Exodus 14:11

14:11 and they said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the desert? ¹  What in the world ²  have you done to us by bringing ³  us out of Egypt?

Exodus 15:17

15:17 You will bring them in ⁴  and plant them in the mountain ⁵  of your inheritance,

in the place you made ⁶  for your residence, O Lord,

the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.

Exodus 28:15

28:15 “You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, ⁷  the work of an artistic designer; you are to make it in the same fashion as the ephod; you are to make it of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

Exodus 30:18

30:18 “You are also to make a large bronze ⁸  basin with a bronze stand ⁹  for washing. You are to put it between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it, ¹⁰ 

[14:11]  ¹ sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 396-97) notes how the speech is overly dramatic and came from a people given to using such exaggerations (Num 16:14), even using a double negative. The challenge to Moses brings a double irony. To die in the desert would be without proper burial, but in Egypt there were graves – it was a land of tombs and graves! Gesenius notes that two negatives in the sentence do not nullify each other but make the sentence all the more emphatic: “Is it because there were no graves…?” (GKC 483 §152.y).

[14:11]  ² tn The demonstrative pronoun has the enclitic use again, giving a special emphasis to the question (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[14:11]  ³ tn The Hebrew term לְהוֹצִּיאָנוּ (lÿhotsi’anu) is the Hiphil infinitive construct with a suffix, “to bring us out.” It is used epexegetically here, explaining the previous question.

[15:17]  ⁴ tn The verb is imperfect.

[15:17]  ⁵ sn The “mountain” and the “place” would be wherever Yahweh met with his people. It here refers to Canaan, the land promised to the patriarchs.

[15:17]  ⁶ tn The verb is perfect tense, referring to Yahweh’s previous choice of the holy place.

[28:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “a breastpiece of decision” (חֹשֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט, khoshen mishpat; so NAB). The first word, rendered “breastpiece,” is of uncertain etymology. This item was made of material similar to the ephod. It had four rows of three gems on it, bearing the names of the tribes. In it were the urim and thummim. J. P. Hyatt refers to a similar object found in the Egyptian reliefs, including even the twisted gold chains used to hang it from the priest (Exodus [NCBC], 282).

[30:18]  ¹⁰ sn The metal for this object was obtained from the women from their mirrors (see Exod 38:8).

[30:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and its stand bronze.”

[30:18]  ¹² tn The form is the adverb “there” with the directive qamets-he ( ָה).