3:18 “The elders 9 will listen 10 to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met 11 with us. So now, let us go 12 three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice 13 to the Lord our God.’
106:12 They believed his promises; 14
they sang praises to him.
106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; 15
they did not wait for his instructions. 16
1 tn Heb “and it will be if.”
2 tn Heb “listen to the voice of,” meaning listen so as to respond appropriately.
3 tn The nuance of this perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive will be equal to the imperfect of possibility – “they may believe.”
4 tn Heb “believe the voice of the latter sign,” so as to understand and accept the meaning of the event.
5 tn Heb “and it will be if.”
6 tn Heb “listen to your voice.”
7 tn The verb form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it functions then as the equivalent of the imperfect tense – here as an imperfect of instruction.
8 sn This is a powerful sign, for the Nile was always known as the source of life in Egypt, but now it will become the evidence of death. So the three signs were alike, each consisting of life and death. They would clearly anticipate the struggle with Egypt through the plagues. The point is clear that in the face of the possibility that people might not believe, the servants of God must offer clear proof of the power of God as they deliver the message of God. The rest is up to God.
9 tn Heb “And they will listen”; the referent (the elders) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn This is the combination of the verb שָׁמַע (shama’) followed by לְקֹלֶךָ (lÿqolekha), an idiomatic formation that means “listen to your voice,” which in turn implies a favorable response.
11 tn The verb נִקְרָה (niqra) has the idea of encountering in a sudden or unexpected way (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 25).
12 tn The form used here is the cohortative of הָלַךְ (halakh). It could be a resolve, but more likely before Pharaoh it is a request.
13 tn Here a cohortative with a vav (ו) follows a cohortative; the second one expresses purpose or result: “let us go…in order that we may.”
14 tn Heb “his words.”
15 tn Heb “his works.”
16 tn Heb “his counsel.”
17 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
18 sn This time of temporary faith represented by the description believe for a while is presented rather tragically in the passage. The seed does not get a chance to do all it can.
19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
20 tn Traditionally, “temptation.” Such a translation puts the emphasis on temptation to sin rather than testing of faith, which is what the context seems to indicate.
21 sn Fall away. On the idea of falling away and the warnings against it, see 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 3:12; Jer 3:14; Dan 9:9.