BORROWING (bOr'r6-Ing). On the general subject, as a matter of law or precept, see LOAN.
In Exod. xii :35 we are told that the Israelites, when on the point of their departure from Egypt, 'borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment ;' and it is added that 'the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.' This was in pursuance of a Divine command which had been given to them through Moses (Exod. :22; xi:2). This has suggested a diffi culty, seeing that the Israelites had certainly no intention of returning to Egypt, or to restore the valuables which they thus obtained from their Egyptian 'neighbors.' It is admitted that the gen eral acceptation of the word rendered borrow Lmt, sisal) is to ask or beg. Surely the Israelites had the moral right to "ask or beg" of the Egyptians a portion of their valuables after more than four hundred years of unrequited labor, but Sir J. \V. Dawson has called attention to the fact that the Israelites were obliged to leave their own property in lieu of what they received from the Egyptians. as there was very little which they
could take with them on such a long and weary march.
Lesser translates Exodus xii:35-36, as follows: "And the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses; and they had asked of the Egyptians, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold. and garments. And the Lord had given the peo ple favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that they gave unto them what they required." The Septua gint also renders the word "ask." In all these passages the word which is rendered "borrow" is shaw'al—ask. (Sec Exodus iii:22, also xi :2 and xii :35.) If it had meant borrow in our sense the word should have been'.,. tivah, as in xxii:7; Is. xxiv:2: Ps. xxxvii:21, etc.
It would appear that after so many plagues had fallen upon the country, the Egyptians would have been glad to give the Israelites almost any thing in order to get them away, and relieve them of the continual judgments which were being sent on their account.