Keluaran 4:8

4:8 “If ¹  they do not believe you or pay attention to ²  the former sign, then they may ³  believe the latter sign. ⁴ 

Keluaran 15:16

15:16 Fear and dread ⁵  will fall ⁶  on them;

by the greatness ⁷  of your arm they will be as still as stone ⁸ 

until ⁹  your people pass by, O Lord,

until the people whom you have bought ¹⁰  pass by.

[4:8]  ¹ tn Heb “and it will be if.”

[4:8]  ² tn Heb “listen to the voice of,” meaning listen so as to respond appropriately.

[4:8]  ³ tn The nuance of this perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive will be equal to the imperfect of possibility – “they may believe.”

[4:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “believe the voice of the latter sign,” so as to understand and accept the meaning of the event.

[15:16]  ⁵ tn The two words can form a nominal hendiadys, “a dreadful fear,” though most English versions retain the two separate terms.

[15:16]  ⁶ tn The form is an imperfect.

[15:16]  ⁷ tn The adjective is in construct form and governs the noun “arm” (“arm” being the anthropomorphic expression for what God did). See GKC 428 §132.c.

[15:16]  ⁸ sn For a study of the words for fear, see N. Waldman, “A Comparative Note on Exodus 15:14-16,” JQR 66 (1976): 189-92.

[15:16]  ⁹ tn Clauses beginning with עַד (’ad) express a limit that is not absolute, but only relative, beyond which the action continues (GKC 446-47 §138.g).

[15:16]  ¹⁰ tn The verb קָנָה (qanah) here is the verb “acquire, purchase,” and probably not the homonym “to create, make” (see Gen 4:1; Deut 32:6; and Prov 8:22).