Exodus 34:16

34:16 and you then take ¹  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.

Exodus 2:20

2:20 He said ²  to his daughters, “So where is he? ³  Why in the world ⁴  did you leave the man? Call him, so that he may eat ⁵  a meal ⁶  with us.”

[34:16]  ¹ 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.

[2:20]  ² tn Heb “And he said.”

[2:20]  ³ tn The conjunction vav (ו) joins Reuel’s question to what the daughters said as logically following with the idea, “If he has done all that you say, why is he not here for me to meet?” (see GKC 485 §154.b).

[2:20]  ⁴ tn This uses the demonstrative pronoun as an enclitic, for emphasis (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118). The question reads more literally, “Why [is] this [that] you left him?”

[2:20]  ⁵ tn The imperfect tense coming after the imperative indicates purpose.

[2:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “bread,” i.e., “food.”