Notes on the Book of Exodus, II
(Chapters 12-24)
Chapter Twelve
Vs. 1: This chapter marks a switch from the ten plagues of the past few chapters as well as an account of Israel’s oppression in a foreign land. “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt.” Such are the words of this new chapter, words which occurred many times previously in Exodus. It is as though such speaking needs to be sustained or continued into a new phase of the drama.
Vs. 2: “This month (chodesh):” or Nisan (March-April). The noun is derived from a verbal root meaning “to be new.” The noun also means the new moon as in 1 Sam 20.5, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king.”
-First/beginning (ro’sh/ri’shon): the same verbal root but with different nuances.
Vs. 3: “Congregation (hedah) of Israel:” first time this term is mentioned. For its use with a similar word (qahal, assembly), cf. vs. 6: “When the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs.” Use of hedah suggests that the Israelites had been organized into a religious group within Egypt for some time.
-Lamb (seh): refers to either a sheep or a goat. “But where is the lamb for a burnt offering” [Gen 22.7]?
-“Fathers’ houses:” “Take a census of all the congregation (hedah) of Israel...by fathers’ houses” [Num 1.2].
Vs. 4: Neighbor (shaken): or one who dwells nearby. “As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbor cities were overthrown” [Jer 49.18].
-“Next (qarov) to his house:” from a verbal root meaning “to drawn near,” “to approach.” “You shall give his inheritance to his kinsman that is next to him of his family” [Num 27.11].
-“Number of persons (nephesh):” literally, “souls.” For another use, “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life” [Gen 9.4].
-You shall make its count (kasas): the only use of this verb in the Old Testament.
Vs. 5: Without blemish (tamym): in the sense of being whole. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation” [Gen 6.9].
-Male (zakar): from the verbal root “to remember” as in 2.24, “And God remembered his covenant with Abraham.” For a reference with the noun, “Male and female he created them” [Gen1.27].
-Sheep (keves): more properly, a lamb; compare with seh of vs. 3. “One young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering” [Num 7.15].
-Goats (hez): “He shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish” [Lev 4.23].
Vs. 6: “And you shall keep (mishmereth, noun) it.” The Hebrew text literally reads, “And let it be to you to a guard.” “Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations” [17.32]. For another use, “And their charge was to be the ark” [Num 3.31].
-“Whole assembly (qahal) of the congregation (hedah) of Israel.” Cf. vs. 3 above.
-“Shall kill (shachat) their lambs (literally, ‘it’):” a verb applying to animals. “Then Abraham put forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son” [Gen 22.10].
-“In the evening” reads in the Hebrew text, “between evenings.”
Vs. 7: “Shall take some of the blood” literally reads, “Shall take from the blood.”
-Doorposts (mezuzah): “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” [Dt 6.9].
-Lintels (mashqoph): the only other two references with this term are vss. 22 & 23. The verbal root means “to look down upon.”
Vs. 8: “That night:” a festival celebrated during the full moon.
-Roasted (tsely ‘esh): literally, “roasted (in) fire;” cf. next verse. The only other reference is 1 Sam 2.15, “Give meat for the priest to roast.”
-Unleavened bread (matsah): literally, “what is sweet” (i.e., unfermented). “It shall be eaten unleavened in a holy place” [Lev 6.16].
-Bitter herbs (merorym): from a verbal root meaning “to be bitter.” Apart from a similar dietary directive in Num 9.11, the only other reference to this word is Lam 3.15, “He has filled me with bitterness, he has sated me with wormwood.”
Vs. 10: The previous verse says that the lamb is to be roasted; the verse at hand says any remainder is to be burned or saraph (from which ‘seraphim’ is derived), a verb which connotes total consumption. For another use, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly” [Gen 11.3]. Note that in the verse at hand, such burning must be done before sunrise.
Vs. 11: The Lord commands three ways to eat the lamb:
1) “Loins (matnaym) girded:” “You did bring us into the net; you did lay affliction on our loins” [Ps 66.11].
2) “Sandals (nahal) on your feet:” “Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe” [Ps 90.8].
3) “Staff (maqel) in hand:” literally, a “twig,” “sucker.” “I see a rod of almond” [Jer 1.11]. Compare this word with mateh used elsewhere in Exodus (as 4.2).
-“In haste (chaphzon):” from a verbal root meaning “to take fright,” “to be hasty.” “I had said in my alarm, ‘I am driven far from your sight’” [Ps 31.22].
-“It is the Lord’s Passover (pesach).” The Hebrew text literally reads, “It is the Passover to (l-) the Lord.” The first use of this important term; vs. 27 speaks of it terms of “sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover.” Cf. vs. 13, “I will pass over (pasach) you.” Such a Passover hearkens back to that “distinction” made in 11.7.
Vs. 12: “I will pass (havar) through (b-, literally ‘in’) the land of Egypt that night.” Compare with pasach of the next verse (pass over).
-First-born (bekor): alternately as “first-fruits.” “...like a first-ripe fig before summer” [Is 28.4].
-“All the gods of Egypt.” Upon them the Lord will pass judgment which differs from smiting the first-born of man and beast yet may include these gods who fall under the same fate.
Vs. 13: Sign (‘oth) which here is blood. “This shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you” [3.12].
-Plague (negeph): first use of this word which may be compared with magephah (same verbal root) as in 9.14, “For this time I will send all my plagues upon your heart.” For another reference to the word at hand, “that there be no plague among them when you number them” [30.12].
-“Shall fall upon you” (shachat): more properly, “to destroy.” Cf. vs. 6, “the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs in the evening.”
-To destroy: literally, “to destruction” or mashchyth also in vs. 23; the verbal root can also mean “to spread out (with oil).”
Vs. 14: “This day.” The “day” to be commemorated as Passover takes place at night.
-Note four times when the preposition l- (literally, “to”) is prefixed to words: “to you,” “to a remembrance,” “to the Lord” and “to generations.”
-Memorial (zikaron; also 17.14): from the verbal root zakar (to remember). “Stones of remembrance” [28.12].
-“Shall keep (chagag) it as a feast (chag) to the Lord.” The verb fundamentally means “to dance;” the noun is derived from this verbal root: “We must hold a feast to the Lord” [10.9]. For the verb, cf. 5.1, “that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.”
-Generations (dor): “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you...for all future generations” [Gen 9.12].
-“You shall observe (it) as an ordinance:” the verb chagag again, here coupled with chuqah as in 13.10, “You shall therefore keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.”
Vs. 15: “Unleavened bread:” first mentioned in vs. 8 as applied to the Passover. It is to be extended over seven days, this number having special significance, most like as symbolic of perfection; cf. 13.6 & 23.15 for two other references. Such an observance is part of that “memorial” of the previous verse.
-Leaven (chamets): from a verbal root meaning “to be sour.” A related term (chomets) is found in Rt 2.14, “Dip your morsel in the wine.” Leaven causes bread to rise; for seven days the Israelites are to eat “flat” bread.
-In the verse at hand, the “rising” of leaven is associated with banishment: “that person (nephesh or ‘soul’) shall be cut off (karath) from Israel.” A similar sentiment is found in Lev 7.27, “Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.” In other contexts, karath refers to the making (“cutting”) of a covenant, for example, 24.8.
Vs. 16: “First day” or when Israel is to hold a “holy assembly (miqra’). The seventh day is to conclude with a similar gathering. In addition to its use twice in this verse, the only other references using miqra’ are Is 1.13 & 4.5. It is from the verbal root “to call.” Compare with qahal, vs. 6.
-Both the first and seventh days are to be free of work (mela’kah) which is more akin to service. “But one day when he went into the house to do his work” [Gen 39.11]. Compare with the “hard service (havodah)” of 1.14.
-Everyone (nephesh): as in vs. 15; here it may literally read, “all soul.”
Vs. 17: Observe (shamar): in the sense of keeping guard or preserving. “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” [Gen 28.15]. This verb is often used with respect to the Torah and divine commandments: “Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I keep your word” [Ps 119.67].
-Feast of unleavened bread (matsoth): plural of matsah as in vs. 8.
-“On this very (hetsem) day:” used instead of the pronoun “itself;” from the verbal root meaning “to bind fast,” “to become strong.” “On the very same day Noah and his sons...entered the ark” [Gen 7.13].
-Hosts (tsava’, singular): “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts” [6.26]. Here the Lord says “I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt” where the past tense is used, almost as though the deed were already accomplished.
-Observe (shamar): second use of this verb in the same verse, here with reference to “this day.”
-The rest of this verb parallels that of vs. 14, “throughout your generations as an ordinance forever.”
Vs. 19: Leaven (sa’ar): compare with chamets in vs. 15. It derives from an unused verbal root meaning “to boil up,” “to ferment.” There are only four other references to this word: 12.19, 13.7, Lev 2.11 and Dt 16.4.
-Another use of the verb karath (to cut off) and the noun nephesh (person...‘soul’) as in vs. 15.
-“Congregation (hedah) of Israel:” “Tell all the congregation of Israel.”
-Stranger (ger): “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land” [2.22].
-Native (‘ezrah): from a verbal root meaning “to shoot forth” (as from domestic soil). “You shall do no work, either the native or the stranger (ger) who sojourns among you” [Lev 16.29].
Vs. 21: Elders (zaqen, singular): as used in 3.16 & 18 and 4.29.
-“Select (mashak) lambs for yourselves.” The Hebrew text literally reads, “Take hold of (in the sense of pulling out) and take lambs for yourselves.” This is the same verbal root from which “Moses” is derived; cf. 2.10.
-Families (mishpachah, singular): can also refer to a tribe. “These are the families of Reuben” [6.14].
-Kill (shachat): cf. vs. 6.
-Passover lamb (pasach): the Hebrew text lacks “lamb.” “It is the Lord’s Passover.”
Vs. 22: Bunch of hyssop. The first word is ‘agudah. It can have military connotations: “And the Benjaminites gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one band” [2 Sam 2.25]. The second word is ‘ezov. It is used for sacred purifications as in Lev 14.4, “The priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed...hyssop” [Lev 14.4].
-Dip (taval): “And the sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood” [Lev 9.9].
-Basin (saph): “Lo, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the peoples round about” [Zech 12.2].
-Lintel (mashqoph ) and doorposts (mezuzah): cf. vss. 7 & 23.
Vs. 23: “The Lord will pass through (havar):” cf. vs. 2.
-“To slay (nagaph) the Egyptians.” For another use of this verb, cf. 8.2 “I will plague all your country with frogs.”
-Pass over (pasach): as in vs. 13; compare with havar in the verse at hand.
-Destroyer (mashchyth): from the verbal root mashach (cf. vs. 13). This being can be associated with an angel of death as in Is 37.36: “And the angel of the Lord went forth and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians” [Is 37.36].
Vs. 24: To observe (shamar): as in vs. 17 with respect to “this day.” In the verse at hand, it refers to “this rite (davar),” the only use of this term in such a context; from the verbal root davar (to speak).
-The rite is to be an ordinance or choq. For another use of this term, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks as today as hitherto” [5.14]?
Vs. 25: “Land...as he has promised (davar).” The Hebrew literally reads, “Land...as he has spoken.” Cf. Gen 18.19, “So that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” Compare with the noun davar in the previous verse.
-“You shall keep (shamar) this service (havodah).” For the verb, cf. previous verse. For another use of the noun, cf. vs. 16.
Vs. 27: “The sacrifice of the Lord’s passover.” The Hebrew text has the preposition l- (to) prefixed to “Lord” which indicates a more direct and intimate connection between the two.
-“Spared (natsal) our houses.” “And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians” [3.8].
-Bowed their heads (qadad): in the sense of inclining oneself. “And Moses made haste to bow his head toward the earth and worshiped” [34.8].
Vs. 28: This verse has Israel on one hand and Moses and Aaron on the other following the Passover of the Lord. Note that they do this separately; also, action is in the past as though it had been accomplished.
Vs. 29: Sat (yashav): used twice, with respect to Pharaoh on his throne and with respect to prisoners in the dungeon. The Hebrew text literally reads, “sitting in the dungeon.”
-Dungeon (beyth habor): literally, “house of the pit.” For the second noun, “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits” [Gen 37.20].
Vs. 30: “Great cry (tsehaqah) in Egypt.” Note the singular referring to the country as a single unit which is intensified by the blackness of night. “And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me” [3.9].
Vs. 31: “And he summoned Moses and Aaron by night.” The Hebrew text has the preposition l- (to) prefixed to these two proper names which indicates Pharaoh’s haste. Also note the phrase by night (layhah) which has two lameds as if to emphasis this haste along with the previous two.
-Rise up (qum): the same verb in the previous verse, “And Pharaoh rose up in the night.”
32: “Bless (barak) me also.” Words by Pharaoh to Moses and Aaron which are interesting in light of what just occurred and is about to occur. The why this is phrased may apply to Pharaoh’s request at the moment or later when the Israelites make their sacrifices.
Vs. 33: “The Egyptians were urgent with the people.” The verb here is chazaq as used in a different though related sense, 4.21: “But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.”
Vs. 34: Dough (baseq). Apart from this verse plus vss. 34 & 39, there are only two other references, 2 Sam 13.8 and Jer 7.18. This incident takes place at night, so probably the bread was prepared during this time, the normal time for use in the morning.
-Leavened (chamaz): from a verbal root meaning “to be sharp, “to act violently.” “Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them” [Am 4.5].
-Kneading bowls (mis’ereth). In addition to 8.3, the only other references to this word are Dt 28.5 & 17.
-Mantles (salmah, singular): “In my house there is neither bread nor mantle” [Is 3.7]. This word is found in the next verse as part of the items the Israelites asked of the Egyptians.
Vs. 35: Jewelry (kely): alternately as “vessel,” “utensil;” cf. 3.21-2 and 11.2-3. In the verse at hand the people “asked” for precious items from the Egyptians which vs. 36 and 3.22 earlier presents as despoiling the Egyptians (natsal; also vs. 36).
Vs. 37: Ramses, as noted in 1.11, a “store city” from which the Israelites most likely got additional supplies for their journey.
-Succoth, as noted in 13.20.
-“Six hundred thousand men” (etc.): cf. Num 1.17-46 for a census list of the tribes which left Egypt.
Vs. 38: “Mixed (herev) multitude:” the only used of the word in the Bible and from a verbal root alternately meaning “to pledge.” For a similar use: “But they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did” [Ps 106.35]. One example of these other Hebrews may be found in Lev 24.10: “Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel.”
-Went up (halah): as in 3.8, “and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land.” The first use of this word or in terms of “going up” or returning to the land from which the Israelites originally came. By way of contrast, he account of Joseph’s brothers in Genesis frequently mentions their “coming down” into Egypt.
Vs. 39: Cakes (huga), as baked on hot coals. “And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water” [1 Kg 19.6]. In the verse at hand, the action occurs “out of Egypt” as opposed to being within that country.
-“Thrust out (garash) of Egypt:” “Afterwards he will drive you away completely” [11.1].
-Tarry (mahah): “But he lingered” [Gen 19.16].
-Provisions (tseydah): a noun related to “prey” or something caught. “And Joseph gave order to fill their bags...and to fill them with provisions for the journey” [Gen 42.25].
Vs. 40: Time (moshav): usually associated with dwelling, a verbal root from which this noun is derived. “Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in (noun)” [Ps 107.4].
-Dwelt (yashav): the verbal room from which moshav is derived.
Vs. 41: “At the end (qets):” “At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made” [Gen 8.6]. Along with this phrase the drama of the moment is emphasized by “on that very (hetsem) day.” “For on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt” [vs. 17]. In this verse the Lord does the action. In the verse at hand, the people do the action.
Vs. 42: “Night of watching (misurym):” from the verbal root shamar as noted in vs. 17 and elsewhere. The present verse has it with regard to both the Lord and the Israelites. Note the frequent use of the letter lamed in words as well as prepositions prefixed to terms which connote forward movement: “night (leyl) of watching for (l-) the Lord to (l-) bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night (halaylah) is a night of watching for (l-) all the people of Israel throughout (l-) their generations.” I.e., the importance of night remains uniform regardless of future generations.
Vs. 43: “Ordinance (choq; cf. vs. 24) of the Passover.”
-Foreigner (nekar): “He that is eight days old among you shall be circumcised...whether born in your house, or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring” [Gen 17.12]. Mention of this term may apply to any stray Egyptian who will accompany the Israelites, not to mention those whom they will encounter outside Egypt. For the rite of circumcision, refer to the next verse and to which Gen 17.12 applies.
-The exclusive nature of eating the Passover applies not only to foreigners but to sojourners and hired servants (vss. 44-5).
Vs. 46: “In one house it shall be eaten.” That is, opposed to multiple houses, a kind of reflection upon the unity of Israel (after the above-noted exclusions of foreigners, etc.) and unity of God.
-“You shall not break a bone of it.” “Not a bone of him shall be broken” [Jn 19.36]: the verse at hand cited at Jesus’ death.
-“Outside (min) house:” the preposition “from” is used; also in conjunction with the “flesh” which literally reads, “from the flesh.” Yet another indication of the Passover’s exclusivity.
Vs. 47: “All the congregation (hedah; cf. vs. 3 and elsewhere) shall keep (hasah) it.” The common verb “to do,” “to make,” as found in the next verse; compare with shamar in vs. 25 and elsewhere.
Vs. 48: “That he may come near (qarav) and keep it.” A verb used concerning a stranger (ger) who sojourns (gur) among the Israelites. “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you” [Gen 23.4]. Note the motion from being a stranger to coming near to the Passover. For a reference using qarav, “Come and see what God has done” [Ps 66.5].
-“As a native (‘ezrah) of the land.” “That person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land” [vs. 19]. Land or ‘erets refers to the future land of Israel.
Vs. 49: “One law (torah):” the second mention of this important term in the Bible, the first being Gen 26.5: “Abraham...kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws.” In the verse at hand, the Hebrew text literally reads “law one” as in “day one” (etc., of creation) which conveys greater significance and gravity.
Vs. 50: Two uses of “did:” with respect to the people of Israel as well as Moses and Aaron. The verb here is hasah noted in vs. 47 (“shall keep”) and may connote the same meaning.
Vs. 51: “On that very day.” Cf. vs. 41, “On that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.”
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Chapter Thirteen
Vs. 1: “The Lord said to Moses.” The opening words of this chapter, a constant reminder of the mediating role of Moses with respect to Israel. The same applies to 14.1, for these are two crucial chapters recounting Israel’s miraculous departure from Egypt.
Vs. 2: Consecrate (qadash): the first use of this term in the Bible and signals numerous references in the rest of Exodus for various functions pertaining to sacrifice, etc. For example, the next use is 19.10: “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow.” From this verbal root is derived the adjective “holy.”
-“Whatever is first to open the womb.” The term used here is peter (a noun) and fundamentally means “fissure.” “Instead of every first-born that opens the womb” [Num 3.12].
-“Among (b-, ‘in’) the people of Israel.” Compare use of the same preposition with “both of man and of beast.”
Vs. 3: The previous verse has the Lord speaking to Moses, and the current one has Moses speaking to the people. This divine speaking is couched in terms of “remember (zakar) this day.” “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob” [2.24]. In the verse at hand, Moses tells of such remembering as a past event.
-“By strength (chozeq) of hand.” “Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves” [Am 6.13]?
-“From this place.” The Hebrew text lacks “place.”
Vs. 4: “This day you are to go forth.” I.e., the Israelites are to leave Egypt. Compare with the previous verse (“the Lord brought you out from this place”) as well as the next verse (“When the Lord brings you into the land”).
Vs. 5: “And when the Lord brings you.” Action is in the future; compare with the note under vs. 4.
-“You shall keep (havad) this service (havodah):” cf. 12.25.
Vs. 6: Feast (chag): cf. 12.14.
Vs. 7: Territory (gevul): fundamentally, “boundary.” “He fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God” [Dt 32.8]. Compare the notion of “territory” with the “land of the Canaanites (etc.),” previous verse.
Vs. 8: “Son:” singular; compare with the singular “your” as well as the equally singular “that day,” “for me” and “when I came out of Egypt.”
Vs. 9: Sign (‘oth): as in 12.13 with respect to “blood.” This ‘oth is to be placed “on your hand” and “as a memorial (zikaron) between your eyes.” Cf. vs. 3 for another noun from the same verbal root. Compare with 12.14, only the one at hand is more intimate, on one’s forehead.
-The law or Torah is to be in “your mouth” or following the physical analogy, just below the eyes or location of the “memorial.”
Vs. 10: Ordinance (choq; 12.43) and appointed time (muhadah). “These were the cities designated (noun) for all the people of Israel” [Josh 20.9].
Vs. 12: Firstlings (seger): from a verbal root meaning “to eject,” “to cast forth,” here used with respect to male cattle. “He will also bless...the increase of your cattle” [Dt 7.13].
Vs. 13: Redeem (padah): in the sense of paying a price; also as setting free or delivering from danger. “I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless” [Jer 15.21]. The verb applies to animals; the same applies to the “first-born of man.”
Vs. 14: In time to come (machar): also, “tomorrow.” “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” [Is 22.13]. In the verse at hand, the words spoken through vs. 16 are to be addressed to the next generation.
-“What does this mean?” The Hebrew text lacks the verb.
Vs. 15: Stubbornly refused (qashah): as in 7.3, “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.”
-First-born (bekor): compare with peter with respect to cattle as in vs. 2.
Vs. 16: Mark (‘oth): as in vs. 9. Here ‘oth is to be “on your frontlets” (totaphoth). This word applies to scrolls with sentences written on them as in Dt 6.8, “And they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
Vs. 17: A contrast between Pharaoh letting the people go (shalach) and God leading (nachah) them. “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed” [15.13]. The verse at hand speaks of the action as already accomplished.
-Repent (nacham): in the sense of grieving; also means “to comfort.” “And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth” [Gen 6.6]. In the verse at hand the form of this verb (yinachem) resembles that of nachah, nacham.
Vs. 18: Led around (savav): compare with nachah in the previous verse. “And led me round on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east” [Ezk 47.2].
-Wilderness (midbar): first mentioned in 3.18 with respect to the place Israel is to go in order to offer sacrifice to the Lord.
-Went up (halah): as in 3.8, “to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land.”
-Equipped for battle (chamash): in the sense of being brave or valiant. “But all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brethren and shall help them” [Jos 4.14].
Vs. 19: “Bones of Joseph:” “Then Joseph took an oath of the sons of Israel saying, ‘God will visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here’” [Gen 50.25]. These words which conclude the Book of Genesis are similar to those in the verse at hand:
-Solemnly swore (shavah): the verb is used twice.
-Will visit (paqad): the verb is used twice. “And when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel” [4.31].
Vs. 21: “And the Lord went before them.” I.e., the upward notion of halah as in vs. 18 may be implied.
-“Pillar of cloud” (hamud hanan): first use of this term which plays an important part in this chapter. It is also used with respect to various aspects of the divine tabernacle as in Chapter 38. Compare hamud with another term (matsevah) in Gen 28.18, “Jacob...set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.” “The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days” [24.16].
-Pillar of fire (hamud ‘esh): “And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down upon the host of the Egyptians” [14.24].
Vs. 22: “Did not depart” (mush): “It cannot move from its place” [Is 46.7]. This verb is found in 10.21 but with another meaning, “A darkness to be felt.”
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Chapter Fourteen
Vs. 1: “Then the Lord said to Moses:” cf. the first verse of Chapter 13.
Vs. 2: In vs. 1 we have said (davar) or the Lord to Moses; in vs. 2 we have davar with respect to Moses to the people.
Vs. 3: Entangled (buk): two other uses of this verb are Est 3.15 and Jl 1.18. For the former, “But the city was perplexed.”
-Shut in (sagar): “...while they are standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors” [Neh 7.3].
Vs. 4: The last mention of the Lord hardening (chazaq) Pharaoh’s heart was 11.10.
-I will get glory (kavad): the verbal root meaning “to be heavy.” Compare another use of this verb in the context of the verse at hand, “For I have hardened his heart” [10.1].
-“Over (b-, ‘in’) Pharaoh.” The preposition prefixed to the proper noun (as well as ‘host’) can indicate a more resounding victory by the Lord.
-The short sentence “And they did so” emphasizes the single-minded intent of the Egyptians.
Vs. 5: “The mind (lev) of Pharaoh:” more fundamentally as “heart.” The verse also adds “his servants.” “And in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind” [1 Sam 9.19].
-Servants/serving (heved/havad): the former is derived from the latter.
Vs. 6: Made ready (‘asar): literally, “to bind” which fits in well with the (horses) chariot. “No, we will only bind you and give you into their hands” [Jdg 15.13].
-“His army:” the Hebrew text literally reads “people.”
-His army/with him (hamu/himu): note the play on words.
Vs. 7: Chariots (rekev): “And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; it was a very great company” [Gen 50.9]. Here the Pharaoh under whom Joseph ruled is instrumental if bring the Israelites to Egypt in contrast to the Pharaoh of Exodus. The verse at hand has both “picked chariots” and “other chariots.”
Vs. 8: Pursued (radaph): as in vs. 4. There the Lord says that he will “get glory” which is a direct result of Pharaoh’s mind having been changed, vs. 5. “Abram...went in pursuit as far as Dan” [Gen 14.14].
-Defiantly (ramah): the Hebrew text literally reads “In a lofty hand.”
Vs. 9: Overtook (nasag): “And Laban overtook Jacob” [Gen 31.25]. For another use of this verb, “But if he cannot afford two turtledoves” [Lev 5.11].
Vs. 10: “The people of Israel lifted up their eyes.” An expression of alarm coupled with sudden awareness of the situation. “He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him” [Gen 18.2].
-Marching (nasah): connotes a sense of removing or plucking. “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said” [Num 10.29].
-Cried out (tsahaq): “Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh” [5.15].
Vs. 11: “And they said to Moses.” Compare with the “cried out” of the previous verse, that is, to the Lord.
-Graves (qerev, singular): from the verbal root “to draw near” as used in the previous verse (‘When Pharaoh drew near’).
Vs. 12: Two uses of the verb davar (to speak). Also note midbar (wilderness), from this verbal root.
Vs. 13: Stand firm (natsav): in the sense of remaining in one place. “At your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir” [Ps 45.9].
-“Salvation (yeshuhath) of the Lord.” It is fulfilled in 15.2, “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
-“You shall never see again” (had had-holam). Note the two uses of had as if to emphasize the finality of what will occur shortly.
Vs. 14: “The Lord will fight for (l-, ‘to’) you.” Not the two lameds: lakam (to fight) and the preposition prefixed to the pronoun.
-To be still (charash): fundamentally as “to cut into,” “to plow.” “He will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew (‘will be silent’) you in his love” [Zeph 3.17].
Vs. 15: Cry (tsahaq): cf. vs.10.
-Go forward (nasah): the same verb used in vs.1, “Egyptians marching after them.”
Vs. 16: This verse begins with the proper pronoun, “you,” as if to emphasize a certain casualness as to Moses lifting his rod, almost an afterthought in light of divine omnipotence.
-Rod (mateh): first mentioned in 4.2 which turned into a serpent, only in the verse at hand it will change the sea into dry land.
-“Over (hal) the sea.” The preposition hal is used (on) as if Moses placed his rod upon the water.
-Divide (baqah): connotes more a cleaving, a breaking forth. “When they grasped you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders” [Ezk 29.7].
-Dry ground (yabashah): “Then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground’” [Jos 4.22].
-“Through (betok) the sea:” or “in the midst of the sea.”
Vs. 17: Harden (chazaq): as in vs. 4 and elsewhere. Note that “heart” is singular and pertains to the plural Egyptians. This hardening may be contrasted with the “dry ground” of the previous verse, a beneficial hardening, so to speak.
-I have gotten glory (kavad): as predicted by the Lord in vs. 4; also the verse includes his host, chariots and horsemen.
Vs. 18: Here the Egyptians will know that the Lord got glory (kavad) as in the previous verse. Since the Egyptians utterly perished in the Red Sea (vs. 30), perhaps their realization of this glory occurred at the moment of death.
Vs. 19: “Angel (mal’ak) of God.” The last mention of angel in Exodus is 3.2 with respect to Moses and the burning bush. There is no explicit mention of an angel concerning Israel’s departure from Egypt until now.
-Went before (nasah): compare with vs. 10 (“marching,” i.e., the Egyptians) and vs. 15 (“go forward,” i.e., the Israelites).
-“Host (machaneh) of Israel:” first use of this term with respect to the Israelites; also found in the next verse. Compare with 12.51, “On that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of Egypt by their hosts (tsava’).” Also compare with the Egyptian host (cheyl), vs. 17. The word at hand can alternately mean “camp:” “When the camp is to set out” [Num 4.5].
-“Pillar (hamud) of cloud:” as in 13.21. Note that it is not the “pillar of fire” which did the moving or nasah, second use of this verb in the same verse.
-This pillar also stood (hamad) behind the Israelites; the verbal root from which hamud is derived.
Vs. 20: Cloud (hanan): as in 13.21. Note that hanan is used without reference to the cloud.
-Darkness (choshek): as in 10.21, “That there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” Also, “And when you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness” [Dt 5.23].
-“And the night passed.” The Hebrew text literally reads, “And it lit up the night.” That is to say, both the cloud and darkness which seemed endowed with a certain luminosity.
Vs. 21: Compare with vs. 16, “Lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.” I.e., no mention of a rod in the verse at hand.
-Stretched out (natah): the verbal root from which mateh (rod) is derived as in vs.16.
-“East wind (ruach):” “And the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night” with respect to the plague of locusts, 10.13.
-Drove back (halak): with respect to the sea; the common verb “to go” is used here.
-Dry land (charbah): connotes a sense of desolation: “And I will lay your cities waste (noun)” [Lev 26.21]. Compare with yabashah of vs. 16.
-Divided (baqah): cf. vs. 16.
Vs. 22: In the midst (betok): as in vs. 16.
-Wall (chomah): “Behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land” [Jer 1.18].
Vs. 23: Pursued (radaph): “The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army” [vs. 9].
-Midst (tok): similar to betok as in vs. 22, only with the preposition b- (‘in’) missing.
Vs. 24: “Morning watch” (‘ashmurah): from the verbal root shamar as in 12.47. “So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch” [Judg 7.19].
-Looked down (shaqaph): fundamentally meaning “to lay planks.” “For evil looms out of the north, and great destruction” [Jer 6.1]. Both the pillar of cloud and of fire are mentioned with respect to the Lord, as though he were situated on top of them. This is reminiscent of the Lord on top of Jacob’s ladder, “And behold, the Lord stood above it” [Gen 28.13].
-Discomforted (hamam): fundamentally “to put into motion,” “to impel.” “Flash forth the lightning and scatter them, send out your arrows and rout them” [Ps 144.6]!
Vs. 25: Clogging (‘asar): literally, “binding.” “So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him” [vs. 6].
-Drove (nahag): fundamentally, “to pant.” “Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness” [3.1].
-Heavily (keveduth): the only use of this word in the Bible; from the verbal root kavad (to be heavy).
-“The Lord was fighting for them” (nilcham laham). This can be taken as a play on words.
-“Against (b-, ‘in’) the Egyptians.” Note that it is the Egyptians themselves who say this of themselves.
Vs. 26: Stretch out (natah): cf. vss. 16 and 21. As in the latter, it is Moses hand (not his rod) which the Lord commands to stretch out.
-Upon (hal): with respect to the sea, the Egyptians, chariots and horsemen; i.e., for emphasis.
Vs. 27: Wonted flow (‘eytan) or “strength.” “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” [Am 5.24]. This divine event occurred during the night (‘when morning appeared’). Note the importance of dawn as in departure at dawn of the unknown man who wrestled with Jacob, “Let me go, for the day is breaking” [Gen 32.26].
-Routed (nahar): literally, “to shake off.” “But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever” [Ps 136.15].
-“In the midst (betok) of the sea:” cf. vs. 22.
-It seems that first the water returned to its normal level after which the Egyptians fled into the sea.
Vs. 28: “And all the host (chayl) of Pharaoh.” The Hebrew text literally reads, “and to all the host of Pharaoh.” For this term, cf. vs. 19; compare with machaneh (also vs. 19), same translated word.
-“Not so much as one of them remained.” The Hebrew text literally reads, “not was left in them even one.”
Vs. 29: “In the midst (betok) of the sea.” Yet another use of this term to emphasize the divine miracle wrought on Israel’s behalf.
Vs. 30: “The Lord saved (yashah) Israel:” the verbal root for “Jesus.” “Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me” [Ps 7.1].
Vs. 31: “The great work (hayad):” the same noun used for “hand.” Compare with “from the hand of the Egyptians” in the previous verse.
-Saw/feared (ra’ah/yare’): the two forms used in this verse resemble each other closely, almost as though they were interchangeable.
-“And they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.” Compare with 4.31, “And the people believed,” pure and simple.
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Chapter Fifteen
Vs. 1: Song (shyrah): as in Dt 31.32 which introduces the next chapter, a song contrasting Israel’s faithlessness with that of God’s faithfulness. Syrah is an alternate of the more common shyr. “The Song of Songs which is Solomon’s” [Sg 1.1]. The verse at hand does not explicitly say that Moses wrote the song, just that he and the Israelites sang it.
-He has triumphed gloriously (ga’ah): the same verb is used twice in different forms. Fundamentally it means “to lift oneself up,” “to increase.” “And if I lift myself up, you hunt me like a lion” [Job 10.16].
-“The horse and his rider:” the Hebrew text has “its chariot.”
-“Thrown (ramah) into the sea.” For another use cf. 14.8, “he pursued the people of Israel as they went forth defiantly.”
Vs. 2: “My song” (zimrath). Compare with shyrah in the previous verse. The word at hand implies praise. The following citation parallels vs. 2, “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” [Ps 118.14].
-“My salvation” (yeshuhah): similar to 14.13, “and see the salvation of the Lord.” This part of the verse has two lameds: “was to me” and “to the Lord” indicating a direct relationship.
-I will praise (nawah) him:” fundamentally, “to sit down,” “to be becoming.” The only other use of this verb is Hab 2.5, “The arrogant man shall not abide.” The RSV notes that “The Hebrew of these two lines is obscure.”
-“My father’s God.” “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” [3.6].
-“I will exalt (rum) him:” fundamentally, “to lift up.” “The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts” [1 Sam 2.7].
Vs. 3: “Man of war (milchamah):” cf. Ps 24. 8 for a similar attribute of the Lord, “The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!”
Vs. 4: “He cast (yarah) into the sea:” alternately as “to lay foundations,” “to sprinkle with water.” This verb can refer to the shooting of arrows as with 1 Sam 20.20, “And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it” [1Sam 20.20].
-“Picked officers” (shalysh): literally, “third man.” “Jehu said to the guard and to the officers” [2 Kg 10.25].
-“Sunk (tavah) in the Red Sea:” “David...slung it (stone) and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead” [1 Sam 17.49].
Vs. 5: Floods (tehom): alternately as “wave:” “All your waves and your billows have gone over me” [Ps 42.7]. This word is closely related to tohu as in Gen 1.2, “The earth was without form and void.”
-Depths (metsulah): “For you did cast me into the deep” [Jon 2.3].
Vs. 6: “Right hand:” it is both glorious (‘adar) and “shatters (rahats) the enemy.” For the first, cf. Is 42.21: “The Lord was pleased...to magnify his law and make it glorious.” For the second and only other reference in the Bible, cf. Judg 10.8: “And they crushed and oppressed the children of Israel that year.”
Vs. 7: Majesty (ga’on): “Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord and from the glory of his majesty” [Is 2.10].
-Overthrow (haras). For another use of this verb, cf. 19.21: “Lest they break through to the Lord to gaze and many of the perish.”
-Adversaries (qum): participle of this verb which means “to arise” as in 12.31.
-Fury (charon): from a verbal root meaning “to burn.” “Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury” [Ps 2.5].
-Stubble (qash): “Complete your work, your daily task, as when there was straw” [5.12].
Vs. 8: “Blast (ruach) of your nostrils:” the same word for “spirit,” breath.” Cf. 14.21 for last reference.
-“Waters piled up (haram):” alternately as “to make naked,” “to be crafty.” Vs. 8 has the only use of the verb with this particular meaning.
-“Floods (nazal) stood up in a heap (ned, participle).” “May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew” [Dt 32.2]. For a reference to ned (which parallels ‘wall’ in 14.22): “and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap” [Jos 3.13]. Also cf. Ps 78.13 for a corresponding commentary on this event.
-Deep (tehom): cf. vs. 5 as “floods.”
-Congealed (qapha’): fundamentally, “to contract.” This verb also intimates a curdling action: “and I will punish the men who are thickening upon their lees” [Zeph 1.12].
Vs. 9: The “enemy” or the Egyptian Pharaoh who says the following six things to himself:
-Pursue (radaph): cf. 14.8.
-Overtake (nasag): cf. 14.9.
-“Divide (chalaq) the spoil:” “and at evening dividing the spoil” [Gen 49.27].
-“My desire (nephesh) shall have its fill of them;” the word for “soul” as in 12.19.
-“I will draw (ruq) my sword:” fundamentally as “to pour oneself out.” For a parallel use, “I will unsheathe the sword after them” [Ezk 5.2].
-“My hand shall destroy (yarash) them:” fundamentally as “to take possession of.” “For I will cast out nations before you” [34.24].
Vs. 10: “You did blow (naphash) with your wind (ruach):” the verb from which nephesh is derived as in vs. 9. “And the son of your bond-maid and the alien may be refreshed” [23.12].
-They sank (tsalal): fundamentally as “to be rolled.” The only use of this verb in the Bible with this meaning.
-Lead (hophereth): “The lead is consumed by the fire” [Jer 6.29].
-“Mighty (‘adar) waters:” participle; fundamentally as “to be made great.” Cf. 15.6 as “glorious.”
Vs. 11: “Among (b-) the gods:” the preposition “in” is prefaced to the noun.
-“Majestic (‘adar) in holiness:” cf. vs. 10; also the preposition b- is used here.
-Glorious deeds (tehilah, singular): “the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might” [Ps 78.4].
-“Doing wonders (pele’):” “I will remember your wonders of old” [Ps 77.12].
Vs. 12: “You stretched out (natah) your right hand.” “When I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt” [7.5].
-“The earth swallowed (balah) them.” “But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods” [7.11].
Vs. 13: Steadfast love (chesed): first use of this important word in Exodus; also found in 20.6, 34.6 & 7.
-Redeemed (ga’al): “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm” [6.6].
-Guided (nahal): “He leads me beside the still water” [Ps 23.2].
-“Holy abode (naweh):” from a verbal root meaning “to sit down,” “to rest.” “The mount which God desired for his abode” [Ps 68.16].
Vs. 14: Tremble (ragaz): a verb usually connoting anger. “Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms” [Is 14.16]?
-Pangs (chyl): “Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in travail” [Ps 48.6]. A word closely allied to this is chayl: “The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh” [14.28].
Vs. 15: “Chiefs (‘aluph, singular) of Edom:” head of a family, tribe. “What will you say when they set as head over you” [Jer 13.21]?
-Dismayed (bahal): “But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence” [Gen 45.3].
-“Leaders (‘eyl, singular) of Moab:” for an alternate use, “For you shall be ashamed of the oaks in which you delighted” [Is 1.29]. This word can also refer to a ram.
-Trembling (rahad): “Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in travail” [Ps 48.6].
-Melted away (mug): for another sense, “For you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquities” [Is 64.7].
Vs. 16: Terror (‘eymatah) and dread (pachad). “My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me” [Ps 55.4]. The latter derives from a verbal root meaning “to tremble.” “If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac had not been on my side” [Gen 31.42].
-They are as still (damah):” alternately, “to be like.” For different though parall