Exodus 20:19-22

20:19 They said to Moses, “You speak ¹  to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.” 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, ²  that the fear of him ³  may be before you so that you do not ⁴  sin.” 20:21 The people kept ⁵  their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness ⁶  where God was. ⁷ 

The Altar

20:22 ⁸ The Lord said ⁹  to Moses: “Thus you will tell the Israelites: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven.

Exodus 24:1-12

The Lord Ratifies the Covenant

24:1 ¹⁰ But to Moses the Lord ¹¹  said, “Come up ¹²  to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance. ¹³  24:2 Moses alone may come ¹⁴  near the Lord, but the others ¹⁵  must not come near, ¹⁶  nor may the people go up with him.”

24:3 Moses came ¹⁷  and told the people all the Lord’s words ¹⁸  and all the decisions. All the people answered together, ¹⁹  “We are willing to do ²⁰  all the words that the Lord has said,” 24:4 and Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Early in the morning he built ²¹  an altar at the foot ²²  of the mountain and arranged ²³  twelve standing stones ²⁴  – according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 24:5 He sent young Israelite men, ²⁵  and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls for peace offerings ²⁶  to the Lord. 24:6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and half of the blood he splashed on the altar. ²⁷  24:7 He took the Book of the Covenant ²⁸  and read it aloud ²⁹  to the people, and they said, “We are willing to do and obey ³⁰  all that the Lord has spoken.” 24:8 So Moses took the blood and splashed it on ³¹  the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant ³²  that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

24:9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up, ³³  24:10 and they saw ³⁴  the God of Israel. Under his feet ³⁵  there was something like a pavement ³⁶  made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself. ³⁷  24:11 But he did not lay a hand ³⁸  on the leaders of the Israelites, so they saw God, ³⁹  and they ate and they drank. ⁴⁰ 

24:12 ⁴¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me to the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets ⁴²  with ⁴³  the law and the commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them.” ⁴⁴ 

Exodus 34:27-35

34:27 The Lord said to Moses, “Write down ⁴⁵  these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 34:28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; ⁴⁶  he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. ⁴⁷ 

The Radiant Face of Moses

34:29 ⁴⁸ Now when Moses came down ⁴⁹  from Mount Sinai with ⁵⁰  the two tablets of the testimony in his hand ⁵¹  – when he came down ⁵²  from the mountain, Moses ⁵³  did not know that the skin of his face shone ⁵⁴  while he talked with him. 34:30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone; ⁵⁵  and they were afraid to approach him. 34:31 But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and Moses spoke to them. 34:32 After this all the Israelites approached, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 34:33 When Moses finished ⁵⁶  speaking ⁵⁷  with them, he would ⁵⁸  put a veil on his face. 34:34 But when Moses went in ⁵⁹  before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. ⁶⁰  Then he would come out and tell the Israelites what he had been commanded. ⁶¹  34:35 When the Israelites would see ⁶²  the face of Moses, that ⁶³  the skin of Moses’ face shone, Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord. ⁶⁴ 

Leviticus 15:32

15:32 This is the law of the one with a discharge: the one who has a seminal emission ⁶⁵  and becomes unclean by it, ⁶⁶ 

Deuteronomy 5:5

5:5 (I was standing between the Lord and you at that time to reveal to you the message ⁶⁷  of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain.) He said:

Deuteronomy 5:22-33

The Narrative of the Sinai Revelation and Israel’s Response

5:22 The Lord said these things to your entire assembly at the mountain from the middle of the fire, the cloud, and the darkness with a loud voice, and that was all he said. ⁶⁸  Then he inscribed the words ⁶⁹  on two stone tablets and gave them to me. 5:23 Then, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness while the mountain was ablaze, all your tribal leaders and elders approached me. 5:24 You said, “The Lord our God has shown us his great glory ⁷⁰  and we have heard him speak from the middle of the fire. It is now clear to us ⁷¹  that God can speak to human beings and they can keep on living. 5:25 But now, why should we die, because this intense fire will consume us! If we keep hearing the voice of the Lord our God we will die! 5:26 Who is there from the entire human race ⁷²  who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the middle of the fire as we have, and has lived? 5:27 You go near so that you can hear everything the Lord our God is saying and then you can tell us whatever he ⁷³  says to you; then we will pay attention and do it.” 5:28 When the Lord heard you speaking to me, he ⁷⁴  said to me, “I have heard what these people have said to you – they have spoken well. 5:29 If only it would really be their desire to fear me and obey ⁷⁵  all my commandments in the future, so that it may go well with them and their descendants forever. 5:30 Go and tell them, ‘Return to your tents!’ 5:31 But as for you, remain here with me so I can declare to you all the commandments, ⁷⁶  statutes, and ordinances that you are to teach them, so that they can carry them out in the land I am about to give them.” ⁷⁷  5:32 Be careful, therefore, to do exactly what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn right or left! 5:33 Walk just as he ⁷⁸  has commanded you so that you may live, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long ⁷⁹  in the land you are going to possess.

Deuteronomy 9:13-20

9:13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn ⁸⁰  lot! 9:14 Stand aside ⁸¹  and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory, ⁸²  and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they are.”

9:15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it ⁸³  was blazing with fire; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 9:16 When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf; ⁸⁴  you had quickly turned aside from the way he ⁸⁵  had commanded you! 9:17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, ⁸⁶  and shattered them before your very eyes. 9:18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 9:19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger ⁸⁷  that threatened to destroy you. But he ⁸⁸  listened to me this time as well. 9:20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him ⁸⁹  too.

Deuteronomy 9:25-29

Moses’ Plea on Behalf of the Lord’s Reputation

9:25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights, ⁹⁰  for he ⁹¹  had said he would destroy you. 9:26 I prayed to him: ⁹²  O, Lord God, ⁹³  do not destroy your people, your valued property ⁹⁴  that you have powerfully redeemed, ⁹⁵  whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength. ⁹⁶  9:27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. 9:28 Otherwise the people of the land ⁹⁷  from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the desert.” ⁹⁸  9:29 They are your people, your valued property, ⁹⁹  whom you brought out with great strength and power. ¹⁰⁰ 

Deuteronomy 18:15-19

18:15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you – from your fellow Israelites; ¹⁰¹  you must listen to him. 18:16 This accords with what happened at Horeb in the day of the assembly. You asked the Lord your God: “Please do not make us hear the voice of the Lord our ¹⁰²  God any more or see this great fire any more lest we die.” 18:17 The Lord then said to me, “What they have said is good. 18:18 I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command. 18:19 I will personally hold responsible ¹⁰³  anyone who then pays no attention to the words that prophet ¹⁰⁴  speaks in my name.

Psalms 106:23

106:23 He threatened ¹⁰⁵  to destroy them,

but ¹⁰⁶  Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him ¹⁰⁷ 

and turned back his destructive anger. ¹⁰⁸ 

John 1:17

1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but ¹⁰⁹  grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.

Acts 7:38

7:38 This is the man who was in the congregation ¹¹⁰  in the wilderness ¹¹¹  with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, ¹¹²  and he ¹¹³  received living oracles ¹¹⁴  to give to you. ¹¹⁵ 

[20:19]  ¹ tn The verb is a Piel imperative. In this context it has more of the sense of a request than a command. The independent personal pronoun “you” emphasizes the subject and forms the contrast with God’s speaking.

[20:20]  ² tn נַסּוֹת (nassot) is the Piel infinitive construct; it forms the purpose of God’s coming with all the accompanying phenomena. The verb can mean “to try, test, prove.” The sense of “prove” fits this context best because the terrifying phenomena were intended to put the fear of God in their hearts so that they would obey. In other words, God was inspiring them to obey, not simply testing to see if they would.

[20:20]  ³ tn The suffix on the noun is an objective genitive, referring to the fear that the people would have of God (GKC 439 §135.m).

[20:20]  ⁴ tn The negative form לְבִלְתִּי (lÿvilti) is used here with the imperfect tense (see for other examples GKC 483 §152.x). This gives the imperfect the nuance of a final imperfect: that you might not sin. Others: to keep you from sin.

[20:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “and they stood”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:21]  ⁶ sn The word עֲרָפֶל (’arafel) is used in poetry in Ps 18:9 and 1 Kgs 8:12; and it is used in Deut 4:11, 5:22 [19].

[20:21]  ⁷ sn It will not be hard to expound the passage on the Ten Commandments once their place in scripture has been determined. They, for the most part, are reiterated in the NT, in one way or another, usually with a much higher standard that requires attention to the spirit of the laws. Thus, these laws reveal God’s standard of righteousness by revealing sin. No wonder the Israelites were afraid when they saw the manifestation of God and heard his laws. When the whole covenant is considered, preamble and all, then it becomes clear that the motivation for obeying the commands is the person and the work of the covenant God – the one who redeemed his people. Obedience then becomes a response of devotion and adoration to the Redeemer who set them free. It becomes loyal service, not enslavement to laws. The point could be worded this way: God requires that his covenant people, whom he has redeemed, and to whom he has revealed himself, give their absolute allegiance and obedience to him. This means they will worship and serve him and safeguard the well-being of each other.

[20:22]  ⁸ sn Based on the revelation of the holy sovereign God, this pericope instructs Israel on the form of proper worship of such a God. It focuses on the altar, the centerpiece of worship. The point of the section is this: those who worship this holy God must preserve holiness in the way they worship – they worship where he permits, in the manner he prescribes, and with the blessings he promises. This paragraph is said to open the Book of the Covenant, which specifically rules on matters of life and worship.

[20:22]  ⁹ tn Heb “and Yahweh said.”

[24:1]  ¹⁰ sn Exod 24 is the high point of the book in many ways, but most importantly, here Yahweh makes a covenant with the people – the Sinaitic Covenant. The unit not only serves to record the event in Israel’s becoming a nation, but it provides a paradigm of the worship of God’s covenant people – entering into the presence of the glory of Yahweh. See additionally W. A. Maier, “The Analysis of Exodus 24 According to Modern Literary, Form, and Redaction Critical Methodology,” Springfielder 37 (1973): 35-52. The passage may be divided into four parts for exposition: vv. 1-2, the call for worship; vv. 3-8, the consecration of the worshipers; vv. 9-11, the confirmation of the covenant; and vv. 12-18, the communication with Yahweh.

[24:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “And he;” the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:1]  ¹² sn They were to come up to the Lord after they had made the preparations that are found in vv. 3-8.

[24:1]  ¹³ sn These seventy-four people were to go up the mountain to a certain point. Then they were to prostrate themselves and worship Yahweh as Moses went further up into the presence of Yahweh. Moses occupies the lofty position of mediator (as Christ in the NT), for he alone ascends “to Yahweh” while everyone waits for his return. The emphasis of “bowing down” and that from “far off” stresses again the ominous presence that was on the mountain. This was the holy God – only the designated mediator could draw near to him.

[24:2]  ¹⁴ tn The verb is a perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive; it and the preceding perfect tense follow the imperative, and so have either a force of instruction, or, as taken here, are the equivalent of an imperfect tense (of permission).

[24:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they.”

[24:2]  ¹⁶ tn Now the imperfect tense negated is used; here the prohibition would fit (“they will not come near”), or the obligatory (“they must not”) in which the subjects are obliged to act – or not act in this case.

[24:3]  ¹⁷ sn The general consensus among commentators is that this refers to Moses’ coming from the mountain after he made the ascent in 20:21. Here he came and told them the laws (written in 20:22-23:33), and of the call to come up to Yahweh.

[24:3]  ¹⁸ sn The Decalogue may not be included here because the people had heard those commands themselves earlier.

[24:3]  ¹⁹ tn The text simply has “one voice” (קוֹל אֶחָד, qol ’ekhad); this is an adverbial accusative of manner, telling how the people answered – “in one voice,” or unanimously (see GKC 375 §118.q).

[24:3]  ²⁰ tn The verb is the imperfect tense (נַעֲשֶׂה, na’aseh), although the form could be classified as a cohortative. If the latter, they would be saying that they are resolved to do what God said. If it is an imperfect, then the desiderative would make the most sense: “we are willing to do.” They are not presumptuously saying they are going to do all these things.

[24:4]  ²¹ tn The two preterites quite likely form a verbal hendiadys (the verb “to get up early” is frequently in such constructions). Literally it says, “and he got up early [in the morning] and he built”; this means “early [in the morning] he built.” The first verb becomes the adverb.

[24:4]  ²² tn “under.”

[24:4]  ²³ tn The verb “arranged” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied to clarify exactly what Moses did with the twelve stones.

[24:4]  ²⁴ tn The thing numbered is found in the singular when the number is plural – “twelve standing-stone.” See GKC 433 §134.f. The “standing-stone” could be a small piece about a foot high, or a huge column higher than men. They served to commemorate treaties (Gen 32), or visions (Gen 28) or boundaries, or graves. Here it will function with the altar as a place of worship.

[24:5]  ²⁵ tn The construct has “young men of the Israelites,” and so “Israelite” is a genitive that describes them.

[24:5]  ²⁶ tn The verbs and their respective accusatives are cognates. First, they offered up burnt offerings (see Lev 1), which is וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת (vayya’alu ’olot); then they sacrificed young bulls as peace sacrifices (Lev 3), which is in Hebrew וַיִּזְבְּחוּ זְבָחִים (vayyizbÿkhu zÿvakhim). In the first case the cognate accusative is the direct object; in the second it is an adverbial accusative of product. See on this covenant ritual H. M. Kamsler, “The Blood Covenant in the Bible,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 94-98; E. W. Nicholson, “The Covenant Ritual in Exodus 24:3-8,” VT 32 (1982): 74-86.

[24:6]  ²⁷ sn The people and Yahweh through this will be united by blood, for half was spattered on the altar and the other half spattered on/toward the people (v. 8).

[24:7]  ²⁸ tn The noun “book” would be the scroll just written containing the laws of chaps. 20-23. On the basis of this scroll the covenant would be concluded here. The reading of this book would assure the people that it was the same that they had agreed to earlier. But now their statement of willingness to obey would be more binding, because their promise would be confirmed by a covenant of blood.

[24:7]  ²⁹ tn Heb “read it in the ears of.”

[24:7]  ³⁰ tn A second verb is now added to the people’s response, and it is clearly an imperfect and not a cohortative, lending support for the choice of desiderative imperfect in these commitments – “we want to obey.” This was their compliance with the covenant.

[24:8]  ³¹ tn Given the size of the congregation, the preposition might be rendered here “toward the people” rather than on them (all).

[24:8]  ³² sn The construct relationship “the blood of the covenant” means “the blood by which the covenant is ratified” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 254). The parallel with the inauguration of the new covenant in the blood of Christ is striking (see, e.g., Matt 26:28, 1 Cor 11:25). When Jesus was inaugurating the new covenant, he was bringing to an end the old.

[24:9]  ³³ tn The verse begins with “and Moses went up, and Aaron….” This verse may supply the sequel to vv. 1-2. At any rate, God was now accepting them into his presence.

[24:10]  ³⁴ sn S. R. Driver (Exodus, 254) wishes to safeguard the traditional idea that God could not be seen by reading “they saw the place where the God of Israel stood” so as not to say they saw God. But according to U. Cassuto there is not a great deal of difference between “and they saw the God” and “the Lord God appeared” (Exodus, 314). He thinks that the word “God” is used instead of “Yahweh” to say that a divine phenomenon was seen. It is in the LXX that they add “the place where he stood.” In v. 11b the LXX has “and they appeared in the place of God.” See James Barr, “Theophany and Anthropomorphism in the Old Testament,” VTSup 7 (1959): 31-33. There is no detailed description here of what they saw (cf. Isa 6; Ezek 1). What is described amounts to what a person could see when prostrate.

[24:10]  ³⁵ sn S. R. Driver suggests that they saw the divine Glory, not directly, but as they looked up from below, through what appeared to be a transparent blue sapphire pavement (Exodus, 254).

[24:10]  ³⁶ tn Or “tiles.”

[24:10]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and like the body of heaven for clearness.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven” or “sky” depending on the context; here, where sapphire is mentioned (a blue stone) “sky” seems more appropriate, since the transparent blueness of the sapphire would appear like the blueness of the cloudless sky.

[24:11]  ³⁸ tn Heb “he did not stretch out his hand,” i.e., to destroy them.

[24:11]  ³⁹ tn The verb is חָזָה (khazah); it can mean “to see, perceive” or “see a vision” as the prophets did. The LXX safeguarded this by saying, “appeared in the place of God.” B. Jacob says they beheld – prophetically, religiously (Exodus, 746) – but the meaning of that is unclear. The fact that God did not lay a hand on them – to kill them – shows that they saw something that they never expected to see and live. Some Christian interpreters have taken this to refer to a glorious appearance of the preincarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity. They saw the brilliance of this manifestation – but not the detail. Later, Moses will still ask to see God’s glory – the real presence behind the phenomena.

[24:11]  ⁴⁰ sn This is the covenant meal, the peace offering, that they are eating there on the mountain. To eat from the sacrifice meant that they were at peace with God, in covenant with him. Likewise, in the new covenant believers draw near to God on the basis of sacrifice, and eat of the sacrifice because they are at peace with him, and in Christ they see the Godhead revealed.

[24:12]  ⁴¹ sn Now the last part is recorded in which Moses ascends to Yahweh to receive the tablets of stone. As Moses disappears into the clouds, the people are given a vision of the glory of Yahweh.

[24:12]  ⁴² sn These are the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments would be written. This is the first time they are mentioned. The commandments were apparently proclaimed by God first and then proclaimed to the people by Moses. Now that they have been formally agreed on and ratified, they will be written by God on stone for a perpetual covenant.

[24:12]  ⁴³ tn Or “namely”; or “that is to say.” The vav (ו) on the noun does not mean that this is in addition to the tablets of stone; the vav is explanatory. Gesenius has “to wit”; see GKC 484-85 §154.a, n. 1(b).

[24:12]  ⁴⁴ tn The last word of the verse is לְהוֹרֹתָם (lÿhorotam), the Hiphil infinitive construct of יָרָה (yarah). It serves as a purpose clause, “to teach them,” meaning “I am giving you this Law and these commands in order that you may teach them.” This duty to teach the Law will be passed especially to parents (Deut 6:6-9, 20-25) and to the tribe of Levi as a whole (Deut 33:9-10; Mal 2:1-9).

[34:27]  ⁴⁵ tn Once again the preposition with the suffix follows the imperative, adding some emphasis to the subject of the verb.

[34:28]  ⁴⁶ tn These too are adverbial in relation to the main clause, telling how long Moses was with Yahweh on the mountain.

[34:28]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “the ten words,” though “commandments” is traditional.

[34:29]  ⁴⁸ sn Now, at the culmination of the renewing of the covenant, comes the account of Moses’ shining face. It is important to read this in its context first, holding off on the connection to Paul’s discussion in 2 Corinthians. There is a delicate balance here in Exodus. On the one hand Moses’ shining face served to authenticate the message, but on the other hand Moses prevented the people from seeing more than they could handle. The subject matter in the OT, then, is how to authenticate the message. The section again can be subdivided into three points that develop the whole idea: I. The one who spends time with God reflects his glory (29-30). It will not always be as Moses; rather, the glory of the Lord is reflected differently today, but nonetheless reflected. II. The glory of Yahweh authenticates the message (31-32). III. The authentication of the message must be used cautiously with the weak and immature (33-35).

[34:29]  ⁴⁹ tn The temporal clause is composed of the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), followed by the temporal preposition, infinitive construct, and subjective genitive (“Moses”).

[34:29]  ⁵⁰ tn The second clause begins with “and/now”; it is a circumstantial clause explaining that the tablets were in his hand. It repeats the temporal clause at the end.

[34:29]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “in the hand of Moses.”

[34:29]  ⁵² tn The temporal clause parallels the first temporal clause; it uses the same infinitive construct, but now with a suffix referring to Moses.

[34:29]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and Moses.”

[34:29]  ⁵⁴ tn The word קָרַן (qaran) is derived from the noun קֶרֶן (qeren) in the sense of a “ray of light” (see Hab 3:4). Something of the divine glory remained with Moses. The Greek translation of Aquila and the Latin Vulgate convey the idea that he had horns, the primary meaning of the word from which this word is derived. Some have tried to defend this, saying that the glory appeared like horns or that Moses covered his face with a mask adorned with horns. But in the text the subject of the verb is the skin of Moses’ face (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 449).

[34:30]  ⁵⁵ tn This clause is introduced by the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh); it has the force of pointing to something surprising or sudden.

[34:33]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and Moses finished”; the clause is subordinated as a temporal clause to the next clause.

[34:33]  ⁵⁷ tn The Piel infinitive construct is the object of the preposition; the whole phrase serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”

[34:33]  ⁵⁸ tn Throughout this section the actions of Moses and the people are frequentative. The text tells what happened regularly.

[34:34]  ⁵⁹ tn The construction uses a infinitive construct for the temporal clause; it is prefixed with the temporal preposition: “and in the going in of Moses.”

[34:34]  ⁶⁰ tn The temporal clause begins with the temporal preposition “until,” followed by an infinitive construct with the suffixed subjective genitive.

[34:34]  ⁶¹ tn The form is the Pual imperfect, but since the context demands a past tense here, in fact a past perfect tense, this is probably an old preterite form without a vav consecutive.

[34:35]  ⁶² tn Now the perfect tense with vav consecutive is subordinated to the next clause, “Moses returned the veil….”

[34:35]  ⁶³ tn Verbs of seeing often take two accusatives. Here, the second is the noun clause explaining what it was about the face that they saw.

[34:35]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “with him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:32]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “and who a lying of seed goes out from him.”

[15:32]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “to become unclean in it.”

[5:5]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “word” (so KJV, NASB, NIV); NRSV “words.”

[5:22]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and he added no more” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NLT “This was all he said at that time.”

[5:22]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the words spoken by the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:24]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “his glory and his greatness.”

[5:24]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “this day we have seen.”

[5:26]  ⁷² tn Heb “who is there of all flesh.”

[5:27]  ⁷³ tn Heb “the Lord our God.” See note on “He” in 5:3.

[5:28]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “He” in 5:3.

[5:29]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “keep” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[5:31]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “commandment.” The MT actually has the singular (הַמִּצְוָה, hammitsvah), suggesting perhaps that the following terms (חֻקִּים [khuqqim] and מִשְׁפָּטִים [mishpatim]) are in epexegetical apposition to “commandment.” That is, the phrase could be translated “the entire command, namely, the statutes and ordinances.” This would essentially make מִצְוָה (mitsvah) synonymous with תּוֹרָה (torah), the usual term for the whole collection of law.

[5:31]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “to possess it” (so KJV, ASV); NLT “as their inheritance.”

[5:33]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[5:33]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “may prolong your days”; NAB “may have long life”; TEV “will continue to live.”

[9:13]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “stiff-necked.” See note on the word “stubborn” in 9:6.

[9:14]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “leave me alone.”

[9:14]  ⁸² tn Heb “from under heaven.”

[9:15]  ⁸³ tn Heb “the mountain.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[9:16]  ⁸⁴ tn On the phrase “metal calf,” see note on the term “metal image” in v. 12.

[9:16]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:17]  ⁸⁶ tn The Hebrew text includes “from upon my two hands,” but as this seems somewhat obvious and redundant, it has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[9:19]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” Although many English versions translate as two terms, this construction is a hendiadys which serves to intensify the emotion (cf. NAB, TEV “fierce anger”).

[9:19]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:20]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “Aaron.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid redundancy.

[9:25]  ⁹⁰ tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.

[9:25]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:26]  ⁹² tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:26]  ⁹³ tn Heb “Lord Lord” (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, ’adonay yÿhvih). The phrase is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God” (אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהִים, ’adonay ’elohim). See also the note on the phrase “Lord God” in Deut 3:24.

[9:26]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “your inheritance”; NLT “your special (very own NRSV) possession.” Israel is compared to landed property that one would inherit from his ancestors and pass on to his descendants.

[9:26]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”

[9:26]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “by your strong hand.”

[9:28]  ⁹⁷ tc The MT reads only “the land.” Smr supplies עַם (’am, “people”) and LXX and its dependents supply “the inhabitants of the land.” The truncated form found in the MT is adequate to communicate the intended meaning; the words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:28]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT).

[9:29]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “your inheritance.” See note at v. 26.

[9:29]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “an outstretched arm.”

[18:15]  ¹⁰¹ tc The MT expands here on the usual formula by adding “from among you” (cf. Deut 17:15; 18:18; Smr; a number of Greek texts). The expansion seems to be for the purpose of emphasis, i.e., the prophet to come must be not just from Israel but an Israelite by blood.

[18:16]  ¹⁰² tn The Hebrew text uses the collective singular in this verse: “my God…lest I die.”

[18:19]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “will seek from him”; NAB “I myself will make him answer for it”; NRSV “will hold accountable.”

[18:19]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet mentioned in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[106:23]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “and he said.”

[106:23]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”

[106:23]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”

[106:23]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”

[1:17]  ¹⁰⁹ tn “But” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the implied contrast between the Mosaic law and grace through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 seems to indicate clearly that the Old Covenant (Sinai) was being contrasted with the New. In Jewish sources the Law was regarded as a gift from God (Josephus, Ant. 3.8.10 [3.223]; Pirqe Avot 1.1; Sifre Deut 31:4 §305). Further information can be found in T. F. Glasson, Moses in the Fourth Gospel (SBT).

[7:38]  ¹¹⁰ tn This term, ἐκκλησία (ekklhsia), is a secular use of the term that came to mean “church” in the epistles. Here a reference to an assembly is all that is intended.

[7:38]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “desert.”

[7:38]  ¹¹² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:38]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “fathers, who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he” and a new clause introduced by “and” was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[7:38]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “messages.” This is an allusion to the law given to Moses.

[7:38]  ¹¹⁵ tc ‡ The first person pronoun ἡμῖν (Jhmin, “to us”) is read by A C D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï lat sy, while the second person pronoun ὑμῖν (Jumin, “to you”) is read by Ì⁷⁴ א B 36 453 al co. The second person pronoun thus has significantly better external support. As well, ὑμῖν is a harder reading in this context, both because it is surrounded by first person pronouns and because Stephen perhaps “does not wish to disassociate himself from those who received God’s revelation in the past, but only from those who misinterpreted and disobeyed that revelation” (TCGNT 307). At the same time, Stephen does associate himself to some degree with his disobedient ancestors in v. 39, suggesting that the decisive break does not really come until v. 51 (where both his present audience and their ancestors are viewed as rebellious). Thus, both externally and internally ὑμῖν is the preferred reading.