Exodus
IntroThe Ten WordsThe ShabbatCh 1Ch 2Ch 3Ch 4Ch 5Ch 6Ch 7Ch 8Ch 9Ch 10Ch 11Ch 12Ch 13Ch 14Ch 15Ch 16Ch 17Ch 18Ch 19Ch 20Ch 21Ch 22Ch 23Ch 24Ch 25Ch 26Ch 27Ch 28Ch 29Ch 30Ch 31Ch 32Ch 33Ch 34Ch 35Ch 36Ch 37Ch 38Ch 39Ch 40
Chapter 1
Israel Multiplies in Egypt
1
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came, each one with his household:
Genesis starts with the mentioning of God and His creating, life-giving character. Exodus starts with the giving of the names of the sons of Jacob who went down to Egypt to find food in times of famine.
God had told Jacob to go to Egypt with his family (Gen 46:3), thus they immigrated to avoid the famine in Canaan. Isaac in contrast had been forbidden to go to Egypt during a famine (Gen 26:1-3). Abraham did go to Egypt during a famine (Gen 12:10).
In Canaan, Jacob’s sons had been intermarrying (Gen 38:2, 46:10). Likely because of his experience with Laban (Gen 24:29), Jacob had been reluctant to send his sons to find wives among his relatives, unlike Abraham and Rebekah (Gen 24:10, Gen 27:43). God knew that Jacob’s clan would be isolated (Gen 46:33-34). God’s plan was to build a nation in Egypt (Dt 26:5).
We as followers of Jesus are to identify with the Israelites in Egypt (Jam 1:1, 1Pet 1:1).
2
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
These are the first four sons that Leah bore to Jacob (Gen 29:32-35.
3
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Leah bore Issachar and Zebulun after the maids bore theirs. Rachel bore Joseph, then Benjamin.
4
Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
Rachel’s maid Bilhah bore Dan and Naphtali. Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Gad and Asher.
5
All the people who descended from Jacob were seventy people, but Joseph was already in Egypt.
The word for descended here has a connotation of going out, also in 12:31 and 12:41 (Fox).
Seventy is a reference to Gen 46:8-27.
6
And Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.
7
But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.
The phrase Sons of Israel starts to take a new meaning compared to v. 1. This verse evokes the blessings and command in the creation story (Gen 1:28). Land also means earth, as in Genesis (Alter). a more literal translation for Increased greatly would be swarmed like in Gen 1:20-21 (Fox, Alter).
Israel is a mighty nation even under the oppression of the Egyptians, this is a fulfillment of Gen 18:18 (Jgd 6:12).
Though the verse evokes the creation story where humans are to rule over creation, the following verses show a perversion in creation as the Egyptian rule over the Israelites.
8
Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9
And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
Israel is more powerful than the Egyptians (Ps 105:24).
The people of Pharaoh and the people of the sons of Israel are two separate identifiable groups. After four hundred years, the Israelites had been able to preserve their identity as descendants of Jacob.
Just as this king of Egypt makes a distinction between his people and Israel, God will make a distinction (11:7).
10
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.”
11
So they appointed taskmasters over them to oppress them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.
This is a fulfillment of Gen 15:13.
The language in v. 11-14 is rich in words that denote affliction. This took place even when the Isralites were deemed mighty (v. 7).
Pharaoh means Great House. This king was likely Ramses II who moved government from the upper Nile, to where the Israelites had lived (Gen 47:5-6,11) after the defeat and expulsion of the Hyksos (Sarna).
Using Pharaoh instead of the name of the king of Egypt also conveys the plurality of the enemies of God (Rom 8:38; Eph 6:12).
Pithom is known as Tell el-Maskhuta, the biblical Succoth (Ex 12:37, 13:20; Num 33:5-6)
12
But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel.
The Egyptians might already notice a divine intervention taking place as their oppression of the Israelites results in an increasing of the population and presence in the land, not what Pharaoh intended in v.10. Time is not relevant to the story, as this verse alone would have required years to take place.
Notice that the Egyptians were afraid of the Israelites, a fact that perhaps escaped the Israelites themselves.
13
The Egyptians used violence to compel the sons of Israel to labor;
14
and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they violently had them perform as slaves.
Notice the repetitive use of labor in v. 13-14.
This was the reason why making mud was considered work and hence forbidden on the Sabbath (Jn 9:6).
15
Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah;
The midwives are identified as Hebrew. The names are Semitic and might mean, beautiful and girl or fragrant blossom (Sarna, Alter).
Maybe only two are mentioned because they were the overseers or they were the names of two groups of midwives.
Overall twelve women are mentioned in the opening verses of Exodus, a contrast with the twelve sons of Jacob mentioned in v. 1-3 (Meyers).
16
and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
Birthstool, double stones (Alter).
17
But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.
An example of civil disobedience.
18
So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?”
19
The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.”
The Hebrew women are like animals (Alter).
20
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.
21
And because the midwives feared God, He established households for them.
22
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born, you are to throw into the Nile, but every daughter, you are to keep alive.”
The people are ordered to commit ethnic genocide. Likely, women were to be spared because they were thought of as weaker. Ironically it is women who play the lead role in saving Moses’ life (2:2-10).
Though later on it might be that Pharaoh’s stubbornness results in the castigating the whole of Egypt with the plagues, here we can see that the people were also at fault, they did not refuse to obey like the midwives.
Chapter 2
The Birth of Moses
1
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi.
We enter a section in which women, particularly referred to as daughters, play relevant parts: the daughter of Levi, her own daughter, Pharaoh’s daughter, and Jethro’s daughters, in particular Zipporah. Each performs a role in allowing Moses to continue living.
It is as though a game of chess were developing. First, Pharaoh orders abusing the Israelites, they continue multiplying as a result. Second, Pharaoh orders the midwives to kill the newborn sons, they disobey. Third, Pharaoh orders the whole of Egypt to kill the newborn sons and spare the daughters, then it is the daughters that save the future liberator.
2
And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.
A more literal translation would be that she saw him that he was good (or goodly, Alter, Fox), evoking the creation story (Act 7:20, Heb 11:23).
A picture of parents and children raised in the faith, they all should strive to reach a point where their biological and spiritual parents see them and say they are good.
Three months is also the period that takes the Isralites to reach Sinai (19:1).
3
But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket and covered it with tar and pitch. Then she put the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.
A picture of faith in action. Jochebed is acknowledged as a person of faith (Heb 11:23), but her works are evident (Jam 2:26), she hides her baby for three months but realizes she has reached a limit that she cannot go beyond. Then she procures the papyrus basket and the tar, places the basket in the river and lets God take over.
This is also a picture of raising children in the faith. Parents see beautiful children in their care, they raise them as long as possible, but they reach a point where they have to surrender their children to the world and let God continue watching over them.
The word for basket is ark (Gen 6:14), a box-shaped container, like with Noah (Isa 18:2, Job 9:26).
She put the ark among the reeds so it would not be carried downstream. She placed the ark, not hurled like Pharaoh had commanded (1:22).
4
And his sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.
The sister was most likely Miriam (15:20-21) introduced as Aaron’s sister and a prophetess. Aaron was three years old at this point (7:7).
5
Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her female attendants walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave woman, and she brought it to her.
Like with Jesus and His death and resurrection, women are featured though not always by name. Here the mother, the sister, the midwives, the princess and her attendants. See Mt 27:55-56, 61, 28:1; Mk 15:40-41, 47, 16:1-3, 9; Lk 24:9-11; Jn 19:25-26, 20:1, 11.
6
When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
Perhaps Pharaoh’s daughter deduced that it must be one of the Hebrew babies, or perhaps the baby’s clothes were distinctive.
7
Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a woman for you who is nursing from the Hebrew women, so that she may nurse the child for you?”
8
Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother.
9
Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.
The nursing could take 2-3 years.
10
And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
This is a foreshadow of our own salvation. There is a sentence of death on Moses decreed by Pharaoh (1:22). His daughter has compassion on Moses (2:6); the princess pays a price (in the form of wages for Moses’ mother); Moses is then adopted into a royal household under which he is spared from the sentencing to death that Pharaoh had decreed.
A sentence of death is upon us (). A price is paid by the king (). We are adopted into a royal household. The sentence of death is removed ().
Moses is an Egyptian name. Ms means son-of (Fox).
11
Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his fellow Hebrews and looked at their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his fellow Hebrews.
After having grown up in Pharaoh’s house, Moses still self identifies with the Israelites. Moses is almost forty years old when this happens (Act 7:23).
12
So he looked this way and that, and when he saw that there was no one around, he struck and killed the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand.
Moses seems impulsive and not to be thinking of the possible consequences.
13
Now he went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?”
These are the first words we hear from Moses. These words are in contrast with the first words we hear from the sons of Adam and Eve (Gen 4:9), where Cain rejects protecting his younger brother.
Verses 11-13 show that an ethnic identity would not make Moses show partiality; he would call an injustice regardless of if an Egyptian or an Israelite were committing it.
14
But he said, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known!”
Moses will become a ruler and a judge, but under God’s terms.
Moses Escapes to Midian
15
When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
Moses is back to square one where there is a death sentence on him (1:22). Another forty years (2:11) will have to pass before Moses can resume his ministry.
Israel as a people will show the same behavior as Moses, they leave Egypt, travel to the wilderness, meet God at Sinai, then resist obeying God’s instructions (Fox).
Joseph was sold and brought to Egypt by Midianite traders (Gen 37:28, 36).
The Midianites were descendants of Abraham (Gen 25:1-4), they must have been familiar with the worship of the LORD. Balaam knew and spoke with the LORD (Num 22:8-12). Moses attacked and defeated the Midianites (Num 31:1-24) but the Midianites survived (Judg 6:1).
16
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
17
Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.
On three occasions, Moses has sided with the victim of an injustice.
18
When they came to their father Reuel, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?”
Reuel means Friend of God (Sarna, Meyers). This is Jethro (3:1; 4:18; 18:1-17; Num 10:29, Jgd 4:16), also called Hoban (Jdg 4:11). It is possible that Reuel was the grandfather.
Jethro means His Excellency (Sarna).
19
They said, “An Egyptian saved us from the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
In contrast with the Israelites in the previous two occasions, the daughters acknowledge the deliverance by Moses. Perhaps this is another foreshadow of salvation and Gentiles whereas the Israelites had failed to see redemption from the liberator.
Moses also has a servant’s heart as he draws the water for the flock.
20
So he said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.”
21
And Moses was willing to live with the man. And he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
Zipporah means bird (Fox).
22
Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”
Moses considers himself a foreigner because he is away from Egypt. But in God’s eyes he neither belongs in Egypt nor in Midian.
Moses had a second son, Eliezer (Ex 18:4).
23
Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God.
In scripture prayer is portrayed as the aroma of incense that ascends to heaven (Ps 141:2; Lk 1:10; Rev 5:8, 8:3-4). This is a picture of the people of God forming His temple, an idea mentioned frequent in the New Covenant and that Paul develops in his epistles (Jn 14:23; 1Co 3:16-17, 6:19-20; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:20-22; 1Pe 2:5). See note in Ex 20:24.
The text suggests that the people needed to remember their covenant before God would remember the covenant. God knows what we need even before we ask (Mat 6:9), but we need to ask nonetheless.
The Pharaoh who follows also dies before Moses is commissioned by God (2:23).
The text does not mention explicitly that they cried out to the LORD but we learn this from other texts (Dt 26:7; 1Sa 12:8).
24
So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
After having shown favor to the midwives (1:17, 20-21), God appears in the narrative.
In this verse and next, we see God’s four reactions to the prayers, God heard, remembered, saw, knew as the four actions of the Israelites: groaned, cried out, cry for help, groaning.
25
And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.
A strong contrast to Moses’ seeing in v. 12.
Lit. God knew.
A four-fold reaction evokes the first day of creation, where God speaks, sees, separates, calls (Fox).
Moses is eighty years old by now (7:7).
Chapter 3
The Burning Bush
1
Now Moses was pasturing the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
The shepherd is an important symbol in biblical imagery. God is portrayed as a shepherd (e.g. Ps 23:1; Isa 40:11, Jer 21:10). Jesus referred to Him as a shepherd (Jn 10:11). David was also a shepherd (1Sa 17:15) and was called to shepherd God’s people (2Sa 5:2). The leaders are referred to as shepherds (e.g. Ez 34:2, 1Pe 5:2).
Horeb is widely accepted as a synonym for Sinai (e.g. Act 7:30).
See note in 2:18.
2
Then the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed.
The word for bush appears only here and Dt 33:16; it sounds like Sinai, s’neh (Alter, Fox).
Fire and light are common manifestations of the presence of God (e.g. Gen 15:17; Ex 13:21, 14:19-20, 19:18, 40:38; Jer 20:9; Dt 4:11-12, 24; Ez 8:2; Act 2:3, 1Ti 6:16).
The Angel (mal’ak, messenger) of the LORD (v. 2-6) is fully Divine
Notice how “from the midst of a/the bush” applies both to the angel here and to God in v. 4.
Gen 16:7-13. He interacted with Hagar and she acknowledged He was God.
Gen 22:1-9; 11-12, 15-16, the speech it intertwined between God and the angel.
Gen 28:13. The angel stood.
Gen 31:11-13. The angel is God.
Gen 32:24-31. The man is a divine being (Gen 18:2, 37:15; Jos 5:13), Jacob acknowledges the man was God. Hos 12:3-4 explains that the man was the angel of the LORD.
Ex 23:20-23. God’s name is in the angel, the angel is the deliverer (Jdg 2:1).
Num 22:22-35. The angel and God seem to be separate entities, or equal. The angel will give the words (35-38).
Jdg 2:1. The angel was the deliverer of Israel, thus God.
Jdg 6:11-24. The text switches from the angel to God speaking seamlessly.
Jgd 13:3-23. The angel is a man, refuses to give His name, is acknowledged to be God.
2Sa 24:16-17. The text seems to differentiate the angel from God.
1Ch 21:16-18. David speaks to God, but the speech can be directed to the angel.
Zech 1:11-12, 3:1, 5-7, 12:8. The angel intercedes, the angel is God, the angel goes before the people.
Mal 3:1-3. The angel (messenger) purifies the people.
3
So Moses said, “I must turn aside and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burning up!”
It was not a common field fire, there was a component that made the sight awe-inspiring.
The fire conveys several attributes of God, e.g. His unapproachability. Even though God calls Moses in the next verse, in the one following He warns Moses not to get close.
Like the Name (v. 14), the inextinguishability conveys the eternal character of God.
The people reflect this quality as their clothes and sandals do not wear out for forty years (Dt 8:4, 29:5).
4
When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
God knows Moses’ name (Jn 10:3), and Aaron’s (4:14). Moses’ name is called twice, a common gesture when the Deity signals for attention (Gen 22:11, 46:2; 1Sa 3:10, Lk 10:41).
Here I am is a common answer to God’s calling (Gen 22:1, 11, 31:11, 46:12; 1Sa 3:4) and one of respect in general (Gen 27:1; Sa 3:6, 8, 16).
There is a switch from the angel appearing to God speaking. A similar description is given by Steven (Act 7:30-35).
5
Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
Even though God called Moses in the previous verse, Moses cannot get too close, he would have surely died if he had approached closer.
A similar command was given to Joshua outside Jericho (Jos 5:13).
The attire for priests tending the temple do not mention shoes; they probably ministered bare-foot (Sarna, Meyers).
6
And He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Note the singular for father (Gen 26:24, 46:3), perhaps a reference to Amran.
First mentioning of the triad God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob.
7
And the LORD said, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings.
See 2:24-25.
God refers to the sons of Israel as My people, also in v. 10, 5:1, 7:4.
8
So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
God’s coming down denotes a dire or critical situation that needs attention (Gen 11:5-7, 18:21; Ex 3:8; 12:12, 23, 19:11, 18, 20; Ps 18:9, 144:5; Jn 1:14).
First mentioning of a land flowing milk and honey. Milk is most likely a reference to goat's milk and a symbol of fertility (Dt 7:13-14). Honey must refer to the syrup that fruit like grapes and dates produce (Dt 8:7-8).
Together milk and honey are symbols of divine provision. The Israelites would not lack anything and would not be compelled to come back to Egypt.
The Jebusites are mentioned last, their main city Jebus was conquered by David and later became Jerusalem (Jdg 19:10; 1Ch 11:4-5).
9
And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.
2:24.
The Mission of Moses
10
And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
Compare with v. 8, there God says He is bringing the people out, here it is Moses. God and men work together for His purpose.
Notice God’s initial commandment is for Moses to go to Pharaoh.
11
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
Responding with feelings of inadequacy are common to God’s calling (Jdg 6:15; Isa 6:4; Jer 1:6).
Moses had reasons to feel uncomfortable, he knows he is an outlaw and was wanted for murder (2:15), some in Egypt wanted him dead (4:19). Moses' reluctance continues through 4:13, where we see God’s patience run out (4:14).
Five times Moses responds with objections and reluctance (3:11, 3:13, 4:1, 4:10, 4:13).
12
And He said, “Assuredly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
The sign to you is singular, you shall worship is plural.
The answer to Moses’ question, Who am I …? is God’s promise of companionship.
God’s promise is assurance of success (Gen 21:20, 21:22, 26:3, 24, 28, 28:15, 31:3, 35:3, 39:2-3, 39:21-23, 46:4, 48:21, Ex 3:12, 14; Dt 2:7, 20:1, 4, 31:6, 8, 23; Jos 1:5, 6:27; Jdg 1:19; 1Sa 18:14; 1Ki 11:38; 2Ki 18:7; Isa 41:10, 43:2, 5; Mt 1:23; 28:19; Act 7:9, 18:10; Ph 4:9).
Other commentators have observed that Mount Sinai was not on the most direct way from Egypt to Canaan. This was the reason why Pharaoh thought they were lost (14:2).
13
Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”
Moses seems to suggest a change of plans and go to the Israelites rather than going to Pharaoh as God had instructed (v. 10).
It is uncertain why Moses thought the Israelites would ask this question. In the previous verse Moses asked Who am I? Here he might be asking masqueradingly, Who are You?.
Some have speculated that only a few knew this Name and it would be a sort of password that Moses would have to provide to the elders. Or perhaps, after four hundred years, the Israelites would know the name of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they would not know the name of their God, and Moses wanted to have as much information as possible.
14
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
I am That I am, I am Who I am, I will Be What I will Be, are all possible translations. The main point of the Name is to imply its eternal character (Isa 41:4, 44:6; Rev 1:8, 17, 22:13).
In John’s gospel, Jesus repeatedly uses I am to refer to himself (Jn (4:26, 6:20, 8:24, 8:28, 8:58, 13:19, 18:5, 18:6, 18:8). Isaiah uses the expression too (Isa 41:4, 43:10, 25, 44:6, 45:18, 46:4, 51:12, 52:6).
An I am … statement (3:14, 15:26).
15
God furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me.
The Name conveys an eternal character.
16
Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
A fulfillment of Gen 50:24.
17
So I said, I will bring you up out of the oppression of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’
18
Then they will pay attention to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
In v. 10 God was sending Moses to Pharaoh, here the elders are accompanying Moses. God is already making concessions to Moses’ reluctance to follow God’s instructions.
19
But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion.
20
So I will reach out with My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.
God’s extending out his hand (arm) is a picture that denotes strength.
21
I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed.
22
But every woman shall ask her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”
The Israelites lived among the Egyptians (see 11:2, 12:35). Perhaps acknowledging the role of women in saving Moses (see note v. 2:5), here the women are the ones plundering the Egyptians, a picture that conveys victory after a war. This is fulfilled in 12:35-36.
Just like Jochebed was paid for nursing Moses, something she wanted to do, the Israelite women will get a wage for leaving Egypt.
The Israelites shared dwellings with the Egyptians though they remained a people separated. These mixed households were spared by the mark of blood, and must have been the reason for the mixed multitude that left Egypt with them (12:38).
Chapter 4
Moses Given Signs
1
Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”
2
The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”
3
Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it turned into a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
4
But the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he reached out with his hand and caught it, and it turned into a staff in his hand—
Reaching a serpent by the tail is the least safe way to do it, Moses displays a nascent trust in God.
5
“so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6
The LORD furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand inside the fold of your robe.” So he put his hand inside the fold, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
7
Then He said, “Put your hand inside the fold of your robe again.” So he put his hand into the fold again, and when he took it out of the fold, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.
8
“So if they will not believe you nor pay attention to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the last sign.
9
But if they will not believe even these two signs nor pay attention to what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will turn into blood on the dry ground.”
The text does not explain the meaning of these three signs but it is quite imaginable that they had a strong cultural meaning at that time. Commentators have conjecture that (1) the serpent was actually a cobra, a symbol for Egypt as Pharaohs wore them on their heads; thus symbolizing God’s power to make Egypt rise and fall; (2) leprosy was common and incurable in Egypt, thus showing God’s power over life and death; and (3) God’s power to transform the Nile’s way to make the land fertile (when the Nile inundated the land) into a sign of injury and death, thus showing God’s authority over the Nile, which was worshiped as a god, and authority over the livelihood of the people.
10
Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
Tradition (the Midrash) tells that Moses injured his mouth while young when he grabbed a glowing hot coal, and thus had a type of speech impediment.
11
But the LORD said to him, “Who has made the human mouth? Or who makes anyone unable to speak or deaf, or able to see or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
Jn 9:1.
12
Now then go, and I Myself will be with your mouth, and instruct you in what you are to say.”
The promise of God to be with Moses (3:12) will manifest in Moses’ spoken words.
13
But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.”
Aaron to Be Moses’ Mouthpiece
14
Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be overjoyed.
God could have performed a miracle and heal or remove any infirmity or deficiency from Moses to make him able to speak; instead He chooses His creation, Aaron, to achieve His purpose.
We knew of Moses’ sister (2:4), here his older brother (7:7) Aaron is mentioned. From the narrative of Ch 2-3 (2:9-13), it is not difficult to imagine that Moses’ family had found a way to keep in touch with him through the years, as Moses continued to identify himself as a Hebrew.
15
So you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I Myself will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will instruct you in what you are to do.
God’s presence will extend to Aaron’s spoken words (v. 12).
16
He shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him.
By giving Aaron God’s words, Moses will play a role akin to God’s.
By showing Pharaoh God’s signs, Moses will also play a role akin to God’s (7:1-3).
17
And you shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”
The staff becomes a symbol of God’s might; in v. 20 it is called the staff of God. The staff will play an important role in multiple miraculous events, not only the three signs given here, including the plagues (e.g. 7:15, 17, 19-20), the parting of the sea (14:16), fighting with the Amalekites (17:9), and getting water from the rock (Num 20:11).
Later it is referred to as Aaron’s staff (e.g. 7:10, 12; 8:5). The staff was stored inside (or next to) the Ark of the Covenant (Num 17:10; Heb 9:4).
In front of Pharaoh’s army and chariots, the staff is a humble motif.
18
Then Moses departed and returned to his father-in-law Jethro, and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
Despite being raised as a prince in Pharaoh’s household, Moses knew who his brethren were.
19
Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”
20
So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.
Moses has been in Midian for forty years. Gershom was their son (2:22). They had a second son, Eliezer (18:4).
The staff is now called the staff of God. Perhaps God instructed to take it (4:17) to reassure Moses of the actuality of his encounter with God (some people could deny it, 4:1) and to remind him of his calling and mission.
21
And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
22
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
First mention of God calling Israel His son, His firstborn, making the oppression of Israel an offense against God’s family. We as adopted children are also under such protection. Mentioning firstborns points to future additional offspring (Jn 1:12-13, 10:16).
The expression sons of God is common in the Old Testament and it refers to divine beings (e.g. Gen 6:2-4; Job 1:6, 2:1). This connotation is absent in this verse.
23
So I said to you, ‘Let My son go so that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I am going to kill your son, your firstborn.”’”
24
But it came about at the overnight encampment on the way, that the LORD met Moses, and sought to put him to death.
The significance of verses 24-26 is rather obscure and perhaps unrecoverable. Here the LORD is not a blazing fire in the midst of a bush (3:2, 3:4) but rather a physical incarnation that meets Moses at night. This episode evokes Jacob’s wrestling of the angel in Gen 32.
... put him to death conveys the judicial execution of a sentence (Alter).
We know from v.27 that Moses returns to Sinai, perhaps Moses inadvertently approaches the LORD too closely and hence he is sentenced to die.
25
So Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet; and she said, “You are indeed a groom of blood to me!”
Being the daughter of a priest (2:15, 21), Zipporah must have been aware and perhaps proficient in religious practices. As Midianites were descendants of Abraham (see comment 2:15) she likely knew the importance of circumcising her son.
Here we have yet one more example of a woman saving Moses’s life (see comments 2:1, 2:5).
Other commentators have observed that the language is not clear as to at whose feet Zipporah is throwing the foreskin, it could have been Moses’, the son’s, or the LORD’s. The translations is his feet.
26
So He left him alone. At that time she said, “You are a groom of blood”—because of the circumcision.
He left him alone can also be translated as He released him (Fox) or He let him go. Thus enforcing the imagery of wrestling and the evoking of Gen 32.
27
Now the LORD said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.
We have no explanation about if God appeared to Aaron, or spoke to him in a dream or vision; or how long Aaron had been hearing from God.
Note that Aaron is directed to Sinai, where he meets Moses.
28
Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do.
29
Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel;
30
and Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people.
Two items are delivered, the words and the signs. Likewise, the preaching of the gospel is to be words and signs.
31
So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed low and worshiped.
The giving of the words and signs results in the people’s believing.
The reaction is short-lived as it soon turns to bitterness (5:21).
Chapter 5
Israel’s Labor Increased
1
And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘Let My people go so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
We do not know the protocol to secure an audience with the king of Egypt, perhaps Moses upbringing helped.
Initially, Moses was to speak to Pharaoh (3:10-11), then the elders were supposed to be with Moses (3:18), ultimately the task was for Moses and Aaron (4:15).
2
But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”
Pharaoh does not know the LORD (Jn 10:26-27).
3
Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will strike us with plague or with the sword.”
Moses and Aaron might be meddling with the message, even if they were appealing to Pharaoh’s self-interest as dead slaves would be of no use to Egypt, threats like this one did not come from God.
4
But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you let the people neglect their work? Get back to your labors!”
5
Again Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!”
The audience with Pharaoh ends abruptly, Moses and Aaron do not have a chance to present the three signs that God had given them (4:21).
From Pharaoh’s perspective, the economic output of the Israelites is too important to even stop for three days.
6
So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying,
7
“You are no longer to give the people straw to make bricks as previously; have them go and gather straw for themselves.
8
But you shall impose on them the quota of bricks which they were making before; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, for that reason they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
the daily quota was 2,000 bricks (A&E)
9
Let the labor be heavier on the men, and have them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.”
10
So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am not going to give you any straw.
Other commentators have observed that this is an ironic repetition of the words in 5:1 (Fox).
11
‘You go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it; but none of your labor will be reduced.’”
12
So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13
And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.”
This verse, the taskmasters must be Egyptian; and from 5:14-21, the foremen must be Israelites.
14
Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and asked, “Why have you not completed your required task of making bricks either yesterday or today, as before?”
15
Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants?
16
There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.”
17
But he said, “You are lazy, very lazy; for that reason you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
A frequent answer (even nowadays) to respond to the cry of the oppressed is to call them lazy.
18
So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, but you must deliver the quota of bricks.”
19
The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble, since they were told, “You must not reduce your daily amount of bricks.”
The foremen saw the people just like God also saw them too (2:25).
20
When they left Pharaoh’s presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them.
21
And they said to them, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you, because you have made us repulsive in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!”
In a sense, Moses’ first visit is a failure, the Israelites are worse off than before. Moses will be sent a second time, a picture of Jesus' first and second advent.
The conditions the Israelites find themselves before Pharaoh are similar to the consequences Moses and Aaron said they’d suffer if they did not leave for the wilderness to present sacrifices to God (5:1, 3); the Isralites now think that they between God’s sword and Pharaoh's sword, but God never threatened with the sword, see comment in 5:3.
22
Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me?
Perhaps Moses returned to Sinai.
Moses is reproaching God’s decision to send him (4:13). Moses might be saying he was right by not wanting to go.
23
Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all.”
From Moses’ perspective, the mission was a failure.
Chapter 6
God Promises Action
1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.”
2
God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD;
Another I am declaration by God (3:14).
3
and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them.
God Almighty is a translation of El-Shaddai common in Genesis (Gen 17:1, 28:3, 35:11, 48:3).
4
I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as strangers.
5
Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.
6
Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the labors of the Egyptians, and I will rescue you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments.
This I am the LORD and the one in v. 8 bracket seven I will promises of God.
7
‘Then I will take you as My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the labors of the Egyptians.
8
‘I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession; I am the LORD.’”
Seven I will … declarations by God in v. 6-8 and bracketed with I am the LORD.
I am the LORD … Jesus reveals Himself (Jn 10:30, 17:22).
I will bring you out … Jesus gives rest (Mt 11:28-30).
I will rescue you … Jesus sets free (Jn 8:31-36).
I will redeem you … there is a price paid (Dt 32:6), Jesus redeems us (Gal 3:13; Tit 2:14).
I will take you … we’re adopted (Rom 8:15-16, 9:4-5).
I will be your … (Mt 2:11-12; Jn 9:38, 20:28).
I will bring you … it is a journey, Jesus leads (Jn 10:4).
I will give you … the land was an inheritance (Act 13:19), we receive an inheritance (e.g. Act 20:32, 26:18; Eph 1:11, 14, 18; Col 1:12; Heb 9:15), Jesus prepares a place (Jn 14:2-3).
I am the LORD.
The character of God is revealed in these seven promises. He presents Himself, I am the LORD. He is concerned with justice, He is a liberator, He is willing to pay a price, He wants a people/family for Himself, He is a leader, He has prepared a place.
These promises of God are not conditioned upon Israel doing anything; there are no if’s to these.
9
So Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.
They people had believed (4:31) but the worsening of their circumstances makes them reject God’s words this time.
The words include ruah, which can mean breath, wind, or spirit. Another translation could be ... on account of their crushed spirit (Alter) or ... out of shortness of spirit (Fox).
God’s promises in the seven I will declarations are not voided (Num 23:19; Rom 3:3; 1Co 1:9; 2Ti 2:13; Tit 1:2) because the people do not believe.
10
Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
11
“Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.”
12
But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, as I am unskilled in speech?”
Other translations ... of uncircumcised lips. (Isa 6:5).
13
Nevertheless, the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron and gave them a command concerning the sons of Israel and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
The Heads of Israel
14
These are the heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
15
And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.
The sons of Jacob had started marrying with local families; Judah married a Canaanite woman too (Gen 38:2).
16
And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and the length of Levi’s life was 137 years.
17
The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
18
And the sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the length of Kohath’s life was 133 years.
19
And the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
20
Now Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the length of Amram’s life was 137 years.
Here we learn the names of Moses’ parents, Amram (6:18) and Jochebed.
Jochebed means Yaweh is Glory.
21
And the sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.
22
And the sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23
Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24
And the sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.
25
Now Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families.
The genealogies in verses 14-25 bring attention to the Levites, perhaps because they become the price Israel has to pay in exchange for their firstborn (Num 3:11-13, 8:17-19).
Putiel was probably Egyptian, as Phinehas is an Egyptian name (Alter, Fox).
26
It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their multitudes.”
27
They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.
28
Now it came about on the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
God’s speaking to Moses is not restricted to Sinai; God’s word for guidance and comfort is with Moses in Egypt (12:1).
29
that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD; say to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”
30
But Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”
Chapter 7
I Will Extend My Hand
1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
By giving God’s words to Aaron, Moses is playing the role of God (4:16). This role now extends to their interaction with Pharaoh, during which they will present God’s signs to him (7:3). This is a direct confrontation to the belief that Pharaoh was of divine origin too.
2
As for you, you shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
3
But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
4
When Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My armies, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments.
In our eyes, the Israelites are a horde of slaves afraid of the taskmasters (5:21). In God’s eyes, the Israelites are a divine army.
5
Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I extend My hand over Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 8:10, 10:2, 14:4, 14:18), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed and honored (9:16, 14:4, 14:17-18) and multiply His wonders (11:9). @Copy
6
So Moses and Aaron did this; as the LORD commanded them, so they did.
There is no pushback from Moses or Aaron, they follow God’s instructions.
7
And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
In Genesis the younger brother is usually in better standing before God than the older one. We see this for example with Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob, and Ephraim and Mannaseh. Here Aaron the older one submits to the instructions of the younger one.
Aaron’s Staff Turns into a Serpent
8
Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
9
“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, so that it may turn into a serpent.’”
God had instructed Moses to present three signs to Pharaoh (4:21), here only the first one is repeated, the second sign is not presented, and the third sign is first plague.
The noun for serpent is not the same as the one from 4:3 (Alter).
10
So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and so they did, just as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a serpent.
11
Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they too, the soothsayer priests of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts.
12
For each one threw down his staff, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs.
It is not difficult to imagine that the number of Egyptian sorcerers was quite large. Multiple serpents, one by each sorcerer, must have looked overwhelming to Moses and Aaron, but the single serpent from Aaron’s staff overcame the many of the Egyptian serpents.
This sign is restricted to Pharaoh’s court. The next sign, which is the third sign Moses presented to Israel’s elders (4:29-30), will be outside and for the whole of Egypt.
13
Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
Water Turned into Blood
14
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go.
We do not have a measure of the timespan that the ten judgments took. We see seven days between the first and second plagues (7:25).
15
Go to Pharaoh in the morning just as he is going out to the water, and position yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent.
This verse evokes the episode of Pharaoh’s daughter going to the water to bathe (2:5).
The Israelites themselves experience the effects of the first three judgments (8:22-23).
The first, fourth, and seventh judgments commence in the morning (7:15; 8:20; 9:13), thus marking the three beginnings of three sets of judgments.
The first and fourth are announced near the Nile.
16
And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened up to now.”
As these judgments are delivered, God presents the charges against Pharaoh, that he is preventing the people from serving and worshiping God. Furthermore, by enslaving the Israelites, Pharaoh is usurping God’s place as their service belongs to God, not to Pharaoh (7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, 9:13, 10:3).
At the present time, believers need to be aware who and what are the Pharaohs of the world, the material or spiritual entities that keep us from serving and worshiping God.
17
‘This is what the LORD says: “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I am going to strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood.
The Nile would inundate the land and irrigate it to make it fertile. Blood could be seen as God striking the river, which was worshiped as the god Hapi by the Egyptians.
It could also be a reminder to the Egyptians of the lives of the Hebrew children drowned and lost (Sarna).
Here Moses strikes the water, in the third plague, Moses strikes the ground (8:16-17). Later he will strike the rock for water to come out (17:6).
Water turning into blood is also a sign of the final judgments (Rev 8:8, 11:6, 16:3-4).
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 8:10, 10:2, 14:4, 14:18), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed and honored (9:16, 14:4, 14:17-18) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
18
Then the fish that are in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will no longer be able to drink water from the Nile.”’”
19
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and extend your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, so that they may become blood; and there will be blood through all the land of Egypt, both in containers of wood and in containers of stone.’”
The miracle that inaugurated Jesus' ministry was turning water into wine (Jn 2:1-11), this was the beginning of His signs. This contrast between Moses’ and Jesus’ ministries reflects the difference between the judgments against Pharaoh, Egypt, adn their gods (6:6, 7:4, 12;12) and the mercy and grace granted to Jesus’ followers.
This first judgment is different from the sign presented to Israel’s elders; in the former case, the water taken from the Nile would turn into blood only when hitting the ground (4:9).
Other commentators have observed that wood and stone are materials used to make idols.
20
So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants; and all the water that was in the Nile was turned into blood.
21
Then the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt.
The previous mention of all the land of Egypt showed the people of Israel gathering straw (5:12). The sixth judgment may also be a reference to the ovens where bricks were baked (9:8).
22
But the soothsayer priests of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
What should be noted is that the soothsayers are nor able to reverse the process to have water again and save Egypt (Alter).
23
Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house with no concern even for this.
24
So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink from the water of the Nile.
25
Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.
This verse emphasizes that the actions of Aaron (7:20) are actually the actions of God.
Chapter 8
Frogs over the Land
1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.
See comment in 7:16.
2
But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I am going to strike your entire territory with frogs.
In the first plague, the waters of the Nile were stricken (7:17); here the land is stricken.
Heqet or Heket was a fertility goddess represented in the form of a frog.
Spirits taking forms like frogs are also part of the end times (Rev 16:13).
3
The Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house, and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls.
swarm here connects this verse with 1:7 with Israelites multiplying.
The Nile, seen as a god by the Egyptians for its life-giving role, is again made the source of the affliction, in this case frogs.
4
So the frogs will come up on you, your people, and on all your servants.”’”
The Talmud explains that the connotation is that the frogs would be inside the people.
5
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’”
6
So Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
The previous verse mentions the staff but this verse only mentions Aaron’s hands.
7
However, the soothsayer priests did the same with their secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the LORD to remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to the LORD.”
We have no indication of how many days the second plague, frogs, went for.
Because the first plague probably subsided on its own, Pharaoh was unconcerned about its length. for the second plague, Pharaoh asks for a reprieve.
It is not difficult to imagine that before asking Moses to plead with God, Pharaoh had asked his priests and soothsayers to get rid of the frogs to no avail.
9
And Moses said to Pharaoh, “The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I plead for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they be left only in the Nile?”
10
Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.
In 5:2, Pharaoh said he did not know who the LORD was; here Moses starts explaining to Pharaoh who He is.
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 8:10, 10:2, 14:4, 14:18), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed and honored (9:16, 14:4, 14:17-18) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
11
The frogs will depart from you and your houses, and from your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.”
12
Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh.
The precept of praying for one’s enemies (8:12-13; 8:30-31; 9:28, 33; 10:17-18) did not start with the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:44).
13
The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.
In God’s plan’s execution, Moses and Aaron play a role with the start and end of the plague by petitioning to God, resulting in God answering their prayers.
14
So they piled them in heaps, and the land stank.
With the first plague, the Nile stank too (7:18, 21).
15
But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
The Plague of Insects
16
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may turn into gnats through all the land of Egypt.’”
For the third, sixth, and ninth judgements, there is no forewarning to Pharaoh.
17
They did so; and Aaron extended his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on every person and animal. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats through all the land of Egypt.
In the first plague, Aaron struck the waters of the Nile (7:17); here he strikes the dust.
18
The soothsayer priests tried with their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on every person and animal.
Alternate translations (Alter’s) show the priests trying but unable to get rid of the lice.
19
Then the soothsayer priests said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
Other commentators have observed that God promised to display an outstretched arm (6:6), but that the Egyptian priests are only willing to acknowledge His finger.
Unlike with the previous two plagues, there is no indication that the infestation came to an end or that people continued living with it (Alter).
20
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he comes out to the water; and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.
The first, fourth, and seventh judgments commence in the morning (7:15; 8:20; 9:13), thus each marking the beginning of three sets of three judgments.
The first and fourth are announced near the Nile.
21
For if you are not going to let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people, and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they live.
22
But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, the LORD, am in the midst of the land.
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 10:2), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed (9:16) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
23
I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’”
... put a division could also be translated as set a ransom, a redemption (Alter).
In the first three judgments, there is no mention of God sparing the Israelites from the effects of the plagues though it may be implicit in the first (7:18, 21), and second (8:8, 11) as the text mentions only the Egyptians being affected. The text does include descriptions of God sparing the Israelites in the fourth (8:23), fifth (9:4, 6), sixth (implicit in 9:11), seventh (9:26), eighth (10:6), ninth (10:23), and tenth (11:7) judgments. The Israelites had to follow special provisions to be spared from the tenth one (12:13).
In the last days’ judgments, God will also spared His people from plagues (Rev 18:4).
24
Then the LORD did so. And thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and the land was laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.
25
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.”
26
But Moses said, “It is not permissible for us to do so, because we will sacrifice to the LORD our God that which is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
27
We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God, just as He commands us.”
28
Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, so that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Plead for me.”
29
Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going to leave you, and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”
30
So Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD.
The precept of praying for one’s enemies (8:12-13; 8:30-31; 9:28, 33; 10:17-18) did not start with the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:44).
31
The LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.
Similar words to ... not one remained are said about Pharaoh’s army in 14:28 (Fox).
32
But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.
Chapter 9
Egyptian Livestock Die
1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews says: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.
See comment in 7:16.
2
For if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them,
3
behold, the hand of the LORD will come with a very severe plague on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks.
Multiple gods were depicted as bulls such as Mnevis, Buchis, a war god, and Apis.
A cow goddess Mehet-Weret existed before creation and gave birth to the sun.
4
But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.”’”
God again spares the Israelites from this plague, pestilence. See comment in 8:23.
The judgments of the last days will also inflict a plague like pestilence (Rev 18:8).
5
And the LORD set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.”
6
So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died.
See comment in 8:23
7
And Pharaoh sent men, and they learned that, behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
Pharaoh’s heart was heavy like the heavy pestilence in v. 4 (Alter).
The Plague of Boils
8
Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and Moses shall toss it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.
Other commentators have observed that this is likely a reference to the baking of bricks, thus making the labors of the Isralites a punishment for Egypt.
The staff does not play a role in this plague.
9
Then it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will turn into boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal through all the land of Egypt.”
10
So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal.
The last days’ judgment will also inflict sores on people (Rev 16:11).
11
The soothsayer priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the soothsayer priests as well as on all the Egyptians.
The soothsayers called in sick.
12
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
13
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews says: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.
The first, fourth, and seventh judgments commence in the morning (7:15; 8:20; 9:13), thus marking the three beginnings of three sets of judgments.
The first and fourth are announced near the Nile.
See comment in 7:16.
14
For this time I am going to send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 10:2), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed (9:16) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
15
For had I now put out My hand and struck you and your people with plague, you would then have been eliminated from the earth.
16
But indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name throughout the earth.
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 10:2), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed (9:16) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
17
Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go.
Disobedience is arrogance (9:17, 10:3).
The Plague of Hail
18
Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.
19
So now, send word, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every person and animal that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’”
For the first time, the lives of people are at stake. God gives everyone a 24-hour advance notice to find a safe place.
20
Everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring his servants and his livestock into the houses;
The people of Egypt are acknowledging the power of God to save. This will reflect in the people that leave Egypt along with Israel (12:38).
21
but everyone who did not pay regard to the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22
Now the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on every person and animal, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”
23
So Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.
The judgments of the last days will also inflict hail and fire (Rev 8:7).
24
So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25
The hail struck everything that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, from people to animals; the hail also struck every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field.
26
Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.
See comment 8:23.
27
Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the LORD is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones.
The language is legal, not religious (Fox).
28
Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
The precept of praying for one’s enemies (8:12-13; 8:30-31; 9:28, 33; 10:17-18) did not start with the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:44).
29
Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’S.
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 10:2), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed (9:16) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
30
But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.”
31
(Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.
32
But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.)
33
So Moses left the city from his meeting with Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to the LORD; and the thunder and the hail stopped, and rain no longer poured on the earth.
34
But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had stopped, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35
So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.
Chapter 10
The Plague of Locusts
1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, so that I may perform these signs of Mine among them,
We have descriptions about Pharaoh's heart being hardened (7:13, 7:22, 8:19, 9:17, 9:35) Pharaoh hardening his own heart (8:15, 8:32, 9:34), or God hardening Pharaoh’s heart (9:12, 10:1, 10:20, 10:27, 11:10, 14:8). But this verse is the one instance where God Himself declares that He has hardened Pharaoh’ heart after He had pledged to do it (4:21, 7:3, 14:4).
2
and that you may tell in the presence of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, so that you may know that I am the LORD.”
Egypt was the world's most powerful nation then; the strength of men is nothing before God (1Co 1:25).
As believers, we are responsible to tell our children and grandchildren the mighty deeds God has done for us.
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 8:10, 10:2, 14:4, 14:18), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed and honored (9:16, 14:4, 14:17-18) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
3
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.
Disobedience is arrogance (9:17, 10:3).
4
‘For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.
5
‘And they will cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They will also eat the rest of what has survived—what is left to you from the hail—and they will eat every tree of yours which grows in the field.
An alternate translation for surface is eye thus conveying an effect of blindness or darkness (Alter).
6
‘Then your houses will be filled with them, together with the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they came upon the earth until this day.’” And he turned and left Pharaoh.
Fathers and grandfathers connect with children and grandchildren in v. 2.
7
Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is destroyed?”
Other commentators have observed the symmetry between How long here and in verse 3.
8
So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God! Who specifically are the ones who are going?”
9
Moses said, “We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
10
Then he said to them, “So may the LORD be with you, when I let you and your little ones go! Watch out, for evil is on your mind!
11
Not so! Go now, but only the men among you, and serve the LORD, since that is what you desire.” So they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
12
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come up on the land of Egypt and eat every plant of the land, everything that the hail has left.”
13
So Moses reached out with his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
Similar phenomena as in the parting of the sea (14:21)
14
The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt; they were very numerous. There had never been so many locusts, nor would there be so many again.
The judgments of the last days will also inflict hordes of locusts (Rev 9:3, 7).
15
For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Therefore nothing green was left on tree or plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.
16
Then Pharaoh hurriedly called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.
17
So now, please forgive my sin only this once, and plead with the LORD your God, that He would only remove this death from me.”
The precept of praying for one’s enemies (8:12-13; 8:30-31; 9:28, 33; 10:17-18) did not start with the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:44).
This verse also foreshadows the death to come to Egypt’s firstborn.
18
Then he left Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD.
19
So the LORD shifted the wind to a very strong west wind, which picked up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.
Since locusts are also symbols of armies (e.g. Jdgs 7:12), this is a foreshadow of the Egyptian army drowning in the Red Sea (already alluded to in v. 13).
20
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.
Darkness over the Land
21
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.”
22
So Moses reached out with his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
Ra was the Egyptian deity of the sun, one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon, and believed to be the creator of all life forms.
Darkness is also present in the last days’ judgment (Rev 6:12, 8:12, 9:2, 16:10).
23
They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.
That no one rose for three days likely implies that they did neither eat nor drink during that period.
Another reference to the Creations story where God separates light from darkness (Gen 1:4).
24
Then Pharaoh called for Moses, and said, “Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be left behind. Even your little ones may go with you.”
25
But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that we may sacrifice them to the LORD our God.
26
Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the LORD our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the LORD.”
27
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go.
During the last days’ judgment, men will also refuse to repent (Rev 16:8-9).
28
Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Be careful, do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you shall die!”
Pharaoh is fighting God, as he cannot defeat God, he threatens Moses and Aaron as he sees them as easier targets.
29
Moses said, “You have spoken correctly; I shall never see your face again!”
Moses departs Pharaoh’s court in 11:8. Moses speaks the words that follow until 11:8 before leaving.
Chapter 11
The Last Plague
1
Now the LORD said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will assuredly drive you out from here completely.
2
Speak now so that the people hear, that each man is to ask of his neighbor, and each woman of her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.”
These articles will be used to build the Tabernacle (e.g. 35:22-29) but also to build the Golden Calf (32:2-3).
This verse instructs men and women; the prior instruction (3:22) mentioned only women.
3
And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
A fulfillment of 3:21.
Other commentators have observed that the Egyptians esteemed Moses, but failed to exalt God.
4
Then Moses said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,
The LORD personally comes down (3:8, 11:4, 12:12-13, 23) and will be in the midst of Egypt. Prior He was in the midst of the burning bush (3:4, 20) in contrast to the middle of the night.
See comment in 3:8.
Other commentators have observed that going out is the same verb used in Gen 41:45 (Motyer) to denote Joseph’s authority over Egypt.
5
and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well.
6
‘So there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again.
7
‘But not even a dog will threaten any of the sons of Israel, nor anything from person to animal, so that you may learn how the LORD distinguishes between Egypt and Israel.’
Here we have a picture of the final judgment where God separates the saved from the lost.
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 10:2), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed (9:16) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
8
And all these servants of yours will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he left Pharaoh in the heat of anger.
This verse closes the prophetic words that started in v. 1.
9
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
Looks as though there are at least fourteen days between the last warning to Pharaoh and the Passover (12:6).
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 10:2), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed (9:16) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
10
So Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
Chapter 12
The Passover Lamb
1
Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
On multiple occasions, God has spoken with Moses giving instructions as the previous nine plagues unfolded (e.g. 7:14, 7:19, 8:1). This verse’s intent however is to show that God’s giving of the commandments to Moses is not restricted to a single place. A portion of the Law was given in Egypt, not entirely at Sinai.
2
“This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you.
The order provided by a calendar to the incipient nation of Israel would mark the departure from Egypt as their cyclical beginning.
3
Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are, each one, to take a lamb for themselves, according to the fathers’ households, a lamb for each household.
This verse is the beginning of a series of directions given to the congregation with its last section in v. 47-50.
4
‘Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; in proportion to what each one should eat, you are to divide the lamb.
5
‘Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
Jesus is our unblemished lamb (12:5, 12:21; 1Co 5:7; Heb 9:14; 1Pe 1:19).
Unblemished animals are not suited for sacrifice (Mal 1:6-14).
6
‘You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight.
With the Israelites still in Egypt, each household performed the slaughtering of the lamb; subsequently the Passover would be a celebration at the Temple in Jerusalem (Dt 16:2, 6) performed by the priests.
Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey on the tenth of this month (12:3). Jesus was anointed with perfume six days before the Passover (Jn 12:1) and He entered Jerusalem the day after (Jn 13:12), thus five days before the Passover; Jesus then died on the fourteenth of the month.
Other commentators have observed that a full moon would be visible on the fourteenth of the month.
7
‘Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
The marks of blood on the sides and top of a door frame would bring to mind the image of a cross (12:22).
Marking the lintel and doorposts is a sign of faith in action (Heb 11:28).
8
‘They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
Jesus and Paul identify yeast and leaven as something that can change one’s character and lead to rebellion; the removal of yeast is ongoing (12:8, 12:15, 13:7; Mt 16:6; Mk 8:15; Lk 12:1; 1Co 5:6-7; Gal 5:9).
Bitter herbs is likely a reference to the bitter lives the Israelites experienced under the rule of the Egyptians (1:14).
Other episodes during which unleavened bread was prepared and eaten include Lot and the angels in Sodom (Gen 19:3), the angel of the Lord visiting Gideon (Jdg 6:19-21), and Samuel’s visit to the witch in Endor (1Sa 28:24).
Jesus identifies this Passover unleavened bread with His own body (Lk 22:19).
This bread was most likely barley bread, which connects the Passover observance with the miracle of multiplication of bread (Jn 6:4-9), after which the people confess that Jesus is the prophet to come into the world (Jn 6:14).
9
‘Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails.
10
‘And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall completely burn with fire.
11
‘Now you shall eat it in this way: with your garment belted around your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in a hurry—it is the LORD’S Passover.
12
‘For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and fatally strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the human firstborn to animals; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the LORD.
Notice the judgment against the gods of Egypt (Num 33:4, Ps 82:1).
The LORD personally comes down (3:8, 11:4, 12:12-13, 23) and will be in the midst of Egypt. Prior He was in the midst of the burning bush (3:4, 20) in contrast to the middle of the night.
See comment in 3:8.
13
‘The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Other commentators have observed that pass over can also be translated as protect, which would be in contrast to destroy (12:13, 23).
Notice the saving will be when God sees the blood, not their faces, their deeds, their clothing, or possessions.
Feast of Unleavened Bread
14
‘Now this day shall be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
Likewise we are to remember Jesus’ death for us (Lk 22:19; 1Co 11:23-26).
God’s commandments are to celebrate a feast, to rejoice for what He has done.
15
‘For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove dough with yeast from your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
Jesus and Paul identify yeast and leaven as something that can change one’s character and lead to rebellion; the removal of yeast is ongoing (12:8, 12:15, 13:7; Mt 16:6; Mk 8:15; Lk 12:1; 1Co 5:6-7; Gal 5:9).
16
‘And on the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except for what must be eaten by every person—that alone may be prepared by you.
17
‘You shall also keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your multitudes out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall keep this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.
Here is a commandment to observe a second adjacent feast, Unleavened Bread. The language in Lev 23:5-6 makes a clear distinction between the two holidays.
Centuries later, the two holidays seem to have fused. The prophet Ezekiel mentions a single holiday (Ezk 45:21). After the return from Babylon, both holidays are mentioned to be observed (Ez 6:19-22).
In Matthew’s gospel, the Passover is celebrated on the first day of Unleavened Bread (Mt 26:17-19). In Mark’s account, the countdown is to both holidays (Mk 14:1). To Luke, Passover and Unleavened are the same holiday (Lk 22:1). Both Mark and Luke mention the lamb being sacrificed on the first day of Unleavened Bread (Mk 14:12; Lk 22:7). John mentions the Feast of the Passover but not the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
18
‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
19
‘For seven days there shall be no dough with yeast found in your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.
Sin prevents us from standing before God. We will reach such a state when we will be fully redeemed (1Co 13:10; Eph 5:27; Phl 1:6, 3:12, 21; Col 4:12; Heb 12:23; Jam 1:4; 2Pe 3:14; 1Jn 3:2-3).
20
‘You shall not eat anything with yeast; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”
21
Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slaughter the Passover lamb.
The elders and the people believed the words of Moses when he first came back to Egypt (4:29-31). The people were not able to receive the message after the first meeting with Pharaoh (6:9), this time they will follow the instructions for the Passover (12:28).
Jesus is our Passover lamb (12:5, 12:21; 1Co 5:7; Heb 9:14; 1Pe 1:19).
Though this first ordinance to slaughter the lamb was to occur in each household, it later became one of the pilgrimage festivals and people traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem and slaughtered the lamb there (Dt 16:16).
22
And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
The application is supposed to be a touch of the lintel and doorposts.
The verb is the same used in 4:25 as Zipporah places or smears someone’s feet with blood (Alter).
Applying the blood to the lintel and the two doorposts would resemble the shape of a cross in the air (12:7).
When Jesus was on the cross, a hyssop with a sponge was dipped in sour wine and offered to Jesus to drink (Jn 19:29).
A Memorial of Redemption
23
For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; but when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you.
The LORD personally comes down (3:8, 11:4, 12:12-13, 23) and will be in the midst of Egypt. Prior He was in the midst of the burning bush (3:4, 20) in contrast to the middle of the night.
See comment in 3:8.
Other commentators have observed that pass over can also be translated as protect, which would be in contrast to destroy (12:13, 23).
Notice the saving will be when God sees the blood, not their faces, their deeds, their clothing, or possessions.
24
And you shall keep this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
Likewise we are to remember Jesus’ death for us (Lk 22:19).
25
When you enter the land which the LORD will give you, as He has promised, you shall keep this rite.
Joshua and Israel celebrated both the Passover and Unleavened as they entered the Promised Land (Jos 5:10-12).
26
And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27
then you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD because He passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
Multiple times God asked Pharaoh to let the Israelites to celebrate a feast, to perform a service, sacrifices, and to worship Him (5:1, 7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, 9:13, 10:3). The sacrifice and the feast happened while they were still in Egypt.
28
Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
The people now display obedience like Moses and Aaron (7:6, 12:28, 12:50).
See comment in 12:21.
29
Now it came about at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle.
30
And Pharaoh got up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead.
Other commentators have observed that in the Israelites’ homes the one dead was Jesus, in the form of the lamb.
31
Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the LORD, as you have said.
The word for go out here appears in 1:5 as descended from Jacob (Fox). This hints to the birth of the nation of Israel as they leave Egypt. Also in v. 41.
This is a fulfillment of 3:19-20, 6:1, 7:4-5, 11:1.
32
Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.”
The last words we hear from Pharaoh before Israel leaves Egypt is a plea for a blessing.
Other commentators (Meyers) have wondered if Pharaoh is aware of the story of Jacob’s blessing to a previous Pharaoh as Jacob visited and departed Pharaoh’s court (Gen 47:7, 10).
Exodus of Israel
33
The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in a hurry, for they said, “We will all be dead.”
The word for urged means toughening, as with the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (Alter).
34
So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders.
35
Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing;
36
and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Therefore they plundered the Egyptians.
This is a fulfillment of Gen 15:14, 3:22 and 11:2.
These articles will be used to build the Tabernacle (e.g. 35:22-29) but also to build the Golden Calf (32:2-3).
This verse instructs men and women; the prior instruction (3:22) mentioned only women.
37
Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children.
The Feast of Tabernacles is also referred to as Succoth, the name of this region that the Israelites traveled by in their way out of Egypt.
This figure is probably a rounding of the more precise figure in 38:26.
Six hundred is the size of a military unit (14:7, Jdg 18:11) (Meyers).
These travels are also related in Num 33. The journey starts on the fifteenth of that month.
Other commentators have observed that the word for thousands could also mean simply unit or battalion.
38
A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.
A picture of Israelites and Gentiles being delivered by God.
Other commentators have observed that the term to describe the mixed crowd is a pejorative term (Alter).
39
And they baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had no yeast, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.
They had eaten unleavened bread during the Passover (12:8). Here we have a second occurrence, perhaps the second of the seven-day ordinance.
40
Now the time that the sons of Israel had lived in Egypt was 430 years.
Others text round the number to four hundred (Gen 15:13; Act 7:6 quoting Genesis; Gal 3:17).
41
And at the end of 430 years, on this very day, all the multitudes of the LORD departed from the land of Egypt.
The word for go out here appears in 1:5 as descended from Jacob (Fox). This hints to the birth of the nation of Israel as they leave Egypt. Also in v. 31.
The term multitudes is a militaristic term (Fox).
Ordinance of the Passover
42
It is a night to be observed for the LORD, for having brought them out of the land of Egypt; this night is for the LORD, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.
43
And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: no foreigner is to eat it;
This is a picture of how a person becomes one of Israel when being redeemed by Jesus.
44
but as for every slave that someone has purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.
Joshua coordinated the circumcision of the Israelites before celebrating the Passover as they were entering the Promised Land (Jos 5:2-9).
45
A stranger or a hired worker shall not eat it.
46
It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring any of the meat outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it.
The Roman soldiers did not break Jesus’ legs (Jn 19:32-36).
47
All the congregation of Israel are to celebrate this.
48
But if a stranger resides with you and celebrates the Passover to the LORD, all of his males are to be circumcised, and then he shall come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised male may eat it.
The celebration of the Passover, circumcision, without leaven, and being part of the people of God are equivalent (12:15, 43).
come near is language of the priestly cult (Fox).
49
The same law shall apply to the native as to the stranger who resides among you.”
law, The Torah, the Pentateuc.
50
Then all the sons of Israel did so; they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
The people now display obedience like Moses and Aaron (7:6, 12:28, 12:50).
This is the last piece of the address to the congregation that started in 12:3.
51
And on that very day the LORD brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their multitudes.
Chapter 13
1
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
“Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the firstborn of every womb among the sons of Israel, among people and animals alike; it belongs to Me.”
3
And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you departed from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing with yeast shall be eaten.
4
On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go out from here.
5
And it shall be when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall perform this rite in this month.
6
For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD.
7
Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing with yeast shall be seen among you, nor shall any dough with yeast be seen among you in all your borders.
Jesus and Paul identify yeast and leaven as something that can change one’s character and lead to rebellion; the removal of yeast is ongoing (12:8, 12:15, 13:7; Mt 16:6; Mk 8:15; Lk 12:1; 1Co 5:6-7; Gal 5:9).
8
And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
9
And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.
A sign on the forehead is a symbol of the end times (13:16; Rev 7:3, 9:4, 14:1, 22:4) but also of the enemy (Rev 13:16-17, 14:9-10, 20:4).
The forehead is the part of the face that would be visible to others.
A sign on the hand points to the deeds that one does.
the law is The Torah, the teachings, the instruction.
10
Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.
11
“Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you,
12
you shall devote to the LORD every firstborn of a womb, and every firstborn offspring of an animal that you own; the males belong to the LORD.
13
But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn among your sons you shall redeem.
A donkey cannot be offered as sacrifice, thus it has to be redeemed.
14
And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
15
‘And it came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD put to death every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborns to animal firstborns. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, every firstborn of a womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
16
So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
A sign on the forehead is a symbol of the end times (13:16; Rev 7:3, 9:4, 14:1, 22:4) but also of the enemy (Rev 13:16-17, 14:9-10, 20:4).
God Leads the People
17
Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
God knows our fears and our limits; God does not have Israel engage in war.
Historians have observed that the corridor area now known as the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt was heavily guarded by Pharaoh’s army as it protected Egypt from invaders coming from the Middle-East region. God directs Israel south away from this area.
18
Therefore God led the people around by way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in battle formation from the land of Egypt.
19
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will certainly take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.”
Joshua reburied Joseph’s bones after the conquering of the promised land (Gen 50:24-25; Jos 24:32; Act 7:15-16).
20
Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.
They arrived to Succoth in 12:37.
21
And the LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.
Jesus goes before us to lead the way (Jn 10:4).
The LORD was present in the pillar of cloud and fire, just as He was in the midst of the burning bush (3:4). The angel of the LORD is also present in the pillar (14:19).
22
He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from the presence of the people.
Fugitives try to hide and not call attention, this is not the case with the Israelites. The pillars of cloud and fire have almost a taunting quality to them. A scornful way to show Pharaoh that the Israelites have departed (14:8).
Chapter 14
Pharaoh in Pursuit
1
Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
“Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea.
As the Israelites camp by Baal-zephon, the Egyptian army will catch up with them (11:9). The Israelites will think they are ruined as they will have nowhere to go (14:11) but God is actually setting a bait for the Egyptian army. When we follow God’s instructions, sometimes the world does not understand the reason why we do what we are doing.
3
For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’
Other commentators have observed that these words are in verse. A fraction of a song that will be eclipsed by the victory song in Ch 15.
4
And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 8:10, 10:2, 14:4, 14:18), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed and honored (9:16, 14:4, 14:17-18) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
5
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this that we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
6
So he had horses harnessed to his chariot and took his people with him;
7
and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.
Contrasting with the 600 thousand (or units) that left (12:37).
Notice that all chariots and horses were included in the attack (14:7, 9).
8
So the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly.
…boldly is literally with a high hand; an image of the Israelites with a fist raised would be appropriate.
9
Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
Notice that all chariots and horses were included in the attack (14:7, 9).
10
As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD.
Israel cries out to God like they did when they were slaves (2:23).
Fear and faith oppose each other.
11
Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?
The first in the long series of grumblings that the Israelites will bring up to Moses and Aaron.
The grumblings of Israel may include a recrimination about their circumstances, a cry to God, and a nostalgia for their days in Egypt (14:11, 15:24, 16:2-3).
12
Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”
God’s purpose to deliver Israel was so they would serve Him (e.g. 5:1, 3, 7:16, 8:1, 20, 27-28, 9:1, 13, 10:3, 7-8, 11, 24-26), to prefer to serve the Egyptian is a rejection of God’s deliverance.
The Sea Is Divided
13
But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will perform for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again, ever.
Stand by is a military term and a common exhortation in Paul’s letters (e.g. 1Co 16:13, 2Co 1:24, Gal 5:1, Eph 6:11,13,14, Phil 1:27,4:1, 1Th 3:8, 2Th 2:15)
14
The LORD will fight for you, while you keep silent.”
In the most difficult of times, sometimes what we need to do is to be silent and see the salvation of the LORD. The prophet Isaiah said “in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isa 30:15).
15
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.
16
As for you, lift up your staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.
dry land is mentioned three times (14:16, 21, 29) in this section of the text.
17
And as for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.
Pharaoh’s heart is not the only one being hardened at this point. The Egyptians’ hearts are also under God’s authority.
18
Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his horsemen.”
God has a purpose behind these judgments. God wants Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and Israel to understand that He is the LORD (7:5, 7:17, 8:10, 10:2, 14:4, 14:18), that He is in the land (8:22), that there is no one like Him (9:14), that the earth is the LORD’s (9:29), and that He distinguishes His people from others (11:7). God will also show His power and have His name proclaimed and honored (9:16, 14:4, 14:17-18) and multiply His wonders (11:9).
19
Then the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.
Just as the LORD and His angel were in the midst of the bush (3:2, 4, 6, 7), the LORD and the angel are in the pillar (13:21).
20
So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Therefore the one did not approach the other all night.
21
Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.
The parting of the sea and the crossing was during the night.
dry land is mentioned three times (14:16, 21, 29) in this section of the text.
22
So the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.
Other commentators have suggested a birth imagery for the incipient nation of Israel with the sea and the walls of water functioning as a birth canal in the middle of the night.
23
Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea.
24
But at the morning watch, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.
Daybreak coincides with the Israelites being on the other side of the sea.
God brings His enemies into confusion (Dt 7:23; Ex 14:24, 23:27; Jos 10:10; 1Sa 7:10; Isa 19:3) (Alter, Hyatt).
25
He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians each said, “Let me flee from Israel, for the LORD is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”
26
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.”
27
So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28
The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained.
As Pharaoh ordered his people to throw the newborn sons into the Nile (1:22), God had Pharaoh’s army drown in the sea.
29
But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.
dry land is mentioned three times (14:16, 21, 29) in this section of the text.
30
So the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
31
When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.
“Israel saw …” is along the thematic seeing from the beginning of Exodus.
Israel saw, feared the LORD, believed.
Chapter 15
The Song of Moses and Israel
1
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying:
“I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
“I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
2
-“The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
Strength and song are the words chosen to describe God. These words are repeated in Isa 12:2 when referring to the Day of the Lord, thus showing the prophetic character of this song.
The fifth promise is coming to pass (6:7).
This version that the LORD is our salvation, this is the meaning of the name of our Savior, Yeshua, the root for “Ye” is the name of the LORD, the root for “shua” is saves.
3
-“The LORD is a warrior;
The LORD is His name.
The LORD is His name.
4
-“Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea;
And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
Throwing Pharaoh’s army into the sea is God’s response to Pharaoh telling his people to throw the newborn sons into the Nile (1:22). If God dealt with us according to eye for an eye, we would not stand a chance.
5
-“The waters cover them;
They went down into the depths like a stone.
They went down into the depths like a stone.
Isa 51:9-10
The waters have a mythological flavor, thus showing God defeating the physical (15:4) and the spiritual realms (Motyer).
6
-“Your right hand, LORD, is majestic in power;
Your right hand, LORD, destroys the enemy.
Your right hand, LORD, destroys the enemy.
This song includes several anthropomorphic references to God, here we have His hand. In v. 8 we hear about His nostrils, v. 12 mentions His hand again.
7
-“And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You;
You send out Your burning anger, and it consumes them like chaff.
You send out Your burning anger, and it consumes them like chaff.
8
-“At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,
The flowing waters stood up like a heap;
The depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
The flowing waters stood up like a heap;
The depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9
-“The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils;
I shall be satisfied against them;
I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’
I shall be satisfied against them;
I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’
The many actions that God’s foes scheme against His people.
This verse is bracketed by the mentioning of God’s breathing (15:8) and God’s blowing (15:10) to contrast with the many actions of the enemy.
10
-“You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
God’s response is simply to blow His nostrils.
11
-“Who is like You among the gods, LORD?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?
12
-“You reached out with Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
The earth swallowed them.
This verse closes the celebration of Israel’s departure from Egypt.
13
-“In Your faithfulness You have led the people whom You have redeemed;
In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.
In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.
Moving from the deliverance and departure from Egypt, this verse starts a portion of the song that functions as prophecy as well.
The Isralites acknowledge that God has fulfilled the first part of the seven promises He made (6:6-8). Here we have a picture of God and His people living as one household. The picture continues in v. 17.
This and v. 16 make an emphasis on the people’s redemption (6:6).
14
-“The peoples have heard, they tremble;
Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
15
-“Then the chiefs of Edom were terrified;
The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan have despaired.
The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan have despaired.
A reference to the upcoming battles to conquer the promised land, which the Israelites shy away from later.
16
-“Terror and dread fall upon them;
By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone,
Until Your people pass over, LORD,
Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.
By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone,
Until Your people pass over, LORD,
Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.
The enemies of God are mentioned in v. 14-16. Our enemies are spiritual forces (Act 19:15, 26:18; Eph 1:21, 2:2, 3:10, 6:11-12; Col 1:13), and as enemies of God, they tremble, they are in anguish, they are terrified, they despair, terror and dread fall upon them (Mt 8:29; Mk 1:23-24; Lk 4:34; Jam 2:19).
17
-“You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance,
The place, LORD, which You have made as Your dwelling,
The sanctuary, Lord, which Your hands have established.
The place, LORD, which You have made as Your dwelling,
The sanctuary, Lord, which Your hands have established.
Though some commentators’ opinion is that this verse points to the Temple in Jerusalem (inheritance usually refers to the promised land), it most likely refers to God’s heavenly dwelling, as the Temple in Jerusalem was built by men.
This verse acts closer to a prophetic word in that it describes a heavenly dwelling.
God declared that He does not dwell in buildings built my men (2Sa 7:5-7; Isa 66:1-2; Act 7:48)
18
-“The LORD shall reign forever and ever.”
This verse continues the prophetic aspects of the song, the LORD is proclaimed an eternal king over Israel. The kingdom of Israel is not established until some four hundred years later after the LORD is rejected as their king (1Sa 8:7).
19
For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.
20
Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.
Miriam is likely the sister mentioned in 2:4, who looked after her younger brother Moses; thus bracketing the deliverance story.
This is the first time the office of prophetess (or prophet) is mentioned.
The verse that Miriam sings is very similar to the first first of the song above (15:1), some commentators conjecture that Miriam started the song and singing and verses were added subsequently.
21
And Miriam answered them,
“Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.”
The LORD Provides Water
“Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.”
The LORD Provides Water
The LORD Provides Water
22
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
This is the beginning of the narrative of the Israelites in the wilderness. They are led by Moses.
In addition to having been situated in between the Egyptian army and the sea and feared for their lives, the Israelites are about to face a number of trials before they reach Sinai. Note that they are facing all these trials not because they stepped away from the will of God, or because of the enemy’s doing, they are facing them because they have been obedient to His instructions.
Three days without water can imperil anyone’s life.
Perhaps the expectation was that after three days they would offer sacrifices to God (3:17, 5:3, 8:27).
Shur is a region often mentioned in Genesis (Gen 16:7, 20:1, 25:18).
23
When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter; for that reason it was named Marah.
Marah means bitter, likely an allusion to the bitter lives they led in Egypt (1:14, 12:8, 15:23).
24
So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
The grumblings of Israel include a recrimination about their circumstances and a nostalgia for their days in Egypt (15:24).
We will receive living water to quench our thirst (Rev 7:16-17, 21:6).
25
Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.
There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.
There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.
With the first plague, Moses struck the Nile with his staff, and people could not drink the water anymore (7:20-24). Here Moses throws a tree into the water and makes it potable again. A reverse of the judgment inflicted on Egypt.
Note the beginning of God’s instruction for the people starts here not at Sinai.
26
And He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”
An I am … statement (3:14, 15:26).
After leaving Egypt (after our salvation) the purpose of the journey is to know Him. Here God starts to reveal His character to Israel. He reveals that Israel is sick (or will be sick) and that God will be their doctor.
27
Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.
The LORD Provides Manna
The LORD Provides Manna
Chapter 16
The LORD Provides Manna
1
Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.
This would be about a month after they left Egypt (12:6, 18).
2
But the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
grumbled, grumblings, grumble occur eight times in 16:2-12.
3
The sons of Israel said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger!”
Perhaps after a month they have exhausted the meat available to them from their livestock (12:38) or prefer not to kill their livestock as it is mentioned again in the next chapter (17:3).
The Israelites align themselves with the Egyptians, whom the LORD fought against.
The grumblings of Israel include a recrimination about their circumstances and a nostalgia for their days in Egypt (15:24, 16:3).
The trials experienced by the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea, which may be viewed, as their baptism (1Co 10:1-2), parallel those experienced by Jesus during His forty days in the wilderness (Mt 4:2-4, 4:5-7, 4:8-10). The Israelites experience hunger (16:3), test God (17:2), and worship other gods (32:8); Jesus, embodying the people of Israel, those who believe in Him, overcomes the trials.
4
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.
Israel called the bread from heaven manna (16:15). Other passages that recall this episode refer to it as bread from heaven (Ps 78:24, 105:40; Neh 9:15). They ate manna for forty years (Jos 5:12).
Jesus referred to Himself as the bread of life (Jn 6:35). This draws a strong parallel between the Passover and liberation from Egypt with the gospel of John 6:1-35.
5
On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”
6
So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt;
7
and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your grumblings against the LORD; and what are we, that you grumble against us?”
The LORD Provides Meat
The LORD Provides Meat
the glory of the LORD appears in scripture, also in v. 10.
The LORD Provides Meat
8
And Moses said, “This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the LORD hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”
The evening and morning sequences (16:6-7, 16:8, 16:12, 16:13) evoke the creation story.
9
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come forward before the LORD, for He has heard your grumblings.’”
10
And it came about, as Aaron spoke to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
11
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12
“I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’”
13
So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
14
When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.
15
When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.
16
This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Everyone gather as much as he will eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’”
17
The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little.
18
When they measured it by the omer, the one who had gathered much did not have too much, and the one who had gathered little did not have too little; everyone gathered as much as he would eat.
19
Moses said to them, “No one is to leave any of it until morning.”
20
But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank; and Moses was angry with them.
Like in the creation story, the subjects disobey (16:20, 16:28).
21
They gathered it morning by morning, everyone as much as he would eat; but when the sun became hot, it would melt.
The Sabbath
22
Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,
23
then he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.”
24
So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not stink nor was there a maggot in it.
25
Then Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.
26
Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
In another reference to the creation story, the Sabbath is sanctified as a day of rest.
Like the ordinances for the Passover, the observance of the Sabbath is part of the regulations given before they reach from Sinai.
27
Yet it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
28
Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions?
Like in the creation story, the subjects disobey (16:20, 16:28).
29
See, the LORD has given you the Sabbath; for that reason He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain, everyone, in his place; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.”
30
So the people rested on the seventh day.
Having been slaves, rest must have been a new experience for the people.
31
And the house of Israel named the bread manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey.
32
Then Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘A full omer of it is to be kept safe throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
33
And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put a full omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept safe throughout your generations.”
34
As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony, to be kept.
35
And the sons of Israel ate the manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
Jos 5:12.
36
(Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)
Chapter 17
Water in the Rock
1
Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.
2
So the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water so that we may drink!” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”
The trials experienced by the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea, which may be viewed as their baptism (1Co 10:1-2), parallel those experienced by Jesus during His forty days in the wilderness (Mt 4:2-4, 4:5-7, 4:8-10). The Israelites experience hunger (16:3), test God (17:2), and worship other gods (32:8); Jesus, embodying the people of Israel, those who believe in Him, overcomes the trials.
3
But the people were thirsty for water there; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why is it that you have brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
In the previous chapter, the Israelites yearn for a time when they could eat meat (16:3). Livestock is mentioned here again, perhaps they intend to keep it as a source of food like milk.
4
So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What am I to do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!”
Moses is at a point where he fears for his life.
5
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
By mentioning the staff and the Nile, God is reminding Moses and the people about His might.
6
Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
They must be close to Sinai as Horeb is mentioned (3:1).
Notice that God Himself is there standing.
Moses strikes the rock like he struck the Nile (7:17) and the ground (8:16-17).
7
Then he named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”
God’s answer to the question posed by the people is presented in Ch 25-31 with the instructions for the Tabernacle and the priestly garments and ordination (Ex 25:8-9, 29:45-46).
This episode is likely a separate instance from that in Num 20. This one occurs before the encounter with Gods at Sinai and Moses is instructed to strike the rock (17:6). The story in Numbers is after Miriam dies (Num 20:1) and Moses is instructed to speak to the rock (Num 20:8) but he strikes it twice instead (Num 20:11).
The story here occurs close to Sinai (17:6) and the one in Numbers close to Edom (Num 20:1, 14). Here Moses fears for his life (17:4), in the second instance he is defiant (Num 20:10).
Miraculous Battle against Amalek
8
Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.
The Amalekite attacked the people who were advancing slowly and were falling behind (Dt 25:17-18). See note at 21:2.
Note for Dt (fear of God)
Lev 19:14,19:32,25:17,25:35-36,39,43.
9
So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
After being provided with food and water, the Israelites are to take action against their enemies. Unlike with the plagues in Egypt, the people of God have now to participate in the fight. This is a preview of what they will have to do later to conquer the Promised Land.
Joshua appears in the narrative. Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim. After Reuben failed as Jacob’s firstborn (Gen 35:22, 49:3-4; 1Chr 5:1), the leadership passed onto the sons of Joseph (the firstborn from Rachel, Gen 30:22-24), who were adopted by Jacob (Gen 48:5). However Jacob named the younger Ephraim as the leader over the older brother Manasseh (Gen 49:19). After King Solomon dies, the tribe of Ephraim leads a secession that breaks up the kingdom of Israel into the Northern and Southern kingdoms. Samaria in the territory of Ephraim becomes the main city of the Northern kingdom. Jerusalem continues as the main city in the Southern kingdom.
10
Joshua did just as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
Tradition tells us that Hur was Miriam’s husband. Hur helped Aaron when Moses was absent (24:14) and most likely he is the same Hur mentioned in 31:2, 35:30, and 38:22.
11
So it came about, when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed; but when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
12
And Moses’ hands were heavy. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. So his hands were steady until the sun set.
Notice how there are multiple participants that are necessary for the victory, the people fighting, Joshua directing them, Moses keeping his hands high (probably holding the staff), and Aaron and Hur holding Moses’ arms, and the stone where Moses sat.
This is also a picture of faith and deeds working together.
13
And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Other commentators have observed that the word for defeated could also be translated as decapitated.
14
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
First mentioning of writing to preserve memories.
15
And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner;
16
and he said, “Because the LORD has sworn, the LORD will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”
Chapter 18
Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-law
1
Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
See note in 2:18 about Jethro and Reuel.
Other commentators have observed the repeated mentioning of father-in-law in this chapter. Perhaps to acknowledge and emphasize the role of Gentiles in the formation of the nation of Israel.
2
And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took in Moses’ wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away,
3
and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”
4
And the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5
Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped, at the mountain of God.
We might not have an exact chronological account as the arrival to Sinai is told in 19:1-2. See notes in 18:16 and 18:27.
6
And he sent word to Moses: “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”
7
Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other about their welfare, and went into the tent.
8
Moses told his father-in-law everything that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had confronted them on the journey, and how the LORD had rescued them.
An early instance of Gentiles hearing the good news of the deliverance from oppression. The news also includes the telling of hardships encountered along the journey.
9
And Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the LORD had done for Israel, in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.
A picture of the Gentiles rejoicing with Israel (Dt 32:43; Ps 117:1) and mentioned by Paul (Rom 15:10-11).
10
So Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
11
Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they acted insolently against the people.”
A sentiment echoed in 15:11.
Perhaps, Jethro had a previous partial knowledge about the LORD (the Midianites were descendants of Abraham, Gen 25:1-4) . Hearing what He did in Egypt brings a fuller realization to Jethro about who God is.
12
Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
This event has the elements of a covenant meal between family clans; in this case between Israel and the Kenites. A previous case includes Jacob and Laban (Gen 31:44-54), an upcoming one is between God and Israel (Ex 24:3-11).
Thus this was likely a covenant of peace between the Israelites and the Kenites. Jethro is called a Kenite (Jgds 1:16, 4:11), and Saul warned the Kenites to leave the Amalekites before attacking them (1Sa 15:6-7). David also shared spoils with the Kenites (1Sa 30:26-29).
The sacrifices to serve and worship God were the reasons presented to Pharaoh to depart Egypt (e.g. 5:1, 3, 7:16, 8:1, 20, 27-28, 9:1, 13, 10:3, 7-8, 11, 24-26), this verse present the first instance of the offerings and sacrifices being presented. Note that it is a joint ceremony among Israelites and Gentiles (though Jethro was also a descendant of Abraham, see note 2:15)..
Jethro Counsels Moses
13
And it came about the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening.
Other commentators have observed the parallels between the battle against the Amalekites and Jethro's counseling. The battle episode is about war between two peoples, people are chosen to fight, Moses sits on a rock, and his arms are heavy. This chapter is about peace between two peoples, Moses sits to judge, the task is heavy, and people are chosen to judge.
14
Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
15
Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
16
When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between someone and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws.”
The Israelites now acknowledge Moses as ruler and judge (2:14).
Along with v. 5, this verse points to events that might have happened after the delivery of the Law and commandments.
17
Moses’ father-in-law then said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good.
An allusion to the creation story by pointing out something that is not good and finding a helper, or helpers in this case (Gen 2:18).
18
You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
19
Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God,
20
then admonish them about the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do.
21
Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
22
Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that they will bring to you every major matter, but they will judge every minor matter themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will carry the burden with you.
23
If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their places in peace.”
Jethro is speaking as a prophet to Moses and preparing him for his future service as God’s judge. Notice also the collaboration between a Gentile and Moses.
24
So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said.
25
Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
Perhaps ten as the unit of division for the people is a symbol pointing to the ten commandments that will be given to govern the incipient society.
26
Then they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult matter to Moses, but they would judge every minor matter themselves.
27
Then Moses said goodbye to his father-in-law, and Jethro went his way to his own land.
This farewell to Jethro happened about a year after the Israelites arrived in Sinai (Num 10:11, 29-30).
Chapter 19
Moses on Sinai
1
In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
The Israelites camp in Sinai for about a year (Num 10:11-12).
The Israelites left Egypt on the fifteenth of the first month (Ex 19:1; Num 33:3). Thus forty five days have passed. Moses makes two ascents (9:3, 9:7) and prepares the people for three days (19:10-11). Thus the giving of the Law, the Ten Commandments, in the next chapter occurs fifty days after the Passover. This holiday is known as Shavuot, the feast of Weeks (Ex 34:22; Lev 23:16-17), or Pentecost (Act 2:1, 20:16; 1Co 16:8).
2
When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain.
3
And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “This is what you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:
This is the first ascent. Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God seven times (19:3, 19:8, 19:20, 20:21, 24:1-13, 32:30-31, 34:2-4). This going up and down prompts the people to ask Who will go up to heaven for us to get [the word]? (Dt 30:12).
It is noteworthy that this first encounter between Israel and God takes place outside the promised land.
4
‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.
The image of carrying on eagles wings repeats in the last days (Rev 12:14).
When viewed with Dt 32:11, there is a maternal motif to this description .
5
‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;
In this first ascent God reveals to Moses that His purpose is twofold. The two-part intent extends to the New Covenant. The two … you shall be … contrast with the … you shall not … that frequently appears in the Ten Commandments.
This verse has the first ... you shall be … of the two; it is usually translated as my treasured possession (Dt 4:20, 7:6, 14:2, 26:18, 29:13; Ps 135:4; Mal 3:17). This idea that extends in the New Testament too (Tit 2:14; 1Pe 2:9).
For Israel to be God’s people is one of the seven promises in Ex 6:7.
God’s claims on the earth are frequent in the bible (Ex 9:29, 19:5; Dt 10:14; Job 41:11; Ps 50:12; 1Co 10:26).
Notice that this two-fold intent starts with a conditional if … but they follow the deliverance from Egypt and the bringing of the people to Himself. The New Covenant also requires obedience after redemption (e.g. Jn 14:21, 15:10; Eph 2:8-10).
6
and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
... you shall be … is the second of the two purposes of the covenant (Ex 19:6, 22:31; Lv 11:44, 19:2, 20:26; Dt 7:6, 14:2, 21, 26:19, 28:9; Isa 61:6, 62:12).
kingdom identifies the governing structure that God’s people are to follow.
The idea of God’s people being a kingdom of priests is reiterated in the New Testament (1Pe 2:5, 9; Rev 1:6, 5:10).
7
So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD had commanded him.
Moses presents the words to the elders, but all the people answer (next verse). In the previous chapter a system of tens, hundreds, and thousands is set up (18:19-21, 24-25), albeit perhaps non-chronologically, and likely helped communicate the words from God.
8
Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.
Moses is the mediator of the covenant between the people and God. This is a foreshadow of the mediation that Jesus will perform in the New Covenant (Heb 8:6, 9:15, 12:24; 1Ti 2:5).
This is the second ascent. Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God seven times (19:3, 19:8, 19:20, 20:21, 24:1-13, 32:30-31, 34:2-4). This going up and down prompts the people to ask Who will go up to heaven for us to get [the word]? (Dt 30:12).
The people say we will do three times (19:8, 24:3, 24:7).
9
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also trust in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.
A number of phenomena accompany the divine presence (19:16, 20:18), a cloud (19:9), fire (19:18), smoke (19:18, 20:18), thunder (19:16, 19, 20:18) and lightning (19:16, 20:18), earthquakes (19:18), and the blast of ram’s horn (19:13, 16, 19, 20:18) or trumpet.
God prefers that we heard better that we saw (Dt 4:12; Jn 10:4, 16, 27).
The cloud
10
The LORD also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their garments;
Washing one’s garments is for healing (Lev 15:5; Num 8:7, 21, 19:19), renewal (Gen 35:2-3), and consecration before meeting God (Ex 19:10; Rev 22:14). These were likely Egyptian garments (3:22, 12:35), thus the washing is a symbolic removal of traces left on the garments.
11
and have them ready for the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Previous instances of God’s coming down usually denoted a dire situation that resulted in executing judgment (Gen 11:5-7, 18:21; Ex 3:8; 12:12, 23). In this case (19:11, 18, 20), God is coming down to draw a contract with the people of Israel.
12
But you shall set boundaries for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall certainly be put to death.
13
‘No hand shall touch him, but he shall certainly be stoned or shot through; whether animal or person, the violator shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”
The violator will not die when touching the mountain but will be put to death by the people.
14
So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.
The washing of garments will happen before entering the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 22:14).
15
He also said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”
God instituted sexual intimacy before the fall (Gen 1:28, 2:24); the instructions in this verse are a type of sentimental fasting to fix their eyes on God (1Co 7:5).
16
So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
God appearing in the morning of the third day evokes the resurrection of Jesus.
The trumpet must be being blown by an angel.
17
And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
The LORD Visits Sinai
The LORD Visits Sinai
The LORD Visits Sinai
18
Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the entire mountain quaked violently.
19
When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder.
20
Then the LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
This is the third ascent. Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God seven times (19:3, 19:8, 19:20, 20:21, 24:1-13, 32:30-31, 34:2-4). This going up and down prompts the people to ask Who will go up to heaven for us to get [the word]? (Dt 30:12).
21
Then the LORD spoke to Moses: “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to stare, and many of them perish.
Seeing God must be granted, otherwise death follows (Gen 32:30; Ex 24:10; Dt 5:24; Jdgs 6:22-23, 13:22; Rev 22:4).
Later God grants the elders being able to see him.
22
Also have the priests who approach the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.”
Though sacrifices have already been presented to God (e.g. 18:12), it is unclear how these priests had been appointed and how they officiated up until this point. The Levites were chosen to serve only after the Tabernacle was built (Num 3:5-10).
23
And Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.’”
24
Then the LORD said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break out against them.”
25
So Moses went down to the people and told them.
Chapter 20
The Ten Commandments
1
Then God spoke all these words, saying,
This happens fifty days after the departure from Egypt (see note in 19:1). The holiday to commemorate this event is known as Shavuot, the feast of Weeks (Ex 34:22; Lev 23:16-17), or Pentecost (Act 2:1).
The terms Ten Words or Ten Commandments come from Ex 34:28 (also in Dt 4:13, 10:4).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches about several of the Ten Commandments (e.g Mt 5:21-22, 27-28).
Note that God speaks these words, in v. 19 the people ask Moses to mediate again.
2
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
In the Ten Commandments (The ten words; they are not numbered but ten is a round number with significance), the addressing of the words is to the second-person singular. God is speaking to both Israel as a single person and speaking to each member of the community
In modern contracts, each party is introduced with a full name and other data such as an address or tax identification number. The first party in the covenantal agreement at Sinai, God, is introduced here along with a historical reference, a family name of sorts. This reflects the legal character of the covenant at Sinai.
There are promises (e.g. to the thousandth generation and a long life) and punishments (e.g. to the fourth generation) among the commandments, God is expressing that He has done His part and in return now Israel is to follow the commandments to fulfill its own part. This is repeated in the New Covenant (Eph 2:8-10).
Like the Greatest Commandment (Dt 6:4), the text of the commandments describe who God is or what God does or has done. Each commandment is a reflection of the character of God.
3
“You shall have no other gods before Me.
4
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth.
Three realms are mentioned, the heavens, the earth, and the underworld.
It is not possible to fashion God into an image for God cannot be confined into a space. God is beyond physical representation, man should not even try.
5
You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, inflicting the punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
The purpose of the images mentioned in the previous verse would be to worship them. Thus it is unlikely that the previous verse is an utter ban on paintings, sculptures, or even photographs.
God becomes jealous when our heart inclines to other gods.
The punishment for deeds committed by ancestors will be void (Dt 24:16; Jer 31:29-30; Ezk 18:2-4).
6
but showing favor to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Other commentators have observed that in vain would be better translated as for a false purpose. There is also a judicial aspect to the commandment in the word unpunished, or acquitted, thus it can refer to using God’s name falsely when taking oaths.
8
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Notice the parallel with the remembrance of the day of liberation from Egypt (Ex 13:3).
9
For six days you shall labor and do all your work,
The Israelites had already been observing the Sabbath by not collecting manna (16:23-26).
10
but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the LORD your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your resident who stays with you.
Note how the people are to extend God’s favor to others. This rest crosses social layers and gender boundaries.
11
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
The Sabbath is in the middle of the commandments and thus occupies a special place.
12
“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Both father and mother are placed at the same level of honor, the commandment like the previous one crosses gender boundaries.
Jesus honored His father and mother.
Other commentators have observed that the first five commandments relate to the vertical relationship between God and men and the last five to the relationships among men. But this is incomplete, the second half of the commandments also relate to the relationship between God and men.
13
“You shall not murder.
God is life-giving, not a murderer.
Jesus taught that this commandment extends to our feelings and words (Mt 5:21-22).
Note that this and the rest of the commandments do not include the LORD your God.
14
“You shall not commit adultery.
God is a faithful husband (Jer 31:32).
Committing adultery is not only a transgression between people. It can also be a transgression against God (e.g. Jdgs 2:17; 1Ch 5:25; Jer 3:6-10; Ez 16:30-32).
Jesus taught that this can be committed in our hearts (Mt 5:27-28).
15
“You shall not steal.
God is not a robber.
Notice how the enemy is described by disobedience to the commandments: steal, kill, and destroy (Jn 10:10).
Like the previous commandment, this one can also be a transgression against God (e.g. Mal 3:8).
16
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
God does not pervert justice with false testimony (Ex 23:7).
This is a grievous fault against God (Mt 12:31-32; Mk 3:28-30; Lk 12:10-12).
17
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
God does not covet anything that we might have.
This is a much different commandment as the act of coveting is not visible. It can take place inside our minds or hearts. But God includes this as a sign that He can inspect the hearts of the people.
This is also a grievous case against God (e.g. the enemy desiring God’s place; Act 8:18-21).
18
And all the people were watching and hearing the thunder and the lightning flashes, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it all, they trembled and stood at a distance.
19
Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but do not have God speak to us, or we will die!”
20
However, Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you will not sin.”
21
So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
This is the fourth ascent. Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God seven times (19:3, 19:8, 19:20, 20:21, 24:1-13, 32:30-31, 34:2-4). This going up and down prompts the people to ask Who will go up to heaven for us to get [the word]? (Dt 30:12).
22
Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.
23
‘You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.
24
‘You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
Contrast the material used for an altar, soil or stones (next verse), with the silver and gold used to make idols in the previous verse.
The word for earth is ’adamah (Alter).
Note that using earth for an altar evokes God using earth to make man (Gen 2:7). This is a picture that points to each one of us being an altar where God can come to to dwell and be glorified (Lev 26:11-12; Ezk 37:27; Jn 14:23; 1Co 3:16-17, 6:19-20; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:20-22; 1Pe 2:5). See note in Ex 2:23.
25
‘And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your chisel on it, you will profane it.
Other commentators have noted that chisel should be translated as sword. A contrast between the life-giving altar and the life-taking sword.
26
‘And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’
Chapter 21
Ordinances for the People
1
“Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:
The Law has a prophetic character as it speaks of situations that will arise much later. During the wilderness years there will be food provided to the people, when this changes, some individuals or families might fall behind and sell themselves to others who are wealthier.
2
“If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall leave as a free man without a payment to you.
After being liberated from Egypt, the most pressing concern is preventing Israel from developing a social structure like that of Egypt’s in which a group oppresses another one.
This Hebrew slave would be someone who cannot afford to make a living for him or his family; a unit of the community that would be falling behind economically.
The first step is to put a statute of limitations for a situation that can otherwise easily become a perpetual entanglement for an individual.
God demonstrates with this and other regulations (21:1-11, 23:9-11, 22:22-27) that He has a special concern for those falling behind (Ex 21:2-7, 21:20, 22:22-27), a situation the Israelites dealt with when fighting the Amalekites (Ex 17:8; Dt 25:17-18).
The idea that God does not want Israel to become like Egypt is reinforced by the similarity of crying out of the would-be victims of abuse (22:23, 27) to Israel’s when they were in Egypt (2:23) and God’s response to both.
3
If he comes alone, he shall leave alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall leave with him.
4
If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall leave alone.
5
But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not leave as a free man,’
6
then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.
7
“Now if a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do.
8
If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people, because of his unfairness to her.
9
And if he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.
10
If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights.
11
But if he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go free for nothing, without payment of money.
Personal Injuries
12
“He who strikes someone so that he dies shall certainly be put to death.
After addressing servanthood, to avoid slavery and becoming like Egypt, the next top topic is the lives of individuals. Num 35:30-31 clarifies that monetary compensation was not to be accepted instead of this sentence, which would also indicate it might have been acceptable in other types of injuries (e.g. Ex 21:19). This equalizes the lives of people across social strata. Wealthy offenders would not have the advantage of paying their way out of killing someone.
13
Yet if he did not lie in wait for him, but God caused him to fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee.
14
If, however, someone is enraged against his neighbor, so as to kill him in a cunning way, you are to take him even from My altar, to be put to death.
Taking refuge at the altar was common practice (Ex 21:14; 1Ki 1:50-51, 2:28-29).
15
“And one who strikes his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.
Note that father and mother are considered equals (Ex 20:12).
16
“Now one who kidnaps someone, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall certainly be put to death.
Note that Jacob’s sons would have been guilty of this violation (Gen 37:26-28).
17
“And one who curses his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.
18
“Now if people have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,
19
if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his loss of time, and shall pay for his care until he is completely healed.
Notice here how the guilty person would not be struck with a stone or a first, and would be expected to provide monetary compensation (contrast with 21:24).
20
“And if someone strikes his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies at his hand, he shall be punished.
Even though servants would be considered property, killing one (perhaps with the excuse of discipline) would not be permissible.
21
If, however, the slave survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for the slave is his property.
22
“Now if people struggle with each other and strike a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, but there is no injury, the guilty person shall certainly be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.
Most commentators read there is no injury as referring to the woman’s wellbeing.
23
But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life,
24
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Note in verses 22-24 how the judges are called to decide and dictate sentences that are commensurate with the crimes. Contrasting with 21:18-19, the offending party there is not hit with a stone or a fist as a response.
25
burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Verses 23-25 are not calling for avenging behavior but rather commensurate responses. Verses like 21:18-19 and 21:30 show that in some cases monetary compensation was possible. However, a wealthy person could not pay their way out of every offense (Num 35:30-31).
26
“And if someone strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free on account of the eye.
Another example of the protection of slaves even though they were considered property.
27
And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let the slave go free on account of the tooth.
28
“Now if an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall certainly be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished.
29
If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.
30
If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him.
31
Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.
32
If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
Property Rights
33
“Now if someone opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
34
the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.
35
“And if someone’s ox injures another’s ox so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its proceeds equally; and they shall also divide the dead ox.
36
Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he must make restitution of ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.
Chapter 22
Property Rights
1
“If someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep—
After the regulations for slavery, and protection of life, now we have the regulations about the protection of private property.
2
If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no guilt for bloodshed on his account.
3
If the sun has risen on him, there will be guilt for bloodshed on his account—A thief shall certainly make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
4
If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
5
“If someone lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another person’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
Note how the Law demonstrates its prophetic character. It will be a long time before the Israelites own land and become an agrarian society; but God already speaks about such a time (see comments in 21:1, 22:5, 23:10).
6
“If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, and stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, the one who started the fire must make restitution.
7
“If someone gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the neighbor’s house, if the thief is caught, then the thief shall pay double.
8
If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property.
9
For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.
10
“If someone gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is injured or is driven away while no one is looking,
11
an oath before the LORD shall be taken by the two of them that he has not laid a hand on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not be compelled to make restitution.
12
But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner.
13
If it is all torn to pieces, have him bring it as evidence; he shall not be compelled to make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.
14
“And if someone borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution.
15
If its owner is with it, the borrower shall not be compelled to make restitution. If it is hired, it came by its hire.
Various Laws
16
“If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and sleeps with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife.
17
If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the dowry for virgins.
18
“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.
19
“Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.
In the creation story, God commanded His creation to multiply according to their kind (Gen 1:24-25). Violations to this rule were common in mythological creatures who were part man and part beast (e.g. the centaur, the Minotaur, the Sphinx).
20
“He who sacrifices to any god, other than to the LORD alone, shall be utterly destroyed.
21
“You shall not oppress a stranger nor torment him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22
You shall not oppress any widow or orphan.
23
If you oppress him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will assuredly hear his cry;
24
and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
25
“If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest.
26
If you ever seize your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets,
27
for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else is he to sleep in? And it will come about that when he cries out to Me, I will listen to him, for I am gracious.
28
“You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
29
“You shall not hold back the offering from your entire harvest and your wine. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.
The child needs to be redeemed, not sacrificed.
30
You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother for seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.
31
“You shall be holy people to Me, therefore you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
God’s calling for His people is for holiness (Ex 19:6, 22:31; Lv 11:44, 19:2, 20:26; Dt 7:6, 14:2, 21, 26:19, 28:9; Isa 62:12)
Chapter 23
Various Laws
1
“You shall not give a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked person to be a malicious witness.
2
You shall not follow the crowd in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to join together with a crowd in order to pervert justice;
Everyone does it is not a justification for doing something.
3
nor shall you show favor to a poor person in his dispute.
4
“If you encounter your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you must return it to him.
An idea common in scripture; Jesus taught similar ideas extending spiritually to prayer (2 Ki 6:22; Pro 25:21; Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27, 23:34).
5
If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall not leave it helpless for its owner; you must arrange the load with him.
6
“You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute.
7
Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.
A rephrasing of 20:16.
8
“You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.
9
“You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The Sabbath and the Land
10
“Now you shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield,
Note how the Law demonstrates its prophetic character. It will be a long time before the Israelites own land and become an agrarian society. But God already speaks about such a time.
11
but in the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie uncultivated, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the animal of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
12
“For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as the stranger residing with you, may refresh themselves.
13
Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be careful; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.
The Israelites did not have a clear and sharp picture of who God was and what His role was in their lives. Their prayers and cries were heard by God (2:23-25) but the text does not tell us explicitly that they had cried to God. This verse along with the episode of the golden calf (ch. 32) and other texts (e.g. Ex 20:23; Jos 24:14; 2Ki 18:4; Amo 5:25-26; Act 7:42-43) depict a polytheistic culture ingrained in Israel.
Three National Feasts
14
“Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me.
15
You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. And no one is to appear before Me empty-handed.
This is Passover.
16
Also you shall keep the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field.
These would be Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot.
17
Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
Exodus does not mention in which place the Israelite males are to travel to but it is clear that it will not be Sinai. Deuteronomy emphasizes that God would choose a place later (e.g. Dt 12:5, 11, 15:20, 16:2 17:8, 18:6). The timing of Deuteronomy is forty years after Exodus.
18
“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor is the fat of My feast to remain overnight until morning.
19
“You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God.
“You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.
“You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.
The prohibition of boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk (Ex 23:29, 34:26; Dt 14:21) is the origin of the observance of not mixing dairy products and meat. Though no argument has been enough to gather a general consensus, the prescription to not mix the death of a young animal with what otherwise is life-nurturing milk presented by Alter is the one this commentator agrees with.
Conquest of the Land
20
“Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
The angel will lead the people to the promised land (Ex 23:20, 32:34; Jdg 2:1). The angel is fully divine; see note in 3:2 for a discussion on the angel of the LORD.
Like the Holy Spirit indwells in the believers, the angel goes with the people.
Jesus also prepares a place for us (Jn 14:2-3).
21
Be attentive to him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your rebellion, since My name is in him.
Having the name means that the angel is fully divine.
Jesus received the Name from the Father (Jn 17:11-12).
22
But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
23
For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.
Going before the people is God’s job. See note in Mk 14:28.
24
You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their memorial stones in pieces.
25
And you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst.
The serving the LORD is to be contrasted with serving other gods in the previous verse.
Two of Israel’s complaints were for bread (Ex 16:2-4) and water (Ex 15:24, 17:1-2), God will provide. The two elements point to Jesus as the living bread (Jn 6:51) and the Holy Spirit as living water (Jn 7:38).
26
There will be no one miscarrying or unable to have children in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
The New Covenant places an emphasis on spiritual fruitfulness (Mt 13:23, 19:12; Mk 4:20; Jn 15:5-7).
27
I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
28
And I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from you.
29
I will not drive them out from you in a single year, so that the land will not become desolate and the animals of the field become too numerous for you.
30
I will drive them out from you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.
The gradual driving out of the peoples in the promised land, the Hivites, Cannaanites, etc, is a picture of the gradual progress of our sanctification.
31
I will set your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River; for I will hand over the inhabitants of the land to you, and you will drive them out from you.
32
You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
33
They shall not live in your land, otherwise they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it is certain to be a snare to you.”
Chapter 24
People Affirm Their Covenant with God
1
Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance.
This verse marks the beginning of the second part of Exodus. The first part starts off describing the seventy family members that arrived in Egypt (Ex 1:6) and the labor that Israel had to comply with by making bricks with dirt (Ex 1:11, 13-14). This second part mentions the seventy elders of Israel (Ex 24:1) and the work the people have to do working with gold (Ex 25:3).
This is the fifth ascent. Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God seven times (19:3, 19:8, 19:20, 20:21, 24:1-13, 32:30-31, 34:2-4). This going up and down prompts the people to ask Who will go up to heaven for us to get [the word]? (Dt 30:12).
2
Moses alone, however, shall approach the LORD, but they shall not approach, nor shall the people come up with him.”
3
Then Moses came and reported to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!”
This verse makes lists the words (the Ten Commandments) and all the ordinances, perhaps placing them into different categories.
The people say we will do three times (19:8, 24:3, 24:7).
4
And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he got up early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5
And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.
6
Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it as the people listened; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”
The people say we will do three times (19:8, 24:3, 24:7).
8
So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Mt 26:27-28; Mk 14:24; Lk 22:20; 1Co 11:25; Heb 9:19-20. Also Jer 31:31; 2Co 3:6; Heb 9:15.
9
Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
Note they had to be sprinkled with the blood of the covenant before being able to approach God.
Before the Tabernacle can be used, Aaron and his sons will again be embrocated with blood (29:21).
This is part of the fifth ascent. Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God seven times (19:3, 19:8, 19:20, 20:21, 24:1-13, 32:30-31, 34:2-4).
10
and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.
Despite being allowed to see God, perhaps the elders can only bring themselves to see His feet.
11
Yet He did not reach out with His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.
Seeing God must be granted, otherwise death follows (Gen 32:30; Ex 24:10-11, 33:20; Dt 5:24; Jdgs 6:22-23, 13:22; Rev 22:4). The people were not allowed to see God (Ex 19:21).
12
Now the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the Law and the commandments which I have written for their instruction.”
13
So Moses got up along with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
This part of the fifth ascent. Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God seven times (19:3, 19:8, 19:20, 20:21, 24:1-13, 32:30-31, 34:2-4).
14
But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, have him approach them.”
15
Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
16
The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.
A picture of the Sabbath as the time to dwell with God, a picture of salvation as entering God’s rest.
17
And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.
Dt 4:24, 9:3; Heb 12:29.
18
Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness (Mt 4:2; Mk 1:13; Lk 4:2) but Jesus’ experience is more akin to the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness.
Chapter 25
Offerings for the Sanctuary
1
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Chapters 25-27 describe the Tabernacle, God’s dwelling place. Chapter 28-29 describe the garments and ordination of the priests, needed for the Tabernacle to function. Chapters 25-29 are bracketed by God’s declaring that He will dwell among his people (Ex 25:8-9, 29:45-46), to restore the fellowship in the garden. God’s intent, from the garden, has been to dwell and walk among us (Lev 26:11-12; Ezk 37:25-28; Zch 2:10-11; Jn 14:23; Eph 2:21-22, 3:17).
In the New Covenant, God, the Holy Spirit, dwells within us, our bodies become the dwelling (1Co 3:16; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:20-22); we are the Tabernacle.
God’s intent on dwelling among His people is for the people to know Him as their God. This is part of the seven promises in Ex 6:6-8.
Chapters 25-31 are a type of the creation and garden story with seven occurrences of the LORD spoke/said to Moses (25:1, 30:11, 30:17, 30:22, 31:1, 30:34, 31:12), participation of the Spirit of God in the creative process (31:3), ordinances aligned with evenings and mornings (27:20-21, 30:7-8)), that culminate in the observance of the Sabbath (31:12-18), and the intent of God to dwell with His creation (25:8-9, 29:45-46). The seven-piece creation text is then followed by rebellion against God’s instructions (the golden calf episode in Chapter 32, including an attempt to shift blame, 32:22-24) and an order to depart as a consequence (33:1).
One of the functions of the Tabernacle will be to make atonement of sins possible through the blood of the sacrifice and the mediation of the high priest (Lev 17:8-11; Heb 9:21-22). In addition to the Tabernacle, priests need to be ordained and consecrated (28:1-29:44).
2
“Tell the sons of Israel to take a contribution for Me; from everyone whose heart moves him you shall take My contribution.
God wants His people to make the Tabernacle possible through their treasures and talents (Ex 25:2-8, 31:1-11). Note how the contributions to build the Tabernacle were free offerings.
3
This is the contribution which you are to take from them: gold, silver, and bronze,
Gold will be used in the innermost parts, bronze for the outermost pieces.
Gold is the very first material requested, and it is the first material requested for the golden calf (Ex 32:2).
Note that Exodus starts depicting the Israelites serving Pharaoh making bricks with dirt (Ex 1:13-14), now they are to serve God working with gold (Ex 25:3). See note in 24:1.
4
violet, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair,
5
rams’ skins dyed red, fine leather, acacia wood,
6
oil for lighting, balsam oil for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,
The anointing oil will be used to consecrate Aaron and his sons (28:41).
7
onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
8
Have them construct a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.
After having revealed Himself through the commandments, God tells Israel that He wants to live among them. And being impossible to invite them into His house just yet, God will have them build something that resembles His heavenly dwelling. The purpose of the tabernacle (a tent) was for God to dwell among the people (Ex 25:8-9, 29:45-46).
The prescriptions for Tabernacle and the functions of the priests are an answer to the question posed by the people in 17:7, God will dwell with His people but in His terms, not theirs.
God’s intent, from the garden, has been to dwell among us (Zch 2:10-11).
Jesus also made His dwelling, pitched His tent, among us (Jn 1:14).
The Tabernacle will be a copy and a shadow of the heavenly tabernacle God pitched (Heb 8:2-5).
In the New Covenant, God, the Holy Spirit, dwells within us, our bodies become the dwelling (1Co 3:16; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:20-22); we are the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle will have three sections with different prescriptions to access, paralleled by the access to the mountain where God met Moses, the elders, and the people.
9
According to all that I am going to show you as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, so you shall construct it.
The word for tabernacle can also translate as dwelling (e.g. Ex 40:1; Lev 26:11; Ezk 27:37; Jn 1:14. Rev 21:3 links both).
The construction, regulations, and sacrifices were to remain for a season until Jesus came (Heb 9:1-10).
The description of the Tabernacle will start in the innermost part and move outwardly. The construction will start with the outermost parts and proceed inwardly.
Ark of the Covenant
10
“Now they shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.
An ark is a rectangular structure (Gen 6:14-19; in Ex 2:3 it is usually translated as chest or basket). It is also the word used for coffin in Gen 50:26 (Fox).
The description of the Tabernacle and its furnishings will start from the innermost part (the ark and the holy of holies) and proceed outwardly.
The words of the covenant will be stored inside the ark (Ex 25:16, 21), the words have already been given, thus the description of the tabernacle has already started.
11
You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it.
12
You shall also cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet; two rings shall be on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.
13
And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
14
You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them.
15
The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it.
16
You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.
The Words of God will occupy the most special place, inside the ark, inside the holy of holies.
This is the origin of the tradition of storing the Torah inside a chest, an ark, in synagogues.
17
“And you shall make an atoning cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.
Note the naming atoning cover, which will have the blood of the sacrifice every year (Lev 16:1-2, 13-15). God will be above the ark and its cover and speak from there (Ex 25:22).
There are different translations for this term. Here NASB translates as atoning cover. Another possible translation is propitiatory seat.
Since the words, commandments, will be placed inside the ark, this atoning cover will hide the words that we fail to live by.
There are different translations for kapporeth, the cover. This word, a type of covering, is related to the covering of the ark (Gen 6:14).
kapper means purge or purify (29:33-37) (Fox).
kippur means atonement, covering (Ps 32:1, 78:38).
NASB translates as atoning cover or propitiatory cover.
NIV translates as atonement cover.
Alter translates simply as cover.
Fox translates as purgation-cover
A common translation is mercy seat corresponding to its function (1Sa 4:4; 2Sa 6:2; 1Ch 13:6, 28:18, a chariot).
It covers, it blocks the commandments from view.
Access to the holy of holies was restricted (Lev 16:1-2).
This cover had an important role in the annual observance of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:13-15).
18
You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the atoning cover.
Cherubim appears in numerous pieces of texts (Gen 3:24; Ex 25:18-22; Num 7:89; 1Sa 4:4; Ps 99:1; Ezk 9:3, 10:1-20), likely terrifying to the sight as they could hold flaming swords and capable of killing.
19
Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the atoning cover at its two ends.
The cover, the atoning cover, is of one piece with the cherubim. Meaning?
20
And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the atoning cover.
God is asking them to fashion heavenly beings, the cherubim, in gold. Since the Israelites will not worship the cherubim but Him who sits above, this does not go against the second commandment (Ex 20:4-5).
21
Then you shall put the atoning cover on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you.
The words, the commandments, will be placed inside the ark, (Ex 25:16, 21). The ark will be placed in the holy of holies (26:33-34). Thus the words of God occupied the most special place in the Tabernacle, perhaps equating His words to Himself.
22
There I will meet with you; and from above the atoning cover, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about every commandment that I will give you for the sons of Israel.
We have the complete picture. God will be on the mercy seat, the atoning cover (with blood on it) will block the view of the commandments and mercy will be exercised.
Bread of the Presence
23
“You shall also make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide, and one and a half cubits high.
24
You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it.
25
And you shall make for it a rim of a hand width around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it.
26
You shall also make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four legs.
27
The rings shall be close to the rim, as holders for the poles to carry the table.
28
And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried.
29
You shall also make its dishes, its pans, its jars, and its libation bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.
30
And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me continually.
The Golden Lampstand
31
“Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand, its base and its shaft, are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.
32
Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side.
33
Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms on the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the other branch, a bulb and a flower—the same for six branches going out from the lampstand;
34
and on the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers.
35
A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.
36
Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold.
37
Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.
38
Its tongs and its trays shall be of pure gold.
39
It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.
40
See that you make them by the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.
Chapter 26
Curtains of Linen
1
“Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and violet, purple, and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer.
2
The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have the same measurements.
3
Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another.
4
You shall make loops of violet on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
5
You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other.
6
You shall also make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit.
Emphasis is placed in the tabernacle being one, a unit (Ex 26:6, 11; 36:13, 18), literally one, the same word for one in Dt 6:4 and Zch 14:9.
Curtains of Goats’ Hair
7
“Then you shall make curtains of goats’ hair as a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all.
8
The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have the same measurements.
9
You shall join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent.
10
You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
11
“You shall also make fifty clasps of bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it will be a unit.
Emphasis is placed in the tabernacle being one, a unit (Ex 26:6, 11; 36:13, 18), literally one, the same word for one in Dt 6:4 and Zch 14:9.
12
The overhanging part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.
13
The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it.
14
And you shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and a covering of fine leather above.
Boards and Bases
15
“Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright.
16
Ten cubits shall be the length of each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board.
17
There shall be two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; that is what you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle.
18
You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side.
19
You shall make forty bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board for its two tenons and two bases under another board for its two tenons;
20
and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards,
21
and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board and two bases under another board.
22
For the back of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards.
23
You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the back.
24
They shall be double beneath, and together they shall be complete to its top to the first ring; this is how it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners.
25
And there shall be eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one board and two bases under another board.
26
“Then you shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle,
27
and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the back side to the west.
28
The middle bar in the center of the boards shall pass through from end to end.
29
And you shall overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold.
30
Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown on the mountain.
The Veil and Curtain
31
“You shall also make a veil of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer.
32
Then you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also of gold, on four bases of silver.
33
You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve as a partition for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
34
You shall put the atoning cover on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place.
35
And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.
36
“You shall also make a curtain for the doorway of the tent of violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver.
37
And you shall make five pillars of acacia for the curtain and overlay them with gold, their hooks also of gold; and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.
Chapter 27
The Bronze Altar
1
“Now you shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits.
2
You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.
3
And you shall make its pails for removing its ashes, and its shovels, its basins, its forks, and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze.
4
You shall also make for it a grating, a netting of bronze, and on the netting you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners.
5
And you shall put it under the ledge of the altar, so that the netting will reach halfway up the altar.
6
You shall also make carrying poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood and overlay them with bronze.
7
Its poles shall be inserted into the rings, so that the poles will be on the two sides of the altar when it is carried.
8
You shall make it hollow with planks; as it was shown to you on the mountain, so they shall make it.
Note it was the Israelites who would execute the work according to the plan God was showing Moses.
Courtyard of the Tabernacle
9
“Now you shall make the courtyard of the tabernacle. On the south side there shall be hangings for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, a hundred cubits long for one side;
10
and its pillars shall be twenty, with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.
11
Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.
12
For the width of the courtyard on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten bases.
13
The width of the courtyard on the east side shall be fifty cubits.
14
The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases.
15
And for the other side there shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases.
16
And for the gate of the courtyard there shall be a curtain of twenty cubits, of violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver, with their four pillars and their four bases.
17
All the pillars around the courtyard shall be joined together with silver, with their hooks of silver and their bases of bronze.
18
The length of the courtyard shall be a hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their bases of bronze.
19
All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the courtyard, shall be of bronze.
20
“And you shall command the sons of Israel that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.
21
In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD; it shall be a permanent statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel.
The light of the lamp and the incense have permanent/perpetual ordinances (Ex 27:20-21, 30:7-8).
This closes the instructions for the Tabernacle. What follows is the instructions for the consecration of the priests. Thus the priests are needed for God to dwell among His people (29:45).
Throughout the instructions to build the Tabernacle and the ordinations of the priests, the term tent of meeting is used a synonym of Tabernacle, though Ex 33:7 gives the impression that at some time there was a temporary structure that Moses used and named the tent of meeting.
Chapter 28
Garments of the Priests
1
“Then bring forward to yourself your brother Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to serve as priest to Me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
Having described God’s dwelling in Ch 25-27, what follows is the description of he who will make it possible to enter it. Ch 28 focuses on the priestly garments.
Aaron as high priest is a foreshadow of Jesus (Heb 9:24-28).
Aaron is appointed as priest, this appointment holds even after Aaron gives the people a golden calf to worship (Ex 32:2-5) as God’s calling is irrevocable (Rom 11:29).
2
And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
The description of the garments, and thus of Jesus, is bracketed by ... for glory and for beauty (Ex 28:2, 28:40). Glory is a term reserve for God not a person (Fox).
3
You shall speak to all the skillful people whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may serve as priest to Me.
These people will be led by Bezalel and Aholiab (Ex 31:1-11).
4
And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a tunic of checkered work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that he may serve as priest to Me.
Aaron is appointed as priest, this appointment holds even after Aaron gives the people a golden calf to worship (Ex 32:2-5) as God’s calling is irrevocable (Rom 11:29).
5
They shall take the gold, the violet, the purple, the scarlet material, and the fine linen.
6
“They shall also make the ephod of gold, of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, the work of the skilled embroiderer.
7
It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, so that it may be joined.
8
The skillfully woven band of its overlay, which is on it, shall be like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold, of violet and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.
9
And you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,
10
six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth.
11
As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them in filigree settings of gold.
12
And you shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall carry their names before the LORD on his two shoulders as a memorial.
13
And you shall make filigree settings of gold,
14
and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them of twisted cord work, and you shall put the corded chains on the filigree settings.
15
“You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skilled embroiderer; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen you shall make it.
16
It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width.
17
And you shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald;
18
and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
19
and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
20
and the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree.
21
The stones shall be engraved according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a signet, each according to his name for the twelve tribes.
22
You shall also make on the breastpiece twisted chains of cord work in pure gold.
23
And you shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.
24
And you shall put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece.
25
You shall put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at the front of it.
26
And you shall make two rings of gold and place them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on the edge of it, which is toward the inner side of the ephod.
27
And you shall make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
28
And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod.
29
So Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy Place, as a memorial before the LORD continually.
30
And you shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.
Translators have observed that Urim and Thummim start with the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Verses 29 and 30 mention three times that the stones are to be over Aaron’s heart. This is a picture of Jesus as the high priest, describing Himself as the alpha and omega (Isa 41:4; Rev 1:8, 21:6, 22:13), and being He who has been given all judgment (Isa 11:3-4; Jn 5:21-22, 27; Act 17:31; 2Ti 4:1; Rev 7:17, 21:5).
31
“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of violet.
32
There shall be an opening at its top in the middle of it; around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn.
33
You shall make on its hem pomegranates of violet, purple, and scarlet material all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around:
34
a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe.
35
It shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its sound shall be heard when he enters and leaves the Holy Place before the LORD, so that he will not die.
36
“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘Holy to the LORD.’
Other translations use diadem to describe this plate, which became a very distinctive piece for the High Priest.
37
You shall fasten it on a violet cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban.
38
It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take away the guilt of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, regarding all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be accepted before the LORD.
Here Aaron is a picture of Jesus’ removing the guilt.
39
“And you shall weave the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a weaver.
40
“For Aaron’s sons you shall also make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty.
Note ... for glory and for beauty (Ex 28:2, 28:40).
41
Then you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve Me as priests.
First mentioning of anointing someone. The anointing oil recipe is also prescribed (25:6, 30:25-33).
Christ, Messiah, means anointed one. Jesus is the LORD’s anointed (Isa 61:1-3; Act 4:27).
We also have been anointed (2Co 1:21-22; 1Jn 2:20, 27), which is the Holy Spirit (Act 10:38; Jn 14:26). God’s intent is for all to be priests (Ex 19:6; 1Pe 2:5; Rev 1:6, 5:10).
Priests and kings were anointed (e.g. 1Sa 10:1; 16:1, 13; 1Ki 1:34, 39; 1Ch 29:22).
Anointing can be cosmetic (Rth 3:3; 2Sa 12:20; Mt 6:17).
Anointing became part of healing (Mk 6:13; Jn 9:11; Jam 5:14; Rev 3:18).
42
You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh; they shall reach from the waist even to the thighs.
Note there are no descriptions of footwear, most likely the priests ministered barefoot (Ex 3:5).
43
And they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. It shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.
Chapter 29
Consecration of the Priests
1
“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to serve as priests to Me: take one bull and two rams without blemish,
2
and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour.
3
And you shall put them in one basket, and present them in the basket along with the bull and the two rams.
4
Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.
God’s intent is to have a kingdom of priests (Ex 19:6; 1Pe 2:5, 9; Rev 1:6, 5:10).
Four steps are taken to consecrate Aaron and his sons. The first is the washing (29:4). The second is their garments (29:5). The third is the anointing (29:7). The fourth is the sacrifice of the bull (29:10-11).
We too have been washed (Act 22:16; 1Co 6:11; Eph 5:26), have received and will receive garments of salvation and robes of righteousness (Isa 61:10; Rev 3:4-5, 18, 7:9, 13-14), have been anointed (2Co 1:21; 1Jn 2:20, 27). And the sacrifice for us has been performed.
5
And you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod and the breastpiece, and wrap his waist with the skillfully woven band of the ephod;
6
and you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban.
7
Then you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head, and anoint him.
8
You shall also bring his sons and put tunics on them.
9
And you shall wrap their waists with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and fit caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a permanent statute. So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.
The Sacrifices
10
“Then you shall bring the bull in front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
11
And you shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
12
Then you shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
13
And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar.
14
But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.
15
“You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram;
16
and you shall slaughter the ram and take its blood and sprinkle it around on the altar.
17
Then you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head.
18
And you shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.
The soothing would alleviate God’s anger.
19
“Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.
20
And you shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar.
The ears, the thumbs, and the toes are marked with blood. Perhaps an allusion to the words they hear, the deeds they perform, and the ways they follow to be marked by the atonement performed.
The attire for the priests do not mention shoes. They likely ministered barefoot and their toes were exposed (Ex 3:5).
21
Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments, and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him; so he and his garments shall be consecrated, as well as his sons and his sons’ garments with him.
22
“You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination),
23
and one loaf of bread, and one cake of bread mixed with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which is set before the LORD;
24
and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
25
Then you shall take them from their hands, and offer them up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.
26
“Then you shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your portion.
27
You shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution which was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons.
28
It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a contribution; and it shall be a contribution from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, their contribution to the LORD.
29
“The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, so that they may be anointed and ordained in them.
30
For seven days the one of his sons who is priest in his place shall put them on when he enters the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place.
Food of the Priests
31
“Now you shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.
32
Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
33
So they shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration; but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy.
34
And if any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
35
“So you shall do for Aaron and for his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ordain them for seven days.
36
Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it.
37
For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
38
“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one-year-old lambs each day, continuously.
39
The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;
40
and there shall be a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb.
41
The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.
42
It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.
43
I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory.
His glory will be the agent of consecration, sanctification.
44
I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve as priests to Me.
The Tabernacle and the priests will be consecrated by God’s glory, no mentioning of the consecration of the people.
45
And I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.
Verse 25:8 and 29:45 bracket the section of the Tabernacle and priests, which were needed for God to dwell among His people.
A consecrated priest, Jesus, is needed so God can dwell among His people.
It is a restoration of the fellowship in the garden.
46
And they shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.
The Tabernacle and the priests are needed for the promise in 6:7 to be possible.
Chapter 30
The Altar of Incense
1
“Now you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.
2
Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit; it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be of one piece with it.
3
You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it.
4
You shall also make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two sides—on opposite sides—and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.
5
And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6
You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the atoning cover that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you.
7
Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps.
An allusion to the creation story in a morning evening pair. In the morning when the lights are trimmed, incense is to burn. In the next verse, the instructions for the evening.
8
And when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
The light of the lamp and the incense have perpetual ordinances (Ex 27:20-21, 30:7-8).
9
You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering, or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.
Aaron’s sons’ transgression against this ordinance is told in Lev 10:1-3.
10
However, Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”
This annual observance would be Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
11
The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying,
12
“When you take a census of the sons of Israel to count them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you count them, so that there will be no plague among them when you count them.
No explanation as to why a census is so offensive to God that plagues can be released. David and the people experienced this when David ordered a census, even after Joab counseled against it (2Sa 24); the place where the plague relented became the place where the Temple was built.
The census took place about a year after arriving at Sinai (Num 1:1-3).
13
This is what everyone who is counted shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the LORD.
14
Everyone who is counted, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD.
15
The rich shall not pay more, and the poor shall not pay less, than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves.
No explanation as to how a monetary contribution (as opposed to blood) can make atonement for the people.
16
And you shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and give it for the service of the tent of meeting, so that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves.”
17
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
18
“You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
19
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it;
20
when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they do not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD.
The ordination of Aaron and his sons would be a one-time event, but the washing of hands and feet would be every time they approached the Tabernacle.
21
So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they do not die; and it shall be a permanent statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”
Note the emphasis in mentioning twice the washing hands and feet lest the priests would die.
The Anointing Oil
22
Moreover, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
23
“Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250,
24
and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.
25
You shall make from these a holy anointing oil, a fragrant mixture of ointments, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.
26
And you shall anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony,
27
and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,
28
and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand.
29
You shall also consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy.
30
And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, so that they may serve as priests to Me.
31
Furthermore, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.
32
‘It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.
33
‘Whoever mixes any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’”
The Incense
34
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum, spices and pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each.
35
You shall make incense from it all, a skillful mixture, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
36
And you shall crush some of it very fine, and put part of it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you.
37
And the incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the LORD.
38
Whoever makes any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”
Chapter 31
The Skilled Craftsmen
1
Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
“See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
God’s knowing someone by name is a special consideration, see note in 33:12.
The Tabernacle will make atonement of sins possible through the blood of the sacrifice and the mediation of the high priest (Lev 17:11). God wants His people to make the Tabernacle possible through their treasures and talents (Ex 25:2-8, 31:1-11).
3
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
As Aaron and his children are anointed, Bezalel is anointed with the Holy Spirit, who equips us to carry out the work assigned to us.
Bezalel is the first person in the bible to be mentioned to have the Spirit of God, the Spirit mentioned in the beginning of the creation story (Gen 1:2) and other texts that refer to creation (e.g. Job 33:4; Ps 104:30; ).
4
to create artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
5
and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, so that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.
6
And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, so that they may make everything that I have commanded you:
7
the tent of meeting, the ark of testimony, the atoning cover that is on it, and all the furniture of the tent,
8
the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense,
9
the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand,
10
the woven garments as well: the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, with which to carry out their priesthood;
11
the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place, they are to make them according to everything that I have commanded you.”
The construction and manufacturing of the Tabernacle and all the accessories needed to follow the pattern designed. They did not have the liberty to change God’ instructions (Ex 25:9, 26:30, 31:11, 39:32, 42, 40:16).
The Sign of the Sabbath
12
Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
13
“Now as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You must keep My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
Once the instructions for the Tabernacle are complete, God notes that the observance of the Sabbath is more important than the construction of the Tabernacle.
14
‘Therefore you are to keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.
A picture of the Sabbath as being saved, entering into His rest.
15
‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.
Moses is called in the glory cloud of God on the seventh day on the mountain (Ex 24:16). The Sabbath is a picture of dwelling with God, and as such it is a picture of salvations, reinforced with the fact that not celebrating the Sabbath implies death.
The ordinance about observing the Sabbath appears multiple times in Exodus and it is included in the Ten Commandments:
16:22-29 In the instructions to gather manna.
20:8-11 In the Ten Commandments.
23:10-13 In the instructions to let the land rest.
31:12-16 To close the instructions for the Tabernacle and ordination of priests.
35:1-3 In the renewal of the covenant before the construction of the Tabernacle started.
The observance in this verse and in Ch 35 include a penalty of death for a violation of the Sabbath. In Exodus there are several situations in which a person would be put to death:
21:12-17: Killing, kidnapping, or offenses against one’s parents.
22:18: Sorcery.
22:19: Lying with an animal.
22:20: Sacrificing to other gods.
Other offenses would have someone being cut off from Israel:
12:14-19: Eating leavened food.
30:31-33: Unlawful use of the holy anointing oil.
30:37-38: Unlawful use of the Tabernacle incense.
31:14: Violating the Sabbath.
16
‘So the sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a permanent covenant.’
17
It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”
Imitaio Dei.
The Sabbath is a picture, a foreshadow of the salvation made possible by Jesus, thus it is indeed a sign of the people of God forever.
Atonement of sins and observance of the Sabbath are closely linked (Lev 23:26-32).
In Exodus, the are a number of characteristics that deliniate the people of God.
18
When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.
God was the agent that made writing appear on the tablets (32:16; 34:1; Dt 9:10).
The only record of Jesus’ writing was not on stone but on the ground (Jn 8:6, 8).
The mentioning of the finger of God is perhaps the announcement that something terrible (8:19) is about to happen.
Chapter 32
The Golden Calf
1
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.”
The return of Jesus from heaven might also seem delayed (Isa 11:11; Jn 21:22-23; Act 1:11; Heb 9:28; 2Pe 3:8-9).
This episode of the golden calf is to be seen in light of the prescriptions presented to build the Tabernacle and the garments and ordination of the priests. For example, the first material God requested was gold (25:3), the priests had to wear specific garments including undergarments (28:42); here the people use gold and celebrate naked (32:6).
God had appointed Aaron to be a priest (Ex 29:4), here the people give him a different appointment.
… go before us a task that belongs to God, see notes in 13:21, 23:23, Mk 14:28.
This episode shows that even though the people had been liberated, they were no longer slaves to Egyptian masters, they were still slaves to sin (Rom 6:16-23).
2
Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”
The previous chapter started off with God appointing Bezalel and Oholiab to make artistic designs in gold, silver, and bronze; with gold for the innermost parts of the Tabernacle. Here the people appoint Aaron to fashion an idol.
Gold was the first material requested by God to build the Tabernacle (Ex 25:3).
3
So all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
The Israelites had been slaves, this gold was part of the plundering they made when leaving Egypt (3:22, 11:2, 12:35-36). Note that the contribution for the golden calf happens before the contributions for the Tabernacle (35:21-29).
4
Then he took the gold from their hands, and fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a cast metal calf; and they said, “This is your god, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
Despite this episode, Aaron will be consecrated as a high priest to minister in the Tabernacle (40:31-32).
God introduced Himself as the one who brought them out of Egypt (Ex 20:2). Aaron’s statement contradicts 20:2 (evoking Gen 3:4), displays rebellion against 20:4 and 20:16. In the next verse he takes the name of the LORD in falsehood, in vain.
In Egypt, gods were believed to ride bulls, thus this calf can be thought of being ridden by God, in opposition to the function that the atonement cover (mercy seat) will perform (Ex 25:17-22); see note in 27:17.
5
Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”
Note Aaron is taking the Name of God in vain, in falsehood. A violation of 20:7.
6
So the next day they got up early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to engage in lewd behavior.
The order for sacrifices prescribed by God included undergarments (Ex 28:42).
7
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have behaved corruptly.
8
They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a cast metal calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’”
Note how turning aside from God’s way would be the opposite of walking along with Him and receiving His rest (33:14).
The trials experienced by the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea, which may be viewed as their baptism (1Co 10:1-2), parallel those experienced by Jesus during His forty days in the wilderness (Mt 4:2-4, 4:5-7, 4:8-10). The Israelites experience hunger (16:3), test God (17:2), and worship other gods (32:8); Jesus, embodying the people of Israel, those who believe in Him, overcomes the trials.
9
Then the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people.
10
So now leave Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”
Multiple commentators have noted that the text does not claim that God’s anger has already burned against them; thus Moses' intercession prevents this from happening. Contrast with Moses’ anger flaring up later (32:19).
If Moses had become the head of a new nation, this would have brought Moses to play a role like Noah’s, we got a hint of this when Moses was placed inside an ark plastered with tar (Ex 2:3). But more likely, this might have been a test similar to that presented to Abraham (Gen 22:1-2) or Solomon (1Ki 3:5-9; 2Ch 1:7-10).
Moses’ Plea
11
Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
Perhaps Moses remembers a time when he also disobeyed and God’s anger burned against him (Ex 4:14) and God was about to execute him (Ex 4:24).
Moses’ intercession foreshadows that of Jesus (Rom 8:33-34; Heb 7:25, 9:24). This occurs even after the people were close to killing Moses (Ex 17:4), which also occurred multiple times with Jesus (e.g. Jn 8:59).
12
Why should the Egyptians talk, saying, ‘With evil motives He brought them out, to kill them on the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent of doing harm to Your people.
Moses presents a logical argument for the sake of God’s name (Isa 1:18).
13
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
Moses brings up scripture passages to plead with God (e.g. Gen 12:7, 13:15, 15:5, 18, 17:8, 22:16-18, 26:4, 35:12; Ex 6:8).
God’s commandments frequently asks us to remember (e.g. Ex 13:3, 20:8), here Moses asks God to remember.
14
So the LORD relented of the harm which He said He would do to His people.
15
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other.
16
The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing engraved on the tablets.
The text contrasts God’s work with Aaron’s work (32:4).
In the Sinai covenant, the commandments are written on tablets of stone (Ex 32:16, 34:1; Dt 9:10-11). In the New Covenant, the commandments are written on our hearts (Jer 31:31-33).
17
Now when Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.”
18
But he said,
“It is not the sound of the cry of victory,
Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat;
But I hear the sound of singing.”
“It is not the sound of the cry of victory,
Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat;
But I hear the sound of singing.”
The sound of singing can be the sound of war as the people’s celebration will lead to a conflict with God.
Moses’ Anger
19
And it came about, as soon as Moses approached the camp, that he saw the calf and the people dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
The shattering of the stones implies the breaking of the covenant contract.
20
Then he took the calf which they had made and completely burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.
This would make the gold unusable as God would not accept it to build the articles of the Tabernacle.
21
Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin upon them?”
22
And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.
23
For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’
24
So I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ Then they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”
25
Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to the point of being an object of ridicule among their enemies—
26
Moses then stood at the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.
27
And he said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘Every man of you put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’”
When God tried to annihilate the nation, Moses interceded (Ex 32:10). Moses’ reaction would nor be a surprise (Ex 2:12), but he is carrying out a sentence from the LORD.
28
So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day.
Even after executing a death sentence on three thousand men, Moses will plead to the Lord (Ex 32:32).
God executes a sentence on the people. The Law (Ex 20:1-5, 20:23, 22:20), which is to bring life, brings death instead (Rom 7:9-10).
In the Sinai episode as the commandments and the Law is given, three thousand people die. On Pentecost, as the Holy Spirit is given, three thousand people are saved (Act 2:41).
29
Then Moses said, “Dedicate yourselves today to the LORD—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”
30
And on the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
This is the sixth ascent. Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God seven times (19:3, 19:8, 19:20, 20:21, 24:1-13, 32:30-31, 34:2-4). This going up and down prompts the people to ask Who will go up to heaven for us to get [the word]? (Dt 30:12).
31
Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves!
32
But now, if You will forgive their sin, very well; but if not, please wipe me out from Your book which You have written!”
Moses sides with the weaker party (2:11-13, 17).
Moses' intercession saved the people (Ps 106:19-23). Moses did not stand on the side of the accuser (Zch 3:1; Jn 5:45; Rev 12:10).
The book with names of the righteous (or saved) is known as the Book of Life (Ex 32:32; Ps 69:28; Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Mal 3:16-17; Phi 4:3; Rev 3:5, 21:27).
33
However, the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will wipe him out of My book.
34
But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless on the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
The angel will lead the people to the promised land (Ex 23:20, 32:34; Jdg 2:1). The angel is fully divine; see note in 3:2 for a discussion on the angel of the LORD.
Like the Holy Spirit indwells in the believers, the angel goes with the people.
Jesus also prepares a place for us (Jn 14:2-3).
35
Then the LORD struck the people with a plague, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.
God executes a sentence on the people. The Law (Ex 20:1-5, 23, 22:20), which is to bring life, brings death instead (Rom 7:9-10).
Aaron is still identified as the responsible one.
Aaron’s appointment as priest remains even after this episode as God’s calling is irrevocable (Rom 11:29).
Chapter 33
The Journey Resumed
1
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’
After having committed transgressions, they are to leave Sinai, evoking the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden (Gen 3:23-34). Moses objects to this order (33:15).
We may wonder if God’s intent was to have His people around Sinai much longer.
2
And I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Unlike the expulsion from the garden in which God had a cherubim guarding to prevent Adam and Eve from reaching the tree of life, here God is sending His angel to lead them into the promised land.
3
Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.”
God’s pledge to take them to the promised land still stands (Ex 6:8).
4
When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his jewelry.
5
For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are an obstinate people; if I were to go up in your midst for just one moment, I would destroy you. So now, take off your jewelry that I may know what I shall do to you.’”
6
So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their jewelry, from Mount Horeb onward.
The jewelry had become a reminder of the transgression they had committed with the golden calf (Ex 32:2-4).
7
Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.
Throughout the instructions to build the Tabernacle and the ordinations of the priests, the term tent of meeting is used a synonym of the Tabernacle (e.g. Ex 27:2; 28:43; 29:4, 10-11, 30, 32, 42, 44; 30:16, 30:18), though this verse gives the impression that at some time there might have been a temporary structure that Moses used and named the tent of meeting.
8
And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent.
9
Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses.
The pillar of cloud had been with Israel since they left Egypt (e.g. Ex 31:21-22, 14:19-20). At Sinai, God descended in a thick cloud to the top of the mountain. In this verse, the pillar of cloud rests on the Tabernacle to speak with Moses.
Moses no longer has to go to the top of the mountain to talk to God. As a result, the appearance of Moses changes (34:29-30).
When the world sees us, we are also to reflect God’s glory.
10
When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would stand and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.
11
So the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Other translations describe Moses as God’s fellow or neighbor. Being God’s friend is a very special category, commonly reserved for Abraham (Isa 41:8; Jn 15:13-15; Jam 2:23). Jesus extends this term to His followers (Jn 15:13-15).
Moses Intercedes
12
Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’
God knows each one of us by name (Isa 40:26 in reference to Gen 15:5, 22:17, 26:4; Jn 10:3).
God had mentioned that His angel would go with the people (v. 2), perhaps Moses is unsure as to who the angel is.
Other commentators have observed that finding favor could be translated as receiving grace.
13
Now then, if I have found favor in Your sight in any way, please let me know Your ways so that I may know You, in order that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.”
The commandments reveal God’s character, knowing his statues helps us know Him (Jn 17:3).
14
And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Walking along with God is a Sabbath celebration.
Comp. with Mt 11:28.
15
Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.
God already said that His presence will be with them (v. 14), Moses is objecting to the instructions God gave in v. 1 out of fear of God abandoning them because of their sin.
Moses’ request is bold as the people are in danger when God is nearby (v. 3).
16
For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are on the face of the earth?”
Moses' request still stands today and it is in God’s plan (Isa 61:9). Jesus tells us how the world is to recognize His followers (Jn 13:34-35).
17
The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.”
God responds affirmatively to Moses’ request. See note v. 12.
18
Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!”
Moses’ request still stands today (Jn 12:45, 14:8; Heb 1:3).
Perhaps for Moses it is not enough that God’s presence is with them, Moses longs for a deeper connection with God.
19
And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.”
God’s glory comprises three qualities:
The goodness of God (1Ki 8:66; Neh 9:25, 35; Ps 25:7; Isa 63:7).
The name of the LORD.
The grace and compassion granted from the throne of judgment. Along this line, we see that Aaron was not among those who died (Ex 32:28, 35) because God chose to show compassion to him. Paul explains this quality of God’s glory in the letter to the Romans (Rom 9:14-18).
20
He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!”
Seeing God must be granted, otherwise death follows (Gen 32:30; Ex 24:10-11, 33:20; Dt 5:24; Jdgs 6:22-23, 13:22; Rev 22:4). The people were not allowed to see God (Ex 19:21).
We will see His face (Rev 22:4).
21
Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;
22
and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
God’s goodness (v. 19), His glory, and His hand will manifest to Moses.
God’s hand covering is a picture of protection (Isa 49:2, 51:16) but also of the atonement needed to be in God’s presence (Ex 24:8-10; Jn 20:27).
23
Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”
We will see His face (Rev 22:4).
Chapter 34
The Two Tablets Replaced
1
Now the LORD said to Moses, “Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you smashed.
2
So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain.
3
And no one is to come up with you, nor let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.”
4
So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses got up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and he took the two stone tablets in his hand.
This is the seventh ascent. Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God seven times (19:3, 19:8, 19:20, 20:21, 24:1-13, 32:30-31, 34:2-4). This going up and down prompts the people to ask Who will go up to heaven for us to get [the word]? (Dt 30:12).
5
And the LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD.
Calling upon the name of the LORD, either by Moses of the LORD Himself, is demonstrated in the next two verses (see Rom 10:13; Joel 2:32; Act 2:21; Gen 4:26).
6
Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth;
7
who keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
8
And Moses hurried to bow low toward the ground and worship.
9
Then he said, “If in any way I have found favor in Your sight, Lord, please may the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our wrongdoing and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.”
Moses continues pleading with the LORD to walking along with them (33:15-16)
The Covenant Renewed
10
Then God said, “Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the LORD, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.
11
“Be sure to comply with what I am commanding you this day: behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite from you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
The covenant is to be reinstated and continues reiterating the giving of the promised land.
12
Be careful that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst.
13
But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones, and cut down their Asherim
Israel was delivered from Egypt by the hand of the LORD; God performed wonders to free His people. For the conquering of the promised land, Israel has to fight and remove their cultic sites and artifacts. This is a foreshadow of the battles we fight after our salvation in Jesus (2Co 10:3-4; Eph 6:10-17; 1Ti 1:18, 6:10; 2Ti 4:7).
14
—for you shall not worship any other god, because the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—
15
otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they would prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice,
16
and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might prostitute themselves with their gods and cause your sons also to prostitute themselves with their gods.
17
You shall not make for yourself any gods cast in metal.
18
“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.
19
“The firstborn from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the firstborn from cattle and sheep.
20
You shall redeem with a lamb the firstborn from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. None are to appear before Me empty-handed.
21
“You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.
22
And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
Again, displaying its prophetic character, the law speaks of a time when Israel has become an agrarian society, in which people own land, sow it, and harvest it (see comments in 21:1, 22:5, and 23:10).
23
Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
24
For I will drive out nations from you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.
25
“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning.
26
“You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God.
“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
See comment in 23:19.
27
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
28
So he was there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
This is the first usage of the term Ten Commandments or Ten Words.
Moses’ Face Shines
29
And it came about, when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.
30
So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to approach him.
We are to reflect God’s glory in our lives (2Co 3:7-18).
31
Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them.
32
Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the LORD had spoken to him on Mount Sinai.
33
When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
34
But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded,
35
the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with Him.
NIV translates as Moses’ face was radiant. Translators have noted that the picture would be of rays coming out of Moses’ face, like horns. Medieval paintings of Moses often depict him with horns.
Chapter 35
The Sabbath Emphasized
1
Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do:
2
“For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.
The text to describe the actual construction of the Tabernacle (Ch 35-40) opens with a prescription to observe the Sabbath; this is in contrast with the instructions for the Tabernacle that close with a prescription to observe it (Ex 31:12-17). This to show that the episode of the golden calf was an interruption in God’s ultimate plan and purpose.
The observance of the Sabbath is more important than a non-stop construction of the Tabernacle.
The Sabbath observance was a celebration of being liberated from Egypt (Dt 5:12-15) and a day to free people from bondage and oppression (Lk 13:10-16). The person sentenced to die for gathering wood on the Sabbath (Num 15:32-36) was acting against this principle of liberation from oppression.
3
You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”
Notice the You shall not … follows the pattern of the Ten Commandments.
This is a prophetic commandment, it reveals to us what our lives will be like in heaven, when we will be celebrating the Sabbath with God. There will be no need to kindle a fire in heaven, not for judgment, not for refining, not for light or heat. God’s anger will not be kindled (4:14, 22:24, 32:10), He will not be a consuming fire that we cannot approach (24:17).
4
Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying,
The construction of the Tabernacle is about to start. There are four roles in the construction:
The materials (35:5-9, 22-29; 38:24-29; 39:1, 6) that were gifted by the people (35:5, 21-29; 36:3-7) or collected from the census (30:11-15 and 38:24-26).
The skills of the people (35:10, 25-26, 30-35; 36:1-2, 4, 8, 35; 38:23; 39:3, 5, 8) through divine equipping (35:31-36:2) to work the materials and the transferring of skills by teaching (35:34).
The obedience to follow God’s instructions (35:4, 10, 29; 36:1, 5; 38:22; 39:1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31-32, 42-43) by the people and Moses responding (39:42-43; 40:16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32).
5
‘Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart is to bring it as the LORD’S contribution: gold, silver, and bronze,
Exodus opens up with the Israelites serving and building cities for Pharaoh and working with dirt and straw (1:11-14, 5:8, 5:16-19). Exodus closes with the Israelites serving God by building the Tabernacle and working with precious materials, including a tally paralleling the brick quotas (e.g. 38:24-31).
In the early chapter of Exodus, Pharaoh’s heart is mentioned as hardened and unwilling to let the people serve God (e.g. 7:13-14, 22). The construction of the Tabernacle is marked by the willingness of the people’s hearts (Ex 35:5, 21-22, 26, 29, 34; 36:2).
6
and violet, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goats’ hair,
7
and rams’ skins dyed red, and fine leather, and acacia wood,
8
and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense,
9
and onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
Tabernacle Artisans
10
‘Have every skillful person among you come and make all that the LORD has commanded:
11
the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;
12
the ark and its poles, the atoning cover, and the covering curtain;
13
the table and its poles, and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;
14
the lampstand also for the light and its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light;
15
and the altar of incense and its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the doorway at the entrance of the tabernacle;
16
the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand;
17
the hangings of the courtyard, its pillars and its bases, and the curtain for the gate of the courtyard;
18
the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the courtyard and their ropes;
19
the woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to serve as priests.’”
Aaron’s appointment as a priest is held even after Aaron gives the people a golden calf to worship (Ex 32:2-5) as God’s calling is irrevocable (Rom 11:29).
Gifts Received
20
Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel departed from Moses’ presence.
21
And everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD’S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service, and for the holy garments.
22
Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did everyone who presented an offering of gold to the LORD.
Notice the emphasis in mentioning both men and women, which indicates the women were the owners of the goods donated (also in v. 29).
23
Everyone who was in possession of violet, purple, or scarlet material or fine linen or goats’ hair, or rams’ skins dyed red or fine leather, brought them.
24
Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought the LORD’S contribution; and everyone who was in possession of acacia wood for any work of the service brought it.
25
And all the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in violet, purple, and scarlet material, and in fine linen.
Notice the participation of women (also in next verse) and the mentioning of textiles as an area of their area of expertise.
26
And all the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats’ hair.
27
The rulers, moreover, brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece;
28
and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.
29
The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the LORD had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a voluntary offering to the LORD.
Notice the emphasis in mentioning both men and women, which indicates the women were the owners of the goods donated (also in v. 22).
30
Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
As expected, the appointments of Bezalel and Oholiab (Ex 31:2, 6) are not altered by the episode of the golden calf and are reiterated after the covenant is renewed.
31
And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all craftsmanship;
32
to create designs for working in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
33
and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work.
34
He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
Teaching others is part of ministry.
35
He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver, of a designer, and of an embroiderer, in violet, purple, and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.
Chapter 36
The Tabernacle Underwritten
1
“Now Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the LORD has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with everything that the LORD has commanded.”
When God gives a task we also should be mindful of how the task is carried out. The fact that God instructs us to do something does not guarantee that we can do it any way we want.
2
Then Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it.
3
They received from Moses every contribution which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him voluntary offerings every morning.
4
And all the skillful people who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which they were performing,
5
and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform.”
6
So Moses issued a command, and circulated a proclamation throughout the camp, saying, “No man or woman is to perform work any longer for the contributions of the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more.
7
For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.
Construction Begins
8
All the skillful people among those who were performing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twisted linen and violet, purple, and scarlet material, with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer, Bezalel made them.
9
The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains had the same measurements.
10
He joined five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he joined to one another.
11
And he made loops of violet on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set; he did likewise on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set.
The construction of the Tabernacle starts with the outermost pieces, the curtains, and proceeds inwardly.
12
He made fifty loops in the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set; the loops were opposite each other.
13
He also made fifty clasps of gold, and joined the curtains to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle was a unit.
Emphasis is placed in the tabernacle being one, a unit (Ex 26:6, 11; 36:13, 18), literally one, the same word for one in Dt 6:4 and Zch 14:9.
14
Then he made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains in all.
15
The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the width of each curtain; the eleven curtains had the same measurements.
16
He joined five curtains by themselves, and the other six curtains by themselves.
17
Moreover, he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the first set, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set.
18
He also made fifty clasps of bronze to join the tent together so that it would be a unit.
Emphasis is placed in the tabernacle being one, a unit (Ex 26:6, 11; 36:13, 18), literally one, the same word for one in Dt 6:4 and Zch 14:9.
19
And he made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of fine leather above.
20
Then he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright.
21
Ten cubits was the length of each board, and one and a half cubits the width of each board.
22
There were two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; he did this to all the boards of the tabernacle.
23
So he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side;
24
and he made forty bases of silver under the twenty boards; two bases under one board for its two tenons, and two bases under another board for its two tenons.
25
Then for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards,
26
and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board, and two bases under another board.
27
And for the back of the tabernacle, to the west, he made six boards.
The entrance to the Tabernacle was on the east side. The west was the back. The long sides were to the north and south.
28
He made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the back.
29
They were double beneath, and together they were complete to its top, to the first ring; he did this with both of them for the two corners.
30
There were eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases, two bases under every board.
31
Then he made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle,
32
and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the back side to the west.
33
And he made the middle bar to pass through in the center of the boards from end to end.
34
Then he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35
Moreover, he made the veil of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen; he made it with cherubim, the work of a skilled embroiderer.
36
And he made four pillars of acacia for it, and overlaid them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and he cast four bases of silver for them.
37
He also made a curtain for the doorway of the tent, of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver;
38
and he made its five pillars with their hooks, and he overlaid their tops and their bands with gold; but their five bases were of bronze.
Chapter 37
Construction Continues
1
Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits;
2
and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around.
3
He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.
4
And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
5
He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry it.
6
He also made an atoning cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.
7
And he made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the atoning cover:
8
one cherub at the one end and one cherub at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the atoning cover at the two ends.
9
And the cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the atoning cover.
10
Then he made the table of acacia wood, two cubits long, a cubit wide, and one and a half cubits high.
11
He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding for it all around.
12
And he made a rim for it of a hand width all around, and made a gold molding for its rim all around.
13
He also cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners that were on its four legs.
14
Close by the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles to carry the table.
15
And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table.
16
He also made the utensils which were on the table, its dishes, its pans, its libation bowls, and its jars, with which to pour out drink offerings, of pure gold.
17
Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its bulbs, and its flowers were of one piece with it.
18
There were six branches going out of its sides; three branches of the lampstand from the one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it;
19
three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a bulb and a flower on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a bulb and a flower on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.
20
And on the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers;
21
and a bulb was under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.
22
Their bulbs and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was a single hammered work of pure gold.
23
And he made its seven lamps with its tongs and its trays of pure gold.
24
He made it and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.
25
Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high; its horns were of one piece with it.
26
And he overlaid it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and he made a gold molding for it all around.
27
He also made two golden rings for it under its molding, on its two sides—on opposite sides—as holders for poles with which to carry it.
28
And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
29
Then he made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.
Chapter 38
The Tabernacle Completed
1
Then he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide, square, and three cubits high.
2
And he made its horns on its four corners, its horns being of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.
3
He also made all the utensils of the altar, the pails, the shovels, the basins, the meat-forks, and the firepans; he made all its utensils of bronze.
4
And he made for the altar a grating of bronze netting beneath, under its ledge, reaching halfway up.
5
He also cast four rings on the four ends of the bronze grating as holders for the poles.
6
He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.
7
Then he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.
8
Moreover, he made the basin of bronze with its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
It is not clear who these women were or what functions they performed but these services must have continued as they are mentioned again in 1Sa 2:22.
The valuable mirrors were likely plundered from the Egyptians (3:22, 11:2, 12:36).
9
Then he made the courtyard: for the south side the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, a hundred cubits;
10
their twenty pillars, and their twenty bases, were made of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.
11
For the north side there were a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.
12
For the west side there were hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.
13
For the east side, fifty cubits.
14
The hangings for the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases,
15
and so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the courtyard were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases.
16
All the hangings of the courtyard all around were of fine twisted linen.
17
And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands, of silver; and the overlaying of their tops, of silver, and all the pillars of the courtyard were furnished with silver bands.
18
Now the curtain of the gate of the courtyard was the work of the weaver, of violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. And the length was twenty cubits and the height was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the courtyard.
19
Their four pillars and their four bases were of bronze; their hooks were of silver, and the overlaying of their tops and their bands were of silver.
20
All the pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were of bronze.
The Cost of the Tabernacle
21
This is the number of the things for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were counted according to the command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Notice the special name the tabernacle of the testimony.
22
Now Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded Moses.
23
With him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a skilled embroiderer, and a weaver in violet, in purple, and in scarlet material, and fine linen.
24
All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary, which was the gold of the wave offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
25
And the silver of those of the congregation who were counted was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary;
26
a beka a head (that is, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary), assessed to each one who passed over to those who were counted, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men.
Note the more exact figure of 603,550 than that in 12:37.
27
The hundred talents of silver were used for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent for a base.
28
And of the 1,775 shekels, he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their tops and made bands for them.
29
And the bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels.
30
With it he made the bases to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and the bronze altar and its bronze grating, and all the utensils of the altar,
31
and the bases of the courtyard all around and the bases of the gate of the courtyard, and all the pegs of the tabernacle and all the pegs of the courtyard all around.
Chapter 39
The Priestly Garments
1
Now from the violet, purple, and scarlet material they made finely woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
2
He made the ephod of gold and of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen.
3
Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the violet, the purple, and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skilled embroiderer.
4
They made attaching shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends.
5
And the skillfully woven band of its overlay which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold and of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
6
They also made the onyx stones, set in gold filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.
7
And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
8
And he made the breastpiece, the work of a skilled embroiderer, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold and of violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.
9
It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double.
10
And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald;
11
and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
12
and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
13
and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in gold filigree settings when they were mounted.
14
The stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes.
15
And they made for the breastpiece chains like cords, work of twisted cords of pure gold.
16
They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.
17
Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece.
18
And they put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.
19
They made two gold rings and placed them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge which was next to the ephod.
20
Furthermore, they made two gold rings and placed them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it, close to the place where it joined, above the woven band of the ephod.
21
And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet cord, so that it would be on the woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
22
Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of violet;
23
and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding all around its opening, so that it would not be torn.
24
And they made pomegranates of violet, purple, and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe.
25
They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe,
26
alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe for the service, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
27
They also made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons,
28
and the turban of fine linen, and the decorated caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twisted linen,
29
and the sash of fine twisted linen, and violet, purple, and scarlet material, the work of the weaver, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
30
They also made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and inscribed it like the engravings of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.”
31
Then they fastened a violet cord to it, to fasten it on the turban above, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
32
So all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did.
Note the emphasis in following God’s instructions, the result will be having the means to expiate for transgressions, thus saving lives. Noah acted similarly (Gen 6:22).
Notice the terminology of tabernacle of the tent of meeting (Ex 39:32, 40:2, 6, 29).
33
Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;
34
and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of fine leather, and the covering curtain;
35
the ark of the testimony, its poles, and the atoning cover;
36
the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;
37
the pure gold lampstand, with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;
38
and the gold altar, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the doorway of the tent;
39
the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the basin and its stand;
40
the hangings for the courtyard, its pillars and its bases, and the curtain for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and its pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;
41
the woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to serve as priests.
42
So the sons of Israel did all the work according to everything that the LORD had commanded Moses.
The people of God completed their work. We too have tasks to complete (Eph 2:10).
43
And Moses examined all the work, and behold, they had done it; just as the LORD had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them.
Moses saw the work and blessed the people, evoking the blessing after creation (Gen 1:28).
Chapter 40
The Tabernacle Erected
1
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
“On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
This would be almost one year after the departure from Egypt (12:2).
Verses 40:1-33 evoke the creation story by listing a number of days (40:2, 17) and mentioning that Moses completed his work (40:33, Gen 2:2).
3
You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen off the ark with the veil.
4
Then you shall bring in the table and arrange what belongs on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and mount its lamps.
5
You shall also set the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the testimony, and set up the curtain for the doorway to the tabernacle.
6
And you shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
7
Then you shall set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
8
You shall also set up the courtyard all around and hang up the curtain for the gate of the courtyard.
9
Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy.
10
You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, and the altar shall be most holy.
11
And you shall anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.
12
Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.
13
And you shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, so that he may serve as a priest to Me.
14
You shall also bring his sons and put tunics on them;
15
and you shall anoint them just as you have anointed their father, so that they may serve as priests to Me; and their anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout their generations.”
16
So Moses did these things; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did.
17
Now in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.
Almost one year after they had left Egypt (Ex 12:2).
18
Moses erected the tabernacle and laid its bases, and set up its boards, and inserted its bars, and erected its pillars.
19
And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
20
Then he took the testimony and put it into the ark, and attached the poles to the ark, and put the atoning cover on top of the ark.
The testimony refers to the tablets with the Ten Commandments (25:16, 21-22; 31:18), the sight of these tablets would be blocked by the atonement cover.
From here onwards, the text reads as though Moses is walking out from the holy of holies to the outer entrance of the Tabernacle.
21
He then brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up a veil for the covering, and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
The account that starts in this verse and the verses that follow bring images of someone walking from the Holy of Holies outwardly and leaving everything ready.
22
He also put the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil.
23
And he set the arrangement of bread in order on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
24
Then he placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle.
25
And he lighted the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
26
Then he placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil;
27
and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
28
Then he set up the curtain for the doorway of the tabernacle.
29
And he set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
30
He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing.
31
From it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.
32
When they entered the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
33
And he erected the courtyard all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the curtain for the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.
The Glory of the LORD
The Glory of the LORD
Moses as a foreshadow of Jesus finished his work, Jesus also completed His work (Jn 19:30).
The Glory of the LORD
34
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Once the people and Moses completed his work, he blessed the people (39:42-43), then God descended upon the Tabernacle. Similarly, once Jesus completed His work (Jn 19:30), He blessed the disciples (Lk 24:50), then the Holy Spirit descended upon the people (Act 2:2-4).
Other passages that mention God’s glory filling a place include the dedication of the Temple (1Ki 8:10-11) and prophets’ visions (Ez 43:4; Rev 15:8).
35
And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
The liberation from Egypt is complete, Israel is out of Egypt and God dwells among them (Ex 25:8-9, 29:45-46).
The glory of God prevents Moses from entering the Tabernacle even after having met with God in the mountain.
36
Throughout their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out;
37
but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up.
The narrative of the journey to the promised land now can continue as the Tabernacle is complete and God dwells among His people (Ex 25:8-9, 29:45-46).
38
For throughout their journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
www.lockman.org
Copyright © 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
www.lockman.org