Keluaran 20:20

20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, ¹  that the fear of him ²  may be before you so that you do not ³  sin.”

Keluaran 9:30

9:30 But as for you ⁴  and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear ⁵  the Lord God.”

Keluaran 1:21

1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he made ⁶  households ⁷  for them.

Keluaran 9:20

9:20 Those ⁸  of Pharaoh’s servants who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their ⁹  servants and livestock into the houses,

Keluaran 15:14

15:14 The nations will hear ¹⁰  and tremble;

anguish ¹¹  will seize ¹²  the inhabitants of Philistia.

Keluaran 34:30

34:30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone; ¹³  and they were afraid to approach him.

Keluaran 1:17

1:17 But ¹⁴  the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. ¹⁵ 

Keluaran 1:12

1:12 But the more the Egyptians ¹⁶  oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread. ¹⁷  As a result the Egyptians loathed ¹⁸  the Israelites,

Keluaran 3:6

3:6 He added, “I am the God of your father, ¹⁹  the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look ²⁰  at God.

Keluaran 14:31

14:31 When Israel saw ²¹  the great power ²²  that the Lord had exercised ²³  over the Egyptians, they ²⁴  feared the Lord, and they believed in ²⁵  the Lord and in his servant Moses. ²⁶ 

Keluaran 15:16

15:16 Fear and dread ²⁷  will fall ²⁸  on them;

by the greatness ²⁹  of your arm they will be as still as stone ³⁰ 

until ³¹  your people pass by, O Lord,

until the people whom you have bought ³²  pass by.

Keluaran 20:18

20:18 All the people were seeing ³³  the thundering and the lightning, and heard ³⁴  the sound of the horn, and saw ³⁵  the mountain smoking – and when ³⁶  the people saw it they trembled with fear ³⁷  and kept their distance. ³⁸ 

Keluaran 15:11

15:11 Who is like you, ³⁹  O Lord, among the gods? ⁴⁰ 

Who is like you? – majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, ⁴¹  working wonders?

Keluaran 23:27

23:27 “I will send my terror ⁴²  before you, and I will destroy ⁴³  all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs ⁴⁴  to you.

Keluaran 2:14

2:14 The man ⁴⁵  replied, “Who made you a ruler ⁴⁶  and a judge over us? Are you planning ⁴⁷  to kill me like you killed that ⁴⁸  Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, ⁴⁹  “Surely what I did ⁵⁰  has become known.”

Keluaran 14:13

14:13 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! ⁵¹  Stand firm ⁵²  and see ⁵³  the salvation ⁵⁴  of the Lord that he will provide ⁵⁵  for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again. ⁵⁶ 

Keluaran 18:21

18:21 But you choose ⁵⁷  from the people capable men, ⁵⁸  God-fearing, ⁵⁹  men of truth, ⁶⁰  those who hate bribes, ⁶¹  and put them over the people ⁶²  as rulers ⁶³  of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

Keluaran 14:10

14:10 When ⁶⁴  Pharaoh got closer, ⁶⁵  the Israelites looked up, ⁶⁶  and there were the Egyptians marching after them, ⁶⁷  and they were terrified. ⁶⁸  The Israelites cried out to the Lord, ⁶⁹ 

Keluaran 4:19

4:19 The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back ⁷⁰  to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” ⁷¹ 

Keluaran 15:15

15:15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified, ⁷² 

trembling will seize ⁷³  the leaders of Moab,

and the inhabitants of Canaan will shake.

Keluaran 19:16

19:16 On ⁷⁴  the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense ⁷⁵  cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud ⁷⁶  horn; ⁷⁷  all the people who were in the camp trembled.

[20:20]  ¹ tn נַסּוֹת (nassot) is the Piel infinitive construct; it forms the purpose of God’s coming with all the accompanying phenomena. The verb can mean “to try, test, prove.” The sense of “prove” fits this context best because the terrifying phenomena were intended to put the fear of God in their hearts so that they would obey. In other words, God was inspiring them to obey, not simply testing to see if they would.

[20:20]  ² tn The suffix on the noun is an objective genitive, referring to the fear that the people would have of God (GKC 439 §135.m).

[20:20]  ³ tn The negative form לְבִלְתִּי (lÿvilti) is used here with the imperfect tense (see for other examples GKC 483 §152.x). This gives the imperfect the nuance of a final imperfect: that you might not sin. Others: to keep you from sin.

[9:30]  ⁴ tn The verse begins with the disjunctive vav to mark a strong contrastive clause to what was said before this.

[9:30]  ⁵ tn The adverb טֶרֶם (terem, “before, not yet”) occurs with the imperfect tense to give the sense of the English present tense to the verb negated by it (GKC 314-15 §107.c). Moses is saying that he knew that Pharaoh did not really stand in awe of God, so as to grant Israel’s release, i.e., fear not in the religious sense but “be afraid of” God – fear “before” him (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 76).

[1:21]  ⁶ tn The temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) focuses attention on the causal clause and lays the foundation for the main clause, namely, “God made households for them.” This is the second time the text affirms the reason for their defiance, their fear of God.

[1:21]  ⁷ tn Or “families”; Heb “houses.”

[9:20]  ⁸ tn The text has “the one fearing.” The singular expression here and throughout vv. 20-21 refers to all who fit the description.

[9:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “his” (singular).

[15:14]  ¹⁰ tn This verb is a prophetic perfect, assuming that the text means what it said and this song was sung at the Sea. So all these countries were yet to hear of the victory.

[15:14]  ¹¹ tn The word properly refers to “pangs” of childbirth. When the nations hear, they will be terrified.

[15:14]  ¹² tn The verb is again a prophetic perfect.

[34:30]  ¹³ tn This clause is introduced by the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh); it has the force of pointing to something surprising or sudden.

[1:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and they [fem. pl.] feared”; the referent (the midwives) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ¹⁵ tn The verb is the Piel preterite of חָיָה (khaya, “to live”). The Piel often indicates a factitive nuance with stative verbs, showing the cause of the action. Here it means “let live, cause to live.” The verb is the exact opposite of Pharaoh’s command for them to kill the boys.

[1:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ¹⁷ tn The imperfect tenses in this verse are customary uses, expressing continual action in past time (see GKC 315 §107.e). For other examples of כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher) with כֵּן (ken) expressing a comparison (“just as…so”) see Gen 41:13; Judg 1:7; Isa 31:4.

[1:12]  sn Nothing in the oppression caused this, of course. Rather, the blessing of God (Gen 12:1-3) was on Israel in spite of the efforts of Egypt to hinder it. According to Gen 15 God had foretold that there would be this period of oppression (עָנָה [’anah] in Gen 15:13). In other words, God had decreed and predicted both their becoming a great nation and the oppression to show that he could fulfill his promise to Abraham in spite of the bondage.

[1:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “they felt a loathing before/because of”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:6]  ¹⁹ sn This self-revelation by Yahweh prepares for the revelation of the holy name. While no verb is used here, the pronoun and the predicate nominative are a construction used throughout scripture to convey the “I am” disclosures – “I [am] the God of….” But the significant point here is the naming of the patriarchs, for this God is the covenant God, who will fulfill his promises.

[3:6]  ²⁰ tn The clause uses the Hiphil infinitive construct with a preposition after the perfect tense: יָרֵא מֵהַבִּיט (yare’ mehabbit, “he was afraid from gazing”) meaning “he was afraid to gaze.” The preposition min (מִן) is used before infinitives after verbs like the one to complete the verb (see BDB 583 s.v. 7b).

[14:31]  ²¹ tn The preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces a clause that is subordinate to the main points that the verse is making.

[14:31]  ²² tn Heb “the great hand,” with “hand” being a metonymy for work or power. The word play using “hand” contrasts the Lord’s hand/power at work on behalf of the Israelites with the hand/power of Egypt that would have killed them.

[14:31]  ²³ tn Heb “did, made.”

[14:31]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and the people feared.”

[14:31]  ²⁵ tn The verb is the Hiphil preterite of אָמַן (’aman).

[14:31]  sn S. R. Driver says that the belief intended here is not simply a crediting of a testimony concerning a person or a thing, but a laying firm hold morally on a person or a thing (Exodus, 122). Others take the Hiphil sense to be declarative, and that would indicate a considering of the object of faith trustworthy or dependable, and therefore to be acted on. In this passage it does not mean that here they came to faith, but that they became convinced that he would save them in the future.

[14:31]  ²⁶ sn Here the title of “servant” is given to Moses. This is the highest title a mortal can have in the OT – the “servant of Yahweh.” It signifies more than a believer; it describes the individual as acting on behalf of God. For example, when Moses stretched out his hand, God used it as his own (Isa 63:12). Moses was God’s personal representative. The chapter records both a message of salvation and of judgment. Like the earlier account of deliverance at the Passover, this chapter can be a lesson on deliverance from present troubles – if God could do this for Israel, there is no trouble too great for him to overcome. The passage can also be understood as a picture (at least) of the deliverance at the final judgment on the world. But the Israelites used this account for a paradigm of the power of God: namely, God is able to deliver his people from danger because he is the sovereign Lord of creation. His people must learn to trust him, even in desperate situations; they must fear him and not the situation. God can bring any threat to an end by bringing his power to bear in judgment on the wicked.

[15:16]  ²⁷ tn The two words can form a nominal hendiadys, “a dreadful fear,” though most English versions retain the two separate terms.

[15:16]  ²⁸ tn The form is an imperfect.

[15:16]  ²⁹ tn The adjective is in construct form and governs the noun “arm” (“arm” being the anthropomorphic expression for what God did). See GKC 428 §132.c.

[15:16]  ³⁰ sn For a study of the words for fear, see N. Waldman, “A Comparative Note on Exodus 15:14-16,” JQR 66 (1976): 189-92.

[15:16]  ³¹ tn Clauses beginning with עַד (’ad) express a limit that is not absolute, but only relative, beyond which the action continues (GKC 446-47 §138.g).

[15:16]  ³² tn The verb קָנָה (qanah) here is the verb “acquire, purchase,” and probably not the homonym “to create, make” (see Gen 4:1; Deut 32:6; and Prov 8:22).

[20:18]  ³³ tn The participle is used here for durative action in the past time (GKC 359 §116.o).

[20:18]  ³⁴ tn The verb “to see” (רָאָה, ra’ah) refers to seeing with all the senses, or perceiving. W. C. Kaiser suggests that this is an example of the figure of speech called zeugma because the verb “saw” yokes together two objects, one that suits the verb and the other that does not. So, the verb “heard” is inserted here to clarify (“Exodus,” EBC 2:427).

[20:18]  ³⁵ tn The verb “saw” is supplied here because it is expected in English (see the previous note on “heard”).

[20:18]  ³⁶ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated as a temporal clause to the following clause, which receives the prominence.

[20:18]  ³⁷ tn The meaning of נוּעַ (nua’) is “to shake, sway to and fro” in fear. Compare Isa 7:2 – “and his heart shook…as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.”

[20:18]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and they stood from/at a distance.”

[15:11]  ³⁹ tn The question is of course rhetorical; it is a way of affirming that no one is comparable to God. See C. J. Labuschagne, The Incomparability of Yahweh in the Old Testament, 22, 66-67, and 94-97.

[15:11]  ⁴⁰ sn Verses 11-17 will now focus on Yahweh as the incomparable one who was able to save Israel from their foes and afterward lead them to the promised land.

[15:11]  ⁴¹ tn S. R. Driver suggests “praiseworthy acts” as the translation (Exodus, 137).

[23:27]  ⁴² tn The word for “terror” is אֵימָתִי (’emati); the word has the thought of “panic” or “dread.” God would make the nations panic as they heard of the exploits and knew the Israelites were drawing near. U. Cassuto thinks the reference to “hornets” in v. 28 may be a reference to this fear, an unreasoning dread, rather than to another insect invasion (Exodus, 308). Others suggest it is symbolic of an invading army or a country like Egypt or literal insects (see E. Neufeld, “Insects as Warfare Agents in the Ancient Near East,” Or 49 [1980]: 30-57).

[23:27]  ⁴³ tn Heb “kill.”

[23:27]  ⁴⁴ tn The text has “and I will give all your enemies to you [as] a back.” The verb of making takes two accusatives, the second being the adverbial accusative of product (see GKC 371-72 §117.ii, n. 1).

[2:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “And he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Who placed you for a man, a ruler and a judge over us?” The pleonasm does not need to be translated. For similar constructions see Lev 21:9; Judg 6:8; 2 Sam 1:13; Esth 7:6.

[2:14]  ⁴⁷ tn The line reads “[is it] to kill me you are planning?” The form אֹמֵר (’omer) is the active participle used verbally; it would literally be “[are you] saying,” but in this context it conveys the meaning of “thinking, planning.” The Qal infinitive then serves as the object of this verbal form – are you planning to kill me?

[2:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the Egyptian.” Here the Hebrew article functions in an anaphoric sense, referring back to the individual Moses killed.

[2:14]  ⁴⁹ tn The verb form is “and he said.” But the intent of the form is that he said this within himself, and so it means “he thought, realized, said to himself.” The form, having the vav consecutive, is subordinated to the main idea of the verse, that he was afraid.

[2:14]  ⁵⁰ tn The term הַדָּבָר (haddavar, “the word [thing, matter, incident]”) functions here like a pronoun to refer in brief to what Moses had done. For clarity this has been specified in the translation with the phrase “what I did.”

[14:13]  ⁵¹ tn The use of אַל (’al) with the jussive has the force of “stop fearing.” It is a more immediate negative command than לֹא (lo’) with the imperfect (as in the Decalogue).

[14:13]  ⁵² tn The force of this verb in the Hitpael is “to station oneself” or “stand firm” without fleeing.

[14:13]  ⁵³ tn The form is an imperative with a vav (ו). It could also be rendered “stand firm and you will see” meaning the result, or “stand firm that you may see” meaning the purpose.

[14:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “victory” (NAB) or “deliverance” (NIV, NRSV).

[14:13]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “do,” i.e., perform or accomplish.

[14:13]  ⁵⁶ tn The construction uses a verbal hendiadys consisting of a Hiphil imperfect (“you will not add”) and a Qal infinitive construct with a suffix (“to see them”) – “you will no longer see them.” Then the clause adds “again, for ever.”

[14:13]  sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 164) notes that the antithetical parallelism between seeing salvation and seeing the Egyptians, as well as the threefold repetition of the word “see” cannot be accidental; so too the alliteration of the last three words beginning with ayin (ע).

[18:21]  ⁵⁷ tn The construction uses the independent pronoun for emphasis, and then the imperfect tense “see” (חָזָה, khazah) – “and you will see from all….” Both in Hebrew and Ugaritic expressions of “seeing” are used in the sense of choosing (Gen 41:33). See U. Cassuto, Exodus, 220.

[18:21]  ⁵⁸ tn The expression is אַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל (’anshe khayil, “capable men”). The attributive genitive is the word used in expressions like “mighty man of valor.” The word describes these men as respected, influential, powerful people, those looked up to by the community as leaders, and those who will have the needs of the community in mind.

[18:21]  ⁵⁹ tn The description “fearers of God” uses an objective genitive. It describes them as devout, worshipful, obedient servants of God.

[18:21]  ⁶⁰ tn The expression “men of truth” (אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת, ’anshe ’emet) indicates that these men must be seekers of truth, who know that the task of a judge is to give true judgment (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 220). The word “truth” includes the ideas of faithfulness or reliability, as well as factuality itself. It could be understood to mean “truthful men,” men whose word is reliable and true.

[18:21]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “haters of bribes.” Here is another objective genitive, one that refers to unjust gain. To hate unjust gain is to reject and refuse it. Their decisions will not be swayed by greed.

[18:21]  ⁶² tn Heb “over them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:21]  ⁶³ sn It is not clear how this structure would work in a judicial setting. The language of “captains of thousands,” etc., is used more for military ranks. There must have been more detailed instruction involved here, for each Israelite would have come under four leaders with this arrangement, and perhaps difficult cases would be sent to the next level. But since the task of these men would also involve instruction and guidance, the breakdown would be very useful. Deut 1:9, 13 suggest that the choice of these people was not simply Moses’ alone.

[14:10]  ⁶⁴ tn The disjunctive vav introduces a circumstantial clause here.

[14:10]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “drew near.”

[14:10]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “lifted up their eyes,” an expression that indicates an intentional and careful looking – they looked up and fixed their sights on the distance.

[14:10]  ⁶⁷ tn The construction uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) with the participle, traditionally rendered “and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them.” The deictic particle calls attention in a dramatic way to what was being seen. It captures the surprise and the sudden realization of the people.

[14:10]  ⁶⁸ tn The verb “feared” is intensified by the adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od): “they feared greatly” or “were terrified.” In one look their defiant boldness seems to have evaporated.

[14:10]  ⁶⁹ sn Their cry to the Lord was proper and necessary. But their words to Moses were a rebuke and disloyal, showing a lack of faith and understanding. Their arrogance failed them in the crisis because it was built on the arm of flesh. Moses would have to get used to this murmuring, but here he takes it in stride and gives them the proper instructions. They had cried to the Lord, and now the Lord would deliver.

[4:19]  ⁷⁰ tn The text has two imperatives, “Go, return”; if these are interpreted as a hendiadys (as in the translation), then the second is adverbial.

[4:19]  ⁷¹ sn The text clearly stated that Pharaoh sought to kill Moses; so this seems to be a reference to Pharaoh’s death shortly before Moses’ return. Moses was forty years in Midian. In the 18th dynasty, only Pharaoh Thutmose III had a reign of the right length (1504-1450 b.c.) to fit this period of Moses’ life. This would place Moses’ returning to Egypt near 1450 b.c., in the beginning of the reign of Amenhotep II, whom most conservatives identify as the pharaoh of the exodus. Rameses II, of course, had a very long reign (1304-1236). But if he were the one from whom Moses fled, then he could not be the pharaoh of the exodus, but his son would be – and that puts the date of the exodus after 1236, a date too late for anyone. See E. H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests, 62.

[15:15]  ⁷² tn This is a prophetic perfect.

[15:15]  ⁷³ tn This verb is imperfect tense.

[19:16]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and it was on.”

[19:16]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “heavy” (כָּבֵד, kaved).

[19:16]  ⁷⁶ tn Literally “strong” (חָזָק, khazaq).

[19:16]  ⁷⁷ tn The word here is שֹׁפָר (shofar), the normal word for “horn.” This word is used especially to announce something important in a public event (see 1 Kgs 1:34; 2 Sam 6:15). The previous word used in the context (v. 16) was יֹבֵל (yovel, “ram’s horn”).