Keluaran 4:2

4:2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” ¹ 

Keluaran 6:10

6:10 Then the Lord said to Moses,

Keluaran 7:6

7:6 And Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.

Keluaran 8:30

8:30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord,

Keluaran 10:18

10:18 Moses ²  went out ³  from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord,

Keluaran 10:20

10:20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites.

Keluaran 10:27

10:27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to release them.

Keluaran 12:1

The Institution of the Passover

12:1 ⁴ The Lord said ⁵  to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ⁶ 

Keluaran 13:1

The Law of the Firstborn

13:1 ⁷ The Lord spoke ⁸  to Moses:

Keluaran 15:3

15:3 The Lord is a warrior, ⁹ 

the Lord is his name. ¹⁰ 

Keluaran 30:22

Oil and Incense

30:22 ¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹² 

Keluaran 31:1

Willing Artisans

31:1 ¹³ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁴ 

Keluaran 40:16

40:16 This is what Moses did, according to all the Lord had commanded him – so he did.

[4:2]  ¹ tn Or “rod” (KJV, ASV); NCV, CEV “walking stick”; NLT “shepherd’s staff.”

[4:2]  sn The staff appears here to be the shepherd’s staff that he was holding. It now will become the instrument with which Moses will do the mighty works, for it is the medium of the display of the divine power (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 27; also, L. Shalit, “How Moses Turned a Staff into a Snake and Back Again,” BAR 9 [1983]: 72-73).

[10:18]  ² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:18]  ³ tn Heb “and he went out.”

[12:1]  ⁴ sn Chapter 12 details the culmination of the ten plagues on Egypt and the beginning of the actual deliverance from bondage. Moreover, the celebration of this festival of Passover was to become a central part of the holy calendar of Israel. The contents of this chapter have significance for NT studies as well, since the Passover was a type of the death of Jesus. The structure of this section before the crossing of the sea is as follows: the institution of the Passover (12:1-28), the night of farewell and departure (12:29-42), slaves and strangers (12:43-51), and the laws of the firstborn (13:1-16). In this immediate section there is the institution of the Passover itself (12:1-13), then the Unleavened Bread (12:14-20), and then the report of the response of the people (12:21-28).

[12:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “and Yahweh said.”

[12:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “saying.”

[13:1]  ⁷ sn This next section seems a little confusing at first glance: vv. 1 and 2 call for the dedication of the firstborn, then vv. 3-10 instruct concerning the ritual of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and then vv. 11-16 return to the firstborn. B. Jacob (Exodus, 360) explains that vv. 3-16 contain a sermon, in which Moses “began his speech by reminding the people of the events which had just occurred and how they would be recalled by them in the future,” and then he explained the rulings that went along with it. So the first two verses state the core of the sermon, a new command calling for the redeemed (firstborn) to be sanctified. The second portion stresses that God requires the redeemed to remember their redemption by purifying themselves (3-10). The third section (11-16) develops the theme of dedication to Yahweh. The point is that in view of God’s mighty redemption, the redeemed (represented by the firstborn) must be set apart for Yahweh’s service.

[13:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke.”

[15:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “man of war” (so KJV, ASV). “Warrior” is now the preferred translation since “man of war” is more commonly known today as a warship. The expression indicates that Yahweh is one who understands how to fight and defeat the enemy. The word “war” modifies “man” to reveal that Yahweh is a warrior. Other passages use similar descriptions: Isa 42:13 has “man of wars”; Ps 24:8 has “mighty man of battle.” See F. Cross, “The Divine Warrior in Israel’s Early Cult,” Biblical Motifs, 11-30.

[15:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Yahweh is his name.” As throughout, the name “Yahweh” is rendered as “the Lord” in the translation, as is typically done in English translations.

[30:22]  ¹¹ sn The chapter ends with these two sections. The oil (22-33) is the mark of consecration, and the incense (34-38) is a mark of pleasing service, especially in prayer. So the essence of the message of the chapter is that the servants of God must be set apart by the Spirit for ministry and must be pleasing to God in the ministry.

[30:22]  ¹² tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[31:1]  ¹³ sn The next unit describes the preparation of skilled workers to build all that has been listed now for several chapters. This chapter would have been the bridge to the building of the sanctuary (35-39) if it were not for the idolatrous interlude. God called individuals and prepared them by his Spirit to be skilled to do the work for the tabernacle. If this were the substance of an exposition, it would clearly be a message on gifted people doing the work – close to the spiritual lesson of Ephesians 4. There would be two levels of meaning: the physical, which looks at the skilled artisans providing for a place to worship Yahweh, and the spiritual, which would bring in the Spirit-filled servants of God participating in building up his kingdom.

[31:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”