Exodus 14:15

14:15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹ 

Exodus 15:25

15:25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him ²  a tree. ³  When Moses ⁴  threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord ⁵  made for them ⁶  a binding ordinance, ⁷  and there he tested ⁸  them.

Numbers 11:11

11:11 And Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you afflicted ⁹  your servant? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that ¹⁰  you lay the burden of this entire people on me?

¹ tn The text literally says, “speak to the Israelites that they may journey.” The intent of the line, using the imperative with the subordinate jussive or imperfect expressing purpose is that the speaking is the command to move.

² tn The verb is וַיּוֹרֵהוּ (vayyorehu, “and he showed him”). It is the Hiphil preterite from יָרָה (yarah), which has a basic meaning of “to point, show, direct.” It then came to mean “to teach”; it is the verb behind the noun “Law” (תּוֹרָה, torah).

³ tn Or “a [piece of] wood” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV); NLT “a branch.”

⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Heb “there he”; the referent (the Lord) is supplied for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “for him” (referring to Israel as a whole).

⁷ tn This translation interprets the two nouns as a hendiadys: “a statute and an ordinance” becomes “a binding ordinance.”

⁸ tn The verb נִסָּהוּ (nissahu, “and he tested him [them]”) is from the root נָסָה (nasah). The use of this word in the Bible indicates that there is question, doubt, or uncertainty about the object being tested.

⁹ tn The verb is the Hiphil of רָעַע (ra’a’, “to be evil”). Moses laments (with the rhetorical question) that God seems to have caused him evil.

¹⁰ tn The infinitive construct with the preposition is expressing the result of not finding favor with God (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 12-13, §57). What Moses is claiming is that because he has been given this burden God did not show him favor.