Exodus 2:23

The Call of the Deliverer

2:23 ¹ During ²  that long period of time ³  the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites ⁴  groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry ⁵  because of their slave labor went up to God.

Genesis 41:46

41:46 Now Joseph was 30 years old ⁶  when he began serving ⁷  Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by ⁸  Pharaoh and was in charge of ⁹  all the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 29:5

29:5 I have led you through the desert for forty years. Your clothing has not worn out ¹⁰  nor have your sandals ¹¹  deteriorated.

Deuteronomy 31:2

31:2 He said to them, “Today I am a hundred and twenty years old. I am no longer able to get about, ¹²  and the Lord has said to me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan.’

Deuteronomy 34:7

34:7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull ¹³  nor had his vitality ¹⁴  departed.

Psalms 90:10

90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, ¹⁵ 

or eighty, if one is especially strong. ¹⁶ 

But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. ¹⁷ 

Yes, ¹⁸  they pass quickly ¹⁹  and we fly away. ²⁰ 

Acts 7:23

7:23 But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind ²¹  to visit his fellow countrymen ²²  the Israelites. ²³ 

Acts 7:30

7:30 “After ²⁴  forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert ²⁵  of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. ²⁶ 

[2:23]  ¹ sn The next section of the book is often referred to as the “Call of Moses,” and that is certainly true. But it is much more than that. It is the divine preparation of the servant of God, a servant who already knew what his destiny was. In this section Moses is shown how his destiny will be accomplished. It will be accomplished because the divine presence will guarantee the power, and the promise of that presence comes with the important “I AM” revelation. The message that comes through in this, and other “I will be with you” passages, is that when the promise of God’s presence is correctly appropriated by faith, the servant of God can begin to build confidence for the task that lies ahead. It will no longer be, “Who am I that I should go?” but “I AM with you” that matters. The first little section, 2:23-25, serves as a transition and introduction, for it records the Lord’s response to Israel in her affliction. The second part is the revelation to Moses at the burning bush (3:1-10), which is one of the most significant theological sections in the Torah. Finally, the record of Moses’ response to the call with his objections (3:11-22), makes up the third part, and in a way, is a transition to the next section, where God supplies proof of his power.

[2:23]  ² tn The verse begins with the temporal indicator “And it was” (cf. KJV, ASV “And it came to pass”). This has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[2:23]  ³ tn Heb “in those many days.”

[2:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”

[2:23]  ⁵ tn “They cried out” is from זָעַק (za’aq), and “desperate cry” is from שַׁוְעָה (shava’h).

[41:46]  ⁶ tn Heb “a son of thirty years.”

[41:46]  ⁷ tn Heb “when he stood before.”

[41:46]  ⁸ tn Heb “went out from before.”

[41:46]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he passed through all the land of Egypt”; this phrase is interpreted by JPS to mean that Joseph “emerged in charge of the whole land.”

[29:5]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew text includes “on you.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:5]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text includes “from on your feet.”

[31:2]  ¹² tn Or “am no longer able to lead you” (NIV, NLT); Heb “am no longer able to go out and come in.”

[34:7]  ¹³ tn Or “dimmed.” The term could refer to dull appearance or to dimness caused by some loss of visual acuity.

[34:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “sap.” That is, he was still in possession of his faculties or liveliness.

[90:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”

[90:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”

[90:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).

[90:10]  ¹⁸ tn or “for.”

[90:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.

[90:10]  ²⁰ sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).

[7:23]  ²¹ tn Grk “heart.”

[7:23]  ²² tn Grk “brothers.” The translation “compatriot” is given by BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

[7:23]  ²³ tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”

[7:30]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and contemporary English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:30]  ²⁵ tn Or “wilderness.”

[7:30]  ²⁶ sn An allusion to Exod 3:2.