Discovery BoxExodus 28:1
Context28:1 1 “And you, bring near 2 to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him from among the Israelites, so that they may minister as my priests 3 – Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
Exodus 9:1-35
Context9:1 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Release my people that they may serve me! 9:2 For if you refuse to release them 5 and continue holding them, 6 9:3 then the hand of the Lord will surely bring 7 a very terrible plague 8 on your livestock in the field, on the horses, the donkeys, the camels, 9 the herds, and the flocks. 9:4 But the Lord will distinguish 10 between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, and nothing 11 will die of all that the Israelites have.”’” 12
9:5 The Lord set 13 an appointed time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this 14 in the land.” 9:6 And the Lord did this 15 on the next day; 16 all 17 the livestock of the Egyptians 18 died, but of the Israelites’ livestock not one died. 9:7 Pharaoh sent representatives to investigate, 19 and indeed, not even one of the livestock of Israel had died. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, 20 and he did not release the people.
9:8 21 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot 22 from a furnace, and have Moses throw it 23 into the air while Pharaoh is watching. 24 9:9 It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt and will cause boils to break out and fester 25 on both people and animals in all the land of Egypt.” 9:10 So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh, Moses threw it into the air, and it caused festering boils to break out on both people and animals.
9:11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 9:12 But the Lord hardened 26 Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.
9:13 27 The Lord said 28 to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand 29 before Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: “Release my people so that they may serve me! 9:14 For this time I will send all my plagues 30 on your very self 31 and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 9:15 For by now I could have stretched out 32 my hand and struck you and your people with plague, and you would have been destroyed 33 from the earth. 9:16 But 34 for this purpose I have caused you to stand: 35 to show you 36 my strength, and so that my name may be declared 37 in all the earth. 9:17 You are still exalting 38 yourself against my people by 39 not releasing them. 9:18 I am going to cause very severe hail to rain down 40 about this time tomorrow, such hail as has never occurred 41 in Egypt from the day it was founded 42 until now. 9:19 So now, send instructions 43 to gather 44 your livestock and all your possessions in the fields to a safe place. Every person 45 or animal caught 46 in the field and not brought into the house – the hail will come down on them, and they will die!”’”
9:20 Those 47 of Pharaoh’s servants who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their 48 servants and livestock into the houses, 9:21 but those 49 who did not take 50 the word of the Lord seriously left their servants and their cattle 51 in the field.
9:22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Extend your hand toward the sky 52 that there may be 53 hail in all the land of Egypt, on people and on animals, 54 and on everything that grows 55 in the field in the land of Egypt.” 9:23 When Moses extended 56 his staff toward the sky, the Lord 57 sent thunder 58 and hail, and fire fell to the earth; 59 so the Lord caused hail to rain down on the land of Egypt. 9:24 Hail fell 60 and fire mingled 61 with the hail; the hail was so severe 62 that there had not been any like it 63 in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 9:25 The hail struck everything in the open fields, both 64 people and animals, throughout all the land of Egypt. The hail struck everything that grows 65 in the field, and it broke all the trees of the field to pieces. 9:26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was there no hail.
9:27 So Pharaoh sent and summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time! 66 The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are guilty. 67 9:28 Pray to the Lord, for the mighty 68 thunderings and hail are too much! 69 I will release you and you will stay no longer.” 70
9:29 Moses said to him, “When I leave the city 71 I will spread my hands to the Lord, the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 72 9:30 But as for you 73 and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear 74 the Lord God.”
9:31 (Now the 75 flax and the barley were struck 76 by the hail, 77 for the barley had ripened 78 and the flax 79 was in bud. 9:32 But the wheat and the spelt 80 were not struck, for they are later crops.) 81
9:33 So Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain stopped pouring on the earth. 9:34 When Pharaoh saw 82 that the rain and hail and thunder ceased, he sinned again: 83 both he and his servants hardened 84 their hearts. 9:35 So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, 85 and he did not release the Israelites, as the Lord had predicted through Moses.
Exodus 33:1-23
Context33:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up 86 from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath 87 to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 88 33:2 I will send an angel 89 before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 90 33:3 Go up 91 to a land flowing with milk and honey. But 92 I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you 93 on the way.”
33:4 When the people heard this troubling word 94 they mourned; 95 no one put on his ornaments. 33:5 For 96 the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment, 97 I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments, 98 that I may know 99 what I should do to you.’” 100 33:6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.
33:7 101 Moses took 102 the tent 103 and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distance 104 from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone 105 seeking 106 the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.
33:8 And when Moses went out 107 to the tent, all the people would get up 108 and stand at the entrance to their tents 109 and watch 110 Moses until he entered the tent. 111 33:9 And 112 whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord 113 would speak with Moses. 114 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. 115 33:11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, 116 the way a person speaks 117 to a friend. Then Moses 118 would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent. 119
33:12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’ 120 but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name, 121 and also you have found favor in my sight.’ 33:13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me 122 your way, that I may know you, 123 that I may continue to find 124 favor in your sight. And see 125 that this nation is your people.”
33:14 And the Lord 126 said, “My presence 127 will go with you, 128 and I will give you rest.” 129
33:15 And Moses 130 said to him, “If your presence does not go 131 with us, 132 do not take us up from here. 133 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?” 134
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 135 you by name.”
33:18 And Moses 136 said, “Show me your glory.” 137
33:19 And the Lord 138 said, “I will make all my goodness 139 pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name 140 before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” 141 33:20 But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can 142 see me and live.” 143 33:21 The Lord said, “Here 144 is a place by me; you will station yourself 145 on a rock. 33:22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover 146 you with my hand 147 while I pass by. 148 33:23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, 149 but my face must not be seen.” 150
[28:1] 1 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] 2 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] 3 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.
[9:1] 4 sn This plague demonstrates that Yahweh has power over the livestock of Egypt. He is able to strike the animals with disease and death, thus delivering a blow to the economic as well as the religious life of the land. By the former plagues many of the Egyptian religious ceremonies would have been interrupted and objects of veneration defiled or destroyed. Now some of the important deities will be attacked. In Goshen, where the cattle are merely cattle, no disease hits, but in the rest of Egypt it is a different matter. Osiris, the savior, cannot even save the brute in which his own soul is supposed to reside. Apis and Mnevis, the ram of Ammon, the sheep of Sais, and the goat of Mendes, perish together. Hence, Moses reminds Israel afterward, “On their gods also Yahweh executed judgments” (Num 33:4). When Jethro heard of all these events, he said, “Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods” (Exod 18:11).
[9:2] 7 tn The object “them” is implied in the context.
[9:2] 8 tn עוֹד (’od), an adverb meaning “yet, still,” can be inflected with suffixes and used as a predicator of existence, with the nuance “to still be, yet be” (T. O. Lambdin, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, 171-72, §137). Then, it is joined here with the Hiphil participle מַחֲזִיק (makhaziq) to form the sentence “you are still holding them.”
[9:3] 10 tn The form used here is הוֹיָה (hoyah), the Qal active participle, feminine singular, from the verb “to be.” This is the only place in the OT that this form occurs. Ogden shows that this form is appropriate with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) to stress impending divine action, and that it conforms to the pattern in these narratives where five times the participle is used in the threat to Pharaoh (7:17; 8:2; 9:3, 14; 10:4). See G. S. Ogden, “Notes on the Use of הויה in Exodus IX. 3,” VT 17 (1967): 483-84.
[9:3] 11 tn The word דֶּבֶר (dever) is usually translated “pestilence” when it applies to diseases for humans. It is used only here and in Ps 78:50 for animals.
[9:3] 12 sn The older view that camels were not domesticated at this time (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 70; W. F. Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, 96; et. al.) has been corrected by more recently uncovered information (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 160-61).
[9:4] 13 tn The verb פָּלָה (palah) in Hiphil means “to set apart, make separate, make distinct.” See also Exod 8:22 (18 HT); 11:7; 33:16.
[9:4] 14 tn There is a wordplay in this section. A pestilence – דֶּבֶר (dever) – will fall on Egypt’s cattle, but no thing – דָּבָר (davar) – belonging to Israel would die. It was perhaps for this reason that the verb was changed in v. 1 from “say” to “speak” (דִּבֶּר, dibber). See U. Cassuto, Exodus, 111.
[9:4] 15 tn The lamed preposition indicates possession: “all that was to the Israelites” means “all that the Israelites had.”
[9:5] 16 tn Heb “and Yahweh set.”
[9:6] 20 tn Heb “on the morrow.”
[9:6] 21 tn The word “all” clearly does not mean “all” in the exclusive sense, because subsequent plagues involve cattle. The word must denote such a large number that whatever was left was insignificant for the economy. It could also be taken to mean “all [kinds of] livestock died.”
[9:6] 22 tn Heb “of Egypt.” The place is put by metonymy for the inhabitants.
[9:7] 22 tn Heb “Pharaoh sent.” The phrase “representatives to investigate” is implied in the context.
[9:7] 23 tn Heb “and the heart of Pharaoh was hardened.” This phrase translates the Hebrew word כָּבֵד (kaved; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53). In context this represents the continuation of a prior condition.
[9:8] 25 sn This sixth plague, like the third, is unannounced. God instructs his servants to take handfuls of ashes from the Egyptians’ furnaces and sprinkle them heavenward in the sight of Pharaoh. These ashes would become little particles of dust that would cause boils on the Egyptians and their animals. Greta Hort, “The Plagues of Egypt,” ZAW 69 [1957]: 101-3, suggests it is skin anthrax (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:359). The lesson of this plague is that Yahweh has absolute control over the physical health of the people. Physical suffering consequent to sin comes to all regardless of their position and status. The Egyptians are helpless in the face of this, as now God begins to touch human life; greater judgments on human wickedness lie ahead.
[9:8] 26 tn This word פִּיחַ (piakh) is a hapax legomenon, meaning “soot”; it seems to be derived from the verb פּוּחַ (puakh, “to breathe, blow”). The “furnace” (כִּבְשָׁן, kivshan) was a special kiln for making pottery or bricks.
[9:8] 27 tn The verb זָרַק (zaraq) means “to throw vigorously, to toss.” If Moses tosses the soot into the air, it will symbolize that the disease is falling from heaven.
[9:8] 28 tn Heb “before the eyes of Pharaoh.”
[9:9] 28 tn The word שְׁחִין (shÿkhin) means “boils.” It may be connected to an Arabic cognate that means “to be hot.” The illness is associated with Job (Job 2:7-8) and Hezekiah (Isa 38:21); it has also been connected with other skin diseases described especially in the Law. The word connected with it is אֲבַעְבֻּעֹת (’ava’bu’ot); this means “blisters, pustules” and is sometimes translated as “festering.” The etymology is debated, whether from a word meaning “to swell up” or “to overflow” (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:359).
[9:12] 31 tn This phrase translates the Hebrew word חָזַק (khazaq); see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53.
[9:13] 34 sn With the seventh plague there is more explanation of what God is doing to Pharaoh. This plague begins with an extended lesson (vv. 13-21). Rain was almost unknown in Egypt, and hail and lightning were harmless. The Egyptians were fascinated by all these, though, and looked on them as portentous. Herodotus describes how they studied such things and wrote them down (1.2.c.38). If ordinary rainstorms were ominous, what must fire and hail have been? The Egyptians had denominated fire Hephaistos, considering it to be a mighty deity (cf. Diodorus, 1.1.c.1). Porphry says that at the opening of the temple of Serapis the Egyptians worshiped with water and fire. If these connections were clearly understood, then these elements in the plague were thought to be deities that came down on their own people with death and destruction.
[9:13] 35 tn Heb “and Yahweh said.”
[9:13] 36 tn Or “take your stand.”
[9:14] 37 tn The expression “all my plagues” points to the rest of the plagues and anticipates the proper outcome. Another view is to take the expression to mean the full brunt of the attack on the Egyptian people.
[9:14] 38 tn Heb “to your heart.” The expression is unusual, but it may be an allusion to the hard heartedness of Pharaoh – his stubbornness and blindness (B. Jacob, Exodus, 274).
[9:15] 40 tn The verb is the Qal perfect שָׁלַחְתִּי (shalakhti), but a past tense, or completed action translation does not fit the context at all. Gesenius lists this reference as an example of the use of the perfect to express actions and facts, whose accomplishment is to be represented not as actual but only as possible. He offers this for Exod 9:15: “I had almost put forth” (GKC 313 §106.p). Also possible is “I should have stretched out my hand.” Others read the potential nuance instead, and render it as “I could have…” as in the present translation.
[9:15] 41 tn The verb כָּחַד (kakhad) means “to hide, efface,” and in the Niphal it has the idea of “be effaced, ruined, destroyed.” Here it will carry the nuance of the result of the preceding verbs: “I could have stretched out my hand…and struck you…and (as a result) you would have been destroyed.”
[9:16] 43 tn The first word is a very strong adversative, which, in general, can be translated “but, howbeit”; BDB 19 s.v. אוּלָם suggests for this passage “but in very deed.”
[9:16] 44 tn The form הֶעֱמַדְתִּיךָ (he’emadtikha) is the Hiphil perfect of עָמַד (’amad). It would normally mean “I caused you to stand.” But that seems to have one or two different connotations. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 73) says that it means “maintain you alive.” The causative of this verb means “continue,” according to him. The LXX has the same basic sense – “you were preserved.” But Paul bypasses the Greek and writes “he raised you up” to show God’s absolute sovereignty over Pharaoh. Both renderings show God’s sovereign control over Pharaoh.
[9:16] 45 tn The Hiphil infinitive construct הַרְאֹתְךָ (har’otÿkha) is the purpose of God’s making Pharaoh come to power in the first place. To make Pharaoh see is to cause him to understand, to experience God’s power.
[9:16] 46 tn Heb “in order to declare my name.” Since there is no expressed subject, this may be given a passive translation.
[9:17] 46 tn מִסְתּוֹלֵל (mistolel) is a Hitpael participle, from a root that means “raise up, obstruct.” So in the Hitpael it means to “raise oneself up,” “elevate oneself,” or “be an obstructionist.” See W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:363; U. Cassuto, Exodus, 116.
[9:17] 47 tn The infinitive construct with lamed here is epexegetical; it explains how Pharaoh has exalted himself – “by not releasing the people.”
[9:18] 49 tn הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר (hinÿni mamtir) is the futur instans construction, giving an imminent future translation: “Here – I am about to cause it to rain.”
[9:18] 50 tn Heb “which not was like it in Egypt.” The pronoun suffix serves as the resumptive pronoun for the relative particle: “which…like it” becomes “the like of which has not been.” The word “hail” is added in the translation to make clear the referent of the relative particle.
[9:18] 51 tn The form הִוָּסְדָה (hivvasdah) is perhaps a rare Niphal perfect and not an infinitive (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 117).
[9:19] 52 tn The object “instructions” is implied in the context.
[9:19] 53 tn הָעֵז (ha’ez) is the Hiphil imperative from עוּז (’uz, “to bring into safety” or “to secure”). Although there is no vav (ו) linking the two imperatives, the second could be subordinated by virtue of the meanings. “Send to bring to safety.”
[9:19] 54 tn Heb “man, human.”
[9:19] 55 tn Heb “[who] may be found.” The verb can be the imperfect of possibility.
[9:20] 55 tn The text has “the one fearing.” The singular expression here and throughout vv. 20-21 refers to all who fit the description.
[9:20] 56 tn Heb “his” (singular).
[9:21] 58 tn The Hebrew text again has the singular.
[9:21] 59 tn Heb “put to his heart.”
[9:21] 60 tn Heb “his servants and his cattle.”
[9:22] 61 tn Or “the heavens” (also in the following verse). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[9:22] 62 tn The jussive with the conjunction (וִיהִי, vihi) coming after the imperative provides the purpose or result.
[9:22] 63 tn Heb “on man and on beast.”
[9:22] 64 tn The noun refers primarily to cultivated grains. But here it seems to be the general heading for anything that grows from the ground, all vegetation and plant life, as opposed to what grows on trees.
[9:23] 64 tn The preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated to the next clause in view of the emphasis put on the subject, Yahweh, by the disjunctive word order of that clause.
[9:23] 65 tn By starting the clause with the subject (an example of disjunctive word order) the text is certainly stressing that Yahweh alone did this.
[9:23] 66 tn The expression נָתַן קֹלֹת (natan qolot) literally means “gave voices” (also “voice”). This is a poetic expression for sending the thunder. Ps 29:3 talks about the “voice of Yahweh” – the God of glory thunders!
[9:23] 67 sn This clause has been variously interpreted. Lightning would ordinarily accompany thunder; in this case the mention of fire could indicate that the lightning was beyond normal and that it was striking in such a way as to start fires on the ground. It could also mean that fire went along the ground from the pounding hail.
[9:24] 67 tn The verb is the common preterite וַיְהִי (vayÿhi), which is normally translated “and there was” if it is translated at all. The verb הָיָה (hayah), however, can mean “be, become, befall, fall, fall out, happen.” Here it could be simply translated “there was hail,” but the active “hail fell” fits the point of the sequence better.
[9:24] 68 tn The form מִתְלַקַּחַת (mitlaqqakhat) is a Hitpael participle; the clause reads, “and fire taking hold of itself in the midst of the hail.” This probably refers to lightning flashing back and forth. See also Ezek 1:4. God created a great storm with flashing fire connected to it.
[9:24] 69 tn Heb “very heavy” or “very severe.” The subject “the hail” is implied.
[9:24] 70 tn A literal reading of the clause would be “which there was not like it in all the land of Egypt.” The relative pronoun must be joined to the resumptive pronoun: “which like it (like which) there had not been.”
[9:25] 70 tn The exact expression is “from man even to beast.” R. J. Williams lists this as an example of the inclusive use of the preposition מִן (min) to be rendered “both…and” (Hebrew Syntax, 57, §327).
[9:25] 71 tn Heb “all the cultivated grain of.”
[9:27] 73 sn Pharaoh now is struck by the judgment and acknowledges that he is at fault. But the context shows that this penitence was short-lived. What exactly he meant by this confession is uncertain. On the surface his words seem to represent a recognition that he was in the wrong and Yahweh right.
[9:27] 74 tn The word רָשָׁע (rasha’) can mean “ungodly, wicked, guilty, criminal.” Pharaoh here is saying that Yahweh is right, and the Egyptians are not – so they are at fault, guilty. S. R. Driver says the words are used in their forensic sense (in the right or wrong standing legally) and not in the ethical sense of morally right and wrong (Exodus, 75).
[9:28] 76 sn The text has Heb “the voices of God.” The divine epithet can be used to express the superlative (cf. Jonah 3:3).
[9:28] 77 tn The expression וְרַב מִהְיֹת (vÿrav mihyot, “[the mighty thunder and hail] is much from being”) means essentially “more than enough.” This indicates that the storm was too much, or, as one might say, “It is enough.”
[9:28] 78 tn The last clause uses a verbal hendiadys: “you will not add to stand,” meaning “you will no longer stay.”
[9:29] 79 tn כְּצֵאתִי (kÿtse’ti) is the Qal infinitive construct of יָצָא (yatsa’); it functions here as the temporal clause before the statement about prayer.
[9:29] 80 sn This clause provides the purpose/result of Moses’ intention: he will pray to Yahweh and the storms will cease “that you might know….” It was not enough to pray and have the plague stop. Pharaoh must “know” that Yahweh is the sovereign Lord over the earth. Here was that purpose of knowing through experience. This clause provides the key for the exposition of this plague: God demonstrated his power over the forces of nature to show his sovereignty – the earth is Yahweh’s. He can destroy it. He can preserve it. If people sin by ignoring his word and not fearing him, he can bring judgment on them. If any fear Yahweh and obey his instructions, they will be spared. A positive way to express the expositional point of the chapter is to say that those who fear Yahweh and obey his word will escape the powerful destruction he has prepared for those who sinfully disregard his word.
[9:30] 82 tn The verse begins with the disjunctive vav to mark a strong contrastive clause to what was said before this.
[9:30] 83 tn The adverb טֶרֶם (terem, “before, not yet”) occurs with the imperfect tense to give the sense of the English present tense to the verb negated by it (GKC 314-15 §107.c). Moses is saying that he knew that Pharaoh did not really stand in awe of God, so as to grant Israel’s release, i.e., fear not in the religious sense but “be afraid of” God – fear “before” him (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 76).
[9:31] 85 tn A disjunctive vav introduces the two verses that provide parenthetical information to the reader. Gesenius notes that the boldness of such clauses is often indicated by the repetition of nouns at the beginning (see GKC 452 §141.d). Some have concluded that because they have been put here rather than back after v. 25 or 26, they form part of Moses’ speech to Pharaoh, explaining that the crops that were necessary for humans were spared, but those for other things were destroyed. This would also mean that Moses was saying there is more that God can destroy (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 279).
[9:31] 86 tn The unusual forms נֻכָּתָה (nukkatah) in v. 31 and נֻכּוּ (nukku) in v. 32 are probably to be taken as old Qal passives. There are no attested Piel uses of the root.
[9:31] 87 tn The words “by the hail” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied from context.
[9:31] 88 tn Heb “was in the ear” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “had headed.”
[9:31] 89 sn Flax was used for making linen, and the area around Tanis was ideal for producing flax. Barley was used for bread for the poor people, as well as beer and animal feed.
[9:32] 88 tn The word כֻּסֶּמֶת (kussemet) is translated “spelt”; the word occurs only here and in Isa 28:25 and Ezek 4:9. Spelt is a grain closely allied to wheat. Other suggestions have been brought forward from the study of Egyptian crops (see a brief summary in W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:363-64).
[9:32] 89 tn Heb “for they are late.”
[9:34] 91 tn The clause beginning with the preterite and vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated to the next, and main clause – that he hardened his heart again.
[9:34] 92 tn The construction is another verbal hendiadys: וַיֹּסֶף לַחֲטֹּא (vayyosef lakhatto’), literally rendered “and he added to sin.” The infinitive construct becomes the main verb, and the Hiphil preterite becomes adverbial. The text is clearly interpreting as sin the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart and his refusal to release Israel. At the least this means that the plagues are his fault, but the expression probably means more than this – he was disobeying Yahweh God.
[9:34] 93 tn This phrase translates the Hebrew word כָּבֵד (kaved); see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53.
[9:35] 94 tn The verb about Pharaoh’s heart in v. 35 is וַיֶּחֱזַק (vayyekhezaq), a Qal preterite: “and it was hardened” or “strengthened to resist.” This forms the summary statement of this stage in the drama. The verb used in v. 34 to report Pharaoh’s response was וַיַּכְבֵּד (vayyakhbed), a Hiphil preterite: “and he hardened [his heart]” or made it stubborn. The use of two descriptions of Pharaoh’s heart in close succession, along with mention of his servants’ heart condition, underscores the growing extent of the problem.
[33:1] 97 tn The two imperatives underscore the immediacy of the demand: “go, go up,” meaning “get going up” or “be on your way.”
[33:1] 98 tn Or “the land which I swore.”
[33:2] 100 sn This seems not to be the same as the Angel of the Presence introduced before.
[33:2] 101 sn See T. Ishida, “The Structure and Historical Implications of Lists of Pre-Israelite Nations,” Bib (1979): 461-90.
[33:3] 103 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] 104 tn This is a strong adversative here, “but.”
[33:3] 105 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] 106 tn Or “bad news” (NAB, NCV).
[33:4] 107 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] 109 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] 110 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] 111 tn The Hebrew text also has “from on you.”
[33:5] 112 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] 113 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] 112 sn This unit of the book could actually include all of chap. 33, starting with the point of the
[33:7] 113 tn Heb “and Moses took.”
[33:7] 114 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
[33:7] 115 tn The infinitive absolute is used here as an adverb (see GKC 341 §113.h).
[33:7] 116 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] 117 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] 115 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] 117 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] 118 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] 119 tn This is a temporal clause using an infinitive construct with a suffixed subject.
[33:9] 118 tn Heb “and it was when.”
[33:9] 119 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[33:9] 120 tn Both verbs, “stand” and “speak,” are perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutive.
[33:10] 121 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] 124 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] 125 tn The verb in this clause is a progressive imperfect.
[33:11] 126 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:11] 127 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] 127 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] 128 tn That is, “chosen you.”
[33:13] 130 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] 131 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] 132 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] 133 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] 133 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the
[33:14] 134 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] 135 tn The phrase “with you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
[33:14] 136 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] 136 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (
[33:15] 137 tn The construction uses the active participle to stress the continual going of the presence: if there is not your face going.
[33:15] 138 tn “with us” has been supplied.
[33:15] 139 tn Heb “from this.”
[33:16] 139 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] 142 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] 145 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (
[33:18] 146 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] 148 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the
[33:19] 149 sn The word “goodness” refers to the divine appearance in summary fashion.
[33:19] 150 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
[33:19] 151 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] 151 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] 152 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] 154 tn The deictic particle is used here simply to call attention to a place of God’s knowing and choosing.
[33:21] 155 tn Heb “and you will,” or interpretively, “where you will.”
[33:22] 157 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] 158 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] 159 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] 160 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] 161 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.”
