Keluaran 16:36

16:36 (Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.) ¹ 

Keluaran 1:16

1:16 ²  “When you assist ³  the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: ⁴  If it is a son, kill him, ⁵  but if it is a daughter, she may live.” ⁶ 

Keluaran 4:16

4:16 He ⁷  will speak for you to the people, and it will be as if ⁸  he ⁹  were your mouth ¹⁰  and as if you were his God. ¹¹ 

Keluaran 12:42

12:42 It was a night of vigil for the Lord to bring them out from the land of Egypt, ¹²  and so ¹³  on this night all Israel is to keep the vigil ¹⁴  to the Lord for generations to come.

Keluaran 29:18

29:18 and burn ¹⁵  the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering ¹⁶  to the Lord, a soothing aroma; it is an offering made by fire ¹⁷  to the Lord. ¹⁸ 

Keluaran 1:6

1:6 and in time ¹⁹  Joseph ²⁰  and his brothers and all that generation died.

Keluaran 16:15

16:15 When ²¹  the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ²²  “What is it?” because they did not know what it was. ²³  Moses said to them, “It is the bread ²⁴  that the Lord has given you for food. ²⁵ 

Keluaran 2:2

2:2 The woman became pregnant ²⁶  and gave birth to a son. When ²⁷  she saw that ²⁸  he was a healthy ²⁹  child, she hid him for three months.

Keluaran 5:6

5:6 That same day Pharaoh commanded ³⁰  the slave masters and foremen ³¹  who were ³²  over the people: ³³ 

Keluaran 12:2

12:2 “This month is to be your beginning of months; it will be your first month of the year. ³⁴ 

Keluaran 13:8

13:8 You are to tell your son ³⁵  on that day, ³⁶  ‘It is ³⁷  because of what ³⁸  the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’

Keluaran 21:3

21:3 If he came ³⁹  in by himself ⁴⁰  he will go out by himself; if he had ⁴¹  a wife when he came in, then his wife will go out with him.

Keluaran 21:21

21:21 However, if the injured servant ⁴²  survives one or two days, the owner ⁴³  will not be punished, for he has suffered the loss. ⁴⁴ 

Keluaran 22:15

22:15 If its owner was with it, he will not have to pay; if it was hired, what was paid for the hire covers it. ⁴⁵ 

Keluaran 32:16

32:16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

Keluaran 32:25

32:25 Moses saw that the people were running wild, ⁴⁶  for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies. ⁴⁷ 

Keluaran 34:14

34:14 For you must not worship ⁴⁸  any other god, ⁴⁹  for the Lord, whose name ⁵⁰  is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Keluaran 35:34

35:34 And he has put it in his heart ⁵¹  to teach, he and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

Keluaran 4:14

4:14 Then the Lord became angry with ⁵²  Moses, and he said, “What about ⁵³  your brother Aaron the Levite? ⁵⁴  I know that he can speak very well. ⁵⁵  Moreover, he is coming ⁵⁶  to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart. ⁵⁷ 

Keluaran 22:27

22:27 for it is his only covering – it is his garment for his body. ⁵⁸  What else can he sleep in? ⁵⁹  And ⁶⁰  when he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

Keluaran 31:14

31:14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it ⁶¹  must surely be put to death; indeed, ⁶²  if anyone does ⁶³  any ⁶⁴  work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his ⁶⁵  people.

Keluaran 3:5

3:5 God ⁶⁶  said, “Do not approach any closer! ⁶⁷  Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ⁶⁸  ground.” ⁶⁹ 

Keluaran 6:26-27

6:26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their regiments.” ⁷⁰  6:27 They were the men who were speaking to Pharaoh king of Egypt, in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.

Keluaran 8:19

8:19 The magicians said ⁷¹  to Pharaoh, “It is the finger ⁷²  of God!” But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, ⁷³  and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

Keluaran 9:34

9:34 When Pharaoh saw ⁷⁴  that the rain and hail and thunder ceased, he sinned again: ⁷⁵  both he and his servants hardened ⁷⁶  their hearts.

Keluaran 12:11

12:11 This is how you are to eat it – dressed to travel, ⁷⁷  your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. ⁷⁸ 

Keluaran 12:19

12:19 For seven days ⁷⁹  yeast must not be found in your houses, for whoever eats what is made with yeast – that person ⁸⁰  will be cut off from the community of Israel, whether a foreigner ⁸¹  or one born in the land.

Keluaran 13:2

13:2 “Set apart ⁸²  to me every firstborn male – the first offspring of every womb ⁸³  among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.” ⁸⁴ 

Keluaran 14:30

14:30 So the Lord saved ⁸⁵  Israel on that day from the power ⁸⁶  of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead ⁸⁷  on the shore of the sea.

Keluaran 16:31

16:31 The house of Israel ⁸⁸  called its name “manna.” ⁸⁹  It was like coriander seed and was white, and it tasted ⁹⁰  like wafers with honey.

Keluaran 18:5

18:5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ ⁹¹  sons and his wife, came to Moses in the desert where he was camping by ⁹²  the mountain of God. ⁹³ 

Keluaran 21:4

21:4 If his master gave ⁹⁴  him a wife, and she bore sons or daughters, the wife and the children will belong to her master, and he will go out by himself.

Keluaran 29:14

29:14 But the meat of the bull, its skin, and its dung you are to burn up ⁹⁵  outside the camp. ⁹⁶  It is the purification offering. ⁹⁷ 

Keluaran 29:25

29:25 Then you are to take them from their hands and burn ⁹⁸  them ⁹⁹  on the altar for a burnt offering, for a soothing aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord.

Keluaran 29:34

29:34 If any of the meat from the consecration offerings ¹⁰⁰  or any of the bread is left over ¹⁰¹  until morning, then you are to burn up ¹⁰²  what is left over. It must not be eaten, ¹⁰³  because it is holy.

Keluaran 30:10

30:10 Aaron is to make atonement on its horns once in the year with some of the blood of the sin offering for atonement; ¹⁰⁴  once in the year ¹⁰⁵  he is to make atonement on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.” ¹⁰⁶ 

Keluaran 30:32

30:32 It must not be applied ¹⁰⁷  to people’s bodies, and you must not make any like it with the same recipe. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.

Keluaran 32:9

32:9 Then the Lord said to Moses: “I have seen this people. ¹⁰⁸  Look ¹⁰⁹  what a stiff-necked people they are! ¹¹⁰ 

Keluaran 32:22

32:22 Aaron said, “Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; ¹¹¹  you know these people, that they tend to evil. ¹¹² 

Keluaran 32:28

32:28 The Levites did what Moses ordered, ¹¹³  and that day about three thousand men of the people died. ¹¹⁴ 

Keluaran 1:10

1:10 Come, let’s deal wisely ¹¹⁵  with them. Otherwise ¹¹⁶  they will continue to multiply, ¹¹⁷  and if ¹¹⁸  a war breaks out, they will ally themselves with ¹¹⁹  our enemies and fight against us and leave ¹²⁰  the country.”

Keluaran 3:8

3:8 I have come down ¹²¹  to deliver them ¹²²  from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, ¹²³  to a land flowing with milk and honey, ¹²⁴  to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ¹²⁵ 

Keluaran 8:22

8:22 But on that day I will mark off ¹²⁶  the land of Goshen, where my people are staying, ¹²⁷  so that no swarms of flies will be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of this land. ¹²⁸ 

Keluaran 10:13

10:13 So Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and then the Lord ¹²⁹  brought ¹³⁰  an east wind on the land all that day and all night. ¹³¹  The morning came, ¹³²  and the east wind had brought up ¹³³  the locusts!

Keluaran 12:4

12:4 If any household is too small ¹³⁴  for a lamb, ¹³⁵  the man ¹³⁶  and his next-door neighbor ¹³⁷  are to take ¹³⁸  a lamb according to the number of people – you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat. ¹³⁹ 

Keluaran 12:15-16

12:15 For seven days ¹⁴⁰  you must eat ¹⁴¹  bread made without yeast. ¹⁴²  Surely ¹⁴³  on the first day you must put away yeast from your houses because anyone who eats bread made with yeast ¹⁴⁴  from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off ¹⁴⁵  from Israel.

12:16 On the first day there will be a holy convocation, ¹⁴⁶  and on the seventh day there will be a holy convocation for you. You must do no work of any kind ¹⁴⁷  on them, only what every person will eat – that alone may be prepared for you.

Keluaran 12:27

12:27 then you will say, ‘It is the sacrifice ¹⁴⁸  of the Lord’s Passover, when he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck ¹⁴⁹  Egypt and delivered our households.’” The people bowed down low ¹⁵⁰  to the ground,

Keluaran 12:30

12:30 Pharaoh got up ¹⁵¹  in the night, ¹⁵²  along with all his servants and all Egypt, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no house ¹⁵³  in which there was not someone dead.

Keluaran 13:17

The Leading of God

13:17 ¹⁵⁴ When Pharaoh released ¹⁵⁵  the people, God did not lead them ¹⁵⁶  by the way to the land ¹⁵⁷  of the Philistines, ¹⁵⁸  although ¹⁵⁹  that was nearby, for God said, ¹⁶⁰  “Lest ¹⁶¹  the people change their minds ¹⁶²  and return to Egypt when they experience ¹⁶³  war.”

Keluaran 16:23

16:23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a time of cessation from work, ¹⁶⁴  a holy Sabbath ¹⁶⁵  to the Lord. Whatever you want to ¹⁶⁶  bake, bake today; ¹⁶⁷  whatever you want to boil, boil today; whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.’”

Keluaran 16:29

16:29 See, because the Lord has given you the Sabbath, that is why ¹⁶⁸  he is giving you food for two days on the sixth day. Each of you stay where you are; ¹⁶⁹  let no one ¹⁷⁰  go out of his place on the seventh day.”

Keluaran 18:14

18:14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this ¹⁷¹  that you are doing for the people? ¹⁷²  Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”

Keluaran 21:29

21:29 But if the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner was warned, ¹⁷³  and he did not take the necessary precautions, ¹⁷⁴  and then it killed a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned and the man must be put to death.

Keluaran 21:36

21:36 Or if it is known that the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner did not take the necessary precautions, he must surely pay ¹⁷⁵  ox for ox, and the dead animal will become his. ¹⁷⁶ 

Keluaran 29:21-22

29:21 You are to take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it ¹⁷⁷  on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him, so that he may be holy, ¹⁷⁸  he and his garments along with his sons and his sons’ garments.

29:22 “You are to take from the ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe ¹⁷⁹  of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and the right thigh – for it is the ram for consecration ¹⁸⁰  –

Keluaran 29:28

29:28 It is to belong to Aaron and to his sons from the Israelites, by a perpetual ordinance, for it is a contribution. It is to be a contribution from the Israelites from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.

Keluaran 31:13

31:13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, ¹⁸¹  for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ¹⁸² 

Keluaran 31:17

31:17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days ¹⁸³  the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” ¹⁸⁴ 

Keluaran 34:3

34:3 No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that mountain.”

Keluaran 34:9

34:9 and said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord ¹⁸⁵  go among us, for we ¹⁸⁶  are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

Keluaran 39:5

39:5 The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it, ¹⁸⁷  of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Keluaran 22:9

22:9 In all cases of illegal possessions, ¹⁸⁸  whether for an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any kind of lost item, about which someone says ‘This belongs to me,’ ¹⁸⁹  the matter of the two of them will come before the judges, ¹⁹⁰  and the one whom ¹⁹¹  the judges declare guilty ¹⁹²  must repay double to his neighbor.

Keluaran 34:10

34:10 He said, “See, I am going to make ¹⁹³  a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done ¹⁹⁴  in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you. ¹⁹⁵ 

[16:36]  ¹ tn The words “omer” and “ephah” are transliterated Hebrew words. The omer is mentioned only in this passage. (It is different from a “homer” [cf. Ezek 45:11-14].) An ephah was a dry measure whose capacity is uncertain: “Quotations given for the ephah vary from ca. 45 to 20 liters” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 2:340-41).

[16:36]  sn The point of this chapter, with all its instructions and reports included, is God’s miraculous provision of food for his people. This is a display of sovereign power that differs from the display of military power. Once again the story calls for faith, but here it is faith in Yahweh to provide for his people. The provision is also a test to see if they will obey the instructions of God. Deut 8 explains this. The point, then, is that God provides for the needs of his people that they may demonstrate their dependence on him by obeying him. The exposition of this passage must also correlate to John 6. God’s providing manna from heaven to meet the needs of his people takes on new significance in the application that Jesus makes of the subject to himself. There the requirement is the same – will they believe and obey? But at the end of the event John explains that they murmured about Jesus.

[1:16]  ² tn The verse starts with the verb that began the last verse; to read it again seems redundant. Some versions render it “spoke” in v. 15 and “said” in v. 16. In effect, Pharaoh has been delayed from speaking while the midwives are named.

[1:16]  ³ tn The form is the Piel infinitive construct serving in an adverbial clause of time. This clause lays the foundation for the next verb, the Qal perfect with a vav consecutive: “when you assist…then you will observe.” The latter carries an instructional nuance (= the imperfect of instruction), “you are to observe.”

[1:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “at the birthstool” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV), but since this particular item is not especially well known today, the present translation simply states “at the delivery.” Cf. NIV “delivery stool.”

[1:16]  ⁵ sn The instructions must have been temporary or selective, otherwise the decree from the king would have ended the slave population of Hebrews. It is also possible that the king did not think through this, but simply took steps to limit the population growth. The narrative is not interested in supplying details, only in portraying the king as a wicked fool bent on destroying Israel.

[1:16]  ⁶ tn The last form וָחָיָה (vakhaya) in the verse is unusual; rather than behaving as a III-Hey form, it is written as a geminate but without the daghesh forte in pause (GKC 218 §76.i). In the conditional clause, following the parallel instruction (“kill him”), this form should be rendered “she may live” or “let her live.”

[4:16]  ⁷ tn The word “he” represents the Hebrew independent pronoun, which makes the subject emphatic.

[4:16]  ⁸ tn The phrase “as if” is supplied for clarity.

[4:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “and it will be [that] he, he will be to you for a mouth,” or more simply, “he will be your mouth.”

[4:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he will be to you for a mouth.”

[4:16]  ¹¹ tn The phrase “as if” is supplied for clarity. The word “you” represents the Hebrew independent pronoun, which makes the subject emphatic.

[4:16]  sn Moses will be like God to Aaron, giving him the words to say, inspiring him as God would inspire a prophet. The whole process had now been removed one step. Instead of God speaking to Moses and Moses telling the people, Aaron would be the speaker for a while. But God was still going to work through Moses.

[12:42]  ¹² tn There is some ambiguity in לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַיהוָה (lel shimmurim hu’ la’adonay [layhveh]). It is likely that this first clause means that Yahweh was on watch for Israel to bring them out, as the next clause says. He was protecting his people (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 102). Then, the night of vigil will be transferred to Israel, who now must keep it “to” him.

[12:42]  ¹³ tn “and so” has been supplied.

[12:42]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “this night is for Yahweh a vigil for all Israelites for their generations.”

[29:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “turn to sweet smoke.”

[29:18]  ¹⁶ sn According to Lev 1 the burnt offering (often called whole burnt offering, except that the skins were usually given to the priests for income) was an atoning sacrifice. By consuming the entire animal, God was indicating that he had completely accepted the worshiper, and as it was a sweet smelling fire sacrifice, he was indicating that he was pleased to accept it. By offering the entire animal, the worshiper was indicating on his part a complete surrender to God.

[29:18]  ¹⁷ tn The word אִשֶּׁה (’isheh) has traditionally been translated “an offering made with fire” or the like, because it appears so obviously connected with fire. But further evidence from Ugaritic suggests that it might only mean “a gift” (see Milgrom, Leviticus 1-16, 161).

[29:18]  ¹⁸ sn These sections show that the priest had to be purified or cleansed from defilement of sin and also be atoned for and accepted by the Lord through the blood of the sacrifice. The principles from these two sacrifices should be basic to anyone seeking to serve God.

[1:6]  ¹⁹ tn The text simply uses the vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite, “and Joseph died.” While this construction shows sequence with the preceding verse, it does not require that the death follow directly the report of that verse. In fact, readers know from the record in Genesis that the death of Joseph occurred after a good number of years. The statement assumes the passage of time in the natural course of events.

[1:6]  ²⁰ tn The verse has a singular verb, “and Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation.” Typical of Hebrew style the verb need only agree with the first of a compound subject.

[1:6]  sn Since the deaths of “Joseph and his brothers and all that generation” were common knowledge, their mention must serve some rhetorical purpose. In contrast to the flourishing of Israel, there is death. This theme will appear again: In spite of death in Egypt, the nation flourishes.

[16:15]  ²¹ tn The preterite with vav consecutive is here subordinated to the next verb as a temporal clause. The main point of the verse is what they said.

[16:15]  ²² tn Heb “a man to his brother.”

[16:15]  ²³ tn The text has: מָן הוּא כִּי לאֹ יָדְעוּ מַה־הוּא (man hu’ ki lo’ yadÿ’u mah hu’). From this statement the name “manna” was given to the substance. מָן for “what” is not found in Hebrew, but appears in Syriac as a contraction of ma den, “what then?” In Aramaic and Arabic man is “what?” The word is used here apparently for the sake of etymology. B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 274) follows the approach that any connections to words that actually meant “what?” are unnecessary, for it is a play on the name (whatever it may have been) and therefore related only by sound to the term being explained. This, however, presumes that a substance was known prior to this account – a point that Deuteronomy does not seem to allow. S. R. Driver says that it is not known how early the contraction came into use, but that this verse seems to reflect it (Exodus, 149). Probably one must simply accept that in the early Israelite period man meant “what?” There seems to be sufficient evidence to support this. See EA 286,5; UT 435; DNWSI 1:157.

[16:15]  ²⁴ sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 454-55) suggests that Moses was saying to them, “It is not manna. It is the food Yahweh has given you.” He comes to this conclusion based on the strange popular etymology from the interrogative word, noting that people do not call things “what?”

[16:15]  ²⁵ sn For other views see G. Vermès, “‘He Is the Bread’ Targum Neofiti Ex. 16:15,” SJLA 8 (1975): 139-46; and G. J. Cowling, “Targum Neofiti Ex. 16:15,” AJBA (1974-75): 93-105.

[2:2]  ²⁶ tn Or “conceived” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[2:2]  ²⁷ tn A preterite form with the vav consecutive can be subordinated to a following clause. What she saw stands as a reason for what she did: “when she saw…she hid him three months.”

[2:2]  ²⁸ tn After verbs of perceiving or seeing there are frequently two objects, the formal accusative (“she saw him”) and then a noun clause that explains what it was about the child that she perceived (“that he was healthy”). See GKC 365 §117.h.

[2:2]  ²⁹ tn Or “fine” (טוֹב, tov). The construction is parallel to phrases in the creation narrative (“and God saw that it was good,” Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 17, 21, 25, 31). B. Jacob says, “She looked upon her child with a joy similar to that of God upon His creation (Gen 1.4ff.)” (Exodus, 25).

[5:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and Pharaoh commanded on that day.”

[5:6]  ³¹ tn The Greek has “scribes” for this word, perhaps thinking of those lesser officials as keeping records of the slaves and the bricks.

[5:6]  ³² tn The phrase “who were” is supplied for clarity.

[5:6]  ³³ sn In vv. 6-14 the second section of the chapter describes the severe measures by the king to increase the labor by decreasing the material. The emphasis in this section must be on the harsh treatment of the people and Pharaoh’s reason for it – he accuses them of idleness because they want to go and worship. The real reason, of course, is that he wants to discredit Moses (v. 9) and keep the people as slaves.

[12:2]  ³⁴ sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 294-95) shows that the intent of the passage was not to make this month in the spring the New Year – that was in the autumn. Rather, when counting months this was supposed to be remembered first, for it was the great festival of freedom from Egypt. He observes how some scholars have unnecessarily tried to date one New Year earlier than the other.

[13:8]  ³⁵ tn The form is the Hiphil perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the sequence forward: “and you will declare to your son.”

[13:8]  sn A very important part of the teaching here is the manner in which the memory of the deliverance will be retained in Israel – they were to teach their children the reasons for the feast, as a binding law forever. This will remind the nation of its duties to Yahweh in gratitude for the great deliverance.

[13:8]  ³⁶ tn Heb “day, saying.” “Tell…saying” is redundant, so “saying” has not been included in the translation here.

[13:8]  ³⁷ tn “it is” has been supplied.

[13:8]  ³⁸ tn The text uses זֶה (zeh), which Gesenius classifies as the use of the pronoun to introduce a relative clause after the preposition (GKC 447 §138.h) – but he thinks the form is corrupt. B. S. Childs, however, sees no reason to posit a corruption in this form (Exodus [OTL], 184).

[21:3]  ³⁹ tn The tense is imperfect, but in the conditional clause it clearly refers to action that is anterior to the action in the next clause. Heb “if he comes in single, he goes out single,” that is, “if he came in single, he will go out single.”

[21:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “with his back” meaning “alone.”

[21:3]  ⁴¹ tn The phrase says, “if he was the possessor of a wife”; the noun בַּעַל (ba’al) can mean “possessor” or “husband.” If there was a wife, she shared his fortunes or his servitude; if he entered with her, she would accompany him when he left.

[21:21]  ⁴² tn Heb “if he”; the referent (the servant struck and injured in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:21]  ⁴³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner of the injured servant) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[21:21]  ⁴⁴ tn This last clause is a free paraphrase of the Hebrew, “for he is his money” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “his property.” It seems that if the slave survives a couple of days, it is probable that the master was punishing him and not intending to kill him. If he then dies, there is no penalty other than that the owner loses the slave who is his property – he suffers the loss.

[22:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Literally “it came with/for its hire,” this expression implies that the owner who hired it out and was present was prepared to take the risk, so there would be no compensation.

[32:25]  ⁴⁶ tn The word is difficult to interpret. There does not seem to be enough evidence to justify the KJV’s translation “naked.” It appears to mean something like “let loose” or “lack restraint” (Prov 29:18). The idea seems to be that the people had broken loose, were undisciplined, and were completely given over to their desires.

[32:25]  ⁴⁷ tn The last two words of the verse read literally “for a whispering among those who rose up against them.” The foes would have mocked and derided them when they heard that they had abandoned the God who had led them out of Egypt (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 354).

[34:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “bow down.”

[34:14]  ⁴⁹ sn In Exod 20:3 it was “gods.”

[34:14]  ⁵⁰ sn Here, too, the emphasis on God’s being a jealous God is repeated (see Exod 20:5). The use of “name” here is to stress that this is his nature, his character.

[35:34]  ⁵¹ sn The expression means that God has given them the ability and the desire to teach others how to do the work. The infinitive construct “to teach” is related to the word Torah, “instruction, guide, law.” They will be able to direct others in the work.

[4:14]  ⁵² tn Heb “and the anger of Yahweh burned against.”

[4:14]  sn Moses had not dared openly to say “except me” when he asked God to send whomever he wanted to send. But God knew that is what he meant. Moses should not have resisted the call or pleaded such excuses or hesitated with such weak faith. Now God abandoned the gentle answer and in anger brought in a form of retribution. Because Moses did not want to do this, he was punished by not having the honor of doing it alone. His reluctance and the result are like the refusal of Israel to enter the land and the result they experienced (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 49-50).

[4:14]  ⁵³ tn Heb “Is not” or perhaps “Is [there] not.”

[4:14]  ⁵⁴ sn S. R. Driver (Exodus, 29) suggests that the term “Levite” may refer to a profession rather than ancestry here, because both Moses and Aaron were from the tribe of Levi and there would be little point in noting that ancestry for Aaron. In thinking through the difficult problem of the identity of Levites, he cites McNeile as saying “the Levite” referred to one who had had official training as a priest (cf. Judg 17:7, where a member of the tribe of Judah was a Levite). If it was the duty of the priest to give “torah” – to teach – then some training in the power of language would have been in order.

[4:14]  ⁵⁵ tn The construction uses the Piel infinitive absolute and the Piel imperfect to express the idea that he spoke very well: דַבֵּר יְדַבֵּר (dabber yÿdabber).

[4:14]  sn Now Yahweh, in condescending to Moses, selects something that Moses (and God) did not really need for the work. It is as if he were saying: “If Moses feels speaking ability is so necessary (rather than the divine presence), then that is what he will have.” Of course, this golden-tongued Aaron had some smooth words about how the golden calf was forged!

[4:14]  ⁵⁶ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with the participle points to the imminent future; it means “he is about to come” or “here he is coming.”

[4:14]  ⁵⁷ sn It is unlikely that this simply means that as a brother he will be pleased to see Moses, for the narrative has no time for that kind of comment. It is interested in more significant things. The implication is that Aaron will rejoice because of the revelation of God to Moses and the plan to deliver Israel from bondage (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 93).

[22:27]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “his skin.”

[22:27]  ⁵⁹ tn Literally the text reads, “In what can he lie down?” The cloak would be used for a covering at night to use when sleeping. The garment, then, was the property that could not be taken and not given back – it was the last possession. The modern idiom of “the shirt off his back” gets at the point being made here.

[22:27]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and it will be.”

[31:14]  ⁶¹ tn This clause is all from one word, a Piel plural participle with a third, feminine suffix: מְחַלְלֶיהָ (mÿkhalleha, “defilers of it”). This form serves as the subject of the sentence. The word חָלַל (khalal) is the antonym of קָדַשׁ (qadash, “to be holy”). It means “common, profane,” and in the Piel stem “make common, profane” or “defile.” Treating the Sabbath like an ordinary day would profane it, make it common.

[31:14]  ⁶² tn This is the asseverative use of כִּי (ki) meaning “surely, indeed,” for it restates the point just made (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §449).

[31:14]  ⁶³ tn Heb “the one who does.”

[31:14]  ⁶⁴ tn “any” has been supplied.

[31:14]  ⁶⁵ tn Literally “her” (a feminine pronoun agreeing with “soul/life,” which is grammatically feminine).

[3:5]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “And he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:5]  ⁶⁷ sn Even though the Lord was drawing near to Moses, Moses could not casually approach him. There still was a barrier between God and human, and God had to remind Moses of this with instructions. The removal of sandals was, and still is in the East, a sign of humility and reverence in the presence of the Holy One. It was a way of excluding the dust and dirt of the world. But it also took away personal comfort and convenience and brought the person more closely in contact with the earth.

[3:5]  ⁶⁸ sn The word קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holy”) indicates “set apart, distinct, unique.” What made a mountain or other place holy was the fact that God chose that place to reveal himself or to reside among his people. Because God was in this place, the ground was different – it was holy.

[3:5]  ⁶⁹ tn The causal clause includes within it a typical relative clause, which is made up of the relative pronoun, then the independent personal pronoun with the participle, and then the preposition with the resumptive pronoun. It would literally be “which you are standing on it,” but the relative pronoun and the resumptive pronoun are combined and rendered, “on which you are standing.”

[6:26]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “by their hosts” or “by their armies.” Often translated “hosts” (ASV, NASB) or “armies” (KJV), צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot) is a military term that portrays the people of God in battle array. In contemporary English, “regiment” is perhaps more easily understood as a force for battle than “company” (cf. NAB, NRSV) or “division” (NIV, NCV, NLT), both of which can have commercial associations. The term also implies an orderly departure.

[8:19]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “and the magicians said.”

[8:19]  ⁷² tn The word “finger” is a bold anthropomorphism (a figure of speech in which God is described using human characteristics).

[8:19]  sn The point of the magicians’ words is clear enough. They knew they were beaten and by whom. The reason for their choice of the word “finger” has occasioned many theories, none of which is entirely satisfying. At the least their statement highlights that the plague was accomplished by God with majestic ease and effortlessness. Perhaps the reason that they could not do this was that it involved producing life – from the dust of the ground, as in Genesis 2:7. The creative power of God confounded the magic of the Egyptians and brought on them a loathsome plague.

[8:19]  ⁷³ tn Heb “and the heart of Pharaoh became hard.” This phrase translates the Hebrew word חָזַק (khazaq; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53). In context this represents the continuation of a prior condition.

[9:34]  ⁷⁴ tn The clause beginning with the preterite and vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated to the next, and main clause – that he hardened his heart again.

[9:34]  ⁷⁵ tn The construction is another verbal hendiadys: וַיֹּסֶף לַחֲטֹּא (vayyosef lakhatto’), literally rendered “and he added to sin.” The infinitive construct becomes the main verb, and the Hiphil preterite becomes adverbial. The text is clearly interpreting as sin the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart and his refusal to release Israel. At the least this means that the plagues are his fault, but the expression probably means more than this – he was disobeying Yahweh God.

[9:34]  ⁷⁶ tn This phrase translates the Hebrew word כָּבֵד (kaved); see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53.

[12:11]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “your loins girded.”

[12:11]  ⁷⁸ tn The meaning of פֶּסַח (pesakh) is debated. (1) Some have tried to connect it to the Hebrew verb with the same radicals that means “to halt, leap, limp, stumble.” See 1 Kgs 18:26 where the word describes the priests of Baal hopping around the altar; also the crippled child in 2 Sam 4:4. (2) Others connect it to the Akkadian passahu, which means “to appease, make soft, placate”; or (3) an Egyptian word to commemorate the harvest (see J. B. Segal, The Hebrew Passover, 95-100). The verb occurs in Isa 31:5 with the connotation of “to protect”; B. S. Childs suggests that this was already influenced by the exodus tradition (Exodus [OTL], 183, n. 11). Whatever links there may or may not have been that show an etymology, in Exod 12 it is describing Yahweh’s passing over or through.

[12:19]  ⁷⁹ tn “Seven days” is an adverbial accusative of time (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 12, §56).

[12:19]  ⁸⁰ tn The term is נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), often translated “soul.” It refers to the whole person, the soul within the body. The noun is feminine, agreeing with the feminine verb “be cut off.”

[12:19]  ⁸¹ tn Or “alien”; or “stranger.”

[13:2]  ⁸² tn The verb “sanctify” is the Piel imperative of קָדַשׁ (qadash). In the Qal stem it means “be holy, be set apart, be distinct,” and in this stem “sanctify, set apart.”

[13:2]  sn Here is the central principle of the chapter – the firstborn were sacred to God and must be “set apart” (the meaning of the verb “sanctify”) for his use.

[13:2]  ⁸³ tn The word פֶּטֶּר (petter) means “that which opens”; this construction literally says, “that which opens every womb,” which means “the first offspring of every womb.” Verses 12 and 15 further indicate male offspring.

[13:2]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “to me it.” The preposition here expresses possession; the construction is simply “it [is, belongs] to me.”

[14:30]  ⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew term וַיּוֹשַׁע (vayyosha’) is the key summation of the chapter, and this part of the book: “So Yahweh saved Israel.” This is the culmination of all the powerful works of God through these chapters.

[14:30]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “the hand,” with “hand” being a metonymy for power.

[14:30]  ⁸⁷ tn The participle “dead” is singular, agreeing in form with “Egypt.”

[16:31]  ⁸⁸ sn The name “house of Israel” is unusual in this context.

[16:31]  ⁸⁹ tn Hebrew מָן (man).

[16:31]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “like seed of coriander, white, its taste was.”

[18:5]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:5]  ⁹² tn This is an adverbial accusative that defines the place (see GKC 373-74 §118.g).

[18:5]  ⁹³ sn The mountain of God is Horeb, and so the desert here must be the Sinai desert by it. But chap. 19 suggests that they left Rephidim to go the 24 miles to Sinai. It may be that this chapter fits in chronologically after the move to Sinai, but was placed here thematically. W. C. Kaiser defends the present location of the story by responding to other reasons for the change given by Lightfoot, but does not deal with the travel locations (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:411).

[21:4]  ⁹⁴ sn The slave would not have the right or the means to acquire a wife. Thus, the idea of the master’s “giving” him a wife is clear – the master would have to pay the bride price and make the provision. In this case, the wife and the children are actually the possession of the master unless the slave were to pay the bride price – but he is a slave because he got into debt. The law assumes that the master was better able to provide for this woman than the freed slave and that it was most important to keep the children with the mother.

[29:14]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “burn with fire.”

[29:14]  ⁹⁶ sn This is to be done because there is no priesthood yet. Once they are installed, then the sin/purification offering is to be eaten by the officiating priests as a sign that the offering was received. But priests could not consume their own sin offering.

[29:14]  ⁹⁷ sn There were two kinds of “purification offering,” those made with confession for sin and those made without. The title needs to cover both of them, and if it is called in the traditional way “the sin offering,” that will convey that when people offered it for skin diseases, menstruation, or having babies, they had sinned. That was not the case. Moreover, it is usual to translate the names of the sacrifices by what they do more than what they cover – so peace offering, reparation offering, and purification offering.

[29:25]  ⁹⁸ tn “turn to sweet smoke.”

[29:25]  ⁹⁹ tn “them” has been supplied.

[29:34]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “ordination offerings” (Heb “fillings”).

[29:34]  ¹⁰¹ tn The verb in the conditional clause is a Niphal imperfect of יָתַר (yatar); this verb is repeated in the next clause (as a Niphal participle) as the direct object of the verb “you will burn” (a Qal perfect with a vav [ו] consecutive to form the instruction).

[29:34]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “burn with fire.”

[29:34]  ¹⁰³ tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect negated. It expresses the prohibition against eating this, but in the passive voice: “it will not be eaten,” or stronger, “it must not be eaten.”

[30:10]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The word “atonements” (plural in Hebrew) is a genitive showing the result or product of the sacrifice made.

[30:10]  ¹⁰⁵ sn This ruling presupposes that the instruction for the Day of Atonement has been given, or at the very least, is to be given shortly. That is the one day of the year that all sin and all ritual impurity would be removed.

[30:10]  ¹⁰⁶ sn The phrase “most holy to the Lord” means that the altar cannot be used for any other purpose than what is stated here.

[30:32]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Without an expressed subject, the verb may be treated as a passive. Any common use, as in personal hygiene, would be a complete desecration.

[32:9]  ¹⁰⁸ sn This is a bold anthropomorphism; it is as if God has now had a chance to get to know these people and has discovered how rebellious they are. The point of the figure is that there has been discernible evidence of their nature.

[32:9]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “and behold” or “and look.” The expression directs attention in order to persuade the hearer.

[32:9]  ¹¹⁰ sn B. Jacob says the image is that of the people walking before God, and when he called to them the directions, they would not bend their neck to listen; they were resolute in doing what they intended to do (Exodus, 943). The figure describes them as refusing to submit, but resisting in pride.

[32:22]  ¹¹¹ sn “My lord” refers to Moses.

[32:22]  ¹¹² tn Heb “that on evil it is.”

[32:28]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “did according to the word of Moses.”

[32:28]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “fell.”

[1:10]  ¹¹⁵ tn The verb is the Hitpael cohortative of חָכַם (khakam, “to be wise”). This verb has the idea of acting shrewdly, dealing wisely. The basic idea in the word group is that of skill. So a skillful decision is required to prevent the Israelites from multiplying any more.

[1:10]  sn Pharaoh’s speech invites evaluation. How wise did his plans prove to be?

[1:10]  ¹¹⁶ tn The word פֶּן (pen) expresses fear or precaution and can also be translated “lest” or “else” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 75-76, §461).

[1:10]  ¹¹⁷ tn The verb can be translated simply “will multiply,” but since Pharaoh has already indicated that he is aware they were doing that, the nuance here must mean to multiply all the more, or to continue to multiply. Cf. NIV “will become even more numerous.”

[1:10]  ¹¹⁸ tn The words וְהָיָה כִּי (vÿhayah ki) introduce a conditional clause – “if” (see GKC 335 §112.y).

[1:10]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “and [lest] he [Israel] also be joined to.”

[1:10]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “and go up from.” All the verbs coming after the particle פֶּן (pen, “otherwise, lest” in v. 10) have the same force and are therefore parallel. These are the fears of the Egyptians. This explains why a shrewd policy of population control was required. They wanted to keep Israel enslaved; they did not want them to become too numerous and escape.

[3:8]  ¹²¹ sn God’s coming down is a frequent anthropomorphism in Genesis and Exodus. It expresses his direct involvement, often in the exercise of judgment.

[3:8]  ¹²² tn The Hiphil infinitive with the suffix is לְהַצִּילוֹ (lÿhatsilo, “to deliver them”). It expresses the purpose of God’s coming down. The verb itself is used for delivering or rescuing in the general sense, and snatching out of danger for the specific.

[3:8]  ¹²³ tn Heb “to a land good and large”; NRSV “to a good and broad land.” In the translation the words “that is both” are supplied because in contemporary English “good and” combined with any additional descriptive term can be understood as elative (“good and large” = “very large”; “good and spacious” = “very spacious”; “good and ready” = “very ready”). The point made in the Hebrew text is that the land to which they are going is both good (in terms of quality) and large (in terms of size).

[3:8]  ¹²⁴ tn This vibrant description of the promised land is a familiar one. Gesenius classifies “milk and honey” as epexegetical genitives because they provide more precise description following a verbal adjective in the construct state (GKC 418-19 §128.x). The land is modified by “flowing,” and “flowing” is explained by the genitives “milk and honey.” These two products will be in abundance in the land, and they therefore exemplify what a desirable land it is. The language is hyperbolic, as if the land were streaming with these products.

[3:8]  ¹²⁵ tn Each people group is joined to the preceding by the vav conjunction, “and.” Each also has the definite article, as in other similar lists (3:17; 13:5; 34:11). To repeat the conjunction and article in the translation seems to put more weight on the list in English than is necessary to its function in identifying what land God was giving the Israelites.

[8:22]  ¹²⁶ tn Or “distinguish.” וְהִפְלֵיתִי (vÿhifleti) is the Hiphil perfect of פָּלָה (palah). The verb in Hiphil means “to set apart, make separate, make distinct.” God was going to keep the flies away from Goshen – he was setting that apart. The Greek text assumed that the word was from פָּלֵא (pale’), and translated it something like “I will marvelously glorify.”

[8:22]  ¹²⁷ tn The relative clause modifies the land of Goshen as the place “in which my people are dwelling.” But the normal word for “dwelling” is not used here. Instead, עֹמֵד (’omed) is used, which literally means “standing.” The land on which Israel stood was spared the flies and the hail.

[8:22]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “of the earth” (KJV, ASV, NAB).

[10:13]  ¹²⁹ tn The clause begins וַיהוָה (va’adonay [vayhvah], “Now Yahweh….”). In contrast to a normal sequence, this beginning focuses attention on Yahweh as the subject of the verb.

[10:13]  ¹³⁰ tn The verb נָהַג (nahag) means “drive, conduct.” It is elsewhere used for driving sheep, leading armies, or leading in processions.

[10:13]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “and all the night.”

[10:13]  ¹³² tn The text does not here use ordinary circumstantial clause constructions; rather, Heb “the morning was, and the east wind carried the locusts.” It clearly means “when it was morning,” but the style chosen gives a more abrupt beginning to the plague, as if the reader is in the experience – and at morning, the locusts are there!

[10:13]  ¹³³ tn The verb here is a past perfect, indicting that the locusts had arrived before the day came.

[12:4]  ¹³⁴ sn Later Judaism ruled that “too small” meant fewer than ten (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 88).

[12:4]  ¹³⁵ tn The clause uses the comparative min (מִן) construction: יִמְעַט הַבַּיִת מִהְיֹת מִשֶּׂה (yim’at habbayit mihyot miseh, “the house is small from being from a lamb,” or “too small for a lamb”). It clearly means that if there were not enough people in the household to have a lamb by themselves, they should join with another family. For the use of the comparative, see GKC 430 §133.c.

[12:4]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “he and his neighbor”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:4]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “who is near to his house.”

[12:4]  ¹³⁸ tn The construction uses a perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive after a conditional clause: “if the household is too small…then he and his neighbor will take.”

[12:4]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “[every] man according to his eating.”

[12:4]  sn The reference is normally taken to mean whatever each person could eat. B. Jacob (Exodus, 299) suggests, however, that the reference may not be to each individual person’s appetite, but to each family. Each man who is the head of a household was to determine how much his family could eat, and this in turn would determine how many families shared the lamb.

[12:15]  ¹⁴⁰ tn This expression is an adverbial accusative of time. The feast was to last from the 15th to the 21st of the month.

[12:15]  ¹⁴¹ tn Or “you will eat.” The statement stresses their obligation – they must eat unleavened bread and avoid all leaven.

[12:15]  ¹⁴² tn The etymology of מַצּוֹת (matsot, “unleavened bread,” i.e., “bread made without yeast”) is uncertain. Suggested connections to known verbs include “to squeeze, press,” “to depart, go out,” “to ransom,” or to an Egyptian word “food, cake, evening meal.” For a more detailed study of “unleavened bread” and related matters such as “yeast” or “leaven,” see A. P. Ross, NIDOTTE 4:448-53.

[12:15]  ¹⁴³ tn The particle serves to emphasize, not restrict here (B. S. Childs, Exodus [OTL], 183, n. 15).

[12:15]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “every eater of leavened bread.” The participial phrase stands at the beginning of the clause as a casus pendens, that is, it stands grammatically separate from the sentence. It names a condition, the contingent occurrences of which involve a further consequence (GKC 361 §116.w).

[12:15]  ¹⁴⁵ tn The verb וְנִכְרְתָה (vÿnikhrÿtah) is the Niphal perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; it is a common formula in the Law for divine punishment. Here, in sequence to the idea that someone might eat bread made with yeast, the result would be that “that soul [the verb is feminine] will be cut off.” The verb is the equivalent of the imperfect tense due to the consecutive; a translation with a nuance of the imperfect of possibility (“may be cut off”) fits better perhaps than a specific future. There is the real danger of being cut off, for while the punishment might include excommunication from the community, the greater danger was in the possibility of divine intervention to root out the evildoer (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 94). Gesenius lists this as the use of a perfect with a vav consecutive after a participle (a casus pendens) to introduce the apodosis (GKC 337 §112.mm).

[12:15]  sn In Lev 20:3, 5-6, God speaks of himself as cutting off a person from among the Israelites. The rabbis mentioned premature death and childlessness as possible judgments in such cases, and N. M. Sarna comments that “one who deliberately excludes himself from the religious community of Israel cannot be a beneficiary of the covenantal blessings” (Exodus [JPSTC], 58).

[12:16]  ¹⁴⁶ sn This refers to an assembly of the people at the sanctuary for religious purposes. The word “convocation” implies that the people were called together, and Num 10:2 indicates they were called together by trumpets.

[12:16]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “all/every work will not be done.” The word refers primarily to the work of one’s occupation. B. Jacob (Exodus, 322) explains that since this comes prior to the fuller description of laws for Sabbaths and festivals, the passage simply restricts all work except for the preparation of food. Once the laws are added, this qualification is no longer needed. Gesenius translates this as “no manner of work shall be done” (GKC 478-79 §152.b).

[12:27]  ¹⁴⁸ sn This expression “the sacrifice of Yahweh’s Passover” occurs only here. The word זֶבַח (zevakh) means “slaughtering” and so a blood sacrifice. The fact that this word is used in Lev 3 for the peace offering has linked the Passover as a kind of peace offering, and both the Passover and the peace offerings were eaten as communal meals.

[12:27]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The verb means “to strike, smite, plague”; it is the same verb that has been used throughout this section (נָגַף, nagaf). Here the construction is the infinitive construct in a temporal clause.

[12:27]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “and the people bowed down and they worshiped.” The words are synonymous, and so one is taken as the adverb for the other.

[12:30]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “arose,” the verb קוּם (qum) in this context certainly must describe a less ceremonial act. The entire country woke up in terror because of the deaths.

[12:30]  ¹⁵² tn The noun is an adverbial accusative of time – “in the night” or “at night.”

[12:30]  ¹⁵³ sn Or so it seemed. One need not push this description to complete literalness. The reference would be limited to houses that actually had firstborn people or animals. In a society in which households might include more than one generation of humans and animals, however, the presence of a firstborn human or animal would be the rule rather than the exception.

[13:17]  ¹⁵⁴ sn This short section (vv. 17-22) marks the beginning of the journey of the Israelites toward the sea and Sinai. The emphasis here is on the leading of Yahweh – but this leading is manifested in a unique, supernatural way – unlikely to be repeated with these phenomena. Although a primary application of such a passage would be difficult, the general principle is clear: God, by his clear revelation, leads his people to the fulfillment of the promise. This section has three short parts: the leading to the sea (17-18), the bones of Joseph (19), and the leading by the cloud and pillar (20-22).

[13:17]  ¹⁵⁵ tn The construction for this temporal clause is the temporal indicator with the vav (ו) consecutive, the Piel infinitive construct with a preposition, and then the subjective genitive “Pharaoh.”

[13:17]  ¹⁵⁶ sn The verb נָחָה (nakhah, “to lead”) is a fairly common word in the Bible for God’s leading of his people (as in Ps 23:3 for leading in the paths of righteousness). This passage illustrates what others affirm, that God leads his people in a way that is for their own good. There were shorter routes to take, but the people were not ready for them.

[13:17]  ¹⁵⁷ tn The word “way” is an adverbial accusative, providing the location for the verb “lead”; it is in construct so that “land of the Philistines” is a genitive of either indirect object (“to the land”) or location (“in” or “through” the land).

[13:17]  ¹⁵⁸ sn The term Philistines has been viewed by modern scholarship as an anachronism, since the Philistines were not believed to have settled in the region until the reign of Rameses III (in which case the term would not fit either the early or the late view of the exodus). But the OT clearly refers to Philistines in the days of the patriarchs. The people there in the earlier period may have been Semites, judging from their names, or they may have been migrants from Crete in the early time. The Philistines after the exodus were of Greek origin. The danger of warfare at this time was clearly with Canaanitish tribes. For further details, see K. A. Kitchen, “The Philistines,” Peoples of Old Testament Times, 53-54; J. M. Grintz, “The Immigration of the First Philistines in the Inscriptions,” Tarbiz 17 (1945): 32-42, and Tarbiz 19 (1947): 64; and E. Hindson, The Philistines and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1970), 39-59.

[13:17]  ¹⁵⁹ tn The particle כִּי (ki) introduces a concessive clause here (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §448).

[13:17]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Or “thought.”

[13:17]  ¹⁶¹ tn Before a clause this conjunction פֶּן (pen) expresses fear or precaution (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 75-76, §461). It may be translated “lest, else,” or “what if.”

[13:17]  ¹⁶² tn יִנָּחֵם (yinnakhem) is the Niphal imperfect of נָחַם (nakham); it would normally be translated “repent” or “relent.” This nontheological usage gives a good illustration of the basic meaning of having a change of mind or having regrets.

[13:17]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “see.”

[16:23]  ¹⁶⁴ tn The noun שַׁבָּתוֹן (shabbaton) has the abstract ending on it: “resting, ceasing.” The root word means “cease” from something, more than “to rest.” The Law would make it clear that they were to cease from their normal occupations and do no common work.

[16:23]  ¹⁶⁵ tn The technical expression is now used: שַׁבַּת־קֹדֶשׁ (shabbat-qodesh, “a holy Sabbath”) meaning a “cessation of/for holiness” for Yahweh. The rest was to be characterized by holiness.

[16:23]  ¹⁶⁶ tn The two verbs in these objective noun clauses are desiderative imperfects – “bake whatever you want to bake.”

[16:23]  ¹⁶⁷ tn The word “today” is implied from the context.

[16:29]  ¹⁶⁸ sn Noting the rabbinic teaching that the giving of the Sabbath was a sign of God’s love – it was accomplished through the double portion on the sixth day – B. Jacob says, “God made no request unless He provided the means for its execution” (Exodus, 461).

[16:29]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “remain, a man where he is.”

[16:29]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Or “Let not anyone go” (see GKC 445 §138.d).

[18:14]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “what is this thing.”

[18:14]  ¹⁷² sn This question, “what are you doing for the people,” is qualified by the next question. Sitting alone all day and the people standing around all day showed that Moses was exhibiting too much care for the people – he could not do this.

[21:29]  ¹⁷³ tn The Hophal perfect has the idea of “attested, testified against.”

[21:29]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “he was not keeping it” or perhaps guarding or watching it (referring to the ox).

[21:36]  ¹⁷⁵ tn The construction now uses the same Piel imperfect (v. 34) but adds the infinitive absolute to it for emphasis.

[21:36]  ¹⁷⁶ sn The point of this section (21:28-36) seems to be that one must ensure the safety of others by controlling one’s property and possessions. This section pertained to neglect with animals, but the message would have applied to similar situations. The people of God were to take heed to ensure the well-being of others, and if there was a problem, it had to be made right.

[29:21]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[29:21]  ¹⁷⁸ tn The verb in this instance is Qal and not Piel, “to be holy” rather than “sanctify.” The result of all this ritual is that Aaron and his sons will be set aside and distinct in their life and their service.

[29:22]  ¹⁷⁹ tn S. R. Driver suggests that this is the appendix or an appendix, both here and in v. 13 (Exodus, 320). “The surplus, the appendage of liver, found with cow, sheep, or goat, but not with humans: Lobus caudatus” (HALOT 453 s.v. יֹתֶרֶת).

[29:22]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “filling.”

[31:13]  ¹⁸¹ sn The instruction for the Sabbath at this point seems rather abrupt, but it follows logically the extended plans of building the sanctuary. B. Jacob, following some of the earlier treatments, suggests that these are specific rules given for the duration of the building of the sanctuary (Exodus, 844). The Sabbath day is a day of complete cessation; no labor or work could be done. The point here is that God’s covenant people must faithfully keep the sign of the covenant as a living commemoration of the finished work of Yahweh, and as an active part in their sanctification. See also H. Routtenberg, “The Laws of Sabbath: Biblical Sources,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 41-43, 99-101, 153-55, 204-6; G. Robinson, “The Idea of Rest in the OT and the Search for the Basic Character of Sabbath,” ZAW 92 (1980): 32-42; M. Tsevat, “The Basic Meaning of the Biblical Sabbath, ZAW 84 (1972): 447-59; M. T. Willshaw, “A Joyous Sign,” ExpTim 89 (1978): 179-80.

[31:13]  ¹⁸² tn Or “your sanctifier.”

[31:17]  ¹⁸³ tn The expression again forms an adverbial accusative of time.

[31:17]  ¹⁸⁴ sn The word “rest” essentially means “to cease, stop.” So describing God as “resting” on the seventh day does not indicate that he was tired – he simply finished creation and then ceased or stopped. But in this verse is a very bold anthropomorphism in the form of the verb וַיִּנָּפַשׁ (vayyinnafash), a Niphal preterite from the root נָפַשׁ (nafash), the word that is related to “life, soul” or more specifically “breath, throat.” The verb is usually translated here as “he was refreshed,” offering a very human picture. It could also be rendered “he took breath” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 345). Elsewhere the verb is used of people and animals. The anthropomorphism is clearly intended to teach people to stop and refresh themselves physically, spiritually, and emotionally on this day of rest.

[34:9]  ¹⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” two times here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[34:9]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “it is.” Hebrew uses the third person masculine singular pronoun here in agreement with the noun “people.”

[39:5]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “from it” or the same.

[22:9]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “concerning every kind [thing] of trespass.”

[22:9]  ¹⁸⁹ tn The text simply has “this is it” (הוּא זֶה, hu’ zeh).

[22:9]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Again, or “God.”

[22:9]  ¹⁹¹ tn This kind of clause Gesenius calls an independent relative clause – it does not depend on a governing substantive but itself expresses a substantival idea (GKC 445-46 §138.e).

[22:9]  ¹⁹² tn The verb means “to be guilty” in Qal; in Hiphil it would have a declarative sense, because a causative sense would not possibly fit.

[34:10]  ¹⁹³ tn Here again is a use of the futur instans participle; the deictic particle plus the pronoun precedes the participle, showing what is about to happen.

[34:10]  ¹⁹⁴ tn The verb here is בָּרָא (bara’, “to create”). The choice of this verb is to stress that these wonders would be supernaturally performed, for the verb is used only with God as the subject.

[34:10]  ¹⁹⁵ sn The idea is that God will be doing awesome things in dealing with them, i.e., to fulfill his program.