Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And when they cried unto the Lord,.... That is, the Israelites, being in the utmost distress, the sea before them, Pharaoh's large host behind them, and the rocks on each side of them; see Exodus 14:10,

he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; the pillar of cloud, the dark side of which was turned to the Egyptians, and which was the reason of their following the Israelites into the sea; for not being able to see their way, knew not where they were; see Exodus 14:20,

and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; or "upon him, and covered him"^F25עליו־ויכסהו "super eum, et operuit eum", Munster, Vatablus, Pagninus, Montanus. ; on Pharaoh, as Kimchi; or on Egypt; that is, the Egyptians or on everyone of them, as Jarchi, none escaped; see Exodus 14:26,

and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt; what signs and wonders were wrought there, before they were brought out of it, and what he had done to and upon the Egyptians at the Red sea; some then present had been eyewitnesses of them:

and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season; forty years, where they had the law given them, were preserved from many evils and enemies, were fed with manna, and supplied with the necessaries of life, were led about and instructed, and at length brought out of it.

Geneva Study Bible

(d) Even forty years.

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

Your eyes — He speaketh this to the elders, verse1, who were so, not only by power and dignity, but many of them by age; and there being now not sixty years past since those Egyptian plagues, it is very probable that a considerable number of those present, had seen those things in Egypt, and being not twenty years old, were exempted from that dreadful sentence passed upon all who were older, Numbers 14:29.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

Joshua 24:7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

Ver. 7. And ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.] Where ye had pluviam escatilem et petram aquatilem, as Tertullian phraseth it: never was prince so served in his greatest pomp as ye were all that while.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

He speaketh this to the elders, Joshua 24:1, who were so, not only by power and dignity, but many of them by age; and there being now not sixty years past since those Egyptian plagues, it is very probable that a considerable number of those here present had seen those things in Egypt, and being not twenty years old, were exempted from that dreadful sentence of destruction, passed upon all who were then of more years standing, Num 14.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

7.Ye dwelt in the wilderness — This was true of the adults of the nation, many of whom were born there. Joshua gives no hint of the painful cause of their long sojourn in the wilderness.

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments

Joshua 24:7. Your eyes hare seen what I have done in Egypt — He speaks this to the elders, (Joshua 24:1,) who were such not only in power and dignity, but many of them by age; and as there were not sixty years past since the plagues were inflicted on Egypt, it is probable that a considerable number of those present had been witnesses of them, and had seen with their own eyes the Egyptians lie dead upon the sea-shore, Exodus 14:30. And, not being twenty years old at that time, they were exempted from the dreadful sentence denounced and executed upon all that were older.

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

darkness. Hebrew. ophelah, thick and intense darkness. (Occurs only here.

and the. Note Figure of speech Ellipsis (App-6) = "and [between] the".

have seen = saw. have

done = did.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

And when

Exodus 14:10

he put

Exodus 14:20

brought

Exodus 14:27,28

your eyes

Exodus 14:31; Deuteronomy 4:34; 29:2

ye dwelt

5:6; Numbers 14:33,34; Nehemiah 9:12-21; Psalms 95:9,10; Acts 13:17,18; Hebrews 3:17