Keluaran 22:1--23:33
Konteks22:1 1 (21:37) 2 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he must pay back 3 five head of cattle for the ox, and four sheep for the one sheep. 4
22:2 “If a thief is caught 5 breaking in 6 and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood guilt for him. 7 22:3 If the sun has risen on him, then there is blood guilt for him. A thief 8 must surely make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he will be sold for his theft. 22:4 If the stolen item should in fact be found 9 alive in his possession, 10 whether it be an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he must pay back double. 11
22:5 “If a man grazes 12 his livestock 13 in a field or a vineyard, and he lets the livestock loose and they graze in the field of another man, he must make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
22:6 “If a fire breaks out and spreads 14 to thorn bushes, 15 so that stacked grain or standing grain or the whole field is consumed, the one who started 16 the fire must surely make restitution.
22:7 “If a man gives his neighbor money or articles 17 for safekeeping, 18 and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, 19 he must repay double. 22:8 If the thief is not caught, 20 then the owner of the house will be brought before the judges 21 to see 22 whether he has laid 23 his hand on his neighbor’s goods. 22:9 In all cases of illegal possessions, 24 whether for an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any kind of lost item, about which someone says ‘This belongs to me,’ 25 the matter of the two of them will come before the judges, 26 and the one whom 27 the judges declare guilty 28 must repay double to his neighbor. 22:10 If a man gives his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep, and it dies or is hurt 29 or is carried away 30 without anyone seeing it, 31 22:11 then there will be an oath to the Lord 32 between the two of them, that he has not laid his hand on his neighbor’s goods, and its owner will accept this, and he will not have to pay. 22:12 But if it was stolen 33 from him, 34 he will pay its owner. 22:13 If it is torn in pieces, then he will bring it for evidence, 35 and he will not have to pay for what was torn.
22:14 “If a man borrows an animal 36 from his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies when its owner was not with it, the man who borrowed it 37 will surely pay. 22:15 If its owner was with it, he will not have to pay; if it was hired, what was paid for the hire covers it. 38
22:16 39 “If a man seduces a virgin 40 who is not engaged 41 and has sexual relations with her, he must surely endow 42 her to be his wife. 22:17 If her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay money for the bride price of virgins.
22:18 “You must not allow a sorceress to live. 43
22:19 “Whoever has sexual relations 44 with a beast must surely be put to death.
22:20 “Whoever sacrifices to a god other than the Lord 45 alone must be utterly destroyed. 46
22:21 “You must not wrong 47 a foreigner 48 nor oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
22:22 “You must not afflict 49 any widow or orphan. 22:23 If you afflict them 50 in any way 51 and they cry to me, I will surely hear 52 their cry, 22:24 and my anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children will be fatherless. 53
22:25 “If you lend money to any of 54 my people who are needy among you, do not be like a moneylender 55 to him; do not charge 56 him interest. 57 22:26 If you do take 58 the garment of your neighbor in pledge, you must return it to him by the time the sun goes down, 59 22:27 for it is his only covering – it is his garment for his body. 60 What else can he sleep in? 61 And 62 when he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
22:28 “You must not blaspheme 63 God 64 or curse the ruler of your people.
22:29 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. 65 You must give me the firstborn of your sons. 22:30 You must also do this for your oxen and for your sheep; seven days they may remain with their mothers, but give them to me on the eighth day.
22:31 “You will be holy 66 people to me; you must not eat any meat torn by animals in the field. 67 You must throw it to the dogs.
23:1 68 “You must not give 69 a false report. 70 Do not make common cause 71 with the wicked 72 to be a malicious 73 witness.
23:2 “You must not follow a crowd 74 in doing evil things; 75 in a lawsuit you must not offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice, 76 23:3 and you must not show partiality 77 to a poor man in his lawsuit.
23:4 “If you encounter 78 your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return 79 it to him. 23:5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must not ignore him, 80 but be sure to help 81 him with it. 82
23:6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits. 23:7 Keep your distance 83 from a false charge 84 – do not kill the innocent and the righteous, 85 for I will not justify the wicked. 86
23:8 “You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see 87 and subverts the words of the righteous.
23:9 “You must not oppress 88 a foreigner, since you know the life 89 of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
23:10 90 “For six years 91 you are to sow your land and gather in its produce. 23:11 But in the seventh year 92 you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the field 93 may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove. 23:12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, in order that your ox and your donkey may rest and that your female servant’s son and any hired help 94 may refresh themselves. 95
23:13 “Pay attention to do 96 everything I have told you, and do not even mention 97 the names of other gods – do not let them be heard on your lips. 98
23:14 “Three times 99 in the year you must make a pilgrim feast 100 to me. 23:15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days 101 you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that time 102 you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before 103 me empty-handed.
23:16 “You are also to observe 104 the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year 105 when you have gathered in 106 your harvest 107 out of the field. 23:17 At 108 three times in the year all your males will appear before the Lord God. 109
23:18 “You must not offer 110 the blood of my sacrifice with bread containing yeast; the fat of my festal sacrifice must not remain until morning. 111 23:19 The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. 112
23:20 113 “I am going to send 114 an angel 115 before you to protect you as you journey 116 and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. 117 23:21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name 118 is in him. 23:22 But if you diligently obey him 119 and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. 23:23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them completely. 120
23:24 “You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones 121 to pieces. 122 23:25 You must serve 123 the Lord your God, and he 124 will bless your bread and your water, 125 and I will remove sickness from your midst. 23:26 No woman will miscarry her young 126 or be barren in your land. I will fulfill 127 the number of your days.
23:27 “I will send my terror 128 before you, and I will destroy 129 all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs 130 to you. 23:28 I will send 131 hornets before you that will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you. 23:29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals 132 multiply against you. 23:30 Little by little 133 I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land. 23:31 I will set 134 your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River, 135 for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
23:32 “You must make no covenant with them or with their gods. 23:33 They must not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare 136 to you.”
[22:1] 1 sn The next section of laws concerns property rights. These laws protected property from thieves and oppressors, but also set limits to retribution. The message could be: God’s laws demand that the guilty make restitution for their crimes against property and that the innocent be exonerated.
[22:1] 2 sn Beginning with 22:1, the verse numbers through 22:31 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 22:1 ET = 21:37 HT, 22:2 ET = 22:1 HT, etc., through 22:31 ET = 22:30 HT. Thus in the English Bible ch. 22 has 31 verses, while in the Hebrew Bible it has 30 verses, with the one extra verse attached to ch. 21 in the Hebrew Bible.
[22:1] 3 tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of obligatory imperfect – he must pay back.
[22:1] 4 tn בָּקַר (baqar) and צֹאן (tso’n) are the categories to which the ox and the sheep belonged, so that the criminal had some latitude in paying back animals.
[22:2] 5 tn Heb “found” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
[22:2] 6 tn The word בַּמַּחְתֶּרֶת (bammakhteret) means “digging through” the walls of a house (usually made of mud bricks). The verb is used only a few times and has the meaning of dig in (as into houses) or row hard (as in Jonah 1:13).
[22:2] 7 tn The text has “there is not to him bloods.” When the word “blood” is put in the plural, it refers to bloodshed, or the price of blood that is shed, i.e., blood guiltiness.
[22:2] sn This law focuses on what is reasonable defense against burglary. If someone killed a thief who was breaking in during the night, he was not charged because he would not have known it was just a thief, but if it happened during the day, he was guilty of a crime, on the assumption that in daylight the thief posed no threat to the homeowner’s life and could be stopped and made to pay restitution.
[22:3] 8 tn The words “a thief” have been added for clarification. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 224) thinks that these lines are out of order, since some of them deal with killing the thief and then others with the thief making restitution, but rearranging the clauses is not a necessary way to bring clarity to the paragraph. The idea here would be that any thief caught alive would pay restitution.
[22:4] 9 tn The construction uses a Niphal infinitive absolute and a Niphal imperfect: if it should indeed be found. Gesenius says that in such conditional clauses the infinitive absolute has less emphasis, but instead emphasizes the condition on which some consequence depends (see GKC 342-43 §113.o).
[22:4] 10 tn Heb “in his hand.”
[22:4] 11 sn He must pay back one for what he took, and then one for the penalty – his loss as he was inflicting a loss on someone else.
[22:5] 12 tn The verb בָּעַר (ba’ar, “graze”) as a denominative from the word “livestock” is not well attested. So some have suggested that with slight changes this verse could be read: “If a man cause a field or a vineyard to be burnt, and let the burning spread, and it burnt in another man’s field” (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 225).
[22:5] 13 tn The phrase “his livestock” is supplied from the next clause.
[22:6] 14 tn Heb “if a fire goes out and finds”; NLT “if a fire gets out of control.”
[22:6] 15 sn Thorn bushes were used for hedges between fields, but thorn bushes also burned easily, making the fire spread rapidly.
[22:6] 16 tn This is a Hiphil participle of the verb “to burn, kindle” used substantivally. This is the one who caused the fire, whether by accident or not.
[22:7] 17 tn The word usually means “vessels” but can have the sense of household goods and articles. It could be anything from jewels and ornaments to weapons or pottery.
[22:7] 18 tn Heb “to keep.” Here “safekeeping,” that is, to keep something secure on behalf of a third party, is intended.
[22:8] 21 tn Here again the word used is “the gods,” meaning the judges who made the assessments and decisions. In addition to other works, see J. R. Vannoy, “The Use of the Word ha’elohim in Exodus 21:6 and 22:7,8,” The Law and the Prophets, 225-41.
[22:8] 22 tn The phrase “to see” has been supplied.
[22:8] 23 tn The line says “if he has not stretched out his hand.” This could be the oath formula, but the construction here would be unusual, or it could be taken as “whether” (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:438). U. Cassuto (Exodus, 286) does not think the wording can possibly fit an oath; nevertheless, an oath would be involved before God (as he takes it instead of “judges”) – if the man swore, his word would be accepted, but if he would not swear, he would be guilty.
[22:9] 24 tn Heb “concerning every kind [thing] of trespass.”
[22:9] 25 tn The text simply has “this is it” (הוּא זֶה, hu’ zeh).
[22:9] 27 tn This kind of clause Gesenius calls an independent relative clause – it does not depend on a governing substantive but itself expresses a substantival idea (GKC 445-46 §138.e).
[22:9] 28 tn The verb means “to be guilty” in Qal; in Hiphil it would have a declarative sense, because a causative sense would not possibly fit.
[22:10] 29 tn The form is a Niphal participle from the verb “to break” – “is broken,” which means harmed, maimed, or hurt in any way.
[22:10] 30 tn This verb is frequently used with the meaning “to take captive.” The idea here then is that raiders or robbers have carried off the animal.
[22:10] 31 tn Heb “there is no one seeing.”
[22:11] 32 tn The construct relationship שְׁבֻעַת יְהוָה (shÿvu’at yÿhvah, “the oath of Yahweh”) would require a genitive of indirect object, “an oath [to] Yahweh.” U. Cassuto suggests that it means “an oath by Yahweh” (Exodus, 287). The person to whom the animal was entrusted would take a solemn oath to Yahweh that he did not appropriate the animal for himself, and then his word would be accepted.
[22:12] 33 tn Both with this verb “stolen” and in the next clauses with “torn in pieces,” the text uses the infinitive absolute construction with less than normal emphasis; as Gesenius says, in conditional clauses, an infinitive absolute stresses the importance of the condition on which some consequence depends (GKC 342-43 §113.o).
[22:12] 34 sn The point is that the man should have taken better care of the animal.
[22:13] 35 tn The word עֵד (’ed) actually means “witness,” but the dead animal that is returned is a silent witness, i.e., evidence. The word is an adverbial accusative.
[22:14] 36 tn Heb “if a man asks [an animal] from his neighbor” (see also Exod 12:36). The ruling here implies an animal is borrowed, and if harm comes to it when the owner is not with it, the borrower is liable. The word “animal” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[22:14] 37 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who borrowed the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:15] 38 tn Literally “it came with/for its hire,” this expression implies that the owner who hired it out and was present was prepared to take the risk, so there would be no compensation.
[22:16] 39 sn The second half of the chapter records various laws of purity and justice. Any of them could be treated in an expository way, but in the present array they offer a survey of God’s righteous standards: Maintain the sanctity of marriage (16-17); maintain the purity of religious institutions (18-20), maintain the rights of human beings (21-28), maintain the rights of Yahweh (29-31).
[22:16] 40 tn This is the word בְּתוּלָה (bÿtulah); it describes a young woman who is not married or a young woman engaged to be married; in any case, she is presumed to be a virgin.
[22:16] 41 tn Or “pledged” for marriage.
[22:16] 42 tn The verb מָהַר (mahar) means “pay the marriage price,” and the related noun is the bride price. B. Jacob says this was a proposal gift and not a purchase price (Exodus, 700). This is the price paid to her parents, which allowed for provision should there be a divorce. The amount was usually agreed on by the two families, but the price was higher for a pure bride from a noble family. Here, the one who seduces her must pay it, regardless of whether he marries her or not.
[22:18] 43 sn There still were many who wished to follow pagan beliefs and consort with the dead (see Deut 18:10-11). The sorceress was someone who dealt with drugs or herbs for occult purposes.
[22:19] 44 tn Heb “lies with.”
[22:20] 45 tn Heb “not to Yahweh.”
[22:20] 46 tn The verb חָרַם (kharam) means “to be devoted” to God or “to be banned.” The idea is that it would be God’s to do with as he liked. What was put under the ban was for God alone, either for his service or for his judgment. But it was out of human control. Here the verb is saying that the person will be utterly destroyed.
[22:21] 48 tn Or “alien,” both here and in 23:9. This individual is a resident foreigner; he lives in the land but, aside from provisions such as this, might easily be without legal rights.
[22:22] 49 tn The verb “afflict” is a Piel imperfect from עָנָה (’anah); it has a wide range of meanings: “afflict, oppress, humiliate, rape.” These victims are at the mercy of the judges, businessmen, or villains. The righteous king and the righteous people will not mistreat them (see Isa 1:17; Job 31:16, 17, 21).
[22:23] 50 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] 51 tn Here again and with “cry” the infinitive absolute functions with a diminished emphasis (GKC 342-43 §113.o).
[22:23] 52 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.”
[22:24] 53 sn The punishment will follow the form of talionic justice, an eye for an eye, in which the punishment matches the crime. God will use invading armies (“sword” is a metonymy of adjunct here) to destroy them, making their wives widows and their children orphans.
[22:25] 54 tn “any of” has been supplied.
[22:25] 55 sn The moneylender will be demanding and exacting. In Ps 109:11 and 2 Kgs 4:1 the word is rendered as “extortioner.”
[22:25] 57 sn In ancient times money was lent primarily for poverty and not for commercial ventures (H. Gamoran, “The Biblical Law against Loans on Interest,” JNES 30 [1971]: 127-34). The lending to the poor was essentially a charity, and so not to be an opportunity to make money from another person’s misfortune. The word נֶשֶׁךְ (neshekh) may be derived from a verb that means “to bite,” and so the idea of usury or interest was that of putting out one’s money with a bite in it (See S. Stein, “The Laws on Interest in the Old Testament,” JTS 4 [1953]: 161-70; and E. Neufeld, “The Prohibition against Loans at Interest in the Old Testament,” HUCA 26 [1955]: 355-412).
[22:26] 58 tn The construction again uses the infinitive absolute with the verb in the conditional clause to stress the condition.
[22:26] 59 tn The clause uses the preposition, the infinitive construct, and the noun that is the subjective genitive – “at the going in of the sun.”
[22:27] 61 tn Literally the text reads, “In what can he lie down?” The cloak would be used for a covering at night to use when sleeping. The garment, then, was the property that could not be taken and not given back – it was the last possession. The modern idiom of “the shirt off his back” gets at the point being made here.
[22:27] 62 tn Heb “and it will be.”
[22:28] 63 tn The two verbs in this verse are synonyms: קָלַל (qalal) means “to treat lightly, curse,” and אָרַר (’arar) means “to curse.”
[22:28] 64 tn The word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is “gods” or “God.” If taken as the simple plural, it could refer to the human judges, as it has in the section of laws; this would match the parallelism in the verse. If it was taken to refer to God, then the idea of cursing God would be more along the line of blasphemy. B. Jacob says that the word refers to functioning judges, and that would indirectly mean God, for they represented the religious authority, and the prince the civil authority (Exodus, 708).
[22:29] 65 tn The expressions are unusual. U. Cassuto renders them: “from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses” (Exodus, 294). He adds the Hittite parallel material to show that the people were to bring the offerings on time and not let them overlap, because the firstfruits had to be eaten first by the priest.
[22:31] 66 sn The use of this word here has to do with the laws of the sanctuary and not some advanced view of holiness. The ritual holiness at the sanctuary would prohibit eating anything torn to pieces.
[22:31] 67 tn Or “by wild animals.”
[23:1] 68 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] 69 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] 70 tn Or “a groundless report” (see Exod 20:7 for the word שָׁוְא, shav’).
[23:1] 71 tn Heb “do not put your hand” (cf. KJV, ASV); NASB “join your hand.”
[23:1] 72 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] 73 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.
[23:2] 74 tn The word רָבִּים (rabbim), here rendered “crowd,” is also used infrequently to refer to the “mighty,” people of importance in society (Job 35:9; cf. Lev 19:15).
[23:2] 75 tn For any individual to join a group that is bent on acting wickedly would be a violation of the Law and would incur personal responsibility.
[23:2] 76 tn Heb “you will not answer in a lawsuit to turn after the crowd to turn.” The form translated “agrees with” (Heb “to turn after”) is a Qal infinitive construct from נָטָה (natah); the same root is used at the end of the verse but as a Hiphil infinitive construct, “to pervert [justice].”
[23:3] 77 tn The point here is one of false sympathy and honor, the bad sense of the word הָדַר (hadar; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 237).
[23:4] 78 tn Heb “meet” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
[23:4] 79 tn The construction uses the imperfect tense (taken here as an obligatory imperfect) and the infinitive absolute for emphasis.
[23:5] 80 tn The line reads “you will cease to forsake him” – refrain from leaving your enemy without help.
[23:5] 81 tn The law is emphatic here as well, using the infinitive absolute and the imperfect of instruction (or possibly obligation). There is also a wordplay here: two words עָזַב (’azav) are used, one meaning “forsake” and the other possibly meaning “arrange” based on Arabic and Ugaritic evidence (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 297-98).
[23:5] 82 sn See H. B. Huffmon, “Exodus 23:4-5: A Comparative Study,” A Light Unto My Path, 271-78.
[23:7] 83 tn Or “stay away from,” or “have nothing to do with.”
[23:7] 84 tn Heb “a false matter,” this expression in this context would have to be a case in law that was false or that could only be won by falsehood.
[23:7] 85 tn The two clauses probably should be related: the getting involved in the false charge could lead to the death of an innocent person (so, e.g., Naboth in 1 Kgs 21:10-13).
[23:7] 86 sn God will not declare right the one who is in the wrong. Society should also be consistent, but it cannot see the intents and motives, as God can.
[23:8] 87 tn Heb “blinds the open-eyed.”
[23:9] 88 tn The verb means “to crush.” S. R. Driver notes that in this context this would probably mean with an unfair judgment in the courts (Exodus, 239).
[23:9] 89 tn Heb “soul, life” – “you know what it feels like.”
[23:10] 90 sn This section concerns religious duties of the people of God as they worship by giving thanks to God for their blessings. The principles here are: God requires his people to allow the poor to share in their bounty (10-11); God requires his people to provide times of rest and refreshment for those who labor for them (12); God requires allegiance to himself (13); God requires his people to come before him in gratitude and share their bounty (14-17); God requires that his people safeguard proper worship forms (18-19).
[23:10] 91 tn Heb “and six years”; this is an adverbial accusative telling how long they can work their land. The following references to years and days in vv. 10-12 function similarly.
[23:11] 92 tn Heb “and the seventh year”; an adverbial accusative with a disjunctive vav (ו).
[23:11] 93 tn Heb “living thing/creature/beast of the field.” A general term for animals, usually wild animals, including predators (cf. v. 29; Gen 2:19-20; Lev 26:22; Deut 7:22; 1 Sam 17:46; Job 5:22-23; Ezek 29:5; 34:5).
[23:12] 94 tn Heb “alien,” or “resident foreigner.” Such an individual would have traveled out of need and depended on the goodwill of the people around him. The rendering “hired help” assumes that the foreigner is mentioned in this context because he is working for an Israelite and will benefit from the Sabbath rest, along with his employer.
[23:12] 95 tn The verb is וְיִּנָּפֵשׁ (vÿyyinnafesh); it is related to the word usually translated “soul” or “life.”
[23:13] 96 tn The phrase “to do” is added; in Hebrew word order the line says, “In all that I have said to you you will watch yourselves.” The verb for paying attention is a Niphal imperfect with an imperatival force.
[23:13] 97 tn Or “honor,” Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar). See also Exod 20:25; Josh 23:7; Isa 26:13.
[23:13] sn See also Ps 16:4, where David affirms his loyalty to God with this expression.
[23:14] 99 tn The expression rendered “three times” is really “three feet,” or “three foot-beats.” The expression occurs only a few times in the Law. The expressing is an adverbial accusative.
[23:14] 100 tn This is the word תָּחֹג (takhog) from the root חָגַג (khagag); it describes a feast that was accompanied by a pilgrimage. It was first used by Moses in his appeal that Israel go three days into the desert to hold such a feast.
[23:15] 101 tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.
[23:15] 103 tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect; the nuance of permission works well here – no one is permitted to appear before God empty (Heb “and they will not appear before me empty”).
[23:16] 104 tn The words “you are also to observe” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 105 tn An infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make a temporal clause: “in the going in of the year.” The word “year” is the subjective genitive, the subject of the clause.
[23:16] 106 tn An infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make a temporal clause: “in the ingathering of you.”
[23:16] 107 tn Heb “gathered in your labors.” This is a metonymy of cause put for the effect. “Labors” are not gathered in, but what the labors produced – the harvest.
[23:17] 108 tn Adverbial accusative of time: “three times” becomes “at three times.”
[23:17] 109 tn Here the divine Name reads in Hebrew הָאָדֹן יְהוָה (ha’adon yÿhvah), which if rendered according to the traditional scheme of “
[23:18] 110 tn The verb is תִּזְבַּח (tizbbakh), an imperfect tense from the same root as the genitive that qualifies the accusative “blood”: “you will not sacrifice the blood of my sacrifice.” The verb means “to slaughter”; since one cannot slaughter blood, a more general translation is required here. But if the genitive is explained as “my blood-sacrifice” (a genitive of specification; like “the evil of your doings” in Isa 1:16), then a translation of sacrifice would work (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 304).
[23:18] 111 sn See N. Snaith, “Exodus 23:18 and 34:25,” JTS 20 (1969): 533-34; see also M. Haran, “The Passover Sacrifice,” Studies in the Religion of Ancient Israel (VTSup), 86-116.
[23:19] 112 sn On this verse, see C. M. Carmichael, “On Separating Life and Death: An Explanation of Some Biblical Laws,” HTR 69 (1976): 1-7; J. Milgrom, “You Shall Not Boil a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk,” BRev 1 (1985): 48-55; R. J. Ratner and B. Zuckerman, “In Rereading the ‘Kid in Milk’ Inscriptions,” BRev 1 (1985): 56-58; and M. Haran, “Seething a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk,” JJS 30 (1979): 23-35. Here and at 34:26, where this command is repeated, it ends a series of instructions about procedures for worship.
[23:20] 113 sn This passage has some of the most interesting and perplexing expressions and constructions in the book. It is largely promise, but it is part of the Law and so demands compliance by faith. Its points are: God promises to send his angel to prepare the way before his obedient servants (20-23); God promises blessing for his loyal servants (24-33). So in the section one learns that God promises his protection (victory) and blessing (through his angel) for his obedient and loyal worshipers.
[23:20] 114 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with the active participle indicates imminent future, something God is about to do.
[23:20] 115 sn The word is מַלְאָךְ (mal’akh, “messenger, angel”). This angel is to be treated with the same fear and respect as Yahweh, for Yahweh will be speaking in him. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 305-6) says that the words of the first clause do not imply a being distinct from God, for in the ancient world the line of demarcation between the sender and the sent is liable easily to be blurred. He then shows how the “Angel of Yahweh” in Genesis is Yahweh. He concludes that the words here mean “I will guide you.” Christian commentators tend to identify the Angel of Yahweh as the second person of the Trinity (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:446). However, in addition to being a preincarnate appearance, the word could refer to Yahweh – some manifestation of Yahweh himself.
[23:20] 116 tn Heb “protect you in the way.”
[23:20] 117 tn The form is the Hiphil perfect of the verb כּוּן (kun, “to establish, prepare”).
[23:21] 118 sn This means “the manifestation of my being” is in him (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 247). Driver quotes McNeile as saying, “The ‘angel’ is Jehovah Himself ‘in a temporary descent to visibility for a special purpose.’” Others take the “name” to represent Yahweh’s “power” (NCV) or “authority” (NAB, CEV).
[23:22] 119 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).
[23:23] 120 tn Heb “will cut them off” (so KJV, ASV).
[23:24] 121 tn The Hebrew is מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶם (matsevotehem, “their standing stones”); these long stones were erected to represent the abode of the numen or deity. They were usually set up near the altar or the high place. To destroy these would be to destroy the centers of Canaanite worship in the land.
[23:24] 122 tn Both verbs are joined with their infinitive absolutes to provide the strongest sense to these instructions. The images of the false gods in Canaan were to be completely and utterly destroyed. This could not be said any more strongly.
[23:25] 123 tn The perfect tense, masculine plural, with vav (ו) consecutive is in sequence with the preceding: do not bow down to them, but serve Yahweh. It is then the equivalent of an imperfect of instruction or injunction.
[23:25] 124 tn The LXX reads “and I will bless” to make the verb conform with the speaker, Yahweh.
[23:25] 125 sn On this unusual clause B. Jacob says that it is the reversal of the curse in Genesis, because the “bread and water” represent the field work and ground suitability for abundant blessing of provisions (Exodus, 734).
[23:26] 126 tn Or “abort”; Heb “cast.”
[23:26] 127 sn No one will die prematurely; this applies to the individual or the nation. The plan of God to bless was extensive, if only the people would obey.
[23:27] 128 tn The word for “terror” is אֵימָתִי (’emati); the word has the thought of “panic” or “dread.” God would make the nations panic as they heard of the exploits and knew the Israelites were drawing near. U. Cassuto thinks the reference to “hornets” in v. 28 may be a reference to this fear, an unreasoning dread, rather than to another insect invasion (Exodus, 308). Others suggest it is symbolic of an invading army or a country like Egypt or literal insects (see E. Neufeld, “Insects as Warfare Agents in the Ancient Near East,” Or 49 [1980]: 30-57).
[23:27] 130 tn The text has “and I will give all your enemies to you [as] a back.” The verb of making takes two accusatives, the second being the adverbial accusative of product (see GKC 371-72 §117.ii, n. 1).
[23:28] 131 tn Heb “and I will send.”
[23:29] 132 tn Heb “the beast of the field.”
[23:30] 133 tn The repetition expresses an exceptional or super-fine quality (see GKC 396 §123.e).
[23:31] 134 tn The form is a perfect tense with vav consecutive.
[23:31] 135 tn In the Hebrew Bible “the River” usually refers to the Euphrates (cf. NASB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT). There is some thought that it refers to a river Nahr el Kebir between Lebanon and Syria. See further W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:447; and G. W. Buchanan, The Consequences of the Covenant (NovTSup), 91-100.
[23:33] 136 tn The idea of the “snare” is to lure them to judgment; God is apparently warning about contact with the Canaanites, either in worship or in business. They were very syncretistic, and so it would be dangerous to settle among them.
