Discovery BoxExodus 3:12
Context3:12 He replied, 1 “Surely I will be with you, 2 and this will be the sign 3 to you that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will serve 4 God on this mountain.”
Exodus 19:16
Context19:16 On 5 the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense 6 cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud 7 horn; 8 all the people who were in the camp trembled.
Exodus 19:23
Context19:23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us, 9 ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’” 10
Exodus 24:4
Context24:4 and Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Early in the morning he built 11 an altar at the foot 12 of the mountain and arranged 13 twelve standing stones 14 – according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Exodus 32:19
Context32:19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry. 15 He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain. 16
Exodus 34:29
Context34:29 17 Now when Moses came down 18 from Mount Sinai with 19 the two tablets of the testimony in his hand 20 – when he came down 21 from the mountain, Moses 22 did not know that the skin of his face shone 23 while he talked with him.
[3:12] 1 tn Heb “And he said”; the word “replied” clarifies for English readers that speaker is God.
[3:12] 2 tn The particle כִּי (ki) has the asseverative use here, “surely, indeed,” which is frequently found with oaths (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §449). The imperfect tense אֶהְיֶה (’ehyeh) could be rendered as the future tense, “I will be” or the present tense “I am” with you. The future makes the better sense in this case, since the subject matter is the future mission. But since it is a stative verb, the form will also lend itself nicely to explaining the divine name – he is the One who is eternally present – “I am with you always.”
[3:12] 3 sn In view of Moses’ hesitancy, a sign is necessary to support the promise. A sign is often an unusual or miraculous event that introduces, authenticates, or illustrates the message. One expects a direct connection between the sign and the message (for a helpful discussion, see S. Porúbcan, “The Word ’OT in Isaia 7,14,” CBQ 22 [1960]: 144-49). In this passage the sign is a confirming one, i.e., when Israel worships at the mountain that will be the proof that God delivered them from Egypt. Thus, the purpose of the exodus that makes possible the worship will be to prove that it was God who brought it about. In the meantime, Moses will have to trust in Yahweh.
[3:12] 4 tn The verb תַּעַבְדוּן (ta’avdun, “you will serve”) is one of the foremost words for worship in the Torah. Keeping the commandments and serving Yahweh usually sum up the life of faith; the true worshiper seeks to obey him. The highest title anyone can have in the OT is “the servant of Yahweh.” The verb here could be rendered interpretively as “worship,” but it is better to keep it to the basic idea of serving because that emphasizes an important aspect of worship, and it highlights the change from Israel’s serving Egypt, which has been prominent in the earlier chapters. The words “and they” are supplied to clarify for English readers that the subject of the verb is plural (Moses and the people), unlike the other second person forms in vv. 10 and 12, which are singular.
[19:16] 5 tn Heb “and it was on.”
[19:16] 6 tn Heb “heavy” (כָּבֵד, kaved).
[19:16] 7 tn Literally “strong” (חָזָק, khazaq).
[19:16] 8 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”).
[19:23] 9 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] 10 tn Heb “sanctify it.”
[24:4] 13 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] 15 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] 16 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.
[32:19] 17 tn Heb “and the anger of Moses burned hot.”
[32:19] 18 sn See N. M. Waldham, “The Breaking of the Tablets,” Judaism 27 (1978): 442-47.
[34:29] 21 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
[34:29] 22 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] 23 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] 24 tn Heb “in the hand of Moses.”
[34:29] 25 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] 26 tn Heb “and Moses.”
[34:29] 27 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).
