Exodus 14:25

14:25 He jammed ¹  the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving, ²  and the Egyptians said, “Let’s flee ³  from Israel, for the Lord fights ⁴  for them against Egypt!”

Numbers 23:23

23:23 For there is no spell against ⁵  Jacob,

nor is there any divination against Israel.

At this time ⁶  it must be said ⁷  of Jacob

and of Israel, ‘Look at ⁸  what God has done!’

Joshua 5:1

5:1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites while they ⁹  crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 126:2

126:2 At that time we laughed loudly

and shouted for joy. ¹¹ 

At that time the nations said, ¹² 

“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”

Acts 5:38

5:38 So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, ¹³  it will come to nothing, ¹⁴ 

[14:25]  ¹ tn The word in the text is וַיָּסַר (vayyasar), which would be translated “and he turned aside” with the sense perhaps of removing the wheels. The reading in the LXX, Smr, and Syriac suggests a root אָסַר (’asar, “to bind”). The sense here might be “clogged – presumably by their sinking in the wet sand” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 120).

[14:25]  ² tn The clause is וַיְנַהֲגֵהוּ בִּכְבֵדֻת (vaynahagehu bikhvedut). The verb means “to drive a chariot”; here in the Piel it means “cause to drive.” The suffix is collective, and so the verbal form can be translated “and caused them to drive.” The idea of the next word is “heaviness” or “hardship”; it recalls the previous uses of related words to describe Pharaoh’s heart. Here it indicates that the driving of the crippled chariots was with difficulty.

[14:25]  ³ tn The cohortative has the hortatory use here, “Let’s flee.” Although the form is singular, the sense of it is plural and so hortatory can be used. The form is singular to agree with the singular subject, “Egypt,” which obviously means the Egyptian army. The word for “flee” is used when someone runs from fear of immanent danger and is a different word than the one used in 14:5.

[14:25]  ⁴ tn The form is the Niphal participle; it is used as the predicate here, that is, the verbal use: “the Lord is fighting.” This corresponds to the announcement in v. 14.

[23:23]  ⁵ tn Or “in Jacob.” But given the context the meaning “against” is preferable. The words describe two techniques of consulting God; the first has to do with observing omens in general (“enchantments”), and the second with casting lots or arrows of the like (“divinations” [Ezek 21:26]). See N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCB), 295-96.

[23:23]  ⁶ tn The form is the preposition “like, as” and the word for “time” – according to the time, about this time, now.

[23:23]  ⁷ tn The Niphal imperfect here carries the nuance of obligation – one has to say in amazement that God has done something marvelous or “it must be said.”

[23:23]  ⁸ tn The words “look at” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[5:1]  ⁹ tc Another textual tradition has, “while we crossed.”

[5:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breathe because of the sons of Israel.”

[126:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”

[126:2]  ¹² tn Heb “they said among the nations.”

[5:38]  ¹³ tn Here ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[5:38]  ¹⁴ tn Or “it will be put to an end.”