Matthew Henry Complete Commentary
on the Whole Bible
Current Chapter:
Introduction
OF THE SECOND BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED
E X O D U S.
MOSES (the servant of the Lord in writing for
him as well as in acting for him--with the pen of
God as well as with the rod of God in his hand)
having, in the first book of his history, preserved
and transmitted the records of the church, while
it existed in private families, comes, in this
second book, to give us an account of its growth
into a great nation; and, as the former furnishes
us with the best economics, so this with
the best politics. The beginning of the former
book shows us how God formed the world for
himself; the beginning of this shows us how he
formed Israel for himself, and both to show
forth his praise,
Isaiah 43:21. There we have the
creation of the world in history, here the redemption
of the world in type. The Greek translators
called this book Exodus (which signifies
a departure or going out) because it begins with
the story of the going out of the children of
Israel from Egypt. Some allude to the names of
this and the foregoing book, and observe that
immediately after Genesis, which signifies the
beginning or original, follows Exodus, which
signifies a departure; for a time to be born is
immediately succeeded by a time to die. No
sooner have we made our entrance into the world
than we must think of making our exit, and
going out of the world. When we begin to live
we begin to die. The forming of Israel into
a people was a new creation. As the earth was,
in the beginning, first fetched from under water,
and then beautified and replenished, so Israel
was first by an almighty power made to emerge
out of Egyptian slavery, and then enriched with
God's law and tabernacle. This book gives us,
I. The accomplishment of the promises made
before to Abraham
(Exodus 1:1-19:25), and then,
II. The establishment of the ordinances which
were afterwards observed by Israel,
Exodus 20:1-40:38 Moses, in this book, begins, like Cæsar,
to write his own Commentaries; nay, a greater,
a far greater, than Cæsar is here. But henceforward
the penman is himself the hero, and
gives us the history of those things of which he
was himself an eye and ear-witness, et quorum pars
magna fuit--and in which he bore a conspicuous
part. There are more types of Christ
in this book than perhaps in any other book of
the Old Testament; for Moses wrote of him,
John 5:46. The way of man's reconciliation to
God, and coming into covenant and communion
with him by a Mediator, is here variously represented;
and it is of great use to us for the illustration
of the New Testament, now that we have
that to assist us in the explication of the Old.