Exodus 1:1

Blessing during Bondage in Egypt

1:1 ¹ These ²  are the names ³  of the sons of Israel ⁴  who entered Egypt – each man with his household ⁵  entered with Jacob:

Exodus 1:7

1:7 The Israelites, ⁶  however, ⁷  were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and became extremely strong, ⁸  so that the land was filled with them.

Exodus 2:21

2:21 Moses agreed ⁹  to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. ¹⁰ 

Exodus 12:38

12:38 A mixed multitude ¹¹  also went up with them, and flocks and herds – a very large number of cattle. ¹² 

Exodus 20:23

20:23 You must not make gods of silver alongside me, ¹³  nor make gods of gold for yourselves. ¹⁴ 

Exodus 25:39

25:39 About seventy-five pounds ¹⁵  of pure gold is to be used for it ¹⁶  and for all these utensils.

Exodus 40:3

40:3 You are to place the ark of the testimony in it and shield the ark with the special curtain.

Exodus 40:13

40:13 Then you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him and sanctify him so that he may minister as my priest.

[1:1]  ¹ sn Chapter 1 introduces the theme of bondage in Egypt and shows the intensifying opposition to the fulfillment of promises given earlier to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The first seven verses announce the theme of Israel’s prosperity in Egypt. The second section (vv. 8-14) reports continued prosperity in the face of deliberate opposition. The third section (vv. 15-21) explains the prosperity as divine favor in spite of Pharaoh’s covert attempts at controlling the population. The final verse records a culmination in the developing tyranny and provides a transition to the next section – Pharaoh commands the open murder of the males. The power of God is revealed in the chapter as the people flourish under the forces of evil. However, by the turn of affairs at the end of the chapter, the reader is left with a question about the power of God – “What can God do?” This is good Hebrew narrative, moving the reader through tension after tension to reveal the sovereign power and majesty of the Lord God, but calling for faith every step of the way. See also D. W. Wicke, “The Literary Structure of Exodus 1:2–2:10,” JSOT 24 (1982): 99-107.

[1:1]  ² tn Heb “now these” or “and these.” The vav (ו) disjunctive marks a new beginning in the narrative begun in Genesis.

[1:1]  ³ sn The name of the book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible is שְׁמוֹת (shÿmot), the word for “Names,” drawn from the beginning of the book. The inclusion of the names at this point forms a literary connection to the book of Genesis. It indicates that the Israelites living in bondage had retained a knowledge of their ancestry, and with it, a knowledge of God’s promise.

[1:1]  ⁴ tn The expression בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (bÿne yisra’el, “sons of Israel”) in most places refers to the nation as a whole and can be translated “Israelites,” although traditionally it has been rendered “the children of Israel” or “the sons of Israel.” Here it refers primarily to the individual sons of the patriarch Israel, for they are named. But the expression is probably also intended to indicate that they are the Israelites (cf. Gen 29:1, “eastern people,” or “easterners,” lit., “sons of the east”).

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “a man and his house.” Since this serves to explain “the sons of Israel,” it has the distributive sense. So while the “sons of Israel” refers to the actual sons of the patriarch, the expression includes their families (cf. NIV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[1:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”

[1:7]  ⁷ tn The disjunctive vav marks a contrast with the note about the deaths of the first generation.

[1:7]  ⁸ tn Using מְאֹד (mÿ’od) twice intensifies the idea of their becoming strong (see GKC 431-32 §133.k).

[2:21]  ¹¹ tn Or “and Moses was willing” to stay with Reuel. The Talmud understood this to mean that he swore, and so when it came time to leave he had to have a word from God and permission from his father-in-law (Exod 4:18-19).

[2:21]  ¹² tn The words “in marriage” are implied, and have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[12:38]  ¹⁶ tn The “mixed multitude” (עֵרֶב רַב, ’erev rav) refers to a great “swarm” (see a possible cognate in 8:21[17]) of folk who joined the Israelites, people who were impressed by the defeat of Egypt, who came to faith, or who just wanted to escape Egypt (maybe slaves or descendants of the Hyksos). The expression prepares for later references to riffraff who came along.

[12:38]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and very much cattle.”

[20:23]  ²¹ tn The direct object of the verb must be “gods of silver.” The prepositional phrase modifies the whole verse to say that these gods would then be alongside the one true God.

[20:23]  ²² tn Heb “neither will you make for you gods of gold.”

[25:39]  ²⁶ tn Heb “a talent.”

[25:39]  ²⁷ tn The text has “he will make it” or “one will make it.” With no expressed subject it is given a passive translation.