Exodus 15:1--40:38

The Song of Triumph

15:1 ¹ Then Moses and the Israelites sang ²  this song to the Lord. They said, ³ 

“I will sing ⁴  to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, ⁵ 

the horse and its rider ⁶  he has thrown into the sea.

15:2 The Lord ⁷  is my strength and my song, ⁸ 

and he has become my salvation.

This is my God, and I will praise him, ⁹ 

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

15:3 The Lord is a warrior, ¹⁰ 

the Lord is his name. ¹¹ 

15:4 The chariots of Pharaoh ¹²  and his army he has thrown into the sea,

and his chosen ¹³  officers were drowned ¹⁴  in the Red Sea.

15:5 The depths have covered them, ¹⁵ 

they went down to the bottom ¹⁶  like a stone.

15:6 Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic ¹⁷  in power,

your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.

15:7 In the abundance of your majesty ¹⁸  you have overthrown ¹⁹ 

those who rise up against you. ²⁰ 

You sent forth ²¹  your wrath; ²² 

it consumed them ²³  like stubble.

15:8 By the blast of your nostrils ²⁴  the waters were piled up,

the flowing water stood upright like a heap, ²⁵ 

and the deep waters were solidified in the heart of the sea.

15:9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase, ²⁶  I will overtake,

I will divide the spoil;

my desire ²⁷  will be satisfied on them.

I will draw ²⁸  my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ ²⁹ 

15:10 But ³⁰  you blew with your breath, and ³¹  the sea covered them.

They sank ³²  like lead in the mighty waters.

15:11 Who is like you, ³³  O Lord, among the gods? ³⁴ 

Who is like you? – majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, ³⁵  working wonders?

15:12 You stretched out your right hand,

the earth swallowed them. ³⁶ 

15:13 By your loyal love you will lead ³⁷  the people whom ³⁸  you have redeemed;

you will guide ³⁹  them by your strength to your holy dwelling place.

15:14 The nations will hear ⁴⁰  and tremble;

anguish ⁴¹  will seize ⁴²  the inhabitants of Philistia.

15:15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified, ⁴³ 

trembling will seize ⁴⁴  the leaders of Moab,

and the inhabitants of Canaan will shake.

15:16 Fear and dread ⁴⁵  will fall ⁴⁶  on them;

by the greatness ⁴⁷  of your arm they will be as still as stone ⁴⁸ 

until ⁴⁹  your people pass by, O Lord,

until the people whom you have bought ⁵⁰  pass by.

15:17 You will bring them in ⁵¹  and plant them in the mountain ⁵²  of your inheritance,

in the place you made ⁵³  for your residence, O Lord,

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

15:18 The Lord will reign forever and ever!

15:19 For the horses of Pharaoh came with his chariots and his footmen into the sea,

and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them,

but the Israelites walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.”

15:20 Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a hand-drum in her hand, and all the women went out after her with hand-drums and with dances. ⁵⁴  15:21 Miriam sang in response ⁵⁵  to them, “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.” ⁵⁶ 

The Bitter Water

15:22 ⁵⁷ Then Moses led Israel to journey ⁵⁸  away from the Red Sea. They went out to the Desert of Shur, walked for three days ⁵⁹  into the desert, and found no water. 15:23 Then they came to Marah, ⁶⁰  but they were not able to drink ⁶¹  the waters of Marah, because ⁶²  they were bitter. ⁶³  (That is ⁶⁴  why its name was ⁶⁵  Marah.)

15:24 So the people murmured ⁶⁶  against Moses, saying, “What can ⁶⁷  we drink?” 15:25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him ⁶⁸  a tree. ⁶⁹  When Moses ⁷⁰  threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord ⁷¹  made for them ⁷²  a binding ordinance, ⁷³  and there he tested ⁷⁴  them. 15:26 He said, “If you will diligently obey ⁷⁵  the Lord your God, and do what is right ⁷⁶  in his sight, and pay attention ⁷⁷  to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all ⁷⁸  the diseases ⁷⁹  that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.” ⁸⁰ 

15:27 Then they came to Elim, ⁸¹  where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.

The Provision of Manna

16:1 ⁸² When ⁸³  they journeyed from Elim, the entire company ⁸⁴  of Israelites came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodus ⁸⁵  from the land of Egypt. 16:2 The entire company ⁸⁶  of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert. 16:3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died ⁸⁷  by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by ⁸⁸  the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full, ⁸⁹  for you have brought us out into this desert to kill ⁹⁰  this whole assembly with hunger!”

16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain ⁹¹  bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out ⁹²  and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them. ⁹³  Will they will walk in my law ⁹⁴  or not? 16:5 On the sixth day ⁹⁵  they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather every other day.” ⁹⁶ 

16:6 Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening ⁹⁷  you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt, 16:7 and in the morning you will see ⁹⁸  the glory of the Lord, because he has heard ⁹⁹  your murmurings against the Lord. As for us, what are we, ¹⁰⁰  that you should murmur against us?”

16:8 Moses said, “You will know this ¹⁰¹  when the Lord gives you ¹⁰²  meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because the Lord has heard your murmurings that you are murmuring against him. As for us, what are we? ¹⁰³  Your murmurings are not against us, ¹⁰⁴  but against the Lord.”

16:9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole community ¹⁰⁵  of the Israelites, ‘Come ¹⁰⁶  before the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings.’”

16:10 As Aaron spoke ¹⁰⁷  to the whole community of the Israelites and they looked toward the desert, there the glory of the Lord ¹⁰⁸  appeared ¹⁰⁹  in the cloud, 16:11 and the Lord spoke to Moses: 16:12 “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘During the evening ¹¹⁰  you will eat meat, ¹¹¹  and in the morning you will be satisfied ¹¹²  with bread, so that you may know ¹¹³  that I am the Lord your God.’” ¹¹⁴ 

16:13 In the evening the quail ¹¹⁵  came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp. 16:14 When ¹¹⁶  the layer of dew had evaporated, ¹¹⁷  there on the surface of the desert was a thin flaky substance, ¹¹⁸  thin like frost on the earth. 16:15 When ¹¹⁹  the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ¹²⁰  “What is it?” because they did not know what it was. ¹²¹  Moses said to them, “It is the bread ¹²²  that the Lord has given you for food. ¹²³ 

16:16 “This is what ¹²⁴  the Lord has commanded: ¹²⁵  ‘Each person is to gather ¹²⁶  from it what he can eat, an omer ¹²⁷  per person ¹²⁸  according to the number ¹²⁹  of your people; ¹³⁰  each one will pick it up ¹³¹  for whoever lives ¹³²  in his tent.’” 16:17 The Israelites did so, and they gathered – some more, some less. 16:18 When ¹³³  they measured with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one had gathered what he could eat.

16:19 Moses said to them, “No one ¹³⁴  is to keep any of it ¹³⁵  until morning.” 16:20 But they did not listen to Moses; some ¹³⁶  kept part of it until morning, and it was full ¹³⁷  of worms and began to stink, and Moses was angry with them. 16:21 So they gathered it each morning, ¹³⁸  each person according to what he could eat, and when the sun got hot, it would melt. ¹³⁹  16:22 And ¹⁴⁰  on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers ¹⁴¹  per person; ¹⁴²  and all the leaders ¹⁴³  of the community ¹⁴⁴  came and told ¹⁴⁵  Moses. 16:23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a time of cessation from work, ¹⁴⁶  a holy Sabbath ¹⁴⁷  to the Lord. Whatever you want to ¹⁴⁸  bake, bake today; ¹⁴⁹  whatever you want to boil, boil today; whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.’”

16:24 So they put it aside until the morning, just as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. 16:25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the area. ¹⁵⁰  16:26 Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

16:27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they found nothing. 16:28 So the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse ¹⁵¹  to obey my commandments and my instructions? 16:29 See, because the Lord has given you the Sabbath, that is why ¹⁵²  he is giving you food for two days on the sixth day. Each of you stay where you are; ¹⁵³  let no one ¹⁵⁴  go out of his place on the seventh day.” 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

16:31 The house of Israel ¹⁵⁵  called its name “manna.” ¹⁵⁶  It was like coriander seed and was white, and it tasted ¹⁵⁷  like wafers with honey.

16:32 Moses said, “This is what ¹⁵⁸  the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it to be kept ¹⁵⁹  for generations to come, ¹⁶⁰  so that they may see ¹⁶¹  the food I fed you in the desert when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’” 16:33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put in it an omer full of manna, and place it before the Lord to be kept for generations to come.” 16:34 Just as the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony ¹⁶²  for safekeeping. ¹⁶³ 

16:35 Now the Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was inhabited; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 16:36 (Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.) ¹⁶⁴ 

Water at Massa and Meribah

17:1 ¹⁶⁵ The whole community ¹⁶⁶  of the Israelites traveled on their journey ¹⁶⁷  from the Desert of Sin according to the Lord’s instruction, and they pitched camp in Rephidim. ¹⁶⁸  Now ¹⁶⁹  there was no water for the people to drink. ¹⁷⁰  17:2 So the people contended ¹⁷¹  with Moses, and they said, “Give us water to drink!” ¹⁷²  Moses said to them, “Why do you contend ¹⁷³  with me? Why do you test ¹⁷⁴  the Lord?” 17:3 But the people were very thirsty ¹⁷⁵  there for water, and they murmured against Moses and said, “Why in the world ¹⁷⁶  did you bring us up out of Egypt – to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” ¹⁷⁷ 

17:4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What will I do with ¹⁷⁸  this people? – a little more ¹⁷⁹  and they will stone me!” ¹⁸⁰  17:5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go over before the people; ¹⁸¹  take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go. 17:6 I will be standing ¹⁸²  before you there on ¹⁸³  the rock in Horeb, and you will strike ¹⁸⁴  the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.” ¹⁸⁵  And Moses did so in plain view ¹⁸⁶  of the elders of Israel.

17:7 He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contending of the Israelites and because of their testing the Lord, ¹⁸⁷  saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Victory over the Amalekites

17:8 ¹⁸⁸ Amalek came ¹⁸⁹  and attacked ¹⁹⁰  Israel in Rephidim. 17:9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our ¹⁹¹  men and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”

17:10 So Joshua fought against Amalek just as Moses had instructed him; ¹⁹² and Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 17:11 Whenever Moses would raise his hands, ¹⁹³  then Israel prevailed, but whenever he would rest ¹⁹⁴  his hands, then Amalek prevailed. 17:12 When ¹⁹⁵  the hands of Moses became heavy, ¹⁹⁶  they took a stone and put it under him, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other, ¹⁹⁷  and so his hands were steady ¹⁹⁸  until the sun went down. 17:13 So Joshua destroyed ¹⁹⁹  Amalek and his army ²⁰⁰  with the sword. ²⁰¹ 

17:14 The Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in the ²⁰²  book, and rehearse ²⁰³  it in Joshua’s hearing; ²⁰⁴  for I will surely wipe out ²⁰⁵  the remembrance ²⁰⁶  of Amalek from under heaven. 17:15 Moses built an altar, and he called it “The Lord is my Banner,” ²⁰⁷  17:16 for he said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the Lord ²⁰⁸  – that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” ²⁰⁹ 

The Advice of Jethro

18:1 ²¹⁰ Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, that ²¹¹  the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ²¹² 

18:2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent her back, 18:3 and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (for Moses ²¹³  had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land”), 18:4 and the other Eliezer (for Moses had said, ²¹⁴  “The God of my father has been my help ²¹⁵  and delivered ²¹⁶  me from the sword of Pharaoh”).

18:5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ ²¹⁷  sons and his wife, came to Moses in the desert where he was camping by ²¹⁸  the mountain of God. ²¹⁹  18:6 He said ²²⁰  to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons with her.” 18:7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him; ²²¹  they each asked about the other’s welfare, and then they went into the tent. 18:8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardship ²²²  that had come on them ²²³  along the way, and how ²²⁴  the Lord had delivered them.

18:9 Jethro rejoiced ²²⁵  because of all the good that the Lord had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt. 18:10 Jethro said, “Blessed ²²⁶  be the Lord who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the Egyptians’ control! ²²⁷  18:11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, for in the thing in which they dealt proudly against them he has destroyed them.” ²²⁸  18:12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought ²²⁹  a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, ²³⁰  and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat food ²³¹  with the father-in-law of Moses before God.

18:13 On the next day ²³²  Moses sat to judge ²³³  the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening. 18:14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this ²³⁴  that you are doing for the people? ²³⁵  Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”

18:15 Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire ²³⁶  of God. 18:16 When they have a dispute, ²³⁷  it comes to me and I decide ²³⁸  between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the decrees of God and his laws.” ²³⁹ 

18:17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What ²⁴⁰  you are doing is not good! 18:18 You will surely wear out, ²⁴¹  both you and these people who are with you, for this is too ²⁴²  heavy a burden ²⁴³  for you; you are not able to do it by yourself. 18:19 Now listen to me, ²⁴⁴  I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God, ²⁴⁵  and you bring ²⁴⁶  their disputes ²⁴⁷  to God; 18:20 warn ²⁴⁸  them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walk ²⁴⁹  and the work they must do. ²⁵⁰  18:21 But you choose ²⁵¹  from the people capable men, ²⁵²  God-fearing, ²⁵³  men of truth, ²⁵⁴  those who hate bribes, ²⁵⁵  and put them over the people ²⁵⁶  as rulers ²⁵⁷  of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 18:22 They will judge ²⁵⁸  the people under normal circumstances, ²⁵⁹  and every difficult case ²⁶⁰  they will bring to you, but every small case ²⁶¹  they themselves will judge, so that ²⁶²  you may make it easier for yourself, ²⁶³  and they will bear the burden ²⁶⁴  with you. 18:23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, ²⁶⁵  then you will be able ²⁶⁶  to endure, ²⁶⁷  and all these people ²⁶⁸  will be able to go ²⁶⁹  home ²⁷⁰  satisfied.” ²⁷¹ 

18:24 Moses listened to ²⁷²  his father-in-law and did everything he had said. 18:25 Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 18:26 They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bring ²⁷³  to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.

18:27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, ²⁷⁴  and so Jethro ²⁷⁵  went ²⁷⁶  to his own land. ²⁷⁷ 

Israel at Sinai

19:1 ²⁷⁸ In the third month after the Israelites went out ²⁷⁹  from the land of Egypt, on the very day, ²⁸⁰  they came to the Desert of Sinai. 19:2 After they journeyed ²⁸¹  from Rephidim, they came to the Desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. ²⁸² 

19:3 Moses ²⁸³  went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the people ²⁸⁴  of Israel: 19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings ²⁸⁵  and brought you to myself. ²⁸⁶  19:5 And now, if you will diligently listen to me ²⁸⁷  and keep ²⁸⁸  my covenant, then you will be my ²⁸⁹  special possession ²⁹⁰  out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, 19:6 and you will be to me ²⁹¹  a kingdom of priests ²⁹²  and a holy nation.’ ²⁹³  These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”

19:7 So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel. He set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him, 19:8 and all the people answered together, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do!” ²⁹⁴  So Moses brought the words of the people back to the Lord.

19:9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come ²⁹⁵  to you in a dense cloud, ²⁹⁶  so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.” ²⁹⁷  And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

19:10 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify them ²⁹⁸  today and tomorrow, and make them wash ²⁹⁹  their clothes 19:11 and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 19:12 You must set boundaries ³⁰⁰  for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed ³⁰¹  to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death! 19:13 No hand will touch him ³⁰²  – but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being; ³⁰³  he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they may ³⁰⁴  go up on the mountain.”

19:14 Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 19:15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives.” ³⁰⁵ 

19:16 On ³⁰⁶  the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense ³⁰⁷  cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud ³⁰⁸  horn; ³⁰⁹  all the people who were in the camp trembled. 19:17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain. 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace, ³¹⁰  and the whole mountain shook ³¹¹  violently. 19:19 When the sound of the horn grew louder and louder, ³¹²  Moses was speaking ³¹³  and God was answering him with a voice. ³¹⁴ 

19:20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 19:21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly warn ³¹⁵  the people, lest they force their way through to the Lord to look, and many of them perish. ³¹⁶  19:22 Let the priests also, who approach the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break through ³¹⁷  against them.”

19:23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us, ³¹⁸  ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’” ³¹⁹  19:24 The Lord said to him, “Go, get down, and come up, and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the Lord, lest he break through against them.” 19:25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. ³²⁰ 

The Decalogue

20:1 ³²¹ God spoke all these words: ³²² 

20:2 “I, ³²³  the Lord, am your God, ³²⁴  who brought you ³²⁵  from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. ³²⁶ 

20:3 “You shall have no ³²⁷  other gods before me. ³²⁸ 

20:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image ³²⁹  or any likeness ³³⁰  of anything ³³¹  that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below. ³³²  20:5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, ³³³  for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous ³³⁴  God, responding to ³³⁵  the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations ³³⁶  of those who reject me, ³³⁷  20:6 and showing covenant faithfulness ³³⁸  to a thousand generations ³³⁹  of those who love me and keep my commandments.

20:7 “You shall not take ³⁴⁰  the name of the Lord your God in vain, ³⁴¹  for the Lord will not hold guiltless ³⁴²  anyone who takes his name in vain.

20:8 “Remember ³⁴³  the Sabbath ³⁴⁴  day to set it apart as holy. ³⁴⁵  20:9 For six days ³⁴⁶  you may labor ³⁴⁷  and do all your work, ³⁴⁸  20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it ³⁴⁹  you shall not do any work, you, ³⁵⁰  or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. ³⁵¹  20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

20:12 “Honor ³⁵²  your father and your mother, that you may live a long time ³⁵³  in the land ³⁵⁴  the Lord your God is giving to you.

20:13 “You shall not murder. ³⁵⁵ 

20:14 “You shall not commit adultery. ³⁵⁶ 

20:15 “You shall not steal. ³⁵⁷ 

20:16 “You shall not give ³⁵⁸  false testimony ³⁵⁹  against your neighbor.

20:17 “You shall not covet ³⁶⁰  your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.” ³⁶¹ 

20:18 All the people were seeing ³⁶²  the thundering and the lightning, and heard ³⁶³  the sound of the horn, and saw ³⁶⁴  the mountain smoking – and when ³⁶⁵  the people saw it they trembled with fear ³⁶⁶  and kept their distance. ³⁶⁷  20:19 They said to Moses, “You speak ³⁶⁸  to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.” 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, ³⁶⁹  that the fear of him ³⁷⁰  may be before you so that you do not ³⁷¹  sin.” 20:21 The people kept ³⁷²  their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness ³⁷³  where God was. ³⁷⁴ 

The Altar

20:22 ³⁷⁵ The Lord said ³⁷⁶  to Moses: “Thus you will tell the Israelites: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven. 20:23 You must not make gods of silver alongside me, ³⁷⁷  nor make gods of gold for yourselves. ³⁷⁸ 

20:24 ‘You must make for me an altar made of earth, ³⁷⁹  and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, ³⁸⁰  your sheep and your cattle. In every place ³⁸¹  where I cause my name to be honored ³⁸²  I will come to you and I will bless you. 20:25 If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it ³⁸³  of stones shaped with tools, ³⁸⁴  for if you use your tool on it you have defiled it. ³⁸⁵  20:26 And you must not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed.’ ³⁸⁶ 

The Decisions

21:1 ³⁸⁷ “These are the decisions that you will set before them:

Hebrew Servants

21:2 ³⁸⁸ “If you buy ³⁸⁹  a Hebrew servant, ³⁹⁰  he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he will go out free ³⁹¹  without paying anything. ³⁹²  21:3 If he came ³⁹³  in by himself ³⁹⁴  he will go out by himself; if he had ³⁹⁵  a wife when he came in, then his wife will go out with him. 21:4 If his master gave ³⁹⁶  him a wife, and she bore sons or daughters, the wife and the children will belong to her master, and he will go out by himself. 21:5 But if the servant should declare, ³⁹⁷  ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out ³⁹⁸  free,’ 21:6 then his master must bring him to the judges, ³⁹⁹  and he will bring him to the door or the doorposts, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. ⁴⁰⁰ 

21:7 “If a man sells his daughter ⁴⁰¹  as a female servant, ⁴⁰²  she will not go out as the male servants do. 21:8 If she does not please ⁴⁰³  her master, who has designated her ⁴⁰⁴  for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. ⁴⁰⁵  He has no right ⁴⁰⁶  to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt deceitfully ⁴⁰⁷  with her. 21:9 If he designated her for his son, then he will deal with her according to the customary rights ⁴⁰⁸  of daughters. 21:10 If he takes another wife, ⁴⁰⁹  he must not diminish the first one’s food, ⁴¹⁰  her clothing, or her marital rights. ⁴¹¹  21:11 If he does not provide her with these three things, then she will go out free, without paying money. ⁴¹² 

Personal Injuries

21:12 ⁴¹³ “Whoever strikes someone ⁴¹⁴  so that he dies ⁴¹⁵  must surely be put to death. ⁴¹⁶  21:13 But if he does not do it with premeditation, ⁴¹⁷  but it happens by accident, ⁴¹⁸  then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. 21:14 But if a man willfully attacks his neighbor to kill him cunningly, ⁴¹⁹  you will take him even from my altar that he may die.

21:15 “Whoever strikes ⁴²⁰  his father or his mother must surely be put to death.

21:16 “Whoever kidnaps someone ⁴²¹  and sells him, ⁴²²  or is caught still holding him, ⁴²³  must surely be put to death.

21:17 “Whoever treats his father or his mother disgracefully ⁴²⁴  must surely be put to death.

21:18 “If men fight, and one strikes his neighbor with a stone or with his fist and he does not die, but must remain in bed, ⁴²⁵  21:19 and then ⁴²⁶  if he gets up and walks about ⁴²⁷  outside on his staff, then the one who struck him is innocent, except he must pay ⁴²⁸  for the injured person’s ⁴²⁹  loss of time ⁴³⁰  and see to it that he is fully healed.

21:20 “If a man strikes his male servant or his female servant with a staff so that he or she ⁴³¹  dies as a result of the blow, ⁴³²  he will surely be punished. ⁴³³  21:21 However, if the injured servant ⁴³⁴  survives one or two days, the owner ⁴³⁵  will not be punished, for he has suffered the loss. ⁴³⁶ 

21:22 “If men fight and hit a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, ⁴³⁷  but there is no serious injury, he will surely be punished in accordance with what the woman’s husband demands of him, and he will pay what the court decides. ⁴³⁸  21:23 But if there is serious injury, then you will give a life for a life, 21:24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 21:25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. ⁴³⁹ 

21:26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male servant or his female servant so that he destroys it, ⁴⁴⁰  he will let the servant ⁴⁴¹  go free ⁴⁴²  as compensation for the eye. 21:27 If he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or his female servant, he will let the servant ⁴⁴³  go free as compensation for the tooth.

Laws about Animals

21:28 ⁴⁴⁴ “If an ox ⁴⁴⁵  gores a man or a woman so that either dies, ⁴⁴⁶  then the ox must surely ⁴⁴⁷  be stoned and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be acquitted. 21:29 But if the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner was warned, ⁴⁴⁸  and he did not take the necessary precautions, ⁴⁴⁹  and then it killed a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned and the man must be put to death. 21:30 If a ransom is set for him, ⁴⁵⁰  then he must pay the redemption for his life according to whatever amount was set for him. 21:31 If the ox ⁴⁵¹  gores a son or a daughter, the owner ⁴⁵²  will be dealt with according to this rule. ⁴⁵³  21:32 If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the owner ⁴⁵⁴  must pay thirty shekels of silver, ⁴⁵⁵  and the ox must be stoned. ⁴⁵⁶ 

21:33 “If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 21:34 the owner of the pit must repay ⁴⁵⁷  the loss. He must give money ⁴⁵⁸  to its owner, and the dead animal ⁴⁵⁹  will become his. 21:35 If the ox of one man injures the ox of his neighbor so that it dies, then they will sell the live ox and divide its proceeds, ⁴⁶⁰  and they will also divide the dead ox. ⁴⁶¹  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 ⁴⁶²  ox for ox, and the dead animal will become his. ⁴⁶³ 

Laws about Property

22:1 ⁴⁶⁴ (21:37) ⁴⁶⁵  “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he must pay back ⁴⁶⁶  five head of cattle for the ox, and four sheep for the one sheep. ⁴⁶⁷ 

22:2 “If a thief is caught ⁴⁶⁸  breaking in ⁴⁶⁹  and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood guilt for him. ⁴⁷⁰  22:3 If the sun has risen on him, then there is blood guilt for him. A thief ⁴⁷¹  must surely make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he will be sold for his theft. 22:4 If the stolen item should in fact be found ⁴⁷²  alive in his possession, ⁴⁷³  whether it be an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he must pay back double. ⁴⁷⁴ 

22:5 “If a man grazes ⁴⁷⁵  his livestock ⁴⁷⁶  in a field or a vineyard, and he lets the livestock loose and they graze in the field of another man, he must make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

22:6 “If a fire breaks out and spreads ⁴⁷⁷  to thorn bushes, ⁴⁷⁸  so that stacked grain or standing grain or the whole field is consumed, the one who started ⁴⁷⁹  the fire must surely make restitution.

22:7 “If a man gives his neighbor money or articles ⁴⁸⁰  for safekeeping, ⁴⁸¹  and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, ⁴⁸²  he must repay double. 22:8 If the thief is not caught, ⁴⁸³  then the owner of the house will be brought before the judges ⁴⁸⁴  to see ⁴⁸⁵  whether he has laid ⁴⁸⁶  his hand on his neighbor’s goods. 22:9 In all cases of illegal possessions, ⁴⁸⁷  whether for an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any kind of lost item, about which someone says ‘This belongs to me,’ ⁴⁸⁸  the matter of the two of them will come before the judges, ⁴⁸⁹  and the one whom ⁴⁹⁰  the judges declare guilty ⁴⁹¹  must repay double to his neighbor. 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 ⁴⁹²  or is carried away ⁴⁹³  without anyone seeing it, ⁴⁹⁴  22:11 then there will be an oath to the Lord ⁴⁹⁵  between the two of them, that he has not laid his hand on his neighbor’s goods, and its owner will accept this, and he will not have to pay. 22:12 But if it was stolen ⁴⁹⁶  from him, ⁴⁹⁷  he will pay its owner. 22:13 If it is torn in pieces, then he will bring it for evidence, ⁴⁹⁸  and he will not have to pay for what was torn.

22:14 “If a man borrows an animal ⁴⁹⁹  from his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies when its owner was not with it, the man who borrowed it ⁵⁰⁰  will surely pay. 22:15 If its owner was with it, he will not have to pay; if it was hired, what was paid for the hire covers it. ⁵⁰¹ 

Moral and Ceremonial Laws

22:16 ⁵⁰² “If a man seduces a virgin ⁵⁰³  who is not engaged ⁵⁰⁴  and has sexual relations with her, he must surely endow ⁵⁰⁵  her to be his wife. 22:17 If her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay money for the bride price of virgins.

22:18 “You must not allow a sorceress to live. ⁵⁰⁶ 

22:19 “Whoever has sexual relations ⁵⁰⁷  with a beast must surely be put to death.

22:20 “Whoever sacrifices to a god other than the Lord ⁵⁰⁸  alone must be utterly destroyed. ⁵⁰⁹ 

22:21 “You must not wrong ⁵¹⁰  a foreigner ⁵¹¹  nor oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

22:22 “You must not afflict ⁵¹²  any widow or orphan. 22:23 If you afflict them ⁵¹³  in any way ⁵¹⁴  and they cry to me, I will surely hear ⁵¹⁵  their cry, 22:24 and my anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children will be fatherless. ⁵¹⁶ 

22:25 “If you lend money to any of ⁵¹⁷  my people who are needy among you, do not be like a moneylender ⁵¹⁸  to him; do not charge ⁵¹⁹  him interest. ⁵²⁰  22:26 If you do take ⁵²¹  the garment of your neighbor in pledge, you must return it to him by the time the sun goes down, ⁵²²  22:27 for it is his only covering – it is his garment for his body. ⁵²³  What else can he sleep in? ⁵²⁴  And ⁵²⁵  when he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

22:28 “You must not blaspheme ⁵²⁶  God ⁵²⁷  or curse the ruler of your people.

22:29 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. ⁵²⁸  You must give me the firstborn of your sons. 22:30 You must also do this for your oxen and for your sheep; seven days they may remain with their mothers, but give them to me on the eighth day.

22:31 “You will be holy ⁵²⁹  people to me; you must not eat any meat torn by animals in the field. ⁵³⁰  You must throw it to the dogs.

Justice

23:1 ⁵³¹ “You must not give ⁵³²  a false report. ⁵³³  Do not make common cause ⁵³⁴  with the wicked ⁵³⁵  to be a malicious ⁵³⁶  witness.

23:2 “You must not follow a crowd ⁵³⁷  in doing evil things; ⁵³⁸  in a lawsuit you must not offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice, ⁵³⁹  23:3 and you must not show partiality ⁵⁴⁰  to a poor man in his lawsuit.

23:4 “If you encounter ⁵⁴¹  your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return ⁵⁴²  it to him. 23:5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must not ignore him, ⁵⁴³  but be sure to help ⁵⁴⁴  him with it. ⁵⁴⁵ 

23:6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits. 23:7 Keep your distance ⁵⁴⁶  from a false charge ⁵⁴⁷  – do not kill the innocent and the righteous, ⁵⁴⁸  for I will not justify the wicked. ⁵⁴⁹ 

23:8 “You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see ⁵⁵⁰  and subverts the words of the righteous.

23:9 “You must not oppress ⁵⁵¹  a foreigner, since you know the life ⁵⁵²  of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Sabbaths and Feasts

23:10 ⁵⁵³ “For six years ⁵⁵⁴  you are to sow your land and gather in its produce. 23:11 But in the seventh year ⁵⁵⁵  you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the field ⁵⁵⁶  may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove. 23:12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, in order that your ox and your donkey may rest and that your female servant’s son and any hired help ⁵⁵⁷  may refresh themselves. ⁵⁵⁸ 

23:13 “Pay attention to do ⁵⁵⁹  everything I have told you, and do not even mention ⁵⁶⁰  the names of other gods – do not let them be heard on your lips. ⁵⁶¹ 

23:14 “Three times ⁵⁶²  in the year you must make a pilgrim feast ⁵⁶³  to me. 23:15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days ⁵⁶⁴  you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that time ⁵⁶⁵  you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before ⁵⁶⁶  me empty-handed.

23:16 “You are also to observe ⁵⁶⁷  the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year ⁵⁶⁸  when you have gathered in ⁵⁶⁹  your harvest ⁵⁷⁰  out of the field. 23:17 At ⁵⁷¹  three times in the year all your males will appear before the Lord God. ⁵⁷² 

23:18 “You must not offer ⁵⁷³  the blood of my sacrifice with bread containing yeast; the fat of my festal sacrifice must not remain until morning. ⁵⁷⁴  23:19 The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God.

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. ⁵⁷⁵ 

The Angel of the Presence

23:20 ⁵⁷⁶ “I am going to send ⁵⁷⁷  an angel ⁵⁷⁸  before you to protect you as you journey ⁵⁷⁹  and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. ⁵⁸⁰  23:21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name ⁵⁸¹  is in him. 23:22 But if you diligently obey him ⁵⁸²  and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. 23:23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them completely. ⁵⁸³ 

23:24 “You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones ⁵⁸⁴  to pieces. ⁵⁸⁵  23:25 You must serve ⁵⁸⁶  the Lord your God, and he ⁵⁸⁷  will bless your bread and your water, ⁵⁸⁸  and I will remove sickness from your midst. 23:26 No woman will miscarry her young ⁵⁸⁹  or be barren in your land. I will fulfill ⁵⁹⁰  the number of your days.

23:27 “I will send my terror ⁵⁹¹  before you, and I will destroy ⁵⁹²  all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs ⁵⁹³  to you. 23:28 I will send ⁵⁹⁴  hornets before you that will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you. 23:29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals ⁵⁹⁵  multiply against you. 23:30 Little by little ⁵⁹⁶  I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land. 23:31 I will set ⁵⁹⁷  your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River, ⁵⁹⁸  for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.

23:32 “You must make no covenant with them or with their gods. 23:33 They must not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare ⁵⁹⁹  to you.”

The Lord Ratifies the Covenant

24:1 ⁶⁰⁰ But to Moses the Lord ⁶⁰¹  said, “Come up ⁶⁰²  to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance. ⁶⁰³  24:2 Moses alone may come ⁶⁰⁴  near the Lord, but the others ⁶⁰⁵  must not come near, ⁶⁰⁶  nor may the people go up with him.”

24:3 Moses came ⁶⁰⁷  and told the people all the Lord’s words ⁶⁰⁸  and all the decisions. All the people answered together, ⁶⁰⁹  “We are willing to do ⁶¹⁰  all the words that the Lord has said,” 24:4 and Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Early in the morning he built ⁶¹¹  an altar at the foot ⁶¹²  of the mountain and arranged ⁶¹³  twelve standing stones ⁶¹⁴  – according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 24:5 He sent young Israelite men, ⁶¹⁵  and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls for peace offerings ⁶¹⁶  to the Lord. 24:6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and half of the blood he splashed on the altar. ⁶¹⁷  24:7 He took the Book of the Covenant ⁶¹⁸  and read it aloud ⁶¹⁹  to the people, and they said, “We are willing to do and obey ⁶²⁰  all that the Lord has spoken.” 24:8 So Moses took the blood and splashed it on ⁶²¹  the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant ⁶²²  that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

24:9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up, ⁶²³  24:10 and they saw ⁶²⁴  the God of Israel. Under his feet ⁶²⁵  there was something like a pavement ⁶²⁶  made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself. ⁶²⁷  24:11 But he did not lay a hand ⁶²⁸  on the leaders of the Israelites, so they saw God, ⁶²⁹  and they ate and they drank. ⁶³⁰ 

24:12 ⁶³¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me to the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets ⁶³²  with ⁶³³  the law and the commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them.” ⁶³⁴  24:13 So Moses set out ⁶³⁵  with ⁶³⁶  Joshua his attendant, and Moses went up the mountain of God. 24:14 He told the elders, “Wait for us in this place until we return to you. Here are ⁶³⁷  Aaron and Hur with you. Whoever has any matters of dispute ⁶³⁸  can approach ⁶³⁹  them.”

24:15 Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 24:16 The glory of the Lord resided ⁶⁴⁰  on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. ⁶⁴¹  On the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud. 24:17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in plain view ⁶⁴²  of the people. 24:18 Moses went into the cloud when he went up ⁶⁴³  the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. ⁶⁴⁴ 

The Materials for the Sanctuary

25:1 ⁶⁴⁵ The Lord spoke to Moses: 25:2 “Tell the Israelites to take ⁶⁴⁶  an offering ⁶⁴⁷  for me; from every person motivated by a willing ⁶⁴⁸  heart you ⁶⁴⁹  are to receive my offering. 25:3 This is the offering you ⁶⁵⁰  are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze, 25:4 blue, ⁶⁵¹  purple, ⁶⁵²  scarlet, ⁶⁵³  fine linen, ⁶⁵⁴  goat’s hair, ⁶⁵⁵  25:5 ram skins dyed red, ⁶⁵⁶  fine leather, ⁶⁵⁷  acacia ⁶⁵⁸  wood, 25:6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense, 25:7 onyx stones, and other gems to be set in the ephod and in the breastpiece. 25:8 Let them make ⁶⁵⁹  for me a sanctuary, ⁶⁶⁰  so that I may live among them. 25:9 According to all that I am showing you ⁶⁶¹  – the pattern of the tabernacle ⁶⁶²  and the pattern of all its furnishings – you ⁶⁶³  must make it exactly so. ⁶⁶⁴ 

The Ark of the Covenant

25:10 ⁶⁶⁵ “They are to make an ark ⁶⁶⁶  of acacia wood – its length is to be three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its height two feet three inches. ⁶⁶⁷  25:11 You are to overlay ⁶⁶⁸  it with pure gold – both inside and outside you must overlay it, ⁶⁶⁹  and you are to make a surrounding border ⁶⁷⁰  of gold over it. 25:12 You are to cast four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 25:13 You are to make poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold, 25:14 and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. 25:15 The poles must remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. 25:16 You are to put into the ark the testimony ⁶⁷¹  that I will give to you.

25:17 “You are to make an atonement lid ⁶⁷²  of pure gold; ⁶⁷³  its length is to be three feet nine inches, and its width is to be two feet three inches. 25:18 You are to make two cherubim ⁶⁷⁴  of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid. 25:19 Make ⁶⁷⁵  one cherub on one end ⁶⁷⁶  and one cherub on the other end; from the atonement lid ⁶⁷⁷  you are to make the cherubim on the two ends. 25:20 The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing ⁶⁷⁸  the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, ⁶⁷⁹  looking ⁶⁸⁰  toward the atonement lid. 25:21 You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you. 25:22 I will meet with you there, ⁶⁸¹  and ⁶⁸²  from above the atonement lid, from between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the Israelites.

The Table for the Bread of the Presence

25:23 ⁶⁸³ “You are to make a table of acacia wood; its length is to be three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches. 25:24 You are to overlay it with ⁶⁸⁴  pure gold, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for it. 25:25 You are to make a surrounding frame ⁶⁸⁵  for it about three inches broad, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 25:26 You are to make four rings of gold for it and attach ⁶⁸⁶  the rings at the four corners where its four legs are. ⁶⁸⁷  25:27 The rings are to be close to the frame to provide places ⁶⁸⁸  for the poles to carry the table. 25:28 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them. ⁶⁸⁹  25:29 You are to make its plates, ⁶⁹⁰  its ladles, ⁶⁹¹  its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings; ⁶⁹²  you are to make them of pure gold. 25:30 You are to set the Bread of the Presence ⁶⁹³  on the table before me continually.

The Lampstand

25:31 ⁶⁹⁴ “You are to make a lampstand ⁶⁹⁵  of pure gold. The lampstand is to be made of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, ⁶⁹⁶  its buds, and its blossoms are to be from the same piece. ⁶⁹⁷  25:32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand, ⁶⁹⁸  three branches of the lampstand from one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. ⁶⁹⁹  25:33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on the next ⁷⁰⁰  branch, and the same ⁷⁰¹  for the six branches extending from the lampstand. 25:34 On the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 25:35 with a bud under the first ⁷⁰²  two branches from it, and a bud under the next ⁷⁰³  two branches from it, and a bud under the third ⁷⁰⁴  two branches from it, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 25:36 Their buds and their branches will be one piece, ⁷⁰⁵  all of it one hammered piece of pure gold.

25:37 “You are to make its seven lamps, ⁷⁰⁶  and then set ⁷⁰⁷  its lamps up on it, so that it will give light ⁷⁰⁸  to the area in front of it. 25:38 Its trimmers and its trays ⁷⁰⁹  are to be ⁷¹⁰  of pure gold. 25:39 About seventy-five pounds ⁷¹¹  of pure gold is to be used for it ⁷¹²  and for all these utensils. 25:40 Now be sure to make ⁷¹³  them according to the pattern you were shown ⁷¹⁴  on the mountain. ⁷¹⁵ 

The Tabernacle

26:1 ⁷¹⁶ “The tabernacle itself ⁷¹⁷  you are to make with ⁷¹⁸  ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; ⁷¹⁹  you are to make them with ⁷²⁰  cherubim that are the work of an artistic designer. 26:2 The length of each ⁷²¹  curtain is to be forty-two feet, and the width of each curtain is to be six feet ⁷²²  – the same size for each of the curtains. 26:3 Five curtains are to be joined, ⁷²³  one to another, ⁷²⁴  and the other ⁷²⁵  five curtains are to be joined, one to another. 26:4 You are to make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and in the same way you are to make loops ⁷²⁶  in the outer edge of the end curtain in the second set. 26:5 You are to make fifty loops on the one curtain, and you are to make fifty loops on the end curtain which is on the second set, so that the loops are opposite one to another. ⁷²⁷  26:6 You are to make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle is a unit. ⁷²⁸ 

26:7 “You are to make curtains of goats’ hair ⁷²⁹  for a tent over the tabernacle; ⁷³⁰  you are to make ⁷³¹  eleven curtains. 26:8 The length of each ⁷³²  curtain is to be forty-five feet, and the width of each curtain is to be six feet – the same size for the eleven curtains. 26:9 You are to join five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. You are to double over ⁷³³  the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. 26:10 You are to make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that joins the second set. 26:11 You are to make fifty bronze clasps and put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it is a unit. ⁷³⁴  26:12 Now the part that remains of the curtains of the tent – the half curtain that remains will hang over at the back of the tabernacle. ⁷³⁵  26:13 The foot and a half ⁷³⁶  on the one side and the foot and a half on the other side of what remains in the length of the curtains of the tent will hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on one side and the other side, to cover it. ⁷³⁷ 

26:14 “You are to make a covering ⁷³⁸  for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over that a covering of fine leather. ⁷³⁹ 

26:15 “You are to make the frames ⁷⁴⁰  for the tabernacle out of ⁷⁴¹  acacia wood as uprights. ⁷⁴²  26:16 Each ⁷⁴³  frame is to be fifteen feet long, and each frame is to be two feet three inches wide, 26:17 with two projections ⁷⁴⁴  per frame parallel one to another. ⁷⁴⁵  You are to make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 26:18 So you are to make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side, ⁷⁴⁶  26:19 and you are to make forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames – two bases under the first frame for its two projections, and likewise ⁷⁴⁷  two bases under the next frame for its two projections; 26:20 and for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, twenty frames, 26:21 and their forty silver bases, two bases under the first frame, and two bases under the next frame. 26:22 And for the back of the tabernacle on the west ⁷⁴⁸  you will make six frames. 26:23 You are to make two frames for the corners ⁷⁴⁹  of the tabernacle on the back. 26:24 At the two corners ⁷⁵⁰  they must be doubled at the lower end and finished together at the top in one ring. So it will be for both. 26:25 So there are to be eight frames and their silver bases, sixteen bases, two bases under the first frame, and two bases under the next frame.

26:26 “You are to make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 26:27 and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames on the back of the tabernacle on the west. 26:28 The middle bar in the center of the frames will reach from end to end. ⁷⁵¹  26:29 You are to overlay the frames with gold and make their rings of gold to provide places for the bars, and you are to overlay the bars with gold. 26:30 You are to set up the tabernacle according to the plan ⁷⁵²  that you were shown on the mountain.

26:31 “You are to make a special curtain ⁷⁵³  of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; it is to be made ⁷⁵⁴  with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer. 26:32 You are to hang it ⁷⁵⁵  with gold hooks ⁷⁵⁶  on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold, set in ⁷⁵⁷  four silver bases. 26:33 You are to hang this curtain under the clasps and bring the ark of the testimony in there behind the curtain. ⁷⁵⁸  The curtain will make a division for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. ⁷⁵⁹  26:34 You are to put the atonement lid on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. 26:35 You are to put the table outside the curtain and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table, and you are to place the table on the north side.

26:36 “You are to make a hanging ⁷⁶⁰  for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. ⁷⁶¹  26:37 You are to make for the hanging five posts of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and their hooks will be ⁷⁶²  gold, and you are to cast five bronze bases for them. ⁷⁶³ 

The Altar

27:1 “You are to make the ⁷⁶⁴  altar of acacia wood, seven feet six inches long, ⁷⁶⁵  and seven feet six inches wide; the altar is to be square, ⁷⁶⁶  and its height is to be ⁷⁶⁷  four feet six inches. 27:2 You are to make its four horns ⁷⁶⁸  on its four corners; its horns will be part of it, ⁷⁶⁹  and you are to overlay it with bronze. 27:3 You are to make its pots for the ashes, ⁷⁷⁰  its shovels, its tossing bowls, ⁷⁷¹  its meat hooks, and its fire pans – you are to make all ⁷⁷²  its utensils of bronze. 27:4 You are to make a grating ⁷⁷³  for it, a network of bronze, and you are to make on the network four bronze rings on its four corners. 27:5 You are to put it under the ledge of the altar below, so that the network will come ⁷⁷⁴  halfway up the altar. ⁷⁷⁵  27:6 You are to make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you are to overlay them with bronze. 27:7 The poles are to be put ⁷⁷⁶  into the rings so that the poles will be on two sides of the altar when carrying it. ⁷⁷⁷  27:8 You are to make the altar hollow, out of boards. Just as it was shown you ⁷⁷⁸  on the mountain, so they must make it. ⁷⁷⁹ 

The Courtyard

27:9 “You are to make the courtyard ⁷⁸⁰  of the tabernacle. For the south side ⁷⁸¹  there are to be hangings ⁷⁸²  for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet long for one side, ⁷⁸³  27:10 with ⁷⁸⁴  twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 27:11 Likewise ⁷⁸⁵  for its length on the north side, there are to be ⁷⁸⁶  hangings for one hundred fifty feet, with twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands ⁷⁸⁷  on the posts. 27:12 The width of the court on the west side is to be seventy-five feet with hangings, with their ten posts and their ten bases. 27:13 The width of the court on the east side, toward the sunrise, is to be seventy-five feet. 27:14 The hangings on one side ⁷⁸⁸  of the gate are to be ⁷⁸⁹  twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 27:15 On the second side ⁷⁹⁰  there are to be ⁷⁹¹  hangings twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 27:16 For the gate of the courtyard there is to be a curtain of thirty feet, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer, with four posts and their four bases. 27:17 All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands; ⁷⁹²  their hooks are to be ⁷⁹³  silver, and their bases bronze. 27:18 The length of the courtyard is to be one hundred fifty feet ⁷⁹⁴  and the width seventy-five feet, ⁷⁹⁵  and the height of the fine twisted linen hangings ⁷⁹⁶  is to be ⁷⁹⁷  seven and a half feet, with their bronze bases. 27:19 All ⁷⁹⁸  the utensils of the tabernacle used ⁷⁹⁹  in all its service, all its tent pegs, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze. ⁸⁰⁰ 

Offering the Oil

27:20 “You are to command the Israelites that they bring ⁸⁰¹  to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, so that the lamps ⁸⁰²  will burn ⁸⁰³  regularly. ⁸⁰⁴  27:21 In the tent of meeting ⁸⁰⁵  outside the curtain that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons are to arrange it from evening ⁸⁰⁶  to morning before the Lord. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for generations to come. ⁸⁰⁷ 

The Clothing of the Priests

28:1 ⁸⁰⁸ “And you, bring near ⁸⁰⁹  to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him from among the Israelites, so that they may minister as my priests ⁸¹⁰  – Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 28:2 You must make holy garments ⁸¹¹  for your brother Aaron, for glory and for beauty. ⁸¹²  28:3 You ⁸¹³  are to speak to all who are specially skilled, ⁸¹⁴  whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, ⁸¹⁵  so that they may make ⁸¹⁶  Aaron’s garments to set him apart ⁸¹⁷  to minister as my priest. 28:4 Now these are the garments that they are to make: a breastpiece, ⁸¹⁸  an ephod, ⁸¹⁹  a robe, a fitted ⁸²⁰  tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and for his sons, that they may minister as my priests. 28:5 The artisans ⁸²¹  are to use ⁸²²  the gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen.

28:6 “They are to make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen, the work of an artistic designer. 28:7 It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be joined together. ⁸²³  28:8 The artistically woven waistband ⁸²⁴  of the ephod that is on it is to be like it, of one piece with the ephod, ⁸²⁵  of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

28:9 “You are to take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, ⁸²⁶  28:10 six ⁸²⁷  of their names on one stone, and the six remaining names on the second stone, according to the order of their birth. ⁸²⁸  28:11 You are to engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel with the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a seal; ⁸²⁹  you are to have them set ⁸³⁰  in gold filigree ⁸³¹  settings. 28:12 You are to put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod, stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron will bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for a memorial. ⁸³²  28:13 You are to make filigree settings of gold 28:14 and two braided chains of pure gold, like a cord, and attach the chains to the settings.

28:15 “You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, ⁸³³  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. 28:16 It is to be square ⁸³⁴  when ⁸³⁵  doubled, nine inches ⁸³⁶  long and nine inches wide. 28:17 You are to set in it a setting for stones, four rows of stones, a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl – the first row; 28:18 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 28:19 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 28:20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. ⁸³⁷  They are to be enclosed in gold in their filigree settings. 28:21 The stones are to be for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to the number of ⁸³⁸  their names. Each name according to the twelve tribes is to be like ⁸³⁹  the engravings of a seal.

28:22 “You are to make for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, 28:23 and you are to make for the breastpiece two gold rings and attach ⁸⁴⁰  the two rings to the upper ⁸⁴¹  two ends of the breastpiece. 28:24 You are to attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; 28:25 the other ⁸⁴²  two ends of the two chains you will attach to the two settings and then attach them ⁸⁴³  to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 28:26 You are to make two rings of gold and put them on the other ⁸⁴⁴  two ends of the breastpiece, on its edge that is on the inner side of the ephod. 28:27 You are to make two more ⁸⁴⁵  gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. 28:28 They are to tie the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it may be above the waistband of the ephod, and so that the breastpiece will not be loose from the ephod. 28:29 Aaron will bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of decision over his heart ⁸⁴⁶  when he goes into the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

28:30 “You are to put the Urim and the Thummim ⁸⁴⁷  into the breastpiece of decision; and they are to be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. Aaron is to bear the decisions ⁸⁴⁸  of the Israelites over his heart before the Lord continually.

28:31 “You are to make the robe ⁸⁴⁹  of the ephod completely blue. 28:32 There is to be an opening ⁸⁵⁰  in its top ⁸⁵¹  in the center of it, with an edge all around the opening, the work of a weaver, ⁸⁵²  like the opening of a collar, ⁸⁵³  so that it cannot be torn. ⁸⁵⁴  28:33 You are to make pomegranates ⁸⁵⁵  of blue, purple, and scarlet all around its hem ⁸⁵⁶  and bells of gold between them all around. 28:34 The pattern is to be ⁸⁵⁷  a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe. 28:35 The robe ⁸⁵⁸  is to be on Aaron as he ministers, ⁸⁵⁹  and his sound will be heard ⁸⁶⁰  when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he leaves, so that he does not die.

28:36 “You are to make a plate ⁸⁶¹  of pure gold and engrave on it the way a seal is engraved: ⁸⁶²  “Holiness to the Lord.” ⁸⁶³  28:37 You are to attach to it a blue cord so that it will be ⁸⁶⁴  on the turban; it is to be ⁸⁶⁵  on the front of the turban, 28:38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron will bear the iniquity of the holy things, ⁸⁶⁶  which the Israelites are to sanctify by all their holy gifts; ⁸⁶⁷  it will always be on his forehead, for their acceptance ⁸⁶⁸  before the Lord. 28:39 You are to weave ⁸⁶⁹  the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen, and make the sash the work of an embroiderer.

28:40 “For Aaron’s sons you are to make tunics, sashes, and headbands ⁸⁷⁰  for glory and for beauty.

28:41 “You are to clothe them – your brother Aaron and his sons with him – and anoint them ⁸⁷¹  and ordain them ⁸⁷²  and set them apart as holy, ⁸⁷³  so that they may minister as my priests. 28:42 Make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked bodies; ⁸⁷⁴  they must cover ⁸⁷⁵  from the waist to the thighs. 28:43 These must be on Aaron and his sons when they enter ⁸⁷⁶  to the tent of meeting, or when they approach ⁸⁷⁷  the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they bear no iniquity and die. ⁸⁷⁸  It is to be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants ⁸⁷⁹  after him. ⁸⁸⁰ 

The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons

29:1 ⁸⁸¹ “Now this is what ⁸⁸²  you are to do for them to consecrate them so that they may minister as my priests. Take a young ⁸⁸³  bull and two rams without blemish; ⁸⁸⁴  29:2 and ⁸⁸⁵  bread made without yeast, and perforated cakes without yeast mixed with oil, and wafers without yeast spread ⁸⁸⁶  with oil – you are to make them using ⁸⁸⁷  fine wheat flour. 29:3 You are to put them in one basket and present ⁸⁸⁸  them in the basket, along with ⁸⁸⁹  the bull and the two rams.

29:4 “You are to present ⁸⁹⁰  Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the tent of meeting. You are to wash ⁸⁹¹  them with water 29:5 and take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, ⁸⁹²  the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece; you are to fasten the ephod on him by using the skillfully woven waistband. ⁸⁹³  29:6 You are to put the turban on his head and put the holy diadem ⁸⁹⁴  on the turban. 29:7 You are to take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. ⁸⁹⁵  29:8 You are to present his sons and clothe them with tunics 29:9 and wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons ⁸⁹⁶  and put headbands on them, and so the ministry of priesthood will belong to them by a perpetual ordinance. Thus you are to consecrate ⁸⁹⁷  Aaron and his sons.

29:10 “You are to present the bull at the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to put ⁸⁹⁸  their hands on the head ⁸⁹⁹  of the bull. 29:11 You are to kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting 29:12 and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar ⁹⁰⁰  with your finger; all the rest of ⁹⁰¹  the blood you are to pour out at the base of the altar. 29:13 You are to take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe ⁹⁰²  that is above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them ⁹⁰³  on the altar. 29:14 But the meat of the bull, its skin, and its dung you are to burn up ⁹⁰⁴  outside the camp. ⁹⁰⁵  It is the purification offering. ⁹⁰⁶ 

29:15 “You are to take one ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head, 29:16 and you are to kill the ram and take its blood and splash it all around on the altar. 29:17 Then you are to cut the ram into pieces and wash the entrails and its legs and put them on its pieces and on its head 29:18 and burn ⁹⁰⁷  the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering ⁹⁰⁸  to the Lord, a soothing aroma; it is an offering made by fire ⁹⁰⁹  to the Lord. ⁹¹⁰ 

29:19 “You are to take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head, 29:20 and you are to kill the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, ⁹¹¹  and then splash the blood all around on the altar. 29:21 You are to take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it ⁹¹²  on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him, so that he may be holy, ⁹¹³  he and his garments along with his sons and his sons’ garments.

29:22 “You are to take from the ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe ⁹¹⁴  of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and the right thigh – for it is the ram for consecration ⁹¹⁵  – 29:23 and one round flat cake of bread, one perforated cake of oiled bread, and one wafer from the basket of bread made without yeast that is before the Lord. 29:24 You are to put all these ⁹¹⁶  in Aaron’s hands ⁹¹⁷  and in his sons’ hands, and you are to wave them as a wave offering ⁹¹⁸  before the Lord. 29:25 Then you are to take them from their hands and burn ⁹¹⁹  them ⁹²⁰  on the altar for a burnt offering, for a soothing aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord. 29:26 You are to take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration; you are to wave it as a wave offering before the Lord, and it is to be your share. 29:27 You are to sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution, ⁹²¹  which were waved and lifted up as a contribution from the ram of consecration, from what belongs to Aaron and to his sons. 29:28 It is to belong to Aaron and to his sons from the Israelites, by a perpetual ordinance, for it is a contribution. It is to be a contribution from the Israelites from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.

29:29 “The holy garments that belong to Aaron are to belong to his sons after him, so that they may be anointed ⁹²²  in them and consecrated ⁹²³  in them. 29:30 The priest who succeeds him ⁹²⁴  from his sons, when he first comes ⁹²⁵  to the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, is to wear them for seven days. ⁹²⁶ 

29:31 “You are to take the ram of the consecration and cook ⁹²⁷  its meat in a holy place. ⁹²⁸  29:32 Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that was in the basket at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 29:33 They are to eat those things by which atonement was made ⁹²⁹  to consecrate and to set them apart, but no one else ⁹³⁰  may eat them, for they are holy. 29:34 If any of the meat from the consecration offerings ⁹³¹  or any of the bread is left over ⁹³²  until morning, then you are to burn up ⁹³³  what is left over. It must not be eaten, ⁹³⁴  because it is holy.

29:35 “Thus you are to do for Aaron and for his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you are to consecrate them ⁹³⁵  for ⁹³⁶  seven days. 29:36 Every day you are to prepare a bull for a purification offering ⁹³⁷  for atonement. ⁹³⁸  You are to purge ⁹³⁹  the altar by making atonement ⁹⁴⁰  for it, and you are to anoint it to set it apart as holy. 29:37 For seven days ⁹⁴¹  you are to make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy. Then the altar will be most holy. ⁹⁴²  Anything that touches the altar will be holy. ⁹⁴³ 

29:38 “Now this is what you are to prepare ⁹⁴⁴  on the altar every day continually: two lambs a year old. 29:39 The first lamb you are to prepare in the morning, and the second lamb you are to prepare around sundown. ⁹⁴⁵  29:40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah ⁹⁴⁶  of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a hin ⁹⁴⁷  of oil from pressed olives, and a fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering. 29:41 The second lamb you are to offer around sundown; you are to prepare for it the same meal offering as for the morning and the same drink offering, for a soothing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

29:42 “This will be a regular ⁹⁴⁸  burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet ⁹⁴⁹  with you to speak to you there. 29:43 There I will meet ⁹⁵⁰  with the Israelites, and it will be set apart as holy by my glory. ⁹⁵¹ 

29:44 “So I will set apart as holy ⁹⁵²  the tent of meeting and the altar, and I will set apart as holy Aaron and his sons, that they may minister as priests to me. 29:45 I will reside ⁹⁵³  among the Israelites, and I will be their God, 29:46 and they will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt, so that I may reside among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar of Incense

30:1 ⁹⁵⁴ “You are to make an altar for burning incense; ⁹⁵⁵  you are to make it of ⁹⁵⁶  acacia wood. ⁹⁵⁷  30:2 Its length is to be a foot and a half ⁹⁵⁸  and its width a foot and a half; it will be square. Its height is to be three feet, ⁹⁵⁹  with its horns of one piece with it. ⁹⁶⁰  30:3 You are to overlay it with pure gold – its top, ⁹⁶¹  its four walls, ⁹⁶²  and its horns – and make a surrounding border of gold for it. ⁹⁶³  30:4 You are to make two gold rings for it under its border, on its two flanks; you are to make them on its two sides. ⁹⁶⁴  The rings ⁹⁶⁵  will be places ⁹⁶⁶  for poles to carry it with. 30:5 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

30:6 “You are to put it in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the testimony (before the atonement lid that is over the testimony), where I will meet you. 30:7 Aaron is to burn sweet incense ⁹⁶⁷  on it morning by morning; when he attends ⁹⁶⁸  to the lamps he is to burn incense. ⁹⁶⁹  30:8 When Aaron sets up the lamps around sundown he is to burn incense on it; it is to be a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 30:9 You must not offer strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering, and you must not pour out a drink offering on it. 30:10 Aaron is to make atonement on its horns once in the year with some of the blood of the sin offering for atonement; ⁹⁷⁰  once in the year ⁹⁷¹  he is to make atonement on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.” ⁹⁷² 

The Ransom Money

30:11 ⁹⁷³ The Lord spoke to Moses: ⁹⁷⁴  30:12 “When you take a census ⁹⁷⁵  of the Israelites according to their number, ⁹⁷⁶  then each man is to pay a ransom ⁹⁷⁷  for his life to the Lord when you number them, ⁹⁷⁸  so that there will be no plague among them when you number them. 30:13 Everyone who crosses over to those who are numbered ⁹⁷⁹  is to pay this: a half shekel ⁹⁸⁰  according to the shekel of the sanctuary ⁹⁸¹  (a shekel weighs twenty gerahs). The half shekel is to be an offering ⁹⁸²  to the Lord. 30:14 Everyone who crosses over to those numbered, from twenty years old and up, is to pay an offering to the Lord. 30:15 The rich are not to increase it, ⁹⁸³  and the poor are not to pay less than the half shekel when giving ⁹⁸⁴  the offering of the Lord, to make atonement ⁹⁸⁵  for your lives. 30:16 You are to receive the atonement money ⁹⁸⁶  from the Israelites and give it for the service ⁹⁸⁷  of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial ⁹⁸⁸  for the Israelites before the Lord, to make atonement ⁹⁸⁹  for your lives.”

The Bronze Laver

30:17 ⁹⁹⁰ The Lord spoke to Moses: ⁹⁹¹  30:18 “You are also to make a large bronze ⁹⁹²  basin with a bronze stand ⁹⁹³  for washing. You are to put it between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it, ⁹⁹⁴  30:19 and Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet from it. ⁹⁹⁵  30:20 When they enter ⁹⁹⁶  the tent of meeting, they must wash with ⁹⁹⁷  water so that they do not die. ⁹⁹⁸  Also, when they approach ⁹⁹⁹  the altar to minister by burning incense ¹⁰⁰⁰  as an offering made by fire ¹⁰⁰¹  to the Lord, 30:21 they must wash ¹⁰⁰²  their hands and their feet so that they do not die. And this ¹⁰⁰³  will be a perpetual ordinance for them and for their descendants ¹⁰⁰⁴  throughout their generations.” ¹⁰⁰⁵ 

Oil and Incense

30:22 ¹⁰⁰⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁰⁰⁷  30:23 “Take ¹⁰⁰⁸  choice spices: ¹⁰⁰⁹  twelve and a half pounds ¹⁰¹⁰  of free-flowing myrrh, ¹⁰¹¹  half that – about six and a quarter pounds – of sweet-smelling cinnamon, six and a quarter pounds of sweet-smelling cane, 30:24 and twelve and a half pounds of cassia, all weighed ¹⁰¹²  according to the sanctuary shekel, and four quarts ¹⁰¹³  of olive oil. 30:25 You are to make this ¹⁰¹⁴  into ¹⁰¹⁵  a sacred anointing oil, a perfumed compound, ¹⁰¹⁶  the work of a perfumer. It will be sacred anointing oil.

30:26 “With it you are to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, 30:27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense, 30:28 the altar for the burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its base. 30:29 So you are to sanctify them, ¹⁰¹⁷  and they will be most holy; ¹⁰¹⁸  anything that touches them will be holy. ¹⁰¹⁹ 

30:30 “You are to anoint Aaron and his sons and ¹⁰²⁰  sanctify them, so that they may minister as my priests. 30:31 And you are to tell the Israelites: ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil throughout your generations. 30:32 It must not be applied ¹⁰²¹  to people’s bodies, and you must not make any like it with the same recipe. It is holy, and it must be holy to you. 30:33 Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts any of it on someone not a priest ¹⁰²²  will be cut off ¹⁰²³  from his people.’”

30:34 The Lord said to Moses: “Take ¹⁰²⁴  spices, gum resin, ¹⁰²⁵  onycha, ¹⁰²⁶  galbanum, ¹⁰²⁷  and pure frankincense ¹⁰²⁸  of equal amounts ¹⁰²⁹  30:35 and make it into an incense, ¹⁰³⁰  a perfume, ¹⁰³¹  the work of a perfumer. It is to be finely ground, ¹⁰³²  and pure and sacred. 30:36 You are to beat some of it very fine and put some of it before the ark of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it is to be most holy to you. 30:37 And the incense that you are to make, you must not make for yourselves using the same recipe; it is to be most holy to you, belonging to the Lord. 30:38 Whoever makes anything like it, to use as perfume, ¹⁰³³  will be cut off from his people.”

Willing Artisans

31:1 ¹⁰³⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁰³⁵  31:2 “See, I have chosen ¹⁰³⁶  Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31:3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God ¹⁰³⁷  in skill, ¹⁰³⁸  in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds ¹⁰³⁹  of craftsmanship, 31:4 to make artistic designs ¹⁰⁴⁰  for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze, 31:5 and with cutting and setting stone, and with cutting wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 31:6 Moreover, ¹⁰⁴¹  I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, ¹⁰⁴²  that they may make ¹⁰⁴³  everything I have commanded you: 31:7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on it, all the furnishings ¹⁰⁴⁴  of the tent, 31:8 the table with its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 31:9 the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils, the large basin with its base, 31:10 the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons, to minister as priests, 31:11 the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the Holy Place. They will make all these things just as I have commanded you.”

Sabbath Observance

31:12 ¹⁰⁴⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰⁴⁶  31:13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, ¹⁰⁴⁷  for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ¹⁰⁴⁸  31:14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it ¹⁰⁴⁹  must surely be put to death; indeed, ¹⁰⁵⁰  if anyone does ¹⁰⁵¹  any ¹⁰⁵²  work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his ¹⁰⁵³  people. 31:15 Six days ¹⁰⁵⁴  work may be done, ¹⁰⁵⁵  but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, ¹⁰⁵⁶  holy to the Lord; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. 31:16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 31:17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days ¹⁰⁵⁷  the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” ¹⁰⁵⁸ 

31:18 He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God. ¹⁰⁵⁹ 

The Sin of the Golden Calf

32:1 ¹⁰⁶⁰ When the people saw that Moses delayed ¹⁰⁶¹  in coming down ¹⁰⁶²  from the mountain, they ¹⁰⁶³  gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, ¹⁰⁶⁴  make us gods ¹⁰⁶⁵  that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, ¹⁰⁶⁶  the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what ¹⁰⁶⁷  has become of him!”

32:2 So Aaron said to them, “Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ¹⁰⁶⁸  32:3 So all ¹⁰⁶⁹  the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. 32:4 He accepted the gold ¹⁰⁷⁰  from them, ¹⁰⁷¹  fashioned ¹⁰⁷²  it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. ¹⁰⁷³  Then they said, “These are your gods, ¹⁰⁷⁴  O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

32:5 When ¹⁰⁷⁵  Aaron saw this, ¹⁰⁷⁶  he built an altar before it, ¹⁰⁷⁷  and Aaron made a proclamation ¹⁰⁷⁸  and said, “Tomorrow will be a feast ¹⁰⁷⁹  to the Lord.” 32:6 So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, ¹⁰⁸⁰  and they rose up to play. ¹⁰⁸¹ 

32:7 The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go quickly, descend, ¹⁰⁸²  because your ¹⁰⁸³  people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. 32:8 They have quickly turned aside ¹⁰⁸⁴  from the way that I commanded them – they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”

32:9 Then the Lord said to Moses: “I have seen this people. ¹⁰⁸⁵  Look ¹⁰⁸⁶  what a stiff-necked people they are! ¹⁰⁸⁷  32:10 So now, leave me alone ¹⁰⁸⁸  so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.”

32:11 But Moses sought the favor ¹⁰⁸⁹  of the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 32:12 Why ¹⁰⁹⁰  should the Egyptians say, ¹⁰⁹¹  ‘For evil ¹⁰⁹²  he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy ¹⁰⁹³  them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relent ¹⁰⁹⁴  of this evil against your people. 32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, ‘I will multiply your descendants ¹⁰⁹⁵  like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken about ¹⁰⁹⁶  I will give to your descendants, ¹⁰⁹⁷  and they will inherit it forever.’” 32:14 Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.

32:15 Moses turned and went down from the mountain with ¹⁰⁹⁸  the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides – they were written on the front and on the back. 32:16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 32:17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, ¹⁰⁹⁹  he said to Moses, “It is the sound of war in the camp!” 32:18 Moses ¹¹⁰⁰  said, “It is not the sound of those who shout for victory, ¹¹⁰¹  nor is it the sound of those who cry because they are overcome, ¹¹⁰²  but the sound of singing ¹¹⁰³  I hear.” ¹¹⁰⁴ 

32:19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry. ¹¹⁰⁵  He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain. ¹¹⁰⁶  32:20 He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground it ¹¹⁰⁷  to powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. ¹¹⁰⁸ 

32:21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought on them so great a sin?” 32:22 Aaron said, “Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; ¹¹⁰⁹  you know these people, that they tend to evil. ¹¹¹⁰  32:23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ 32:24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave it ¹¹¹¹  to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.” ¹¹¹² 

32:25 Moses saw that the people were running wild, ¹¹¹³  for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies. ¹¹¹⁴  32:26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come ¹¹¹⁵  to me.” ¹¹¹⁶  All the Levites gathered around him, 32:27 and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Each man fasten ¹¹¹⁷  his sword on his side, and go back and forth ¹¹¹⁸  from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and each one kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” ¹¹¹⁹ 

32:28 The Levites did what Moses ordered, ¹¹²⁰  and that day about three thousand men of the people died. ¹¹²¹  32:29 Moses said, “You have been consecrated ¹¹²²  today for the Lord, for each of you was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today.” ¹¹²³ 

32:30 The next day Moses said to the people, ¹¹²⁴  “You have committed a very serious sin, ¹¹²⁵  but now I will go up to the Lord – perhaps I can make atonement ¹¹²⁶  on behalf of your sin.”

32:31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin, ¹¹²⁷  and they have made for themselves gods of gold. 32:32 But now, if you will forgive their sin…, ¹¹²⁸  but if not, wipe me out ¹¹²⁹  from your book that you have written.” ¹¹³⁰  32:33 The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me – that person I will wipe out of my book. 32:34 So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See, ¹¹³¹  my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish, I will indeed punish them for their sin.” ¹¹³² 

32:35 And the Lord sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf ¹¹³³  – the one Aaron made. ¹¹³⁴ 

33:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up ¹¹³⁵  from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath ¹¹³⁶  to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ ¹¹³⁷  33:2 I will send an angel ¹¹³⁸  before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ¹¹³⁹  33:3 Go up ¹¹⁴⁰  to a land flowing with milk and honey. But ¹¹⁴¹  I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you ¹¹⁴²  on the way.”

33:4 When the people heard this troubling word ¹¹⁴³  they mourned; ¹¹⁴⁴  no one put on his ornaments. 33:5 For ¹¹⁴⁵  the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment, ¹¹⁴⁶  I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments, ¹¹⁴⁷  that I may know ¹¹⁴⁸  what I should do to you.’” ¹¹⁴⁹  33:6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

The Presence of the Lord

33:7 ¹¹⁵⁰ Moses took ¹¹⁵¹  the tent ¹¹⁵²  and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distance ¹¹⁵³  from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone ¹¹⁵⁴  seeking ¹¹⁵⁵  the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.

33:8 And when Moses went out ¹¹⁵⁶  to the tent, all the people would get up ¹¹⁵⁷  and stand at the entrance to their tents ¹¹⁵⁸  and watch ¹¹⁵⁹  Moses until he entered the tent. ¹¹⁶⁰  33:9 And ¹¹⁶¹  whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord ¹¹⁶²  would speak with Moses. ¹¹⁶³  33:10 When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship. ¹¹⁶⁴  33:11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, ¹¹⁶⁵  the way a person speaks ¹¹⁶⁶  to a friend. Then Moses ¹¹⁶⁷  would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent. ¹¹⁶⁸ 

33:12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’ ¹¹⁶⁹  but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name, ¹¹⁷⁰  and also you have found favor in my sight.’ 33:13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me ¹¹⁷¹  your way, that I may know you, ¹¹⁷²  that I may continue to find ¹¹⁷³  favor in your sight. And see ¹¹⁷⁴  that this nation is your people.”

33:14 And the Lord ¹¹⁷⁵  said, “My presence ¹¹⁷⁶  will go with you, ¹¹⁷⁷  and I will give you rest.” ¹¹⁷⁸ 

33:15 And Moses ¹¹⁷⁹  said to him, “If your presence does not go ¹¹⁸⁰  with us, ¹¹⁸¹  do not take us up from here. ¹¹⁸²  33:16 For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?” ¹¹⁸³ 

33:17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have requested, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know ¹¹⁸⁴  you by name.”

33:18 And Moses ¹¹⁸⁵  said, “Show me your glory.” ¹¹⁸⁶ 

33:19 And the Lord ¹¹⁸⁷  said, “I will make all my goodness ¹¹⁸⁸  pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name ¹¹⁸⁹  before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” ¹¹⁹⁰  33:20 But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can ¹¹⁹¹  see me and live.” ¹¹⁹²  33:21 The Lord said, “Here ¹¹⁹³  is a place by me; you will station yourself ¹¹⁹⁴  on a rock. 33:22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover ¹¹⁹⁵  you with my hand ¹¹⁹⁶  while I pass by. ¹¹⁹⁷  33:23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, ¹¹⁹⁸  but my face must not be seen.” ¹¹⁹⁹ 

The New Tablets of the Covenant

34:1 ¹²⁰⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Cut out ¹²⁰¹  two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write ¹²⁰²  on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed. 34:2 Be prepared ¹²⁰³  in the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and station yourself ¹²⁰⁴  for me there on the top of the mountain. 34:3 No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that mountain.” 34:4 So Moses ¹²⁰⁵  cut out two tablets of stone like the first; ¹²⁰⁶  early in the morning he went up ¹²⁰⁷  to Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.

34:5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the Lord by name. ¹²⁰⁸  34:6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: ¹²⁰⁹  “The Lord, the Lord, ¹²¹⁰  the compassionate and gracious ¹²¹¹  God, slow to anger, ¹²¹²  and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, ¹²¹³  34:7 keeping loyal love for thousands, ¹²¹⁴  forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression ¹²¹⁵  of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

34:8 Moses quickly bowed ¹²¹⁶  to the ground and worshiped 34:9 and said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord ¹²¹⁷  go among us, for we ¹²¹⁸  are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

34:10 He said, “See, I am going to make ¹²¹⁹  a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done ¹²²⁰  in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you. ¹²²¹ 

34:11 “Obey ¹²²²  what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive out ¹²²³  before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 34:12 Be careful not to make ¹²²⁴  a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snare ¹²²⁵  among you. 34:13 Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles. ¹²²⁶  34:14 For you must not worship ¹²²⁷  any other god, ¹²²⁸  for the Lord, whose name ¹²²⁹  is Jealous, is a jealous God. 34:15 Be careful ¹²³⁰  not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when ¹²³¹  they prostitute themselves ¹²³²  to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you, ¹²³³  you will eat from his sacrifice; 34:16 and you then take ¹²³⁴  his daughters for your sons, and when his daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods as well. 34:17 You must not make yourselves molten gods.

34:18 “You must keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days ¹²³⁵  you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you; do this ¹²³⁶  at the appointed time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt.

34:19 “Every firstborn of the womb ¹²³⁷  belongs to me, even every firstborn ¹²³⁸  of your cattle that is a male, ¹²³⁹  whether ox or sheep. 34:20 Now the firstling ¹²⁴⁰  of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then break its neck. ¹²⁴¹  You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons.

“No one will appear before me empty-handed. ¹²⁴² 

34:21 “On six days ¹²⁴³  you may labor, but on the seventh day you must rest; ¹²⁴⁴  even at the time of plowing and of harvest ¹²⁴⁵  you are to rest. ¹²⁴⁶ 

34:22 “You must observe ¹²⁴⁷  the Feast of Weeks – the firstfruits of the harvest of wheat – and the Feast of Ingathering at the end ¹²⁴⁸  of the year. 34:23 At three times ¹²⁴⁹  in the year all your men ¹²⁵⁰  must appear before the Lord God, ¹²⁵¹  the God of Israel. 34:24 For I will drive out ¹²⁵²  the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covet ¹²⁵³  your land when you go up ¹²⁵⁴  to appear before the Lord your God three times ¹²⁵⁵  in the year.

34:25 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice from the feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning. ¹²⁵⁶ 

34:26 “The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God.

You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.” ¹²⁵⁷ 

34:27 The Lord said to Moses, “Write down ¹²⁵⁸  these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 34:28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; ¹²⁵⁹  he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. ¹²⁶⁰ 

The Radiant Face of Moses

34:29 ¹²⁶¹ Now when Moses came down ¹²⁶²  from Mount Sinai with ¹²⁶³  the two tablets of the testimony in his hand ¹²⁶⁴  – when he came down ¹²⁶⁵  from the mountain, Moses ¹²⁶⁶  did not know that the skin of his face shone ¹²⁶⁷  while he talked with him. 34:30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone; ¹²⁶⁸  and they were afraid to approach him. 34:31 But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and Moses spoke to them. 34:32 After this all the Israelites approached, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 34:33 When Moses finished ¹²⁶⁹  speaking ¹²⁷⁰  with them, he would ¹²⁷¹  put a veil on his face. 34:34 But when Moses went in ¹²⁷²  before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. ¹²⁷³  Then he would come out and tell the Israelites what he had been commanded. ¹²⁷⁴  34:35 When the Israelites would see ¹²⁷⁵  the face of Moses, that ¹²⁷⁶  the skin of Moses’ face shone, Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord. ¹²⁷⁷ 

Sabbath Regulations

35:1 Moses assembled the whole community of the Israelites and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. ¹²⁷⁸  35:2 In six days ¹²⁷⁹  work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a holy day ¹²⁸⁰  for you, a Sabbath of complete rest to the Lord. ¹²⁸¹  Anyone who does work on it will be put to death. 35:3 You must not kindle a fire ¹²⁸²  in any of your homes ¹²⁸³  on the Sabbath day.” ¹²⁸⁴ 

Willing Workers

35:4 ¹²⁸⁵ Moses spoke to the whole community of the Israelites, “This is the word that the Lord has commanded: 35:5 ‘Take ¹²⁸⁶  an offering for the Lord. Let everyone who has a willing heart ¹²⁸⁷  bring ¹²⁸⁸  an offering to the Lord: ¹²⁸⁹  gold, silver, bronze, 35:6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goat’s hair, 35:7 ram skins dyed red, fine leather, ¹²⁹⁰  acacia wood, 35:8 olive oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 35:9 onyx stones, and other gems ¹²⁹¹  for mounting ¹²⁹²  on the ephod and the breastpiece. 35:10 Every skilled person ¹²⁹³  among you is to come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 35:11 the tabernacle with ¹²⁹⁴  its tent, its covering, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, its posts, and its bases; 35:12 the ark, with its poles, the atonement lid, and the special curtain that conceals it; 35:13 the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the Bread of the Presence; 35:14 the lampstand for ¹²⁹⁵  the light and its accessories, its lamps, and oil for the light; 35:15 and the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; the hanging for the door at the entrance of the tabernacle; 35:16 the altar for the burnt offering with its bronze grating that is on it, its poles, and all its utensils; the large basin and its pedestal; 35:17 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for the gateway to the courtyard; 35:18 tent pegs for the tabernacle and tent pegs for the courtyard and their ropes; 35:19 the woven garments for serving in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.”

35:20 So the whole community of the Israelites went out from the presence of Moses. 35:21 Everyone ¹²⁹⁶  whose heart stirred him to action ¹²⁹⁷  and everyone whose spirit was willing ¹²⁹⁸  came and brought the offering for the Lord for the work of the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. ¹²⁹⁹  35:22 They came, men and women alike, ¹³⁰⁰  all who had willing hearts. They brought brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments, all kinds of gold jewelry, ¹³⁰¹  and everyone came who waved ¹³⁰²  a wave offering of gold to the Lord.

35:23 Everyone who had ¹³⁰³  blue, purple, or ¹³⁰⁴  scarlet yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, ram skins dyed red, or fine leather ¹³⁰⁵  brought them. ¹³⁰⁶  35:24 Everyone making an offering of silver or bronze brought it as ¹³⁰⁷  an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood ¹³⁰⁸  for any work of the service brought it. ¹³⁰⁹  35:25 Every woman who was skilled ¹³¹⁰  spun with her hands and brought what she had spun, blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen, 35:26 and all the women whose heart stirred them to action and who were skilled ¹³¹¹  spun goats’ hair.

35:27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted ¹³¹²  for the ephod and the breastpiece, 35:28 and spices and olive oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

35:29 The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord, every man and woman whose heart was willing to bring materials for all the work that the Lord through ¹³¹³  Moses had commanded them ¹³¹⁴  to do.

35:30 Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen ¹³¹⁵  Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 35:31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God – with skill, with understanding, with knowledge, and in all kinds of work, 35:32 to design artistic designs, to work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 35:33 and in cutting stones for their setting, ¹³¹⁶  and in cutting wood, to do work in every artistic craft. ¹³¹⁷  35:34 And he has put it in his heart ¹³¹⁸  to teach, he and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35:35 He has filled them with skill ¹³¹⁹  to do all kinds of work ¹³²⁰  as craftsmen, as designers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and in fine linen, and as weavers. They are ¹³²¹  craftsmen in all the work ¹³²²  and artistic designers. ¹³²³  36:1 So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person ¹³²⁴  in whom the Lord has put skill ¹³²⁵  and ability ¹³²⁶  to know how ¹³²⁷  to do all the work for the service ¹³²⁸  of the sanctuary are to do the work ¹³²⁹  according to all that the Lord has commanded.”

36:2 Moses summoned ¹³³⁰  Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom ¹³³¹  the Lord had put skill – everyone whose heart stirred him ¹³³²  to volunteer ¹³³³  to do the work, 36:3 and they received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to do ¹³³⁴  the work for the service of the sanctuary, and they still continued to bring him a freewill offering each morning. ¹³³⁵  36:4 So all the skilled people who were doing all the work on the sanctuary came from the work ¹³³⁶  they were doing 36:5 and told Moses, “The people are bringing much more than ¹³³⁷  is needed for the completion ¹³³⁸  of the work which the Lord commanded us to do!” ¹³³⁹ 

36:6 Moses instructed them to take ¹³⁴⁰  his message ¹³⁴¹  throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman do any more work for the offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more. ¹³⁴²  36:7 Now the materials were more than enough ¹³⁴³  for them to do all the work. ¹³⁴⁴ 

The Building of the Tabernacle

36:8 All the skilled among those who were doing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; they were made with cherubim that were the work of an artistic designer. 36:9 The length of one curtain was forty-two feet, and the width of one curtain was six feet – the same size for each of the curtains. 36:10 He joined ¹³⁴⁵  five of the curtains to one another, and the other ¹³⁴⁶  five curtains he joined to one another. 36:11 He made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in the first set; he did the same along the edge of the end curtain in the second set. 36:12 He made fifty loops on the first curtain, and he made fifty loops on the end curtain that was in the second set, with the loops opposite one another. 36:13 He made fifty gold clasps and joined the curtains together to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle was a unit. ¹³⁴⁷ 

36:14 He made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains. ¹³⁴⁸  36:15 The length of one curtain was forty-five feet, and the width of one curtain was six feet – one size for all eleven curtains. 36:16 He joined five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. 36:17 He made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in the first set and fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that joined the second set. 36:18 He made fifty bronze clasps to join the tent together so that it might be a unit. ¹³⁴⁹  36:19 He made a covering for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over that a covering of fine leather. ¹³⁵⁰ 

36:20 He made the frames ¹³⁵¹  for the tabernacle of acacia wood ¹³⁵²  as uprights. ¹³⁵³  36:21 The length of each ¹³⁵⁴  frame was fifteen feet, the width of each ¹³⁵⁵  frame was two and a quarter feet, 36:22 with ¹³⁵⁶  two projections per frame parallel one to another. ¹³⁵⁷  He made all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 36:23 So he made frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side. 36:24 He made forty silver bases under the twenty frames – two bases under the first frame for its two projections, and likewise ¹³⁵⁸  two bases under the next frame for its two projections, 36:25 and for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty frames 36:26 and their forty silver bases, two bases under the first frame and two bases under the next ¹³⁵⁹  frame. 36:27 And for the back of the tabernacle on the west he made six frames. 36:28 He made two frames for the corners of the tabernacle on the back. 36:29 At the two corners ¹³⁶⁰  they were doubled at the lower end and ¹³⁶¹  finished together at the top in one ring. So he did for both. 36:30 So there were eight frames and their silver bases, sixteen bases, two bases under each frame.

36:31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle 36:32 and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle for the back side on the west. 36:33 He made the middle bar to reach from end to end in the center of the frames. 36:34 He overlaid the frames with gold and made their rings of gold to provide places ¹³⁶²  for the bars, and he overlaid the bars with gold.

36:35 He made the special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; he made ¹³⁶³  it with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer. 36:36 He made for it four posts of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, with gold hooks, ¹³⁶⁴  and he cast for them four silver bases.

36:37 He made a hanging for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer, 36:38 and its five posts and their hooks. He overlaid their tops ¹³⁶⁵  and their bands with gold, but their five bases were bronze. ¹³⁶⁶ 

The Making of the Ark

37:1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its height two feet three inches. 37:2 He overlaid it with pure gold, inside and out, and he made a surrounding border ¹³⁶⁷  of gold for it. 37:3 He cast four gold rings for it that he put ¹³⁶⁸  on its four feet, with ¹³⁶⁹  two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 37:4 He made poles of acacia wood, overlaid them with gold, 37:5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark.

37:6 He made ¹³⁷⁰  an atonement lid of pure gold; its length was three feet nine inches, and its width was two feet three inches. 37:7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid, 37:8 one cherub on one end ¹³⁷¹  and one cherub on the other end. ¹³⁷²  He made the cherubim from the atonement lid on its two ends. 37:9 The cherubim were spreading their wings ¹³⁷³  upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings. The cherubim ¹³⁷⁴  faced each other, ¹³⁷⁵  looking toward the atonement lid. ¹³⁷⁶ 

The Making of the Table

37:10 He made the table of acacia wood; its length was three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches. 37:11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and he made a surrounding border of gold for it. 37:12 He made a surrounding frame for it about three inches wide, and he made a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 37:13 He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings at the four corners where its four legs were. 37:14 The rings were close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry the table. 37:15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 37:16 He made the vessels which were on the table out of pure gold, its ¹³⁷⁷  plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings.

The Making of the Lampstand

37:17 He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were from the same piece. ¹³⁷⁸  37:18 Six branches were extending from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. 37:19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the next ¹³⁷⁹  branch, and the same ¹³⁸⁰  for the six branches that were extending from the lampstand. 37:20 On the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 37:21 with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it; according to the six branches that extended from it. ¹³⁸¹  37:22 Their buds and their branches were of one piece; ¹³⁸²  all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 37:23 He made its seven lamps, its trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 37:24 He made the lampstand ¹³⁸³  and all its accessories with seventy-five pounds of pure gold.

The Making of the Altar of Incense

37:25 He made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was a foot and a half and its width a foot and a half – a square – and its height was three feet. Its horns were of one piece with it. ¹³⁸⁴  37:26 He overlaid it with pure gold – its top, ¹³⁸⁵  its four walls, ¹³⁸⁶  and its horns – and he made a surrounding border of gold for it. ¹³⁸⁷  37:27 He also made ¹³⁸⁸  two gold rings for it under its border, on its two sides, on opposite sides, ¹³⁸⁹  as places ¹³⁹⁰  for poles to carry it with. 37:28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

37:29 He made the sacred anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

The Making of the Altar for the Burnt Offering

38:1 He made the altar for the burnt offering of acacia wood seven feet six inches long and seven feet six inches wide – it was square – and its height was four feet six inches. 38:2 He made its horns on its four corners; its horns were part of it, ¹³⁹¹  and he overlaid it with bronze. 38:3 He made all the utensils of the altar – the pots, the shovels, the tossing bowls, the meat hooks, and the fire pans – he made all its utensils of bronze. 38:4 He made a grating for the altar, a network of bronze under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom. 38:5 He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, to provide places for the poles. 38:6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 38:7 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made the altar ¹³⁹²  hollow, out of boards.

38:8 He made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors of the women who served ¹³⁹³  at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

The Construction of the Courtyard

38:9 He made the courtyard. For the south side ¹³⁹⁴  the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet long, 38:10 with ¹³⁹⁵  their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 38:11 For the north side the hangings were ¹³⁹⁶  one hundred fifty feet, with their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 38:12 For the west side there were ¹³⁹⁷  hangings seventy-five feet long, with ¹³⁹⁸  their ten posts and their ten bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 38:13 For the east side, toward the sunrise, it was seventy-five feet wide, ¹³⁹⁹  38:14 with hangings on one side ¹⁴⁰⁰  of the gate that were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases, 38:15 and for the second side of the gate of the courtyard, just like the other, ¹⁴⁰¹  the hangings were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 38:16 All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twisted linen. 38:17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks of the posts and their bands were silver, their tops were overlaid with silver, and all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands. ¹⁴⁰²  38:18 The curtain ¹⁴⁰³  for the gate of the courtyard was of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer. It was thirty feet long, and like the hangings in the courtyard, it was seven and a half feet high, 38:19 with four posts and their four bronze bases. Their hooks and their bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 38:20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were bronze.

The Materials of the Construction

38:21 This is the inventory ¹⁴⁰⁴  of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, which was counted ¹⁴⁰⁵  by the order ¹⁴⁰⁶  of Moses, being the work ¹⁴⁰⁷  of the Levites under the direction ¹⁴⁰⁸  of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 38:22 Now Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord had commanded Moses; 38:23 and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an artisan, a designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.

38:24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary ¹⁴⁰⁹  (namely, ¹⁴¹⁰  the gold of the wave offering) was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, ¹⁴¹¹  according to the sanctuary shekel.

38:25 The silver of those who were numbered of the community was one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, ¹⁴¹²  according to the sanctuary shekel, 38:26 one beka per person, that is, a half shekel, ¹⁴¹³  according to the sanctuary shekel, for everyone who crossed over to those numbered, from twenty years old or older, ¹⁴¹⁴  603,550 in all. ¹⁴¹⁵  38:27 The one hundred talents of silver were used for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the special curtain – one hundred bases for one hundred talents, one talent per base. 38:28 From the remaining 1,775 shekels ¹⁴¹⁶  he made hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and made bands for them.

38:29 The bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels. ¹⁴¹⁷  38:30 With it he made the bases for the door of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils of the altar, 38:31 the bases for the courtyard all around, the bases for the gate of the courtyard, all the tent pegs of the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard all around. ¹⁴¹⁸ 

The Making of the Priestly Garments

39:1 From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary; they made holy garments that were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹⁴¹⁹ 

The Ephod

39:2 He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 39:3 They hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into narrow strips to weave ¹⁴²⁰  them into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and into the fine linen, the work of an artistic designer. 39:4 They made shoulder pieces for it, attached to two of its corners, so it could be joined together. 39:5 The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it, ¹⁴²¹  of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

39:6 They set the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved as with the engravings of a seal ¹⁴²²  with the names of the sons of Israel. ¹⁴²³  39:7 He put ¹⁴²⁴  them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece of Decision

39:8 He made the breastpiece, the work of an artistic designer, in the same fashion as the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 39:9 It was square – they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled. 39:10 They set on it ¹⁴²⁵  four rows of stones: a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl – the first row; 39:11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 39:12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 39:13 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold filigree settings. 39:14 The stones were for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, corresponding to the number of ¹⁴²⁶  their names. Each name corresponding to one of the twelve tribes was like the engravings of a seal.

39:15 They made for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, 39:16 and they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and they attached the two rings to the upper ¹⁴²⁷  two ends of the breastpiece. 39:17 They attached the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; 39:18 the other ¹⁴²⁸  two ends of the two chains they attached to the two settings, and they attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 39:19 They made two rings of gold and put them on the other ¹⁴²⁹  two ends of the breastpiece on its edge, which is on the inner side of the ephod. ¹⁴³⁰  39:20 They made two more ¹⁴³¹  gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. 39:21 They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it was above the waistband of the ephod, so that the breastpiece would not be loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Other Garments

39:22 He made the robe of the ephod completely blue, the work of a weaver. 39:23 There was an opening in the center of the robe, like the opening of a collar, with an edge all around the opening so that it could not be torn. 39:24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and twisted linen ¹⁴³²  around the hem of the robe. 39:25 They made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates. 39:26 There was ¹⁴³³  a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe, to be used in ministering, ¹⁴³⁴  just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

39:27 They made tunics of fine linen – the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons – 39:28 and the turban of fine linen, the headbands of fine linen, and the undergarments of fine twisted linen. 39:29 The sash was of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, the work of an embroiderer, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:30 They made a plate, the holy diadem, of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription, as on the engravings of a seal, “Holiness to the Lord.” 39:31 They attached to it a blue cord, to attach it to the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Moses Inspects the Sanctuary

39:32 ¹⁴³⁵ So all the work of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed, and the Israelites did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses – they did it exactly so. 39:33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; 39:34 and the coverings of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, ¹⁴³⁶  and the protecting ¹⁴³⁷  curtain; 39:35 the ark of the testimony and its poles, and the atonement lid; 39:36 the table, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence; 39:37 the pure ¹⁴³⁸  lampstand, its lamps, with the lamps set in order, and all its accessories, and oil for the light; 39:38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; 39:39 the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the large basin with its pedestal; 39:40 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for the gateway of the courtyard, its ropes and its tent pegs, and all the furnishings ¹⁴³⁹  for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 39:41 the woven garments for serving ¹⁴⁴⁰  in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.

39:42 The Israelites did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:43 Moses inspected ¹⁴⁴¹  all the work – and ¹⁴⁴²  they had done it just as the Lord had commanded – they had done it exactly – and Moses blessed them. ¹⁴⁴³ 

Setting Up the Sanctuary

40:1 ¹⁴⁴⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁴⁴⁵  40:2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up ¹⁴⁴⁶  the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 40:3 You are to place the ark of the testimony in it and shield the ark with the special curtain. 40:4 You are to bring in the table and set out the things that belong on it; ¹⁴⁴⁷  then you are to bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 40:5 You are to put ¹⁴⁴⁸  the gold altar for incense in front of the ark of the testimony and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 40:6 You are to put the altar for the burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 40:7 You are to put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. ¹⁴⁴⁹  40:8 You are to set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the gate of the courtyard. 40:9 And take ¹⁴⁵⁰  the anointing oil, and anoint ¹⁴⁵¹  the tabernacle and all that is in it, and sanctify ¹⁴⁵²  it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. 40:10 Then you are to anoint the altar for the burnt offering with ¹⁴⁵³  all its utensils; you are to sanctify the altar, and it will be the most holy altar. 40:11 You must also anoint the large basin and its pedestal, and you are to sanctify it. ¹⁴⁵⁴ 

40:12 “You are to bring ¹⁴⁵⁵  Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 40:13 Then you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him and sanctify him so that he may minister as my priest. 40:14 You are to bring ¹⁴⁵⁶  his sons and clothe them with tunics 40:15 and anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may minister as my priests; their anointing will make them a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.” 40:16 This is what Moses did, according to all the Lord had commanded him – so he did.

40:17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month, in the second year. 40:18 When Moses set up the tabernacle and put its bases in place, he set up its frames, attached its bars, and set up its posts. 40:19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 40:20 He took the testimony and put it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark, and then put the atonement lid on the ark. 40:21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung ¹⁴⁵⁷  the protecting curtain, ¹⁴⁵⁸  and shielded the ark of the testimony from view, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:22 And he put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain. 40:23 And he set the bread in order on it ¹⁴⁵⁹  before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:24 And he put the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. 40:25 Then he set up the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:26 And he put the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain, 40:27 and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:28 Then he put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 40:29 He also put the altar for the burnt offering by the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:30 Then he put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it ¹⁴⁶⁰  for washing. 40:31 Moses and Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and their feet from it. 40:32 Whenever they entered ¹⁴⁶¹  the tent of meeting, and whenever they approached ¹⁴⁶²  the altar, they would wash, ¹⁴⁶³  just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:33 And he set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and put the curtain at the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

40:34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 40:35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 40:36 But when the cloud was lifted up ¹⁴⁶⁴  from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out ¹⁴⁶⁵  on all their journeys; 40:37 but if the cloud was not lifted up, then they would not journey further until the day it was lifted up. ¹⁴⁶⁶  40:38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, but fire would be ¹⁴⁶⁷  on it at night, in plain view ¹⁴⁶⁸  of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

[15:1]  ¹ sn This chapter is a song of praise sung by Moses and the people right after the deliverance from the Sea. The song itself is vv. 1b-18; it falls into three sections – praise to God (1b-3), the cause for the praise (4-13), and the conclusion (14-18). The point of the first section is that God’s saving acts inspire praise from his people; the second is that God’s powerful acts deliver his people from the forces of evil; and the third section is that God’s demonstrations of his sovereignty inspire confidence in him by his people. So the Victory Song is very much like the other declarative praise psalms – the resolve to praise, the power of God, the victory over the enemies, the incomparability of God in his redemption, and the fear of the people. See also C. Cohen, “Studies in Early Israelite Poetry I: An Unrecognized Case of Three Line Staircase Parallelism in the Song of the Sea,” JANESCU 7 (1975): 13-17; D. N. Freedman, “Strophe and Meter in Exodus 15,” A Light unto My Path, 163-203; E. Levine, “Neofiti I: A Study of Exodus 15,” Bib 54 (1973): 301-30; T. C. Butler, “‘The Song of the Sea’: Exodus 15:1-18: A Study in the Exegesis of Hebrew Poetry,” DissAb 32 (1971): 2782-A.

[15:1]  ² tn The verb is יָשִׁיר (yashir), a normal imperfect tense form. But after the adverb “then” this form is to be treated as a preterite (see GKC 314-15 §107.c).

[15:1]  ³ tn Heb “and they said, saying.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:1]  ⁴ tn The form is the singular cohortative, expressing the resolution of Moses to sing the song of praise (“I will” being stronger than “I shall”).

[15:1]  ⁵ tn This causal clause gives the reason for and summary of the praise. The Hebrew expression has כִּי־גָּאֹה גָּאָה (ki ga’oh ga’ah). The basic idea of the verb is “rise up loftily” or “proudly.” But derivatives of the root carry the nuance of majesty or pride (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 132). So the idea of the perfect tense with its infinitive absolute may mean “he is highly exalted” or “he has done majestically” or “he is gloriously glorious.”

[15:1]  ⁶ sn The common understanding is that Egypt did not have people riding horses at this time, and so the phrase the horse and its rider is either viewed as an anachronism or is interpreted to mean charioteers. The word “to ride” can mean on a horse or in a chariot. Some have suggested changing “rider” to “chariot” (re-vocalization) to read “the horse and its chariot.”

[15:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “Yah.” Moses’ poem here uses a short form of the name Yahweh, traditionally rendered in English by “the LORD.”

[15:2]  ⁸ tn The word וְזִמְרָת (vÿzimrat) is problematic. It probably had a suffix yod (י) that was accidentally dropped because of the yod (י) on the divine name following. Most scholars posit another meaning for the word. A meaning of “power” fits the line fairly well, forming a hendiadys with strength – “strength and power” becoming “strong power.” Similar lines are in Isa 12:2 and Ps 118:14. Others suggest “protection” or “glory.” However, there is nothing substantially wrong with “my song” in the line – only that it would be a nicer match if it had something to do with strength.

[15:2]  ⁹ tn The word נָוָה (navah) occurs only here. It may mean “beautify, adorn” with praises (see BDB 627 s.v.). See also M. Dahood, “Exodus 15:2: ‘anwehu and Ugaritic snwt,” Bib 59 (1979): 260-61; and M. Klein, “The Targumic Tosefta to Exodus 15:2,” JJS 26 (1975): 61-67; and S. B. Parker, “Exodus 15:2 Again,” VT 21 (1971): 373-79.

[15:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “man of war” (so KJV, ASV). “Warrior” is now the preferred translation since “man of war” is more commonly known today as a warship. The expression indicates that Yahweh is one who understands how to fight and defeat the enemy. The word “war” modifies “man” to reveal that Yahweh is a warrior. Other passages use similar descriptions: Isa 42:13 has “man of wars”; Ps 24:8 has “mighty man of battle.” See F. Cross, “The Divine Warrior in Israel’s Early Cult,” Biblical Motifs, 11-30.

[15:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Yahweh is his name.” As throughout, the name “Yahweh” is rendered as “the Lord” in the translation, as is typically done in English translations.

[15:4]  ¹² tn Gesenius notes that the sign of the accusative, often omitted in poetry, is not found in this entire song (GKC 363 §117.b).

[15:4]  ¹³ tn The word is a substantive, “choice, selection”; it is here used in the construct state to convey an attribute before a partitive genitive – “the choice of his officers” means his “choice officers” (see GKC 417 §128.r).

[15:4]  ¹⁴ tn The form is a Qal passive rather than a Pual, for there is not Piel form or meaning.

[15:5]  ¹⁵ tn The verb form is יְכַסְיֻמוּ (yÿkhasyumu) is the Piel preterite. Normally a vav (ו) consecutive is used with the preterite, but in some ancient poems the form without the vav appears, as is the case frequently in this poem. That such an archaic form is used should come as no surprise, because the word also uses the yod (י) of the root (GKC 214 §75.dd), and the archaic suffix form (GKC 258 §91.l). These all indicate the antiquity of the poem.

[15:5]  ¹⁶ tn The parasynonyms here are תְּהֹמֹת (tÿhomot, “deep, ocean depths, deep waters”) and מְצוֹלֹת (mÿtsolot, “the depths”); S. R. Driver says properly the “gurgling places” (Exodus, 134).

[15:6]  ¹⁷ 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.

[15:7]  ¹⁸ sn This expression is cognate with words in v. 1. Here that same greatness or majesty is extolled as in abundance.

[15:7]  ¹⁹ tn Here, and throughout the song, these verbs are the prefixed conjugation that may look like the imperfect but are actually historic preterites. This verb is to “overthrow” or “throw down” – like a wall, leaving it in shattered pieces.

[15:7]  ²⁰ tn The form קָמֶיךָ (qamekha) is the active participle with a pronominal suffix. The participle is accusative, the object of the verb, but the suffix is the genitive of nearer definition (see GKC 358 §116.i).

[15:7]  ²¹ sn The verb is the Piel of שָׁלַח (shalakh), the same verb used throughout for the demand on Pharaoh to release Israel. Here, in some irony, God released his wrath on them.

[15:7]  ²² sn The word wrath is a metonymy of cause; the effect – the judgment – is what is meant.

[15:7]  ²³ tn The verb is the prefixed conjugation, the preterite, without the consecutive vav (ו).

[15:8]  ²⁴ sn The phrase “the blast of your nostrils” is a bold anthropomorphic expression for the wind that came in and dried up the water.

[15:8]  ²⁵ tn The word “heap” describes the walls of water. The waters, which are naturally fluid, stood up as though they were a heap, a mound of earth. Likewise, the flowing waters deep in the ocean solidified – as though they were turned to ice (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 175).

[15:9]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn The verb is יָרַשׁ (yarash), which in the Hiphil means “to dispossess” or “root out.” The meaning “destroy” is a general interpretation.

[15:10]  ³⁰ tn “But” has been supplied here.

[15:10]  ³¹ tn Here “and” has been supplied.

[15:10]  ³² tn The verb may have the idea of sinking with a gurgling sound, like water going into a whirlpool (R. A. Cole, Exodus [TOTC], 124; S. R. Driver, Exodus, 136). See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, “The Song of Miriam,” JNES 14 (1955): 243-47.

[15:11]  ³³ tn The question is of course rhetorical; it is a way of affirming that no one is comparable to God. See C. J. Labuschagne, The Incomparability of Yahweh in the Old Testament, 22, 66-67, and 94-97.

[15:11]  ³⁴ sn Verses 11-17 will now focus on Yahweh as the incomparable one who was able to save Israel from their foes and afterward lead them to the promised land.

[15:11]  ³⁵ tn S. R. Driver suggests “praiseworthy acts” as the translation (Exodus, 137).

[15:12]  ³⁶ tn The verb is the prefixed conjugation, the preterite without the vav consecutive. The subject, the “earth,” must be inclusive of the sea, or it may indicate the grave or Sheol; the sea drowned them. Some scholars wish to see this as a reference to Dathan and Abiram, and therefore evidence of a later addition or compilation. It fits this passage well, however.

[15:13]  ³⁷ tn The verbs in the next two verses are perfect tenses, but can be interpreted as a prophetic perfect, looking to the future.

[15:13]  ³⁸ tn The particle זוּ (zu) is a relative pronoun, subordinating the next verb to the preceding.

[15:13]  ³⁹ tn This verb seems to mean “to guide to a watering-place” (See Ps 23:2).

[15:14]  ⁴⁰ tn This verb is a prophetic perfect, assuming that the text means what it said and this song was sung at the Sea. So all these countries were yet to hear of the victory.

[15:14]  ⁴¹ tn The word properly refers to “pangs” of childbirth. When the nations hear, they will be terrified.

[15:14]  ⁴² tn The verb is again a prophetic perfect.

[15:15]  ⁴³ tn This is a prophetic perfect.

[15:15]  ⁴⁴ tn This verb is imperfect tense.

[15:16]  ⁴⁵ tn The two words can form a nominal hendiadys, “a dreadful fear,” though most English versions retain the two separate terms.

[15:16]  ⁴⁶ tn The form is an imperfect.

[15:16]  ⁴⁷ tn The adjective is in construct form and governs the noun “arm” (“arm” being the anthropomorphic expression for what God did). See GKC 428 §132.c.

[15:16]  ⁴⁸ sn For a study of the words for fear, see N. Waldman, “A Comparative Note on Exodus 15:14-16,” JQR 66 (1976): 189-92.

[15:16]  ⁴⁹ tn Clauses beginning with עַד (’ad) express a limit that is not absolute, but only relative, beyond which the action continues (GKC 446-47 §138.g).

[15:16]  ⁵⁰ tn The verb קָנָה (qanah) here is the verb “acquire, purchase,” and probably not the homonym “to create, make” (see Gen 4:1; Deut 32:6; and Prov 8:22).

[15:17]  ⁵¹ tn The verb is imperfect.

[15:17]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ tn The verb is perfect tense, referring to Yahweh’s previous choice of the holy place.

[15:20]  ⁵⁴ sn See J. N. Easton, “Dancing in the Old Testament,” ExpTim 86 (1975): 136-40.

[15:21]  ⁵⁵ tn The verb עָנָה (’ana) normally means “to answer,” but it can be used more technically to describe antiphonal singing in Hebrew and in Ugaritic.

[15:21]  ⁵⁶ sn This song of the sea is, then, a great song of praise for Yahweh’s deliverance of Israel at the Sea, and his preparation to lead them to the promised land, much to the (anticipated) dread of the nations. The principle here, and elsewhere in Scripture, is that the people of God naturally respond to God in praise for his great acts of deliverance. Few will match the powerful acts that were exhibited in Egypt, but these nonetheless set the tone. The song is certainly typological of the song of the saints in heaven who praise God for delivering them from the bondage of this world by judging the world. The focus of the praise, though, still is on the person (attributes) and works of God.

[15:22]  ⁵⁷ sn The first event of the Israelites’ desert experience is a failure, for they murmur against Yahweh and are given a stern warning – and the provision of sweet water. The event teaches that God is able to turn bitter water into sweet water for his people, and he promises to do such things if they obey. He can provide for them in the desert – he did not bring them into the desert to let them die. But there is a deeper level to this story – the healing of the water is incidental to the healing of the people, their lack of trust. The passage is arranged in a neat chiasm, starting with a journey (A), ending with the culmination of the journey (A'); developing to bitter water (B), resolving to sweet water (B'); complaints by the people (C), leading to to the instructions for the people (C'); and the central turning point is the wonder miracle (D).

[15:22]  ⁵⁸ tn The verb form is unusual; the normal expression is with the Qal, which expresses that they journeyed. But here the Hiphil is used to underscore that Moses caused them to journey – and he is following God. So the point is that God was leading Israel to the bitter water.

[15:22]  ⁵⁹ sn The mention that they travelled for three days into the desert is deliberately intended to recall Moses’ demand that they go three days into the wilderness to worship. Here, three days in, they find bitter water and complain – not worship.

[15:23]  ⁶⁰ sn The Hebrew word “Marah” means “bitter.” This motif will be repeated four times in this passage to mark the central problem. Earlier in the book the word had been used for the “bitter herbs” in the Passover, recalling the bitter labor in bondage. So there may be a double reference here – to the bitter waters and to Egypt itself – God can deliver from either.

[15:23]  ⁶¹ tn The infinitive construct here provides the direct object for the verb “to be able,” answering the question of what they were not able to do.

[15:23]  ⁶² tn The causal clause here provides the reason for their being unable to drink the water, as well as a clear motivation for the name.

[15:23]  ⁶³ sn Many scholars have attempted to explain these things with natural phenomena. Here Marah is identified with Ain Hawarah. It is said that the waters of this well are notoriously salty and brackish; Robinson said it was six to eight feet in diameter and the water about two feet deep; the water is unpleasant, salty, and somewhat bitter. As a result the Arabs say it is the worst tasting water in the area (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:398). But that would not be a sufficient amount of water for the number of Israelites in the first place, and in the second, they could not drink it at all. But third, how did Moses change it?

[15:23]  ⁶⁴ tn The עַל־כֵּן (’al-ken) formula in the Pentateuch serves to explain to the reader the reason for the way things were. It does not necessarily mean here that Israel named the place – but they certainly could have.

[15:23]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “one called its name,” the expression can be translated as a passive verb if the subject is not expressed.

[15:24]  ⁶⁶ tn The verb וַיִּלֹנוּ (vayyillonu) from לוּן (lun) is a much stronger word than “to grumble” or “to complain.” It is used almost exclusively in the wilderness wandering stories, to describe the rebellion of the Israelites against God (see also Ps 59:14-15). They were not merely complaining – they were questioning God’s abilities and motives. The action is something like a parliamentary vote of no confidence.

[15:24]  ⁶⁷ tn The imperfect tense here should be given a potential nuance: “What can we drink?” since the previous verse reports that they were not able to drink the water.

[15:25]  ⁶⁸ tn The verb is וַיּוֹרֵהוּ (vayyorehu, “and he showed him”). It is the Hiphil preterite from יָרָה (yarah), which has a basic meaning of “to point, show, direct.” It then came to mean “to teach”; it is the verb behind the noun “Law” (תּוֹרָה, torah).

[15:25]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “a [piece of] wood” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV); NLT “a branch.”

[15:25]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:25]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “there he”; the referent (the Lord) is supplied for clarity.

[15:25]  ⁷² tn Heb “for him” (referring to Israel as a whole).

[15:25]  ⁷³ tn This translation interprets the two nouns as a hendiadys: “a statute and an ordinance” becomes “a binding ordinance.”

[15:25]  ⁷⁴ tn The verb נִסָּהוּ (nissahu, “and he tested him [them]”) is from the root נָסָה (nasah). The use of this word in the Bible indicates that there is question, doubt, or uncertainty about the object being tested.

[15:26]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ 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]  ⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁸ tn The substantive כָּל־ (kol, “all of”) in a negative clause can be translated “none of.”

[15:26]  ⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁰ 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.

[15:27]  ⁸¹ sn Judging from the way the story is told they were not far from the oasis. But God had other plans for them, to see if they would trust him wholeheartedly and obey. They did not do very well this first time, and they will have to learn how to obey. The lesson is clear: God uses adversity to test his people’s loyalty. The response to adversity must be prayer to God, for he can turn the bitter into the sweet, the bad into the good, and the prospect of death into life.

[16:1]  ⁸² sn Exod 16 plays an important part in the development of the book’s theme. It is part of the wider section that is the prologue leading up to the covenant at Sinai, a part of which was the obligation of obedience and loyalty (P. W. Ferris, Jr., “The Manna Narrative of Exodus 16:1-10,” JETS 18 [1975]: 191-99). The record of the wanderings in the wilderness is selective and not exhaustive. It may have been arranged somewhat topically for instructional reasons. U. Cassuto describes this section of the book as a didactic anthology arranged according to association of both context and language (Exodus, 187). Its themes are: lack of vital necessities, murmuring, proving, and providing. All the wilderness stories reiterate the same motifs. So, later, when Israel arrived in Canaan, they would look back and be reminded that it was Yahweh who brought them all the way, in spite of their rebellions. Because he is their Savior and their Provider, he will demand loyalty from them. In the Manna Narrative there is murmuring over the lack of bread (1-3), the disputation with Moses (4-8), the appearance of the glory and the promise of bread (9-12), the provision (13-22), the instructions for the Sabbath (23-30), and the memorial manna (31-36).

[16:1]  ⁸³ tn The sentence begins with a preterite and vav (ו) consecutive, which can be subordinated to the next clause with the preterite and vav consecutive. Here it has been treated as a temporal clause.

[16:1]  ⁸⁴ tn The word is often rendered “congregation” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), but the modern perception of a congregation is not exactly what is in mind in the desert. Another possible rendering is “community” (NAB, NIV, NCV, TEV) or “assembly.” The Hebrew word is used of both good and bad groups (Judg 14:8; Ps 1:5; 106:17-18).

[16:1]  ⁸⁵ tn The form in the text is לְצֵאתָם (lÿtse’tam, “after their going out”). It clearly refers to their deliverance from Egypt, and so it may be vividly translated.

[16:2]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “community” or “assembly.”

[16:3]  ⁸⁷ tn The text reads: מִי־יִתֵּן מוּתֵנוּ (mi-yitten mutenu, “who will give our dying”) meaning “If only we had died.” מוּתֵנוּ is the Qal infinitive construct with the suffix. This is one way that Hebrew expresses the optative with an infinitive construct. See R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 91-92, §547.

[16:3]  ⁸⁸ tn The form is a Qal infinitive construct used in a temporal clause, and the verb “when we ate” has the same structure.

[16:3]  ⁸⁹ sn That the complaint leading up to the manna is unjustified can be seen from the record itself. They left Egypt with flocks and herds and very much cattle, and about 45 days later they are complaining that they are without food. Moses reminded them later that they lacked nothing (Deut 3:7; for the whole sermon on this passage, see 8:1-20). Moreover, the complaint is absurd because the food of work gangs was far more meager than they recall. The complaint was really against Moses. They crave the eating of meat and of bread and so God will meet that need; he will send bread from heaven and quail as well.

[16:3]  ⁹⁰ tn לְהָמִית (lÿhamit) is the Hiphil infinitive construct showing purpose. The people do not trust the intentions or the plan of their leaders and charge Moses with bringing everyone out to kill them.

[16:4]  ⁹¹ tn The particle הִנְנִי (hinni) before the active participle indicates the imminent future action: “I am about to rain.”

[16:4]  ⁹² tn This verb and the next are the Qal perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutives; they follow the sequence of the participle, and so are future in orientation. The force here is instruction – “they will go out” or “they are to go out.”

[16:4]  ⁹³ tn The verb in the purpose/result clause is the Piel imperfect of נָסָה (nasah), אֲנַסֶּנוּ (’anassenu) – “in order that I may prove them [him].” The giving of the manna will be a test of their obedience to the detailed instructions of God as well as being a test of their faith in him (if they believe him they will not gather too much). In chap. 17 the people will test God, showing that they do not trust him.

[16:4]  ⁹⁴ sn The word “law” here properly means “direction” at this point (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 146), but their obedience here would indicate also whether or not they would be willing to obey when the Law was given at Sinai.

[16:5]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and it will be on the sixth day.”

[16:5]  ⁹⁶ sn There is a question here concerning the legislation – the people were not told why to gather twice as much on the sixth day. In other words, this instruction seems to presume that they knew about the Sabbath law. That law will be included in this chapter in a number of ways, suggesting to some scholars that this chapter is out of chronological order, placed here for a purpose. Some argue that the manna episode comes after the revelation at Sinai. But it is not necessary to take such a view. God had established the Sabbath in the creation, and if Moses has been expounding the Genesis traditions in his teachings then they would have known about that.

[16:6]  ⁹⁷ tn The text simply has “evening, and you will know.” Gesenius notes that the perfect tense with the vav consecutive occurs as the apodosis to temporal clauses or their equivalents. Here the first word implies the idea “[when it becomes] evening” or simply “[in the] evening” (GKC 337-38 §112.oo).

[16:7]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “morning, and you will see.”

[16:7]  ⁹⁹ tn The form is a Qal infinitive construct with a preposition and a suffix. It forms an adverbial clause, usually of time, but here a causal clause.

[16:7]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The words “as for us” attempt to convey the force of the Hebrew word order, which puts emphasis on the pronoun: “and we – what?” The implied answer to the question is that Moses and Aaron are nothing, merely the messengers. The next verse repeats the question to further press the seriousness of what the Israelites are doing.

[16:8]  ¹⁰¹ tn “You will know this” has been added to make the line smooth. Because of the abruptness of the lines in the verse, and the repetition with v. 7, B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 273) thinks that v. 8 is merely a repetition by scribal error – even though the versions render it as the MT has it. But B. Jacob (Exodus, 447) suggests that the contrast with vv. 6 and 7 is important for another reason – there Moses and Aaron speak, and it is smooth and effective, but here only Moses speaks, and it is labored and clumsy. “We should realize that Moses had properly claimed to be no public speaker.”

[16:8]  ¹⁰² tn Here again is an infinitive construct with the preposition forming a temporal clause.

[16:8]  ¹⁰³ tn The words “as for us” attempt to convey the force of the Hebrew word order, which puts emphasis on the pronoun: “and we – what?” The implied answer to the question is that Moses and Aaron are nothing, merely the messengers.

[16:8]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The word order is “not against us [are] your murmurings.”

[16:9]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “congregation” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV); the same word occurs in v. 10.

[16:9]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The verb means “approach, draw near.” It is used in the Torah of drawing near for religious purposes. It is possible that some sacrifice was involved here, but no mention is made of that.

[16:10]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “and it was as Aaron spoke.” The construction uses the temporal indicator and then the Piel infinitive construct followed by the subjective genitive “Aaron.”

[16:10]  ¹⁰⁸ sn S. R. Driver says, “A brilliant glow of fire…symbolizing Jehovah’s presence, gleamed through the cloud, resting…on the Tent of Meeting. The cloud shrouds the full brilliancy of the glory, which human eye could not behold” (Exodus, 147-48; see also Ezek 1:28; 3:12, 23; 8:4; 9:3, et al.). A Hebrew word often translated “behold” or “lo” introduces the surprising sight.

[16:10]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The verb is the Niphal perfect of the verb “to see” – “it was seen.” But the standard way of translating this form is from the perspective of Yahweh as subject – “he appeared.”

[16:12]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “during the evenings”; see Exod 12:6.

[16:12]  ¹¹¹ sn One of the major interpretive difficulties is the comparison between Exod 16 and Num 11. In Numbers we find that the giving of the manna was about 24 months after the Exod 16 time (assuming there was a distinct time for this chapter), that it was after the erection of the tabernacle, that Taberah (the Burning) preceded it (not in Exod 16), that the people were tired of the manna (not that there was no bread to eat) and so God would send the quail, and that there was a severe tragedy over it. In Exod 16 both the manna and the quail are given on the same day, with no mention of quail on the following days. Contemporary scholarship generally assigns the accounts to two different sources because complete reconciliation seems impossible. Even if we argue that Exodus has a thematic arrangement and “telescopes” some things to make a point, there will still be difficulties in harmonization. Two considerations must be kept in mind: 1) First, they could be separate events entirely. If this is true, then they should be treated separately as valid accounts of things that appeared or occurred during the period of the wanderings. Similar things need not be the same thing. 2) Secondly, strict chronological order is not always maintained in the Bible narratives, especially if it is a didactic section. Perhaps Exod 16 describes the initiation of the giving of manna as God’s provision of bread, and therefore placed in the prologue of the covenant, and Num 11 is an account of a mood which developed over a period of time in response to the manna. Num 11 would then be looking back from a different perspective.

[16:12]  ¹¹² tn The verb means “to be sated, satisfied”; in this context it indicates that they would have sufficient bread to eat – they would be full.

[16:12]  ¹¹³ tn The form is a Qal perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; it is in sequence with the imperfect tenses before it, and so this is equal to an imperfect nuance. But, from the meanings of the words, it is clear that this will be the outcome of their eating the food, a divinely intended outcome.

[16:12]  ¹¹⁴ sn This verse supports the view taken in chap. 6 concerning the verb “to know.” Surely the Israelites by now knew that Yahweh was their God. Yes, they did. But they had not experienced what that meant; they had not received the fulfillment of the promises.

[16:13]  ¹¹⁵ sn These are migratory birds, said to come up in the spring from Arabia flying north and west, and in the fall returning. They fly with the wind, and so generally alight in the evening, covering the ground. If this is part of the explanation, the divine provision would have had to alter their flight paths to bring them to the Israelites, and bring them in vast numbers.

[16:14]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “and [the dew…] went up.”

[16:14]  ¹¹⁷ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated as a temporal clause to the main clause; since that clause calls special attention to what was there after the dew evaporated.

[16:14]  ¹¹⁸ sn Translations usually refer to the manna as “bread.” In fact it appears to be more like grain, because it could be ground in hand-mills and made into cakes. The word involved says it is thin, flakelike (if an Arabic etymological connection is correct). What is known about it from the Bible in Exodus is that it was a very small flakelike substance, it would melt when the sun got hot, if left over it bred worms and became foul, it could be ground, baked, and boiled, it was abundant enough for the Israelites to gather an omer a day per person, and they gathered it day by day throughout the wilderness sojourn. Num 11 says it was like coriander seed with the appearance of bdellium, it tasted like fresh oil, and it fell with the dew. Deut 8:3 says it was unknown to Israel or her ancestors; Psalm 78:24 parallels it with grain. Some scholars compare ancient references to honeydew that came from the heavens. F. S. Bodenheimer (“The Manna of Sinai,” BA 10 [1947]: 2) says that it was a sudden surprise for the nomadic Israelites because it provided what they desired – sweetness. He says that it was a product that came from two insects, making the manna a honeydew excretion from plant lice and scale insects. The excretion hardens and drops to the ground as a sticky solid. He notes that some cicadas are called man in Arabic. This view accounts for some of the things in these passages: the right place, the right time, the right description, and a similar taste. But there are major difficulties: Exodus requires a far greater amount, it could breed worms, it could melt away, it could be baked into bread, it could decay and stink. The suggestion is in no way convincing. Bodenheimer argues that “worms” could mean “ants” that carried them away, but that is contrived – the text could have said ants. The fact that the Bible calls it “bread” creates no problem. לֶחֶם (lekhem) is used in a wide range of meanings from bread to all kinds of food including goats (Judg 13:15-16) and honey (1 Sam 14:24-28). Scripture does not say that manna was the only thing that they ate for the duration. But they did eat it throughout the forty years. It simply must refer to some supernatural provision for them in their diet. Modern suggestions may invite comparison and analysis, but they do not satisfy or explain the text.

[16:15]  ¹¹⁹ tn The preterite with vav consecutive is here subordinated to the next verb as a temporal clause. The main point of the verse is what they said.

[16:15]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “a man to his brother.”

[16:15]  ¹²¹ tn The text has: מָן הוּא כִּי לאֹ יָדְעוּ מַה־הוּא (man hu’ ki lo’ yadÿ’u mah hu’). From this statement the name “manna” was given to the substance. מָן for “what” is not found in Hebrew, but appears in Syriac as a contraction of ma den, “what then?” In Aramaic and Arabic man is “what?” The word is used here apparently for the sake of etymology. B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 274) follows the approach that any connections to words that actually meant “what?” are unnecessary, for it is a play on the name (whatever it may have been) and therefore related only by sound to the term being explained. This, however, presumes that a substance was known prior to this account – a point that Deuteronomy does not seem to allow. S. R. Driver says that it is not known how early the contraction came into use, but that this verse seems to reflect it (Exodus, 149). Probably one must simply accept that in the early Israelite period man meant “what?” There seems to be sufficient evidence to support this. See EA 286,5; UT 435; DNWSI 1:157.

[16:15]  ¹²² sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 454-55) suggests that Moses was saying to them, “It is not manna. It is the food Yahweh has given you.” He comes to this conclusion based on the strange popular etymology from the interrogative word, noting that people do not call things “what?”

[16:15]  ¹²³ sn For other views see G. Vermès, “‘He Is the Bread’ Targum Neofiti Ex. 16:15,” SJLA 8 (1975): 139-46; and G. J. Cowling, “Targum Neofiti Ex. 16:15,” AJBA (1974-75): 93-105.

[16:16]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “the thing that.”

[16:16]  ¹²⁵ tn The perfect tense could be taken as a definite past with Moses now reporting it. In this case a very recent past. But in declaring the word from Yahweh it could be instantaneous, and receive a present tense translation – “here and now he commands you.”

[16:16]  ¹²⁶ tn The form is the plural imperative: “Gather [you] each man according to his eating.”

[16:16]  ¹²⁷ sn The omer is an amount mentioned only in this chapter, and its size is unknown, except by comparison with the ephah (v. 36). A number of recent English versions approximate the omer as “two quarts” (cf. NCV, CEV, NLT); TEV “two litres.”

[16:16]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “for a head.”

[16:16]  ¹²⁹ tn The word “number” is an accusative that defines more precisely how much was to be gathered (see GKC 374 §118.h).

[16:16]  ¹³⁰ tn Traditionally “souls.”

[16:16]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “will take.”

[16:16]  ¹³² tn “lives” has been supplied.

[16:18]  ¹³³ tn The preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive is subordinated here as a temporal clause.

[16:19]  ¹³⁴ tn The address now is for “man” (אִישׁ, ’ish), “each one”; here the instruction seems to be focused on the individual heads of the households.

[16:19]  ¹³⁵ tn Or “some of it,” “from it.”

[16:20]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “men”; this usage is designed to mean “some” (see GKC 447 §138.h, n. 1).

[16:20]  ¹³⁷ tn The verb וַיָּרֻם (vayyarum) is equivalent to a passive – “it was changed” – to which “worms” is added as an accusative of result (GKC 388-89 §121.d, n. 2).

[16:21]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “morning by morning.” This is an example of the repetition of words to express the distributive sense; here the meaning is “every morning” (see GKC 388 §121.c).

[16:21]  ¹³⁹ tn The perfect tenses here with vav (ו) consecutives have the frequentative sense; they function in a protasis-apodosis relationship (GKC 494 §159.g).

[16:22]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “and it happened/was.”

[16:22]  ¹⁴¹ tn This construction is an exception to the normal rule for the numbers 2 through 10 taking the object numbered in the plural. Here it is “two of the omer” or “the double of the omer” (see GKC 433 §134.e).

[16:22]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “for one.”

[16:22]  ¹⁴³ tn The word suggests “the ones lifted up” above others, and therefore the rulers or the chiefs of the people.

[16:22]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Or “congregation” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[16:22]  ¹⁴⁵ sn The meaning here is probably that these leaders, the natural heads of the families in the clans, saw that people were gathering twice as much and they reported this to Moses, perhaps afraid it would stink again (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 197).

[16:23]  ¹⁴⁶ tn The noun שַׁבָּתוֹן (shabbaton) has the abstract ending on it: “resting, ceasing.” The root word means “cease” from something, more than “to rest.” The Law would make it clear that they were to cease from their normal occupations and do no common work.

[16:23]  ¹⁴⁷ tn The technical expression is now used: שַׁבַּת־קֹדֶשׁ (shabbat-qodesh, “a holy Sabbath”) meaning a “cessation of/for holiness” for Yahweh. The rest was to be characterized by holiness.

[16:23]  ¹⁴⁸ tn The two verbs in these objective noun clauses are desiderative imperfects – “bake whatever you want to bake.”

[16:23]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The word “today” is implied from the context.

[16:25]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “in the field” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); NAB, NIV, NLT “on the ground.”

[16:28]  ¹⁵¹ tn The verb is plural, and so it is addressed to the nation and not to Moses. The perfect tense in this sentence is the characteristic perfect, denoting action characteristic, or typical, of the past and the present.

[16:29]  ¹⁵² sn Noting the rabbinic teaching that the giving of the Sabbath was a sign of God’s love – it was accomplished through the double portion on the sixth day – B. Jacob says, “God made no request unless He provided the means for its execution” (Exodus, 461).

[16:29]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “remain, a man where he is.”

[16:29]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “Let not anyone go” (see GKC 445 §138.d).

[16:31]  ¹⁵⁵ sn The name “house of Israel” is unusual in this context.

[16:31]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Hebrew מָן (man).

[16:31]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “like seed of coriander, white, its taste was.”

[16:32]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “This is the thing that.”

[16:32]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “for keeping.”

[16:32]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “according to your generations” (see Exod 12:14).

[16:32]  ¹⁶¹ tn In this construction after the particle expressing purpose or result, the imperfect tense has the nuance of final imperfect, equal to a subjunctive in the classical languages.

[16:34]  ¹⁶² sn The “Testimony” is a reference to the Ark of the Covenant; so the pot of manna would be placed before Yahweh in the tabernacle. W. C. Kaiser says that this later instruction came from a time after the tabernacle had been built (see Exod 25:10-22; W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:405). This is not a problem since the final part of this chapter had to have been included at the end of the forty years in the desert.

[16:34]  ¹⁶³ tn “for keeping.”

[16:36]  ¹⁶⁴ tn The words “omer” and “ephah” are transliterated Hebrew words. The omer is mentioned only in this passage. (It is different from a “homer” [cf. Ezek 45:11-14].) An ephah was a dry measure whose capacity is uncertain: “Quotations given for the ephah vary from ca. 45 to 20 liters” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 2:340-41).

[17:1]  ¹⁶⁵ sn This is the famous story telling how the people rebelled against Yahweh when they thirsted, saying that Moses had brought them out into the wilderness to kill them by thirst, and how Moses with the staff brought water from the rock. As a result of this the name was called Massa and Meribah because of the testing and the striving. It was a challenge to Moses’ leadership as well as a test of Yahweh’s presence. The narrative in its present form serves an important point in the argument of the book. The story turns on the gracious provision of God who can give his people water when there is none available. The narrative is structured to show how the people strove. Thus, the story intertwines God’s free flowing grace with the sad memory of Israel’s sins. The passage can be divided into three parts: the situation and the complaint (1-3), the cry and the miracle (4-6), and the commemoration by naming (7).

[17:1]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Or “congregation” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[17:1]  ¹⁶⁷ tn The text says that they journeyed “according to their journeyings.” Since the verb form (and therefore the derived noun) essentially means to pull up the tent pegs and move along, this verse would be saying that they traveled by stages, or, from place to place.

[17:1]  ¹⁶⁸ sn The location is a bit of a problem. Exod 19:1-2 suggests that it is near Sinai, whereas it is normally located near Kadesh in the north. Without any details provided, M. Noth concludes that two versions came together (Exodus [OTL], 138). S. R. Driver says that the writer wrote not knowing that they were 24 miles apart (Exodus, 157). Critics have long been bothered by this passage because of the two names given at the same place. If two sources had been brought together, it is not possible now to identify them. But Noth insisted that if there were two names there were two different locations. The names Massah and Meribah occur alone in Scripture (Deut 9:22, and Num 20:1 for examples), but together in Ps 95 and in Deut 33:8. But none of these passages is a clarification of the difficulty. Most critics would argue that Massah was a secondary element that was introduced into this account, because Exod 17 focuses on Meribah. From that starting point they can diverge greatly on the interpretation, usually having something to do with a water test. But although Num 20 is parallel in several ways, there are major differences: 1) it takes place 40 years later than this, 2) the name Kadesh is joined to the name Meribah there, and 3) Moses is punished there. One must conclude that if an event could occur twice in similar ways (complaint about water would be a good candidate for such), then there is no reason a similar name could not be given.

[17:1]  ¹⁶⁹ tn The disjunctive vav introduces a parenthetical clause that is essential for this passage – there was no water.

[17:1]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Here the construction uses a genitive after the infinitive construct for the subject: “there was no water for the drinking of the people” (GKC 353-54 §115.c).

[17:2]  ¹⁷¹ tn The verb וַיָּרֶב (vayyarev) is from the root רִיב (riv); it forms the basis of the name “Meribah.” The word means “strive, quarrel, be in contention” and even “litigation.” A translation “quarrel” does not appear to capture the magnitude of what is being done here. The people have a legal dispute – they are contending with Moses as if bringing a lawsuit.

[17:2]  ¹⁷² tn The imperfect tense with the vav (ו) follows the imperative, and so it carries the nuance of the logical sequence, showing purpose or result. This may be expressed in English as “give us water so that we may drink,” but more simply with the English infinitive, “give us water to drink.”

[17:2]  ¹⁷³ tn In this case and in the next clause the imperfect tenses are to be taken as progressive imperfects – the action is in progress.

[17:2]  ¹⁷⁴ tn The verb נָסָה (nasah) means “to test, tempt, try, prove.” It can be used of people simply trying to do something that they are not sure of (such as David trying on Saul’s armor), or of God testing people to see if they will obey (as in testing Abraham, Gen 22:1), or of people challenging others (as in the Queen of Sheba coming to test Solomon), and of the people in the desert in rebellion putting God to the test. By doubting that God was truly in their midst, and demanding that he demonstrate his presence, they tested him to see if he would act. There are times when “proving” God is correct and required, but that is done by faith (as with Gideon); when it is done out of unbelief, then it is an act of disloyalty.

[17:3]  ¹⁷⁵ tn The verbs and the pronouns in this verse are in the singular because “the people” is singular in form.

[17:3]  ¹⁷⁶ tn The demonstrative pronoun is used as the enclitic form for special emphasis in the question; it literally says, “why is this you have brought us up?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[17:3]  ¹⁷⁷ sn Their words deny God the credit for bringing them out of Egypt, impugn the integrity of Moses and God by accusing them of bringing the people out here to die, and show a lack of faith in God’s ability to provide for them.

[17:4]  ¹⁷⁸ tn The preposition lamed (ל) is here specification, meaning “with respect to” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 49, §273).

[17:4]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Or “they are almost ready to stone me.”

[17:4]  ¹⁸⁰ tn The perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive almost develops an independent force; this is true in sentences where it follows an expression of time, as here (see GKC 334 §112.x).

[17:5]  ¹⁸¹ tn “Pass over before” indicates that Moses is the leader who goes first, and the people follow him. In other words, לִפְנֵי (lifney) indicates time and not place here (B. Jacob, Exodus, 477-78).

[17:6]  ¹⁸² tn The construction uses הִנְנִי עֹמֵד (hinni ’omed) to express the futur instans or imminent future of the verb: “I am going to be standing.”

[17:6]  ¹⁸³ tn Or “by” (NIV, NLT).

[17:6]  ¹⁸⁴ tn The form is a Hiphil perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; it follows the future nuance of the participle and so is equivalent to an imperfect tense nuance of instruction.

[17:6]  ¹⁸⁵ tn These two verbs are also perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutive: “and [water] will go out…and [the people] will drink.” But the second verb is clearly the intent or the result of the water gushing from the rock, and so it may be subordinated.

[17:6]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[17:7]  ¹⁸⁷ sn The name Massah (מַסָּה, massah) means “Proving”; it is derived from the verb “test, prove, try.” And the name Meribah (מְרִיבָה, mÿrivah) means “Strife”; it is related to the verb “to strive, quarrel, contend.” The choice of these names for the place would serve to remind Israel for all time of this failure with God. God wanted this and all subsequent generations to know how unbelief challenges God. And yet, he gave them water. So in spite of their failure, he remained faithful to his promises. The incident became proverbial, for it is the warning in Ps 95:7-8, which is quoted in Heb 3:15: “Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness. There your fathers tested me and tried me, and they saw my works for forty years.” The lesson is clear enough: to persist in this kind of unbelief could only result in the loss of divine blessing. Or, to put it another way, if they refused to believe in the power of God, they would wander powerless in the wilderness. They had every reason to believe, but they did not. (Note that this does not mean they are unbelievers, only that they would not take God at his word.)

[17:8]  ¹⁸⁸ sn This short passage gives the first account of Israel’s holy wars. The war effort and Moses’ holding up his hands go side by side until the victory is won and commemorated. Many have used this as an example of intercessory prayer – but the passage makes no such mention. In Exodus so far the staff of God is the token of the power of God; when Moses used it, God demonstrated his power. To use the staff of God was to say that God did it; to fight without the staff was to face defeat. Using the staff of God was a way of submitting to and depending on the power of God in all areas of life. The first part of the story reports the attack and the preparation for the battle (8,9). The second part describes the battle and its outcome (10-13). The final section is the preservation of this event in the memory of Israel (14-16).

[17:8]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “and Amalek came”; NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV “the Amalekites.”

[17:8]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Or “fought with.”

[17:9]  ¹⁹¹ tn This could be rendered literally “choose men for us.” But the lamed (ל) preposition probably indicates possession, “our men,” and the fact that Joshua was to choose from Israel, as well as the fact that there is no article on “men,” indicates he was to select some to fight.

[17:10]  ¹⁹² tn The line in Hebrew reads literally: And Joshua did as Moses had said to him, to fight with Amalek. The infinitive construct is epexegetical, explaining what Joshua did that was in compliance with Moses’ words.

[17:11]  ¹⁹³ tn The two verbs in the temporal clauses are by וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר (vÿhaya ka’asher, “as long as” or, “and it was that whenever”). This indicates that the two imperfect tenses should be given a frequentative translation, probably a customary imperfect.

[17:11]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Or “lower.”

[17:12]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Literally “now the hands of Moses,” the disjunctive vav (ו) introduces a circumstantial clause here – of time.

[17:12]  ¹⁹⁶ tn The term used here is the adjective כְּבֵדִים (kÿvedim). It means “heavy,” but in this context the idea is more that of being tired. This is the important word that was used in the plague stories: when the heart of Pharaoh was hard, then the Israelites did not gain their freedom or victory. Likewise here, when the staff was lowered because Moses’ hands were “heavy,” Israel started to lose.

[17:12]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “from this, one, and from this, one.”

[17:12]  ¹⁹⁸ tn The word “steady” is אֱמוּנָה (’emuna) from the root אָמַן (’aman). The word usually means “faithfulness.” Here is a good illustration of the basic idea of the word – firm, steady, reliable, dependable. There may be a double entendre here; on the one hand it simply says that his hands were stayed so that Israel might win, but on the other hand it is portraying Moses as steady, firm, reliable, faithful. The point is that whatever God commissioned as the means or agency of power – to Moses a staff, to the Christians the Spirit – the people of God had to know that the victory came from God alone.

[17:13]  ¹⁹⁹ tn The verb means “disabled, weakened, prostrated.” It is used a couple of times in the Bible to describe how man dies and is powerless (see Job 14:10; Isa 14:12).

[17:13]  ²⁰⁰ tn Or “people.”

[17:13]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “mouth of the sword.” It means as the sword devours – without quarter (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 159).

[17:14]  ²⁰² tn The presence of the article does not mean that he was to write this in a book that was existing now, but in one dedicated to this purpose (book, meaning scroll). See GKC 408 §126.s.

[17:14]  ²⁰³ tn The Hebrew word is “place,” meaning that the events were to be impressed on Joshua.

[17:14]  ²⁰⁴ tn Heb “in the ears of Joshua.” The account should be read to Joshua.

[17:14]  ²⁰⁵ tn The construction uses the infinitive absolute and the imperfect tense to stress the resolution of Yahweh to destroy Amalek. The verb מָחָה (makhah) is often translated “blot out” – but that is not a very satisfactory image, since it would not remove completely what is the object. “Efface, erase, scrape off” (as in a palimpsest, a manuscript that is scraped clean so it can be reused) is a more accurate image.

[17:14]  ²⁰⁶ sn This would seem to be defeated by the preceding statement that the events would be written in a book for a memorial. If this war is recorded, then the Amalekites would be remembered. But here God was going to wipe out the memory of them. But the idea of removing the memory of a people is an idiom for destroying them – they will have no posterity and no lasting heritage.

[17:15]  ²⁰⁷ sn Heb “Yahweh-nissi” (so NAB), which means “Yahweh is my banner.” Note that when Israel murmured and failed God, the name commemorated the incident or the outcome of their failure. When they were blessed with success, the naming praised God. Here the holding up of the staff of God was preserved in the name for the altar – God gave them the victory.

[17:16]  ²⁰⁸ tn The line here is very difficult. The Hebrew text has כִּי־יָד עַל־כֵּס יָהּ (ki yad ’al kes yah, “for a hand on the throne of Yah”). If the word is “throne” (and it is not usually spelled like this), then it would mean Moses’ hand was extended to the throne of God, showing either intercession or source of power. It could not be turned to mean that the hand of Yah was taking an oath to destroy the Amalekites. The LXX took the same letters, but apparently saw the last four (כסיה) as a verbal form; it reads “with a secret hand.” Most scholars have simply assumed that the text is wrong, and כֵּס should be emended to נֵס (nes) to fit the name, for this is the pattern of naming in the OT with popular etymologies – some motif of the name must be found in the sentiment. This would then read, “My hand on the banner of Yah.” It would be an expression signifying that the banner, the staff of God, should ever be ready at hand when the Israelites fight the Amalekites again.

[17:16]  ²⁰⁹ sn The message of this short narrative, then, concerns the power of God to protect his people. The account includes the difficulty, the victory, and the commemoration. The victory must be retained in memory by the commemoration. So the expositional idea could focus on that: The people of God must recognize (both for engaging in warfare and for praise afterward) that victory comes only with the power of God. In the NT the issue is even more urgent, because the warfare is spiritual – believers do not wrestle against flesh and blood. So only God’s power will bring victory.

[18:1]  ²¹⁰ sn This chapter forms the transition to the Law. There has been the deliverance, the testing passages, the provision in the wilderness, and the warfare. Any God who can do all this for his people deserves their allegiance. In chap. 18 the Lawgiver is giving advice, using laws and rulings, but then he is given advice to organize the elders to assist. Thus, when the Law is fully revealed, a system will be in place to administer it. The point of the passage is that a great leader humbly accepts advice from other godly believers to delegate responsibility. He does not try to do it all himself; God does not want one individual to do it all. The chapter has three parts: vv. 1-12 tell how Jethro heard and came and worshiped and blessed; vv. 13-23 have the advice of Jethro, and then vv. 24-27 tell how Moses implemented the plan and Jethro went home. See further E. J. Runions, “Exodus Motifs in 1 Samuel 7 and 8,” EvQ 52 (1980): 130-31; and also see for another idea T. C. Butler, “An Anti-Moses Tradition,” JSOT 12 (1979): 9-15.

[18:1]  ²¹¹ tn This clause beginning with כִּי (ki) answers the question of what Jethro had heard; it provides a second, explanatory noun clause that is the object of the verb – “he heard (1) all that God had done… (2) that he had brought….” See R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 81, §490.

[18:1]  ²¹² sn This is an important report that Jethro has heard, for the claim of God that he brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt will be the foundation of the covenant stipulations (Exod 20).

[18:3]  ²¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity (also in the following verse).

[18:4]  ²¹⁴ tn The referent (Moses) and the verb have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:4]  ²¹⁵ tn Now is given the etymological explanation of the name of Moses’ other son, Eliezer (אֱלִיעֶזֶר, ’eli’ezer), which means “my God is a help.” The sentiment that explains this name is אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי בְּעֶזְרִי (’elohe ’avi bÿ’ezri, “the God of my father is my help”). The preposition in the sentiment is the bet (ב) essentiae (giving the essence – see GKC 379 §119.i). Not mentioned earlier, the name has become even more appropriate now that God has delivered Moses from Pharaoh again. The word for “help” is a common word in the Bible, first introduced as a description of the woman in the Garden. It means to do for someone what he or she cannot do for himself or herself. Samuel raised the “stone of help” (Ebenezer) when Yahweh helped Israel win the battle (1 Sam 7:12).

[18:4]  ²¹⁶ sn The verb “delivered” is an important motif in this chapter (see its use in vv. 8, 9, and 10 with reference to Pharaoh).

[18:5]  ²¹⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:5]  ²¹⁸ tn This is an adverbial accusative that defines the place (see GKC 373-74 §118.g).

[18:5]  ²¹⁹ sn The mountain of God is Horeb, and so the desert here must be the Sinai desert by it. But chap. 19 suggests that they left Rephidim to go the 24 miles to Sinai. It may be that this chapter fits in chronologically after the move to Sinai, but was placed here thematically. W. C. Kaiser defends the present location of the story by responding to other reasons for the change given by Lightfoot, but does not deal with the travel locations (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:411).

[18:6]  ²²⁰ sn This verse may seem out of place, since the report has already been given that they came to the desert. It begins to provide details of the event that the previous verse summarizes. The announcement in verse 6 may have come in advance by means of a messenger or at the time of arrival, either of which would fit with the attention to formal greetings in verse 7. This would suit a meeting between two important men; the status of Moses has changed. The LXX solves the problem by taking the pronoun “I” as the particle “behold” and reads it this way: “one said to Moses, ‘Behold, your father-in-law has come….’”

[18:7]  ²²¹ sn This is more than polite oriental custom. Jethro was Moses’ benefactor, father-in-law, and a priest. He paid much respect to him. Now he could invite Jethro into his home (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 496).

[18:8]  ²²² tn A rare word, “weariness” of the hardships.

[18:8]  ²²³ tn Heb “found them.”

[18:8]  ²²⁴ tn Here “how” has been supplied.

[18:9]  ²²⁵ tn The word חָדָה (khada) is rare, occurring only in Job 3:6 and Ps 21:6, although it is common in Aramaic. The LXX translated it “he shuddered.” U. Cassuto suggests that that rendering was based on the midrashic interpretation in b. Sanhedrin 94b, “he felt cuts in his body” – a wordplay on the verb (Exodus, 215-16).

[18:10]  ²²⁶ tn This is a common form of praise. The verb בָּרוּךְ (barukh) is the Qal passive participle of the verb. Here must be supplied a jussive, making this participle the predicate: “May Yahweh be blessed.” The verb essentially means “to enrich”; in praise it would mean that he would be enriched by the praises of the people.

[18:10]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “from under the hand of the Egyptians.”

[18:11]  ²²⁸ tn The end of this sentence seems not to have been finished, or it is very elliptical. In the present translation the phrase “he has destroyed them” is supplied. Others take the last prepositional phrase to be the completion and supply only a verb: “[he was] above them.” U. Cassuto (Exodus, 216) takes the word “gods” to be the subject of the verb “act proudly,” giving the sense of “precisely (כִּי, ki) in respect of these things of which the gods of Egypt boasted – He is greater than they (עֲלֵיהֶם, ‘alehem).” He suggests rendering the clause, “excelling them in the very things to which they laid claim.”

[18:12]  ²²⁹ tn The verb is “and he took” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). It must have the sense of getting the animals for the sacrifice. The Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate have “offered.” But Cody argues because of the precise wording in the text Jethro did not offer the sacrifices but received them (A. Cody, “Exodus 18,12: Jethro Accepts a Covenant with the Israelites,” Bib 49 [1968]: 159-61).

[18:12]  ²³⁰ sn Jethro brought offerings as if he were the one who had been delivered. The “burnt offering” is singular, to honor God first. The other sacrifices were intended for the invited guests to eat (a forerunner of the peace offering). See B. Jacob, Exodus, 498.

[18:12]  ²³¹ tn The word לֶחֶם (lekhem) here means the sacrifice and all the foods that were offered with it. The eating before God was part of covenantal ritual, for it signified that they were in communion with the Deity, and with one another.

[18:13]  ²³² tn Heb “and it was/happened on the morrow.”

[18:13]  ²³³ sn This is a simple summary of the function of Moses on this particular day. He did not necessarily do this every day, but it was time now to do it. The people would come to solve their difficulties or to hear instruction from Moses on decisions to be made. The tradition of “sitting in Moses’ seat” is drawn from this passage.

[18:14]  ²³⁴ tn Heb “what is this thing.”

[18:14]  ²³⁵ sn This question, “what are you doing for the people,” is qualified by the next question. Sitting alone all day and the people standing around all day showed that Moses was exhibiting too much care for the people – he could not do this.

[18:15]  ²³⁶ tn The form is לִדְרֹשׁ (lidrosh), the Qal infinitive construct giving the purpose. To inquire of God would be to seek God’s will on a matter, to obtain a legal decision on a matter, or to settle a dispute. As a judge Moses is speaking for God, but as the servant of Yahweh Moses’ words will be God’s words. The psalms would later describe judges as “gods” because they made the right decisions based on God’s Law.

[18:16]  ²³⁷ tn Or “thing,” “matter,” “issue.”

[18:16]  ²³⁸ tn The verb שָׁפַט (shafat) means “to judge”; more specifically, it means to make a decision as an arbiter or umpire. When people brought issues to him, Moses decided between them. In the section of laws in Exodus after the Ten Commandments come the decisions, the מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishppatim).

[18:16]  ²³⁹ tn The “decrees” or “statutes” were definite rules, stereotyped and permanent; the “laws” were directives or pronouncements given when situations arose. S. R. Driver suggests this is another reason why this event might have taken place after Yahweh had given laws on the mountain (Exodus, 165).

[18:17]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “the thing.”

[18:18]  ²⁴¹ tn The verb means “to fall and fade” as a leaf (Ps 1:3). In Ps 18:45 it is used figuratively of foes fading away, failing in strength and courage (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 166). Here the infinitive absolute construction heightens the meaning.

[18:18]  ²⁴² tn Gesenius lists the specialized use of the comparative min (מ) where with an adjective the thought expressed is that the quality is too difficult for the attainment of a particular aim (GKC 430 §133.c).

[18:18]  ²⁴³ tn Here “a burden” has been supplied.

[18:19]  ²⁴⁴ tn Heb “hear my voice.”

[18:19]  ²⁴⁵ tn The line reads “Be you to the people before God.” He is to be their representative before God. This is introducing the aspect of the work that only Moses could do, what he has been doing. He is to be before God for the people, to pray for them, to appeal on their behalf. Jethro is essentially saying, I understand that you cannot delegate this to anyone else, so continue doing it (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 219-20).

[18:19]  ²⁴⁶ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; following the imperative it will be instruction as well. Since the imperative preceding this had the idea of “continue to be” as you are, this too has that force.

[18:19]  ²⁴⁷ tn Heb “words”; KJV, ASV “the causes”; NRSV “cases”; NLT “questions.”

[18:20]  ²⁴⁸ tn The perfect tense with the vav (ו) continues the sequence of instruction for Moses. He alone was to be the mediator, to guide them in the religious and moral instruction.

[18:20]  ²⁴⁹ tn The verb and its following prepositional phrase form a relative clause, modifying “the way.” The imperfect tense should be given the nuance of obligatory imperfect – it is the way they must walk.

[18:20]  ²⁵⁰ tn This last part is parallel to the preceding: “work” is also a direct object of the verb “make known,” and the relative clause that qualifies it also uses an obligatory imperfect.

[18:21]  ²⁵¹ tn The construction uses the independent pronoun for emphasis, and then the imperfect tense “see” (חָזָה, khazah) – “and you will see from all….” Both in Hebrew and Ugaritic expressions of “seeing” are used in the sense of choosing (Gen 41:33). See U. Cassuto, Exodus, 220.

[18:21]  ²⁵² tn The expression is אַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל (’anshe khayil, “capable men”). The attributive genitive is the word used in expressions like “mighty man of valor.” The word describes these men as respected, influential, powerful people, those looked up to by the community as leaders, and those who will have the needs of the community in mind.

[18:21]  ²⁵³ tn The description “fearers of God” uses an objective genitive. It describes them as devout, worshipful, obedient servants of God.

[18:21]  ²⁵⁴ tn The expression “men of truth” (אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת, ’anshe ’emet) indicates that these men must be seekers of truth, who know that the task of a judge is to give true judgment (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 220). The word “truth” includes the ideas of faithfulness or reliability, as well as factuality itself. It could be understood to mean “truthful men,” men whose word is reliable and true.

[18:21]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “haters of bribes.” Here is another objective genitive, one that refers to unjust gain. To hate unjust gain is to reject and refuse it. Their decisions will not be swayed by greed.

[18:21]  ²⁵⁶ tn Heb “over them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:21]  ²⁵⁷ sn It is not clear how this structure would work in a judicial setting. The language of “captains of thousands,” etc., is used more for military ranks. There must have been more detailed instruction involved here, for each Israelite would have come under four leaders with this arrangement, and perhaps difficult cases would be sent to the next level. But since the task of these men would also involve instruction and guidance, the breakdown would be very useful. Deut 1:9, 13 suggest that the choice of these people was not simply Moses’ alone.

[18:22]  ²⁵⁸ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive, making it equivalent to the imperfect of instruction in the preceding verse.

[18:22]  ²⁵⁹ tn Heb “in every time,” meaning “in all normal cases” or “under normal circumstances.” The same phrase occurs in v. 26.

[18:22]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “great thing.”

[18:22]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “thing.”

[18:22]  ²⁶² tn The vav here shows the result or the purpose of the instructions given.

[18:22]  ²⁶³ tn The expression וְהָקֵל מֵעָלֶיךָ (vÿhaqel me’aleykha) means literally “and make it light off yourself.” The word plays against the word for “heavy” used earlier – since it was a heavy or burdensome task, Moses must lighten the load.

[18:22]  ²⁶⁴ tn Here “the burden” has been supplied.

[18:23]  ²⁶⁵ tn The form is a Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; it carries the same nuance as the preceding imperfect in the conditional clause.

[18:23]  ²⁶⁶ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive now appears in the apodosis of the conditional sentence – “if you do this…then you will be able.”

[18:23]  ²⁶⁷ tn Heb “to stand.” B. Jacob (Exodus, 501) suggests that there might be a humorous side to this: “you could even do this standing up.”

[18:23]  ²⁶⁸ tn Literally “this people.”

[18:23]  ²⁶⁹ tn The verb is the simple imperfect, “will go,” but given the sense of the passage a potential nuance seems in order.

[18:23]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “his place.”

[18:23]  ²⁷¹ tn Heb “in peace.”

[18:24]  ²⁷² tn The idiom “listen to the voice of” means “obey, comply with, heed.”

[18:26]  ²⁷³ tn This verb and the verb in the next clause are imperfect tenses. In the past tense narrative of the verse they must be customary, describing continuous action in past time.

[18:27]  ²⁷⁴ tn The verb וַיְשַׁלַּח (vayshallakh) has the same root and same stem used in the passages calling for Pharaoh to “release” Israel. Here, in a peaceful and righteous relationship, Moses sent Jethro to his home.

[18:27]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jethro) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:27]  ²⁷⁶ tn The prepositional phrase included here Gesenius classifies as a pleonastic dativus ethicus to give special emphasis to the significance of the occurrence in question for a particular subject (GKC 381 §119.s).

[18:27]  ²⁷⁷ sn This chapter makes an excellent message on spiritual leadership of the people of God. Spiritually responsible people are to be selected to help in the work of the ministry (teaching, deciding cases, meeting needs), so that there will be peace, and so that leaders will not be exhausted. Probably capable people are more ready to do that than leaders are ready to relinquish control. But leaders have to be willing to take the risk, to entrust the task to others. Here Moses is the model of humility, receiving correction and counsel from Jethro. And Jethro is the ideal adviser, for he has no intention of remaining there to run the operation.

[19:1]  ²⁷⁸ sn This chapter is essentially about mediation. The people are getting ready to meet with God, receive the Law from him, and enter into a covenant with him. All of this required mediation and preparation. Through it all, Israel will become God’s unique possession, a kingdom of priests on earth – if they comply with his Law. The chapter can be divided as follows: vv. 1-8 tell how God, Israel’s great deliverer promised to make them a kingdom of priests; this is followed by God’s declaration that Moses would be the mediator (v. 9); vv. 10-22 record instructions for Israel to prepare themselves to worship Yahweh and an account of the manifestation of Yahweh with all the phenomena; and the chapter closes with the mediation of Moses on behalf of the people (vv. 23-25). Having been redeemed from Egypt, the people will now be granted a covenant with God. See also R. E. Bee, “A Statistical Study of the Sinai Pericope,” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 135 (1972): 406-21.

[19:1]  ²⁷⁹ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct followed by the subjective genitive to form a temporal clause.

[19:1]  ²⁸⁰ tn Heb “on this day.”

[19:2]  ²⁸¹ tn The form is a preterite with vav (ו) consecutive, “and they journeyed.” It is here subordinated to the next clause as a temporal clause. But since the action of this temporal clause preceded the actions recorded in v. 1, a translation of “after” will keep the sequence in order. Verse 2 adds details to the summary in v. 1.

[19:2]  ²⁸² sn The mountain is Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, the place where God had met and called Moses and had promised that they would be here to worship him. If this mountain is Jebel Musa, the traditional site of Sinai, then the plain in front of it would be Er-Rahah, about a mile and a half long by half a mile wide, fronting the mountain on the NW side (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 169). The plain itself is about 5000 feet above sea level. A mountain on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula has also been suggested as a possible site.

[19:3]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “and Moses went up.”

[19:3]  ²⁸⁴ tn This expression is normally translated as “Israelites” in this translation, but because in this place it is parallel to “the house of Jacob” it seemed better to offer a fuller rendering.

[19:4]  ²⁸⁵ tn The figure compares the way a bird would teach its young to fly and leave the nest with the way Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt. The bird referred to could be one of several species of eagles, but more likely is the griffin-vulture. The image is that of power and love.

[19:4]  ²⁸⁶ sn The language here is the language of a bridegroom bringing the bride to the chamber. This may be a deliberate allusion to another metaphor for the covenant relationship.

[19:5]  ²⁸⁷ tn Heb “listen to my voice.” The construction uses the imperfect tense in the conditional clause, preceded by the infinitive absolute from the same verb. The idiom “listen to the voice of” implies obedience, not just mental awareness of sound.

[19:5]  ²⁸⁸ tn The verb is a perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the idea in the protasis of the sentence: “and [if you will] keep.”

[19:5]  ²⁸⁹ tn The lamed preposition expresses possession here: “to me” means “my.”

[19:5]  ²⁹⁰ tn The noun is סְגֻלָּה (sÿgullah), which means a special possession. Israel was to be God’s special possession, but the prophets will later narrow it to the faithful remnant. All the nations belong to God, but Israel was to stand in a place of special privilege and enormous responsibility. See Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Ps 135:4; and Mal 3:17. See M. Greenburg, “Hebrew sÿgulla: Akkadian sikiltu,” JAOS 71 (1951): 172ff.

[19:6]  ²⁹¹ tn Or “for me” (NIV, NRSV), or, if the lamed (ל) preposition has a possessive use, “my kingdom” (so NCV).

[19:6]  ²⁹² tn The construction “a kingdom of priests” means that the kingdom is made up of priests. W. C. Kaiser (“Exodus,” EBC 2:417) offers four possible renderings of the expression: 1) apposition, viz., “kings, that is, priests; 2) as a construct with a genitive of specification, “royal priesthood”; 3) as a construct with the genitive being the attribute, “priestly kingdom”; and 4) reading with an unexpressed “and” – “kings and priests.” He takes the latter view that they were to be kings and priests. (Other references are R. B. Y. Scott, “A Kingdom of Priests (Exodus xix. 6),” OTS 8 [1950]: 213-19; William L. Moran, “A Kingdom of Priests,” The Bible in Current Catholic Thought, 7-20). However, due to the parallelism of the next description which uses an adjective, this is probably a construct relationship. This kingdom of God will be composed of a priestly people. All the Israelites would be living wholly in God’s service and enjoying the right of access to him. And, as priests, they would have the duty of representing God to the nations, following what they perceived to be the duties of priests – proclaiming God’s word, interceding for people, and making provision for people to find God through atonement (see Deut 33:9,10).

[19:6]  ²⁹³ tn They are also to be “a holy nation.” They are to be a nation separate and distinct from the rest of the nations. Here is another aspect of their duty. It was one thing to be God’s special possession, but to be that they had to be priestly and holy. The duties of the covenant will specify what it would mean to be a holy nation. In short, they had to keep themselves free from everything that characterized pagan people (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 171). So it is a bilateral covenant: they received special privileges but they must provide special services by the special discipline. See also H. Kruse, “Exodus 19:5 and the Mission of Israel,” North East Asian Journal of Theology 24/25 (1980): 239-42.

[19:8]  ²⁹⁴ tn The verb is an imperfect. The people are not being presumptuous in stating their compliance – there are several options open for the interpretation of this tense. It may be classified as having a desiderative nuance: “we are willing to do” or, “we will do.”

[19:9]  ²⁹⁵ tn The construction uses the deictic particle and the participle to express the imminent future, what God was about to do. Here is the first announcement of the theophany.

[19:9]  ²⁹⁶ tn Heb “the thickness of the cloud”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT “in a thick cloud.”

[19:9]  ²⁹⁷ tn Since “and also in you” begins the clause, the emphasis must be that the people would also trust Moses. See Exod 4:1-9, 31; 14:31.

[19:10]  ²⁹⁸ tn This verb is a Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the force of the imperative preceding it. This sanctification would be accomplished by abstaining from things that would make them defiled or unclean, and then by ritual washings and ablutions.

[19:10]  ²⁹⁹ tn The form is a perfect 3cpl with a vav (ו) consecutive. It is instructional as well, but now in the third person it is like a jussive, “let them wash, make them wash.”

[19:12]  ³⁰⁰ tn The verb is a Hiphil perfect (“make borders”) with vav (ו) consecutive, following the sequence of instructions.

[19:12]  ³⁰¹ tn The Niphal imperative (“guard yourselves, take heed to yourselves”) is followed by two infinitives construct that provide the description of what is to be avoided – going up or touching the mountain.

[19:13]  ³⁰² sn There is some ambiguity here. The clause either means that no man will touch the mountain, so that if there is someone who is to be put to death he must be stoned or shot since they could not go into the mountain region to get him, or, it may mean no one is to touch the culprit who went in to the region of the mountain.

[19:13]  ³⁰³ tn Heb “a man.”

[19:13]  ³⁰⁴ tn The nuance here is permissive imperfect, “they may go up.” The ram’s horn would sound the blast to announce that the revelation period was over and it was permitted then to ascend the mountain.

[19:15]  ³⁰⁵ tn Heb “do not go near a woman”; NIV “Abstain from sexual relations.”

[19:16]  ³⁰⁶ tn Heb “and it was on.”

[19:16]  ³⁰⁷ tn Heb “heavy” (כָּבֵד, kaved).

[19:16]  ³⁰⁸ tn Literally “strong” (חָזָק, khazaq).

[19:16]  ³⁰⁹ 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”).

[19:18]  ³¹⁰ sn The image is that of a large kiln, as in Gen 19:28.

[19:18]  ³¹¹ tn This is the same word translated “trembled” above (v. 16).

[19:19]  ³¹² tn The active participle הוֹלֵךְ (holekh) is used to add the idea of “continually” to the action of the sentence; here the trumpet became very loud – continually. See GKC 344 §113.u.

[19:19]  ³¹³ tn The two verbs here (“spoke” and “answered”) are imperfect tenses; they emphasize repeated action but in past time. The customary imperfect usually is translated “would” or “used to” do the action, but here continuous action in past time is meant. S. R. Driver translates it “kept speaking” and “kept answering” (Exodus, 172).

[19:19]  ³¹⁴ tn The text simply has בְּקוֹל (bÿqol); it could mean “with a voice” or it could mean “in thunder” since “voice” was used in v. 16 for thunder. In this context it would be natural to say that the repeated thunderings were the voice of God – but how is that an answer? Deut 4:12 says that the people heard the sound of words. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 232-33) rightly comments, “He was answering him with a loud voice so that it was possible for Moses to hear His words clearly in the midst of the storm.” He then draws a parallel from Ugaritic where it tells that one of the gods was speaking in a loud voice.

[19:21]  ³¹⁵ tn The imperative הָעֵד (ha’ed) means “charge” them – put them under oath, or solemnly warn them. God wished to ensure that the people would not force their way past the barriers that had been set out.

[19:21]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “and fall”; NAB “be struck down.”

[19:22]  ³¹⁷ tn The verb יִפְרֹץ (yifrots) is the imperfect tense from פָּרַץ (parats, “to make a breach, to break through”). The image of Yahweh breaking forth on them means “work destruction” (see 2 Sam 6:8; S. R. Driver, Exodus, 174).

[19:23]  ³¹⁸ tn The construction is emphatic: “because you – you solemnly warned us.” Moses’ response to God is to ask how they would break through when God had already charged them not to. God knew them better than Moses did.

[19:23]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “sanctify it.”

[19:25]  ³²⁰ sn The passage has many themes and emphases that could be developed in exposition. It could serve for meditation: the theology drawn from the three parts could be subordinated to the theme of holiness: God is holy, therefore adhere to his word for service, approach him through a mediator, and adore him in purity and fearful reverence. A developed outline for the exposition could be: I. If the people of God will obey him, they will be privileged to serve in a unique way (1-8); II. If the people of God are to obey, they must be convinced of the divine source of their commands (9); and finally, III. If the people of God are convinced of the divine approval of their mediator, and the divine source of their instructions, they must sanctify themselves before him (vv. 10-25). In sum, the manifestation of the holiness of Yahweh is the reason for sanctification and worship. The correlation is to be made through 1 Peter 2 to the church. The Church is a kingdom of priests; it is to obey the Word of God. What is the motivation for this? Their mediator is Jesus Christ; he has the approval of the Father and manifests the glory of God to his own; and he declares the purpose of their calling is to display his glory. God’s people are to abstain from sin so that pagans can see their good works and glorify God.

[20:1]  ³²¹ sn This chapter is the heart of the Law of Israel, and as such is well known throughout the world. There is so much literature on it that it is almost impossible to say anything briefly and do justice to the subject. But the exposition of the book must point out that this is the charter of the new nation of Israel. These ten commands (words) form the preamble; they will be followed by the decisions (judgments). And then in chap. 24 the covenant will be inaugurated. So when Israel entered into covenant with God, they entered into a theocracy by expressing their willingness to submit to his authority. The Law was the binding constitution for the nation of Israel under Yahweh their God. It was specifically given to them at a certain time and in a certain place. The Law legislated how Israel was to live in order to be blessed by God and used by him as a kingdom of priests. In the process of legislating their conduct and their ritual for worship, the Law revealed God. It revealed the holiness of Yahweh as the standard for all worship and service, and in revealing that it revealed or uncovered sin. But what the Law condemned, the Law (Leviticus) also made provision for in the laws of the sacrifice and the feasts intended for atonement. The NT teaches that the Law was good, and perfect, and holy. But it also teaches that Christ was the end (goal) of the Law, that it ultimately led to him. It was a pedagogue, Paul said, to bring people to Christ. And when the fulfillment of the promise came in him, believers were not to go back under the Law. What this means for Christians is that what the Law of Israel revealed about God and his will is timeless and still authoritative over faith and conduct, but what the Law regulated for Israel in their existence as the people of God has been done away with in Christ. The Ten Commandments reveal the essence of the Law; the ten for the most part are reiterated in the NT because they reflect the holy and righteous nature of God. The NT often raises them to a higher standard, to guard the spirit of the Law as well as the letter.

[20:1]  ³²² sn The Bible makes it clear that the Law was the revelation of God at Mount Sinai. And yet study has shown that the law code’s form follows the literary pattern of covenant codes in the Late Bronze Age, notably the Hittite codes. The point of such codes is that all the covenant stipulations are appropriate because of the wonderful things that the sovereign has done for the people. God, in using a well-known literary form, was both drawing on the people’s knowledge of such to impress their duties on them, as well as putting new wine into old wineskins. The whole nature of God’s code was on a much higher level. For this general structure, see M. G. Kline, Treaty of the Great King. For the Ten Commandments specifically, see J. J. Stamm and M. E. Andrew, The Ten Commandments in Recent Research (SBT). See also some of the general articles: M. Barrett, “God’s Moral Standard: An Examination of the Decalogue,” BV 12 (1978): 34-40; C. J. H. Wright, “The Israelite Household and the Decalogue: The Social Background and Significance of Some Commandments,” TynBul 30 (1979): 101-24; J. D. Levenson, “The Theologies of Commandment in Biblical Israel,” HTR 73 (1980): 17-33; M. B. Cohen and D. B. Friedman, “The Dual Accentuation of the Ten Commandments,” Masoretic Studies 1 (1974): 7-190; D. Skinner, “Some Major Themes of Exodus,” Mid-America Theological Journal 1 (1977): 31-42; M. Tate, “The Legal Traditions of the Book of Exodus,” RevExp 74 (1977): 483-509; E. C. Smith, “The Ten Commandments in Today’s Permissive Society: A Principleist Approach,” SwJT 20 (1977): 42-58; and D. W. Buck, “Exodus 20:1-17,” Lutheran Theological Journal 16 (1982): 65-75.

[20:2]  ³²³ sn The revelation of Yahweh here begins with the personal pronoun. “I” – a person, a living personality, not an object or a mere thought. This enabled him to address “you” – Israel, and all his people, making the binding stipulations for them to conform to his will (B. Jacob, Exodus, 544).

[20:2]  ³²⁴ tn Most English translations have “I am Yahweh your God.” But the preceding chapters have again and again demonstrated how he made himself known to them. Now, the emphasis is on “I am your God” – and what that would mean in their lives.

[20:2]  ³²⁵ tn The suffix on the verb is second masculine singular. It is this person that will be used throughout the commandments for the whole nation. God addresses them all as his people, but he addresses them individually for their obedience. The masculine form is not, thereby, intended to exclude women.

[20:2]  ³²⁶ tn Heb “the house of slaves” meaning “the land of slavery.”

[20:3]  ³²⁷ tn The possession is expressed here by the use of the lamed (ל) preposition and the verb “to be”: לֹא־יִהְיֶה לְךָ (lo’ yihyeh lÿkha, “there will not be to you”). The negative with the imperfect expresses the emphatic prohibition; it is best reflected with “you will not” and has the strongest expectation of obedience (see GKC 317 §107.o). As an additional way of looking at this line, U. Cassuto suggests that the verb is in the singular in order to say that they could not have even one other god, and the word “gods” is plural to include any gods (Exodus, 241).

[20:3]  ³²⁸ tn The expression עַל־פָּנָי (’al-panay) has several possible interpretations. S. R. Driver suggests “in front of me,” meaning obliging me to behold them, and also giving a prominence above me (Exodus, 193-94). W. F. Albright rendered it “You shall not prefer other gods to me” (From the Stone Age to Christianity, 297, n. 29). B. Jacob (Exodus, 546) illustrates it with marriage: the wife could belong to only one man while every other man was “another man.” They continued to exist but were not available to her. The point is clear from the Law, regardless of the specific way the prepositional phrase is rendered. God demands absolute allegiance, to the exclusion of all other deities. The preposition may imply some antagonism, for false gods would be opposed to Yahweh. U. Cassuto adds that God was in effect saying that anytime Israel turned to a false god they had to know that the Lord was there – it is always in his presence, or before him (Exodus, 241).

[20:4]  ³²⁹ tn A פֶּסֶל (pesel) is an image that was carved out of wood or stone. The Law was concerned with a statue that would be made for the purpose of worship, an idol to be venerated, and not any ordinary statue.

[20:4]  ³³⁰ tn The word תְּמוּנָה (tÿmunah) refers to the mental pattern from which the פֶּסֶל (pesel) is constructed; it is a real or imagined resemblance. If this is to stand as a second object to the verb, then the verb itself takes a slightly different nuance here. It would convey “you shall not make an image, neither shall you conceive a form” for worship (B. Jacob, Exodus, 547). Some simply make the second word qualify the first: “you shall not make an idol in the form of…” (NIV).

[20:4]  ³³¹ tn Here the phrase “of anything” has been supplied.

[20:4]  ³³² tn Heb “under the earth” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[20:5]  ³³³ tn The combination of these two verbs customarily refers to the worship of pagan deities (e.g., Deut 17:3: 30:17; Jer 8:2; see J. J. Stamm and M. E. Andrew, The Ten Commandments in Recent Research [SBT], 86). The first verb is לאֹ־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה (lo’ tishtakhaveh), now to be classified as a hishtaphel imperfect from חָוָה (khavah; BDB 1005 s.v. שׁחה), “to cause oneself to be low to the ground.” It is used of the true worship of God as well. The second verb is וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם (vÿlo’ to’ovdem). The two could be taken as a hendiadys: “you will not prostrate yourself to serve them.” In an interesting side comment U. Cassuto (Exodus, 242) offers an explanation of the spelling of the second verb: he suggests that it was spelled with the qamets khatuf vowel to show contempt for pagan worship, as if their conduct does not even warrant a correct spelling of the word “serve.” Gesenius says that the forms like this are anomalous, but he wonders if they were pointed as if the verb was a Hophal with the meaning “you shall not allow yourself to be brought to worship them” (GKC 161 §60.b). But this is unlikely.

[20:5]  ³³⁴ sn The word “jealous” is the same word often translated “zeal” or “zealous.” The word describes a passionate intensity to protect or defend something that is jeopardized. The word can also have the sense of “envy,” but in that case the object is out of bounds. God’s zeal or jealousy is to protect his people or his institutions or his honor. Yahweh’s honor is bound up with the life of his people.

[20:5]  ³³⁵ tn Verses 5 and 6 are very concise, and the word פָּקַד (paqad) is difficult to translate. Often rendered “visiting,” it might here be rendered “dealing with” in a negative sense or “punishing,” but it describes positive attention in 13:19. When used of God, it essentially means that God intervenes in the lives of people for blessing or for cursing. Some would simply translate the participle here as “punishing” the children for the sins of the fathers (cf. Lev 18:25; Isa 26:21; Jer 29:32; 36:31; Hos 1:4; Amos 3:2). That is workable, but may not say enough. The verse may indicate that those who hate Yahweh and do not keep his commandments will repeat the sins their fathers committed and suffer for them. Deut 24:16 says that individuals will die for their own sins and not their father’s sins (see also Deut 7:10 and Ezek 18). It may have more to do with patterns of sin being repeated from generation to generation; if the sin and the guilt were not fully developed in the one generation, then left unchecked they would develop and continue in the next. But it may also indicate that the effects of the sins of the fathers will be experienced in the following generations, especially in the case of Israel as a national entity (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 243). God is showing here that his ethical character is displayed in how he deals with sin and righteousness, all of which he describes as giving strong motivation for loyalty to him and for avoiding idolatry. There is a justice at work in the dealings of God that is not present in the pagan world.

[20:5]  ³³⁶ tn The Hebrew word for “generations” is not found in v. 5 or 6. The numbers are short for a longer expression, which is understood as part of the description of the children already mentioned (see Deut 7:9, where “generation” [דּוֹר, dor] is present and more necessary, since “children” have not been mentioned).

[20:5]  ³³⁷ tn This is an important qualification to the principle. The word rendered “reject” is often translated “hate” and carries with it the idea of defiantly rejecting and opposing God and his word. Such people are doomed to carry on the sins of their ancestors and bear guilt with them.

[20:6]  ³³⁸ tn Literally “doing loyal love” (עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד, ’oseh khesed). The noun refers to God’s covenant loyalty, his faithful love to those who belong to him. These are members of the covenant, recipients of grace, the people of God, whom God will preserve and protect from evil and its effects.

[20:6]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “to thousands” or “to thousandth.” After “tenth,” Hebrew uses cardinal numbers for ordinals also. This statement is the antithesis of the preceding line. The “thousands” or “thousandth [generation]” are those who love Yahweh and keep his commands. These are descendants from the righteous, and even associates with them, who benefit from the mercy that God extends to his people. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 195) says that this passage teaches that God’s mercy transcends his wrath; in his providence the beneficial consequences of a life of goodness extend indefinitely further than the retribution that is the penalty for persisting in sin. To say that God’s loyal love extends to thousands of generations or the thousandth generation is parallel to saying that it endures forever (Ps. 118). See also Exod 34:7; Deut 5:10; 7:9; Ps 18:51; Jer 32:18.

[20:7]  ³⁴⁰ tn Or “use” (NCV, TEV); NIV, CEV, NLT “misuse”; NRSV “make wrongful use of.”

[20:7]  ³⁴¹ tn שָׁוְא (shav’, “vain”) describes “unreality.” The command prohibits use of the name for any idle, frivolous, or insincere purpose (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 196). This would include perjury, pagan incantations, or idle talk. The name is to be treated with reverence and respect because it is the name of the holy God.

[20:7]  ³⁴² tn Or “leave unpunished.”

[20:8]  ³⁴³ tn The text uses the infinitive absolute זָכוֹר (zakhor) for the commandment for the Sabbath day, which is the sign of the Sinaitic Covenant. The infinitive absolute functions in place of the emphatic imperative here (see GKC 346 §113.bb); the absolute stresses the basic verbal idea of the root – remembering. The verb includes the mental activity of recalling and pondering as well as the consequent actions for such remembering.

[20:8]  ³⁴⁴ tn The word “Sabbath” is clearly connected to the verb שָׁבַת (shavat, “to cease, desist, rest”). There are all kinds of theories as to the origin of the day, most notably in the Babylonian world, but the differences are striking in so far as the pagan world had these days filled with magic. Nevertheless, the pagan world does bear witness to a tradition of a regular day set aside for special sacrifices. See, for example, H. W. Wolff, “The Day of Rest in the Old Testament,” LTQ 7 (1972): 65-76; 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; and M. Tsevat, “The Basic Meaning of the Biblical Sabbath,” ZAW 84 (1972): 447-59.

[20:8]  ³⁴⁵ tn The Piel infinitive construct provides the purpose of remembering the Sabbath day – to set it apart, to make it distinct from the other days. Verses 9 and 10 explain in part how this was to be done. To set this day apart as holy taught Israel the difference between the holy and the profane, that there was something higher than daily life. If an Israelite bent down to the ground laboring all week, the Sabbath called his attention to the heavens, to pattern life after the Creator (B. Jacob, Exodus, 569-70).

[20:9]  ³⁴⁶ tn The text has simply “six days,” but this is an adverbial accusative of time, answering how long they were to work (GKC 374 §118.k).

[20:9]  ³⁴⁷ tn The imperfect tense has traditionally been rendered as a commandment, “you will labor.” But the point of this commandment is the prohibition of work on the seventh day. The permission nuance of the imperfect works well here.

[20:9]  ³⁴⁸ tn This is the occupation, or business of the work week.

[20:10]  ³⁴⁹ tn The phrase “on it” has been supplied for clarity.

[20:10]  ³⁵⁰ sn The wife is omitted in the list, not that she was considered unimportant, nor that she was excluded from the rest, but rather in reflecting her high status. She was not man’s servant, not lesser than the man, but included with the man as an equal before God. The “you” of the commandments is addressed to the Israelites individually, male and female, just as God in the Garden of Eden held both the man and the woman responsible for their individual sins (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 567-68).

[20:10]  ³⁵¹ sn The Sabbath day was the sign of the Sinaitic Covenant. It required Israel to cease from ordinary labors and devote the day to God. It required Israel to enter into the life of God, to share his Sabbath. It gave them a chance to recall the work of the Creator. But in the NT the apostolic teaching for the Church does not make one day holier than another, but calls for the entire life to be sanctified to God. This teaching is an application of the meaning of entering into the Sabbath of God. The book of Hebrews declares that those who believe in Christ cease from their works and enter into his Sabbath rest. For a Christian keeping Saturday holy is not a requirement from the NT; it may be a good and valuable thing to have a day of rest and refreshment, but it is not a binding law for the Church. The principle of setting aside time to worship and serve the Lord has been carried forward, but the strict regulations have not.

[20:12]  ³⁵² tn The verb כַּבֵּד (kabbed) is a Piel imperative; it calls for people to give their parents the respect and honor that is appropriate for them. It could be paraphrased to say, give them the weight of authority that they deserve. Next to God, parents were to be highly valued, cared for, and respected.

[20:12]  ³⁵³ tn Heb “that your days may be long.”

[20:12]  ³⁵⁴ sn The promise here is national rather than individual, although it is certainly true that the blessing of life was promised for anyone who was obedient to God’s commands (Deut 4:1, 8:1, etc.). But as W. C. Kaiser (“Exodus,” EBC 2:424) summarizes, the land that was promised was the land of Canaan, and the duration of Israel in the land was to be based on morality and the fear of God as expressed in the home (Deut 4:26, 33, 40; 32:46-47). The captivity was in part caused by a breakdown in this area (Ezek 22:7, 15). Malachi would announce at the end of his book that Elijah would come at the end of the age to turn the hearts of the children and the parents toward each other again.

[20:13]  ³⁵⁵ tn The verb רָצַח (ratsakh) refers to the premeditated or accidental taking of the life of another human being; it includes any unauthorized killing (it is used for the punishment of a murderer, but that would not be included in the prohibition). This commandment teaches the sanctity of all human life. See J. H. Yoder, “Exodus 20,13: ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’,” Int 34 (1980): 394-99; and A. Phillips, “Another Look at Murder,” JJS 28 (1977): 105-26.

[20:14]  ³⁵⁶ sn This is a sin against the marriage of a fellow citizen – it destroys the home. The Law distinguished between adultery (which had a death penalty) and sexual contact with a young woman (which carried a monetary fine and usually marriage if the father was willing). So it distinguished fornication and adultery. Both were sins, but the significance of each was different. In the ancient world this sin is often referred to as “the great sin.”

[20:15]  ³⁵⁷ sn This law protected the property of the Israelite citizen. See D. Little, “Exodus 20,15: ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’,” Int 34 (1980): 399-405.

[20:16]  ³⁵⁸ tn Heb “answer” as in a court of law.

[20:16]  ³⁵⁹ tn The expression עֵד שָׁקֶר (’ed shaqer) means “a lying witness” (B. S. Childs, Exodus [OTL], 388). In this verse the noun is an adverbial accusative, “you will not answer as a lying witness.” The prohibition is against perjury. While the precise reference would be to legal proceedings, the law probably had a broader application to lying about other people in general (see Lev 5:1; Hos 4:2).

[20:17]  ³⁶⁰ tn The verb חָמַד (khamad) focuses not on an external act but on an internal mental activity behind the act, the motivation for it. The word can be used in a very good sense (Ps 19:10; 68:16), but it has a bad connotation in contexts where the object desired is off limits. This command is aimed at curtailing the greedy desire for something belonging to a neighbor, a desire that leads to the taking of it or the attempt to take it. It was used in the story of the Garden of Eden for the tree that was desired.

[20:17]  ³⁶¹ sn See further G. Wittenburg, “The Tenth Commandment in the Old Testament,” Journal for Theology in South Africa 21 (1978): 3-17: and E. W. Nicholson, “The Decalogue as the Direct Address of God,” VT 27 (1977): 422-33.

[20:18]  ³⁶² tn The participle is used here for durative action in the past time (GKC 359 §116.o).

[20:18]  ³⁶³ tn The verb “to see” (רָאָה, ra’ah) refers to seeing with all the senses, or perceiving. W. C. Kaiser suggests that this is an example of the figure of speech called zeugma because the verb “saw” yokes together two objects, one that suits the verb and the other that does not. So, the verb “heard” is inserted here to clarify (“Exodus,” EBC 2:427).

[20:18]  ³⁶⁴ tn The verb “saw” is supplied here because it is expected in English (see the previous note on “heard”).

[20:18]  ³⁶⁵ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated as a temporal clause to the following clause, which receives the prominence.

[20:18]  ³⁶⁶ tn The meaning of נוּעַ (nua’) is “to shake, sway to and fro” in fear. Compare Isa 7:2 – “and his heart shook…as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.”

[20:18]  ³⁶⁷ tn Heb “and they stood from/at a distance.”

[20:19]  ³⁶⁸ tn The verb is a Piel imperative. In this context it has more of the sense of a request than a command. The independent personal pronoun “you” emphasizes the subject and forms the contrast with God’s speaking.

[20:20]  ³⁶⁹ tn נַסּוֹת (nassot) is the Piel infinitive construct; it forms the purpose of God’s coming with all the accompanying phenomena. The verb can mean “to try, test, prove.” The sense of “prove” fits this context best because the terrifying phenomena were intended to put the fear of God in their hearts so that they would obey. In other words, God was inspiring them to obey, not simply testing to see if they would.

[20:20]  ³⁷⁰ tn The suffix on the noun is an objective genitive, referring to the fear that the people would have of God (GKC 439 §135.m).

[20:20]  ³⁷¹ tn The negative form לְבִלְתִּי (lÿvilti) is used here with the imperfect tense (see for other examples GKC 483 §152.x). This gives the imperfect the nuance of a final imperfect: that you might not sin. Others: to keep you from sin.

[20:21]  ³⁷² tn Heb “and they stood”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:21]  ³⁷³ sn The word עֲרָפֶל (’arafel) is used in poetry in Ps 18:9 and 1 Kgs 8:12; and it is used in Deut 4:11, 5:22 [19].

[20:21]  ³⁷⁴ sn It will not be hard to expound the passage on the Ten Commandments once their place in scripture has been determined. They, for the most part, are reiterated in the NT, in one way or another, usually with a much higher standard that requires attention to the spirit of the laws. Thus, these laws reveal God’s standard of righteousness by revealing sin. No wonder the Israelites were afraid when they saw the manifestation of God and heard his laws. When the whole covenant is considered, preamble and all, then it becomes clear that the motivation for obeying the commands is the person and the work of the covenant God – the one who redeemed his people. Obedience then becomes a response of devotion and adoration to the Redeemer who set them free. It becomes loyal service, not enslavement to laws. The point could be worded this way: God requires that his covenant people, whom he has redeemed, and to whom he has revealed himself, give their absolute allegiance and obedience to him. This means they will worship and serve him and safeguard the well-being of each other.

[20:22]  ³⁷⁵ sn Based on the revelation of the holy sovereign God, this pericope instructs Israel on the form of proper worship of such a God. It focuses on the altar, the centerpiece of worship. The point of the section is this: those who worship this holy God must preserve holiness in the way they worship – they worship where he permits, in the manner he prescribes, and with the blessings he promises. This paragraph is said to open the Book of the Covenant, which specifically rules on matters of life and worship.

[20:22]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “and Yahweh said.”

[20:23]  ³⁷⁷ tn The direct object of the verb must be “gods of silver.” The prepositional phrase modifies the whole verse to say that these gods would then be alongside the one true God.

[20:23]  ³⁷⁸ tn Heb “neither will you make for you gods of gold.”

[20:24]  ³⁷⁹ sn The instructions here call for the altar to be made of natural things, not things manufactured or shaped by man. The altar was either to be made of clumps of earth or natural, unhewn rocks.

[20:24]  ³⁸⁰ sn The “burnt offering” is the offering prescribed in Lev 1. Everything of this animal went up in smoke as a sweet aroma to God. It signified complete surrender by the worshiper who brought the animal, and complete acceptance by God, thereby making atonement. The “peace offering” is legislated in Lev 3 and 7. This was a communal meal offering to celebrate being at peace with God. It was made usually for thanksgiving, for payment of vows, or as a freewill offering.

[20:24]  ³⁸¹ tn Gesenius lists this as one of the few places where the noun in construct seems to be indefinite in spite of the fact that the genitive has the article. He says בְּכָל־הַמָּקוֹם (bÿkhol-hammaqom) means “in all the place, sc. of the sanctuary, and is a dogmatic correction of “in every place” (כָּל־מָקוֹם, kol-maqom). See GKC 412 §127.e.

[20:24]  ³⁸² tn The verb is זָכַר (zakhar, “to remember”), but in the Hiphil especially it can mean more than remember or cause to remember (remind) – it has the sense of praise or honor. B. S. Childs says it has a denominative meaning, “to proclaim” (Exodus [OTL], 447). The point of the verse is that God will give Israel reason for praising and honoring him, and in every place that occurs he will make his presence known by blessing them.

[20:25]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “them” referring to the stones.

[20:25]  ³⁸⁴ tn Heb “of hewn stones.” Gesenius classifies this as an adverbial accusative – “you shall not build them (the stones of the altar) as hewn stones.” The remoter accusative is in apposition to the nearer (GKC 372 §117.kk).

[20:25]  ³⁸⁵ tn The verb is a preterite with vav (ו) consecutive. It forms the apodosis in a conditional clause: “if you lift up your tool on it…you have defiled it.”

[20:26]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “uncovered” (so ASV, NAB).

[21:1]  ³⁸⁷ sn There follows now a series of rulings called “the decisions” or “the judgments” (הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים, hammishpatim). A precept is stated, and then various cases in which the law is applicable are examined. These rulings are all in harmony with the Decalogue that has just been given and can be grouped into three categories: civil or criminal laws, religious or cultic laws, and moral or humanitarian laws. The civil and criminal laws make up most of chap. 21; the next two chapters mix the other kinds of laws. Among the many studies of this section of the book are F. C. Fensham, “The Role of the Lord in the Legal Sections of the Covenant Code,” VT 26 (1976): 262-74; S. Paul, “Unrecognized Biblical Legal Idioms in Light of Comparative Akkadian Expressions,” RB 86 (1979): 231-39; M. Galston, “The Purpose of the Law According to Maimonides,” JQR 69 (1978): 27-51.

[21:2]  ³⁸⁸ sn See H. L. Elleson, “The Hebrew Slave: A Study in Early Israelite Society,” EvQ 45 (1973): 30-35; N. P. Lemche, “The Manumission of Slaves – The Fallow Year – The Sabbatical Year – The Jobel Year,” VT 26 (1976): 38-59, and “The ‘Hebrew Slave,’ Comments on the Slave Law – Ex. 21:2-11,” VT 25 (1975): 129-44.

[21:2]  ³⁸⁹ tn The verbs in both the conditional clause and the following ruling are imperfect tense: “If you buy…then he will serve.” The second imperfect tense (the ruling) could be taken either as a specific future or an obligatory imperfect. Gesenius explains how the verb works in the conditional clauses here (see GKC 497 §159.bb).

[21:2]  ³⁹⁰ sn The interpretation of “Hebrew” in this verse is uncertain: (l) a gentilic ending, (2) a fellow Israelite, (3) or a class of mercenaries of the population (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:431). It seems likely that the term describes someone born a Hebrew, as opposed to a foreigner (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 210). The literature on this includes: M. P. Gray, “The Habiru-Hebrew Problem,” HUCA 29 (1958): 135-202.

[21:2]  ³⁹¹ sn The word חָפְשִׁי (khofshi) means “free.” It is possible that there is some connection between this word and a technical term used in other cultures for a social class of emancipated slaves who were freemen again (see I. Mendelsohn, “New Light on the Hupsu,” BASOR 139 [1955]: 9-11).

[21:2]  ³⁹² tn The adverb חִנָּם (hinnam) means “gratis, free”; it is related to the verb “to be gracious, show favor” and the noun “grace.”

[21:3]  ³⁹³ tn The tense is imperfect, but in the conditional clause it clearly refers to action that is anterior to the action in the next clause. Heb “if he comes in single, he goes out single,” that is, “if he came in single, he will go out single.”

[21:3]  ³⁹⁴ tn Heb “with his back” meaning “alone.”

[21:3]  ³⁹⁵ tn The phrase says, “if he was the possessor of a wife”; the noun בַּעַל (ba’al) can mean “possessor” or “husband.” If there was a wife, she shared his fortunes or his servitude; if he entered with her, she would accompany him when he left.

[21:4]  ³⁹⁶ sn The slave would not have the right or the means to acquire a wife. Thus, the idea of the master’s “giving” him a wife is clear – the master would have to pay the bride price and make the provision. In this case, the wife and the children are actually the possession of the master unless the slave were to pay the bride price – but he is a slave because he got into debt. The law assumes that the master was better able to provide for this woman than the freed slave and that it was most important to keep the children with the mother.

[21:5]  ³⁹⁷ tn The imperfect with the infinitive absolute means that the declaration is unambiguous, that the servant will clearly affirm that he wants to stay with the master. Gesenius says that in a case like this the infinitive emphasizes the importance of the condition on which some consequence depends (GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[21:5]  ³⁹⁸ tn Or taken as a desiderative imperfect, it would say, “I do not want to go out free.”

[21:6]  ³⁹⁹ tn The word is הָאֱלֹהִים (ha’elohim). S. R. Driver (Exodus, 211) says the phrase means “to God,” namely the nearest sanctuary in order that the oath and the ritual might be made solemn, although he does say that it would be done by human judges. That the reference is to Yahweh God is the view also of F. C. Fensham, “New Light on Exodus 21:7 and 22:7 from the Laws of Eshnunna,” JBL 78 (1959): 160-61. Cf. also ASV, NAB, NASB, NCV, NRSV, NLT. Others have made a stronger case that it refers to judges who acted on behalf of God; see C. Gordon, “אלהים in its Reputed Meaning of Rulers, Judges,” JBL 54 (1935): 134-44; and A. E. Draffkorn, “Ilani/Elohim,” JBL 76 (1957): 216-24; cf. KJV, NIV.

[21:6]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Or “till his life’s end” (as in the idiom: “serve him for good”).

[21:7]  ⁴⁰¹ sn This paragraph is troubling to modern readers, but given the way that marriages were contracted and the way people lived in the ancient world, it was a good provision for people who might want to find a better life for their daughter. On the subject in general for this chapter, see W. M. Swartley, Slavery, Sabbath, War, and Women, 31-64.

[21:7]  ⁴⁰² tn The word אָמָה (’amah) refers to a female servant who would eventually become a concubine or wife; the sale price included the amount for the service as well as the bride price (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 621). The arrangement recognized her honor as an Israelite woman, one who could be a wife, even though she entered the household in service. The marriage was not automatic, as the conditions show, but her treatment was safeguarded come what may. The law was a way, then, for a poor man to provide a better life for a daughter.

[21:8]  ⁴⁰³ tn Heb “and if unpleasant (רָעָה, ra’ah) in the eyes of her master.”

[21:8]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn The verb יָעַד (ya’ad) does not mean “betroth, espouse” as some of the earlier translations had it, but “to designate.” When he bought the girl, he designated her for himself, giving her and her family certain expectations.

[21:8]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn The verb is a Hiphil perfect with vav (ו) consecutive from פָדָה (padah, “to redeem”). Here in the apodosis the form is equivalent to an imperfect: “let someone redeem her” – perhaps her father if he can, or another. U. Cassuto says it can also mean she can redeem herself and dissolve the relationship (Exodus, 268).

[21:8]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “he has no authority/power,” for the verb means “rule, have dominion.”

[21:8]  ⁴⁰⁷ sn The deceit is in not making her his wife or concubine as the arrangement had stipulated.

[21:9]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn Or “after the manner of” (KJV, ASV); NRSV “shall deal with her as with a daughter.”

[21:10]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn “wife” has been supplied.

[21:10]  ⁴¹⁰ tn The translation of “food” does not quite do justice to the Hebrew word. It is “flesh.” The issue here is that the family she was to marry into is wealthy, they ate meat. She was not just to be given the basic food the ordinary people ate, but the fine foods that this family ate.

[21:10]  ⁴¹¹ sn See S. Paul, “Exodus 21:10, A Threefold Maintenance Clause,” JNES 28 (1969): 48-53. Paul suggests that the third element listed is not marital rights but ointments since Sumerian and Akkadian texts list food, clothing, and oil as the necessities of life. The translation of “marital rights” is far from certain, since the word occurs only here. The point is that the woman was to be cared for with all that was required for a woman in that situation.

[21:11]  ⁴¹² sn The lessons of slavery and service are designed to bring justice to existing customs in antiquity. The message is: Those in slavery for one reason or another should have the hope of freedom and the choice of service (vv. 2-6). For the rulings on the daughter, the message could be: Women, who were often at the mercy of their husbands or masters, must not be trapped in an unfortunate situation, but be treated well by their masters or husbands (vv. 7-11). God is preventing people who have power over others from abusing it.

[21:12]  ⁴¹³ sn The underlying point of this section remains vital today: The people of God must treat all human life as sacred.

[21:12]  ⁴¹⁴ tn The construction uses a Hiphil participle in construct with the noun for “man” (or person as is understood in a law for the nation): “the one striking [of] a man.” This is a casus pendens (independent nominative absolute); it indicates the condition or action that involves further consequence (GKC 361 §116.w).

[21:12]  ⁴¹⁵ tn The Hebrew word וָמֵת (vamet) is a Qal perfect with vav consecutive; it means “and he dies” and not “and killed him” (which require another stem). Gesenius notes that this form after a participle is the equivalent of a sentence representing a contingent action (GKC 333 §112.n). The word shows the result of the action in the opening participle. It is therefore a case of murder or manslaughter.

[21:12]  ⁴¹⁶ sn See A. Phillips, “Another Look at Murder,” JJS 28 (1977): 105-26.

[21:13]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “if he does not lie in wait” (NASB similar).

[21:13]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “and God brought into his hand.” The death is unintended, its circumstances outside human control.

[21:14]  ⁴¹⁹ tn The word עָרְמָה (’ormah) is problematic. It could mean with prior intent, which would be connected with the word in Prov 8:5, 12 which means “understanding” (or “prudence” – fully aware of the way things are). It could be connected also to an Arabic word for “enemy” which would indicate this was done with malice or evil intentions (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 270). The use here seems parallel to the one in Josh 9:4, an instance involving intentionality and clever deception.

[21:15]  ⁴²⁰ sn This is the same construction that was used in v. 12, but here there is no mention of the parents’ death. This attack, then, does not lead to their death – if he killed one of them then v. 12 would be the law. S. R. Driver says that the severity of the penalty was in accord with the high view of parents (Exodus, 216).

[21:16]  ⁴²¹ tn Heb “a stealer of a man,” thus “anyone stealing a man.”

[21:16]  ⁴²² sn The implication is that it would be an Israelite citizen who was kidnapped and sold to a foreign tribe or country (like Joseph). There was always a market for slaves. The crime would be in forcibly taking the individual away from his home and religion and putting him into bondage or death.

[21:16]  ⁴²³ tn Literally “and he is found in his hand” (KJV and ASV both similar), being not yet sold.

[21:17]  ⁴²⁴ tn The form is a Piel participle from קָלַל (qalal), meaning in Qal “be light,” in Piel “treat lightly, curse, revile, declare contemptible, treat shamefully.” (See its use in Lev 19:14; Josh 24:9; Judg 9:26-28; 1 Sam 3:13; 17:43; 2 Sam 16:5-13; Prov 30:10-11; Eccl 7:21-22; 10:20.) It is opposite of “honor” (כָּבֵד, kaved; Qal “be heavy”; Piel “honor,” as in 20:12) and of “bless.” This verse then could refer to any act contrary to the commandment to honor the parents. B. Jacob (Exodus, 640) cites parallels in Sumerian where people were severely punished for publicly disowning their parents. “21:15, 17 taken together evoke the picture of parents who, physically and verbally, are forcibly turned out of the house (cf. Prov. 19:26)” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:148).

[21:18]  ⁴²⁵ tn Heb “falls to bed.”

[21:19]  ⁴²⁶ tn “and then” has been supplied.

[21:19]  ⁴²⁷ tn The verb is a Hitpael perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; it follows the sequence of the imperfect before it – “if he gets up and walks about.” This is proof of recovery.

[21:19]  ⁴²⁸ tn The imperfect tense carries a nuance of obligatory imperfect because this is binding on the one who hit him.

[21:19]  ⁴²⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the injured person) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ⁴³⁰ tn The word appears to be the infinitive from the verb “to sit” with a meaning of “his sitting down”; some suggest it is from the verb “to rest” with a meaning “cease.” In either case the point in the context must mean compensation is due for the time he was down.

[21:20]  ⁴³¹ tn Heb “so that he”; the words “or she” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:20]  ⁴³² tn Heb “under his hand.”

[21:20]  ⁴³³ tn Heb “will be avenged” (how is not specified).

[21:21]  ⁴³⁴ tn Heb “if he”; the referent (the servant struck and injured in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:21]  ⁴³⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner of the injured servant) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[21:21]  ⁴³⁶ tn This last clause is a free paraphrase of the Hebrew, “for he is his money” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “his property.” It seems that if the slave survives a couple of days, it is probable that the master was punishing him and not intending to kill him. If he then dies, there is no penalty other than that the owner loses the slave who is his property – he suffers the loss.

[21:22]  ⁴³⁷ tn This line has occasioned a good deal of discussion. It may indicate that the child was killed, as in a miscarriage; or it may mean that there was a premature birth. The latter view is taken here because of the way the whole section is written: (1) “her children come out” reflects a birth and not the loss of children, (2) there is no serious damage, and (3) payment is to be set for any remuneration. The word אָסוֹן (’ason) is translated “serious damage.” The word was taken in Mekilta to mean “death.” U. Cassuto says the point of the phrase is that neither the woman or the children that are born die (Exodus, 275). But see among the literature on this: M. G. Kline, “Lex Talionis and the Human Fetus,” JETS 20 (1977): 193-201; W. House, “Miscarriage or Premature Birth: Additional Thoughts on Exodus 21:22-25,” WTJ 41 (1978): 108-23; S. E. Loewenstamm, “Exodus XXI 22-25,” VT 27 (1977): 352-60.

[21:22]  ⁴³⁸ tn The word בִּפְלִלִים (biflilim) means “with arbitrators.” The point then seems to be that the amount of remuneration for damages that was fixed by the husband had to be approved by the courts. S. R. Driver mentions an alternative to this unusual reading presented by Budde, reading בנפלים as “untimely birth” (Exodus, 219). See also E. A. Speiser, “The Stem PLL in Hebrew,” JBL 82 (1963): 301-6.

[21:25]  ⁴³⁹ sn The text now introduces the Lex Talionis with cases that were not likely to have applied to the situation of the pregnant woman. See K. Luke, “Eye for Eye, Tooth for Tooth,” Indian Theological Studies 16 (1979): 326-43.

[21:26]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn The form וְשִׁחֲתָהּ (vÿshikhatah) is the Piel perfect with the vav (ל) consecutive, rendered “and destroys it.” The verb is a strong one, meaning “to ruin, completely destroy.”

[21:26]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the male or female servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:26]  ⁴⁴² sn Interestingly, the verb used here for “let him go” is the same verb throughout the first part of the book for “release” of the Israelites from slavery. Here, an Israelite will have to release the injured slave.

[21:27]  ⁴⁴³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the male or female servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:28]  ⁴⁴⁴ sn The point that this section of the laws makes is that one must ensure the safety of others by controlling the circumstances.

[21:28]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Traditionally “ox,” but “bull” would also be suitable. The term may refer to one of any variety of large cattle.

[21:28]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn Heb “and he dies”; KJV “that they die”; NAB, NASB “to death.”

[21:28]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn The text uses סָקוֹל יִסָּקֵל (saqol yissaqel), a Qal infinitive absolute with a Niphal imperfect. The infinitive intensifies the imperfect, which here has an obligatory nuance or is a future of instruction.

[21:29]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn The Hophal perfect has the idea of “attested, testified against.”

[21:29]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “he was not keeping it” or perhaps guarding or watching it (referring to the ox).

[21:30]  ⁴⁵⁰ sn The family of the victim would set the amount for the ransom of the man guilty of criminal neglect. This practice was common in the ancient world, rare in Israel. If the family allowed the substitute price, then the man would be able to redeem his life.

[21:31]  ⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the ox) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:31]  ⁴⁵² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:31]  ⁴⁵³ tn Heb “according to this judgment it shall be done to him.”

[21:32]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ⁴⁵⁵ sn A shekel was a unit for measure by means of a scale. Both the weight and the value of a shekel of silver are hard to determine. “Though there is no certainty, the shekel is said to weigh about 11,5 grams” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:181). Over four hundred years earlier, Joseph was sold into Egypt for 20 shekels. The free Israelite citizen was worth about 50 shekels (Lev 27:3f.).

[21:32]  ⁴⁵⁶ sn See further B. S. Jackson, “The Goring Ox Again [Ex. 21,28-36],” JJP 18 (1974): 55-94.

[21:34]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn The verb is a Piel imperfect from שָׁלַם (shalam); it has the idea of making payment in full, making recompense, repaying. These imperfects could be given a future tense translation as imperfects of instruction, but in the property cases an obligatory imperfect fits better – this is what he is bound or obliged to do – what he must do.

[21:34]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn Heb “silver.”

[21:34]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Here the term “animal” has been supplied.

[21:35]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn Literally “its silver” or “silver for it.”

[21:35]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Heb “divide the dead.” The noun “ox” has been supplied.

[21:36]  ⁴⁶² tn The construction now uses the same Piel imperfect (v. 34) but adds the infinitive absolute to it for emphasis.

[21:36]  ⁴⁶³ 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.

[22:1]  ⁴⁶⁴ sn The next section of laws concerns property rights. These laws protected property from thieves and oppressors, but also set limits to retribution. The message could be: God’s laws demand that the guilty make restitution for their crimes against property and that the innocent be exonerated.

[22:1]  ⁴⁶⁵ sn Beginning with 22:1, the verse numbers through 22:31 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 22:1 ET = 21:37 HT, 22:2 ET = 22:1 HT, etc., through 22:31 ET = 22:30 HT. Thus in the English Bible ch. 22 has 31 verses, while in the Hebrew Bible it has 30 verses, with the one extra verse attached to ch. 21 in the Hebrew Bible.

[22:1]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of obligatory imperfect – he must pay back.

[22:1]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn בָּקַר (baqar) and צֹאן (tso’n) are the categories to which the ox and the sheep belonged, so that the criminal had some latitude in paying back animals.

[22:2]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn Heb “found” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[22:2]  ⁴⁶⁹ tn The word בַּמַּחְתֶּרֶת (bammakhteret) means “digging through” the walls of a house (usually made of mud bricks). The verb is used only a few times and has the meaning of dig in (as into houses) or row hard (as in Jonah 1:13).

[22:2]  ⁴⁷⁰ tn The text has “there is not to him bloods.” When the word “blood” is put in the plural, it refers to bloodshed, or the price of blood that is shed, i.e., blood guiltiness.

[22:3]  ⁴⁷¹ tn The words “a thief” have been added for clarification. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 224) thinks that these lines are out of order, since some of them deal with killing the thief and then others with the thief making restitution, but rearranging the clauses is not a necessary way to bring clarity to the paragraph. The idea here would be that any thief caught alive would pay restitution.

[22:4]  ⁴⁷² tn The construction uses a Niphal infinitive absolute and a Niphal imperfect: if it should indeed be found. Gesenius says that in such conditional clauses the infinitive absolute has less emphasis, but instead emphasizes the condition on which some consequence depends (see GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[22:4]  ⁴⁷³ tn Heb “in his hand.”

[22:4]  ⁴⁷⁴ sn He must pay back one for what he took, and then one for the penalty – his loss as he was inflicting a loss on someone else.

[22:5]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn The verb בָּעַר (ba’ar, “graze”) as a denominative from the word “livestock” is not well attested. So some have suggested that with slight changes this verse could be read: “If a man cause a field or a vineyard to be burnt, and let the burning spread, and it burnt in another man’s field” (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 225).

[22:5]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn The phrase “his livestock” is supplied from the next clause.

[22:6]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn Heb “if a fire goes out and finds”; NLT “if a fire gets out of control.”

[22:6]  ⁴⁷⁸ sn Thorn bushes were used for hedges between fields, but thorn bushes also burned easily, making the fire spread rapidly.

[22:6]  ⁴⁷⁹ tn This is a Hiphil participle of the verb “to burn, kindle” used substantivally. This is the one who caused the fire, whether by accident or not.

[22:7]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn The word usually means “vessels” but can have the sense of household goods and articles. It could be anything from jewels and ornaments to weapons or pottery.

[22:7]  ⁴⁸¹ tn Heb “to keep.” Here “safekeeping,” that is, to keep something secure on behalf of a third party, is intended.

[22:7]  ⁴⁸² tn Heb “found.”

[22:8]  ⁴⁸³ tn Heb “found.”

[22:8]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Here again the word used is “the gods,” meaning the judges who made the assessments and decisions. In addition to other works, see J. R. Vannoy, “The Use of the Word ha’elohim in Exodus 21:6 and 22:7,8,” The Law and the Prophets, 225-41.

[22:8]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn The phrase “to see” has been supplied.

[22:8]  ⁴⁸⁶ tn The line says “if he has not stretched out his hand.” This could be the oath formula, but the construction here would be unusual, or it could be taken as “whether” (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:438). U. Cassuto (Exodus, 286) does not think the wording can possibly fit an oath; nevertheless, an oath would be involved before God (as he takes it instead of “judges”) – if the man swore, his word would be accepted, but if he would not swear, he would be guilty.

[22:9]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn Heb “concerning every kind [thing] of trespass.”

[22:9]  ⁴⁸⁸ tn The text simply has “this is it” (הוּא זֶה, hu’ zeh).

[22:9]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn Again, or “God.”

[22:9]  ⁴⁹⁰ tn This kind of clause Gesenius calls an independent relative clause – it does not depend on a governing substantive but itself expresses a substantival idea (GKC 445-46 §138.e).

[22:9]  ⁴⁹¹ tn The verb means “to be guilty” in Qal; in Hiphil it would have a declarative sense, because a causative sense would not possibly fit.

[22:10]  ⁴⁹² 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]  ⁴⁹³ 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]  ⁴⁹⁴ tn Heb “there is no one seeing.”

[22:11]  ⁴⁹⁵ tn The construct relationship שְׁבֻעַת יְהוָה (shÿvu’at yÿhvah, “the oath of Yahweh”) would require a genitive of indirect object, “an oath [to] Yahweh.” U. Cassuto suggests that it means “an oath by Yahweh” (Exodus, 287). The person to whom the animal was entrusted would take a solemn oath to Yahweh that he did not appropriate the animal for himself, and then his word would be accepted.

[22:12]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn Both with this verb “stolen” and in the next clauses with “torn in pieces,” the text uses the infinitive absolute construction with less than normal emphasis; as Gesenius says, in conditional clauses, an infinitive absolute stresses the importance of the condition on which some consequence depends (GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[22:12]  ⁴⁹⁷ sn The point is that the man should have taken better care of the animal.

[22:13]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn The word עֵד (’ed) actually means “witness,” but the dead animal that is returned is a silent witness, i.e., evidence. The word is an adverbial accusative.

[22:14]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn Heb “if a man asks [an animal] from his neighbor” (see also Exod 12:36). The ruling here implies an animal is borrowed, and if harm comes to it when the owner is not with it, the borrower is liable. The word “animal” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:14]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who borrowed the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:15]  ⁵⁰¹ tn Literally “it came with/for its hire,” this expression implies that the owner who hired it out and was present was prepared to take the risk, so there would be no compensation.

[22:16]  ⁵⁰² sn The second half of the chapter records various laws of purity and justice. Any of them could be treated in an expository way, but in the present array they offer a survey of God’s righteous standards: Maintain the sanctity of marriage (16-17); maintain the purity of religious institutions (18-20), maintain the rights of human beings (21-28), maintain the rights of Yahweh (29-31).

[22:16]  ⁵⁰³ tn This is the word בְּתוּלָה (bÿtulah); it describes a young woman who is not married or a young woman engaged to be married; in any case, she is presumed to be a virgin.

[22:16]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn Or “pledged” for marriage.

[22:16]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn The verb מָהַר (mahar) means “pay the marriage price,” and the related noun is the bride price. B. Jacob says this was a proposal gift and not a purchase price (Exodus, 700). This is the price paid to her parents, which allowed for provision should there be a divorce. The amount was usually agreed on by the two families, but the price was higher for a pure bride from a noble family. Here, the one who seduces her must pay it, regardless of whether he marries her or not.

[22:18]  ⁵⁰⁶ sn There still were many who wished to follow pagan beliefs and consort with the dead (see Deut 18:10-11). The sorceress was someone who dealt with drugs or herbs for occult purposes.

[22:19]  ⁵⁰⁷ tn Heb “lies with.”

[22:20]  ⁵⁰⁸ tn Heb “not to Yahweh.”

[22:20]  ⁵⁰⁹ tn The verb חָרַם (kharam) means “to be devoted” to God or “to be banned.” The idea is that it would be God’s to do with as he liked. What was put under the ban was for God alone, either for his service or for his judgment. But it was out of human control. Here the verb is saying that the person will be utterly destroyed.

[22:21]  ⁵¹⁰ tn Or “oppress.”

[22:21]  ⁵¹¹ tn Or “alien,” both here and in 23:9. This individual is a resident foreigner; he lives in the land but, aside from provisions such as this, might easily be without legal rights.

[22:22]  ⁵¹² tn The verb “afflict” is a Piel imperfect from עָנָה (’anah); it has a wide range of meanings: “afflict, oppress, humiliate, rape.” These victims are at the mercy of the judges, businessmen, or villains. The righteous king and the righteous people will not mistreat them (see Isa 1:17; Job 31:16, 17, 21).

[22:23]  ⁵¹³ tn The accusative here is the masculine singular pronoun, which leads S. R. Driver to conclude that this line is out of place, even though the masculine singular can be used in places like this (Exodus, 232). U. Cassuto says its use is to refer to certain classes (Exodus, 292).

[22:23]  ⁵¹⁴ tn Here again and with “cry” the infinitive absolute functions with a diminished emphasis (GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[22:23]  ⁵¹⁵ tn Here is the normal use of the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense to emphasize the verb: “I will surely hear,” implying, “I will surely respond.”

[22:24]  ⁵¹⁶ sn The punishment will follow the form of talionic justice, an eye for an eye, in which the punishment matches the crime. God will use invading armies (“sword” is a metonymy of adjunct here) to destroy them, making their wives widows and their children orphans.

[22:25]  ⁵¹⁷ tn “any of” has been supplied.

[22:25]  ⁵¹⁸ sn The moneylender will be demanding and exacting. In Ps 109:11 and 2 Kgs 4:1 the word is rendered as “extortioner.”

[22:25]  ⁵¹⁹ tn Heb “set.”

[22:25]  ⁵²⁰ sn In ancient times money was lent primarily for poverty and not for commercial ventures (H. Gamoran, “The Biblical Law against Loans on Interest,” JNES 30 [1971]: 127-34). The lending to the poor was essentially a charity, and so not to be an opportunity to make money from another person’s misfortune. The word נֶשֶׁךְ (neshekh) may be derived from a verb that means “to bite,” and so the idea of usury or interest was that of putting out one’s money with a bite in it (See S. Stein, “The Laws on Interest in the Old Testament,” JTS 4 [1953]: 161-70; and E. Neufeld, “The Prohibition against Loans at Interest in the Old Testament,” HUCA 26 [1955]: 355-412).

[22:26]  ⁵²¹ tn The construction again uses the infinitive absolute with the verb in the conditional clause to stress the condition.

[22:26]  ⁵²² tn The clause uses the preposition, the infinitive construct, and the noun that is the subjective genitive – “at the going in of the sun.”

[22:27]  ⁵²³ tn Heb “his skin.”

[22:27]  ⁵²⁴ tn Literally the text reads, “In what can he lie down?” The cloak would be used for a covering at night to use when sleeping. The garment, then, was the property that could not be taken and not given back – it was the last possession. The modern idiom of “the shirt off his back” gets at the point being made here.

[22:27]  ⁵²⁵ tn Heb “and it will be.”

[22:28]  ⁵²⁶ tn The two verbs in this verse are synonyms: קָלַל (qalal) means “to treat lightly, curse,” and אָרַר (’arar) means “to curse.”

[22:28]  ⁵²⁷ tn The word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is “gods” or “God.” If taken as the simple plural, it could refer to the human judges, as it has in the section of laws; this would match the parallelism in the verse. If it was taken to refer to God, then the idea of cursing God would be more along the line of blasphemy. B. Jacob says that the word refers to functioning judges, and that would indirectly mean God, for they represented the religious authority, and the prince the civil authority (Exodus, 708).

[22:29]  ⁵²⁸ tn The expressions are unusual. U. Cassuto renders them: “from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses” (Exodus, 294). He adds the Hittite parallel material to show that the people were to bring the offerings on time and not let them overlap, because the firstfruits had to be eaten first by the priest.

[22:31]  ⁵²⁹ sn The use of this word here has to do with the laws of the sanctuary and not some advanced view of holiness. The ritual holiness at the sanctuary would prohibit eating anything torn to pieces.

[22:31]  ⁵³⁰ tn Or “by wild animals.”

[23:1]  ⁵³¹ sn People who claim to worship and serve the righteous judge of the universe must preserve equity and justice in their dealings with others. These verses teach that God’s people must be honest witnesses (1-3); God’s people must be righteous even with enemies (4-5); and God’s people must be fair in dispensing justice (6-9).

[23:1]  ⁵³² tn Heb “take up, lift, carry” (נָשָׂא, nasa’). This verb was also used in the prohibition against taking “the name of Yahweh in vain.” Sometimes the object of this verb is physical, as in Jonah 1:12 and 15. Used in this prohibition involving speech, it covers both originating and repeating a lie.

[23:1]  ⁵³³ tn Or “a groundless report” (see Exod 20:7 for the word שָׁוְא, shav’).

[23:1]  ⁵³⁴ tn Heb “do not put your hand” (cf. KJV, ASV); NASB “join your hand.”

[23:1]  ⁵³⁵ tn The word “wicked” (רָשָׁע, rasha’) refers to the guilty criminal, the person who is doing something wrong. In the religious setting it describes the person who is not a member of the covenant and may be involved in all kinds of sin, even though there is the appearance of moral and spiritual stability.

[23:1]  ⁵³⁶ tn The word חָמָס (khamas) often means “violence” in the sense of social injustices done to other people, usually the poor and needy. A “malicious” witness would do great harm to others. See J. W. McKay, “Exodus 23:1-43, 6-8: A Decalogue for Administration of Justice in the City Gate,” VT 21 (1971): 311-25.

[23:2]  ⁵³⁷ tn The word רָבִּים (rabbim), here rendered “crowd,” is also used infrequently to refer to the “mighty,” people of importance in society (Job 35:9; cf. Lev 19:15).

[23:2]  ⁵³⁸ tn For any individual to join a group that is bent on acting wickedly would be a violation of the Law and would incur personal responsibility.

[23:2]  ⁵³⁹ tn Heb “you will not answer in a lawsuit to turn after the crowd to turn.” The form translated “agrees with” (Heb “to turn after”) is a Qal infinitive construct from נָטָה (natah); the same root is used at the end of the verse but as a Hiphil infinitive construct, “to pervert [justice].”

[23:3]  ⁵⁴⁰ tn The point here is one of false sympathy and honor, the bad sense of the word הָדַר (hadar; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 237).

[23:4]  ⁵⁴¹ tn Heb “meet” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[23:4]  ⁵⁴² tn The construction uses the imperfect tense (taken here as an obligatory imperfect) and the infinitive absolute for emphasis.

[23:5]  ⁵⁴³ tn The line reads “you will cease to forsake him” – refrain from leaving your enemy without help.

[23:5]  ⁵⁴⁴ 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]  ⁵⁴⁵ sn See H. B. Huffmon, “Exodus 23:4-5: A Comparative Study,” A Light Unto My Path, 271-78.

[23:7]  ⁵⁴⁶ tn Or “stay away from,” or “have nothing to do with.”

[23:7]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn Heb “a false matter,” this expression in this context would have to be a case in law that was false or that could only be won by falsehood.

[23:7]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn The two clauses probably should be related: the getting involved in the false charge could lead to the death of an innocent person (so, e.g., Naboth in 1 Kgs 21:10-13).

[23:7]  ⁵⁴⁹ sn God will not declare right the one who is in the wrong. Society should also be consistent, but it cannot see the intents and motives, as God can.

[23:8]  ⁵⁵⁰ tn Heb “blinds the open-eyed.”

[23:9]  ⁵⁵¹ tn The verb means “to crush.” S. R. Driver notes that in this context this would probably mean with an unfair judgment in the courts (Exodus, 239).

[23:9]  ⁵⁵² tn Heb “soul, life” – “you know what it feels like.”

[23:10]  ⁵⁵³ sn This section concerns religious duties of the people of God as they worship by giving thanks to God for their blessings. The principles here are: God requires his people to allow the poor to share in their bounty (10-11); God requires his people to provide times of rest and refreshment for those who labor for them (12); God requires allegiance to himself (13); God requires his people to come before him in gratitude and share their bounty (14-17); God requires that his people safeguard proper worship forms (18-19).

[23:10]  ⁵⁵⁴ tn Heb “and six years”; this is an adverbial accusative telling how long they can work their land. The following references to years and days in vv. 10-12 function similarly.

[23:11]  ⁵⁵⁵ tn Heb “and the seventh year”; an adverbial accusative with a disjunctive vav (ו).

[23:11]  ⁵⁵⁶ tn Heb “living thing/creature/beast of the field.” A general term for animals, usually wild animals, including predators (cf. v. 29; Gen 2:19-20; Lev 26:22; Deut 7:22; 1 Sam 17:46; Job 5:22-23; Ezek 29:5; 34:5).

[23:12]  ⁵⁵⁷ tn Heb “alien,” or “resident foreigner.” Such an individual would have traveled out of need and depended on the goodwill of the people around him. The rendering “hired help” assumes that the foreigner is mentioned in this context because he is working for an Israelite and will benefit from the Sabbath rest, along with his employer.

[23:12]  ⁵⁵⁸ tn The verb is וְיִּנָּפֵשׁ (vÿyyinnafesh); it is related to the word usually translated “soul” or “life.”

[23:13]  ⁵⁵⁹ tn The phrase “to do” is added; in Hebrew word order the line says, “In all that I have said to you you will watch yourselves.” The verb for paying attention is a Niphal imperfect with an imperatival force.

[23:13]  ⁵⁶⁰ tn Or “honor,” Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar). See also Exod 20:25; Josh 23:7; Isa 26:13.

[23:13]  ⁵⁶¹ tn Heb “mouth.”

[23:14]  ⁵⁶² tn The expression rendered “three times” is really “three feet,” or “three foot-beats.” The expression occurs only a few times in the Law. The expressing is an adverbial accusative.

[23:14]  ⁵⁶³ tn This is the word תָּחֹג (takhog) from the root חָגַג (khagag); it describes a feast that was accompanied by a pilgrimage. It was first used by Moses in his appeal that Israel go three days into the desert to hold such a feast.

[23:15]  ⁵⁶⁴ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[23:15]  ⁵⁶⁵ tn Heb “in it.”

[23:15]  ⁵⁶⁶ 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”).

[23:16]  ⁵⁶⁷ tn The words “you are also to observe” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:16]  ⁵⁶⁸ tn An infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make a temporal clause: “in the going in of the year.” The word “year” is the subjective genitive, the subject of the clause.

[23:16]  ⁵⁶⁹ tn An infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make a temporal clause: “in the ingathering of you.”

[23:16]  ⁵⁷⁰ tn Heb “gathered in your labors.” This is a metonymy of cause put for the effect. “Labors” are not gathered in, but what the labors produced – the harvest.

[23:17]  ⁵⁷¹ tn Adverbial accusative of time: “three times” becomes “at three times.”

[23:17]  ⁵⁷² tn Here the divine Name reads in Hebrew הָאָדֹן יְהוָה (ha’adon yÿhvah), which if rendered according to the traditional scheme of “Lord” for “Yahweh” would result in “Lord Lord.” A number of English versions therefore render this phrase “Lord God,” and that convention has been followed here.

[23:18]  ⁵⁷³ tn The verb is תִּזְבַּח (tizbbakh), an imperfect tense from the same root as the genitive that qualifies the accusative “blood”: “you will not sacrifice the blood of my sacrifice.” The verb means “to slaughter”; since one cannot slaughter blood, a more general translation is required here. But if the genitive is explained as “my blood-sacrifice” (a genitive of specification; like “the evil of your doings” in Isa 1:16), then a translation of sacrifice would work (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 304).

[23:18]  ⁵⁷⁴ sn See N. Snaith, “Exodus 23:18 and 34:25,” JTS 20 (1969): 533-34; see also M. Haran, “The Passover Sacrifice,” Studies in the Religion of Ancient Israel (VTSup), 86-116.

[23:19]  ⁵⁷⁵ sn On this verse, see C. M. Carmichael, “On Separating Life and Death: An Explanation of Some Biblical Laws,” HTR 69 (1976): 1-7; J. Milgrom, “You Shall Not Boil a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk,” BRev 1 (1985): 48-55; R. J. Ratner and B. Zuckerman, “In Rereading the ‘Kid in Milk’ Inscriptions,” BRev 1 (1985): 56-58; and M. Haran, “Seething a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk,” JJS 30 (1979): 23-35. Here and at 34:26, where this command is repeated, it ends a series of instructions about procedures for worship.

[23:20]  ⁵⁷⁶ sn This passage has some of the most interesting and perplexing expressions and constructions in the book. It is largely promise, but it is part of the Law and so demands compliance by faith. Its points are: God promises to send his angel to prepare the way before his obedient servants (20-23); God promises blessing for his loyal servants (24-33). So in the section one learns that God promises his protection (victory) and blessing (through his angel) for his obedient and loyal worshipers.

[23:20]  ⁵⁷⁷ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with the active participle indicates imminent future, something God is about to do.

[23:20]  ⁵⁷⁸ sn The word is מַלְאָךְ (mal’akh, “messenger, angel”). This angel is to be treated with the same fear and respect as Yahweh, for Yahweh will be speaking in him. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 305-6) says that the words of the first clause do not imply a being distinct from God, for in the ancient world the line of demarcation between the sender and the sent is liable easily to be blurred. He then shows how the “Angel of Yahweh” in Genesis is Yahweh. He concludes that the words here mean “I will guide you.” Christian commentators tend to identify the Angel of Yahweh as the second person of the Trinity (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:446). However, in addition to being a preincarnate appearance, the word could refer to Yahweh – some manifestation of Yahweh himself.

[23:20]  ⁵⁷⁹ tn Heb “protect you in the way.”

[23:20]  ⁵⁸⁰ tn The form is the Hiphil perfect of the verb כּוּן (kun, “to establish, prepare”).

[23:21]  ⁵⁸¹ sn This means “the manifestation of my being” is in him (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 247). Driver quotes McNeile as saying, “The ‘angel’ is Jehovah Himself ‘in a temporary descent to visibility for a special purpose.’” Others take the “name” to represent Yahweh’s “power” (NCV) or “authority” (NAB, CEV).

[23:22]  ⁵⁸² 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).

[23:23]  ⁵⁸³ tn Heb “will cut them off” (so KJV, ASV).

[23:24]  ⁵⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew is מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶם (matsevotehem, “their standing stones”); these long stones were erected to represent the abode of the numen or deity. They were usually set up near the altar or the high place. To destroy these would be to destroy the centers of Canaanite worship in the land.

[23:24]  ⁵⁸⁵ tn Both verbs are joined with their infinitive absolutes to provide the strongest sense to these instructions. The images of the false gods in Canaan were to be completely and utterly destroyed. This could not be said any more strongly.

[23:25]  ⁵⁸⁶ tn The perfect tense, masculine plural, with vav (ו) consecutive is in sequence with the preceding: do not bow down to them, but serve Yahweh. It is then the equivalent of an imperfect of instruction or injunction.

[23:25]  ⁵⁸⁷ tn The LXX reads “and I will bless” to make the verb conform with the speaker, Yahweh.

[23:25]  ⁵⁸⁸ sn On this unusual clause B. Jacob says that it is the reversal of the curse in Genesis, because the “bread and water” represent the field work and ground suitability for abundant blessing of provisions (Exodus, 734).

[23:26]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn Or “abort”; Heb “cast.”

[23:26]  ⁵⁹⁰ sn No one will die prematurely; this applies to the individual or the nation. The plan of God to bless was extensive, if only the people would obey.

[23:27]  ⁵⁹¹ 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]  ⁵⁹² tn Heb “kill.”

[23:27]  ⁵⁹³ 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).

[23:28]  ⁵⁹⁴ tn Heb “and I will send.”

[23:29]  ⁵⁹⁵ tn Heb “the beast of the field.”

[23:30]  ⁵⁹⁶ tn The repetition expresses an exceptional or super-fine quality (see GKC 396 §123.e).

[23:31]  ⁵⁹⁷ tn The form is a perfect tense with vav consecutive.

[23:31]  ⁵⁹⁸ tn In the Hebrew Bible “the River” usually refers to the Euphrates (cf. NASB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT). There is some thought that it refers to a river Nahr el Kebir between Lebanon and Syria. See further W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:447; and G. W. Buchanan, The Consequences of the Covenant (NovTSup), 91-100.

[23:33]  ⁵⁹⁹ tn The idea of the “snare” is to lure them to judgment; God is apparently warning about contact with the Canaanites, either in worship or in business. They were very syncretistic, and so it would be dangerous to settle among them.

[24:1]  ⁶⁰⁰ sn Exod 24 is the high point of the book in many ways, but most importantly, here Yahweh makes a covenant with the people – the Sinaitic Covenant. The unit not only serves to record the event in Israel’s becoming a nation, but it provides a paradigm of the worship of God’s covenant people – entering into the presence of the glory of Yahweh. See additionally W. A. Maier, “The Analysis of Exodus 24 According to Modern Literary, Form, and Redaction Critical Methodology,” Springfielder 37 (1973): 35-52. The passage may be divided into four parts for exposition: vv. 1-2, the call for worship; vv. 3-8, the consecration of the worshipers; vv. 9-11, the confirmation of the covenant; and vv. 12-18, the communication with Yahweh.

[24:1]  ⁶⁰¹ tn Heb “And he;” the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:1]  ⁶⁰² sn They were to come up to the Lord after they had made the preparations that are found in vv. 3-8.

[24:1]  ⁶⁰³ sn These seventy-four people were to go up the mountain to a certain point. Then they were to prostrate themselves and worship Yahweh as Moses went further up into the presence of Yahweh. Moses occupies the lofty position of mediator (as Christ in the NT), for he alone ascends “to Yahweh” while everyone waits for his return. The emphasis of “bowing down” and that from “far off” stresses again the ominous presence that was on the mountain. This was the holy God – only the designated mediator could draw near to him.

[24:2]  ⁶⁰⁴ tn The verb is a perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive; it and the preceding perfect tense follow the imperative, and so have either a force of instruction, or, as taken here, are the equivalent of an imperfect tense (of permission).

[24:2]  ⁶⁰⁵ tn Heb “they.”

[24:2]  ⁶⁰⁶ tn Now the imperfect tense negated is used; here the prohibition would fit (“they will not come near”), or the obligatory (“they must not”) in which the subjects are obliged to act – or not act in this case.

[24:3]  ⁶⁰⁷ sn The general consensus among commentators is that this refers to Moses’ coming from the mountain after he made the ascent in 20:21. Here he came and told them the laws (written in 20:22-23:33), and of the call to come up to Yahweh.

[24:3]  ⁶⁰⁸ sn The Decalogue may not be included here because the people had heard those commands themselves earlier.

[24:3]  ⁶⁰⁹ tn The text simply has “one voice” (קוֹל אֶחָד, qol ’ekhad); this is an adverbial accusative of manner, telling how the people answered – “in one voice,” or unanimously (see GKC 375 §118.q).

[24:3]  ⁶¹⁰ tn The verb is the imperfect tense (נַעֲשֶׂה, na’aseh), although the form could be classified as a cohortative. If the latter, they would be saying that they are resolved to do what God said. If it is an imperfect, then the desiderative would make the most sense: “we are willing to do.” They are not presumptuously saying they are going to do all these things.

[24:4]  ⁶¹¹ tn The two preterites quite likely form a verbal hendiadys (the verb “to get up early” is frequently in such constructions). Literally it says, “and he got up early [in the morning] and he built”; this means “early [in the morning] he built.” The first verb becomes the adverb.

[24:4]  ⁶¹² tn “under.”

[24:4]  ⁶¹³ tn The verb “arranged” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied to clarify exactly what Moses did with the twelve stones.

[24:4]  ⁶¹⁴ tn The thing numbered is found in the singular when the number is plural – “twelve standing-stone.” See GKC 433 §134.f. The “standing-stone” could be a small piece about a foot high, or a huge column higher than men. They served to commemorate treaties (Gen 32), or visions (Gen 28) or boundaries, or graves. Here it will function with the altar as a place of worship.

[24:5]  ⁶¹⁵ tn The construct has “young men of the Israelites,” and so “Israelite” is a genitive that describes them.

[24:5]  ⁶¹⁶ tn The verbs and their respective accusatives are cognates. First, they offered up burnt offerings (see Lev 1), which is וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת (vayya’alu ’olot); then they sacrificed young bulls as peace sacrifices (Lev 3), which is in Hebrew וַיִּזְבְּחוּ זְבָחִים (vayyizbÿkhu zÿvakhim). In the first case the cognate accusative is the direct object; in the second it is an adverbial accusative of product. See on this covenant ritual H. M. Kamsler, “The Blood Covenant in the Bible,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 94-98; E. W. Nicholson, “The Covenant Ritual in Exodus 24:3-8,” VT 32 (1982): 74-86.

[24:6]  ⁶¹⁷ sn The people and Yahweh through this will be united by blood, for half was spattered on the altar and the other half spattered on/toward the people (v. 8).

[24:7]  ⁶¹⁸ tn The noun “book” would be the scroll just written containing the laws of chaps. 20-23. On the basis of this scroll the covenant would be concluded here. The reading of this book would assure the people that it was the same that they had agreed to earlier. But now their statement of willingness to obey would be more binding, because their promise would be confirmed by a covenant of blood.

[24:7]  ⁶¹⁹ tn Heb “read it in the ears of.”

[24:7]  ⁶²⁰ tn A second verb is now added to the people’s response, and it is clearly an imperfect and not a cohortative, lending support for the choice of desiderative imperfect in these commitments – “we want to obey.” This was their compliance with the covenant.

[24:8]  ⁶²¹ tn Given the size of the congregation, the preposition might be rendered here “toward the people” rather than on them (all).

[24:8]  ⁶²² sn The construct relationship “the blood of the covenant” means “the blood by which the covenant is ratified” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 254). The parallel with the inauguration of the new covenant in the blood of Christ is striking (see, e.g., Matt 26:28, 1 Cor 11:25). When Jesus was inaugurating the new covenant, he was bringing to an end the old.

[24:9]  ⁶²³ tn The verse begins with “and Moses went up, and Aaron….” This verse may supply the sequel to vv. 1-2. At any rate, God was now accepting them into his presence.

[24:10]  ⁶²⁴ sn S. R. Driver (Exodus, 254) wishes to safeguard the traditional idea that God could not be seen by reading “they saw the place where the God of Israel stood” so as not to say they saw God. But according to U. Cassuto there is not a great deal of difference between “and they saw the God” and “the Lord God appeared” (Exodus, 314). He thinks that the word “God” is used instead of “Yahweh” to say that a divine phenomenon was seen. It is in the LXX that they add “the place where he stood.” In v. 11b the LXX has “and they appeared in the place of God.” See James Barr, “Theophany and Anthropomorphism in the Old Testament,” VTSup 7 (1959): 31-33. There is no detailed description here of what they saw (cf. Isa 6; Ezek 1). What is described amounts to what a person could see when prostrate.

[24:10]  ⁶²⁵ sn S. R. Driver suggests that they saw the divine Glory, not directly, but as they looked up from below, through what appeared to be a transparent blue sapphire pavement (Exodus, 254).

[24:10]  ⁶²⁶ tn Or “tiles.”

[24:10]  ⁶²⁷ tn Heb “and like the body of heaven for clearness.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven” or “sky” depending on the context; here, where sapphire is mentioned (a blue stone) “sky” seems more appropriate, since the transparent blueness of the sapphire would appear like the blueness of the cloudless sky.

[24:11]  ⁶²⁸ tn Heb “he did not stretch out his hand,” i.e., to destroy them.

[24:11]  ⁶²⁹ tn The verb is חָזָה (khazah); it can mean “to see, perceive” or “see a vision” as the prophets did. The LXX safeguarded this by saying, “appeared in the place of God.” B. Jacob says they beheld – prophetically, religiously (Exodus, 746) – but the meaning of that is unclear. The fact that God did not lay a hand on them – to kill them – shows that they saw something that they never expected to see and live. Some Christian interpreters have taken this to refer to a glorious appearance of the preincarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity. They saw the brilliance of this manifestation – but not the detail. Later, Moses will still ask to see God’s glory – the real presence behind the phenomena.

[24:11]  ⁶³⁰ sn This is the covenant meal, the peace offering, that they are eating there on the mountain. To eat from the sacrifice meant that they were at peace with God, in covenant with him. Likewise, in the new covenant believers draw near to God on the basis of sacrifice, and eat of the sacrifice because they are at peace with him, and in Christ they see the Godhead revealed.

[24:12]  ⁶³¹ sn Now the last part is recorded in which Moses ascends to Yahweh to receive the tablets of stone. As Moses disappears into the clouds, the people are given a vision of the glory of Yahweh.

[24:12]  ⁶³² sn These are the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments would be written. This is the first time they are mentioned. The commandments were apparently proclaimed by God first and then proclaimed to the people by Moses. Now that they have been formally agreed on and ratified, they will be written by God on stone for a perpetual covenant.

[24:12]  ⁶³³ tn Or “namely”; or “that is to say.” The vav (ו) on the noun does not mean that this is in addition to the tablets of stone; the vav is explanatory. Gesenius has “to wit”; see GKC 484-85 §154.a, n. 1(b).

[24:12]  ⁶³⁴ tn The last word of the verse is לְהוֹרֹתָם (lÿhorotam), the Hiphil infinitive construct of יָרָה (yarah). It serves as a purpose clause, “to teach them,” meaning “I am giving you this Law and these commands in order that you may teach them.” This duty to teach the Law will be passed especially to parents (Deut 6:6-9, 20-25) and to the tribe of Levi as a whole (Deut 33:9-10; Mal 2:1-9).

[24:13]  ⁶³⁵ tn Heb “and he arose” meaning “started to go.”

[24:13]  ⁶³⁶ tn Heb “and.”

[24:14]  ⁶³⁷ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh) calls attention to the presence of Aaron and Hur to answer the difficult cases that might come up.

[24:14]  ⁶³⁸ tn Or “issues to resolve.” The term is simply דְּבָרִים (dÿvarim, “words, things, matters”).

[24:14]  ⁶³⁹ tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of potential imperfect. In the absence of Moses and Joshua, Aaron and Hur will be available.

[24:16]  ⁶⁴⁰ sn The verb is וַיִּשְׁכֹּן (vayyishkon, “and dwelt, abode”). From this is derived the epithet “the Shekinah Glory,” the dwelling or abiding glory. The “glory of Yahweh” was a display visible at a distance, clearly in view of the Israelites. To them it was like a consuming fire in the midst of the cloud that covered the mountain. That fire indicated that Yahweh wished to accept their sacrifice, as if it were a pleasant aroma to him, as Leviticus would say. This “appearance” indicated that the phenomena represented a shimmer of the likeness of his glory (B. Jacob, Exodus, 749). The verb, according to U. Cassuto (Exodus, 316), also gives an inkling of the next section of the book, the building of the “tabernacle,” the dwelling place, the מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan). The vision of the glory of Yahweh confirmed the authority of the revelation of the Law given to Israel. This chapter is the climax of God’s bringing people into covenant with himself, the completion of his revelation to them, a completion that is authenticated with the miraculous. It ends with the mediator going up in the clouds to be with God, and the people down below eagerly awaiting his return. The message of the whole chapter could be worded this way: Those whom God sanctifies by the blood of the covenant and instructs by the book of the covenant may enjoy fellowship with him and anticipate a far more glorious fellowship. So too in the NT the commandments and teachings of Jesus are confirmed by his miraculous deeds and by his glorious manifestation on the Mount of the Transfiguration, where a few who represented the disciples would see his glory and be able to teach others. The people of the new covenant have been brought into fellowship with God through the blood of the covenant; they wait eagerly for his return from heaven in the clouds.

[24:16]  ⁶⁴¹ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[24:17]  ⁶⁴² tn Heb “to the eyes of” which could mean in their opinion.

[24:18]  ⁶⁴³ tn The verb is a preterite with vav (ו) consecutive; here, the second clause, is subordinated to the first preterite, because it seems that the entering into the cloud is the dominant point in this section of the chapter.

[24:18]  ⁶⁴⁴ sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 750) offers this description of some of the mystery involved in Moses’ ascending into the cloud: Moses ascended into the presence of God, but remained on earth. He did not rise to heaven – the ground remained firmly under his feet. But he clearly was brought into God’s presence; he was like a heavenly servant before God’s throne, like the angels, and he consumed neither bread nor water. The purpose of his being there was to become familiar with all God’s demands and purposes. He would receive the tablets of stone and all the instructions for the tabernacle that was to be built (beginning in chap. 25). He would not descend until the sin of the golden calf.

[25:1]  ⁶⁴⁵ sn Now begin the detailed instructions for constructing the tabernacle of Yahweh, with all its furnishings. The first paragraph introduces the issue of the heavenly pattern for the construction, calls for the people to make willing offerings (vv. 2-7), and explains the purpose for these offerings (vv. 8-9). The message here is that God calls his people to offer of their substance willingly so that his sanctuary may be made.

[25:2]  ⁶⁴⁶ tn The verb is וְיִקְחוּ (vÿyiqkhu), the Qal imperfect or jussive with vav; after the imperative “speak” this verb indicates the purpose or result: “speak…that they may take” and continues with the force of a command.

[25:2]  ⁶⁴⁷ tn The “offering” (תְּרוּמָה, tÿrumah) is perhaps better understood as a contribution since it was a freewill offering. There is some question about the etymology of the word. The traditional meaning of “heave-offering” derives from the idea of “elevation,” a root meaning “to be high” lying behind the word. B. Jacob says it is something sorted out of a mass of material and designated for a higher purpose (Exodus, 765). S. R. Driver (Exodus, 263) corrects the idea of “heave-offering” by relating the root to the Hiphil form of that root, herim, “to lift” or “take off.” He suggests the noun means “what is taken off” from a larger mass and so designated for sacred purposes. The LXX has “something taken off.”

[25:2]  ⁶⁴⁸ tn The verb יִדְּבֶנּוּ (yiddÿvennu) is related to the word for the “freewill offering” (נְדָבָה, nÿdavah). The verb is used of volunteering for military campaigns (Judg 5:2, 9) and the willing offerings for both the first and second temples (see 1 Chr 29:5, 6, 9, 14, 17).

[25:2]  ⁶⁴⁹ tn The pronoun is plural.

[25:3]  ⁶⁵⁰ tn The pronoun is plural.

[25:4]  ⁶⁵¹ sn The blue refers to dye made from shellfish. It has a dark blue or purple-blue, almost violet color. No significance for the color is attached.

[25:4]  ⁶⁵² sn Likewise this color dye was imported from Phoenicia, where it was harvested from the shellfish or snail. It is a deep purple-red color.

[25:4]  ⁶⁵³ sn This color is made from the eggs and bodies of the worm coccus ilicus, which is found with the holly plant – so Heb “worm of brilliance.” The powder made from the dried maggots produces a bright red-yellow color (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:452). B. Jacob takes the view that these are not simply colors that are being introduced here, but fabrics dyed with these colors (Exodus, 765). At any rate, the sequence would then be metals, fabrics, and leathers (v. 5).

[25:4]  ⁶⁵⁴ sn This is generally viewed as a fine Egyptian linen that had many more delicate strands than ordinary linen.

[25:4]  ⁶⁵⁵ sn Goat’s hair was spun into yarn (35:26) and used to make the material for the first tent over the dwelling. It is ideal for tenting, since it is loosely woven and allows breezes to pass through, but with rain the fibers expand and prevent water from seeping through.

[25:5]  ⁶⁵⁶ sn W. C. Kaiser compares this to morocco leather (“Exodus,” EBC 2:453); it was skin that had all the wool removed and then was prepared as leather and dyed red. N. M. Sarna, on the other hand, comments, “The technique of leather production is never described [in ancient Hebrew texts]. Hence, it is unclear whether Hebrew me’oddamim (מְאָדָּמִים), literally ‘made red,’ refers to the tanning or dyeing process” (Exodus [JPSTC], 157).

[25:5]  ⁶⁵⁷ tn The meaning of the word תְּחָשִׁים (tÿkhashim) is debated. The Arabic tuhas or duhas is a dolphin, and so some think a sea animal is meant – something like a dolphin or porpoise (cf. NASB; ASV “sealskins”; NIV “hides of sea cows”). Porpoises are common in the Red Sea; their skins are used for clothing by the bedouin. The word has also been connected to an Egyptian word for “leather” (ths); see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 265. Some variation of this is followed by NRSV (“fine leather”) and NLT (“fine goatskin leather”). Another suggestion connects this word to an Akkadian one that describes a precious stone that is yellow or ornge and also leather died with the color of this stone (N. M. Sarna, Exodus [JPSTC], 157-58).

[25:5]  ⁶⁵⁸ sn The wood of the acacia is darker and harder than oak, and so very durable.

[25:8]  ⁶⁵⁹ tn The verb is a perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; it follows in the sequence initiated by the imperative in v. 2 and continues with the force of a command.

[25:8]  ⁶⁶⁰ tn The word here is מִקְדּשׁ (miqdash), “a sanctuary” or “holy place”; cf. NLT “sacred residence.” The purpose of building it is to enable Yahweh to reside (וְשָׁכַנְתִּי, vÿshakhanti) in their midst. U. Cassuto reminds the reader that God did not need a place to dwell, but the Israelites needed a dwelling place for him, so that they would look to it and be reminded that he was in their midst (Exodus, 327).

[25:9]  ⁶⁶¹ tn The pronoun is singular.

[25:9]  ⁶⁶² sn The expression “the pattern of the tabernacle” (תַּבְנִית הַמִּשְׁכָּן, tavnit hammiskan) has been the source of much inquiry. The word rendered “pattern” is related to the verb “to build”; it suggests a model. S. R. Driver notes that in ancient literature there is the account of Gudea receiving in a dream a complete model of a temple he was to erect (Exodus, 267). In this passage Moses is being shown something on the mountain that should be the pattern of the earthly sanctuary. The most plausible explanation of what he was shown comes from a correlation with comments in the Letter to the Hebrews and the book of Revelation, which describe the heavenly sanctuary as the true sanctuary, and the earthly as the copy or shadow. One could say that Moses was allowed to see what John saw on the island of Patmos, a vision of the heavenly sanctuary. That still might not explain what it was, but it would mean he saw a revelation of the true tent, and that would imply that he learned of the spiritual and eternal significance of all of it. The fact that Israel’s sanctuary resembled those of other cultures does not nullify this act of revelation; rather, it raises the question of where the other nations got their ideas if it was not made known early in human history. One can conclude that in the beginning there was much more revealed to the parents in the garden than Scripture tells about (Cain and Abel did know how to make sacrifices before Leviticus legislated it). Likewise, one cannot but guess at the influence of the fallen Satan and his angels in the world of pagan religion. Whatever the source, at Sinai God shows the true, and instructs that it all be done without the pagan corruptions and additions. U. Cassuto notes that the existence of these ancient parallels shows that the section on the tabernacle need not be dated in the second temple period, but fits the earlier period well (Exodus, 324).

[25:9]  ⁶⁶³ tn The pronoun is plural.

[25:9]  ⁶⁶⁴ sn Among the many helpful studies on the tabernacle, include S. M. Fish, “And They Shall Build Me a Sanctuary,” Gratz College of Jewish Studies 2 (1973): 43-59; I. Hart, “Preaching on the Account of the Tabernacle,” EvQ 54 (1982): 111-16; D. Skinner, “Some Major Themes of Exodus,” Mid-America Theological Journal 1 (1977): 31-42; S. McEvenue, “The Style of Building Instructions,” Sem 4 (1974): 1-9; M. Ben-Uri, “The Mosaic Building Code,” Creation Research Society Quarterly 19 (1982): 36-39.

[25:10]  ⁶⁶⁵ sn This section begins with the ark, the most sacred and important object of Israel’s worship. Verses 10-15 provide the instructions for it, v. 16 has the placement of the Law in it, vv. 17-21 cover the mercy lid, and v. 22 the meeting above it. The point of this item in the tabernacle is to underscore the focus: the covenant people must always have God’s holy standard before them as they draw near to worship. A study of this would focus on God’s nature (he is a God of order, precision, and perfection), on the usefulness of this item for worship, and on the typology intended.

[25:10]  ⁶⁶⁶ tn The word “ark” has long been used by English translations to render אָרוֹן (’aron), the word used for the wooden “box,” or “chest,” made by Noah in which to escape the flood and by the Israelites to furnish the tabernacle.

[25:10]  ⁶⁶⁷ tn The size is two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. The size in feet and inches is estimated on the assumption that the cubit is 18 inches (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 267).

[25:11]  ⁶⁶⁸ tn The verbs throughout here are perfect tenses with the vav (ו) consecutives. They are equal to the imperfect tense of instruction and/or injunction.

[25:11]  ⁶⁶⁹ tn Here the verb is an imperfect tense; for the perfect sequence to work the verb would have to be at the front of the clause.

[25:11]  ⁶⁷⁰ tn The word זֵר (zer) is used only in Exodus and seems to describe something on the order of a crown molding, an ornamental border running at the top of the chest on all four sides. There is no indication of its appearance or function.

[25:16]  ⁶⁷¹ sn The “testimony” is the Decalogue (Exod 24:12; 31:18; Deut 4:13; 9:9; 1 Kgs 8:9); the word identifies it as the witness or affirmation of God’s commandments belonging to his covenant with Israel. It expressed God’s will and man’s duty. In other cultures important documents were put at the feet of the gods in the temples.

[25:17]  ⁶⁷² tn The noun is כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet), translated “atonement lid” or “atonement plate.” The traditional translation “mercy-seat” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) came from Tyndale in 1530 and was also used by Luther in 1523. The noun is formed from the word “to make atonement.” The item that the Israelites should make would be more than just a lid for the ark. It would be the place where atonement was signified. The translation of “covering” is probably incorrect, for it derives from a rare use of the verb, if the same verb at all (the evidence shows “cover” is from another root with the same letters as this). The value of this place was that Yahweh sat enthroned above it, and so the ark essentially was the “footstool.” Blood was applied to the lid of the box, for that was the place of atonement (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 269-270).

[25:17]  ⁶⁷³ tn After verbs of making or producing, the accusative (like “gold” here) may be used to express the material from which something is made (see GKC 371 §117.hh).

[25:18]  ⁶⁷⁴ tn The evidence suggests that the cherubim were composite angelic creatures that always indicated the nearness of God. So here images of them were to be crafted and put on each end of the ark of the covenant to signify that they were there. Ezekiel 1 describes four cherubim as each having human faces, four wings, and parts of different animals for their bodies. Traditions of them appear in the other cultures as well. They serve to guard the holy places and to bear the throne of God. Here they were to be beaten out as part of the lid.

[25:19]  ⁶⁷⁵ tn The text now shifts to use an imperative with the vav (ו) conjunction.

[25:19]  ⁶⁷⁶ tn The use of זֶה (zeh) repeated here expresses the reciprocal ideas of “the one” and “the other” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 26, §132).

[25:19]  ⁶⁷⁷ sn The angels were to form one piece with the lid and not be separated. This could be translated “of one piece with” the lid, but it is likely the angels were simply fastened to it permanently.

[25:20]  ⁶⁷⁸ tn The verb means “overshadowing, screening” in the sense of guarding (see 1 Kgs 8:7; 1 Chr 28:18; see also the account in Gen 3:24). The cherubim then signify two things here: by their outstretched wings they form the throne of God who sits above the ark (with the Law under his feet), and by their overshadowing and guarding they signify this as the place of atonement where people must find propitiation to commune with God. Until then they are barred from his presence. See U. Cassuto, Exodus, 330-35.

[25:20]  ⁶⁷⁹ tn Heb “their faces a man to his brother.”

[25:20]  ⁶⁸⁰ tn Heb “the faces of the cherubim will be” (“the cherubim” was moved to the preceding clause for smoother English).

[25:22]  ⁶⁸¹ sn Here then is the main point of the ark of the covenant, and the main point of all worship – meeting with God through atonement. The text makes it clear that here God would meet with Moses (“you” is singular) and then he would speak to the people – he is the mediator of the covenant. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 272) makes the point that the verb here is not the word that means “to meet by chance” (as in Exod 3:18), but “to meet” by appointment for a purpose (וְנוֹעַדְתִּי, vÿno’adti). The parallel in the NT is Jesus Christ and his work. The theology is that the Law condemns people as guilty of sin, but the sacrifice of Christ makes atonement. So he is the “place of propitiation (Rom 3:25) who gains communion with the Father for sinners. A major point that could be made from this section is this: At the center of worship must be the atoning work of Christ – a perpetual reminder of God’s righteous standard (the testimony in the ark) and God’s gracious provision (the atonement lid).

[25:22]  ⁶⁸² tn The verb is placed here in the text: “and I will speak”; it has been moved in this translation to be closer to the direct object clause.

[25:23]  ⁶⁸³ sn The Table of the Bread of the Presence (Tyndale’s translation, “Shewbread,” was used in KJV and influenced ASV, NAB) was to be a standing acknowledgment that Yahweh was the giver of daily bread. It was called the “presence-bread” because it was set out in his presence. The theology of this is that God provides, and the practice of this is that the people must provide for constant thanks. So if the ark speaks of communion through atonement, the table speaks of dedicatory gratitude.

[25:24]  ⁶⁸⁴ tn “Gold” is an adverbial accusative of material.

[25:25]  ⁶⁸⁵ sn There is some debate as to the meaning of מִסְגֶּרֶת (misgeret). This does not seem to be a natural part of the table and its legs. The drawing on the Arch of Titus shows two cross-stays in the space between the legs, about halfway up. It might have been nearer the top, but the drawing of the table of presence-bread from the arch shows it half-way up. This frame was then decorated with the molding as well.

[25:26]  ⁶⁸⁶ tn Heb “give.”

[25:26]  ⁶⁸⁷ tn Heb “which [are] to four of its feet.”

[25:27]  ⁶⁸⁸ tn Heb “houses”; NAB, NASB “holders.”

[25:28]  ⁶⁸⁹ tn The verb is a Niphal perfect with vav consecutive, showing here the intended result: “so that [the table] might be lifted up [by them].” The noun “the table” is introduced by what looks like the sign of the accusative, but here it serves to introduce or emphasize the nominative (see GKC 365 §117.i).

[25:29]  ⁶⁹⁰ tn Or “a deep gold dish.” The four nouns in this list are items associated with the table and its use.

[25:29]  ⁶⁹¹ tn Or “cups” (NAB, TEV).

[25:29]  ⁶⁹² tn The expression “for pouring out offerings” represents Hebrew אֲשֶׁר יֻסַּךְ בָּהֵן (’asher yussakh bahen). This literally says, “which it may be poured out with them,” or “with which [libations] may be poured out.”

[25:30]  ⁶⁹³ sn The name basically means that the bread is to be set out in the presence of Yahweh. The custom of presenting bread on a table as a thank offering is common in other cultures as well. The bread here would be placed on the table as a symbol of the divine provision for the twelve tribes – continually, because they were to express their thanksgiving continually. Priests could eat the bread after certain times. Fresh bread would be put there regularly.

[25:31]  ⁶⁹⁴ sn Clearly the point here is to provide light in the tent for access to God. He provided for his worshipers a light for the way to God, but he also wanted them to provide oil for the lamp to ensure that the light would not go out. Verses 31-36 describe the piece. It was essentially one central shaft, with three branches on either side turned out and upward. The stem and the branches were ornamented every so often with gold that was formed into the shape of the calyx and corolla of the almond flower. On top of the central shaft and the six branches were the lamps.

[25:31]  ⁶⁹⁵ tn The word is מְנֹרָה (mÿnorah) – here in construct to a following genitive of material. The main piece was one lampstand, but there were seven lamps on the shaft and its branches. See E. Goodenough, “The Menorah among the Jews of the Roman World,” HUCA 23 (1950/51): 449-92.

[25:31]  ⁶⁹⁶ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 342-44) says that the description “the cups, knobs and flowers” is explained in vv. 32-36 as three decorations in the form of a cup, shaped like an almond blossom, to be made on one branch. Every cup will have two parts, (a) a knob, that is, the receptacle at the base of the blossom, and (b) a flower, which is called the corolla, so that each lamp rests on top of a flower.

[25:31]  ⁶⁹⁷ tn Heb “will be from/of it”; the referent (“the same piece” of wrought metal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:32]  ⁶⁹⁸ tn Heb “from the sides of it.”

[25:32]  ⁶⁹⁹ tn Heb “from the second side.”

[25:33]  ⁷⁰⁰ tn The text uses “one” again; “the one…the one” means “the one…and the next” in the distributive sense.

[25:33]  ⁷⁰¹ tn Heb “thus.”

[25:35]  ⁷⁰² tn For clarity the phrase “the first” has been supplied.

[25:35]  ⁷⁰³ tn For clarity the phrase “the next” has been supplied.

[25:35]  ⁷⁰⁴ tn For clarity the phrase “the third” has been supplied.

[25:36]  ⁷⁰⁵ tn Heb “will be from it.”

[25:37]  ⁷⁰⁶ tn The word for “lamps” is from the same root as the lampstand, of course. The word is נֵרוֹת (nerot). This probably refers to the small saucer-like pottery lamps that are made very simply with the rim pinched over to form a place to lay the wick. The bowl is then filled with olive oil as fuel.

[25:37]  ⁷⁰⁷ tn The translation “set up on” is from the Hebrew verb “bring up.” The construction is impersonal, “and he will bring up,” meaning “one will bring up.” It may mean that people were to fix the lamps on to the shaft and the branches, rather than cause the light to go up (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 277).

[25:37]  ⁷⁰⁸ tn This is a Hiphil perfect with vav consecutive, from אוֹר (’or, “light”), and in the causative, “to light, give light.”

[25:38]  ⁷⁰⁹ sn The first word refers to something like small tongs or tweezers used to pull up and trim the wicks; the second word refers to fire-pans or censers.

[25:38]  ⁷¹⁰ tn “are to be” has been supplied.

[25:39]  ⁷¹¹ tn Heb “a talent.”

[25:39]  ⁷¹² tn The text has “he will make it” or “one will make it.” With no expressed subject it is given a passive translation.

[25:40]  ⁷¹³ tn The text uses two imperatives: “see and make.” This can be interpreted as a verbal hendiadys, calling for Moses and Israel to see to it that they make these things correctly.

[25:40]  ⁷¹⁴ tn The participle is passive, “caused to see,” or, “shown.”

[25:40]  ⁷¹⁵ sn The message of this section surely concerns access to God. To expound this correctly, though, since it is an instruction section for building the lampstand, the message would be: God requires that his people ensure that light will guide the way of access to God. The breakdown for exposition could be the instructions for preparation for light (one lamp, several branches), then instructions for the purpose and maintenance of the lamps, and then the last verse telling the divine source for the instructions. Naturally, the metaphorical value of light will come up in the study, especially from the NT. So in the NT there is the warning that if churches are unfaithful God will remove their lampstand, their ministry (Rev 2-3).

[26:1]  ⁷¹⁶ sn This chapter is given over to the details of the structure itself, the curtains, coverings, boards and walls and veil. The passage can be studied on one level for its function both practically and symbolically for Israel’s worship. On another level it can be studied for its typology, for the tabernacle and many of its parts speak of Christ. For this one should see the commentaries.

[26:1]  ⁷¹⁷ tn The word order in Hebrew thrusts the direct object to the front for particular emphasis. After the first couple of pieces of furniture are treated (chap. 25), attention turns to the tabernacle itself.

[26:1]  ⁷¹⁸ tn This is for the adverbial accusative explaining how the dwelling place is to be made.

[26:1]  ⁷¹⁹ sn S. R. Driver suggests that the curtains were made with threads dyed with these colors (Exodus, 280). Perhaps the colored threads were used for embroidering the cherubim in the curtains.

[26:1]  ⁷²⁰ tn The construction is difficult in this line because of the word order. “Cherubim” is an adverbial accusative explaining how they were to make the curtains. And מַעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב (ma’aseh khoshev) means literally “work of a designer”; it is in apposition to “cherubim.” The Hebrew participle means “designer” or “deviser” so that one could render this “of artistic designs in weaving” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 280-81). B. Jacob says that it refers to “artistic weavers” (Exodus, 789).

[26:2]  ⁷²¹ tn Heb “one” (so KJV).

[26:2]  ⁷²² tn Heb “twenty-eight cubits” long and “four cubits” wide.

[26:3]  ⁷²³ tn This is the active participle, not the passive. It would normally be rendered “joining together.” The Bible uses the active because it has the result of the sewing in mind, namely, that every curtain accompanies another (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 348).

[26:3]  ⁷²⁴ tn Heb “a woman to her sister,” this form of using nouns to express “one to another” is selected because “curtains” is a feminine noun (see GKC 448 §139.e).

[26:3]  ⁷²⁵ tn The phrase “the other” has been supplied.

[26:4]  ⁷²⁶ tn Here “loops” has been supplied.

[26:5]  ⁷²⁷ tn Heb “a woman to her sister.”

[26:6]  ⁷²⁸ tn Heb “one”; KJV “it shall be one tabernacle”; NRSV “that the tabernacle may be one whole”; NLT “a single unit.”

[26:7]  ⁷²⁹ sn This chapter will show that there were two sets of curtains and two sets of coverings that went over the wood building to make the tabernacle or dwelling place. The curtains of fine linen described above could be seen only by the priests from inside. Above that was the curtain of goats’ hair. Then over that were the coverings, an inner covering of rams’ skins dyed red and an outer covering of hides of fine leather. The movement is from the inside to the outside because it is God’s dwelling place; the approach of the worshiper would be the opposite. The pure linen represented the righteousness of God, guarded by the embroidered cherubim; the curtain of goats’ hair was a reminder of sin through the daily sin offering of a goat; the covering of rams’ skins dyed red was a reminder of the sacrifice and the priestly ministry set apart by blood, and the outer covering marked the separation between God and the world. These are the interpretations set forth by Kaiser; others vary, but not greatly (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:459).

[26:7]  ⁷³⁰ sn This curtain will serve “for a tent over the tabernacle,” as a dwelling place.

[26:7]  ⁷³¹ tn Heb “you will make them”

[26:8]  ⁷³² tn Heb “one”

[26:9]  ⁷³³ sn The text seems to describe this part as being in front of the tabernacle, hanging down to form a valence at the entrance (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 284).

[26:11]  ⁷³⁴ tn Heb “one”

[26:12]  ⁷³⁵ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 353) cites b. Shabbat 98b which says, “What did the tabernacle resemble? A woman walking on the street with her train trailing behind her.” In the expression “the half of the curtain that remains,” the verb agrees in gender with the genitive near it.

[26:13]  ⁷³⁶ tn Literally “cubit.”

[26:13]  ⁷³⁷ sn U. Cassuto states the following: “To the north and to the south, since the tent curtains were thirty cubits long, there were ten cubits left over on each side; these covered the nine cubits of the curtains of the tabernacle and also the bottom cubit of the boards, which the tabernacle curtains did not suffice to cover. It is to this that v. 13 refers” (Exodus, 353).

[26:14]  ⁷³⁸ sn Two outer coverings made of stronger materials will be put over the tent and the curtain, the two inner layers.

[26:14]  ⁷³⁹ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[26:15]  ⁷⁴⁰ tn There is debate whether the word הַקְּרָשִׁים (haqqÿrashim) means “boards” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB) or “frames” (NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV) or “planks” (see Ezek 27:6) or “beams,” given the size of them. The literature on this includes M. Haran, “The Priestly Image of the Tabernacle,” HUCA 36 (1965): 192; B. A. Levine, “The Description of the Tabernacle Texts of the Pentateuch,” JAOS 85 (1965): 307-18; J. Morgenstern, “The Ark, the Ephod, and the Tent,” HUCA 17 (1942/43): 153-265; 18 (1943/44): 1-52.

[26:15]  ⁷⁴¹ tn “Wood” is an adverbial accusative.

[26:15]  ⁷⁴² tn The plural participle “standing” refers to how these items will be situated; they will be vertical rather than horizontal (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 354).

[26:16]  ⁷⁴³ tn Heb “the frame.”

[26:17]  ⁷⁴⁴ sn Heb “hands,” the reference is probably to projections that served as stays or supports. They may have been tenons, or pegs, projecting from the bottom of the frames to hold the frames in their sockets (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 286).

[26:17]  ⁷⁴⁵ tn Or “being joined each to the other.”

[26:18]  ⁷⁴⁶ tn Heb “on the south side southward.”

[26:19]  ⁷⁴⁷ tn The clause is repeated to show the distributive sense; it literally says, “and two bases under the one frame for its two projections.”

[26:22]  ⁷⁴⁸ tn Or “westward” (toward the sea).

[26:23]  ⁷⁴⁹ sn The term rendered “corners” is “an architectural term for some kind of special corner structure. Here it seems to involve two extra supports, one at each corner of the western wall” (N. M. Sarna, Exodus [JPSTC], 170).

[26:24]  ⁷⁵⁰ tn Heb “they will be for the two corners.” This is the last clause of the verse, moved forward for clarity.

[26:28]  ⁷⁵¹ sn These bars served as reinforcements to hold the upright frames together. The Hebrew term for these bars is also used of crossbars on gates (Judg 16:3; Neh 3:3).

[26:30]  ⁷⁵² tn The noun is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), often translated “judgment” or “decision” in other contexts. In those settings it may reflect its basic idea of custom, which here would be reflected with a rendering of “prescribed norm” or “plan.”

[26:31]  ⁷⁵³ tn Although translated “curtain” (traditionally “veil,” so ASV, NAB, NASB) this is a different word from the one used earlier of the tent curtains, so “special curtain” is used. The word פָרֹכֶת (farokhet) seems to be connected with a verb that means “to shut off” and was used with a shrine. This curtain would form a barrier in the approach to God (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 289).

[26:31]  ⁷⁵⁴ tn The verb is the third masculine singular form, but no subject is expressed. It could be translated “one will make” or as a passive. The verb means “to make,” but probably has the sense of embroidering both here and in v. 1.

[26:32]  ⁷⁵⁵ tn Heb “put it.”

[26:32]  ⁷⁵⁶ tn This clause simply says “and their hooks gold,” but is taken as a circumstantial clause telling how the veil will be hung.

[26:32]  ⁷⁵⁷ tn Heb “on four silver bases.”

[26:33]  ⁷⁵⁸ tn The traditional expression is “within the veil,” literally “into the house (or area) of the (special) curtain.”

[26:33]  ⁷⁵⁹ tn Or “the Holy of Holies.”

[26:36]  ⁷⁶⁰ sn This was another curtain, serving as a screen in the entrance way. Since it was far away from the special curtain screening the Most Holy Place, it was less elaborate. It was not the work of the master designer, but of the “embroiderer,” and it did not have the cherubim on it.

[26:36]  ⁷⁶¹ tn The word רֹקֵם (roqem) refers to someone who made cloth with colors. It is not certain, however, whether the colors were woven into the fabric on the loom or applied with a needle; so “embroiderer” should be understood as an approximation (cf. HALOT 1290-91 s.v. רקם).

[26:37]  ⁷⁶² tn “will be” has been supplied.

[26:37]  ⁷⁶³ sn In all the details of this chapter the expositor should pay attention to the overall message rather than engage in speculation concerning the symbolism of the details. It is, after all, the divine instruction for the preparation of the dwelling place for Yahweh. The point could be said this way: The dwelling place of Yahweh must be prepared in accordance with, and by the power of, his divine word. If God was to fellowship with his people, then the center of worship had to be made to his specifications, which were in harmony with his nature. Everything was functional for the approach to God through the ritual by divine provisions. But everything also reflected the nature of God, the symmetry, the order, the pure wood, the gold overlay, or (closer to God) the solid gold. And the symbolism of the light, the table, the veil, the cherubim – all of it was revelatory. All of it reflected the reality in heaven. Churches today do not retain the pattern and furnishings of the old tabernacle. However, they would do well to learn what God was requiring of Israel, so that their structures are planned in accordance with the theology of worship and the theology of access to God. Function is a big part, but symbolism and revelation instruct the planning of everything to be used. Christians live in the light of the fulfillment of Christ, and so they know the realities that the old foreshadowed. While a building is not necessary for worship (just as Israel worshiped in places other than the sanctuary), it is practical, and if there is going to be one, then the most should be made of it in the teaching and worshiping of the assembly. This chapter, then, provides an inspiration for believers on preparing a functional, symbolical, ordered place of worship that is in harmony with the word of God. And there is much to be said for making it as beautiful and uplifting as is possible – as a gift of freewill offering to God. Of course, the most important part of preparing a place of worship is the preparing of the heart. Worship, to be acceptable to God, must be in Christ. He said that when the temple was destroyed he would raise it up in three days. While he referred to his own body, he also alluded to the temple by the figure. When they put Jesus to death, they were destroying the temple; at his resurrection he would indeed begin a new form of worship. He is the tent, the curtain, the atonement, that the sanctuary foreshadowed. And then, believers also (when they receive Christ) become the temple of the Lord. So the NT will take the imagery and teaching of this chapter in a number of useful ways that call for more study. This does not, however, involve allegorization of the individual tabernacle parts.

[27:1]  ⁷⁶⁴ tn The article on this word identifies this as the altar, meaning the main high altar on which the sacrifices would be made.

[27:1]  ⁷⁶⁵ tn The dimensions are five cubits by five cubits by three cubits high.

[27:1]  ⁷⁶⁶ tn Heb “four”; this refers to four sides. S. R. Driver says this is an archaism that means there were four equal sides (Exodus, 291).

[27:1]  ⁷⁶⁷ tn Heb “and three cubits its height.”

[27:2]  ⁷⁶⁸ sn The horns of the altar were indispensable – they were the most sacred part. Blood was put on them; fugitives could cling to them, and the priests would grab the horns of the little altar when making intercessory prayer. They signified power, as horns on an animal did in the wild (and so the word was used for kings as well). The horns may also represent the sacrificial animals killed on the altar.

[27:2]  ⁷⁶⁹ sn The text, as before, uses the prepositional phrase “from it” or “part of it” to say that the horns will be part of the altar – of the same piece as the altar. They were not to be made separately and then attached, but made at the end of the boards used to build the altar (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 363).

[27:3]  ⁷⁷⁰ sn The word is literally “its fat,” but sometimes it describes “fatty ashes” (TEV “the greasy ashes”). The fat would run down and mix with the ashes, and this had to be collected and removed.

[27:3]  ⁷⁷¹ sn This was the larger bowl used in tossing the blood at the side of the altar.

[27:3]  ⁷⁷² tn The text has “to all its vessels.” This is the lamed (ל) of inclusion according to Gesenius, meaning “all its utensils” (GKC 458 §143.e).

[27:4]  ⁷⁷³ tn The noun מִכְבָּר (mikhbar) means “a grating”; it is related to the word that means a “sieve.” This formed a vertical support for the ledge, resting on the ground and supporting its outer edge (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 292).

[27:5]  ⁷⁷⁴ tn The verb is the verb “to be,” here the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. It is “and it will be” or “that it may be,” or here “that it may come” halfway up.

[27:5]  ⁷⁷⁵ tn Heb “to the half of the altar.”

[27:7]  ⁷⁷⁶ tn The verb is a Hophal perfect with vav consecutive: וְהוּבָא (vÿhuva’, “and it will be brought”). The particle אֶת (’et) here introduces the subject of the passive verb (see a similar use in 21:28, “and its flesh will not be eaten”).

[27:7]  ⁷⁷⁷ tn The construction is the infinitive construct with bet (ב) preposition: “in carrying it.” Here the meaning must be that the poles are not left in the rings, but only put into the rings when they carried it.

[27:8]  ⁷⁷⁸ tn The verb is used impersonally; it reads “just as he showed you.” This form then can be made a passive in the translation.

[27:8]  ⁷⁷⁹ tn Heb “thus they will make.” Here too it could be given a passive translation since the subject is not expressed. But “they” would normally refer to the people who will be making this and so can be retained in the translation.

[27:9]  ⁷⁸⁰ tn Or “enclosure” (TEV).

[27:9]  ⁷⁸¹ tn Heb “south side southward.”

[27:9]  ⁷⁸² tn Or “curtains.”

[27:9]  ⁷⁸³ sn The entire courtyard of 150 feet by 75 feet was to be enclosed by a curtain wall held up with posts in bases. All these hangings were kept in place by a cord and tent pegs.

[27:10]  ⁷⁸⁴ tn Heb “and.”

[27:11]  ⁷⁸⁵ tn Heb “and thus.”

[27:11]  ⁷⁸⁶ tn Here the phrase “there will be” has been supplied.

[27:11]  ⁷⁸⁷ sn These bands have been thought by some to refer to connecting rods joining the tops of the posts. But it is more likely that they are bands or bind rings surrounding the posts at the base of the capitals (see 38:17).

[27:14]  ⁷⁸⁸ tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here and in v. 15. The east end would contain the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 16).

[27:14]  ⁷⁸⁹ tn Here “will be” has been supplied.

[27:15]  ⁷⁹⁰ tn Heb “shoulder.”

[27:15]  ⁷⁹¹ tn Here the phrase “there will be” has been supplied.

[27:17]  ⁷⁹² tn The text uses the passive participle here: they are to “be filleted with silver” or “bound round” with silver.

[27:17]  ⁷⁹³ tn Here the phrase “are to be” has been supplied.

[27:18]  ⁷⁹⁴ tn Heb “a hundred cubits.”

[27:18]  ⁷⁹⁵ tn Heb “fifty.” The text has “and the width fifty [cubits] with fifty.” This means that it is fifty cubits wide on the western end and fifty cubits wide on the eastern end.

[27:18]  ⁷⁹⁶ tn Here “hangings” has been supplied.

[27:18]  ⁷⁹⁷ tn Here the phrase “is to be” has been supplied.

[27:19]  ⁷⁹⁸ tn Heb “to all”; for use of the preposition lamed (ל) to show inclusion (all belonging to) see GKC 458 §143.e.

[27:19]  ⁷⁹⁹ tn Here “used” has been supplied.

[27:19]  ⁸⁰⁰ sn The tabernacle is an important aspect of OT theology. The writer’s pattern so far has been: ark, table, lamp, and then their container (the tabernacle); then the altar and its container (the courtyard). The courtyard is the place of worship where the people could gather – they entered God’s courts. Though the courtyard may not seem of much interest to current readers, it did interest the Israelites. Here the sacrifices were made, the choirs sang, the believers offered their praises, they had their sins forgiven, they came to pray, they appeared on the holy days, and they heard from God. It was sacred because God met them there; they left the “world” (figuratively speaking) and came into the very presence of God.

[27:20]  ⁸⁰¹ tn The form is the imperfect tense with the vav showing a sequence with the first verb: “you will command…that they take.” The verb “take, receive” is used here as before for receiving an offering and bringing it to the sanctuary.

[27:20]  ⁸⁰² tn Heb “lamp,” which must be a collective singular here.

[27:20]  ⁸⁰³ tn The verb is unusual; it is the Hiphil infinitive construct of עָלָה (’alah), with the sense here of “to set up” to burn, or “to fix on” as in Exod 25:37, or “to kindle” (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 370).

[27:20]  ⁸⁰⁴ sn The word can mean “continually,” but in this context, as well as in the passages on the sacrifices, “regularly” is better, since each morning things were cleaned and restored.

[27:21]  ⁸⁰⁵ tn The LXX has mistakenly rendered this name “the tent of the testimony.”

[27:21]  ⁸⁰⁶ sn The lamps were to be removed in the morning so that the wicks could be trimmed and the oil replenished (30:7) and then lit every evening to burn through the night.

[27:21]  ⁸⁰⁷ sn This is the first of several sections of priestly duties. The point is a simple one here: those who lead the worship use the offerings of the people to ensure that access to God is illumined regularly. The NT will make much of the symbolism of light.

[28:1]  ⁸⁰⁸ sn Some modern scholars find this and the next chapter too elaborate for the wilderness experience. To most of them this reflects the later Zadokite priesthood of the writer’s (P’s) day that was referred to Mosaic legislation for authentication. But there is no compelling reason why this should be late; it is put late because it is assumed to be P, and that is assumed to be late. But both assumptions are unwarranted. This lengthy chapter could be divided this way: instructions for preparing the garments (1-5), details of the apparel (6-39), and a warning against deviating from these (40-43). The subject matter of the first part is that God requires that his chosen ministers reflect his holy nature; the point of the second part is that God requires his ministers to be prepared to fulfill the tasks of the ministry, and the subject matter of the third part is that God warns all his ministers to safeguard the holiness of their service.

[28:1]  ⁸⁰⁹ tn The verb is the Hiphil imperative of the root קָרַב (qarav, “to draw near”). In the present stem the word has religious significance, namely, to present something to God, like an offering.

[28:1]  ⁸¹⁰ tn This entire clause is a translation of the Hebrew לְכַהֲנוֹ־לִי (lÿkhahano-li, “that he might be a priest to me”), but the form is unusual. The word means “to be a priest” or “to act as a priest.” The etymology of the word for priest, כֹּהֵן (kohen), is uncertain.

[28:2]  ⁸¹¹ sn The genitive “holiness” is the attribute for “garments” – “garments of holiness.” The point of the word “holy” is that these garments would be distinctive from ordinary garments, for they set Aaron apart to sanctuary service and ministry.

[28:2]  ⁸¹² tn The expression is לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְארֶת (lÿkhavod ulÿtif’aret, “for glory and for beauty”). W. C. Kaiser (“Exodus,” EBC 2:465), quoting the NIV’s “to give him dignity and honor,” says that these clothes were to exalt the office of the high priest as well as beautify the worship of God (which explains more of what the text has than the NIV rendering). The meaning of the word “glory” has much to do with the importance of the office, to be sure, but in Exodus the word has been used also for the brilliance of the presence of Yahweh, and so the magnificence of these garments might indeed strike the worshiper with the sense of the exaltation of the service.

[28:3]  ⁸¹³ tn Heb “And you, you will speak to.”

[28:3]  ⁸¹⁴ tn Heb “wise of heart.” The word for “wise” (חַכְמֵי, khakhme, the plural construct form) is from the word group that is usually translated “wisdom, wise, be wise,” but it has as its basic meaning “skill” or “skillful.” This is the way it is used in 31:3, 6 and 35:10 etc. God gave these people “wisdom” so that they would know how to make these things. The “heart” for the Hebrews is the locus of understanding, the mind and the will. To be “wise of heart” or “wise in heart” means that they had the understanding to do skillful work, they were talented artisans and artists.

[28:3]  ⁸¹⁵ sn There is no necessity to take this as a reference to the Holy Spirit who produces wisdom in these people, although that is not totally impossible. A number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT) do not even translate the word “spirit.” It probably refers to their attitude and ability. U. Cassuto has “to all the artisans skilled in the making of stately robes, in the heart [i.e., mind] of each of whom I have implanted sagacity in his craft so that he may do his craft successfully” (Exodus, 371).

[28:3]  ⁸¹⁶ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; after the instruction to speak to the wise, this verb, equal to an imperfect, will have the force of purpose.

[28:3]  ⁸¹⁷ tn Or “to sanctify him” (ASV) or “to consecrate him” (KJV, NASB, NRSV). It is the garments that will set Aaron apart, or sanctify him, not the workers. The expression could be taken to mean “for his consecration” (NIV) since the investiture is part of his being set apart for service.

[28:4]  ⁸¹⁸ sn The breastpiece seems to have been a pouch of sorts or to have had a pocket, since it was folded in some way (28:16; 39:9) and contained the Urim and Thummim (Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8).

[28:4]  ⁸¹⁹ sn The word “ephod” is taken over directly from Hebrew, because no one knows how to translate it, nor is there agreement about its design. It refers here to a garment worn by the priests, but the word can also refer to some kind of image for a god (Judg 8:27).

[28:4]  ⁸²⁰ tn The word תָּשְׁבֵּץ (tashbets), which describes the tunic and which appears only in this verse, is related to a verb (also rare) of the same root in 28:39 that describes making the tunic. Their meaning is uncertain (see the extended discussion in C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:473-75). A related noun describes gold fasteners and the “settings,” or “mountings,” for precious stones (28:11, 13, 14, 20, 25; 36:18; 39:6, 13, 16, 18; cf. Ps 45:14). The word “fitted” in 28:4 reflects the possibility that “the tunic is to be shaped by sewing, … so that it will fit tightly around the body” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:475).

[28:5]  ⁸²¹ tn Heb “and they.” The word “artisans” is supplied as the referent of the pronoun, a connection that is clearer in Hebrew than in English.

[28:5]  ⁸²² tn Heb “receive” or “take.”

[28:7]  ⁸²³ tn Here the Pual perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive provides the purpose clause (equal to a final imperfect); the form follows the use of the active participle, “attached” or more Heb “joining.”

[28:8]  ⁸²⁴ tn This is the rendering of the word חֵשֶׁב (kheshev), cognate to the word translated “designer” in v. 6. Since the entire ephod was of the same material, and this was of the same piece, it is unclear why this is singled out as “artistically woven.” Perhaps the word is from another root that just describes the item as a “band.” Whatever the connection, this band was to be of the same material, and the same piece, as the ephod, but perhaps a different pattern (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 301). It is this sash that attaches the ephod to the priest’s body, that is, at the upper border of the ephod and clasped together at the back.

[28:8]  ⁸²⁵ tn Heb “from it” but meaning “of one [the same] piece”; the phrase “the ephod” has been supplied.

[28:9]  ⁸²⁶ tn Although this is normally translated “Israelites,” here a more literal translation is clearer because it refers to the names of the twelve tribes – the actual sons of Israel.

[28:10]  ⁸²⁷ tn This is in apposition to the direct object of the verb “engrave.” It further defines how the names were to be engraved – six on one and the other six on the other.

[28:10]  ⁸²⁸ tn Heb “according to their begettings” (the major word in the book of Genesis). What is meant is that the names would be listed in the order of their ages.

[28:11]  ⁸²⁹ sn Expert stone or gem engravers were used to engrave designs and names in identification seals of various sizes. It was work that skilled artisans did.

[28:11]  ⁸³⁰ tn Or “you will mount them” (NRSV similar).

[28:11]  ⁸³¹ tn Or “rosettes,” shield-like frames for the stones. The Hebrew word means “to plait, checker.”

[28:12]  ⁸³² sn This was to be a perpetual reminder that the priest ministers on behalf of the twelve tribes of Israel. Their names would always be borne by the priests.

[28:15]  ⁸³³ 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).

[28:16]  ⁸³⁴ tn Heb “four.”

[28:16]  ⁸³⁵ tn “when” is added for clarification (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 375).

[28:16]  ⁸³⁶ tn The word זֶרֶת (zeret) is half a cubit; it is often translated “span.”

[28:20]  ⁸³⁷ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 375-76) points out that these are the same precious stones mentioned in Ezek 28:13 that were to be found in Eden, the garden of God. So the priest, when making atonement, was to wear the precious gems that were there and symbolized the garden of Eden when man was free from sin.

[28:21]  ⁸³⁸ tn For clarity the words “the number of” have been supplied.

[28:21]  ⁸³⁹ tn The phrase translated “the engravings of a seal” is an adverbial accusative of manner here.

[28:23]  ⁸⁴⁰ tn Heb “give, put.”

[28:23]  ⁸⁴¹ tn Here “upper” has been supplied.

[28:25]  ⁸⁴² tn Here “the other” has been supplied.

[28:25]  ⁸⁴³ tn Here “them” has been supplied.

[28:26]  ⁸⁴⁴ tn Here “other” has been supplied.

[28:27]  ⁸⁴⁵ tn Here “more” has been supplied.

[28:29]  ⁸⁴⁶ sn So Aaron will have the names of the tribes on his shoulders (v. 12) which bear the weight and symbol of office (see Isa 9:6; 22:22), and over his heart (implying that they have a constant place in his thoughts [Deut 6:6]). Thus he was to enter the presence of God as the nation’s representative, ever mindful of the nation’s interests, and ever bringing the remembrance of it before God (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 306).

[28:30]  ⁸⁴⁷ sn The Urim and the Thummim were two objects intended for determining the divine will. There is no clear evidence of their size or shape or the material of which they were made, but they seem to have been familiar items to Moses and the people. The best example of their use comes from 1 Sam 14:36-42. Some have suggested from the etymologies that they were light and dark objects respectively, perhaps stones or sticks or some other object. They seem to have fallen out of use after the Davidic period when the prophetic oracles became popular. It may be that the title “breastpiece of judgment” indicates that these objects were used for making “decisions” (J. P. Hyatt, Exodus [NCBC], 283-84). U. Cassuto has the most thorough treatment of the subject (Exodus, 378-82); he lists several very clear rules for their uses gathered from their instances in the Bible, including that they were a form of sacred lot, that priests or leaders of the people only could use them, and that they were used for discovering the divine will in areas that were beyond human knowledge.

[28:30]  ⁸⁴⁸ tn Or “judgment” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). The term is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), the same word that describes the breastpiece that held the two objects. Here it is translated “decisions” since the Urim and Thummim contained in the breastpiece represented the means by which the Lord made decisions for the Israelites. The high priest bore the responsibility of discerning the divine will on matters of national importance.

[28:31]  ⁸⁴⁹ tn The מְעִיל (mÿ’il), according to S. R. Driver (Exodus, 307), is a long robe worn over the ephod, perhaps open down the front, with sleeves. It is made of finer material than ordinary cloaks because it was to be worn by people in positions of rank.

[28:32]  ⁸⁵⁰ tn Heb “mouth” or “opening” (פִּי, pi; in construct).

[28:32]  ⁸⁵¹ tn The “mouth of its head” probably means its neck; it may be rendered “the opening for the head,” except the pronominal suffix would have to refer to Aaron, and that is not immediately within the context.

[28:32]  ⁸⁵² tn Or “woven work” (KJV, ASV, NASB), that is, “the work of a weaver.” The expression suggests that the weaving was from the fabric edges itself and not something woven and then added to the robe. It was obviously intended to keep the opening from fraying.

[28:32]  ⁸⁵³ tn The expression כְּפִי תַחְרָא (kÿfi takhra’) is difficult. It was early rendered “like the opening of a coat of mail.” It occurs only here and in the parallel 39:23. Tg. Onq. has “coat of mail.” S. R. Driver suggests “a linen corselet,” after the Greek (Exodus, 308). See J. Cohen, “A Samaritan Authentication of the Rabbinic Interpretation of kephi tahra’,” VT 24 (1974): 361-66.

[28:32]  ⁸⁵⁴ tn The verb is the Niphal imperfect, here given the nuance of potential imperfect. Here it serves in a final clause (purpose/result), introduced only by the negative (see GKC 503-4 §165.a).

[28:33]  ⁸⁵⁵ sn This must mean round balls of yarn that looked like pomegranates. The fruit was very common in the land, but there is no indication of the reason for its choice here. Pomegranates are found in decorative schemes in Ugarit, probably as signs of fertility. It may be that here they represent the blessing of God on Israel in the land. The bells that are between them possibly have the intent of drawing God’s attention as the priest moves and the bells jingle (anthropomorphic, to be sure), or that the people would know that the priest was still alive and moving inside. Some have suggested that the pomegranate may have recalled the forbidden fruit eaten in the garden (the gems already have referred to the garden), the reason for the priest entering for atonement, and the bells would divert the eye (of God) to remind him of the need. This is possible but far from supportable, since nothing is said of the reason, nor is the fruit in the garden identified.

[28:33]  ⁸⁵⁶ tn The text repeats the idea: “you will make for its hem…all around its hem.”

[28:34]  ⁸⁵⁷ tn The words “the pattern is to be” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[28:35]  ⁸⁵⁸ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the robe) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:35]  ⁸⁵⁹ tn The form is a Piel infinitive construct with the lamed (ל) preposition: “to minister” or “to serve.” It may be taken epexegetically here, “while serving,” although S. R. Driver takes it as a purpose, “in order that he may minister” (Exodus, 308). The point then would be that he dare not enter into the Holy Place without wearing it.

[28:35]  ⁸⁶⁰ sn God would hear the bells and be reminded that this priest was in his presence representing the nation and that the priest had followed the rules of the sanctuary by wearing the appropriate robes with their attachments.

[28:36]  ⁸⁶¹ tn The word צִּיץ (tsits) seems to mean “a shining thing” and so here a plate of metal. It originally meant “flower,” but they could not write on a flower. So it must have the sense of something worn openly, visible, and shining. The Rabbinic tradition says it was two fingers wide and stretched from ear to ear, but this is an attempt to give details that the Law does not give (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 818).

[28:36]  ⁸⁶² tn Heb “the engravings of a seal”; this phrase is an adverbial accusative of manner.

[28:36]  ⁸⁶³ sn The engraving was a perpetual reminder of the holiness that was due the Lord (Heb “Yahweh”), that all the clothing, the furnishings, and the activities were to come under that description. This corresponded to the symbolism for the whole nation of binding the law between the eyes. It was to be a perpetual reminder of commitment.

[28:37]  ⁸⁶⁴ tn The verb is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it follows the same at the beginning of the verse. Since the first verb is equal to the imperfect of instruction, this could be as well, but it is more likely to be subordinated to express the purpose of the former.

[28:37]  ⁸⁶⁵ tn Heb “it will be,” an instruction imperfect.

[28:38]  ⁸⁶⁶ tn The construction “the iniquity of the holy things” is difficult. “Holy things” is explained in the passage by all the gifts the people bring and consecrate to Yahweh. But there will inevitably be iniquity involved. U. Cassuto explains that Aaron “will atone for all the transgressions committed in connection with the order of the service, the purity of the consecrated things, or the use of the holy gifts, for the declaration engraved on the plate will prove that everything was intended to be holy to the Lord, and if aught was done irregularly, the intention at least was good” (Exodus, 385).

[28:38]  ⁸⁶⁷ tn The clause reads: “according to/by all the gifts of their holiness.” The genitive is an attributive genitive, the suffix on it referring to the whole bound construction – “their holy gifts.” The idea of the line is that the people will consecrate as holy things gifts they bring to the sanctuary.

[28:38]  ⁸⁶⁸ tn This clause is the infinitive construct with the lamed preposition, followed by the prepositional phrase: “for acceptance for them.” This infinitive provides the purpose or result of the act of wearing the dedicatory frontlet – that they will be acceptable.

[28:39]  ⁸⁶⁹ tn It is difficult to know how to translate וְשִׁבַּצְּתָּ (vÿshibbatsta); it is a Piel perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive, and so equal to the imperfect of instruction. Some have thought that this verb describes a type of weaving and that the root may indicate that the cloth had something of a pattern to it by means of alternate weaving of the threads. It was the work of a weaver (39:27) and not so detailed as certain other fabrics (26:1), but it was more than plain weaving (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 310). Here, however, it may be that the fabric is assumed to be in existence and that the action has to do with sewing (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:475, 517).

[28:40]  ⁸⁷⁰ sn This refers to a band of linen wrapped around the head, forming something like a brimless convex cap, resembling something like a half egg. It refers to the headgear of ordinary priests only (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 310-11).

[28:41]  ⁸⁷¹ sn The instructions in this verse anticipate chap. 29, as well as the ordination ceremony described in Lev 8 and 9. The anointing of Aaron is specifically required in the Law, for he is to be the High Priest. The expression “ordain them” might also be translated as “install them” or “consecrate them”; it literally reads “and fill their hands,” an expression for the consecration offering for priesthood in Lev 8:33. The final instruction to sanctify them will involve the ritual of the atoning sacrifices to make the priests acceptable in the sanctuary.

[28:41]  ⁸⁷² tn Heb “fill their hand.” As a result of this installation ceremony they will be officially designated for the work. It seems likely that the concept derives from the notion of putting the priestly responsibilities under their control (i.e., “filling their hands” with work). See note on the phrase “ordained seven days” in Lev 8:33.

[28:41]  ⁸⁷³ tn Traditionally “sanctify them” (KJV, ASV).

[28:42]  ⁸⁷⁴ tn Heb “naked flesh” (so NAB, NRSV); KJV “nakedness.”

[28:42]  ⁸⁷⁵ tn Heb “be.”

[28:43]  ⁸⁷⁶ tn The construction for this temporal clause is the infinitive construct with the temporal preposition bet (ב) and the suffixed subjective genitive.

[28:43]  ⁸⁷⁷ tn This construction is also the temporal clause with the infinitive construct and the temporal preposition bet (ב) and the suffixed subjective genitive.

[28:43]  ⁸⁷⁸ tn The text has וְלאֹ־יִשְׂאוּ עָוֹן וָמֵתוּ (vÿlo’-yis’u ’avon vametu). The imperfect tense here introduces a final clause, yielding a purpose or result translation (“in order that” or “so that”). The last verb is the perfect tense with the vav consecutive, and so it too is equal to a final imperfect – but it would show the result of bearing the iniquity. The idea is that if they approached the holy things with a lack of modesty, perhaps like the pagans who have nakedness and sexuality as part of the religious ritual, they would pollute the holy things, and it would be reckoned to them for iniquity and they would die.

[28:43]  ⁸⁷⁹ tn Heb “seed.”

[28:43]  ⁸⁸⁰ sn So the priests were to make intercession for the people, give decisions from God’s revealed will, enter his presence in purity, and represent holiness to Yahweh. The clothing of the priests provided for these functions, but in a way that brought honor and dignity. A priest was, therefore, to serve in purity, holiness, and fear (Malachi). There is much that can be derived from this chapter to form principles of spiritual leadership, but the overall point can be worded this way: Those whom God selects to minister to the congregation through intercessory prayer, divine counsel, and sacrificial worship, must always represent the holiness of Yahweh in their activities and demeanor.

[29:1]  ⁸⁸¹ sn Chap. 29 is a rather long, involved discussion of the consecration of Aaron the priest. It is similar to the ordination service in Lev 8. In fact, the execution of what is instructed here is narrated there. But these instructions must have been formulated after or in conjunction with Lev 1-7, for they presuppose a knowledge of the sacrifices. The bulk of the chapter is the consecration of the priests: 1-35. It has the preparation (1-3), washing (4), investiture and anointing (5-9), sin offering (10-14), burnt offering (15-18), installation peace offering (19-26, 31-34), other offerings’ rulings (27-30), and the duration of the ritual (35). Then there is the consecration of the altar (36-37), and the oblations (38-46). There are many possibilities for the study and exposition of this material. The whole chapter is the consecration of tabernacle, altar, people, and most of all the priests. God was beginning the holy operations with sacral ritual. So the overall message would be: Everyone who ministers, everyone who worships, and everything they use in the presence of Yahweh, must be set apart to God by the cleansing, enabling, and sanctifying work of God.

[29:1]  ⁸⁸² tn Heb “the thing.”

[29:1]  ⁸⁸³ tn Literally: “take one bull, a ‘son’ of the herd.”

[29:1]  ⁸⁸⁴ tn The word תָּמִים (tamim) means “perfect.” The animals could not have diseases or be crippled or blind (see Mal 1). The requirement was designed to ensure that the people would give the best they had to Yahweh. The typology pointed to the sinless Messiah who would fulfill all these sacrifices in his one sacrifice on the cross.

[29:2]  ⁸⁸⁵ sn This will be for the minkhah (מִנְחָה) offering (Lev 2), which was to accompany the animal sacrifices.

[29:2]  ⁸⁸⁶ tn Or “anointed” (KJV, ASV).

[29:2]  ⁸⁸⁷ tn The “fine flour” is here an adverbial accusative, explaining the material from which these items were made. The flour is to be finely sifted, and from the wheat, not the barley, which was often the material used by the poor. Fine flour, no leaven, and perfect animals, without blemishes, were to be gathered for this service.

[29:3]  ⁸⁸⁸ tn The verb קָרַב (qarav) in the Hiphil means to “bring near” to the altar, or, to offer something to God. These gifts will, therefore, be offered to him for the service of this ritual.

[29:3]  ⁸⁸⁹ tn Heb “and with.”

[29:4]  ⁸⁹⁰ tn Here too the verb is Hiphil (now imperfect) meaning “bring near” the altar. The choice of this verb indicates that they were not merely being brought near, but that they were being formally presented to Yahweh as the offerings were.

[29:4]  ⁸⁹¹ sn This is the washing referred to in Lev 8:6. This is a complete washing, not just of the hands and feet that would follow in the course of service. It had to serve as a symbolic ritual cleansing or purifying as the initial stage in the consecration. The imagery of washing will be used in the NT for regeneration (Titus 3:5).

[29:5]  ⁸⁹² tn The Hiphil of לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe”) will take double accusatives; so the sign of the accusative is with Aaron, and then with the articles of clothing. The translation will have to treat Aaron as the direct object and the articles as indirect objects, because Aaron receives the prominence in the verse – you will clothe Aaron.

[29:5]  ⁸⁹³ tn The verb used in this last clause is a denominative verb from the word for ephod. And so “ephod the ephod on him” means “fasten as an ephod the ephod on him” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 316).

[29:6]  ⁸⁹⁴ sn This term does not appear in chap. 28, but it can only refer to the plate with the inscription on it that was tied to the turban. Here it is called a “holy diadem,” a diadem that is distinctly set apart for this service. All the clothing was described as “holy garments,” and so they were all meant to mark the separation of the priests to this holy service. The items of clothing were each intended for different aspects of ministry, and so this step in the consecration was designed to symbolize being set apart for those duties, or, prepared (gifted) to perform the ministry.

[29:7]  ⁸⁹⁵ sn The act of anointing was meant to set him apart for this holy service within the house of Yahweh. The psalms indicate that no oil was spared in this ritual, for it ran down his beard and to the hem of his garment. Oil of anointing was used for all major offices (giving the label with the passive adjective “mashiah” (or “messiah”) to anyone anointed. In the further revelation of Scripture, the oil came to signify the enablement as well as the setting apart, and often the Holy Spirit came on the person at the anointing with oil. The olive oil was a symbol of the Spirit in the OT as well (Zech 4:4-6). And in the NT “anointing” signifies empowerment by the Holy Spirit for service.

[29:9]  ⁸⁹⁶ tc Hebrew has both the objective pronoun “them” and the names “Aaron and his sons.” Neither the LXX nor Leviticus 8:13 has “Aaron and his sons,” suggesting that this may have been a later gloss in the text.

[29:9]  ⁸⁹⁷ tn Heb “and you will fill the hand” and so “consecrate” or “ordain.” The verb draws together the individual acts of the process.

[29:10]  ⁸⁹⁸ tn The verb is singular, agreeing with the first of the compound subject – Aaron.

[29:10]  ⁸⁹⁹ sn The details of these offerings have to be determined from a careful study of Leviticus. There is a good deal of debate over the meaning of laying hands on the animals. At the very least it identifies the animal formally as their sacrifice. But it may very well indicate that the animal is a substitute for them as well, given the nature and the effect of the sacrifices.

[29:12]  ⁹⁰⁰ sn This act seems to have signified the efficacious nature of the blood, since the horns represented power. This is part of the ritual of the sin offering for laity, because before the priests become priests they are treated as laity. The offering is better described as a purification offering rather than a sin offering, because it was offered, according to Leviticus, for both sins and impurities. Moreover, it was offered primarily to purify the sanctuary so that the once-defiled or sinful person could enter (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB]).

[29:12]  ⁹⁰¹ tn The phrase “rest of” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[29:13]  ⁹⁰² tn S. R. Driver suggests that this is the appendix or an appendix, both here and in v. 22 (Exodus, 320). “The surplus, the appendage of liver, found with cow, sheep, or goat, but not with humans: Lobus caudatus” (HALOT 453 s.v. יֹתֶרֶת).

[29:13]  ⁹⁰³ tn Heb “turn [them] into sweet smoke” since the word is used for burning incense.

[29:14]  ⁹⁰⁴ tn Heb “burn with fire.”

[29:14]  ⁹⁰⁵ sn This is to be done because there is no priesthood yet. Once they are installed, then the sin/purification offering is to be eaten by the officiating priests as a sign that the offering was received. But priests could not consume their own sin offering.

[29:14]  ⁹⁰⁶ sn There were two kinds of “purification offering,” those made with confession for sin and those made without. The title needs to cover both of them, and if it is called in the traditional way “the sin offering,” that will convey that when people offered it for skin diseases, menstruation, or having babies, they had sinned. That was not the case. Moreover, it is usual to translate the names of the sacrifices by what they do more than what they cover – so peace offering, reparation offering, and purification offering.

[29:18]  ⁹⁰⁷ tn Heb “turn to sweet smoke.”

[29:18]  ⁹⁰⁸ sn According to Lev 1 the burnt offering (often called whole burnt offering, except that the skins were usually given to the priests for income) was an atoning sacrifice. By consuming the entire animal, God was indicating that he had completely accepted the worshiper, and as it was a sweet smelling fire sacrifice, he was indicating that he was pleased to accept it. By offering the entire animal, the worshiper was indicating on his part a complete surrender to God.

[29:18]  ⁹⁰⁹ tn The word אִשֶּׁה (’isheh) has traditionally been translated “an offering made with fire” or the like, because it appears so obviously connected with fire. But further evidence from Ugaritic suggests that it might only mean “a gift” (see Milgrom, Leviticus 1-16, 161).

[29:18]  ⁹¹⁰ sn These sections show that the priest had to be purified or cleansed from defilement of sin and also be atoned for and accepted by the Lord through the blood of the sacrifice. The principles from these two sacrifices should be basic to anyone seeking to serve God.

[29:20]  ⁹¹¹ sn By this ritual the priests were set apart completely to the service of God. The ear represented the organ of hearing (as in “ears you have dug” in Ps 40 or “awakens my ear” in Isa 50), and this had to be set apart to God so that they could hear the Word of God. The thumb and the hand represented the instrument to be used for all ministry, and so everything that they “put their hand to” had to be dedicated to God and appropriate for his service. The toe set the foot apart to God, meaning that the walk of the priest had to be consecrated – where he went, how he conducted himself, what life he lived, all belonged to God now.

[29:21]  ⁹¹² tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[29:21]  ⁹¹³ tn The verb in this instance is Qal and not Piel, “to be holy” rather than “sanctify.” The result of all this ritual is that Aaron and his sons will be set aside and distinct in their life and their service.

[29:22]  ⁹¹⁴ tn S. R. Driver suggests that this is the appendix or an appendix, both here and in v. 13 (Exodus, 320). “The surplus, the appendage of liver, found with cow, sheep, or goat, but not with humans: Lobus caudatus” (HALOT 453 s.v. יֹתֶרֶת).

[29:22]  ⁹¹⁵ tn Heb “filling.”

[29:24]  ⁹¹⁶ tn Heb “the whole” or “the all.”

[29:24]  ⁹¹⁷ tn Heb “palms.”

[29:24]  ⁹¹⁸ tn The “wave offering” is תְּנוּפָה (tÿnufah); it is, of course, cognate with the verb, but an adverbial accusative rather than the direct object. In Lev 23 this seems to be a sacrificial gesture of things that are for the priests – but they present them first to Yahweh and then receive them back from him. So the waving is not side to side, but forward to Yahweh and then back to the priest. Here it is just an induction into that routine, since this is the ordination of the priests and the gifts are not yet theirs. So this will all be burned on the altar.

[29:25]  ⁹¹⁹ tn “turn to sweet smoke.”

[29:25]  ⁹²⁰ tn “them” has been supplied.

[29:27]  ⁹²¹ sn These are the two special priestly offerings: the wave offering (from the verb “to wave”) and the “presentation offering” (older English: heave offering; from a verb “to be high,” in Hiphil meaning “to lift up,” an item separated from the offering, a contribution). The two are then clarified with two corresponding relative clauses containing two Hophals: “which was waved and which was presented.” In making sacrifices, the breast and the thigh belong to the priests.

[29:29]  ⁹²² tn The construction is an infinitive construct with a lamed (ל) preposition. The form simply means “for anointing,” but it serves to express the purpose or result of their inheriting the sacred garments.

[29:29]  ⁹²³ tn This form is a Piel infinitive construct with a lamed (ל) preposition. It literally reads “for filling the hands,” the idiom used throughout this chapter for ordination or installation. Here too it has a parallel use of purpose or result.

[29:30]  ⁹²⁴ tn Heb “after him”; NCV, NLT “after Aaron.”

[29:30]  ⁹²⁵ tn The text just has the relative pronoun and the imperfect tense. It could be translated “who comes/enters.” But the context seems to indicate that this would be when he first comes to the tent to begin his tenure as High Priest, and so a temporal clause makes this clear. “First” has been supplied.

[29:30]  ⁹²⁶ tn “Seven days” is an adverbial accusative of time. The ritual of ordination is to be repeated for seven days, and so they are to remain there in the court in full dress.

[29:31]  ⁹²⁷ tn Or “boil” (see Lev 8:31).

[29:31]  ⁹²⁸ sn The “holy place” must be in the courtyard of the sanctuary. Lev 8:31 says it is to be cooked at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Here it says it will be eaten there as well. This, then, becomes a communion sacrifice, a peace offering which was a shared meal. Eating a communal meal in a holy place was meant to signify that the worshipers and the priests were at peace with God.

[29:33]  ⁹²⁹ tn The clause is a relative clause modifying “those things,” the direct object of the verb “eat.” The relative clause has a resumptive pronoun: “which atonement was made by them” becomes “by which atonement was made.” The verb is a Pual perfect of כִּפֵּר (kipper, “to expiate, atone, pacify”).

[29:33]  ⁹³⁰ tn The Hebrew word is “stranger, alien” (זָר, zar). But in this context it means anyone who is not a priest (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 324).

[29:34]  ⁹³¹ tn Or “ordination offerings” (Heb “fillings”).

[29:34]  ⁹³² tn The verb in the conditional clause is a Niphal imperfect of יָתַר (yatar); this verb is repeated in the next clause (as a Niphal participle) as the direct object of the verb “you will burn” (a Qal perfect with a vav [ו] consecutive to form the instruction).

[29:34]  ⁹³³ tn Heb “burn with fire.”

[29:34]  ⁹³⁴ tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect negated. It expresses the prohibition against eating this, but in the passive voice: “it will not be eaten,” or stronger, “it must not be eaten.”

[29:35]  ⁹³⁵ tn Heb “you will fill their hand.”

[29:35]  ⁹³⁶ tn The “seven days” is the adverbial accusative explaining that the ritual of the filling should continue daily for a week. Leviticus makes it clear that they are not to leave the sanctuary.

[29:36]  ⁹³⁷ tn The construction uses a genitive: “a bull of the sin offering,” which means, a bull that is designated for a sin (or better, purification) offering.

[29:36]  ⁹³⁸ sn It is difficult to understand how this verse is to be harmonized with the other passages. The ceremony in the earlier passages deals with atonement made for the priests, for people. But here it is the altar that is being sanctified. The “sin [purification] offering” seems to be for purification of the sanctuary and altar to receive people in their worship.

[29:36]  ⁹³⁹ tn The verb is וְחִטֵּאתָ (vÿhitte’ta), a Piel perfect of the word usually translated “to sin.” Here it may be interpreted as a privative Piel (as in Ps 51:7 [9]), with the sense of “un-sin” or “remove sin.” It could also be interpreted as related to the word for “sin offering,” and so be a denominative verb. It means “to purify, cleanse.” The Hebrews understood that sin and contamination could corrupt and pollute even things, and so they had to be purged.

[29:36]  ⁹⁴⁰ tn The construction is a Piel infinitive construct in an adverbial clause. The preposition bet (ב) that begins the clause could be taken as a temporal preposition, but in this context it seems to express the means by which the altar was purged of contamination – “in your making atonement” is “by [your] making atonement.”

[29:37]  ⁹⁴¹ tn Once again this is an adverbial accusative of time. Each day for seven days the ritual at the altar is to be followed.

[29:37]  ⁹⁴² tn The construction is the superlative genitive: “holy of holies,” or “most holy.”

[29:37]  ⁹⁴³ sn This line states an unusual principle, meant to preserve the sanctity of the altar. S. R. Driver explains it this way (Exodus, 325): If anything comes in contact with the altar, it becomes holy and must remain in the sanctuary for Yahweh’s use. If a person touches the altar, he likewise becomes holy and cannot return to the profane regions. He will be given over to God to be dealt with as God pleases. Anyone who was not qualified to touch the altar did not dare approach it, for contact would have meant that he was no longer free to leave but was God’s holy possession – and might pay for it with his life (see Exod 30:29; Lev 6:18b, 27; and Ezek 46:20).

[29:38]  ⁹⁴⁴ tn The verb is “you will do,” “you will make.” It clearly refers to offering the animals on the altar, but may emphasize all the preparation that was involved in the process.

[29:39]  ⁹⁴⁵ tn Heb “between the two evenings” or “between the two settings” (בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם, ben ha’arbayim). This expression has had a good deal of discussion. (1) Tg. Onq. says “between the two suns,” which the Talmud explains as the time between the sunset and the time the stars become visible. More technically, the first “evening” would be the time between sunset and the appearance of the crescent moon, and the second “evening” the next hour, or from the appearance of the crescent moon to full darkness (see Deut 16:6 – “at the going down of the sun”). (2) Saadia, Rashi, and Kimchi say the first evening is when the sun begins to decline in the west and cast its shadows, and the second evening is the beginning of night. (3) The view adopted by the Pharisees and the Talmudists (b. Pesahim 61a) is that the first evening is when the heat of the sun begins to decrease, and the second evening begins at sunset, or, roughly from 3-5 p.m. The Mishnah (m. Pesahim 5:1) indicates the lamb was killed about 2:30 p.m. – anything before noon was not valid. S. R. Driver concludes from this survey that the first view is probably the best, although the last view was the traditionally accepted one (Exodus, 89-90). Late afternoon or early evening seems to be intended, the time of twilight perhaps.

[29:40]  ⁹⁴⁶ tn The phrase “of an ephah” has been supplied for clarity (cf. Num 28:5). The ephah was a commonly used dry measure whose capacity is now uncertain: “Quotations given for the ephah vary from ca. 45 to 20 liters” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 2:340-41).

[29:40]  ⁹⁴⁷ tn “Hin” is a transliterated Hebrew word that seems to have an Egyptian derivation. The amount of liquid measured by a hin is uncertain: “Its presumed capacity varies from about 3,5 liters to 7,5 liters” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:550).

[29:42]  ⁹⁴⁸ tn The translation has “regular” instead of “continually,” because they will be preparing this twice a day.

[29:42]  ⁹⁴⁹ tn The relative clause identifies the place in front of the Tent as the place that Yahweh would meet Moses. The main verb of the clause is אִוָּעֵד (’ivva’ed), a Niphal imperfect of the verb יָעַד (ya’ad), the verb that is cognate to the name “tent of meeting” – hence the name. This clause leads into the next four verses.

[29:43]  ⁹⁵⁰ tn The verb now is a Niphal perfect from the same root, with a vav (ו) consecutive. It simply continues the preceding verb, announcing now that he would meet the people.

[29:43]  ⁹⁵¹ tn Or “will be sanctified by my glory” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[29:44]  ⁹⁵² tn This verse affirms the same point as the last, but now with an active verb: “I will set apart as holy” (or “I will sanctify”). This verse, then, probably introduces the conclusion of the chapter: “So I will….”

[29:45]  ⁹⁵³ tn The verb has the root שָׁכַן (shakan), from which came the word for the dwelling place, or sanctuary, itself (מִשְׁכָּן, mishkan). It is also used for the description of “the Shekinah glory.” God is affirming that he will reside in the midst of his people.

[30:1]  ⁹⁵⁴ sn Why this section has been held until now is a mystery. One would have expected to find it with the instructions for the other furnishings. The widespread contemporary view that it was composed later does not answer the question, it merely moves the issue to the work of an editor rather than the author. N. M. Sarna notes concerning the items in chapter 30 that “all the materials for these final items were anticipated in the list of invited donations in 25:3-6” and that they were not needed for installing Aaron and his sons (Exodus [JPSTC], 193). Verses 1-10 can be divided into three sections: the instructions for building the incense altar (1-5), its placement (6), and its proper use (7-10).

[30:1]  ⁹⁵⁵ tn The expression is מִזְבֵּחַ מִקְטַר קְטֹרֶת (mizbeakh miqtar qÿtoret), either “an altar, namely an altar of incense,” or “an altar, [for] burning incense.” The second noun is “altar of incense,” although some suggest it is an active noun meaning “burning.” If the former, then it is in apposition to the word for “altar” (which is not in construct). The last noun is “incense” or “sweet smoke.” It either qualifies the “altar of incense” or serves as the object of the active noun. B. Jacob says that in order to designate that this altar be used only for incense, the Torah prepared the second word for this passage alone. It specifies the kind of altar this is (Exodus, 828).

[30:1]  ⁹⁵⁶ tn This is an adverbial accusative explaining the material used in building the altar.

[30:1]  ⁹⁵⁷ sn See M. Haran, “The Uses of Incense in Ancient Israel Ritual,” VT 10 (1960): 113-15; N. Glueck, “Incense Altars,” Translating and Understanding the Old Testament, 325-29.

[30:2]  ⁹⁵⁸ tn Heb “a cubit.”

[30:2]  ⁹⁵⁹ tn Heb “two cubits.”

[30:2]  ⁹⁶⁰ tn Heb “its horns from it.”

[30:3]  ⁹⁶¹ tn Heb “roof.”

[30:3]  ⁹⁶² tn Heb “its walls around.”

[30:3]  ⁹⁶³ tn Heb “and make for it border gold around.” The verb is a consecutive perfect. See Exod 25:11, where the ark also has such a molding.

[30:4]  ⁹⁶⁴ sn Since it was a small altar, it needed only two rings, one on either side, in order to be carried. The second clause clarifies that the rings should be on the sides, the right and the left, as you approach the altar.

[30:4]  ⁹⁶⁵ tn Heb “And it”; this refers to the rings collectively in their placement on the box, and so the word “rings” has been used to clarify the referent for the modern reader.

[30:4]  ⁹⁶⁶ tn Heb “for houses.”

[30:7]  ⁹⁶⁷ tn The text uses a cognate accusative (“incense”) with the verb “to burn” or “to make into incense/sweet smoke.” Then, the noun “sweet spices” is added in apposition to clarify the incense as sweet.

[30:7]  ⁹⁶⁸ tn The Hebrew is בְּהֵיטִיבוֹ (bÿhetivo), a Hiphil infinitive construct serving in a temporal clause. The Hebrew verb means “to make good” and so in this context “to fix” or “to dress.” This refers to cleansing and trimming the lamps.

[30:7]  ⁹⁶⁹ sn The point of the little golden altar of incense is normally for intercessory prayer, and then at the Day of Atonement for blood applied atonement. The instructions for making it show that God wanted his people to make a place for prayer. The instructions for its use show that God expects that the requests of his people will be pleasing to him.

[30:10]  ⁹⁷⁰ tn The word “atonements” (plural in Hebrew) is a genitive showing the result or product of the sacrifice made.

[30:10]  ⁹⁷¹ sn This ruling presupposes that the instruction for the Day of Atonement has been given, or at the very least, is to be given shortly. That is the one day of the year that all sin and all ritual impurity would be removed.

[30:10]  ⁹⁷² sn The phrase “most holy to the Lord” means that the altar cannot be used for any other purpose than what is stated here.

[30:11]  ⁹⁷³ sn This brief section has been interpreted a number of ways by biblical scholars (for a good survey and discussion, see B. Jacob, Exodus, 829-35). In this context the danger of erecting and caring for a sanctuary may have been in view. A census would be taken to count the losses and to cover the danger of coming into such proximity with the holy place; payment was made to ransom the lives of the people numbered so that they would not die. The money collected would then be used for the care of the sanctuary. The principle was fairly straightforward: Those numbered among the redeemed of the Lord were to support the work of the Lord to maintain their fellowship with the covenant. The passage is fairly easy to outline: I. Every covenant member must give a ransom for his life to avoid death (11-12); II. The ransom is the same for all, whether rich or poor (13-15); and III. The ransom money supports the sanctuary as a memorial for the ransomed (16).

[30:11]  ⁹⁷⁴ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.” This full means for introducing a quotation from the Lord is used again in 30:17, 22; 31:1; and 40:1. It appears first in 6:10. Cynthia L. Miller discusses its use in detail (The Representation of Speech in Biblical Hebrew Narrative, 373-86).

[30:12]  ⁹⁷⁵ tn The expression is “when you take [lift up] the sum [head] of the Israelites.”

[30:12]  ⁹⁷⁶ tn The form is לִפְקֻדֵיהֶם (lifqudehem, “according to those that are numbered of/by them”) from the verb פָּקַד (paqad, “to visit”). But the idea of this word seems more to be that of changing or determining the destiny, and so “appoint” and “number” become clear categories of meaning for the word. Here it simply refers to the census, but when this word is used for a census it often involves mustering an army for a military purpose. Here there is no indication of a war, but it may be laying down the principle that when they should do this, here is the price. B. Jacob (Exodus, 835) uses Num 31 as a good illustration, showing that the warrior was essentially a murderer, if he killed anyone in battle. For this reason his blood was forfeit; if he survived he must pay a כֹּפֶר (kofer) because every human life possesses value and must be atoned for. The payment during the census represented a “presumptive ransom” so that they could not be faulted for what they might do in war.

[30:12]  ⁹⁷⁷ tn The “ransom” is כֹּפֶר (kofer), a word related to words translated “atone” and “atonement.” Here the noun refers to what is paid for the life. The idea is that of delivering or redeeming by a substitute – here the substitute is the money. If they paid the amount, their lives would be safe (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:473).

[30:12]  ⁹⁷⁸ tn The temporal clause uses a preposition, an infinitive construct, and then an accusative. The subject is supplied: “in numbering them” means “when [you] number them.” The verb could also be rendered “when you muster them.”

[30:13]  ⁹⁷⁹ sn Each man was to pass in front of the counting officer and join those already counted on the other side.

[30:13]  ⁹⁸⁰ sn The half shekel weight of silver would be about one-fifth of an ounce (6 grams).

[30:13]  ⁹⁸¹ sn It appears that some standard is in view for the amount of a shekel weight. The sanctuary shekel is sometimes considered to be twice the value of the ordinary shekel. The “gerah,” also of uncertain meaning, was mentioned as a reference point for the ancient reader to understand the value of the required payment. It may also be that the expression meant “a sacred shekel” and looked at the purpose more – a shekel for sanctuary dues. This would mean that the standard of the shekel weight was set because it was the traditional amount of sacred dues (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 333). “Though there is no certainty, the shekel is said to weigh about 11,5 grams…Whether an official standard is meant [by ‘sanctuary shekel’] or whether the sanctuary shekel had a different weight than the ‘ordinary’ shekel is not known” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:181).

[30:13]  ⁹⁸² tn Or “contribution” (תְּרוּמָה, tÿrumah).

[30:15]  ⁹⁸³ tn Or “pay more.”

[30:15]  ⁹⁸⁴ tn The form is לָתֵת (latet), the Qal infinitive construct with the lamed preposition. The infinitive here is explaining the preceding verbs. They are not to increase or diminish the amount “in paying the offering.” The construction approximates a temporal clause.

[30:15]  ⁹⁸⁵ tn This infinitive construct (לְכַפֵּר, lÿkhapper) provides the purpose of the giving the offering – to atone.

[30:16]  ⁹⁸⁶ tn Heb “the silver of the atonements.” The genitive here is the result (as in “sheep of slaughter”) telling what the money will be used for (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 11, §44).

[30:16]  ⁹⁸⁷ sn The idea of “service” is maintenance and care of the sanctuary and its service, meaning the morning and evening sacrifices and the other elements to be used.

[30:16]  ⁹⁸⁸ sn S. R. Driver says this is “to keep Jehovah in continual remembrance of the ransom which had been paid for their lives” (Exodus, 334).

[30:16]  ⁹⁸⁹ tn The infinitive could be taken in a couple of ways here. It could be an epexegetical infinitive: “making atonement.” Or it could be the infinitive expressing result: “so that atonement will be made for your lives.”

[30:17]  ⁹⁹⁰ sn Another piece of furniture is now introduced, the laver, or washing basin. It was a round (the root means to be round) basin for holding water, but it had to be up on a pedestal or base to let water run out (through taps of some kind) for the priests to wash – they could not simply dip dirty hands into the basin. This was for the priests primarily to wash their hands and feet before entering the tent. It stood in the courtyard between the altar and the tent. No dimensions are given. The passage can be divided into three sections: the instructions (17-18), the rules for washing (19-20), and the reminder that this is a perpetual statute.

[30:17]  ⁹⁹¹ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[30:18]  ⁹⁹² sn The metal for this object was obtained from the women from their mirrors (see Exod 38:8).

[30:18]  ⁹⁹³ tn Heb “and its stand bronze.”

[30:18]  ⁹⁹⁴ tn The form is the adverb “there” with the directive qamets-he ( ָה).

[30:19]  ⁹⁹⁵ tn That is, from water from it.

[30:20]  ⁹⁹⁶ tn The form is an infinitive construct with the temporal preposition bet (ב), and a suffixed subjective genitive: “in their going in,” or, whenever they enter.

[30:20]  ⁹⁹⁷ tn “Water” is an adverbial accusative of means, and so is translated “with water.” Gesenius classifies this with verbs of “covering with something.” But he prefers to emend the text with a preposition (see GKC 369 §117.y, n. 1).

[30:20]  ⁹⁹⁸ tn The verb is a Qal imperfect with a nuance of final imperfect. The purpose/result clause here is indicated only with the conjunction: “and they do not die.” But clearly from the context this is the intended result of their washing – it is in order that they not die.

[30:20]  ⁹⁹⁹ tn Here, too, the infinitive is used in a temporal clause construction. The verb נָגַשׁ (nagash) is the common verb used for drawing near to the altar to make offerings – the official duties of the priest.

[30:20]  ¹⁰⁰⁰ tn The text uses two infinitives construct: “to minister to burn incense”; the first is the general term and expresses the purpose of the drawing near, and the second infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first infinitive.

[30:20]  ¹⁰⁰¹ tn The translation “as an offering made by fire” is a standard rendering of the one word in the text that appears to refer to “fire.” Milgrom and others contend that it simply means a “gift” (Leviticus 1-16, 161).

[30:21]  ¹⁰⁰² tn Heb “and [then] they will wash.”

[30:21]  ¹⁰⁰³ tn The verb is “it will be.”

[30:21]  ¹⁰⁰⁴ tn Heb “for his seed.”

[30:21]  ¹⁰⁰⁵ tn Or “for generations to come”; it literally is “to their generations.”

[30:22]  ¹⁰⁰⁶ sn The chapter ends with these two sections. The oil (22-33) is the mark of consecration, and the incense (34-38) is a mark of pleasing service, especially in prayer. So the essence of the message of the chapter is that the servants of God must be set apart by the Spirit for ministry and must be pleasing to God in the ministry.

[30:22]  ¹⁰⁰⁷ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[30:23]  ¹⁰⁰⁸ tn The construction uses the imperative “take,” but before it is the independent pronoun to add emphasis to it. After the imperative is the ethical dative (lit. “to you”) to stress the task to Moses as a personal responsibility: “and you, take to yourself.”

[30:23]  ¹⁰⁰⁹ tn Heb “spices head.” This must mean the chief spices, or perhaps the top spice, meaning fine spices or choice spices. See Song 4:14; Ezek 27:22.

[30:23]  ¹⁰¹⁰ tn Or “500 shekels.” Verse 24 specifies that the sanctuary shekel was the unit for weighing the spices. The total of 1500 shekels for the four spices is estimated at between 77 and 100 pounds, or 17 to 22 kilograms, depending on how much a shekel weighed (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:576).

[30:23]  ¹⁰¹¹ sn Myrrh is an aromatic substance that flows from the bark of certain trees in Arabia and Africa and then hardens. “The hardened globules of the gum appear also to have been ground into a powder that would have been easy to store and would have been poured from a container” (J. Durham, Exodus [WBC], 3:406).

[30:24]  ¹⁰¹² tn The words “all weighed” are added for clarity in English.

[30:24]  ¹⁰¹³ tn Or “a hin.” A hin of oil is estimated at around one gallon (J. Durham, Exodus [WBC], 3:406).

[30:25]  ¹⁰¹⁴ tn Heb “it.”

[30:25]  ¹⁰¹⁵ tn The word “oil” is an adverbial accusative, indicating the product that results from the verb (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, §52).

[30:25]  ¹⁰¹⁶ tn The somewhat rare words rendered “a perfumed compound” are both associated with a verbal root having to do with mixing spices and other ingredients to make fragrant ointments. They are used with the next phrase, “the work of a perfumer,” to describe the finished oil as a special mixture of aromatic spices and one requiring the knowledge and skills of an experienced maker.

[30:29]  ¹⁰¹⁷ tn The verb is a Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; in this verse it is summarizing or explaining what the anointing has accomplished. This is the effect of the anointing (see Exod 29:36).

[30:29]  ¹⁰¹⁸ tn This is the superlative genitive again, Heb “holy of holies.”

[30:29]  ¹⁰¹⁹ tn See Exod 29:37; as before, this could refer to anything or anyone touching the sanctified items.

[30:30]  ¹⁰²⁰ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive follows the imperfect of instruction; it may be equal to the instruction, but more likely shows the purpose or result of the act.

[30:32]  ¹⁰²¹ tn Without an expressed subject, the verb may be treated as a passive. Any common use, as in personal hygiene, would be a complete desecration.

[30:33]  ¹⁰²² tn Heb “a stranger,” meaning someone not ordained a priest.

[30:33]  ¹⁰²³ sn The rabbinic interpretation of this is that it is a penalty imposed by heaven, that the life will be cut short and the person could die childless.

[30:34]  ¹⁰²⁴ tn The construction is “take to you,” which could be left in that literal sense, but more likely the suffix is an ethical dative, stressing the subject of the imperative.

[30:34]  ¹⁰²⁵ sn This is from a word that means “to drip”; the spice is a balsam that drips from a resinous tree.

[30:34]  ¹⁰²⁶ sn This may be a plant, or it may be from a species of mollusks; it is mentioned in Ugaritic and Akkadian; it gives a pungent odor when burnt.

[30:34]  ¹⁰²⁷ sn This is a gum from plants of the genus Ferula; it has an unpleasant odor, but when mixed with others is pleasant.

[30:34]  ¹⁰²⁸ tn The word “spice is repeated here, suggesting that the first three formed half of the ingredient and this spice the other half – but this is conjecture (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 400).

[30:34]  ¹⁰²⁹ tn Heb “of each part there will be an equal part.”

[30:35]  ¹⁰³⁰ tn This is an accusative of result or product.

[30:35]  ¹⁰³¹ tn The word is in apposition to “incense,” further defining the kind of incense that is to be made.

[30:35]  ¹⁰³² tn The word מְמֻלָּח (mÿmullakh), a passive participle, is usually taken to mean “salted.” Since there is no meaning like that for the Pual form, the word probably should be taken as “mixed,” as in Rashi and Tg. Onq. Seasoning with salt would work if it were food, but since it is not food, if it means “salted” it would be a symbol of what was sound and whole for the covenant. Some have thought that it would have helped the incense burn quickly with more smoke.

[30:38]  ¹⁰³³ tn Or to smell it, to use for the maker’s own pleasure.

[31:1]  ¹⁰³⁴ sn The next unit describes the preparation of skilled workers to build all that has been listed now for several chapters. This chapter would have been the bridge to the building of the sanctuary (35-39) if it were not for the idolatrous interlude. God called individuals and prepared them by his Spirit to be skilled to do the work for the tabernacle. If this were the substance of an exposition, it would clearly be a message on gifted people doing the work – close to the spiritual lesson of Ephesians 4. There would be two levels of meaning: the physical, which looks at the skilled artisans providing for a place to worship Yahweh, and the spiritual, which would bring in the Spirit-filled servants of God participating in building up his kingdom.

[31:1]  ¹⁰³⁵ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[31:2]  ¹⁰³⁶ tn Heb “called by name.” This expression means that the person was specifically chosen for some important task (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 342). See the expression with Cyrus in Isa 45:3-4.

[31:3]  ¹⁰³⁷ sn The expression in the Bible means that the individual was given special, supernatural enablement to do what God wanted done. It usually is said of someone with exceptional power or ability. The image of “filling” usually means under the control of the Spirit, so that the Spirit is the dominant force in the life.

[31:3]  ¹⁰³⁸ sn The following qualities are the ways in which the Spirit’s enablement will be displayed. “Skill” is the ability to produce something valuable to God and the community, “understanding” is the ability to distinguish between things, to perceive the best way to follow, and “knowledge” is the experiential awareness of how things are done.

[31:3]  ¹⁰³⁹ tn Heb “and in all work”; “all” means “all kinds of” here.

[31:4]  ¹⁰⁴⁰ tn The expression is לַחְשֹׁב מַחֲשָׁבֹת (lakhshov makhashavot, “to devise devices”). The infinitive emphasizes that Bezalel will be able to design or plan works that are artistic or skillful. He will think thoughts or devise the plans, and then he will execute them in silver or stone or whatever other material he uses.

[31:6]  ¹⁰⁴¹ tn The expression uses the independent personal pronoun (“and I”) with the deictic particle (“behold”) to enforce the subject of the verb – “and I, indeed I have given.”

[31:6]  ¹⁰⁴² tn Heb “and in the heart of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom.”

[31:6]  ¹⁰⁴³ tn The form is a perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. The form at this place shows the purpose or the result of what has gone before, and so it is rendered “that they may make.”

[31:7]  ¹⁰⁴⁴ tn Heb “all the vessels of the tent.”

[31:12]  ¹⁰⁴⁵ sn There are some questions about the arrangement of the book. The placement of this section here, however, should come as no surprise. After the instructions and preparation for work, a Sabbath day when work could not be done had to be legislated. In all that they were going to do, they must not violate the Sabbath,

[31:12]  ¹⁰⁴⁶ tn Heb “and Yahweh said (אָמַר, ’amar) to Moses, saying.”

[31:13]  ¹⁰⁴⁷ 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]  ¹⁰⁴⁸ tn Or “your sanctifier.”

[31:14]  ¹⁰⁴⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁵⁰ 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]  ¹⁰⁵¹ tn Heb “the one who does.”

[31:14]  ¹⁰⁵² tn “any” has been supplied.

[31:14]  ¹⁰⁵³ tn Literally “her” (a feminine pronoun agreeing with “soul/life,” which is grammatically feminine).

[31:15]  ¹⁰⁵⁴ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time, indicating that work may be done for six days out of the week.

[31:15]  ¹⁰⁵⁵ tn The form is a Niphal imperfect; it has the nuance of permission in this sentence, for the sentence is simply saying that the six days are work days – that is when work may be done.

[31:15]  ¹⁰⁵⁶ tn The expression is שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן (shabbat shabbaton), “a Sabbath of entire rest,” or better, “a sabbath of complete desisting” (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 404). The second noun, the modifying genitive, is an abstract noun. The repetition provides the superlative idea that complete rest is the order of the day.

[31:17]  ¹⁰⁵⁷ tn The expression again forms an adverbial accusative of time.

[31:17]  ¹⁰⁵⁸ sn The word “rest” essentially means “to cease, stop.” So describing God as “resting” on the seventh day does not indicate that he was tired – he simply finished creation and then ceased or stopped. But in this verse is a very bold anthropomorphism in the form of the verb וַיִּנָּפַשׁ (vayyinnafash), a Niphal preterite from the root נָפַשׁ (nafash), the word that is related to “life, soul” or more specifically “breath, throat.” The verb is usually translated here as “he was refreshed,” offering a very human picture. It could also be rendered “he took breath” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 345). Elsewhere the verb is used of people and animals. The anthropomorphism is clearly intended to teach people to stop and refresh themselves physically, spiritually, and emotionally on this day of rest.

[31:18]  ¹⁰⁵⁹ sn The expression “the finger of God” has come up before in the book, in the plagues (Exod 8:15) to express that it was a demonstration of the power and authority of God. So here too the commandments given to Moses on stone tablets came from God. It too is a bold anthropomorphism; to attribute such a material action to Yahweh would have been thought provoking to say the least. But by using “God” and by stating it in an obviously figurative way, balance is maintained. Since no one writes with one finger, the expression simply says that the Law came directly from God.

[32:1]  ¹⁰⁶⁰ sn This narrative is an unhappy interlude in the flow of the argument of the book. After the giving of the Law and the instructions for the tabernacle, the people get into idolatry. So this section tells what the people were doing when Moses was on the mountain. Here is an instant violation of the covenant that they had just agreed to uphold. But through it all Moses shines as the great intercessor for the people. So the subject matter is the sin of idolatry, its effects and its remedy. Because of the similarities to Jeroboam’s setting up the calves in Dan and Bethel, modern critics have often said this passage was written at that time. U. Cassuto shows how the language of this chapter would not fit an Iron Age setting in Dan. Rather, he argues, this story was well enough known for Jeroboam to imitate the practice (Exodus, 407-10). This chapter can be divided into four parts for an easier exposition: idolatry (32:1-6), intercession (32:7-14), judgment (32:15-29), intercession again (32:30-33:6). Of course, these sections are far more complex than this, but this gives an overview. Four summary statements for expository points might be: I. Impatience often leads to foolish violations of the faith, II. Violations of the covenant require intercession to escape condemnation, III. Those spared of divine wrath must purge evil from their midst, and IV. Those who purge evil from their midst will find reinstatement through intercession. Several important studies are available for this. See, among others, D. R. Davis, “Rebellion, Presence, and Covenant: A Study in Exodus 32-34,” WTJ 44 (1982): 71-87; M. Greenberg, “Moses’ Intercessory Prayer,” Ecumenical Institute for Advanced Theological Studies (1978): 21-35; R. A. Hamer, “The New Covenant of Moses,” Judaism 27 (1978): 345-50; R. L. Honeycutt, Jr., “Aaron, the Priesthood, and the Golden Calf,” RevExp 74 (1977): 523-35; J. N. Oswalt, “The Golden Calves and the Egyptian Concept of Deity,” EvQ 45 (1973): 13-20.

[32:1]  ¹⁰⁶¹ tn The meaning of this verb is properly “caused shame,” meaning cause disappointment because he was not coming back (see also Judg 5:28 for the delay of Sisera’s chariots [S. R. Driver, Exodus, 349]).

[32:1]  ¹⁰⁶² tn The infinitive construct with the lamed (ל) preposition is used here epexegetically, explaining the delay of Moses.

[32:1]  ¹⁰⁶³ tn Heb “the people.”

[32:1]  ¹⁰⁶⁴ tn The imperative means “arise.” It could be serving here as an interjection, getting Aaron’s attention. But it might also have the force of prompting him to get busy.

[32:1]  ¹⁰⁶⁵ tn The plural translation is required here (although the form itself could be singular in meaning) because the verb that follows in the relative clause is a plural verb – that they go before us).

[32:1]  ¹⁰⁶⁶ tn The text has “this Moses.” But this instance may find the demonstrative used in an earlier deictic sense, especially since there is no article with it.

[32:1]  ¹⁰⁶⁷ tn The interrogative is used in an indirect question (see GKC 443-44 §137.c).

[32:2]  ¹⁰⁶⁸ sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 937-38) argues that Aaron simply did not have the resolution that Moses did, and wanting to keep peace he gave in to the crowd. He also tries to explain that Aaron was wanting to show their folly through the deed. U. Cassuto also says that Aaron’s request for the gold was a form of procrastination, but that the people quickly did it and so he had no alternative but to go through with it (Exodus, 412). These may be right, since Aaron fully understood what was wrong with this, and what the program was all about. The text gives no strong indication to support these ideas, but there are enough hints from the way Aaron does things to warrant such a conclusion.

[32:3]  ¹⁰⁶⁹ tn This “all” is a natural hyperbole in the narrative, for it means the large majority of the people.

[32:4]  ¹⁰⁷⁰ tn Here “the gold” has been supplied.

[32:4]  ¹⁰⁷¹ tn Heb “from their hand.”

[32:4]  ¹⁰⁷² tn The verb looks similar to יָצַר (yatsar), “to form, fashion” by a plan or a design. That is the verb used in Gen 2:7 for Yahweh God forming the man from the dust of the ground. If it is here, it is the reverse, a human – the dust of the ground – trying to form a god or gods. The active participle of this verb in Hebrew is “the potter.” A related noun is the word יֵצֶּר (yetser), “evil inclination,” the wicked designs or intent of the human heart (Gen 6:5). But see the discussion by B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 555-56) on a different reading, one that links the root to a hollow verb meaning “to cast out of metal” (as in 1 Kgs 7:15).

[32:4]  ¹⁰⁷³ sn The word means a “young bull” and need not be translated as “calf” (although “calf” has become the traditional rendering in English). The word could describe an animal three years old. Aaron probably made an inner structure of wood and then, after melting down the gold, plated it. The verb “molten” does not need to imply that the image was solid gold; the word is used in Isa 30:22 for gold plating. So it was a young bull calf that was overlaid with gold, and the gold was fashioned with the stylus.

[32:4]  ¹⁰⁷⁴ tn The word could be singular here and earlier; here it would then be “this is your god, O Israel.” However, the use of “these” indicates more than one god was meant by the image. But their statement and their statue, although they do not use the holy name, violate the first two commandments.

[32:5]  ¹⁰⁷⁵ tn The preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive is subordinated as a temporal clause to the next preterite.

[32:5]  ¹⁰⁷⁶ tn The word “this” has been supplied.

[32:5]  ¹⁰⁷⁷ tn “Before it” means before the deity in the form of the calf. Aaron tried to redirect their worship to Yahweh, but the people had already broken down the barrier and were beyond control (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 413).

[32:5]  ¹⁰⁷⁸ tn Heb “called.”

[32:5]  ¹⁰⁷⁹ sn The word is חַג (khag), the pilgrim’s festival. This was the word used by Moses for their pilgrimage into the wilderness. Aaron seems here to be trying to do what Moses had intended they do, make a feast to Yahweh at Sinai, but his efforts will not compete with the idol. As B. Jacob says, Aaron saw all this happening and tried to rescue the true belief (Exodus, 941).

[32:6]  ¹⁰⁸⁰ tn The second infinitive is an infinitive absolute. The first is an infinitive construct with a lamed (ל) preposition, expressing the purpose of their sitting down. The infinitive absolute that follows cannot take the preposition, but with the conjunction follows the force of the form before it (see GKC 340 §113.e).

[32:6]  ¹⁰⁸¹ tn The form is לְצַחֵק (lÿtsakheq), a Piel infinitive construct, giving the purpose of their rising up after the festal meal. On the surface it would seem that with the festival there would be singing and dancing, so that the people were celebrating even though they did not know the reason. W. C. Kaiser says the word means “drunken immoral orgies and sexual play” (“Exodus,” EBC 2:478). That is quite an assumption for this word, but is reflected in some recent English versions (e.g., NCV “got up and sinned sexually”; TEV “an orgy of drinking and sex”). The word means “to play, trifle.” It can have other meanings, depending on its contexts. It is used of Lot when he warned his sons-in-law and appeared as one who “mocked” them; it is also used of Ishmael “playing” with Isaac, which Paul interprets as mocking; it is used of Isaac “playing” with his wife in a manner that revealed to Abimelech that they were not brother and sister, and it is used by Potiphar’s wife to say that her husband brought this slave Joseph in to “mock” them. The most that can be gathered from these is that it is playful teasing, serious mocking, or playful caresses. It might fit with wild orgies, but there is no indication of that in this passage, and the word does not mean it. The fact that they were festive and playing before an idol was sufficient.

[32:7]  ¹⁰⁸² tn The two imperatives could also express one idea: “get down there.” In other words, “Make haste to get down.”

[32:7]  ¹⁰⁸³ sn By giving the people to Moses in this way, God is saying that they have no longer any right to claim him as their God, since they have shared his honor with another. This is God’s talionic response to their “These are your gods who brought you up.” The use of these pronoun changes also would form an appeal to Moses to respond, since Moses knew that God had brought them up from Egypt.

[32:8]  ¹⁰⁸⁴ tn The verb is a perfect tense, reflecting the present perfect nuance: “they have turned aside” and are still disobedient. But the verb is modified with the adverb “quickly” (actually a Piel infinitive absolute). It has been only a matter of weeks since they heard the voice of God prohibiting this.

[32:9]  ¹⁰⁸⁵ sn This is a bold anthropomorphism; it is as if God has now had a chance to get to know these people and has discovered how rebellious they are. The point of the figure is that there has been discernible evidence of their nature.

[32:9]  ¹⁰⁸⁶ tn Heb “and behold” or “and look.” The expression directs attention in order to persuade the hearer.

[32:9]  ¹⁰⁸⁷ sn B. Jacob says the image is that of the people walking before God, and when he called to them the directions, they would not bend their neck to listen; they were resolute in doing what they intended to do (Exodus, 943). The figure describes them as refusing to submit, but resisting in pride.

[32:10]  ¹⁰⁸⁸ tn The imperative, from the word “to rest” (נוּחַ, nuakh), has the sense of “leave me alone, let me be.” It is a directive for Moses not to intercede for the people. B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 567) reflects the Jewish interpretation that there is a profound paradox in God’s words. He vows the severest punishment but then suddenly conditions it on Moses’ agreement. “Let me alone that I may consume them” is the statement, but the effect is that he has left the door open for intercession. He allows himself to be persuaded – that is what a mediator is for. God could have slammed the door (as when Moses wanted to go into the promised land). Moreover, by alluding to the promise to Abraham God gave Moses the strongest reason to intercede.

[32:11]  ¹⁰⁸⁹ tn S. R. Driver (Exodus, 351) draws on Arabic to show that the meaning of this verb (חָלָה, khalah) was properly “make sweet the face” or “stroke the face”; so here “to entreat, seek to conciliate.” In this prayer, Driver adds, Moses urges four motives for mercy: 1) Israel is Yahweh’s people, 2) Israel’s deliverance has demanded great power, 3) the Egyptians would mock if the people now perished, and 4) the oath God made to the fathers.

[32:12]  ¹⁰⁹⁰ tn The question is rhetorical; it really forms an affirmation that is used here as a reason for the request (see GKC 474 §150.e).

[32:12]  ¹⁰⁹¹ tn Heb “speak, saying.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[32:12]  ¹⁰⁹² tn The word “evil” means any kind of life-threatening or fatal calamity. “Evil” is that which hinders life, interrupts life, causes pain to life, or destroys it. The Egyptians would conclude that such a God would have no good intent in taking his people to the desert if now he destroyed them.

[32:12]  ¹⁰⁹³ tn The form is a Piel infinitive construct from כָּלָה (kalah, “to complete, finish”) but in this stem, “bring to an end, destroy.” As a purpose infinitive this expresses what the Egyptians would have thought of God’s motive.

[32:12]  ¹⁰⁹⁴ tn The verb “repent, relent” when used of God is certainly an anthropomorphism. It expresses the deep pain that one would have over a situation. Earlier God repented that he had made humans (Gen 6:6). Here Moses is asking God to repent/relent over the judgment he was about to bring, meaning that he should be moved by such compassion that there would be no judgment like that. J. P. Hyatt observes that the Bible uses so many anthropomorphisms because the Israelites conceived of God as a dynamic and living person in a vital relationship with people, responding to their needs and attitudes and actions (Exodus [NCBC], 307). See H. V. D. Parunak, “A Semantic Survey of NHM,” Bib 56 (1975): 512-32.

[32:13]  ¹⁰⁹⁵ tn Heb “your seed.”

[32:13]  ¹⁰⁹⁶ tn “about” has been supplied.

[32:13]  ¹⁰⁹⁷ tn Heb “seed.”

[32:15]  ¹⁰⁹⁸ tn The disjunctive vav (ו) serves here as a circumstantial clause indicator.

[32:17]  ¹⁰⁹⁹ sn See F. C. Fensham, “New Light from Ugaritica V on Ex, 32:17 (br’h),” JNSL 2 (1972): 86-7.

[32:18]  ¹¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:18]  ¹¹⁰¹ tn Heb “the sound of the answering of might,” meaning it is not the sound of shouting in victory (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 418).

[32:18]  ¹¹⁰² tn Heb “the sound of the answering of weakness,” meaning the cry of the defeated (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 415).

[32:18]  ¹¹⁰³ tn Heb “answering in song” (a play on the twofold meaning of the word).

[32:18]  ¹¹⁰⁴ sn See A. Newman, “Compositional Analysis and Functional Ambiguity Equivalence: Translating Exodus 32, 17-18,” Babel 21 (1975): 29-35.

[32:19]  ¹¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “and the anger of Moses burned hot.”

[32:19]  ¹¹⁰⁶ sn See N. M. Waldham, “The Breaking of the Tablets,” Judaism 27 (1978): 442-47.

[32:20]  ¹¹⁰⁷ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[32:20]  ¹¹⁰⁸ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[32:22]  ¹¹⁰⁹ sn “My lord” refers to Moses.

[32:22]  ¹¹¹⁰ tn Heb “that on evil it is.”

[32:24]  ¹¹¹¹ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[32:24]  ¹¹¹² sn Aaron first tried to blame the people, and then he tried to make it sound like a miracle – was it to sound like one of the plagues where out of the furnace came life? This text does not mention it, but Deut 9:20 tells how angry God was with Aaron. Only intercession saved his life.

[32:25]  ¹¹¹³ tn The word is difficult to interpret. There does not seem to be enough evidence to justify the KJV’s translation “naked.” It appears to mean something like “let loose” or “lack restraint” (Prov 29:18). The idea seems to be that the people had broken loose, were undisciplined, and were completely given over to their desires.

[32:25]  ¹¹¹⁴ tn The last two words of the verse read literally “for a whispering among those who rose up against them.” The foes would have mocked and derided them when they heard that they had abandoned the God who had led them out of Egypt (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 354).

[32:26]  ¹¹¹⁵ tn “come” is not in the text, but has been supplied.

[32:26]  ¹¹¹⁶ tn S. R. Driver suggests that the command was tersely put: “Who is for Yahweh? To me!” (Exodus, 354).

[32:27]  ¹¹¹⁷ tn Heb “put.”

[32:27]  ¹¹¹⁸ tn The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys: “pass over and return,” meaning, “go back and forth” throughout the camp.

[32:27]  ¹¹¹⁹ tn The phrases have “and kill a man his brother, and a man his companion, and a man his neighbor.” The instructions were probably intended to mean that they should kill leaders they knew to be guilty because they had been seen or because they failed the water test – whoever they were.

[32:28]  ¹¹²⁰ tn Heb “did according to the word of Moses.”

[32:28]  ¹¹²¹ tn Heb “fell.”

[32:29]  ¹¹²² tn Heb “Your hand was filled.” The phrase “fill your hands” is a familiar expression having to do with commissioning and devotion to a task that is earlier used in 28:41; 29:9, 29, 33, 35. This has usually been explained as a Qal imperative. S. R. Driver explains it “Fill your hand today,” meaning, take a sacrifice to God and be installed in the priesthood (Exodus, 355). But it probably is a Piel perfect, meaning “they have filled your hands today,” or, “your hand was filled today.” This was an expression meant to say that they had been faithful to God even though it turned them against family and friends – but God would give them a blessing.

[32:29]  ¹¹²³ tn The text simply has “and to give on you today a blessing.” Gesenius notes that the infinitive construct seems to be attached with a vav (ו; like the infinitive absolute) as the continuation of a previous finite verb. He reads the verb “fill” as an imperative: “fill your hand today…and that to bring a blessing on you, i.e., that you may be blessed” (see GKC 351 §114.p). If the preceding verb is taken as perfect tense, however, then this would also be perfect – “he has blessed you today.”

[32:30]  ¹¹²⁴ tn Heb “and it was on the morrow and Moses said to the people.”

[32:30]  ¹¹²⁵ tn The text uses a cognate accusative: “you have sinned a great sin.”

[32:30]  ¹¹²⁶ tn The form אֲכַפְּרָה (’akhappÿrah) is a Piel cohortative/imperfect. Here with only a possibility of being successful, a potential imperfect nuance works best.

[32:31]  ¹¹²⁷ tn As before, the cognate accusative is used; it would literally be “this people has sinned a great sin.”

[32:32]  ¹¹²⁸ tn The apodosis is not expressed; it would be understood as “good.” It is not stated because of the intensity of the expression (the figure is aposiopesis, a sudden silence). It is also possible to take this first clause as a desire and not a conditional clause, rendering it “Oh that you would forgive!”

[32:32]  ¹¹²⁹ tn The word “wipe” is a figure of speech indicating “remove me” (meaning he wants to die). The translation “blot” is traditional, but not very satisfactory, since it does not convey complete removal.

[32:32]  ¹¹³⁰ sn The book that is referred to here should not be interpreted as the NT “book of life” which is portrayed (figuratively) as a register of all the names of the saints who are redeemed and will inherit eternal life. Here it refers to the names of those who are living and serving in this life, whose names, it was imagined, were on the roster in the heavenly courts as belonging to the chosen. Moses would rather die than live if these people are not forgiven (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 356).

[32:34]  ¹¹³¹ tn Heb “behold, look.” Moses should take this fact into consideration.

[32:34]  ¹¹³² sn The Law said that God would not clear the guilty. But here the punishment is postponed to some future date when he would revisit this matter. Others have taken the line to mean that whenever a reckoning was considered necessary, then this sin would be included (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 957). The repetition of the verb traditionally rendered “visit” in both clauses puts emphasis on the certainty – so “indeed.”

[32:35]  ¹¹³³ tn The verse is difficult because of the double reference to the making of the calf. The NJPS’s translation tries to reconcile the two by reading “for what they did with the calf that Aaron had made.” B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 557) explains in some detail why this is not a good translation based on syntactical grounds; he opts for the conclusion that the last three words are a clumsy secondary addition. It seems preferable to take the view that both are true, Aaron is singled out for his obvious lead in the sin, but the people sinned by instigating the whole thing.

[32:35]  ¹¹³⁴ sn Most commentators have difficulty with this verse. W. C. Kaiser says the strict chronology is not always kept, and so the plague here may very well refer to the killing of the three thousand (“Exodus,” EBC 2:481).

[33:1]  ¹¹³⁵ tn The two imperatives underscore the immediacy of the demand: “go, go up,” meaning “get going up” or “be on your way.”

[33:1]  ¹¹³⁶ tn Or “the land which I swore.”

[33:1]  ¹¹³⁷ tn Heb “seed.”

[33:2]  ¹¹³⁸ sn This seems not to be the same as the Angel of the Presence introduced before.

[33:2]  ¹¹³⁹ sn See T. Ishida, “The Structure and Historical Implications of Lists of Pre-Israelite Nations,” Bib (1979): 461-90.

[33:3]  ¹¹⁴⁰ tn This verse seems to be a continuation of the command to “go up” since it begins with “to a land….” The intervening clauses are therefore parenthetical or relative. But the translation is made simpler by supplying the verb.

[33:3]  ¹¹⁴¹ tn This is a strong adversative here, “but.”

[33:3]  ¹¹⁴² tn The clause is “lest I consume you.” It would go with the decision not to accompany them: “I will not go up with you…lest I consume (destroy) you in the way.” The verse is saying that because of the people’s bent to rebellion, Yahweh would not remain in their midst as he had formerly said he would do. Their lives would be at risk if he did.

[33:4]  ¹¹⁴³ tn Or “bad news” (NAB, NCV).

[33:4]  ¹¹⁴⁴ sn The people would rather have risked divine discipline than to go without Yahweh in their midst. So they mourned, and they took off the ornaments. Such had been used in making the golden calf, and so because of their association with all of that they were to be removed as a sign of remorse.

[33:5]  ¹¹⁴⁵ tn The verse simply begins “And Yahweh said.” But it is clearly meant to be explanatory for the preceding action of the people.

[33:5]  ¹¹⁴⁶ tn The construction is formed with a simple imperfect in the first half and a perfect tense with vav (ו) in the second half. Heb “[in] one moment I will go up in your midst and I will destroy you.” The verse is certainly not intended to say that God was about to destroy them. That, plus the fact that he has announced he will not go in their midst, leads most commentators to take this as a conditional clause: “If I were to do such and such, then….”

[33:5]  ¹¹⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew text also has “from on you.”

[33:5]  ¹¹⁴⁸ tn The form is the cohortative with a vav (ו) following the imperative; it therefore expresses the purpose or result: “strip off…that I may know.” The call to remove the ornaments must have been perceived as a call to show true repentance for what had happened. If they repented, then God would know how to deal with them.

[33:5]  ¹¹⁴⁹ tn This last clause begins with the interrogative “what,” but it is used here as an indirect interrogative. It introduces a noun clause, the object of the verb “know.”

[33:7]  ¹¹⁵⁰ sn This unit of the book could actually include all of chap. 33, starting with the point of the Lord’s withdrawal from the people. If that section is not part of the exposition, it would have to be explained as the background. The point is that sinfulness prevents the active presence of the Lord leading his people. But then the rest of chap. 33 forms the development. In vv. 7-11 there is the gracious provision: the Lord reveals through his faithful mediator. The Lord was leading his people, but now more remotely because of their sin. Then, in vv. 12-17 Moses intercedes for the people, and the intercession of the mediator guarantees the Lord’s presence. The point of all of this is that God wanted the people to come to know that if he was not with them they should not go. Finally, the presence of the Lord is verified to the mediator by a special revelation (18-23). The point of the whole chapter is that by his grace the Lord renews the promise of his presence by special revelation.

[33:7]  ¹¹⁵¹ tn Heb “and Moses took.”

[33:7]  ¹¹⁵² sn A widespread contemporary view is that this section represents a source that thought the tent of meeting was already erected (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 359). But the better view is that this is a temporary tent used for meeting the Lord. U. Cassuto explains this view very well (Exodus, 429-30), namely, that because the building of the tabernacle was now in doubt if the Lord was not going to be in their midst, another plan seemed necessary. Moses took this tent, his tent, and put some distance between the camp and it. Here he would use the tent as the place to meet God, calling it by the same name since it was a surrogate tent. Thus, the entire section was a temporary means of meeting God, until the current wrath was past.

[33:7]  ¹¹⁵³ tn The infinitive absolute is used here as an adverb (see GKC 341 §113.h).

[33:7]  ¹¹⁵⁴ tn The clause begins with “and it was,” the perfect tense with the vav conjunction. The imperfect tenses in this section are customary, describing what used to happen (others describe the verbs as frequentative). See GKC 315 §107.e.

[33:7]  ¹¹⁵⁵ tn The form is the Piel participle. The seeking here would indicate seeking an oracle from Yahweh or seeking to find a resolution for some difficulty (as in 2 Sam 21:1) or even perhaps coming with a sacrifice. B. Jacob notes that the tent was even here a place of prayer, for the benefit of the people (Exodus, 961). It is not known how long this location was used.

[33:8]  ¹¹⁵⁶ tn The clause is introduced again with “and it was.” The perfect tense here with the vav (ו) is used to continue the sequence of actions that were done repeatedly in the past (see GKC 331-32 §112.e). The temporal clause is then formed with the infinitive construct of יָצָא (yatsa’), with “Moses” as the subjective genitive: “and it was according to the going out of Moses.”

[33:8]  ¹¹⁵⁷ tn Or “rise up.”

[33:8]  ¹¹⁵⁸ tn The subject of this verb is specified with the individualizing use of “man”: “and all Israel would station themselves, each person (man) at the entrance to his tent.”

[33:8]  ¹¹⁵⁹ tn The perfect tense with the vav (ו) continues the sequence of the customary imperfect. The people “would gaze” (after) Moses until he entered the tent.

[33:8]  ¹¹⁶⁰ tn This is a temporal clause using an infinitive construct with a suffixed subject.

[33:9]  ¹¹⁶¹ tn Heb “and it was when.”

[33:9]  ¹¹⁶² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:9]  ¹¹⁶³ tn Both verbs, “stand” and “speak,” are perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutive.

[33:10]  ¹¹⁶⁴ tn All the main verbs in this verse are perfect tenses continuing the customary sequence (see GKC 337 §112.kk). The idea is that the people would get up (rise) when the cloud was there and then worship, meaning in part bow down. When the cloud was not there, there was access to seek God.

[33:11]  ¹¹⁶⁵ tn “Face to face” is circumstantial to the action of the verb, explaining how they spoke (see GKC 489-90 §156.c). The point of this note of friendly relationship with Moses is that Moses was “at home” in this tent speaking with God. Moses would derive courage from this when he interceded for the people (B. Jacob, Exodus, 966).

[33:11]  ¹¹⁶⁶ tn The verb in this clause is a progressive imperfect.

[33:11]  ¹¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:11]  ¹¹⁶⁸ sn Moses did not live in the tent. But Joshua remained there most of the time to guard the tent, it seems, lest any of the people approach it out of curiosity.

[33:12]  ¹¹⁶⁹ tn The Hiphil imperative is from the same verb that has been used before for bringing the people up from Egypt and leading them to Canaan.

[33:12]  ¹¹⁷⁰ tn That is, “chosen you.”

[33:13]  ¹¹⁷¹ tn The prayer uses the Hiphil imperative of the verb “to know.” “Cause me to know” is “show me, reveal to me, teach or inform me.” Moses wanted to know more of God’s dealings with people, especially after all that has happened in the preceding chapter.

[33:13]  ¹¹⁷² tn The imperfect tense of the verb “to know” with the vav follows the imperative of this root, and so this indicates the purpose clause (final imperfect): “in order that I may know you.” S. R. Driver summarizes it this way: that I may understand what your nature and character is, and shape my petitions accordingly, so that I may find grace in your sight, and my future prayers may be answered (Exodus, 361).

[33:13]  ¹¹⁷³ tn The purpose clause simply uses the imperfect, “that I may find.” But since he already has found favor in God’s eyes, he is clearly praying that it be so in the future as well as now.

[33:13]  ¹¹⁷⁴ tn The verb “see” (an imperative) is a request for God to acknowledge Israel as his people by providing the divine leadership needed. So his main appeal will be for the people and not himself. To underscore this, he repeats “see” the way the section opened.

[33:14]  ¹¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:14]  ¹¹⁷⁶ sn Heb “my face.” This represents the presence of Yahweh going with the people (see 2 Sam 17:11 for an illustration). The “presence” probably refers to the angel of the presence or some similar manifestation of God’s leading and caring for his people.

[33:14]  ¹¹⁷⁷ tn The phrase “with you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[33:14]  ¹¹⁷⁸ sn The expression certainly refers to the peace of mind and security of knowing that God was with them. But the expression came to mean “settle them in the land of promise” and give them rest and peace from their enemies. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 434) observes how in 32:10 God had told Moses, “Leave me alone” (“give me rest”), but now he promises to give them rest. The parallelism underscores the great transition through intercession.

[33:15]  ¹¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:15]  ¹¹⁸⁰ tn The construction uses the active participle to stress the continual going of the presence: if there is not your face going.

[33:15]  ¹¹⁸¹ tn “with us” has been supplied.

[33:15]  ¹¹⁸² tn Heb “from this.”

[33:16]  ¹¹⁸³ sn See W. Brueggemann, “The Crisis and Promise of Presence in Israel,” HBT 1 (1979): 47-86; and N. M. Waldman, “God’s Ways – A Comparative Note,” JQR 70 (1979): 67-70.

[33:17]  ¹¹⁸⁴ tn The verb in this place is a preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive, judging from the pointing. It then follows in sequence the verb “you have found favor,” meaning you stand in that favor, and so it means “I have known you” and still do (equal to the present perfect). The emphasis, however, is on the results of the action, and so “I know you.”

[33:18]  ¹¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:18]  ¹¹⁸⁶ sn Moses now wanted to see the glory of Yahweh, more than what he had already seen and experienced. He wanted to see God in all his majesty. The LXX chose to translate this without a word for “glory” or “honor”; instead they used the pronoun seautou, “yourself” – show me the real You. God tells him that he cannot see it fully, but in part. It will be enough for Moses to disclose to him the reality of the divine presence as well as God’s moral nature. It would be impossible for Moses to comprehend all of the nature of God, for there is a boundary between God and man. But God would let him see his goodness, the sum of his nature, pass by in a flash. B. Jacob (Exodus, 972) says that the glory refers to God’s majesty, might, and glory, as manifested in nature, in his providence, his laws, and his judgments. He adds that this glory should and would be made visible to man – that was its purpose in the world.

[33:19]  ¹¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:19]  ¹¹⁸⁸ sn The word “goodness” refers to the divine appearance in summary fashion.

[33:19]  ¹¹⁸⁹ tn The expression “make proclamation in the name of Yahweh” (here a perfect tense with vav [ו] consecutive for future) means to declare, reveal, or otherwise make proclamation of who Yahweh is. The “name of Yahweh” (rendered “the name of the Lord” throughout) refers to his divine attributes revealed to his people, either in word or deed. What will be focused on first will be his grace and compassion.

[33:19]  ¹¹⁹⁰ sn God declares his mercy and grace in similar terms to his earlier self-revelation (“I am that I am”): “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, the grace and mercy of God are bound up in his own will. Obviously, in this passage the recipients of that favor are the penitent Israelites who were forgiven through Moses’ intercession. The two words are at the heart of God’s dealings with people. The first is חָנַן (khanan, “to be gracious, show favor”). It means to grant favor or grace to someone, grace meaning unmerited favor. All of God’s dealings are gracious, but especially in forgiving sins and granting salvation it is critical. Parallel to this is רָחַם (rakham), a word that means “show compassion, tender mercy.” It is a word that is related to the noun “womb,” the connection being in providing care and protection for that which is helpless and dependent – a motherly quality. In both of these constructions the verbs simply express what God will do, without explaining why. See further, J. R. Lundbom, “God’s Use of the Idem per idem to Terminate Debate,” HTR 71 (1978): 193-201; and J. Piper, “Prolegomena to Understanding Romans 9:14-15: An Interpretation of Exodus 33:19,” JETS 22 (1979): 203-16.

[33:20]  ¹¹⁹¹ tn In view of the use of the verb “can, be able to” in the first clause, this imperfect tense is given a potential nuance.

[33:20]  ¹¹⁹² tn Gesenius notes that sometimes a negative statement takes the place of a conditional clause; here it is equal to “if a man sees me he does not live” (GKC 498 §159.gg). The other passages that teach this are Gen 32:30; Deut 4:33, 5:24, 26; Judg 6:22, 13:22, and Isa 6:5.

[33:21]  ¹¹⁹³ tn The deictic particle is used here simply to call attention to a place of God’s knowing and choosing.

[33:21]  ¹¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “and you will,” or interpretively, “where you will.”

[33:22]  ¹¹⁹⁵ sn Note the use in Exod 40:3, “and you will screen the ark with the curtain.” The glory is covered, veiled from being seen.

[33:22]  ¹¹⁹⁶ tn The circumstantial clause is simply, “my hand [being] over you.” This protecting hand of Yahweh represents a fairly common theme in the Bible.

[33:22]  ¹¹⁹⁷ tn The construction has a preposition with an infinitive construct and a suffix: “while [or until] I pass by” (Heb “in the passing by of me”).

[33:23]  ¹¹⁹⁸ tn The plural “my backs” is according to Gesenius an extension plural (compare “face,” a dual in Hebrew). The word denotes a locality in general, but that is composed of numerous parts (see GKC 397 §124.b). W. C. Kaiser says that since God is a spirit, the meaning of this word could just as easily be rendered “after effects” of his presence (“Exodus,” EBC 2:484). As S. R. Driver says, though, while this may indicate just the “afterglow” that he leaves behind him, it was enough to suggest what the full brilliancy of his presence must be (Exodus, 363; see also Job 26:14).

[33:23]  ¹¹⁹⁹ tn The Niphal imperfect could simply be rendered “will not be seen,” but given the emphasis of the preceding verses, it is more binding than that, and so a negated obligatory imperfect fits better: “it must not be seen.” It would also be possible to render it with a potential imperfect tense: “it cannot be seen.”

[34:1]  ¹²⁰⁰ sn The restoration of the faltering community continues in this chapter. First, Moses is instructed to make new tablets and take them to the mountain (1-4). Then, through the promised theophany God proclaims his moral character (5-8). Moses responds with the reiteration of the intercession (8), and God responds with the renewal of the covenant (10-28). To put these into expository form, as principles, the chapter would run as follows: I. God provides for spiritual renewal (1-4), II. God reminds people of his moral standard (5-9), III. God renews his covenant promises and stipulations (10-28).

[34:1]  ¹²⁰¹ tn The imperative is followed by the preposition with a suffix expressing the ethical dative; it strengthens the instruction for Moses. Interestingly, the verb “cut out, chisel, hew,” is the same verb from which the word for a “graven image” is derived – פָּסַל (pasal).

[34:1]  ¹²⁰² tn The perfect tense with vav consecutive makes the value of this verb equal to an imperfect tense, probably a simple future here.

[34:2]  ¹²⁰³ tn The form is a Niphal participle that means “be prepared, be ready.” This probably means that Moses was to do in preparation what the congregation had to do back in Exod 19:11-15.

[34:2]  ¹²⁰⁴ sn The same word is used in Exod 33:21. It is as if Moses was to be at his post when Yahweh wanted to communicate to him.

[34:4]  ¹²⁰⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified here and the name “Moses,” which occurs later in this verse, has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”), both for stylistic reasons.

[34:4]  ¹²⁰⁶ sn Deuteronomy says that Moses was also to make an ark of acacia wood before the tablets, apparently to put the tablets in until the sanctuary was built. But this ark may not have been the ark built later; or, it might be the wood box, but Bezalel still had to do all the golden work with it.

[34:4]  ¹²⁰⁷ tn The line reads “and Moses got up early in the morning and went up.” These verbs likely form a verbal hendiadys, the first one with its prepositional phrase serving in an adverbial sense.

[34:5]  ¹²⁰⁸ tn Some commentaries wish to make Moses the subject of the second and the third verbs, the first because he was told to stand there and this verb suggests he did it, and the last because it sounds like he was worshiping Yahweh (cf. NASB). But it is clear from v. 6 that Yahweh was the subject of the last clause of v. 5 – v. 6 tells how he did it. So if Yahweh is the subject of the first and last clauses of v. 5, it seems simpler that he also be the subject of the second. Moses took his stand there, but God stood by him (B. Jacob, Exodus, 981; U. Cassuto, Exodus, 439). There is no reason to make Moses the subject in any of the verbs of v. 5.

[34:6]  ¹²⁰⁹ tn Here is one of the clearest examples of what it means “to call on the name of the Lord,” as that clause has been translated traditionally (וַיִּקְרָא בְשֵׁם יְהוָה, vayyiqra’ vÿshem yÿhvah). It seems more likely that it means “to make proclamation of Yahweh by name.” Yahweh came down and made a proclamation – and the next verses give the content of what he said. This cannot be prayer or praise; it is a proclamation of the nature or attributes of God (which is what his “name” means throughout the Bible). Attempts to make Moses the subject of the verb are awkward, for the verb is repeated in v. 6 with Yahweh clearly doing the proclaiming.

[34:6]  ¹²¹⁰ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 439) suggests that these two names be written as a sentence: “Yahweh, He is Yahweh.” In this manner it reflects “I am that I am.” It is impossible to define his name in any other way than to make this affirmation and then show what it means.

[34:6]  ¹²¹¹ tn See Exod 33:19.

[34:6]  ¹²¹² sn This is literally “long of anger.” His anger prolongs itself, allowing for people to repent before punishment is inflicted.

[34:6]  ¹²¹³ sn These two words (“loyal love” and “truth”) are often found together, occasionally in a hendiadys construction. If that is the interpretation here, then it means “faithful covenant love.” Even if they are left separate, they are dual elements of a single quality. The first word is God’s faithful covenant love; the second word is God’s reliability and faithfulness.

[34:7]  ¹²¹⁴ tn That is, “for thousands of generations.”

[34:7]  ¹²¹⁵ sn As in the ten commandments (20:5-6), this expression shows that the iniquity and its punishment will continue in the family if left unchecked. This does not go on as long as the outcomes for good (thousands versus third or fourth generations), and it is limited to those who hate God.

[34:8]  ¹²¹⁶ tn The first two verbs form a hendiadys: “he hurried…he bowed,” meaning “he quickly bowed down.”

[34:9]  ¹²¹⁷ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” two times here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[34:9]  ¹²¹⁸ tn Heb “it is.” Hebrew uses the third person masculine singular pronoun here in agreement with the noun “people.”

[34:10]  ¹²¹⁹ tn Here again is a use of the futur instans participle; the deictic particle plus the pronoun precedes the participle, showing what is about to happen.

[34:10]  ¹²²⁰ tn The verb here is בָּרָא (bara’, “to create”). The choice of this verb is to stress that these wonders would be supernaturally performed, for the verb is used only with God as the subject.

[34:10]  ¹²²¹ sn The idea is that God will be doing awesome things in dealing with them, i.e., to fulfill his program.

[34:11]  ¹²²² tn The covenant duties begin with this command to “keep well” what is being commanded. The Hebrew expression is “keep for you”; the preposition and the suffix form the ethical dative, adding strength to the imperative.

[34:11]  ¹²²³ tn Again, this is the futur instans use of the participle.

[34:12]  ¹²²⁴ tn The exact expression is “take heed to yourself lest you make.” It is the second use of this verb in the duties, now in the Niphal stem. To take heed to yourself means to watch yourself, be sure not to do something. Here, if they failed to do this, they would end up making entangling treaties.

[34:12]  ¹²²⁵ sn A snare would be a trap, an allurement to ruin. See Exod 23:33.

[34:13]  ¹²²⁶ tn Or “images of Asherah”; ASV, NASB “their Asherim”; NCV “their Asherah idols.”

[34:14]  ¹²²⁷ tn Heb “bow down.”

[34:14]  ¹²²⁸ sn In Exod 20:3 it was “gods.”

[34:14]  ¹²²⁹ sn Here, too, the emphasis on God’s being a jealous God is repeated (see Exod 20:5). The use of “name” here is to stress that this is his nature, his character.

[34:15]  ¹²³⁰ tn The sentence begins simply “lest you make a covenant”; it is undoubtedly a continuation of the imperative introduced earlier, and so that is supplied here.

[34:15]  ¹²³¹ tn The verb is a perfect with a vav consecutive. In the literal form of the sentence, this clause tells what might happen if the people made a covenant with the inhabitants of the land: “Take heed…lest you make a covenant…and then they prostitute themselves…and sacrifice…and invite…and you eat.” The sequence lays out an entire scenario.

[34:15]  ¹²³² tn The verb זָנָה (zanah) means “to play the prostitute; to commit whoredom; to be a harlot” or something similar. It is used here and elsewhere in the Bible for departing from pure religion and engaging in pagan religion. The use of the word in this figurative sense is fitting, because the relationship between God and his people is pictured as a marriage, and to be unfaithful to it was a sin. This is also why God is described as a “jealous” or “impassioned” God. The figure may not be merely a metaphorical use, but perhaps a metonymy, since there actually was sexual immorality at the Canaanite altars and poles.

[34:15]  ¹²³³ tn There is no subject for the verb. It could be rendered “and one invites you,” or it could be made a passive.

[34:16]  ¹²³⁴ tn In the construction this verb would follow as a possible outcome of the last event, and so remain in the verbal sequence. If the people participate in the festivals of the land, then they will intermarry, and that could lead to further involvement with idolatry.

[34:18]  ¹²³⁵ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[34:18]  ¹²³⁶ tn The words “do this” have been supplied.

[34:19]  ¹²³⁷ tn Heb “everything that opens the womb.”

[34:19]  ¹²³⁸ tn Here too: everything that “opens [the womb].”

[34:19]  ¹²³⁹ tn The verb basically means “that drops a male.” The verb is feminine, referring to the cattle.

[34:20]  ¹²⁴⁰ tn Heb “and the one that opens [the womb of] the donkey.”

[34:20]  ¹²⁴¹ sn See G. Brin, “The Firstling of Unclean Animals,” JQR 68 (1971): 1-15.

[34:20]  ¹²⁴² tn The form is the adverb “empty.”

[34:21]  ¹²⁴³ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[34:21]  ¹²⁴⁴ tn Or “cease” (i.e., from the labors).

[34:21]  ¹²⁴⁵ sn See M. Dahood, “Vocative lamed in Exodus 2,4 and Merismus in 34,21,” Bib 62 (1981): 413-15.

[34:21]  ¹²⁴⁶ tn The imperfect tense expresses injunction or instruction.

[34:22]  ¹²⁴⁷ tn The imperfect tense means “you will do”; it is followed by the preposition with a suffix to express the ethical dative to stress the subject.

[34:22]  ¹²⁴⁸ tn The expression is “the turn of the year,” which is parallel to “the going out of the year,” and means the end of the agricultural season.

[34:23]  ¹²⁴⁹ tn “Three times” is an adverbial accusative.

[34:23]  ¹²⁵⁰ tn Heb “all your males.”

[34:23]  ¹²⁵¹ tn Here the divine name reads in Hebrew הָאָדֹן יְהוָה (ha’adon yÿhvah), which if rendered according to the traditional scheme of “Lord” for “Yahweh” would result in “Lord Lord.” A number of English versions therefore render this phrase “Lord God,” and that convention has been followed here.

[34:24]  ¹²⁵² tn The verb is a Hiphil imperfect of יָרַשׁ (yarash), which means “to possess.” In the causative stem it can mean “dispossess” or “drive out.”

[34:24]  ¹²⁵³ sn The verb “covet” means more than desire; it means that some action will be taken to try to acquire the land that is being coveted. It is one thing to envy someone for their land; it is another to be consumed by the desire that stops at nothing to get it (it, not something like it).

[34:24]  ¹²⁵⁴ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct with a preposition and a suffixed subject to form the temporal clause.

[34:24]  ¹²⁵⁵ tn The expression “three times” is an adverbial accusative of time.

[34:25]  ¹²⁵⁶ sn See M. Haran, “The Passover Sacrifice,” Studies in the Religion of Ancient Israel (VTSup), 86-116.

[34:26]  ¹²⁵⁷ sn See the note on this same command in 23:19.

[34:27]  ¹²⁵⁸ tn Once again the preposition with the suffix follows the imperative, adding some emphasis to the subject of the verb.

[34:28]  ¹²⁵⁹ tn These too are adverbial in relation to the main clause, telling how long Moses was with Yahweh on the mountain.

[34:28]  ¹²⁶⁰ tn Heb “the ten words,” though “commandments” is traditional.

[34:29]  ¹²⁶¹ sn Now, at the culmination of the renewing of the covenant, comes the account of Moses’ shining face. It is important to read this in its context first, holding off on the connection to Paul’s discussion in 2 Corinthians. There is a delicate balance here in Exodus. On the one hand Moses’ shining face served to authenticate the message, but on the other hand Moses prevented the people from seeing more than they could handle. The subject matter in the OT, then, is how to authenticate the message. The section again can be subdivided into three points that develop the whole idea: I. The one who spends time with God reflects his glory (29-30). It will not always be as Moses; rather, the glory of the Lord is reflected differently today, but nonetheless reflected. II. The glory of Yahweh authenticates the message (31-32). III. The authentication of the message must be used cautiously with the weak and immature (33-35).

[34:29]  ¹²⁶² tn The temporal clause is composed of the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), followed by the temporal preposition, infinitive construct, and subjective genitive (“Moses”).

[34:29]  ¹²⁶³ tn The second clause begins with “and/now”; it is a circumstantial clause explaining that the tablets were in his hand. It repeats the temporal clause at the end.

[34:29]  ¹²⁶⁴ tn Heb “in the hand of Moses.”

[34:29]  ¹²⁶⁵ tn The temporal clause parallels the first temporal clause; it uses the same infinitive construct, but now with a suffix referring to Moses.

[34:29]  ¹²⁶⁶ tn Heb “and Moses.”

[34:29]  ¹²⁶⁷ tn The word קָרַן (qaran) is derived from the noun קֶרֶן (qeren) in the sense of a “ray of light” (see Hab 3:4). Something of the divine glory remained with Moses. The Greek translation of Aquila and the Latin Vulgate convey the idea that he had horns, the primary meaning of the word from which this word is derived. Some have tried to defend this, saying that the glory appeared like horns or that Moses covered his face with a mask adorned with horns. But in the text the subject of the verb is the skin of Moses’ face (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 449).

[34:30]  ¹²⁶⁸ tn This clause is introduced by the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh); it has the force of pointing to something surprising or sudden.

[34:33]  ¹²⁶⁹ tn Heb “and Moses finished”; the clause is subordinated as a temporal clause to the next clause.

[34:33]  ¹²⁷⁰ tn The Piel infinitive construct is the object of the preposition; the whole phrase serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”

[34:33]  ¹²⁷¹ tn Throughout this section the actions of Moses and the people are frequentative. The text tells what happened regularly.

[34:34]  ¹²⁷² tn The construction uses a infinitive construct for the temporal clause; it is prefixed with the temporal preposition: “and in the going in of Moses.”

[34:34]  ¹²⁷³ tn The temporal clause begins with the temporal preposition “until,” followed by an infinitive construct with the suffixed subjective genitive.

[34:34]  ¹²⁷⁴ tn The form is the Pual imperfect, but since the context demands a past tense here, in fact a past perfect tense, this is probably an old preterite form without a vav consecutive.

[34:35]  ¹²⁷⁵ tn Now the perfect tense with vav consecutive is subordinated to the next clause, “Moses returned the veil….”

[34:35]  ¹²⁷⁶ tn Verbs of seeing often take two accusatives. Here, the second is the noun clause explaining what it was about the face that they saw.

[34:35]  ¹²⁷⁷ tn Heb “with him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:1]  ¹²⁷⁸ tn Heb “to do them”; this is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[35:2]  ¹²⁷⁹ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[35:2]  ¹²⁸⁰ tn The word is קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holiness”). S. R. Driver suggests that the word was transposed, and the line should read: “a sabbath of entire rest, holy to Jehovah” (Exodus, 379). But the word may simply be taken as a substitution for “holy day.”

[35:2]  ¹²⁸¹ sn See on this H. Routtenberg, “The Laws of the Sabbath: Biblical Sources,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 41-43, 99-101, 153-55, 204-6; G. Robinson, “The Idea of Rest in the Old Testament and the Search for the Basic Character of Sabbath,” ZAW 92 (1980): 32-43.

[35:3]  ¹²⁸² sn Kindling a fire receives special attention here because the people thought that kindling a fire was not work, but only a preparation for some kind of work. The Law makes sure that this too was not done. But see also G. Robinson, “The Prohibition of Strange Fire in Ancient Israel: A Look at the Case of Gathering Wood and Kindling Fire on the Sabbath,” VT 28 (1978): 301-17.

[35:3]  ¹²⁸³ tn Heb “dwelling places”; KJV, ASV “habitations.”

[35:3]  ¹²⁸⁴ sn The presence of these three verses in this place has raised all kinds of questions. It may be that after the renewal of the covenant the people needed a reminder to obey God, and obeying the sign of the covenant was the starting point. But there is more to it than this; it is part of the narrative design of the book. It is the artistic design that puts the filling of the Spirit section (31:1-11) prior to the Sabbath laws (31:12-18) before the idolatry section, and then after the renewal there is the Sabbath reminder (35:1-3) before the filling of the Spirit material (35:4-36:7).

[35:4]  ¹²⁸⁵ sn The book now turns to record how all the work of the sanctuary was done. This next unit picks up on the ideas in Exod 31:1-11. But it adds several features. The first part is the instruction of God for all people to give willingly (35:4-19); the next section tells how the faithful brought an offering for the service of the tabernacle (35:20-29); the next section tells how God set some apart with special gifts (35:30-35), and finally, the narrative reports how the faithful people of God enthusiastically began the work (36:1-7).

[35:5]  ¹²⁸⁶ tn Heb “from with you.”

[35:5]  ¹²⁸⁷ tn “Heart” is a genitive of specification, clarifying in what way they might be “willing.” The heart refers to their will, their choices.

[35:5]  ¹²⁸⁸ tn The verb has a suffix that is the direct object, but the suffixed object is qualified by the second accusative: “let him bring it, an offering.”

[35:5]  ¹²⁸⁹ tn The phrase is literally “the offering of Yahweh”; it could be a simple possessive, “Yahweh’s offering,” but a genitive that indicates the indirect object is more appropriate.

[35:7]  ¹²⁹⁰ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[35:9]  ¹²⁹¹ tn Heb “and stones.”

[35:9]  ¹²⁹² tn Heb “filling.”

[35:10]  ¹²⁹³ tn Heb “wise of heart”; here also “heart” would be a genitive of specification, showing that there were those who could make skillful decisions.

[35:11]  ¹²⁹⁴ tn In Hebrew style all these items are typically connected with a vav (ו) conjunction, but English typically uses commas except between the last two items in a series or between items in a series that are somehow related to one another. The present translation follows contemporary English style in lists such as this.

[35:14]  ¹²⁹⁵ tn “for” has been supplied.

[35:21]  ¹²⁹⁶ tn Heb “man.”

[35:21]  ¹²⁹⁷ tn The verb means “lift up, bear, carry.” Here the subject is “heart” or will, and so the expression describes one moved within to act.

[35:21]  ¹²⁹⁸ tn Heb “his spirit made him willing.” The verb is used in Scripture for the freewill offering that people brought (Lev 7).

[35:21]  ¹²⁹⁹ tn Literally “the garments of holiness,” the genitive is the attributive genitive, marking out what type of garments these were.

[35:22]  ¹³⁰⁰ tn The expression in Hebrew is “men on/after the women,” meaning men with women, to ensure that it was clear that the preceding verse did not mean only men. B. Jacob takes it further, saying that the men came after the women because the latter had taken the initiative (Exodus, 1017).

[35:22]  ¹³⁰¹ tn Heb “all gold utensils.”

[35:22]  ¹³⁰² tn The verb could be translated “offered,” but it is cognate with the following noun that is the wave offering. This sentence underscores the freewill nature of the offerings people made. The word “came” is supplied from v. 21 and v. 22.

[35:23]  ¹³⁰³ tn The text uses a relative clause with a resumptive pronoun for this: “who was found with him,” meaning “with whom was found.”

[35:23]  ¹³⁰⁴ tn The conjunction in this verse is translated “or” because the sentence does not intend to say that each person had all these things. They brought what they had.

[35:23]  ¹³⁰⁵ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[35:23]  ¹³⁰⁶ tn Here “them” has been supplied.

[35:24]  ¹³⁰⁷ tn This translation takes “offering” as an adverbial accusative explaining the form or purpose of their bringing things. It could also be rendered as the direct object, but that would seem to repeat without much difference what had just been said.

[35:24]  ¹³⁰⁸ sn U. Cassuto notes that the expression “with whom was found” does not rule out the idea that these folks went out and cut down acacia trees (Exodus, 458). It is unlikely that they had much wood in their tents.

[35:24]  ¹³⁰⁹ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[35:25]  ¹³¹⁰ tn Heb “wisdom of heart,” which means that they were skilled and could make all the right choices about the work.

[35:26]  ¹³¹¹ tn The text simply uses a prepositional phrase, “with/in wisdom.” It seems to be qualifying “the women” as the relative clause is.

[35:27]  ¹³¹² tn Heb “and stones of the filling.”

[35:29]  ¹³¹³ tn Heb “by the hand of.”

[35:29]  ¹³¹⁴ tn Here “them” has been supplied.

[35:30]  ¹³¹⁵ tn Heb “called by name” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). This expression means that the person was specifically chosen for some important task (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 342). See the expression with Cyrus in Isa 45:3-4.

[35:33]  ¹³¹⁶ tn Heb “to set.”

[35:33]  ¹³¹⁷ tn Heb “in every work of thought,” meaning, every work that required the implementation of design or plan.

[35:34]  ¹³¹⁸ sn The expression means that God has given them the ability and the desire to teach others how to do the work. The infinitive construct “to teach” is related to the word Torah, “instruction, guide, law.” They will be able to direct others in the work.

[35:35]  ¹³¹⁹ tn The expression “wisdom of heart,” or “wisdom in heart,” means artistic skill. The decisions and plans they make are skilled. The expression forms a second accusative after the verb of filling.

[35:35]  ¹³²⁰ tn The expression “all the work” means “all kinds of work.”

[35:35]  ¹³²¹ tn Here “They are” has been supplied.

[35:35]  ¹³²² tn Heb “doers of all work.”

[35:35]  ¹³²³ tn Heb “designers of designs.”

[36:1]  ¹³²⁴ tn Heb “wise of [in] heart.”

[36:1]  ¹³²⁵ tn Heb “wisdom.”

[36:1]  ¹³²⁶ tn Heb “understanding, discernment.”

[36:1]  ¹³²⁷ tn The relative clause includes this infinitive clause that expresses either the purpose or the result of God’s giving wisdom and understanding to these folk.

[36:1]  ¹³²⁸ tn This noun is usually given an interpretive translation. B. Jacob renders the bound relationship as “the holy task” or “the sacred task” (Exodus, 1019). The NIV makes it “constructing,” so read “the work of constructing the sanctuary.”

[36:1]  ¹³²⁹ tn The first word of the verse is a perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it is singular because it agrees with the first of the compound subject. The sentence is a little cumbersome because of the extended relative clause in the middle.

[36:2]  ¹³³⁰ tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) plus the preposition “to” – “to call to” someone means “to summon” that person.

[36:2]  ¹³³¹ tn Here there is a slight change: “in whose heart Yahweh had put skill.”

[36:2]  ¹³³² tn Or “whose heart was willing.”

[36:2]  ¹³³³ sn The verb means more than “approach” or “draw near”; קָרַב (qarav) is the word used for drawing near the altar as in bringing an offering. Here they offer themselves, their talents and their time.

[36:3]  ¹³³⁴ tn In the Hebrew text the infinitive “to do it” comes after “sanctuary”; it makes a smoother rendering in English to move it forward, rather than reading “brought for the work.”

[36:3]  ¹³³⁵ tn Heb “in the morning, in the morning.”

[36:4]  ¹³³⁶ tn Heb “a man, a man from his work”; or “each one from his work.”

[36:5]  ¹³³⁷ tn The construction uses the verbal hendiadys: מַרְבִּים לְהָבִיא (marbim lÿhavi’) is the Hiphil participle followed (after the subject) by the Hiphil infinitive construct. It would read, “they multiply…to bring,” meaning, “they bring more” than is needed.

[36:5]  ¹³³⁸ tn Heb “for the service” (so KJV, ASV).

[36:5]  ¹³³⁹ tn The last clause is merely the infinitive with an object – “to do it.” It clearly means the skilled workers are to do it.

[36:6]  ¹³⁴⁰ tn The verse simply reads, “and Moses commanded and they caused [a voice] to cross over in the camp.” The second preterite with the vav may be subordinated to the first clause, giving the intent (purpose or result).

[36:6]  ¹³⁴¹ tn Heb “voice.”

[36:6]  ¹³⁴² tn The verse ends with the infinitive serving as the object of the preposition: “from bringing.”

[36:7]  ¹³⁴³ tn This part of the sentence comes from the final verb, the Hiphil infinitive – leave over, meaning, have more than enough (see BDB 451 s.v. יָתַר).

[36:7]  ¹³⁴⁴ tn Heb “for all the work, to do it.”

[36:10]  ¹³⁴⁵ tn The verb is singular since it probably is referring to Bezalel, but since he would not do all the work himself, it may be that the verbs could be given a plural subject: “they joined.”

[36:10]  ¹³⁴⁶ tn The words “the other” have been supplied.

[36:13]  ¹³⁴⁷ tn Heb “one.”

[36:14]  ¹³⁴⁸ tn Heb “eleven curtains he made them.”

[36:18]  ¹³⁴⁹ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct from the verb “to be” to express this purpose clause: “to be one,” or, “so that it might be a unit.”

[36:19]  ¹³⁵⁰ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[36:20]  ¹³⁵¹ tn There is debate whether the word הַקְּרָשִׁים (haqqÿrashim) means “boards” or “frames” or “planks” (see Ezek 27:6) or “beams,” given the size of them. The literature on this includes M. Haran, “The Priestly Image of the Tabernacle,” HUCA 36 (1965): 192; B. A. Levine, “The Description of the Tabernacle Texts of the Pentateuch,” JAOS 85 (1965): 307-18; J. Morgenstern, “The Ark, the Ephod, and the Tent,” HUCA 17 (1942/43): 153-265; 18 (1943/44): 1-52.

[36:20]  ¹³⁵² tn “Wood” is an adverbial accusative.

[36:20]  ¹³⁵³ tn The plural participle “standing” refers to how these items will be situated; they will be vertical rather than horizontal (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 354).

[36:21]  ¹³⁵⁴ tn Heb “the frame.”

[36:21]  ¹³⁵⁵ tn Heb “the one.”

[36:22]  ¹³⁵⁶ tn Heb “two hands to the one frame.”

[36:22]  ¹³⁵⁷ tn Heb “joined one to one.”

[36:24]  ¹³⁵⁸ tn The clause is repeated to show the distributive sense; it literally says, “and two bases under the one frame for its two projections.”

[36:26]  ¹³⁵⁹ tn Heb “under the one frame” again.

[36:29]  ¹³⁶⁰ tn This is the last phrase of the verse, moved forward for clarity.

[36:29]  ¹³⁶¹ tn This difficult verse uses the perfect tense at the beginning, and the second clause parallels it with יִהְיוּ (yihyu), which has to be taken here as a preterite without the consecutive vav (ו). The predicate “finished” or “completed” is the word תָּמִּים (tammim); it normally means “complete, sound, whole,” and related words describe the sacrifices as without blemish.

[36:34]  ¹³⁶² tn Literally “houses”; i.e., places to hold the bars.

[36:35]  ¹³⁶³ tn The verb is simply “he made” but as in Exod 26:31 it probably means that the cherubim were worked into the curtain with the yarn, and so embroidered on the curtain.

[36:36]  ¹³⁶⁴ tn Heb “and their hooks gold.”

[36:38]  ¹³⁶⁵ tn The word is “their heads”; technically it would be “their capitals” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV). The bands were bands of metal surrounding these capitals just beneath them. These are not mentioned in Exod 26:37, and it sounds like the posts are to be covered with gold. But the gradation of metals is what is intended: the posts at the entrance to the Most Holy Place are all of gold; the posts at the entrance to the tent are overlaid with gold at the top; and the posts at the entrance to the courtyard are overlaid with silver at the top (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 387, citing Dillmann without reference).

[36:38]  ¹³⁶⁶ sn For a good summary of the differences between the instruction section and the completion section, and the reasons for the changes and the omissions, see B. Jacob, Exodus, 1022-23.

[37:2]  ¹³⁶⁷ tn Or “molding.”

[37:3]  ¹³⁶⁸ tn “that he put” has been supplied.

[37:3]  ¹³⁶⁹ tn This is taken as a circumstantial clause; the clause begins with the conjunction vav.

[37:6]  ¹³⁷⁰ tn Heb “and he made.”

[37:8]  ¹³⁷¹ tn Heb “from/at [the] end, from this.”

[37:8]  ¹³⁷² tn The repetition of the expression indicates it has the distributive sense.

[37:9]  ¹³⁷³ tn The construction is a participle in construct followed by the genitive “wings” – “spreaders of wings.”

[37:9]  ¹³⁷⁴ tn “The cherubim” has been placed here instead of in the second clause to produce a smoother translation.

[37:9]  ¹³⁷⁵ tn Heb “and their faces a man to his brother.”

[37:9]  ¹³⁷⁶ tn Heb “to the atonement lid were the faces of the cherubim.”

[37:16]  ¹³⁷⁷ tn The suffixes on these could also indicate the indirect object (see Exod 25:29).

[37:17]  ¹³⁷⁸ tn Heb “from it”; the referent (“the same piece” of wrought metal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:19]  ¹³⁷⁹ tn Heb “the one branch.” But the repetition of “one…one” means here one after another, or the “first” and then the “next.”

[37:19]  ¹³⁸⁰ tn Heb “thus for six branches….”

[37:21]  ¹³⁸¹ tn As in Exod 26:35, the translation of “first” and “next” and “third” is interpretive, because the text simply says “under two branches” in each of three places.

[37:22]  ¹³⁸² tn Heb “were from it.”

[37:24]  ¹³⁸³ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the lampstand) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:25]  ¹³⁸⁴ tn Heb “from it were its horns,” meaning that they were made from the same piece.

[37:26]  ¹³⁸⁵ tn Heb “roof.”

[37:26]  ¹³⁸⁶ tn Heb “its walls around.”

[37:26]  ¹³⁸⁷ tn Heb “and he made for it border gold around.”

[37:27]  ¹³⁸⁸ tn Heb “and he made.”

[37:27]  ¹³⁸⁹ sn Since it was a small altar, it needed only two rings, one on either side, in order to be carried. The second mention of their location clarifies that they should be on the sides, the right and the left, as one approached the altar.

[37:27]  ¹³⁹⁰ tn Heb “for houses.”

[38:2]  ¹³⁹¹ tn Heb “its horns were from it,” meaning from the same piece.

[38:7]  ¹³⁹² tn Heb “it”; the referent (the altar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:8]  ¹³⁹³ sn The word for “serve” is not the ordinary one. It means “to serve in a host,” especially in a war. It appears that women were organized into bands and served at the tent of meeting. S. R. Driver thinks that this meant “no doubt” washing, cleaning, or repairing (Exodus, 391). But there is no hint of that (see 1 Sam 2:22; and see Ps 68:11 [12 Hebrew text]). They seem to have had more to do than what Driver said.

[38:9]  ¹³⁹⁴ tn Heb “south side southward.”

[38:10]  ¹³⁹⁵ tn While this verse could be translated as an independent sentence, it is probably to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause in line with Exod 27:10-12, as well as v. 12 of this passage.

[38:11]  ¹³⁹⁶ tn Here the phrase “the hangings were” has been supplied.

[38:12]  ¹³⁹⁷ tn The phrase “there were” has been supplied.

[38:12]  ¹³⁹⁸ tn The text simply has “their posts ten and their bases ten”; this may be added here as a circumstantial clause with the main sentence in order to make sense out of the construction.

[38:13]  ¹³⁹⁹ tn The text simply says “seventy-five feet.”

[38:14]  ¹⁴⁰⁰ tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here. The east end contained the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 15).

[38:15]  ¹⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “from this and from this” (cf, 17:12; 25:19; 26:13; 32:15; Josh 8:22, 33; 1 Kgs 10:19-20; Ezek 45:7).

[38:17]  ¹⁴⁰² tn Heb “they were banded with silver.”

[38:18]  ¹⁴⁰³ tn This word is different from the word for hangings; it has more of the idea of a screen, shielding or securing the area.

[38:21]  ¹⁴⁰⁴ tn The Hebrew word is פְּקוּדֵי (pÿqude), which in a slavishly literal way would be “visitations of” the tabernacle. But the word often has the idea of “numbering” or “appointing” as well. Here it is an accounting or enumeration of the materials that people brought, so the contemporary term “inventory” is a close approximation. By using this Hebrew word there is also the indication that whatever was given, i.e., appointed for the tabernacle, was changed forever in its use. This is consistent with this Hebrew root, which does have a sense of changing the destiny of someone (“God will surely visit you”). The list in this section will also be tied to the numbering of the people.

[38:21]  ¹⁴⁰⁵ tn The same verb is used here, but now in the Pual perfect tense, third masculine singular. A translation “was numbered” or “was counted” works. The verb is singular because it refers to the tabernacle as a unit. This section will list what made up the tabernacle.

[38:21]  ¹⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “at/by the mouth of.”

[38:21]  ¹⁴⁰⁷ tn The noun is “work” or “service.” S. R. Driver explains that the reckonings were not made for the Levites, but that they were the work of the Levites, done by them under the direction of Ithamar (Exodus, 393).

[38:21]  ¹⁴⁰⁸ tn Heb “by the hand of.”

[38:24]  ¹⁴⁰⁹ tn These words form the casus pendens, or independent nominative absolute, followed by the apodosis beginning with the vav (ו; see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 469).

[38:24]  ¹⁴¹⁰ tn Heb “and it was.”

[38:24]  ¹⁴¹¹ sn There were 3000 shekels in a talent, and so the total weight here in shekels would be 87,730 shekels of gold. If the sanctuary shekel was 224 grs., then this was about 40,940 oz. troy. This is estimated to be a little over a ton (cf. NCV “over 2,000 pounds”; TEV “a thousand kilogrammes”; CEV “two thousand two hundred nine pounds”; NLT “about 2,200 pounds”), although other widely diverging estimates are also given.

[38:25]  ¹⁴¹² sn This would be a total of 301,775 shekels (about 140,828 oz), being a half shekel exacted per person from 605,550 male Israelites 20 years old or more (Num 1:46). The amount is estimated to be around 3.75 tons.

[38:26]  ¹⁴¹³ sn The weight would be about half an ounce.

[38:26]  ¹⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “upward.”

[38:26]  ¹⁴¹⁵ tn The phrase “in all” has been supplied.

[38:28]  ¹⁴¹⁶ tn Here the word “shekels” is understood; about 45 pounds.

[38:29]  ¹⁴¹⁷ sn The total shekels would have been 212,400 shekels, which would be about 108,749 oz. This would make about 2.5 to 3 tons.

[38:31]  ¹⁴¹⁸ sn The bronze altar is the altar for the burnt offering; the large bronze basin is not included here in the list.

[39:1]  ¹⁴¹⁹ sn This chapter also will be almost identical to the instructions given earlier, with a few changes along the way.

[39:3]  ¹⁴²⁰ tn The verb is the infinitive that means “to do, to work.” It could be given a literal rendering: “to work [them into] the blue….” Weaving or embroidering is probably what is intended.

[39:5]  ¹⁴²¹ tn Heb “from it” or the same.

[39:6]  ¹⁴²² tn Or “as seals are engraved.”

[39:6]  ¹⁴²³ sn The twelve names were those of Israel’s sons. The idea was not the remembrance of the twelve sons as such, but the twelve tribes that bore their names.

[39:7]  ¹⁴²⁴ tn Or “attached.”

[39:10]  ¹⁴²⁵ tn That is, they set in mountings.

[39:14]  ¹⁴²⁶ tn The phrase “the number of” has been supplied.

[39:16]  ¹⁴²⁷ tn Here “upper” has been supplied.

[39:18]  ¹⁴²⁸ tn Here “other” has been supplied.

[39:19]  ¹⁴²⁹ tn Here “other” has been supplied.

[39:19]  ¹⁴³⁰ tn Heb “homeward side.”

[39:20]  ¹⁴³¹ tn Here “more” has been supplied.

[39:24]  ¹⁴³² tn The word is simply “twined” or “twisted.” It may refer to the twisted linen that so frequently is found in these lists; or, it may refer to the yarn twisted. The LXX reads “fine twined linen.” This is not found in the text of Exod 28:33, except in Smr and LXX.

[39:26]  ¹⁴³³ tn The words “there was” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:26]  ¹⁴³⁴ tn The infinitive “to minister” is present; “to be used” is supplied from the context.

[39:32]  ¹⁴³⁵ sn The last sections of the book bring several themes together to a full conclusion. Not only is it the completion of the tabernacle, it is the fulfillment of God’s plan revealed at the beginning of the book, i.e., to reside with his people.

[39:34]  ¹⁴³⁶ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[39:34]  ¹⁴³⁷ tn Or “shielding” (NIV); NASB “the screening veil.”

[39:37]  ¹⁴³⁸ tn Possibly meaning “pure gold lampstand.”

[39:40]  ¹⁴³⁹ tn Heb “utensils, vessels.”

[39:41]  ¹⁴⁴⁰ tn The form is the infinitive construct; it means the clothes to be used “to minister” in the holy place.

[39:43]  ¹⁴⁴¹ tn Or “examined” (NASB, TEV); NCV “looked closely at.”

[39:43]  ¹⁴⁴² tn The deictic particle draws attention to what he saw in such a way as to give the reader Moses’ point of view and a sense of his pleasure: “and behold, they…”

[39:43]  ¹⁴⁴³ sn The situation and wording in Exod 39:43 are reminiscent of Gen 1:28 and 31, with the motifs of blessing people and inspecting what has been made.

[40:1]  ¹⁴⁴⁴ sn All of Exod 39:32-40:38 could be taken as a unit. The first section (39:32-43) shows that the Israelites had carefully and accurately completed the preparation and brought everything they had made to Moses: The work of the Lord builds on the faithful obedience of the people. In the second section are the instruction and the implementation (40:1-33): The work of the Lord progresses through the unifying of the work. The last part (40:34-38) may take the most attention: When the work was completed, the glory filled the tabernacle: By his glorious presence, the Lord blesses and directs his people in their worship.

[40:1]  ¹⁴⁴⁵ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[40:2]  ¹⁴⁴⁶ tn Heb “you will raise,” an imperfect of instruction.

[40:4]  ¹⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “and you will set in order its setting” or “arrange its arrangement.” See 25:29-30 for items that belonged on the table.

[40:5]  ¹⁴⁴⁸ tn Heb “give” (also four additional times in vv. 6-8).

[40:7]  ¹⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “there.”

[40:9]  ¹⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “you will take” (perfect with vav, ו).

[40:9]  ¹⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “and you will anoint” (perfect with vav, ו).

[40:9]  ¹⁴⁵² tn Heb “and you will sanctify” (perfect with vav, ו).

[40:10]  ¹⁴⁵³ tn Heb “and.”

[40:11]  ¹⁴⁵⁴ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 480) notes that the items inside the tent did not need to be enumerated since they were already holy, but items in the courtyard needed special attention. People needed to know that items outside the tent were just as holy.

[40:12]  ¹⁴⁵⁵ tn The verb is “bring near,” or “present,” to Yahweh.

[40:14]  ¹⁴⁵⁶ tn The verb is also “bring near” or “present.”

[40:21]  ¹⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “set up,” if it includes more than the curtain.

[40:21]  ¹⁴⁵⁸ tn Or “shielding” (NIV); Heb “the veil of the covering” (cf. KJV).

[40:23]  ¹⁴⁵⁹ tn Heb uses a cognate accusative construction, “he arranged the arrangement.”

[40:30]  ¹⁴⁶⁰ tn Heb “there.”

[40:32]  ¹⁴⁶¹ tn The construction is the infinitive construct with the temporal preposition and the suffixed subjective genitive. This temporal clause indicates that the verb in the preceding verse was frequentative.

[40:32]  ¹⁴⁶² tn This is another infinitive construct in a temporal clause.

[40:32]  ¹⁴⁶³ tn In this explanatory verse the verb is a customary imperfect.

[40:36]  ¹⁴⁶⁴ tn The construction uses the Niphal infinitive construct to form the temporal clause.

[40:36]  ¹⁴⁶⁵ tn The imperfect tense in this context describes a customary action.

[40:37]  ¹⁴⁶⁶ tn The clause uses the Niphal infinitive construct in the temporal clause: “until the day of its being taken up.”

[40:38]  ¹⁴⁶⁷ tn Here is another imperfect tense of the customary nuance.

[40:38]  ¹⁴⁶⁸ tn Heb “to the eyes of all”; KJV, ASV, NASB “in the sight of all”; NRSV “before the eyes of all.”