Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary Verse 3. Three days' journey] The distance from Goshen to Sinai; see chap. iii. 18.
And sacrifice unto the Lord] Great stress is laid on this circumstance.
God required sacrifice; no religious acts which they performed could be acceptable to him without this. He had now showed them that it was their indispensable duty thus to worship him, and that if they did not they might expect him to send the pestilence - some plague or death proceeding immediately from himself, or the sword - extermination by the hands of an enemy. The original word rbd deber, from rdb dabar, to drive off, draw under, &c., which we translate pestilence from the Latin pestis, the plague, signifies any kind of disease by which an extraordinary mortality is occasioned, and which appears from the circumstances of the case to come immediately from God. The Israelites could not sacrifice in the land of Egypt, because the animals they were to offer to God were held sacred by the Egyptians; and they could not omit this duty, because it was essential to religion even before the giving of the law. Thus we find that Divine justice required the life of the animal for the life of the transgressor, and the people were conscious, if this were not done, that God would consume them with the pestilence or the sword. From the foundation of the world the true religion required sacrifice. Before, under, and after the law, this was deemed essential to salvation. Under the Christian dispensation Jesus is the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world; and being still the Lamb newly slain before the throne, no man cometh unto the Father but by him.
"In this first application to Pharaoh, we observe," says Dr. Dodd, "that proper respectful submission which is due from subjects to their sovereign. They represent to him the danger they should be in by disobeying their God, but do not so much as hint at any punishment that would follow to Pharaoh."
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-9 - God will own his people, though poor and despised, and will find a tim to plead their cause. Pharaoh treated all he had heard with contempt He had no knowledge of Jehovah, no fear of him, no love to him, an therefore refused to obey him. Thus Pharaoh's pride, ambition covetousness, and political knowledge, hardened him to his ow destruction. What Moses and Aaron ask is very reasonable, only to go three days' journey into the desert, and that on a good errand. We wil sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Pharaoh was very unreasonable, in saying that the people were idle, and therefore talked of going to sacrifice. He thus misrepresents them, that he might have a pretence to add to their burdens. To this day we find many who are more disposed to find fault with their neighbours, for spending in the service of God few hours spared from their wordly business, than to blame others, wh give twice the time to sinful pleasures. Pharaoh's command wa barbarous. Moses and Aaron themselves must get to the burdens Persecutors take pleasure in putting contempt and hardship upo ministers. The usual tale of bricks must be made, without the usua allowance of straw to mix with the clay. Thus more work was to be lai upon the men, which, if they performed, they would be broken with labour; and if not, they would be punished.
Original Hebrew ויאמרו559 אלהי430 העברים5680 נקרא7122 עלינו5921 נלכה1980 נא4994 דרך1870 שׁלשׁת7969 ימים3117 במדבר4057 ונזבחה2076 ליהוה3068 אלהינו430 פן6435 יפגענו6293 בדבר1698 או176 בחרב׃2719
