This chapter closes (vs. 21, 22) with directions to the children of Israel to _ask_ the Egyptians for gold, silver, and raiment. The Lord promised to give them such favor with the people that they would readily grant them what they asked. Our English version puts it “_borrow_”――as if the Israelites at least tacitly promised to bring these borrowed things back, or if nothing more, left the Egyptians to expect this. But this English word “borrow” misrepresents the Hebrew and consequently the sense of the passage. The Hebrew verb used here never has the sense of _borrow_, but means simply to _ask_. Indeed borrowing was out of the question because the Israelites were not coming back again. It was never God’s thought that they should come back. He had come down to deliver them from their bondage and to bring them into Canaan. There is no reason to suppose that the Egyptians expected them back again. They gave what Israel asked, therefore, not as a loan, but because the Lord brought them into such relations to Israel that they were glad to get them out of the country any way, and perhaps hoped to avert more fearful plagues by these gifts to God’s people. The historian in this case says (Ex. 12: 33)――“The Egyptians were urgent upon the people that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said――We be all dead men”; which the Psalmist confirms (Ps. 105: 38)――“Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them fell upon them.” Manifestly the Lord counted it simple justice that Egypt should pay her slaves for long years of unrequited toil, and not send them away empty. Therefore he took measures to make the old masters but too glad to do this tardy justice. * * * * * A new instrumentality of most vital importance now came to view, designed to bring about the redemption of God’s people from Egypt, viz. _supernatural agencies――miracles_ in the legitimate sense of the word. Noticeably these miracles were two-fold in character and purpose; one class designed to identify God to the people and be a witness to his present hand, to confirm their faith in him as their Deliverer: the other designed by terrible inflictions of calamity, to force upon Pharaoh’s hardened heart the conviction of Jehovah’s power and compel him to let God’s people go. These two objects were to be accomplished; the Hebrew people were to be assured that their own God had indeed come; Pharaoh must be made to know who Jehovah is; how fearful the judgments of his uplifted hand are; and how vain it is for mortals, though on thrones of human power, to lift up themselves against the Almighty. In the list of miraculous signs sent to convince the Hebrew people, we have (Ex. 4: 1–8) the rod of Moses turned to a serpent and then turned back again to a rod; then his hand withdrawn from his bosom leprous, white as snow; then again withdrawn, perfectly restored.