John Calvin Commentary Numbers 33:3

"And they journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians," — Numbers 33:3 (ASV)

And they departed from Rameses. I do not approve of the opinion of those who think that the name of this city is used for the whole land of Goshen, since it is not reasonable that they would have set out at the same time from various distant and remote places. This would still less agree with what soon follows,²²² that they went out in orderly array.

However, it might not be that they all mustered together in the city, because it is hardly believable that such a great multitude could be received within its walls. Instead, by the order of Moses and Aaron, they were all assembled in the vicinity of the city to be organized, lest in the confusion of their hurried march they should hinder each other.

After stating that they went out by “the high hand” of God, for the purpose of praising His wonderful power even more, he adds that the Egyptians were witnesses and spectators of it. From this we conclude that they had at last yielded to God,²²³ or were so thoroughly subdued that they did not dare to lift a finger.

Another circumstance is also added, namely, that the Egyptians were then burying all their first-born. By these words Moses does not mean to indicate that they refrained from hindering the departure of the Israelites²²⁴ because they were occupied with another matter. Rather, he signifies that, although they were exasperated by grief at the loss of their sons, they still lay stupefied, as it were, because the power of God had weakened them, so that they had lost the ability to offer resistance.

When Moses says that God “executed judgments” upon the gods of the Egyptians, it is with the objective of recommending the true faith, lest the children of Israel should ever turn aside to the superstitions of the Gentiles, which, at the time of the deliverance, they had found to be mere delusions.

For not only were Pharaoh and his troops overthrown, but their gods were also put to shame when they pretended to be the protectors of their land. Thus, all their superstitions were refuted and convicted of error and folly.

It is a foolish imagination that all the idols of Egypt fell down by themselves,²²⁵ so that the God of Israel might claim the glory of Deity for Himself alone. It is enough that God triumphed over the idols when He effectively showed that they had no power to help their worshippers and, at the same time, exposed the deceptions of the magicians. Isaiah appears to allude to this when he says,

Behold, the Lord shall come into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, (Isaiah 19:1)

for he signifies that God will give such proofs of His power in Egypt as shall demonstrate the vanity of all their errors and overthrow all the superstitious fictions by which the Israelites had been deceived.

²²² There seems to be an oversight here; he probably refers to ver. 1, “per exercitus suos.”, “per exercitus suos.”

²²³ “Qu’ils ont quitte le combat pour ne plus resister a Dieu; “that they had abandoned the contest so as to resist God no longer. — Fr.

²²⁴ The Fr. omits the negative here, and states the meaning of Moses to be, that the Egyptians forbore to hinder the departure of the Israelites, omits the negative here, and states the meaning of Moses to be, that the Egyptians forbore to hinder the departure of the Israelites, not only because they were preoccupied by the burial of their dead, but because they were preoccupied by the burial of their dead, but also, etc.

²²⁵ De Lyra’s gloss is: “Tunc enim idola. AEgypti corruerunt, et comminuta sunt.” Corn. a Lapide refers to his own note on Egypti corruerunt, et comminuta sunt.” Corn. a Lapide refers to his own note on Exodus 12:12, which is as follows: “Hence it appears, says Caietanus, that Apis or Serapis, and all the other images of gods in Egypt are thrown down, and dashed to atoms on the Passover night, either by an earthquake, or by thunderbolts, as St. Jerome, after the Hebrews, asserts, ‘Ad Fabiol.Deuteronomy 42 Mansion,’ at the beginning. Artabanus, an old historian, in Eusebius, , which is as follows: “Hence it appears, says Caietanus, that Apis or Serapis, and all the other images of gods in Egypt are thrown down, and dashed to atoms on the Passover night, either by an earthquake, or by thunderbolts, as St. Jerome, after the Hebrews, asserts, ‘Ad Fabiol.Deuteronomy 42 Mansion,’ at the beginning. Artabanus, an old historian, in Eusebius, lib. 9, ‘De praepar.’ 9, ‘De praepar.’ cap. ult., tells us that this was the case; and Isaiah alludes to it, tells us that this was the case; and Isaiah alludes to it, Isaiah 19:1. The Hebrews, moreover, have a tradition that the Egyptian idols, which were of stone, were then ground to powder; that those of wood were rotted or reduced to ashes, and those of metal melted and liquefied.”. The Hebrews, moreover, have a tradition that the Egyptian idols, which were of stone, were then ground to powder; that those of wood were rotted or reduced to ashes, and those of metal melted and liquefied.”