Keluaran 5:1

Opposition to the Plan of God

5:1 ¹ Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, ²  the God of Israel, ‘Release ³  my people so that they may hold a pilgrim feast ⁴  to me in the desert.’”

Keluaran 18:8

18:8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardship ⁵  that had come on them ⁶  along the way, and how ⁷  the Lord had delivered them.

Keluaran 18:14

18:14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this ⁸  that you are doing for the people? ⁹  Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”

Keluaran 21:8

21:8 If she does not please ¹⁰  her master, who has designated her ¹¹  for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. ¹²  He has no right ¹³  to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt deceitfully ¹⁴  with her.

Keluaran 34:7

34:7 keeping loyal love for thousands, ¹⁵  forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression ¹⁶  of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

Keluaran 35:5

35:5 ‘Take ¹⁷  an offering for the Lord. Let everyone who has a willing heart ¹⁸  bring ¹⁹  an offering to the Lord: ²⁰  gold, silver, bronze,

Keluaran 39:21

39:21 They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it was above the waistband of the ephod, so that the breastpiece would not be loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

[5:1]  ¹ sn The enthusiasm of the worshipers in the preceding chapter turns sour in this one when Pharaoh refuses to cooperate. The point is clear that when the people of God attempt to devote their full service and allegiance to God, they encounter opposition from the world. Rather than finding instant blessing and peace, they find conflict. This is the theme that will continue through the plague narratives. But what makes chapter 5 especially interesting is how the people reacted to this opposition. The chapter has three sections: first, the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh (vv. 1-5); then the report of the stern opposition of the king (vv. 6-14); and finally, the sad account of the effect of this opposition on the people (vv. 15-21).

[5:1]  ² tn Heb “Yahweh.”

[5:1]  ³ tn The form שַׁלַּח (shallakh), the Piel imperative, has been traditionally translated “let [my people] go.” The Qal would be “send”; so the Piel “send away, release, dismiss, discharge.” B. Jacob observes, “If a person was dismissed through the use of this verb, then he ceased to be within the power or sphere of influence of the individual who had dismissed him. He was completely free and subsequently acted entirely on his own responsibility” (Exodus, 115).

[5:1]  ⁴ tn The verb חָגַג (khagag) means to hold a feast or to go on a pilgrim feast. The Arabic cognate of the noun form is haj, best known for the pilgrim flight of Mohammed, the hajira. The form in the text (וְיָחֹגּוּ, vÿyakhoggu) is subordinated to the imperative and thus shows the purpose of the imperative.

[18:8]  ⁵ tn A rare word, “weariness” of the hardships.

[18:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “found them.”

[18:8]  ⁷ tn Here “how” has been supplied.

[18:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “what is this thing.”

[18:14]  ⁹ sn This question, “what are you doing for the people,” is qualified by the next question. Sitting alone all day and the people standing around all day showed that Moses was exhibiting too much care for the people – he could not do this.

[21:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and if unpleasant (רָעָה, ra’ah) in the eyes of her master.”

[21:8]  ¹¹ tn The verb יָעַד (ya’ad) does not mean “betroth, espouse” as some of the earlier translations had it, but “to designate.” When he bought the girl, he designated her for himself, giving her and her family certain expectations.

[21:8]  ¹² tn The verb is a Hiphil perfect with vav (ו) consecutive from פָדָה (padah, “to redeem”). Here in the apodosis the form is equivalent to an imperfect: “let someone redeem her” – perhaps her father if he can, or another. U. Cassuto says it can also mean she can redeem herself and dissolve the relationship (Exodus, 268).

[21:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “he has no authority/power,” for the verb means “rule, have dominion.”

[21:8]  ¹⁴ sn The deceit is in not making her his wife or concubine as the arrangement had stipulated.

[34:7]  ¹⁵ tn That is, “for thousands of generations.”

[34:7]  ¹⁶ sn As in the ten commandments (20:5-6), this expression shows that the iniquity and its punishment will continue in the family if left unchecked. This does not go on as long as the outcomes for good (thousands versus third or fourth generations), and it is limited to those who hate God.

[35:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “from with you.”

[35:5]  ¹⁸ tn “Heart” is a genitive of specification, clarifying in what way they might be “willing.” The heart refers to their will, their choices.

[35:5]  ¹⁹ tn The verb has a suffix that is the direct object, but the suffixed object is qualified by the second accusative: “let him bring it, an offering.”

[35:5]  ²⁰ tn The phrase is literally “the offering of Yahweh”; it could be a simple possessive, “Yahweh’s offering,” but a genitive that indicates the indirect object is more appropriate.