20:2 “I, 1 the Lord, am your God, 2 who brought you 3 from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 4
20:2 “I, 5 the Lord, am your God, 6 who brought you 7 from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 8
“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore 11 to the descendants 12 of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore 13 to them, “I am the Lord your God.”
13:9 Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire;
I will refine them like silver is refined
and will test them like gold is tested.
They will call on my name and I will answer;
I will say, ‘These are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” 17
1 sn The revelation of Yahweh here begins with the personal pronoun. “I” – a person, a living personality, not an object or a mere thought. This enabled him to address “you” – Israel, and all his people, making the binding stipulations for them to conform to his will (B. Jacob, Exodus, 544).
2 tn Most English translations have “I am Yahweh your God.” But the preceding chapters have again and again demonstrated how he made himself known to them. Now, the emphasis is on “I am your God” – and what that would mean in their lives.
3 tn The suffix on the verb is second masculine singular. It is this person that will be used throughout the commandments for the whole nation. God addresses them all as his people, but he addresses them individually for their obedience. The masculine form is not, thereby, intended to exclude women.
4 tn Heb “the house of slaves” meaning “the land of slavery.”
5 sn The revelation of Yahweh here begins with the personal pronoun. “I” – a person, a living personality, not an object or a mere thought. This enabled him to address “you” – Israel, and all his people, making the binding stipulations for them to conform to his will (B. Jacob, Exodus, 544).
6 tn Most English translations have “I am Yahweh your God.” But the preceding chapters have again and again demonstrated how he made himself known to them. Now, the emphasis is on “I am your God” – and what that would mean in their lives.
7 tn The suffix on the verb is second masculine singular. It is this person that will be used throughout the commandments for the whole nation. God addresses them all as his people, but he addresses them individually for their obedience. The masculine form is not, thereby, intended to exclude women.
8 tn Heb “the house of slaves” meaning “the land of slavery.”
9 tn Heb “and they.” The word “artisans” is supplied as the referent of the pronoun, a connection that is clearer in Hebrew than in English.
10 tn Heb “receive” or “take.”
11 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
12 tn Heb “seed.”
13 tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
14 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of his eyes, throw away.” The Pentateuch does not refer to the Israelites worshiping idols in Egypt, but Josh 24:14 appears to suggest that they did so.
15 tn Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”
16 tn Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”
17 sn The expression I will say ‘It is my people,’ and they will say ‘the