Exodus 15:6

15:6 Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic ¹  in power,

your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.

Exodus 15:9

15:9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase, ²  I will overtake,

I will divide the spoil;

my desire ³  will be satisfied on them.

I will draw ⁴  my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ ⁵ 

Exodus 23:4

23:4 “If you encounter ⁶  your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return ⁷  it to him.

Exodus 23:22

23:22 But if you diligently obey him ⁸  and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries.

Exodus 23:27

23:27 “I will send my terror ⁹  before you, and I will destroy ¹⁰  all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs ¹¹  to you.

[15:6]  ¹ tn The form נֶאְדָּרִי (ne’dari) may be an archaic infinitive with the old ending i, used in place of the verb and meaning “awesome.” Gesenius says that the vowel ending may be an old case ending, especially when a preposition is inserted between the word and its genitive (GKC 253 §90.l), but he suggests a reconstruction of the form.

[15:9]  ² sn W. C. Kaiser observes the staccato phrases that almost imitate the heavy, breathless heaving of the Egyptians as, with what reserve of strength they have left, they vow, “I will…, I will…, I will…” (“Exodus,” EBC 2:395).

[15:9]  ³ tn The form is נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”). But this word refers to the whole person, the body and the soul, or better, a bundle of appetites in a body. It therefore can figuratively refer to the desires or appetites (Deut 12:15; 14:26; 23:24). Here, with the verb “to be full” means “to be satisfied”; the whole expression might indicate “I will be sated with them” or “I will gorge myself.” The greedy appetite was to destroy.

[15:9]  ⁴ tn The verb רִיק (riq) means “to be empty” in the Qal, and in the Hiphil “to empty.” Here the idea is to unsheathe a sword.

[15:9]  ⁵ tn The verb is יָרַשׁ (yarash), which in the Hiphil means “to dispossess” or “root out.” The meaning “destroy” is a general interpretation.

[23:4]  ³ tn Heb “meet” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[23:4]  ⁴ tn The construction uses the imperfect tense (taken here as an obligatory imperfect) and the infinitive absolute for emphasis.

[23:22]  ⁴ tn The infinitive absolute here does not add as great an emphasis as normal, but emphasizes the condition that is being set forth (see GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[23:27]  ⁵ tn The word for “terror” is אֵימָתִי (’emati); the word has the thought of “panic” or “dread.” God would make the nations panic as they heard of the exploits and knew the Israelites were drawing near. U. Cassuto thinks the reference to “hornets” in v. 28 may be a reference to this fear, an unreasoning dread, rather than to another insect invasion (Exodus, 308). Others suggest it is symbolic of an invading army or a country like Egypt or literal insects (see E. Neufeld, “Insects as Warfare Agents in the Ancient Near East,” Or 49 [1980]: 30-57).

[23:27]  ⁶ tn Heb “kill.”

[23:27]  ⁷ tn The text has “and I will give all your enemies to you [as] a back.” The verb of making takes two accusatives, the second being the adverbial accusative of product (see GKC 371-72 §117.ii, n. 1).