truly night, that is, a powerful one, because very dark and long and unable to be illuminated by any remedy; and from the lowest depths,
namely by the rising of vapors and gross fumes darkening the air; and from the highest places , namely by the failure of the irradiation of the celestial bodies, coming upon them, that is, coming over them, the same sleep, that is, a common one, sleeping, because as one slept, so did another, no better.
Sometimes they were driven by fear of monsters, that is, of monstrous phantasms appearing to them in dreams; Job 7: "You will terrify me through dreams and shake me with horror through visions." Sometimes their souls failed from the passage, that is, as if the departure from the body were imminent, and this while waking, when they had already been roused: because, as the Gloss says, "neither waking nor sleeping could they rest, because they were surrounded by horrifying monsters and visions and excessive terror." For sudden, that is, unexpected, and unhoped for, that is, unforeseen, because quickly and without warning, fear had come upon them, that is, from above, from the divine judgment: Isaiah 47: "Misery shall come upon you suddenly, which you shall not know."
(Vers. 15.). Then, namely besides the aforementioned evils, if anyone of them, namely of the Egyptians, had fallen, namely into a pit or something of this kind, he was kept in a prison, that is, in the place where he had fallen, unable to get out from there, shut in without iron, that is, without iron chains, because all were shackled by the bond of darkness, as is evident above in the same book.
(Vers. 16.). For if anyone was a countryman, that is, a cultivator of the field, or a shepherd, of animals, or a laborer of the works of the field, such as a reaper or a vintager, were overtaken, namely by those darknesses outside his house: he endured an inescapable necessity, namely want and affliction, because no one moved himself for three days from the place where he was, as is evident from Exodus 10.
(Vers. 17. 18.). For by one, that is, a common, chain of darkness, namely of exterior darknesses, all were bound together, that is, bound at once. And not only by the chain of exterior darknesses, but of interior ones, namely of unbelief and sins: whence Proverbs 5: "Each one is bound by the cords of his own sins "; likewise in the Psalm: "The cords of sinners have encompassed me." Whether indeed a spirit etc. I have rightly said that they endured necessity, for whether indeed a spirit to itself whistling, that is, "the whistling of a gentle breeze," 3 Kings 19: or among the thick branches of trees the sound of birds, that is, the song, sweet, insofar as it was of itself suited to delight rather than to terrify: or the force of water running down exceedingly, that is, rushing impetuously, as the waters of torrents run.
Or the mighty sound of stones rushing down, that is, falling impetuously from high places, or the unseen course of playing animals, namely, on account of the density of the darkness, animals, namely, gentle ones, such as beasts of burden; or the mighty voice of roaring beasts, that is, of wild animals, or bears, or lions, or the like; or the echo resounding from the highest mountains, that is, the reproduction of the voice of animals due to the reverberation from mountains or rocks; made them faint with fear, namely, all the things mentioned above; whence the Gloss: "On every side the wretches were tormented; for whatever they perceived with their ears, or eyes, or any sense whatsoever, they dreaded as dangerous."
Now it should be noted that the aforesaid chain, morally speaking, signifies the progression and connection of sins, concerning which Isaiah 58: "If you take away the chain from your midst." The hissing spirit signifies the hidden suggestion of the devil; Revelation 16: "I saw coming from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits in the form of frogs." The sweet sound of birds, the delight of thoughts; Zephaniah 2: "The voice of one singing in the window." Running water, consent to the perpetration of sin, against which Sirach 25: "Do not give your water any outlet, not even a small one." The sound of falling stones, the outward operation of sin; Job 14: "A mountain falling crumbles away, and a rock is removed from its place." The course of playing animals, depraved habit; Job 40: "All the beasts of the field play there." The mighty voice of roaring beasts, open boasting about sin committed; against which in the Psalm: "Why do you glory in malice?" The resounding echo, the delightful remembrance of sin; Numbers 11: "We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt."
For all etc. Here is touched upon the singularity of the punishment; and because "opposites placed next to each other shine forth more clearly," first is touched upon the illumination of others; second, the darkening of the Egyptians: But to them alone etc.; third, the merit of the darkening: They therefore.
(Vers. 19.). I have rightly said: the Egyptians were fettered with the bonds of darkness and not others: for the whole world, namely, with the exception of the region of Egypt, with clear "that is, bright," was illuminated with light, namely, of the sun and the heavenly luminaries, although elsewhere there were many sinners in the world; Matthew 5: "He makes His sun to rise upon the good and the bad." And was maintained unhindered, that is, was preserved, with works unimpeded, of the luminaries by the density of darkness; or in another way: with works unimpeded, of other men apart from the Egyptians on account of the lack of light, since elsewhere there was the brightness of light which is required for working; whence John 9: "Work while it is day; for the night comes, when no one can work."
(Vers. 20.). But upon them alone, namely the Egyptians, there was laid, namely by God, a heavy night, because darker than usual and longer: Job thirty-seven: "For we are wrapped in darkness." A night, I say, being an image, that is, an express representation, of the darkness, namely eternal; which namely image of darkness, that is, the prefigured darkness, was going to come upon them, namely in hell: whence Matthew twenty-five: "Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness"; likewise Job ten: "A land of misery and darkness," etc. And because they were suffering such heavy darkness, and not undeservedly: they themselves therefore were to themselves heavier darkness, that is, the cause of heavier darkness, supply: than what they were suffering, that is, of that which was going to come upon them in hell: whence Job thirty-four: "He knows their works, and therefore He will bring night, and they shall be crushed." Or: they themselves were heavier darkness, that is, more dangerous through the blinding of the heart: "for their malice blinded them," above, chapter two; Ephesians five: "You were once darkness"; some books have: heavier than the darkness, namely the exterior darkness, on account of the remorse of conscience.