Matthew Poole and continuators on Exodus 3:18

18 And they shall hearken to thy voice, and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel unto the King of Egypt, and you shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us ; and now let us go, (we beseech thee) three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God

Hath appeared to us, expressing his displeasure for our neglect of him, and his will that we should do what follows.

To Sinai, which, going the nearest way, was no further from Egypt: for here God had declared he would be served, ver. 12. Quest. Was not this deceitfully and unius[illegible: 1+ letters]ly spoken, when they intended to go quite away from him? A[illegible: 1+ letters]. No: for, 1. Pharaoh had no just right and title to them to keep them in bondage, seeing they came thither onely to sojourn for a time, and by Ioseph had abundantly paid for their habitation there, and therefore they might have demanded a total dismission. 2. Moses doth not say any thing which is false, but onely conceals a part of the truth, and he was not obliged to discover the whole truth to so cruel a T[illegible: 1+ letters]rant and so imp[illegible: 1+ letters]cable an [illegible: 1+ letters]nemy. 3. Moses cannot be blamed, both [illegible: 1 word] ▪ he was none of [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] ▪ and [illegible: 1 word] herein he [illegible: 1 word] the direction and command of his [illegible: 1 word] that [illegible: 1 word] him. And God surely was not obliged to acquaint [illegible: 1 word] with all his mind, but onely so far as [illegible: 1+ letters]e pleased. And [illegible: 1+ letters]t [illegible: 1 word] him for vi[illegible: 1+ letters]e and just reasons [illegible: 1+ letters]o propose [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] ▪ that his denial o[illegible: 1+ letters] so [illegible: 1 word] a request [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word], [illegible: 1 word] make his Tyranny more manifest, and Gods vengeance upon him more just and remarkable.

Which they could not do freely and safely in Egypt, Exod. 8. 2[illegible: 1+ letters].

Marginal references: chap. 4. 31.; chap. 5. 3▪