1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “All sons 4 that are born you must throw 5 into the river, but all daughters you may let live.” 6
1 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 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.
3 tn Heb “they felt a loathing before/because of”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn The substantive כֹּל (kol) followed by the article stresses the entirety – “all sons” or “all daughters” – even though the nouns are singular in Hebrew (see GKC 411 §127.b).
5 tn The form includes a pronominal suffix that reiterates the object of the verb: “every son…you will throw it.”
6 tn The first imperfect has the force of a definite order, but the second, concerning the girls, could also have the nuance of permission, which may fit better. Pharaoh is simply allowing the girls to live.