Genesis 6:22

6:22 And Noah did all ¹  that God commanded him – he did indeed. ² 

Genesis 12:4

12:4 So Abram left, ³  just as the Lord had told him to do, ⁴  and Lot went with him. (Now ⁵  Abram was 75 years old ⁶  when he departed from Haran.)

Exodus 39:43

39:43 Moses inspected ⁷  all the work – and ⁸  they had done it just as the Lord had commanded – they had done it exactly – and Moses blessed them. ⁹ 

Exodus 40:16

40:16 This is what Moses did, according to all the Lord had commanded him – so he did.

Exodus 40:1

Setting Up the Sanctuary

40:1 ¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹¹ 

Exodus 15:11

15:11 Who is like you, ¹²  O Lord, among the gods? ¹³ 

Who is like you? – majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, ¹⁴  working wonders?

John 15:14

15:14 You are my friends ¹⁵  if you do what I command you.

¹ tn Heb “according to all.”

² tn The last clause seems redundant: “and thus (כֵּן, ken) he did.” It underscores the obedience of Noah to all that God had said.

³ sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).

⁴ tn Heb “just as the Lord said to him.”

⁵ tn The disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + implied “to be” verb) is parenthetical, telling the age of Abram when he left Haran.

⁶ tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”

⁷ tn Or “examined” (NASB, TEV); NCV “looked closely at.”

⁸ tn The deictic particle draws attention to what he saw in such a way as to give the reader Moses’ point of view and a sense of his pleasure: “and behold, they…”

⁹ sn The situation and wording in Exod 39:43 are reminiscent of Gen 1:28 and 31, with the motifs of blessing people and inspecting what has been made.

¹⁰ sn All of Exod 39:32-40:38 could be taken as a unit. The first section (39:32-43) shows that the Israelites had carefully and accurately completed the preparation and brought everything they had made to Moses: The work of the Lord builds on the faithful obedience of the people. In the second section are the instruction and the implementation (40:1-33): The work of the Lord progresses through the unifying of the work. The last part (40:34-38) may take the most attention: When the work was completed, the glory filled the tabernacle: By his glorious presence, the Lord blesses and directs his people in their worship.

¹¹ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

¹² tn The question is of course rhetorical; it is a way of affirming that no one is comparable to God. See C. J. Labuschagne, The Incomparability of Yahweh in the Old Testament, 22, 66-67, and 94-97.

¹³ sn Verses 11-17 will now focus on Yahweh as the incomparable one who was able to save Israel from their foes and afterward lead them to the promised land.

¹⁴ tn S. R. Driver suggests “praiseworthy acts” as the translation (Exodus, 137).

¹⁵ sn This verse really explains John 15:10 in another way. Those who keep Jesus’ commandments are called his friends, those friends for whom he lays down his life (v. 13). It is possible to understand this verse as referring to a smaller group within Christianity as a whole, perhaps only the apostles who were present when Jesus spoke these words. Some have supported this by comparing it to the small group of associates and advisers to the Roman Emperor who were called “Friends of the Emperor.” Others would see these words as addressed only to those Christians who as disciples were obedient to Jesus. In either case the result would be to create a sort of “inner circle” of Christians who are more privileged than mere “believers” or average Christians. In context, it seems clear that Jesus’ words must be addressed to all true Christians, not just some narrower category of believers, because Jesus’ sacrificial death, which is his act of love toward his friends (v. 13) applies to all Christians equally (cf. John 13:1).