Exodus 7:13

7:13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard, ¹  and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

Exodus 23:1

Justice

23:1 ² “You must not give ³  a false report. ⁴  Do not make common cause ⁵  with the wicked ⁶  to be a malicious ⁷  witness.

Exodus 7:22

7:22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same ⁸  by their secret arts, and so ⁹  Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, ¹⁰  and he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron ¹¹  – just as the Lord had predicted.

Exodus 8:15

8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, ¹²  he hardened ¹³  his heart and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted. ¹⁴ 

Exodus 8:19

8:19 The magicians said ¹⁵  to Pharaoh, “It is the finger ¹⁶  of God!” But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, ¹⁷  and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

Exodus 9:12

9:12 But the Lord hardened ¹⁸  Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.

Exodus 16:9

16:9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole community ¹⁹  of the Israelites, ‘Come ²⁰  before the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings.’”

Exodus 18:19

18:19 Now listen to me, ²¹  I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God, ²²  and you bring ²³  their disputes ²⁴  to God;

Exodus 22:23

22:23 If you afflict them ²⁵  in any way ²⁶  and they cry to me, I will surely hear ²⁷  their cry,

Exodus 23:22

23:22 But if you diligently obey him ²⁸  and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries.

Exodus 32:18

32:18 Moses ²⁹  said, “It is not the sound of those who shout for victory, ³⁰  nor is it the sound of those who cry because they are overcome, ³¹  but the sound of singing ³²  I hear.” ³³ 

[7:13]  ¹ tn This phrase translates the Hebrew word חָזַק (khazaq); see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53.

[23:1]  ² sn People who claim to worship and serve the righteous judge of the universe must preserve equity and justice in their dealings with others. These verses teach that God’s people must be honest witnesses (1-3); God’s people must be righteous even with enemies (4-5); and God’s people must be fair in dispensing justice (6-9).

[23:1]  ³ tn Heb “take up, lift, carry” (נָשָׂא, nasa’). This verb was also used in the prohibition against taking “the name of Yahweh in vain.” Sometimes the object of this verb is physical, as in Jonah 1:12 and 15. Used in this prohibition involving speech, it covers both originating and repeating a lie.

[23:1]  ⁴ tn Or “a groundless report” (see Exod 20:7 for the word שָׁוְא, shav’).

[23:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “do not put your hand” (cf. KJV, ASV); NASB “join your hand.”

[23:1]  ⁶ tn The word “wicked” (רָשָׁע, rasha’) refers to the guilty criminal, the person who is doing something wrong. In the religious setting it describes the person who is not a member of the covenant and may be involved in all kinds of sin, even though there is the appearance of moral and spiritual stability.

[23:1]  ⁷ tn The word חָמָס (khamas) often means “violence” in the sense of social injustices done to other people, usually the poor and needy. A “malicious” witness would do great harm to others. See J. W. McKay, “Exodus 23:1-43, 6-8: A Decalogue for Administration of Justice in the City Gate,” VT 21 (1971): 311-25.

[7:22]  ³ tn Heb “thus, so.”

[7:22]  ⁴ tn The vav consecutive on the preterite introduces the outcome or result of the matter – Pharaoh was hardened.

[7:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the heart of Pharaoh became hard.” This phrase translates the Hebrew word חָזַק (khazaq; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53). In context this represents the continuation of a prior condition.

[7:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “to them”; the referents (Moses and Aaron) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:15]  ⁴ tn The word רְוָחָה (rÿvakhah) means “respite, relief.” BDB 926 relates it to the verb רָוַח (ravakh, “to be wide, spacious”). There would be relief when there was freedom to move about.

[8:15]  ⁵ tn וְהַכְבֵּד (vÿhakhbed) is a Hiphil infinitive absolute, functioning as a finite verb. The meaning of the word is “to make heavy,” and so stubborn, sluggish, indifferent. It summarizes his attitude and the outcome, that he refused to keep his promises.

[8:15]  ⁶ sn The end of the plague revealed clearly God’s absolute control over Egypt’s life and deities – all at the power of the man who prayed to God. Yahweh had made life unpleasant for the people by sending the plague, but he was also the one who could remove it. The only recourse anyone has in such trouble is to pray to the sovereign Lord God. Everyone should know that there is no one like Yahweh.

[8:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the magicians said.”

[8:19]  ⁶ tn The word “finger” is a bold anthropomorphism (a figure of speech in which God is described using human characteristics).

[8:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the heart of Pharaoh became hard.” This phrase translates the Hebrew word חָזַק (khazaq; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53). In context this represents the continuation of a prior condition.

[9:12]  ⁶ tn This phrase translates the Hebrew word חָזַק (khazaq); see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53.

[16:9]  ⁷ tn Or “congregation” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV); the same word occurs in v. 10.

[16:9]  ⁸ tn The verb means “approach, draw near.” It is used in the Torah of drawing near for religious purposes. It is possible that some sacrifice was involved here, but no mention is made of that.

[18:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “hear my voice.”

[18:19]  ⁹ tn The line reads “Be you to the people before God.” He is to be their representative before God. This is introducing the aspect of the work that only Moses could do, what he has been doing. He is to be before God for the people, to pray for them, to appeal on their behalf. Jethro is essentially saying, I understand that you cannot delegate this to anyone else, so continue doing it (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 219-20).

[18:19]  ¹⁰ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; following the imperative it will be instruction as well. Since the imperative preceding this had the idea of “continue to be” as you are, this too has that force.

[18:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “words”; KJV, ASV “the causes”; NRSV “cases”; NLT “questions.”

[22:23]  ⁹ tn The accusative here is the masculine singular pronoun, which leads S. R. Driver to conclude that this line is out of place, even though the masculine singular can be used in places like this (Exodus, 232). U. Cassuto says its use is to refer to certain classes (Exodus, 292).

[22:23]  ¹⁰ tn Here again and with “cry” the infinitive absolute functions with a diminished emphasis (GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[22:23]  ¹¹ tn Here is the normal use of the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense to emphasize the verb: “I will surely hear,” implying, “I will surely respond.”

[23:22]  ¹⁰ tn The infinitive absolute here does not add as great an emphasis as normal, but emphasizes the condition that is being set forth (see GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[32:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:18]  ¹² tn Heb “the sound of the answering of might,” meaning it is not the sound of shouting in victory (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 418).

[32:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “the sound of the answering of weakness,” meaning the cry of the defeated (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 415).

[32:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “answering in song” (a play on the twofold meaning of the word).

[32:18]  ¹⁵ sn See A. Newman, “Compositional Analysis and Functional Ambiguity Equivalence: Translating Exodus 32, 17-18,” Babel 21 (1975): 29-35.