Keluaran 10:4

10:4 But if you refuse to release my people, I am going to bring ¹  locusts ²  into your territory ³  tomorrow.

Keluaran 17:4

17:4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What will I do with ⁴  this people? – a little more ⁵  and they will stone me!” ⁶ 

Keluaran 23:30

23:30 Little by little ⁷  I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land.

Keluaran 24:12

24:12 ⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me to the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets ⁹  with ¹⁰  the law and the commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them.” ¹¹ 

[10:4]  ¹ tn הִנְנִי (hinni) before the active participle מֵבִיא (mevi’) is the imminent future construction: “I am about to bring” or “I am going to bring” – precisely, “here I am bringing.”

[10:4]  ² tn One of the words for “locusts” in the Bible is אַרְבֶּה (’arbeh), which comes from רָבָה (ravah, “to be much, many”). It was used for locusts because of their immense numbers.

[10:4]  ³ tn Heb “within your border.”

[17:4]  ⁴ tn The preposition lamed (ל) is here specification, meaning “with respect to” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 49, §273).

[17:4]  ⁵ tn Or “they are almost ready to stone me.”

[17:4]  ⁶ tn The perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive almost develops an independent force; this is true in sentences where it follows an expression of time, as here (see GKC 334 §112.x).

[23:30]  ⁷ tn The repetition expresses an exceptional or super-fine quality (see GKC 396 §123.e).

[24:12]  ⁸ sn Now the last part is recorded in which Moses ascends to Yahweh to receive the tablets of stone. As Moses disappears into the clouds, the people are given a vision of the glory of Yahweh.

[24:12]  ⁹ sn These are the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments would be written. This is the first time they are mentioned. The commandments were apparently proclaimed by God first and then proclaimed to the people by Moses. Now that they have been formally agreed on and ratified, they will be written by God on stone for a perpetual covenant.

[24:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “namely”; or “that is to say.” The vav (ו) on the noun does not mean that this is in addition to the tablets of stone; the vav is explanatory. Gesenius has “to wit”; see GKC 484-85 §154.a, n. 1(b).

[24:12]  ¹¹ tn The last word of the verse is לְהוֹרֹתָם (lÿhorotam), the Hiphil infinitive construct of יָרָה (yarah). It serves as a purpose clause, “to teach them,” meaning “I am giving you this Law and these commands in order that you may teach them.” This duty to teach the Law will be passed especially to parents (Deut 6:6-9, 20-25) and to the tribe of Levi as a whole (Deut 33:9-10; Mal 2:1-9).