Exodus 15:26

15:26 He said, “If you will diligently obey ¹  the Lord your God, and do what is right ²  in his sight, and pay attention ³  to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all ⁴  the diseases ⁵  that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.” ⁶ 

Exodus 21:29

21:29 But if the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner was warned, ⁷  and he did not take the necessary precautions, ⁸  and then it killed a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned and the man must be put to death.

Exodus 21:36

21:36 Or if it is known that the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner did not take the necessary precautions, he must surely pay ⁹  ox for ox, and the dead animal will become his. ¹⁰ 

Exodus 22:10

22:10 If a man gives his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep, and it dies or is hurt ¹¹  or is carried away ¹²  without anyone seeing it, ¹³ 

Exodus 23:15

23:15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days ¹⁴  you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that time ¹⁵  you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before ¹⁶  me empty-handed.

Exodus 31:13-14

31:13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, ¹⁷  for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ¹⁸  31:14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it ¹⁹  must surely be put to death; indeed, ²⁰  if anyone does ²¹  any ²²  work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his ²³  people.

[15:26]  ¹ tn The construction uses the infinitive absolute and the imperfect tense of שָׁמַע (shama’). The meaning of the verb is idiomatic here because it is followed by “to the voice of Yahweh your God.” When this is present, the verb is translated “obey.” The construction is in a causal clause. It reads, “If you will diligently obey.” Gesenius points out that the infinitive absolute in a conditional clause also emphasizes the importance of the condition on which the consequence depends (GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[15:26]  ² tn The word order is reversed in the text: “and the right in his eyes you do,” or, “[if] you do what is right in his eyes.” The conditional idea in the first clause is continued in this clause.

[15:26]  ³ tn Heb “give ear.” This verb and the next are both perfect tenses with the vav (ו) consecutive; they continue the sequence of the original conditional clause.

[15:26]  ⁴ tn The substantive כָּל־ (kol, “all of”) in a negative clause can be translated “none of.”

[15:26]  ⁵ sn The reference is no doubt to the plagues that Yahweh has just put on them. These will not come on God’s true people. But the interesting thing about a conditional clause like this is that the opposite is also true – “if you do not obey, then I will bring these diseases.”

[15:26]  ⁶ tn The form is רֹפְאֶךָ (rofÿ’ekha), a participle with a pronominal suffix. The word is the predicate after the pronoun “I”: “I [am] your healer.” The suffix is an objective genitive – the Lord heals them.

[21:29]  ⁷ tn The Hophal perfect has the idea of “attested, testified against.”

[21:29]  ⁸ tn Heb “he was not keeping it” or perhaps guarding or watching it (referring to the ox).

[21:36]  ¹³ tn The construction now uses the same Piel imperfect (v. 34) but adds the infinitive absolute to it for emphasis.

[21:36]  ¹⁴ sn The point of this section (21:28-36) seems to be that one must ensure the safety of others by controlling one’s property and possessions. This section pertained to neglect with animals, but the message would have applied to similar situations. The people of God were to take heed to ensure the well-being of others, and if there was a problem, it had to be made right.

[22:10]  ¹⁹ tn The form is a Niphal participle from the verb “to break” – “is broken,” which means harmed, maimed, or hurt in any way.

[22:10]  ²⁰ tn This verb is frequently used with the meaning “to take captive.” The idea here then is that raiders or robbers have carried off the animal.

[22:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “there is no one seeing.”

[23:15]  ²⁵ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[23:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in it.”

[23:15]  ²⁷ tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect; the nuance of permission works well here – no one is permitted to appear before God empty (Heb “and they will not appear before me empty”).

[31:13]  ³¹ sn The instruction for the Sabbath at this point seems rather abrupt, but it follows logically the extended plans of building the sanctuary. B. Jacob, following some of the earlier treatments, suggests that these are specific rules given for the duration of the building of the sanctuary (Exodus, 844). The Sabbath day is a day of complete cessation; no labor or work could be done. The point here is that God’s covenant people must faithfully keep the sign of the covenant as a living commemoration of the finished work of Yahweh, and as an active part in their sanctification. See also H. Routtenberg, “The Laws of Sabbath: Biblical Sources,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 41-43, 99-101, 153-55, 204-6; G. Robinson, “The Idea of Rest in the OT and the Search for the Basic Character of Sabbath,” ZAW 92 (1980): 32-42; M. Tsevat, “The Basic Meaning of the Biblical Sabbath, ZAW 84 (1972): 447-59; M. T. Willshaw, “A Joyous Sign,” ExpTim 89 (1978): 179-80.

[31:13]  ³² tn Or “your sanctifier.”

[31:14]  ³⁷ tn This clause is all from one word, a Piel plural participle with a third, feminine suffix: מְחַלְלֶיהָ (mÿkhalleha, “defilers of it”). This form serves as the subject of the sentence. The word חָלַל (khalal) is the antonym of קָדַשׁ (qadash, “to be holy”). It means “common, profane,” and in the Piel stem “make common, profane” or “defile.” Treating the Sabbath like an ordinary day would profane it, make it common.

[31:14]  ³⁸ tn This is the asseverative use of כִּי (ki) meaning “surely, indeed,” for it restates the point just made (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §449).

[31:14]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the one who does.”

[31:14]  ⁴⁰ tn “any” has been supplied.

[31:14]  ⁴¹ tn Literally “her” (a feminine pronoun agreeing with “soul/life,” which is grammatically feminine).