Exodus 1:9

1:9 He said ¹  to his people, “Look at ²  the Israelite people, more numerous and stronger than we are!

Exodus 1:20

1:20 So God treated the midwives well, ³  and the people multiplied and became very strong.

Exodus 8:10

8:10 He said, “Tomorrow.” And Moses said, ⁴  “It will be ⁵  as you say, ⁶  so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.

Exodus 13:16

13:16 It will be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets ⁷  on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” ⁸ 

Exodus 6:1

6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, ⁹  for compelled by my strong hand ¹⁰  he will release them, and by my strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” ¹¹ 

Exodus 13:3

13:3 Moses said to the people, “Remember ¹²  this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved, ¹³  for the Lord brought you out of there ¹⁴  with a mighty hand – and no bread made with yeast may be eaten. ¹⁵ 

Exodus 13:9

13:9 ¹⁶  It ¹⁷  will be a sign ¹⁸  for you on your hand and a memorial ¹⁹  on your forehead, ²⁰  so that the law of the Lord may be ²¹  in your mouth, ²²  for ²³  with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

Exodus 13:14

13:14 ²⁴ In the future, ²⁵  when your son asks you ²⁶  ‘What is this?’ ²⁷  you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand ²⁸  the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the land of slavery. ²⁹ 

Exodus 19:16

19:16 On ³⁰  the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense ³¹  cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud ³²  horn; ³³  all the people who were in the camp trembled.

[1:9]  ¹ tn Heb “and he said.”

[1:9]  ² tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the exhortation to follow by drawing the listeners’ attention to the Israelites. In other words, the exhortation that follows is based on this observation. The connection could be rendered “since, because,” or the like.

[1:20]  ³ tn The verb וַיֵּיטֶב (vayyetev) is the Hiphil preterite of יָטַב (yatav). In this stem the word means “to cause good, treat well, treat favorably.” The vav (ו) consecutive shows that this favor from God was a result of their fearing and obeying him.

[8:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “And he said”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:10]  ⁶ tn “It will be” has been supplied.

[8:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “according to your word” (so NASB).

[13:16]  ⁷ tn The word is טוֹטָפֹת (totafot, “frontlets”). The etymology is uncertain, but the word denotes a sign or an object placed on the forehead (see m. Shabbat 6:1). The Gemara interprets it as a band that goes from ear to ear. In the Targum to 2 Sam 1:10 it is an armlet worn by Saul (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 110). These bands may have resembled the Egyptian practice of wearing as amulets “forms of words written on folds of papyrus tightly rolled up and sewn in linen” (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:384).

[13:16]  ⁸ sn The pattern of the passage now emerges more clearly; it concerns the grateful debt of the redeemed. In the first part eating the unleavened bread recalls the night of deliverance in Egypt, and it calls for purity. In the second part the dedication of the firstborn was an acknowledgment of the deliverance of the firstborn from bondage. They were to remember the deliverance and choose purity; they were to remember the deliverance and choose dedication. The NT will also say, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price, therefore, glorify God” (1 Cor 6:20). Here too the truths of God’s great redemption must be learned well and retained well from generation to generation.

[6:1]  ⁹ sn The expression “I will do to Pharaoh” always refers to the plagues. God would first show his sovereignty over Pharaoh before defeating him.

[6:1]  ¹⁰ tn The expression “with a strong hand” (וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה, uvÿyad khazaqah) could refer (1) to God’s powerful intervention (“compelled by my strong hand”) or (2) to Pharaoh’s forceful pursuit (“he will forcefully drive them out”). In Exod 3:20 God has summarized what his hand would do in Egypt, and that is probably what is intended here, as he promises that Moses will see what God will do. All Egypt ultimately desired that Israel be released (12:33), and when they were released Pharaoh pursued them to the sea, and so in a sense drove them out – whether that was his intention or not. But ultimately it was God’s power that was the real force behind it all. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 74) considers that it is unlikely that the phrase would be used in the same verse twice with the same meaning. So he thinks that the first “strong hand” is God’s, and the second “strong hand” is Pharaoh’s. It is true that if Pharaoh acted forcefully in any way that contributed to Israel leaving Egypt it was because God was acting forcefully in his life. So in an understated way, God is saying that when forced by God’s strong hand, Pharaoh will indeed release God’s people.”

[6:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “and he will forcefully drive them out of his land,” if the second occurrence of “strong hand” refers to Pharaoh’s rather than God’s (see the previous note).

[13:3]  ¹¹ tn The form is the infinitive absolute of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”). The use of this form in place of the imperative (also found in the Decalogue with the Sabbath instruction) stresses the basic meaning of the root word, everything involved with remembering (emphatic imperative, according to GKC 346 §113.bb). The verb usually implies that there will be proper action based on what was remembered.

[13:3]  ¹² tn Heb “from a house of slaves.” “House” is obviously not meant to be literal; it indicates a location characterized by slavery, a land of slaves, as if they were in a slave house. Egypt is also called an “iron-smelting furnace” (Deut 4:20).

[13:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “from this” [place].

[13:3]  ¹⁴ tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect; it could be rendered “must not be eaten” in the nuance of the instruction or injunction category, but permission fits this sermonic presentation very well – nothing with yeast may be eaten.

[13:9]  ¹³ sn This passage has, of course, been taken literally by many devout Jews, and portions of the text have been encased in phylacteries and bound on the arm and forehead. B. Jacob (Exodus, 368), weighing the pros and cons of the literal or the figurative meaning, says that those who took it literally should not be looked down on for their symbolic work. In many cases, he continues, it is the spirit that kills and the letter makes alive – because people who argue against a literal usage do so to excuse lack of action. This is a rather interesting twist in the discussion. The point of the teaching was obviously meant to keep the Law of Yahweh in the minds of the people, to remind them of their duties.

[13:9]  ¹⁴ tn That is, this ceremony.

[13:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “for a sign.”

[13:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for a memorial.”

[13:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “between your eyes” (KJV and ASV both similar); the same expression occurs in v. 16.

[13:9]  ¹⁸ tn The purpose of using this ceremony as a sign and a memorial is that the Law might be in their mouth. The imperfect tense, then, receives the classification of final imperfect in the purpose clause.

[13:9]  ¹⁹ sn “Mouth” is a metonymy of cause; the point is that they should be ever talking about the Law as their guide as they go about their duties (see Deut 6:7; 11:19; Josh 1:8).

[13:9]  ²⁰ tn This causal clause gives the reason for what has just been instructed. Because Yahweh delivered them from bondage, he has the strongest claims on their life.

[13:14]  ¹⁵ sn As with v. 8, the Law now requires that the children be instructed on the meaning of this observance. It is a memorial of the deliverance from bondage and the killing of the firstborn in Egypt.

[13:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “tomorrow.”

[13:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and it will be when your son will ask you.”

[13:14]  ¹⁸ tn The question is cryptic; it simply says, “What is this?” but certainly refers to the custom just mentioned. It asks, “What does this mean?” or “Why do we do this?”

[13:14]  ¹⁹ tn The expression is “with strength of hand,” making “hand” the genitive of specification. In translation “strength” becomes the modifier, because “hand” specifies where the strength was. But of course the whole expression is anthropomorphic for the power of God.

[13:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “house of slaves.”

[19:16]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and it was on.”

[19:16]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “heavy” (כָּבֵד, kaved).

[19:16]  ¹⁹ tn Literally “strong” (חָזָק, khazaq).

[19:16]  ²⁰ tn The word here is שֹׁפָר (shofar), the normal word for “horn.” This word is used especially to announce something important in a public event (see 1 Kgs 1:34; 2 Sam 6:15). The previous word used in the context (v. 16) was יֹבֵל (yovel, “ram’s horn”).