Exodus 7:8

7:8 The Lord said ¹  to Moses and Aaron, ² 

Exodus 5:9

5:9 Make the work harder ³  for the men so they will keep at it ⁴  and pay no attention to lying words!” ⁵ 

Exodus 12:1

The Institution of the Passover

12:1 ⁶ The Lord said ⁷  to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ⁸ 

Exodus 24:11

24:11 But he did not lay a hand ⁹  on the leaders of the Israelites, so they saw God, ¹⁰  and they ate and they drank. ¹¹ 

Exodus 30:31

30:31 And you are to tell the Israelites: ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil throughout your generations.

Exodus 6:13

6:13 The Lord spoke ¹²  to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge ¹³  for the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 36:2

36:2 Moses summoned ¹⁴  Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom ¹⁵  the Lord had put skill – everyone whose heart stirred him ¹⁶  to volunteer ¹⁷  to do the work,

Exodus 6:3

6:3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as ¹⁸  God Almighty, ¹⁹  but by ²⁰  my name ‘the Lord’ ²¹  I was not known to them. ²² 

Exodus 9:8

The Sixth Blow: Boils

9:8 ²³ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot ²⁴  from a furnace, and have Moses throw it ²⁵  into the air while Pharaoh is watching. ²⁶ 

Exodus 20:19

20:19 They said to Moses, “You speak ²⁷  to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.”

Exodus 24:1

The Lord Ratifies the Covenant

24:1 ²⁸ But to Moses the Lord ²⁹  said, “Come up ³⁰  to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance. ³¹ 

Exodus 25:21

25:21 You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you.

Exodus 12:22

12:22 Take a branch of hyssop, ³²  dip it in the blood that is in the basin, ³³  and apply to the top of the doorframe and the two side posts some of the blood that is in the basin. Not one of you is to go out ³⁴  the door of his house until morning.

Exodus 24:14

24:14 He told the elders, “Wait for us in this place until we return to you. Here are ³⁵  Aaron and Hur with you. Whoever has any matters of dispute ³⁶  can approach ³⁷  them.”

[7:8]  ¹ tn Heb “And Yahweh said.”

[7:8]  ² tn Heb “said to Moses and Aaron, saying.”

[5:9]  ³ tn Heb “let the work be heavy.”

[5:9]  ⁴ tn The text has וְיַעֲשׂוּ־בָהּ (vÿya’asu-vah, “and let them work in it”) or the like. The jussive forms part of the king’s decree that the men not only be required to work harder but be doing it: “Let them be occupied in it.”

[5:9]  ⁵ sn The words of Moses are here called “lying words” (דִבְרֵי־שָׁקֶר, divre-shaqer). Here is the main reason, then, for Pharaoh’s new policy. He wanted to discredit Moses. So the words that Moses spoke Pharaoh calls false and lying words. The world was saying that God’s words were vain and deceptive because they were calling people to a higher order. In a short time God would reveal that they were true words.

[12:1]  ⁵ sn Chapter 12 details the culmination of the ten plagues on Egypt and the beginning of the actual deliverance from bondage. Moreover, the celebration of this festival of Passover was to become a central part of the holy calendar of Israel. The contents of this chapter have significance for NT studies as well, since the Passover was a type of the death of Jesus. The structure of this section before the crossing of the sea is as follows: the institution of the Passover (12:1-28), the night of farewell and departure (12:29-42), slaves and strangers (12:43-51), and the laws of the firstborn (13:1-16). In this immediate section there is the institution of the Passover itself (12:1-13), then the Unleavened Bread (12:14-20), and then the report of the response of the people (12:21-28).

[12:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “and Yahweh said.”

[12:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “saying.”

[24:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “he did not stretch out his hand,” i.e., to destroy them.

[24:11]  ⁸ tn The verb is חָזָה (khazah); it can mean “to see, perceive” or “see a vision” as the prophets did. The LXX safeguarded this by saying, “appeared in the place of God.” B. Jacob says they beheld – prophetically, religiously (Exodus, 746) – but the meaning of that is unclear. The fact that God did not lay a hand on them – to kill them – shows that they saw something that they never expected to see and live. Some Christian interpreters have taken this to refer to a glorious appearance of the preincarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity. They saw the brilliance of this manifestation – but not the detail. Later, Moses will still ask to see God’s glory – the real presence behind the phenomena.

[24:11]  ⁹ sn This is the covenant meal, the peace offering, that they are eating there on the mountain. To eat from the sacrifice meant that they were at peace with God, in covenant with him. Likewise, in the new covenant believers draw near to God on the basis of sacrifice, and eat of the sacrifice because they are at peace with him, and in Christ they see the Godhead revealed.

[6:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “And Yahweh spoke.”

[6:13]  ¹⁰ tn The term וַיְצַוֵּם (vayÿtsavvem) is a Piel preterite with a pronominal suffix on it. The verb צָוָה (tsavah) means “to command” but can also have a much wider range of meanings. In this short summary statement, the idea of giving Moses and Aaron a commission to Israel and to Pharaoh indicates that come what may they have their duty to perform.

[36:2]  ¹¹ tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) plus the preposition “to” – “to call to” someone means “to summon” that person.

[36:2]  ¹² tn Here there is a slight change: “in whose heart Yahweh had put skill.”

[36:2]  ¹³ tn Or “whose heart was willing.”

[36:2]  ¹⁴ sn The verb means more than “approach” or “draw near”; קָרַב (qarav) is the word used for drawing near the altar as in bringing an offering. Here they offer themselves, their talents and their time.

[6:3]  ¹³ tn The preposition bet (ב) in this construction should be classified as a bet essentiae, a bet of essence (see also GKC 379 §119.i).

[6:3]  ¹⁴ tn The traditional rendering of the title as “Almighty” is reflected in LXX and Jerome. But there is still little agreement on the etymology and exact meaning of אֵל־שַׁדַּי (’el-shadday). Suggestions have included the idea of “mountain God,” meaning the high God, as well as “the God with breasts.” But there is very little evidence supporting such conclusions and not much reason to question the ancient versions.

[6:3]  ¹⁵ tn The noun שְׁמִי (shÿmi, “my name,” and “Yahweh” in apposition to it), is an adverbial accusative, specifying how the patriarchs “knew” him.

[6:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Yahweh,” traditionally rendered in English as “the Lord.” The phrase has been placed in quotation marks in the translation to indicate it represents the tetragrammaton.

[6:3]  ¹⁷ tn The verb is the Niphal form נוֹדַעְתִּי (noda’ti). If the text had wanted to say, “I did not make myself known,” then a Hiphil form would have been more likely. It is saying, “but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them.”

[9:8]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “before the eyes of Pharaoh.”

[20:19]  ¹⁷ tn The verb is a Piel imperative. In this context it has more of the sense of a request than a command. The independent personal pronoun “you” emphasizes the subject and forms the contrast with God’s speaking.

[24:1]  ¹⁹ sn Exod 24 is the high point of the book in many ways, but most importantly, here Yahweh makes a covenant with the people – the Sinaitic Covenant. The unit not only serves to record the event in Israel’s becoming a nation, but it provides a paradigm of the worship of God’s covenant people – entering into the presence of the glory of Yahweh. See additionally W. A. Maier, “The Analysis of Exodus 24 According to Modern Literary, Form, and Redaction Critical Methodology,” Springfielder 37 (1973): 35-52. The passage may be divided into four parts for exposition: vv. 1-2, the call for worship; vv. 3-8, the consecration of the worshipers; vv. 9-11, the confirmation of the covenant; and vv. 12-18, the communication with Yahweh.

[24:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “And he;” the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:1]  ²¹ sn They were to come up to the Lord after they had made the preparations that are found in vv. 3-8.

[24:1]  ²² sn These seventy-four people were to go up the mountain to a certain point. Then they were to prostrate themselves and worship Yahweh as Moses went further up into the presence of Yahweh. Moses occupies the lofty position of mediator (as Christ in the NT), for he alone ascends “to Yahweh” while everyone waits for his return. The emphasis of “bowing down” and that from “far off” stresses again the ominous presence that was on the mountain. This was the holy God – only the designated mediator could draw near to him.

[12:22]  ²¹ sn The hyssop is a small bush that grows throughout the Sinai, probably the aromatic herb Origanum Maru L., or Origanum Aegyptiacum. The plant also grew out of the walls in Jerusalem (1 Kgs 4:33). See L. Baldensperger and G. M. Crowfoot, “Hyssop,” PEQ 63 (1931): 89-98. A piece of hyssop was also useful to the priests because it worked well for sprinkling.

[12:22]  ²² tn The Greek and the Vulgate translate סַף (saf, “basin”) as “threshold.” W. C. Kaiser reports how early traditions grew up about the killing of the lamb on the threshold (“Exodus,” EBC 2:376).

[12:22]  ²³ tn Heb “and you, you shall not go out, a man from the door of his house.” This construction puts stress on prohibiting absolutely everyone from going out.

[24:14]  ²³ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh) calls attention to the presence of Aaron and Hur to answer the difficult cases that might come up.

[24:14]  ²⁴ tn Or “issues to resolve.” The term is simply דְּבָרִים (dÿvarim, “words, things, matters”).

[24:14]  ²⁵ tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of potential imperfect. In the absence of Moses and Joshua, Aaron and Hur will be available.