Exodus 1:7

1:7 The Israelites, ¹  however, ²  were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and became extremely strong, ³  so that the land was filled with them.

Exodus 5:5

5:5 Pharaoh was thinking, ⁴  “The people of the land are now many, and you are giving them rest from their labor.”

Exodus 5:11

5:11 You ⁵  go get straw for yourselves wherever you can ⁶  find it, because there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’”

Exodus 7:6

7:6 And Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.

Exodus 12:38

12:38 A mixed multitude ⁷  also went up with them, and flocks and herds – a very large number of cattle. ⁸ 

Exodus 25:18

25:18 You are to make two cherubim ⁹  of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid.

Exodus 25:28-29

25:28 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them. ¹⁰  25:29 You are to make its plates, ¹¹  its ladles, ¹²  its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings; ¹³  you are to make them of pure gold.

Exodus 26:7

26:7 “You are to make curtains of goats’ hair ¹⁴  for a tent over the tabernacle; ¹⁵  you are to make ¹⁶  eleven curtains.

Exodus 27:6

27:6 You are to make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you are to overlay them with bronze.

Exodus 29:4

29:4 “You are to present ¹⁷  Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the tent of meeting. You are to wash ¹⁸  them with water

Exodus 30:29-30

30:29 So you are to sanctify them, ¹⁹  and they will be most holy; ²⁰  anything that touches them will be holy. ²¹ 

30:30 “You are to anoint Aaron and his sons and ²²  sanctify them, so that they may minister as my priests.

Exodus 36:14

36:14 He made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains. ²³ 

Exodus 37:7

37:7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid,

Exodus 37:15

37:15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table.

Exodus 40:12

40:12 “You are to bring ²⁴  Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.

[1:7]  ¹ tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”

[1:7]  ² tn The disjunctive vav marks a contrast with the note about the deaths of the first generation.

[1:7]  ³ tn Using מְאֹד (mÿ’od) twice intensifies the idea of their becoming strong (see GKC 431-32 §133.k).

[5:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “And Pharaoh said.” This is not the kind of thing that Pharaoh is likely to have said to Moses, and so it probably is what he thought or reasoned within himself. Other passages (like Exod 2:14; 3:3) show that the verb “said” can do this. (See U. Cassuto, Exodus, 67.)

[5:11]  ⁷ tn The independent personal pronoun emphasizes that the people were to get their own straw, and it heightens the contrast with the king. “You – go get.”

[5:11]  ⁸ tn The tense in this section could be translated as having the nuance of possibility: “wherever you may find it,” or the nuance of potential imperfect: “wherever you are able to find any.”

[12:38]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and very much cattle.”

[25:18]  ¹³ tn The evidence suggests that the cherubim were composite angelic creatures that always indicated the nearness of God. So here images of them were to be crafted and put on each end of the ark of the covenant to signify that they were there. Ezekiel 1 describes four cherubim as each having human faces, four wings, and parts of different animals for their bodies. Traditions of them appear in the other cultures as well. They serve to guard the holy places and to bear the throne of God. Here they were to be beaten out as part of the lid.

[25:28]  ¹⁶ tn The verb is a Niphal perfect with vav consecutive, showing here the intended result: “so that [the table] might be lifted up [by them].” The noun “the table” is introduced by what looks like the sign of the accusative, but here it serves to introduce or emphasize the nominative (see GKC 365 §117.i).

[25:29]  ¹⁹ tn Or “a deep gold dish.” The four nouns in this list are items associated with the table and its use.

[25:29]  ²⁰ tn Or “cups” (NAB, TEV).

[25:29]  ²¹ tn The expression “for pouring out offerings” represents Hebrew אֲשֶׁר יֻסַּךְ בָּהֵן (’asher yussakh bahen). This literally says, “which it may be poured out with them,” or “with which [libations] may be poured out.”

[26:7]  ²² sn This chapter will show that there were two sets of curtains and two sets of coverings that went over the wood building to make the tabernacle or dwelling place. The curtains of fine linen described above could be seen only by the priests from inside. Above that was the curtain of goats’ hair. Then over that were the coverings, an inner covering of rams’ skins dyed red and an outer covering of hides of fine leather. The movement is from the inside to the outside because it is God’s dwelling place; the approach of the worshiper would be the opposite. The pure linen represented the righteousness of God, guarded by the embroidered cherubim; the curtain of goats’ hair was a reminder of sin through the daily sin offering of a goat; the covering of rams’ skins dyed red was a reminder of the sacrifice and the priestly ministry set apart by blood, and the outer covering marked the separation between God and the world. These are the interpretations set forth by Kaiser; others vary, but not greatly (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:459).

[26:7]  ²³ sn This curtain will serve “for a tent over the tabernacle,” as a dwelling place.

[26:7]  ²⁴ tn Heb “you will make them”

[29:4]  ²⁵ tn Here too the verb is Hiphil (now imperfect) meaning “bring near” the altar. The choice of this verb indicates that they were not merely being brought near, but that they were being formally presented to Yahweh as the offerings were.

[29:4]  ²⁶ sn This is the washing referred to in Lev 8:6. This is a complete washing, not just of the hands and feet that would follow in the course of service. It had to serve as a symbolic ritual cleansing or purifying as the initial stage in the consecration. The imagery of washing will be used in the NT for regeneration (Titus 3:5).

[30:29]  ²⁸ tn The verb is a Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; in this verse it is summarizing or explaining what the anointing has accomplished. This is the effect of the anointing (see Exod 29:36).

[30:29]  ²⁹ tn This is the superlative genitive again, Heb “holy of holies.”

[30:29]  ³⁰ tn See Exod 29:37; as before, this could refer to anything or anyone touching the sanctified items.

[30:30]  ³¹ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive follows the imperfect of instruction; it may be equal to the instruction, but more likely shows the purpose or result of the act.

[36:14]  ³⁴ tn Heb “eleven curtains he made them.”

[40:12]  ³⁷ tn The verb is “bring near,” or “present,” to Yahweh.