reason why he went out of the city to pray, Jarchi says, was because it was full of idols; but the truer reason was, that he might be private and alone while he was praying to God; and perhaps he went out also to show that he was not frightened at the storm, or afraid of being destroyed by it, and was confident of preservation in the midst of it, in the open field, by the power of God, whom he served:
I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; which was a prayer gesture directed to by the light of nature, and was used very anciently, and by the Heathens, as well as others; of which the learned Rivet has given many instances in his comment on this text:
and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; this he had faith in, and full assurance of before he prayed for it; he knew the mind and will of God, and not only he knew what he could do, but what he would do, and which he tells Pharaoh of before hand; which was a full proof that he was a god to Pharaoh, as the Lord said he had made him, Exo 7:1.
that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's; that the whole earth is his, and therefore he can do, and does in it whatever he pleases; as the heavens also are his, and therefore can cause thunder, lightning, hail, and rain, and stop them when he thinks fit; or that the land of Egypt particularly was his, and not Pharaoh's, and therefore could destroy, or save it at his pleasure; and particularly it being his, Pharaoh had no right to detain his people in it against his will, who was Lord of it.

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Exo 9:1-35
TSK Synopsis: Exo 9:1-35 - --1 The murrain of beasts.8 The plague of boils and blains.13 The message of Moses about the hail.22 The plague of hail.27 Pharaoh sues to Moses, but ye...
MHCC -> Exo 9:22-35
MHCC: Exo 9:22-35 - --Woful havoc this hail made: it killed both men and cattle; the corn above ground was destroyed, and that only preserved which as yet was not come up. ...
Matthew Henry -> Exo 9:22-35
Matthew Henry: Exo 9:22-35 - -- The threatened plague of hail is here summoned by the powerful hand and rod of Moses (Exo 9:22, Exo 9:23), and it obeys the summons, or rather the d...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Exo 9:29-30
Keil-Delitzsch: Exo 9:29-30 - --
Moses promised that his request should be granted, that he might know " that the land belonged to Jehovah, "i.e., that Jehovah ruled as Lord over Eg...
Constable: Exo 1:1--15:22 - --I. THE LIBERATION OF ISRAEL 1:1--15:21
"The story of the first half of Exodus, in broad summary, is Rescue. The ...

Constable: Exo 5:1--11:10 - --B. God's demonstrations of His sovereignty chs. 5-11
God permitted the conflict between Moses and Pharao...
