34:19 “Every firstborn of the womb 3 belongs to me, even every firstborn 4 of your cattle that is a male, 5 whether ox or sheep.
1 tn The “mixed multitude” (עֵרֶב רַב, ’erev rav) refers to a great “swarm” (see a possible cognate in 8:21[17]) of folk who joined the Israelites, people who were impressed by the defeat of Egypt, who came to faith, or who just wanted to escape Egypt (maybe slaves or descendants of the Hyksos). The expression prepares for later references to riffraff who came along.
2 tn Heb “and very much cattle.”
3 tn Heb “everything that opens the womb.”
4 tn Here too: everything that “opens [the womb].”
5 tn The verb basically means “that drops a male.” The verb is feminine, referring to the cattle.