Exodus 18:22

18:22 They will judge ¹  the people under normal circumstances, ²  and every difficult case ³  they will bring to you, but every small case ⁴  they themselves will judge, so that ⁵  you may make it easier for yourself, ⁶  and they will bear the burden ⁷  with you.

Exodus 19:15

19:15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives.” ⁸ 

Exodus 11:3

11:3 (Now the Lord granted the people favor with ⁹  the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s servants and by the Egyptian people.) ¹⁰ 

[18:22]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “in every time,” meaning “in all normal cases” or “under normal circumstances.” The same phrase occurs in v. 26.

[18:22]  ³ tn Heb “great thing.”

[18:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “thing.”

[18:22]  ⁵ tn The vav here shows the result or the purpose of the instructions given.

[18:22]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Here “the burden” has been supplied.

[19:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “do not go near a woman”; NIV “Abstain from sexual relations.”

[11:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[11:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in the eyes of the servants of Pharaoh and in the eyes of the people.” In the translation the word “Egyptian” has been supplied to clarify that the Egyptians and not the Israelites are meant here.