Exodus 1:21

1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he made ¹  households ²  for them.

Exodus 33:23

33:23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, ³  but my face must not be seen.” ⁴ 

Exodus 34:20

34:20 Now the firstling ⁵  of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then break its neck. ⁶  You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons.

“No one will appear before me empty-handed. ⁷ 

Exodus 16:32

16:32 Moses said, “This is what ⁸  the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it to be kept ⁹  for generations to come, ¹⁰  so that they may see ¹¹  the food I fed you in the desert when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’”

Exodus 23:15

23:15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days ¹²  you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that time ¹³  you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before ¹⁴  me empty-handed.

¹ 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.

² tn Or “families”; Heb “houses.”

³ tn The plural “my backs” is according to Gesenius an extension plural (compare “face,” a dual in Hebrew). The word denotes a locality in general, but that is composed of numerous parts (see GKC 397 §124.b). W. C. Kaiser says that since God is a spirit, the meaning of this word could just as easily be rendered “after effects” of his presence (“Exodus,” EBC 2:484). As S. R. Driver says, though, while this may indicate just the “afterglow” that he leaves behind him, it was enough to suggest what the full brilliancy of his presence must be (Exodus, 363; see also Job 26:14).

⁴ tn The Niphal imperfect could simply be rendered “will not be seen,” but given the emphasis of the preceding verses, it is more binding than that, and so a negated obligatory imperfect fits better: “it must not be seen.” It would also be possible to render it with a potential imperfect tense: “it cannot be seen.”

⁵ tn Heb “and the one that opens [the womb of] the donkey.”

⁶ sn See G. Brin, “The Firstling of Unclean Animals,” JQR 68 (1971): 1-15.

⁷ tn The form is the adverb “empty.”

⁷ tn Heb “This is the thing that.”

⁸ tn Heb “for keeping.”

⁹ tn Heb “according to your generations” (see Exod 12:14).

¹⁰ tn In this construction after the particle expressing purpose or result, the imperfect tense has the nuance of final imperfect, equal to a subjunctive in the classical languages.

⁹ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

¹⁰ tn Heb “in it.”

¹¹ tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect; the nuance of permission works well here – no one is permitted to appear before God empty (Heb “and they will not appear before me empty”).