THE SOURCE OF THE NTLE. 



Z3J 



Egypt. Pihahiroth then is the mouth of the valley Badeah; 

 which opens to-Hhoreth, the narrow, ftripe of land where 

 fhowers falL 



Baal-Zephqn, the God'of the watch-tower, was, proba- 

 bly, fome idol's temple, which ferved for a fignal-houfe up- 

 on the Cape which forms the north entrance of the bay op- 

 polite to Jibbel Attakah, where there is Hill a mofque, or 

 faint's tomb. It was probably a light-houfe, for the direc- 

 tion of ihips going to the bottom of the Gulf, to prevent 

 miftaking it for another foul bay, under the high land, 

 where. there is alfo a tomb of a. faint called Abou Derage. 



The laft rebuke God gave to Pharaoh, by flaying all the 

 firfl-born, feems to have made a ftrong impreffion upon the 

 Egyptians. Scripture fays, that the people were now urgent 

 with the Ifraelites to be gone, for they faid, " We be all 

 dead men *." And we need not doubt, it was in order to 

 keep up in their hearts a: motive of refentment, ftrong e*- 

 nough to make them purfue the Ifraelites, that God caufed 

 the Ifraelites to borrow, and take away the jewels of the 

 Egyptians ; without fome new caufe of anger, the late ter- 

 rible chaftifement might have deterred them. While, there- 

 fore, they journeyed eaft ward towards the defert, the Egyp- 

 tians had no motive to attack them, becaufe they went with 

 permiflion there to facrifice, and were on their return. to 

 reftore them -their moveables. But when the Ifraelites were 

 obferved turning to the fouth, among the mountains, they 

 VoLr I. G g were 



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* Exod. cb. xii. 32> 



