Commentary on Harmony of the Law Volume 1 Complete John Calvin
HARMONY OF THE LAW · VOLUME 1
4. And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.
4. Et distinguet Jehova inter pecora Israel, et inter pecora AEgypti: ut non moriatur quicquam eorum quae sunt apud filios Israel.
5. And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.
5. Et statuit Jehova tempus, dicendo, Cras faciet Jehova rem hanc in terra.
6. And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.
6. Fecit itaque Jehova rem hanc postero die: et mortuum est omne pecus AEgypti: de pecore vero filiorum Israel ne unum quidem animal mortuum est.
7. And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
7. Et misit Pharao: et ecce, ex pecore Israel ne unum quidem animal mortuum erat. Et aggravatum fuit cor Pharaonis, ut non dimitteret populum.
1. Then the Lord said. No complaint or expostulation of Moses is here recounted; and it is possible that he was quiet and silent, whilst God foresaw what it was necessary to do, and even commanded what He would have done. But since he only gives a brief summary of occurrences, we may probably conjecture that, as the evil grew worse, he had recourse from time to time to the remedy. In the denunciation, "the Lord God of the Hebrews" is no unmeaning repetition, that Pharaoh may learn that he, whom he thought to have repelled in the abundance of his pride, was still in the field against him. For God insults his ferocity, and by setting forth his name contemptuously defies his wrath. We have already said that Pharaoh is convicted of sacrilege, both in his oppression of God's people and in defrauding God Himself of His due honor; therefore those words, "Let my people go, that they may serve me," have the force of aggravating his sin.
2. But if thou refuse. God again urges him to obedience through fear of punishment, as He usually deals with the froward. Yet he permits him a short space of time for repentance, (as before,) if perchance he may lay aside his perverse determination to refuse. And this Moses now relates more distinctly in the fifth verse, both to show the extreme obstinacy of his malice,