Commentaria in Exodum
Chapter 6
God encourages Moses, and reveals to him His name Jehova. Secondly, at verse 14, the genealogy of Ruben, Simeon and Levi is recounted, down to Moses and Aaron.
1. And the Lord said to Moses: Now thou shalt see what I will do to Pharao: for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a mighty hand shall he cast them out of his land. 2. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: I am the Lord, 3. that appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob by the name of God Almighty; and my name Adonai I did not shew them. 4. And I made a covenant with them, to give them the land of Chanaan, the land of their sojourning, wherein they were strangers. 5. I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, wherewith the Egyptians have oppressed them: and I have remembered my covenant. 6. Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the Lord who will bring you out from the work-prison of the Egyptians, and will deliver you from bondage: and redeem you in a high arm, and in great judgments. 7. And I will take you to myself for my people, I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the work-prison of the Egyptians, 8. and brought you into the land concerning which I lifted up my hand to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: and I will give it you to possess, I the Lord. 9. And Moses told all this to the children of Israel: who did not hearken to him, for anguish of spirit, and the most painful work. 10. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 11. Go in, and speak to Pharao the king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 12. Moses said before the Lord: Behold the children of Israel hearken not to me; and how will Pharao hear me, especially as I am of uncircumcised lips? 13. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a commandment to the children of Israel, and to Pharao the king of Egypt, that they should bring forth the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 14. These are the heads of their houses by their families. The sons of Ruben the firstborn of Israel: Henoch, and Phallu, Hesron, and Charmi: 15. these are the kindreds of Ruben. The sons of Simeon: Jamuel, and Jamin, and Ahod, and Jachin, and Soar, and Saul the son of a Chananitess: these are the generations of Simeon. 16. And these are the names of the sons of Levi by their kindreds: Gerson, and Caath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were a hundred and thirty-seven. 17. The sons of Gerson: Lobni and Semei, by their kindreds. 18. The sons of Caath: Amram, and Isaar, and Hebron, and Oziel. And the years of the life of Caath were a hundred and thirty-three. 19. The sons of Merari: Mohali and Musi. These are the kindreds of Levi by their families. 20. And Amram took to wife Jochabed his cousin-german, who bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven. 21. The sons also of Isaar: Core, and Nepheg, and Zechri. 22. The sons also of Oziel: Misael, and Elisaphan, and Sethri. 23. And Aaron took to wife Elisabeth the daughter of Aminadab, sister of Nahason, who bore him Nadab, and Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24. The sons also of Core: Aser, and Elcana, and Abiasaph. These are the kindreds of the Corites. 25. But Eleazar the son of Aaron took a wife of the daughters of Phutiel, who bore him Phinees. These are the heads of the Levitical families by their kindreds. 26. This is that Aaron and Moses, whom the Lord commanded to bring forth the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their companies. 27. These are they who speak to Pharao king of Egypt, that they may bring out the children of Israel out of Egypt: this is that Moses and Aaron, 28. in the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt. 29. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: I am the Lord; speak to Pharao the king of Egypt all that I say to thee. 30. And Moses said before the Lord: Behold I am of uncircumcised lips, how will Pharao hear me?
1. AND THE LORD SAID TO MOSES,—as he prayed and called upon God, as is plain from the preceding chapter, verse 22: He said, I say, either by an angel in visible form, or by an appearing and sounding voice speaking; for God used to walk familiarly with Moses, as is plain from Numbers 12; or by a hidden and interior inspiration, as He is wont to speak and answer the prophets. And this seems truer, both because no form, appearance or symbol of God is here expressed, as is done in chapter 3, verse 2, and chapter 4, verse 24; and because it is not credible that God appeared visibly to Moses here so many times, namely at each of the plagues; and because God here answered Moses in the manner in which Moses is said to have gone to the Lord and consulted Him, in the preceding chapter, verse 22. But Moses did not go to the Lord visibly appearing; he went to God and consulted Him spiritually in his chamber and place of prayer.
NOW THOU SHALT SEE.—As if to say: I will not delay; behold, I gird myself for the work, to deliver you from Pharao.
WHAT I WILL DO TO PHARAO,—what evils, what plagues I will bring upon him; hence he himself, “by a mighty hand,” that is, compelled by the mighty hand of God, “shall cast them out,” will not merely let go but drive out the Hebrews, and that in haste, that he may remove from himself the avenging hand of God.
2 and 3. I AM THE LORD THAT APPEARED TO ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB BY THE NAME OF GOD ALMIGHTY.—The Hebrew is beel Saddai, that is, in God strong and bountiful, or liberal; “in God” is as much as “like God,” or “as a liberal God”; for the Hebrews often take beth for the kindred caph, which is the mark of similitude.
Note: Saddai signifies God as, so to say, the breast, who bestows all sufficiency and abundance, as I have said at length on Genesis 17:1. To which add, secondly, that Saddai may be derived from shadad, that is, to plunder, so that God is called Saddai, that is, plundering and laying waste whatever pleases Him, to which Isaias alludes, chap. 13, verse 6, when he says: “Like a destruction from the Almighty (in Hebrew, like shod from Saddai, that is, like a devastation from God laying waste) it shall come”; and Job, chap. 27, verse 2, where in the Hebrew it says, Saddai hath troubled me. Now the sense of this place is, as if He said: I have dealt with your fathers, namely Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and have conversed with them as God Saddai, that is, I showed Myself to them almighty and munificent, and showed them that I have abundant riches to enrich them: for I took away the wealth of the Chananeans, the Gerarites, the Sodomites, Laban, Esau and others, and gave it to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as is plain from Genesis.
St. Jerome notes, epistle 136 to Marcella, that among the Hebrews there are ten names of God. The first is El, that is, strong, as Aquila renders it. The second is Eloha, which signifies God as providing, governing, judging and avenging, as I said on Genesis 1:1. The third is Elohim, which is the plural of the name Eloha. The fourth is Sabaoth, that is, of armies or hosts, as Aquila renders it: this is not a name, but a surname of God; hence it is always joined with another name of God: for He is called Adonai Sabaoth, that is, Lord of hosts or of armies. The fifth is Elion, that is, the Most High, Genesis 14:22. Moreover we venerate in God a threefold height and sublimity: the first of being, because God is the first and highest being; the second of causality, because God is the first cause, on whom all other causes depend; the third of perfection, because God is the supreme and infinite perfection. The sixth name is Ehyeh asher Ehyeh, that is, I am who am, or He who is. Whence Exodus 3 it is said: “He who is hath sent me.” The seventh is Adonai, that is, Lord. The eighth is Yah, which is an abbreviation of Jehova, and sounds in Alleluia. For Alleluia is, Praise God. The ninth is Saddai, that is, munificent, liberal, almighty. The tenth is the tetragrammaton and ineffable name, which is commonly pronounced Jehova.
Mystically, God Saddai appears to the Saints, whom He makes content with their lot even when wretched, and whom He heaps with His grace and spiritual gifts, and above all those whom He makes liberal toward others. St. Giles, companion of St. Francis, being asked who is blessed, answered: “He who loves and desires not to be loved; who serves and desires not to be served; who behaves well toward others, yet not to the end that they may behave well toward him in return.” For such a one imitates God Saddai, of whom the Psalmist says, Psalm 15:2: “I have said to the Lord: Thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods.” For God communicates Himself and His goods to all, and receives or expects nothing from anyone.