Exodus 10:14

10:14 The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and settled down in all the territory ¹  of Egypt. It was very severe; ²  there had been no locusts like them before, nor will there be such ever again. ³ 

Exodus 12:12

12:12 I will pass through ⁴  the land of Egypt in the same ⁵  night, and I will attack ⁶  all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of humans and of animals, ⁷  and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. ⁸  I am the Lord.

Exodus 23:5

23:5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must not ignore him, ⁹  but be sure to help ¹⁰  him with it. ¹¹ 

[10:14]  ¹ tn Heb “border.”

[10:14]  ² tn This is an interpretive translation. The clause simply has כָּבֵד מְאֹד (kaved mÿ’od), the stative verb with the adverb – “it was very heavy.” The description prepares for the following statement about the uniqueness of this locust infestation.

[10:14]  ³ tn Heb “after them.”

[12:12]  ⁴ tn The verb וְעָבַרְתִּי (vÿ’avarti) is a Qal perfect with vav (ו) consecutive, announcing the future action of God in bringing judgment on the land. The word means “pass over, across, through.” This verb provides a contextual motive for the name “Passover.”

[12:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “this night.”

[12:12]  ⁶ tn The verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to strike, smite, attack”; it does not always mean “to kill,” but that is obviously its outcome in this context. This is also its use in 2:12, describing how Moses killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand.

[12:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “from man and to beast.”

[12:12]  ⁸ tn The phrase אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים (’e’eseh shÿfatim) is “I will do judgments.” The statement clearly includes what had begun in Exod 6:1. But the statement that God would judge the gods of Egypt is appropriately introduced here (see also Num 33:4) because with the judgment on Pharaoh and the deliverance from bondage, Yahweh would truly show himself to be the one true God. Thus, “I am Yahweh” is fitting here (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 312).

[23:5]  ⁷ tn The line reads “you will cease to forsake him” – refrain from leaving your enemy without help.

[23:5]  ⁸ tn The law is emphatic here as well, using the infinitive absolute and the imperfect of instruction (or possibly obligation). There is also a wordplay here: two words עָזַב (’azav) are used, one meaning “forsake” and the other possibly meaning “arrange” based on Arabic and Ugaritic evidence (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 297-98).

[23:5]  ⁹ sn See H. B. Huffmon, “Exodus 23:4-5: A Comparative Study,” A Light Unto My Path, 271-78.