Exodus 12:13

12:13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I see ¹  the blood I will pass over you, ²  and this plague ³  will not fall on you to destroy you ⁴  when I attack ⁵  the land of Egypt. ⁶ 

Joshua 2:12

2:12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord’s name. ⁷  Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. ⁸  Give me a solemn pledge ⁹ 

Philippians 1:28

1:28 and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is ¹⁰  a sign of their ¹¹  destruction, but of your salvation – a sign which ¹²  is from God.

Philippians 1:2

1:2 Grace and peace to you ¹³  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Philippians 3:17

3:17 Be imitators of me, ¹⁴  brothers and sisters, ¹⁵  and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example.

¹ tn Both of the verbs for seeing and passing over are perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutives: וּפָסַחְתִּי…וְרָאִיתִי (vÿra’iti...ufasakhti); the first of these parallel verb forms is subordinated to the second as a temporal clause. See Gesenius’s description of perfect consecutives in the protasis and apodosis (GKC 494 §159.g).

² tn The meaning of the verb is supplied in part from the near context of seeing the sign and omitting to destroy, as well as the verb at the start of verse 12 “pass through, by, over.” Isa 31:5 says, “Just as birds hover over a nest, so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it; as he passes over he will rescue it.” The word does not occur enough times to enable one to delineate a clear meaning. It is probably not the same word as “to limp” found in 1 Kgs 18:21, 26, unless there is a highly developed category of meaning there.

³ tn The word “plague” (נֶגֶף, negef) is literally “a blow” or “a striking.” It usually describes a calamity or affliction given to those who have aroused God’s anger, as in Exod 30:12; Num 8:19; 16:46, 47; Josh 22:17 (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 92-93).

⁴ tn Heb “for destruction.” The form מַשְׁחִית (mashkhit) is the Hiphil participle of שָׁחַת (shakhat). The word itself is a harsh term; it was used to describe Yahweh’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 13:10).

⁵ tn בְּהַכֹּתִי (bÿhakkoti) is the Hiphil infinitive construct from נָכָה (nakhah), with a preposition prefixed and a pronominal suffix added to serve as the subjective genitive – the subject of this temporal clause. It is also used in 12:12.

⁶ sn For additional discussions, see W. H. Elder, “The Passover,” RevExp 74 (1977): 511-22; E. Nutz, “The Passover,” BV 12 (1978): 23-28; H. M. Kamsler, “The Blood Covenant in the Bible,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 94-98; A. Rodriguez, Substitution in the Hebrew Cultus; B. Ramm, “The Theology of the Book of Exodus: A Reflection on Exodus 12:12,” SwJT 20 (1977): 59-68; and M. Gilula, “The Smiting of the First-Born: An Egyptian Myth?” TA 4 (1977): 94-85.

⁷ tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the Lord.”

⁸ tn Heb “with the house of my father.”

⁹ tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “which is,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 27.

¹¹ tn Grk “to them.”

¹² tn Grk “this.” The pronoun refers back to “a sign”; thus these words have been repeated for clarity.

¹³ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

¹⁴ tn Or “become fellow imitators with me [of Christ].”

¹⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.