EXPLORING EXODUS

BIBLE STUDY TEXTBOOK SERIES

EXPLORING EXODUS

Wilbur Fields

College Press, Joplin, Missoati

 Copyright 0 1976
College Press
Second Printing 1986
 Lovingly Dedicated

to

the staff, students, and alumni

of

OZARK BIBLE COLLEGE

Joplin, Missouri

V
 PREFACE

EXPLORINGEXODUS
FIVE LAYERS OF HELP FOR STUDY
EXPLORING EXODUS is a chapter-by-chapter study of Exodus.
To guide you in the exploration of Exodus, five layers of help
are provided:
1. A set of QUESTIONS on each chapter is provided. These
may be used for group or individual study. Almost all the
questions can be answered from the Bible.
2. Several OUTLINES on each chapter follow the questions.
These are designed to help you in teaching the material,
or to assist you in gaining quick comprehension of the
chapters.
3. Extensive NOTES on the Bible text and related material are
given. These notes are introduced by questions which should
draw the mind to the point of the passages under consider-
ation.
These notes are comprehensive. They have been prepared
after consulting commentators with many points of view,
The Hebrew and Greek texts of Exodus are referred to very
often. The Bible text used is the quite-literal American
Standard Version (1901).
4. Numerous photographs, charts, and original MAPS are
included.
5. Several SPECIAL STUDIES on such topics as the Ten Com-
mandments, the Red Sea, and the Sabbath Day are given
in the introductory sections and at various places in the
text.
We present this book with many prayers that it will help
you to explore Exodus with joy and to discover its innumerable
blessings.

vi
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

.
Dedication, , , , , , , . . , , . , , , , . , . . . , . . . ..
I . , , , v
.. ..
I , , I . I

Preface . , , , , , , , , , , , . , , , , , , , , . , , . , , , , , , , . , , , , , vi
Table of Contents , , , , , , . , , , , , . . . , . , , , , , . , , , , , , . vii . . . ..
Pictures, Maps, and Charts,, , , , . , . , . , . , , , . , , , ix
I .. .
Introductory Section I
.
Let’s Explore Exodusl , , , , , , , . . . , . , , , , , . , , , , , , . 1 . .
Introductory Section I1
Themes of Exodus: Redemption and Nationhood , , , , , , 2
Introductory Section I11
Names and Outlines of Exodus, , . . . , , , . . , . , , , , , , 4 .. . .
Introductory Section IV
Who Wrote Exodus? , , . . , , , . , . , , , , , , , , , , . , , , . . , , 11
I .
Introductory Section V
The Date, of the exodus , , , , , . . . , . , , , . , . . , , , , . , , : 18
, .
Introductory Section VI
Israel’s Route (Journey) From Egypt to Sinai . ... . . , . . , 33 I

Introductory Section VI1

Red Sea or Reed Sea? . , . , , . , . , . . , . , . , , . . . . . . , , 44 . I I .
Introductory Section VlII
One Hundred Facts About God That Are Made
Known in Exodus., , . . , . . . , . . . . . . . , . . . . . , . + , . . I , , 49 I

Chapter One . . . , . , . . , , . , , ~ . , , . . I I , 54~ . , . , , l . . o . l . . I I

Chapter T w o . , , , , . , , . . . , . , , , . . . . . , , , . . , , ,.,.. 69 I . . I

Chapter Three,, . . , . , , , . . . , , . . . . . , , , . . , . . . . , , . . 87 I

Chapter Four , . , . . , , , , , , , , , . . . . . , , , . . . . . . , . . . . . . , . 104

Chapter Five , . , . , , , , , , . . , , , , . . . , , , . . . . . . . . , : . , . 123
Chapter S i x , , , . , , , . . , , , , . . , . , . . . . . . . . , , . . . . , . 136 .
Chapter Seven, , , , . , , . . , , . . , . , . . . , , , , . . . . . . . . . . , , . . . 152
Chapter Eight , , , , . , , . . , , . , , , . . . , , . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
a I I

Chapter Nine.. , , , , , . , , . . , . , ... . , , I . , . . . , . , . . I . ... 194 I

Chapter Ten . , , , , , . . , . . , . . . . . . , , , . . . , . . . . . . . . 211 I I I I

Chapter Eleven, , , , . . , , . . , , , . , . . . , , , . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . 225 I

Chapter Twelve., , , . , , . , , , . , , . . . . , , , * , . . , . . . . . . . , . , . 232

. .
Chapter Thirteen . . , , . . , , . . . . , , , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 I .
Chapter Fourteen , . , , . , , , , , , , , , , , . , , . , . . . , . , . . . . . 291 I

Chapter Fifteen, . . . , , , , , , , , , , . . , , , , . . , . . . . . . , . . . . . 314

I I

Chapter Sixteen , , . , , , , , , . , , , , , , , . , . . . . . . , , . . . . , . , 334

a I

vii
 EXPLORING EXODUS

Chapter Seventeen .................................. 355

Chapter Eighteen ................................... 373
Chapter Nineteen ................................... 388
Chapter Twenty .................................... 407
Chapter Twenty-one ................................. 448
Chapter Twenty-two .................................477
Chapter Twenty-three ............................... 498
Chapter Twenty-four ................................524
Chapter Twenty-five ................................. 544
Chapter Twenty-six .................................584
Chapter Twenty-seven ............................... 605
Chapter Twenty-eight................................622
Chapter Twenty-nine ................................645
Chapter Thirty .....................................668
Chapter Thirty-one ..................................688
Chapter Thirty-two.................................. 700
Chapter Thirty-three ................................ 730
Chapter Thirty-four ................................. 746
Chapter Thirty-five .................................. 765
Chapter Thirty-six .................................. 777
Chapter Thirty-seven ................................ 781
Chapter Thirty-eight ................................ 784
Chapter Thirty-nine ................................. 792
Chapter Forty ...................................... 798
Index ............................................. 809

viii
 PICTURES. MAPS. CHARTS
1 . EXODUS: The Making of a Holy Nation. . . . . . Inside cover
2. Exodus Chapter Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3A-3B
3. Head ofThutmose 111 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4. Head of Amenhotep I1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5. Kings of Egyptian Eighteenth Dynasty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6. Map: Egypt and Israel's Exodus., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34A
7. Map: Red Sea Crossing Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34B
8. Map: Journey to Sinai., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34C
9 . Nile Delta (satellite view) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34D
10. Sinai Peninsula (satellite view). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34E
11. Map: Israel's Passage to Sinai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34F
.
12. Map: Mt Sinai.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34G
13. Shepherd before Mt . Sinai.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34H
14. Paprusreed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
15* Egyptian Brickmakers and Brickmaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
16. Moses. A Type of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108A
17. Israel. A Type of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108B
18. Mud Brick at Beersheba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152A
19. The Sphinx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152A
20 . A Herd of Cattle in the Old Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152B
21. Egyptian gods attacked in the ten plagues . . . . . . . 174-177 .
Hapi. god of the Nile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Hathor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Apis bull. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Imhotep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Amon-Re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Ra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
The Celestial Cow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
22. The Springs of Moses ('Ayun Musa) . . . . . . . . . .'. . . . . 330A
23. Elim (Wadi Gharandel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330B
24 . Exit of Wadi Feiran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i' . . 362A
25. Wadi Feiran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362A
26 . Oasis in Wadi Feiran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362B
27 . Mt . Serbal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362B
28 . Mt . Sinai.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394A
29. Mt . Sinai ridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394A
30. Monastery of St. Catherine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394B

ix

.I .
. ..... ~ - - - ~ . _ _ ~ _ - _ _ _ _ -
 EXPLORING EXODUS

. Plain before Ras Safsafeh (Mt. Sinai) ..............394B

31
. Altar at Megiddo ............................... 444A
32
. Altar-at Petra .................................. 444A
33
. Trapping Quails .................................444B
34
.- .

. General view of Tabernacle and Court .............550A

35
. Encampments of Israel around the Tabernacle ......550A
36
. Ground Plan of Tabernacle and Court .............550B
37
. Acacia Tree .................................... 550B
38
. Ark of the Covenant. ............................566A
39
. Table of Showbread ............................. 566A
40
. Lampstand (Menorah) ........................... 566B
41
. Tabernacle Building Showings its Boards ...........590A
42
. Tabernacle Building with Coverings ...............590A
43
. Floor Plan of Tabernacle ......................... 590A
44
. A Tabernacle Board with its Tenons and Sockets ....590A
45
. Innermost Curtains of the Tabernacle ..............590B
46
. Altar of Burnt-offering........................... 610A
47
. High Priest ..................................... 610B
48
. Altar of Incense .................................
49 676A
.Laver ..........................................
50 676B
. Laver of Solomon’s Temple .......................
51 676B

X
 LET’S EXPLORE EXODUS!

INTRODUCTORY
SECTION
I

LET’S EXPLORE EXODUS!

Consider the greatness of Exodus.

“Nearly all the foundations of which JEWISH life is built-
the Ten Commandments, the historic festivals, the leading prin-
ciples of civil law-are contained in the book of Exodus.”J
The importance of Exodus is not confined to the Jews alone.
CHRISTIANS recognize the events in Exodus as having been
written “by way of example” for our learning (I Cor. 10:ll).
The bondage in Egypt illustrates our former bondage in sin.
Moses is like unto Jesus Christ in many respects (Deut. 18:15;
Acts 3:22; 7:37). Israel’s deliverance across the Red Sea was a
“baptism unto Moses” and illustrates our “baptism into Christ”
(I Cor. 10:2; Gal. 3:27). Israel’s failures in their wilderness
journey were recorded that we might not fall into the same
example of disobedience (Heb. 4: 11). The tabernacle, which
is so prominent in Exodus 25-40, was a “figure for the time
present” (Heb. 9:9).
The greatness of Exodus radiates benefits and life-changing
truth to ALL HUMANKIND. From no other book have men
learned so much of the character and work of the LORD God,
a “God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant
.
in lovingkindness and truth; . . and that will by no means clear
the guilty” (Ex. 34:6,,7). From no other book has mankind
learned laws more beneficial, comprehensive, and succinct
than the ten commandments in Exodus.

lJ. H.Hertz, The Pentateuch and Haftorahs (London: Soncino, 1969), p. 205.

1
 INTRODUCTORY STUDY I1
Themes of Exodus: REDEMPTION
ANDNATIONHOOD
A . The theme of R E D E M P Tsums
~ ~ N up much of the history and
message of the book of Exodus. Numerous authors (e.g.,
Pink, Van Dooren) have felt that this term was a good one
to express the theme of the book.
1. The theme of REDEMPTION, or redemption followed by
God’s leading, is stated in the book of Exodus itself
“I will REDEEM you with an outstretched arm, and with
great judgment: and I will take you to me for a people,
and I will be to you a God’’ (Ex. 6:6-7).
“Thou in thy lovingkindness hast LEDthe people that
thou hast REDEEMED”(Ex. 15:13). (This statement
strikes us as a key verse in Exodus.)
“He hath sent REDEMPTION unto his people; He hath
commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is his
name” (Psalm 1 1 1:9 ) .
2. What does REDEMPTION mean?
The Hebrew verb (ga’al)translated redeem in Ex. 6:16
and 15:13 means to free by avenging ot buying back.
The Greek word (lutroo) translated redeem in 15:13 in
the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX) means
to release on receipt of a ransom.
The Greek word (ruornaz? translated redeem in 6:6
means to draw to one’s self.
Thus, REDEMPTION basically means a buying back,
but its meaning has been broadened to mean releasing or
deliverance generally.
3. Christians have REDEMPTION in Christ from God (Eph.
1:7). To understand the way God REDEEMED Israel
from Egypt will help us understand the nature of our
redemption.
For example, though Israel was redeemed from Egypt
with mighty miracles and God’s special favor, still out in
the wilderness they suffered countless hardships and
tests and temptations. Similarly, though we have been
wondrously and miraculously redeemed from sin and from

2
 R E D E M P T I O N AND N A T I O N H O O D

impossible burdens, still we must face many tribulations,

tests, and temptations, We are not promised immediate
deliverance from all difficulties,
4, The development of the theme of REDEMPTIONin Exodus
can be outlined as follows:
a, Need for redemption (chs, 1-6)
b, Might of the redeemer (chs. 7-11)
c , Method of redemption (chs. 12-18)
d . Duties of the redeemed (chs. 19-24)
e , Provisions for the redeemed (chs. 25--40)
(Adapted from Arthur Pink, Gleanings in Exodus
[Chicago: Moody, n.d.1 p. 8.)
B. NATIONHOOD
Various authors have selected the topic of Israel’s becom-
ing a nation as the theme of Exodus. They have worded
it in various ways.
1. “The Making of a Holy Nation.” See Ex. 19:6. We have
used this heading on the end sheets of this book (the pic-
tures inside the covers). Israel became God’s holy nation
when God provided them a leader (Ex. 1-6), liberation
(Ex. 7-12), leading (Ex.13-18), laws (Ex. 19-24),
and divine worship (Greek, lutreia) (Ex, 25-40).
2. “The commencement of Israel as a covenant nation.”
(G. L. Archer, A Survey of 0.T. Introduction [Chicago:
Moody, 19641 p. 209.)
3. “The beginning of a separate national existence.” As
Genesis records the beginning of religious life in Israel, so
Exodus records the beginning of national life. (John
Raven, Old Testament Introduction mew York: Revell,
19101, p. 136.)
4. “From a Family to a Nation.” When Jacob Israel came in-
to Egypt, he came only as a large family (Ex. 1:lS). But in
fulfillment of the promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:2), Israel
became a nution. This transformation was effected by
stages: a. Population; b, Liberation; c. Legislation; d . Or-
ganization. All of these stages can be observed in Exodus.
I 3
 EXODUS- CHAPTER TOPICS
GOD'S MAh PLAGUES PATHWAY COVENAN1

I NEED FOR
THE COHFLICT
BEGINS I
13
DEMANDS AND PREPARATIONS
. GODIS MAN DIRECTION TO RECEIVE
(Transition) (PLAGUE #1)
TO THE REDEENED COVENANT

8 14
PREPARATION OF BAPTIZED
GOD'S MAN PLAGUES 2, 3, 4 UNTO MOSES

9 15 21 :
PLAGUES 5, 6, 7 FROM. SONG
TO BITTERNESS

22 :
CL

4 16 z
4
HESITANCY OF z
BREAD FROM
GOD'S MAN HEAVEN
W
>
-0
U

5 11 17 23 t"
n
0
TWO TESTS:
RESlSTAiKE TO THE WATER AND
W

GOD'S MAN LAST WARNING I WAR

~

6 12 PLAGUE 10
18 24
STRENGTHENING OF JETHRO COVENANT
GOU'S MAN OVER AND OUT I AND JUDGES RAT1F I ED
 TABERNACLE TABERNACLE
INSTRUCTIONS GOLDEN CALF CO NSTRUCTlOh

25 32 35
TABERNACLE INSTRUCTIONS RUPTURE OFFER1NGS
(Ark, table, lampetand) OF COVENANT AND WORKMEN

26 33 36
ENCLOSINGS GOD AND ISRAEL
(Curtains, boards,
bare, veil, screen1 IN TENSION ENCLOSINGS

27 34 37
ALTAR
AND COURT RENEWAL INSIDE FURNITURE
OF COVENANT

28 z
-w-
GARMENTS 38 OUTSIDE FURNITURE

29 2 CONSECRATION Total Cost

30 39
PRIESTS' GARMENTS;
FINISHED WORK
PRESENTED

31
CRAFTSMENI
SABBATH GLORY OF LOW)'':'
 EXPLORING EXODUS

INTRODUCTORY SECTION 111

NAMESand OUTLINE
of Exodus
The NAMES of the book of Exodus
I . In the Hebrew Bible it is called Shemoth, meaning names.
This is taken from the opening words of the book, We‘elleh
shemoth, which mean “These are the names.”
2. In the Greek Bible (Septuagint, or LXX) it is called
Exodos, meaning “going out” or “departure.” This word
actually appears in the Greek of 19:1: “In the third month
of the departure (Gr., exodos) of the sons of Israel . . . .
99

This name applies more accurately to the first half of the

book than to the second half.
3 . The Latin Bible used the title Exodus, a slightly-changed
form of the Greek title. In our English Bibles we have
used the Latin title.

OF EXODUS
OUTLINE(S)

We can outline the book of Exodus according to the PLACES

where the events occurred.
I. ISRAEL IN EGYPT; Chs. 1-13 (1:1-13:16)
1. Population growth and bondage; Ch. 1.
2. Preparation of Moses; Chs. 2-6.
3. Plagues; Chs. 7-11.
4. Passover and departure; Chs. 12-13.

11. ISRAEL FROM EGYPT TO SINAI; Chs. 13-18 (13~17

-18~27).
1. Deliverance at the Red Sea; (13:17-1521).
2. Journey to Sinai; (1522-Ch. 17).
-/
3. Visit of Jethro; Ch. 18.

111. ISRAEL AT SINAI; Chs. 19-40.

4
 NAMES AND OUTLINE OF EXODUS

I. Law (covenant) given; Chs. 19-24,

2, Tabernacle instructions; Chs. 25-31,
3, Rebellion and renewal (golden calf); Chs. 32-34,
4, Tabernacle construction; Chs, 35-40,

We can outline Exodus according to the EXPERIENCES

shared by God’s people Israel. Exodus itself emphasizes the
theme of God’s doings with His PEOPLE, (Note 3:7; 5:l;
6:7; 7:4; 1513; 19:5, 6.)
I. GOD’S PEOPLE DELIVERED; Chs. 1-13 (1:1-13:16)
11. GOD’S PEOPLE LED; Chs. 13-18 (13:17-18:27)
111. GOD’S PEOPLE MADE A COVENANT NATION;
Chs. 19-24.
IV. GOD’S PEOPLE RECEIVE TABERNACLE INSTRUC-
TIONS; Chs. 25-31.
V , GOD’S PEOPLE SIN (golden calf’); Chs. 32-34.
VI. GOD’S PEOPLE CONSTRUCT THE TABERNACLE;
Chs. 35-40.

Detailed OUTLINEof EXODUS

I. GOD’S PEOPLE DELIVERED; 1:1-13:16.
1, Jacob’s family in Egypt; 1:1-7.
2, Afflictions upon the children of ISrael; 1:8-22.
a. Labor; 1:8-14.
b. Genocide; 1:15-22.
3. Early life of Moses; 2:l-25.
a. Birth and adoption; 2: 1-10,
b. Rejection and flight; 2:ll-15.
c. Moses in Midian; 2:16-22.
d. God’s knowledge of Israel; 2:23-25.
4. Call of Moses; 3:l-4:17.
a, The burning bush; 3: 1-6,
b. God’s commission to Moses; 3:7-10.
5
 EXPLORING EXODUS

c. Objections by Moses; 3:ll-4:17.

(1) “Who am I?” 3:11, 12.
(2) “What is thy name?” 3:13-22.
(3) “They will not believe.” 4:l-9.
(4) “I am not eloquent.” 4:lO-12.
(5) “Send someone else.” 4:13-17.
5. Moses’ return; 4:18-31,
a. Obedience tested during return; 4:18-26.
b. First meeting with Israel; 4:27-31.
6. Confrontation with Pharaoh; 51-1l:lO.
a. Failure of first request; 51-5.
(1) Pharaoh refuses; 51-5.
(2) Burdens increased; 56-14.
(3) Israelites’ appeal rejected; 5:15-21.
(4) Moses’ remonstrance and the Lord’s reply; 522-
6:l.
b. Prelude to successful action; 6:27:13.
(1)Reassurance for the people; 6:2-9.
(2) Command to return to Pharaoh; 6:lO-13.
(3) Review of fathers’ genealogies; 6: 14-27.
(4) Commission to Moses renewed; 6:28-7:7.
(5) Second meeting with Pharaoh (rods to serpents);
7~8-13.
c. Plagues; 7:14-1l:lO.
(1) River to blood; 7:14-24.
(2) Frogs; 8:l-15.
(3) Lice (gnats); 8:16-19.
(4) Swarms (flies); 8:20-32.
(5) Death of animals; 9:l-7,
(6)Boils; 9:8-12.
(7)Hail; 9:13-35.
(8) Locusts; 10:21-29.
(9) Darkness; 10:21-29.
7. Passover; 1l:l-12:33.
a. Warning of the last plague; 1l:l-10.
b. Instructions for the passover in Eygpt; 12:l-13.
c. Direction for Passover in future; 12:14-20.
6
 NAMES AND OUTLINE OF EXODUS

d. The passover kept; 12:21-28.

e, Death of firstborn; 12:29-33.
8. The departure (exodus); 12:34-42.
9, Three final directives; 12:43-13:16.
a. Who may eat the Passover; 12:43-50.
b. Keep the ordinance of unleavened bread; 13:3-10.
c. Sanctify the firstborn; 1251-13:2, 11-16,
11, GOD’SPEOPLE LED: 13117-18:27.
1. The route of the journey; 13:17-22.
2, Victory at the Red Sea; 14:l--1521.
a. Encampment by the sea; 14:l-4.
b. Pursuit by the Egyptians; 145-9.
c. Fear and reassurance; 14:lO-14.
d. The Lord’s exhortation; 14:15-18.
e. The angel’s protection; 14:19,20.
f. Deliverance across the sea; 14:21,22.
-g. Destruction of the Egyptians; 14:23-31.
h. Song of triumph; 151-21.
(1)By Moses and Israel; 151-19,
(2)By Miriam; 1520,21.
3. Experiences in the journey; 1522-1&:27.
a. Bitter waters (Marah); 1522-26.
b, Springs of Elim; 1527.
c. Food (manna) provided; 16:l-36.
(1)Murmuring; 16:l-3.
(2)God’s promise; 16:4-12.
(3) Quails sent; 16:13.
(4)Manna given; 16:14-21.
(5)Manna and Sabbath; 16:22-30.
(6)Memorial of the manna; 16:31-36.
d. Waters of Meribah; 17:1-7.
e. War with Amalek; 17:8-16.
f. Visit of Jethro; 18:l-27.
(1) Reunion with family; 18:l-12.
(2)Jethro’s advice to appoint judges; 18:13-27.

7
 EXPLORING EXODUS,

111. GOD’S PEOPLE MADE A COVENANT NATION;

Chs. 19-24.
1. Preparations for the covenant; 19:1-25.
a. Instructions to the people; 19:l-15.
b. Coming of the Lord upon Mt. Sinai; 19:16-25.
2. The Ten Words; 2O:ll-17.
3. The book of the covenant (rules for the covenant people);
20: 18-23~33.
a. Ritual regulations; 20:18-26.
b. The covenant ordinances; 21:l-23:19.
(1)The Hebrew slave; 2l:l-11.
(2) Capital offenses; 21:12-17.
(3) Injuries and non-capital offenses; 21: 18-32.
(4) Property rights; 21:33-22:17.
(5) More capital offenses; 22: 18-20.
(6) Care for the poor and needy; 22:21-27.
(7) Reverence to God and rulers; 2228-31.
(8) Justice and goodness to all; 23:l-9.
(9) The sacred seasons; 23:lO-19.
c. Promises about conquering the land; 23:20-33.
4. The covenant ratified; 24:l-18.
a. Call to worship; 24:1, 2.
b. Covenant sealed with blood; 24:3-8.
c. Leaders eat with God;24:9-11.
d. Moses called onto the mount; 24:12-18.
IV. GODS PEOPLE RECEIVE TABERNACLE INSTRUC-
TIONS; Chs. 25-31.
1. An offering to be taken; 251-9.
2. Ark and mercy-seat; 2510-22.
3. Table of showbread; 2523-30.
4. The menorah (lampstand); 2531-40.
5. Tabernacle curtains; 26:l-14.
6. Tabernacle boards (26:lS-25) and bars (26:26-30).
7. Veil (26:31-35) and screen (26:36, 37).
8. The altar of burnt-offering; 27:l-8.
9. Court; 27:9-19.

8
 NAMES AND OUTLINE OF EXODUS

10. Oil for lamp; 27:20, 21.

11, Garments of priests; 28: 1-43.
a. First directions; 28:l-5.
b, Ephod; 28:6-14.
c, Breastplate; 28:15-30.
d. Robe of ephod; 28:31-35.
e. Golden plate; 28:36-38.
f, Coat; 28:39.
g. Coats, girdles, turbans; 28:40,41.
h. Linen breeches; 28:42,43.
12, Consecration of priests; 29:l-37.
13, The continual burnt-offering; 29:38-46.
14, Altar of incense; 2O:l-10.
15. Atonement money with censuses; 30:11.16.
16, Laver; 30:17-21.
17. Anointing oil (30:22-33) and incense (30:34-38).
18. Tabernacle workmen; 31:l-11.
19. The Sabbath; 31:12-17.
IV. GOD’S PEOPLE SIN BUT ARE RENEWED; Chs. 32-34.
1. Sin; 31:18-32:29.
a. Calf made and worshipped; 31:18-32:6.
b. God’s anger and Moses’ prayer; 32:7-14.
c. Moses’ anger; 32:15-20.
d. Moses and Aaron; 32:21-24.
e. Three thousand slain; 32:25-29.
2. God and Israel in tension; 32:30-33:23.
a. Moses’ prayer for forgiveness; 32:30-35.
b. Jehovah withdraws His presence; 33:l-6.
c. Jehovah and Moses; 33:7-11.
d. Moses prays; 33:12-17.
(1) For God’s acceptance of the nation; 33:12-17.
(2) To see God’s glory; 33:18-23.
3. Renewal of covenant; 34:l-353.
a. New tablets; 34:l-4.
b. God proclaims Himself; 345-9.
c. Terms of the covenant; 34:lO-353,

9
 E X P L O R I N G EXODUS

V . GOD'S PEOPLE CONSTRUCT THE TABERNACLE;

35:4-40:38.
1. Call for offering of materials; 35:4-8,
2. Call for workmen; 3510-19.
3. Abundant offering; 3520.29.
4. Workmen commissioned; 3530-36:7.
5. Curtains made; 36:8-19.
6. Boards (36:27-30) and bars (36:31-34) made.
7. Veil (36:35, 36) and screen (36:37, 38) made.
8. Ark and mercy-seat made; 37:l-9.
9. Table made; 37:lO-16.
10. Menorah (lampstand) made; 37:17-23.
11. Altar of incense made; 37:25-29.
12. Altar of burnt-offering made; 38: 1-7.
13. Laver made; 38:8.
14. Court made; 38:9-20.
15. Sum of materials used; 38:21-31.
16. Priests' garments made; 39:l-31.
17. Work finished and presented to Moses; 39:32-43.
18. Erection of tabernacle; 40: 1-33.
I

a. Directions from God; 4O:l-15.

b. Rearing up the tabernacle; 40:16-33.
19. Glory cloud fills the tabernacle; h0:34-38.
1

lo
 WHO WROTE EXODUS?

INTRODUCTORY SECTIONIV

WHO WROTE EXODUS?

We believe that Moses was the author of the entire book,
except for possibly a few lines that may have been added by
Joshua or someone else living shortly after Moses’ time. (Note
Ex, 16:35.)
I, EVIDENCE THAT MOSES WAS THE AUTHOR OF
EXODUS:
A. Testimony in the book itself,
1, Ex. 17:8-16 (the story of the attack by Amalek) is
said to have been written by Moses. See 17:14.
2, Ex, 20:22-23:32 (the book of covenant ordinances)
is said to have been written by Moses. See 24:4.
3, Ex. 34:lO-26 (the ordinances of the renewed cove-
nant) was written by Moses. See 34:27.
4. Numbers 33:2 says that “Moses wrote their (Israel’s)
going out according to their journeys by the com-
mandment of Jehovah.” While this may apply
primarily to the brief record in Num. 33, it may also
apply to the record of their journey in Ex. 12-19.
5. From these passages, which are the only ones specif-
ically ascribed to Moses in the book, we can project
(extrapolate) Mosaic authorship to the entire book,
because the book is a unit and tells a continuous
story.
E. Testimony in other parts of the Old Testament.
1. Joshua 8:31--”As it is written in the book of the law
of Moses,” (referring to Ex. 20:25).
2. Joshua 8:32-“He wrote there upon the stones a
copy of the law of Moses.”
3. Joshua 23:6-“Do ail that is written in the book of
the law of Moses.”
4. Judges 3:4--“which he commanded their father by
(Heb,, by the hand 00 Moses.”
11
 EXPLORING EXODUS

5. I Kings 2:3-"Keep his testimonies, as it is written

in the law of Moses."
6. I Kings 856-"which he promised by (Heb., by the
hand of) Moses."
7. I1 Chron. 25:4-"As it is written in t h e h w in the
books of Moses."
8. I1 Chron. 35:6-''According to the word of the Lord
by (Heb., by the hand of) Moses" (concerning the
Passover).
9. Ezra 6:18-"As it is written in the book of Moses."
10. Nehemiah 10:29-"which was given by Moses"
(Heb., by the hand of Moses).
11. Malachi 4:4-"Remember ye the law of Moses my
servant."
C. Testimony of the New Testament.
1. Mark 7:10-"Moses said, Honor thy father and
mother ."
2. Mark 12:26-"Have ye not read in the book of
Moses?" (referring to Ex. 3:6)
3. Luke 24:44-"A11 things ... which are written in
the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms,
concerning me." (By these expressions Jesus referred
to the entire Old Testament.)
4. Johh l:17-"The law was given through Moses."
5. John 5 4 6 , 47-''For if ye believed Moses, ye would
believe me (Jesus); for he wrote of me. But if ye be-
lieve not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"
6. Compare also these passages, which attribute other
parts of the Pentateuch to Moses: Matt. 8:4; 19:7;
22:24; Mark 1:44; Luke 2:22; 16:29; 20:28; John
7:19; Acts 3:22; 26:22; Romans 105, 19; I Cor. 9:9.
D. Testimony of ancient Jewish writers.
1. From the Jewish Talmudic tract Baba Bathra, 14b-
15a:
"Who wrote the Scriptures? - Moses wrote his
own book and the portion of Balaam and Job. Joshua
wrote the book which bears his name and [the last]
12
 WHO WROTE EXODUS?

eight verses of the Pentateuch.” (The Talmud was

put into writing in the second and third centuries
after Christ.)
2. From the Jewish Talmudic tract Aboth (Fathers),
chap. I:
“MISHNAH: 1. Moses received the Torah at Sinai
and transmitted it to Joshua.” The commentary
(Gemara) on the term “Torah” says, “Scripture and
its complementary Oral Instruction, with special
reference to the latter.”
3. Josephus, Against Apion, 1,8.
(Of our books) “five belong to Moses, which con-
tain his laws and the traditions of the origin of man-
kind till his death.” (Josephus wrote about 80 A.D.)
The view that Moses was author of Exodus was the un-
animous view of Bible writers and the ancient Jews. So strong
and consistent was this testimony that even those who do not
accept Moses as the author of the whole book will credit him
as being the author of parts.
There were very few men living in ancient times who had the
knowledge, the training, the literary skill, the time, and the
motivation to write such a marvelous book as Exodus. As a
participant and eye-witness of the events, Moses had the
necessary knowledge. Having been educated in all the wisdom
of Egypt, he had adequate training and literary skill. Because
he was with Israel for forty years during the wilderness wander-
ings, he had abundant time to write. Being a man fully dedicated
to God and to the people of God, he had the motivation neces-
sary for the big task of writing this book and also the other
books of the Pentateuch. Most important of all, the Spirit of
God motivated him and assisted him. How many other men of
ancient times (or modern either!) possessed this combination of
qualities needed by any author of a book like Exodus?

13
 E X P L O R I N G E X O D U S

11. CRITICAL’ THEORIES ABOUT THE AUTHORSHIP

OF EXODUS:
1. Martin Noth expresses the view of the majority of Old
Testament “critics” in the following statement:
The intensive work on the Pentateuch which has
been carried on by scholars for many generations
has shown that the completed Pentateuch. as it
now stands in the Old Testament, cannot be ex-
plained as the work of one “author” and that the
attribution of the Pentateuch to Moses as author,
of which we find traces only after the Old Testa-
ment period, does not hold true.7
2. Those who reject the Mosaic authorship of Exodus and
the rest of the Pentateuch maintain that at first the
stories and other parts of these books were stories about
imaginary people and events, which were
ed orally over a long period.’
3. These oral (word-of-mouth) traditions were “shaped by
usage in worship centers throughout the era of conquest
~ and settlement.”‘
Supposedly the oral traditions clustered themselves
., . into collections of traditions at different places-
Shecheni, Jerusalem, Hebron Gilgal, or other piaces,
so that in time different sections of what we now have
in Exodus were chiefly known primarily in specific
areas. Thus (according to the theory) there developed a

‘The term “critical” has unfortunately come to have a bad connotation to many
people. The term is derived from the Greek word meaning ”to judge.” All students
of the Bible must form some judgments concerning the Biblical text; so in a way all
Bible students are ”critics.” However, so many Biblical “critics” have expressed skep-
tical, negative, views about the Bible, that the very expression “Bible critic” has be-
come synonomous to many with ”destructive critic.”
’Martin Noth, Exodus (Phila.: Westminster, 1962), p. 12.
’Roy L. Honeycutt, Jr., Exodus, in Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 (Nash-
ville: Broadman, 1969), p. 308. (This particular edition of the B m d m a n Bible Com-
mentary was withdrawn from publication and sale by the Southern Baptist Convention
because of the “liberalism” expressed by eertain of its authors.)
‘Honeycutt, ibid.

14
 W H O WROTE EXODUS?

body of traditions at one place about the exodus event;

at another place a group of traditions about the wilder-
ness wanderings; at yet another area a collection of
traditions about the Sinai events, The sections about
the covenant (Ex. 20-23) and the tabernacle (25-31,
35-40) were also independently circulated.
4. The first “author” who wrote some of the traditions
down is commonly called “J.” “The ‘lahwist,’ Le. the
author of this particular narrative stratum in the Penta-
teuch, is probably to be dated in the time of David or
Solomon.”6 He is thought to have lived in the southern
kingdom (Judah). Sections of Exodus attributed to J in-
clude 1:8-12; 4:l-16; and many others,
5. The next “author” is called “E,” (because he used the
Hebrews name ‘elohim for God,rather than Jehovah).
He is usually placed after J in time, and located in the
northern kingdom. “The question whether J or E is the
earlier is disputed; E is usually take
ancient, but this cannot be proved for certain.”’
6. Some time near the fal! of the northern kingdom the
writings of J and E were combined into a single work,
often called JE.
7 , Skeptical critics assume that the book of Deuteronomy
was written during the latter years of the kingdom of
Judah. It is often associated with the reformation of
Josiah in 621 B.C., although many now date it back to
the time of Hezekiah (about 700 B.C.) The “Deuteron-
omistic” writers supposedly also added many moralistic
insertions into other books (Judges, Kings, Exodus,
etc.). The initial “D” is often applied to the Deuteron-
omistic author(s).
8. During or after the Babylonian exile (586-536 B.C.)
priestly writers added a great amount of written material

’Ibrd., pp. 309-311.

“oth, op. cit., p , 14.
’Noth, op. cit., p. 15.

15
 EXPLORING EXODUS

to the JE and D material that came to them. The

priestly writers specialized in ceremonial and ritualistic
writings, in statistics, genealogies, and introductory
expressions (“these are the generations of . .”), Most .
of the book of Leviticus is attributed to P, as is the
material about the tabernacle and related matters in
Exodus. The priestly writers supposedly rewrote much
of the history which they found in JE to promote their
own priestly privileges and position.’
9. Some time after the Babylonian captivity JE, D, and
P were combined into what we now know as the
Pentateuch, or Torah. This leaves Moses out of the
picture.
10. These separate “sources” only exist in the minds of the
critics who believe in them. The oldest Bible manu-
e have betray no trace of J , E, D, or P.
ics who dissect the Old Testament into these
e up with quite the same analysis. They
greement, but when it comes to assigning
particular passages to particular sources, every critic
- has his own analysi~.~
2. We do not accept the “source” theories about the origin
of the Pentateuch. In our commentary we frequently
to the critics’ views of various passages. When these
are weighed, they are found to be unproven specula-
s based upon an unwillingness to accept the super-
tural inspiration of the Bible.
, For further study of the critical theories, see Mward
J. Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament
(Grand Rapids: Ekrdmans, ,1963); or Gleason L.
Archer, Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction

‘See Noth, op c i t . . p. 16.

9 F ~ examples
r of way that Exodus is divided up verse by verse (or in larger units)
and attributed to 1, E, or P , see S . R . Driver, An Introduction to the Literature of
rhe Old Testament (New York: Meridian, 1958), pp. 22-42; and W . 0 . E. Oesterly
and Theodore H . Robinson, An lntroduction to the Books o f t h e Old Testament (New
York: Meridian. 1958), pp. 36-37.

16
 W H O WROTE EXODUS?

(Chicago, Moody, 1964); or Merrill F. Unger, Intro-

ductory Guide to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1951).
If you desire to check some books favoring the source
(documentary) analysis of the Old Testament, see James I
King West, Introduction to the Old Testament (New
York: Macmillan, 1971), Martin Noth, Exodus (Phila-
delphia: Westminster, 1962); S. R. Driver, A n Intro-
duction to the Literature of the Old Testament (New
York: Meridian, reprinted 1958).

Head of Thutmose 111, king of Egypt Head of Amenhotep II,* king of Egypt
1502-1448 B.C. From his mummy at 1448-1422B.C. He was probablypharaoh
the Cairo museum. He was probably at the time of the exodus.
pharaoh of the oppression. (Ex. 1:lS;
2:15)
I

*From J. H. Breasted, A History o f E g ~ p t(New York: Scribner’s, 1924), p. 326.

17
 E X P I. 0 R I N G E X 0D U S

INTRODUCTORY
SECTIONV
THE DATE OF THE EXODUS
By the date of the “exodus” we are referring to the date of
Israel’s departure from Egypt, rather than the date of compo-
sition of the book of Exodus.
I. THE EARLY DATE FOR THE EXODUS--1446 B.C.
1. The exodus from Egypt occurred 480 years before the
start of Solomon’s temple, in the fourth year of king
Solomon. See I Kings 6:l. The reign of Solomon is
dated 970-931 B.C. by Edwin R. Thiele,’ and 961-922
by Wm. F. Albrighte2Using Thiele’s dates, Solomon’s
fourth year would be 966 B.C. Adding 480 years to this
1446 B.C. This figure could be a year or two
ending on whether a part of a year is to be re-
garded as a whole year when adding up the totals. But
the 1446 B,C. figure should be regarded as extremely
close to the date. It is the date adopted in this textbook.
2. According to Judges 11:26, three hundred years (which
s a round number) elapsed between Israel’s
the larid east of Jordan and the time of
hah. Between the time of Jephthah and the
reign of King David (1010-970 B.C.), several events
occurred: the judgeships of Samson, Eli, and Samuel,
and the reign of King Saul. The time span of these
events is somewhat uncertain, but it probably was sixty
to eighty years. If we start at 1010 B.C. (David’s reign),
and go back sixty (or more) years to Jephthah, and then
back 300 years to the conquest of the land east of
Jordan, and then back forty more years for the wilder-
ness wanderings, we have a total of 400 years, and are
back to 1410 B.C. This is quite close to the statistic in

'Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings (Grand Rapids: Eerdrnans. 1965), p . 55.
’The BiblicalPeriodjhm Abraham toEzra (New York: Harper, 19631, p . 53.

18
 THE DATE OF THE EXODUS

I Kings 6: 1,
If we date the exodus as late as 1290 B.C. (which
many do), there is simply not enough time between
1010 and the exodus for all the events to have occurred,
if we take the scriptural statistics literally at all,
3. The 1446 B.C, exodus date allows time for the events in
the period of judges. If we add up all the periods whose
lengths are given in the book of Judges, we get a total
of 410 years! All Bible students admit that there is some
overlapping in the periods. The scripture itself indicates
this. (See Judges 10:7; 1520.) If we adopt the early
date of the exodus, we find enough time for all of the
events in the period of judges, when we have allowed
for some overlapping. If we date the exodus as late as
1290,so much overlapping and telescoping of time is
required that there is at least a fifty percent adjustment
needed!
4.Queen Hatshepsut (1501-1480 B.CJ3 ruled at the
correct time to be a possible candidate as the “daughter
of Pharaoh” who saved the baby Moses. If the exodus
was in 1446 B.C., Moses was born in 1526 B.C., eighty
years before. Hatshepsut would then have been a youth-
ful “daughter of Pharaoh,” not yet queen. We feel that
she was the woman referred to, but there is no way to
be certain.
5. Thutmose 111(1502-1448B.C.) fits well as the Pharaoh
of the oppression.
a. He came to power very near the time when Moses fled
to Midian (about 1486 B.C.). Thutmose I11 was both
step-son and son-in-law of Hatshepsut, and was a
bitter rival to her during the latter part of her reign.
He made seventeen military campaigns into Canaan
and Syria.

W i n g the dates of Siegfried J, Schwantes, A Short History of the Ancient Near

East (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1965). His dates are used for all the Egyptian kings
mentioned in this article.

19
~

/
 EXPLORING E X O D U S

b. His personality (militaristic and bragging) fits well as

the “pharaoh of the oppression.”
cb A model and a painting of slaves making bricks
comes from the time of his reign.‘ Compare Ex. 1:14.
d. He died shortly (one or two years) before Moses re-
turned to Egypt from Midian. See Ex. 4:19; 2:23.
6. Amenhotep I1 (1448-1422 B.C.) fits well the Pharaoh at
the time of the exodus.
a. The dates agree. Amenhotep I1 seems to have been
unable to carry out any invasions or extensive military
operations after his fifth year.s Perhaps this was
caused by the Red Sea disaster.
b. His personality fits well. He was strong, athletic, and
insufferably boastful.6 See pp. 132-133 in this book.
c. He was succeeded by a non-firstborn son, Thutmose
IV.’ All the firstborn of Egypt died at the passover
time.
d. The chief problem with adopting Amenhotep I1 as
pharaoh of the exodus is that Ex. 14:28, Psalm
136:15, and other passages seem to say that the
Pharaoh perished in the sea. This is a problem. See
notes on 14:28.
7 . The fact that there were eleven generations from Aaron
(Israel’s first high priest) to Zadok (a priest in the time of
king David, about IO00 B.C.) surely places the date of
Aaron (and therefore also the death of the exodus) back
as far as 1400 B.C. Even in the time available after that
date, there would have been hardly forty years available
for each generation. See I Chronicles 6:3-8.

‘Menill F. Unger, Archaeology and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1964), p . 122 (picture); D. J . Wisernan, Illustrationsjinm Biblical Archaeology (Grand
Rapids: Ferdmans, 1958), pp. 42, 44, 45.
’ G . L. Archer, IT., Survey of Old Testament Intro. (Chicago: Moody, 1965).
pp. 215, 217, 204-207.
‘Ancient Near Eastern Texts (Princeton Univ. Press, 1955), p, 244.
’Schwantes, op. cit.. p. 8 6 . G . L. Robinson, Bearing of Archaeology on the Old
Testament (New York: American Tract Society, 1944). p. 54.

20
 T H E DATE O F THE EXODUS

CHARTO F KINGSOF EGYPTIAN EIGHTEENTH DYNASTY

(Double lines indicate marriage.)

AMOSIS ( 1 5 7 0 - 1 5 4 5 )
(DIIOVIt OUT IIYKSOS)
I
AhlItNIIO'I'ISI' I ( 1 5 4 5 - 1 5 2 1 )

(:ON(:UI3INL~==Tl

C:ONC:U131N~=='l'i
(1524-1506)

iUTA4 OS Ii I I=IIATS I I L(PS U'I'

, I
I U'I'MOSIS I *====Ai IMOSII (DA U G I l'l'El<)
1
I
2 S O N S DlIJD
1
(1506-1501) ( 1501-14x0)

'1'11 UTMOSI: Ill===DA L J G I f'1'l:l<

( 1 5 0 2 - 1 44X)

A J $ ~ J ~ N I I O ' ~I1
~ I(~1I4' 4 8 - 1 + 2 2 )
I
'1.1 I U'I'hlOSI: IV ( 1 4 2 2 - 14 1 3 )
I
Ah! IJNI IO'I'IJI' 11 1 (14 13- 1 3 77)====QUI:I:N 'I'll'

N I J I I: 11'1'1'1'1 ===AM
I
liN I OTli
I P I V (A I< II E N A'I'ON )
I
'I'UTAN KI IAhlON====AN KI IBNSRNI'ATEN
(1358-1347)

lJ\'l< ( 1 349-1 3 4 5 )

"Observe that neither Thutmose I, nor Thutmose 11, nor

Thutmose I11 actually had royal blood, but their wives and
I daughter did.

21
 E X P L O R I N G EXODUS

8. The fact that Israel could subdue almost all the land east of
the Jordan river in only two battles (at Jahaz and Edrei;
Num. 21:23, 24) shows that this area was sparsely popu-
lated at the time near the exodus. Archaeological surveys
have shown that this was the case between 1850-1300
B.C.,* which would include the time forty years after
the exodus. After 1300 B.C. it became more heavily popu-
lated. (It is incorrect to allege, however, that this area had
NO settled population before 1300 B.C. See p. 27.)
9. The Amarna letters (clay tablets sent from kings in
Canaan to the Egyptian kings around 1400-1375 B.C.)
tell of great alarm in Canaan because they were being
invaded. Among the invading peoples, they mention the
'Apiri (also spelled Habiri, Habiru, 'Apiru, Hapiri,
Khapiri). This name may very well refer to the He-
b r e w ~ If
. ~ the 'Apiru invasion was, even in part, the
Hebrew invasion, then we would need to date the exodus
some forty-five or fifty years before the Amarna letters,
which would give us a date quite close to 1446 B.C.
It is remarkable that among all the letters sent to the
Egyptian king Akhenaton (at Amarna), there are no
letters from Jericho, Shiloh, Mizpah, Gibeon, Hazor,
or Shechem. These places had probably either been
conquered already by the Habiri (as the Bible indicates),
or had already allied themselves with them.1°
One of the Amarna letters from the Egyptian envoy
in north Palestine contains this note to the reigning
Pharaoh: "Let my lord the king recall what Huzor and
its king have already had to endure."" Hazor was one
of the cities destroyed by Joshua. (Joshua 11:lO-13)
'Nelson Glueck, Rivers in the Desert (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Cudahy,
1959), pp. 10, 1 1 .
'Wm. F. Albright. From the Stone Age to Christianity (Garden City, New York:
Anchor, 1957). p. 240, says that the name Hebrew may "perfectly well reflect an
adjectival form 'Apiru."
"G. L. Robinson, op. cit., p. 58. John Garstang and J . B. E. Garstang. The Story
ofJen'cho (London: Marshall, Morgan, and Scott, 1948), p . 126.
"Sir Charles Marston, The Bible is True (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1937),
p. 145.
22
 EXPLORING E X O D U S

The king of Megiddo wrote one of the “Amarna

letters,” saying that he was being attacked by one
Lab’ayu, ruler of Shechem. He asks for reinforcements,
Lab’ayu also wrote, protesting his innocence, Lab’ayu
is said (by his enemies) to have turned Shechem over to
the ’Apriu.I2This may explain how the Israelites could
conduct their big mass meeting at Mt. Ebal and Mt.
Gerezim without interference from the Canaanites,
The identification of the Habiri of the Amarna letters
has caused much controversy. Some say they were the
Hebrews. But the Habiri spoken of seem to have been a
much more inclusive group of people than just the
Hebrews, although the Hebrews were probably regarded
as Habiri by the Canaanites. Consult the Biblical
Archaeologist, Feb. 1960, for a detailed discussion.
See also G. E. Wright, Biblical Archaeology (Phila.:
Westminster, 1962)’ p. 75.
10. A destruction layer at Hazor in nothern Israel is dated
about 1400 B.C. (close of the Late Bronze I period).
This is probably the debris of the destruction referred
to in Joshua 11:11, 13. This would fit very well with the
1446 exodus date.I3
At Hazor there are three destruction layers on the
plateau (or enclosure) below the tell (acropolis). One is
the 1400 B.C. destruction, The next above it is from
the end of Late Bronze I1 A, and is probably the de-
struction by the Egyptian king Seti I, 1318 B.C. The
third is LB I1 B (1300-1260/30 B.C.), and is possibly
the destruction debris caused by the battle of Deborah
and Barak (Judges 4:2, 24).

“Chas. F. Pfeiffer, Tell E/ Ainarna and the Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1963),
p, 50. Biblical Archaeologisf, Feb. 1960, p. 19. G . E. Wright, Shechem (New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1964), p, 18,
”Bibliotheca Sacra #129 (1972), pp. 42-46; (Reprinted in the Bulletin of the Near
East Archaeological Society, #2, 1972, pp. 8-17). See Yigael Yadin (and others),
Hazor I1 (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1960), plate CXVl for many illustrations of LB
1 pottery from Hazor. See also Hazor III-IV, plates CCXL-CCLIII for similar material.

23
 E X P L O R I N G E X O D U S

11. The discovery of a jar handle bearing three very ancient

Hebrew letters (found at the ruins of Raddana, a site
about ten miles north of Jerusalem) has led Dr. Y.
Aharoni of Tel Aviv University to date the Hebrew
occupation of this site as no later than 1300 B.C." The
letters resemble the Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions found in
the Mt. Sinai area, and dated approximately 1500 B.C.
If the Hebrews were at Raddana in 1300 B.C., this
forces the exodus back to near 1400 (counting the years
of wandering, the years of conquest, and the occupa-
tion during the period of judges). This is much nearer
to the 1446 date we have proposed than it is to other
suggested later dates.
The excavators of Raddana, Dr. Joseph Callaway and
Dr. Robert E. Cooley, do not concur with Aharoni's
conclusion, and maintain that the site of Raddana was
first occupied about 1200 B.C., and that it was probably
occupied by non-Israelites, who had a sophisticated ar-
chitecture that was destroyed and later crudely rebuilt
by Israelite invaders about 1100 B.C. (Information from
personal correspondence with Robert E. Cooley.)
The Biblical information gives a rather definite date
for the exodus. The archaeological data, though valu-
able, seems incomplete, inconclusive, and contradictory.

11. THE LATE DATE FOR THE EXODUS- 1290 B.C.

1. Because of some conclusions from archaeology, most
scholars do not accept the 1446 B.C. date that we have
proposed for the exodus. Most date it around 1290 B.C."

"Y. Aharoni, "Khirbet Raddana and its Inscription." Iswel Exploration Journul
#21, pp. 130-135.
"Many of the arguments for a late date or against the early date can be read in
J . A . Thompson, The Bible and Archueologj (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 1962), pp. 55-
63; lack Finegan, Lightfiom the Ancient Pust (Princeton Univ. Press, 1974). pp. 117-
121; K . A. Kitchen, Ancient Orient and the Old Testament (Chicago: Inter-Varsity,
1966). pp. 52-72. Rebuttals to most of their arguments can be found in Gleason Archer,
J r . , A Survey 41' Old Testurnenf Introduction (Chicago: Moody, 1965), pp. 214-223.
24
 THE DATE O F T H E EXODUS

Some, like Joseph Callaway, have proposed dates as

low as 1100 B.C.
2. Those dating the exodus late generally regard the great
notorious king Raamses I1 (1301-1234) of the Egyptian
nineteenth dynasty as the pharaoh of the oppression,
and his sonMerneptah (1234-1220B.C.) as the pharaoh
of the exodus. Others regard Seti I (1317-1301 B,C,) as
the pharaoh of the oppression and Raamses I1 as the
pharaoh of the exodus.
We feel that the very lack of certainty and unanimity
among advocates of the later dates shows the weakness
of the view.
Merneptah in his fifth year of reign prepared a stele
(an upright inscribed stone monument), which con-
tains boastings about his victories (real or unreal). In
this stele he mentions Israel. (It is the only such stele
known that actually names Israel. He writes (in part) ...
Carried off is Ashkelon; seized upon is Gezer;
Yanoam is made as that which does not exist;
Israel is laid waste, his seed is not. l 6
If Israel was in its land, and had suffered a raid by
Merneptah in his fifth year (1230 B.C.),the exodus
could not have been later than about 1280.’’
3, One of the principal arguments for the later date of the
exodus is the mention of Raamses in Ex. 1:ll. This
name of a city is thought to link the exodus to Raamses
11, rather than to the XVIII dynasty kings like Thutmose
111. Some authors have asserted that the name Raamses

16FromAncient Near Emtern Texts (translation by John A. Wilson) (Princeton Univ.

Press, 19551, p. 378.
“Some recent scholars have held that the word on the Merneytah stele usually
translated “Israel” may not actually mean Israel, but refers to a town, possibly “Jez-
reel.” If so, then the Merneptah stele would not by itself prove Israel as a nation was
settled in the land by that time. J. H. Hertz, Pentateuch and Haftomhs (London:
Soncino, 19691,p. 395.
I8Finegan, op. cit., pp. 118, 119.

25
 E X P L O R I N G EXODUS

just does not appear before the nineteenth dynasty of

Egypt.
Admitted: We have no definite proof outside the
Bible that the city which was called Raamses or Per-
Raamses, or any other city in the area, was called by
that name before the nineteenth dynasty. It was the
royal residence city in the Egyptian delta during the
XIX and XX dynasties, when eleven kings wore the
name of Raamses.
Nonetheless, we now know that the name Raamses
was certainly used before the XIX dynasty, and there is
no conclusive proof that it was not used as a city name
then, as the Bible says it was. Pierre Montet says that
the founder of the XIX dynasty, Raamses I, belonged
to a family of the eastern delta, where for generations
all the men had been called Seti or Raamses.19 Gleason
L. Archer, Jr. documents the appearance of the name
Raamses (with the slightly variant spelling Ramose) as
the name of a nobleman during the XVIII dynasty
(time of Amenhotep III).20 Also Donovan Courville
gives the Sothis list of the kings of Egypt, which lists at
least six kings that preceded the Hyksos who had the
3 , name Raamses in various forms. 2 1
Genesis 47:11 says that the Israelites settled "in the
land of Rameses" during the time of Jacob. The use of
the name Rameses here might be a later name applied to
t * the site before it was actually called that. But it could
very possibly indicate that the area was called by that
name way back in the time of Jacob, about 1875 B.C.
A problem for those who assume that Ex. 1:11 refers
to a city called Raamses existing in the time of Raamses
I1 is that Raamses I1 did his building right in Wadi
Tumilat (Goshen), where the Israelites lived. But the

"Lives oj'the Pharaohs (Cleveland: World, 1968), p. 164.

'OMirneographed article, Dec. 1973.
"The Exodus Problem, Vol. I (Lorna Linda: Challenge, 1971). pp. 118.122.

26
 THE RATE OF THE EXODUS

Egyptians and the Israelites were not mixed together.12

4$ Another argument for the late date is the view that
there were NO settled habitations east of Jordan in
Moab, Ammon, Edom, or Gilead in the fourteenth
century. Therefore the exodus could not have occurred
near then, because the Bible relates that the Israelites
encountered these peoples.23
As stated in this article (I, 7 ) , there were indeed
very few residents east of Jordan in Moses' time. But
the discovery of a small temple at Amman, Jordan,
and large family tombs at Amman and Naur,I4 dated
before 1400 B.C., shows that the area did have a
population in the time of Moses, as the Bible indicates.
5, An argument against the early (1446 B.C.) date is
that the capital of Egypt during the XVIII dynasty
was at Thebes, and not up in the delta. Thutmose 111
did not build buildings in the delta area, where Israel
lived, and therefore he could not be the pharaoh of
the o p p r e s s i ~ n . ~ ~
Rebuttal: Though the capital was indeed at Thebes
far to the south, Thutmose I11 calls himself Lord of
Heliopolis (which was in the delta). His son Arnenhotep
I1 was born at Memphis, near the delta. Thutmose I11
erected two granite obelisks at Heliopolis.26It is hardly
conceivable that the densely populated delta region
would not be developed by the XVIII kings, since it
was the gateway to their conquests in Canaan and Syria.
6. A frequently-used argument for the late exodus date
is that the remains of Palestinian cities-Lachish,
Debir, Jericho, Hazor, Ai-prove that the conquest

>'Archer, op. cit., pp. 218-219,

"Nelson Glueck, River Jordan (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), pp. 41, 101, 102,
104,
I4G. Lankaster Harding, The Antiquities ofJordan (New York: Crowell, 1959), p. 17.
See also Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, p. 167.
I'Finegan, op. cit., p. 118.
"Archer, op. cit., p. 215.
27
 EXPLORING EX O D U S

was later than 1400 B.C., and hence the exodus was
later than 1446.27
a. Lachish was apparently destroyed about 1230 B.C.
But this was not the work of Joshua, who destroyed
the inhabitants of Lachish, but not the city itself.
(Joshua 10:31, 32; 11:13). The 1230 destruction may
be the work of Merneptah.28
b , Debir. Tell Beit Mirsim, SW of Hebron, was former-
ly thought to be the site of Debir. It was destroyed
about 1220 B.C. This could have been the result of
Merneptah's raid, but was certainly not part of the
Israelite conquest referred to in Josh. 10:38, 39 and
Judges 1:ll-13. No destruction of the site ac-
companied the Israelite slaughter of the inhabitants.
More recent researches have quite convincingly
indicated that Tell Beit Mirsim was not the
ancient site of Debir. More likely Debir was the site
now known as Tell Rabud, five miles south of
Hebron.
C. Jen'cho. The excavations of John Garstang at Jericho
(1930-36) seemingly proved that City IV of Jericho
was destroyed about 1400 B.C., which would confirm
the Biblical exodus date. Double walls were found
fallen, and these were thought to be the walls that
fell in Joshua's time. However, subsequent excava-
tions by Kathleen Kenyon indicate that the walls
Garstang thought fell in 1400 B.C. were actually
from the Early Bronze period five hundred years
earlier; and the two walls were themselves not even
contemporary.30 There is an obvious destruction and
burn layer at Jericho. This layer has usually been dated

"J. A. Thompson, op. cit., p. 59.

"Archer, op. cit., p. 220.
19A. F. Rainey, "The Location and History of Biblical Debir." Newsletter oj' the
Near East Archaeological Society, Winter 1974.
'"See Charles Pfeiffer, Biblical World (Grand Rapids: Baker, 19661, pp. 308, 309.
28
 THE DATE OF THE EXODUS

about 1580 B.C,, at the end of the Canaanite Middle Bronze

I1 period, and attribued to an Egyptian attack in Palestine
following the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt. But the
evidence that the Egyptians destroyed Jericho or other
Palestinian cities then is very weak. More probably the
Middle Bronze culture in Palestine continued until Joshua
conquered Canaan about 1400 B.C. The walls of Jericho
that Joshua destroyed have probably been visible all along,
but the remains have been dated wrongly.31
d. Hazor. The excavators of Hazor have maintained
that the destruction layer there dated after 1300
was that of the Israelite conquest.32 This is an un-
necessary conclusion, because there is at Hazor
another destruction layer dated about 1400. (See
p. 23.)
e. Ai. Excavations have been made at a large mound
named Et-Tell located twelve miles north of Jeru-
salem since 1933 because this has generally been
regarded as the location of Ai. But no remains have
been found there that can be dated between 2300
and 1200 B.C.
At any place where people have ever lived in
Palestine broken pieces of pottery can be found
and dated by their forms. If Et Tell is the location
of Ai, why are there no remains there datable to
near 1400 B.C., when Joshua destroyed Ai?
The author of this book has been involved in
excavations at a small mound named Khirbet Nisya
ten miles north of Jerusalem. (The excavation
director is Mr. David Livingston.) Khirbet Nisya
lies on the east side of a high hill, just as the Bible
says Ai did (Gen. 12:8). There pottery from the
Canaanite period (Middle Bronze 11), Israelite
(Iron age), Persian, and other periods has been

3’ John Bimson, Redatitig the Exodus arid Conquest (Sheffield, England: Univ. of
Sheffield, 1981), pp. 110-132.
~

I
32 Y. Yadin, and others, Hazor I1 (Jerusalem, 1960), p. 165.
33 Joirrnnl of Biblical Literature, Sept. 1968, p. 314.

29
 EXPLORING EXODUS

found, the very periods in which the Bible indicates

Ai was inhabited. (Note Isa. 10:8; Ezra 2:28). No
remains from these periods have been found at Et-Tell.
We think Nisya will prove to be the true site of Ai,
and the historical precision of the Bible will be demon-
strated again.
7. Another objection is that the Habiri who captured(??)
Jerusalem about 1400 B.C., and who are named in
the Amarna letters, could not have been the Hebrews,
since the Hebrews did not capture J e r u ~ a l e m . ~ ~
Rebuttal: Neither the Amarna letters nor the Bible
declare that the Habiri I Hebrews captured Jerusalem,
but only that they threatened it.36The fear of the king
of Jerusalem, as indicated by Joshua 10: 1, 2, is similar
to that expressed by Abdi-Khepa, king of Jerusalem
in the Amarna letters.
8. Yet another objection to the early date is that Joseph
(son of Jacob) does not fit into the Hyksos period by
the early dating.3’
There is absolutely no proof that Joseph lived dur-
ing the Hyksos period. Joseph came into Egypt during
the Egytian Middle Kingddm (before the Hyksos),
and the later Hyksos kings dere probably persecutors
of the Israelites, not allies.38
9. Another argument against the 1446 B.C. exodus date
is that the 480 years in I Kings 6:1 cannot be regarded
as expressing the precisely literal chronology that we
Western-world people expect our statistics to express.39
Those holding this view allege that the authors of the

34 The Exodus Problem, Vol. 1 (Loma Linda: Challenge, 1971), pp. 70-73, 77.
35 Finegan, op. cit., p. 118.
36 Charles Pfeiffer, The Biblical World (Baker, 1966), p. 36.
37 Finegan, ibid.
38 Archer op. cit., 215, 204-207.
39 James Moyer, “Date of the Exodus” (Springfield, Mo.: Duplicated notes, 1974).

30
 THE DATE OF THE EXODUS

Old Testament generally dealt in “round” numbers.

For example, the “four hundred” years in Gen. 1513
refers to the same period described as 430 years in
Ex. 12:40. Also the numberforty occ’urs seven times in
the book of Judges (3:ll; 5 3 1 ; et al); the number
twenty appears three times (Judges 4:3; et al); eighty
appears once (Judges 3:30).
It is further argued that the Israelites did not keep
precise statistics up until the time of the monarchy
(about 1000 B.C.), and neither did her neighboring
nations.
The statistics and “generations” of the Old Testament
are said to show “schematization” very often. This term
means that in giving statistics and lists of names the
authors often gave some approximate number that
could be easily remembered or associated with another
similar group. Thus in the genealogy of Christ (Matt. l ) ,
the generations are schematized into three groups of
fourteen generations, although this required omission
of some known names.
By this argument the 480 years of I Kings 6:l could
be interpreted to mean twelve generations (or tribes) of
approximately forty years each, but it would not be the
precise number.
In reply to these arguments we observe that the
ancient Egyptians, as far back as 2500 B.C. were
meticulous record keepers. At least seven very long
genealogical lists are known, each spanning many
generation^.^^ One list covers about 600 years, and
another some 1300 years, naming sixty generations of
the family and at intervals giving the names of con-
temporary kings.
Inasmuch as Moses grew up in Egypt and was trained
in the ways of the Egyptians, it is reasonable to assume

‘OK.A. Kitchen, “Transmission of Family Records for Long Periods,’’ Tyndale

House Bulletin, April 1960, pp. 14-18.

31
 EXPLORING E X O D U S

that his approach to statistics and family records would

be like that of the Egyptians.
As for the use of round numbers, it simply is not
true that all Old Testament statistics are round num-
bers. Very many are obviously specific. For example,
Judges 3:8 gives “eight”; Judges 3:14 has “eighteen”;
Judges 6:l reads “seven.” Even the multiples of ten
may be the actual numbers, and not approximations.
We surely agree that the Old Testament gives some
round numbers; but it is wrong to assume that all
numbers are questionable because some are “round.”
Likewise, schematization may have been employed
in a few cases. But this is not adequate cause to assume
that it was used in every list of names or every statistic.
What may appear to us to have been schematized may
have been a reality.
For generations scholars had difficulty trying to
harmonize the numbers given in the books of Kings
concerning the years the various kings reigned. Many
gave it u p as hopeless. When Edwin R. Thiele began
his study of the numbers associated with the Hebrew
kings, he began with the assumption that the numbers
might be correct when they were understood as the
ancient people wrote them. 4 1 His investigations demon-
strated that the numbers were correct. It was our lack
of understanding of them that caused the problems.
We should look upon the statistics in the scriptures with
the same kind of respect that Jesus had for the scriptures
generally.

41 The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, pp. v-vii.

32
 ISRAEL’S ROUTE FROM EGYPT TO SINAI

INTRODUCTORY
SECTION
VI
ISRAEL’S ROUTE (JOURNEY) FROM EGYPT TO SINAI
SEE NUMBERS33:5-15; Ex. 12:38-19:l)

I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES guiding us in our attempt to trace

Israel’s route:
MANY uncertainties confront anyone who tries to trace
Israel’s route precisely. A check of commentaries and
atlases will show how extremely varied are the proposed
routes. Several principles have helped us to decide what
was their probable journey route.

1. All Scriptural information about Israel’s travels must be

accepted as accurate and final authority. Our Lord
Jesus said that the scriptures cannot be broken (John
10:35).
2. Israel’s journeys had to be through places where they
had LOTS of room. With 603,550 men (Num. 2:32)
and a probable total population of over two million,
their total encampment area would probably cover six
miles square (36 square miles). Even in this much area
there would be over 50,000 people in every square mile.
3, The natural geographic features of the Red Sea and the
Sinai peninsula are presently very similar to those that
existed in the time of Moses. The wadies2 between the
granite mountains of Sinai are in the same places that
they were long ago. The traffic routes in Moses’ day
passed through the same valleys that modern cara-
vans follow.
The Red Sea, or Sea of Reeds, occupied in Moses’

!J. W. McGarvey, Lands of the Bible (Nashville, Tenn.; Gospel Advocate, 1966),
pp, 346-347.
’A wadj~is a usually-dty brook-valley. They flow with water during the occasional
winter rains.
33
 EXPLORING EXODUS

time almost exactly the same bed it now occupies. There

is no indication that any neck of water once connected
the Bitter Lakes with the north tip of the Gulf of Suez.
Archaeologist Wm. F. Albright tells of finding an
archaeological site inhabited in the fifteenth century
B.C. (the very time of MOSES!) which lies only a little
I over a hundred meters from the Red Sea shore, and is
less than five meters above the present average Red
Sea level.3Obviously the shore line of the Red Sea is now
about where it has been for 3500 years. (See note, p. 43.)
4. We do not regard the encampments named in Num.
33:s- 15 as necessarily all being just one day’s journey
apart. In fact, we are told that it was a three days’ trip
from Pihahairoth to Marah, although this trip is
presented as just one stage (Num. 33:8). Probably the
“encampments” are only the more prominent locations
they passed through, or their longer stopover points.
11. SITES (or stages) IN ISRAEL‘S JOURNEY

1. From Rameses toSuccoth (Num. 33:s).

Most scholars now locate Rameses at Tanis in the
northeast Nile delta areaa4Another site that has been
proposed is at modern Qantir (“bridge”), which is
fifteen miles south of We have selected Qantir
as the site of Rameses on our map, because it is nearer
the Land of Goshen (Wadi Tumilat area), where Israel’s
main populaton lived, than Tanis is.
Succoth, meaning booths or temporary dwellings, is
probably thehill ruin named TellMaskhuta6near the east-
ern end of Goshen, about ten miles west of Lake Timsah.

”‘Exploring in Sinai with the Univ. of Calif. African Expedition,” Bulletin of the
American Schools of OrientalResearch, No. 109 (Feb. 1948), p. 15.
“‘Rameses,” Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible.
Ybid.
6G.Ernest Wright, EiblicolArchaeology (Phila.: Westminister, 1962), p. 61.

34
34A
I

34B
I I
34c
EXPLORING EXODUS

34D
 SINAI PENINSULA

Sinai Peninsula (satellite view). (Picture courtesy NASA)

34E
EXPLORING EXODUS

34F
MT. S I N A I

34G
 E X P L O R I N G E X O D U S

Shepherd before Mt. Sinai. (Matson photo)

34H
 ISRAEL’S ROUTE FROM EGYPT TO SINAI

2, From Succoth toEtham (Num. 33:6).

The site of Etham is not yet identified. Num. 33:s
says it is “in the edge of the wilderness.)’ We therefore
feel that to reach Etham, Israel must have travelled on
eastward a few miles beyond Lake Timsah (probably
passing just south of Timsah), going into the Sinai
peninsula just east of the present Suez canal. The fact
the Wilderness of Etham is the same area that is also
called the Wilderness of Shur (Num. 33:8; Ex. 1522))
and that we know that Shur lay just east of the delta of
Egypt in the Sinai wilderness, confirms our belief that
Etham was somewhere southeast of Lake Timsah.
3. FromEtham to Pihahairoth (Num. 33:7).
To reach Pihahairoth Israel had to “turn back.” (The
Hebrew verb may simply mean turn, as well as turn
back.) Many interpreters seem to overlook this com-
mand about turning.’
We feel that Israel travelled southward after they
entered into the Sinai desert, travelling along the east
side of the Bitter Lakes, toward4e Gulf of Suez. There
is hardly room along the west side of the Bitter Lakes
for a mass of people as great as Israel to have passed
through, because mount Shuberavith and mount
Ginefah lie only about three miles from the west shore
of the Bitter Lakes.
Having gone on south of the Bitter Lakes, Israel was
then instructed to “turn back and encamp before
Pihahairoth” (Ex.14:2). Since back to the Hebrews
often meant west, a turn to the west would fulfill this
command. A westward turn would bring them to the

Wright, op. cit., pp. 61-62, presents a map suggesting that Israel turned to the
north, and there crossed the southern tip of Lake Menzaleh, which he identifies as the
Reed Sea (Red Sea). This is much too far north for Israel to have reached Marah in three
days (Ex.1522-23). Wright idehtifies Marah with ’Ain Hawwarah, as we do also.
Wright’s map of Israel’s proposed travel route shows Israel travelling along the east
side of the Bitter Lakes, as does ours.

35
 EXPLORING EXODUS

northwest side of the Gulf of Suez tip.

Pihahairoth is said to have been between Migdol and
the sea, and before (east of?) Baal-zephon (Ex.14:2).
The name Migdol means tower. We suggest that the
tower may have been on one of the summits of Mt.
Atakah, just west of the Gulf of Suez tip only four or
five miles
Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible says that Pi-
hahairoth cannot now be identified with any known
town or city in the east delta region (emphasis ours). It
seems to us that the obvious reason for this is that
Pihahairoth was NOT in the Delta area, but at the north
tip of the Suez Gulf. The meaning of Pihahairoth is not
certain, but the Egyptologist A. H. Gardiner said that
it may mean the “house of Hathor.” Hathor was the
Egyptain cow-goddess, the “mother” principle of deity,
who provided nourishment for the soul in the other-
world.
Baal-zephon means Lord-ofthe-North. The name
seems to refer to a Canaanite idol in Egypt, or one of the
places which l%re its name. The location of Baal-zephon
is not k n ~ w n G.
. ~ E. Wright’O tells of a Phoenician
letter which associates a place called Baal-zephon with
Tahpanes (Jer. 43:7-9), also called Daphnae. This is
located between Lake Menzaleh and Lake Timsah.
Possibly one place called Baal-zephon was that far north
of the Gulf of Suez, but the Biblical Baal-zephon seems
to have been near the north tip of the Gulf of Suez, only
three days’ journey from Marah. See notes on 14:1, 2.
4. From Pihahairoth (Hahairoth) across the sea (Num.
33:8).

‘International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Vol. 111, p, 2936, says, “Migdol must
.”
be Ras ‘Atakah, or some other high point. . . We agree.
PBaal-zephonis placed by Josephus (Antiquities 11, xv, 1) on the Red Sea. We do not
know what his authority was for doing this, but we feel he was correct.
‘OOp. cit., p. 62.

36
 ISRAEL’S ROUTE FROM EGYPT TO SINAI

We are persuaded that Israel crossed the Red Sea, or

Sea of Reeds (Weeds), near the north tip of the Gulf
of Suez. See map. The distance across the sea there
would be about four miles, and the greatest water depth
about twenty feet. God may have blown the path dry
across the sea a mile wide, or even wider. Concerning
the problem of what sea is meant by the Red Sea, or
Reed Sea, see the following Introductory Section VII.
We feel that these are two names for the same body
of water.
An alternate spot on the Gulf of Suez where Israel
may have crossed lies about five miles south of our
proposed crossing point. Here they would enter the sea
from the sandy cape Adabiya. This is just south of the
“hump” on the west coast of the Gulf of Suez’ tip. This
cape has features that would make it an ideal crossing
place. The sea is about six and a half miles across at this
point, and has a gently sloping sand bottom both into it
and out of it on the east side. The greatest water depth
there is about thirty feet.”
However, it seems to us that the corridor to reach this
cape is too narrow for all the Israelites to have passed
through without requiring too much time and trouble.
There is less than one-half mile between the sea and the
steep slopes ofMt. Atakah to the west. This very narrow
level passage between sea and mountain would really
be a bottle-neck for Israel.
Near the place of Israel’s exit on the east side of the
sea are the ’Ayun Mum, the Springs of Moses. This
name was given long after Bible times to seven rather
insignificant springs. A few palms grow near the water,
which is brackish.12 The scripture does not mention
these springs.
5. From the sea toMuruh (Num. 33:8).

“This is the crossing-place proposed by J. W,McGarvey, op. cit., p. 441ff.

121nternatioiialStaridardBibleEncyclopedia, Vol. V., p, 3066.

37
 EXPLORING EXODUS

The way from the Springs of Moses to Marah is over

hard compacted sand, sprinkled with gravel and small
boulders. It took Israel three days to go from the Red
Sea to Marah (Ex. 15221, through the Wilderness of
Shur (also called Etham). It is about thirty-seven miles
from the Springs of Moses to Marah, which is generally
considered to be ’Ain Hawwarah, a spring now com-
pletely buried in sand. Only a cluster of date palms and
a damp spot nearby tell of its exi~tence.’~ The water is
still bitter. The spring Marah must have been much
greater in Moses’ time. (See notes on Ex. 1523.)
If the Red Sea crossing place were farther north than
the north end of the Gulf of Suez, it would have required
more than three days travel to reach Marah, assuming
that Israel could travel about twelve miles a day. John J.
Davis admits this difficulty,l 4 even though he places the
crossing of the sea at the south end of the Bitter Lakes.
6 . From Marah to EZim (Num. 33:9)
Elim is generally considered to be theWady Gharandel.
It. is about seven miles from Marah. It is a small brook
fed by springs of water better than that of Marah. l 5 (See
notes on Ex. 1527.)
7. From Elim to the encampment by the Red Sea (Num.
33:lO).
Mountains right up against the east shore of the Gulf
of Suez separate the road south from Elim from the
shore. (One of these mountains is now called JebeZ
Hamman Far’aun, the mountain of Pharaoh’s Hot
Bath.) But after going about twenty miles southeast
from Elim, the shoreside mountains end and the road-
way comes to the Red Sea shore, near modern Abu
Zenima, near the mouth of the Wady et-Taiyibeh. It is
13BenoRothenberg, God’s Wilderness (London: Thames and Hudson, 19611, p. 94.
14Mosesand the Gods ofEgypt (Grand Rapids: Baker 1971), p. 117. We recommend
Davis’ book very highly.
ISlnter. Stand. Bib. Ency., Vol. V , p. 3066.

38
 ISRAEL'S ROUTE FROM EGYPT TO SINAI

a comparatively long march of eight hours from Elim to

this sea-side encampment.
8, From the Red Sea shore to the Wilderness of Sin (Num,
33: 11)
The exact location of the Wilderness of Sin is un-
certain. About six miles south of the sea-side encamp-
ment a large sandy plain begins. It is five miles wide and
thirteen miles long (on its north-south axis), with the
Red Sea shore on its west. Modern Abu Rudeis is in this
area. This place seems to correspond well to the scriptural
location of the Wilderness of Sin, which was the place
where Israel first received the manna. (In this dry place
manna surely could not have grown on trees or bushes!)
The Arabs call this plain El Murkha.
9, From the Wilderness of Sin to Dophka (Num. 33:12).
We think that Israel travelled south out of the Wilder-
ness of Sin about ten miles, traveling alongside moun-
tains near the coast. Then they turned east up into the
valley of Wady Feiran. We think that Dophka was an
oasis on the Wady Feiran (there are several).
The Wady Feiran is one of the largest and most
famous wadies in Sinai. It is a little over eighty miles
long, and starts in the region of Mt. Sinai, where it is
called the Wadi Esh-Sheikh. l 6 The Wady Esh-Sheikh
is the upper (or northern) branch of the Wady Feiran.
E. H. Palmer in the Desert of the Exodus (1872)''
wrote:
From this plain [the Wilderness of Sin] it was
necessary for Israel to ascend through the rugged
granite mountains to the elevated plain in front of
Sinai; and there is only one pass through and up by
which it is practicable for such a caravan to make
the ascent. This is Wady Feiran, .... This wady is
wide and smooth, washed in winter by a stream of

!@Rothenberg,op. cit., pp, 135,167.

"Quoted in McGarvey, op. cit., p. 447.

39
 EXPLQRING EXODUS

water, and possessing several beautiful oases very

pleasant to a traveler who is wearied with the almost
uninterrupted barrenness of the desert. It leads to a
narrow and short pass, by which is reached the
plain immediately in front of [N.W. ofl Mt. Sinai,
called by the Arabs Er-Rahah. Instead of reaching
this plain by this pass, the Israelites might have
gone a little farther east [via Wady Esh-Sheikh] and
compassed the mountain on the left of the pass; but
this is the only divergence that they can have made
from the route which we have followed.
The name Dophku is thought by some to mean
“smeltery,” and to refer therefore to nearby copper
smelting operations. But this is not certain. Some
authorities (ISBE; Gesenius’ Hebrew Lexicon) say
Dophka means “overdriving of flocks” or “drovers.”
Many,modern writers have felt that Dophka is to be
identified with Serabit el-Khudim, a site northeast of the
plain which we have identified as the Wilderness of Sin.
At Serabit el-Khadim are the ruins of an Egyptian
temple to Hathor, ancient turquoise mines, and
, numerous inscriptions, some in an extremely ancient
Hebrew-like alphabet.
We feel that it is extremely unlikely that Serabit el-
Khadim is the site of Dophka. Why should the Israelites
travel toward a center of Egyptian idolatry? Egyptian
troops were stationed at Serabit at various times before
and after Moses’ time. The wady leading to Serabit is a
more difficult passage than the Wady Feiran, and is a
somewhat longer route to Sinai. Even if the name
Dophku does mean smeltery (and indeed there are
remains of smelting works around Serabit), there are
other copper-mining locations in the wilderness of Sinai
besides those near Serabit.

L8‘‘Serabitel-Khadim,” Biblical World, Chas. Pfeiffer, ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker,

1966),p. 517.

40
 ISRAEL’S ROUTE FROM EGYPT TO SINAI

10. From Dophka to Aluslz (Num. 33: 13).

Alush has not been identified. Inter. Stan. Bible
Ency. says that according to the rabbis Alush means
crowding, thus indicating the difficulties of the march.
Our map positions Alush at one oasis in the Wady
Feiran.
As Israel journeyed up the Wady Feiran, they would
certainly get “strungout.” The wadies are narrow and
often hemmed in by steep-sided mountains. The very
large number of Israelites would form a long column in
these wadies, perhaps ten to fifteen miles long. This
explains how the Amalekites could readily attack the
“hindmost” part of Israel’s column without the rest of
people being available to help them readily (Deut.
25:17-18).
11. FromAlush toRephidim (Num. 33:14).
Rephidim is an oasis of date palms with a running
stream,19 located about eighteen miles from the plain
Er-Rahah on the north side of Mt. Sinai. There seems to
have been no water at this site in Moses’ time, until he
struck the rock (Ex. 17:l). Rephidim was the place
where the Amalekites attacked Israel, and where Jethro
was reunited with Moses.
12. From Rephidim toMt. Sinai (Num. 33:15).
The Wady Esh-Sheikh goes around Rephidim on the
north side, and then turns abruptly southward toward
Mt. Sinai, and enters into the plain of Er-Rahah from
the NE side of the plain. The Wadi Esh-Sheikh is the
easiest approach to Er-Rahah, and is the one usually
taken by baggage camels. We feel that it was probably
Israel’s approach route.
The plain of Er-Rahah is large enough to have accom-
modated the Israelite horde (1% by 4 mi.). At the south
side of this plain the impressive peak of Ras Saj3afeh
rises abruptly out of the level area, and towers 6739 feet

191nternationatStand. Bib. Ency., p. 3067.

41
 EXPLORING EXODUS

above sea level. We feel that Ras Safsafeh is the peak

which (as part of Mt. Sinai) was the mountain from
which God spoke the ten commandments to Israel.
Ras Safsafeh is the northern summit of a steep-sided
rocky ridge about four miles long, running generally
NW to SE. On the southern tip of this ridge is its second
summit, a peak called JebeZMusa (a name meaning Mt.
of Moses), connected to Ras Safsafeh by a saddle. Jebel
Musa is 7519 feet high. Christian tradition has generally
identified Mt. Sinai with Jebel Musa as Mt. Sinai, al-
though to us it seems that Ras Safsafeh is by far the
more probable choice.
Narrow steep-sided valleys go along both the east and
west sides of the ridge, which has Ras Safsafeh on its
north end and Jebel Musa on the south. In the valley
along its east side is the famous monastery of St.
e, named after a martyred Christian maiden of
ia who died in A.D. 307. At this monastery
the famous Sinaitic manuscript of the Bible was found.
By the south end of this ridge is a small plain com-
monly called Wadi Sebaiyeh, or the Site of (Israel’s)
Encampment, having Jebel Musa on its north. To reach
this southern plain Israel would have needed to skirt
along through the narrow valleys east or west of the Mt.
Sinai ridge. This south plain is neither as large as Er-
Rahah on the north, nor is it as accessible. It only covers
145 acres, and is very rocky.*O We doubt that it was the
true site of Israel’s encampment.

111. DISTANCES IN ISRAEL’S JOURNEYS

(All distances approximate)

1. From Rameses (Qantir) to

Succoth (Tell el Maskhuta) . . . . . . . , , . . . . . . . . . 38 mi.

2oS. C. Bartlett, From Egvpt to Palestine (New York: Harpers, 1879), pp. 270. 272.

42
 ISRAEL’S ROUTE FROM EGYPT TO SINAI

2. From Succoth, travelling along east side of Bitter Lakes,

Bitter Lakes, to north end of Gulf of Suez ...... 55 mi,
3 . North end of Gulf of Suez, across Red Sea,
to Springs of Moses ........................ 20 mi.
4. Springs of Moses to Marah (‘Ain Hawwarah) ... 37 mi.
5. Marah to Elim (Wadi Gharandel) ............ 7 mi.
6. Elim to encampment by the sea
(near Abu a n i m a ) , ........................ 20 mi,
7 . Encampment by the sea to the Wilderness of Sin
(near Abu Rudeis) ......................... 12 mi.
8. Wilderness of Sin, via Wadi Feiran
and Wadi Sheikh, to Mt. Sinai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 mi.
Total: Approx.. . . . . . . . .275 mi.
These statistics reveal two interesting facts:
(1) The first part of Israel’s journey, from Egypt to the
crossing of the Red Sea, was a surprisingly large part of
the total journey to Sinai, being about 113 miles of their
275 mile trip. This would have required ten or twelve
days of travel. Many people have the impression that
Pharaoh began to pursue Israel almost the next day
after their departure. But the scripture nowhere states
exactly how much time elapsed between Israel’s de-
parture and Pharaoh’s pursuit. During that time the
Egyptians embalmed and buried their firstborn (Num.
33:4). Surely a few days of mourning and shock followed
these mass burials.
(2) Assuming that Israel’s journey from Egypt to Sinai
took approximately fifty days, they would need only to
have averaged a bit more than five miles a day of travel
to have covered the 275 miles in that time.

Between the Bitter Lakes and the Red Sea, just south of the Bitter Lakes, lies an
elevated area called the Heights of Chaloof. This rises for a short distance twenty feet
or more above sea level. These heights are of the same geological character as Mt.
Gineifah west of the Bitter Lakes. This geological feature makes it almost impossible
for the Red Sea to have ever been joined to the Bitter Lakes. See S. C. Bartlett, From
Egypt to Palestine, pp. 158-162.

43
 EXPLORING EXODUS

INTRODUCTORY SECTION
VI1
RED SEA or REED SEA?
(Ex. 1318; 15:4,22)

What sea was it that the Israelites triumphantly crossed when

they departed from Egypt? The name given in almost all English
translations is Red Sea. The Jerusalem Bible (1966) calls it the
Sea of Reeds. When we hear the words Red Sea, we at once think
of that extension of the Indian Ocean lying between Arabia
and east Africa, having a V-shaped northern tip, formed by the
Gulfs of Suez and Akabah. We feel that THIS was the sea that
the Israelites crossed, crossing it at the northern tip of the Gulf
of Suez. See the preceding Introductory Section VI.
Older writers almost unanimously held this view. Modern
writers have almost unanimously (but wrongly, it seems to us)
taken another view. They assert that the sea which the Israelites
crossed should not be called the Red Sea, but the SEA OF
REEDS (or weeds). Furthermore, they affirm that this Sea of
Reeds is not the Red Sea, but is another body ofwater somewhere
between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, possibly the
Bitter Lakes, or Lake Timsah, or Lake Balah (now disappeared
since the digging of the Suez Canal), or Lake Menzaleh, or
even Lake Sirbonis on the Mediterranean coast. There is no
certainty or general agreement as to what body of water is
referred to by the name Sea of Reeds.
We have no objection to the fact that the Hebrew words Yam
Suph (usually translated Red Sea) actually mean Sea of Reeds,
or Weeds. The word suph is translated weeds in Jonah 2:5,
where it refers to seaweeds; and it is translatedflags in Ex. 2:3, 5
and Isa. 19:6. (Aflag is a water plant like a cattail.)
When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek (about 275
B.C.), the translators rendered the Hebrew Y a m Suph as
Eruthre Thalassa, which is Greek for Red Sea. These translators
did their work in Egypt, and would probably be familiar with
Egypt’s geography.
In classical Greek usage, the term Red Sea was applied to the
44
 RED SEA OR REED SEA?

entire Indian Ocean,‘ including what we call the Red Sea, and
the Persian Gulf, and the adjoining ocean areas. In the Histories
by Herodotus (about 450 B.C.) we read that the Persian king
“Cyrus on his way to Babylon came to the bank of the river
Gyndes, a stream which ..
. empties into the river Tigris. The
.
Tigris, , , discharges its waters into the Erythraean p e d ] Sea.’’2
This would refer to the Persian Gulf.
Why did the Red Sea come to be called by that name? No one
really knows. Some have guessed that it is derived from the
name Edorn, which means red. The mountains of Edom that lie
along part of the east side of the Red Sea have a reddish color
in part. Classical writers say that the name came from that of
Erytliras, a king who ruled in western Asia Minor.3 Others say
it is derived from the red coral which lines its shores and covers
the floor of the sea.
But the big question is this: Can the Hebrew Yarn Suph actu-
ally refer to the sea we know as the Red Sea? We think it can and
does, though many modern writers deny this. They argue that
there are no reeds in the Red Sea, and that it cannot therefore
be the Sea of Reeds. They affirm further that for Israel to have
reached even the most northerly tip of the Gulf of Suez, they
would have had to cross a long tract of desert to reach it. [It
would be approximately 65 miles,] And that this would have
been impossible for them to accomplish before the pursuing
Egyptian chariots would have been upon theme4Also it is argued
that one of the two bodies of water said in Egyptian writings to be
near the city of Rameses (which was far north of the Red Sea)
was called “Papyrus Lake.” Papyrus in Egyptian was called
thuf, a word similar to the Hebrew suph.
These arguments sound impressive, but we feel they have some
weaknesses.

‘Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (abridged), Definition of ERUTHROS.

’1, 189. Translated by George Rawlinson. (London: Dent, 1964), Vol. I, p. 96.
3The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 4 (New York: Abingdon, 1962),
pp. 19.20.
“bid.

45
 EXPLORING EXODUS

For example, we need not seek a shallow reedy lake as the

place that corresponds to the name SEA OF REEDS. The word
reeds also may be translated WEEDS, as in Jonah 2 5 , where
it refers to seaweeds in the Mediterranean Sea, not to cattails
or swamp weeds. The Red Sea has seaweeds in it, like other seas.
Because of this the name Yam Suph could refer to the Red Sea.
Furthermore, if we assume (as many modern writers do) that
Israel travelled northward from Succoth (lying west of Lake
Timsah) to the southern tip of Lake MenzalehS(which is thought
by many to be the Sea of Reeds), Israel would have been much
closer to Egypt and far more exposed to the pursuing Egyptian
chariots than they were in going by our proposed route. A
journey from Succoth to Lake Menzaleh would be about fifty
miles, a four-days’journey.
Yet further, the term Sea of Reeds (Yam Suph) is actually
applied in several scriptures to the sea which we call the Red
Sea. Thus in Numbers 21:4 it refers to a place on the north end
of the Gulf of Akabah, near Elath and Ezion-Geber. In Numbers
33:lO there is a reference to an encampment on the shores of
the Yarn Suph, which almost certainly refers to a place on the
shores of the Gulf of Suez. In I Kings 9:26 the term Yam Suph
refers to the place where kiag Solomon had his fleet of ships
at Ezion-Geber, which was on the north tip of the Red Sea Gulf
of Akabah.
If the term Yarn Suph means the Red Sea in these passages,
why does it not refer to the same body of water in Ex. 13:18 and
15:4? Where is there any hint that the term refers to a different
body of water in Ex. 1 5 4 than it refers to elsewhere?
Finally, we are told in Ex. 1 5 2 2 and Num. 33:8 that Israel
travelled three days’ journey from their place of crossing the sea
to Marah. This is a distance of thirty-seven miles (assuming, as
we do, that Marah is to be identified with ’Ain Hawwarah. This
identification is widely accepteda6).If the Sea of Reeds were

’G. E. Wright, Biblical Archaeology (Philadelphia: Westminister, 1957), p. 61.

Broadman Bible Commentury. Vol. 1 (Nashville: Broadman, 1969), p. 380.
bWright, Ibid., wggests on his map that this is the “probable” location of Marah.

46
 RED SEA O R REED SEA?

some body of water north of the tip of the Gulf of Suez, it would
be too far north for the Israelite horde to have made the trip to
Marah in three days. From BitterLakes to Marah is at least
sixty miles. From Lake Timsah to Marah is over eighty miles.
From Lake Menzaleh (where Wright locates the Sea of Reeds)
it is almost 150 miles! Even the thirty-seven mile trip from the
Springs of Moses (just east of Gulf of Suez tip) to Marah re-
quired the Israelites to travel twelve miles a day. This is about
as far as a large group could travel each day.
We have the uncomfortable feeling that the reason for locating
the Sea of Reeds elsewhere than the Red Sea is the desire
(deliberate or unconscious) to downgrade the great miracle of
crossing the Red Sea into puny near-miracle of blowing a dry
path across a shallow swamp area.

l'lie Papyrus reed. T h e papyrus plant has an angular stem from 3 to 6 feet high,
though occasionally it grows to a height of 14 feet. T h e basket for the baby Moses was
made of' papyrus stems.

47
 EXPLORING EXODUS

Egyptian Brickmakers and Brickmaking.

The drawing” shown above was made from a wall paint-

ing gn. the tomb of Rekh-mire at Thebes, from the time of
Thutmose 111 (probable pharaoh of the oppression), about
I450 B.C.
At the upper left two slaves ietch water from a pool surrounded
by trees. The water-softened Nile clay is lifted with mattocks,
and placed in baskets borne on workmen’s shoulders. The man
in the center top is pressing the mud into a wooden frame to form
bricks. In the lower drawing three piles of bricks dry in the
sun. The dry bricks are carried by slaves using poles over their
shoulders. Two overseers with sticks urge the workers on. Part
of the inscription quotes the overseer: “The rod is in my hand;
be not idle.” The Israelites were involved in work like this.

*From E. A. Wallis Budge. The Dwellers on the Nile (London: The Religious Tract
Society, 1888). p. 91.

48
 ONE HUNDRED FACTS ABOUT GOD

INTRODUCTORY
SECTIONVI11

ONE HUNDRED FACTS ABOUT GOD

THAT ARE MADE KNOWN IN EXODUS

One of the great purposes for God’s works that are recorded
in the book of Exodus was that men might KNOW HIM. For
us this is one of the great purposes of the book itself.
Ex. 6:7: “I will take you to me for a people, ... and ye shall
KNOW that I am Jehovah your God.”
Ex. 7:s: “The Egyptians shall KNOW that I am Jehovah,
when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the
children of Israel from among them.”
Many other verses in the book assert that it is God’s purpose
to make himself KNOWN to all men. Note Ex. 7:17; $:lo, 22;
9:14, 29; 10:2; 14:4, 18; 16:6, 12; 29:46; 31:13.
God is eternally the same. He changes not. “I, Jehovah,
change not.’? (Malachi 3:6) If we learn the facts about God’s
nature as revealed in Exodus, we shall gain a broad under-
standing of God, for Exodus says very much about God.
In the following statements about God we list many of the
qualities and works of God that are revealed in Exodus. Gen-
erally we have listed them in the order in which they are pre-
sented in the Biblical text.
1. God is a personal God, not an abstract force.
2. God knows our names. He knows us personally. (1:1-4)
3. God allows His children to suffer. (l:ll,13)
4. God rewards those who protect His people. (1:21)
5. God is the unseen controller of all history. (1:20, 21)
6. God directs the activities of people so that they may be
present to do His will when necessity requires. (25)
7. God permits His servants to suffer rejection. (2:14; 5 2 , 9,
21, 22)
8. God seems in no hurry, if judged by men’s views of time,
(2:23; Acts 7:30)
9. God hears His people’s cries. (2:23, 24)
10. God remembers His covenants of old. (2:24)
49
 EXPLORING EXODUS

11. God sees and God knows. (2:25)

12. God is a miracle-worker. (3:2)
13. God speaks to men. (3:4; 2522)
14. God is holy. His presence is holy and must be reverenced.
(3:s; 20:12-15)
15. God is still the God of His people even after they are long
dead. (3:6; Matt. 22:31, 32)
16. God is a deliverer. (3:8)
17. God sends men to accomplish His will. (3:lO)
18. God is with us. (3:12)
19. God is the eternal I AM. (3:14)
20. God knows the outcome of events before they occur. (3:19-
21; 8:2, 21)
21. God will not permit His will to be thwarted. (3:20)
22. God makes spoil of those who resist Him. (3:21)
23. God desiresfuith in His people. (4:s)
24. God becomes angry when His servants are unwilling to
obey. (4:14)
25. God lets others share the glory of serving Him if those first
chosen are hesitant. (4:14, 15)
26. God smites His servants to teach them full obedience.
(4:24)
27. God wants His NAME to be known, and to be associated
with His acts of deliverance. (6:7) I

28. God redeems (rescues) His people. (6:6; 1513)

29. God desires to take His people unto Him and be their
God. (6:7)
30. God pushes and pushes to force an issue. (6:ll)
31. God hardens the hearts of those who oppose Him. (7:3;
9:12; 10:20; 14:4)
32. God works great judgments upon opposers. (7:4)
33. God has power to overcome men’s magic. (7:11, 12; 8:18)
34. God makes His works obvious and undeniable. (7:20; 8:19;
1 7 5 , 6)
35. God hears His servant’s prayers. (8:12, 31; 9:33)
36. God makes distinction between His people and others.
(9:4, 7, 26)
50
 ONE HUNDRED FACTS ABOUT GOD

37, God permits some wicked men to live because He can

show His power through them. (9:15, 16)
38, God gives repeated deliverances, even to those who have
opposed Him. (10:18, 19)
39. God gives favor to His people in the sight of their enemies.
(11:3)
40. God gives sinners warning of coming doom. (11:4, 5)
41. God saves His people by the blood. (12:6, 7, 13; 24:8)
42. God desires that His acts of deliverance be remembered by
appropriate ceremonies. (12: 14, 24; 20: 11)
43. God’s judgments on evil men are utter and total. (12:29)
44. God fulfills His promises. (12:33-36; 13:19)
45. God takes note of numbers and years. (12:37,41)
46. God claims His redeemed ones as His. (13:2, 12; 34:19, 20)
47, God wants His deeds to be remembered. (13:14; 12:26, 27;
16:34)
48. God directs His people. (13:17; 1513)
49. God gives light and guidance. (13:21, 22)
50. God does GREAT works. (14:31; 1511)
51. God is our strength, song, and salvation. (152)
52. God is a man of war. (153; 17:16)
53. God is “glorious in holiness, fearful in praises.” (1511)
54. God proves (tests) His people. (1525; 16;4; 20:20)
55. God is our healer. (15:26)
56. God hears our murmurings. (16:12)
57. God is our “banner” under whom we fight victoriously.
(17: 15)
58. God blots out even the remembrance of evil men. (17:14,
16)
59. God likes efficient government. (18:23)
60. God deals with men through covenants. (19:s; 24:8; 34:lO)
61. God accepts His people upon the condition of obedience.
(19:5,6)
62. God shows His presence in clouds, lightning, etc. (19:16,
18)
63. God works in history. (20:2)
64. God is a jealous God. (20:s; 34:14)
51
 EXPLORING EXODUS

65. God heaps up punishments for many generations of

sinners upon later generations that walk in the sins. (20:s)
66. God is a God of lovingkindness. (20:6)
67. God is creator of all. (20:ll)
68. God retains final authority over life and death. (20:13;
21:12-17)
69. God is concerned about our hearts and their desires.
He knows our hearts. (20:17)
70. God respects property rights. (21:33-36; 20:lS)
71. God requires truth. (20:16; 22:ll)
72. God cares about men’s freedom. (21:2)
73. God protects the weak and afflicted. (22~22-27)
74. God is gracious. (22:27)
75. God requires worship from His people. (23:14-17)
76. God’s appearance is glorious. (24:9, 10;17)
77. God asks voluntary offerings from His people. (252;
35:s)
78. God desires to dwell among His people. (258)
79. God requires conformity to His directions. (259, 40;
26:30)
80. God gives detailed instructions about many things. (26:lflJ
81. God is associated with light. (27:20, 21)
82. God selects the men who perform His service. (28:l)
83. God desires glory and beauty. (28:2)
84. God is a revealer of secrets. (28:30)
85. God desires modesty in His servants. (28:42; 20:26)
86. God must be approached through sacrifices. (29:14, 18,
25)
87. God provides the material needs of His servants. (29:28;
16:4)
88. God meets with His people. (29:42, 43)
89. God does not forget our need of atonement (covering).
(30: 16)
90. God’s ministers must minister in cleanliness. (30:19, 20)
91. God fills men with His Spirit for various services. (31:3-5)
92. God sanctifies us (makes us holy). (31:13)
93. God has wrath against idolatry. (32:10, 35)
52
 ONE HUNDRED FACTS ABOUT GOD

94, God repents of “evil” threats when His servants pray.

(32:14)
95, God places distance between Himself and transgressors,
(33:2, 5)
96. God is too glorious for men to see and live. (33:20)
97. God is merciful, gracious, avd slow to anger. (34:6, 7)
98, God will make all people to see His works. (34:lO)
99. God commands destruction of reprobate peoples. (34:11)
100. God makes His presence obvious and dominant. (40:34,
38)

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1:l-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
Now these are the names of the sons of Is-ra-el, who came
1(2) Reu-ben,
into E-gypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):
Sim-e-on, Le-vi, and Ju-dah, (3) Is-sa-char, Zeb-
u-lun, and Ben-ja-min, (4) Dan and Naph-ta-li, Gad and Ash-
er. (5) And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob
were seventy souls: and Joseph was in E-gypt already. (6) And
Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
(7) And the children of Is-ra-el were fruitful, and increased
abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceedingly mighty;
and the land was 811ed with them.
(8) Now there arose a new king over E-gypt, who h e w
not Joseph. (9) And he said unto his people, Behold, the
people of the children of Is-ra-el are more and mightier than
we: (10) come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply,
and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war,
they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against
us, and get them up out of the land. (11) Therefore they did
set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.
And they built for Pha-raoh store-cities, Pi-thom and Ra-am-
sea. (12) But the more they afflicted them, the more they
multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were
grieved because of the children of 1s-ra.el. (13) And the E-gyp-
tians made the children of Is-ra-el to serve the rigor: (14) and
they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and
in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their
service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.
(15) And the king of E-gypt spake to the Hebrew midwives,
of whom the name of the one was Shiph-rah, and the name
of the other Pu-ah: (16) and he said, When ye do the office
of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the
birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be
a daughter, then she shall live. (17) But the midwives feared
God, and did not as the king of E.gypt commanded them,
but saved the men-children alive. (18) And the king of E-gypt

54
 TRANSIT1ON 1:22

called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye
done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive? (19)
And the midwives said unto Pha-raoh, Because the Hebrew
women are not as the E-gyp-tian women; for they are lively,
and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them. (20) And
God dealt wen with the midwives: and the people multiplied,
and waxed very mighty. (21) And it came to pass, because
the midwives feared God, that he made them households.
(22) And Pha-raoh charged all his people, saying, Every son
that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter
ye shall save alive.

EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTER
ONE
ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE
QUESTIONS

1. After reading the entire chapter, propose a one- or two-word

topic for the entire chapter.
2. Who is the person referred to as Israel in 1:11
3. Who came with every one of the children (sons) of Jacob?
(1:l)
4. Who were the mothers of each of the men named in 1:2-41
Are the names grouped according to their mothers? (Com-
pare Gen. 29:31-30:24; 3516.18)
5. Propose some reason($ for listing the names of the sons of
Jacob here at the beginning of Exodus.
6. How many descendants of Jacob came into Egypt? (15)
7. What does the word soul(s) mean in 1:5?
8. Ex. 1:6, 8 suggests that considerable time elapsed in Egypt
before the Israelites’ situation changed. Can you obtain
any information as to how much time? (Compare Gen.
1513; 41:46; 50:22; Ex. 7:7; 12:40; Acts 7:23, 30.)
9. What promises did Israel’s increase in population fulfill?
(Gen. 12:2; 22:17; 254; 28:14; 46:3)
10. What is the name of the land referred to in 1:7? (Gen.

55
1:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

47:4; Ex. 9:26)

11. What change occurred in the government of Egypt? (1:9)
12. What disturbed the new king of Egypt? (1:9)
13. Exactly how numerous were the children of Israel? (1:9;
12:37; Numbers 1:46)
14. What did the king really mean when he said, “Let us deal
wisely with them”? (1:lO)
15. What two possible actions by the Israelites did the king seek
to prevent? (1:10)
16. Why was the king, on the one hand, afraid of the number of
the Israelites, and, at the same time, unwilling to let them
leave Egypt? (1:lO)
17. Who was set over the Israelites? Why? (1:ll)
18. What two cities were built? What was the purpose (or use, or
function) of these cities?
19. What was the effect of affliction on the Israelite population?
(1:12)
20. What emotional effect upon the Egyptians was caused by
Israel’s multiplication? (1:12)
21. How severe was Israel’s forced labor and service? (1:13-14)
22. What particular types of labor did the Israelites do? (1:14)
23. What is a midwife? (1:15)
24. What were the names of the two midwives? (1:15)
25. What instructions did the king give to the midwives?
26. Why kill the boys and save the daughters? (1:16)
27. What is the stool referred to in 1:161
28. Why did the midwives not obey the king? (1:17)
29. What excuse did the midwives give for saving the boy babies?
(1:19)
30. Was this excuse the real reason? (1:17, 19). Was their lie
justifiable?
31. Did the midwives escape punishment from the king for their
disobedience? (1:20)
32. Did God deal well with the midwives for lying, or for some
other reason? (1:20)
33. How strong did the Israelites become? (1:20)
34. What does it mean by saying, “God made them (the

56
 TRANSITION 1:l-22

midwives) houses”? (1:21)

35. What cruel order did Pharaoh (king of Egypt) give? (1 :22)
36, Who are the people referred to in 1:22 as “his people”?

Exodus 1: TRANSITION!
1. From few to many; 1:l-7
2. From remembrance to rejection; 1:8
3. From harmony to hostility; 1:9-10
4. From freedom to slavery; 1:ll-14
5. From peace to peril; 1:15-16
6, From bad to worse; 1:22
Life is filled with great transitions.
God still rules in all conditions.
Exodus 1: GODKNOWS!
1. He knows our names; 1:l-5
2. He knows our journeys; 1:s
3. He knows our deaths; 1:6
4. He knows our enemies; 1:8-10
5. He knows our sufferings; 1:ll-14
6. He knows our dangers; 1:15-22
Bondage in Egypt/Bondage in Sin
1. Enslaving; (Ex. 1:ll-12) 1. Enslaving; (John 8:34)
2. Painful; (Ex. 1:13-14) 2. Painful; (Prov. 13:15)
3, Pharaoh = leader 3. Satan = leader
(I1 Tim. 2:26)
4. Motivated by hatred; 4. Motivated by hatred;
(Ex. 1:8, 1.2) (Rev. 12:12)
5. Death = sole prospect 5. Death = sole prospect;
(Rom. 6:16)
6. Some viewed it as liberty! 6 . Some view it as liberty!
(Ex. 16:3; Num. 115) (I1 Pet. 2:19)

57
1:l-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

7. God could deliver 7. God can deliver

(EX.3:7-8) (Col. 1:12-13)

The Ways of Wickedness (Ex. 1:8-22)

1. Unthankful; 1:8
2. Unremembering; 1:8
3. Unprincipled; 1:lO
4. Unfeeling; 1:13-14
5. Unrevealed; 1:16 (sneaky!)
6. Unconcealed; 1:22 (blatant!)
7. Unsuccessful; 1:12,20
Exodus 1: NEED FORGOD’SMAN
1. Death of previous generation and leadership; 1:1-6
2. Multiplication of God’s people; 1:7
3. Oppression of God’s people; 1:8-14
4. Peril of God’s people; 1:15-22

EXPLORINGEXODUS:
Notes on Chapter One
1. What is the title of the book, and what does the title mean?
The title Exodus is the title given in the Latin Bible (Vul-
gate). It is derived from the title in the Greek Old Testament
(Septuagint, or LXX), Exodos, which means a “going out,”
or “departure.” The word exodos actually is found in
Ex. 19:l of the LXX. As a title it would be more applicable
to the first fifteen chapters of the book than to the whole
book.
The Hebrew Bible simply titles the book by its opening
words, We-elleh shemoth, meaning “and these are the
names”; or, more simply, just shemoth, meaning “names.”
2. What is the signijkance of the Jirst words (“Now these”)
in Exodus?
In the Hebrew Bible the first words of Exodus are literally

58
 TRANSITION 1:1-22
“And these . .,” These words indicate a close connection
between Exodus and the Genesis story which precedes it,
Genesis and Exodus are one continuous narrative, by one
author, Indeed, the whole Torah is a continuous narrative,
(Torah is a Hebrew word for law, or instruction; and it refers
to the five books of Moses, Genesis through Deuteronomy,)
3 , How old MYISJacob when he came into Egypt?
He was 130 years old (Gen. 47:9). There is considerable
sadness in seeing an old man leaving his home of many years.
But, like Abraham and Isaac, Jacob viewed this life as a
pilgrimage, and this world as a temporary residence (Heb.
11 9-10).
The Jewish Midrash (Interpretation) on Exodus says that
though Jacob was an old man, the children came with Jacob,
and not Jacob with his children.’ He was not dependent on
the children, but the children upon him. Such respect for
parents is very befitting.
4. Did ALL ofJacob‘s descendants come into Egypt with Jacob?
The scripture says they did. See Ex. 1:l-5. In fact, the
whole question would seem needless, if it was not for the fact
that many modern critics argue that some of the descendants
I of Jacob remained in Canaan, and only part of them (especi-
ally the Joseph tribes and also Levi) went to Egypt,
5 . Is there any sign$cance in the order of the names of the sons
ofJacob as given in 1:2-4?
Probably not. The order of their names here is the same
as in Gen. 35 (a list given at the close of Jacob’s main life-
story). It differs somewhat from the order of their births
(See Gen. 30), and that given in Gen. 46. The lack of a con-
sistent order for the names suggests that the order did not
matter. The sons of Jacob’s handmaids were accepted as
fully as those of Rachel and Leah. Ancestry matters little;
‘Amos W . Miller, Urrders!andirtg the Midrush (New York: Jonathan David, 19651,
p, 16.
’See The Broadrnuri Bible Cornmrrlfufy,Vol. 1 (Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman, 1969),
p, 322; Also Gabriel Hebert, When Isruel Cam(, Orrt of Egypt (Richmond, Va.: John
Knox Press, 19611, pp. 51-52,63-64,8344,

59
1:l-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

faith is crucial.
6. W h y does Stephen say in Acts 7:14 that seventy-five souls
came into Egypt, when Ex. 1:5 says seventy souls?
Stephen quoted the Greek Old Testament, which reads
“severfty-five souls” in Ex. 1:5.* This is consistent with the
LXX rendering of Gen. 46:27, which differs from the Hebrew
text in three key expressions:
And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in the
land of Egypt, were nine (Heb. two) souls; all the souls
of the house of Jacob who came with Joseph (italicized
words omitted in Hebrew) were seventy-jive souls. (Gen.
46:27, LXX)
Evidently the LXX counted as “sons” of Joseph some of
his grandsons or other descendants, who are named in I
Chron. 7: 14, 20-21. Anyway, the LXX makes it clear how it
arrived at the total of seventy-five. We do not know how or
when this variant reading was first introduced, but it does
not discredit the reliability of our common Hebrew text.
7. Why mention the deaths of Joseph and his generation in 1:6?
Possibly it is only to reveal the passage of considerable
time. Joseph was thirty years of age when he stood before
Pharaoh the first time (Gen. 41:46), and 110 at his death
(Gen. 50:22).
Nonetheless, we are reminded by the verse that God
notices the deaths of his children. If he notes the fall of
a sparrow (Matt. 10:29), will he not notice our deaths?
A whole family died, even a big family! It is appointed
unto all men once to die (Heb. 9:27).
8. How did the population of Israel develop in Egypt?
It increased tremendously. See Ex. 1:7. From a family of
seventy men at the time Jacob came to Egypt, it multiplied
until the men over twenty numbered 603,550 at their de-
parture 430 years later (Ex. 12:37, 40; Num. 1:45-46).
This amazing growth fulfilled God’s promises to (Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, that he would make them become a “great
nation.” See Gen. 12:12; 15:5; 26:4; 28:14; 35:ll.
* The LXX contradicts itself by giving the number as seventy in Deut ln--

60
 TRANSITION 1:l-22

Israel’s increase in population in Egypt was a matter of

praise to God in later centuries. Psalm 10512, 23-24.
Children and large families are to be considered a blessing
and not a curse.
There is a progression of ideas in the four verbs expressing
Israel’s multiplication: They were (1) “fruitful,” (2) “brought
forth ,” (3) “multiplied ,” and (4) “became very exceedingly
strong.’’
9, What is the “land” in which Israel dwelt? (See 1:7).
It was the land of Goshen, probably the Wadi Tumilat, a
broad valley stretching from the Nile to the line of the present
Suez canal, near Lake Timsah. Israel did not fill the whole
land of Egypt, only the land of Goshen (see Ex. 9:26).
10, What change occurred in thegovemment ofEgypt? (See 1:8)
A new king or ruling family (dynasty) came to power in
Egypt. This new king had not known Joseph nor how Joseph
saved Egypt. Possibly he did not want to know. Like Eli’s
sons, who knew the Lord Yahweh (Jehovah) by name, but
still “knew not the Lord” (I Sam. 2: 12), he may have wilfully
disregarded Joseph and the true history about the past.
11. Who was this new king over Egypt?
This is a much disputed question. Evidently God did not
consider his name significant enough to state it. We must not
be as concerned over historical details, as we are over God’s
acts in history.
Some say the new king was Seti I (1317-1301 B.C.). Some
say he was Rameses I1 (1301-1234). We think it was the new
line or foreign rulers called the Hyksos who took over Egypt
about 1670 B.C.
It is a common view that Joseph came into Egypt in the
time of the Hyksos and was accepted into Pharaoh’s court
partly because the Hyksos kings were nowEgyptian Asiatics,
racially similar to Joseph the Hebrew.
This idea contradicts the plain indications in the scripture
that the king in Joseph’s time really was an Egyptian. Ac-
cording to the Bible record the Egyptians in those times
would not eat at the same table with Hebrews (Gen. 43:32).
61
1:l-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

Also during those times “Every shepherd is an abomination

to the Egyptians” (Gen. 46:34). This presumably would
not have been true under the Hyksos, who are thought to
have had a shepherd (nomadic) ancestry.
Probably the expression “There arose a new king over
Egypt” means that there arose a new king against Egyptm3 If
so, this would fit well with the Hyksos conquest at this time.
Because the Israelites and the Egyptians had been friends
for a long time following Joseph’s life, the Hyksos, who con-
quered Egypt, regarded them as potential allies of the
Egyptians in the case any war arose, and therefore a threat
to themm4
12. How could the Israelites be “more and mightier” than the
Egyptians? (See Ex. 1:10)
This statement would more likely be true if it was spoken
by the Hyksos conquerors than by native Egyptians. It is
hard to see how the Israelites could outnumber the Egyptians.
Israel had only about a half-million men eighty years later
(Ex. 12:37), and these were loosely organized and poorly
armed.
The Hyksos rulers, however, may well have been fewer
in number than the Israelites. They took over Egypt by
having superior weapons, such as the war horse and the
composite bow. In a similar way centuries later, a few
Spaniards under Cortez took over Mexico.
Note that the king expressed his fears about the Israelites
to “his people,” presumably to a limited circle of trusted
associates.
13. Why was the king so feafful Israel would escape fvom the
land? (Ex. 1:lO)
He had learned that Israel was a foreign people in Egypt,

’See John Rea, “The Time of the Oppression and the Exodus,” Grace Journal, 11,
No. 1 (Winter 19611, pp. 7 ff; Quoted in John Davis, Moses and the Gods ofEgypt
(Grand Rapids: Baker, 1971), p. 45.
4For an excellent study on the Hyksos as the persecutors referred to in Ex. 1:8 ff, see
Gleason Archer, Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Chicago: Moody, 1964),
pp. 204-208.

62
 TRANSITION 1: 1-22
and therefore a return to their own land was always a possi-
bility, especially since Israel’s homeland of Canaan was
near to Egypt. The rulers absolutely had to have slave labor
available, if there was to be food produced and buildings
were to be built (see 1:14).
14, What was the purpose of setting taskmasters over the
Israelites? (See 1:ll)
The Bible says it was “to afflict them.” This indicates a
basic cruelty in the rulers of Egypt. Without doubt, they
hoped also that the hard slave labor would hold down Israel’s
birth rate and weaken their ability and desire to resist. The
bondage utterly failed to do either.
15. What does the title Pharaoh mean?
This title (it was not really a name) used by most Egyptian
kings basically meant “great house,” an expression used
figurativelyto suggest their greatness.
16. How did Israel’s bondage serve God’spurposes?
The bondage began to take the love of Egypt out of the
people. Egypt had been their only home for nearly four
hundred years. They had to be weaned from Egypt. They
had become so thoroughly Egyptianized that most of them
had forgotten the religious practices and traditions of their
forefathers. The Jewish Midrash of Exodus says that the
Hebrews had said among themselves, “Let us become like
the Egyptian~.”~ Even after Moses led Israel out of Egypt,
periodically the Israelites wanted to return to Egypt (Num.
14:3; Ex. 16:3; 17:3). Egypt had always been a comfortable
land, where abundant food and water were usually available.
Psalm 119:67 says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray:
but now I have kept thy word.” It is through affliction that .
God teaches his people what true values are.
The benefits to Israel that came through their Egyptian
oppression were not forgotten. Later Israelites preserved the
memory of those harsh experiences by reciting about them
when they presented their first fruits unto the Lord (Deut.
26:6).
”Amos W. Miller, op. cit., p, 27.
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1:l-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

17. Where were the cities of Pithom and Raamses?

The locations of these places are still in dispute. Most
scholars locate Pithom at the hill-ruin of Tell er-Ratebah in
eastern Goshen, or at the nearby site of Tell Maskhutahn6
We have located it at Tell Ratebah on our map (p. 34A).
As for Raamses, there is now fairly general agreement
that it is to be identified with the city in the N.E. delta area
also called Avaris, or Tanis, or Zoan.’ This location places
Raamses quite far north to have been the starting point of
Israel’s journey, if we accept the traditional southward route
of Israel’s exodus across the Red Sea.
Others place Raamses at modern Qantir (“Bridge”) on
the eastern arm of the Nile Delta8 This would locate it
nearer to the traditional route of Israel across the Red Sea.
We have located Raamses at Qantir on our map.
18. Does the city name Raamses (1:ll) date the bondage of
Israel in the time of king Rameses II?
-We think not. Rameses 11, a great builder and warrior,
ruled 1301-1234 B.C. If we accept rather literally the
scriptural information about the date of the exodus given in
I Kings 6:l and Judges 11:26 (and we do take it rather
literally), we must date the exodus about 1446 B.C., long
before the time of Rameses 11. See the Introductory section
on The Date of the Exodus.
19, How did the Egyptian rulers feel toward Israel when oppres-
sion did not decrease them? (See 1:12)
They were grieved. They were “in dread” (Revised Stand.
Vers.). The Hebrew word is very strong: it means “to have a
disgust, to feel horror, or fear.” Psalm 10525 says that the
Egyptians actually came to hate God’s people.
20. Are the “Egyptians” of 1:13 the same people as the oppres-
sors of l : 8 f l 7
6Martin Noth, Exodus (Philadelphia: Westminister, 1962), p. 22; New Bible Dic-
tionary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962), p. 1001.
’Merrill C . Tenney, gem ed., Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids,
1964), p. 702.
8R.Alan Cole, Exodus (Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter-Varsity, 1973, p. 54.

64
 TRANSITION 1:l-22
Probably not. Ex. 1:8-12 spoke of a “new king’’ over
Egypt and of “his people.” We have suggested that these
oppressors were probably the Hyksos rulers (approx. 1670-
1570 B.C.)gBeginning in 1:13 the text plainly says that the
Egyptians oppressed them. Probably 1:13ff. refers to the
Egyptian princes who drove out the Hyksos about 1570 B.C.,
and started the powerful WIII dynasty in Egypt, the New
Kingdom. If so, these Egyptian rulers continued the oppres-
sions upon the Israelites that had been going on under the
Hyksos. It seems obvious to us that Exodus Ch. 1 deals with
the passage of considerable time, all the way from Jacob’s
coming to Egypt, to the time near Moses’ birth, a period of
over 300 years.
21 * How severe was Israel’s bondage?
It was extremely severe (1:14). Psalm 81:6 praises God for
removing the burden from Israel’s shoulder, and delivering
his hands from the pots, or baskets. This refers to the vessels
used in making mud bricks. Deut. 4:20 describes the
Israelites’ experience as an “iron furnace.” Exodus 5 7 - 8
indicates that specific quotas of bricks had to be made each
day, but that at the first the materials were all supplied.
Making bricks involved carrying water; digging earth;
mixing earth, water, and straw; filling moulds with the
mud; removing dried bricks from the mould; and trans-
porting bricks by unaided manpower.
Israel’s bondage is an illustration of the bondage of sin.
“The way of transgressors is hard.” (Prov. 13:15)
22. Why did the king of Egypt enlist the help of the midwives?
(See Ex. 1:15-16.)
He sought their help because his previous scheme to
suppress Israel by slave labor had failed. So he asked the
midwives to kill male babies whenever they assisted a Hebrew
woman in giving birth. It would not be too difficult for the
midwife to make the death of the baby look accidental.
‘Dates from Siegfried J. Schwantes, A Short History of the Ancient NearEast (Grand
Rapids: Baker, 1963,p. 8.

65
1:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

Using the midwives concealed the king as the murderer.

23. Were the midwives Hebrews orEgyptians?
Commentators differ on whether the midwives were
Hebrews or Egyptian women who served as midwives to the
Hebrews. It is hard to imagine that the king would have
expected the Hebrew women to slay the children of their
own people. Nonetheless, the midwives had names of Semitic
character (Hebrew-like); and they feared God, like good
Hebrews. Shiphrah means “Beauty” and Puah means
“splendor. ” O
Perhaps these women were part of the “mixed multitude”
(Ex. 12:38) that came out of Egypt with the Israelites. We
know that immigrants of various Semitic (Shem-ite) tribes
had come into Egypt throughout its history. In fact, the
Hyksos had been such people.
24. Were there only two midwives for the Hebrews?
Only two are named (Ex. 1:lS). These would not seem to
be enough, since there were probably nearly half a million
Hebrew women, and the birth rate was quite high. Maybe
Shiphrah and Puah were heads of the midwives guild
(union), and had other women working under them. Maybe
Pharaoh did not contact all the midwives, just these two.
He was desperate. k

The work of the midwives is partly indicated in Ex. 1:16.

In birth the women often crouched down upon a pair of
bricks or stones, or upon a birth stool built in a pattern of
two stones.i1 The “birth-stool” of Ex. 1:16 literally means
“two stones.” After delivery, the midwives cut the infant’s
umbilical cord, washed the baby, salted and swaddled the
body (Ezek. 16:4).
25. Why save the girls (1:16)?
Because the women did (and still do!) much of the hard
labor, labor in fields and homes, spinning, needle work,
cooking. Also girls would be saved for future harems, for

l0Noth, op. cit., p. 23.

“Davis, op. cit., p. 50.

66
 T R A N S I T I O N 1:l-22

the Egyptians were steeped in immorality. See Gen. 12:

11-12. Also the boys might become soldiers of guerillas,
26. What caused the midwivc‘s to spare the babies? (See 1: 17.)
They feared God more than they feared men. See Prov.
16:6. The expression ,/cared God is used several times of
feelings and actions of non-Jews, which humanized their
actions even when their national or personal interests were at
stake. See Gen. 42:18; 2O:ll. The opposite behavior is to
“fear not God”’*(Deut. 2.518).
We wonder where these midwives learned this fear of God,
We really do not know. Perhaps from some Godly Hebrews,
Some knowledge of God has pervaded the entire human race
since creation. See Gen. 14:18; Ex. 2:16.
27. I s it right to disobey civil authorities, as the midwives did?
On those rare occasions when civil authorities issue
orders in clear contradiction to God’s words, it is better to
obey God than men, See Acts 5:29; Daniel 3: 16-18.
28. Should the midwives have lied ubout why they spared the
boys?
See Ex. 1:17-18. Probably not. God probably would have
saved them without their lying, as he saved Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego, who boldly stated the truth about
their intentions (Dan. 3:13-18).
It might appear from Ex. 1:20 that God rewarded the
midwives for lying. However, we feel that he rewarded them
for sparing the male children rather than for their untruths.
We must never forget that the Bible accurately records
many words and deeds that it does not necessarily approve.
Even the Bible’s heroes, like Abraham, David, Moses, and
Simon Peter have their transgressions glaringly recorded in
the holy book. We can be thankful that God has always
dealt with people on the basis of grace, rather than solely
on the basis of what they justly deserve. Were it not so, we
would all be doomed.
29. Were the Israelite women actually delivering their babies

‘9.H. Hertz, ed., The P e n f a t c ~ c artdWufioruhs

h (London: Soncino, 1969), p, 208.

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1:l-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

v e v quickly?
We are not plainly told whether this was a fact or an excuse
by the midwives. We do not know that quick easy delivery of
babies was a common physical ability of Hebrew women.
Certainly Rachel had a hard delivery (Gen. 3516-18; Com-
pare I Sam. 4:19-20).
30. What reward did God give to the midwives (1:21)?
He made for them houses, or households. They married
Israelites and raised families. In some periods of history
children have been looked upon as a curse, but they are
actually one of God’s greatest favors. To die childless was to
a Hebrew one of God’s direst punishments (Lev. 20:20; Jer.
22:30).
When we consider things like abortion, we should consider
the high value God placed upon saving children’s lives and
having households, as related in Exodus chap. 1.
31. What is revealed about the character of the Egyptian people
by Pharaoh’s command to “his people”? (See 1:22)
The fact that Pharaoh could enlist the cooperation of his
people in the work of throwing all boy babies into the river
shows that very many of the Egyptians were as bad as their
king.
At first Pharaoh had been secret and subtle in his murder
attempts on the male Israelite babies. Now he becomes open,
blatant, and God-defying. If anyone should feel sympathy
for Pharaoh because God later hardened his heart during
the ten plagues, he may well recall that Pharaoh had tried
both secretly and openly to slaughter the innocent. If it be
objected that it was a different Pharaoh whose heart was
hardened, we reply that the same merciless disposition
existed in both pharaohs,

68
 PREPARATION OF GOD’S MAN 2:l-25
The Text of EXODUS
TRANSLATION

And there went a man of the house of Le-vi, and took to wife
2 a daughter of Le-vi. (2) And the woman conceived, and bare
a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid
him~threemonths. (3) And when she could not longer hide him,
she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime
and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the
flags by the river’s brink. (4) And his sister stood afar off, to
know what would be done to him. (5) And the daughter of Pha-
raoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked
along by the river-side; and she saw the ark among the flags,
and sent her handmaid to fetch it. (6) And she opened it, and
saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had com-
passion on him,and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.
(7) Then said his sister to Pha.raoh’s daughter, Shall I go and
call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the
child for thee? (8)And Pha-raoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And
the maiden went and called the child’s mother. (9) And Pha-
raoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse
it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took
the child, and nursed it. (10)And the child grew, and she brought
him unto Pha-raoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she
called his name Mo-ses, and said, Because I drew him out of the
water.
(11)And it came to pass in those days, when Mo-ses was grown
up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their
burdens: and he saw an E-gyp-tian smiting a Hebrew, one of
his brethren. (12)And he looked this way and that way, and
when he saw that there was no man, he smote the E-gyp-tian,
and hid him in the sand. (13) And he went out the second day,
and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together: and
he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy
fellow? (14) And he said, who made thee a prince and a judge
over us? thinkest thou to kiI1 me, as thou killedst the E-gyp-tian?
And Mo-ses feared, and said, Surely the thing is known. (15) Now
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2: 1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

when Pha-raoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Mo-ses. But

Mo=sesfled from the face of Pha-raoh, and dwelt in the land of
Mid-i-an: and sat down by a well.
(16) Now the priest of Mid-i-an had seven daughters: and they
came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their fa-
ther’s flock. (17) And the shepherds came and drove them away;
but Mo-sea stood up and helped them, and water their flock.
(18) And when they came to Reu-el their father, he said, How is
it that yea re come so soon to-day? (19) And they said, An E-
gyp=tiandelivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and more-
over he drew water for us, and watered the flock. (20) And he
said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have
left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. (21) And Mo-ses
was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Mo-sea Zip-po-
rah his daughter. (22) And she bare a son, andhe called his name
Ger=shom;for he said, I have seen a sojourner in a foreign land.
And it came to pass in the course of those many days, that the
king of E=gyptdied: and the children of Is-me1 sighed by reason
of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God
by reason of the bondage. (24) And God heard their groaning,
and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with I-saac,
and with Jacob. (25) And God saw the children of Is-ra=el, and
God took knowledge of them.

EXPLORINGEXODUS:
CHAPTER Two
ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE
QUESTIONS
1. Of what tribe were Moses’ parents? (2: 1)
2. What were the names of Moses’ father and mother? (6:20)
3. Did Moses’ mother hide her baby only because he was a
goodly child? (Ex.2:2. Compare Hebrews 11:23; Acts 7:20)
4. How long was Moses hidden at home? (2:2)
5. Where was the baby Moses placed? (23)
6. How was the “ark” made watertight? (2:3)
7. Who watched over the babe in the basket? (Ex. 2:4; Num.
2659)

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 PREPARATION OF GOD’S M A N 2:l-25

8. Who saw the ark among the flags? (2:5)

9. Who actually fetched the ark? (2:5)
10, What did the baby do when the ark was opened? (2:6)
11, What was the reaction of Pharaoh’s daughter when she saw
the child? (26)
12, What did the baby’s sister offer to get for Pharaoh’s daugh-
ter? (2:7)
13. How could Exodus 2:7-8 illustrate Romans 8:28?
14. Where did Moses’ mother bring the boy after she raised him
past infancy? (2:10)
15. Who called his name Moses? (2: 10)
16. Why was his name called Moses? What does that name
mean? (2:lO)
17. How old was Moses when he went unto his brethren? (2: 11;
Acts 7:23)
18. What did Moses look upon when he went out unto his
brethren: (2:11)
19, What did Moses see that grieved him? (2: 11)
20. Was slaying the Egyptian necessary? (2: 12)
21. What did Moses suppose that his Hebrew brethren would
understand when he killed the Egyptian? (Acts 7:24-25)
22. What was done with the Egyptian’s body? (2:12)
23. When two Hebrews fought, was just one at fault, or were
both at fault? (2:13)
24. How quickly had the Egyptian’s death become known? By
what means had it become known? (2:14)
25. How did Pharaoh react to the news of the Egyptian’s death?
(2:15)
26. To what land did Moses flee? Where is this land? (2: 15)
27, Where did Moses sit down in this land? (2:15)
28. How many daughters did the priest of Midian have? (2: 16)
29. What was the name of the priest of Midian? (2:18; 3: 1)
30. What was the labor of the priest’s daughters? (2: 17)
31. How did Moses help the priest’s daughters? (2:17)
32. What surprised the priest of Midian about his daughters’
return? (2:18)
33. Why did the daughters refer to Moses as an “Egyptian’’?

71
2: 1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

(2:19)
34. Who drew the water from the well? (2:16,19)
35. What invitation was extended to Moses? (2:20)
36. What was Moses content to do? (2:21)
37. What change in Moses’ manner of life took place when he
settled in Midian? (Compare Ex. 3:l and Acts 7:22)
38. Who became Moses’ wife? (2:21)
39. What was the name of Moses’ son? (2:22)
40. What does the name of the son of Moses mean? (2:22)
41. Who was Moses’ second son? What does his name mean?
(EX.18:2-4)
42. Was it a long time or a short time before the king who sought
Moses’ life died? (2:23)
43. Did the death of the king of Egypt ease Israel’s bondage?
(2:23)
44. What sound effects came from the children of Israel in
Egypt? Why? (2~23-24)
45. Did Israel’s crying have any effect? (2:23-24)
46. What did God remember? (2:24)
47. What connection is there between Israel’s groaning and
God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? (Ex. 2:24;
Compare Gen. 1513-14)
48. Tell four things God did when Israel cried and groaned.
(2~24-25).

Exodus 2: THEMAKINGOF GOD’SMAN

Things needed in the making of God’s man:

1. God-fearing parents; 2: 1-2
2. Divine direction and providence; 2:3-9
3. Training; Acts 7:22
4. Personal decision; 2 : l l ; Heb. 11:24
5. Courage to act; 2:ll-13’17
6. God’s chastening; 2:14-15’21-22
7. Patient endurance; Heb. 11:27; Ex. 18:4

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 P R E P A R A T I O N O F GOD’S M A N 2:1.25

Exodus 2: MOSES’ INEGYPT

DECISION

I, He refused...
1, To be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter (Heb. 11:24).
2. To enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (Heb. 11:25).
3. To cherish the treasures of Egypt (Heb. 11:26).
.
11. He decided. .
1. To stand with Israel, the people of God (Heb. 11:25).
2. To deliver his people (Acts 7:24).
3. To suffer ill treatment.
4. To share the reproach of the Messiah (Christ) (Heb. 11:26).

EXPLORINGEXODUS:
Notes on Chapter Two

1. Who were Moses’parents?

His father was Amram, a man of the house (or tribe) of
Levi. He was a grandson or later descendant of Levi. The
I genealogy in Ex. 6:16-20 almost certainly has some names
omitted. (See notes on Ex. 6:16-20.) It appears from Ex. 2:l
that Amram himself went out and took a wife of his own
choosing, a somewhat unusual act in a time when fathers
usually arranged marriages for children.
I
Moses’ mother was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi (pos-
sibly a first generation descendant of Levi, and maybe
his only daughter). She was born to Levi in Egypt (Numbers
2659). She would have been Amram’s aunt, but was not
necessarily older than he.
2. Was Moses the firstborn son in his family?
No. He had a brother, Aaron, three years older than he
(Ex. 7:7). Also he had a sister, Miriam (= Mary), several
years older yet. Some interpreters have proposed that since
Miriam is called the “sister of Aaron” in Ex. 1520, that
perhaps she and Aaron were children of Amram by another
wife. But Numbers 2 6 5 9 says plainly that Jochebed bore
all three children.
3. What was noticeable in the appearance of the infant Moses?
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2: 1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

He was incredibly beautiful. The Hebrew Bible says he

was a “good” (tov) or “goodly” child. Acts 7:20 says h’e was
“exceeding fair” (literally “fair to God,” or “fair like God”).
“The very beauty of the child seemed to be a particular token
of divine approval, and a sign that God had some special
design concerning him.”’
This statement about his beauty does not really suggest
that the parents would have been less willing to save his life
if he had been an ordinary baby.
4. Why was the baby Moses hidden?
Because of the king’s commandment to slay all baby boys.
But his parents (both of them!) were not afraid of the king’s
commandment, and hid him for three months (Heb. 10:23).
5 . Why could not the parents continue to hide the baby?
Any pacents of a normal strong-lunged, three-months-old
baby know why such a one would be hard to hide. (The
clothesline would betray you!)
The Jewish Midrash (Interpretation) of Exodus says that
the Egyptians would go from house to house where they
suspected a Hebrew child might have been born. This is
possibly true.
Later Jewish tradition preserved or invented many tradi-
tions about Moses’ infancy and youth. We read them in
Josephus, the Midrash, and other Jewish sources. They are
often very interesting. In the same way in later centuries
Roman Catholic traditions about the infant, Jesus and his
mother Mary were brought forth in additian to the simple
6rief Biblical stories about Jesus’ childhood.
6 . How wasMoses hidden “byfaith”? (Hebrews 11:23).
Since “faith cometh by hearing,” maybe God had given
some revelation to the parents about the future of the child
and what they should do. Josephus, the Jewish historian,
says that Amram foretold how Moses would deliver Israel,
while his wife was still expectinga2
IC. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. I (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968),p, 427.
’Antiquities, II,9, 3.
74
 PREPARATION OF GOD’S MAN 21-25
Such traditions are unverifiable. The faith of Moses’
parents may have simply been based only on their knowledge
of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their
seed (descendants), This knowledge could have been learned
from their parents or grandparents. They had faith in what
had been told to them, and dared to risk their safety because
of this faith.
7 , How important was the child Moses?
No words can tell how important he was. Through this
child God was preparing the emancipation of Israel at the
very time when Pharaoh was planning their extermination!
This Moses would become the greatest personage of history
prior to Jesus.
How important the birth of any child may be! No one
could have forseen Moses’ influence. What if Moses or some
other child destined for greatness had been murderously
aborted by his mother?
8. What preparations were made for placing Moses upon the
water? (2:3-4)
His mother took an ark of bulrushes, a basket or chest
made of papyrus. (The scripture does not say that she made
it.) The Hebrew word translated ark (tebah) is used in the
scripture only in reference to Moses’ basket and Noah’s ark.
Perhaps that is significant, since both were means of deliver-
ance, and possibly symbols of our deliverance.
Moses’ mother coated the ark with slime (bitumen, or
asphalt) and pitch (tar), making it watertight. She put the
child in the basket, and placed it among the flags, or reeds,4
by the Nile river (probably one of the arms of the eastern Nile
delta).
All of these acts seem deliberately and calmly done. Surely

3Papyruswas the plant whose stems could be made into paper. It grew in water or
swamps and attained a height of 10-15 feet. Boats were sometimes made of it (Isaiah
18:2).
4Theword for reeds in 2:3 is suph, the same term used to describe the Reed Sea, or
Red Sea, in Ex, 13: 18. This, however, does not prove that there were reeds growing in the
Red Sea. The term suph also refers to seaweeds. Note its use in Jonah 2 5 .

75
2:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

Moses’ mother knew what time and place that Pharaoh’s

daughter came to bathe at the river. Placing the sister (Miri-
am) at a distance from the basket to observe suggests that
they expected someone to come. We imagine that a spot used
for royal bathing would be off limits to the general public.
9. Where did Moses’ mother stay while her babe was in the
river?
Apparently she went home, leaving her child in the care
of Miriam and of God (Ex.2:4,8). Her confidence in both
was beautiful.
10. Who was the daughter of Pharaoh whofound Moses?
We really do not know. The princess who later became
queen Hatshepsut was probablyLthen a young woman; but
this does not prove that she was the daughter of Pharaoh
referred to in the Bible. We favor the idea that she was the
one, but we do not know. R. K. Harrison suggests that the
woman was only one of the daughters in one of the numerous
royal harems scattered about Egypt.
11 Why should the daughter of Pharaoh go to the river to bathe?
Probably this was a religious ceremonial washing of some
kind. The Nile river was the lifestream of Egypt. The ancient
Egyptians regarded the river as worthy of divine honors.
They wrote hymns to it.6 They felt that its waters imparted
fruitfulness and long life. Note that Pharaoh made frequent
trips out to the water (Ex. 7 :17: 8:20).
12, W i y did Pharaoh’s daughter have compassion on the babe?
( E x . 2:6)
Three reasons may be suggested: (1) natural female tend-
erness (which is a beautiful, needed gift from God!); (2)
religious teaching among the Egyptians which required
tenderness toward the suckling infant;’ (3) the providential
’Introduction to theold Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969). p. 575.
‘“Hymn to the Nile,” translated by John A . Wilson, in Ancient Near Eastern Texts
(hereafter referred to as ANET), edited by James B. Pritchatd (Princeton, N.J.: Prince-
ton U. Press, 1955), pp, 372,373.
’F. C. Cook, ed., The Bible Commentary, Exodus-Ruth, (Grand Rapids: Baker,
1964, p. 9.

76
 PREPARATION O F .GOD’S MAN 2:l-25
control of God.
13. What care was given to the infant Moses by his mother after
she got him back?
Every possible care. He received physical care. The term
“nurse” in 2:7, 9 means to “suckle.” Both Josephus*and the
Jewish Midrashg say that the infant Moses rejected the
breasts of Egyptian women before being turned back to his
mother, This seems like a superstitious yarn.
But we can be completely sure that the child Moses grew
up with spiritual care also, hearing songs and words about
God and his people Israel. As far as we know the only train-
ing Moses could have received about God was that which he
received at home as a very young child. But the earliest im-
pressions upon a child often stick with him all his life. This
certainly proved true in the case of Moses.
A wise teacher was asked, “When should a child’s
education begin?” He replied, “In the life of his great-
grandmother.” Observe the effects of Eunice and Lois upon
Timothy (I1 Tim. 1 5 ) .
Observe how the faith of Moses’ mother was rewarded.
Previously she cared for Moses at great peril; now under the
protection of Pharaoh’s daughter. Previously she cared for
him at her own expense; now she gets royal wages for doing it.
Observe also how important the women were in the life of
Moses. His mother, his sister, Pharaoh’s daughter-all
played vital roles in his career. All honor to the wonderful
women of all ages who fear the Lord! Moses’ wise mother
knew what some “emancipated” women of our times do not
know, namely that service at home to her family will have
more powerful influence on the world than competing with
men for authority. Who had a more lasting powerful in-
fluence on the world, the Egyptian queen Hatshepsut or
Moses’ mother?

aAntiquities, 11, ix, 5 .

qAmos W . Miller, Understanding the Midrash (New York: Jonathan David, 1965),
pp. 56-57.

77
2:1-25 EXPLORING. EXODUS

14. What was Moses’youth in Egypt like?

At an unspecified age (3-S?) Moses’ mother turned him
over to Pharaoh’s daughter, who nourished him for her own
son (Acts 7:21). He was trained in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians (Acts 7:22). This would include languages, such
as Egyptian hieroglyphic, Babylonian cuneiform, l o and
possibly the early Semitic alphabetic writing, such as was
then in use down in the Sinaitic peninsula at Serabit El
Khadim.’ ’ The Egyptians were also skillful in architecture,
astronomy. and medicine.
Moses became “mighty in word and deed” as a young man
(Acts 7:22). Josephus12tells of Moses’ leading a victorious
war against the Ethiopians, and consummating marriage
with an Ethiopian princess. Could she have been the Cushite
woman of Numbers 12:1? We can neither accept nor reject
this information with complete certainty.
15. Who gaveMoses his name? Why? (Ex. 2:lO)
Pharaoh’s daughter gave him his name. In Egyptian his
name means “son of’ (the water). The -rnose in Moses is
found in Egyptian names such as Ahmose, Thutmose, etc.13
In Hebrew, Moses’ name is Moshe, derived from the verb
, masha, meaning “to draw out.” It is remarkable that Moses’
ame would have meanings that related to his life in both
the Egyptian and Hebrew languages.
16. What great decision didMoses make in Egypt? (Ex. 2 : l l )
‘!The so-called Amarna letters, written from petty kings in Canaan and Syria to
Egyptian kings Amenhotep 111 (1413-1377) and Amenhotep IV (1377-13581, were
written in Babylonian cuneiform writing. Apparently it was the international language
of government and business at that time. See “Amarna Letters,” in Biblical World,
Chas. Pfeiffer, ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1966), p. 36.
‘,Serabitel Khadim was a site in western Sinai where there were turquoise mines and
a temple and a shrine to the Egyptian goddess Hathor. On these ruins, dated about 1500
B.C., are inscriptions in a very ancient alphabetic writing related to Hebrew. See Sir
Charles Marston, The Bible is True (London: Eyre and Spottiswoods, 1937), p, 191;
“Serabit el Khadim” in Biblical World, Chas. Pfeiffer, ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker,
1966), p. 191.
!*Antiquities,11, x, 1-2.
[IGleason L. Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Chicago: Moody,
1964), p. 211.

78
 PREPARATION OF GOD’S MAN 2:l-25
Moses chose to stand with his people, the Hebrews. Heb.
11:24 says that by faith he REFUSED to be called the son of
Pharaoh’s daughter. The very fact that he re&sed implies
that some offer was made to him. l 4 Moses’ decision involved
a complete severance from Egypt.
He made the decision when he was grown, at age forty
(Acts 7:22). The decision may never have been publicly
declared in the palace in Egypt, but Moses’ deeds soon made
clear whose side he was on.
Heb. 11:26 says that Moses chose to share the “reproach
of Christ” (the Messiah). This reveals to us that Moses had
some knowledge of the Messianic hope in Israel, a fact that
we would not have learned from the book of Exodus alone.
17. How did Moses demonstrate his decision?
He “went out unto his brethren” (2: 11)and “looked upon
their burdens,” supposing that his brothers (the Hebrews)
would understand that God was by his hand giving them
deliverance (Acts 7:25).
Observe that Moses “went out” to his brethren. He had
not up till then lived among his fellow countrymen, and had
not shared their hard lot.
Moses had to learn that God would give Israel deliverance
by HIS own hand, rather than by Moses’ hand. This lesson
required forty years of sheep-herding in humiliation.
We must not, however, find fault with Moses’ impulsive-
ness. At least he tried to do something. Simon Peter was also
impulsive, and in an act of questionable violence he cut off
the ear of the high priest’s servant (Mark 14:47). God used
both Peter and Moses to do great things. Their decisiveness
showed their potential for leadership, once they were prop-
erly disciplined. God does not get much service from those
who know all the right things to do, but do not do anything.
18. Was Moses’fea@l when he broke with Egypt?
No. “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of
the king” (Heb. 11:27). This refers to Moses’ leaving

“Arthur W.Pink, Gleanings in Exodus (Chicago: Moody, nod.),p. 19.

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2:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

Pharaoh’s house, not to his flight to Midian, for then he

feared (Ex. 2:14).15
The “king” from whom Moses fled was probably the great
Thutmose 111 (1502-1448 B.C.), who made seventeen mili-
tary campaigns into Palestine and Syria, including a famous
frontal attack on the city of Megiddo through a narrow
mountain passel6Thutmose I11 was just at this time (about
1486 B.C.) coming to full power, having been a rival to
Hatshepsut for many years. (Hatshepsut was both his
mother-in-law and step-mother!)
19. Why did Moses kill the Egyptian? (2:12)
The Egyptian (probably one of the taskmasters) was
smiting (beating) one of the Hebrews. The verb smite
(nakah)in Ex. 2:11 is the same verb used in 2:12 to tell how
Moses “slew” (smote, struck down) the Egyptian. This hints
that the Egyptian was beating, or nearly beating, the Hebrew
to death.
It is easy to question Moses’ act. Why did he do it only
when he saw no one was looking? Could he not have ordered
the Egyptian to leave the Hebrew alone, since Moses was a
prince? But such questions can never diminish the greatness
of Moses.
20: When two Hebrewsfought, were both at fault? (2:13)
No. One of them was bullying the other, then probably
using the resistance of his victim as an excuse to fight him
more. How true this is to human psychology! It is not always
true that it takes two to make a fight. One who is oppressed
by others may be equally oppressive himself if given an
opportunity. Only the death of Christ and his love dwelling
in us can reconcile men to God and to one another (Col.
1:21).
21. How hadMoses’ deed become known?
The slaying of the Egyptian could only have been made
known by the Israelite whom Moses had saved the day

‘“Keil and Delitzsch, op c i f , 432.

16ANET,234-237.

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 PREPARATION O F GOD’S M A N 21-25
before. Imagine how fast and far the gossip grape-vine
carried this news!
22, Did Moses seek to become a prince and a judge over the
Hebrews? (2:14)
Not really. He made no threatening gestures toward the
Israelites striving together. He merely asked the one man,
“Why are you striking your companion?” The wrong-
doer’s reply to Moses resembles the words used by the
Sodomites against Lot (Gen. 19:9).
23. What does Moses’FEARsuggest to us? (2:14)
It suggests the very human quality in an extraordinary
man. Moses is not so different from us that we cannot iden-
tify with him.
It also suggests the truthfulness of the story in Exodus. A
fictionalized narrative glorifying Moses might omit such a
fact.
24. Where was the land ofMidian to which Moses-fled? (2:l.S)
Moses fled to an area in the southeast part of the Sinai
peninsula, west of the Gulf of Akabah. The Midianites
mainly lived east of the Gulf of Akabah; but some lived on
the west side. It was there where Moses fled, going perhaps
250 miles from Egypt.
Two facts confirm the view that the land of Midian where
Moses fled was west of the Gulf of Akabah: (1) In that area
Moses later rejoined his Midianite father-in-law Jethro (Ex.
18:1, 5); (2) also Moses was herding sheep for Jethro near
Mt. Horeb (Sinai), which is certainly west of the Gulf of
Akabah. Sheep could hardly have been driven from the area
east of the Gulf all the way to Sinai. The distance is too great
and the terrain is too rugged and barren.
25. W h o were the Midianites?
The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through his
wife Keturah (Gen. 25:2,4). They were thus remotely related
to the Israelites.
R. Alan Cole comments that since later Israelites were
bitter foes of the Midianites (Num. 25:17-18; Judges 6), it
is unthinkable that the story of the Midianite sojourn of
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2: 1-25 EXPLORING EX O D U S

Moses would have been invented by a later Israelite author.”

This is true; and it is a significant statement, since many
Bible critics hold that Exodus was written by several authors
living in the tenth or fifth centuries before Christ (long after
Moses).
26. What were the three main periods in Moses’ life?
THREE 40-YEAR PERIODS IN MOSES’LIFE
1. In Egypt, as a prince.
2. In Midian, as a shepherd.
3. In the wilderness (desert), as leader of Israel.
2 7 . Why did Moses sit down at a well? (2:15)
Literally, He sat down by the well, probably the only one
in the vicinity. Perhaps he sat down there because he was
weary or thirsty, or because he hoped to meet someone.
Wells were common meeting places in any area. Jacob met
Rachel at a well (Gen. 29:lO; Compare Gen. 24:ll); and
Christ met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4).
28. What is indicated about the Midianites’ religion?
The Midianites knew God by the name El (PI. elohim), a
name which means “mighty one.” This is indicated by the
name ReueZ(2:18),which means friend of God, or perhaps
shepherd of God.
, The Midianites had a priest (2:16). However, the extent of
his knowledge of God seems very limited (Ex. 18:8-11).He
did offer burnt-offerings and sacrifices (Ex. 18:12), although
the exact way these sacrifices were made is not known.
,; The conduct of the shepherds toward Jethro’s daughters
(2:17)may indicate that his person and office were lightly
regarded by the idolatrous and irreligious citizens of his
immediate neighborhood.
29. Describe Reuel’s Wethro’s)jamily.
He had a large family with seven daughters (some of
marriageable age), and apparently a son, Hobab (Num.
10:29). A large Godly family is good. Jethro’s daughters
were industrious. No mention is made of Reuel’s wife.

”Cole, op. c k , p. 60

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 PREPARATION O F GOD’S M A N 2:l-25
Part of Reuel’s family is later referred to as the Kenites
(Judges 4:ll; 1:16). The name Kenite in Aramaic means
smith, or metal worker.18 It is a known fact that copper
mines existed in the Sinai peninsula (near Ezion-Geber at
the north end of the Gulf of Akabah) and turquoise mines
near Serabit el-Khadim. Just possibly some members of
the family were involved in mining, as well as shepherding.
30. What were Reuel’s other names?
(1) Raguel. This form of his name is given in the King
James version of Numbers 10:29, although the Hebrew form
of the name there is identical to that which is spelled Reuel
in Ex. 2:18.
(2)Jethro. (Heb. Yithro).This alternate name for Reuel is
given in Ex. 3: 1and 18:1.Jethro may mean “his excellence,”
Ex. 4:18 gives a variant form of the name Jethro, Jether
(Heb. Yether). We do not know why Reuel was also called
Jethro. Several Biblical people had two names. Examples
are Gideon-Jerubbaal (Judges 6:27, 32)’ Bartholemew-
Nathanael, Solomon-Jedidiah (I1 Sam. 12:25), Simon-Peter
(John 1:42), Jehoiachin-Jeconiah (11Kings 24:lS; Jer. 24:l).
Reuel’s having an alternate name need not therefore sur-
prise us,
31. What is shown about Moses by his driving the shepherds
away? (2: 17)
It shows that he was undaunted by his failures in Egypt to
reconcile the fighting Hebrews and to deliver his people.
He still had spunk to stand up against wrongdoing. His
impulses led to immediate action.
It shows he was kind and courteous. The sisters were
surprised that he drew water for them. Usually this was
exclusively a woman’s job.
The behavior of the shepherds was rotten and rank. They
had apparently been imposing on the daughters for a long
time, because when the girls were not delayed by the

“G. Ernest Wright, Biblical Archaeology (Philadelphia: Westminister, 1962),p. 65.

Hastings, Dictionary ofthe Bible, Vol. 11, p, 834.

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2:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

shepherds taking over the water they had drawn, they got
home so much sooner than usual that their father was sur-
prised. It is interesting to ponder whether Jethro knew of
this regular water-well larceny, and if so why he had not
stopped it.
32. Why callMoses an Egyptian? (2:19)
Culturally he was an Egyptian - in dress, in speech, and
every outward aspect. But inwardly he was NOT an Egyp-
tian; and it is from the heart that the expressions of life come
forth.
33. What is shown about Jethro by his having his daughters call
in Moses?
Hospitality, gratitude, recognition of good personal
qualities.
Jethro rather scolds the daughters for leaving Moses at the
well. “Why have you left the man? Is it because you have
not been taught better? Is it because you are selfish? Is it
because you did not understand or believe the man?”
(Preacher’s Homiletic Commentary). Parents should teach
their children hospitality, especially when kindnesses have
been extended to them.
34. What signijlcance is there to Moses “eating bread” with
~ Jethro? (2:20)
Eating bread in those lands means more than casual
hospitality. It involves a personal pledge of friendship and
protection.
35. Was Moses happy to remain with Jethro?
The expression “content” in 2:21 has no idea of satisfac-
tion or of concession about it. Moses simply agreed to dwell
with the man. Perhaps he felt he had nowhere else to go, The
fact that he could stay forty years with Jethro suggests that
Jethro must have been congenial. Ex. 18:14ff suggests that
Jethro was wise.
36. What do we know about Zipporah? (2:21)
Very little. Her name meant “Bird” (perhaps “warbler”
“twitterer”). l9 She wasn’t loyal enough to the Abrahamic
*9c01e,op. cit., p. 61.
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 PREPARATION OF GOD’S MAN 21-25
convenant to see to it that her son was circumcised (Ex.
4:25). Moses sent her back to her father’s house when he
went back to Egypt to lead Israel out. She rejoined Moses
at Rephidim near Sinai (Ex. 18:l-2). Unless she is the
Cushite woman of Num. 12:1, we hear nothing more about
her. The feeling strikes us that Zipporah was never really
very sympathetic to Moses.
37. What do the names ofMoses’ sons suggest? (2:22)
Gershom means “a stranger there” (from Hebrew ger,
stranger). Though Moses had safety and a wife and children,
the name Gershom suggests that he felt a feeling of banish-
ment in Midian.
A second son named Eliezer was born. See Ex. 18:4. His
name means “My God is a help.” This name suggests that
as time passed Moses came to be more content, and to rely
more fully on God. He did not lose his faith.
38. What possible results came to Moses through his sojourn in
Midian?
(1) He learned to trust less in his own abilities. See 3 : l l .
Such a lesson is good if it does not completely destroy our
self-confidence, and if it causes us to depend the more on
God.
(2) He learned patience, at least more patience than he
had before.
(3) He learned many details about the land, its trails,
oases, etc. He was later to lead the Israelites through part
of the very territory wherein he labored as a shepherd.
(4) Possibly Jethro, as priest, may have had written docu-
ments that came into Moses’ possession. The book of Job
was probably written in patriarchal times (time of Abraham,
Isaac, or Jacob) in Arabia, which lay next to Midian. If this
came to Moses’ attention or he acquired it, this would help
account for its presence in the group of books accepted as
scripture (the canon).20
20Thetract Baba Bathra from the Jewish Talmud (probably second century after
Christ) says, “Who wrote the Scriptures? - Moses wrote his own book and the portion
of Balaam (Num. 23-24) and Job.” Baba Bathra 14b-15a.

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2: 1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

(5) One result sometimes credited to Moses’ sojourn in

Midian can be seriously questioned. This is the idea that
Moses got the name of YAHWEH (Jehovah) from the Mid-
ianites (or Kenites), and some of his ideas about God’s
nature and laws, This is called the “Kenite theory.’’
Acording to the so-called Kenite hypothesis, Yahweh
was originally the tribal god of the clan of Kenites
headed by Moses’ father-in-law Jethro. From them
Moses allegedly first learned of the name and worship of
Yahweh.2
The Scriptures do not indicate that the Midianites knew
the name Jehovah. Moses was reminded of it by God at the
burning bush (Ex. 3:13-16). Jehovah declared that he was
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How could the
Israelites have been induced to leave Egypt under the guid-
ance of a God with whom they had had no previous associa-
tion, and about whom they knew absolutely nothing?
Moses learned about God at the burning bush, and in the
later experiences of leading Israel out of Egypt, and at Mt.
Sinai. This knowledge was relayed to Jethro and accepted
by him only after it was validated by the events of the exodus
(Ex. 18:ll). Jethro learned of Jehovah from Moses and not
Moses from Jethro.
39. What king ofEgypt is referred to in Ex. 2:23?
Probably the one who died was Thutmose I11 (1502-1448
B.C.). He was succeeded by his son Amenhotep I1 (1448-
1422), who was probably the pharaoh at the time of the
exodus. Amenhotep I1 continued the earlier oppression of
the Israelites.
40. What sound efSects came @om oppressed Israel? (2:23-24)
(1) Sighing, which is often an expression of grief. Psalm
12:s.
(2) Cry.Compare Ex. 3:9 and James 5 4 .
(3) Groaning. Compare Ex. 6:s.
~~

”James King West, Introduction to the Old Testament (New York: Macmillan, 19711,
p. 125. Compare H. H. Rowley, From Joseph to Joshua (London: Oxford U. Press,
1951), pp. 149-160.

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 CALL O F GOD’S MAN 3: 1-22
The fact that the Israelites cried unto God shows that they
retained some faith in the God of their fathers. When the old
oppressing king died, they prayed in hope. But the bondage
continued for a time.
41. How important was God’s covenant? (2:24)
A covenant has always been the cornerstone of God’s
dealings with mankind. A covenant is variously defined as a
commitment, bargain, agreement, arrangement, or will.
God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
others. God is unfailing in remembering his covenants.
Regarding God’s covenant with Abraham, see Genesis 15.
This covenant involved promises of Israel’s increase in popu-
lation, its enslavement in a foreign country, its deliverance,
and the possession of the land of Canaan.
42. W h a tfour actions are ascribed t o God in 2:24-257
.. . .
God heard . remembered , saw, , . knew. Ex. 2:25,
when translated very literally, says, “And God looked upon
the sons of Israel, and God knew.” How beautiful! What
more could anyone ask than that God would see us and
know? To know means to know meaningfully, by expe-
rience. It often has the idea of intimacy, of approval, and
acceptance,

The Text of EXODUS

TRANS LATION

Now Mo-ses was keeping the flock of Je-thro his father-in-

3 law, the priest of Mid-i-an: and he led the flock to the back
of the wilderness, and came to the mountaii of God, unto Ho-
reb. (2) And the angel of Je-ho-vah appeared unto him in a flame
of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold,
the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
(3) And Mo-ses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great
sight, why the bush is not burnt. (4) And when Je-ho-vah saw
that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst
of the bush, and said, Mo-ses, Mo-ses. And he said, Here am I.

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3:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

(5) And he said , Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from
off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
(6) Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of
Abraham, the God of I-saac, and the God of Jacob. And Mo-ses
hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. (7) And Je-ho-
vah said, I have surely seen the aftliction of my people that are in
E-gypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters;
for I know their S O ~ O W S ;(8)and I am come down to deliver them
out of the hand of the E-gyp-tians, and to bring them up out of
that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with
milk and honey; unto the place of the Ca-naan-ite, and the Hit-
tite, and the Am-or-ite, and the Per-iz.zite, and the Hhvite, and
the Jeb-u-site. (9)And now, behold, the cry of the children of
Is-ra-el is come unto me: moreover I have Been the oppression
wherewith the E-gyp-tians oppress them. (10) Come now there-
fore, and I will send thee unto Pha-raoh, that thou mayest bring
forth my people the children of Is-ra-el out of E-gypt. (11)And
Mo-ses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh,
and that I should bring forth the children of Is-ra-el out of E-gypt?
(12)And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be
the token unto thee; that I have sent thee: when thou hast
brought forth the people out of E-gypt, ye shall serve God upon
this mountain. (13) And Mo-ses said unto God, Behold, when
I come unto the children of Is-ra-el and shall say unto them,
The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall
say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? (14)
And God said unto Mo-ses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said,
Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Is-ra-el, I AM hath sent
me unto you. (15) And God said moreover unto Mo-ses, Thus
shalt thou say unto the children of Is-ra-el, Je-ho-vah, the God
of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of I-saac, and
the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for
ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (16) Go, and
gather the elders of Is-ra-el together, and say unto them, Je-ho-
vah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of I-saac,
and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, P have surely
visited you, and seen that which is done to you in E-gypt: (17)

88
 CALL OF GOD’S MAN 3:1-22

and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of E-gypt
unto the land of the Ca-naan-ite, and the Hit.tite, and the
Am-or-ite, and the Per-iz-zite, and the Hi-vite, and the Jeb-u-
site, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. (18) And they
shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the
elders of Is.ra=el, unto the king of E-gypt,and ye shall say unto
him, Je-ho-vah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us:
and now let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the
wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Je-ho-vah our God. (19) And
I know that the king of E-gypt will not give you leave to go, no,
not by a mighty hand. (20) And I will put forth my hand, and
smite E-gypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst
thereof: and after that he will let you go (21)And I will give this
people favor in the sight of the E-gyp-tians: and it shall come to
pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: (22) but every
woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in
her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and
ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters;
and ye shall despoil the E-gyptians.
EXPLORING EXODUS: CHAPTERTHREE
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE FROM THE BIBLE
1. After careful reading of Exodus 3, propose a topic or theme
(1-3words) for the entire chapter.
2. What work did Moses do in Midian? (3: 1)
3. Who was Moses’ fatherpin-law?What other names are given
to him (Compare Ex.2:18; 4: 18; 18:1)
4. Which side of an area is the “backside’’? (3:l; 26:12, 22)
5. What mountain is Horeb? (3:l; 19:20; 33:6; 34:2). Why is it
called the “mountain of God”‘? (Compare Deut. 4:lO-13;
Ex. 19:20-20:3).
6. What appeared unto Moses? (3:2) What was unusual about
the sight? At what place was this appearance?
7. Who was the angel of the LORD? (3:2,6; Compare Gen. 22:
11- 18; 31:11- 13; Judges 6: 11-16).
8. What was Moses’ reaction upon seeing the burning bush?
(3:3)

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3:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

9. Who called out of the midst of the bush? (3:4)

10. With what words did God call to Moses? (3:4)
11. What two preliminary commands did God give Moses from
the bush? (3:5)
12. What significance is there in removing the sandals? (Com-
pare Josh. 515)
13. What made this spot “holy ground”? (3:s)
14. Why did God introduce himself to Moses as “the God of thy
.
father, the God of Abraham, . .”? (3:6; Gen. 1513-18)
15. What does 3:6 reveal about the faith of Moses’ father? What
was the name of Moses’ father? (6:20)
16. What argument did the Lord Jesus draw from Ex. 3:6?
(Luke 20:37-38)
17. How did Moses feel about looking upon God? How did he
show his feelings? (3:6)
18. What had the LORD seen and heard? (3:7,9)
19. By what term did the Lord refer to the Israelites in 3:7?
20. What was God’s purpose in “coming down”? (3:8). Why
does God need to “come down”? Isn’t He everywhere?
(Compare Jer. 23;23-24)
21. What‘is meant by saying that the land was “flowing with
milk and honey”? (3:8; Compare Deut. 8:7-8).
OW many nations occupied the land that God was bringing
the Israelites into? (3:8; Compare Deut. 7:l).
23. To whom was Moses sent? (3:lO)
24. What was Moses’ mission? (3:10)
25. What was Moses’ first excuse when God told him to lead
Israel out? (3: 11)
26. What were Moses’ four other excuses that he later gave?
(3:13; 4:1, 10, 13)
27. What reassurance did God give to encourage Moses to do his
job? (3:12)
28. What was the token, or sign, that God promised to Moses, to
verify that God had indeed sent him on this mission? (3:12)
29. How could this be a sign to reassure Moses during the

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 CALL OF GOD’S M A N 3:l-22
performance of his work, when Moses could not possibly see
the fulfillment of the sign until his work was done? (3:12;
Compare John 2:18-22).
30. How and when did Israel serve God “upon this mountain”?
(3:12; 19:l-3)
31. What question did Moses assume that Israel would ask him
when he told them that God had sent him to them? (3:13)
32. What does the question concerning God’s name suggest
about Israel’s religious knowledge and faithfulness in Egypt?
33. What was the name God gave for Himself? (3:14)
34. What significance and implications can you perceive in this
name for God? (Compare Isa. 57:15; Rev. 1:4; John 8:58).
35. Why the repeated stress on the fact that God was the God of
their fathers? (3:15)
36. What had God promised to Abraham that made Abraham
so important and prominent? (3:15; Gen. 1513-14; 22: 18).
.
37. What name for God is solemnly given in 3:15?
38. What is indicated by God’s calling His name “my memo-
rial”? (3:15; Compare Psalm 97:2; 102:12; 13513).
39. How long was the memorial to be known? (3:15)
40. Whom was Moses to go and gather together? (3:16)
41. What is the significance of God “visiting” them? (Compare
other passages on “visiting,” such as Gen. 21:l; 50:24; Ruth
1:6; Psalm 106:4; Luke 1:68).
42. What promise of God was to be declared unto Israel? (3:17)
43. How would the Israelites respond to God’s promise? (3:18)
44. Who was to go with Moses unto the king of Egypt? (3:18).
Did it work out that way? (5:1-2)
45. What request was Moses to make to the king? (3:18; Com-
pare 51-2)
46. What did God predict about the king’s response to Moses’
request? (3: 19)
47. Explain “No, not by a mighty hand.” (3:19)
48. What did God promise (or threaten) to do to Egypt? (3:20)
49. How did God fulfill the threat stated in Ex. 3:20? See Ex.
7:3ff.
50. What would Egypt do after all God’s wonders had been done
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 EXPLORINU EXODUS 3:1-22
in its midst? (3:20)
51. What would God give to the Israelites in the sight of the
Egyptians? (3:21)
52. What does “Ye shall not go out empty” mean? (3:21; 12:
35-36)
53. From whom were the women to ask (borrow) valuables?
(3:22)
54. What did these valuables consist of? (3:22)
55. Where were the valuables to be placed? (3:22)
56. How extensively were the Israelites to take valuables from
the Egyptians? (3:22)

THREE:THECALLOF GOD’SMAN
EXODUS
Facts About God’s Call:
1. Comes in unexpected ways; 3:2
2. Comes in keeping with past revelations; 3:6
3. Must be heard with reverence; 3:s
4. Given to help man; 3:7-8
5. Sends us to BIG jobs; 3:8.
6. Comes to the fearful; 3:ll.
7. Comes with God’s directions; 3:16.
8. Comes with reassurance; 3:17.
9. Sends us against human opposition; 3:19.
10. Comes with divine help; 3:20.
EXODUSTHREE:AN ENCOUNTER
WITHGOD
I. Preparations for an encounter with God
1. Awareness; 3:3.
2. Humility; 35-6.
11. Purposes of an encounter with God
1. To deliver the afflicted; 3:8-10.
2. To bless the afflicted; 3:8, 17.
111. Power of an encounter with God
1. Power to answer objections; 3:13-17.
2. Power to overcome resistance; 3:18-20.
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 CALL O F GOD’S MAN 3:1-22
EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTERTHREE
EXODUS:

1. What was Moses’ main occupation in Midian? (3:l)

He kept the flock (sheep, goats, small cattle) of Jethro, his
father-in-law. Literally, he “was keeping” the flock, indica-
ting the continuance of this occupation. Often this work was
considered the work of women or children, and men would
not do it. What a contrast this was to Moses’ previous life-
style in Egypt!
2. Who was Jethro? (3:1)
He was Moses’ father-in-law, the same person called Reuel
in 2:18. See notes on 2:16-18. The name Jethro also occurs in
4:18 and 18:lff. Critics like Martin Noth assume that the use
of the two names Jethro and Reuel indicate separate sources
and traditions lying behind our exodus narrative. But even
he admits that it is impossible to discover the origin of the
different names given to the priest at a “later date.” It seems
to us that there is no solid evidence for the existence of any
sources, and that we can confidently hold to the clear Biblical
assertions that Moses gave us all the law (John 7:19; Neh.
10:29).
3. Which side is the back side of the desert? (3:l)
To the Hebrews the backside of anything was the west
side. (Americans have a different idiom, and say “back
east.”) It appears that Jethro lived in the S.E. part of the
Sinai peninsula. Moses drove the sheep westward (or north-
westward) through a wilderness to the patchy pasture areas
around Horeb.
4. What is the “mountain of God”?
The expression may mean only “the great mountain.”
Tradition reaching back many centuries identifies this
mountain as Mt. Sinai, or Jebel Musa (meaning, Mt. of

IExodus, p, 37.

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3:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

Moses), in the southern Sinaitic peninsula. We see no cause

to reject this view.
Perhaps the mountain was called the mount of God be-
cause God here afterwards came down and gave the ten
commandments and other laws (Exodus 19-24). Moses wrote
Exodus after the law was given at Sinai, Therefore, Sinai was
indeed the “mount of God” to those who first read Exodus.
Josephus*says that men had the opinion that God dwelt at
that mountain, and therefore shepherds had not before
pastured there before Moses came. It is possible that the
mountain was regarded as a holy mountain by the supersti-
tious residents even before God called Moses there. But such
superstitions are neither certain nor significant.
The term “mount of God” (or similar terms) is also found
in Ex. 4:27; 185; 24:13; Num. 10:33; I Kings 19:18.
5. What does Horeb mean?
The name Horeb comes from a verb meaning “to be dry.”
This well describes much of the rugged, granitic, mountain-
ous, desert area around Sinai. The name refers to Mt. Sinai,
or, more probably, the entire region thereabout. The name
Horeb is found in Ex. 33:6; 17:6; I Kings 8:9; 19:8; and
numerous other passages.
6. Who appeared toMoses at Horeb? (3:2)
The angel of the LORD appeared to Moses. The word
angel means messenger. But this messenger was none other
than God himself. See 3:4, 6. Deut. 33:16 speaks of God’s
lessings as coming from the “good will of him that dwelt in
the bush.” The angel of the Lord was the same personality
that later came into the world as Jesus of Nazareth, the one
whom John calls the WORD (John 1:l). “He was in the
world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew
him not” (John 1:10).
Keil and DelitzscW make the helpful comment that the
transition from the angelofJehovah (vs. 2) to Jehovah (vs. 4)

’Antiquities, 11, xii, 1; 111, v, 1.

30p.Cit., p. 439.

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 CALL OF GOD’S M A N 3:1-22

proves the identity of the two; and the interchange of the

names Jehovah (LORD) and Elohim (the Hebrew word for
God) in vs. 4 precludes the idea of Jehovah’s being merely a
national God of the Hebrews,
7. Was the bush really burning?
Certainly it was. Ex. 3:2 says that the bush burned with
fire, but the bush was not consumed. This bush was a kind of
thorn bush (Heb., seneh) common in that district.
We ask this question only because some modern com-
mentators seek to do away with the miraculous feature of the
burning bush. They suggest that it had brilliant flowers that
looked like flame; or sunlight was falling on it so as to pro-
duce an effect of flamea4And even more radical idea is that
the vision was only an inner experience in Moses’ mind, and
that one standing next to Moses would have seen nothing
u n u ~ u a lNoth
. ~ supposes it was some manifestation similar
to St. Elmo’s firea6
8 . How did God addressMoses at the bush? (3:4)
He called his name twice, “Moses, Moses,” in a way
reminding us of God’s call to Abraham in Gen. 22:ll:
“Abraham, Abraham.”
Note the interchange of divine names in 3:4: The LORD
(Jehovah) saw, but God (Elohim) called. Jehovah is God’s
covenant name with his people. Elohim is the general term
for God as the mighty one, creator, and ruler.
9. Why take offthe shoes? (3:s)
This was an act of reverence and humbleness before God.
The special manifestation of God’s presence made the spot
I
“holy ground.” Removing the shoes is still practiced in the
I
East. Moslems remove their shoes upon entering any of their
I holy places. Joshua put off his shoes when he stood before
I
I the captain of the Lord’s host (Josh. 515).
10. How did God describe himselftoMoses? (3:6)

4Cole,op. cit., p, 64.

”he Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1(Nashville; Broadman, 19691, p. 328.
“ p . eft., p. 39.

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As the God of thy father (Amram?), of Abraham, of Isaac,

and of Jacob. This verse implies Moses had some knowledge
of the patriarchal history in Genesis.
God described himself as one who remembers, sees, hears,
and helps his people.
The word father (singular) may refer to Moses’ father,
Amram, about whom we know almost nothing. Or it may be
a collective use of the term, and refer to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, who are named in the second part of the verse.
Moses receives communication from no new or unknown
God, but only a fuller of revelation from Him whom his
people had known before.
Our Lord Jesus presented this passage as a proof of the
resurrection of the dead to the Sadducees (Matt. 22:32;
Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37). God said to Moses, “I AM the
God of Abrahm (not, “I was”). When God spoke to Moses,
Abraham had been dead over five hundred years. But Abra-
ham was not dead to God; for all live unto Him. On the basis
of this assertion of the continued existence of Abraham’s
soul after his physical death, Jesus said that ultimately soul
and body will be reunited by a resurrection of the body.
11.. Why did Moses hide his face? (36)
People are always fearful to look on God when they really
see His holiness and glory. (Isaiah 6: 1, 5; Judges 13:22; Luke
5 8 ; I Kings 19:13)
12. Why was Godnow coming down to deliverIsrael? (3:7-8)
. Because He had seen their affliction, and heard their cry,
and knew their sorrow. God is a GrJd of personal feelings and
tenderness.
Also the time of which God had foretold to Abraham was
nearly fulfilled. “They shall afflict thy seed four hundred
years” (Gen. 1.513). God keeps His promises, and keeps His
schedule.
13. To what kind of a land would God bring Israel? (3:8).
To a broad, or large, land. This is indicated by the enu-
meration of the six (or seven) tribes which then inhabited the
country.
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 CALL OF GOD’S MAN 3:l-22

To a good land, a land flowing (oozing) with milk and

honey. This means that it was a land of pastures, where
flocks giving milk could be raised. It would be a land of
flowers, from which bees would make honey. The phrase
“flowing with milk and honey” is repeated in 3:17; 13:s; Jer.
11:s. The goodness of the land is also described in Deut.
8~7-8.
Sinuhe, an Egyptian fugitive who fled into the land of
Canaan, or a nearby area, about 1960 B.C., described the
land in a way similar to that by which God described it to
Moses:
It was a good land, named Yaa. Figs were in it, and
grapes. It had more wine than water. Plentiful was its
honey, abundant its olives. Every (kind 00 fruit was on
its trees. Barley was there, and emmer. There was no
limit to any (kind of) cattle.’
14. What peoples would be displacedfrom the promised land by
Israel? (3:8)
Six “nations” are named. This is the first reference to
these since God’s promise to Abraham in Gen. 1518-21.
They are named frequently after this. See 3:17; 135; Deut.
7:l; Josh. 2411. Each of these nations is said to be “greater
and mightier than thou” (Deut, 7: 1).
This group of “nations” is often said to number seven.
Collectively they are called the Canaanites, even though one
tribe called Canaanites was a distinct group among the
seven. Gen. 1O:lS-19reveals that six of them (the Perizzites
are not mentioned) were descendants of Canaan, the son of
Ham. While they were distantly related by blood, these
nations were not a United Nation or a United States. They
had wars between themselves. Their society was based on a
city-state system. Prominent among the city-states in Canaan
were Hazor, Jericho, Gezer, Megiddo, Jerusalem, Shechem,
and Hebron. Cities such as these ruled as much territory as

’“The Story of Sinuhe,” translated by John A. Wilson, in Ancient Near Eastern Texts
(Princeton, N.J.: Princeton U. Press, 1955),p, 19. Used by permission.

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3:l-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

they could control. The Egyptians had general control over

all of Palestine at this time, but when the Egyptian troops
were absent, the Canaanite city-states were not very loyal
subjects.
Morally, the Canaanites had become very degenerate.
Their cup of iniquity had become full and running over
(Gen. 1516). They offered their children as sacrifices (Deut.
9 5 ; 18:9-10). Sometimes fornication was part of their reli-
gious ritual (Numbers 25:1-2).
Here are a few facts about these seven Canaanite nations:
(1) The Canaanites (the separate tribe) settled into the land
about 1900 B.C.* They gave their name to the whole land,
which included Phoenicia and the Mediterranean coastal
area of Syria, Their areas included Jericho, Tyre, Sidon,
Byblos (in Phoenicia) .
(2) The Hittites were immigrant peoples from the Old Hittite
empire (1800-1450 B.C.) in Asia Minor to the north. See
Gen. 23:lO.
(3) The Amorites were the most numerous and dominant
of the “Canaanites.” They had settled into Canaan and
nearby lands about 2300 B.C., probably from the Syrian and
Arabian deserts. They destroyed most of the urban settle-
ents which had existed in the land before their arrivaL9
They occupied the Northern part of Moab, north of the
Arnon river, among other areas (Num. 21:26).
he Perizzites are not identifiable. The term may mean
(5)The Hivites dwelt around Gibeon (about five miles NW of
of Jerusalem) and around Shechem. See Josh. 11:19; 9:3-7;
Gen. 34:2. They may be the same people as the Horites, or
Hurrians, who were people from the mountains north of
Mesopotamia, who settled into Palestine about 2000 B.C.
(6) The Jebusites occupied Jerusalem. (Judges 1:21; I1 Sam.

8Kathleen Kenyon, Archaeology in the Holy Land, Second Ed. (New York: Praeger,
1956),pp. 160-161.
9Keny~n, op. cit., pp. 135-137.

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 CALL O F GOD’S MAN 3:l-22
5 6 ; Josh. 1563)
(7) The Girgashites (Josh. 24:ll; Deut. 7:l) are obscure.
15. Could Moses have disobeyed God’s call to deliverIsrael7
Certainly. See Ex. 3:lO. But, like Paul, he was not dis-
obedient to the heavenly vision (Acts 26:19).
16. Why was Moses hesitant to go and bring forth Israel? (3:11)
Why should he say, “Who am I?” Undoubtedly, any
human would have been frightened by such a commission.
Especially would this have been true of Moses, who is said
to have been meek above all men on earth (Num. 12:3).
Whatever may have been Moses’ reason for hesitancy, the
scripture does not criticize him at this point, and we shall
certainly not do so either.
17. What were Moses’Jive excuses to God?
1. “Who Am I?” (3:ll)
2. “What shall I say when they ask, ‘What is his (God’s)
name?’ ” (3:13)
3. “They will not believe” (4:l).
4. “I am not eloquent” (4:10).
5. ‘!Send someone else” (4:13).
18, What was God’s reassurance toMoses7 (3:12)
“Certainly I will be with thee.” Years later Moses gave the
same reassurance to Israel and to his successor Joshua (Deut.
31:8,23).
The Hebrew word translated “I will be” is ehyeh. This
word is the very word which God gave fur Himself as His
..
name in 3:14 (‘‘I Am .”). God’s name thus means that he
is the existing one, the being one, the eternal.
19. What was God’s token of assurance that he had sent Moses?
(3:12)
The token, or sign, was that Israel and Moses would serve
God upon that very mountain before which Moses then
stood, after God had brought them forth from Egypt! Moses
was being called from the burning bush before Mt. Horeb;
he would return to Horeb with Israel.
This token required faith to accept. We might feel it took
more faith to believe the promise of the sign than it would
3: 1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

take to go and attempt to lead Israel out. But the sign itself
was such a daring and confident assertion that it would
inspire confidence and courage. Compare I1 Kings 19:29.
This token to Moses reminds us of the sign Jesus offered
in John 2:18-19: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I
will raise IT [my body] up.” Such a daring challenge dem-
onstrates confidence within the one saying it, and inspires
confidence in those who hear.
20. Why would the Israelites ask Moses about God’s name?
(3:13)
Probably because they had forgotten God’s name Jehovah,
or the LORD, or Yahweh (YHWH). The name had been
used in Abraham’s time (Gen. 152; 22:14), and long before
then (Gen. 4:26). But it had been neglected in Egypt.
In patriarchal times, new revelations of the ancestral God
were sometimes accompanied or illustrated by a new title for
God (Gen. 16:13; 22:14; 357). Thus Israel might be con-
ditioned to expect to hear a new name for God. But they
received only the old name with new power and events asso-
ciated with its meaning.
It is not surprising that Israel wanted to know Goa‘s name.
Can you conceive of knowing someone without knowing a
name for that person? Manoah wanted to know God’s name
so that he could render him honor (Judges 13:17). Jacob
wanted to know the angel’s name (Gen. 32:29).
21. What is God’s name? (3:14-15)
His name is I AM THAT I AM. This probably is better
translated, “I will be who (or what) I will be,” since the verbs
express future or continuing action. The Greek. O.T. trans-
lated it, “I a m the being one” (ego eimi ho on). The famous
archaeologist Wm. F. Albright rendered the name, “I am he
who causes (things) to be.”lo Certainly Jehovah is the one
who makes all things happen, but most scholars feel that this
translation is too abstract and subtle to be the only meaning.

“Wm. F. Albright. From The Stone Age to Chrisfiunrty (Garden City, New York:
Doubleday, 1957), pp. 259-261. *i

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 CALL O F GOD’S MAN 3:1-22
The name LORD (Jehovah, or Yahweh) in Ex. 3:15 is
derived from the verb translated “be” or “am,” Thus the
name points God out as he who is, and was, and is to come.
See Rev. 1:4, 8; Isa, 57:15. The possible implications in this
name are as infinite as God himself. See notes on Ex. 6:3,
In the same way that God is Father is the eternal I AM,
Jesus is also called “I Am” (John 8:58). Jesus is the same
yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). In fact, the
very one who was speaking to Moses at the bush later came
unto us in human form as Jesus of Nazareth.
Interestingly, the Jewish historian Josephus would not tell
his Roman readers what God’s name which God told Moses
was.ll Modern Jews still will not utter aloud the name
Yahweh (Jehovah, the LORD). They avoid it so that they
may not possibly use God’s name in vain. But God expressly
told Moses to say the name to the children of Israel. Ex. 4:l
says that the Israelites would utter the name. Nowhere does
the O.T. hint that the name dare not be spoken by our lips.
Of course, it should be used reverently or not at all.
22. What is God’s memorial? (3:15)
His name YAHWEH (Jehovah, or LORD) is his memorial.
“Sing praises unto Jehovah, 0 ye saints of his. And give
thanks unto his holy memorial name” (Ps. 30:4; A.S.V.).
See also Psalm 97:12; 100:12; 13513; Hosea 125. By that
name His person, nature, and works are to be recalled. Alan
Cole says that the name YHWH ultimately came to mean to
the Jews what the name Jesus has come to mean to Chris-
tians, a shorthand for all God’s dealings of grace. l 2
Surely if God’s name YAHWEH is to be remembered
throughout all generations, the Jews perverted this truth in
refusing to utter it.
23. Whom was Moses to gather and speak to? (3:16)
He was to gather and speak to the elders of Israel. The
Israelites had very little formal governmental organization.

lIAntiquities, 11, xii, 4.

l20p. cit., p. 70.

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3:1-22 E X P L O R I N ~ GE X O D U S

The older men ruled in each location and family to the extent
that their personalities and situations made possible.
24. What does “visit” mean? (3:16)
This word is often used in the Bible of some particular
saving act of God toward his people. See Luke 1:68; Gen.
21:l; Ruth 1:6;Ex. 4:31.
Joseph had prophesied before his death that God would
visit Israel, and they would go up from Egypt (Gen. 50:25).
Moses’ words about God’s visiting them surely point to a
fulfillment of Joseph’s words, even though Joseph had been
dead over three hundred and fifty years.
For notes on 3: 17, see under 3:8.
25. Would Israel believe Moses‘ words? (3:18)
Yes. Ex. 4:29-31 reports that Moses and Aaron did gather
the elders and spoke to them, and they did believe, at least
at first.
26. Who was to go in and speak to Pharaoh? (3:18)
Moses, with the elders. As it worked out, only Moses and
Aaron went. See 51, 3.
27. What wouldPharaoh understand the words “ G o d . , . hath
met with us” to imply?
The words almost suggest hostile confrontation: “Our God
‘ ‘ has confronted us, and said to worship him, or else . , .!”
Ex. 5:3 tends to confirm this idea. Also 4:24.
28. Where would the three-days’joumey lead them? (3:18)
The place is not specified. Certainly all of the proposed
1 locations for Mt. Sinai are much farther than three days’

journey from Egypt. Probably no specific place was in mind.

God foreknew Pharaoh was not going to release Israel,
whether the request was for a brief or a long trip, By making
the request small, the refusal of Pharaoh would display the
harness of his heart. Moses later enlarged his demand, for
Pharaoh to grant them entire departure from the land (6:10).
From the outset of this confrontation, nothing was stated
positively about Israel’s coming back after three days.
The request to Pharaoh was politely worded: “Let us go,
we pray thee.” Actually Pharaoh had no right to detain

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 CALL OF GOD’S MAN 3:1-22

them. Israel had entered Egypt by invitation, and surely had

the right to leave when they wished.
29. What did Godpredict about Pharaoh’s response? (3: 19)
Pharaoh would refuse to let Israel go, and would never
grant it unless compelled by a mighty overpowering hand.
This is the first reference to Pharaoh’s responses to Israel’s
request for departure. And right here at the outset the blame
and the root of the trouble is placed where it belongs, on
Pharaoh, not on God.
That Pharaoh expected Israel would never return is sug-
gested by his insolent response.
30. How did God stretch out his hand? (3:20)
This figure of speech compares God to a warrior extending
his arm in readiness for combat. The record of God’s stretch-
ing out his hand to deliver Israel is the story of the ten plagues
in Ex. 7-13. “By strength of hand Jehovah brought you out
from this place” (Ex. 13:3; 7:4; 6: 1).
31. Why were the Israelites to collect&velsfrorn the Egyptians?
(3:2 1-22)
The use of the word spoil in 3:22 suggests it was an act of
triumph over Egypt, taking as it were the spoils of battle
from the vanquished.
The jewelry could be looked upon as payment by the
Egyptians for unpaid wages to the Israelites for many years
of slave labor. However, the scripture does not suggest this
as a justification for the act.
Note in 3:22 that some Egyptian women sojourned in the
houses of the Hebrews. Not all the Egyptians shared the
hateful feelings of their king toward Israelites.
“Borrow” in 3:22 simply means “ask.” No hint of return-
ing the items is implied.
The promise to give the Israelites favor in the eyes of the
Egyptians was fulfilled. See Ex. 11:2-3; 12:35-36.
It is interesting to note that the Israelites placed these
jewels upon their sons and daughters. While the Egyptians
were burying their dead first born, the Israelites were adorn-
ing their children with Egyptian jewelry.
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4:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

The jewelry was partly used later in making the vessels of

the tabernacle (Ex. 3522). Alas, some of it went into the
golden calf (32:2).
THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And Mo-ses answered and said, But, behold, they will not
4 believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Je-
ho-vah hath not appeared unto thee. (2) And Je-ho-vah said unto
him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod. (3) And he
said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it
became a serpent; and Mo-ses fled from before it. (4)And Je-ho-
vah said unto Mo-ses,Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail
(and he put forth is hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod
in his hand); (5) that they may believe that Je-ho-vah, the God of
their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of I-saac, and the
God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. (6) And Je-ho-vah said
furthermore unto him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he
put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his
hand was leprous, as white as snow. (7) And he said, Put thy
hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom
again; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was
turned again as his other flesh.) (8)And it shall come to pass, if
they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first
sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. (9) And it
shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs,
neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water
of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the river shall
become blood upon the dry land. (10)And Mo-ses said unto
Je-ho-vah, Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor
since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; for I am slow of speech,
and of a slow tongue. (11)And Je-ho-vah said unto him, Who
hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh u man dumb, or deaf,
or seeing, or blind? is it not I, Je-ho-vah? (12)Now therefore go,
and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt
speak. (13) And he said, Oh, Lord, send, I pray thee, by the
hand of him whom thou wilt send. (14)And the anger of Je-ho-vah

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 HESITANCY O F GOD’S MAN 4:1-31
was kindled against Mo-ses, and he said, Is there not Aaron
thy brother the Le-vite? I know that he can speak well. And also,
behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he
will be glad in his heart. (15) And thou shalt speak unto him,
and put the words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth,
and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. (16)
And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall
come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt
be to him as God. (17) And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod,
wherewith thou shalt do the signs. (18) And Mo-ses went and
returned to Je-thro his father-in-law, and said unto him, Let me
go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren that are in E-gypt,
and see whether they be yet alive. And Je-thro said to Mo-ses, Go
in peace. (19)And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses in Mid-ban, Go,
return into E-gypt; for all the men are dead that sought thy life.
(20) And Mo-ses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon
an ass, and he returned to the land of E-gypt:and Mo-ses took
the rod of God in his hand. (21) And Je-ho-vah said unto Momses.
When thou goest back into E-gypt, see that thou do before Pha-
raoh all the wondera which I have put in thy hand: but I will
harden his heart, and he wiU not let the people go. (22) And
thou shalt say unto Pha-raoh, Thus saith Je-ho-vah, Is-ra-el is
my son, my first-born: (23) and I have said unto thee, Let my
son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him
go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born. (24) And it came to
pass on the way at the lodging-place, that Je-ho-vah met him,
and sought to kid him. (25) Then Zip-pa-rah took a flint, and cut
off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said,
Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me. (26) So he let him
alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood art thou, because
of the circumcision.
(27)And Je-ho-vah said to Aar-on, Go into the wilderness to
meet Mo-ses. And he went, and met him in the mountain of
God, and kissed him. (28) And Mo-ses told Aar-on all the words
of Je-ho-vah wherewith he had sent him, and all the signs where-
with he had charged him. (29) And Mo=sesand Aar-on went and
gathered together all the elders of the children of Is-ra-el: (30)

105
4:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

and Aar-on spake all the words which Je-ho-vahhad spoken unto
Mo=ses,and did the signs in the sight of the people. (31) And the
people believed: and when they heard that Je-ho-vahhad visited
the children of Is-ra-el, and that he had seen their affliction, then
they bowed their heads and worshipped.
EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTER
FOUR
FROM THE BIBLE
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE
1. After reading the chapter carefully, propose a short topic or
theme for it.
2. How did Moses think the Israelites would respond to his
message (4: l)?How did God say they would respond (3:18)?
How did they finally respond (4:31)?
3. What did Moses have in his hand? (4:2)
4. Can you name other Bible characters who used for God the
things that they had in their hands?
5. What happened to Moses’ rod? How did Moses react? (4:3)
6. How was the rod restored? (4:4)
7. List the references in chapters three and four where God re-
fers to Himself as the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
8. What was the second miracle Moses was empowered to do?
(4:6)
9. What color was leprosy? (4:6) Check the cross references in
your Bible on this.
10. How was Moses’ leprosy removed? (4:7)
11. What miracle would certainly convince the people? (4:8)
12%What third miracle was Moses empowered to do? (4:9)
13. Was this third miracle ever used? Compare Ex. 7:18-19.
14. What excuse did Moses give pertaining to his voice? (4:lO)
15. Was Moses really NOT able to speak well? Compare Ex.
20:19-20; 24:7; 32:26-28; Deut. 1:lff.
16. Who makes every man’s mouth, and men’s other abilities?
(4: 11)
17. What is the application of the questions in 4:11 to Moses?
18. How would Moses know what to say? (4:12)
19. When God inspired men to reveal His will, did God give them
words or just general ideas? (4:12,15; Compare Num.22:38)
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 HESITANCY OF GOD’S M A N 4:l-31

20. Putting 4:13 into blunt modern English, what did Moses ask
God to do?
21, How did God react to Moses’ unwillingness? (4:14)
22, Who was Moses’ brother?
23. What ability did Moses’ brother have?
24. What feelings would Aaron have upon seeing Moses?
25, How long had it been since Aaron had seen Moses? (See Acts
7:23,30)
26. What was Aaron to be for Moses? (4:16; 7:l)
27. How could Moses be a God to Aaron? (4:16)
28. How significant was the rod in Moses’ later deeds? (4:17, 20;
7:lS; 14:16)
29. From who did Moses ask permission to leave? (4:18)
30. Was this permission granted?
31. What possible reason was there for God’s repeating his
commission to Moses in Midian? (4:19)
32. ”Whichdirection was Midian from Mt. Horeb (Sinai)?
33. Who had once sought Moses’ life? (4:19; 2:15). What had
happened since then?
34. How many sons did Moses have? (See 18:2-4)
35. How many rode on one ass? (4:20)
36. How is Moses’ rod described? (4:20)
37. What was Moses to be sure to do in Egypt? (4:21)
38. What would God do to Pharaoh? (4:21)
39. Was it fair for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart? (Compare
Rom. 9:14-24)
40. What relationship did Israel bear unto God? (4:22; Ex. 6:7;
’
Compare I1 Cor. 6:18). How did this relationship come to
exist? (See Deut. 4:37,20; Ex. 19:s-6)
41. What threat was to be made unto Pharaoh? (4:23)
42. When was this threat carried out? (12:27,29)
43. Where did the Lord “meet” Moses and his family? (4:24)
44. What did the Lord seek to do to Moses? By what means was
the Lord doing this? (4:24-25)
45. Why was the Lord so extreme in his treatment of Moses just
because Moses’ son had not been circumcised? (Compare
Gen. 17:lO-14)
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4:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

46. How did Moses and his family discover that the uncircum-
cision of the son was the cause of Moses’ trouble?(4:25). (At
least propose some answer .)
47. Who circumcised the son?
48. How did she like this job? Explain the meaning of “A bloody
husband . . . because of the circumcision.”
49. Did Zipporah and the sons accompany Moses on to Egypt?
(4~29; 18~1-3)
50. Why did Aaron go out into the wilderness of Sinai? (Ex.
4:27)
51. Where did Aaron and Moses meet? (4:27)
52. With what act did Aaron greet Moses? (4:27)
53. What did Moses tell Aaron about? (4:28)
54. Did Moses show Aaron the signs (miracles)? (4:28)
55. What did Moses and Aaron gather together in Egypt? (4:29;
3:16)
56. Who did the talking to the Israelites? (4:28)
57. Who did the signs before the people? (4:30)
58. How did the people react when they heard the words and saw
the signs? (Give two answers; 4:31)
59. What is the significance of the verb visited in 4:31?

EXODUS
FOUR:HESITANCY
OF GOD’SMAN

A. Fear the people would not believe; 4:Iff.

B, >Fearof his slow speech; 4:lOff.
C. In need of having his commission repeated; 4:19.
D. Personal failure to obey God’s convenant; 4:24ff.
E. Victory when hesitancy is overcome; 4:27-31.
MOSES,
A TYPEOF CHRIST

(A type is some person, thing or event in the Old Testament

age which resembled and foreshadowed a similar person, thing,
or event in the New Testament. The antitype is that person,
thing, or event in the New Testament which was foreshadowedby
108
MOSES AS A TYPE OF CHRIST 4:1~31

108A
4:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

ISRAEL, A TYPE OF THE CHURCH ( I Cor. 10:1-11 )

I
S Bondage in Freedom from
R Egypt
Deliverer
R
E
7Heavenly
Egypt
food
A
E ( Moses ) D provided J C
L Moses believed / Law of Moses 0 A
Tabernacle R N
Passovcr worship D A
Unfaithful A A
perished N N

' I Faithful
entered >

C
H Bondage in
U
n provided
C I

H Christ believed Law of Christ

Sin forsaken Church
Death of worship
Christ M Unfaithful
to perish
Faithful enter
I I I

108B
 H E S I T A N C Y O F GOD’S MAN 4:1-31

the Old Testament type.)

People on the Old Testament side of the wall of time could see
only the shadow. We see both the shadow (Moses) and the sub-
stance (Christ) that cast the shadow.
Moses said that God would raise up a prophet, like unto me,
(Deut. 18:15,18; Acts 3:22-23; 7:37).
1. Christ, like Moses, was a prophet. (Matt. 1357; Deut. 34:lO)
2. Christ, like Moses, was a lawgiver. (John 1:17; Gal. 6:2)
3. Christ, like Moses, was saved as a babe.
4. Christ, like Moses, came as a peacemaker. (Luke 19:42; Ex.
2:13)
5. Christ, like Moses, was commissioned by God. (John 5 3 0 ;
Ex. 3:lO)
6. Christ, like Moses, came working miracles. (John 12:37)
7 . Christ, like Moses, came preaching deliverance. (Luke 4:18;
EX.4:29-30)
8. Christ, like Moses, was rejected by many. (Acts 7:23-39,
51-52)
9. Christ, like Moses, put His brethren (the church!) before his
own interests (Heb. 2:14-15; Ex. 32:31-32).

NOTESON CHAPTERFOUR
EXODUS:
EXPLORING
1. Why was Moses so sure that Israel would not believe him?
(4:l).
a. There was no reason why thou should believe a long-
absent, sheep-herding, fugitive, who had already failed in
one attempt to deliver them.
b. It had been 430 years since God had spoken directly to
any Israelite.
They were not accustomed to communications from God.
2. Did Moses’ excuse (in 4:1) indicate that he lacked faith?
It is easy to think that he did. God had said that Israel
would hearken (3:18). Moses said that they would not be-
lieve. It turned out that God was right (as always).
However, because Moses finally did obey, and because he

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4:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

is called a man of faith (Heb. 11:24-291,we are celuctant tc

say he lacked faith.
3. Would the people accept Yahweh (the LORD) as God’s
name? (4:l;3:13-15).
Moses seemed to assume that they would do so. The name
was almost certainly familiar to some Israelite elders from
their knowledge of the distant past. They would recognize it,
and use it in speaking of God.
4. What was the rod ofMoses? (4:2).
Probably only the familiar shepherd’s crook, as in Psalm
23:4. This rod became extremely prominent in the acts of
Moses and Aaron in later chapters. “Thou shalt take this
rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs” (4:17).
5 . What special force was there in the rod-to-serpent miracle?
A carving of a serpent (cobra, or uraeus) was placed upon
the front of the crown by many Pharaoh’s. It was a symbol of
the royal power in lower Egypt. Thus Moses’ miracle gave
the appearance of an intentional attack upon Egypt’s
supreme authority.
Also, an Egyptian goddess, Buto, was depicted in serpent
form. She was the protectress of Egypt’s northern capital.
The miracle discredited her power.
Behind all this lay also the fact that the serpent has been
the constant enemy of the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:lS). It
was the representative and tool of Satan (Rev. 12:9). At the
basic level, Israel’s deliverance involved a confrontation with
the devil himself.
6. When did Moses use the rod-to-serpentsign?
He showed it to the elders of Egypt (4:30), and before
Pharaoh during his second confrontation with him (7:10).
7 . Whose name was to be made vivid by the miracle of the rod?
The name of the LORD (Jehovah, Yahweh), the God of
their fathers, the God of Abraham . . .” (Ex. 4:s). Note the
continued emphasis upon God’s name, and upon God’s
association with their forefathers (Ex. 2:24; 3:15-16; 4:s;
6:2; et al).
8. What particular signijkance was there in the sign of the

110
 HESITANCY OF GOD’S M A N 4:1-31

leprous hand? (4:6).

a. It displayed the limitless and superhuman power of
God. Leprosy usually was a disease of long duration. Even
the ceremony for cleansing it took eight days (Lev. 14:8-10).
But in the case of Moses, the infection, the cure, and the
cleansing were all immediate.
b. The leprosy suggested the uncleanness of the people.
Compare Lev. 13:45. Moses came to them when they were an
unclean people. But God could make the unclean clean.
9, Was leprosy always white? (4:6).
Often it was white: Miriam (Numbers 12:lO); Elisha’s
servant Gehazi (11 Kings 527); Lev. 13:3. We do not think
that the leprosy of the Bible was the same disease as Hansen’s
disease, now called leprosy. The whiteness that is so com-
monly associated with Biblical leprosy is not associated with
Hansen’s disease.
10, Were Moses’ miracles convincing to the Israelites? (4:8)
Yes, at least temporarily. They were convinced, until
subsequent difficulties arose. Then they seemed to forget
the miracles, and doubt the constant infinite power of God.
In the same manner the miracles of Christ did not produce
an unshakeable faith in most of the people who saw them
(John 12:37). People whose faith depends upon seeing signs
often require a steady stream of miracles, or they forsake
Christ. See John 6:14,30.
In doing these miracles Moses was a type of Christ, who
~

also came working miracles (Deut. 18:lS).

11. Was the miracle of changing water to blood used by Moses?
I (4:9)
I We have no record that Moses did this miracle in Egypt.
The first of the ten plagues consisted of a similar miracle on
I a nation-wide scale (Ex. 7:20-25).
I 12. Was Moses’ excuse about not being eloquent a good excuse?
I (4:10)
1 No; it was a miserable excuse, and God did not accept it.
I
I Moses’ great ability to speak afterwards shows that he
really was an able speaker. For example, note 32:ll-13. The
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4:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

whole book of Deuteronomy consists of eloquent speeches by

Moses.
Moses’ excuse here comes close to blaming God for his
imagined difficulty in speech. He said, in paraphrase, “I was
not eloquent before now, and I have not miraculously be-
come eloquent since you began speaking to me. HQWthen
can you expect me to speak?”
Eloquence was highly regarded by the Egyptians as a
means for bringing about social justice and political deci-
sions. One Egyptian story, called the “Tale of the Eloquent
Peasant”’ is an Egyptian classic. It was written in the Egyp-
tian Middle Kingdom (about 2000 B.C.), before Moses’
time.
Moses had to learn that the working of God’s power does
not depend upon human eloquence and wisdom (I Cor.
2 1 , 4). Many people thought the speech of the apostle
Paul was of no account (I1 Cor. 10:10). But his influence was
powerful, in spite of this. When we appear weak in ourselves,
the power of God may become more obvious and more potent
in us (I1Cor. 12:9-10).
But at that moment Moses could only feel that he was slow
of speech (meaning he had a hard time recalling words) and
’ was of a slow tongue (he had a hard time forming the words
in his mouth).
13. Who gives people their abilities or disabilities7 (4:ll)
Yahweh, the LORD1 “What hast thou that thou hast not
received?” (I Cor. 4:7). Nothing! Therefore, we must neither
low-rate the abilities God has given us (and therefore hesitate
to use them), or overrate them (and become conceited).
King James version has “the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing,
or the blind.” The the‘s are not actually in the Hebrew text.
It appears from the scripture that God causes or allows some
people to be handicapped and some to be more capable
(John 9: 1-3). But it is probably an overstatement to say that

‘Translated by John A. Wilson, in Ancient Near Eastern Texts (Princeton, 19551,

pp. 407-410.

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 HESITANCY OF GOD’S MAN 4: 1-31

I his request might not sound so blunt, Moses stated it with

extra superflous words: “Send by the hand (that is, by the
power and efforts) or him whom thou wilt send.” In fact,
God was doing exactly what Moses asked him to do: God had
decided to deliver Israel by Moses’ hand, and was therefore
sending Moses. God became angry with Moses’ unwillingness
(4:14).
16. Who would help Moses with the speaking? (4:14)
I Aaron, Moses’ brother, who could speak well, was at that
very time coming to see Moses. Probably Aaron was coming
to visit Moses to report the good news of the death of the
king (2:23;4:19). He could not have known just then that the
new pharaoh would be as bad as the former one. Aaron
would rejoice from his heart upon seeing Moses. It would be
interesting to us to know just how Aaron learned of Moses’
whereabouts.
Aaron is called the “Levite,” although he would have been

I 113
4:l-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

would seem that the title “Levite” had taken on some tech-
nical connotation of “teacher” or “spokesman .”
The reference to Aaron in 4:14 is the first mention of him,
17. How would Moses use Aaron’s assistance? ( 4 15)
Moses would put the words (of God) into Aaron’s mouth
(by first putting them into his ears) (Ex. 4:30). We wonder
why Moses could not himself speak to Pharaoh if he could
speak the words to Aaron. The fact that Moses put THE
words into Aaron’s mouth reveals the definiteness of God’s
communication with Moses (Compare Num. 22:38; 23:s;
Isa. 51:16). God would direct both Moses’ mouth so he
would speak to Aaron correctly, and with Aaron’s mouth so
he would relay the message correctly. This passage inditates
much about how inspiration worked as “men spake from
God, being moved by the Holy Spirit” (I1 Pet. 1:21).
18. How could Moses be as God to Aaron? (4:16)
Only in the respect that Aaron must get his utterances
totally from Moses, just as Moses got his message totally
from God. See Ex. 7:l-2, 19.
19. What finction was Moses’ rod to play in the events thut
jollowed? (4:17)
By the rod he would perform the signs (miracles). This
surely came to pass (7:10, 20; 8:5,16; and other passages).
Unbelieving critics argue that passages (like 7: 19; 8 5 )
which place the rod in the hand of Aaron are by a-different
author (P., in post-exilic times!) than passages which place
the rod in Moses’ hand.2 It seems to us that it would be
simpler to suggest that this rod was merely passed back
and forth between the hands of Moses and Aaron.
20. Where did Moses gofrom the burning bush a t Horeb? Why?
(4:18)
He returned back to Jethro, probably in the east part of
the Sinai peninsula, to ask permission to go back to Egypt.
(He doubtless drove the sheep back with him!) The courtesy
of Moses and his thoughtfulness of others’ feelings are

’ 7 h a Broadmun Bible Commentary (1969), Vol. 1, p. 335

114
 HESITANCY OF GOD’S MAN 4: 1-31

commendable.
Moses did not tell Jelhro the whole story about the call at
the burning bush to go back and save all Israel, but rather
simply said that he wanted to go back and visit his relatives,
We cannot condemn Moses for this. Jethro could not have
accepted this revelation; he would surely have thought Moses
had lost his mind.
Maybe Moses was not yet quite convinced himself. This is
suggested by the Lord’s repeating the command to go in 4: 19.
Moses was feeling cold feet.
We admire Jethro’s agreeable response to Moses’ request.
Moses’ departure was to involve also the departure of Jethro’s
daughter and Jethro’s grandchildren.
Jethro’s name in 4:18 is spelled as Jether in the Hebrew
Bible. The Greek LXX spells it the same as in 3: 1. No signifi-
cance lies in this slight variation in spelling.
21. Why the repetition of the command of God to Moses in 4:19?
As indicated above, Moses was probably still hesitant.
Some critics maifitain that one supposed source of the text of
Exodus (J) said that God called Moses in Midian; another
source (E) said that God called him at HorebSSThis analysis
seems to us to overlook the naturalness in God’s repeating
the command to the still-hesitant Moses. It also ends up
contradicting the idea that Moses wrote all of Exodus by
attributing different passages in Exodus to different authors
living centuries after Moses. Our Lord quoted a passage from
Exodus (3:6) and said that it came from the “book of Moses”
(Mark 12:26).
22. When did Moses learn of the death of‘ his enemies in Egypt?
(4:19)
God told him about it at Jethro’s house, after he returned
from the burning bush at Horeb! There is no indication that
he knew it before then. This increases our admiration for
Moses greatly. When God first called him, he probably

’W.O.E. Oesterly and T.H. Kobinson, Iritrodirciiori to tho Books ql’thc 0. T. (Cleve-
land arid New York: World. 1965). p. 36.

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4: 1-31 EXPL.ORING EXODUS

assumed that at least some of those who had tried once before
in Egypt to kill him would still be alive, even if older, In the
face of that possibility, he arose to go! Can we possibly be
surprised if he showed a little reluctance?
Type: “The men are dead which sought thy life” (Ex. 4:19).
Antitype: “They are dead that sought the young child’s (Jesus’)
life” (Matt. 2:20).
23. Who went with Moses as he IefiforEgypt? (4:20)
His wife and his two sons (Gershom and Eliezer). The
second son is here alluded to for the first time. See Ex.
18:3-4. All three apparently sat on one ass! (However, the
Greek LXX reads “asses,”)
The “rod of God” in Moses’ hand is prominently men-
tioned. This title occurs also in Ex. 17:9. It is called the
“rod of GOD” because God used it in such a powerful way.
24. Would God really harden Pharaoh’s heart, and then punish
him f o r his hard-hearted deeds? (4:21)
Yes, He would. Yes, He did. And €or just causes,
The pronoun I in “I will harden” is emphatic. God laser
hardened the heart of Sihon, the Amorite king (Deut. 2:30).
Also He hardened the hearts of the Canaanite kings whom
Joshua overthrew (Josh. 11:20). God sends strong delusions
upon those who receive not the love of the truth (I1 Thess.
2: 10-12).
Rom. 9:17-18: “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh,
Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might show my power in thee, and that my name might be
declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy
on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth.”

STUDY- HARDENING
SPECIAL PHARAOH’S
HEART
In the passages about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart,
sometimes it says that (1) Pharaoh hardened his own heart:
sometimes that (2) his heart was hardened, without any clear

116
 HESITANCY OF GOD’S MAN 4:1-31
indication as to whether God or Pharaoh himself was the
main agent in the hardening; sometimes that (3) God hard-
ened his heart. The following chart shows how these three
different statements about hardening Pharaoh’s heart occur
in the scripture.
There are three different Hebrew words used to describe
the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. In the order of the inten-
sity of their meaning they are:
(1) Kabad- To be heavy, or insensible; to be honored; to be
dull or unresponsive.
(2) Qashah -To be hard, severe, fierce; to be stiff to make
hard, or harden. (Used only in 7:3 and 13:15)
(3) Hazaq (strongest word) - To be strong, firm, obstinate,
stout, rigid; to make strong or strengthen.
The following chart indicates which word is used in each pas-
sage.
A, Hardening Pharaoh’s heart: Preliminary predictions and declarations:
Reference Pharaoh hardened Indefinite about God hardened it.
his own heart. who hardened it.
3: 1‘9 King of Egypt will not
let you go
4:21 I will harden
(hazaq) his heart.
5:2 I will not let Israel go.
7: 3 I will harden
(Qashah) P.’s heart
7: 13 P.’s heart was
hardened Utazaa)
7: 14 P.’s heart is
stubborn (kabad)
B, Hardening Pharaoh’s heart: During the ten plagues:
222 P.’s heart was
(after 1st) hardened (hazaq)
8: 15 He hardened (kabad)
(after 2nd) his heart
8:19 P.’s heart was
(after 3rd) hardened (hazag)
8:32 Pharaoh hardened
(after 4th) (kabad)

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4:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

9: 7 heart of P. was
(after 5th) stubborn (kabad)
9: 12 the LORD hard-
(after 6th) ened (hazaq)
9:34 he sinned again and
(after 7th) hardened (hazaq) his
heart
9:35 heart of P.was
hardened (hazaq)
10:20 the LORD hard-
(after 8th) ened (hazaq)
10:27 the LORD hard-
(after 9th) ened (hazaq)
11:lO the LORD hard-
(summarv) ened (hazaa)
13:15 (just P. was stubborn c

before (qashah)
Passover)
14:4(before “I will harden
pursuit) (hazaq) P.’s heart.”
14:B the LORD hard-
ened (hazaq) ,
14:17 (at I will harden
Red Sea) (hazaq) the hearts
of the Egyptians.

C. Conclusions about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart:

1. The very first reference to Pharaoh’s not letting Israel
go places the basic choice about and blame for hardness
upon Pharaoh himself (3:19).
2. God promised that he would further harden Pharaoh’s
heart, since Pharaoh himself had started in this evil way
(4:21).
3. After the first five plagues, either the statement is made
the Pharaoh hardened his own heart, or the scripture is in-
definite about who hardened it. Pharaoh himself made the
first choices, and started his own troubles.
4. After the sixth plague, God hardened his heart. Prob-
ably Pharaoh sensed to some degree that he was being
pushed by a power outside of himself. He was being shown

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 H E S I T A N C Y OF GOD’S M A N 4: 1-31

what might be the consequences of further determined

hardness,
5, After the seventh plague, God again left the choice of
response to Pharaoh. Pharaoh confesses that he has sinned
(9:27). But he sinned yet more, and hardened his own heart
again (9:34).
6. After all these opportunities to choose right had been
spurned by Pharaoh, God finally stepped in and hardened
his heart after the last three plagues. Because Pharaoh chose
to go the way of disobedient hardness, God pushed him down
his self-chosen route to the bitterest end of his folly.
Take heed, lest any one of YOU be hardened by the deceit-
fulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13.

25. I n what way was Israel God’s-firstborn? (4:22)

Israel was God’s firstborn in that Israel was the most
sacred of all peoples to God. The term firstborn is applied to
the most honored son of a family, who would usually be the
oldest. Pharaoh would have no difficulty in understanding
I the expression. The Pharaohs called themselves the “son of
I Ra” (the sun god) or some other deity. Pharaoh’s oldest son
(or heir) would be specially honored and even sacred in many
I
respects. Israel bore a similar relationship with Yahweh to
that which the Egyptian pharaohs claimed for themselves
with their own deities.
Israel was not to be Yahweh’s only son, but certainly his
FIRSTBORN son (or people). Other nations would later be

I adopted.
Hosea 11:1 speaks of Israel as God’s SON whom he called
out of Egypt, Isa. 64:8 speaks of the LORD as Israel’s father.
26. What threat was directed at Pharaoh? (4:23)
“Because you refuse to let Israel, my firstborn, go, behold,
I will slay your son, your firstborn.” Pharaoh’s .firstborn
referred to here consisted of all the firstborn of all the people
in Egypt. They were Pharaoh’s firstborn because all the
people of Egypt were regarded as belonging to Pharaoh. The

i . 119
4: 1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

death of Egypt’s firstborn would be a calamity that ex-

ceeded any calamity. See Ex. 11:s; 12:29.
27. W h e n and why did God try to killMoses? (4:24),
On the journey back to Egypt from Midian, while at an
inn with his wife and two sons, Moses was smitten by God.
Inns were simple tourist houses with shelter for animals as
well as people. Compare Gen. 42:27, They must have been
fairly common.
It appears from the scripture that Moses became deathly
sick, so sick he could not rise from his cot nor do anything.
This event occurred before they went as far from Midian as
Mt, Sinai, probably at their first stop after leaving Midian.
The reason for this affliction was that Moses had neglected
to circumcise one of his sons, possibly because his wife
Zipporah had found the act repugnant to her. But God had
long before told Abraham - the father and founder of the
Hebrew convenant people - that circumcision was the
token of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants.
“And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his fore-
skin is not circumcised, that soul shall but cut off from his
people; he hath broken my covenant” (Gen. 17:14).
Moses was to be the leader of the covenant people Israel.
He could not be a leader if he had not first been a follower
of God in his own house, We cannot lead where we will not
go. This was a serious shortcoming in Moses, and, he nearly
died because of it. This incident is a forcible example to
God’s servants now. They cannot expect to lead people to
obey God in ways that they themselves are unwilling to obey.
Skeptical critics dislike Ex. 4:24-26. The 1969 Broadman
Bible Commentary4 said that the passage has an almost
demonic element about it, and that one is hardly justified in
concluding that Yahweh actually attempted to take the life
of Moses. The same source thinks that feet in 4:25 is a eu-
I phemism referring to the male organ, and that the whole
passage is a distorted and ugly allusion to ancient marriage

"Vel. 1, p. 337. See also Martin Noth, op. cit., p. 49.

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 H E S I T A N C Y OF GOD’S M A N 4: 1.31

rituals. For our part we find the story edifying and helpful,
although not particularly pleasant.
28, How did Zipporah save her “bridegroom ”? (4:25-26)
She took a sharp flint, and circumcised her son, and cast
the foreskin at “his” feet (presumably Moses’ feet). By doing
this she purchased Moses’ life anew by the blood of her son,
and she received him back as it were from the dead. Moses
recovered.
The fact that she circumcised only her son (singular),
although two sons were with them on the trip, suggests that
the older son had already been circumcised. Zipporah’s act
in throwing the foreskin at his feet suggests her abhorrence
of the rite. We are not informed how Zipporah was able to
know that the failure to circumcise the son was the cause of
Moses’ affliction.
Some interpreters believe that the his in 4:25 refers to the
son, rather than to Moses. The Revised Standard version
translates the passage, “she touched Moses’ (emphasis ours)
feet with it” (the foreskin). Martin Noth, an extreme liberal,
says that this insertion of the name Moses is “begging the
q u e ~ t i o n . ”We
~ agree that the his should probably be left
unaltered and uninterpreted, as it is in the Hebrew text. But,
nonetheless, the his does surely seem to refer to Moses’ feet,
rather than to the son’s. The pronoun him in 4:24 and 4:26
seems to refer to Moses in both places. Why should not the
his in between (in 4:25) also refer to Moses? Also, what
significance could there be in casting it at the son’s feet?
A quite different view of this passage (4:25-26) is often set
forth. This is the view that the son is the one called the bride-
groom, Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon says that it is customary
for [Jewish] women to call a son when he is circumcised,
“Bridegroom”; and that those who apply the words [of
Zipporah] to Moses and not to the child, seem to have made
a great mistake. By this view the infant son is by the cere-
mony of circumcision married into God’s covenant.

”Noth, o p c i f , , p , 50.

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4:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

It appears to us that this view and practice results from a

misinterpretation of this passage, and that the more obvious
meaning of the text should not be altered by interpreting it
by the practice. Judge the practice by the verse, and not the
verse by the practice.
Nonetheless, there are problems in the interpretation of
the passage. Why should Zipporah refer to Moses as a bride-
groom when he had been married to her for nearly forty
years? The common King James version renders the Hebrew
word hathan as husband; but in all truth hathan means a
bridegroom, or daughter’s husband, and does not simply
mean husband. The question is not easy to answer. Possibly
Zipporah looked upon Moses’ near-death and hoped-for
recovery as a renewal of their marriage, and therefore called
him bridegroom. To us this seems a more reasonable ex-
planation, than any explanations as to how the son could >

be called anyone’s bridegroom.

After this circumcision incident, Moses sent Zipporah and
the two lads back to Midian, and he went alone on toward
Egypt. Compare Ex. 18:2-3. It was over a year later when
they were reunited.
29. Where did Moses meet Aaron? (4:27)
He met him at the mountain of God, that is, Horeb, or
Sinai (3:l). God spoke to Aaron, directing him to a certain
place at a certain time, as He did later to Philip (Acts 8:26).
Moses had made quite a long trip (perhaps seventy miles)
“fromthe burning bush at Horeb, back to Midian, and back
again to Horeb ‘with his family. The meeting with Aaron
would be a strong sign of divine favor to Moses (see 4: 64).
30. What did Moses tellAaron about? (4:28)
Two things: the words of God, and all the signs that God
had commanded him to do. There is no indication that
Moses performed the signs before Aaron; but he told him
about them.
31. What did Aaron do when the elders of Israel were gathered?
(4:30)
He spoke the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses;
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 RESISTANCE OF GOD’S M A N 51-23,

and he did the signs in the sight of the people. We hardly

feel that Aaron himself actually did the signs (see 4:3-9). He
probably announced that they would be done, and Moses did
them. Note how prominent Aaron was as the spokesman
here at the beginning of Moses’ work of delivering Israel.
Aaron’s prominence later diminished.
32. What was Israel’s response to the news of deliverance? (4:31)
They believed, and bowed their heads in worship. The
people believed, as God had foretold they would (3:18), and
not as Moses feared (4:1).
God twice gave encouragement to Moses as he began his
great task: (1)Aaron met Moses, as God had predicted; (2)
the people believed, as God had foretold.
On visit, see 3:16 and Gen. 50:25.
The Israelites believed when they first heard Moses. Their
faith did not stand up in subsequent tests. But they started
well, and God only gave them one test at a time. Each ex-
perience could lead into a harder test to follow, and to the
opportunity for even greater victories of faith.

The Text of EXODUS

TRANSLATION
And afienvard Mo-ses and Aar-on came, and said unto Pha-
5go, that
raoh, Thus saith Je-ho=vah,the God of Is-ra-el, Let my people
they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. (2) And
Pha-raoh said, Who is Je-ho-vah, that I should hearken unto his
voice to let Is-ra-el go? I know not Je-ho-vah, and moreover I will
not let Is-ra-el go. (3) And they said, The God of the Hebrews
hath met with us: let us go, pray thee, three days’ journey into the
wilderness, and sacrince unto Je-ho-vah our God, lest he fall
upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. (4) And the king of
E-gypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Mo-ses and Aar-on,
loose the people horn their works? get you unto your burdens. (5)
And Pha-raoh said, Behold, the people of theland are now many,
and ye make them rest from their burdens. (6) And the same day
Pha-raoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their
123
5:1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

officers, saying, (7) Ye shall no more give the people straw to

make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for them-
selves. (8) And the number of the bricks, which they did make
heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught
thereof: for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and
sacrifice to our God. (9) Let heavier work be laid upon the men,
that they may labor therein; and let them not regard lying words.
(10)And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their of.
ficers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pha-raoh,
I will not give you straw. (11)Go yourselves, get you straw where
ye can find it; for nought of your work shall be diminished. (12)
So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of
E-gypt to gather stubble for straw. (13)And the taskmasters were
urgent, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there
was straw. (14) And the officers of the children of Is-ramel, whom
Pha-raoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and de-
manded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task both yesterday
and to-day, in making brick as heretofore?
(15) Then the officers of the children of Is-ra-el came and cried
unto Pha-raoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy
servants? (16)There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they
say to us, Make brick and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but
the fault is in thine own people. (17) But he said, Ye are idle, ye
are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and sacrifice to Je-ho-vah.
(18)Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given
you, yet shall ye deliver the number of bricks. (19) And the of-
ficers of the children of Is-ra-el did see that they were in evil case,
wheH it was said, Ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks,
your daily tasks. (20) And they met Mo-ses and Aar-on, who
stood in the way, as they came forth from Pha-raoh: (21) and they
said unto them, Je-ho-vah look upon you, and judge; because ye
have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pha-raoh, and
in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
(22) And Mo-ses returned unto Je-ho-vah, and said, Lord,
wherefore hast thou dealt ill with this people'! why is it that thou
hast sent me'! (23)For since I came to Pha-raoh to speak in thy
name, he hath dealt ill with this people; neither hast thou de-
livered thy people at all.
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 RESISTANCE TO GOD’S M A N 5;l-23
EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTER FIVE
QUESTIONSANSWERABLE
F R O M THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading of the chapter, propose a very brief

topic or theme for it.
2. What people went in to talk to Pharaoh? (5:l; Compare 3:18)
3. What request did they deliver to Pharaoh? (5:l)
4. What particular wilderness (or desert) did the people propose
to go into? (14:3, 12; 1522)
5. Did they promise that the people would come back?
6. What did Pharaoh imply about the LORD by asking, “Who
is the LORD?”
7 . What did Pharaoh NOT know (perhaps deliberately)? What
did he refuse to do?
8. What did the Hebrews request to do in the desert? (53)
9. What threat upon themselves did Moses use to strengthen his
request to Pharaoh? (53)
10. What effect did Pharaoh assume that Moses’ request would
have on the people? (5:4)
11. Where did Pharaoh think that Moses and Aaron ought to
be? (54)
12. Did Pharaoh regard Moses and Aaron with any honor?
13. What order did Pharaoh give the Egyptian taskmasters to
deliver to the Hebrews? (56-8)
14, How was straw used in brick making? (Look this up in some
Bible dictionary.)
15, Did Pharaoh really believe the people were idle, or was this
just an excuse to burden them more? (5:8)
16. What “vain” (or lying) words does Pharaoh speak of in 5:9?
17. Where were the people to get straw for brickmaking? (5:11)
18. How far did the people go looking for straw? (5:12)
19. What did the people gather instead of straw? (5:12)
20. Were the taskmasters patient? (5:13)
21. Who were beaten? Why? (5:14)
22. Who came arid cried unto Pharaoh? (5: 15) Why did they not
have Moses go do their pleading?
23. By what title did the Israelite offcers refer to themselves
before Pharaoh? (5:15)
125
5:l-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

24. Where did the blame rest for making fewer bricks? (516)
25. How did Pharaoh respond to the protest? (517-18)
26. What did the Israelite officers realize after they heard Pha-
raoh’s response? (5:19)
27. Where were Moses and Aaron standing? (5:20)
28. How did the Israelite officers feel toward Moses and Aaron?
(521)
29. Did the Israelite officers now believe that the LORD had
sent Moses to deliver them? (521)
30. Explain “Ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes
of Pharaoh.” (521)
31. Explain the figurative meaning of “put a sword in their
hands to slay us.” (521)
32. What did Moses do after the Israelites criticized him? (5:22)
33. How did Moses feel just then? (523)
34. What questions did Moses ask of God? (523)
35. How had Pharaoh’s responses matched Moses’ hopes and
beliefs?
36. What did the LORD tell Moses that he would see? (6:l)
37. What sort of manner is “with a strong hand”? (6:1)
38. Would Pharaoh let them go or drive them out? (6:l; Com-
pare 12:31-33).

EXODUS TO GOD’S
FIVE:RESISTANCE MAN

I. RESISTANCE FROM SINNERS (Pharaoh); 5: 1-14.

1. Willful resistance; 5: 1-5.
2. Cruel resistance; 56-14.
3. Intractable resistance; 515-18.
11. RESISTANCE FROM GOD’S PEOPLE; 5:15-21.
1. Bypassing Moses; 515-19.
2. Criticizing Moses; 520-21.
It is not surprising that God’s man should get resistance from
sinners and outsiders. But the resistance from God’s people is
unexpected and more painful. Nonetheless, every man of God
experiences it.
126
 RESISTANCE T O UOD’S MAN 51-23
EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTERFIVE
EXODUS:
1. Whose authority did Moses mention Jirst when he confronted
Pharaoh? (5:1)
He mentioned first the authority of Jehovah (Yahweh), the
God of Israel. By mentioning Jehovah’s name first of all,
Moses and Aaron set the tone for the whole conflict that was
to come (chs. 5-11). It was fundamentally a conflict between
Jehovah God and the gods of Egypt (which included Pharaoh
himself). Moses went in to Pharaoh in God’s name, speaking
as a prophet. Compare Amos 1:3; Jer. 2:2.
It took a lot of courage to go in before great Pharaoh and
demand that he let Israel go. Moses had had plain warning
that Pharaoh would NOT let them go (3:19).
Moses requests that they be allowed to hold a feast unto
Jehovah in the wilderness. God had told Moses to request
permission to keep such a feast (or sacrifice; see 3:18; 10:9).
Israel had to go into the wilderness for the sacrifice, because
they would sacrifice animals sacred to the Egyptians (and
almost EVERY animal was sacred to the Egyptians). This
could infuriate the Egyptians like the slaughter of a cow
would upset a Hindu mob. See 8:25-27.
2. Who actually confronted Pharaoh? (5:1)
Only Moses and Aaron. The elders had been instructed to
go in with Moses (3:18). Where were they? The Jewish
Midrash’ says, very plausibly, that they stole furtively away,
singly and in pairs.
This confrontation occurred somewhere in the Nile delta
area, even though the capital of XVIII dynasty Egypt was in
far-off Thebes to the south. XVIII dynasty kings frequently
visited the important Nile delta area.2 The fact that Pharaoh
could communicate the “same day” ( 5 6 ) indicates that
Pharaoh was near the Israelites, who lived by the delta.

‘Amos W. Miller, Understanding the Midrash (New York; Jonathan David, 196%
p. 159.
lG.L, Archer, A Survey of0. T,Introduction (Chicago: Moody, 1964), pp. 215-216.

127
5:1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

3 . Was Israel’s request to Pharaoh unreasonable?

Not at all. Every nation presents sacrifices and worship to
its gods. Work-journals belonging to the New Kingdom
period (time of Moses) in Egypt have furnished, among other
reasons for absenteeism, the offering of sacrifices by work-
men to their godsa3
Pharaoh’s refusal shows his complete lack of consideration
for people, and his lack of fear of God. By refusing a small
request, his real heart-nature was exposed and his conduct
condemned. His heart did not need very much hardening to
be totally solid!
Note that Moses refers to the God of Israel. This is one of
the earliest references to Israel as a people, or nation. Pre-
viously, Israel is used only as a man’s (Jacob’s) name; here-
after, it is mostly the name of the people as a whole.
4 . What didPharaoh know about Jehovah? (52)
Perhaps nothing. He asks, “Who is Jehovah, that I should
hearken to his voice?”
Nonetheless, it seems very doubtful that Pharaoh was
completely ignorant of Jehovah. The facts of how the He-
brews’ God had saved Egypt in the days of Joseph were not
secrets. Most likely Pharaoh was wilfully ignorant. Pharaoh
regarded himself as a So he disregarded any God other
than Egypt’s gods.
Pharaoh was soon to regret saying, “Who is Jehovah?” He
was to become VERY well acquainted with the power of
Jehovah. Sennacherib of Assyria in later years asked a similar
question about Jehovah, with equally disastrous results (I1
Kings 18:35).
Unbelieving critics argue that it had been only a short time
(a few months) before when Jehovah revealed himself to the
Hebrews by the name J e h o ~ a h By. ~ this idea Pharaoh could

3A.Erman, Life in Ancient Egypt (1894), pp. 124f; quoted in R. K. Harrison, Intro-
duction to the 0.T. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969), p. 577.
‘Davis, op. cit., p. 73.
S;BroadmanBibleCommentary (1969), p. 339.

128
 RESISTANCE TO GOD’S M A N 51-23
not have known the name since the Hebrews had only
recently been introduced to Him. We feel that this idea goes
against the Bible’s teachings. See notes on 6:2.
In spite of Pharaoh’s harsh refusal of Moses’ request, God
later graciously told the Israelites, “Thou shalt not abhor an
Egyptian” (Deut. 23:7).
5 . How did Moses reinforce his request that Pharaoh let Israel
go? ( 5 3 )
He declared that the God of the Hebrews had “met” them,
and demanded that they sacrifice unto Him, lest he fall on
them with a pestilence (disease) or the sword (war). They
faced danger if they did not obey God. See notes on 3:18.
Even though Moses’ request was strong, it was rather
politely worded: “Let us go, we pray thee.”
Again, we emphasize that Moses was under no illusions
that Pharaoh would grant their request. It was only their first
barrage in the assault on Pharaoh.
6. How did Pharaoh regard the Hebrews? (53)
He probably regarded them only as one of the assorted
Semitic peoples who had at various times in history entered
I into and “squatted” in Egypt. The Hyksos had been such a
I
I people. Such peoples were a threat to the “native” popula-
~ tion. The Egyptians contemptuously referred to them as
I sandcrossers. They are also called the Habiri (or Habiru, or
I Khapiru, or Apiru), a name applied to peoples in various
places who existed outside the normal establishments of
1 society, somewhat like our “Gypsies.”
7 . How did Pharaoh regard Moses and Aaron? (54)
I He regarded them as nothing more than slaves who ought
to be out working with the rest of their people, at ”your
burdens .”
~

I Pharaoh had apparently already learned of the meeting of

I
the Israelites with Moses and Aaron (4:29). This had created
considerable stir among the Egyptian rulers, because the
Israelites had taken time off from their toils to meet with
Moses.
8. Who were the ‘3eople of the land”? (5:s)
129
5:1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

Apparently they were the Hebrews. The exact implications

of this expression are not clear, but it is obviously not corn-
plimentary. Perhaps Pharaoh refers to “people of the land”
as contrasted with the city-dwelling “high-class” Egyptians.
The people of the land were the working-class serfs, the
riff-raff,
Or it may be that Pharaoh spoke of them as his private
property. He owned all the land (Gen. 47:20), and they were
the “people of the land,” people who were permanently
associated with the land use.
In any case, the large number of these people was disturb-
ing to Pharaoh, just as their numbers long before had dis-
turbed an earlier ruler of Egypt (Ex. 1:9).
9. How did the Egyptians feel about idleness? (5:s)
They did not tolerate it in slaves. A painting in an Egyptian
tomb dated about 1450 B.C. (the very time of the oppres-
sion!) shows slaves making bricks while their supervisor
watches with a stick in his hand. In the writing along the side
of the painting the taskmaster is quoted as saying, “The rod
is in my hand; be not idle!”6
10. To whom is Ex. 5:5 addressed?
It is addressed to “ye,” apparently to Moses and Aaron,
just as is 54.However, it sounds somewhat like amonologue,
as if Pharaoh were thinking out loud while talking to Moses.
Martin Noth claims that verses 4 and 5 are remains of two
distinct source documents, giving two different accounts of
Israel’s confrontation with Pharaoh. He says that verse 4 is a
..
fragment of E. . inserted into the context of J.’ It seems to
us that there is no clash at all between the verses, and that
verse 5 is only somewhat of a repetition for emphasis by
Pharaoh.
11. What three classes of oflcials were over the Hebrew workers?
(1) taskmaster^'^ (Heb. sare missim), Egyptian officers

%a M. Price, E. L. Carlson, 0.R. Sellers, TheMonuments and the Old Testament

(Philadelphia: Judson, 1958),p. 168.
70p. cit., p. 53.

130
 RESISTANCE TO GOD’S M A N 51-23

apparently over large labor gangs. (1:ll)

(2) “Taskmasters” (Heb. nogesim), Literally, the title
means oppressors; it seems to refer to Egyptian supervisors
of smaller work crews. ( 5 6 , 14)
(3) “Officers” (Heb. shoterim). Literally, the title means
writers, scribes, officers, leaders. It seems to refer to Hebrew
workers assigned to crews with them. Perhaps they were
responsible to turn in written reports of their productivity
each day.
12. When did Pharaoh issue new work orders? ( 5 6 ) .
“The same day!”
13. What new work-order didPharaoh issue? (5:7-11).
He ordered that the Hebrew slaves go find their own straw
for brickmaking, but make just as many bricks as they did
when straw had been brought to them. Obviously specific
daily quotas of bricks had been assigned to be made.
Pharaoh’s response was harsh and unreasonable. For
requesting a three-day holiday for religious sacrifices, the
people are sentenced to much heavier work on an apparently
permanent basis. Probably Pharaoh sensed that their request
was only the beginning of bigger aspirations.
14. What did the straw serve for in brickmaking? ( 5 7 , 12)
Egyptian mud sticks together well enough that straw is
not actually needed to hold mud bricks together. Therefore,
bricks made without straw are found in Egypt, as well as
bricks with straw. However, the straw contains an ’enzyme
that makes the mud much easier to mix and handle.8 Not
having straw would make the Hebrews’ work much harder
and more abrasive.
These mud bricks work well in a dry land like Egypt,
where absence of rainfall prevents houses from being sof-
tened and washed away.
15. Why did Pharaoh accuse Israel of being idle? (58)
Because he was cruel, and was looking for something to

9oseph Free, Archaeology and Bible History (Wheaton, 111.: Scripture Press, 1972),
pp. 91-92.

131
51-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

accuse them of, so he could oppress them. They had not

really been idle, except for the one meeting with Moses and
Aaron. Pharaoh still said they were idle even after the Israel-
ite workmen themselves told him their true situation (516-
17). This shows that his charge of idleness was only an excuse
to treat them cruelly.
16. How did Pharaoh regard the words of Moses and Aaron?
(59)
He regarded them as vain, or lying, words, which offered
false hopes to the people. Pharaoh seems to have heard
indirectly of God’s promise to Moses to deliver Israel. By
overburdening the people, he attempted to crush their
spirits, remove all hope from them, and destroy all their
confidence in Moses and Aaron.

AMENHOTEP
11, (1448-1422 B.C.), Pharaoh of the exodus.
We can understand Pharaoh’s reactions to Moses much better
when we have read the unbearably boastful writings by Amenho-
tep 11, telling of his exploits as a sportsman.
Now, further his majesty appeared as king as a goodly
.youth. When he had matured and completed eighteen years
on his thighs in valor, he was one who knew every task of
Montu [the god of war]: there was no one like him on the
field of battle. He was one who knew horses; there was not
I his like in this numerous army. There was not one therein
who could draw his bow. He could not be approached in
running.
Strong of arms, one who did not weary when he took the
oar, he rowed at the stern of his falcon-boat as the stroke for
two hundred men. When there was a pause, after they had
attained half an iter’s course [probably five-eighths of a
mile], they were weak, their bodies were limp, they could not
draw a breath, whereas his majesty was (still) strong under
his oar of twenty cubits in its length [about 34 feet!].
.............
132
 RESISTANCE TO GOD’S M A N 51-23
He drew three hundred stiff bows in comparing the work
of the craftsmen of them, in order to distinguish the ignorant
from the wise. When he had just come from doing this which
I have called to your attention, he entered into his northern
garden and found there had been set up for him four targets
of Asiatic copper of one palm in their thickness [A little less
than 3 inches], with twenty cubits between one post and its
fellow. Then his majesty appeared in a chariot like Montu in
his power. He grasped his bow and gripped four arrows at
the same time. So he rode northward, shooting at them like
Montu in his regalia. His arrows had come out on the back
thereof while he was attacking another post. It was really a
deed which had never been done nor heard of. .g ..
17. What did the Israelites usefor straw? (5:12)
They used stubble. The long clean wheat straw that had
been cut with sickles, tied into bundles, and probably kept in
barns, was no longer brought to them for brickmaking.
Instead they had to go out and pull up stubby ends of wheat
steams attached to the roots still in the ground. Along with
wheat and barley stubble would be all kinds of field rubbish,
weeds, twigs, etc. These had to be uprooted, carried home,
cleaned, sorted, and chopped.
The presence of stubble indicates this occurred after the
barley and wheat harvest, near the end of April, or early
May. At this season the pestilential sand-wind blows over
Egypt, often for days on end. The Israelites’ sufferings must
have been intense! Why would they ever at later times have
longed to return to Egypt (Ex. 16:3)?
18. Could the Israelites J;.lfill the heavier work demands upon
them? (5:14)
By no means! Thereupon the Hebrew “straw bosses” were
beaten with sticks by the Egyptians, because their crews had

PFrom“Pharaoh as a Sportsman,” translated by John A. Wilson, in Ancient Near

Eastenz Texts (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press, 1955), p. 244. Used by
permission.
133
5:1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

not made the daily assigned quotas of bricks. The Egyptians

had set this up deliberately. The impossibly difficult work
quotas were just the excuse for the persecution they intended
to lay on them.
19. Who went t o Pharaoh toprotest the beatings? (515-16)
The Israelite officers themselves went. They took matters
into their own hands. Moses had failed initially to get them
delivered, and so they went to Pharaoh seeking fair treat-
ment. Observe that the Israelites meekly referred to them-
selves three times as “thy servants.”
20. Whom did the Israelites blame for their troubles? (516)
They blamed Pharaoh’s taskmasters, “thine own people.”
This was only partly true: the fault was really in Pharaoh
himself. His people were only following his orders.
The Greek O.T. (LXX)reads in 5 1 6 , “. . . thy servants
have been scourged; thou wilt therefore injure (or deal un-
justly with) thy people.” Both this translation and that of
the Hebrew Bible show how submissive the Israelites felt.
21. What did the Israelites realize about their situation after
their conference with Pharaoh? (5:19)
“They did see that they were in an evil situation.” It im-
presses us that they were extremely slow in figuring this out.
The root of their trouble was Pharaoh himself, not his task-
masters. Perhaps in their desperation they had believed what
they wanted to believe, that surely Pharaoh would help them
when he knew the truth about them. That hope was now
dashed. To whom could they turn now for help? They did not
turn to God. Instead they turned to bitterness (521; 6:9).
22. Where did the Israelites meet Moses andAaron7 (520)
Moses and Aaron were standing in the road from Pha-
raoh’s house, evidently having stationed themselves there,
probably expecting to hear a more hopeful report.
23. What use of Jehovah’s name did Israel make toward Moses?
(521)
They called on Jehovah to judge (condemn, punish, or
damn) Moses and Aaron. Their statement is nearly a curse.
What perversity this shows! While calling upon Jehovah to

134
 RESISTANCE TO GOD’S M A N 5:l-23
judge and punish Moses, they show by their complaining
that they have no confidence in God or His power to save.
24. What e3ects did the Israelites feel that Moses’ meeting with
Pharaoh had had upon them? 6 2 1 )
(1) “You have made us stink in the eyes (nostrils?) of
Pharaoh. Savor, or smell, here means reputation or standing.
Similar expressions can be found in Gen. 34:30; I1 Sam,
10:6; I Sam. 27:12, In truth, the Israelites did not have a
very good “savor” before Pharaoh even before Moses arrived;
they were already enslaved then (2:23-24).
(2) “YOUhave put a sword in their hands to slay us.”
You have given them the provocation and excuse to harm us.
These first accusations of the Israelites against Moses were
only the beginning of a torrent of such objections to his
leadership that would later grieve Moses. See Ex. 14:ll;
1524; 16:2; and on and on.
25. What did Moses do when the Israelites rejected him? (522)
He returned unto Jehovah. This expression is beautiful in
its simplicity, implying constant communion with God.
God’s man must have such closeness with God constantly.
Then he prayed, asking God why He had done evil to the
Israelites. Moses’ words are not critical, but words of inquiry
and prayer. They spring from faith instead of doubt. But his
words are urgent: “Why did you ever send me?”
By the word evil Moses referred to calamity, misfortune,
or other adversities, rather than to moral evil. Compare Gen.
43:6; Num. 20:15; Job 24:20.
Moses’ prayer here is the first of many prayers he uttered
after the times when the people challenged his leadership.
Compare Ex.321, 11; Numbers ll:ll,
26. What answer did God give to Moses’ prayer? (6: 1)
. .
“You shall see what I will do to Pharaoh . he shall drive
Israel out of his land.”
“By a strong hand” means “with a powerful force” and
“with urgency.” It refers to Pharaoh’s hand, rather than to
God’s hand. God indeed laid His hand heavily upon Pharaoh
(7:4-5; 13:3). This broke Pharaoh’s resistance, so that
135
6:1-30 EXPLORING EXODUS

Pharaoh himself thrust Israel out of his land (See Ex. 12:33,
39.)
27. How do we relate to Moses' experiences?
Few people can read Exodus chapters 1-6 and fail to see
therein a reflection of their own experiences with God m d
His people. In Moses we see our own aspirations and disap-
pointments, faith and fears, hopes and hesitancy, dreams and
despair. Moses as God's man is a picture of every man of God.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And Je-ho=vahsaid unto Mo-ses, Now shalt thou see what I
6 wiU do to Pha-raoh: for by a strong hand shall he let them
go, andiby a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
(2) And God spake unto Mo-ses, and said unto him, I am
Je-ho-vah: (3) and I appeared unto Abraham, unto I-saac, and
unto Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Je-ho-vah I was
not known to them. (4) And I have also established my covenant
with them, to give them the land of Ca-naan, the land of their
sojounlings, wherein they sojoumed. (5) And moreover I have
heard the groaning of the children of Is-ra-el, whom the E-gyp-
tians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
(6) Wherefore say unto the childreh of Is-ra-el, I am Je-ho-vah,
and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the E-gyp-
tians, and I will rid you aut of their bondage, and I will redeem
an out-stretched arm, and with great judgments: (7)
take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God;
and ye shall know that I am Je-ho-vah your God, who bringeth
you out from under the burdene of the E-gyp-tians. (8) And I will
bring you in unto the land which I sware to give to Abraham, to
I-saac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am
Je-ho-vah. (9) And Momseespake so unto the children of Is-ra-el:
but they hearkened not unto Mo-ses for anguish of spirit, and for
cruel bondage.
(10) And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses, saying, (11) Go in,
speak unto Pha-raoh king of E-gypt, that he let the children of
Is=ra-el go out of his land. (12) And Mo-ses spake before

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 STRENGTHENING OF GOD’S MAN 6:l-30
Je-ho-vah, saying, Behold, the children of Is-ra-el have not
hearkened unto me; how then shall Pha-raoh hear me, who am
of uncircumcised lips? (13) And Je-ho=vahspake unto Mo-ses
and unto Aar-on, and gave them a charge unto the children of
Is-ra-el, and unto Pha-raoh king of E-gypt, to bring the children
of Is-ra-el out of the land of E-gypt.
(14) These are the heads of their fathers’ houses. The sons of
Reu-ben the first-born of Is-ra-el: Ha-noch, and Pal-lu, Hez-
ron, and Eac-mi; these are the families of Reu-ben. (15) And the
sons of Sim-emon: Jem-u-el, and Ja-min, and 0-had, and Ja-chin,
and Zo-har, and Sha-ul the son of a Ca-naan-i-tish woman; these
are the families of Sim-e-on. (16) And these are the names of the
sons of Le-vi according to their generations: Ger-shon, and
Ko-hath, and Me-ra-ri; and the years of the life of Le-vi were a
hundred thirty and seven years. (17) The sons of Ger-shon:
Lib-ni and Shim-e-i, according to their families. (18) And the
sons of Ko-hath Am-ram, and Iz-har, and He-bron, and Uz-zip
el; and the years of the life of Ko-hath were a hundred thirty and
three years. (19) And the sons of Me-ra-ri: Mah-li and Mu-shi.
These are the families of the Le-vites according to their genera-
tions. (20) And Am-ram took him Joch-e-bed his father’s sister
to wife; and she bare him Aarmon and Mo-ses: and the years of
the We of Am-ram were a hundred and thirty and seven years.
(21) And the sons of Iz=har: Ko-rah, and Ne-pheg, and Zich-ri.
(22) And the sons of Uz-zi-el: Mish-a-el, and El-za-phan, and
Sith-ri. (23) And Aar-on took him E-Ush-e-ba, the daughter of
Am-min-a-dab, the sister of Nah-shon, to wife; and she bare
him Na-dab and A-bi-hu, E-le-a-zar and Ith-a-mar. (24) And
the sons of Ko=rah: As-sir, and El-ka-nah, and A=bi-a-saph;
these are the families of the Ko.rah-ites. (25) And E-le-a-zar
Aar-on’s son took him one of the daughters of Pu-ti-el to wife;
and she bare h i Phin-e-has. These are the heads of the fathers’
houses of the Le-vites according to their families. (26) These are
that Aar-on and Mo-ses, to whom Je-ho-vah said, Bring out the
children of Is-ra-el from the land of E-gypt according to their
hosts. (27) These are they that spake to Pha-raoh king of E-gypt,
to bring out the children of Is-ra-el from E-gypt: these are that
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Moses and Aaron.

(28)And it came to pass on the day when Je-ho-vah spake unto
Md-ses in the land of E-gypt (29) that Je-ho-vah spake unto
Mo=des,saying, I am Je-ho-vah: speak thou unto Pha-raoh king
of Eqgpt all that I speak unto thee. (30) And Mo-ses said before
Je-ho-vah, Behold, I am of uncircumcised Ups, and how shall
Pha-raoh hearken unto me?

EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTERSIX
ANSWERABLE
QUESTLONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading propose a brief title or topic for ch. six.
2. Why did God keep telling Moses “I am the LORD (Jeho-
vah)”? (6:2,6,8,29)
3. By what name was God known to Abraham and Isaac? (6:3;
Gen. 17:l)
4. ’Bywhat name was God NOT known to them?
5. Didn’t Abraham really know the name Jehovah (LORD)?
-*See.Gen.22:14; 18:14; 157.
can we explain Ex. 6:3 if Abraham actually used the
Jehovah? Compare Ezekiel 39:7; Jer. 16:21; Isaiah

7. What had God established with Abraham and Isaac? (6:4)

at did God intend to give to Abraham and Isaac? (6:4)
w were Abraham and Isaac “strangers” (sojourners) in
the land? See Acts 7:4-5; Heb. 11:8-10’13-16.
10. What had God heard? ( 6 5 )
11. What did God remember? (65)
12. What significance would there be to Israel in God’s saying,
“I am the LORD”? 6:6-7; (Compare Isa. 49:23)
13. What does redeem mean in “I will redeem you”? (Ex. 6:6)
14. What is implied in God’s arm being “outstretched”?
15. When did God formally take Israel to him as His people?
(6:7; Ex. 19:1, 5-6; Deut. 4:20; 29:13)
16. Did Israel quickly sense the significance of the fact that the

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 STRENGTHENING OF GOD’S MAN 6:l-30
LORD was their God? (6:7-8)
17. How strongly had God affirmed His intention to give the
land to Abraham and Isaac? (693)
18. Did Israel accept God’s words which Mdses delivered unto
them? Why or why not? (6:9)
19. Why did the LORD in 6:ll repeat His command to Moses to
go in and speak unto Pharaoh? (Compare 4:22,23; 5 1 )
20. What objection did Moses give against going back to Pha-
raoh? (6:12)
21. What is meant by uncircumcised lips? (Compare Ex. 4:lO;
Acts 751)
22. What charge did the LORD give Moses and Aaron? (6:13).
What is a charge?
23. Do you think from 6:lO-13 that Moses was rather reluctant?
24. What is the purpose or point of inserting all of the gene-
alogies of 6:14-25 into the story right here?
25. Which three sons of Jacob have descendants listed in 6:14-
16?
26. Can you suggest any possible reason($ for listing the de-
scendants of only three of Jacob’s sons in 6:14-161
I 27. Whose son married a Canaanite woman? (6:15)
28. Was the chosen family at this time prohibited from marrying
I outside of their family? (Gen. 24:3-4; 28:l-2; Compare Ex.
I 34:ll-16)
I 29. Name the three sons of Levi. (6: 16)
i 30. What were the Levites later appointed to do? (Numbers
I 3:6-8, 12)
I
I 31. Who was Amram? (6:18, 20)
I
32. Who was Izhar the brother of? (6:18)
’
I
1

I
33. Who was the first son of Izhar, as listed in 6:21?
34. How was Korah related to Moses and Aaron? (6:18-21)
35. What was Korah later famous (or infamous) for? (Numbers
16:l-3, 32; Jude 11)
36. Who was Amram’s wife? (6:20)
37. Whom did Aaron marry? (6:23)
38. Of what tribe was Aaron’s wife? (6:23; Numbers 1:7)
39. Name Aaron’s four sons. (6:23)
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6:l-30 EXPLORrNG EXODUS

40. Who was Aaron’s grandson? (6:25)

41. What verse (in this sixth chapter) does 6:26 refer back to?
42. What thought connection may there be between the gene-
alogies of 6: 14-25 and the emphatic references to Moses and
Aaron in 6:26-271 Try to suggest some possible connection.
43. According to (or by) what groupings were the Israelites to be
brought out of Egypt? (6:26; Num. 1:3; Num. 10:11-14, 18;
Ex. 7:4)
44. What emphatic declaration did God make about Himself in
6:29?
45. What was Moses to speak unto Pharaoh?
46. What does the repetition in 6:12 and 6:30 suggest about
Moses’ willingness?
47. Is there a sharp thought break between chapters 6 and 71
Does 6:28-7:7 seem like one paragraph to you?

EXODUS OF GOD’SMAN
SIX: STRENGTHENING

Moses surely needed strengthening after the resistance de-

scribed in chapter five. How was God’s man strengthened?
I. By God’s name: 6:2-3,6, 29.
11. By God’s promises; 6:1,6-8
111. By God’s covenant; 6:4-5.
IV. By God’s command; 6:lO-13’28-29.
V. By past examples (family associations); 6:14-27.

EXODUS
SIX:STRENGTH
FOR SERVICE

SIX:THREEPRECIOUS
EXODUS P’s

I. Promise of God; 6:1,6.

11. Power of God; 6:6.
111. People of God; 6:7,14-26.

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 S T R E N G T H E N I N G O F GOD’S M A N 6:l-30
GOD’SPROMISES (Ex. 6:6-8)
To ISRAEL

1, I will bring you out; 6:6.

2, I will rid you of bondage.
3. I will redeem you.
4, I will take you for my people; 6:7.
5. I will be to you a God.
6. I will bring you into the land; 6:8.
7. I will give the land to you for a possession.

GOD’SCOMMITMENT
To HIS PEOPLE
1. ‘Heredeems from oppressions.
2. He takes us as His.
3. He gives us an inheritance.

I AM THELORD(JEHOVAH)
1. Jehovah, the covenant-maker (6:4),
2. Jehovah, the cry-hearer (65).
3. Jehovah, the deliverer (6:6).
4. Jehovah, the receiver of His people (6:7).

EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTERSIX

EXODUS:
1. What is Exodus chapter 6 all about?
The chapter gives the record of how God strengthened and
reassured Moses, Moses was downcast after both Pharaoh
and the people of Israel had rejected him (Ch. S ) , Ch. six
tells how God strengthened him and confirmed him in his
labors.
2. How do unbelieving critics interpret chapter 67
They regard it as a different account of the commission of
Moses by a different author (called P, for priestly) than the
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6:1-30 EXPLORING EXODUS

one who wrote 3:1-6:1 (called J, for Jehovist). P supposedly

lived after the Babylonian captivity and J in the ninth OF
tenth century before Christ. They maintain that P knew
nothing of Moses’ call in Midian, but rather thought he was
called in Egypt. Frankly, this shocks us.
Even a critic as extreme as Martin Noth admits that
chapter six now appears (emphasis ours) as a confirmation of
the commission previously given to Moses, and an invitation
to make new demands upon Pharaoh.’ It surely does so
appear! But he is confident that he can see by the wording
that really chapter six is an independent treatment of the one
and only call and commissioning of Moses.
To us it is more natural to regard chapter six as a continu-
ation of the story given in ch. five. Also to divide Exodus into
several contradictory sources (J, E, P) is to deny that Moses
wrote the books of the law, as Christ affirmed that he did
(John 7:19; 1:17).
3. How would God’s saying ‘7am the LORD (Jehovah)” help
Moses?(6:2)
It would help because by that name all the power, perma-
nance, potential, promises, and performances of God were
brought back to their minds.
The name Jehovah signifies the eternal one, the one who
causes things to happen. See notes on Ex. 3:14-15.
In this chapter God repeatedly reassured Moses and Israel
by saying, “I am Jehovah’’ (6:2, 7, 8, 29). “The name of
Jehovah is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is
safe.” (Prov. 18:lO)
Centuries later in the time of the Babylonian captivity God
was still reassuring Israel by saying “I am Jehovah.’’ (Ezek.
39:7; 38:23).
If the name of the LORD Jehovah does not give us some
reassuring thoughts, we need to study and meditate some
more concerning it.
4. By what name was God known to Abraham, Isaac, and

‘Op. cit., p. 58.

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 STRENGTHENING OF GOD’S MAN 6:1-30
Jacob? (6:3)
As God Almighty (Hebrew, El Shaddai). This name is
specially prominent in Gen. 17:1, where God gave the
covenant of circumcision to Abraham. It also appears in
Gen. 28:3; 3511; 43:14; 48:3, The Greek O.T. translates it
as Pantocrator, meaning the Almighty. The Latin gives it as
Deus omnipotens, meaning God almighty.
The name El means mighty or powerful one. In its plural
form elohim it is the most common word for God in the O.T.
A variant form Eloah also occurs (Deut. 32:lS; Ps. 18:31;
Job 3:4 and many other places in Job).
The most ancient meaning of Shaddai is quite uncertain.
Some connect it with the Assyrian word shadu, meaning
mountain.2 This could be the origin of the word, without its
preserving any polytheistic implications, such as that El
Shaddai was once a mountain worshipped as a god. Psalm
36:6 speaks of God’s righteousness as being like a great
mountain.
5. Did Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob really know that God’s
name was Jehovah (LORD)?
Certainly they knew it. See Gen. 12:8; 14:22; 158; 21:33;
24:3; 26:22; 27:27; 28:16; 49:18. In Gen. 22:14 Abraham
called the place where he almost sacrificed his son Isaac
JEHOVAH-JIREH, meaning Jehovah will see, or provide.
In fact, Gen. 4:26 indicates that men began to call upon
the name of Jehovah back in the time of Enosh, the great-
grandson of Adam.
How then can Ex. 6:2 say that God was not known to them
by his name Jehovah?
The explanation seems to be that to God knowing that his
name is Jehovah means knowing what that name implies. It
implies knowing his eternal nature, and how He will deliver
his people.
Abraham knew Jehovah by name; but he never lived to
learn the glorious Jehovah-typefulfillment of His promises or

ZBruadmanBibZeCommentary (1969),p. 342. Cole, op. cit., p. 84.

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6:1-30 EXPLORING EXODUS

how He delivered His people. Even we do not really know a

person when we know only what his name is.
That this is the true explanation of how Abraham could
use the name Jehovah and still not know the name Jehovah
is indicated by later passages, such as Ezek. 39:7 and Jer.
16:21 and Isa. 52:6. These passages were written centuries
after the name Jehovah was well known. But even then God
said, “I will cause them to know ... that my name is Jeho-
vah” (Jer. 16:21). Also “My holy name will I make known in
the midst of my people Israel” (Ezek. 39:7).
In our language and idiom we do not speak of people as
not knowing our names just because they do not know our
works and personalities. But God so speaks of His name. It
is for us to adjust our thinking to God’s manner of speaking,
rather than to assert that the Bible is contradictory. Critics
assert oftentimes that previous references (in Genesis and
Ex.) to the name Jehovah were from one source document
(J), and that the Priestly source here at 6:2 introduces the
name Jehovah for the first time. We find this unverified and
unacceptable.
6. What had God promised in His convenant with Israel spoken
to Abraham? (6:4,8)
e promised to multiply their number and give them the
land of Canaan. See Gen. 1518; 17:4,7,8; 12:7; 26:3; 28:4,
13; 3511-12. Israel’s occupation of Canaan is always seen in
the Bible as a fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham.
‘”But on the other side, the driving out of the Canaanites is
seen as God’s punishment for their wickedness (Gen. 15:
16).
7. What did God remember? ( 6 5 )
He remembered His covenant with Israel spoken to Abra-
ham. To say that He remembered does not imply that God
had previously forgotten. He was remembering now in the
sense that He was now starting to ACT in fulfilling His
covenant. Faithfulness to covenant promises is one of God’s

’Cole, op. cit., p. 85.

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 STRENGTHENING O F GOD’S M A N 6:l-30
most consistent qualities. How greatly this should reassure
us who are under such NEW covenant promises as Heb. 8: 121
8, What seven great promises did God give to Israel? (6:6-8)
See p. 141 for the list of these promises. In these seven
great promised acts, Israel would see what the name Jehovah
meant. The name Jehovah should bring to their minds the
whole list of God’s acts in the exodus experiences.
The I in “I am Jehovah” is emphatic.
Jesus may also be called Jehovah (LORD), as well as the
father is called by that name. Compare Isa. 40:3 and Mark
1:1, 3. All the significance of the name Jehovah God to the
Jews should be felt by Christians in the mighty name of
JESUS-JEHOVAH.
9. What does “redeem“ mean? (6:6; Compare 15:6)
Basically it means to buy back something that has been
forfeited or sold. It means to act as a redeemer-kinsman
(Heb. goel), one who saves some destitute relative from
danger, debt, or widowhood. Boaz was the redeemer-
kinsman of Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 2:20; 3:9; Lev. 2525).
Later the meaning of redeem was broadened to refer to
deliverance from dangers of various types.
To redeem therefore means to deliver people from unbear-
i able troubles. The way God redeemed Israel is an illustration
I of the way we Christians are redeemed (I Peter 1:18; Eph.
I 1:7). God did not spare Israel from all their troubles and
hardships in the desert, but He did deliver them from all
intolerable difficulties, those which were beyond their power
~

to face. Similarly we cannot expect to escape all tribulation

II
I
and persecution. But God does redeem us from the sin,
death, and distresses that are beyond our ability to conquer.
10. What kind of arm is an “outstretched”arrn? (6:6)
It is a visible, powerful, and active arm, like the arm of a
I warrior arming for battle. The idea of God’s stretched-out
arm and His great judgments reappears later in Ex. 13:3 and
Deut. 5:15.
11. What would God take Israel unto Himselfto be? (6:n
To be His people! Compare Ex, 19:5-6;29:45-46; Gen. 17:8;
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6:l-30 EXPLORING EXODUS

Deut. 4:20; 7:6;29:13. Israel was a stiff-necked rebellious

people. God’s choice of Israel was an act of incredible grace
and forbearance.
The actual time and place when God took Israel as His
people was at Mt. Sinai (Ex.1 9 5 ) . This Sinai covenant was
reconfirmed and settled in the plains of Moab, just before
Israel entered the promised land (Deut. 28:9; 29:1, 12-13).
The result of God’s taking Israel for His people would be
to cause them to know that He was Jehovah their God. This
thought about knowing God’s name was a strong and re-
peated emphasis by God ( 6 2 ’ 6 ;Isa. 49:23).
At the present time we Christians are the people of God,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles (Eph. 1:4; I1 Cor. 6:18;Rev.
213.
12. What was God’s heritage to Israel? (6:8)
The heritage was the land which He swore to give to Abra-
ham (Compare Neh. 9:15).A heritage is a possession, often
one received as an inheritance. Interestingly, the term
heritage is applied in Deut. 33:4 to the law (or Torah) itself.
13. How did Israel respond to Moses’ words of reassurance? (6:9)
They would not hearken or pay attention to him. Because
of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage they were not receptive
to any optimistic promises. Anguish of spirit is literally
shortness of spirit (or breath). Their longsuffering had
shrunk to shortness of spirit. Israel’s vital energy and hope
was shortened and sapped.
14.’What order did God give to Moses in his despondency? (6:
10-11,13)
God told him to go in and speak to Pharaoh and demand
that he let Israel go. God’s order to Moses would strengthen
his weak spirit. Often a good “kick in the pants” is exactly
what hesitant men need. Note the reemphasis of the order
in 6:13.
Note also that the demands upon Pharaoh have gone up.
Previously it was only for permission to go and sacrifice (5:1 ) .
Now Moses is to ask that Israel be released (6:11, 13).
15. What are uncircumcised lips? (6:12’30)

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 STRENGTHENING OF GOD’S M A N 6:l-30

at this point?
To be very candid, no one knows why with absolute

‘hrfiquities,11, xiii, 4.
sop. cit., pa58.

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 6:l-30 EXPLORING EXODUS

Also, in the genealogy Aaron really receives little more stress

than Amram (6:18,20) or even Korah (6:21-24).
But what can believers say to account for the genealogy
here? Ex. 6:27 indicates that the genealogy is to highlight
and identify the persons Moses and Aaron at this dramatic
moment in their history.
Also we may conjecture that at this discouraging time
in Moses’ career, he himself may have recalled his family
tree, a family that had long before received God’s promises
through their forefather Abraham. This would be great
encouragement to Moses. How could he (or we) forsake the
God and faith of the forefathers?
God himself may have brought thoughts about his family
tree to Moses’ mind just then (Compare John 14:26). There-
fore, when Moses later penned Exodus, he recorded here an
abbreviated genealogy, but one given in sufficient detail to
make its encouraging force in his life obvious. The genealogy
is certainly too abbreviated to have been intended as a full
family record.
17. What is presented in the genealogy?
First the names of Jacob’s (Israel’s) three oldest sons
(Reuben, Simeon, and Levi) and their immediate descend-
ants are given (6:14-16). Then the descendants of Levi are
traced on through several generations, with special attention
given to those personages who will be prominent in the later
history of Israel’s wilderness wanderings and the conquest of
‘ Canaan.
18. What are “heads offathers’ houses”? (6:14)
This is a technical term for clans, or families;6 or for a
collection of families called by the name of a common
ancestor.
19. What is related ofReuben’s descendants? (6:14)
Only his sons’ names. Their names here are identical to
(and possibly transcribed from) Gen. 46:9. The Reubenites
I
I
I 41. H.Hertz, The Pentateuch and Hafrorahs (London: Soncino, 1969), p. 234.
‘Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit., p. 469.

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 STRENGTHENING OF GOD’S MAN 6:l-30
are also listed in Num. 265-9 and I Chron. 5:lff.
20. What is related of Sirneon’s descendants? (6:15)
Only his sons’ names and the fact that one son (Shaul)
was the son of a Canaanite woman. The list here is like that
of Gen. 46:10, and is similar to those in Num. 26:12-14 and
I Chron. 4:24ff.
The marriage of Simeon to a Canaanite woman speaks
loudly about the strong tendency of the Israelites to enter
such faith-destroying marriages. These were later strictly
forbidden by God through Moses (Ex. 34:15-16; Deut.
7:3-4). The idolatry which later developed among the
Simeonites (Num. 25:14), and their great decline in popu-
lation (Num. 1:23; 26:14) suggests an inherent weakness in
the tribe’s character.
21. Who were the three sons of Levi? (6:16)
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Memorize these names
I
now! These were fathers of large families that later had
specific assignments in transporting and caring for the
1 tabernacle in the wilderness. See Numbers 3:14ff.
A comment in Preacher’s Homiletic Commentary about
these genealogies is good: These genealogies are like great
stone bluffs, sterile looking, but there is a spring at their feet.
22. Are there gaps in the genealogy given f o r l e v i ? (6:16-20)
Yes. This is clearly indicated by the fact that all three of
Levi’s sons had been born before Jacob’s family settled into
I Egypt (Gen. 46:ll); then, Amram, the son of Levi’s son,
lived only 137 years; and Amram’s son Moses was only
II
I eighty years old at the time of the exodus. There are not
enough years in the life spans of these men to stretch across
the Egyptian bondage period of 430 years (Ex. 12:40).
Even more conclusive proof of gaps in the genealogy of
Levi is the fact that at Mt. Sinai, less than two years after the
I time of Ex. 6, the Kohathites (which included Moses)
numbered 8600 men and boys (Num. 3:28ff). These Koha-
thites are divided into four groups named after Kohath’s
four sons, including Amram. This would indicate that there
were about 2147 (8600 + 4) Amramites. But Amram the

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father of Moses had only two sons (Moses and Aaron), and
these had less than ten descendants at Mt. Sinai. So ap-
parently the numerous Amramites are descendants of the
previous Amram, Levi’s grandson, and not the later father
of Moses, also named Amram.
23. Who were the sons of Kohath? (6:18)
They were (1) Amram (not the father of Moses, but a
previous Amram); (2) Izhar, the father (or, more probably,
a previous ancestor) of the infamous Korah, who led a
rebellion against Moses (Num. 16:l); (3) Hebron; and
(4) Uzziel. Of the latter two we know little (Compare 6:22).
Uzziel’s sons helped bury Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:4).
See also Num.3:30.
24. Who wereMoses’father and mother? (6:20)
Amram and Jochebed, his father’s aunt. See notes on
Ex. 2: 1.
Jochebed’s name means “Jehovah (Jah) is (my) glory.”8
This shows that the name Jehovah (or Yahweh) was indeed
used by the Hebrews before Ex. 6:3. And therefore the
imaginary P source (to which critics ascribe Ex. 6) did know
and use Jehovah’s name before the Ex. 6:3 “revelation.”
Critics ascribe all earlier uses of the name Jehovah to another
source. Their knowledge of unknowable things passes
all bounds.
25. Who were Aaron’s wife and children? (6:23)
His wife was Elishaba, better known as Elizabeth (from
the LXX). She was of the tribe of Judah. Her brother
Nahshon was one of the princes of the tribe of Judah, so she
would be a princess (I Chron. 2:lO). Elishaba was a sister
of a direct ancestor (Nahshon) of Christ. Her father was
Amminadab, and her grandfather was named Ram (Matt.
1:4; Luke 3:33; Ruth 1:18-20).
Aaron’s children were Nadab and Abihu and Eleazar and

BHertz,op. cit., p. 234. Cole, op. cit., p. 87, affirms a differing view, that the name
Jochebed means only “May he (the unnamed godl) glorify.” Hertz is a Jewish commenta-
tor, and his interpretation of this name seems definitely preferable.

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 STRENGTHENING O F GOD’S MAN 6:l-30

I
priest during Israel’s conquest of Canaan and the division
of the land (Josh. 14:1).
Phinehas was the son of Eleazar and succeeded him
as high priest (Josh. 24:33). Phinehas is renowned for
7: 1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

issues in their conflict with Pharaoh.

Note that Aaron is mentioned first in 6:26 and Moses first
in 6:27. Probably no great significance can be attached
to this.
Note also the third-person writing in Ex. 6:26-27. This
style does not eliminate the possibility that Moses himself
wrote Exodus. Egyptian writings by the Pharaohs about
themselves and by themselves are often written in third
person. So also are Biblical writings. Note’Ezra 7:lO (com-
pare 8: 15) and John 19:35 as examples.
29. Whose words would Moses (and Aaron) speak? (6:28-29)
God’s words. “Speak ... all that I speak unto thee.”
Compare 7:2. God’s servants need not fear or wonder what
they should speak, Speak words God has given us.
30. What reassurance did God giveMoses7 (6:28-29)
God told him, I am Jehovah1 See notes on 3:14-15 and
6:3 for information about the meaning and power in the
name Jehovah.
Regarding Moses’ statement about “uncircumcised lips,”
see notes on 6:12.
31. Where does the paragraph beginning at 6:28 extend to?
It extends on through 7:7. It is unfortunate that the
chapter division was placed where it is. 7:l-7 continues
God’s reassurance to Moses, telling how He will harden
Pharaoh’s heart, and work wonders in Egypt, and bring
out the children of Israel.

The Text of EXODUS

TRANSLATION
And Je-ho=vahsaid unto Mo-ses. See, I have made thee as
7 God to Pha-raoh; and Aar-on thy brother shall be thy
prophet. (2) Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and
Aar-on thy brother shall speak unto Pha=raoh,that he let the
children of Is-ra-el go out of his land. (3) And I wiU harden
152
 MUD AND BRICKS, THE SPHINX IN EGYPT 7:l-25

(Upper) The author at Beersheba with mud bricks made with straw. The bricks
the Israelites made in Egypt were similar to these. These bricks were made for restora-
tion and preservation of archaeological remains.
(Lower) The Sphinx in Egypt. It has a lion-shaped body, and a head representing
king Khephren (about 2500 B.C.), the builder of the second great pyramid. An in-
scription standing between its forelegs tells of a later Pharaoh (Thutmose IV) who
cleaned away deep sand from the Sphinx and later became king.

152A
EXPLORING EXODUS

152B
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7: 1-25

Pha-raoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the

land of E-gypt. (4) But Pha-raoh will not hearken unto you, and
I will lay my hand upon E-gypt, and bring forth my hosts, my
people the children of Is-ra-el, out of the land of E-gypt by great
judgments. ( 5 ) And the E-gyp-tiana shall know that I am Je-ho-
vah, when I stretch forth my hand upon Emgypt, and bring out
the children of Is-ra-el from among them. (6) And Mo-ses and
Aar-on did so; as Je-ho-vah commanded them, so did they. (7)
And Mo-ses was fourscore years old, and Aar-on fourscore and
three years old, when they spake unto Pha-raoh.
(8)And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses and unto Aar-on, saying,
(9)When Pha-raoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a wonder
for you; then thou shalt say unto Aar-on, Take thy rod, and
cast it down before Pha-raoh, that it become a serpent. (10) And
Mo-ses and Aar-on went in unto Pha-raoh, and they did so,
as Je-ho-vah had commanded: and Aar-on cast down his rod
before Pha-raoh and before his servants, and it became a
I
serpent. (11)Then Pha-raoh also called for the wise men and
the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of E-gypt, did in
l i e manner with their enchantments. (12) For they cast down
I every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aar-on’s rod
I swallowed up their rods. (13) And Pha-raoh’s heart was harden-
I ed, and he hearkened not unto them; as Je-ho-vah had spoken.
I (14) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Pha-raoh’s heart is
I stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go. (15) Get thee unto
I Pha-raoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and
I thou shalt stand by the river’s brink to meet him; and the rod
I
which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand. (16)
And thou shalt say unto him, Je-ho-vah, the God of the Hebrews,
~ hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may
1 serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou hast not
hearkened. (17) Thus saith Je-ho-vah, In this thou shalt know
that I am Je-ho-vah: behold, I will smite with the rod that is
in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall
be tumed to blood. (18) And the fish that are in the river shall
die, and the river shall become foul; and the E-gyp-tians shall
loathe to drink water from the river. (19) And Je-ho-vah said

153
7:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

unto Mo-ses, Say unto Aar-on, Take thy rod, and stretch out
thy hand over the waters of E-gypt, over their rivers, over their
streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water,
that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout
all the land of E-gypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels
of stone.
(20) And Mo-ses and Aar-on did so, as Je-ho-vah commanded;
and he l i e d up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the
river, in the sight of Pha-raoh, and in the sight of his servants;
and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
(21) And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became
foul, and the E=gyp-tahscould not drink water from the river;
and the blood was throughout all the land of E-gypt. (22) And
the magicians of E-gypt did in l i e manner with their enchant-
ments: and Pha-raoh’s heart wm hardened, and he hearkened
not unto them; as Je-ho-vah had spoken. (23) And Pha-raoh
turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to
heart. (24) And all the E-gyp-tians digged round about the
river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of
the river. (25) And seven days were fulfilled, after that Je-ho-vah
had smitten the river.

EXPLORINGEXODUS:
CHAPTER SEVEN
ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE
QUESTIONS

1. After careful reading, propose a brief topic or theme for the

entire chapter.
2. Which chapters in Exodus deal with the ten plagues?
3. What had God made Moses unto Pharaoh? (7:1)
4. What position did Aaron bear unto Moses? (7:l)
5. What demand were Moses and Aaron to make unto Pha-
aoh? (7:2)
6. What would God do to Pharaoh? (7:3)
7. What would God multiply in the land of Egypt? (7:3)
8. What was God going to lay upon Egypt? For what purpose?
(7:4)

154
 THE C O N F L I C T B E G l N S 7:1-25

9, By what terms are the Israelites described in 7:4?

10, What would the Egyptians learn to know about God? What
would cause them to know this? (7:s)
11, How old were Moses and Aaron when they spake unto Pha-
aoh? (7:7)
12, What miracle were Moses and Aaron to do? (7:9-10)
13, What did the magicians of Egypt do after Moses’ rod became
a serpent? (7:11-12)
14. What miracles did the magicians of Egypt duplicate? (7:
11-12, 22; 8:7, 18)
15. Name the Egyptian magicians. (I1 Tim. 3:8)
16, What effect upon Pharaoh’s heart did the rod-to-serpent
miracle have? (7:13)
17. At what place was Moses told to go to meet Pharaoh? (7:lS)
18. What was Moses to take with him when he met Pharaoh?
(7: 15)
19. How would Pharaoh come to know that God was the LORD
(Jehovah)? (7: 17)
20. What results would occur because of the change in the Nile
waters? (7: 18, 21) 14

21. What waters would be affected? (7:19)

22. Did Pharaoh witness the changing of the waters? (7:20)
23. How far-reaching in area was the change in the waters?
(7:21)
24. Who duplicated the water miracle? (7:22)
25. What was the condition of Pharaoh’s heart after the water
was changed? (7:22)
26. Where did Pharaoh go after this miracle? (7:23)
27. How did the Egyptians try to obtain good water? (7:24)
28, How long did the Nile-to-blood plague last? (7:25)

EXODUS SEVEN: THE CONFLICT BEGINS!

I. The command; 7:l-7.
11. The confrontation; 7:8-13.
111. The calamity; 7: 14-21
I

155
 7:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

IV. The counterattack; 7:22-25.

RELATIONSHIPS AMONG MEN (7~1-2)
1. Relationships are assigned by God; 7: 1.
2. Relationships are needed to serve mankind; 7:2.

PHARAOH: THE TYPE OF STUBBORN SINNERS (7:3-5)

I. Rejects the divine command; (79-4)
11. Receives the divine punishments; (7:4)
111. Ruins others by his wickedness; (7:s)

THE COUNTERFEITS OF SATAN (7:8-12’22-23)

(“Anything you can do, I can do better!”)
I. Imitations of God’sworks; (793-10’22)
11. Inferior to God’s works; (7:ll-12)
111. Inspire evil men to more evil; (7:13,22)

MAN’S RICHEST RESOURCES RUINED! (7:14-25)

I. Ruin caused by stubbornness; (7:14)
11. Ruin comes to the mightiest; (7:15-16)
j I

111. Ruin contains God’s lesson; (7:16-17)

IV. Ruin crunches our resources; (7:18-21’24)
V. Ruin cannot always bring repentance; (7:23)

EXPLORING
EXODUS:
NOTESON CHAPTER
SEVEN

1. What is in Exodus chapter seven?

The conclusion of God’s charge to Moses to go back to
Pharaoh extends to 7:7. It started back at 6:28.
The story of Moses and Aaron’s second encounter with
Pharaoh is in 7:8-13. At this encounter the miracle of the
rod changing to a serpent (or crocodile) was displayed.
The story of the first plague, the river-to-blood disaster,
is in 7: 14-25.
We entitle this chapter The Conflict (or contest) Begins!
156
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7:1-25

saying some wrong things.

5. What would God do when Aaron spoke to Pharaoh? (7:3)
7:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

Ramm correctly asserts that modern man seeks to omit

real judgment on the part of God, while still preserving the
love of God. But love in that case ceases to be hoZy love, and
disappears into sentiment and sentimentality. We add
further that it is a false analysis of God’s real nature.
7. With what organization would Israel leave Egypt? (7:4)
As ‘$hosts,” or armies. Israel left ,Egypt organized as an
army, with its tribes as different divisions (Ex. 1251; Num.
1, 2). Their organization was not very strong; nor were they
well-equipped. But they were not without some force.
8. What would Egypt learn by Israel’s deliverance? (75)
That God was Jehovah! See notes on 6:2-3. The statement
“I am Jehovah’’ carries with it a depth of meaning that few
modern readers grasp. The Egyptians would learn that Jeho-
vah is the existing one, the eternal, the ultimate causer. They
would learn that their bag of gods was a fiction! See 7:17;
8:10,22; 14:4,18.
9. What were Moses’ and Aaron’s ages at this momentous
time? (7:7)
Moses, eighty; Aaron, eighty-three. Moses had been about
forty when he went out to help Israel (Acts 7:23). He was 120
at his death (Deut. 31:2). Thus Moses’ life is divided into
three nearly equal parts:
(1) 40 yrs. in Egypt as a prince (thinking he was some-
body);
(2) 40 yrs. in Midian as a shepherd (finding out he was a
’ nobody);
(3) 40 yrs. in the desert as leader of Israel (learning what
God can do with a somebody who realized he was a
nobody).
10. What miracle was Moses to do in Pharaoh’spresence? (7:8-9)
Change his rod to become a serpent. Of the three miracles
given to Moses to do (in 4:l-9), only the rod-to-serpent
miracle was done before Pharaoh. The water-to-blood sign

‘Bernard L. Ramm, His Way Out (Glendale, Calif.: Regal, 19741, p. 54.
ZAttributedto D. L. Moody. Quoted in Ramm, Ibid.

158
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7:1-25
became the first of the ten plagues. The leprosy sign is not
referred to after it was shown to Moses. Certainly Moses’
miracles set him forth as God to Pharaoh.
The serpent referred to in 7:9 is (in Hebrew) a tannin,
meaning a large reptile, sea or river monster. Jewish com-
mentators rendered it as crocodile. The Hebrew word for
serpent in 4:3 is nahash, meaning a serpent or snake.
We have no strong reasons for doubting that Aaron’s rod
became a crocodile in the presence of Pharaoh, rather than
a serpent. Certainly that would be an even more impressive
miracle than changing it to a serpent. The only real objection
to this idea is that it differs from the previous rod-to-serpent
miracle shown to the Israelites (4:30). However, that miracle
was specially designated to be shown to the Israelites; Pha-
raoh is not mentioned in reference to it. Another objection
is that the Greek LXX renders both 4:3 and 7:9 as drakon,
meaning dragon or (in later times) serpent.
Some critics made an issue of whether the rod is said
to be Aaron’s rod or Moses’ rod, arguing that references to
the rod as Aaron’s are in sections by a different author from
those referring to the rod as Moses’ rods3Keil and Delitzsch
correctly insist that there was only one Aaron threw
down the rod in 7:8, 10. The same rod was later used by
Moses at the river’s edge (7:lS). Even there Aaron actually
wielded the rod (7:19), Obviously the one rod was passed
back and forth between Aaron and Moses.
11. What means did Pharaoh use to belittle Moses’ miracle?
(7:ll)
He called in his wise men and sorcerers and magicians, who
(seemingly) duplicated Moses’miracle. Pharaohwas NOTcon-
vinced that Moses’ miracle proved that Moses had any powers
that differed from those the Egyptian magicians and sorcerers
possessed. Their performance confirmed his unbelief.

3MartinNoth, Exodus (Philadelphia: Westminister, 19621, pp. 71, 73.

‘Keil and Delitzsch, Commentaries on the 0.T., Vol. I1 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1968), pp. 475-476.
7: 1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

Back of Pharaoh’s act lay a total unwillingness to accept

any suggestion that he, Pharaoh, and the other gods of
Egypt were not supreme. King Amenhotep I1 (probable
Pharaoh of the exodus) entitled himself “the son of the sun
god Re, .. .
Amen-hotep-the-god-Ruler-of-Heliopolis, given
life forever; the good god, likeness of Re, ..
. .”5 To him
Moses’ miracle was a fifteen-cent stunt that was not about to
make him relinquish his lofty views of his own omnipotence!
12. How did Pharaoh’s magicians duplicate the miracle?
(7~11-12)
In truth, we do not know. We only know that the effect pro-
duced was similarenoughto Moses’ miracle to satisfy Pharaoh.
Davis6lists four suggestionsas to how they may have done it:
(I) An optical illusion, produced in the minds of the
viewers by Satan or evil spirits.
(2) Effective sleight-of-hand, possibly aided by Satan.
(3) Charming of serpents to become rigid like sticks.
Some writers report that Egyptian magicians have been
renowned for doing this. By pressing the nape of the neck,
they partially paralyze the snake in such a way that they
become stiff and unmovable, thus seeming to change them
into rods.’ (This would be MUCH more difficult if the
rods were changed into crocodiles!)
(4) Supernatural feats, by demonic assistance, “lying
wonders’’ (I1 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:13-14; Deut. 13:l-3).
Such powers are real. We lean to this interpretation, since
sthe text says they did their act by their “enchantments.”
Compare Rev. 16:14.
The great inferiority of the magicians’ enchantments to
Moses’ powers was shown when Aaron’s crocodile ate up the
magicians’ crocodiles. Their folly became obvious to all
except the wilfully blind (I1Tim. 3:8-9).
~ ~~~

5From “The Asiatic Campaigning of Amenhotep 11,” translated by John A. Wilson,

in Ancient Near Eastern Texts (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press, 1955),p. 245.
Used by permission.
6 0 p .cit., pp. 82-84.
’Jamison, Faussett, Brown,Commentary on Old and New Testament, Vol. I (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 19451, p. 295.
160
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7: 1-25
13. W h o were these magicians? (7:ll-12)
The apostle Paul gives their names as Jannes and Jambres
(I1 Tim, 3:8), names also found in the Jerusalem Targum
(a second-century A.D. Jewish writing).8 Magicians were
very important in the bureaucracy of the ancient Egyptian
government. They were a professional class, and held high
government positions as advisers and diviners. Pharaoh
called upon them to interpret his dreams (Gen. 44:8),
14. Did Pharaohfinction as Godplanned. (7:13)
Exactly so! God had said Pharaoh would not hearken,
and he didn’t. According to the predicted plan of God,
Pharaoh set himself up to become the victim of the signs and
wonders (the ten plagues) that were now poised to strike
his land.
15. Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart? (7:14,3)
The wording of 7:13-14 does not actually indicate whether
Pharaoh hardened his own heart or God hardened it. How-
ever, the prediction in 7:3 indicates that God did it on this
occasion. But do not forget that Pharaoh had already
committed himself NOT to let Israel go (52). See notes on
4:21ff. for a discussion about who hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
16. How do skeptical critics regard 7:14fl
They regard it as the start of a different section, mostly
by a tenth century B.C. author called J (for Jehovist, or
Yahwist). The previous material (6:2-7: 13) is attributed to
a P (Priestly) author of the fifth century B.C. Some brief
segments of 7:14-8:4 are attributed to P or to another
source called E (Elohist). We simply cannot accept this
theory (and that is all it is, a theory). It denies the Mosaic
authorship of the book, something that Christ affirmed.
Those who hold this view have many differences in their
analyses as to which “source” certain segments are to be
ascribed to (though they all deny it to Moses!). This lack
of unity casts strong doubt on the whole system. In 7:15 we
have a clear allusion back to 7:8-9. This supports the fact

dAlanCole, Exodus (Downers Grove, Ill., 1973), p. 89.

161
7:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

that both sections are by the same author.

17. Where did Moses go to encounter Pharaoh before the first
plague? (7: 15)
To the Nile river brink. We gain the impression that
Pharaoh went there regularly, perhaps every morning (8:20;
Compare 2:15). We suppose it was an act of worship to the
Nile, for the Egyptians honored the Nile as a god. They
even had a Hymn to the Nile:
When the NILE floods, offering is made to thee,
oxen are sacrificed to thee, great oblations are made
to thee, birds are fattened for thee, lions are hunted for
thee in the desert, fire is provided for thee, and offering
is made to every (other) god, as is done for the Nile,
with prime incense, oxen, cattle, birds, and flame.9
Note the curiously antiquated wording “against he come”
in the King Tames version of 7:15. A.S.V. gives “to meet
.V. “to wait €or him.”
did Moses remind Pharaoh about? (7:16)
The demand of God, that Pharaoh let Israel go out of his
land, so Israel could serve Him in the wilderness (the desert
of Sinai).
19. What would the water-to-blood miracle make Pharaoh
know? (7:17)
That Jehovah was Jehovah (the Eternal one)! This idea
is repeated so many times in Exodus that we need to pay
special heed to it. See nores on 7:5; 6:2,6,7. Pharaoh had
brazenly said, “I know not the Lord.” He is about to get
to know the Lord extremely well!
20. Was the “blood” really blood? (7:17)
Most commentators assume that any thick red fluid would
correspond to the description of the river as “blood.”’O Keil
and Delitzsch say that the changing of the water to blood
was not a chemical change into real blood, but a change
in color which caused it to assume the appearance of blood;

‘From”Hymn to the Nile,” translated by John A . Wilson, in Ancient Near Eastern

Texts (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press, 1955), p. 373. Used by permission.
‘OCole, op. cit., p. 90.
162
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7:1-25
and that we should compare this miracle to Joel 3:4, where
the moon is said to turn into “blood.’’11
We are hardly willing to say that this “blood” was so
exactly like body blood that it might have been used for
transfusions. But we do not like the practice of assuming
that we know a great deal more than what the scripture says.
We assume that the river-blood was so much like body blood
that it ought to be called “blood,” just as thescripture speaks
of it.
Many interpreters seek to explain this “miracle” as an
unusual intensification of the annual pollution of the Nile at
its lowest annual level, just before the spring rise begins in
June.lZAt this time the river is stagnant and sometimes red
as ochre from microscopic organisms. But the Nile river is
not unhealthful to fish at that stage,13 as it became when
Moses changed it.
Furthermore, if Moses’ act of reddening the river were just
the usual annual reddening of the Nile, why would it have
had any effect on Pharaoh?
The liberal critic Martin Noth, while not accepting the
literal truth of the plague stories, nevertheless says that the
Nile-to-blood miracle is not a representation of r e p l a r
annual Nile pollution, but is presented as a unique divine
1 wonder.14 In this he speaks truth.
Others seek to explain the reddening of the river as being
associated with some volcanic explosion.1sBut this is mostly
guesswork. These explanations also require us to believe

“Op. cit., p. 478.

”K. A. Kitchen, Ancient Orient and Old Testament (Chicago: Inter-Varsity, 1966),
p. 93. Gabriel Hebert, When Israel Came Out ofEgypt (Richmond: John Knox, 1961),
p, 69.
”Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit., p. 479.
‘40p. cit., p, 74.
LSPhythian-Adams,The CallofIsrael (1934), pp. 137-72. Reader’s Digest, Nov. 1967,
has an article “The Explosion that Changed the World,” which suggests that the ex-
plosion of the Greek island of Santorini about 1400 B.C. may have been a factor in
causing the ten plagues in Egypt. The article admits that this theory stands on shaky
ground.

163
7:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

some colossal coincidences occurred, such as that the vol-

canic eruptions occurred on the days just after Moses made
predictions of disasters, and that the affected areas ended
just where the Israelites began.
21. What efsects did the changed waterproduce? (7:18,21)
The fish died. The river stank. (That is exactly the mean-
ing of the statement.) The water became loathesome and
undrinkable. Such a pollution of the Nile would have had
religious implications to thoughtful Egyptians.
22. What places were afsected by the change in the water? (7:19)
The river branches of the Nile delta. The canals. (Canals
had been dug all over the delta region for irrigation.) The
pools (or reservoirs). And “in wood and stone.”
The usual interpretation is that the “wood” and “stone”
refer to vessels of wood and stone. Probably this is correct.
Certainly the greatness of the miracle was demonstrated
when water kilready in containers also changed to blood at
the same time the river did. To us, it seems that the text says
this very thing happened. Keil and Delitzsch say that this is
NOT indicated by the text, but only that no more water was
put into these vessels that was not changed to blood. This
argument could be true only if several hours or days were
required for the water to change to blood, allowing time for
people to dip up water after the reddening started, but before
all of it changed. The scripture does not really indicate any
such time lag.
Some interpreters think that the “blood” so penetrated
underground that trees and plants of “wood” picked it up
with their roots, so that the plants would ooze red sap if
plucked. There was blood in “stone,” because the springs
that flowed out from fissures in the stone ran with red liquid.
This explanation abdut the “wood” and “stone” seems
unlikely to us, since apparently the Egyptians were able to
obtain drinkable water by digging in the ground (7:24).
23. Did Pharaoh himselfwitness the change? (7:20)
Certainly he saw Moses and Aaron smite the water, and it
appears that he saw the change occur. 7:23 indicates that
164
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7: 1-25

The rabbi Ibn Ezra said they took rain [which is rare in
Egypt], or they obtained water from Goshen, or they digged
for it.16
7:l-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

the magicians’ act. He now felt that Moses’ miracle did not
prove that he needed to change his thinking or his deeds. So
he did not even consider it seriously, or lay it to his heart
(7:23).
25. Did the Israelites have good water?
The scripture does not tell us definitely one way or the
other. In later plagues a distinction between the treatment
of the Israelites and of the Egyptians definitely occurred. No
such differentiation is stated in 7:20-21, although that does
not prove it did not occur. Josephus (in Antiquities 11, xiv, 1)
has an account that seems fanciful to us: “Such [bloody] was
the river to the Egyptians, but it was sweet and fit for drink-
ing to the Hebrews, and in no way different from what it
naturallv used to be.”
26. Did the‘Egyptians succeed in‘ obtaining water by digging?
(7:24) ’-
It appe&r%that they did. Note that all the Egyptians digged
round about the river. If the first few test holes that were
dug had produced only the same blood that was in the river,
surely digging would not have been employed on so wide a
scale.
27. To what period does the “seven days” of 7.25 refer?
‘Probably it refers to the duration of the water-to-blood
plague. Others suggest that it was the interval of time be-
tween the first and second plague (the frogs). We assume
that after seven days the flow of fresh water from the upper
“Nile cleansed the river in lower Egypt (the delta). If this was
the case, it is one more evidence that this change in the river
water was not the usual annual discoloration, because that
continues about twenty days.“
20. How long a time-span did the plagues occupy?
The last plague (death of the firstborn) occurred in March.
The seventh plague (the hail, which beat down the flax and
barley, but did not destroy the wheat) occurred sometime in

“F. C. Cook, editor, The Bible Commentary. Exodus-Ruth (Grand Rapids: Baker,
1964), p. 22.

166
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7:1-25

January. The interval between January and March averages

out to nearly three weeks between plagues. If we assume
that the other plagues were approximately the same time
apart, the whole series would have required about six months;
and the first plague would have occured during early autumn
(Sept,-Oct,), This is admittedly mostly guesswork.

SPECIALSTUDY: THETENPLAGUES

I. Facts about the Plagues:

1. List of the plagues:
(1) River to blood, (6) Boils.
(2) Frogs. (7) Hail.
(3) Lice (gnats). (8) Locusts.
(4) Flies. (9) Darkness.
(5) Death of livestock. (10) Death of firstborn.
2. Meaning of the word plague:
A plague is not just a disease or epidemic, but any
event or thing that afflicts, smites, troubles, or harasses.
The plagues are frequently called signs and wonders.
See Ex. 7:3; 8:23; 1O:l; Deut. 4:34; 6:22; Ps. 10527. A
sign is a miracle with a message. The plagues were to
teach something, as well as to punish.
The plagues are also called judgments, a term which
refers to punishments. (Ex. 6:4; 12:12)
The English word plague is a translation of several He-
brew words in Exodus. Plague in Ex. 9:14 (and Num. 14:
37) is from maggephah, meaning a slaughter (as in I Sam.
4:17), or pestilential and fatal disorder. Plague in Ex. 11:1
is from nega: meaning a blow, or stroke. Plague in Ex.
12:13 is from negeph, meaning a stumbling, or smiting,
or plague. A verb form of this word is in Josh. 24:s.
11, Purposes of the plagues:
1. To force Pharaoh to let Israel go. Ex. 3:20: “I will put
167
7:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

forth my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders

whicH I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will
let you go.” See also Ex. 7:4.
2. To show that God was the LORD,JEHOVAH. This was
to be demonstrated both to the Egyptians ( 7 5 , 17; 8:22;
9:14; 14:4, 18)’ and to the Israelites (6:7; 10:2; 15:ll).
3. To show God’s power. Ex. 9:16. The Egyptians would
learn that the LORD was high above all gods (Ex. 9:14).
4. To punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians for their treatment
of Israel. The wordjudgments in Ex. 6:6 carries the idea
of punishments. “God cast upon them the fierceness of
his anger’’ (Ps. 78:49-50). God made sport of the Egyp-
tians and mocked them (Ex. 10:12).
5. To execute judgment upon the gods of Egypt (Ex. 12:12;
Num. 33:4). Several of the gods of Egypt seem to have
been specific targets of various plagues. See the following
article and the notes on the various plagues.
6. To show that God made a distinction between His people
Israel and those not His people. See 8:23; 11:7. One-half
of the plagues are specifically said to have not touched
the Israelites. Indeed, the Hebrews may have been
exempt from all the plagues.
7. To cause God’s name and fame to be spread abroad
through the earth (Ex. 9:16; 10:2). Even today we still
tell and retell the stories of God’s acts in the plagues.
8. To produce fear in the surrounding nations that God
would defeat them (Josh. 2:9-10; 9:9; I Sam. 4:8). The
nations would learn that God would curse those who
cursed the Israelites (Gen. 12:3).
9. To be signs to strengthen Israel’s faith. The Israelites
should have had courage to invade and conquer Canaan
after they had seen what God did to the Egyptians (Deut.
7:18-19;Ps.78:42-43).
Sadly, Israel did not understand the wonders in Egypt
(Psalm 106:6-7, 21-22), and they soon forgot God’s acts
in Egypt.
10. To cause Israel (and us!) to keep the statutes of God
168
 THE C O N F L I C T B E G I N S 7: 1-25
(Deut. 6:20-24).
11. To serve as tests (or temptations) to Israel (Deut. 4:33;
7:19), How would Israel respond to God’s help? Would
they have steadfast faith, or would they fail the test?
Would the demonstrations of God’s power in the plagues
give Israel faith at other times when God did not choose
to show His power so immediately and dramatically?
111. Moral significance of the plagues.
1. The plagues show God means business. We better do
what He says.
2. The plagues show that God is certainly going to win in
His conflict with Satan and with Satan’s followers,
Those who oppose God are going to lose and lose utterly.
3. The plagues show that God will surely PUNISH those
who defy Him and refuse to receive His truth.
4. The plagues show that God will HARDEN those who
set themselves to defy Him, and then punish them
doubly. Other examples of this truth can be seen in
the cases of (1)the Canaanites (Deut. 2:30);Hophni and
Phinehas (I Sam. 2:25); (3) King Rehoboam (I Kings
12:15); King Amaziah (I1 Chron. 2515-16); and (5)
those who receive not the love of the truth (I1 Thess.
2:lO-12).
5. The plagues show God’s determination to keep His
covenant with Abraham and his descendants. God was
determined to bless Abraham and his descendants and
give them the land of Canaan (Gen, 1514; Psalm 105:
8-9,27-36).
6. The plagues were types of Christ’s victory over Satan.
Moses was a type, or likeness, of Christ who was to
come. At the outset of Moses’ ministry, he defeated
Pharaoh in the plagues. At the outset of Christ’s ministry
he defeated Satan’s temptations in the wilderness. And
finally Christ “despoiled the principalities and the
powers, and made a show of them openly, triumphing
over them in it (the cross)” (Col. 2:15).
We certainly agree with Bernard Rarnm’s statement
169
7 :1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

that unless there is a deeper typology in Exodus, the

story is trivial. That which raises the story in Exodus
above all other stories of struggle and survival in human
history is its deeper typology. Ramm adds that it is at
this point that Jewish commentaries and critical Protes-
tant commentaries fail, because in both instances they
fail to grasp the deeper struggle behind the events. How
true!
7 . Since the experiences of the Israelites are examples, or
types, of our spiritual experiences as Christians (I Cor.
lO:*ll),the plagues appear to be illustrations of the
way Christ will destroy all the enemies of His church.
He shall smite the nations and rule them with a rod of
iron (Rev. 19:15).
Thus the plagues are types of God’s subsequent
judgments upon the nations. The plagues of Egypt
resemble the seven last plagues of Rev. 155-16:21.
Both involve sores, or boils (Rev. 16:2, l l ) , water to
blood (Rev. 16:3-4), frogs (Rev. 16:13), and hail (Rev.
16:21). Inboth the plagues in Egypt and thosedescribed
in Revelation, men are unwilling to repent (Rev. 16:9,
1.1, 21), even in the face of total ruination.
IV. Arrangement of the ten plagues.
1 . The plagues grew generally more severe as they pro-
gressed. The plagues of the locusts and the darkness
were particularly severe. The darkness was severe in that
it exposed the greatest god of Egypt, its sun-god, Re, as
being nothing. The plagues increased to a climax of
terror at the death of Egypt’s firstborn.
2. Commentators frequently have expressed the idea that
the first nine plagues are grouped into three groups of
three (1-2-3,4-5-6, 7-8-9). We feel that this triple-triad
arrangement is a man-made analysis, and is not really
very significant. A case could be made for grouping the
plagues into two groups of five, since plague number
five (death of livestock) and plague ten (death of the
‘Bernard L. Ramm. His Way Our (Glendale, Calif.: Regal, 1974), pp. 58-59.
170
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7:l-25
firstborn) both involved death. Still these groupings
seem accidental and unintentional. Certainly they were
not obvious during the course of the plagues.
Nevertheless, we feel we should list here some of the
reasons why many interpreters feel that the first nine
plagues are arranged into three groups of three.
a. Plagues one and two in each group (1-2, 4-5, 7-8)
are announced to Pharaoh in advance, while the
third plague of each group is inflicted without
previous warning.
b. The first series (1-2-3)was wrought with the rod of
Aaron. No rod is mentioned in the second series
(4-5-6). The rod is in the hand of Moses in the
third series (7-8-9).
c. In the second series a distinction between the Is-
raelites and the Egyptians is mentioned. See 8:22;
9:4. However, this distinction is also mentioned in
connection with plague seven (the hail; 9:26).
Keil and Delitzsch’ commentary adopts the view that
the three-fold grouping is real and noteworthy. How-
ever, they add the very necessary caution that this
arrangement is NOT a merely external arrangement
adopted by the writer for the sake of greater literary
effect, but is in fact founded upon the facts themselves.2
V. Views held about the plagues.
1. Bible-believers regard the plagues as miracles. While
the plagues involved familiar natural phenomena like
frogs, lice, hail, locusts, etc., there were miraculous
features about their coming and going.
Joseph Free lists five respects in which the plagues
had a miraculous nature: 1. Intensification - frogs,
insects, etc. were intensified far beyond any ordinary
-
occurrence ever; 2. Prediction the time of their appear-
ance (like “tomorrow”) and disappearance was predicted

lop. cit., p. 473.

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7:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

before several plagues. Even modern weather forecasters

cannot predict exactly when and where it will hail. 3.
-
Discrimination In the area where the Israelites lived,
there were no flies (8:22),no hail (9:26), etc. 4. Orderli-
ness - the severity of the plagues gradually increased. 5.
-
Moral purpose the plagues were not just freaks of
nature, but carried a moral purpose in several waysS3
2. Other interpreters who are more skeptical view the ten
plagues as purely natural events. They consider that
the original events have grown larger and more marvel-
ous as they have been told and retold. They feel that the
plague stories are “derived from living oral tradition of
the mighty acts of Of course, to hold such a view
we must deny that Moses wrote down the record of
events to which he was an eyewitness. Even more harm-
ful is the presupposition lying behind these views, that
God has never intervened in history by miraculous acts.
The interpreters who regard the plague stories as
corrupted accounts of natural events do not agree
among themselves as to what those natural events may
have been. One Prof. Mahler thought that the plague of
darkness was a total eclipse of the sun in 1335 B.C.5 Of
course, 1335 is not the date of the exodus; and a solar
eclipse lasts about three minutes, not three days. Others
have thought that the plagues were effects of volcanic
explosions, like those that blasted Mont Pelee in Marti-
nique in 1902, or Krakatoa in the East Indies in 1883.
Those produced terrific tidal waves, torrential rains,
muddy cataracts of black and poisonous water, so that
many fish died; and dark clouds of volcanic dust covered
the sky.6 This explanation also is set forth as the

)Joseph P. Free, Archaeology and Bible History (Wheaton, 111.: Scripture Press,
1972), p. 95.
‘Martin Noth, Exodus (Philadelphia: Westminister, 19621, p. 71.
V. H. Hertz, ThePentateuch andHaftorahs (London: Soncino, 19691, p. 231.
?9ee “The Explosion that Changed the World,” in Reader’s Digest, Nov. 1967, pp.
122-127. Also W. J. Phythian-Adam, The Call ofIsrael (19341, 137-172.

172
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7:1-25
explanation for the drying up of the Red Sea waters, the
pillar of cloud and fire, and the descent of Jehovah in
the cloud on Mt. Sinai.
The volcanic theory cannot explain how Moses could
have predicted the coming and departure of these
plagues at such precise times. Nor can it explain how
the plagues were so selective about their victims. By
common consent the theory is admitted to stand on
shaky ground.
Others have thought that the plagues were only
natural events in Egypt, which happened to an unusual
degree. Sir Flinders Petrie wrote:
The order of the plagues was the natural order of
such troubles on a lesser scale in the Egyptian
.
seasons, . . , The river turning to blood with the
fish dying, was the unwholesome stagnant Nile just
at the lowest [emphasis by author] before the inun-
dations, when it is red and swarming with organ-
isms. The Egyptians have to resort to wells and
. ..
cisterns at this time, . The frogs abound after
the inundation has come in July. The plagues of
insects, murrain and boils belong to the hot sum-
mer and damp unwholesome autumn. The hail and
rain come in January. ...
The locusts come in the
spring, over the green crops about February. The
sandstorms bring a thick darkness that may be felt,
inMarch.. . .'
The inadequacy of such an explanation may be per-
ceived by suggestions by Greta Horte8She argues that
the first nine plagues began with an unusually high
[emphasis by the author] inundation, which may have
brought microcosms known as flagellates, which would
redden the river and kill the fish. Decomposing fish

'Egypt and Israel (1911),pp. 35-36.

8Quoted in K . A. Kitchen, Ancient Orient and Old Testament (Chicago: Inter-
Varsity, 1966),pp. 48-59.

173
7 :1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS
-
drove the frogs ashore, having also infected them with
Bacillus Anthracis. . . . The cattle disease of the fifth
plague would be anthrax contracted from the dead
frogs, etc.
For our part we place our faith in the record given in
the Bible, and not in the contradictory guesswork of
those without deep faith in God.
JEHOVAHVS.THEGODSOF EGYPT*

The ten plagues were Jehovah’s judgment against all the gods
of Egypt (Ex. 12:12; Num. 33:4). All of the plagues showed the
utter inability of Egypt’s gods to protect the Egyptians. Several of
the plagues appear to have been pointed directly against specific
Egyptian gods. Here are some of the gods of Egypt which seem to
of specific plagues:
/

Hapi, god of the Nile. Sculpture at Hathor, cow goddess of love. Statue
Kom Ombo temple, upper Egypt. at Memphis.

*The drawings of the gods of Egypt are from E. A. Wallis Budge, T h e Dwellers on the
Nile (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1888); and from E. A. Wallis Budge, T h e
M u m m y (NewYork: Collier Macmillian, 1972). Used by permission.

174
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7: 1-25
Hapi, the god of the Nile, was often depicted as holding a table
or altar on which are vases for libations, and lotus flowers, and
fruits, He is thus represented as if he were presenting the rich
products of the Nile's productivity. He was discredited in the first
plague, when the river water turned to blood,
Apis, the sacred bull of Memphis, was called "the second life
of Ptah," (the creater god), Apis was disgraced in the fifth
plague, the murrain (or death) of cattle.

I-ern-hctep.
The Apis Bull.

Hathor, the cow-headed goddess, was identified with the sky,

and was the goddess of beauty, love and joy. She assisted the
souls of the dead. The plagues of murrain of cattle and of hail
discredited her.
Imhotep was originally an architect, wise-man, and chief ritu-
alist in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, (In Egypt magic and medicine
were inseparably related.) Imhotep became a demigod after his
death, and eventually was deified as the god of medicine. But he
couldn't prevent the plague of boils from scourging all Egyptians.

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7:l-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

.
Amen-RB Rii

Two sun-gods of Egypt were discredited by the plague of dark-

ness. Amon (or Amon-Ra), the city god of the capital city of
Thebes, was a sun-god. To the Egyptians he was the ONE and
ONLY ONE, the maker of gods, and lord of eternity. Ra (or
Re) was the great sun-god. He was the great god of Heliopolis,
the ‘‘city of the sun.” He was second only to Ptah, the chief god.

176
 THE CONFLICT BEGINS 7 :1-25

The Celestial Cow

Various divine beings support her limbs, while in the middle,

Shu, the god of the atmosphere upholds her. (Shu couldn’t
prevent the plague of hail!) Along her belly, which forms the
heavens, and bears the stars, moves the celestial boat of the sun-
god, who wears the sun-disk on his head. Pictures like this one
show that the plagues attacked Egyptian gods.*

* From J . H. Breasted, A Hisfory ofEgypt (New York: Scribner’s, 1924), p , 55.

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8:1-32 EXPLORING EXODUS

The Text of EXODUS

TRANSLATION

And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses, Go in unto Pha-raoh,

8 and say unto him, Thus saith Je=ho-vah,Let my people go,
that they may serve me. (2) And if thou refuse to let them go,
behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: (3) and the river
shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy
house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the
house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens,
and into thy kneading-troughs: (4) and the frogs shall come up
both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.
(5) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Say unto Aar-on, Stretch
forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the streams, and
over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of
E-gypt, (6) And Aar-on stretched out his hand over the waters of
E-gypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of E-gypt.
(7) And the magicians did in like manner with their enchant-
ments, and brought up frogs upon the land of E-gypt.
(8)Then Pha-raoh called for Mo-ses and Aarmon, and said,
Entreat Je-ho-vah, that he take away the frogs from me and from
my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice
unto Je-ho-vah. (9) And Mo-ses said unto Pha-raoh, Have thou
this glory over me: against what time shall I entreat for thee, and
for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed
from thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only? (10) And
he said, Against to.morrow. And he said, Be it according -to
thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none like unto
je-ho-vah our God. (11) And the h g s shall depart from thee,
and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy peo-
ple; they shall remain in the river only. (12) And Mo=ses and
Aar-on went out from Pha-raoh: and Mo-ses cried unto Je-ho-
vah concerning the frogs which he had brought upon Pha-raoh.
(13) And Je-ho-vah did according to the word of Mo-ees; and the
frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the
fields. (14) And they gathered them together in heaps; and the
land stank. (15) But when Pha-raoh saw that there was respite,

178
 LITTLE CREATURES-BIG PLAGUES 8~1-32
he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as Je-ho-
vah had spoken.
(16) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Say unto Aar-on, Stretch
out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become
lice throughout all the land of E-gypt. (17)And they did so, and
Aar-on stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of
the earth, and there were lice upon man, and upon beast; all the
dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
(18)And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring
forth lice, but they could not: and there were lice upon man, and
upon beast. (19) Then the magicians said unto Pha-raoh, This is
the finger of God: and Pha-raoh’s heart was hardened, and he
hearkened not unto them; as Je-ho-vah had spoken.
(20) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Rise up early in the
morning, and stand before Pha-raoh; lo, he cometh forth to the
water; and say unto him, Thus saith Je-ho-vah, Let my people
go, that they may serve me. (21)Else, if thou wilt not let my
people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and
upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses:
andbthe houses of the E=gyp-tiansshall be full of swarms of flies,
and also the ground whereon they are. (22) And I will set apart in
that day the land of Go-shen, in which my people dwell, that no
swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I
am Je-ho-vah in the midst of the earth. (23)And I will put a
division between my people and thy people: by to=morrowshall
this sign be. (24) And Je-ho-vah did so; and there came griev-
ous swarms of flies into the house of Pha-raoh, and into his
servants’ houses: and in all the land of E-gypt the land was
corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies.
(25) And Pha-raoh called for Mos-es and for Aar-on, and said,
Go ye, sacrifwe to your God in the land. (26) And Mo-sea said, It
is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the
E-gyp-tians to Je-ho-vah our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the
abomination of the Emgyp-tians before their eyes, and will they
not stone us? (27) We will go three days’journey into the wilder-
ness, and sacrifice to Je-ho-vah our God, as he shall command
us. (28) And Pha-raoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice

1 179
8:l-32 EXPLORING EXODUS

to Je-ho-vah your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very

far away: entreat for me. (29)And Mo-ses said, Behold, I go out
from thee, and I will entreat Je-ho=vahthat the swarms of flies
may depart from Pha-raoh, from his servants, and from his
people, to-morrow: only let not Phamraoh deal deceitfully any
more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Je-ho-vah. (30)
And Mo-ses went out from Pha-raoh, and entreated Je-ho-vah.
(31)And Je-ho-vah did according to the word of Mo-ses; and he
removed the swarms of flies from Pha-raoh, from his servants,
and from his people; there remained not one. (32)And Pha-raoh
hardened his heart this time also, and he didnot let the people go.

EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTEREIGHT
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. What purpose was in God’s mind for his people after Pha-
raoh let them go? (8:l; 9:l; 10:3)
2. Where would the frogs originate? (8:3)
3. What would the frogs get into? (8:3-4)
4. Whose hand signalled the frogs to come up? (85-6)
5. How did the magicians’ frog-miracle compare to that of
Moses and Aaron? (8:7-8)
6. What did Pharaoh promise after the frogs came upon the
land? (8:8)
7. What did Moses mean by “Glory over me”? (8:9)
8. Where would frogs remain after the plague was removed?
(8:9)
9. When were the frogs to be removed? (8:lO)
10. What did Moses do to get the frogs removed? (8: 12)
11. Where did the frogs die? (8:13)
12. What was done with the dead frogs? (8:14)
13. What was Pharaoh’s response after the death of the frogs?
(8:15)
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 LITTLE CREATURES-BIG PLAGUES 8:1-32

14. What was Aaron’s rod to smite? (8:16)

15. What did the lice attack? (8:17)
16. Could the magicians duplicate the plague of lice? (8:19)
17. What was the magicians’ comment about the lice? (8:19)
18. Where did Moses meet Pharaoh after the plague of lice?
(8:20)
19. Where would there be swarms of flies? (8:21)
20, How did the plague of flies affect different areas differently?
(8:22)
21. What compromise offer did Pharaoh make to Moses? (8:25)
22. What did Moses refer to as the “abomination of the Egyp-
tians”? (8:26)
23. Did Pharaoh actually promise to let Israel go? (8:28,8)
24. What second compromise offer did Pharaoh make? (8:28)
25. Where did Moses go to pray that the flies be removed? (8:
29-30)
26. How many flies remained? (8:31)
27. What was Pharaoh’s reaction after the removal of the flies?
(8:32)
1 i’

EXODUS EIGHT:LITTLECREATURES - BIG PLAGUES!

(The supremely great smitten by the supremely contemptible!)

1. Frogs; 8:l-15.
2. Lice (gnats); 8:16-19.
3. Flies; 8:20-32.
COMPROMISES THAT CONTINUE CAPTIVITY!
(Pharaoh’s compromise offers)
1. “Go; sacrifice in the land.” (8:25)
(The compromise of remaining in the “world.”)
I 2. “Go, but not very far.” (8:28)
(The compromise of lukewarmness)
3. “Go, ye that are men.” (1O:ll)
(The compromise of undedicated families)

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8:1-32 EXPLORING EXODUS

4. “Everyone go; but leave your flocks.” (10:24)

(The compromise of undedicated livelihoods)
FLEETING REPENTANCE IN FRIGHTENED REBELS
(8:8-15)
1. Caused by disasters; (8:8)
2. Causes men to call God’s ministers; (8:8)
3. Causes men to make promises; (8:8)
4. Causes procrastination in seeking deliverance; (8:10)
5. Brings blessings briefly (8:ll-14)
6. Quickly forgotten; (8: 15)
THE FINGER OF GOD! (8:19)
1. Cannot be escaped; (8:16-17)
2. Cannot be counterfeited; (8:18)
3. Cannot be comprehended by some; (8:19)
GOD’S REDEMPTION FOR HIS PEOPLE; t8:23)
1. It is obvious; (8:22)
2. It is protective; (8:24) V I

3. It is instructive; (8:22)
4. It leads to deliverance; (8:20,25)

NOTES ON CHAPTER
EXPLORINGEXODUS: EIGHT
1. What is in chapter eight?
This chapter contains the stories of three plagues - the
frogs, the lice (or gnats), and the flies. The chapter closes
with Pharaoh’s first compromise offers to Moses. The chap-
ter tells how the plagues soon forced Pharaoh to admit that
Jehovah was causing them, and that Moses’ prayers could
remove them. Also in this chapter we learn how the magicians
of Egypt (and the gods of Egypt) utterly failed to match
Moses’ deeds or protect Egypt.
2. What demand and threat did Jehovah give Pharaoh? (8:1-2)

182
 LITTLE CREATURES-BIG PLAGUES . 8:l-32

From the river they would go everywhere. Frogs would

enter the houses, where they would be particularly offensive
to the scrupulously clean Egyptians. (See notes on 8:15, 17.)
Psalm 10530 says, “Their land brought forth frogs in abun-
dance, in the chambers of their kings. There was no escap-
I‘

ing this scourge. By digging holes the Egyptians had found

I some relief from the water-to-blood plague, but they could
not escape the frogs. They entered homes, bed-chambers,
even ovens and kneading troughs, where unbaked bread
was rising. This was most unusual; for frogs do not normally
seek dry places like beds or ovens, nor do they crawl on
people.
An Egyptian oven was only a hole in the earth, in which

‘Martin Noth, op. cit., p , 75.

1
~

183
8: 1-32 ; EXPLORING EXODUS

they put wood for a fire, and over which they put an earthen
pitcher, The bread was placed inside that, and baked by the
action of the fire in the hole beneath. We can imagine that
when this hole was filled with frogs the preparation of bread
would become utterly impractical.
5 . What act started the plague offrogs? (8:5)
Aaron stretched forth his hand with his rod in his hand,
over the rivers (referring to the branches of the Nile delta),
the streams (or canals), and pools. See notes on 7:19. Aaron
used the rod in the first three plagues (7:19; 8:5, 16).
6. How disastrous was the plague offrogs? (8:6)
It was not a mere inconvenience; it was a destruction, or
ruination. Psalm 78:45 says, “He sent . . . frogs, which
destroyed them.” It stopped all usual activities of life. People
could not work, or sleep, or eat, or move about without the
most dreadful interference from the frogs. Frogs leaped
upon and crawled over people wherever they were.
We are sure that the popularity of the frog-goddess Hekt
dropped to near zero after this plague.
Egypt’s power was defeated not by lions, but by frogs. The
supremely powerful Pharaoh was brought low by the su-
premely contemptible frogs.
The plague of frogs was clearly a miracle. The frogs came
and died suddenly at the command of Moses and Aaron.
Their coming in such great numbers can be accounted for on
no other basis.
7. How did the magicians respond to the frog plague? (8~7)
By their enchantments (secret arts) they brought up more
frogs upon the land of Egypt. This certainly did not help the
Egyptians. They needed frogs removed, and not more frogs.
But to Pharaoh the implications of the magicians’ duplicating
the frog miracle were more important even than relief from
the frog-scourge. At least he could satisfy himself that he was
not dealing with a uniquely powerful Jehovah and a uniquely
powerful Moses.
Note again that it was by enchantments that the magicians
brought up frogs on Egypt. This makes us think that
184
 LITTLE CREATURES-BIG PLAGUES 8:l-32

supernatural powers of Satan were involved. Compare 7: 11,

22; 8:18. Rev. 16:14 prophesies, “Three unclean spirits, as it
werefiogs, proceed forth; for they are spirits of demons,
working signs.”
8. What did thefrogs teach Pharaoh about Jehovah? (8:8)
He learned that Jehovah was very real and “out of his
league”; and that he needed Moses as an intercessor. The
man who once said that he did not know Jehovah (52) now
requests that Jehovah be entreated. He begins and ends his
speech with the name of Jehovah.
9. What did Pharaoh ask Moses to do? (8:8)
To entreat, or intercede, to Yahweh (Jehovah) to take away
the frogs. In return he promised to permit Israel to go and
sacrifice. He certainly did not keep this promise. This pattern
of appeal-promise-reneging soon became a habit. Four times
Pharaoh asked Moses to entreat the LORD to remove some
plague (8:8, 28; 9:28; 10:17). Four times Moses complied
(8:12, 30; 9:33; 10:18). Four times Pharaoh backed down
and would not keep his promise (8:15, 32; 9:34-35; 10:20).
Pharaoh’s repentance was that of a hypocrite, and not a
godly sorrow. He desired not a new life, but simply removal
of the judgment that had come upon the nation. When
I hypocrites have been overpowered, they often beg for de-
l
I
I liverance and make promises. Thus did king Jeroboam I
I (I Kings 13:6), and Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:24). Pharaoh
I was like people who repent and make promises when in the
I anguish of a sick room, or in a storm, or war, or bankruptcy.
l
I Such repentance and promises often do not last long when
I the troubles are past.
10. What does “Gloryover me” mean? (8:9) W h o said this?
Literally it says, “Glorify thyself.” It means to take the
honor or advantage over me, by directing me as to when I
shall entreat God for you and your servants, to cut off the
frogs from you. This was a face-saving gesture granted by
Moses to Pharaoh. Moses did not say when he would remove
the frogs, but when he would pray about it.
Granting Pharaoh the privilege (?) of designating when
I
185
8:l-32 EXPLORING EXODUS

Moses should pray for deliverance from frogs actually

enhanced the power and honor of Moses! Pharaoh would
perceive that Moses could do this not just at some time of
Moses’ choosing, but at any time Pharaoh said.
11. Why did Pharaoh not ask for immediate deliverance? (8:10)
Why wait till tomorrow? Possibly Pharaoh hoped that by
the next day the frogs would be going away by themselves,
and he would be clear of the plague without being obligated
either to Moses or to Jehovah.
Perhaps it was a face-saving gesture for Pharaoh. It was as
if he said, “I can tough this out another day! You have not
made me cry out in utter abject helplessness.” He was still
basically unwilling to yield to the claims of God upon him
and to Moses’ authority.
12, What would Pharaoh learn by the removal of the frogs?
(8:10)
That there was no one else like Jehovah, our God. Com-
pare 9:14. The our reflects some justifiable Israelite pride.
The truth that no one else is like God is frequently asserted
in later scriptures (Deut. 33:26; I1 Sam. 7:22; Isa. 46:9).
13. Where would there befrogs after theplague? (8:ll)
In the river only. Their presence in the river indicates that
the river was no longer polluted. The blood was all gone.
14. Where did Mosespray about thefrogs? (8:12)
He “went out” from Pharaoh. This he did also after the
plagues of flies (8:29), hail (9:29), and locusts (10:18). Often
prayer is best done privately. Praying in Pharaoh’s presence
would seem like casting pearls before swine.
15. Did Moses’prayers remove thefrogs? (8:13-14)
Yea, verily! The frogs outside of the river, in fields, court-
yards, and houses ALL died. They were gathered (maybe
raked up) into heaps, and the land stank again. Compare
7:21.
The deeds of sinners often leave stinking heaps of after-
effects, even after the sins are forgiven. Past sins may leave
behind weakened bodies, bad memories, broken marriages,
debts, and enmity.

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 LITTLE CREATURES-BIG PLAGUES 8:1-32
16. What did Pharaoh do aflter the frog-plague was removed?
(8:15)
He hardened his heart, and would not let Israel go, as he
had promised he would. Pharaoh was still unwilling to admit
that the God of the Hebrews had outdone the gods of Egypt
in a demonstration of power.
17. How did these plagues affect most Egyptians?
The plagues caused total disruption of their usual life-
patterns and much misery. When a father or a ruler sins, he
brings misery on his whole family or nation. Thus Pharaoh
caused others to suffer even more than he did.
The Greek historian Herodotus (about 450 B.C.) wrote
about the Egyptians:
All other men pass their lives separate from animals;
the Egyptians have animals always living with them.
[The murrain of cattle disrupted this life-style!]
,......... I . . . . , . . . . . . . . . .

They are religious to excess, far beyond any other race

. ..
of men, . They wear linen garments [See Ex. 9:31!],
which they are specially careful to have always freshly
. .
washed. , The priests shave their whole body every
other day, that no lice or other impure thing may adhere
to them when they are engaged in the service of the gods.
Their dress is entirely of linen. They bathe twice ...
every day in cold water, and twice each night [What did
they do when their water turned to blood?]; besides
which they observe, so to speak, thousands of cere-
monies. *
18. What warning was given before the plague of lice? (8:16)
No warning was given before this plague. Similarly no
warning was given before plagues six (boils) and nine (dark-
ness). Aaron’s rod was employed before the plague of lice,
as with the previous two plagues.
19. What insects are referred to as “lice”?

’Herodotus II, 36, 37, Translated by George Rawlinson (New York: Washington
Square Press, 1963),pp. 88-89.

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8:1-32 EXPLORING EXODUS

Probably gnats. This is the translation of the Hebrew word

kinnim in the R.S.V.,the Catholic New American Bible, the
Berkeley version, and the New American Standard Bible.
Nonetheless, the meaning of the word is still uncertain. The
New English Bible renders it maggots, and the Jerusalem
Bible as mosquitoes. The Jewish historian Josephus trans-
lated the word as louse (Gr. phtheir), as did the Jewish
Talmud; and these renderings have influenced most later
translations. The Greek O.T. (LXX) rendered it as sknips
(pl. skniphes), probably meaning flea. The skniphes were
small insects which pierced the skin, and also set up intol-
erable itching and penetrated the ears and nostrils.
Gnats and other small insects are a common affliction in
Egypt, but not to the disastrous degree reached in this
plague.
20. Where did the gnats (or lice) originate? (8:17)
From the dust of the earth. “ALL the dust of the earth
became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.” We hardly
suppose that every particle of dust in Egypt became an insect
on a one-to-one basis, but the expression certainly refers to
limitless hosts of insects.
All in Hebrew usage sometimes means a very large portion,
but not necessarily all in an absolute sense. Thus in the days
of Noah “All flesh had corrupted their way” (Gen. 6:12);
however, Noah and his family had bot. Similarly all the cattle
of Egypt died in plague five; but some cattle were still alive
during plagues six and seven (Ex. 9:6, 9,25).
21. How did the lice afSectEgypt? (8:17)
They were upon both man and beast. Compare Psalm 105:
31. See note 17 in the notes on this chapter.
22. How did the magicians react to the lice? (8:18-19)
They tried by enchantments to produce lice (gnats) but
they could not. They did not give up; they were defeated1
How small a thing the Lord used to put down the Egyptians!
God apparently set this as the limit on the Satanic powers by
which they had changed rods to crocodiles, made water
blood, and produced frogs. The magicians had tried to
188
 LITTLE CREATURES- BIG PLAGUES 8:1-32
salvage their own honor and the reputation of their gods, but
their folly now became manifest (obvious) to all men (I1 Tim,
393-9). We wonder why Pharaoh and the magicians were so
slow in perceiving that ALL of the plagues were the work of
God’s finger.
The confession of the magicians that this was the finger
of God is a thoroughly Egyptian expression. Compare I Sam.
6:3, 9; Luke 11:20. We would probably use the idiom “the
hand of God.” G. L. Robinson says that the phrase finger of
God occurs often in Egyptian magical texts. For example, we
read of the ‘lfinger of Seth” (who was one of the principal
gods of Egypt). Also in a condemnation of the monster-
dragon Aphophis, the sun-god Re said, “Thefinger of Thoth
[the Egyptian recorder-god] is before thy eye^."^
The magicians do not imply that they are converted to
Moses’ God; but they surely recognize that he is a God, and
has some potent powers.
23. How did Pharaoh react to the defeat of the magicians? (8:19)
Their confession of impotence did not convince Pharaoh of
the need of ceasing his resistance to the command of God.
His heart was hardened. The text does not indicate whether
he himself hardened it, or God, or both.
24. Where was Moses to accost Pharaoh before the plague of
flies? (8:20)
Moses was to rise up early the next day and meet Pharaoh
at the water, presumably at the brink of the Nile. Compare
7:15. Moses was to make the same demand as before (7:16;
8:l). Pharaoh was surely getting the message by this time.
25. What kinds offlies aflicted Egypt (8:21)
Many kinds1 Indeed swarms! The Hebrew word here
translated “swarms” (of flies) means “ r n i x t ~ r e . ”Psalm
~
78:45 says (in KJV) “He sent divers sorts of flies”; this is an

’The Bearing of Archaeology on the Old Testament (New York: American Tract
Society, 1944), p. 42.
‘The Hebrew word ‘arob used here is employed nine-times in the O.T., and is always
related to this plague.

i 189
 EXPLORING EXODUS 8: 1-32

accurate rendering of the idea. The Hebrew word is similar

to that used in Ex. 12:38, where it refers to the mixed mul-
titude that left Egypt with the Israelites.
The Greek O.T. translated “swarm” as kunomuia, or
dog-fly. Since the Greek Bible was translated in Egypt, this
may be a precise description of the type of fly that attacked
the Egyptians. The dogfly (also called the stable-fly,because
of its usual presence in stables) has a sharp and painful bite,
which may cause inflammation. It is the species Stomoxys
calcitrans.
Other translations have been made of “swarms” (of flies).
Jerusalem Bible and Berkeley version give it as gadflies, a
word referring to any of various flies, as horseflies, botflies,
warble flies, that bite and annoy livestock. This seems like an
excellent translation.
The Jewish commentator J. H,Hertz renders it beetles.
Beetles (particularly the scarab beetle, a dung beetle) *ere
sacred bugs in Egypt. The ichneumon fly, which was re-
garded as a manifestation of the god Uatchit, has been
suggested. Another common view is that the “swarms” were
swarms of various creatures, not just insects. This is a com-
mon Jewish view. Josephus Untiquities 11, xiv, 3) said they
were “various sorts of pestilential creatures, with their var-
ious properties, such indeed as had never come into sight of
men before.” Another Jewish view, that they were “swarms”
of “evening wolves,’’ is not regarded as acceptable.
Once again we must note that most of the plagues had
religious significance, and were directed against the gods of
* Egypt.
26. What distinction was made during the plague of flies? (8:
22-23)
There were to be no flies in Goshen where the Israelites
were. This is the first specific mention of such a distinction
during the plagues, although we are by no means certain
that it had not been the case during the first three plagues.
This distinction would cause Pharaoh to know that Israel’s
god was “Jehovah in the midst of the earth.” It was God’s

190
 LITTLE CREATURES-BIG PLAGUES 8:1-32

great goal in the plagues to make this truth real to Pharaoh.

(Ex. 7:5,17; 14:4,18)
27. What would God place between his people and the Egyp-
tians? (8:23)
Literally the text says, “I will set a redemption (or ransom)
between my people and thy people.” The Hebrew word
peduth is also translated redemption in Ps. 111:9; 130:7;
Isa. 50:2.
However, some authors feel the word is more accurately
rendered division. The Greek O.T. and Latin Vulgate render
it division, So also the R.S.V.: “I will put a division. . . .”
We still prefer the translation of redemption.’ As Keil and
Delitzsch6assert, the exemption from the plague of flies was
essentially a redemption, or deliverance, for Israel. It was not
just a division from harm, but involved deeper deliverance
and blessings.
28. When was the plague offlies to start? (8:23)
The next day! The.flies arrived the next day as predicted.
The fulfillment of this prediction shows that the plague was a
miracle.
29. What e8ects did theflies have on the land? (8:24)
The land was destroyed, or ruined. “Corrupted” seems
too weak a translation here. The Hebrew word shahat means
to destroy when physical objects are referred to. Thus, a
vineyard is destroyed (Jer. 12:10), a temple (Lam. 2:6), or a
crop (Judges 6:4; Mal. 3:ll).
Psalm 78:45 says, “The flies ate them up.”
The plague is said to have been grievous, meaning heavy,

T h e question hinges around whether peduth is from the verb padad, meaning to
divide,,or from a very similar verb padah, meaning to redeem. Both Davies’ Lexicon and
Harkavy’s Hebrew Dictionary say it comes from padah.
“ p . cit., p a485.
‘The Hebrew verb destroyed is in the imperfect, or future, tense, but it has a past
significance here. Ancient Hebrew did not always distinguish carefully between the
tenses. The imperfect tense here may indicate the continuation of the flies’ destruction of
the land for some days: “it was being destroyed.”

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8: 1-32 EXPLORING EXODUS

or massive, or abundant, or numerous. This is a form of the

same word used to describe the heavy (or hardened) heart of
Pharaoh. God sends heavy plagues to defeat men’s heavy
resistance.
30. What eflect did theflies have on Pharaoh? (8:25)
This plague brought him to Moses with a compromise
offer. Pharaoh promised to let Israel go and sacrifice, but
only in the land. Pharaoh had found no deliverance from the
gods of Egypt, his magicians, or his own bluster; therefore,
he now seeks compromise with Moses. Persecutors like
Pharaoh never want God’s people to go far out of their reach
and power,
This was the first of four compromise offers by Pharaoh,
Any of them would have effectively prevented Israel from
leaving the land permanently, and Moses turned them all
down.

PHARAOHS COMPROMISE OFFERS

1. Go sacrifice in the land of Egypt. (Ex. 8:25)
2. Go out of the land, but do not go far. (8:28)
3. The men alone may go sacrifice. (10:8, 11)
4. Everyone may go, but leave flocks and herds in
Egypt. (10:24)

31. Why couldn’tIsraelsacrifice in the land ofEgypt? (8:26-27)

Because the Israelites would offer sacrifices that would be
an abomination (a detestable thing) to the Egyptians, so that
the Egyptians would stone them. Also to sacrifice to Jehovah
acceptably, they had to obey His command to go three days’
journey out of the land. Compare 3:18.
Moses did not specify what the Egyptians would find abom-
inable about their sacrifices; but apparently Pharaoh sensed
the truth in Moses’ objection. At least he offered no rebuttal.
The “abomination” did not involve sacrificing cattle, for
the Egyptians did sacrifice and eat cattle, even though some

192
 LITTLE CREATURES-BIG PLAGUES 8:1-32
cattle were sacred to them. See notes on 7:15. Probably the
best explanation is that the abomination somehow involved
the use of sheep for sacrifice. Every shepherd was an abomi-
nation to the Egyptians (Gen. 46:34).
This dialogue between Moses and Pharaoh suggests that
during their stay in Egypt the Israelites had not sacrificed
to their God.
32. What second compromise offer did Pharaoh make? (8:28)
He would let them go and sacrifice in the desert out of the
land of Egypt; only they should not go far away. Pharaoh’s
offer is a significant concession, and shows tKe plagues were
truly having effect on him. Note Pharaoh’s request for Moses
to “Entreat” for him. See notes on 8:8.
The world does not want Christians to move too far from
it, or be too different from it. They want us to be in their
power, and not to condemn them by the example of a life too
righteous.
33. What did Moses caution Pharaoh about doing? (8:29)
“Let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more.” Pharaoh
had done deceitfully previously when he promised during the
plague of frogs to let Israel go, but refused to do so after the
plague (8:8, 15).
God’s servants like Moses are ready to help persecutors in
misery, and to pray for them. But also they warn them about
sin.
On “going out” to pray for Pharaoh, see 8: 12.
34. Howfilly were theflies removed? (8:31)
“There remained not one!” How great is God’s deliver-
ance! The flies were removed in answer to prayer. God re-
moves swarms of judgments when his servants pray to him.
35. How did Pharaohjklfill his promises to Moses? (8:32)
He hardened his heart again, and would not let them go.
He broke his promise (8:28). This also refers back to the
second plague (the frogs), when he hardened his heart after
promising to let them go if the frogs were removed (8:8, 15).

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9:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
Then Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Go in unto Pha-raoh, and
9 tell him, Thus saith Je-ho-vah, the God of the Hebrews, Let
my people go, that they may serve me. (2) For if thou refuse to
let them go, and wilt hold them still, (3) behold, the hand of
Je-ho-vah is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the
horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and
upon the flocks: there shall be a very grievous murrain. (4) And
Je-ho-vah shall make a distinction between the cat€le of Is-ra-el
and the cattle of E-gypt; and there shall nothing die of all that
belongeth to the children of Is-ra=el.(5) And Je-ho=vahappointed
a set time, saying, To-morrow Je-ho-vah shall do this thing in the
land. (6) And Jepho-vah did that thing on the morrow; and all the
cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Is-ra-el
died not one. (7) And Pha--oh sent, and, behold, there was not
so much as one of the cattle Is-ra-el-ites dead. But the
heart of Pha-raoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.
(8)And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses and unto Aar-on, Take to
you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Mo-ses sprinkle it
toward heaven in the sight of Pha-raoh. (9) And it shall become
small dust over all the land of E-gypt, and shall be a boil breaking
forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the
land of E-gypt. (10) And they took ashes of the furnace, and
stood before Pha-raoh; and Mo-ses sprinkled it up toward
heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon
man and upon beast. (11)And the magicians could not stand
before Mo-ses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the
magicians, and upon all the E-gyp-tians. (12) And Je-ho-vah
hardened the heart of Pha-raoh, and he hearkened not unto
them; as Je-ho-vah had spoken unto Mo-ses.
(13) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Rise up early in the
morning, and stand before Pha-raoh, and say unto him, Thus
saithJe=ho-vah,the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that
they may serve me. (14) For I will this time send all my plagues
upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people;

194
 WEALTH AND HEALTH DESTROYED 9: 1-35

that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.
(15) For now I had put forth my hand, and smitten thee and thy
people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the
earth (16)but in very deed for this cause have I made thee to
stand, to show thee my power, and that my name may be de-
clared throughout all the earth. (17) As yet exaltest thou thyself
against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? (18) Behold,
to-morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very greivous
hail, such as hath not been in E-gypt since the day it was founded
even until now. (19) Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and
all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that shall
be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail
shall come down upon them, and they shall die. (20) He that
I feared the word of Je-ho-vah among the servants of Pha-raoh
I made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: (21)and he
that regarded not the word of Je-ho-vah left his servants and his
~ cattle in the field.

I (22) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Stretch forth thy hand
toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of E-gypt,
upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field,
throughout the land of E-gypt. (23) And Mo-ses stretched forth
his rod toward heaven: and Je-ho-vah sent thunder and hail, and
fwe ran down unto the earth; and Je-ho-vah rained hail upon the
i land of E-gypt. (24) So there was hail, and fire mingled with the
hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of E-gypt

' since it became a nation. (25) And the hail smote throughout all
~

1 the land of E-gypt all that was in the field, both man and beast;
and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of
the field. (26)Only in the land of Go-shen, where the children of
Is-ra-el were, was there no hail.
(27) And Pha-raoh sent, and called for Mo-ses and Aar-on,
and said unto them, I have sinned this time: Je-ho-vah is right-
[ eous, and I and my people are wicked. (28) Entreat Je-ho-vah;
l for there hath been enough of these mighty thunderings and hail;
and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. (29) And Mo-ses
I said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread
I abroad my hands unto Je-ho-vah; the thunders shall cease,
I
195
9:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that
the earth is Je-ho=vah’s.(30)But as €or thee and thy servants, I
know that ye will not yet fear Je-ho-vah God. (31)And the flax
and the barley were smitten: €or the barley was in the ear, and
the flax was in bloom. (32)But the wheat and the spelt were not
smitten: for they were not grown up. (33) And Mo-ses went out
of the city from Pha-raoh, and spread abroad his hands unto
Je-ho-vah: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was
not poured upon the earth. (34) And when Pha-raoh saw that the
rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet
more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. (35) And the
heart of Pha-raoh was hardened, and he did not let the children
of Is-ra-el go; as Je-ho-vahhad spoken by Mo-ses.

EWLORINGEXODUS:
CHAPTER NINE
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. After reading the chapter, propose a brief theme or topic for

it.
2. Before which plagues in chapter nine did Moses come in
unto Pharaoh with demands? (9: 1;etc.)
3. What did the LORD intend for his people to do after they
were released? (9: 1,13)
4. What is murrain? (9:3)
5. What animals would be affected by the murrain? (9:3)
6. How would the murrain affect the cattle of Israel? (9:4)
7. What time was set for the murrain to begin? (95)
8. Who investigated the effects of the murrain on Israel’s cat-
tle? (9:7)
9. What does Pharaoh’s reaction to the murrain reveal about
him? (9:7)
10. What was to be sprinkled toward heaven? By whom? In the
sight of whom? (9:8)
11. What effect would the ashes produce? (9:9)
12. What are blains? (9:9)
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 WEALTH AND HEALTH DESTROYED 9:1-35

hail? (9:27) What did Pharaoh confess about the LORD?

30. What (lying!) promise did Pharaoh make to Moses?
I
31. When did Moses promise to call off the thunder? (9:29, 33)
How does this promise show faith on the part of Moses?
32. What was Pharaoh to learn by the LORD’S stopping the
thunder? (9:29)

I 197
9:l-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

37. Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart after the hail stopped? (9:34)
38. How did Pharaoh sin “yet more” by hardening his heart?
(9:34)
39. Was Pharaoh’s breaking his promise a surprise? (9:35)

NINE:WEALTHAND HEALTH
EXODUS
BY DISOBEDIENCE
DESTROYED

1. Plague of death of livestock; 9: 1-7.

2. Plague of boils; 9:8-12.
3. Plague of hail; 9:13-35

NINE: SUFFERINGS
EXODUS CAUSEDBY SIN

1. Brute creation suffers; 9:l-7,9,19,25;Rom. 8:20.

2. Physical bodies suffer; 9:8-11,19,25.
3. National wealth suffers; 9:6,24-25.

NINE:MANPOWERLESS
EXODUS BEFOREGOD’SPUNISHMENTS
1. Powerless to prevent them; (9:3,18)
2. Powerless to endure them; (9:lO-11’27-28)
3. Sometimes powerless to learn from them; (9:7,12,30,35).

NINE:GOD’SMERCIESDURING
EXODUS GOD’SJUDGMENTS

1. The mercy of advance warning; 9:2-3,18-19.

2. The mercy of deferred punishment; 9:15-16;I1 Pet. 3:9.
3. The mercy of praying ministers; 9:28-29.
4. The mercy of removed plagues; 9:33.

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 WEALTH AND HEALTH DESTROYED 9:1-35

HEARTPLAGUES! (Ex. 9:14)

(The Hail, Locusts, Darkness, Passover)

1. Cause agony of spirit; 9:27; 10:4-7; 12:30.

2. Sent when lesser corrections fail; 9:15-17.
3. Cause men to confess God; 9:27; 10:16.

FEAROF THE WORD

OF GOD(9:20-21)

1. Based on God’s past acts.

2. Brings action; 9:20; Matt. 7:21.
3 . Brings deliverance; 9:25.

BASEDON FEAR(9:27)
REPENTANCE

1. Felt by the mightiest of men; 9:27.

2. Causes us to acknowledge sin; 9:27.
3. Causes us to seek God’s servants; 9:27-28.
4. Often concerned with removal of penalty rather than removal
of sin.
5. Often very temporary; 9:34-35.

THEWORKOF GOD’SMINISTER
STUBBORN
WITH A SINNER (9:27-33)
1. Be available to help him; 9:27.
2. Pray for him; 9:28,33.
3. Proclaim God’s deliverance; 9:29.
4. Present God’s demands; 9:29.
5. Tell him the truth; 9:30.

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EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTERNINE

EXODUS:

1. What instruction did God give Moses after the plague of

flies? (9:l)
He sent him back to Pharaoh, presumably at Pharaoh’s
house, as in 8:l. There he was to make the same demand
as before: “Let my people go that they may serve me.” This
was the fourth or fifth time this demand was made to
Pharaoh ( 5 1 ; 7:2, 7,16; 8:1,20).
2. What threat was to be made to Pharaoh? (9:2-3)
If he refused there would be a grievous (heavy) murrain on
all the livestock of Egypt. A murrain (Heb. deber) is a
destruction, pestilence, or plague. The English word murruin
is an archaic term from the same root at the word murder
and the Latin mors (meaning death). We do not know exactly
the nature of this plague, whether it was like anthrax or
rinderpest, or some other disease. But it was deadly!
This murrain may have been a unique pestilence, because
it was not confined to one species of animal, as most diseases
are. This murrain is said to be the HAND of the Lord.
First God destroyed Egypt’s cattle, then its crops (by hail
and locusts). This really cut off its food supply. The change
from plagues affecting people’s personal comfort to economic
disasters represents a worsening of the plagues.
3. What animals would be afSected by the murrain? (9:3)
The disease was to affect cattle in the field, horses, don-
keys, camels, herds and flocks. Cattle and domestic animals
were very common in Egypt, and very precious to the Egyp-
tians, as witnessed by their paintings and literature. Pharaoh
himself kept a large number of cattle (Gen. 47:6, 17). The
disease appears to have been limited to cattle in the fields;
those that were sheltered indoors escaped. This partly ex-
plains why some cattle survived the plague (9:10,21).
Horses were affected. Horses were common in Egypt in the
XVIII dynasty (1570-1345 B.C.), which was the time of
Moses. They were primarily used for war, and their introduc-
tion has been attributed to the Hyksos (1670-1570 B.C.).

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 WEALTH AND HEALTH DESTROYED 9:1-35
Note that the animals presented to Abraham at an earlier
date do not include horses (Gen. 12:16).
The reference to camels has been thought by some to be an
anachronism, something out of its true historical position,
because supposedly camels were not domesticated in Moses’
time. However, numerous evidences have been brought
forth showing that camels were in limited used during the
times of the patriarchs and Moses. The Egyptologist K. A.
Kitchen mentions the “Mesopotamian lexical lists that
originated in the Old Babylonian Period [which] show a
knowledge of the camel about 2000/1700 B.C., including its
domestication.” Also from the city of Byblos comes an in-
complete camel figurine of the nineteenth/eighteenth cen-
turies B.Ca2
4. What animals were not affected b y the murrain? (9:4)
It did not kill the Israelites’ cattle. Regarding the distinc-
lion which God made between Egyptians and Israelites, see
8:22. The fact of this distinction certainly shows that the
death of the cattle had miraculous features. Also the setting
of a specific time for its coming makes it miraculous.
5 . When would the murrain strike? (95)
God said, “Tomorrow.” And true to the prediction on the
nexi day all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the
children of Israel, not one died.
This plague shows the absolute rulership of Jehovah. He
completely controls every creature in the world. Disease
strikes only when and where He decrees. The believer is safe
in the hands of God.
6. What portion of the cattle ofEgypt died? (9:6)
“All the cattle of Egypt died.” This all is restricted in 9:3
to those “which are in the field.’’ It would seem that the term
all in 9:6 (as in 8:17) is not to be taken in an absolute sense,
but as referring to such a large portion that what remained

‘For example, see G. E. Wright, Biblical Archaeology (Philadelphia: Westminister,

1953,pp. 40,46.
K:A. Kitchen, Ancient Orient and the Old Testament, (Chicago: Inter-Varsity,
1966), p. 79.
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9:l-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

was as nothing in com~arison.~ Thus, we find that there were

some cattle still remaining in 9:19 and 12:29.
7. How did the Egyptians regard cattle?
While the Egyptians did sacrifice cattle and eat them, the
cow had sacred associations to the Egyptians. The goddess
Hathor is pictured in the form of a cow. She was the goddess
of love, beauty, and joy. She helped the departed soul on
its perilous journey after death. This goddess is often pic-
tured as a cow suckling one of the kings, giving him divine
nourishment.
The Apis bull was regarded as the incarnation of the
Egyptians creator-god Ptah of the capital city of Memphis.
After their deaths these bulls were mummified. During their
lifetimes the bulls were fed choice food, bathed, brushed,
and pampered daily. On their birthdays they were brought
out for the people’s adoration. When one died, another was
chosen on the basis of various markings such as a black
color, with a square or triangular spot on his forehead.
Mummification for these animals is estimated to have cost
$50,000 to $100,000 each. In A.D. 1856 the excavator
Auguste Mariette found a long underground avenue where
these bulls had been buried in black granite sarcophagi. The
burial tunnels extended 1120 feet; and sixty-four large burial
chambers lay along the avenue. Remains of drink-offerings
dedicated by visitors were still lying near some of the sar-
~ophagi.~
8. Who checked on the survival of the Israelites’ cattle? (9:7)
Pharaoh himself sent investigators, who found that not
even one Israelite cow had died in the plague. The possibility
that such a thing might have happened in an ordinary plague
is almost nonexistent,
Nonetheless, Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn, and he prob-
ably attributed the sparing of the Israelites’ cattle to natural

3Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit., p. 487.

4G. Frederick Owen, Archaeology and the Bible (Westwood, N . J.: Revell, 1961),
pp. 181-183.

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 WEALTH AND HEALTH DESTROYED 9:1-35
causes; or, more probably, he just did not let himself think
about it.
9. What was used at the start of the plague of boils? (9:8)
Moses and Aaron both took full handfuls of ashes (or soot,
or dust) from a furnace (or oven). Then apparently Aaron
passed his handfuls to Moses, who scattered (or sprinkled)
the ashes toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.
Some authors (Pink, for example) have suggested that the
ashes came off an altar for human sacrifice. This does not
seem to be true, as we have no evidence the Egyptians burned
human bodies. More probably the ashes came from a brick
kiln or smelting furnace.
If these ashes did come from a brick kiln, there is a sardonic
twist of vengeance revealed. The Israelites had been enslaved
at brick-making, and now the ashes that made the lives of
the oppressed bitter smite the oppressor with boils.
10. What efSect did the ashes produce? (9:9-10)
They spread like a dust cloud over all the land of Egypt,
settling upon men and beasts. This caused an inflammation
to break out in boils (blains), which became blisters, or
running sores (Lat. pustulue). Such boils were sometimes
regarded as leprous (Lev. 13:12, 18-20; 14:43). This disaster
struck both man and beast. The previous plague had caused
the deaths of domestic animals in the fields, but spared
others to be afflicted by the boils and hail. This time the boils
affected every beast and man in Egypt.
What irresistible power lay in those ashes! We do not
assume that there was a biological connection between the
ashes and the boils. God caused the boils; but the scattering
of the ashes was a visual aid linking Moses to the boils, and
doing it right under Pharaoh's nose.
This plague is a further advance in the terribleness of the
disasters. Previously the Egyptians had not been directly
attacked in their persons (although admittedly the lice and
flies were not pleasant).

SKeil and Delitzsch. op. cit., p. 488.

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 EXPLORING EXODUS 9:l-35
In Deut. 28:27, 35 God threatened to smite the Israelites
with the botch of Egypt, if they disobeyed Him. The botch
is the boil referred to here in Ex. 9:9.
The plague of boils may have been an attack on Imhotep,
the Egyptian god of medicine. Imhotep had been a sage,
architect, and chief ritualist in the Old Kingdom of Egypt;
but had become regarded as a demigod after his death, and
later was “canonized” to become their god of medicine. The
inability of their gods to save Egypt must have shaken the
Egyptians profoundly.
11. How did the magiciansfare with the boils? (9:ll)
Very poorly! Just after being “loused-up” (8:18-19), now
they find themselves “boiled.” God’s judgment comes on
high and low alike. So great was their pain that they could
not stand before Moses. They were probably in such misery
they could not endure to remain in one position for more
than a few seconds. To stand up face to face with Moses in
a confrontation was utterly beyond their power.
12. Why did not Pharaoh let Israel go after the plague of boils?
(9:12)
’He did not let them go because Jehovah hardened his
heart. This is the FIRST time that the text specifically says
that God himself hardened Pharaoh‘s heart. Of course, God
had predicted that He would do this (4:21).
We wonder if Pharaoh sensed that he was being driven
by some irresistible force outside of himself. Perhaps after
this plague he wondered within himself how he could have
been so stubborn. We have the opinion that he WAS in some
manner conscious that matters had gotten beyond his con-
trol. If this were not so, then it would seem that God was
dealing with him solely for the purpose of punishment. That
stage did come to pass, but it was not there yet. In the very
next plague God gave Pharaoh the choice; and he hardened
his own heart. Apparently then during this plague of boils
and during the next plague, God was still dealing with Pha-
raoh for the purpose of persuasion and not just punishment.
Before we accuse Jehovah of being unjust for hardening
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 WEALTH AND HEALTH DESTROYED 9:l-35

Pharaoh’s heart, we need to consider how often Pharaoh had

already hardened his own heart, (See 8:15,32. See also notes
on 4:21 and the special study on Hardening Pharaoh’s Heart.)
It is God’s right as God to deal with sinners any way He
chooses. Any good that God does to a sinner is an act of pure
grace. What all sinners really deserve is death. God’s dealings
with men never remove from man the responsibility for his
own actions.
13. How and where did Moses announce the plague of hail? (9:13)
(9:13)

ence to the other plagues. This word means a blow (some-

times a fatal blow, as in Num. 14:37; Ezek. 24:16; I Sam.

tians? (9:15)
He had considered smiting them with a pestilence that
would have killed them all. The word for pestilence is the

Oavis, op. c k , p. 116.

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9:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

same word translated murrain in 9:2. The people would have

died, as the cattle had died. Pharaoh could justifiably have
been slain. So could we all for our sins! But, bless the Lord,
He has no pleasure in the death of the sinner (Ezek. 33:11),
but only desires that the sinner may turn from his wicked
way and live.
16. Why had God spared Pharaoh? (9:16)
He spared him to show Pharaoh His power, and that God’s
name might be declared throughout all the earth. WE must
now declare Moses’ deeds and God’s wonders in Egypt, so
that His name may be honored throughout all the earth.
The King James Vers. of Ex. 9:16 says, “For this cause I
have raised thee up. . . .” This is very similar to the wording
used by Paul in Rom. 9:17. What does “raised thee up”
mean? It seems to mean two things: (1) I have raised you up
to be king in Egypt; and (2) I have enabled you to stand firm
imyour kingship against all the punishments that have come
upon you in the plagues. The Hebrew Bible simply reads (as
given in the A.S.V.) “I have made thee to stand.’’
The Greek O.T. says, “On account of this I have preserved
thee.” The R.S.V. gives a similar reading: “I have let you
live.” This seems to us to limit the meaning too much. God
had not only preserved Pharaoh through the plague-disasters,
but even before that had raised him up to be king. Pharaoh
had already made of himself a vessel fitted for destruction
(Rom. 9:22). Nonetheless, God had raised him up to become
king, and preserved him as king, so that Pharaoh could
see God’s power (and therefore be without excuse), and that
God’s power might be declared in all the earth.
17. Is Ex. 9:17 a question?
We feel that it is a question. It is given as a question in the
KJV, the A.S.V., the Berkeley Bible, the New American
Bible, and the Living Bible. The R.S.V., the Jerusalem
Bible, and the New English Bible render it as a statement.
On the basis of grammar alone, it can be read either as a
question or as a statement.
As a statement it would either state a completely obvious
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 WEALTH AND HEALTH DESTROYED 9:l-35

cattle to flee into the houses. But he who did not take the
word of Jehovah to heart left his servants and his cattle in the
field.
The expression “regarded not the word of Jehovah” is
I
. . . .”
literally “set not his heart This is a similar expression
to Ex, 7:23, where Pharaoh did not “set his heart” on the
matter after the water was turned to blood.
This is the first plague where we see indication that the
warnings were taken seriously by the Egyptians. This is
I
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definite progress toward victory. We imagine that Pharaoh

was displeased to see his subjects obeying the word of Moses
and Aaron.
In Egypt cattle are usually kept out-of-doors from January
to April. After that they are kept indoors for protection from
the heat. Note that the livestock were kept in people’s houses,
a custom in many lands. See note 17 in Ex. ch. 8.
Giving attention to the word of God is the condition for
deliverance from the coming judgments of God. God has
promised to keep us from the hour of trial coming upon the
whole world (Rev. 3:lO). But we must heed His word to re-
ceive deliverance.
21. How was the plague of hail started? (9:22-23)
Moses stretched forth his hand with his rod toward heaven.
In the three plagues just before the Passover, Moses stretched
forth his hand and/or rod toward heaven (10:12-13, 21-22).
Regarding the rod, see 4:17.
22. What was the plague of hail like? (9:23-25)
There was thunder’ and hail, and fire (presumably light-
ning) going to the land. Jehovah rained upon all the land
of Egypt. Psalm 78:47-48: “He killed their vines with hail,
and their sycamore trees with hail-stones. He delivered up to
the hail their cattle, and their flocks to the lightning-flashes.”
Psalm 10532-33 says, “He gave them hail for rain, and
flaming fire in their land. He smote their vines also and their
fig trees, and broke the trees of their borders.’’ This fire was
mingled together, perhaps into balls of fire.
Assuming that the hailstorm covered just the habitable
area of Egypt, it would be a ribbon-shaped hailstorm, about
ten miles wide and four hundred miles long, with a fan-
shaped end.
At the south end of the Nile delta, near Cairo, about two
inches of rain falls each year. Hail sometimes accompanies
the rain, but not with great severity. South of this area rain

’Thunder in Hebrew is voices of God. Thunder is often used as a representation of

God‘svoice. See Ex. 1919; John 12:29; Job 37:2-5;Psalm 77:18.

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 WEALTH AND HEALTH DESTROYED 9:1-35
is a rare occurrence. The rains usually fall from January to
April, This is the time when the cattle are likely to be out-
doors,
The extent of the hail disaster was indicated by the Egyp-
tians themselves. In Ex. 10:7 they begged Pharaoh to release
Israel before any more plagues came. The economy of the
country had been ruined.
God’s judgments in all ages have often been accompanied
by dreadful hail. See Isa. 30:30; Ps. 18:13; Rev. 16:21.
23. How did the Israelites fare in the hail storm? (9:26)
There was no hail in Goshen where they were. Also the
Israelites had no flies (8:22), no murrain of cattle (9:4, 6),
and no darkness (10:23). Compare 11:7 and 12:13.
24. How did Pharaoh respond to the plague of hail? (9:27-28)
He summoned Moses and Aaron, and confessed his sin,
and asked for prayer that the hail stop. He promised to let
Israel go. The terribleness of the plague really seized him.
Pharaoh had given up calling upon his magicians. The solu-
tion was obviously only in Moses and Aaron.
The wicked often seek the prayers of the righteous when
the wicked find themselves defeated. Note the cases of King
I Jeroboam I (I Kings 13:6) and Simon the sorcerer (Acts
8:24).
Pharaoh’s confession that he had sinned this time sounds
as if his guilt were not very deeply felt. He certainly had
sinned before this (see 8:29).
Pharaoh’s confession that Jehovah was righteous, and he
and his people were wicked, is progress. He had once said he
did not even know Jehovah (52). For similar confessions, see
I1 Chron. 12:6 and Lam. 1:18. The Holy Spirit convicts the
world of righteousness, that is, of God’s righteousness and
Christ’s righteousness (John 16: 10). Pharaoh repeated his
confession about sinning in 10:16, during the plague of
locusts.
This was the third time Pharaoh begged for a removal of a
plague. Compare 8:8,28.
Pharaoh made an unconditional promise to let Israel go if

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the thundering and hail stopped.

25. Where didMoses go topray about the hail? (9:29, 33)
He went out of the city. See notes on 8: 12.
Moses was utterly confident that his prayers would stop
the hail. And they did!
Moses indicated that Pharaoh was to learn from the
plagues that the earth (or the land) was the LORD’S!Com-
pare 8:10, 22; 9:14. Pharaoh had already learned that Jeho-
vah was a God, and that there was no one like him. He is now
to learn that Jehovah owned and controlled all the land.
Compare Psalm 24:l. When this assertion is read against
the background of divine kingship in Egypt and the Egyptian
view of different deities controlling different areas and differ-
ent activities of life and nature, the assertion takes on a tone
of triumph, exultation, and victory. It is not Pharaoh who
controlled and owned the earth. It was not even the gods of
Egypt, but YAHWEH, God of Israel!
26. Did Moses trust Pharaoh’s promise to release Israel? (9:30)
Moses knew he would not keep it. Moses knew this by
God’s revelation, rather than by his own natural understand-
ing of human nature. (See 4:21; 9:35)
“Let favor be showed unto the wicked, yet he will not learn
righteousness’’ (Isa. 26:10).
Note the full name Jehovah God in 4:30. It appears that
Moses relished speaking this name in all its fulness in Pha-
raoh’s hearing.
27. What crops were smitten by the hail? (9:31-32)
The flax and barley were smitten. These ripen about the
same time, in the month of March. The hail hit when the
barley heads had appeared and the flax was in bloom, that
is, with immature heads blooming with pollen. This would
be near the end of January. Regarding the importance of
flax as the source for linen cloth, see note 17 in ch. 8.
The wheat and spelt mature in April, about a month after
the barley. The hail fell at a time when it would not greatly
harm the subsequent yield of wheat and spelt. Spelt (not rye,
or rie) is a grain much like wheat, but inferior to it.

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The desperate Egyptians were in sorrow and fright. Their

sky-goddess Nut could not protect them from hail from the
sky. (She is often pictured as a lanky nude female arching
from horizon to horizon across the sky, touching the ground
with finger tips and toes.) The goddess Isis and the god Seth
also were thought to have care over agricultural production.
But the gods were silent.
28. Did Pharaoh keep his promise to let Israelgo? (9:34-35)
No. He hardened his heart, and his Egyptian servants did
also. Observe that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. God
had hardened his heart after the plague of boils (9:12). This
time God let Pharaoh make the decision, and Pharaoh
proved himself to be a hard-hearted liar. He also revealed
(unintentionallyl) that God’s treatment of him was com-
pletely just. (See notes on 4:21 concerning the hardening of
Pharaoh’s heart.) In refusing to let Israel go, Pharaoh sinned
“yet more.” (See 9:27.)

The Text of EXODUS

TRAN s LATION

And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Go in unto Pha-raoh: for

10 I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servant,
that I may show these my signs in the midst of them, (2) and that
thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what
things I have wrought upon Egypt, and my signs which I have
done among them; that ye may know that I am Je-ho-vah. (3)
And Mo-ses and Aar-on went in unto Pha-raoh, and said unto
him, Thus saith Je-ho-vah, the God of the Hebrews, How long
wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go,
that they may serve me. (4) Else, if thou refuse to let my people
go, behold, to-morrow will I bring locusts into thy border: (5)
and they shall cover the face of the earth, so that one shall not be
able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which
is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat

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10:1-29 EXPLORING EXODUS

every tree which groweth for you out of the field: (6) and thy
houses shall be filled, and the houses of all thy servants, and the
houses of all the E-gyp-tians; as neither thy fathers nor thy
fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the
earth unto this day. And he turned, and went out from Pha-rash.
(7) And Pha-raoh’s servanb said unto him, How long shall this
man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve Je-
’ho-vah their God: knowest thou not yet that E-gypt is destroyed?
(8) And Ma-ses and Aar-on were brought again unto Pha-raoh:
and he said unto them, Go, serve Je-ho-vah your God; but who
are they that shall go? (9) And MQ-swsaid, We will go with our
young and with our old; with our sons and with our daughters,
with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a
feast unto Je-ho-vah. (10) And he said unto them, So be Je-ho-
vah with you, as P will let you go, and your little ones: look to it;
for evil is before you. (11)Not so: go now ye that are men, and
serve Je-ho-vah; for that is what ye desire. And they were driven
out from Pha-raoh’s presence.
(12) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Stretch out thy hand
over the land of E-gypt for the locusts, that they may come up
upon the land of E-gypt, apd eat every herb of the land, even all
that the hail hath left. (13) And Mo-ses stretched forth his rod
over the land of E-gypt, and Je-ho-vah brought an east wind
upon the land all that day, and all the night; and when it was
morning, the east wind brought the locusts. (14) And the locusts
went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders
of E-gypt; very grievous were they; before them there were no
such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. (15) For
they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was
darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the
fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not
any green thing, either tree or herb of the field, through all the
land of E-gypt. (16) Then Pha-raoh called for Mo-ses and Aar-
on in haste; and he said, I have sinned against Je-ho-vah your
God, and against you. (17) Now therefore forgive, I pray thee,
my sin only this once, and entreat Je-ho-vah your God, that he
may take away from me this death only. (18) And he went out

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fiom Pha-raoh, and entreated Je-ho-vah. (19) And Je-ho-vah
turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts,
and drove them into the Red Sea! there remained not one locust
in all the border of E-gypt. (20) But Je-ho-vah hardened Pha-
raoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Is-ra-el go.
(21) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Stretch out thy hand
toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of
E-gypt, even darkness which may be felt. (22) And Mo-ses
stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick
darkness in all the land of E-gypt three days; (23)they saw not
one another, neither rose any one from his place for three days:
but all the children of Is-ra-el had light in their dwellings. (24)
And Pha-raoh called unto Mo-ses, and said, Go ye, serve Je-ho-
vah; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed let your little
ones also go with you. (25) And Mo-ses said, Thou must also
give into our hand sacrifices and burnt-offerings, that we may
sacrifice unto Je-ho-vah our God. (26) Our cattle also shall go
with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind; for thereof must
we take to serve Je-ho-vah our God; and we know not with what
we must serve Je-ho-vah, until we come thither. (27) But Je-ho-
vah hardened Pha-raoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.
(28) And Pha-raoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed
to thyself, see my face no more; for in the day thou seest my
face thou shalt die. (29) And Mo-ses said, Thou has spoken
well; I will see thy face again no more.

EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTER TEN
QUESTIONSANSWEUBLEFROM THE BIBLE
1. After reading the entire chapter, propose a brief theme or
title for the entire chapter.
2. Why had God hardened Pharaoh’s heart? (1O:l) (Give the
Biblical answer.)
3. Who was to be told of God’s deeds in Egypt? (10:2)
4. What were the people to come to know because of the signs

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(plagues)? (10:2)
5. What question did God ask of Pharaoh through Moses and
Aaron? (10:3) Was this a fair question, seeing that God had
hardened his heart? (1O:l; Compare 9:33.)
6. What plague was to follow the hail? (10:4) When would it
arrive?
7. How extensive would this plague be? (105-6)
8. .Had Egypt ever experienced a plague like the one threaten-
ed? (10:6)
9. Who urged Pharaoh to let the men of Israel go? (10:7) Why
did they urge this?
10. What (or who) caused Moses and Aaron to come back unto
Pharaoh? (10:8)
11. Had Pharaoh softened up a little? (10:8; Compare 9:25,28)
12. Who all were to depart from Egypt? (10:9)
13. Does 1O:lO sound sincere or sarcastic? Compare 10:ll.
14. What did Pharaoh think were the motives of Moses and
Aaron? (10:10)
15. Why did Moses and Aaron leave Pharaoh’s presence? (10:11)
16. What did Moses stretch forth to bring in locusts? (10:12, 13)
17. From which direction did the wind blow in locusts? (10:13)
18. How did the locusts compare to locusts of other times? (10:14)
19. What did the locusts eat? (1O:lS)
20. What confession did Pharaoh make? (10:16)
21. What two requests did Pharaoh make during the locust
plague? (10:17)
22. By what term did Pharaoh describe the locust plague? (10:17)
23. What did Moses do to get the locust plague removed? (10:18)
24. What removed the locusts? Where did they end up? (10:19)
25. What happened to Pharaoh’s heart after the locusts were
removed? (10:20)
26. What did Moses stretch forth to bring on the darkness in
Egypt? (10:21-22)
27. How heavy and dense was the darkness? (10:21)
28. How long did the darkness last? (10:22-23)
29. How did the darkness affect the dwellings of the Israelites?
(10:23)
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 LOCUSTS AND DARKNESS 10~1-29

30. What compromise offer did Pharaoh make to Moses? (10:24)

31, Could Israel have survived in the wilderness without their
livestock? (10:24)
32. Could Israel have offered sacrifices without taking livestock?
(10:25)
33. What additional demand did Moses make to Pharaoh be-
sides that he let them take out all their own livestock? (10:25)
34. Did Israel know what God would ask them to sacrifice?
(10:26)
35. Did Pharaoh agree to Moses’ request? Why or why not?
(10:27)
36. What command and what threat did Pharaoh make to
Moses? (10:28)
37. Did Moses agree to accept Pharaoh’s order? (10:29)
38. Did Moses see Pharaoh’s face again? (10:29; 12:30-31)

EXODUS AND DARKNESS

TEN:LOCUSTS (WORDSOF TERROR!)

I. LOCUSTS; 10:1-20
1. Advance warning; 1O:l-6.
2. Fear; 10:7.
3. Defiance of Pharaoh; 10:8-11.
4. The disaster; 10:12-15.
5. The supplication; 10:16-18.
6. The deliverance; 10:19.
7. The hardening; 10:20.
11. DARKNESS; 10:21-23.
1. Stopped activity; 10:21-23,
2. Subdued Pharaoh; 10:24,
3. Strengthened Moses; 10:25-26.
4. Sharpened the conflict; 10:27-29.

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EXODUS TEN:FOODAND FAITHFORFEITED

(FOODAND FAITHARE MAN’SDEARESTPOSSESSIONS.)
I. FOOD FORFEITED to locusts; 1O:l-20.
11. FAITH FORFEITED through darkness; 10:21-29.
(Egypt’s chief gods were sun-gods. The faith of the Egyptians
in these gods was forfeited.)

FROMIGNORANCE (Ex. 1O:l; Eph. 4:18)

TO HARDENING

I. Man’s deliberate ignorance.

1. Ignoring God’s mercies; Ex. 8:13, 31; 9:33; 10:19.
2. Ignoring God‘s power; Ex. 7:12; 8:18-19; 9:6-7.
3. Ignoring God’s past punishments; Ex. 9:12,24-26; 10:3.
11. God’s dreadfulhardening; Ex. l O : l , 20’27.

GOD’SMESSAGE (Ex. 10:2)

TO FUTUREGENERATIONS

1. God.controls nature.
2. God condemns sinners.
3. God is the LORD.

GOD’SARMY(Joel 2 : l l ; Ex. 10:14)

THELOCUSTS:
1. Covered everything; Ex. 10:4,14.
2. Consumed everything; Ex. 105, 15.
3. Conquered the king; Ex. 10:16-17.
4. Controlled by God; Ex. 10:19.

LOCUSTS
AND DARKNESS,
TYPES
OF FINALPUNISHMENTS

1. Locusts; Ex. 10:4-5;Rev. 9:3.

2. Darkness; Ex. 10:21-23;Matt. 8:12; Jude 13.

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 LOCUSTS AND DARKNESS 10:l-29
EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTERTEN
EXODUS:

God would send locusts because Pharaoh would not hum-

ble himself before the LORD. He had confessed after the

I 217
10:1-29 EXPLORING EXODUS

God did not demand that Pharaoh humble himself so that

He might, as it were, place his foot upon the neck of a de-
feated victim (Josh. 10:24). But rather God sought to humble
Pharaoh that Pharaoh might be blessed, for God exalts the
humble (James 4: 10).
The locusts would be brought in tomorrow. Likewise the
plagues of hail, murrain, and flies were announced one day
in advance.
3. What would the locusts do? (105-6)
They would blanket the land because they were so numer-
ous. They would eat up every sprig of green vegetation left by
the hail. They would get into the houses of the Egyptians and
fill them in a manner such as no one had ever seen before.
They would even eat the wood of the trees. This would grieve
the Egyptians because they were fond of trees. Their land did
not have a great many trees because they were so close to
the desert.
Joel 2:9-10 refers to a later locust plague: “They leap upon
the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the
houses; they enter in at the windows like a khief. The earth
quaketh before them; the sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.” Compare also Psalm
105:34-35; 78:46.
See notes on 10:14-15 for more about the effects of the
locusts.
4. Why did Pharaoh’s servants urge Pharaoh to let thehaelites
go? (10:7)
They had already suffered much in the previous plagues -
the frogs, boils, hail, etc. They had probably been out in the
land and had seen that Egypt was destroyed. They believed
that Moses’ threats were to be taken very seriously.
They asked Pharaoh, “How long will this man (Moses) be
a snare (a trap, or noose) unto us, Send the men (of Israel)
away, and let them serve Jehovah their God! Don’t you know
yet that Egypt has perished?’’ Note their use of the full title
“Jehovah their God.”

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 LOCUSTS AND DARKNESS 10:1-29
5 . Did Pharaoh make a sincere offer to let Israel go? (10:8)
Not really. He did tell Moses and Aaron to go and serve
Jehovah their God (and note that he also used God’s full
title). But almost before he finished uttering the offer, he was
hedging, He demanded, “Who and who (else) will be go-
ing?” (Thus his question reads in Hebrew.)
6 . What feelings did Moses express about who would leave
Egypt? (10:9)
Total confidence! Total freedom! Total certainty! He
declared, “With our young, and with our senior citizens, WE
SHALL GO!” He did not request permission; he stated their
intentions with force. (In the Hebrew Moses’ reply to Pha-
raoh begins with the words “With our young, and with our
old, . . . .” Moses unhesitatingly threw back into the teeth of
Pharaoh’s demanding question the full list of who would be
leaving Egypt.)
Moses made again the demand that Pharaoh let them go
and sacrzjke, the demand that he made at the very first
meeting with Pharaoh (5:1).
7,Did PharaoH agree to let ALL Israelites go? (10:10-11)
Defiantly not! His reply was contemptuous and sarcastic
toward Moses and Aaron, and also toward Jehovah. The
Hebrew may be translated, “May Jehovah be with you in
like manner to that by which I am sending you out, (you) and
your little ones! Watch out! Because (I know) evil is in your
minds! ” (literally, “before your faces”).
Pharaoh knew he was not going to send them out; and he
did not think Jehovah could deliver them any more than he
would deliver them. He practically dared Jehovah to do any-
thing. It is easy to imagine Pharaoh was smirking as he fired
off his choice sarcastic saying. It is the kind of “put-down”
that cruel people enjoy.
Note that to Pharaoh it was evil for Moses to consider
taking the Israelites away from his slave service.
Pharaoh’s restriction of permission to depart to the men
only was pure tyranny, without reason or mercy. Even the

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Egyptians, according to Herodotus, held religious festivals

at which women were in the habit of going with men. He tells
of men and women sailing together to the assemblies, vast
numbers in each boat, and that the number of men and
women sometimes amounted to seven hundred thousand!
Oppressors often permit adults to exercise religious ob-
servances, while they seek to control the children and educate
them away from the faith of their fathers. Proud persecutors
yield a little t o God, but yet refuse to obey His basic terms.
They threaten the people of God. But their threats return
upon the threateners.
Pharaoh’s lack of genuine sincerity was demonstrated by
his driving Moses and Aaron from his presence.
8. What brought locusts intoEgypt? (10:12-13)
Moses stretched forth his hand and rod. (Compare 9:22-
23) Then the LORD caused a wind to blow from the east for
twenty-four hours, all day and all night, and the next morn-
ing the cloud of locusts appeared, and then settled all over
Egypt.
Sometimes locust swarms first appear as.a dark band on
the horizon, heavy enough to block the light of the rising sun.
Egypt has occasional invasions by locusts, so that this sight
must have terrorized the people.
Usually locusts come into Egypt from the SOUTHZ or
southwest (from Ethiopia and Libya). But sometimes they do
come into Egypt from the east, from Arabia.3 The fact that
the wind blew so long suggests that the locusts were blown in
from a great distance. The power of the LORD reached far
beyond the borders of Egypt, and ruled over every land.
9. What efsects did the locusts have upon Egypt? (10:14-15)
They utterly covered the land, so that the land was

’Herodotus, Histories, 11, 58, 60. Translated by George Rawlinson (London: Dent,
1964), V O ~11,
. pp. 143-144.
’The Greek O.T.translates 1013, “The Lord brought a south wind upon the land.”
We feel that this is probably incorrect.
’Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit., p. 496.

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 LOCUSTS AND DARKNESS 10:1-29
darkened. They ate every herb and all the fruit of the trees
which the hail had left. Nothing green remained in all the
land of Egypt.
The locusts in this plague were a variety more destructive
and numerous than ever seen before. Compare Joel 2:2-3;
Psalm 10534-35; 78:46.
Locusts that develop to the migratory stage resemble the
grasshopper, but are larger, being nearly three inches long.
They are yellowish-tan in color, with dark roundish spots on
their wings. A locust can eat its own weight daily. In a severe
plague a square mile of land will have from one hundred to
two hundred million locusts. They are hardy creatures. They
can fly up to twenty hours continuously at ten to twelve
miles an hour. Locusts have been tracked as far as 900 miles
in fourteen days.4 In one day they can eat the growing food
grains that took a year to grow; and the price of bread will
soar beyond the reach of the poor (who then may be reduced
to eating the locusts!). Palm trees bending with fruit may be
reduced to bare spars, golden grainfields to stubble, and
even wild marsh reeds disappear. While locust hordes are
often a mile or less in width, clouds of locusts have been
known to extend over 500 miles and to be so thick as to hide
the sun completely as they fly over.
10. What did the locusts cause Pharaoh to do? (10:16-18)
He summoned Moses and Aaron in haste, and confessed
that he had sinned, and begged them to forgive him, and
pray for the LORD to take away this DEATH (the locusts).
Pharaoh sought forgiveness of his sin “this once.” He did
not ask for a purification of his moral nature. He had once
before confessed to sin (9:27), but that conviction left him
quickly when the hail stopped.
Pharaoh asked Moses to pray for him, rather than hum-
bling himself before God and praying for himself. (See 9:28.)
Moses complied with Pharaoh’s request, and went out

4Part of this information is taken from a vivid article, “Reports From the Locust
Wars,” National Geographic mag., April 1953, pp. 545-562.

22 1
10:1-29 EXPLORING EXODUS

from him and entreated Jehovah. See notes on 8:12.

11. How were the locusts removed? (10:19)
The LORD changed the direction of the wind, and a very
strong wind from the (Mediterranean) sea blew the locusts
into the Red Sea, and there remained not one locust in the
land of Egypt.
Only God could remove such a scourge. Swarms of fully
mature locusts are almost impossible to discourage once
they have settled to feed. And they are hard to hurt with any
quantity of poison not also deadly to other creatures.
This is the first mention of the Red Sea (Heb., Yam Suph).
We feel that this is the same sea we now refer to as the Red
Sea. (See Introductory Section VII.)
12. Why did not Pharaoh release Israel after the locust plague?
(10:20)
Because Jehovah hardened his heart. See notes on 4:21;
9:12.
13. What was unusual about the darkness in Egypt? (10:21-23)
It came when Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven.
See 9:22-23 and 10:12-13 on Moses’ stretching forth his
hand.
The darkness was so intense it could be “felt.”
The Israelites had light while the Egyptians nearby were
in darkness.
14. Why was the darkness so dread&l?
Darkness was a direct attack on some of Egypt’s main
gods. Re (or Ra), the sun-God, was also the creator of gods
and men; his emblem was the sun’s disk. Pharaoh himself
was thought to be the embodiment of that god. Another
great god was Amon, and he also was a sun-god. He was the
chief deity of Thebes, the capital city during the XVIII
dynasty, the time of Moses.
The darkness was so dense it could be “felt.” This is to be
taken literally. The same word meaningfeel is used in Judges
16:26 (where Samson felt the pillars), and in Psalm 1157
(where the hands are said to feel).
What caused this darkness? Was it a supernatural

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darkness, like that which came the day Christ died (Luke 23:
44)? The Greek O.T. reads in Ex. 10:22, “There was dark-
ness, very black, even a storm, over all the land of Egypt
three days.” We feel that the darkness could have been
caused by a dust storm. The other plagues involved use of
natural creatures and things. God miraculously controlled
their intensity and exactly when and where they affected.
Severe sandstorms occur in Egypt during the spring months
(which was the time of year this plague occurred).
The author of this book lived in western Kansas during the
“dust bowl” days of the early 1930’s. The dust clouds then
rolled over the prairies, turning daylight into total blackness,
so black that not even the position of windows could be
detected by those in houses; so black that one feared to
walk across a familiar room. God’s darkness in Egypt was
more severe than any Kansas “dust bowl” storm; but the
mental picture of a darkness so heavy that it could be felt,
and that caused no “one to rise from his place for three days”
is very real.
What a terrifying prospect lies in store for those in hell, in
the “outer darkness” (Matt. 8:12)! If Pharaoh found the
darkness of Egypt terrifying, what a fearsome fate awaits
those “to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for
ever”! (Jude 13)
5 . What Jinal compromise offer did Pharaoh make to Moses?
(10:24)
He would let all the Israelites go, but they must leave
I flocks and herds behind. Pharaoh seems to be saying that
the cattle of the Israelites were to be placed and kept in
designated places under the guard of Egyptians, as a pledge
of the Israelites’ return. Perhaps Pharaoh simply coveted
their herds to replace his own destroyed flocks.
Israel could not have survived long in the desert without
the milk, meat, skins, and wool of their animals.
We suspect that Pharaoh had difficulty contacting Moses
in the pitchy darkness!
16. How did Moses receive the compromise about leaving their

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livestock behind? (10:25-26)

He insisted that every one of their cattle must go with
them. Not a hoof was to be left behind. This was necessary
because they did not know what Jehovah would ask them to
sacrifice until they arrived at their destination.
In addition to that, Moses demanded that Pharaoh give to
them “sacrifices and burnt-offerings,” that is, additional
animals from Pharaoh’s herds. This may be a “dig” at
Pharaoh, because his herds were extinct, or nearly so (9:6).
By making this extra demand Moses seems to be forcing
the issue between him and Pharaoh to a decisive climax.
He was not giving one concession to Pharaoh; rather he was
upping his demands!
There is no indication that the Israelites received live-
stock from the Egyptians when they left Egypt, or that they
even requested any at that time (12:35-36).
17. How did Pharaoh try to get Moses away from him perma-
nent&? (10:28)
He told Moses to get away from him, and not to come
back, for he would kill him if he returned. Moses accepted
the demand without fear. He knew, and told Pharaoh so
plainly, that after just one more plague, Pharaoh’s servants
would come down to him, and bow down, and plead with the
Israelites to leave (11:8). Even Pharaoh himself came to
Moses and begged for them to leave (12:30-31).
Pharaoh made this final refusal because the LORD
hardened his heart. He was no longer in control of his choices
of conduct. On “hardening Pharaoh’s heart,” see 4:21;
14:4,8.
18. Did Moses warn Pharaoh of thefinal plague? (10:29; 11:4)
Yes. Before leaving Pharaoh’s palace, as Pharaoh ordered
(10:28), Moses warned him of the final plague of the death
of the firstborn. The conversation of 10:28-29 is continued
in 11:4-8. 1l:l-3 is an interruption in the narrative, inserted
to explain how Moses knew about the last plague, and
could therefore tell Pharaoh about it.

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 THE LAST WARNING 1l:l-10
THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANS
LATION

AndJe-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Yet one plague more will

11 I bring upon Pha-raoh, and upon E-gypt; afterwards he
will let you go hence; when he shall let you go, he shall surely
thrust you out hence altogether. (2) Speak now in the ears of the
people, and let them ask every man of his neighbor, and every
woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.
(3)And Je-ho-vah gave the peole favor in the sight of the E-gyp-
tians. Moreover the man Mo-ses was very great in the land of
E-gypt, in the sight of Pha-raoh’s servants, and in the sight of
the people.
(4)And Mo-ses said, Thus saith Je-ho-vah, About midnight
will I go out into the midst of E-gypt: ( 5 ) and all the first-born
in the land of E-gypt shall die, from the first-born of Pha-raoh
that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-
servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of cattle.
(6) And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of
E-gypt, such as there hath not been, nor shall be any more.
(7) But against any of the children of Ismramel shall not a dog
move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how
that Je-ho-vah doth make a distinction between the E-gyp-tians
and Is-ra-el. (8) And all these thy servants shall come down unto
me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out,
and all the people that follow thee: and after that I wfil yo out
And he went out from Pha-raoh in hot anger.
(9) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Pha-raoh will not hearken
unto you; that my wonders may be multipIied in the land of
E-gypt. (10)And Mo-ses and Aar-on did all these wonders before
Pha-raoh: and Je-hovah hardened Pha-raoh’s heart, and he did
not let the children of Is-ra-el go out of his land.

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EWLORINGEXODUS:
CHAPTERELEVEN
ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE
QUESTIONS
1. Prppose a theme or topic for chapter eleven.
2. When did the LORD say the things in 11:1-3 to Moses? How
do they fit into the narrative of chapters 10-ll?
3. What was to be the result of the last plague? (1 1 :1)
4. What was Moses to tell the Israelites to say to the Egyptians?
(11:2)
5. How did the Egyptians regard the Israelites? What brought
this about? (11:3)
6. What was the estimation of Moses by the Egyptians? (11:3)
7. At what time of day would the LORD pass over? (11:4)
8. To whom is 11:4ff addressed?
9. What was to be the extent of the death of the firstborn?
(115)
10. Whowere the highest and lowest people in Egyptian society?
(115)
11. What would be the immediate effect of the death of the
firstborn? (11:6)
12. What would the silence of the dogs reveal about the status
of the Israelites? (11:7)
13. What was Pharaoh to know (to learn) from the fact that the
Israelites were spared the death of their firstborn? (11:7)
14. Who would urge the Israelites to depart? (11:8)
15. What was Moses’ feeling as he departed from Pharaoh?
(1193)
16. Why would not Pharaoh hearken? (11:9)

ELEVEN:THELASTWARNING!
EXODUS
1. Revealed by God to Moses; 11:l-3.
2. Related by Moses to Pharaoh; 11:4-8.
3. Rejected by Pharaoh; 11:9-10.

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 THE LAST WARNING 11:l-10

ELEVEN:ONEMOREBLOW(ORPLAGUE)!
EXODUS
1. The day for judgment is set; 11:l-3.
2. The day of judgment will be final; 11:4-8.
SAINTSFAVORED
GOD’S (11:2-3)
1. Jewelry given; 11:2; 3:22; 12:35-36,
2. Honor given; 11:3.

RESULTSOF THE LASTPLAGUE

1. Death of the firstborn; 1 1 5 .
2. Great cry; 11:6.
3. Distinction demonstrated; 11:7.
4. Supplication of Egyptians; 11:8.
5. Departure of Israel; 11:8.
THELORDMAKESA DISTINCTION!
1. Between Israelites and Egyptians.
2. Between Moses and Pharaoh,
3. Between Himself and Egypt’s gods.
THESAD SUMMARY (11:9-10; John 12:37)
1. Pharaoh would not hearken.
2. Moses and Aaron worked wonders.
3. Jehovah hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

EXPLORING EXODUS: NOTES ON CHAPTERELEVEN

1. What does Exodus eleven tell about?
It gives God’s last warning to Pharaoh through Moses.
It tells us that God revealed to Moses that only one more
plague - the death of Egypt’s firstborn - remained before
Pharaoh would thrust out the Israelites. It tells of Pharaoh’s
rejection of Moses and God’s message.
2. When did God inform Moses about the last plague? (11:l)

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God either revealed this information to Moses’ mind

during his hot conversation with Pharaoh (Cassuto’s view);
or God had already told it to Moses before his arrival at
Pharaoh’s house (10:24) (view of Keil and Delitzsch, Hertz,
and others.) If that is the true interpretation of 1 1 : 1 , then
the verse should be translated, “Jehovah had said unto
Mases, . . . .” We lean to this latter view, but either view is
possible. Perhaps God revealed to Moses the facts about the
last plague and about the Passover during the three days
of darkness.
The word for plague in 11:l is not used elsewhere in
Exodus. Its most numerous occurrence is in Lev. 13-14,
where it refers to the plague of leprosy. It means a blow, or
striking. It was to be the final decisive blow.
We must reject the unproven views of critics’ who argue
that 11:l-3 was written by one author (called E), and 11:4-8
was by another author (called J). This interruption of the
record of the conversation between Moses and Pharaoh is
necessary for our understanding of how Moses knew about
the last plague (as related in 11 :4-8).
3. W h a t were the Israelites to ask the Egyptians for? (11:2)
For jewels of gold and silver. The word jewels actually
just means vessels, but the fact that they were of gold and
silver justifies the translation of it asjewels.
In 3:22 only women were mentioned as those who were to
request jewels. Here men are mentioned also. This is not a
contradiction, just an enlargement of the command.
The word borrow in KJV is misleading. Neither the
Hebrews nor the Egyptians interpreted their asking as
borrowing. No one hinted that the items would be returned.
See notes on 3:22.
4. How did the Egyptians feel toward Moses and the Israelites?
(11:3)
They looked upon the people with favor, and upon Moses
as very great. This had been predicted to Moses back at the

IS. R. Driver, Intro. to the Literuture ofthe 0.T. (New York: World, 1965), p. 27.

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 T H E LAST WARNING 11:l-10
burning bush (3:20-22). In 12:33, 35-36 we read about how
Jehovah gave the Israelites favor with the Egyptians.
The “people” of 11:3 seem to be the Israelite people. Just
at this moment Moses was very high in the esteem of the
Israelites. Not long before, they had scorned him (5:20-21);
and very soon after this they were blaming Moses for every
trouble they had (1523; 16:21).
The honor Moses achieved must be held up in contrast
with the excuses he once gave about being such an inferior
person (3:11; 4: 10). This is a warning to us not to low-rate
ourselves too much.
Would Moses as the author of Exodus write words like
Ex. 11:3 about himself? Certainly! Why not? It was the
truth. Compare the way Paul wrote of himself (I1 Cor,
10:8-141, and the way Nehemiah wrote of himself (Neh,
5: 18-19),
5, When would the last plague strike? (11:4)
About midnight! The hour of this plague would make
its coming even dreadful.
God did not specify which midnight. We know from 12:l
that a new month (called Abib) had then started. Ex. 12:3
tells us that on the tenth day of that month each family was
to select a Iamb. Then on the fourteenth day of the month
the lamb would be slain (12:6). Thus the “midnight” was at
least four days distant, and maybe as many as nine. But
Pharaoh did not know this. Possibly the approach of each
midnight gave him premonitions of terror as he recalled
Moses’ words.
In Egyptian mythology the sun god Re was supposed to
fight each night with Apepi, the monster-serpent, and his
army of fiends, who tried to overthrow Rev2Re always con-
i quered, and thus the sun arose day after day in the sky. The

I1 occurrence of the death of the firstborn at night may have

therefore made some Egyptians sense that Jehovah could

’E. A . Wallis Budge~ThcMlrrnrny(New York: Collier-Macmillan, 1972), pp. 270-271.

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1l:l-10 EXPLORING EXODUS

enter the nighttime arena of combat with Egypt’s gods, and

so utterly overwhelm them that it was evident that they
never had existed at all.
The conversation between Moses and Pharaoh that was
interrupted at 10:29 is picked up again in the narrative
at 11:4.
6. What would happen in the last plague? (11:4-6)
God would go out into the midst of Egypt. (The I in 11:4
is emphatic.) All the firstborn of Egypt would die, those
high-born and those low-born, and the firstborn of all
beasts. There would be a great cry of anguish throughout
all the land of Egypt.
The lowly maidservant (slave woman) working at the
“two grindstones” (a lower one and an upper stone that
rotated upon the lower) would see her firstborn die. Pharaoh
on his throne would suffer the same.
Pharaoh’s forefather had once tried to slay the babes of
Israel (1:22). Now all Egypt is sentenced to have its first-
born die.
The death of firstborn beasts would be impressive in
Egypt, where many beasts were worshipped as manifesta-
tions of various gods.
Ramm comments3 that the universality of the plague of
death of the firstborn is a type of universality of God’s last
judgment, when the small and great alike shall stand before
the judge (Rev. 20:12). God is no respector of persons
(Acts 10:34). There will be weeping and wailing, like the
cry that came up from Egypt (Matt. 2530).
The cry that was to arise throughout Egypt on that dread-
ful night recalls the cries of the Israelites (2:23). Now it is
the Egyptians who will cry out in anguish at God’s judgment.
We surely cannot accept the hypothesis set forth4that the
story of the death of the firstborn is an exaggerated account
of a fatal pestilence which struck the Egyptian children and
‘.
’Bernpd Ramm, His Way Out (Glendale,Calif.: Regal, 1974), p. 68.
T h e $roadmanBibleCommentary, Vol. 1 (Nashville: Broadman, 1969), pp. 363-364.

230
 THE LAST WARNING 1l:l-10
brought about the release of the Hebrews. Proponents of
this theory think that through years of transmission within
Israel the memory of the event was so shaped that the end
product, the present Exodus narrative, suggests that only the
firstborn were involved, and that both the firstborn of man
and beast were involved. Bernard Ramm replies well to this
notion with the point that Pharaoh would not have released
Israel because of an ordinary epidemic among children.
7. How would God show that He made a distinction between
Egyptians andIsrael? (11:7)
He would protect the Israelites from the death of their
firstborn. His protection would be so total that not even a
dog would bark at the hordes of departing Israelites and
their cattle. (Literally the text says that a dog will not
“sharpen” [or point] his tongue. This same idiom is used
also in Joshua 10:21.)
What a contrast1 The wicked crying, the good quiet; the
wicked dead, the good living; the wicked frightened, the
good peaceful; the wicked helpless, the good protected.
(Preacher’s Homiletic Commentary)
8. What would Pharaoh’s sewants do when their firstborn
died? (11:8)
They would come to Moses, bow down, and beg him and
his people to leave. “After that,” Moses said, “I will go outl”
These were Moses’ last words to Pharaoh before the Passover.
What a reversall Egyptians begging Moses to leave? Yes,
and even Pharaoh joined in the begging (12:30-33).
9. With what feeling did Moses leave Pharaoh? (11:8)
With hot anger1 First Pharaoh became angered (10:28);
then Moses’ wrath arose. But it was a righteous anger, the
kind all noble Godly souls should feel sometimes when
dealing with people like Pharaoh - lying, double-dealing,
promise-breaking, stubborn, cruel, persecuting, hard,
resistant to the truth.
10. Did Pharaoh change his mind afterMoses left him? (11:9-10)

$Rarnm, op. cit., p. 66.

23 1
12~1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

In no wise! God cautioned Moses not to expect Pharaoh

td come to his senses. All along God had foretold that Pha-
ralah woiild not listen, and that He would work his signs
(miracles and plagues) in Egypt; and then after all that, “I
will bring forth my hosts, my people, the children of Isreal”
(7:4; 4:21).
There is a marvelous review and summary of the first
nine plaghes in the two verses Ex. 11:9-10.
The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart after plagues number
six (boils), eight (locusts), nine (darkness), and after Israel
departed (14:4, 8). See notes on 4:21 concerning this
hardening.
Ex. 11:9-10 are truly transitional verses. From now on
Moses will be dealing with Israel and not with Pharaoh.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses and Aar-on in the land
12 of E-gypt, saying, (2) This month shall be unto you the
beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to
you. (3) Speak ye unto all the congregation of Is-ra-el, saying,
In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man
a lamb, according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a house-
hold: (4) and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall
he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to
the number of the souls; according to every mads eating ye
shall make your count for the lamb. (5) Your lamb shall be
without blemish, a male a year old: ye shall take it from the
sheep, or from the goats: (6) and ye shall keep it until the
fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of
the congregation of Is-ra-el shall kill it at even. (7) And they
shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on
the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it. (8) And they

232
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51
shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with &e, and unleavened
bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (9) Eat not of it raw,
nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its
legs and with the inwards thereof. (10) And ye shall let nothing
of it remain until the morning; but that which remaineth of it
until the morning ye shall burn with fire. (11)And thus shall
ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your
staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; it is Je-ho-vah's
passover. (12) For I will go through the land of E-gypt in that
night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of E=gypt,both
man and beast; and against all the gods of E-gypt I will execute
judgments: I am Je-ho-vah. (13) And the blood shall be to you
for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the
blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be upon
you to destroy you, when I smite the land of E-gypt. (14) And
this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a
feast to Je-ho-vah: throughout your generations ye shall keep
it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
(15) Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first
day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever
'eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day,
that soul shall be cut off from Is-ra-el. (16) And in the first day
there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day
a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them,
save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by
you. (17) And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread;
for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land
of E-gypt: therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your
generations by an ordinance for ever. (18)In the first month, on
the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened
bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
(19) Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses:
for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be
cut off from the congregation of Is-ra-el, whether he be a so-
journer, or one that is born in the land. (20) Ye shall eat nothing
leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
(21)Then Mo-ses called for all the elders of Is-ra-el, and said
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12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

unto them, Draw out, and take you lambs according to your
families, and kill the passover. (22) And ye shall take a bunch
of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike
the lintel and the two sidemposts with the blood that is in the
basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until
the morning. (23) For Je-ho-vah will pass through to smite the
E-gyp-tians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and
on the two side-posts, Je-ho-vah will pass over the door, and
wiU not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to
smite you. (24) And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance
to thee and to thy sons for ever. (25) And it shall come to pass,
when ye are come to the land which Je-ho-vah will give you,
according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
(26) And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say
unto you, What mean ye by this service? (27) that ye shall say,
It is the sacrifice of Je-ho-vah's passover, who passed over the
houses of the children of Is-ra-el in E-gypt, when he smote the
E-gyp-tians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed
the head and worshipped. (28) And the children of Is-ra=elwent
and did so; as Je-ho-vah had commanded Mo-ses and Aar-on,
so did they.
(29) And it came to pass at midnight, that Je-homvah smote
all 'the fhst-born in the land of E-gypt, from the first-born of
Pha-raoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive
that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle. (30)And
Pha-raoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all
the E-gyp-tians; and there was a great cry in E-gypt; for there
was not a house where there was not one dead. (31) And he
called for Mo-ses and Aar-on by night, and said, Rise up, get
you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of
Is-ra-el; and go, serve Je-ho-vah, as ye have said. (32) Take both
your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and
bless me also. (33) And the E-gyp-tlans were urgent upon the
people, to send them out of,the land in haste; for they said, We
are all dead men. (34) And the people took their dough before it
was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their
clothes upon their shoulders. (35) And the children of Is-ra-el

234
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51
did according to the word of Mo-ses; and they asked of the E-
gyp.tains jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: (36)
and Je-ho-vah gave the people favor in the sight of the E-gyp-
tians, so that they let them have what they asked. And they
despoiled the E-gyp-tians.
(37) And the children of 1s.ra-el journeyed from Ram-e-ses to
Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, be-
sides children. (38) And a mixed multitude went up also with
them; and flocks and herds, even very much cattle. (39) And they
baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth
out of E-gypt; for it was not leavened, because they were thrust
out of E-gypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for
themselves any victuals. (40) Now the time that the children of
Is-ra-el dwelt in E-gypt was four hundred and thirty years. (41)
And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years,
even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of Je-ho-
vah went out from the land of Eqgypt. (42) It is a night to be
much observed unto Je-homvah for bringing them out from the
land of E-gypt: this is that night of Je-ho-vah, to be much ob-
served of all the children of Is-ra-el throughout their generations.
(43) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses and Aar-on, This is the
ordinance of the passover: there shall no foreigner eat thereof;
(44) but every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou
has circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. (45) A sojourner
and a h i e d servant shall not eat thereof. (46) In one house shall it
be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out
of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. (47) All the
congregation of Is-ra-el shall keep it. (48) And when a stranger
I
shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to Je-ho-vah,
let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and
keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: but no un-
circumcised person shall eat thereof. (49) One law shall be to him
that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among
you. (50) Thus did all the children of Is-ra-el; as Je-ho-vah corn.
manded Mo-ses and Aar-on, so did they. (51) And it came to pass
the selfsame day, that Je-ho-vah did bring the children of Is-ra-el
out of the land of E-gypt by their hosts.

235
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EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTERTWELVE
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading, propose a brief title or topic for the

chapter.
2. Where were God’s instructions about the Passover given?
(12:l)
3. What change in the calendar did the Passover make? (12:2)
4. When is the month Abib according to our calendar? (13:4)
5. On what day of the month was the lamb to be selected? (12:3)
6. What was the passover lamb a type of? (I Cor. 57)
7. What groups of people selected lambs? (12:3)
8. What if a family was too small to eat a whole lamb? (12:4)
9. What were the qualifications for the passover lamb? (12:5)
10. On what day was the lamb slain? At what time of day? (12:6)
11. What was done with the blood? (12:7,22)
12. How was the lamb to be cooked and served? (12:8-9,ll)
13. What was done with the inwards of the lamb? (12:9)
14. What was to be done with the leftovers? (12:10,45)
15. How were the people to be clothed as they ate the passover?
In what manner was it to be eaten? (12:ll)
16. What does passover mean? (12:ll-13)
17; 4Whopassed over the land? (12:12, 13’ 23)
18. Against what would God execute judgment? (12:12)
19. What caused God to pass over the Israelites? (12:13)
20. How was the Passover remembered after the original observ-
. ance in Egypt? (12:14)
21. What feast followed the Passover? (12:15,17)
22. How long did this feast last? (12:15,18)
23. What was the penalty for eating leaven? (12:15)
24. When were holy convocations (gatherings) to be held during
the feast of Unleavened bread? (12:16)
25. What work was to be done during this feast? (12:16)
26. What was the cause or purpose for observing the feast of
unleavened bread? (12:17)
27. On what days of the month were the feasts of Passover and
unleavened bread? (12:18)

236
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51

28. Was there any restriction about leaven besides not eating it?
(12:19)
29, Who selected and killed the passover lamb? (12:21)
30. What was used to apply blood? (12:22)
31, Where were the people to stay during the passover? (12:22)
32. Did the Israelites leave in the middle of the night or the
morning? (12:22)
33. How long was the Passover to be observed? (12:24)
34. Who wquld ask questions about the Passover observance?
(12:26)
35. What was the reaction of the Israelites to Moses’ orders
about the Passover? (12:27-28’50)
36. At what time did the firstborn die? (12:29)
37. What was the reaction of the Egyptians to the death of their
firstborn? (12:30)
38. Who called Moses and Aaron? When? (12:31)
39. What did Pharaoh tell Moses and Aaron to do? (12:31-32)
40. What did Pharaoh ask Moses to do for him? (12:32)
41. How urgent were the Egyptians? (12:33)
42. What is stated about the bread dough the Israelites carried
out? (12:34,39)
43. What did the Israelites ask for? (12:35)
44. What place was the starting point of Israel’s journey out?
(12:37)
45. How many Israelites went out of Egypt? (12:37; Numbers
1:46)
46. Who went out with the Israelites? (Ex. 12:38)
47. How long had the Israelites dwelt in Egypt? (12:40-41; Gen.
1513; Acts 7:6; Gal. 3:17)
48. How were the Israelites to feel about and react to the Pass-
over? (12:42)
49. Could foreigners eat the passover? (12:43)
50. When could servants or sojourners eat the passover? (12:44-
45,48)
51. Where was the passover to be eaten? (12:46)
52. What was the law about the bones of the passover lamb?
(12:46)

237
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

53. Why is this law about the bones significant to Christians?

(John 19:36)
54. Which Israelites were to keep the passover? (12:47)
55. In what groups did God bring the Israelites out? (1251)

EXODUS TWELVE: OVERAND OUT!

(The radio-operators’ expression “Over and out” sums up
much of the story in Exodus 12.)
I. God passed over Egypt; 12:l-36.
11. Israel went out of Egypt; 12:37-51.

THEFIRST
MONTHOF THE YEAR!(Ex. 12:2)
I. A time of deliverance; Ex. 12:13.
11. A time of sacrifice; Ex. 12:3-6.
111. A time of observance; Ex. 12:42.
IV. A time to step forth; Ex. 12:37.

RELIGIONIN THEHOME!(12:3-4,15)
I. Sacrifices in every home; (12:3)
11. Gatherings in every home; (12:3-4,22)
111. Blood on every house; (12:7,22)
IV. Instruction in every home; (12:26-27)

N o LEAVENIN YOURHOUSES!(12:19)
I. Unleavened bread after the Passover; (12:lS).
(After accepting Christ, our Passover lamb, we must put out
the leaven of malice and wickedness. I Cor. 5:7-8).

238
 OVER AND OUT 121-51
11, Unleavened bread in every generation; (12:17).
(“Be thou faithful unto death.” Rev. 2:lO).

DEATHOF THE FIRSTBORN,

A TYPEOF CHRIST’SSECONDCOMING!(12:29)
I. A time of judgment and vengeance; Ex.6:6; I1 Thess. 1:7-9.
11. ,Advance warnings given; Ex.11:4-5; 12:12; Rev. 1:7.
111. Sudden; Ex.12;29; I Thess. 52-3.
IV. No one escapes; Ex.12:30; I Thess. 5 3 .
V. A time of cry; Ex. 12:30; Rev. 1:7; 6:15-17.
VI. Deliverance to those under the blood; Ex. 12:13, 23; Rev.
59.

OF GOD’SPEOPLE!(Ex.12:29-36)
DELIVERANCE

I. It is the work of GOD; (12:29).

11, It requires obedience; (12:28).
111. It requires stepping forth; (12:34, 37)
IV. It is triumphant; (12:35-36).

HIS PROMISES!
GODFULFILLING

1. His people would come out from bondage. (Gen. 15:14)

2. His people would come forth with great substance. (Gen. 15:
14; Ex.12:36)
3. Pharaoh would drive them out. (Ex. 6:l; 12:31-33)
4. His people would be ill treated for four hundred years. (Gen.
15:13;.Ex.12:40)
THE PASSOVER CHRIST,
in Egypt -A Type of - Our Passover
1. The start of a new year. 1. The start of new life for
239
12:1.-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

Ex. 12:2. the believer. I1 Cor. 517.

2. Each family, led by the 2. Each person and family
father, kept the feast. keeps “the feast.’’
Ex. 12:3 I1 Cor. 5:8.
3. Unblemished lamb; 3. Christ, the lamb of God
Ex. 12:s (John 1:29), without sin;
(Heb. 4: 14-15).
4. Lamb pre-selected; 4. Christ foreknown;
Ex. 12:3. I Peter 1:19-20.
5. Lamb slain! Ex. 12:6, 21. 5. Christ slain1 Rev. 56;
’ 13:8.
6. Not a bone broken; 6. Not a bone broken;
Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12. John 19:33,36.
7. Blood applied to doors; 7. Blood sprinkled upon our
Ex. 12:7,22. hearts; I Pet. 1:2;
Heb. 12:24.
8. Lamb eaten; 12:8-10 8. Must eat of Christ;
John 653.
9. Be ready to march; 9. Be ready to obey;
Ex. 12:ll. Titus 3: 1.
10. All firstborn died, except 10. All to perish except those
those under the blood; under the blood;
12:12-13,29. Heb. 9:22; Rom. 5 9 .
11. An eternal observance; 11. Jesus the same forever;
EX. 12:14,24-25. Heb. 13:8.
12. Leaven removed; 12. Purge out old leaven
EX.12~15,19-20; 1316-7. (malice, wickedness);
I Cor. 5 8 .
13. Holy convocations to be 13. Need to assemble to-
kept; Ex. 1216. gether; Heb. 10:25.
14. Brought deliverance; 14. Brings deliverance;
EX. 12~30-33. Heb. 214-15.
15. Available to all those 15. Available to all those
circumcised; 12:4 3-48. circumcised in baptism;
Col. 2:ll-13.
16. To speak of it always; 16. Speak always of our hope;
EX.12~24-27;13:8-9. I Pet. 3:15.

240
 OVER AND OUT 12: 1-51

EXPLORING NOTES ON CHAPTERTWELVE

EXODUS:
1. What is in Exodus twelve?
God’s instructions to Moses in the land of Egypt occupy
12:1-20. These instructions concerned how the Israelites
should kill and eat the passover in Egypt (12:3-14), and how
they should keep the feast of unleavened bread (12:15-20).
Pervading these instructions are words about the future
observance of these feasts.
The chapter relates how Moses gave a last-day reminder to
the people to kill the passover (12:21-28).
The chapter tells of the death of Egypt’s firstborn, and
how the Egyptians thrust out the Israelites, and how the
Israelites collected jewelry from the Egyptians. It tells of
Israel’s mass departure. (12:29-42)
The chapter closes with Jehovah’s revelation to Moses
about foreigners eating the Passover (12:43-51).
2. Where did God give the instructions about the Passover and
the feast of unleavened bread? (12: 1)
He gave them in Egypt. Of the three annual feasts of the
Israelites, the Passover alone is said to have been instituted
in Egypt. Why should this statement be made, unless as a
matter of fact it is true?
Critics maintain that the Passover information in Ex. 12
is a very late priestly composition (fifth century B.C.), de-
signed to give an explanation for the Passover and to enforce
its observance upon the people. Supposedly it had been
borrowed from a sheep-herding people, who at lambing
season smeared blood on their tent-flaps to protect their
flocks from some demonic spirits. Such ideas lack any proof
at all, and certainly do not agree with the Biblical informa-
tion about the Passover’s origin.
3. What month became theJirst month of theyear? Why?
The month when the Passover occurred became thereafter
the first month of the Israelites’ religious year. God desig-
nated this to be done because the Passover was the occasion
of Israel’s liberation from Egypt. It started a new epoch in

24 1
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

Israel’s history.
The month containing the Passover was anciently called
Abib, and occurred partly in our March and partly in April.
Ex. 23:15: “You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread;
for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I com-
manded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for
in it you came out of Egypt. Compare Ex. 34:18; Deut. 16:1.
This month was called Nisan after the Babylonian captiv-
ity. See Esther 3:7; Neh. 2:1.
The Israelites had two starting points for their years. The
religious calendar began in Abib. The civil (or agricultural)
calendar began six months later in Ethanim (also called
Tishri), which was in our Sept..Oct. The Tishri-to-Tishri
year had been used before the Passover was instituted.
In a true spiritual sense the Passover marked the beginning
of a new year for Israel. In the same way, our acceptance of
Jesus as Lord, Messiah, and savior is the start of God’s new
year for us. It is our spiritual birthday. Our past life in sin
was a bondage, like Israel’s in Egypt. When any one is in
Christ, lo, he is a new creature! (I1 Cor. 517)
What animalwas selected for the Passover? (12:3-5)
A lamb was selected. The Hebrew word.for lamb used here
(seh) referred also to kid goats. See 125.
Each family was to select its own lamb, and thus many
lambs would be sacrificed. In view of this fact, it is very note-
worthy to see that throughout this chapter the lamb is
, referred to as singular (not lambs). We feel that this was no
accident, but was God’s way of indicating that there was only
ONE true passover lamb in HIS mind. That lamb is Christ,
our passover, who has been sacrificed for us! (John 1:29;
I Cor. 5 7 ) . Unless the Passover is studied with this in mind,
it is little more than a triviality of history. But the twelfth
chapter of Exodus becomes exciting when we realize that
almost every line of it reveals more about Christ, the true
Passover lamb.
5. When was the Passover lamb to be selected? (12:3,6)
The lamb was to be selected on the tenth day of the month.

242
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51

Presumably it was kept apart from the rest of the flock. It

was to be slain on the fourteenth day of the month. (12:6)
The act of selecting out the Passover lamb four days in
advance served several purposes. It directed the people’s
minds toward the coming feast. It became a topic of con-
versation. The visible presence of the lamb stimulated the
people to do the other necessary jobs in preparation for the
coming feast and for their departure. More than that, it
illustrated the fact that Christ our passover lamb was selected
and foreordained to die long before He perished on Calvary.
Indeed, he was foreknown before the foundation of the
world! (I Pet. 1:19-20)
In Ex. 12:3 we have the first Biblical usage of the term
congregation (Heb. eduh). This became a common technical
term for the whole body of the Israelites. The word has a
somewhat similar meaning to the New Testament word
ekklesiu, the church, or the called-out assembly. Though
there were many families in Israel, they were all one congre-
gation. In a similiar way we Christians today should think
and act like members of a single, world-wide congregation OK
those redeemed by Christ, our Passover lamb. Loyalty to our
humanly-created denominations and exclusive devotion to
our local congregations destroy the Spirit-given unity of the
whole world-wide congregation of God.
6. Whatfunction did family units have in the Passover? (12:3-4)
The Passover was eaten by family groups individually. The
Passover was fundamentally a family-feast, although two or
more small families could join together if one family was too
small to eat an entire lamb. Jewish tradition later specified
ten as the smallest number of participants at a family Pass-
over. But this number was originally left to the discretion of
individual heads of families.
The observance of the Passover in this way was a simple,
manageable way to guarantee the participation of every
1 Israelite in the Passover feast. It also showed God’s approval
of and stress on the family. The family is a vital, divinely-
I
I ordained unit in society.
I 243
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

7 . What kind of lamb was selected? (125)

The lamb was without blemish, having no sores, scars, or
deformities. Compare Lev. 2220-22. Likewise Christ was
without blemish of sin (I Peter 1:19; Heb. 4:15). The lamb
was to be a male a year old. The Jewish rabbis interpreted
this to mean “born within the year.” More probably it meant
“a full year old.” The Hebrew literally says “a son of a year.”
A similar expression is used in Gen. 21:4, where we are told
that Isaac was circumcised when he was a “son of eight
days,” that is, eight days old. Lev. 27:6 has a similar word-
ing: “from a son of a month unto a son of five years.”’
Our Lord Jesus, like the full-grown yearling lamb, was
offered at the peak of his young maturity, a little beyond age
thirty (Luke 323).
8. Who killed the lamb? When? (12:6)
The whole congregation killed it “between the two even-
ings.” (Compare Num. 93.1 Probably only one person in
each family actually killed the lamb, the father or someone
he appointed. But by the principle of representation every
member of the family killed it; all were involved in its death.
It is most remarkable that “all the assembly of the congre-
. gation of Israel shall kill it, ” as if God, referred to ONE lamb
for the whole body of Israelites. We feel that this is exactly
what God had in mind. God was providing to them an ad-
vance symbol, or type, of THE laqb, Christ!
By the same principle of reprqsentation, we all killed the
Lord Jesus. The Jews and the Romans condemned him and
drove the nails. But we by our sins also shared in killing him!
This principle works also for our benefit. We become
sharers in the death of Jesus by this principle. Jesus died for
sins, and died to sins, once for all. We who are baptized into
his death (Romans 6:3-4) have been united with Him in
death. His death becomes our death to sin. We are united
with him in death and in resurrection.
The lamb was slain about sunset. Deut. 16:6: “Thou shalt

‘Davis, op. cit., p. 138.

244
 O V E R AND OUT 12:l-51
sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun,”
Ex. 12:6 literally says “between the two evenings.” The
meaning of this is not absolutely certain, but the Jews inter-
preted it to mean between three and six o’clock in the after-
noone2Supposedly if it were after sunset, it would place the
sacrifice on the next calendar day. The annual Day of Atone-
ment was on the tenth day of the seventh month, but the
observance began on the ninth day of the month, at even
(Lev. 23:32). Perhaps this is an analogy with the start of the
Passover: it could be slain at any period from late afternoon,
to sunset, or shortly after.
It is noteworthy that our Lord died at the ninth hour,
about 3:OO p.m., which was the time the passover lambs
began to be slain.
9. Was the Passover a SACRIFICE?
Certainly it was a kind of sacrifice. Observe that the Pass-
over ritual is called the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover (Ex.
12:27; 34:25; Deut. 16:2).
The only reason for hesitating to call the Passover a sacri-
I fice is that its original observance in Egypt did not involve
use of altars or priests. But this was due to the fact that the
first Passover was kept during the patriarchal age before the
~

law of Moses (given at Mt. Sinai) set up a system of priests,

i altars, etc. But this did not keep it from being a true sacri-
I fice. Prior to the law of Moses the heads of families often
I functioned as priests to offer sacrifices (Gen. 8:20; Job 1:s).
1 Like all true sacrifices the Passover involved blood and
death. Blood was given by God to make atonement for our
I souls (Lev. 17:11), and was employed for no other purpose.

I Like all true sacrifices, the Passover was in later times to

be offered only at the central place of worship which God
had designated (Deut. 12:2, 5-6).

I
Like all true sacrifices, the Passover involved substitution!
The Israelites were sinners and idolaters, just like the
Egyptians. They deserved to perish (as we do also). God did

I Vosephus, Antiquities, XIV,iv, 3.

1 24 5
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

not spare Israel because they were righteous (Deut. 9:4).God

was determined to destroy all the firstborn IN Egypt, not
just the firstborn OF Egypt (Ex. 11:4). The death of the
lamb was accepted as the substitute for the death of the
firstborn of Israel.
We stress the fact that the Passover was a sacrifice, because
it was a type of the death of Christ. Christ’s death was also a
sacrifice, the righteous Christ dying in the placeof unrighteous
sinners like us. His death was not just a moral lesson or good
example but a provision for our guilt, a substitution for us.
This is a great comfort to us, if we have become truly aware
of our desperate condition in sin.
10. Where was the bloodplaced? (12:7,22)
It was placed on the two side posts and on the lintels across
the tops of the doorwajrs of the houses where the passover was
being eaten. A bunch of hyssop was used to apply the blood
to the door-posts, after the hyssop had been dipped in the
blood in the basin.
The sprinkling of the blood and the use of hyssop both
suggest cleansing and putting out (expiation) of uncleanness.
Hyssop is a lowly plant, sometimes growing out of cracks in
walls (I Kings 4 3 3 ) . Hyssop was used in the rituals for
cleansing leprosy (Lev. 14:4-6, 49-52), for cleansing the un-
cleanness associated with the dead (Num. 19:18-191, and for
cleansing sin generally (Ps. 51:7).
The blood spattered about the door was the only difference
that night between Israel and Egypt. Likewise, on the day of
judgment, whether or not the blood of Christ is sprinkled up-
on our hearts (that is, souls) will be the only criterion for
determining whether we receive eternal life or eternal punish-
ment. See I Peter 1:2; Heb. 12:24.
Ex. 12:22 speaks of dipping the hyssop in the blood in
the basin. The Hebrew word translated basin (saph) indeed
means basin, or bowl, (as in Jer. 52:19; I Kings 7 : s ) . But
’
it is also translated threshold, or sill (as in Judges 19:27;
I1 Kings 12:9). The Greek O.T. translated it in Ex. 12:22 as
thura, meaning door or threshold.

246
 OVER AND O U T 12: 1-51
Some interpreters make a big matter of this, arguing that
by having blood on the threshold, all four sides of the doorway
were sprinkled with blood, and thus the Israelites were totally
protected from entry by a “destroyer.” Whether this idea is
set forth with a reverent attitude (as by Pink) or as an attempt
to explain the sprinkling of the blood as a custom borrowed
from other nations by the Israelites, it is still not valid. How
could there be enough blood in (or on) the threshold to dip a
hyssop into it? Why should blood be placed on the door
threshold where it could be trodden under foot of men?
The 1969 Broadman Bible Commentary seriously assures
us that we need to know that the doorway was the abode
of good and evil spirits in Near Eastern culture, in order to
have understanding of the smearing of the blood in the
Passover narrative (p. 373). Possibly some superstitious
peoples did believe that his was true; but it has no proven
connection with the acts of the Israelites.
11. How was the lamb prepared for eating? How was it served?
(12:8-9, 46)
It was roasted entire (not cut up), probably over an open
fire. It was served with unleavened bread and bitter-herbs.
The inward parts were roasted with the rest of it. (We are
quite sure that the entrails were first cleaned out before
roasting.)
Perhaps the significance of the lamb’s being roasted entire
lay in the fact that Christ sacrificed himself entirely, body
and soul. The entirety of the lamb hardly represents the
1 perfect unity of Israel as a n a t i ~ n unless
,~
resented as a sacrifice for its own salvation.
Israel is rep-

I
I

1
The Greek O.T. (LXX) inserts into 12:lO the words, “and
a bone of it ye shall not break,” This is stated in 12:46, both
in the Hebrew and the Greek. The unbroken bones of the
Passover lamb symbolized the unbroken bones of Christ
(John 19:36). See notes on 12:46.
Unleavened bread is bread made without yeast or other

I IJ. H.Hertz, ThePentateuch andHufiorohs (London: Soncino, 1969), p 255.

I 24 7
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

“starter.” Usually the leaven was a pinch of the old dough

added to the next new batch of dough. Unleavened bread
would be flat, unraised, and probably pancake-shaped.
Leaveti was not used on Passover night because there was
not t i d e for the process of letting the bread rise (Ex. 12:34).
The apostle Paul reveals that there was a spiritual meaning
in the tmleavened bread, which was not clearly revealed in
the original feast. Leaven is a symbol of such evil influences
as malice, wickedness, and hypocrisy (I1 Cor. 5 7 ; Luke
12:l; Mark 8:15). These are “leaven” which must be put
out of a Christian’s life.
The bitter herbs that were served with the unleavened
bread and roasted lamb probably were symbols of the
previous sufferings of the Israelites. They also remind us
that Christ was a man of sorrows (ha, 53:3). The bitter
herbs are also referred to in Num. 9:11. The Jewish writings
called the Mishna allowed as bitter herbs lettuce, chicory,
pepperwort, snakeroot, or dandelion. (Pesahim 2:6) (The
Mishna dates from second century B.C. to second century
A.D.)
12. Why were no leftovers keptfvom the Passover feast? (12:10,
46)
The reason is not stated, Compare Num. 9:12; Deut.
16:4. Perhaps it was to cause the participants tcr associate
this food exclusively with the deliverance they experienced
that night. Also perhaps leftover ftagments might have been
used as objects for superstitious practices. Also any leftover
agments might have fallen into irreverent hands that
would treat them spitefully. God has frequently claimed
holy things for His exclusive use. See Ex. 30:37-38; Lev.
27:3Off.
13. In what manner were the Israelites to eat the Passover?
(12:ll)
They were to eat it in haste. The hour was probably late by
the time the lamb was roasted and served, and lamb had
to be eaten by midnight (11:4;12:29). There was also many
other last-minute jobs for the Israelites, as any one who has

248
 OVER AND OUT 12~1-51
ever packed up to move can testify. As they ate t..e supper,
they were to be packed-up and clothed for travel; even
though the hour was late. We wonder if some babies were not
crying because of the interruption in their usual life patterns.
Little did the Israelites dream that those same clothes and
shoes they wore that night would be miraculously preserved
for forty years in the desert. (Deut. 29:s; Neh. 9:21)
The instructions about the Passover were made forcible by
God’s declaration “It is Jehovah’s passover.” Although
the passover was for man’s good, it was not BY man. The
Lord God was the creator and designer of the passover.
Salvation is of GOD. “GOD so loved the world that he
gave, . . .” Often we fail to honor God and His basic place
in our salvation. In various cases of sacrifice God himself
has provided FOR HIMSELF the sacrifice that saves us.
Thus he did for Abraham (Gen. 22:8). Thus also He did
when he provided for Christ a body in which to die for us
(Heb. 10:5-7).
The Passover was a new thing, and not a reinterpretation
of some old previously-existing ritual.
The Hebrew word for passover is pesach; the Greek is
pascha, from which we get “paschal lamb.” Pesach means
a sparing, or immunity from penalty or calamity. Its
meaning can be seen (by the use of the related verb pasach)
in Isaiah 31:s: “Jehovah of hosts will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect it and deliver it, he will pass over and preserve
it.” Pasach has another meaning: to halt, limp, or waver,
as in I Kings 18:21. This meaning does not seem to apply
to the matter of the Passover.
14. What disaster would strike Egypt the night of the Passover?
(12: 12)
God would go through the land of Egypt on that (literally
“this”) night, and smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,
both of men and beast. By this act God would perform
(literally “do”) judgments against all the gods of Egypt.
Compare Numbers 33:4. Note that it was GOD who passed
over the land. No “destroying angel” is mentioned here; but

24 9
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

see the notes on 1223.

Pass through in 12:12 is a different term from pass over.
Pahsing through merely has the idea of movement across
some area. Passing OVER has the idea of sparing, or passing
by. To Egypt it was a passing through; to Israel it was a
passing over!
Pharaoh considered himself a son of various gods. His
firstborn son was the prime heir to his divine royal dignity.
But God executed judgment upon Egypt’s gods during the
plagues, and particularly at the passover. All the gods
of Egypt could not save the firstborn of Egypt.
Again God asserted, “I am Jehovah.” How often God had
said that! See notes on Ex. 6:2.
15. What was thepurpose of the blood? (12:13)
The blood was to be a token, or sign, for the Israelites,
upon their houses. A sign of what? A sign of faith; a sign of
sacrifice; a sign of obedience; a sign for deliverance. A sign
to whom? To God; to the “destroyer” (12:23); to one another.
How glorious are the words: “When I see the blood, I
will pass over you.”
Does the word plague in 12:13 indicate that the firstborn
of Egypt died by a diseuse plague? The Hebrew word here
slated plague (Heb. negeph) is a rather general term
ning a smiting, hurting, or stumbling. By itself it does
necessarily refer to a disease plague.
However, Psalm 7850-51 says, “He spared not their soul
from death, But (Heb., And) gave their life over to the
pestilence, and smote all the firstborn in Egypt.” The word
pestilence here is deber, the same word translated murrain
(once) and pestilence forty-seven times. In some Bibles the
words “their life” is translated “their beasts” in the margin,
This would connect the pestilence to the death of the cattle.
However, the literal reading is “their life”; and the close
connection of Psalm 78:50c with 7851a seems definitely
to link the pestilence with the death of the firstborn.
When we first read Ps. 7850-51, we found ourselves
resisting the idea that a pestilence killed Egypt’s firstborn,

250
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51

lest anyone think that we were endeavoring to give a purely

natural explanation for the death of the firstborn. We believe
that this was a miraculous judgment in the fullest sense of
that term. Still we cannot deny the testimony of Ps. 78:50; it
is also part of God’s word. Therefore we accept the infor-
mation that the firstborn of Egypt perished by a pestilence.
But what a miraculous pestilence! I t was almostinstantaneous
in its effect. It struck every house at the same moment. It
struck only at the oldest child in every family, and the oldest
beasts. It did not strike in houses with blood at the doors.
16. What observance of the Passover was to be kept in the
fiture? (12:14,24-27)
It was to be observed every year thereafter as a memorial
and as a feast unto Jehovah, throughout Israel’s generations,
for ever. Ex. 13:lO. Compare Lev. 23:4-5. In one way the
Passover was for ever, because Christ is for ever.
The Old Testament records just six times when the
passover was, kept: 1. Egypt (Ex. 12); 2. Sinai (Num. 9);
3. Canaan (Joshua 5); 4. Hezekiah (I1 Chron. 30); 5. Josiah
(I1 Kings 23); 6. Jews returned from Babylon (Ezra 6 ) .
We suppose that it was kept in other years. But we know
the Israelites were not always faithful in observing it.
Repeating the Passover yearly made the later generations
participants in the original event in a very real way. Similarly
God has given to us the observances of baptism and the
communion. These are both memorials to past events and
means to help us be participants in those events.
17. What observance followed the Passover? (12:15-25)
The feast of Unleavened bread followed the Passover durr
ing the seven days after it. (SeeLev. 235-8; Num.28:17-25;
Deut. 16:3-8.) These two feasts were so closely associated that
they were sometimes spoken of as one feast (Ex. 23:14-15).
During this feast no leaven of any sort was to be tolerated
in the Israelites’ house^.^ This was a convenient ordinance

‘Jews in later centuries excluded as leaven any product made of grain, such as beer,
vinegar, porridge, paste, or cosmetics.

25 1
12~1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

for the Israelites who left Egypt to observe. They left in such
a hurry their bread was not leavened anyway (1234).
It rather appears that Moses did not relay God’s instruc-
tions (given in 12:15-20) concerning the feast of unleavened
bread until after their’departure was undenvay. Ex. 12:17
speaks of Israel’s departure as a completed act, which had
occurred “this day.” Moses gave the instructions about the
Passover at least four days in advance (12:3, 6), and he gave
a last-day reminder about killing the Passover (12:21). But
the instructions about the feast of Unleavened bread ap-
parently were delivered the day of Israel’s departure (1357).
Another possible interpretation is that God said “I have
brought you out” (a completed action) before He actually
had brought them out, because the predicted act was as good
as done in His determined plans. Numerous Bible prophecies
are spoken of as completed acts.
During the feast of unleavened bread Israel was to hold
holy convocations (assemblies) on the first and seventh days
of the feast. Also they were to do only such work as was
necessary to eat.
The feast of Unleavened bread was probably impossible
to keep fully during the years of Israel’s wanderings. They
had no “houses” to remove leaven from (12:19). God stressed
that they were to observe the feast when they arrived in
Canaan (13:s-6).
The New Testament explains leaven as a symbol of cor-
ruption and evil influence. (See Matt. 16:6; Mark 8:15;
I Cor. 5 7 . Matt. 13:33 seems to be an exception.) This
suggests the following typology: When we accept Christ
(symbolized by the Passover lamb), then we must put out
of our lives all ungodliness and worldly lusts (symbolized by
the leaven) for ever (symbolized by the seven days). Seven
is the Biblical number signifying completeness. The seven
days of unleavened bread suggest complete and constant
conformity to God’s word.
Failure to keep the feast of unleavened bread was to be
punished by being cut off from the congregation of Israel.

252
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51
Exactly what this punishment involved is not clearly speci-
fied, whether execution, or expulsion from access to the
temple sacrifices, or from buying and selling among
Israelites, or from all social contacts with the people. These
are dire penalties.
Liberal critics5 maintain that the feasts of Passover and
Unleavened bread were both borrowed by the Israelites
from the Canaanites or someone else. They maintain that
these were originally distinct, unrelated occasions. Passover
was supposedly a pastoral feast when blood was placed on
the tent flaps to protect herds. Unleavened bread was a cult
feast at the beginning of wheat harvest, when the first yearly
produce of the land was offered to the gods, and eaten while
uncontaminated by addition of leaven. There is no concrete
evidence even for the existence of such feasts, much less for
the Israelites borrowing them. Certainly this interpretation
conflicts with the Biblical information.
18. What last-day Passover instructions did Moses give the
people? (12:21-22)
Moses called the elders (the older men functioning as
leaders of tribes and families) and told them again the in-
formation God has given approximately a week before.
See 12:3-7. Moses added statements about using hyssop.“
(See notes on 12:7.) He added instructions about not leaving
the houses that night until morning.
“By faith Moses kept the Passover, and the sprinkling
of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not
touch them’’ (Heb. 11:28).
1
Regarding the basin (12:22), or threshold, see notes on
12:7.
I Regarding the perpetual observance of the passover
I (12:24-25),see the notes on 12:14.
I Critics ascribe 12:21-27to a tenth century author (‘9’’) in
1

’As an example see Martin Noth, Exodus, p. 97.

The exact botanical identification of the hyssop referred to in the Bible is somewhat
uncertain. It may be the herb majoram. Or it may be a long-stalked, corn-like plant,
such as durrah. John 19:29 seems to refer to such a plant.

I 253
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

the Southern kingdom of Judah.’ But 12:21-27 makes good

sense as a continuation of the preceding narrative. Either
12:21-27 is the public announcements by Moses of the in-
structions God had given him (in 12:1ff), or, much more
probably, it was Moses’ last-day reminder of those in-
structions,
19. Who was the destroyer? (12:23)
We suppose that the destroyer was an angel sent by God.
Psalm 78:49 says, “He cast upon them the fierceness of his
anger, ... a band of angels of evil.” Whether Ps. 78:49
refers to the preceding verse, which refers to the plague of
hail, or to the following verse, which refers to the death of the
firstborn, can be debated. It may refer to both. Angels have
been employed on other occasions by ,God to execute His
judgments. Angels were sent to Sodom (Gen. 18:2; 19:1, 13).
An angel of God slew in Jerusalem (I1 Sam. 24:15-16).
In Ex. 11:4 and 12:12 God said that HE HIMSELF would
pass over the land that night. Even 12:23 says that JEHOVAH
would pass through to smite the firstborn. But this does not
rule out the likelihood that an angel”-orangels accompanied
God in this mission. The scripture does not contain the
%expression “death angel.” “Destroying angel” might be
more Biblical terminology.
Certainly this destroyer was not some demonic spirit
trying to get to the Israelites in their houses while God was
trying to fend it off. Evil spirits are real, but they operate
onfywithin the limits that God tolerates. Satan could only
afflict Job to the degree that God consented to tolerate
(1:9-12; 2:6). The universe is not controlled by two powers
competing for mastery, but by God alone, who barely
tolerates the Satanic evil for a little while. It was God him-
self, accompanied by HIS destroyer(s), who went forth that
night to take vengeance.
20. How would children be taught about the Passover? (12:26-27)
When the Israelites observed the unusual supper in future

‘BroadmanBible Commentary, Vol. 1 (19691,p. 372.

254
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51

generations, the children would ask questions about it,

as children do! The parents were to be prepared to answer
and eager to do so, There was to be no talk like, “Can’t you
see I’m busy, Junior? Beat it!”
In the modern Jewish passover ritual there is a prescribed
point when a child asks “Why do we keep the Passover?”
and the parent then relates the history of it. Originally the
passover was not so formally structured, and the question
was to be answered at whatever time it came up.
John Davisa reminds us that the concern which Moses
showed over the meaning of this Passover ordinance should
be a warning to us that God’s ordinances are not only to be
perpetuated in correct form, but to be taught as representing
pers’onal experience and correct theology. In our homes and
Bible schools we should be quick and eager to answer the
questions of our children concerning the religious observ-
ances they see. It is God’s plan that the children be taught
from infancy to serve God intelligently.
Note the rather formal title for the passover: “the sacrifice
of,Jghovah’s passover.” Here again the Passover is expressly
said to be a sacrifice. Sacrifices deal with SIN. Compare
Deut. 16:2. This fact transforms the Passover from a ritual
of the past to a reality in the present.
The word Passover is applied to (1) the lamb killed in
the sacrifice (12:21); to (2) all the events of the feast (Lev.
235); to (3) the Lord’s act of mercy in sparing the Israelites
(Ex. 12:14).
21. Did the Israelites obey Moses’ instructions? (12:27-28)
They not only obeyed, but obeyed worshipfully.
Their obedience was purely an act of faith in God and
Moses. However, after seeing all the plagues Moses had pre-
dicted and brought upon Egypt, the people certainly should
have had faith. But people do not always respond in a
reasonable manner. After people had seen all the miracles
Jesus did, they still did not believe him (John 12:37).
-~ ~

8Mosesand the Gods ofEgypt, p. 144.

255
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

22. What happened at midnight in Egypt? (12:29-30)

The Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.
There was not a house where there was not one dead.
These deaths were not painless and silent. The shrieks of
the dying awakened every house. And there arose a great
cry in Egypt as the firstborn expired. (Compare 11:6)
God had foretold to Pharaoh, “Because thou hast refused
.
to let Israel, my firstborn, go, . . behold, I will slay thy son,
thy firstborn” (4:23). Moses had clearly forewarned Pharaoh
(11:4-6). But seemingly Pharaoh had just refused to believe.
Therefore, the fearsome threat to Pharaoh came to pass.
There is a time-limit on God’s mercy to rebels.
Sinners cannot elude the retributions of God. Me
avoid the stroke of heaven. It comes at a time when “ye
think not,” when everyone is “safe” asleep. The second
coming of Christ will be like the death of the firstborn in
Egypt - sudden, final, and fearsome to those who are not
under the blood. (See I Thess. 51-3; I1 Thess. 1:7-8; Rev.
1:7.)
The Egyptians did not see the destroying angdis) who
struck their firstborn with a sudden fatal pestilence. But
they knew the source of this calamity: it was. from Jehovah,
the God of Israel, whose prophet Moses they had disbelieved.
(Regarding the destroying angel(s), see notes on 12:23.
Regarding the pestilence, see notes on 12:13.)
The firstborn of every social level died, from the firstborn
of Pharaoh, who sat upon the throne, to the firstborn of the
captive in the dungeon (literally, “house of the pit”). In 11:s
the lowest level of society was “the maid-servant that is behind
the (grinding) mill,” But on the Passover night social status
made no difference. Only the blood mattered.
If Amenhotep I1 was the Pharaoh of the exodus, his son
who died was the older brother of Thutmose IV, who
succeeded Amenhotep 11. Between the legs of the Sphinx in
Egypt stands a large stone bearing an inscription by Thut-
mose IV. In this inscription, called the dream-inscription,
it is evident that Thutmose IV was not the oldest son, the

256
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51
usual heir to the throne, but that he had to obtain this
position by other means. We feel that this came about as the
result of the death of the firstborn son.
This inscriptiong tells how Thutmose IV went to sleep
beside the Sphinx, whose body was then mostly covered with
sand. In a dream as he lay there, the Sphinx told him that he
would give Thutmose the kingdom upon earth, at the head of
the living. “Thou shalt wear the southern crown and the
northern crown.” If Thutmose had been the legitimate heir
of the throne, he would not have needed such a rationali-
zation as this to claim it.
Liberal critics do not like the story of the death of the
firstborn. While we get no joy from it (neither did God!), we
do not feel we have the right to sit in judgment upon God’s
word and dismiss whatever sections offend our natural
feelings. To write that this story is “perhaps contradictory
to the later and fuller revelation,” or that it was written
“in the words of men who spoke in pre-Christian cultural,
ethical, and theological words,”’O seems to us like setting
our judgment above God’s. Surely a comprehension of God’s
absolute holiness and his hatred for sin would remove the
emotional resistance to the revelations about God’s punish-
ments upon the ungodly.
23. What did the Egyptians do when their firstborn died?
(12:30-3 3)
All of the Egyptians, including Pharaoh, rose up in the
night, and called for Moses and Aaron, and begged them to
I leave their land. They seemed to fear that the plague was
just beginning, and that before it was over “We are all
I
dead men!”
Pharaoh’s spirit was broken, He was no longer arrogant.
He called for Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh uttered the long
awaited words: “GO, SERVE JEHOVAH.’’ He pleads,
“And bless me also.” This is an amazing request in the

NearEastem Texts, (Princeton, 1955),p. 449.

9A~cient
fOBroadrnanBible Commentary, Vol. 1(19691,p. 365.

I 257
12~1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

light of Pharaoh’s assumed divinity. “Bless me also” is a

request that God would save them from further disasters,
and perhaps restore their plague-battered land.
All of God’s predictions came true! There was a loud cry
in all of Egypt (11:6). Pharaoh’s servants did come and bow
down to Moses and ask them to leave (11:8). True to God’s
prediction, Egypt did let Israel go (3:20). As God predicted,
Pharaoh by a strong hand drove them out of his land (6:l).
On the other hand, Pharaoh’s prediction (or threat) that
he would kill Moses if he saw him again (10:28) was for-
gotten! “Egypt was glad when they departed, for fear of the
Israelites had fallen upon them” (Psalm 10538).
The statement about Israel’s being sent out in haste
relates to 12:39. The Israelites did not have time enough
before their departure to prepare leavened bread or food
for their journey.
24. Whatfood d i d h a e l t a k e out? (12:34,39)
They took out only the unleavened dough, which they
possibly baked on hot rocks as they stopped briefly in
their travels. They had no leftover food from the Passover
feast (12:10, 46). They were in a position where they would
very soon become utterly dependent upon God to provide
their needs.
Israel left on foot, as pilgrims, not in chariots. They left
carrying their kneading-troughs (or kneading-bowls) bound
up in cloths upon their shoulders. (However, that was surely
better than carrying bricks, whether made with or without
straw!) Israel’s first experiences of freedom involved the
labor of long walks, and carrying their goods, and of going
forth without an adequate food supply for a long trip. Israel’s
experiences were much like our own: victory and glory are
accompanied by hardships. They were going to need per-
severance and fortitude. In giving liberty to His church God
may put upon it some hardships.
25. What did the Egyptians give to the Israelites? (12:35-36)
They gave them jewels (literally, vessels) of silver and gold;
and also clothing. (It does get quite cold in the mountainous

258
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51

parts of the Sinai peninsula. It even snows in spots.)

As Jehovah had instructed them, the Israelites asked for
these jewels (3:22; 11:2-3). TheLord gave the Israelites favor
in the feelings and thoughts of the Egyptians (3:21), and the
Egyptians let them have what they asked. And they despoiled
the Egyptians. The word spoil has the connotation of a
conqueror taking the goods of a people defeated in battle.
Thus the jewelry given by the Egyptians was not basically
a remuneration for long service and a compensation for cruel
wrongs, but it was a symbol of triumph. (Note the theme
of triumph in 15:1.)
The giving of goods was part of the fulfillmeht of the
promise given to Abraham six centuries earlier, that the
descendants of Abraham would come out of their land of
bondage with great substance (Gen. 1514).
Psalm 10537: “He brought them forth also with silver
and gold; and there was not one feeble person among
their tribes.” God was already at work among Israel,
and thus none of them were sickly or infirm when they
left Egypt.
We gather from 13:18 that some weapons were taken by
the Israelites also, although our information about this
is very scanty.
26. What were the first two places in the Israelites’ journey out
ofEgypt? (12:37)
They journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. The Rameses
of 12:37 is presumably the same place as that referred to
in Ex. 1 : l l . How thrilling it was to say “Good bye forever!”
to a place of cruel slave labor,
Rameses is at present considered to be either the city-site
known as Tanis and Avaris (modern San el-Hagar) in the
northeast part of the Nile delta, or the site of Qantir, some
twelve miles south of Tanis. Extensive temple ruins from the
time of king Rameses I1 have been found at Tanis, but no re-
mains of the XVIII dynasty. At Qantir ruins of a large palace
were found. Pottery fragments bearing the name of Per-
Rameses (the name of the captial of Rameses 11)were found at

259
12~1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

Qantir.“ We have selected Qantir as the proposed site of

Rameses on our map. It is nearer to the land of Goshen
(the Wadi Tumilat area) than Tanis is. The absence of XVIII
dynasty remains at these sites‘remains a problem for those
accepting the early exodus date, as we do, but we feel this
problem will be resolved in time, as many other problems
have been already.
Succoth is generally thought to be the hill-mound of Tell
el-Maskhuta, about ten miles west of Lake Timsah. Succoth
means booths, or tents, or temporary dwellings.
While the Israelites were travelling from Rameses to
Succoth (a distance of about thirty-eight miles, or three days
travelling), the Egyptians were burying their dead. Numbers
33:3 says that the children of Israel went out with a high
hand in the sight of the Egyptians.
27. How many Israelites l e f t g y p t ? (12:37)
There were six hundred thousand on foot that were men,
besides children. This is a round number. The same number
is given in Num. 11:21. A census at Mt. Sinai not long after
their departure recorded 603,550 men (plus 22,000 Levites).
See Num. 1:46; 2:32; 3:39; Ex. 38:26. After adding women
* and children, the total departing horde of Israelites would
surely have numbered two and a half million. This vast
number fulfilled God’s promise to Abraham: “I will make of
thee a great nation” (Gen. 12:2).
This enormous number seems incredible to many people. l 2
.*Nonetheless,we believe it is the correct figure. It is not in-
credible. J. H. Hertz13tells that at the close of the eighteenth
century 400,000 Tartars started from the confines of Russia
toward the Chinese border in a single night.
In the censuses recorded in the book of Numbers, (chapters

I’Jack Finegan, Light From the Ancient Past, Vol. I (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ.
Press, 1974), p. 115.
”Even conservative authors like Alan Cole and Bernard Ramm find the number hard
to believe. The radical Martin Noth says the number exceeds enormously what is even
the slightest degree historically probable. (Op. cit., p. 99)
130p. cit., p. 259.

260
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51

one and twenty-six) the total population of Israel is broken

down by tribal divisions into small segments (46,500 for the
tribe of Reuben, etc.). The fact that the big total population
is the sum of numerous smaller group totals shows the
integrity of the whole count; and also it gives evidence of the
accurate preservation and presentation of the whole enumer-
ation.
What are some of the objections to the large number of
600,000 Israelite men?
(1) The Sinai peninsula could not have supported such a
mass of people, even it if was greener in Moses’ time than
Answer: Parts of the Sinai are greener than is general-
ly realized. But that is beside the point. The scripture
unhesitatingly asserts that there was simply NOT enough
food for the Israelites in Sinai (Ex. 16:3; Num. 11:6). The
Israelites were maintained by the miraculous manna from
the LORD for forty years (Ex. 16:35; Compare John
6:31-32, 39).
I (2) The number in Ex. 12:37 is thought by to have
I been transferred from the census figures taken by King
David over four hundred years later (I Chron. 21; I1 Sam.
I
24). Statistics from David’s census were somehow transferred
I into the story of the exodus. Answer: the population totals
1 in David’s census do not agree with the 600,000 figure in
1 Exodus (I1 Sam. 249; I Chron. 215).
I Also the notion that the Bible as delivered to us is so
scrambled up that statistics from a census taken centuries
1 later might be included in the exodus story casts serious

: shadows over the general realiability of the whole Bible as

God’s true revelation. We prefer to accept the words of Jesus
about the reliability of God’s law: “It is easier for heaven and
earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail” (Luke 16:17).
(3) Egypt could not have kept in subjection a people
numbering over two million. Bernard Ramm asserts that all

I4Ramm,op. cit., pp. 81-83.

W. E. Wright, BiblicaZArchaeofogy(Philadelphia: Westminister, 1953, pp. 66-67,

1 26 1
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

Egypt had only about seven million people, and an army of

not over twenty-five thousand. These could not have sub-
jected such a host as 600,000 Israelites. Answer: If Egypt
had counted every man in their country as a fighting man,
as the Israelites did, Egypt would have had two million
fighting men (even by Ramm’s figures). But neither nation
had all of their men armed and ready to fight at all times.
In Egypt Israel was not armed to resist the domination
of Egypt.
Furthermore, it is not necessary to assume that for one
people to subjugate another, that they must greatly out-
number them. Small groups of well-armed , determined, and
disciplined revolutionists have taken over whole nations
frequently. The Egyptians had the upper hand over the
Israelites. As long as that was the case, they did not need
to outnumbei .the Israelites many times over in order to rule
translated thousands (eleph) may also mean
family, or clan, or tribal subdivision. Mendenhall suggests
that the eleph was a “military unit.” Thus, Israel supposedly
bad about six hundred families in its, total population, with
a population of perhaps six thousand. Others suggest up to
enty-five thousand.
Answer: This argument is weakened by the fact that the
large total is broken down into twelve smaller tribal popu-
lations in Numbers. Most of the individual tribes numbered
re than the total population conceded to Israel by ad-
ates of the low total. Also we read in Joshua 8:3 that an
Israelite army of thirty thousand attacked Ai. Five thousand
more joined the army (Josh. 8:12). Surely this does not mean
thirty families, plus five families.
(5) If Israel had a population of over two million, it would
have been almost impossible for it to move as a unit. That
many people walking five abreast with their cattle would
likely make a speed of one mile per hour, and would take
two hundred and thirty hours to pass a given point; and
would need for bare subsistence nine hundred tons of food

262
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51

daily, They could not have crossed the Red Sea in one
night.
Answer: We certainly concede the logistical difficulties!
This only makes us marvel the more at Moses’ amazing
ability as a leader to organize and direct this mob. However,
it is not necessary to assume that the Israelites marched
five abreast (though some have interpreted Ex. 13:18 to say
that). They probably marched in a column at least a mile
wide. The dry path across the Red Sea was probably a mile
or more in width. The people could all see the pillar of cloud
and fire which guided their movements (13:21-22). Daily
travel instructions did not have to be handed down to
every family.
28. Who went out with the Israelites? (12:38-39)
A mixed multitude16accompanied Israel out. A multitude
means MANY. Also they were accompanied by flocks and
herds and very numerous cattle. The reference to cattle
indicates that the bondage of the Israelites did not extend
to confiscation of livestock.
We do not know the racial identity of this mixed multitude.
Possibly they were remnants of an old Semitic popula-
tion left over from the Hyksos occupation. (The Hyksos were
expelled in 1580 B.C.) Egyptian writings and paintings tell
of numerous Amorites and other Asiatics who entered Egypt.
Perhaps they were included in the mixed multitude. Moses’
Cushite (Ethiopian) wife may have been included among
these (Num. 12:l). We doubt that any Egyptians were part
of the mixed multitude; their firstborn had all died in the
Passover.
In a very similar manner, when the Jews nine centuries
later came back from Babylonian captivity, there came unto
them people from among the nations that were round about
them (Neh. 517). Thus also the Gibeonites joined them-
selves to Israel (Joshua 9).
-
16MMixedis from the same root as the word swarms, which refers to the plagues of flies.
in Ex.891.

26 3
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

This Mixed multitude proved to be a thorn in the flesh of

the Israelites. They lusted (craved) for meat at Kibroth-
Hattaavah, being dissatisfied with the manna (Num. 11 :4-§),
This caused a plague (Num. 11:33).
Why did the mixed multitude leave with Israel? We do not
know for certain. Perhaps they had seen God’s judments in
Egypt, and wished to escape any future judgments there.
Perhaps they just followed the crowd. Many people still
do that. When God’s people are dominant and triumphant,
there are always a lot of hangers-on to them. If there is a
genuine ,Barnabas around, there will probably be Ananias
and Sapphira also. Like a net full of mixed fish, or a grain
field infested with tares, so God’s congregation is often
mixed (Matt. 13:2§-30,47-48).
Regarding the Israelites’ unleavened bread and lack of
victuals, see notes on 12:34.
29. How long had Israel been in Egypt? (12:40-41)
They had been there four hundred and thirty years. They
came out at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on the
very self-same day! This implies that there had been a record
.made of the exact year, month, and day when Israel came
in. On that very day exactly four hundred and thirty years
plater they left. The existence of such a record need not
astound us. The Egyptians were the most thorough record-
keepers of all antiquity, and family records giving genealogies
and business transactions spanning hundreds of years have
een preserved.”
Note that the Israelites are called the “hosts of Jehovah.”
What a beautiful honor-bearing title! They were God’s by
creation and by purchase.
Although there are some problems associated with this
four hundred and thirty year period, we believe it is the cor-
rect number.
For a study of “How Long Was Israel in Egypt?” see the

”K. A. Kitchen, “Some Egyptian Backgrounds to the Old Testament,” Tyndale House
Bulletin, Nos. 5-6 (April 1960), pp. 14-18.

264
 OVER A N D OUT 12:1-51

article at the end of this chapter.

30. How were the Israelites to commemorate the ninht of their - I

deliverance? (12:42)
They commemorated it by an observance18to the Lord. “It
is a night of observance to the Lord concerning (the way) He
brought them from the land of Egypt. That night shall be an
observance to Jehovah by all the sons of Israel, unto (all)
their generations .”
Ex. 12:42 appears to be an exhortation by Moses, inserted
when he wrote the book of Exodus some time after the events
of the Passover night. Ex. 12:42 leads directly into the in-
structions about the Passover in 12:43-49.
Notice that 12:42 states twice that that night was to be a
night of observance. Future generations were to make special
observance of that night. This should speak also to us about
the great significance of the Passover observance, including
its significance to Christians.
Skeptical critics see the duplication in Ex. 12:42 not as
emphasis, but only as indication of multiple sources for
Exodus. Driver ascribes Ex. 12:42 to “E” and calls it a
“gloss” (an insertion), Oesterly and Robinson attribute it to
“J” (in the “P” section 12:40-13:2). Noth does not separate
12:42 from the rest of the narrative. These authors make
positive pronouncements about multiple authorship, but
cannot agree even with one another.
31 Why are supplementary instructions about the Passover
given in 12:43-507
The reason for giving them here is not clearly stated. But
since the instructions primarily concern the participation of
foreigners in the Passover, and since a mixed multitude had
left Egypt with Israel (12:38), we suspect that these instruc-
tions were given at this early point in Israel’s journeys,
perhaps at Succoth (12:37), to clarify to both Israelites and

“The word-form shimurim, translated “to be observed,” occurs only in Ex. 12:42. It is
plural in form (‘‘occasions to be observed”), though probably singular in meaning
(“vigil,” “observation”). It has a passive appearance (something to BE observed).

265
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

non-Israelites how His passover was to be observed.

Basically, the instructions were that a hired servant or so-
journer (alien) living among the Israelites was not to partake
of the Passover. A sojourner could partake if he consented
to be circumcised. Observe the stress on the fact that there
was ONE law for both strangers and for Israelites, when
it came to eating the Passover (12:49).
Num. 9:14 refers to strangers keeping the passover “ac-
cording to the statute of the passover.” Probably this refers
to the laws in Ex. 12:43-48.
The Passover belonged only to covenant-keepers. The
instructions in 12:43-48 probably were uttered to persuade
the non-circumcised fellow-travellers with the Israelites to
get into Israel all the way, or to expect none of the blessings
of Israelites. In our times people sometimes attend Christian
worship meetings and activities, but never consent to be
baptized and really get into the group. Much like the mixed
multitude accompanying Israel, they enjoy God’s people, but
do not desire to acknowledgetheir need for further obedience.
The instructions about the Passover in 12:43-48 seem to
be stated in seven (or six) laws.19These are stated succinctly
and precisely, and in Hebrew each ends with the suffix o
(meaning “him” or “it”). In condensed form the commands
are as follows: a. No foreigner may eat (12:43). b. The cir-
cumcised may eat (12:44). c. No settler or hired servant may
eat unless circumcised (12:45). d. Eat it in onehouse (12:46).
e. All the congregation shall keep the feast (12:47). f. Let
sojourners be circumcised (12:48). g. The circumcised aliens
shall be accepted as are natives of the land (12:48). (The last
two regulations may actually constitute only one.)
Certainly these instructions about the future observance of
the Passover in Israel’s future homeland gave much assur-
ance to Israel that God surely intended to bring them into
the land, where they would keep these ordinances. Christians
likewise have clear promises about their activities in our

l9 U. Cassuto, A Commentary on Exodus (Jerusalem, Magnes Press, 1963, p. 150.

266
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51
eternal home in the new heaven and earth.
32. What was the law about the bones of the Passover lamb?
(12:46)
Not a bone of it shall be broken. Compare Numbers 9:12.
John 19:33-36 tells that this foreshadowed the fact that the
bones of Christ (the true Passover lamb) would not be broken.
It is not easy to imagine any other satisfactory explanation
for this law.
The Greek wording of John 19:36 is quite similar to the
Greek O.T. wording of Ex. 12:46. (The Greek text has the
same law about not breaking the bones of the lamb in 12:10.
The Hebrew text gives it only in 12:46.)
Psalm 34:19-20 also refers to the unbroken bones of the
righteous. (“Righteous” is the singular, “the righteous
one.”) This verse applies in a general way to all of God’s
saints, but probably had a specific application to Christ,
THE righteous one.
All three of the laws in 12:46 about the Passover lamb -
eating it in one house, keeping all fragments of it in one
place, and not breaking its bones - suggest the UNITY and
integrity of the Passover lamb, and of Christ.
33. To what chapter and verse does 12:51 refer back?
It refers back to 12:41. Note the reference to the “selfsame
day” in both 12:41 and 1251. The interruption of 12:42-49
cleared up some of the relationships between the mixed
multitude that left with Israel and Israel itself. Ex. 12:51
connects the following laws (in Ex. 13) about the firstborn to
the preceding material.
Concerning the hosts of Israel, see notes on 7:4.

26 7
12:1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

SPECIALSTUDY:How LONGWASISRAEL IN EGYPT?

1. The Hebrew Bible says in Ex. 12:40-41, “The time that the
children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and
thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of four hundred
and thirty years, even the selfsame day, it came to pass, that
all the hosts of Jehovah went out from the land of Egypt.”
We accept this statement without any qualification.
2. The statement of Stephen in Acts 7:6 is in basic agreement
with the chronology in Exodus: “His (Abraham’s) seed
should sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring
them into bondage, and treat them ill, four hundred years.”
We suppose the number Stephen gave is a round number for
the four hundred and thirty in Ex. 12.
3. God’s, original covenant with Abraham in Gen. 1513 fore-
told that Abraham’s seed would be sojourners in a land that
was not theirs, and that they would serve them; and that
Abraham’s seed would be afflictedfour hundred years. Gen.
1.516 adds that Abraham’s seed would return to Canaan “in
the fourth generation.” Seemingly this makes each of the
generations referred to a hundred years long, which is un-
expectedly long, but is not impossible.
4. The three foregoing scripture passages seem mutually har-
monious. A problem arises when we consider the Greek O.T.
(LXX), and the statement of Paul in Galatians 3:17.
5, The Greek 0.T.’ has in Exodus 12:40: “And the sojourning
of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of
Egypt and the lund of Canaan was four hundred and thirty
years.” The addition of the words and in the land of Canaan
makes the four hundred and thirty years include the total
time from Abraham’s entry into Canaan until Israel’s exodus
from Egypt. Since two hundred and fifteen years elapsed
from Abraham’s entry into Canaan until Jacob’s family came

‘The Greek O.T. was translated about 275 B.C., over a thousand years after the time
of Moses. In most passages it is astoundingly close to the wording of existing ancient
Hebrew manuscripts.

268
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51

into Egypt, this would leave only two hundred and fifteen
remaining years as the duration of the sojourn in Egypt (For
scriptural chronological data, see Gen. 12:4; 2 1 5 ; 2 5 2 6 ;
31:38; 37:2;41~46-47; 45:6; 47:9.)
As a general rule we regard the Hebrew Bible as being
more authoritative than the Greek Bible. Also it seems very
improbable that the scripture should refer to the sojourning
of the children of Israel in Canaan, as the Greek O.T.does.
How could Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be referreg to as
children of themselves, or of their descendants? The children
of Israel, or Jacob, sojourned in Canaan for only about
twenty-two years of the two hundred and fifteen years from
the time of Abraham’s entry until Jacob’s migration into
Egypt. We do not regard the Greek Bible as correct in Ex.
12:40.
6. Josephus, the Jewish historian of the first century A.D.,
follows the Greek O.T. rendering: “They left Egypt ... four
hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came
into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years only after
Jacob removed into Egypt” (Ant. 11, xv, 2). Josephus is,
however, contradictory with himself, because he also wrote,
“Four hundred years did they spend under these afflictions’’
(referring to their Egyptian slavery). (Ant. 11, ix, 1)
7. It might appear that the apostle Paul in Galatians 3:17
follows the Greek reading of Ex. 12:40, as opposed to the
Hebrew reading. He writes as follows: “A covenant con-
firmed beforehand by God [referring to God’s covenant with
Abraham], the law, which came four hundred and thirty
years after, doth not disannul, . . . .” This sounds as if Paul
meant that the law which was given at Mt. Sinai shortly after
Israel left Egypt, was given four hundred and thirty years
after God made his covenant with Abraham. The only refer-
ence in Genesis to God’s making a covenant with Abraham
is in Gen. 1518. Abrahain was approximately eighty-five
years old at that time. (See Gen, 1518.) If the four hundred
and thirty years before the law was given (Gal. 3:17) started
with this covenant in Gen. 1518, then the 430 years would

26 9
12~1-51 EXPLORING EXODUS

include BOTH the time Israel was in Egypt AND in Canaan,

as the Greek reading indicates.
8. We are persuaded that the Bible as originally written, and
when properly understood, is always in harmony with itself.
We believe also that Paul was a true apostle of Christ, and
that his writings are therefore completely true, like all the
other scriptures. We therefore feel that Gal. 3:17, when
properly comprehended, will be in harmony with Ex. 12:40-
41 and with the statement of Stephen (Acts 7:6), and all
other passages.
9. It seems to us that the key to understanding Gal. 3:17 is to
understand what Paul referred to when he spoke of the
“covenant [with Abraham] confirmed beforehand by God.”
Is pre-confirming only a synonym for the making of the
covenant? We think not. In Gal. 3:17 Paul uses the Greek
verb prokuroo to describe this pre-confirming. This word
means “to make valid, or sure, or firm, in advance.” W.G.
Moorhead says2that the word (prokuroo) is never employed
in the New Testament, nor as far as we have discovered, in
the Greek version of the Old, to designate the institution of a
, thing, a first transaction; it signifies to ratify, or confirm a
thing already in existence. All of the references to making a
covenant in the Greek Pentateuch (Gen.-Deut.) use some
form of the verbs tithemi (to set, put, or place) or histemi
(to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set). See Gen. 6:18;
9:9; 1518; 17:2; Ex. 23:32; Jer. 31:31 (38:31 in Gr.) as
examples.
The verb kuroo (root of prokuroo, which is used in Gal.
3:17) occurs only twice in the O.T. In Gen. 23:20 it refers to
Abraham’s purchase of the cave for burial being made sure
after Sarah was buried in it. The original purchase is referred
to by another word (in the Greek, but not in the Hebrew) in
23:16-17. This use of the verb kuroo tends to confirm our
interpretation of its meaning as a later confirmation of a
previous transaction.

’Outline Studies in the Books of the Old Testament

270
 OVER AND OUT 12:1-51
The other use of kuroo is in Lev. 2 5 3 0 . There the passage
concerns the buying back of property sold by any one. In the
case of a house in a walled city, there was a one-year time
period in which it could be redeemed (bought back) from the
purchaser. If it was not redeemed in that time, then the
house was surely confirmed (kuroo) to him that bought it for
all his generations. This use of kuroo shows the same mean-
ing as in Gen. 23:20, the confirmation of a previous trans-
action.
10. What event could be referred to by Paul as a confirming
beforehand of the covenant God made with Abraham? A
careful reading of Gen. 1513-21 (which tells of God’s mak-
ing the covenant with Abraham) reveals that the first words
God spoke to Abraham were these: “Know of a surety that
thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and
..
shall serve them, . .” The seed (descendants) of Abraham
did not begin their sojourn in the land of Egypt till 215 years
after Abraham entered Canaan. Abraham had died before
his grandson Jacob migrated to Egypt with his family. But at
the time when Jacob and his family entered into Egypt, the
I covenant with Abraham was truly confirmed, because God’s
first prediction in the covenant had come to pass. Four
hundred and thirty years after this emigration into Egypt,
God led the Israelites out, and gave them the law at Mt.
Sinai. We feel that Paul was probably referring to this time
period in Gal. 3:17.
1 11. I Chronicles 7:25 lists ten generations between Joseph and
I Joshua. Gleason L. Archer, Jr. writes that ten generations

: can hardly be reconciled with a mere two hundred and fifteen

years (especially considering the longer life span of pre-
Exodus Israelites), but it fits in very plausibly with an interval
of four hundred and thirty years.
12. Exodus 6:18-20 names only four generations from Levi to
Moses - Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses. As stated in our
notes on this passage, we are practically forced to conclude

’A Survey o f 0 . T.Introduction (Chicago:Moody, 1964), p. 212.

27 1
13:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

that the names of some of the generations from Levi to Moses

are not named here, because Levi’s descendants numbered
22,000 just after the exodus (and the descendants of Kohath,
Levi’s son, alone numbered 8600 [Numbers 3:27].) Four
generations cannot have produced that many descendants,
especially since Levi himself had only three sons (Kohath,
Gershon, Merari). Therefore, this genealogical listing does
not argue against the four hundred and thirty-year sojourn
in Egypt.
13, Finally, there is the argument from the population growth of
the Israelites. When they came into Egypt, they numbered
only seventy. When they left, there were over six hundred
thousand men. Such a multiplication would require longer
than two hundred fifteen years. Keil and Delitzsch report
that the six hundred thousand population total could be
obtained if every married couple among the Israelites pro-
duced three sons and three daughters for six generations,
and then two sons and two daughters in the last four (making
ten total) generations. Such a population increase would
have been possible in four hundred and thirty years, but
-.extremely unlikely in two hundred and fifteen years.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION

And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses, saying, (2) Sancitfy

13 unto me all the first-born, whatsoever apeneth the womb
among the children of Is-ra-el, both of man and of beast: it is
mine.
(3) And Mo-ses said unto the people, Remember this day, in
which ye came out from E-gypt, out of the house of bondage;
for by strength of hand Je-ho-vah brought you out from this

‘Op. cit., Vol. 2, p. 30.

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 DEMANDS AND DIRECTION TO THE =DEEMED 13:l-22
place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. (4) This day ye
go forth in the month A-bib. (5) And it shall be, when Je-ho-vah
shall bring thee into the land of the Ca-naan-ite, and the Hit-tite,
and the Am-or-ite, and the Hi-vite, and the Jeb-u-site, which he
sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk
and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. ( 6 )
Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh
day shall be a feast to Je-ho-vah. (7) Unleavened bread shall be
eaten throughout the seven days; and there shall no leavened
bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with
thee, in all thy borders. (8) And thou shalt tell thy son in that
day, saying, It is because of that which Je-ho-vah did for me
when I came forth out of E-gypt. (9) And it shall be for a sign
unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine
eyes, that the law of Je.ho-vah may be in thy mouth: for with a
strong hand hath Je-ho-vah brought thee out of E-gypt. (10)
Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from
year to year.
(11)And it shall be, when Je-ho-vah shall bring thee into the
land of the Ca-naan-ite, as he swam unto thee and to thy fathers, lko

and shall give it thee, (12) that thou shalt set apart unto Je-ho-
vah all that openeth the womb, and every firstling which thou
hast that cometh of a beast; the males shall be Je-ho-vah’s. (13)
And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and
if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck: and
all the first-born of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem.
(14) And it shall be, when thy son asketh thee in time to come,
saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength
of hand Je-ho-vahbrought us out from E-gypt, from the house of
bondage: (15) and it came to pass, when Pha-raoh would hardly
let us go, that Je-ho-vah slew all the first-born in the land of
E-gypt, both the fmt-born of man, and the first-born of beast:
therefore I sacrifice to Je-ho=vah all that openeth the womb,
being males; but all the 5rst-born of my sons I redeem. (16) And
it shall be for a sign upon thy hand, and for frontlets between
thine eyes: for by strength of hand Je-ho-vah brought us forth
out of E-gypt.

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13:1-22 E X P L O R I N G qXODTJS

(17)And it came to pass, when Pha-raoh had let the people go,
that God led them not by the way of the land of the Phi-lisdnes,
although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the
people repent when they see war, and they return to E-gypt:
(18) but God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness
by the Red Sea: and the children of Is-ra-el went up armed out
of the land of E-gypt. (19) And Mo-ses took the bones of Joseph
with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Is-ra-el,
saying, God w i l l surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones
away hence with you. (20) And they took their journey from
Suc-coth, and encamped in E-tham, in the edge of the wilder-
ness. (21) And Je=ho-vahwent before them by day in a pillar
of cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire,
to give them light; that they might go by day and by night;
(22) the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night,
departed not from before the people.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
EXODUS:
EXPLORING
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading propose a brief topic or theme for the

chapter.
2. What group of the Israelites was sanctified (or consecrated)
unto the Lord? (13:l-2)
3. What day was Israel to remember? (13:3)
4. Name the month when Israel left Egypt. (13:4)
5. What was to be done and what not to be done during the
feast of Unleavened Bread? (13:6-7)
6. What were the people to tell their sons? (13:8)
7. On what places were “signs” to be affixed? (13:9, 16)
8. What was to bedonewith firstborn men and animals? (13:12)
9. What was to be done with firstborn asses (donkeys)? (13:13)
10. Why were the firstborn male animals sacrificed to the Lord?
(13:15)

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 DEMANDS AND DIRECTION TO THE REDEEMED 13:l-22
11. By what route did God NOT lead Israel out of Egypt?
(13:17)
12. By what route did God lead Israel out of Egypt? (13:18)
13. Whose bones were carried up out of Egypt? (13:19; Gen.
50:24-25)
14, What two places did Israel pass through after leaving
Rameses? (13:20)
15, What led the Israelites in their journeys? (13:22)

EXODUSTHIRTEEN:
DEMANDS
AND DIRECTION
TO THE REDEEMED

I. God’s demands; 13:l-16.

1. Consecrate the firstborn; 13:l-2,11-16.
2. Keep the feast; 13:3-10.
11. God’s direction; 13:17-22.
1. Safe direction; 13:17.
a. Physically safe; 13:17.
b. Spiritually safe; 13:17.
2. Rigorous direction; 13:18.
3. Visible direction; 13:21.
4. Constant direction; 13:22.

ON MAN’SFIRSTBORN:
G O D ’ S CLAIMS
“It is mine!” (13:2)
1. The firstborn must be set apart; 13:12.
2. The firstborn must be redeemed; 13:13.
3. Every generation must be taught this truth; 13:14.
God claims man’s first and best!

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 13:l-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

BREADI,(13:3-10)
UNLEAVENED
1. A memorial; 13:3,9.
2. A time for purging out leaven; 13:7.
3. A means for placing God‘s law in men’s mouths; 13:9.
4. A regular annual observance; 13:lO.
5. A type of purging out of sin; I Cor. 5:6-8.

JOSEPH’SBONES!(13:19)
1. A fulfil1men.tof past prophecies; Gen. 50:25.
2. A forecast of future victories; Heb. 11:22.

GOD’SDIRECTION (13:17-18)
OF HIS PEOPLE

1. Directs to a place of rest; (13:s; Deut. 8:8-10).

2. Directs around dangers (Philistines); (13:17).
3. Directs by circuitous routes; (13:18),
.‘* 4. Directs into hard paths (“wilderness”); (13:18).
5. Directs into places of testing; (16:4; Deut. 8:2).
6. Directs into spiritual growth; (Deut. 8:3-6).

THECLOUD- AN ILLUSTRATION
OF GOD’SLEADING
(13:21-22)

1. Visible obvious leadership; /i3:21; 40:38).

2. Light-giving leadership; (13:21; Neh. 9:12; Ps. 10539).
3. Constant leadership; (13:22; Num. 9:19; Neh. 9:19).
4. A protecting (covering) leadership; (14:19-20; Ps. 10539;
Isa. 4:s; Ex.40:34; Num. 9:15).
5. A glory-bearing leadership; (Ex.40:34-35; 16:IO).
6 . A directing leadership; (Ex. 40:36-37; Num. 9:17-23;
1O:ll-12, 34; Neh. 9:12, 19; Ps. 78:14).
7. God spoke from the cloud; (Ex.33:9; Ps. 99:7; Num. 125).
8. A leadership to become universal; (Isa. 4:s; Rev. 21:23).

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 DEMANDS AND DIRECTION TO THE REDEEMED 13:l-22

EXPLORING
EXODUS:NOTESON CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
1. What is in Exodus thirteen?
The theme-title DEMANDS AND DIRECTIONS TO
THE REDEEMED sums up most of the chapter. God’s
redeemed people have obligations to Him, as well as direction
from Him.
The chapter opens with God’s command to Moses to
sanctify (or consecrate) all the firstborn of Israel, both of
men and beasts (13:l-2)
The chapter continues with Moses’ speech to the people
(13:3-16). This speech dealt with two matters: (1) the
observance of the feast of unleavened bread (13:3-10); (2)
the consecration or redemption of their firstborn (13:11-16).
The chapter closes with information as to how God
wondrously led the Israelites as they left Egypt (13:17-22).
The words of God to Moses (13:l-2) and Moses’ words
to the people (13:3-16) seem to have been given at Succoth,
Israel’s first encampment after leaving their homes in
Egypt. We are not told how Moses managed to get the great
horde of people all grouped together so he could give them
the messages. Perhaps he relayed the messages through
their elders. Moses spoke of their coming into Canaan (13:5),
and how they would there keep the feast of unleavened
bread and set apart their firstborn in that land (13:ll-12).
These confident assertions by Moses gave Israel courage
and purpose in their journeys. The fulfillment of Moses’
predictions in later years gave proof that Moses’ words had
come from God.
2. What was to be done with the firstborn of Israel? (13:l-2)
God commanded that all the firstborn be sanctified unto
him. They were to be regarded as holy, and kept for holy use.
It seems that the firstborn referred to were the firstborn
of males only. See 13:12. Daughters and female animals
were apparently not affected by this regulation.
To sanctyy is explained in 13:lS as being the act of sacri-
ficing the animal (an act permissible only in the case of clean

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animals), or by redeeming it by offering another animal as a

sacrifice in place of it.
The act of sanctifying the firstborn was a positive act as
well as a negative one. They were separated TO the Lord at
the same time they were separated FROM any worldly use.
God’s ground for claiming the firstborn as HIS lay in the
fact that He had spared them in Egypt on the day when He
struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. See Num.
3:13; 8:17.
A major purpose for sanctifying the firstborn was to per-
petuate the memory of their deliverance in the mind of the
nation. Israel tended to forget divine blessings very quickly.
The command about sanctifying the firstborn has an
application to Christians, because Christians are described
as theJirstborn ones in Heb. 12:23. Thus, the type suggests
that all Christians, as God’s firstborn, are the LORD’S.
Some Christians may resent the idea that their children or
they themselves should be dedicated to be preachers,
missionaries, etc. They do not like religious duties to make
demands upon their property or pleasures. They want a
cheap religion. But in truth all of us who claim God as our
father are the firstborn ones, and dedicated to the LORD.
3 Where and when did Moses speak to the people about sancti-
Jjing thefirstborn? (13:3-4)
Moses spoke to the people on the first day of their de-
parture. Literally, Ex. 13:4 says, “You are going forth.. . .”
Presumably this was at Succoth. The Passover had been
the night before. Probably Moses spoke at their first stop
on the way. We suspect that he spoke to their elders, who
relayed the word back to their clans and families. (Compare
12:21.)
How smooth and naturally this chapter develops! First
God commanded Moses concerning the sanctifying of their
firstborn. Then Moses spoke the words to the people, telling
them about the two matters God had spoken to him about:
(1) About the feast of unleavened bread (13:3-10); (2) About
sanctifyingtheir firstborn to the LORD (13:ll-16).

278
 DEMANDS AND DIRECTION TO THE REDEEMED 13:l-22
Some critics (e.g. Driver) ascribe 13:l-2, 20 to a fifth
century B.C. priestly author, and 13:3-16, 21-22 to a tenth
century author called the Jehovist. Martin Noth attributes
the whole chapter to J, but thinks it has numerous later
insertions in 13:1-16 by unknown Deuteronomistic (D)
writers, and by an E writer in 13:17-19. There is no proof of
such speculations. The disagreements among those who
hold such ideas demonstrate their flimsy basis. These sug-
gested multiple sources break up the natural progress in
the story as it is given to us.
4. What were the Israelites to remember? (13:3)
Remember this day! Compare 12:14.
It was their day of coming out! Note that Egypt is called
a “slave house” (literally “house of bondmen”). Israel was
free! Certainly they faced hardships and conflicts. But their
new freedom was worth more than all the security (?) of
Egypt’s prison life.
The words “from this place” could only have been uttered
at the very time when they were emancipated, but yet on
Egyptian soil. No authors after Moses’ time could thus have
written (assuming that they were honest).
This remembering was to be demonstrated by ACTS,
such as abstaining from unleavened bread for the week.
Mere mental memory is cheap. Real remembering regulates
our resources and routine.
5 . In what month did Israel depart? (13:4)
In the month Abib. See 12:12. This is near the end of
March. After the Babylonian captivity this month was
called Nisan (Neh. 2: 1).
The term Abib means sprouting.As the name of a month
it is found in Ex. 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; Deut. 16:l. In Ex. 9:31
the same word refers to the ear (or head of grain): “the
barley was in the ear.” In Lev. 2:14 it refers to the “green
ears of corn,” that is, the fresh grain.
Much as Israel went forth in the month Abib (“sprouting
forth,” “springing up”), we also accept Christ in a time of
springing up to new growth and life.

279
13:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

6 . What observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was to be

kept in Canaan? (13:s)
They were to observe the feast every year in that month!
In their future prosperity and ease (“milk and honey”),
they were to keep the ordinances faithfully.
Only five of the seven “nations” in the land of Canaan are
named here. The Greek O.T. adds the names of the Gerga-
shites and Perizzites. Concerning these seven “nations,” see
Ex. 3:8. Compare Gen. 15:19-21and Ex. 23:23-28.
These people in Canaan (all of whom were collectively
called Canaanites) were not actually separate sovereign
nations. They were racial groups. Canaan was controlled at
that time by small city-states, all of which were nominally
under the authority of Egypt, but were independent of one
another.
Regarding God’s oath to give the land of Canaan to the
“fathers” (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), see Gen. 12:7;
1518; 26:3; 35:12.
Concerning the land “flowing with milk and,honey,” see
Ex. 3:17.
Note that keeping the feast of unleavened bread was a
1 “service.” They were to “Serve this service.” The Hebrew
word for serve emphasizes the feature of work and labor.
7. What was the major feature of the feast of unleavened
bread? (13:6-7)
The eating of unleavened bread for a week was its major
feature. No leaven was permitted within the Israelites’
property during that time. On the seventh day of this period
there was a feast to Jehovah. See Ex. 12:15-20 for more
about the feast of unleavened bread. It had a profound
meaning.
8 . What were the Israelites to tell their children about the
unleavened bread? (13:8, 10).
They were to tell them the reason for eating the un-
leavened bread that week. They were to say, “It is because
of that which Jehovah did for me when I came forth out
of Egypt.’’

‘ 280
 DEMANDS AND DIRECTION TO THE REDEEMED 13:1-22

arm phylactery is tied to the inside of the left arm, a little

above the elbow, so that the scripture passage might be
close to the heart.

I 28 1
13:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

not a very strong argument. God did not specify exactly

how this devotion was to be expressed, or what the sign
and memorial consisted of. It would have been best to leave
the command just as Moses delivered it. See Deut. 4:2. It
is equally wrong to insist on an exclusively spiritual meaning
in it, or to use the verse as a warrant for elaborate phylacteri-
a1 ceremonialism. Similarly in the New Testament church,
we do not have details for worship ceremonies, only broad
guidelines. To insist on a highly structured formal service
or on a very loose informal program is equally wrong.
Regarding the strength of God’s hand in bringing Israel
forth, see Ex,1 5 6 and Deut. 7:19.
10. What was to be done with the9rstboi-n of man and beast?
(13:ll-12)
The firstborn were to be set apart to the Lord. Ex. 22:9;
34: 19; Lev. 27:26. Literally, they were to cause the firstborn
to “pass over.” Sometimes this expression meant to sacrifice
(as in I1 Kings 23:10), and sometimes it meant to transfer
over to (as in Num. 27:8). Both of these meanings seem to
be implied here. li-

God chose the firstborn of each family to be dedicated to

full time labor at the tabernacle in administering the sacred
services.
This practice of setting apart the firstborn was to be
done when they came into the land of the Canaanites. How-
ever it was also done in the wilderness (Num. 3: 13).
The paragraph 3:ll-16 is a detailed exposition by Moses
about God’s law concerning sanctifying the firstborn. This
law was briefly stated in 13:l-2.
At Mt. Sinai God commanded that the entire tribe of the
Levites (the descendants of Jacob’s son Levi) be set apart
to Him instead of the firstborn of each family in every tribe
(Num. 3:5-13,41,45).
Regarding the Canaanite tribes and God’s promise to
Israel’s forefathers to give them the land, see notes on 13:s.
Ex. 13:12 is quoted in Luke 2:23. There we are told that
the infant Jesus was “presented to the Lord” by Joseph and

282
 DEMANDS AND DIRECTION TO THE REDEEMED 13:l-22

Mary, by the act of making a sacrifice. This sacrifice was

that which was offered following the birth of all children
(Lev. 126-7). However, it appears that the sacrifice also
involved the matter of redeeming (buying back) the firstborn
male sons. Even though the Levites replaced them in the
actual temple labors, they still had to be redeemed.
11, How were thejhtborn set apart to theLord? (13:13)
a. Firstborn lambs, or kids, or cattle were sacrificed. (13:lS)
These animals were killed and their fat burned as an
offering made by fire. But their flesh was given to the
priests for food. (Num. 18:17-18)
b. The firstborn of an ass or any unclean beast (like a camel;
Lev. 11:4; Num. 18:15) was to be killed by breaking its
neck. Or a lamb or kid could be sacrificed in its place.
The people would surely carry out this law scrupulously,
because the ass was a much more costly animal than
a lamb.
c. The firstborn of man was to be redeemed by payment of
five shekels each. See Ex. 13:lS; Num. 3:46-47; 18:15-16.
These laws should cause us to consider our own giving
to the Lord. Do we give our firstborn, or an equivalent
value, to the Lord‘? Do we in Christ give less to the Lord
than those who lived under the law of Moses? May it
never be so! Rather, we ought by love to do more than the
law required, and thus to fulfill the law and establish
it firmly in our lives. (Rom. 3:13; 13:lO).
12. What connection was there between Israel’s deliverance
@om Egypt and the practice of redeeming the j h t b o r n ?
I (13:14-15)
Redeeming the firstborn was (1) a memorial to Israel’s
redemption from Egypt; (2) also it was a response and repay-
ment to God for sparing the firstborn of Israel in Egypt.
Certainly men can never repay God for His saving acts
toward us. But we are under the necessity of rendering
unto him whatever we can, both as a debt and as an expres-
sion of our gratitude.
Concerning the teaching of children about God’s acts, see

28 3
13:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

notes on 1393; 12:26-27;10:2. Also see Deut. 6:20-21.

Regarding the “strength of hand” which God used to
get Israel out of Egypt, see Ex. 133, 16. This refers to all
of God’s acts during the ten plagues,
Concerning the death of the firstborn in Egypt, see Ex.
11:4-6; 12:12, 29.
Conceming the signs and frontlets which Israelites were
to use, see notes on 13:9, 16. The word token in 13:16 is
from the same Hebrew word as sign in 13:9.
13. What are the “j+ontletsbetween thine eyes”? (13:16)
They seem to refer to some type of object, or strap, or
bandage about the head. Wearing such an object on the
head to commemorate God’s delivering the people would be
a useful reminder and testimony, if it did not become an
object for show and pride.
Jews in later centuries specified that these “frontlets”
should consist of leather phylacteries, or amulets, to be
worn on the forehead and left arm during morning prayers.
(The Jews call them tephilin, from the Hebrew word for
prayer.) See notes on 13:9, where the “frontlets” are
referred to as a memorial between thine eyes. Tregelles (in
Gesenius’ Hebrew Lexicon) aptly says, “It requires proof
[which is lacking] that the Jewish phylacteries are intended
by these fillets or bandages.” God surely intended that His
instructions regarding these “frontlets” be left simply in the
form in which His divine wisdom stated them, without any
official ecclesiastical interpretation and enforcement. See
Deut. 4:2.
14. By what route did God NOT lead the Israelites? (13:17)
God did not lead them by the short route, along the
Mediterranean seacoast linking Egypt and Canaan. This
was a heavily-travelled route, approximately one hundred
and fifty miles across. This route crosses a sandy desert
(the desert of Shur). It would have required only about two
weeks to travel this way.
This route was called the Way of the §ea (Via Mark)
or the Way of Borus (by the Egyptians). The way was dotted

284
 DEMANDS AND DIRECTION TO THE REDEEMED 13:l-22
with Egyptian fortresses. Careful lists were kept by Egyptian
guards of arrivals and departures at the northeast frontier
forts in Egypt.’
The Bible calls this road the Way of the Philistines, be-
cause Philistines had settled along the SW coast of Canaan,
and the road would pass through the area settled by them.
Ex. 1514 also mentions the Philistines.
The Philistines made their major immigration into Canaan
about 1200 B.C., coming from Crete, or Caphtor, and other
Mediterranean islands. This was 200 years after the time of
the exodus. However, the Bible indicates that a few Philistines
had settled into Canaan as far back as Abraham’s time,
about 2000 B.C. (Gen. 21:32; 26:1, 18) Most liberal critics
view these early references to the Philistines as anachron-
isms. However, some recent archaeological inscriptions
indicate the presence of settlers in the area of Philistia
considerably before 1200 B.C.3
Note that GOD LED the Israelites. He chose their path.
“He leadeth me, 0 blessed thought!” (Psalm 23:2; 37:23)
God knew that the Israelites were not yet able to face war.
Ex. 14:ll-12reveals how frightened Israel became when they
were under attack. Numbers 14:l-4 shows their terror of
“giants.” The path into Canaan by the short way of the sea
would have led them into southern Canaan, the very center
of these giants (Anakim; Num. 13:22, 33). God does not
allow His people to be tested more than they can bear (I Cor.
10:13). “He knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we
are dust” (Psalm 103:14).
Furthermore, the Israelites were not yet spiritually pre-
pared to occupy the land of Canaan. They had a divine
appointment to “serve God on this mountain,’’ Mt. Sinai
(Ex. 3:12). There they would receive the law from God
and be organized into a holy nation (Ex. 195-6), with a

’Cole, op. cit., p. 116.

’Noth, op. cit,, p. 107.
.
3BiblicalArchaeologist,Sept 1966, pp 73-74.
I

285
13:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

tabernacle worship center and a priesthood. Frankly, they

needed to be converted (turned) to the LORD!
Spiritually, Israel’s journey from Egypt to Canaan was a
longer trip than the physical journey. The people had to be
converted from the idolatry of Egypt and converted to the
service of God, They were to be transformed from slaves to
spiritual leaders. They were to become God’s holy nation.
The harsh Sinai desert became a demonstration area and a
school where they could daily see God’s power and care,
and learn to rely totally upon Him. God did not intend that
they should ever return to Egypt, either in body or spirit
(Deut. 17:16;Neh. 9:17; Num. 14:4; Josh. 24:14).
In view of the plain assertion that God did NOT lead Israel
by the seacoast route, it is astonishing to read some modern
(especially Jewish) authors who say that the route of the
Israelites was along this very route. They express the view
that the Sea of Reeds (or Red Sea which Isreal crossed)
was Lake Sirbonis or Lake Menzaleh, both of which are on
the Mediterranean Sea.
15. By what route did God lead the Israelites? (13:18)
*
He led them by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.
The name Red Sea is literally (in Hebrew) Yarn Suph,
meaning Sea of Reeds, or Sea of Weeds. See Introductory
Studies VlI and VI. Our study has led us to the firm belief
that the Yam Suph is simply the same body of water which
we call the Red Sea, and here in Ex. 13:18 it particularly
refers to that arm of the Red Sea called the Gulf of Suez.
What wilderness (or desert area) is referred to as the
“wilderness of the Red Sea”? We feel it was the Sinai wilder-
ness lying just north and east of the Gulf of Suez, the area
east of the Bitter Lakes.
Admittedly most interpreters (even conservative authors
like John J. Davis) feel that the desert referred to was that
which lay between Egypt and the Red Sea, and not that of
the Sinai peninsula, which we propose.
Ex. 1 3 2 0 indicates that they came into the “wilderness’’
after they left Succoth. The location of Succoth (Tell

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 DEMANDS AND DIRECTION TO THE REDEEMED 13:l-22
Maskhuta) is only about ten miles west of Lake Timsah.
The closeness of Succoth to the Sinai wilderness strongly
suggests that the “wilderness of the Red Sea” into which
Israel came was Siiiai wilderness.
The term wilderness in Exodus generally refers to the
wilderness in Sinai, east of Egypt. Compare Num. 33:8, 6;
Ex. 3:18; 5 3 . This gives additional support to our view that
Israel travelled east from Succoth into the Sinai wilderness,
travelling probably just south of Lake Timsah into the
wilderness. There they turned southward, going along the
east side of the Bitter Lakes, and onward toward the Gulf
of Suez (Red Sea).
Note that the Israelites encamped in “Etham in the edge
of the wilderness.” (Ex. 13:20; Num. 33:6) The Wilderness
Etham and the Wilderness of Shur are two names for the
same desert; or at least the Wilderness of Etham is part of
the Wilderness of Shur. See Ex. 1 5 2 2 and Num. 33:8.
The fact that Israel came out into the wilderness of Etham
AFTER they crossed the Red Sea gives support to our view
that the place called Etham was in the wilderness area east
of the present Suez canal, in the Sinai peninsula,
16. Did the Israelites have arms when they went out of Egypt?
(13:18)
They surely did. “The children of Israel went up armed
(K.J.V., “harnessed”) out of the land of Egypt.”
The Hebrew word (chamushim) translated armed is a
difficult term, but the meaning armed seems c o r r e ~ t It
. ~is
used in Judges 7:ll; Joshua 4:12; 1:14. All of these passages
refer to armed men.
The Greek O.T. translated chamushim (“armed”) as
pempte, meaning fifih, and says that the people went out
of Egypt “in the fifth generation.” The Hebrew word for
armed is somewhat similar to the words meaning five and

‘In Num. 32:30, 32 and Deut. 3:18the word chalutsim (meaning “armed for battle”)
is obviously used as a synonym for chaniushim in Josh. 4:12. This indicates that
chamiishini also means “armed.”

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13:1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

fifty, and this may account for the Greek translation from
the Hebrew; Since Israel did not leave Egypt in the fifth
generation (see Gen. 15:16), we do not feel that the Greek
translation is correct.
We can hardly see how Israel could have come out of
Egypt heavily armed, well-disciplined, and trained for
warfare. Our text states that they had some arms, though
these were surely very limited. They went out not as fugitives
fleeing in disorder, but prepared and orderly, organized
into groups. Moses had been trained in all the wisdom and
knowledge of the Egyptians, and this surely included
military leadership. Josephus tells that Moses defeated an
Ethiopian army by clever strategy. (Ant. 11, x, 2) We can
neither verify nor disprove this story.
17. Whose bones were carried out ofEgypt? (13:19)
The bones of Joseph! What a thrill it must have been to the
Israelites when word was circulated among them that the
bones of Joseph were in their possession. These would be an
inspiration to the people, because they would know that the
prophecy uttered by Joseph three hundred and fifty years
before was coming to passsin their day. See Gen. 50:24-25.
“By faith Joseph when his end was nigh, made mention of
the departure of the children of Israel and gave command-
ment concerning his bones.” (Heb. 11:22).
Joseph was later buried in Shechem, (Josh. 24:32). Like
Jacob his father, Joseph never looked upon Egypt as his true
homeland, and he showed this by his request for burial in
Canaan. No mention is made of the bodies of Jacob’s other
sons. But Stephen’s statement in Acts 7:15-16 implies that
all of the “fathers” were carried into Shechem.
18. Where wasEtham7 (13:20)
Etham lay in the “edge of the wilderness.” The term
wilderness is usually employed in Exodus to refer to the
desert area of the Sinai peninsula, east of the present Suez
canal and the Gulf of Suez. See Ex. 3:1,18; 1522. The exact
location of Etham is not known. We feel that it lay east or
southeast of Lake Timsah. It seems reasonable to suppose
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 DEMANDS AND DIRECTION TO THE REDEEMED 13:l-22

that Etham lay in the Wilderness of Etham. This Wilderness

of Etham is identified as being a part of the Wilderness of
Shur, which definitely lay east of the present Suez Canal,
See Num. 33:6,8;Ex. 1522.
19. How were the people led? (13:21-22)
They were led by the pillar of cloud and fire.
This column in the air above them began to lead the
people at Succoth. It had the appearance of smoke (or cloud)
by day and of fire by night. There was only one pillar:
“Jehovah looked forth . ..
through THE pillar of cloud and
fire” (Ex. 14:24). The pillar is sometimes referred to as
“the cloud,” even when it was shining as fire in the dark.
See Ex. 14:19; Num. 9:21.
The cloud must have been huge and high to have been
visible to all the Israelites. Seemingly in the first few days
of travelling, the Israelites did some night marching as well
as daytime travelling. They sought to put as much distance
between them and Pharaoh as possible. From Succoth
I (Tell Maskhuta) to the Gulf of Suez by a route along the
east side of the Bitter Lakes is about fifty-five miles. This
I
could have been traversed in four days of marching.
The Scripture does not say that the cloud was a type of any
one particular thing. We can safely say that it was an
illustration of God’s leading His people during the present
age. God now leads us by the Bible, by the Holy Spirit, and
by providential events.
Those who hold the “liberal” view of scripture, that is
I merely a human production, naturally reject any miraculous
I
views about the cloud. They assert (without proof) such

1I ideas as that the story of the cloud “goes back to observation

of an active v o l c a n ~ ”“located
~ perhaps as far away as
Midian.”6 Always, however, they assert that whatever the
cloud and fire was, it was associated with natural phenom-
ena. Some feel that the entire story of the cloud is a vivid but
i
SNoth, op. cit., p. 109.
6BroadmanBible Commentary, Vol. 1 (1969),p. 381.

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13~1-22 EXPLORING EXODUS

figurative way of describing the reality of God’s presence

with his people. The descriptions of the cloud in the scripture
certainly present it as real and miraculous.
The cloud LED God’s redeemed people. (Psalm 78:14).
God does not abandon those whom He saves. The rising
of the cloud was a signal for the people to prepare to move,
The people followed the cloud as it slowly went before them.
Its descent toward the ground was a signal to stop and make
camp. The cloud was an infallible and constant guide. See
Num. 9:15-23; 1O:ll-12,34; Ex. 40:34-38.
“Let the fiery cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.”
The cloud GAVE LIGHT to the people by night. See
Neh. 9:12. Interestingly, the same cloud which gave light
to Israel was darkness to the Egyptians (Ex. 14:40). How
much this is like the teaching of the gospel. The truths which
bring light to the believers are hidden from the wise and
prudent of this world. See Matt. 11:25;I1 Cor. 4:3-4.
The cloud was for a COVERING. (Psalm 10539: “He
spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.”
“Round each habitation hovering,
See the cloud and fire appear;
For a glory and a covering,
Showing that the Lord is near.”
(By John Newton, in the hymn “Glorious Things
of Thee Are Spoken”)
God SPOKE from the cloud, Psalm 99:7: “He spake unto
them in the pillar of cloud.” See Ex. 33:9; Num. 12:15.
The fire and cloud was a visible manifestation of the
Lord’s presence. The cloud filled the tabernacle with
GLORY. There was a shining glow and radiance in it,
which indicated God‘s presence.

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 B A P T I Z E D UNTO MOSES 14~1-31
THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses, saying (2) Speak unto
14 the children of Is-ra-el, that they turn back and encamp
before Pi-ha-hi-roth, between Mig-dol and the sea, before Ba-al-
ze-phon: over against it shall ye encamp by the sea. (3) And
Pha-raoh will say of the children of Is-ra-el, They are entangled
in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. (4) And I will
harden Pha-raoh’s heart,’and he shall follow after them; and I
will get me honor upon Pha-raoh, and upon all his host; and the
E-gyp-tians shall know that I am Je-ho-vah. And they did so.
( 5 ) And it was told the king of E-gypt that the people were fled:
and the heart of Pha-raoh and of his servants was changed
towards the people, and they said, What is this we have done,
that we have let Is-ra-el go from serving us? (6) And he made
ready his chariot, and took his people with him: (7) and he took
six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of E-gypt, and
captains over all of them. (8)And Je-ho-vah hardened the heart
of Pha-raoh king of E-gypt, and he pursued after the children
of Is-ra-el: for the children of Is-ra-el went out with a high hand.
(9) And the E-gyp-tainspursued after them, all the horses and
chariots of Pha-raoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and over-
took them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-ha-hi-roth, before
Ba-al-ze-phon .
(10) And when Pha-raoh drew nigh, the children of Is-ra-el
l i e d up their eyes, and, behold, the E-gyp-tains were marching
after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Is-ra-el
1 cried out unto Je-ho-vah. (11) And they said unto Mo-ses, Be-
cause there were no graves in E-gypt, hast thou taken us away to
die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to
bring us forth out of E-gypt? (12) Is not this the word that we
spake unto thee in E-gypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may

1 serve the E-gyp-tains? For it were better for us to serve the

E-gyp-tians, than that we should die in the wilderness. (13) And
Mo-ses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see
~
the salvation of Je-ho-vah, which he will work for you to-day:

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14:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

for the E-gyg-tains whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them
again no more for ever. (14) Je-ho-vah will fight for you, and ye
shall hold your peace.
(15) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Wherefore criest thou
unto me? speak unto the children of Is-ra-el, that they go for-
ward, (16) And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand
over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Is-ra-el shall go
into the midst of the sea on dry ground. (17) And I, behold, I will
harden the hearts of the E-gyp-tians, and they shall go in after
them: and I will get me honor upon Pha-raoh, and upon all his
host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. (18) And the
E-gyp-tians shall know that I am Je-ho-vah, when I have gotten
me honor upon Pha-raoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horse-
men. (19) And the angel of God, who went before the camp of
Is-ra-el, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud
removed from before them, and stood behind them: (20) and
it came between the camp of E-gypt and the camp of 1s.ra-el;
and there was the cloud and the darkness, yet gave it light by
night: and the one came not near the other all the night.
(21) And Mo-ses stretched out his hand over the sea; and
Je-ho-vah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the
night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
(22) And the children of Is-ra-el went into the midst of the sea
upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on
their right hand, and on their left. (23)And the E-gyp-tians
pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all
Pha-raoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. (24) And it
came to pass in the morning watch, that Je.ho.vah looked forth
upon the host of the E-gyp-tians through the pillar of fire and
of cloud, and discomfited the host of the E-gyp-tians. (25) And
he took off their chariot wheels, and they drove them heavily; so
that the E-gyp-tians said, Let us flee from the face of Is-ra-el;
for Je-ho-vah fighteth for them against the E-gyp-tians.
(26) And Je-ha-vah said unto Mo-ses, Stretch out thy hand
over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the E-gyp-
tians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. (27) And
Mo-ses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned

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 BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES 14:l-31

to its strength when the morning appeared; and the E-gyp-tians

fled against it; and Je-ho-vah overthrew the E-gyp-tians in
the midst of the sea. (28) And the waters returned, and covered
the chariots, and the horsemen, even all the host of Pha-raoh
that went in after them into the sea; there remained not so
much as one of them. (29)But the children of Is-ra=elwalked
upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a walI
unto them on their right hand and on their left. (30) Thus
Je-ho-vah saved Is-ra-el that day out of the hand of the E-gyp-
tians; and Is-ra-el saw the E-gyp-tiansdead upon the sea-shore.
(31) And Is-ra-el saw the great work which Je-ho-vah did upon
the E-gyp-tians, and the people feared Je-ho-vah: and they
believed in Je-ho-vah, and in his servant Mo-ses.

EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. Propose a theme or topic for chapter fourteen.

2. What change of directions did God have the Israelites
make? (14:l-2)
3. What place were the Israelites to encamp in front of? (14:2)
4. Between what places were they to encamp? (14:2)
5. On which side of the sea was Baal-zephon? (14:2)
6. What would Pharaoh say when he heard where Israel had
gone? (14:3)
7 . What would cause Pharaoh to follow Israel? (14:4)
8. What would bring honor to God? (14:4, 18)
9. What would the Egyptians know after their host was de-
stroyed? (14:4)
10. What was told to Pharaoh about the Israelites’ activities?
(14:s; Compare Num.33:3-4)
11. What was changed within Pharaoh and his servants? (145)
12. What did Pharaoh take to pursue Israel? (14:6)
13. How many chariots did Pharaoh take? (14:7)

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14~1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

14. What did Jehovah do to Pharaoh’s heart? (14:8)

15. In what manner had the Israelites gone out? (14:8)
16. At what place did Pharaoh overtake Israel? (14:9)
17. What was Israel’s reaction upon seeing Pharaoh? (14:10)
18. To whom did the Israelites first cry out? (14:10)
19. What taunt did Israel make to Moses? (14:11)
20. What was the feeling of the Israelites toward Moses? (14:ll)
21. What words had Israel previously spoken to Moses? (14:12)
When?
22. What heroic words did Moses utter? (14:13)
23. What did Moses predict would be the fate of the Egyptians?
(14:13)
24. Who would fight for Israel? (14:14)
25. What did God tell Israel to do? (14:15)
26. What did God tell Moses to do? (14:16)
27. What would Pharaoh do when Israel crossed the sea? (14:17)
28. Who or what went before the Israelite camp? (14:19)
29. What separated Israel from the Egyptians? (14:20)
30. What gave light to the Israelites? (14:20)
31. What did God use to divide the waters? (14:21)
32. What was the sea like on the right and left sides? (14:22)
33. Who followed Israel into the sea? (14:23)
34. At what hour did the LORD look forth upon the Egyptians?
(14:24)
35. What did the LORD do to slow down the’Egyptians? (14:25)
36. What was the reaction of the Egyptians to their difficulties in
crossing? (14:25)
37. What was used to cause the waters to return to their usual
position? (14:26)
38. Did the Egyptians attempt to escape? (14:27)
39. How many Egyptians survived? (14:28)
40. What was Israel’s last view of the Egyptians? (14:30)
41. What was Israel’s reaction when they saw all that had hap-
pened to the Egyptians? (14:31)

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 BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES 14:1-31

EXODUS BAPTIZEDUNTOMOSES
FOURTEEN:
I, A point of transition.
11, A place of triumph.

SITUATIONS(14:2-4)
GOD’SPEOPLEIN TRYING
I. Situations unexpected; (14:2.)
11, Situations under enemy observation; (14:3)
111. Situations where God gets honor; (14:4)

OF WEAKSAINTS(14:lO-12)
FEELINGS
\
I. Fear; 14:lO. \
11. Suspicion of leaders; 14:11.
111. Forgetting past misery; 14:12.
IV. Choosing slavery over freedom; 14: 12.

FAITH(14:13-15)
M O S E S ’ MARVELOUS

I. Held in the face of fearful multitudes; 14:lO. 10.

11. Publicly declared; 14:13.
111. Pointed the people to God; 14:13-14.
IV. Sought God in private prayer; 14:lS.
DIRECTIONS (14:13-16,)
IN DILEMMA

1 . Fear not; 14:13.

2. Stand still (be silent); 14:13-14.
3. See the salvation of Jehovah; 14:13.
4. Go forward! (14:15)
OF THE WICKED(14:23-28)
GOD’STROUBLING

1. Done in the midst of their sin; 14:23.

2. Recognized too late; 14:25.
3. Precedes total destruction; 14:27-28.
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14:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

THEMIRACLE-CROSSING!!
1. Miracdlous light and darkness; 14:20.
2, Miraculous wind and storm; 14:21; Ps. 77:16-18.
3. Miraculous wall of water; 14:22,29.
4. Miraculous safe crossing; 14:22,30.
5. Miraculous motivation upon the Egyptians; 14:4, 17.
6. Miraculous hindrance of Egyptians; 14:25.
7. Miraculous return of waters; 14:28.

EXPLORING NOTES ON CHAPTERFOURTEEN

EXODUS:

1. What is in Exodusfourteen?
The chapter tells of Israel’s miraculous crossing of the Red
Sea, and the destruction of the Egyptians who pursued them.
2. What is the spiritual significance of this chapter?
The chapter is an eternal illustration of the truth that God
is able to deliver his people. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21).
The chapter makes the meaning of baptism clear. We are
told in I Corinthians 10;2 that “Our fathers were all under
the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all bap-
tized untoMoses in the cloud and in the sea.” By the same
words we are said to be “baptized into Christ” (Gal. 3:27;
Rom. 6:3).
Up until the crossing of the Red Sea Israel was in Egyptian
territory and in danger from Egypt. Similarly up until our
baptism we are yet in sins. Though Saul of Tarsus came to
believe in Jesus upon the road to Damascus, and had changed
his mind (repented) toward Jesus, and though he had prayed
for three days, yet the preacher sent by the Lord himself said
to him, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins,
callbg-enhis name.” (Acts 22:16)
When Israel crossed the sea, they were baptized unto
Moses. They came completely under his authority and rule.

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 BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES 14:1-31

Egypt had no more dominion over them. Similarly, in Ro-

mans six, where Paul talks about our being baptized into
Christ, he writes that “Sin shall not have dominion over
you.” (Rom. 6:11, 14)
By mighty works done by Moses, God made it possible for
the Israelites to step forth in FAITH to forsake Egypt. By
mighty works done through Christ (such as raising Him from
the dead), God has made it possible for us to step forth in
FAITH to escape sin. After that act of faith, we are baptized
into Christ. It is at that point that we are saved (I Peter 3:21;
Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16). It is the point of transition.
Baptism must be preceded by faith; indeed it is an act of
faith. God has called us “unto obedience of faith” (Rom.
2:5; 16:26). Noah and Abraham by faith obeyed God’s
commands (Heb. 11:7-8).We do not have Biblical faith if we
take lightly God’s commands, such as to be baptized.
3 . What unexpected directions did God give to Israel? (14:l-2)
The Lord told Moses to tell Israel to TURN BACK toward
the sea and camp in front of Pihahiroth, between Migdol
(the tower) and the sea, in front of (east of) Baal-zephon.
Israel was to encamp in a vulnerable place, as if just wait-
ing for Pharaoh to respond.
The identifications of Pihahiroth, Migdol, and Baal-
zephon are as numerous as the commentaries on the subject!
Every body of water along the east edge of Egypt has been
identified by some interpreter as the sea spoken of. Identifi-
cations of the sea include Lake Sirbonis (Martin Noth,
Aharoni), Lake Menzaleh (G. E. Wright), Lake Timsah
(Naiville),’ the Bitter Lakes (Cassuto, John Davis), and the
Red Sea (Gulf of Suez) (S.C. Bartlett, J. W. McGarvey).
We feel that the sea referred to in 14:2 (and subsequently)
is the Red Sea Gulf of Suez. See Introductory Study I1 of this
book for our reasons for holding this view. Acceptance of this
view certainly requires acceptance of miraculous features in
the crossing! We assuredly regard the crossing as miraculous

‘See J. H. Hertz, Pentateuch and Hafioralis (London: Soncino, 1969), p. 266.

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in many respects.
When God told Israel to “Turn back,” he probably meant
for them to turn west. To the Hebrews the west side of any-
thing was spoken of as the back side. See Ex. 3:1, In Genesis
14:7 we have the account of how the four kings from the east
“turned back” from Mt. Seir (Edom) to Kadesh (presumably
Kadesh-barnea). This was a generally westward turn, as a
check of a map will show.
Israel had been travelling in the wilderness (13:18, 20),
probably going southward in the area east and southeast of
the Bitter Lakes. Now they are directed to turn back, mean-
ing westward, toward the north tip of the Gulf of Suez.
The Hebrew verb translated “turn back” may simply mean
“turn.” It has both meanings. We mention this to show that
“Turn back” does not necessarily have to mean a complete
reversal of direction, as from south to north. A turn to the
west would fulfill the command completely.
The exact locations of Pihahiroth, Migdol, and Baal-
zephon are not known. We feel that all three were near the
north tip of the Red Sea Gulf of Suez.
Pihahiroth is a name having a definite Egyptian sound.2
Numbers 33:8 gives it as Hahiroth, omitting the Pi, which
is the Egyptian article the.
Several places called Migdol, meaning watchtower, are
known. We propose that a tower on one of the summits of
Mt. Atakah, just west of the Gulf of Suez tip, would be a
most probable l ~ c a t i o n . ~
Baal-zephon, meaning “Baal of the North,” was the name
of a Canaanite god that was evidently worshipped in Egypt.
G . E. Wright tells of one site called Baal-zephon in later
centuries, located on the south tip of Lake Menzaleha4But

2AlanCole (op. cit., p, 119) says Pihahiroth means “region of salt marshes.” We have
seen no other authorities who confirm this meaning.
31nternationalStandard Bible Encyclopedia, IV, p. 2396, concurs with this suggested
location.
“Biblical Archaeology, p. 61. The same view is in Broadman Bible Commentary,
(1969), 381.

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 BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES 14:1-31
another site named Baal-zephon must be referred to here,
since Lake Menzaleh is far more than a three-days’ journey
from Marah (’Ain Hawwarah). See Num. 33:8; Ex. 15:22,
U . Cassuto refers to an Egyptian papyrus which refers to a
tower of Baal-zephon located near the Bitter LakesSsThe
existence of this second site called Baal-zephon certainly
shows us that we are not forced to accept Wright’s location
of Baal-zephon near Lake Menzaleh as the only possible one.
4. What would Pharaoh think when he heard of Israel‘s
detour? (14:3)
He would think they were entrapped in the land. Our
suggested location of the Israelite camp is in an area
hemmed in by Mt. Atakah on the west and south and by
the sea on the east. They were definitely shut in by the
wilderness. (A wilderness is any desert, whether mountain-
ous or level, sandy or rocky.)
5. Why was God going to harden Pharaoh’s heart again? (14:4)
Three reasons are given: (1)so that Pharaoh would pursue
the Israelites (a suicidal mission); (2) so God would get
honor through what He did t o Pharaoh and his host (com-
pare 14:17; 9:16); (3) so that the Egyptians would know that
God was the LORD (Jehovah). This third goal has been men-
tioned time and again in Exodus (7:s’ 17; 8:10, 22; 14:18).
Concerning the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, see notes
on 4:21; 7:3. See pp. 116-119.
The paragraph 14:l-4 closes with a picture of the people
encamped near the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea) tranquil and
trusting in the LORD and in Moses his servant.6
If it should seem to you harsh that God should again
harden Pharaoh’s heart, after having already slain all of
Egypt’s firstborn, observe the text carefully! We are first
told that Pharaoh would take notice of Israel’s detour, as if
in exultant amazement (14:3). Obviously the Egyptians had
spies, trackers, and runners reporting on the journey of

~ r j p , 159.
5 C o v ~ ~ e non~Exodus,
‘Cassuto, op. cir., p, 160.

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Israel. After telling of Pharaoh’s own reaction to Israel’s

detour, God declared that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart
(14:4). This occurred just as God predicted. When Pharaoh
heard of Israel’s position, his heart was changed toward the
people and he regretted having let them go (14:S). At that
point, AFTER Pharaoh had already expressed his own real
feelings, God hardened his heart, causing him to pursue
Israel suicidally (14:8).
6. What was Pharaoh’s reaction when he heard that Israel had
fled? (145)
His heart was changed - maliciously changed - and so were
the hearts of his servants, presumably his government offii-
cers. Previously they were very glad to get the Israelites out of
the land (12:30-34).Now they regret it.
The upper classes of Egypt had depended on the manual
labor of Israel to do the physical labor that made their com-
forts possible. Many nations even now have peasant, or
working, classes, whose toils enable the “upper crust” to
live grandly. The Egyptians now see Goshen empty, the
brickyards deserted, the fields forsaken (1:14). This loss
was socially and economically paralyzing.
Besides the pain of the economic loss, the Egyptians had a
spiritual and emotional fury in them, a frustration born of
defeat in the ten plagues, a desire for revenge, a religious
resentment and hatred. The Egyptians said, “I will pursue;
I will overtake; I will divide the spoil!” (159)
“Fled” does not suggest that Isreal left surreptiously,
without PharaoWs being aware of it.’ Far from it! They left
in full view of the Egyptians, with a high hand, defiantly (Ex.
14:8;Num. 33:3-4). The wordfled here probably is intended
to give the idea that they had utterly left the country. Moses
had previously proposed to Pharaoh that Israel should go a
-

‘Martin Noth, Exodus (Philadelphia:Westminister, 1962h p. 111, argues that “fled”

is a fragment from an E tradition, that Israel fled without Pharaoh’s notce; and that
this contradicts the other descriptions of Israel’s escape as given in Exodus. This dis-
section of the text is unnecessary and unproven. “Fled” does not always imply “to flee
secretly.” Compare Gen. 16:16;Num. 24:ll.

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 BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES 14: 1-31

three-days’ journey into the wilderness to worship the LORD

(53). Probably when Israel left, Pharaoh supposed that
they would only go a short ways, stop, worship, and return,
Now he learns that they have FLED the country! Indeed they
had. By this time Israel had almost certainly been travelling
four days and probably more, and had gone about sixty miles
and were still going, But suddenly news comes to Pharaoh
that the Israelites are entrapped in the wilderness as the
result of an unexpected detour.
7 . What Egyptian forces were sent afier the Israelites? (14:
6-7, 9)
Pharaoh prepared his chariot, and took his people with
him. He took six hundred chosen (or tested and selected)
chariots of Egypt, and all the chariots of Egypt, with captains
(warriors) over all of them. Besides these, there were horses
and horsemen (lS:l), and an army (footmen) (14:7, 9, 17).
The word chariot in 14:6 is singular in Hebrew. But so also
is the obviously plural chariots in 14:7, 9. The Hebrew rekeb
often means chariotry, or chariots, in a collective sense.
Compare Judges 4:3. Thus here it probably refers to Phar-
aoh’s chariots generally, rather than to Pharaoh’s own per-
sonal chariot.
Chosen chariots refers to those specially tested, or proved,
chariots, selected because of their proven effectiveness in
battle. Such chariots won many victories for the Egyptian
eighteenth dynasty kings in battles in Canaan and Syria.
The captains in the chariots were “chariot warriors.’’ The
Hebrew word for captains (shalishirn)resembles the word for
three, suggesting three men were in each chariot. Since
pictures of ancient Egyptian chariots show only two men in
each chariot, this led Martin Notheto assert that the Biblical
record is here in error. However, the significance of a related
word in the Ugaritic textsg means only “chariot warriors,”

l o p . Cit., p. 112.
9Ugaritic is a Semitic language related to Hebrew, and written by the Canaanites a t
the ancient city of Ugatit (now called Ras Shamra).

30 1
14:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

without reference to the number of them.l0 It is a joy to

believers to see again and again how false accusations against
God’s book are always refuted when all the facts are known.
During the ten plagues the military forces of Egypt were
never mentioned. They were the “sleeper,” the silent threat
in the shadows. Now the chariots are a terribly present
danger. The memory of this pursuit by the Egyptians was
vivid to the Israelites in later centuries (Josh. 24:6).
8. Where did theEgyptians overtake Israel? (14:9)
By the sea, by Pihahiroth, before (in front of, east of,
Baal-zephon. See notes on 14:2. Overtake means only that
they drew near enough to see Israel. The time required for
preparation of this military force and its pursuit was surely
several days in length.
9. What was-Israel’sreaction upon seeing the Egyptian host?
(14:10)
They were in great fear and cried out to the LORD. How-
ever, their cry seems to have been a cry to dismay and terror,
rather than a prayer for deliverance, The Israelites had been
enslaved so long that they were not yet emotionally and
spiritually conditioned to respond to danger with faith.
Nonetheless, God heard their cry and hearkened to them.
10. What bitter words did Israel say to Moses? (14:11-12)
“Are there no graves in Egypt, so that you have brought us
to die in the desert?”
Probably the Israelites were too frightened to sense the
almost humorous sarcasm in these words. No people in the
world have ever been more preoccupied with the making of
tombs and regular attention to the dead than the Egyptians.
There are millions of tombs in Egypt. Even the pyramids
were just tombs. Many tombs had an adjoining room where
rituals were conducted daily for the feeding and care of the
dead in their after-life.
We have no record that the Israelites had spoken the exact
words quoted in 14:ll-12 in Egypt. However, the fearful

10Cassuto,op. cit., p. 162.

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 BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES 14:l-31
spirit expressed by these words is quite similar to that ex-
pressed in Ex. 521. Possibly they had indeed uttered these
words, even though we have no record of it.
Psalm 106:7-8: “Our fathers understood not thy wonders
in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy loving-
kindnesses, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red
Sea. Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he
might make his mighty power to be known.”
The Israelites had been slaves too long to realize that death
in freedom is preferable to existence in slavery. Young
Christians facing tests soon after accepting Christ, may, like
the Israelites, long for the lack of responsibility in the old
life.
11. With what words didMoses reassure Israel? (14:13-14)
“Fear not; stand firm, and see the salvation of JEHO-
VAH!”
Moses’ faith is truly remarkable. He urged them to be
quiet, for the LORD would fight for them. “In quietness and
in confidence shall be your strength” (Isa. 30:lS). They were
to stop their outcries.
The word salvation here means deliverance and victory.
Compare I Samuel 14:45. However, we must not interpret it
as if it referred exclusively to physical and material deliver-
ance. Its use in Psalm 51:12 suggests that it bore a spiritual
connotation as well. Their deliverance at the Red Sea was
a faith-producing salvation experience. Observe how it
produced courage to face future battles. (Deut. 1:30)
Moses said, “You will see the salvation of the LORD; but
never see the Egyptians again.”
The concept of the LORD fighting for his people is a
common one in the Old Testament. See Josh. 10:14; Ps.
3 5 1 ; Neh. 4:20; Isa. 30:22; 63:3-5. Even the Egyptians soon
sensed that God was fighting against them and for the Israel-
ites (14:25).
12. What did God tellMoses andIsrael to do? (14:lS-16)
“Go forward!” “Lift up your rod!” “Divide the sea!” “Go
acrossI ”

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When God’s people have learned to trust God and stand

still, then they are prepared to go forward.
From 14:15 we learn that Moses had cried (prayed) unto
God. Moses prayed a great deal. See 5 2 2 ; 8:12; 8:29-30.)
Moses’ use of the rod again probably brought back mem-
ories to the Israelites of what that rod had done in Egypt.
See 4:17; 7:15, 19. Moses stretched out his hand and rod
both to open and to close the waters. See 14:21,26.
13. What would cause theEgyptians to pursue Israel? (14:17)
God would harden their hearts. See notes on 14:4. This
was to be the final fatal hardening. The words of 14:17 give
the first specific clue as to the exact means by which Egypt
would be defeated.
The word I in 14:17 comes first for emphasis, as You was
stressed at the start of 14:16. “YOU lift up your rod; I will
harden their hearts.”
14. What would the Egyptians know by their defeat? (14:18)
They would know that the Israelites’ God was the LORD
Jehovah! (At least their surviving relatives would know it!)
This thought has been stated repeatedly in Exodus. See notes
on 7 5 , 17;8: 10, 22; 14:4.
Dear reader, I pray that you also know that God is the
LORD!
1.5. What shielded the Israelitesfrom the Egyptians? (14:19-20)
The angel of God and the pillar of cloud went between the
Israelites and the Egyptians, and separated them all the
night.
The angel of God is almost certainly the same person as
the angel of the LORD who appeared to Moses at the burn-
ing bush (3:2). “The angel of his presence saved them” (Isa.
63:9.). (The Hebrew word for angel means messenger.) This
“angel’’ was no one other than Jehovah himself (see 14:24),
specifically Jehovah the WORD, the one who was later sent to
earth by God the Father, and is known to us as Jesus of
Nazareth. Many passages in the Old Testament tell of the
angel of Jehovah who appeared unto men, and had all the
qualities of God. See Gen. 22:15-16; 32:24, 30; Judges

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 BAPTIZED UNTO M O S E S 14:1-31
6:22-23; 13:21-22. No man has ever seen God the father
(John 1:18), But God the WORD (Jesus) was indeed seen
many times in the world, even before He emptied Himself
of His divine glory and was conceived in Mary. Note John
12:41; Isaiah 6:l.
This divine angel of the LORD travelled before Israel in
the pillar of cloud (13:21; compare 23:20-23). Thus, when
the cloud moved behind the camp of Israel, GOD himself
was separating Israel from the Egyptians. Certainly we be-
lieve that God’s presence is universal (Jer, 23:23-24). But
God has often condescended to make His presence perceiv-
able to men by manifesting Himself in limited places, like
the cloud. Compare Ex. 2522.
Ex, 14:20 clearly indicates that during that night it was
dark on the Egyptians’ side of the cloud. Probably so utterly
dark that it stopped movement and reminded them of the
plague of darkness. However, the cloud gave light on the
Israelites’ side of it. They did not walk in darkness.
The Greek Bible (LXX) has a different wording in 14:20:
“There was . . .*darkness,and the night passed.” It does not
mention the light. The Revised Standard Version follows this
reading. But the Hebrew reading is very definite about the
cloud lighting up the night. This was indeed a miracle to top
all miracles! We accept the scriptural record of this event
with joyful faith.
16. What divided the sea? (14:21)
Three things: (1) Moses’ rod;” (2)the LORD; (3) a strong
east wind. The dividing of the sea was fundamentally a
miracle by God. No other explanation can fully account
for it.
Nonetheless, the east wind played a big part in the dividing
of the sea. The strong east wind blew all night, and made the

“Josephus (Avt. 11, xvi, 2) tells the fanciful story that Moses smote the sea with his
rod, and it parted asunder at the stroke. Josephus consistently tries to glorify Moses by
unnecessary exaggerations.

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 14~1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

sea before the Israelites to be dry land. Undoubtedly this

wind was unique and miraculous in its strength, its precise
points of applying pressure, and its timing. Nevertheless, it
had certain “natural” characteristics.
S . C. Bartlett,’* who was an eyewitness traveller over the
route of the Israelites, refers to the words of M. de Lesseps,
who told of the effects on the Red Sea waters by bevere
storms, such as occur only at intervals of fifteen or twenty
years. De Lesseps had seen the northern end of the sea in
places blown almost dry. Bartlett refers also to the map of
the Maritime Canal Co., which reported that the ordinary
difference between high and low tide in as calm sea was only
eight-tenths of a meter (about thirty-one inches). However,
the difference between the highest and lowest known seas
during a storm was 3:24 meters (over ten feet). This is a
remarkable confirmation of the Biblical information about
the effect of the powerful winds on this part of the sea.
If it should seem irreverent that we state that the wind was
such a basic force in making the path dry across the sea, we
reply that the greater irreverence lies iqte refusal to accept
the plain statement of the narrative, which clearly indicates
that the result was in a great measure brought about by use
of the wind.
17. Did the watersform a WML? (14:21-22)
They surely did - a wall on the right and on the left. “The
waters were piled up, the floods stood upright as a heap; the
deeps were congealed in the midst of the sea.” (Ex. 1.58)
According to the offical Israel survey map, the waters at
the north end of the Gulf of Suez have a depth of at least five
meters (15-20 feet). This would be the height of the wall of
water on either side of the Israelites’ path.
The views of various interpreters that the “wall” was a
figure of speech, or an “exaggeration” simply do not agree
with the wording of the text.
From both sides of the sea the sea bottom gently slopes
-
‘*FrornEgyptto Palestine (New York: Harper, 1879), pp. 180-181.

306
 BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES 14~1-31

down into the water. There are no sudden drop-offs. The

crossing place would be about four miles across.
We should not picture in our minds Israel’s crossing path
as narrow; it was probably more than a mile wide.
18. Whatwas thesea bottom like whereIsraelcrossed7 (14:22,29)
They walked across on d v ground, through the sea!
Dr. Edward Robinson13 argued very plausibly that the
Israelites probably could not have entered the passage much
before midnight, because the blowing of the wind would
require some time for its full effect. Their march was com-
pleted (or nearly so) by the time of the morning watch, about
two o’clock. They must have marched slowly because of
encumbrances. If the column moved one thousand abreast,
it would occupy a space more than half a mile wide, and
being at least 2000 people in depth, would extend for not
less than two miles from front to rear. It would require an
hour for all to enter the sea, and two hours more for the
column to traverse a space of four miles across. The whole
body of Israelites could have passed over the distance of four
miles before the morning watch time, when the Egyptians
were troubled as they tried to pursue Israel.
Heb. 11:29: “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as
on dry land, which the Egyptians attempting to do were
drowned.”
Isaiah 63:12-13: He “divided the waters before them to
make himself an everlasting name, (and) led them through
the depths, as a horse in the wilderness, so that they stumbled
not.” Compare Ps. 77:19-20; 66:6.
19. What was the weather like when Israel crossed?
Psalm 77:16-18 refers to a terrible storm that occurred as
the Israelites crossed. There was rain and thunder. “The
lightnings lightened the world; the earth trembled and
shook. Josephus (Ant. 11, xvi, 3) also tells of this storm. He
says that it struck when the Egyptians tried to cross. (Of
course this is uncertain.)

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 14:1-31 E X P L O R I N G E X O D U S

lnasniuch as the “wind blew all night” (14:21), we might

wonder if the Israelites had to buck the east wind in their
faces as they crossed eastward. We do not know, but we
suspect that God directed the main force of the wind at the
walls of water on either side, leaving the center of the path
relatively calm.
20. When did the Egyptiansjollow the Israelites? (14:23-24)
They followed after the Israelites when they were mostly all
across, if not indeed all completely across. They started
across some time before the morning watch, about 2:OO a.m.
We doubt that the Egyptians even noticed the walls of
water on either side. A fifteen-foot wall of water a half-mile
away might not appear too threatening, especially at night
when it was the dark, and more especially if your attention
was diverted by lightning flashes and howling wind.
The Egyptian host surely had to be aware that the whole
experience had very unusual features! First the dark cloud
utterly blocked out their view for hours. Then the cloud
moved from before them. And in the middle of the night
they see the Israelites several miles aw-ay, almost all far
across the sea. They surely recalled how the Israelites had
been blocked by the sea a few hours before. They probably
wondered how in the world the sea had been cleared before
them! Then there was that light from the cloud, lighting up
the path, even though it was two o’clock in the morning!
Besides that, a storm overhead began to flash lightning, and
to boom thunder, and pour rain, while the wind blew vio-
lently. All of this was so unusual, even eerie, that we feel that
if the LORD had not hardened their hearts, they would never
have gone in after the Israelites.l4

“Skeptical critics have outdone themselves in seeking to dissect and discredit this
passage (14:22-28). For example, Noth (op. c i r . , p. 119) says the Priestly writer simply
thought the Israelites passed through the sea and the Egyptians wanted to follow. The
Jehovist writer, or source, is mysterious, and indicates that the Egyptians were driven into
the sea by the fear of God. The Elohistic writer suggests that they were engulfed by the
return of‘the sea that had been driven back. What such critics seem unwilling to acknoal-
edge is that all otthese facts are true, and they all easily harmonize into the one story.
There is simply no solid evidence for proposing that such contradictory “sources” ever
existed.
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 B A P T ~ Z E DU N T O M O S E S 14~1-31

21, What hindered the pursuit by the Egyptians? (14:24-25)

The LORD looked down upon them through the pillar of
cloud and fire and “discomfited” the Egyptians. Discomfit
means to perplex, confound, trouble, confuse, agitate, make
to panic, thwart.
The look, or glance, of the Lord, which discomfited the
Egyptians, often overwhelms evil doers: “Pour forth the
overflowings of thine anger, And look on every one that is
proud , and abase him” (Job 40: 11).
This discomfiture came as a result of the thunderstorm
(Ps. 77: 16-18),and their chariots breakingdown. The LORD
“took o f f ’ their chariot wheels. Wagon wheels can most
certainly come off their axles. And the axles can break,
leaving the wheels in useless positions. The ”chosen chariots’’
did not prove to be equal to the test. Any effort to move a
one-wheeled chariot, or a wheelless chariot, would panic and
frustrate both horses and charioteers.
The Egyptians correctly diagnosed the problem: “The
LORD fighteth for them.” These were the Egyptians’ last
~
recorded words. They decided to turn and flee, but it was too
I‘ *
late. See notes on 14:14.
The Greek Bible says the Lord “clogged” their chariot
i wheels. This reading is followed in the R . S . V . Possibly the
sand may have balled up in their chariot wheels, jamming
and immobilizing them, and even producing the breakoff of
the wheels. But the Hebrew verb (sur) means to “turn aside,
turn away, depart, be removed, cease, disappear.” These
meanings make good sense without adopting the Greek
reading as a substitute.
THE WORKS OF THE LORD
Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph,
The waters saw thee, 0 God;
The waters saw thee, they were afraid:
The depths also trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
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14:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

The skies sent out a sound:

Thine arrows also went abroad. ”
The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lightened the world:
The earth trembled and shook.
Thy way was in the sea,
knd thy paths in the great waters,
And thy footsteps were not known.
Thou leddest thy people like a flock,
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(Psalm 77:15-20)
22. How were the Egyptians destroyed? (14:26-28)
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The waters that
had been walled up were released, and returned to their
“strength,” to their usual position of overflowing the sea bed.
The word strength (Heb. ’ethan) in 14:27 is rendered
“wonted flow” in R.S.V. In Gen. 49:24 it refers to the
strength of weapons (a bow). Parallels in other Semitic
languages suggest it means a stream that never dries up.
The text here in Exodus seems to say that the sea at that
’p’placealways covered the sea-bed with strong waters. They
were too powerful for swimmers; the Egyptians were no
match for this water.
The Egyptians fled “against it” (R.S.V., “into it”). This
expression carries the idea of an encounter, or meeting.15
Thus, it appears that when the wall of water was released it
first filled up along the west shore, making sort of an “end
run.’’ As the Egyptians began to retreat they ran right into
(or against) this water. Then it rapidly swept eastward, filling
all the seabed in a rushing tide. What horror the Egyptians
felt as they saw themselves trapped and unavoidably con-
fronted by this water. Their bodies and chariots were swept

T h i s Hebrew expression (leqerutho) is used to tell of meeting people (Gen. 29:13;

Ex. 18:7), and to describe the position of things like armies opposite (or against) one
another (Gen. 15:lO; I Sam. 17:21).

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 BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES 14:1-31

eastward by the waters and dumped on the seashore (1529).

Not so many as one escaped. All there covered - chariots,
horsemen, and all the army. See Neh. 9:ll; Psalm 106:ll;
7853; Ex.15:1, 7.
Jehovah overthrew the Egyptians. This literally says that
he “shook off’ the Egyptians. (The same word is in Neh.
5 1 3 and Ps. 136:lS.) We cannot press this figure of speech
too literally, but in a very real way God did “shake off’ the
Egyptians from the Israelites; and he shook them off from
himself. They would no longer stick to him as an annoying,
persecuting, hard-hearted people. He shook them off as we
might shake off a crawling bug from our hand.
23. Did Pharaoh himselfperish in the sea?
We believe that he did. Absolutely all of those going into
the sea perished (14:28). Seemingly Pharaoh went with the
host. “He shall follow after them” (14:4). “I will get me
honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host” (14:4). The
king “took his people with him” (14:6). “When Pharaoh
drew nigh. . . .”
(14:lO). God “overthrew Pharaoh and his
host in the Red Sea” (Psalm 136:lS).
This poses a big question for us: Who then was this Pha-
raoh? We have been suggesting in this book that he was
Amenhotep 11, and we still hold this view. However, the
mummy of Amenhotep I1 (with his great bow alongside it)
is preserved to this day, something that would not be true if
he perished in the Red Sea. It is most unlikely that his body
would have been retrieved from the east shore of the Red Sea
(or even be identifiable).
Possibly the verses quoted above that refer to the de-
struction of Pharaoh mean that he was overthrown
representatively when his army was overthrown in the sea,
as he beheld from the west shore. Admittedly the text does
not convey this impression.
Dr. Donovan Courville16 proposes that the drowned

16TheExodus Problem and Its Rami3cations, Vol. 1 (Lama Linda, Calif.: Challenge,
1971),p. 122.

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14:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

Pharaoh was Koncharis, a king listed in the Sothis list of

Egyptian kings. Courville dates the exodus about the same
time as we do, but maintains that the usually-accepted dates
for the kings of Egypt are several hundred years too far back.
Some of Courville’s ideas could prove correct, but they surely
are not held by most Egyptologists.
24, Why is the recorrl of Israel’s crossing repeated in 14:29?
Probably it is repeated for emphasis. What a marvelous
event! What.a cause for exultation! Even with repetition the
story cannot do justice to the event.
Possibly the repetition is made to stress the contrasting
fates of Egypt and Israel. Note 14:28,29.
Concerning the wall of water, see notes on 14:21-22.
25. Where did Israel last see the Egyptians? (14:30)
Dead upon the seashore! Obviously this was the east shore.
They could not have seen them four miles away on the west
shore. This was final retribution, measure for measure. For
casting the infant sons of Israelites into the water (1:12),
Egypt had perished in the water.
The Egyptians considered that being exposed in death and
fed to the vultures, was the greatest of all misfortunes.
According to their beliefs the soul could not find rest till the
body was properly interred. One is reminded of Rev. 19:
17-18.
Josephus (Ant. 11, mi, 6 ) says that Moses the next day
gathered the weapons of the Egyptians, which were brought
to the camp of the Hebrews by the current of the sea and the
force of the winds. And Moses conjectured that this also
happened by divine providence, that they might not be desti-
tute of weapons. This is a possibility, but not a certainty.
The death of these enemies suggests to OUR minds the
death of our “old man,” the sinful nature. In being baptized
unto Moses, the Israelites beheld the death of their old
enemies. In being baptized into Christ, our old man (our old
nature and life) was crucified with Christ. We are dead unto
sin (Rom. 6:3-6,It).
26. What eflects did the crossing of the Red Sea have upon the

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 BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES 14:l-31
Israelites? (14:31)
(1) They feared the LORD.
(2) They believed the Lord and his servant Moses. Israel
had once before believed (Ex, 4:31). Now their faith is re-
newed and enlarged.
Israel had been saved from the hand of the Egyptians
(4:30), They had now seen the power (literally, hand) of the
LORD. Compare 1 5 6 .
27, Did the crossing of the Red Sea involve a battle between
spiritual powers?
It surely seems to have done so. At its root, the crossing of
the sea was a triumph over the old Devil, Satan, who has
always opposed God and His people, even more than it was
a triumph over Pharaoh, “He hath sent redemption unto His
people” (Psalm 111:9).
Some interpreters have attempted to link the story of
the Red Sea crossing with ancient legends, such as the Baby-
lonian “creation” story. This story (called Enurna Elish)
interprets creation as the consequence of a battle between
Marduk, the god of the city of Babylon, and Tiamat, a
goddess who was the personification of the deep, the sea
waters. l 7 After this battle Tiamat’s body was cut in half, and
the halves made into the heavens and earth.
Even Cassuto,l8 a usually careful interpreter, links the
crossing of the Red Sea with ancient mythological legends
about the rebellion of the Sea against the Lord. He thinks
the Song in Ex. 15 is an adaptation of a lost ancient epic
Poem on “The Lord’s Triumph Over the Rebellious Sea.”
Several scripture vemes are thought to allude to this
legendary battle between the Lord and the Sea. These in-
clude (1)Isaiah 51:9-10; (2) Ezek. 29:3; (3) Ps. 74:13-14; (4)
Ps. 93:3-4; (5) Hab. 3:13-15.
A check of all of these passages (all of which are poetic)
will show that they do not positively teach such a view.

“As an example, seeBmadrnanBibZe Commentary, Vol. 1 (19691,p. 385.

“OJI.cit., pp. 178-181.

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15:1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

(1) Isaiah 51:9-10 refers to Rahab, a monster, that was

destroyed, apparently when the Red Sea dried up. Rahab
seems here to be a poetic name for Egypt. See Ps. 87:4;
89:lO. (2) Ezek. 29:3 figuratively refers to Egypt as “the
great monster. (3) Psalm 74:13-14 pictures the division of
”

the Red Sea waters as killing numerous sea-monsters (which

it surely did). These monsters became “food for the people,
for inhabitantsI9 of the desert,” probably referring to wild
beasts that ate their carcasses. (4) Ps. 93:3-4 says that the
floods have lifted up their voices (roaring waves), but God is
high above even these. There is no clear indication here that
the sea was in conflict with God. It says only that God’s voice
was greater than the sound of the ring sea. (5) Habakkuk
3:13-15 alludes to God’s acts in ishing the enemies of
His people, without any reference to a mythological battle:
At the sea “Thou didst tread the sea with thy horses’’
(probably angelic horses; Compare I1 Kings 6:17).
In none of the references suggested is there clear and
certain statement about an ancient battle between the LORD
and the sea. It seems to us that this idea has little or no
support from the holy scriptures.

TEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION

15I willThen sang Mo-ses and the children of Is-ra-el this song
unto Je-ho-vah, and spake, saying,
sing unto Je-ho-vah, for he hath triumphed gloriously:
The horse and hi rider hath he thrown into the sea.
(2) Je-ho-vah is my strength and song, And he is become my
salvation: This is my God, and I will praise him; My father’s
God, and I will exalt him.
--
”The Hebrew words in Ps. 74: 14 translated “people inhabiting the wilderness”
(tsiyim) refer to wild beasts in Isa. 13:21; 34:14. Probably they also do so
in Ps. 74:14.
The RSV translation “creatures of the wilderness” probably gives the correct meaning.

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 FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING 15:l-27
(3) Je-ho-vah is a man of war: Je-ho-vah is his name.
(4) Pha-raoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea;
And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
( 5 ) The deeps cover them: They went down into the depths like
a stone.
(6) Thy right hand, 0 Je-ho-vah, is glorious in power, Thy right
hand, 0 Je-ho-vah, dasheth in pieces the enemy.
(7)And in the greatness of thine excellency thou overthrowest
them that rise up against thee: thou sendest forth thy wrath,
it consumeth them as stubble.
(8) And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up,
The floods stood upright as a heap; The deeps were con-
gealed in the heart of the sea.
(9) The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide
the spoil; My deslre shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw
my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
(10) Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: They
sank as lead in the mighty waters.
(11)Who is like unto thee, 0 Je-ho-vah, among the gods? Who
is like thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing
wonders?
(12)Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, The earth swallowed
them.
(13) Thou in thy lovingkindness hast led the people that thou
hast redeemed Thou hast guided them in thy strength to
thy holy habitation.
(14) The peoples have heard, they tremble: Pangs have taken
hold on the inhabitants of Phi-Us-ti-a.
(15) Then were the chiefs of E-dom dismayed; The mighty men
of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them: All the inhab=
itants of Ca-naan are melted away.
(16) Terror and dread falleth upon them; By the greatness of
thine arm they are as still as a stone; Till thy people pass
over, 0 Je-ho-vah, Till the people pass over that thou hast
purchased.
(17) Thou wilt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of
thine inheritance, The Place, 0 Je-ho-vah, which thou hast
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15: 1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

made for thee to dwell in, The sanctuary, 0 Lord, which thy
hands have established.
(18)Je-ho-vahshall reign for ever and ever.
(19)For the horses of Pha-raoh went in with his chariots and
with his horsemen into the sea, and Je-ho-vah brought back the
waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Is-ra-el walked
on dry land in the midst of the sea. (20) And Mir-i-am the proph-
etess, the sister of Aar-on, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the
women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. (21)
And Mir-i-am answered them,
Sing ye to Je-ho-vah, for he
hath Mumphed gloriously;
The horse and his rider hath he
thrown into the sea.
(22) And Mo-ses led Is=ra-elonward from the Red Sea, and
they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three
days in the wilderness, and fouad no water. (23)And when they
came to Ma-rah, they could not drink of the waters of Ma-rah,
for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Mamrah.
(24) And the people murmured against Mo-ses, saying, What
shall we drink? (25) And he cried unto Je=ho-vah;and Je-ho-vah
showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters
were made sweet. There he made for them a statute and an
ordinance, and there he proved them; (26) and he said, If thou
wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Je-ho-vah thy God, and
wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his
commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the
diseases upon thee!, which I have put upon the E-gyp-tians: for I
am Je=ho-vahthat healeth thee.
(27) And they came to E - l i , where were twelve springs of
water, and threescore and ten palm-trees: and they encaniped
there by the waters.

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 F R O M TRIUMPH T O TESTING 151-27
EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTERFIFTEEN
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROMTHE BIBLE

1. After cxefiil reading, propose a topic for Exodus chapter 15,

2. Specifically, who sang the song in Exodus 15? (1.51)
3. Why did Israel sing to the LORD? (15:1)
4, vVhat had the LORD become unto Israel? (15:2)
5, What significance was there in God’s name being the LORD?
(15:3; Compare 6:2, 7 )
6, Exactly who drowned in the Red Sea? (1.54)
7, How had the wateis reacted at the “blast of God’s nostrils”?
(158)
8, What had Israel’s enemies said they would do to Israel?
(15:9)
9, What had the Egyptians sank like? (15:lO)
10. According to 1513, w h g t three things had God done for His
people?
11. How did t’-e various nearby nations react to Israel‘s crossing
the Red Sea? 11514-16)
12. What confidence did the song express about Israel’s future
occupation of the land? (1516-17)
13. How does 1518 relate to the verse immediately preceding it?
14. What office did Miriam have? (1520)
15. What did Miriam take into her hand? (1520)
16. In what act did Miriam lead the women? (1520-21)
17. Into what wilderness (or desert) did Israel come after crossing
the Red Sea? (1522; Compare Numbers 33:8)
18. How long did they journey without finding water? (1522)
19. What was the water at Marah like? (1523)
20. What does the nameMarah mean? (1.523; Ruth 1:20)
21, By what means were the bitter waters sweetened? (15:25)
22. What statute did God make at Marah? (1.525-26)
23. What conditional promise did God make at Marah? (1.526)
24. By what title did God call himself at Marah? (1.526)
25. What was found at Elim? (1527)

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15:1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

EXODUS FIFTEEN:FROM TRIUMPHTO TESTING

1. Songs of triumph; 15:1-21.
2. Situations of testing; 1522-26.
(Often God’s children experience severe testing shortly after
times of spiritual triumph. Even Jesus went from His
baptism to his temptations in the wilderness.)
EXODUS FIFTEEN:FROMSONGTO BITTERNESS
1. Songs by the Red Sea; 15:1-21.
2. Bitterness at Marah; 1522-26.
THESONGOF MOSES(Ex. 151-17)
1. Triumph of the LORD; (151-3)
2. Tragedy of Egypt; (154-12)
3. Terror of the Canaanites; (1513-16)
4. Transition (and transfer) of the Israelites; (1517-18)
THESONGOF REDEMPTION (Ex. 151-17)
1. The LORD’S part: Divinity and decisive action: (151-3)
2. The enemies’ part: Destruction (154-13) and dismay (15:
14-16)
3. Israel’s part: Direction and destination; (15:17-18)
MYLORDAND I(15:2-3)
1. My strength.
2. Mysong.
3. My salvation.
4. MyGod.
THELORD’SRIGHTHAND(156)
1. Glorious in saving Israel.
2. Fearsome in destroying the enemy.
(159-10)
THEPRIDEOF PERSECUTORS
1. Makes them cruel.
2. Makes them boastful.
3. Brings them to destruction.
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 FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING 151-27
GOD’SWORKFORHIS
PEOPLE(Ex. 1513)
1. Redeeming.
2. Leading.
THELORD’SETERNAL REIGN(1518)
1. His past triumphs guarantee it.
2. His promises declare it.
EXPERIENCES SHAREDBY GOD’S PEOPLE(15:22-26)
1. Lack of life’s necessities; 1522-23.
2. Temptations to murmur; 1524.
3. Opportunity to pray; 1525.
4. The Lord’s help and healing; 1525-26.
GOD’STESTFORHISPEOPLE (1525)
(Check your score on this examination!)
1. Do you trust me during hardships? (1522-23)
2. Do you pray? (1525)
3. Do you hearken to my commandments? (1526)
THELORDOURHEALER(1526)
1. Heals those that hearken.
2. Heals those who keep His statutes.

NOTESON CHAPTER
EXPLORINGEXODUS: FIFTEEN
1. What is in chapterJifteen7
The chapter contains the following sections:
(1) The song of Moses and the children of Israel (151-18).
(They sang this after they crossed the Red Sea.) One verse of
prose connects this song to the song that follows it (1519).
(2) The song of Miriam and the women (1520-21). (This was
probably a response to the song of Moses.)
(3) The record of Israel’s travels from the Red Sea, through
Marah, to Elim (1522-27).

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151-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

We entitle this chapter FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING.

It starts with the song of God's triumph and closes with bitter
complaining because of the testing they endured at the bitter
Marah waters, This transition from triumph to testing is a
common experience in the lives of many of God's people.
2. How is the song of Moses divided?
The song is not divided so clearly that interpreters agree
about its divisions. Some interpreters divide it up into stanzas
(strophes) on the basis of the repeated phrases in 156 and
E l l . Using these verses as dividing points, we could outline
the strophes thus:
(1) The triumph of the Lord; 151-6.
(2) The tragedy of the Egyptians; 157-11 (or 12)
(3) The transfer (or transition) of Israel; 1513-17.
We prefer to divide the song into sections on the basis of
its thought divisions, somewhat as follows:
(1) What theLORDIS; 151-3.
(2) What the LORD DID; 15:4-16a.
(3) What the LORD WILL DO; 15:16b-18.
3. What is the purpose of the Song in Exodus 151
It is to declare the greatness of the Lord Jehovah in bring-
-
ing Israel across the Red Sea. In times of great emotions joy
or sorrow - men turn to poetry and music. Ordinary prose
cannot convey the volume of feeling. Redemption and salva-
tion set the heart to singing.
In pagan songs of triumph the glory of victory is ascribed
to the conquering king. But here there is not a word of praise
or glory given to Moses. These are rendered to the LORD
alone.
Exodus fifteen is so highly esteemed by the Jews that Jewish
literature speaks of it as The Song, and the Sabbath on which
it is read as the Sabbath of the Song. Many other passages in
the scriptures contain poetic sections about Israel's deliver-
ance at the Red Sea. See Neh. 9:M; Ps. 78:llff; 77:16ff;
Ps. 105; 106:7W, Habakkuk 3:8ff. Probably in our Christian

'Cassuto, op. cit., p. 174.

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 FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING 151-27
hymn singing we should incorporate more allusions to God’s
victory at the Red Sea than we generally use.
As Moses and Miriam led in praise, ministers of God
should still lead the church in praise.
From Ex. 1520-21 it appears that there was musical
accompaniment to this song. Male and female choruses sang
antiphonally. Note that 1521 is almost identical to 1 5 1 . The
women may have repeated the words of 1521 after each line
or stanza of Moses’s song, or just after the whole song.
The song is full of brief, bold, strong thoughts. Its language
contains very archaic Hebrew expressions. The English
translations cannot reflect the majestic rhythm and dramatic
diction of the original poem.
4. What sort of triumph had theLord had? (151)
He had triumphed triumphantly! The Hebrew quite
literally reads, “I shall sing to Jehovah, Because triumphing
he has triumphed.” The word triumph means to rise up
(like a river; Ezek. 47:5), to swell, increase, be great, exalted.
God’s triumph on this occasion was His wotk of casting
Egypt’s “horse and his chariot” into the sea. This brought
honor to God, as God had predicted (14:4, 17).
5 . What had God become to Israel? (152-3)
a. He was their strength and song. (This expression recurs
in Ps. 118:14 and ha. 12:2.)
b. “He has become to me (for) a salvation. ” (This word
salvation has strong spiritual overtones.)
c. “This is my God, ” “and I will praise (adore) Him.”
d. “My father’s God and I will exalt him.”
e. “Jehovah is a man of war. ” (153)
The Hebrew word for LORD (Jehovah) in 1 5 2 is YAH (or
Jah), which is a shortened form of the name Jehovah (Yah-
weh), here used for the first time in the Bible, but found later
in poetic passages (Ps. 77:ll; 89:8; 94:7). Yah is the last
syllable in Hallelujah, meaning “Praise ye JAH!” The name
carries the idea of being. See notes on 4:14-15.
How powerful and beautiful it is to read that “Yahweh
(the LORD) is His name!” God had declared (in 3:15) that

321
 15:1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

this name was His name forever. God had desired that Israel
know His name. Now they do know it, and know themeaning
associated with the name. Compare Ps, 83:18.
Note the continuity of faith implied in the phrase “my
father’s God.” The word father’s is singular. See notes on
3:6 and 18:4.
The King James translation (of 152) “I will prepare him
an habitation” is probably not as good a translation as the
A.S.V., which has “I will praise him.” The KJV reading
does not correspond to the parallel thought of the next line
(“I will praise him”). Hebrew poetry often has successive
lines parallel in thought, in some way. The reading “I will
build thee a sanctuary” first appeared in the Targum of
Onkelos, and then in later rabbis.2
God had promised that He would fight for Israel (14:4),
and now He ispraised as a man of war.
6 . What had happened to Pharaoh’s host? (154-5,101
God cast Pharaoh‘s chariots and army into the sea. He
“cast” them into the sea by impelling them to enter the sea
bed (14:17). His chosen captains (R.S.V. “picked officers”)
were sunk (or drowned; the verb is passive) in the Red Sea
(Yarn Suph, the Sea of Weeds). See Introductory Study VI1
and notes on 3:18 concerning the Red Sea. Note that the
stormy wind contributed to the Egyptians’ destruction
(1510; Ps. 77~16-18).
The “deeps” (KJV “depths”) “are covering them.”3 The
word deeps suggest the deep sea waters, not a swampy
marshy reedy area. Deeps is the plural of the deep referred to

’The reason for the translation “I will build him a sanctuary” lies in the double
meaning of the Hebrew verb nawah, which may mean to dwell, abide, or rest; its
congnate nown naweh means dwelling or habitation, and refers to the temple in I Sam.
1525. However, nawah (in Hiphil, as here) also means to make beautiful, or adorn.
This is something that can be done to God only by praising Him. This seems to be its
correct meaning here.
T h e Hebrew verb translated above “are covering them” is in the imperfect tense,
as if indicating incomplete action, as if the event were taking place before the eyes of the
singeri. Mentally they were reliving this victorious experience.

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 PROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING 151-27
inGen. 1:2.
The Egyptian host went down into the depths like a stone.
Perhaps their armor weighted them down. More probably
the moving currents made swimming impossible, even
.
without armor. At any rate, they sank like lea Cdmpare
Neh. 9:lO-11; Ex. 14:28.
7 . What is stated about God’s rinht hand? (156-7)
God’s right hand is glorious in power, and dashes the
enemy in pieces. Compare Ex. 15: 12; 14:31; 3:20. (The
Hebrew word for hand is translated work in 4:31.) The
phrase “right hand” (of God) is common in Psalms, where it
occurs over twenty times. Ps. 20:6; 118:lS-16; 48:lO. Inas-
much as the scripture uses such expressions in referring to
God, we should not hesitate to use them, even though we
know that God is spirit (John 4:24), and fills heaven and
earth (Jer. 23:23-24), and does not necessarily have hands
like ours.
The word excellency (or majesty) in 1 5 7 is from the same
root as triumphed in l S : l , and refers to God’s splendor,
highness, and glory. Note the reference to God’s wrath in
157. God’s wrath consumes (or eats up) his enemies, like
fire consumes stubble.
8 . Whatposition had the sea waters taken? (158)
They were “piled up” in a “heap” and were “congealed.”
(Congealmeans to thicken, or condense.) They were a “wall”
(14:22). The term heap is a word chiefly limited to descrip-
tions of the Red Sea crossing and the crossing of Jordan
(Psalm 78:13; 33:7; Joshua 3:13,16). We agree with Cassuto
that the word heap plainly suggests a miraculous piling up of
the waters. We should not try to weaken its force by calling
it a poetic anthrop~morphism.~ See notes on 14:21-22.
9. What had the enemyplanned to do to Israel? (159)
To pursue. To overtake. To divide the spoil. To destroy.
In the Hebrew reading the threats of 1 5 9 are short, crisp
words, expressing the eagerness of the exultant foe and his

Cole, op. cit., p, 124.

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15:l-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

assurance of complete victory. His threat “My hand shall

destroy them” uses a word (yarash) often used later to refer
to Israel’s expulsion of the Canaanites (See Ex.34:24). It has
a strong irony when applied here to Israel.
On 1510, see notes on 154-5.
10. Who is like unto theLORD? (1511)
No one! Not even any among the gods. The “gods” (or
mighty ones) are probably the idols and false gods of the
heathen. Whether the word gods (Hebrew, elim, plural of e0
refers to mighty men (as in Ezek. 32:21), or to mighty angels
(as probably in Ps. 29:1), or to other supposedly-existing
mighty gods, NO ONE is like the LORD.
Many Biblical references assert that there is no one like
the LORD. See Deut. 324; Ps. 71:19; 86:8; 89:6, 8; Jer.
10:6; Micah 7:18; I1 Sam. 7:22; I Kings 8:23. Let us learn
this truth €or(ourselves.
The LORR,is glorious in holiness. Holiness means unique-
ness, separation, distinction, and moral perfection. See Lev.
19:2.5
The Lord is fearsome, or wonderful, in praises. Probably
this means that the praises justly given to the LORD are such
as to create reverent fear in the beholder. See Rev. 4:8-11;
511-14; Isa. 6:2-3.
11. Did the earth swallow the Egyptians, or the sea? (1512)
“The earth swallowed them.” Certainly they were swal-
lowed up in the sea, but the sea is part of the earth.
J

The word earth in the literature of Semitic peoples living

around the Israelites sometimes served as a designation for
Sheol, the underworld.6 This meaning makes good sense
here.
Concerning God’s right hand, see notes on 1 5 6 .

The idea set forth in Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. l(1969) that moralper-
fection and righteousness were applications of the term holiness used only in centuries
later than Moses is contradicted by its use in Leviticus, a book written by Moses. See
Lev. 19:15. Of course, the skeptical critics aftirm (without proof) that Leviticus was
written during or after the Babylonian exile1
‘Cassuto, op. cit., p. 176.

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 FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING 151-27
Ex. 1512 probably is the end of stanza two (157-12) of
the song, a stanza dealing with the destruction of the Egyp-
tians.
12. What had God doneforHis redeemedpeople? (1513)
He had LED the people whom he had redeemed. Ps. 77:
15,20). He GUIDED them to his holy habitation. This verse
could well be called the KEY VERSE in Exodus, because it
sums up much of what is related in the book.
Concerning redeemed, see notes on Ex. 6:6.
God’s leading His redeemed people was an act of “loving-
kindness” (or “steadfast love”; Heb. hesed). See Ex. 34:7,
Hesed is the great covenant word of the O.T. to describe
God’s unfailing attitude of love toward His people. In turn,
this is what God expects from His people. See Hosea 6:6.
Hesed has no exact equivalent in Greek or in English. It
combines the ideas of loyalty, steadfastness, mercy and love.
For uses of hesed see Psalm 5 1 ; 6:s; Gen. 19:19; Deut.
7:9, 12. The term generally refers to a covenantal type of
love, an unfailing love based on pledged commitment.
God’s “holy habitation” referred to in 1513 probably
refers to the promised land of Canaan, as in Jeremiah 2530,
The term habitation in later literature frequently refers to
the temple sanctuary at Jerusalem. See I1 Sam. 1525. Ex.
1517 refers to the promised land as “the mountain of thine
inheritance.” Since God’s people had not actually entered
and “inherited” this land in Moses’ time, some scholars
assume that 15:13-18was written AFTER Israel’s occupation
of Canaan. (For an example, see Broadman Bible Com-
mentary, VoI. 1 [1969], p. 392.) But this is an unnecessary
assumption. After all of God’s triumphs in Egypt and at the
sea, why should not Moses speak of God’s promise to bring
them into the land (see 6:8) as being “as good as done”?
Faith gives substance to things hoped for.
The verb tenses in 1513-15 shift back and forth, between
perfect (indicating completed action) and imperfect (in-
complete action). “Led,” “guided,” “heard” are in the
perfect tense. However, “tremble” (KJV “be afraid”) in

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1514, and “take hold” in verse 15, and “shall fall” and “be
still’’ in verse 16 are imperfect.
This shifting of the tenses when all of the verbs refer to the
same series of events, shows that the time of the events was
partly in the past, partly in process, and partly future. The
past (or perfect) tenses also may be “predictive perfects,”
which are used to refer to predicted future events as if they
had already taken place. Faith in God’s promises and pre-
dictions can lead us to view the promises as already fulfilled.
13. What eflect did the crossing of the Red Sea have on nearby
nations7 (1514-16)
They had heard about it, and had become very fearful,
realizing that if the Israelites and their God could overcome
the mighty Egyptians, they could overcome them also. For
similar thoughts, see Habakkuk 3:7; Joshua 2:9, 11, 24;
Num. 22:3; E Sam. 4:6-8.
Philistial vas the area along the southern coast of the
Mediterranean in Canaan; The major immigration of the
Philistines into this area occurred about 1200 B.C., about
250 years after the exodus date. However, there had been
groups of Philistines (or similar peoples) settle there from
Crete and other Mediterranean islands as far back as Abra-
ham’s time (2000 B.C.). See Gen. 21:35. It is untrue to say,
as many writers have, that the reference here to the Philistines
is a historical error, or indicates that this verse in Exodus was
written long after the time of the exodus, even after their
-,, settlement into Canaan. There is some archaeological
evidence of Philistine presence in this area before 1200 B.C.,
as well as the Biblical testimony. See notes on 13:17.
Edom lay just SW of the Dead Sea, east of the Arabah
valley joining the Dead Sea and the Red Sea gulf of Akabah,
in a mountainous area called Mt. Seir. The title chiefs (or
dukes; Heb. ’aluphim)of Edom seems to be a technical title
for Edomite rulers. It is used in Gen. 36:lS-19.
The phrase “melt away” in 1515 is explained in the next
line to mean that the people were in terror and dread of the
approaching Israelites. Their courage and will to resist
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 FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING 151-27

melted away. See Ex. 23:27.

The “passing over” of the people (1516) is explained to
mean the entry of the people into the land of Canaan. Cer-
tainly they had to “pass over” Jordan to enter this land.
(Joshua 3:17). Moses may not have been referring to passing
over the Jordan, but he knew they would pass over the terri-
tory between Egypt and the promised land (Ex. 3:8; Num.
32:20-21,27).
The word purchased in 1516 means to procure, buy,
acquire, get, obtain. Truly God had obtained Israel as a
people by His wondrous deeds. A participial form of the
word translated purchase (qanah) is used in Gen. 14:22 as a
title (“possessor” or “maker”) for God. Possibly therefore
the meaning is that God “created” the people Israel, as well
as “purchased” them.
14. By what terms is Israel’s promised homeland called? (1517)
(1) “The mountain of thine inheritance.” (2) “The place of
thy dwelling.” (3) The “sanctuary.” It is striking that each of
these three titles asserts that this land was GOD’S land in a
special way; it was God’s inheritance, God’s dwelling-place,
and God’s sanctuary (or holy place). Why the land of Israel
should be a place that God specially favored, we know not.
But numerous passages confirm that this is so. See I1 Kings
17:25-26.
The term mountain is an interesting title for the land of
Israel. Psalm 7854: “He brought them to the border of his
sanctuary, to this mountain which his right hand had got-
ten.” Perhaps it was given this title of mountain because of
its prominence among nations, like a mountain among hills.
Compare Isaiah 2:2 and Psalm 68:16.
The term sanctuary (holy place) seems to reftr to all of the
land of Canaan, and not just Jerusalem or the temple.
Sanctuary in later times did often refer to the temple (Psalm
73:17). This fact causes some skeptical authors to assert that
Ex. 1517 was written after the time of Solomon’s temple.
But even Martin Noth, a rather extreme critic, says that
sanctuary here may mean the whole of the land and not just
327
15:1-27 EXPLORING EX O D U S

Jerusafem.
15. What sublime spiritual thought closes the song? (1518)
Jehovdh shall reign for ever and ever! Ramm correctly
asserts that the whole exodus experience is a commentary on
what the reign of God is. We must be cautious not to think of
the reign of God as being totally in the future, either in a
millenium or in heaven. The kingdom of God existed in
Moses’ time (Ex. 19:6; I Chron. 29:11), exists now as the
church (Col. 1:13; Meb. 12:28; Rev. 1:9), and shall exist
hereafter (I1Pet. 1:11, I1 Tim. 4:18).
16. Why is the restatement of the Ked Sea story placed after the
Song?
Probably it is inserted to make the transition into the
following prose narrative. It certainly also strengthens the
assertion of 1518 that Jehovah shall reign for ever. This
verse has three clauses, each of which ends in Hebrew with
the word sea. ’
17. How does the Song of Miriam relate to the Song of Moses?
(15~20-21)
The words of Miriam’s song are almost identical to Moses’
words in 151. Only the verb is changed from indicative to
imperative. This similarity suggests that they sang antipho-
nally, Miriam and the women responding to the words of
Moses and the “sons” of Israel. We do not know whether we
have all or just part of Miriam’s song. We suspect it is only
partly given.
Numerous speculations about the relation of Miriam’s
song to Moses’ song have been made. One radical proposal
is that Miriam’s song is the oldest part of Ex. fifteen, and
was written by a different author than the writer of 15:lff.8
Another writer ( S . R. Driver) gives a contradictory, though
equally radical view, saying that verse 19 is a “later redac-
tional addition,” written AFTER 15:1-18.9 Alan Cole

’Cassuto, op. cit., p. 181.

“0th. op. cit., p. 121.
qAnIntroduction to theLiterature oj’the 0.T. (New York: World, 1 9 6 3 , p. 29

328
 FROM TRIUMPH T O TESTING 151-27
proposes that Moses’ song was a “theological expansion” of
Miriam’s song.lOItis difficult to see how anyone could say
that and still give credence to the plain statement of 1 5 1
that Moses and the children of Israel sang the song. The
variations in these speculations show the futility and folly of
men’s judgments upon God’s word.
In 1521 Miriam is mentioned for the first time by name
and by title. She is called the “prophetess.” Compare Num,
12:2; Judges 4:4; I1 Kings 22:14; Isaiah 8:3. She was a
prophetess because of God’s divine gift, and not because of
natural poetic and musical ability. Micah 6:4 indicates that
when the Lord delivered Israel out of Egypt, he sent before
them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. This suggests that she
played a rather important role in these events.
Although Miriam is here referred to only as the sister of,
Aaron, Numbers 2 6 5 9 specifically identifies her as also the
sister of Moses. Miriam had watched over Moses as a babe in
the river (Ex. 2:4). She would have been about ninety years
old at this time.
A timbrel is a small hand drum, similar to a Salvation
Army tambourine (without the jingling metal pieces). See
Ps. 81:2; 68:25; 149:3. Its Hebrew name (toph!) resembles
its sound (thump!).
The Hebrew women and men danced on occasions of
victory (I Sam. 18:6) and on special religious holidays (Judges
21:21; Psalm 30:ll; 150:4; I1 Sam. 6:14). These dances
seem to have been practiced by each sex alone, and hardly
resemble our modern social dancing, which is more like the
evil dancing referred to in Job 21:7, 11, and is spoken of in
the New Testament as “revelling” (Gal. 521; I Pet. 4:3).
18. What area did Israel enter after crossing the Red Sea? (1522)
They entered the Wilderness of Shur. The part of the
Wilderness of Shur they entered was also called the Wilder-
ness of Etham (Num. 33:8). Shur means wall, It may have
acquired this name from the abrupt wall-like rise in the land

lo Op. cit., p. 123.

329
15:1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

ten to twelve miles east of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal
line. The Wilderness of Shur lies in the NW part of the Sinai
peninsula, south of Mediterranean coastline, between the
present Suez canal and the River of Egypt (Wadi el-Arish).
The direct route from Egypt to Canaan runs through Shur.
Its southward extension ran along the Red Sea east coast
almost to Marah.
It is about thirty-seven miles from Israel's crossing place to
Marah.
There are springs (called the 'Ayun Musa, or Springs of
Moses) lying about one and a half miles from the east shore
of the Red Sea, just east of the point where we think Israel
crossed the sea. The scripture makes no mention of these
springs. S . C. Bartlett" found them to be in a hillock some
sixteen feet above the level of the surrounding plain, con-
taining a basin twelve to fifteen feet in diameter, surrounded
by a rocky rim. Their water is brackish and disagreeable
because of mineral salts in it. Different travelers have
described these springs differently, because the flow of
water differs from year to year, and sandstorms choke up the
springs in different patterns.
The surface from the Red Sea to Marah is hard compacted
sand, sprinkled with gravel and some boulders scattered
about. Sharp flints are occasionally seen on the surface, such
as that used by Zipporah in circumcising her son (Ex. 4:25).
We must remember that Israel passed through this area in
springtime, the most delightful time of year. S . C. Bartlett
reported that when he passed through in February, the
temperature some days dropped to the freezing point at
night, and then shot up to 98 degrees in the sun at noon. The
heat would certainly have continued up into MarchIApril
when Israel passed through. Little wonder the Israelites were

"We have found Bartlett's book From Egypt to Palestine (New York: Harper, 1879)
particularly helpful in its descriptions of the places in Israel's journeys. Bartlett was a
very careful observer and recorder. Also he was thoroughly acquainted with the reports
of other travellers; and he visited the area before modern roads and oil wells altered so
much of it.

330
3 30A
 15:1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

Elim (now called Wadi Gharandel). Here Israel found twelve springs and seventy
palm trees, (Courtesy Pictorial Archive: R.L W. Cleave)

33QB
 FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING 151-27
dreadfully distressed when they reached Marah and found
no good water.
Between the place of Israel’s crossing and Marah are at
least two dozen smaller or larger depressions (valleys, or
wadies) to be crossed. All of these have lines of vegetation
along their courses. These would have had new spring vege-
tation in them as Israel passed through. The area is NOT
good pasture land, but there was some pasture for Israel’s
flocks in transit.
19. What did Israelfind at Marah? (1523)
They found a spring of bitter water. The name Marah
means bitter, or bitterness (Prov. 14:lO). Most of the flowing
springs in Sinai are bitter and unpleasant because of mineral
salts dissolved in the water.
Marah is generally identified with the spring ’Ain Haw-
warah. l Z Bartlett13reported it as being in the center of a low,
flat-topped mound, which was largely a calcareous deposit.
The water was in a hole five or six feet in circumference and
was some two feet deep. The mineral deposit suggests that
the flow of the spring was formerly larger. The water is so
bitter that men cannot drink it unless they are very thirsty.
Besides its bitterness, it has laxative qualities, resembling
those of Epsom Salts. Its bitterness varies from year to year,
depending on the amount of rainfall and the volume of its
flow. There are other springs in the immediate vicinity,
which would furnish additional water, and may be included
in the name Marah.
Ex.1 5 2 3 says literally, “He called its name Marah.” This
suggests that Moses named it. However, this wording prob-
ably should be taken indefinitely to mean “It was called
Marah .”

”Other identifications of Marah include the Springs of Moses (’Ayun Musa); Bir-
Huwara, about 47 mi. SE of the Springs of Moses and seven miles from the coast; or
El-Churkudah, a fountain of brackish water ten mi. SE of the town of Suez and fifty
miles from Lake Timsah. We definitely prefer the ’Ain Hawwarah location as being
the actual site.
I3Op. cit., p. 199.

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15:1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

20. How did Israel respond to the bitter waters? (1524).

They murmured. In murmuring against Moses, they
actually murmured against God himself. This was their
second murmuring: they murmured before at the Red Sea
(14:ll). There are over a dozen passages in the story of Is-
rael’s wanderings where murmuring is mentioned. It was
characteristic of them. Psalm 106:13: “They soon forgot his
works: they waited not for his counsel.” But in their mur-
murings they were, sadly, a picture of all humanity; and
their punishments are a warning to us (I Cor. 1O:ll).
21. How were the waters sweetened? (152.5)
By casting a certain tree into the water. No known tree
can instantly (or even gradually) sweeten spring water.
Hence, this was a miracle. Compare I1 Kings 2:19-22.
Medieval commentators on Exodus delighted in seeing in
this tree a reference to the cross of Christ, by which the
bitterest of life’s waters are sweetened. As an illustration it
is edifying; but the comparison cannot be called an exegesis
of the Biblical text.
Moses received the instructions to cast in the tree as an
answer to his cry (prayer) to the LORD.We admire Moses’
action of turning to prayer, rather than to rebuke and con-
tention with the unreasonable people.
The fact that the LORD showed Moses the tree was God’s
method of teaching Israel that they constantly needed divine
guidance and instruction. This awareness of their need for
instruction prepared the people spiritually for their ac-
ceptance of the law at Mt. Sinai.
This experience at Marah was a testing for Israel. There
God proved them. Similarly he tested them again soon after
this by the manna (16:4), as to whether they would walk in
his law (torah) or not.
At Marah God made for them a statute (or law) and an
ordinance (or judgment). Possibly the words of God in 1526
constitute the law and ordinance. If so, the ordinance is
extremely general in nature. If 1526 is not the ordinance
referred to, then we simply do not know what the ordinance

332
 FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING 151-27

was, Possibly God’s act of sweetening the water was in itself

the ordinance, since there was a message from God implied
in the miracle: “Thou shalt always trust the LORD and seek
His deliverance in thine every affliction.”
22. What did God promise Israel if they obeyed His command-
ments? (1526)
God would put none of the diseases which He had brought
upon the Egyptians upon them.
Deut. 7:15 extended this promise into the time after Israel
entered and occupied Canaan. Deut. 28:58 warned that they
would get plagues in Canaan if they were disobedient there.
Why are the words about Jehovah being their healer in-
serted here? It may have been a broader application of the
healing of the bitter waters of Marah. God would heal ALL
their bitter diseases, just as He had sweetened the Marah
waters. Also it may have been a warning to the Israelites as
they journeyed: they were not morally superior to the Egyp-
tians, They could suffer diseases like those which killed
Egypt’s firstborn. See Ps. 78:49-50. See notes on Ex. 12:29.
A redeemed people must be a holy, spiritual people.
23. What happened to Israel at Elim? (1527)
They camped there by the waters from twelve springs, in
an area graced by seventy palm trees. The specific details
about these numbers sound like the record of an eyewitness.
It is about seven miles from Marah to Elim, an easy day’s
journey. S . C. Bartlett found much shrubbery between
Marah and Elim.
Elim in generally considered to be the Wady Gharandel,
This wady (or winter-flowing brook channel) has water
issuing from it in several spots, forming brisk rivulets,
flowing several barrels a minute. Several considerable
pools of water overgrown with rushes lie by the wady channel.
The water of Elim is as good as that of the Nile, and no-
where in the Sinai peninsula, except in the wadi Feiran, is it
so abundant.
Elim can be an illustration of the Lord’s Day, a time of
refreshment amidst the toils of life’s journey.

333
16:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

“Elim! Sweet foretaste of rest and blessing:

Soon must be left for the lengthening way.
, But it is well that the pilgrims may gather
Courage and strength for the wearisome day.”’4

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And they took their journey from E-lim, and all the con-
16 gregation of the children of Issra-el came unto the wilder-
ness of Sin, which is between E-lim and Si-nai, on the fifteenth
day of the second month after their departing out of the land of
E-gypt. (2) And the whole congregation of the children of Is-ra-el
murmured against Mo-ses and against Aar-on in the wilderness:
(3) and the children of Is-ra-el said unto them, Would that we
died by the hand of Je-ho-vah in the land of E-gypt, when we sat
by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have
brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly
with hunger.
(4) Then said Je-ho-vahunto Mo-ses, Behold, I will rain bread
from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a
day’s portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will
walk in my law, or not. (5) And it shall come to pass on the sixth
day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall
be twice as much as they gather daily* ( 6 ) And Mo-ses and Aar-
0n said unto all the children of Is-ra-el, At even, then ye shall
know that Je-ho-vah hath brought you out from the land of
E-gypt; (7)and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of Je-
ho-vah; for that he heareth your murmurings against Je-hs-vah
and what are we, that ye murmur against us? (8) And Mo-ses
said, This shall be, when Je-ho-vah shall give you in the evening
flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that

‘From Preacher’s Homiletic Commentnw, Vol. 11, p. 293.

334
 BREAD FROM HEAVEN 16:1-36

Je-ho-vah heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against

him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but
against Je-ho-vah. (9) And Mo-ses said unto Aar-on, Say unto
all the congregation of the children of Is-ra-el, Come near before
Je-ho-vah; for he hath heard your murmurings. (10) And it came
to pass, as Aar-on spake unto the whole congregation of the
children of Is-ra-el, that they looked toward the wilderness, and,
behold, the glory of Je-ho-vah appeared in the cloud. (11)And
Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses, saying, (12) I have heard the
murmurings of the children of Is-ra-el: speak unto them, saying,
At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled
with bread; and ye shall know that I am Je-ho-vah your God.
(13) And it came to pass at even, that the quails came up,
and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round
about the camp. (14) And when the dew that lay was gone up,
behold,upon the face of the wilderness a small round thing,
small as the hoarfrost on the ground. (15) And when the children
of Is-ra-el saw it, they said one to another, What is it? for they
knew not what it was. And Mo-ses said unto them, It is the bread
which Je-ho-vah hath given you to eat. (16) This is the thing
which Je-ho-vah hath commanded. Gather ye of it every man
according to his eating; an 0-mer a head, according to the num-
ber of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them that are
in his tent. (17)And the children of Is-ra-el did so, and gathered
some more, some less. (18) And when they measured it with an
o-mer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that
gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according
to his eating. (19) And Mo-ses said unto them, Let no man leave
of it till the morning. (20) Notwithstanding they hearkened not
unto Mo-ses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and
it bred worms, and became foul: and Mo-ses was wroth with
them.
(21) And they gathered it morning by morning, every man
according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
(22) And it came to pass that on the sixth day they gathered twice
as much bread, two o-mers for each one: and all the rulers of the
congregation came and told Mo.ses. (23) And he said unto them,

335
16~1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

This is that which Je-ho-vah hath spoken, Tomorrow is a solemn

rest, a holy sabbath unto Je-ho-vah: bake that which ye will
bake, and boil that which ye will boll; and all that remaineth
over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. (24) And they
laid it up till the morning, as Mo-ses bade: and it did not become
foul, neither was there any worm therein, (25) And Mo-ses said,
Eat t4at to-day; for to-day is a sabbath unto Je-ho-vah: to-day
ye shall not find it in the field. (26) Six days ye shall gather it;
but on the seventh day is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
(27) And it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out
some of the people to gather, and they found none. (28) and
Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, How long refuse ye to keep my
commandments and my laws? (29) See, for that Je-ho-vah hath
given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day
the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no
man go out of his place on the seventh day. (30) So the people
rested on the seventh day.
(31)And the house of Is-ra-el called the name thereof Man-na:
and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was
like wafers made with honey. (32) And Mo-ses said, This is the
thing which Je-ho-vah hath commanded, Let an o-mer-ful of it
be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the
bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you
forth from the land of Epgypt. (33) And Mo-ses said unto
Aar-on, Take a pot, and put an o-mer-ful of man-na therein,
and lay it up before Je-ho-vah, to be kept throughout your
generations. (34) As Je-ho-vah commanded Mo-ses, so Aar-on
laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. (35) And the children
of Is-ra-el did eat the man-na forty years, until they came to a
land inhabited; they did eat the man-na, until they came unto
the borders of the land of Ca-naan. (36)Now an o-mer is the
tenth part of an e-phah.

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 BREAD FROM HEAVEN 16:1-36

EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTERSIXTEEN
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading propose a brief title or topic for the

chapter.
2. Into what wilderness did Israel go from Elim? (16:1)
3. How long did it take Israel to reach the wilderness of Sin?
(16:l; 12:6)
4. Who participated in the murmuring in the wilderness? (16:2)
5 . Why did Israel murmur? (16:2-3)
6. Where did the Israelites say that they wish they had died?
(16:3)
7. What had Israel eaten in Egypt? (16:3; Numbers 11:5)
8. How much did Israel say they had to eat in Egypt? (16:3)
9. What was the purpose of the manna? (16:4; Deut. 8:3)
10. How much manna was to be gathered on the sixth day of
each week? (165)
11. What would cause them to know that the LORD had brought
them out of Egypt? (16:6)
12. What would Israel see in the morning? (16:7)
13. Against whom had Israel really murmured? (16:7-8)
14. How much bread would be provided for them? (16:8)
15. For what purpose were the Israelites summoned together?
(16:9)
16. What did Israel see when they assembled? (16:10)
17. What would Israel know because they ate flesh and bread?
(16:12)
18. How many quails came into the camp? (16:13)
19. What did Israel say when they saw the manna? (16:15, 31)
20. Do some research to discover what the word manna means.
21. How much manna was gathered for each man? (16;16)
22. Who gathered manna for each tent? (16: 16)
23. Why did some gather more or less than others? (16:17)
24. What result happened, even though some gathered more and
some less? (16:17)
25. What was the rule about leftover manna? (16:19)
26. What happened to leftover manna kept over to the next day?
(16:20)
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16:l-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

27. What happened to manna that was not gathered each day?
(16:21)
28. Wha reported to Moses that twice as much manna was
gathered on the sixth day? (16:22)
29. How is the seventh day described? (16:23)
30. In what ways could manna be prepared for eating? (16:23)
31. Were the Israelites warned that there would be no manna on
the seventh days? (16:25-26)
32. Did all heed the warning about gathering manna on the
Sabbath? (16:27)
33. What was God’s response to Israel’s disobedience about
gathering manna? (16:28)
34. What restriction was imposed upon movements on the
seventh days? (16:29)
35. What did the house of Israel name the bread? (16:31)
36. What did the manna taste like? (16:31; Num. 11:6-8)
37. What is the true manna, or bread, from heaven? (John 6:49-
51; I Cor. 1O:l-3)
38. Who gathered a pot of manna to be kept thtoughout future
generations? (16:33)
39. Where was the pot of manna to be kept? (16:34; Heb. 9:4)
40. How long did the Israelites eat manna? (16:35; Neh. 9:20-21)
41. Where did the manna cease? (16:35; Joshua 511-12)
42. How much is anomer? An ephah? (16:36)

SIXTEEN:BREADFROM HEAVEN
EXODUS

1. Murmuring in the Wilderness of Sin; 16:1-3.

2. God’s promise of provisions; 16:4-12.
3. Quails and manna sent; 16:13-21.
4. No manna on the Sabbath; 16:22-30.
5. Pot of manna preserved; 16:31-36.

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 BREAD FROM HEAVEN 16:1-36
EXODUS THEBREADFROM HEAVEN
SIXTEEN:
1. Given to the undeserving; 16:2-3.
2. Given as a test; 16:4,28;Deut. 8:16.
3. Given to teach; 16:6, 12,32; Deut. 8:3.
4. Given without fail; 16:35.
GOD’SPURPOSES
INGIVINGMANNA
1. To fill them with food; 16:12,16; Matt. 6:31-33.
2. To see if they would walk in His laws; 16:4; Deut. 8:16.
3. To show that the LORD had led them out of Egypt; 16:6.
4. To show that He was Jehovah their God; 16:12.
5. To show God’s glory; 16:7.
6. To silence their murmurings; 16:7,8, 12,
7. To introduce the sabbath law; 16:23,25,29.
8. To humble them; Deut. 8:16,3.
9. To teach that man does not live by bread alone, but by
every word of God; Deut. 8:3.
10. To point toward Jesus, the living bread from heaven; John
6:41,48-51.
MURMURINGS!
(Ex. 16:l-3)

1. Murmurers forget past blessings.

2. Murmurers forget past pains; 16:2.
3. Murmurers accuse their true benefactors; 16:3.
4. Murmurers fear imaginary evils; 16:3.

THEMANNA,A TYPEOF JESUS!

“I am the living bread which came down out of heaven”
(John 651).

1. The manna met a need. Jesus meets our needs.

2. The manna came from “heaven.” Jesus came from heaven.
(Jn. 6:49-51)

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16~1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

3. The manna provided for ALL Israel. Jesus provides for ALL
mankind.
4. The manna gave temporary life. Jesus gives eternal life.
5. The manna was not recognized or known. Jesus was not
recognized or known. (Matt. 8:27; John 12:37)
6. The manna was a test for Israel. Jesus is the test of our
relationship with God. (I Cor. 1:22-23)
THEMANNA:A TYPEOF GOD'SWORD
1. From heaven, not earth.
2. Came to the people.
3. Had to be eaten.
4. To be gathered (read) daily.
THEMEMORIALMANNA(16:32-36)
What did the pot of memorial manna teach to Israel?
1. The infinite resources of God.
2. The goodness of God.
3. The faithfulness of God.
4. The abiding presence of God.
5. That they could trust God in the future.

EXPLORING NOTES ON CHAPTER SIXTEEN

EXODUS:
1. What is the subject matter of Exodus 167
The entire chapter deals with the giving of the manna.
We entitle the chapter BREAD FROM HEAVEN. See
Neh. 9:15. The whole chapter directs our minds toward
Christ Jesus, who is the living bread which came down
from heaven.
2. Where did Israeljourneyfrom Elim? (16:l)
From Elim they first went to an encampment by the sea.

340
 BREAD FROM HEAVEN 16:l-36
See Numbers 33:lO. Going southward from Elim, Israel
passed the mount now called the Mount of Pharaoh's Hot
Bath (Jebel Hamman Farun) on their right (west). They
came on into the Wady (valley) et-Taiyibeh, which provided
an open course to the seaside. Travelers have made the trip
from Elim to the seaside in seven and a half hours. It is
about twenty miles and probably took Israel two days. This
area by the sea at the mouth of the Valley Taiyibeh is a
sandy plain extending some four or five miles from the shore,
shut in by a range of wild cliffs. Here was room for a great
camp. The modern town of Abu Zenima lies in this area,
From the encampment by the seaside, Israel could either
have gone north and east, via the sandy table land of Debbet
er-Ramleh; or they could have gone on southward across
about five miles of hills into the plain of El-Murkhah. To us
it seems much more probable that they went southward into
the El-Murkhah plain, and that this plain is to be identified
with the Wilderness of Sin.
The name Sin has no connection with the English word
sin. The names Sin and Sinai are very similar. (The meaning
of these names is uncertain.)
Admittedly the location of the Wilderness of Sin is rather
debatable. As stated above, we feel that it is the dry barren
coastal plain of El Murkhah. The modern town of Abu
Rudeis is in this plain. The plain is about six miles EW
and about fifteen miles NS. S. C. Bartlett' says that its
surface is a dead level, covered only with occasional tufts of
desert shrubs. It had a temperature of 96 degrees when he
visited it in February. It would be a natural place for Is-
raelitish murmuring. The plain extends on south to the
mouth of the Wady Feiran, which is the largest wady in the
southern part of Sinai, and was probably the passage route
of Israel from the Red Sea coastal area up to Mt. Sinai.
In the El Murkha plain there is a spring about three miles
from the sea, which is next in importance only to the Springs

'FromEgypt to Palestine (NewYork: Harper, 1879), p. 213.

34 1
16~1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

of Moses (Ayun Musa, near Israel's crossing place) and Elim

(Gharandel). The traveller Burkhardt told of finding in this
area many fissures in the rocks filled with winter rains.*
Thus Israel probably had water in the Wilderness of Sin,
but no food.
Other suggested identifications of the Wilderness of Sin
include the interior desert tract called Debbet Er-Ramleh
(mentioned above). This is a long desert area running §E-
NW along the north side of the granite mountains of the
Wilderness of Sinai. This is a possible location, but seems to
us less likely than El Murkha, because to get to Debbet
er-Ramleh from Israel's encampment by the sea would
require considerable backtracking.
Another proposed identification of the Wilderness of Sin is
the dry barren coastal plain of El-Qaa, north of the present
city of Tor. But this lies much too far south to be on the route
to Sinai.
Yet another proposed location of the Wilderness of §in
is the Wady Serabit,3 containing the famous ruins of Serabit
El Khadim. Serabit el-Khadim is sometimes proposed as the
location of Dophka (Num. 3312). The ruins there include
a temple to the Egyptian goddess Hathor and abandoned
copper and turquoise mines. Egyptian soldiers were stationed
at Serabit el Khadim both before and after Moses' time.
Some inscriptions in one of the oldest known alphabets
known (similar to Hebrew) are found there. This route by
Serabit seems very unlikely to us.
Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin on the fifteenth day
of the second month of their journey, almost exactly a month
after their departure. See Ex. 1 2 6 They had covered ap-
proximately 175 miles during that month.
3 . What did Israel complain about in the Wilderness of Sin?
(16~2-3)
They complained about lack of food. Observe that the

*Quotedin Bartlett, op. cit., p. 214.

'Davis, op. cit., pp. 178-179, proposes this as the site.

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 BREAD F R O M HEAVEN 16:1-36

WHOLE congregation murmured. After seeing all the

plagues in Egypt, and the crossing of the Sea, and the
leading of the cloud, they still lacked faith in God.
Although their murmurings were directed against Moses
and Aaron, they really were complaining against God. It was
God himself who had promised to bring them to Sinai (3: 12),
How could God be God, and yet fail to keep His promise by
letting them die of hunger on the way to Sinai?
This was Israel’s third grumbling. They had already
grumbled at the Red Sea (14:ll) and at Marah (1524).
Moses could well say of them, “Ye have been rebellious
against Jehovah from the day that I knew you” (Deut. 9:24).
Israel had left Egypt in haste and carried no leftover food.
See 12:lO-11, 33-34. Now a month later their food is ex-
hausted. They still had livestock, but seemed very reluctant
to slaughter their flocks for food.
In their bad state of mind they attributed the worst pos-
sible motives to Moses, as if he had deliberately set out to
kill them, See 17:3. How utterly unreasonable!
In their distress they recalled only certain good things
about Egypt, forgetting all their slavery and crying there
(2:23-24; 4:31). They remembered only that they had had
-
food in Egypt fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions,
garlic (Num. 11:s).But had they actually had bread to the
FULL? Surely not! This was a thoughtless exaggeration,
a propanganda blast to hurt Moses.
They even declared that they wished they had died in
Egypt by the hand of the LORD, presumably in the ten
plagues. Compare Num. 14:2. This statement cannot be
taken as a serious wish, but only as a bitter emotional
outburst.
It is a wonder that God did not rain fire and brimstone
on them, instead of raining manna upon them. (Pink)
4. From whence would God give Israel bread? (16:4)
God would rain bread porn heaven upon them. We
suppose that this means from the atmospheric heavens,
although the power that brought it about came from God’s

343
16:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

abode in the heaven of heavens! Neh. 9:15: “Thou didst

provide bread from heaven for them for their hunger.” See
Ps. 10540.
This bread is called “angels’ food” in Psalm 78:25. This
expression could be translated “bread of God” or “bread
of the mighty ones” (Heb., elohim). I Cor. 10:3 calls it
“spiritual food.”
In America bread is a side dish to the main meal. In
countries of the Middle East, bread is the basic item in
the diet of many.
5 . How much bread was to begathered daily? (16:4)
A day’s portion was to be gathered on each day. This
instruction reminds us that we are to pray for our daily
bread (Matt. 6:ll). A day’s portion of manna was an omer
full (16:16). This would be approximately six and a half
pints, about three-fourths of a gallon.
6. Whatpurpose besides nutrition would the bread have? (16:4)
It was to be a test, whether they would walk in God’s
law or not. Would they gather just enough for each day at
the start of every day? Or would they hoard it on some days
because they did not completely trust God to provide more
j ,on subsequent days? Would they gather twice as much on
he sixth days, when once they had learned that any excess
collected on other days spoiled after one day? Would they
rest on the seventh days, or go out searching for bread?
These were God’s tests! See Deut. 8:3,16.
I God reveals Himself here as a tester of men. Psalm 7:9:
The righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.” No testing
seems pleasant to those who are being tested. But we must
expect testing. It is God’s way with His people.
7. What was Israel to know and see by God’s providing food
for them? (16:6-8)
They were to know that Jehovah had brought them out of
Egypt! It surely had taken a long time for some Israelites
to realize that they were truly OUT of Egypt, and that the
LORD had delivered them. They would know this by events
to occur yet that very evening.

34.4
 BREAD FROM HEAVEN 16:l-36

Israel said, “Moses, YOU brought us out of Egypt to

kill US.’’ Moses said, “You shall know that the LORD
brought you out.” The exodus was not an event that had
happened by chance. The LORD was not some incompetent
deity.
Also Israel was to see the GLORY on the morning to
follow. Moses did not specifiy at first exactly how this
“glory” would be revealed to them. This glory was to be
something visible, something they could see.
Verse seven emphasizes that Israel would see the glory
of Jehovah at the very time when He was hearing their
murmurings against Jehovah. The repetition of the name
Jehovah in the verse stresses the fact that the murmuring
was against Jehovah. God graciously hearkened to them
even while they were murmuring.
Also in verse seven the word WE is stressed. This empha-
sizes the denials by Moses that their murmurings were
against him and Aaron.
After his opening announcement in 16:7 that Israel would
see the glory of Jehovah, Moses, like a skillfull speaker,
brought his speech to a climax by giving specific details of
how they would see God’s glory. The Lord would in that
very evening give them flesh to eat, and on the next morning
He would give them bread “to the full.”
8. How did Moses know what God would give Israel for food?
(16 9-12)
He knew it because God had revealed it unto him. (See
16:12) God communicated with Moses face to face (Num.
128). Note that the message which God told Moses to tell
Israel (in 16:12) is the very message that Moses delivered
(in 16:8).
Probably we should translate 16:ll to read, “Now Yahweh
. .
had spoken unto Moses, saying. . ” Hebrew has no past
perfect (pluperfect) tense form. The perfect tense (indicating
completed action) sometimes had a past perfect significance
(as in Isaiah 38:21; Gen. 6:6; Num. 22:2; and others).
Some critics have suggested that we should rearrange
345
16~1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

the Biblical text, placing 16:9-12 before 16:6-8.4We have no

evidence in ancient manuscripts that the text was ever so
rearranged. We do not feel we should lay violent hands
on God’s word, to rearrange its contents or make emenda-
tions in its words just because our present limited knowledge
and understanding hinders our ability to comprehend it in
the way the ancient Hebrews grasped it.
The command to “Come near before the LORD” was
God’s call for all the Israelites to assemble together with
Moses and Aaron, having the LORD on their minds, for
the purpose of learning the LORD’Swill. Certainly we under-
stand that the LORD is everywhere, but God provided a
focus point to which Israel could assemble before Him.
That focus point was near the glory cloud, and with His
men Moses and Aaron.
When Aaron issued the call for Israel to gather, the “glory
of Jehovah” appeared in the cloud which had been leading
Israel. Probably this glory was a display of fire and light-
nings. See 19:16 and 24:lS-17, where God’s glory is said to
have been ‘!like a devouring fire.” The cloud stood apart
from Israel, “toward the wilderness,” probably toward the
east and south.
Israel was at this moment in deep unbelief. God was
extremely perturbed, and declared, “Ye shall know that I
am the LORD your God” (16:12).
9. When were quails provided for Israel? (16:13)
In the evening the quails came up and covered the camp.
Ex. 16:12 had said, “Between the two evenings ye shall
east flesh.”
In the spring each year quails migrate in great numbers
from the interior of Africa and Arabia, across the Sinai
peninsula and into southern Europe. They return from

‘Braadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 (1969),p. 396, following the proposal of

S. R. Driver.
s”Between the two evenings” is the exact phrase used to describe the hour of the
Passover sacrifice (Ex. 12:6). As indicated before, this phrase is indefinite as to exact
time, and refers only to the period near sunset.

346
 BREAD F R O M HEAVEN 16:1-36

the northern countries in autumn.

The occurrence of quail in Sinai ai the time the Israelites
passed through was not unusual. The miracle consisted
in the precise timing of their arrival, and the announcement
of God beforehand that they would have flesh to eat that
evening.
When the quails migrate across the Sinai peninsula, they
often become exhausted; and when they alight they can be
caught easily. The birds are good eating and were a favorite
delicacy of the Egyptians. Ancient Egyptian paintings
show people hunting quails with hand nets thrown over
the bushes where they were nesting.8 See p. 444B.
Psalm 78:27: “He raineth flesh also upon them as dust,
and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.”
10. When did the manna appear? (16:13-14)
It became visible the next morning when the dew evapor-
ated. The Israelites did not realize anything unusual had
happened the next morning when they saw the usual dew
on the ground. Numbers 11:9 says that when the dew fell
upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it (the
camp). (The presence of the dew shows that the Sinaitic
peninsula is not a totally arid desert.)
The manna appeared as small, fine, flake-like fragments
on the ground, as small as the crystals of hoarfrost (white
frost).
In Psalm 78:24 the manna is called the “corn (food, or
grain) of heaven.” It is called “angels’ food’’ (or “bread
of the angels”) in Ps. 78:25.
The manna was white, and resembled the coriander
seed (a strong-smelling seed, which is about the size of a
peppercorn.) It had the appearance of bdellium (Num. 11:7J;

T h e fact that Israel encountered quail migrations in the spring does not support the
theory that the Israelites travelled a route along the Mediterranean coast. Quails would
have been found along the coast more probably in the autumn, as they started their
return from Europe.
’Herodotus 2:21.
‘Davis, op. cit., p. 183.

34 7
16:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

which seems to be a fragrant and transparent resin, resem-

bling wax.9 It had a sweetish taste, like wafers made with
honey (Ex. 16:31), and like fresh oil (Num.11:8). It could
be baked or boiled, or ground in a mill (a stone hand grinder).
11. What does the name MANNA mean? (16:15)
Its name means “What is it?” When the Israelites first
saw it, they did not know what it was, and said, “Man Hu7”
These were Hebrew words meaning “What is it?” This
question became the name for it: it was called “Whatizit?”
The name was sometimes shortened to Man (as in Ex. 16:31),
which just means “What?” (Most English versions translate
the word in 16:31 as manna, but the Hebrew just has man.)
The usual Hebrew interrogative word meaning “What?”
is Mah, rather than Man. But the form man is found in the
El Amarna letters,’O and is a recognized ancient form of the
interrogative. The Greek O.T.renders man hu by the Greek
words for “What is this?”
12. How much manna was collected by each person? (16:16-17)
The amounts varied somewhat from person to person,
“each man according to his eating+But generally it was an
omer for each “head” (or person). As a unit of measure the
orner was the tenth part of an ephah (16:36), that is about six
and a half pints. The omer is referred to in the Old Testa-
ment only in this chapter.
An omer for each person for each day seems like a lot of
food, but probably it was rather fluffy.
Each man gathered enough for all those in his tent. We
do not suppose that every household in Israel possessed
a pot holding exactly one omer. Thus, some gathered more
and some less.
Pink calculates that at one omer a head daily, Israel would
have collected twelve million pints, or nine million pounds
daily, and over a million tons were gathered annually!
-

The exact identification of bdellium is uncertain. Many think it is a waxy-looking

resin. Others think it is a precious stone or pearl. Gen. 2:12 suggests such a possibility.
‘ONoth, op. cit., p. 135. Cassuto, op. cit., p. 196.

348
 BREAD FROM HEAVEN 16:1-36

13, Was the manna a naturalphenomenon?

Certainly not. It was supernatural and miraculous. This
is evident from several facts:
(1) The enormous volume of manna produced and con-
sumed. The secretions of all the trees and insects in Sinai
could never have produced such a mass of food.
(2) The fact that the manna was provided the year round
for forty years. Secretions from trees that some people call
manna only occur during brief seasons in some years.
(3) The fact that the manna first appeared on a particular
day, the very day after God had predicted the appearance of it.
(4)The fact that the manna could be found for six days
each week, but was not there on the seventh days (16:26).
(5) The fact that the manna spoiled after one day most of
of the week, but after two days following the sixth and
seventh days (16:24).
(6) The fact that the manna could be boiled in cooking,
but melted in the heat of the sun (16:21,23).
Very many writers have said that the manna consisted of
drops of sugary material exuded by certain kinds of aphids
on the tamarisk bushes. In the hofhesert air they become
whitish or yellowish globules and fall to the ground where
the ants get them. Arabs call them bread (rnann) or bread
of heaven. Others say that the droplets are produced by the
exudations of the tamarisk itself. These are pea-sized or
smaller. These droplets are abundant in the rainy season,
but in many years cease altogether. They appear mainly in
June for three to six weeks. At peak season of each year a
steady worker could only collect about half-pound of the
“manna” a day. It cannot be baked or boiled. It does not
spoil and stink after one day, The droplets do not melt in the
sun’s heat, but only dehydrate and harden.
Some extreme writers have said that the unique aspects
of the Biblical account of the manna are the result of later
theological expansion of the original event. l 1 No proof is

“Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 (1969),p. 398.

34 9
16~1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

offered for such a dogmatic assertion. Also it makes the

theologians sound bad, as if they were always exaggerators!
14. How did the manna equalize out? (16:18)
When the amounts which the people gathered were
measured with an omer (a jar of that size), there was enough
manna for each person, with none left over.
This verse is difficult to understand fully. Some have
proposed that the Israelites pooled their manna collectively,
and each kept the ration of an omer per head.I2 It is sug-
gested that Paul seemed to understand it that way (I1 Cor.
8:14-15). But the idea of pooling the manna is not definitely
stated in the verse. Also the enormous size of the Israelite
camp (five or six miles across) and the number of people
involved would seem to make pooling very difficult, incon-
venient, and improbable. There would have been some large
heaps of collected manna!
We doubt that every family went through a ritualistic
check on the volume of manna it collected each day. Oc-
casional spot checking would be all that is necessarily
implied by the statement “When. they measured it with
an omer. . . .”
The way the manna supply in each home equalized out
certainly hints at some degree of miraculous control of
the matter.
The apostle Paul in I1 Cor. 8:14-15 refers to Ex. 16:18 as
an illustration for Chtistians who have an abundance of
this world’s wealth to share with those who have needs.
The comparison is not identical in every particular, since
manna (unlike money) was freely available to everyone.
They only had to go out and pick it up. Nonetheless, the
fact that all Israelites had about the same amount of manna
each day is a valuable illustration to us, urging us to share
of our abundance with those in want, that there may be
an equality.
It surely seems rather miraculous that the manna collected

”Cole, op. cit.. p. 132. Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit., Vol. 11, p. 68.

350
 BREAD FROM HEAVEN 1611-36

by each family equalized out in the way it did, and everyone’s

needs were supplied, whether he gathered much or little of it,
This seems to have been a rather obvious and noticeable
fact. Their food supply, like their clothing (see Deut. 29:51),
was always adequate for the needs.
15. Could manna be stored up? (1519-20)
No. This was prevented both by direct command and by
the fact that any leftover manna became foul and bred
maggots by the next morning. Like the flesh of the Passover
lamb, there were to be no leftovers (12:lO). They were to live
in a situation wherein they had to depend on God every day
for that day’s needs. Do WE trust God enough to depend
on HIM for every day’s needs, one by one? (Matt. 6:34)
Some Israelites failed this first test with the manna. They
tried (vainlyl) to store some up. Moses became angry with
these people.
The word melted in 16:22 may mean “became loathe-
some.”13 The Hebrew word is similar to a word used in
I Sam. 1 5 9 , to refer to the vile and worthless animals of
the Amalekites.
16. How much manna was collected on the sixth day? (16:22)
Two omers, or twice as much as usual. The manna was
twice as plentiful on the sixth day as on other days (16:29).
Ex. 16:22 refers back to 16:5. The scripture does not
mention the fact that Moses told the people the words of
16:5, but we assume he did.
The rulers of the congregation reported to Moses that
the people had collected twice as much. Perhaps Moses
had requested them to report to him about this. The refer-
ence to these rulers raises questions about the organization
of the Israelites. Ex. 34:31 refers to the rulers. We really
know very little about the organization of the Israelites
and their tribes.
17. What was the seventh day called? (16:23,25)
The sabbath. Sabbath is a word derived from the Hebrew
~

J3Cassuto,op. cit., p. 197.

351
16:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

shabath, meaning to cease or rest.

A stronger word, shabbaton, is used in 16:23 just before
the usual word for sabbath. Elsewhere this word is used only
of New Year’s day and other particularly holy fe~tiva1s.l~
By this word God stressed the great importance of this
first sabbath rest day in the wilderness.
Here in Ex. 16:23 we have the first actual appearance of
the word sabbath in the scriptures. Nehemiah 9:14 says
that God made known the holy sabbath at Mt. Sinai.
Certainly in Ex. 16:23 there is no general prohibition of all
work, only of gathering manna. 16:29-30 indicates a more
general cessation of work. This preliminary command con-
cerning rest helped prepare the people for the comprehensive
commandment about Sabbath given in Ex. 20:8-11.
We certainly agree with Keil and DelitzschlS that it is
perfectly clear from the event that the Israelites were not
acquainted with any sabbath observance at that time, and
that it was only through the decalogue (the ten command-
ments) that the Sabbath was raised to a legal institution.
Modern religious groups which keep the seventh day
(Saturday) as holy day of assembly and rest, generally seek
to prove that the Hebrews (and their forefathers) know of a
weekly Sabbath before Mt. Sinai. The sabbath is called
holy in vs. 23, but it is NOT at all certain that it had been
revealed or observed as a national sacred day before Sinai.
For more on the sabbath, see notes on Ex. 20:8-10.
18. Did the Israelites obey the sabbath law? (16:27-29)
Not all did. Some went out to gather manna on the seventh
day, as on the preceding six days. We marvel at their be-
havior. Had .they not collected enough on the sixth day for
two days? Were they frankly testing Moses’ predictions and
perhaps his authority? Why did they not yet have faith? Had
they not considered the miraculous features about the
manna that they had already seen?

“Cole, op. cit., p. 132.

lSOp.cit., Vol. 11, pp. 68-69.

352
 BREAD FROM HEAVEN 16:1-36

God was angry because of the people’s disobedience. He

said to Moses, “How long refuse ye (plural) to keep my
commandments?” Deut. 3:26 says “Jehovah was angry with
me (Moses) for your sakes.” Moses was not personally guilty
of any wrongdoing. But the principle of collective guilt is
quite frequently found in the scriptures. When one member
of a people (or church) sins, the whole body shares its guilt
and punishment to some degree. Thus God included Moses
in His rebuke of Israel. Compare Joshua 7:l; I1 Sam. 21:l.
19. How was the seventh day kept? (16:29-30)
Every person was to abide in his own place (tent); and the
people rested that day.
Regarding 16:31, see notes on 16:13-14.
20. What memorial of the giving of the manna was kept?
(16:32-34)
An omer of manna was to be kept in a pot throughout
the generations to follow. This was to be laid up “before
Jehovah,” “before the Testimony.” Aaron was to do this.
The moral significance of the manna - that man does
not live by bread alone, but by every word from the mouth
of God - was to be kept vivid for all future generations.
Heb. 9:4 says the manna was kept in a golden pot. This is
also the Greek reading of Ex. 16:32.
The Testimony is a name applied to the stone tablets
bearing the ten commandments. See Ex. 31:18; 2516, 21;
Deut. 105.
“Before the LORD” refers to the same place as “before
the Testimony,” namely in the tabernacle, in the ark of the
covenant. Ex. 40:20; Heb. 9:4.
Since the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant were not
yet constructed at the time of the giving of the manna, we re-
alize that Ex. 16:33-34tells ofevents occurring some months,
or longer, after the original giving of the manna. But this
is no problem. Not every event related in the Bible (or any
other history book) is related in precise historical sequence.
We should not expect to find every event in such order. But
this does not discredit the Bible’s accuracy or inspiration.
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16:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

During later centuries the ark was moved about from

place to place - from Shiloh to Ebenezer, Ashdod, Gath,
Ekron, Beth-Shemesh, Kiriath-Jearim, Jerusalem. During
that time the jar of manna seems to have been lost, as was
Aaron's budded rod (Num. 17:10). Thus in Solomon's time
there was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone
which Moses placed there (I Kings 8:9).
21. How long did the Israelites eat manna? (16:35)
They ate forty years (Nehemiah 9:21). They ate manna
until they entered the land of Canaan after the death of
Moses and ate the fruit and produce of the land. Joshua
5:10-12.
Exodus 16:35 sounds as if it was written after the manna
had ceased t o be provided. If so, this one verse was inserted
into Moses' book of Exodus by Joshua or some other writer
after Moses' death. This probability no more casts doubt
on the overall Mosaic authorship of Exodus than does
insertion of the facts about Moses' death cast doubt on the
Mosaic authorship of Deuteronomy (Deut. 34:4-12).
22. Why is the description of the omer inserted at 16:36?
Possibly because the omer was a unit of measure not
generally familiar to and employed by the Israelites. The
word is used throughout this passage (16:16,18, 22, 23); but
it occurs nowhere else in the scriptures. Edward J. Youngi6
says that the omer was not actually a measure, but a small
cup; and it is perfectly understandable that Moses might
have remarked upon the size of this cup when it was used
to gather the manna.
Some writers assume that those acquainted with, the
exodus would have been acquainted with the omer; and that
this tends to indicate a later date for composition of 16:36,
or that the verse is a later explanatory addition." This seems
to us much less likely than our suggestion that the omer is
described because it was not generally familiar to the

'6Zntroductionto the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 19601,p. 77.

"Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 (19691, p. 399.

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 T W O TESTS: W A T E R AND WAR 17:l-16

Israelites (any more than it is to us now).

23. What does the manna mean to Christians?
The manna means to Christians everything it meant to
the Jews, See the brief outlines after the questions on Ch. 16.
The manna is certainly a type of Jesus, the living bread
who came down from heaven. (John 6:41,48-51).
The Lord Jesus promises to give His people who overcome
“the hidden manna’’ (Rev. 2:17). This seems to be a symbol
of the blessings of our heavenly home.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And aII the congregation of the children of Is-ra-el jour-
17 neyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, ac-
cording to the commandment of Je-ho-vah, and encamped in
Reph-i-dim: and there was no water for the people to drink. (2)
Wherefore the people strove with Mo-ses, and said, Give us
water that we may drink. And Mo-ses said unto them, Why
strive ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt Je-ho-vah? (3) And the
people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured a-
gainst Mo-ses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out
of E-gypt, to kii us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
(4) And Mo-ses cried unto Je-ho-vah, saying, What shalI I do
unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me. (5) And
Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Pass on before the people, and take
with thee of the eIders of Is-ra-el; and thy rod, wherewith thou
smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go. (6) Behold, I will
stand before thee there upon the rock in Ho-reb; and thou shalt
smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the
people may drink. And Mo-ses did so in the sight of the elders of
Is-ra-el. (7)And he called the name of the place Mas-sah, and
Mer-i-bah, because of the striving of the children of Ismramel,
and because they tempted Je-ho-vah, saying, Is Je-ho-vah among

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17~1-16 EXPLORING EXODUS

us, or not?
(8) Then came Am-a-lek, and fought with Is-ra-el in Reph-i-
dim. (9) And Mo-ses said unto Josh-u-a, Choose us out men, and
go out, fight with Am-a-lek: to-morrow I will stand on the top
of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. (10) So Josh-u-a did
as Mo-ses had said to h h , and fought with Am-a-lek: and
Mo-ses, Aar-on, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. (11) And
it came to pass, when Mo-ses held up his hand, that Is-ra-el
prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Am-a-lek prevailed.
(12) But Mo-ses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and
put it under hi,and he sat thereon; and Aar-on and Hur stayed
up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other
side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
(13) And Josh-u-a discomfited Am-a-lek and his people with the
edge of the sword. (14) and Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Write
this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of
Josh-u-a: that I ”willutterly blot out the remembrance of Am-a-
lek from under heaven. (15) And Mo-ses built an altar, and
called the name of it Je-ho-vah-nis-si;(16)and he said, Je-ho-vah
hath sworn: Je-ho-vah will have war with Am-a-lek from genera-
tion to generation.

EXPLORING
EXODUS
: CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. Propose a topic or theme for chapter 17.

2. Where did Israel go from the Wilderness of Sin? (17:l;
Compare Num.33:12-13)
3. Who directed Israel to Rephidim? (17:1)
4. What disaster faced them in Rephidim? (17:l)
5. Who “tempted” the Lord? How did they tempt the Lord?
(17:2, 7)
6. How did the Israelites feel toward Moses? (17:3,4)
7. What did Moses do when the Israelites strove with him?
(17:4)

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 TWO TESTS: WATER AND WAR 17:l-16
8, Who went with Moses as he went to smite the rock? (17:s’ 6)
9. Where did God stand when Moses struck the rock? (17:6)
10, What place is Horeb? (17:6; 3:l)
11, How abundant was the flow of water from the rock? (Ps.
78: 15-16)
12. What two names did Moses give to the place where the waters
came forth? What do these names mean? (17:7)
13. Who fought against Israel? (17:8; Deut. 2517-18)
14. Who led Israel’s armed forces? (17:9, 13)
15. How did Moses help in the battle? (17:9)
16. What was Joshua’s original name? (Num. 13:16; Ex.17:9)
See if you can find the meanings of Joshua’s names,
17. Who held up Moses’ hands? (17: 10, 12)
18. What did Moses sit on? (17: 12)
19. How long did the battle last? (17:12)
20. What was to be written in a book? (17:14)
21, When was the prophecy against Amalek fulfilled? (17:14; I
Sam.15:8-9; I Chron. 4:43)
22. What was the name of the altar that Moses built? (17:15)
23. What did the LORD swear that he would have? (17:16)

EXODUSSEVENTEEN:Two TESTS:WATERAND WAR

I. Water; (17:l-7)
1. The danger; 17:l.
2. The disagreeable debate; 17:2-3.
3. The deliverance; 17:4-6.
4. The memorial names; 17:1.

11. War; (17:8-15)

1. The danger; 17:8.
2. The deliverance; 17:9-13.
3. The memorial name; 17:15-16.

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17:l-16 EXPLORING EXODUS

WATERFROM THE LORD

(John 4:10,14; 7:37-39)
1. G h n to the undeserving; Ex. 17:l-3.
2. Given miraculously; 17:4-6.
3. Given abundantly; Ps. 78:lS-16.
THE Lorn Vs. FAITH
TEMPTING
1. Tempting the LORD: “Is God among us or not?” (Ex. 17:7)
Faith: “God exists!” (Heb. 11:6)
2. Tempting the LORD: “It is vain to serve God.” (Mal. 3:14-15)
Faith: “God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
(Heb. 11:6)
3. Tempting the LORD: “Giveus food that we crave!” (Ps. 78:18)
Faith: “Feed me with food that is needful for me.” (Prov. 30:8)
4. Tempting the LORD: “Leap from the pinnacle!” (Matt.45-6)
Faith: “You shall not tempt the LORD.” (Deut. 6:16)

Two PLACES
TO AVOID!(Ex. 17:7)

1. Massah - The place of Tempting (testing).

2. Meribah - The place of Strife (quarrelling).
AMALEK:THEPROTOTYPE
OF GOD’SENEMIES

1. Cruel (Attacked the weary stragglers); Deut. 2517-19.

2. Determined (Fought all day); Ex. 17:12.
3. Eowerful (Only God’s power can defeat); 17:ll.
4. Doomed; 17:13-14.
JEHOVAH-NISSI:JEHOVAH (17:15-16)
IS MY BANNER!

1. He gives me triumph.
2. He forgets not evil.
3. He lives through every generation.

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 TWO TESTS: WATER A N D W A R 17~1-16
EWLOIUNG NOTESON CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
EXODUS:

1. What is the subject matter of Exodus 177

The chapter contains two distinct sections: (1) Concerning
the giving of water from the rock of Israel; 17:l-7. (2) Con-
cerning Israel’s battle with Amalek; 17:8-16.
2. Where did Israelgofrom the Wilderness of Sin? (17:l)
The whole congregation journeyed by stages (“By their
journeys”) and encamped in Rephidim. By stages we mean
the most significant stopovers and encampments, which
became starting points for travel to their next major encamp-
ment.
Numbers 33:12-13 names two of these stages, Dophka and
Alush. These lay between the wilderness of Sin and Rephidim.
3. Where was Rephidim? (17:l)
No one knows for certain. Ex. 17:6 indicates that it was
very near to Horeb (Mt. Sinai). Also 18:s relates that Moses
was camped at the “Mt. of God’’ when his father-in-law
Jethro came to him. This occurred at Rephidim (19:2).
We feel that Keil and Delitzschl are correct in suggesting
that Rephidim lay near the point about ten miles north
of Mt. Sinai where the great Wady es Sheikh opens into
the Plain of Er Rahah, which lies at the north end of
Mt. Sinai. -
Others have located Rephidim at a small wady (valley)
called Wady RephayidqZThis lies some fifteen miles NW
of Sinai. It is an inconsequential wady. We see little to
commend the identification except a partial resemblence
between the names Rephidim and Rephayid.

‘Op. cit., Val. 11, p. 75.

*John Davis, Moses and tire Gods ofEgypt (Baker, 1971), p. 184.

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17:1-16 E.XPLOPING EXODUS

SPECIALSTUDY:ISRAEL’S ROUTETO SINAI

PASSAGE

From Israel’s encampment by the seaside (which we have

suggested was near modern Abu Zenirna) there are two main
routes by which Israel could have passed up to Mt. Sinai, a
northern route and a southern route. Each of these two routes
could have been entered by two different valleys (wadies). Both
would be about the same length, about one hundred and ten
miles. We feel the southern route is much the more probable.
But no one can be completely certain.

The Northern Route

The northern route would primarily pass through the sandy
plain of Debbet er Ramleh (the “Plain of Sand”). This lies south
of the mountain range called Jebel et-Tih (“Mt. of the Wander-
ing”) and north of the granite mountains of southern Sinai. If
this route is the true one, then the Wilderness of Sin is probably
the Debbet er-Ramleh.
This northern route could have been entered from Israel’s
seaside encampment, by “backing up” northward via the Wady
Taiyibeh. After six or seven miles this wady turns abruptly east-
ward, where it is called the Wady Hamr (or Humur), and goes
into the sandy plains.
This northern route could also have been entered if Israel had
travelled SE along the seacoast about ten miles into the barren
plhiil of El Murkha (which we feel is the true Wilderness of Sin).
They could go east across this plain, and enter a narrow wady
and follow it northeastward twenty miles (or thereabouts), where
it enters the sandy plains near Debbet er Ramleh.
The northern route would have taken Israel to within ten miles
of the ruins now called Serabit-el-Khadim. Numerous scholars
suggest that this is the site of Dophka (Num. 33:12). We can see
no cause for this identification. Serabit is off from the main
trails. It was an Egyptian mining location (turquoise and
copper). An Egyptian temple to the goddess Hathor was there.
Egyptian troops were stationed there both before and after the

360
 TWO TESTS: W A T E R A N D W A R 17:l-16
time of Moses. They would not have really gone ‘tfrom the
Wilderness of Sin” (Debbet el Ramleh) in going to Serabit, for
the sandy plains extend far on east of Serabit. Therefore, it does
not appear to us as even a remote possibility of being the site of
Dophka.
The northern route would primarily move southeastward.
Eventually it would enter the valley of the Wad’ ’Esh. Some
identify this with Alush on the basis of the remote resemblance
between the names.
Finally the route would join the Wadi esh-Sheikh about fifteen
miles north of Mt. Sinai. The Sheikh valley goes directly south
into the plain of Er-Rahah at the north foot of Mt. Sinai.
The Southern Route
The southern passage route is the route via the Wady Feiran
and its north branch, the Wady esh-Sheikh. The Wady Feiran is
the largest Wady in southern Sinai, and extends a little over
eighty miles from its mouth to the region of Jebel Musa (the
Mount of Moses, or Mt. Sinai).
To enter the Wady Feiran passage, we feel that Israel came
southeastward from its seaside encampment into the great barren
plain of El-Murkha (which contains the modern town of Abu
Rudeis and its oil fields). This plain is about six by fifteen miles.
We feel it is the true site of the Wilderness of Sin, where Israel
first received the manna. Israel could depart from this plain at
its south end, and after going no more than ten miles, with ridges
of hills on their left (east), they would come to the mouth of the
Wady Feiran, where they would turn eastward.
The Wady Feiran is one to two miles broad much of its way up
to Sinai, but frequently narrows between mountains to the width
of half or a third of a mile.3
Another route by which Israel might have entered the Feiran
valley would have been to have left the Wilderness of Sin from
its east side, near its south end, via the Valley (Wady) Sidri.

3Bartlett,Op. cit., p. 238.

36 1
17~1-16 EXPLORING EXODUS

After going eastward about ten miles between hills, they would
veer north to bypass a mountain. After going around northeast
of this mountain, they would enter the Valley (Wady) Mukkutab
(the “Written valley,’’ so-called on account of the numerous
Sinaitic inscriptions in it) This broad rather flat valley gradually
rose as they journeyed SE about fifteen miles, where, after
crossing a watershed, it would descend to the Wady Feiran. This
entry into Feiran may have been Israel’s actual passage route.
The Feiran zig-zags a great deal, but has an overall easterly
direction. About forty miles up the Wady Feiran is the magnifi-
cent Oasis of Feiran (“The Pearl of the Desert”). Here pure
sweet water flows in the valley. There are many lovely palm
groves and other trees. High cliffs (800-900 feet) rise on every
side.
Just to the south of this oasis about five miles stands the great
Mt. Serbal (6,790 feet). From its peak one has a view spanning
almost the entire length of the Gulf of Suez.
Just on the north side of the Oasis of Feiran is Mt. Tahuneh. A
spot on this mountain has been called the Place of Moses’ prayer
(Ex.17:ll). The Oasis of Feiran has been identified as Rephi-
dim, the place where the Amalekites attacked Israel. These
proposed identifications are known to have been made at least as
far back as A.D. 600. Nonetheless, we cannot accept the identif-
ications, because Rephidim, where Moses prayed, seems to have
been very much closer to Sinai than the Feiran Oasis. See Ex.
17:6; 18:s.It is possible that this Oasis was the site of Alush.
Dophku would then have been some small oasis downstream
(westward).
Israel most probably detoured left (north) off the Feiran into
its northern branch, the Wady esh-Sheikh. This is the route
usually followed by caravans even today. The Sheikh circles
around the rugged hills lying northwest of Mt. Sinai, and then
turns directly south toward Mt. Sinai, and enters into the plain
Er-Rahah, lying at the north foot of Mt. Sinai. Er Rahah was
almost certainly Israel’s place of encampment before Mt. Sinai.

362
 TWO TESTS: WATER AND WAR 17:l-16

Exit of Wadi Feiran into the coastal plain. (Feiran is the light-colored dry brook
channel coming in from the left.) The Red Sea Gulf of Suez is in background. View
westward. (Courtesy Pictorial Archive: R.L.W. Cleave)

Oasis in Wadi Feiran. The Israelites probably went through this wadi on their way
up to Mt. Sinai. View west. (Courtesy Pictorial Archive: R.L.W. Cleave)

3624
 17~1-16 EXPLORING EXODUS

Oasis in Wadi Feiran. This might be the site of Dophka or of Alush (Numbers 33: 12-
13). (Courtesy Pictorial Archive: R.L.W. Cleave)

Summit of Mt. (lebel) Serbal, looking SW towards the coastal plain south of modern
Abu Rudeis. (Courtesy Pictorial Archive: R.L.W. Cleave)

362B
 TWO TESTS: WATER AND WAR 17:l-16
4 . What did the Israelites chide with moses about? (17:2-3)“
They had no water, and they demanded that Moses give
them water. It was an angry confrontation. They did not just
murmur; they strove with Moses. The verb translated “strove”
(or “did chide” or “found fault”) is the Hebrew rib (or riv),
meaning to quarrel, strive, or contend. This word is the key
to the passage, because it explains why the place was called
Meribah, meaning strife, or argument. (Note the rib in
Meribah.)
In demanding water, the Israelites used the plural pro-
noun: “You (plural, referring to both Moses and Aaron),
give us water!”
Note that in 17:3 the Israelites accused Moses of trying to
kill them. Compare 16:3. They asked, “Why did you bring
us up out of Egypt, to kill me (singular) and my children?”
The singular pronoun me seems to be used following the
plural us to give special emphasis to the suffering of the
children. For if the text had read us, the children would also
have been implied.
The reference to the Israelites’ cattle indicates that they
had many animals. See 12:38.
The previous deliverances of the Israelites from Egypt,
and at the Sea, and at Marah should have produced in them
a habit of trusting God in every emergency, and of trusting
Moses. Surely Moses’ leadership was by then thoroughly
vindicated. Sadly, they were still ruled by an evil heart of
unbelief (Heb. 3:12). They were never fully delivered from

Some critics assert that the first part of 17:l is by one author (P),and then 17:lb-7
is by yet another author (J); but even this J section has been mixed with the writings of a
third (E) author. Thus 17:lb-2 is assigned to I, and 17:3-6 to E. Cassuto (Op cit., p. 201)
well says concerning these unproven allegations, that in conformity with Biblical usage,
which expresses things in coordinate rather than subordinate clauses (since Hebrew lacks
many subordinating conjunctions), the opening part of Vs. 3 is to be understood as a
subordinate clause, to wit, “Since the people thirsted for water, they complained against
Moses. I ..
” Verse two contains the general information about the accusations against
Moses. Verse three gives a detailed account of the general statement, There is no necessity
for assuming the existence of multiple sources.
Tassuto, op. cit., p. 202.

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17:1-16 EXPLORING EXODUS

this lack of faith in that whole generation. Forty years later

at Kadesh-Barnea, they murmured for water once again,
even after water was provided for them this time. See Num.
20:2-3.
God’s people must expect to face problems, discomforts,
dangers, and tribulation. They must be spiritually prepared
to trust God when such experiences arrive.
5. Did Moses trust God when they were without water? (17:2,4)
Definitely he did. He reproved the people saying, “Why do
ye tempt the LORD?”(“Why do you put the LORD to the
test?”) In this situation Moses went and cried (prayed) to the
Lord: “What shall I do for this people? They are almost
ready to stone me!” The Israelites on several occasions were
ready to stone leaders with whom they were displeased. See
Num. 14:lO; I Sam. 30:6.
Prayer was very characteristic of Moses. See Ex. 1525;
32:31-32.
6. How did Israel TEMPT God? (17:2, 7; Deut. 6:16; Psalm
78:18,41)
They tempted (or tested) the LORD by saying, “Is the
LORD among us or not?” To question God’s reality, his
presence, power, and concern for us is to tempt him.
Psalm 78:18 says that they tempted God by asking food
for their desire (Heb. nephesh!) Seemingly they did not
really need all they were demanding. They were asking for
food to spend it on their pleasures (James 4:3).
s
God wanted to prove (test, tempt) Israel. Instead Israel
proved the LORD. This was God’s right, but not Israel’s
right. “Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted
him in Massah.” (Deut. 6:16; Matt. 4:7). Testing God shows
a lack of faith.
7. Who was withMoses when he went to providewater? (17:s-6)
He took with him some men from the elders of Israel (not
all of the elders). Regarding the elders, see 24:1,11; 4:29;
18:12.
The elders were to be the eyewitnesses of this miracle,
that they might bear testimony to the unbelieving people.

364
 TWO TESTS: WATER AND WAR 17~1-16
Certainly there was not enough room around the rock for
600,000 men to crowd around Moses and see him do this,
The fact that water did not flow from the rock until MOSES
struck it was surely a powerful evidence that Moses was a
divinely appointed leader.
Moses was to take with him the rod with which he had
smitten the Nile river (7:20).
8 . What happened when Moses struck the rock? (17:6)
The answer to this is vividly stated in Psalm 78:15-16: “He
split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abun-
dantly, as out of the depths (the sea). He brought forth
STREAMS also out of the rock, and caused waters to run
down like rivers.’’
The text says the waters went out FROM the rock. This
suggests that the waters flowed TO the people, probably
several miles.
I Cor. 10:4: “They did all drink the same spiritual drink,
for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the
rock was Christ.” It was not Moses who produced the stream
of water. Rather, the water was provided by Christ, who
is the spiritual rock. Christ “followed them” so as to be with
them always to provide their needs. In the same way he is
always available to us to provide our spiritual and material
I needs.

I 9. Where was God when Moses struck the rock? (17:6)

He stood before Moses upon the rock in Horeb (Mt. Sinai).
We suppose that the statement “I shall stand” meant “My
pillar of cloud shall stand.’’ Here again God condescended
to man’s level by manifesting Himself in one spot, though He
fills heaven and earth.
!
I
10. By what names did Moses call the place where water was
provided? (17:7)

1
I
He called it Massah (meaning tempting, or proving) and
Meribah (meaning strife, chiding, or quarrelling).
The word Massah is derived from the verb (nasah) mean-
ing to prove or test. This verb is used in 17:3 and 16:4. We
must not read into the word tempt here the idea of moral

365
17:1-16 EXPLORING EXODUS

temptation, but only the idea of testing.

Ps. 95:8: “Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as in
the day of Massah in the wilderness. Compare Num. 20:13.
Ps. 81:7: “I proved thee at the waters of Meribah.”
..
Num. 14:22: “. because all those men that have seen my
glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the
wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have
not hearkened to my voice.”
The name Meribah was also given to a second place where
God miraculously provided water from a rock (See Numbers
20:1, 13). But the events occurred in different places and
forty years apart in time. It may seem a little surprising that
two places should get the same nickname. But it is by no
means impossiblee6
The two stories of God’s providing water for Israel (in
Ex. 16 and Num. 20) occur near the start of the wilderness
wanderings and near its close. This suggests the continuity of
God’s care and of Israel’s unbelief.
11. Was the water-from-rock event a miracle?
This seems like an obvious question to which the answer
would be YES. We accept it as a miracle. Christ, thespiritual
rock, brought water from a rock of flint (Deut. 8:15).
However, some semi-natural explanations for it have
been suggested. Cassuto tells of an English army officer over
a Sudanese camel corps in southern Sinai, who, when seeking
to discover the source of water dripping between pebbles in
a gravel heap by a cliff, struck the outer face of the cliff a
hard knock, fracturing it, and an abundance of water began
to flow. The scripture does not suggest that Moses fractured
the rock, releasing a barely-shut-in vein of water.
A very extreme view is that of Noth, who felt that the water
came from the rock in such a way that those who went there
could only think that at one time the rock had been made to

‘Martin Noth (op. cit., p. 140) thinks that the two events were actually only one event
but that we have two versions of the one story. The scripture, however, clearly distin-
guishes the two events.

366
 TWO TESTS: WATER AND WAR 17:l-16
produce water in a miraculous way. This is an example of the
astounding lengths to which people will go to avoid accepting
the scripture accounts of miracles.
Josephus (Ant. 11, i, 7) says that Moses informed the
people that a river should run for their sakes out of the rock.
Also, when it happened, “they were astonished at this won-
derful effect; and, as it were, quenched their thirst by the
very sight of it.” (That is a BIG yarn!)
12. What hostile tribe fought with Israel at Rephidim? (17:8)
Amalek (the Amalekites) fought Israel. Amalek was a
grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:12); the Amalekites were his
descendants. These people are mentioned at least twenty-five
times in the Old Testament. Amalek feared not God (Deut.
25:17-18). As Israel passed through the wadies (valleys) on
the way to Mt. Sinai, they got strung out into a column
perhaps ten miles long. Amalek smote the stragglers at the
rear of the column when they were weary and faint (Deut.
2519). These Amalekites were nomads. We read of their
presence in northern Sinai, near Kadesh (Gen. 14:7). They
dwelt in the Negev, the semi-desert area of southern Palestine
from Beersheba south (Nurn. 13:29).
The exact cause of Amalek’s hostility is not stated. Per-
haps it harks back to the ancient feud between Jacob and
Esau over the birthright and blessing (Gen. 27:41). More
probably it was precipitated by the fear of the Amalekites
that the Israelites would occupy all the good pasture spots
and springs in Sinai. There the grass dries up in the lower
districts by the beginning of summer, and the nomads seek
pasture at the cooler heights, the very area where the Israel-
ites were now entering. Therefore, they fell upon Israel, to
destroy them if possible. We suppose that this occurred in
I the Sheikh valley (Wady) north of Mt. Sinai.
God had provided Israel with food and water. Now He
i
~
must save them from attack by an enemy. This was absolutely
necessary, if God was to be triumphant for His people.
13. Whom didMoses send to leadIsrael in battle? (17:9-10)
He sent Joshua, who is mentioned here for the first time in

I 367
17~1-16 EXPLORING EXODUS

the scripture. Moses did not need to explain to the original

readers of Exodus who Joshua was. By the time the book had
been written, Joshua had become well-known to them.
Joshua had been a tribal chieftan of the tribe of Ephraim
(Num. 13:8). His name had originally beenHoshea (meaning
salvation). To the name Hoshea Moses added God’s name
Yah (or Jah), making his name Joshua (Heb. Yehoshua’),
meaning “Jehovah is salvation.”
We are impressed with Joshua’s faith, courage, and
immediate obedience. For forty years he was Moses’ principal
minister. See Ex. 24:13; 32:17. He became the leader of
Israel after Moses died, and led in the conquest of Canaan.
His name in Greek is Jesus, and the King James Bible refers
to him asJesus in Acts 7:45 and Heb. 4:8.
14. Where did Moses go during the battle? (17:9-10)
He went t o the top of the hill with the rod of God in his
hand.
Note that the rod is again called the “rod of God,” as it
was back in Ex. 4:20. We suppose that Moses had received
instructions from God about going up onto the hill while
Joshua was fighting Amalek.
We suppose that the hill was the height now called Fureia
(or Feria), on the very north side of the plain Er-Rahah. The
traditional location is just north of the great Oasis in Wady
Feiran, on Mt. Tahuneh. S. C, Bartlett, who climbed these
~ hills, thought that a hill called Jebel Shiah, just to the west of
Mt. Tahuneh, was more likely the place, since it commanded .
a much wider range of view than Mt. Tahuneh. Bartlett felt
that the Amalekites were contesting the Israelites for posses-
sion of the great Oasis of Feiran, which was certainly a prize
worth fighting for.
These proposed locations of the hill of Moses’ prayer do
not seem to us to harmonize with the clear statements that
the site of the battle at Rephidim was very close to Mt. Sinai
(Horeb).
15. Who accompanied Moses to the hill top? Why? (17:10-12)
Aaron (Moses’ brother) and Hur accompanied Moses, to

368
 TWO TESTS: WATER AND WAR 17:l-16
help him keep his arms uplifted.
Hur is mentioned again in Ex. 24:14: “Aaron and Hur are
with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach
them.” A man named Hur is named in Ex. 31:2 as the
grandfather of Bezalel, a builder of the tabernacle. So also in
I Chron. 2:3-5, 18-20. However, we cannot be certain that
the Hur of Ex. 31 is the same man as Hur in Ex. 17:lO.
Josephus Mnt. 111, ii, 4) says that Hur was the husband of
Miriam. We do not know whether this tradition is true or
false.
16. What was the signijkance of Moses lij?ing up his hands?
(17:ll)
It meant victory if he did and defeat if he did not!
We feel that the lifting up of his hands was an act of prayer.
The expression “lifting up the hands” frequently refers to
prayer. (See Ps. 28:2; I Tim. 2:8; Ps. 63:4). The lowering of
the hands was a sign of ceasing to pray.
The weariness that soon comes when we try to hold our
arms up-lifted for long periods is familiar to all. Moses’
hands soon became “heavy.” When his hands came down,
Amalek began to win the battle. So Aaron and Hur seated
Moses upon a stone, and helped him hold his hands uplifted
till the sun went down that day.
Because the text does not specifically mention Moses as
praying, some interpreters feel that the lifting of his hands
and the rod had other significance. Some say it was a signal
to do battle (as in Joshua 8:18). Others propose that some
mysterious force was thought to radiate from the rod of
Moses. (This view is sheer blasphemy.) Yet others have
thought that the lifting up the hand and rod was the sign of
some oath (Gen. 14:22), putting Amalek under a ban or
curse of complete destruction. None of these views seem very
satisfactory.
At the very least, we can say that Moses’ lifting up his
hands pointed toward God as their only strength for victory.
It i s difficult for us to think that Moses was not praying,
considering how often he prayed on other occasions.

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Ponder the mixture of human effort and divine power

needed for victory. Israel had to fight, but they won only by
the power of God. The dividing line between natural effort
and supernatural help is often difficult to pinpoint in our
experience. The child of God must perceive that both are
real and both are necessary for victory.
17. How severe was the battle with Amalek? (17:11-13)
It lasted all day. This indicates both the strength and
determination of their assailants. It started as a hyena-like
attack on the Israelite stragglers, but it developed into a
massive battle. Israel had full opportunity to use the weapons
they took as they went up armed out of Egypt (13:18). There
are times when God’s people must fight. See Luke 22:36.
Joshua “discomfited” Amalek. This unusual verb seems to
mean “prostrated,” or “mowed down,” or “disabled.’’
There were many casualties inflicted in close combat “with
the edge of the sword.” (This expression often indicates a
great slaughter of the enemy. See Josh. 6:21; 8:24; Num.
21:24.)
18. What was to be written in a book? (17:14)
Moses was told by God to write in a book that He would
utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under
heaven. They would be exterminated from the earth.
The prophecy of Amalek’s future annihilation was also
given in later prophecies. See Num. 24:20. Deut. 2517-19.
It was centuries before this prophecy was fulfilled. In the
time of king Saul (1050-1010 B.C., about 400 years after
Moses’ time), God sent Saul to wipe out the Amalekites (I
Sam. 152-3). Saul did not fully do this. In the time of king
Hezekiah (728-696 B.C.) the remnant of the Amalekites (in
one area anyway) were smitten. We read no more about them
after that. (I Chon. 4:41-43)
Ponder the fact that God’s promises and threats will cer-
tainly be fulfilled, even if it takes centuries, and even if we do
not live to see it done. God does not look at time as we do (I1
Pet. 3:8).
Does the Bible say that Moses wrote the words in A book

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true banner under which victory is certain.

There are numerous cases in the scripture where memorial
names were given to altars or special spots. Jacob built an

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altar and called the place “God of the house of God” El-
Bethen. See Gen. 3.57; 31:46-47; 22:14; 16:14; 29:1%-19.
21. What did Moses prophesy about Amalek? (17:16)
Very literally translated, 17:16 says,
“For (because) a hand upon (or against) the throne of Jah;
War for Jehovah with Amalek from generation, generation.’’
To us this seems to say simply that because the hand (or
power) of Amalek was lifted against the throne of Yah, or
Jehovah, Jehovah would have war with Amalek through every
generation. The expression, “God’s throne” implies His
kingdom, which included His people Israel.
The verse is confessedly difficult, and anyone acquainted
with it knows that there are several interpretations of it.
The first difficulty is this: Whose hand is referred to in the
phrase “A hand upon the throne”?
(1) Is it God’s hand upon the throne? Some understand it
this way, and take the verse to mean, “Jah hath sworn (with
. .”
his hand upon his throne), Jehovah will have war. . As we
take an oath with our hand upon a Bible, so Jehovah makes
an oath with his hand upon his throne. To us this seems a
poor interpretation. Jehovah can swear by nothing greater
than Himself (Heb. 6:13). Why should it strengthen His oath
to lay his hand upon his throne? Furthermore, we have no
other examples of God’s taking an oath in this manner.
(2) Is it the hand of Israel (or Moses)? This view would
give the meaning that Israel lifted up its hand toward the
throne of God in heaven, in cooperation with God’s war
against Amalek. This view is more acceptable. It does leave
unanswered the question as to why there should be a shift
between Israel$ declaration in the first line of the prophecy,
and God’sdeclaration in the second line.
(3) Is it the hand ofAmalek? We prefer this view. It makes
clear why Jehovah decreed war against Amalek from genera-
tion to generation. (To adopt this view we must assume that
the preposition al means against. This is a common mean-
ing for it, as in Ezek. 5 8 , although it usually means on,
or upon, or above, etc.)
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 JETHRO’S VISIT AND JUDGES APPOINTED 18:1-27
(4) Could the hand refer to the altar just built by Moses?
The Hebrew word for hand @ad) also means monument.
According to this view, the altar was a monument (or hand)
to Jehovah’s throne, or rule, which had been challenged by
Am alek .
Another difficulty is in the word translated throne (Heb.,
kes). This is an unusual spelling for throlze, which is usually
kise’. Cassuto thinks that kes means a plan or reckoning,
and thinks that it refers to the Lord’s plan to blot out
Amalek’s memory. This interpretation makes the first part
of the quotation difficult to understand.
Other interpreters propose altering the spelling of throne
(kes) to the word for banner (nes), and thus making it refer
back to the banner of the LORD mentioned in vs. 15. R.S.V.
accepts this conjectural change, and translates the passage
“A hand upon the banner of the LORD.” We feel that the
verse makes good sense without making changes in the
Hebrew text that have no support in the ancient manuscripts.
Even the translators of the Greek 0.T. seem to have had
difficulty with Exodus 17:16. The Greek reads, “For with a
secret hand the LORD wages war upon Amalek from genera-
tion to generation.” There was surely nothing secret about
the way the LORD fought with Amalek!
The general idea that the Lord was going to fight Amalek
always is clear from the verse. The exact wording for a trans-
lation remains a problem.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION

Now Je-thro, the priest of Mid-i-an, Mo-ses’ father-in-law,

18 heard of all that God had done for Mo-ses, and for Is-ra-el
his people, how that Je-ho-vahhad brought Is-ra-el out of E-gypt.
(2) And Je-thro, Mo-ses’ father-in-law,took Zip-po-rah, Mo-ses’
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wife, after he had sent her away, (3)and her two sons; of whom
the name of the one was Ger-shom; for he said, I have been a
sojourner in a foreign land: (4) and the name of the other was
E-1i-e-zer; for he said, The God of my father was my help, and
delivered me from the sword of Pha-raoh. (5) And Je-thro,
Mo-ses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto
Mo-ses into the wilderness where be was encamped, at the
mount of God: (6) and he said unto Mo-ses, I, thy father-in-law
Je-thro, am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with
her. (7) And Mo-ses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did
obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their
welfare; and they came into the tent. (8) And Mo-ses told his
father-in-law all that Je-ho-vah had done unto Pha-raoh and to
the E-gyp-tians for Is=ra-el’s sake, all the travail that had come
upon them by the way, and how Je-ho-vah delivered them. ( 9 )
And Je-thro rejoiced for all the goodness which Jemho-vah had
done to Is-ra-el, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of
the E-gyp- tians. (10) And Je-thro said, Blessed be Je-ho-vah,
who hath delivered you out of the hand of the E-gyp-tians,and
out of the hand of Pha=raoh;who hath delivered the people from
under the hand of the E-gyptians. (11)Now I know that Je-ho-
vah is greater than all gods; yea, in the thing wherein they dealt
proudly against them. (12) And Je-thro, Mo-ses’ father-ln-law,
took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God: and Aar-on came
and all the elders of Is-ra=el,to eat bread with Mo-ses father&-
law before God.
(13) And it came to pass on the morrow, that Mo-ses sat to
judge the people: and the people stood about Mo-ses from the
morning unto the evening. (14) And when Mo-ses’ father-in-law
saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that
thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all
the people stand about thee from morning unto even? (15) And
Mo-ses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come
unto me to inquire of God: (16) when they have a matter, they
come unto me; and Ijudge between a man and his neighbor, and
I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. (17) And
Mo=ses’father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest

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 JBTHRO’S VISIT AND JUDGES APPOINTED 18:1-27
is not good. (18) Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and
this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee;
thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. (19) Hearken now
unto my voice, 1 will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be
thou for the people to Godward, and bring thou the causes unto
God: (20) and thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws,
and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the
work that they must do. (21) Moreover thou shalt provide out
of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth,
hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of
thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of
tens: (22) and let them judge the people at all seasons: and it
shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but
every small matter they shall judge themselves: so shall it be
easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. (23)
If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou
shalt be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their
place in peace. (24) So Mo-ses hearkened to the voice of his
father-in-law, and did all that he had said. (25) And Mo-ses
chose able men out of all Is-ra-el, and made them heads over the
people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties,
and rulers of tens. (26) And they judged the people at allseasons:
the hard causes they brought unto Mo-ses, but every small matter
they judged themselves. (27) And Mo-ses let his father-in-law
depart; and he went his way into his own land.

EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROMTHE BIBLE

1. After careful reading propose a topic or theme for Ex. 18.

2. What had Jethro heard about? (18:1)
3. Whom did Jethro bring with him when he came to Moses?
(18:2-3)

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4. What did the names of Moses’ two sons mean? (18:3-4)

5. What formalities began the meeting of Moses and Jethro?
(18:5-7)
6. What did Moses tell Jethro about? (18:8)
7. What was Jethro’s reaction to Moses’ report? (18:9)
8. What did Jethro learn about the LORD from Moses’ report?
(18:ll)
9. What priestly act did Jethro perform? (18:12)
10. How long did the people stand around Moses? Why? (18:13)
11. From whom did Moses get knowledge to make judgments?
(18:lS)
12. What did Jethro advise Moses to do? (18:20,22)
13. Over what groups were judges and rulers to be appointed?
(18:21,25)
14. Did Moses hearken to the advice of his father-in-law? (1824)
15. Who judged the small cases? (18:26)
16. Where did Jethro go after the visit? (18:27)

EXODUS
EIGHTEEN: VISIT AND JUDGESAPPOINTED
JETHRO’S

I. Jethro’s Visit; 18:l-12’27.

1. His coming; 18:l-6.
2. His conversation with Moses; 18:7-11.
3. His worship; 18:12.
11. Judges Appointed; 18:13-26.
1. Moses’ labor; 18:13-16.
2. Jethro’s advice; 18:17-23.
3. Moses7compliance; 18:24-26; Deut. 1:9-18.
EXODUS JETHRO,A GOODMAN
EIGHTEEN:
1. Kept informed about God and His people; 18:1.
2. Recognized Moses’ just claims to his wife and sons; 18:2.
3. Courteous; 185-6.

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 JETHRO’S VISIT AND JUDGES APPOINTED 18:l-27
4,Rejoiced in others’ blessings; 18:9.
5. Praised the Lord; 18:lO.
6. Worshipped; 18:12.
7. Gave good advice; 18:19-22.
8, Recognized God’s final and supreme authority; 18:23.
(Ex. 18:l-12)
GODLYFAMILIES

1. Keep informed about one another; 18:l.

2. Seek association with one another; 18:2-5.
3. Courteous; 18:6-7.
4. Converse on the things of God; 18:8.
5. Bring spiritual blessings to one another; 18:lO-11.
6. Worship together; 18:12.
THE FOLLY RULE(18:13-23)
OF ONE-MAN

1. Overburdens one individual; 18:18.

2. Delays justice; wears out the people; 18:18.
3. Interferes with themost important work; 18:19-20.Acts 6:2,4.
a. Going “Godward” for the people; 18:19.
b. Teaching statutes and laws; 18:20.
1 4. Leaves many useful people unemployed; 18:21.

EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

EXODUS:

1. What is the subject matter of Exodus 18?

It tells of the coming of Jethro with Moses’ wife and sons
to Moses (18:l-12). Then it tells of Jethro’s suggestion to
Moses that he appoint judges to help him govern the people.
We entitle the chapter JETHROAND THE JUDGES.
2. What spiritual implications can we observe in chapter
eighteen?
We can see one of the fulfillments of God’s promise to
Abraham: “I will bless them that bless thee, and him that
curseth thee will I curse” (Gen. 12:3). Jethro blessed the

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LORD and His people Israel, As a result Jethro and his

descendants received rich blessings after that.
We can also see the fulfillment of another part of God’s
promise to Abraham: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). Jethro was a non-Israelite
who was blessed because of his association with the “seed”
(descendants) of Abraham.
Consider the joy which God brings to nations that are
friendly to His people: “Rejoice, 0 ye nations, with his
people” (Deut. 32:43).
In the coming of Jethro to Moses there is a resemblance
between Moses and the Lord Jesus. Many nations hated
Moses and the Israelites (for example, the Amalekites).
Many peoples hated Christ% Jesus (Acts 4:26-27). But a few,
like Jethro, came to Moses. Similarly a few people of other
nations came to Jesus, “ill at ease in the old dispensation,”
seeking the things of God. See John 12:20-21;Matt. 2:l-2.
Jethro was the first-fruits of many heathen who would later
come seeking the living God.
3. What hadJethro heard about? (18:l)
He had heard about all that God had done for Moses and
for Israel his people. Jethro had kept informed of the
progress and fortunes of Israel since they left Egypt. The
news about Israel’s deliverance from Egypt was widely
known in all the nations around Egypt. See 15:14ff,
Regarding the name of Jethro and his office as priest, see
the notes on 2: 16-18;3:1.
It is notable that Jethro had heard that the LORD
(Jehovah) had brought Israel out. Even the word-of-mouth
reports about Israel gave credit to Jehovah and not to
Moses only. Apparently even Jehovah’s name had become
known.

‘The Greek LXX translates both the Hebrew words elohim (God) and Yahweh (the
LORD) in Ex. 181 as kurios, or Lord. This is an illustration of the frequent lack of
consistency in the LXX renderings of the divine names. This creates problems for those
who desire to divide up the Biblical text according to the “sources” they think they can
detect on the basis of the use of different divine names.

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 JETHRO’S VISIT AND JUDGES APPOINTED 18:l-27

The name Jethro and the title father-in-law give some

interpreters a bit of trouble. There is only one Hebrew word
(hothen) for both father-in-law and brother-in-law. This
term is applied to Hobab in Judges 4:11, where it is translated
father-in-law in King James and R.S.V., but brother-in-law
in A.S.V. Since Hobab was the son of Reuel (or Jethro;
Ex. 2:18; 3:l; Num. 10:29), we are sure that Hobab was
Moses’ wife’s brother, Moses’ brother-in-law.
4 . Whom didJethro bring with him? (18:2-4)
He brought Zipporah, Moses’ wife, and her two sons,
Gershom and Eliezer.
We last read of these in 4:24-26. Moses had sent them
back to Midian after the difficulty at the inn. Some have felt
that Moses sent them back from Egypt during the conflict
with Pharaoh. There is, however, no hint that they were with
Moses when he met Aaron at the mount of God, or any time
after that. See 4:27, We feel that Zipporah and the sons
returned to Midian shortly after the inn experience.
We admire Moses’ self-restraint and faith in getting along
without dissatisfaction on his part hecause of his separation
from them. This separation had lasted no less than six
months, and probably longer. (Mark 10:29-30)
Regarding the meanings of the names Gershom2 and
Eliezer, see notes on 2:22.
John Davis wisely cautions that it is precarious to attempt
to analyze the whole character and disposition of some Old
Testament person on the basis of the etymology of his name
alone. That is true; but sometimes the names do have
significance which we ought to notice clearly.

’Davis, op. cit., pa 187, suggests that Gershom’s name is derived from the verb
garash, meaning to drive or thrust away. This is possible, but we still prefer the usual
explanation, “a stranger there.”
Tole, op. cit., p. 187, argues that Moses’ use of the name Eliezer (a name con-
taining El as the divine name) supports the view that the name Yahweh was unknown
until Moses’ vision (sic!) at the burning bush at Sinail To assert this is to deny the
historical accuracy of all the uses of the name Yahweh (Jehovah) in Genesis (as in
Gen. 22:14).

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18:l-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

It appears to us that Gershom was probably much older

than Eliezer, having been born near the start of Moses’ stay
in Midian and Elizer near its end. This would make Zipporah
a rather elderly mother at Eliezer’s birth, perhaps sixty
years old. All this is rather uncertain, however.
5. Where didJethro meethfoses? (185)
He met him at the mount of God, at Rephidim. See 19:2.
This location appears to have been very close to Sinai, in the
Wady esh-Sheikh, perhaps within ten miles of Sinai.
Probably Moses’ camp was somewhat in advance of most
ofthe Israelites’ tents. See 19:l; 18:5.
The events at Rephidim - the water from the rock, the
war with Amalek, and Jethro’s visit - all occupied only fifteen
days. See 16:l and 19:l.
6. How didJethro greet Moses? (18:6-7)
With all the ceremony and exuberance of an Arab
greeting!
First, Jethro, as he came near to Moses’ dwelling, sent
word ahead: “I, thy father-in-law Jethro, am come unto thee.
. .”
. (The Greek and Samaritan Bibles render this, “Behold,
thy father-in-law Jethro is come.’’ This puts the announce-
ment into the mouths of others, rather than from Jethro
himself.)
Moses then went out to meet Jethro. Moses bowed before
Jethro. (Compare Geh. 43:26, 28.) Then he kissed him
(probably on both cheeks). (Compare Ex. 4:27.) They asked
one another about their welfare. Arabs still make a big
ceremony out of greetings. No business can be discussed
until all the personal news has been inquired into. (We
rather like this. People are more important than business
anytime.) The word translated welfare (“they asked each
other of their welfare”) is the Hebrew shalom, or peace.
Moses respected Jethro for his wisdom as well as his age
and for being his €ather-in-law. Such humility and respect
for age is not popular in our times, but it is highly com-
mended in the scriptures, and needs to be restored.
7 . What did Moses report to Jethro? (18:8)
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 JETHRO’S VISIT AND JUDGES APPOINTED 18:l-27

eleven. The King James and A.S.V. follow the Hebrew

reading. The Greek reading omits the last clause of vs. 10,
l
and in this the R.S.V. follows the Greek. But the insertion

1
I
‘The Greek Bible here reads “He was amazed” (or “shuddered”). This is based on a
Jewish interpretation, which is recorded in a Midtush written in later centuries. See
Cassuto, op. cit., pp, 215-216.
i cit., p. 216.

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18:1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

that the omission of the last clause in the LXX, although

accepted by many scholars, is only due to lack of under-
standing! We agree.
9. What testimony about Jehovah did Jethro make? (18:ll)
Jethro said, “NOWI know that Jehovah is greater than all
gods, yea (He is greater even) in the thing wherein they
(the gods) acted haughtily against them” (against the
Israelites).
Jehovah excelled the gods of Egypt in the very thing in
which their gods (and their worshippers) haughtily claimed
superiority (such as the power to preserve their people).
Jethro rightly perceived that the struggles among nations
were conflicts of principalities and powers, conflicts between
spiritual powers in high Compare Ephesians 6:12;
3:lO.
Jethro’s declaration that he now recognizes Jehovah’s
great superiority is in conflict with the so-called Kenite
theory, namely that Moses first learned of Jehovah as a God
from the Midianites, or Kenites, of whom Jethro was one.
Jethro learned about Jehovah from Moses and not Moses
from Jethro. The Bible clearly indicates that Israel’s fore-
fathers had known Jehovah since the very beginning.
On the other hand we do not assume that Jethro did not
at least know the name of Jehovah and a little bit about Him.
The use of the word now in 18:ll contrasts present knowl-
edge with former knowledge, not present knowledge with
former total ignorance of Jehovah.
10. What religious ceremony did Jethropei$orm? (18:12)
He offered a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. After
this Aaron and the elders came and ate bread with Jethro.
The fact that Aaron and the elders came stresses the
validity of Jethro’s priesthood. He was a legitimate priest
- before God, like Melchizedek.
The act of eating together shows that a bond of community
and harmony was established between them and Jethro.

6Ramrn, op. cit., p. 109.

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 JETHRO’S VISIT AND JUDGES APPOINTED 18:l-27
Aaron had not actually met Jethro previously.
Jethro offered his sacrifices to God (elohim). This is a
very striking expression. In no other account of sacrifices
in the book of the law (Gen. to Deut.) is a sacrifice offered
to God; it is always to Jehovah (the LORD,Yahweh). Inas-
much as Jehovah is the covenant name which God used to
designate Himself as the God of the chosen people, we
suppose that the unique use of the term God here with
reference to sacrifice was employed because Jethro was an
alien. Despite his declaration about Jehovah’s greatness,
he had not yet attained to the covenant relationship with
Yahweh that Israel had.
What were the sacrifices that Jethro offered like? We
surely know very little about the sacrifices practiced before
the time of the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. Details of how
the offerings were made and what was offered are not
preserved for us. We read of offerings by Abel, Noah,
Abraham, and others. From archaeological sources we
know that even the pagan Canaanites (at Ugarit) in the
time of Moses made offerings which had names like those
made by the Israelites - peace offerings, trespass (or guilt)
offerings, burnt offerings, etc.’
We do know this much: since the very beginning God has
required blood sacrifices from His worshipppers. Without
shedding of blood there is no release from sins (Heb. 9:22).
In our times we cannot be right with God without accepting
the blood of His son Jesus as our covering (or atonement)
for sins.
The expression “before God” in 18:12 does not imply that
the tabernacle had yet been built and that this visit of Jethro
occurred later and is out of chronological position, as
numerous interpreters assert. Any sacrifice offered in
genuine worship of God or in an act of seeking God’s
favor will be “before God.”

I ‘Millac Burrows, What Mean These Stones? (London: Thames and Hudson, 1957),
I p. 234,

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18:1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

11. What was the signifiance of Jethro’s visit to Israel

and Moses?
Certainly it must have been very reassuring. Moses had
had nothing but trouble and contention with Israel from the
outset of their trip. There had been hunger, thirst, quarrel-
ling, and attack by enemies. Jethro’s friendly visit was surely
a lift for their spirits.
Cassuto (a Jewish scholar) feels that the favor shown to
Israel by Jethro was indicative of the wonderful destiny
of the children of Israel, and of their election (God’s choosing
them).shortly to come up at Mt. Sinai, Cassuto entitles
chapter eighteen “Israel welcomed as one of the nations of
the world.” To a degree he is correct in this. However,
Israel’s “welcome” was by NO means the unanimous senti-
ment of the surrounding nations!
12. What did Jethro see Moses doing? (18:13-14)
He saw him the next day spending all the day judging
disputes between Israelites. The Israelites had said harsh
things against Moses, but they sought him in times of
disagreement among themselves.
It has been supposed that the division of the spoil of the
Amalekites created numerous disagreement which de-
manded impartial decisions on the part of Moses. This may
have been true, but we do not know for certain.
Note that the people stood before Moses, but he sat. These
were customary positions for litigants and judges.
Probably the expression “from morning unto evening’’
should not be taken to mean every second of all that time.
13. What did Moses make known to the people? (18:lS-16)
He made known unto them the will of God in cases of
dispute. He taught them the statutes (ordinances) of God
and His laws.
Moses was unique among prophets in that God spoke to
him face to face (mouth to mouth). Num.12:7. The Lord
knew Moses face to face (Deut. 3410). If Moses did not
know God’s judgment on a matter, he would pray and then
listen to what the Lord commanded about it. See Num. 9:6,8.

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 JETHRO’S VISIT AND JUDGES APPOINTED 18:l-27
The people seemed to accept Moses’ judgments as God’s,
at least in their cooler moments.
Ai. the foundation of this passage is the profound truth
that all justice issues from God! Every judge, lawyer, and
citizen needs to recognize this, Without God there is no
real justice.
Of course, the statutes of God had not yet been issued in
written form in the manner that they were soon written
thereafter at Sinai (Ex. 21: iff).
14. Why was Moses’work as judge not good? (18:17-18)
It was not good because he could not handle it all alone as
he was trying to do. He was wearing himself out, and wearing
the people out too, because they had to stand in line for long
hours in the desert sunshine waiting for their cases to
be heard.
Like many a Christian leader, Moses was wearing himself
out by unnecessarily trying to do everything single-handedly.
This is not always the sign of overambition. Sometimes it
is the mark of the overconscientious and the overanxious.*
Moreover, it was wearing out the people, a problem often
overlooked. Delay in administering justice was one of the
causes of Absalom’s revolt against David (I1 Sam. 151-6).
We feel that Jethro’s warning and his advice to Moses
were good. Moses himself acknowledged that he could not
“carry” all the people “because it is too burdensome for
me” (Num. 11:14), Another time he asked, “How can I
bear the load and burden of you?” (Deut. 1:12) Even our
Lord once told His apostles to “Come ye yourselves apart . ..
and rest” (Mark 6:31).
15. What responsibility was Moses to keep f o r himselfl
(18:19-20, 22)
(1) He would be the representative of the people before
God. No one else could do that job as Moses could. (2)
He would bring their causes unto God by prayer. (3) He
would teach them statutes and laws. (4) He would judge

*Cole,op. cit., p. 140.

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18:1-27 EXPLORING EXODUS

only the hardest cases that other judges could not decide.
Moses, like the apostles later (Acts 6:2, 4), dared not neglect
the most important jobs of prayer and of teaching.
Jethro recognized Moses’ unique relationship with God.
By this relationship Moses could come “before God,” or
“Godward.”
Jethro’s words “And God be with you” seem to be a
polite way of urging Moses to do as Jethro proposed. But
it also carries the idea of submission to God’s will, if God
would not confirm his advice. See 18:23.
For Moses to show them “the way” was quite literal in
Israel’s case. But metaphorically it meant the way of life.
Compare Gen. 6: 12.
16. What were the qualifications for Israel’sjudges? (18:21-22)
(1) Able, men. The word here translated “able” often
means strength, usually physical. The Greek O.T. translates
it dunatos, meaning strong, mighty, powerful. We suppose
that the strength was more strength of character than of
body. A judge must be tough-minded (but sometimes
physically tough too!).
(2) God-fearing. (3) Men of truth. (4) Those hating
bribes, unjust gain, or filthy lucre.
After the judges were selected, Moses gave them a marvel-
ous charge. Read Deut. 1:16-17! Compare I1 Chron. 1 9 5 7 .
17. How many people did eachjudge handle? (18:22,25)
Some were over thousands, some hundreds, some fifties,
some tens. Dividing these totals into Israel’s population
(600,000 men), we get about 78,600 judgeslg This averaged
out to about one judge in every family. Everyone in Israel
was either involved as judge or was related to someone
who was.
“At all seasons’’ (18:22) means “at all ordinary times.’’

gKeiland Delitzsch and others argue that we need not assume the existence of many
thousands of judges, because the judges were taken out of the heads of the tribes
(Deut. 1:15), and these can hardly have amounted to many hundreds, to say nothing of
many thousands. To this we can only ask, How can there have been judges over tens
without using one-tenth of the total population?

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 JETHRO’S VISIT AND JUDGES APPOINTED 18:l-27
Moses handled the most difficult cases.
18. What would be the results of Moses’ taking Jethro’s advice?
(18:23)
(1) Moses would be able to endure his work load.
(2) The people of Israel would go to their place in peace.
“Their place” was Canaan, of course. Jethro recognized
this as the appointed and true home of Israel.
19. When did Moses appoint all these judges? (18:24-25)
Moses appointed them later, at Mt. Sinai. See Deut.
1:9-18. One gets the impression here in Ex. 18 that Moses
at once appointed the judges. However, the text does not
actually say that he did it that day. And upon a moment’s
reflection we realize that setting up a system of over 70,000
judges was not the work of a few minutes or even of a few ‘
days! We are not surprised therefore to find in Deut. 1:9-18
that the judges were appointed much later, near the end
of their stay at Mt. Sinai of nearly a year.l0 We also learn
that the people themselves selected their judges after Moses
laid down the qualifications for them, an example later
followed by the apostles (Acts 6:3). Moses probably did
not even personally know very many of these judges.
This type of historical record, wherein related incidents
are all fully presented in an unbroken section, even though
that may mean getting ahead of the overall progress of a
narrative, is not unusual in the Old Testament. One other
example of this is the story of Caleb’s inheriting Hebron.
Compare Joshua 1513-19 and Judges l : l , 8-15.
Ex. 18:24 says “Moses hearkened” to Jethro. Meekness
was a notable quality in Moses (Num. 12:3). Moses’ willing-
ness to obey God and to take good advice was part of his
great strength of character.
20. How did Jethro’s visit end? (18:27)
Moses let Jethro depart unto his own land, Midian. (See
notes on Ex. 2:15 regarding the location of Midian.) We

‘OThe,accountin Numbers 11:lO-16,24-25 of Moses’ appointing seventy elders to help

him govern Israel has no connection with the event here.

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suppose that Zipporah and the two sons stayed with Moses,
though we read nothing more about their being with Moses.
In the land of Canaan years later, we read of Moses’ grand-
son (Gershom’s son) Jonathan becoming an idolatrous priest.
See Judges 18:30.
When Israel left Mt. Sinai, Moses requested Hobab, the
son of Reuel (Jethro), to accompany them. See Num. 10:
29-32. The family of Hobab grew into the Kenite tribe
dwelling among the Israelites. See Judges 1:16; 4:11, 17; I
Sam. 1 5 6 .

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION

In the third month after the children of Is-ra=elwere gone

19 forth out of the land of E-gypt, the same day came they
into the wilderness of Si-nai. (2) And when they were departed
from Reph-i-dim, and were come to the wilderness of Si-nai, they
encamped in the wilderness; and there Is-ra-el encamped before
the mount. (3) And Mo-ses went up unto God, and Je-ho-vah
called unto him out of the mountah, saying, Thus shalt thou
say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Is-ra-el: (4) Ye
have seen what I did unto the E-gyp-tians, and how I bare you on
eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. (5) Now therefore, If
ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye
shall be mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the
earth is mine: (6) and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests,
and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak
unto the children of Is-ra-el.
(7) And Mo.ses came and called for the elders of the people,
and set before them dl these words which Je-ho-vah commanded
him. (8)And all the people answered together, and said, All that
Je-ho-vah hath spoken we wtll do. And Mo-ses reported the
words of the people unto Je-ho-vah. (9) And Jemho-vah said unto
Mo-ses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people
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 ISRAEL’SREADY FOR GOD’S COVENANT 19:l-25
may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee for
ever. And Mo-ses told the words of the people unto Je-ho-vah.
(10) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Go unto the people, and
sanctify them to-day and to.morrow, and let them wash their
garments, (11)and be ready against the third day; fot the third
day Je-ho-vah will come down in the sight of all the people upon
mount Si-nai. (12)And thou shalt set bounds unto the people
round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up
into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth
the mount shall be surely put to death: (13)no hand shall touch
him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be
beast or man, he shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long,
they shall come up to the mount. (14)And Mo-ses went down
from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and
they washed their garments. (15) And he said unto the people,
Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman.
(16)And it came to pass on the third day, when it was mom-
ing, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud
upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and
all the people that were in the camp trembled. (17)And Mo-ses
brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they
stood at the nether part of the mount. (18) And mount Si-nai,
the whole of it, smoked, because Je.ho-vah descended upon it in
fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace,
and the whole mount quaked greatly. (19)And when the voice of
the trumpet waxed louder and louder, Mo-ses spake, and God
answered him by a voice. (20)And Je-ho-vah came down upon
mount Si-nai, to the top of the mount: and Je-ho-vah called
Mo-sea to the top of the mount; and Mo-ses went up. (21)And
Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Go down, charge the people, lest
they break through unto Je-ho-vah to gaze, and many of them
perish. (22)And let the priests also, that come near to Je-ho-vah,
sanctify themselves, lest Je-ho-vah break forth upon them. (23)
And Mo-ses said unto Je-homvah, The people cannot come up to
mount Si-nai: for thou didst charge us, saying, Set bounds about
the mount, and sanctify it. (24)And Je-ho-vah said unto him,
Go,get thee down; and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aar-on
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19:1-25 E X P L 0R I N G EX0D U S

with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to
come up unto Je-ho-vah, lest he break forth upon them. (25) So
Mo-ses went down unto the people, and told them.

EXPLORING CHAPTERNINETEEN
EXODUS:
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading propose a short topic or theme for the

chapter.
2. In what month did Israel come into the Wilderness of Sinai?
(19:1)
3. On what day of the month did they arrive? (19:l)
4. Where did Israel make its camp? (19:2)
5. Where did Moses go from the camp? (19:3)
6. Why was Israel called the “house of Jacob”? (19:3; 1:l-7;
Gen. 46:l-4)
7. How had Israel been borne along on their journey? (19:4;
Deut. 32: 11)
8. To whom had Israel been brought? (19:4)
9. What conditions did Israel have to fulfill to become God’s
people? (195)
10. What would Israel be unto God? (195-6)
11. What is a “kingdom of priests”? (19:6; Compare I Peter 2:9)
12. To whom did Moses first report God’s words? (19:7)
13. What was the response of the people? (19:8)
14. Where did Moses go after hearing the people’s acceptance?
(19:8)
15. In what manner would God come to Moses and Israel? (19:9)
16. How would God’s coming affect the status of Moses? (19:9)
17. What preparations were the people to make before God’s
revelation of Himself? (19:10,14)
18. When was God coming down? Who would see God come
down? (19:ll)
19. What was to be built around the mount? (19:12)

3 90
 ISRAEL’S READY FOR GOD’S COVENANT 19:l-25
20, What was to be the punishment for touching the mount?
(19:12-13)
21. How were mountain-touchers to be handled? (19:13)
22. What was to be the signal for them to draw near the moun-
tain? (19:13)
23, What restriction was imposed upon the people before God
came down? (19:lS)
24, What was the appearance and the sound on Mt. Sinai as
God came down? (19:16,18)
25. What was the reaction of the people as God came down?
(19:16)
26. What did Moses do when the cloud came down? (19:17)
27, What voice came from the mount? (19:19)
28. What warning was given to Moses? (19:21) Why the repeti-
tion of the command? (See 19:12)
29. What priests are referred to in 19221
30. What protest did Moses make about God’s warning concern-
ing the people’s breaking through? (19:23)
31. Was the warning really needed? (19:24-25)

NINETEEN:ISRAEL
EXODUS READYFOR GOD’SCOVENANT
(ISRAELAT THE DOOROF NATIONHOOD)
1. The journey completed; 19:l-2.
2. The divine offers; 19:3-6.
3. The personal pledges; 19:7-8.
4. The sanctifying preparations; 19:9-16.
5. The descent of God; 19:16-25,

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19:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

OFFERTO HIS PEOPLE(19:3-6)

THE LORD’S

I. BACKED UP BY GOD’S PAST ACTS: (19:3-4)

1. What I did to the Egyptians.
2. How I bore you on Eagles’ wings.
3. How I brought you to myself.
11. CONDITIONED UPON OBEDIENCE: (195a)
1. Obey my voice.
2. Keep my covenant.
111. BRINGS RICH HONORS: (195b-6)
1. You will be my own possession.
2. You will be a kingdom of priests.
3. You will be a holy nation.

TO MEETGOD(19:lO-15)
SANCTIFIED
I. Wash garments; (19:lO; Rev. 7:14)
2. Set bounds about the mount; (19:12)
3. Abstinence; (19:15)

WHENGODCOMESDOWN!!
(19:16-25; John 6:38; 3:13)
1. Nature demonstrates; (19:16-18;Matt. 8:27)
2. God’s men are summoned; (19:19-20;Mark 3:13-14)
3. Men must keep their distance; (19:21-24; Acts 513)

392
 ISRAEL’S READY FOR GOD’S COVENANT 19:l-25
EXPLORING NOTES ON CHAPTER NINETEEN
EXODUS:
1. What is in Exodus nineteen?
The chapter tells of the things that occurred just before
God gave the covenant of the ten commandments. We call
the chapter READY FOR GOD’S COVENANT. The people
were made ready by (1) their arrival at the destination, Mt,
Sinai (19:1-2); (2) God’s promise to take them as His own
(19:3-6);(3) Their public promise to obey God (19:7-8); (4)
The Lord’s last-minute instructions (19:9-15); (5) The Lord’s
descent upon the mount (19:16-25).
The Greek version of Ex. 19:l contains the word exodos,
from which we get the nameExodus, meaning “going out.”
2. When did Israel arrive at Sinai? (19:1)
They arrived in the third month after going forth from
Egypt. Moses had kept a log book. See Num. 33:2. They had
left Egypt on the fourteenth day of the first month (See 12:6,
51), and arrived in the third month. On the “same day” they
came to the wilderness of Sinai. If this expression means
“the first day of the month,” their trip had taken about
forty-five days. But the Hebrew simply says “in this day.” It
is by no means certain that this means Israel arrived at the
desert of Sinai on theJirst day of the month. Later traditions
affirmed that the giving of the law was fifty days after the
Passover. We feel that this is about correct, but it cannot be
proved from the text. Ex. 19:ll indicates that the Lord came
upon Mt. Sinai on the third day after their arrival. These 8

three days, plus about forty-five days for the journey, give a
total of approximately fifty days.
God’s promise to Moses about Israel’s serving Him “in
this mountain” (3:12) was fulfilled upon their arrival there.
3. What place is the Wilderness of Sinai? (19:1)
We think that the name refers here to the plain of Er-
Rahah at the north edge of Mt. Sinai, at the foot of the peak
Ras Safsafeh. Ras Safsafeh is 6540 feet high, and is part of
an oval-shaped ridge with a second (and higher) peak - Jebel
Musa, or the Mt. of Moses - ai its south end. Jebel Musa is

393
19:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

7647 feet high.

The name Wilderness of Sinai is sometimes applied to the
entire southern area of the Sinai peninsula covered by granite
mountains. But here the term seems to be restricted to the
area just beside Mt. Sinai.
There is a small plain at the south side of Jebel Musa
called Wady es-Sebaiyeh. This has been often said to be the
plain of Israel's encampment. But travellers in the area
report it is only about 7000 feet long and four to six hundred
feet broad; and its whole surface is covered with sharp rough
stones. There is scarcely a good place for three tents to be
pitched together; and its whole area is about 145 acres.'
Furthermore, a small hill lies between es-Sebaiyeh and Jebel
Musa, so that there was no possibility of the people coming
up to the Mount without a previous process of hard climbing
or a long walk around. See Ex. 19:12, 21. Es-Sebaiyeh is in
no wise fitted for a major camping ground.
On the other hand the plain er-Rahah on the north of Ras
Safsafeh comes up to the very foot of the mountain. It is two
miles long and one-half broad, and slopes gradually down
from the plateau to the north. The slopes of the enclosing
mountains afford further space and seating for an almost
unlimited multitude. The Wady (valley) Leja, which opens
into er-Rahah on the west, is an extensive recess about a mile
and a half long and three-fourths broad. This would add
ubstantially to the camping ground.2
No other district in the premises affords such excellent
pasturage as the immediate neighborhood of Mt. Sinai.
There are four streams of running water there and several
springs and cisterns.
4. What place had Israel left just before reaching Sinai? (19:2)
They had left Rephidim. Rephidim had been a place of
several events-water from the rock, war with Amalek,
Jethro's visit, a system of judges set up. Now they leave

IS.C.Bartlett, FrornEgVpt to Palestine (New York Harper, 1879), pp. 270-271.

aBartlett,op. cit., p. 272.

394
 ISRAEL’S READY FOR GOD’S COVENANT 19:1-25
1
I

Mt. Sinai. This view is SE across the plain of Er-Rahah. Mt. Sinai has two peaks
(or summits). The peak in the foreground is Ras Safstlfeh. The other peak, Jebel Musa,

i lies behind Ras Safsafeh, barely protruding at left of mount. Monastery of St. Catherine
lies to left of mount. (Courtesty Pictorial Archive: R.L.W. Cleave)

i The Mt. Sinai ridge. Vkw NW.Jebel Musa.is in center ofpicture, and St. Catherine’s
monastery in the valley. Note rugged terrain of the wilderness of Sinai. (Courtesy
Pictorial Archive: R.L.W. Cleave)

394A
 19:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

Monastery of St. Catherine in the valley east of Jebel Musa (mount of Moses). View
NW.(Courtesy Pictorial Archive: R.L.W. Cleave)

Plain before Ras Safsafeh (Mt. Sinai). Probably this flat area WBS part of the a n a
where the Israelites gathered before Mt. Sinai when the ten commandments were
given. The peak of Ras Safsafeh lies to the left. This view is just to the right of the
picture above. View NW.(Courtesy Pictorial Archive: R.L.W. Cleave)

394B
 ISRAEL’S READY FOR GOD’S COVENANT 19:l-25

Rephidim. It was not far from there to the “mount of God”

(Sinai), probably only one day’s journey of about ten miles,
See 17:6; 18:s.
5 . From where did theLORLl callMoses? (19:3)
Jehovah called Moses from the mount. The text implies
that Moses heard the voice of the LORD (Jehovah) as he was
ascending the mount unto God, We are not told why Moses
went up into the mountain. It probably seemed to be the
obvious thing to do inasmuch as God had said, “Ye shall
serve God upon this mountain.” (3:12)
The expression “house of Jacob” is not found elsewhere in
the Pentateuch, but it is very appropriate in the light of
God’s promises to Jacob (Gen. 46:4).
Note that Moses went up unto God (the general term for
God as creator and ruler), but the LORD (Jehovah, or
Yahweh) called unto him. Jehovah is God’s covenant name,
used when dealing with His people. We can almost always
detect reasons for the use of the one name or the other.
6. What had the Israelites seen God do? (19:4)
Three things: (1) What He had done to the Egyptians; (2)
How He bore them on eagles’ wings; (3) How He brought
them unto Himselfl
The expression “upon the wings of eagles” is a figurative
but vivid description of the strong and loving care of God.
The mother eagle will fly beneath her newly feathered eaglet
as it makes its first attempt to fly. The eagle may refer to the
Palestinian vulture.
Deut. 32:ll: “As an eagle that stirreth up her nest, that
fluttereth over her young, He spread abroad his wings, he
took them, and bare them on his pinions.” The mother eagle
will tear up her nest and thus force the eaglets to fly. In a
similar way God had impelled Israel to leave Egypt. Then
He protected them in their spiritual immaturity as they
journeyed.
The reference in Ex. 19:4-5 to eagles’ wings and the con-
ditional nature of God’s covenant reminds us of Deuter-
onomy, which stresses the same points. How consistent is

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God’s revelation through it all!

Note God’s purpose in delivering Israel: He brought them
unto Himselfl
Ex. 19:3 begins a great block of divine teaching that
stretches clear into Numbers ten.
7. What did God want Israel to keep? (195)
He wanted Israel to keep his COVENANT, and to become
His own covenant people.
This word covenant refers to a formal arrangement of
relationship between two parties. Covenants can be made
between individuals or groups. A national constitution is a
covenant. So also is a peace treaty, and a will (or testament).
The principle of covenant has always been the basis of
God’s dealings with his people. God made a covenant with
Noah (Gen. 9:9), and with Abraham (Gen. 15:18), and
others. Unless we grasp the idea of covenant, we simply will
not understand Exodus.
The law which God gave through Moses to Israel is pre-
sented as a covenant (Ex. 24:7-8; 34:27). Exodus chapten
nineteen through twenty-four tell of the giving of the cov-
enant and its ordinances. Ex. 32-34 tell how‘the covenant
was broken by making the golden calf and then how the
covenant relationship was restored.
There are two main types of covenants:
(1) Parity covenants (or treaties), between parties of equal
importance.
(2) Suzerainty treaties (covenants), by rulers for the sub-
jects beneath them.
In the first type of covenant the contracting parties each
agree to do certain things, and the covenant is in effect only
if both parties keep their bargains. Abraham and Abimilech
made such a covenant together (Gen. 21:27).
God’s covenants are more like the second type of covenant.
God as a ruler makes certain promises and then demands
particular acts of obedience. The covenant is imposed by the
superior upon the inferiors. Such covenants may be basically
offers of grace to an undeserving people; God’s covenants are
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 FOR GOD’S COVENANT
ISRAEL’S ~ A D Y 19:l-25
always such. A will, or testament, is a covenant of the second
type because the blessings promised to the heirs after the
death of the testator are offered solely upon the basis of the
wishes of the testator.
Archaeologists have observed that the suzerainty treaties
(covenants) made by ancient Hittite and other kings with
their vassals follow the same general format and literary
pattern as God’s covenant with IsraeL3 These generally
contain a preamble (like Ex. 19:3), a historical introduction
(19:4), general principles for future conduct (19:5), specific
stipulations (Ex. 20-23), divine witnesses (24:9-11), and
curses and blessings (23:22-31).
The similarities between the treaties of men and the cov-
enant of God prove very little, except that God has chosen
to express His proposals in terms familiar to men; or that
the essential features in any complete and logical covenant
are similar.
The ancient covenants of human kings which have been
preserved show a slight difference in form between those
made in the second millenium B.C. (the time of Moses), and
those made in the first millenium B.C. (after 1000 B.C.).
The fact that the form of the Mosaic covenant more closely
corresponds to the form of the covenants of the second
millenium than to those of the first millenium supports our
belief that the Exodus covenant was indeed written in the
time of Moses, rather than by several unknown “sources”
(J, E, D, P) living centuries later, as many critics allege.
K. A. Kitchen lists several differences between covenant
forms of the first and second milleniums. (1) In late second
millenium forms, as far as preserved, the divine witnesses
almost aZwuys come between the stipulations and the curses,
whereas in first millenium covenants, so far as known, they
never do. (2) A historical prologue is typical of late second
millenium covenants, but is unknown in our first millenium

3Davis, op. cit., p. 193. K . A. Kitchen, Ancient Orient and the Old Testament (Chi-
cago: Inter-Varsity,1966), pp. 90-96.

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19~1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

examples.
8. What did Godpropose to make ofIsrael? (1956)
Three things: (1) Mine own possession; (2) A kingdom of
priests; (3) A holy nation. All of these titles are now applied
to the people of Christ’s church (I Peter 2:9).
“Mine own possession” means my own special (or pecul-
iar) treasure, one belonging privately to a king. The same
expression is found in I Chron. 29:3; Deut. 7:6; Eccl. 2:8.
How we guard and protect our treasures! Israel was very
precious to God. The expression “mine own possession”
sounds more partial than it really is. There was no thought
of favoritism in God’s choice of Israel (Deut. 7:6-8). Israel
had not been called to privilege and rulership, but to being
an example and rendering service.
God owns all the earth (Ex. 9:29). God could exalt any
people by choosing them, but no people could exalt and
elevate God. God is by nature supreme and ultimate. What
man says or does cannot change God’s power, glory, or
authority. Man can neither cause God to be glorious nor
diminish His glory. Thus for God to choose one people as
HIS people was a great favor, one demanding a grateful
response.
God’s ownership of Israel has an exact parallel in the
church. We are now a people for God’s own possession (I
Peter 2:9; Acts 20:28; I Cor. 6:20).
“A kingdom of priests” means more than merely a nation
of priests governed by Jehovah. It implies that the people
had kingly qualities as well as priestly qualities. This is
evident by the fact that the Greek O.T. translates the phrase
as a “royal priesthood,” and the inspired apostle Peter
adopted the Greek translation as the true meaning of the
verse. See I Pet. 2:9. The Israelites were a royal people, who
would devour the nations that were their adversaries and
crush their bones in pieces (Num. 24:8; Deut. 33:29).
Similarly, Christians have a royal as well as a priestly char-
acter. Christians shall have authority over the nations and
rule them with a rod of iron (Rev. 2:26-27). They shall sit

398
 ISRAEL’S READY FOR GOD’S COVENANT 19:l-25
down with Jesus upon His throne.
The fact that Israel was a kingdom of priests suggests that
their individual and collective purpose was to function as a
go-between between God and men of all nations. They were
to be living examples of what God would do with and for
obedient mankind, and were to teach the ways of God to
men, and otherwise help men come to God.
The “fly in the ointment’’ (Eccl. 1O:l) in this glorious
honor for Israel was that Israel was as sinful and as far from
God as the nations to whom they were to be priests and light!
(Rom. 2:19)
The same self-contradictory situation exists in the cases of
worldly, covetous, lustful, disobedient, lukewarm “Christ-
ians” (?). While they may consider themselves as being the
light of the world, the light that is in them is darkness.
Israel was to be a holy nation. The primary meaning of
I holy is not separated, but “to be pure, splendid, untar-
~ meaning of holy is not to be weakened by
n i ~ h e d . ”The
saying that a thing is holy only insofar as it is the exclusive
property of God. Sin opposes holiness, and the sinner resists
sanctification. God intends that holiness shall prevail and
the unholy be destroyed if they will not repent. Holiness
means being like God! (Lev. 192; I John 3:3). That means
more than belonging to an exclusive clique labelled Holy (or
Private Property).
The concept of Israel’s becoming a NATION looms large
in Exodus. God had promised Abraham that He would make
him to become a great NATION (Gen. 12:2). But when
Israel left Egypt, they were hardly a nation! They were a
band of escaped slaves without homeland, national constitu-
tion, an established system of government, judges, or priests.
The story of how Israel became a NATION is really the grand
theme of the book of Exodus. The events at Mt. Sinai
brought Israel into nationhood.

‘C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, The Pentateuch, Vol. I1 in The Biblical Commentary
on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956), pp, 99-100.

399
19~1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

9. How did Israel respond to God’s covenant ofler? (19:7-8)

ALL the people answered TOGETHER, “All which Jeho-
vah hath commanded we shall do.” Their spontanaeity and
unity rejoice us, until we recall how quickly they forget their
promises.
Israel’s religion was openly presented by God. There were
no secret doctrines to a favored class, no books of mysteries,
but a divine offer to rich and poor, young and old, learned
and unlearned. Though it could never be earned, it had to be
personally accepted. It was not an imposed religion.
Note that the statement is made twice that Moses told the
words of the people unto the LORD (19:8,9).Probably there
is a hint in this that Moses rejoiced to report their good words
to the Lord. Maybe he felt that the people had finally been
converted.
Regarding the elders, see 4:29-30.
The HebrewJehovah (Yahweh, LORD) in 19:7 is translated
God (theos) in the Greek, instead of Lord (kurios) as usual.
See footnote on p. 378.
10. In what manner would God come unto Moses? (19:9)
He would come in a thick cloud.
This verse makes quite plain the fact that God spoke
primarily with Moses rather than with Israel. God said, “I
come unto thee , , , that the people may hear when I speak
with thee.” God, of course, foreknew that the people could
not long endure hearing His voice (20:19). Their sin was
such that they were both incapable and unwilling to hear
God’s voice.
One major purpose of the miraculous display of cloud,
smoke, etc. was to certify Moses unto the people as God’s
mediator, “that they may hear when 1 speak with thee and
believe thee for ever.” We still must accept Moses as God’s
spokesman of that time.
, God’s appearances are often associated with clouds and
smoke. See Isaiah 6:l-4; 19:l; Num. 11:25; I Kings 8:lO;
Psalm 97:2; Rev. 1:7.
There is no way that anyone can prove that God came

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 ISRAEL’S READY FOR GOD’S COVENANT 19:l-25

down upon Mt. Sinai in a cloud and lightning and thunder

and earthquake. This is a matter of faith. We accept this
record because we have faith in Jesus, who said that the Old
Testament was all true (John 10:35; Luke 16:17). We accept
it because the fulfilled prophecies of the O.T. give us faith,
We rejoice that we can live by faith in what God’s word says.
11. What preparations were to be made for Jehovah’s coming
down? (19:10-11,15)
The people were (1) to wash their garments, and (2) to
abstain from sex relations, and (3) to set bounds, that is, a
fence or barrier, around the foot of the mountain.
The washing of clothes before holy ceremonies was a fairly
common practice in Bible times. Levites washed their clothes
as part of their consecration (Num. 8:7). Those who touched
the dead washed their garments (Num. 19:19). The reasons
for washing of garments seem obvious: all nations have
sensed the outward joys of cleanliness, and its symbolic
resemblance to the cleansing of mind and heart. See Rev.
7:14.
“Sanctify” (or consecrate) means to separate, make holy,
pure, and set apart for God’s use.
“The third day” in 19:ll obviously meant two days after
the day God spoke. This expression can illustrate the Jewish
way of speaking of time, and is helpful in understanding the
time meant when our Lord said He would rise on the “third
day” (Matt. 16:21).
“Against the third day” means “for the third day” or “on
the third day.”
Abstinence from sex relations prior to God’s descent upon
Mt. Sinai does not indicate that this is evil or even question-
able. Both the O.T. and the N,T.approve of sex relations of
married people as good, necessary, protective, and enjoyable.
See Prov. 518-20; I Cor. 7:2-5.
Nonetheless, as we sometimes fast from eating lawful food
as a means of devoting our total energies and mind to God,
so on some occasions sex relations are to be left off. See I
Cor. 7:s. Thus it was at Mt. Sinai. In the same way David

40 1
19~1-25 ‘EXPLORING EXODUS

was permitted to eat the showbread reserved for the priests

“if the young men have kept themselves from women” (I
Sam. 21:4-5). According to Lev. 1518 a man was regarded
as cer6monially unclean “until evening” afker lying with a
woman. Certainly no such uncleanness was to be present at
the grand forthcoming appearance of God.
Note that Jehovah was to “come down” upon the mount in
the sight of all the people. When a covenant is made, the
parties must meet. Man cannot ascend to h e a ~ e n This. ~ is
the heart of the Biblical concept of revelation. God comes
down to man. “No man hath ascended into heaven, but he
that descended out of heaven,” Jesus said of Himself in
John 3:13.
Certainly it was a condescension on the part of God to
localize His appearance at Mt. Sinai, seeing that He fills
heaven and earth (Jer. 23:23-24). But God has done this
often for man’s sake, even sending His own son into the
world in human form.
12. How pere the people to be kept away fiom the mountain?
(19:12-13)
By two means: (1) A bound, or fence, was placed about the
foot of the mountain; (2) Quick execution was threatened if
’ they even touched the mount.
It was possible to set a boundary about the north end of
Mt. Sinai because the rock mass of the mountain rises rather
abruptly from the plain beside it.
The people were neither to go up into the mount or even
to touch the edge of it while God was appearing upon it.
Death by stoning or shooting with arrows was the penalty
for this.
This command was quite terrifying to the people. “They
could not endure that which was commanded, that if so
much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or
thrust through with a dart” (Heb. 12:20).
The reason for this stern restriction was very basic: Sinful

Oamm, op. cit., p. 123.

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 ISRAEL’S READY FOR GOD’S COVENANT 19:l-25
mankind cannot approach near God’s presence, and God’s
presence was upon Mt. Sinai. Moses did not even dare come
too close to God’s presence at the burning bush (3:s). Flesh
and blood, such as we are now, cannot inherit the kingdom
of God (I Cor. 1550). We should not seek explanations in
some ancient concepts of taboo, It seems unfounded to offer
explanations such as that because the mountain had become
“holy,” then anything that touched it became “holy” also;
and that for living creatures this meant sacrifice and deathe6
If that were true, then carrying “holy” flesh (or meat) would
endanger the bearer (Haggai 2: 121, but it did not.
“Touch it” in King James version is better translated
“touch him. ”
13. What would the trumpet sound signal? (19:13)
“When the trumpet (Heb. yovel, or ram’s horn trumpet)
sounds a long blast, they shall ascend to the mount.” This is
a difficult verse. We suppose that the “they” spoken of are
the people, but that is not without question. Only Moses and
Aaron went up (19:24). The close connection of this state-
ment to the command about not coming onto or touching
the mount makes it a surprising switch of thought.
Probably the verse merely refers to what is related in 19:17:
At the blowing of the trumpet Moses brought forth the
people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the
lower part of the mountain.
The Greek O.T. reads, “When the voices and trumpets
and the cloud departs from the mountain, they shall come
~ meaning is very clear, maybe so
up on the r n o ~ n t . ”This
clear as to be trite. However, there were probably numerous
people who would feel that even after God’s revelation of
himself at the mount was completed, the mount was still
too “holy” to climb up into. We could question whether that

Tole, op. cit., p. 147.

W e are always reluctant to adopt the Greek reading in preference to the Hebrew
when they differ. However, in some cases the Greek reading is preferable. Thus in
Romans 10:18Paul quoted the Greek (“sound”) of Psalm 195 rather than the Hebrew
“line.”
403
19:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

was a relevant issue at that particular point of time.

Regarding 19:14-15,see notes on 1910-11.
14. What happened when God descended upon the mount?
(19:16,18)
There were thunders, and lightnings, and a thick cloud,
and the voice of a trumpet (Heb., shofar, a horn or cornet),
and an earthquake.8 The whole mountain smoked, for Jeho-
vah descended upon it in fire (probably lightning; see I1
Kings 1:12). The smoke rose like smoke from a furnace (that
is, a kiln or melting furnace). Compare Gen. 19:28 where
Sodom and Gomorrah appeared burning with the same
appearance. Deut. 5 4 : “The Lord spake to you face to face
at the mountain from the midst of the fire.”
Observe that it was morning when God descended on the
mount.
The people trembled at this spectacle. What Israelite
could doubt that God was there when he saw this display!
God intended that His fear should be before their eyes (20:
20). That surely took place.
This was no ordinary thunderstorm on Sinai. Thunder-
storms are not uncommon there in winter; but the Israelites
arrived in early June, when the season for these was past.
Besides that, no thunderstorm was ever like the appearance
of God’s coming.
The awesome events at the giving of the law are referred to
in Hebrews 12:18-19as a contrast to the less spectacular and
gentler giving of the gospel. The contrasting modes of giving
the law and the gospel illustrate the contrasting characters of
the law and the gospel. “Ye are not come unto a mount that
might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto
blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a
trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard
entreated that no more word should be spoken unto them.” ~

15. Where did Moses assemble the people? (19:17)

B x . 1993 says “The whole mount quaked greatly.” The Greek and several Hebrew
manuscripts read this “The people quaked greatly” (or “were exceedingly amazed”).

404
 ISRAEL’S READY FOR GOD’S COVENANT 19:l-25

Moses brought them to the lower (nether) part of the

mount, but not where they could touch it. Their encamp-
ments surely extended out quite some distance (severalmiles)
in front of the mount and in the adjoining valleys. But Moses:
directed them into a compact group.
16, What signal called Moses to the top of the mount? (19:19-20)
The voice, or sound, of a trumpet continued and waxed
(grew) very strong. Then Moses spoke. We do not know what
he said. Perhaps he asked the Lord what he should do. The
Lord answered him with a voice. The Hebrew word for voice
may also be translated thunder, as in Ex. 9:23 and I Sam.
12:17. But the voice (or thunder) was intelligible; and Jeho-
vah called Moses to the top of the mount and Moses went up.
Compare John 12:28-29.
The trumpet definitely appears to have been a super-
natural trumpet of God rather than a trumpet of man. This
trumpet will sound again at our Lord’s second coming (I
Thess. 4:16; I Cor. 1552). The Hebrew word for trumpet
here (as in 19:16) is shofar, not yovel, as in 19:13. However,
shofar and yovel are used synonomously in Joshua 6 5 , and
probably are so used here also.
Neh. 9:13: “Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai,
and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right
ordinances, and true laws, good statutes, and command-
ments.”
17. Why is the command about keeping the people from the
mountain repeated in 19:21-247
We think it was necessitated by man’s perverse desire to
look upon forbidden things and by God’s determination to
keep the people off the mountain. The command to keep off
the mountain had indeed already been once given, and the
barricade had been set up about the mountain (19:12). But
just as Eve longed for the forbidden fruit, and the men of
Beth-Shemesh looked into the ark of the covenant when they
certainly knew better (I Sam. 6:19), so some Israelites on this
occasion were thinking about taking a little peek beyond the
fence.

405
19:1-25 EXPLORING EXODUS

Moses thought that everything was secure (19:23). But

God had a deeper knowledge of what was in man than Moses
did. Some were tempted with the plan to “break through”
and “gaze” (1921).
Unbelieving critics have taken aim at 19:21-25, declaring
it to be a “secondary pa~sage”~ from a different source, and
unnecessary and repetitious. This attitude arises not from
any concrete evidence that such sources ever existed, but
from a lack of spiritual comprehension and meekness toward
God’s word.
18. Who are the priests referred to in 19:22?
Certainly they were not the sons of Aaron (Ex. 28:1), nor
were they the firstborn of every family (N‘um. 3:12-13). The
exact identity of these priests is not made clear. We can only
say that they were the ones who had been discharging the
duties of the priestly office according to rights and customs
previously employed.
Ex. 24:s tells of the young men of the sons of Israel offer-
ing burnt offerings and sacrificing young bulls and peace-
offerings to the LORD. Perhaps they were the “priests”
referred to in 19:22. Others suggest that the elders were the
priests; or that the heads of families served in that function.
See 19:7; 6:14.
The repetition of the command for all the people, priests
included, to stay off the mountain shows their unholiness.
Like the people the priests were to “sanctify themselves.”
Compare 19:10. They were NOT exempt from the commands
of God to all the other people. Nor were they too holy to yield
to the temptations that attracted other people.
19. Who was to accompany Moses back up on the mount? (19:
24-25)
Aaron was to go with him. Aaron did not go up the mount
until after Moses himself had received the laws of Ex.
21-23. See 20:21. Then God called Moses to come up with
Aaron, and Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy

9N0th,op. cit., p. 160.

406
 THE TEN WORDS 20:1-26
elders (24:l). But even then these were to worship afar off,
and only Moses came near to Jehovah (24:2).
Exodus 19:25 ends rather abruptly. The words of Moses to
the people are not recorded, but they surely consisted of
God’s repeated warning in 19:21.
As we come to the end of chapter nineteen, we should be in
eager expectancy. All things are ready for the declaration of
the covenant of the law. The awesome appearance at the
mount shows the greatness of the occasion. The miracles of
the deliverance from Egypt and the wilderness journey all
point toward this great moment. We shall not be disap-
pointed as we proceed into chapter twenty1

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And God spake all these words, saying,
20 (2) I am Je-ho-vah thy God, who brought thee out of the
land of E-gypt, out of the house of bondage.
(3)Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
(4) Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5) thou
shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I Je-
ho-vah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
I
fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth
I
generation of them that hate me, (6) and showing lovingkindness

1 unto thousands of them that love me and keep my command-

ments.
(7) Thou shalt not take the name of Je-ho-vah thy God in vain;
for Je-ho-vah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in
(8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (9) Six days
I
shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; (10) but the seventh day is
I
I 407
i
2O:l-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

a sabbath unto Je-bo-vah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any

work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy mawservant, nor
thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within
thy gatesa (11)€or in six days Je-ho=vahmade heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:
wherefore Je-ho-vahblessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
(12) Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be
long in the land which Je-ho-vah thy God giveth thee.
(13) Thou shalt not kill.
(14) Thou shalt not commit adultery.
. (15) Thou shalt not steal.
(16) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
(17) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-
servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neigh-
bor’s.
(18) And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the
lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain
smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood
afar off. (19) And they said unto Mo-ses, Speak thou with us,
and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. (20)
And Mo-ses said unto the people, Fear not: €or God is come to
prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not.
(21) And the people stood afar off, and Mo-ses drew near unto
the thick darkness where God was.
(22) And Je-ho=vahsaid unto Mo-ses, Thus thou shalt say unto
ildren of Is-ra-el, Ye yourselves have seen that I have
talked with you born heaven. (23) Ye shall not make other gods
with me; gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto
you. (24) An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt
sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings,
thy sheep, and thine oxen: in every place where I record my name
I will come unto thee and I will bless thee. (25) And if thou make
me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if
thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. (26) Neither
shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be
not uncovered thereon.
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 THE TEN WORDS 20:1*26

EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTERTWENTY
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. What did God, as He began the ten commandments, remind

Israel that He had done for them? (20:2)
2. Does “before me” in 20:3 indicate that other gods really
exist?
3. What does graven mean in “graven image”? (20:4). Com-
pare “molten image’’ in Deut. 27:15.
4. What is the “water under the earth” in 20:4? Compare
Deut. 4: 18.
5. What acts involving idols are forbidden? (205)
6. Of what is God jealous? (205; Compare Ex. 34:14; Ezek.
39:25)
7. Why should God punish the third and fourth generations?
Can you give any example of God’s doing this? (205; Com-
pare Deut. 24:16; Ezek. 18:20)
8. To whom does God promise great mercy (lovingkindness)?
(20:6)
9. What does “in vain” mean? (20:7; Compare Lev. 19:12; Ps.
~

60:ll; Prov. 30:8)

10. What day of the week is the Sabbath day? (20:8-10)
11. How was the Sabbath to be kept? (20:8)
12. What was forbidden on the Sabbath days? (20:9-10)
13, What reason is given for not working on the Sabbath?
(20:ll) What reason is given in Deut. 5151
14, What reason is given for honoring father and mother?
(20: 12)
15. What does honoring father and mother involve? (20:12;
Compare I Tim. 5 4 ; Ma&. 153-6; Eph. 6:l-3)
16. Does “not kill” forbid only murder, or all killing? (20:13;
Num. 35:16,22-24; I John 3:15)
17. What was the penalty for adultery? (Lev. 20:lO)
18. How did Christ modify the command against adultery?
(Matt. 527-32)
19. Is the command against bearing false witness limited to
courtroom statements, or is it applicable in other situations?

409
20:1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

(20:16; Matt, 533-37; Eph. 4:25)

20. What does covet mean? (20:17)
21. What items are named that are not to be coveted? (20:17)
22. What did the Israelites see that frightened them? (20:18).
Where did the Israelites move to?
23. Whom did the people ask to speak to God? (20:19)
24. For what three purposes did God come unto Israel, accord-
ing to 20:20?
25. Where was God as Moses drew near to Him? (20:21; Com-
pare Jer. 23:23-24.)
26. Who had talked with Israel from heaven? (20:22; Compare
Deut. 4:33,36; 524)
27. Of what materials specifically were idols not to be made?
(20:23; Compare Ex. 32:2-4)
28. Of what were altars to be made? (20:24-25)
29. At what places only would God come and bless them when
they offered sacrifices? (20:24)
30. What prohibition was given about stones used in making
altars? (20:25)
31. By what means was an altar not to be approached? (20:26)
Why not?

EXODUS THETENWORDS
TWENTY: (COMMANDMENTS)

1. The ten commandments given; 20:1-17.

2. The people’s fear; 20:18-21.
3. Instructions about worship; 20:22-26.

A PROTECTION
THETENCOMMANDMENTS,
1. First commandment: Protection from false gods; 20:2-3.
2. Protection fromfalse worship; 20:4-6.
410
 THE TEN WORDS 20: 1-26

3, Protection from misusing God’s name; 20:7.

4, Protection of rest and the remembrance of creation; 20:8-11.
5, Protection of parents; 20:12.
6, Protection of human life; 20:13,
7, Protection of marriage; 20: 14.
8, Protection of property; 20: 15,
9, Protection of truth; 20: 16.
10, Protection from evil desires; 20:17
(Adapted from John Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt
[Grand Rapids; Baker, 19711, pp. 200-210)

THETEACHING OF THE TENCOMMANDMENTS

As GIVENIN THENEW TESTAMENT

1. No other gods. I Cor. 85-6; Acts 14:15; Matt. 22:36-37; I

Tim. 2:s.
2. No graven image. I John 521; Acts 1520, 29; I Cor. 510,
11; Rev. 2:14.
3. Name not in vain. James 512; Matt. 12:36; Rev. 13:6.
4. Sabbath. Heb. 4:9; Col. 2:16; Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:lO.
5. Honor parents. Eph. 6:l-3; Matt. 154-6; I Tim. 53-4.
6. Kill, Matt. 521-22; Rom. 13:19; I John 3:lS.
7. Adultery. Matt. 527-28; I Cor. 6:9, 18; Heb. 13:4.
8. Steal. Eph. 4:28; Titus 2:lO; Rom. 12:17.
9. False witness. Matt. 533-34; Col. 3:9; Eph. 4:25.
10. Covet. Eph. 5 3 , 5; Luke 12:15, 16-21; Rom. 13:9; I Cor.
510.

GOD’SREVELATION
OF HIMSELF
(20: 18-20)

1. Is plain and obvious; 20:18.

2. Comes in striking display; 20: 18.

411
20: 1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

3. Brings fear; 20:18-19.

4. Creates desire for a mediator; 20:19.
5. Tests his people; 20:20.

WHYGODCOMESTo Us (20:20)
1. To prove (test) us.
2. To putfear into us. (Prov. 16:6)
3. That we sin not.

MEN’SRESPONSES
To GOD’SREVELATION
(20:18-19)

1. Fear; 20:18.
2. Request for a mediator; 20:19.

GOD’SVOICE,BUTNOTA FORM!(Ex.20:22-23; Deut. 4: 12,lS)

1. No form seen; 20:22.
2. No forms to be made; 20:23.

THEALTAROF GOD(20:24-26)
1. Made of simple materials; 20:24.
2. Used only for God’s specified offerings; 20:24.
3. Used only where God designated; 20:24.

412
 THE TEN WORDS 20: 1-26

4, Made of unadorned materials; 20:25.

5. Approached with modesty; 20:26.

PUBLICWORSHIP(20:24-26)

1. Offered in simplicity. 20:24.

2. Offered only with commanded sacrifices; 20:24.
(For us this'is CHRIST.)
3. Offered only where God designated. 20:24.
4. Offered without men's adornment; 20:25.
5. Offered in decency; 20:26.

SPECIALSTUDY:THETENCOMMANDMENTS

1. Where do wefind the ten commandments in the Bible?

We find them in Exodus chapter twenty and Deuteronomy
chapter five. (Please memorize this and do not ever forget it!)
2. How signijicant are the ten commandments?
a. They are recognized as the basis of all public morality in
the Western world. Their influence is too great for calcu-
lation. Probably our society could not survive without
these simple comprehensiveregulations.
b. They are a unique thing in all the religious teachings of
the world. They are without any real parallels.
They are unique in their teaching that it is impossible to
separate morality from religion.
They are unique in making duties to mankind on a par
with duties to God.
They are unique in the awe-inspiring manner in which
they were delivered.
They are unique in both their comprehensiveness and
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their conciseness.
3. How does the world feel about the ten commandments?
Most people will say, “Oh, the ten commandments are
great!” But in their hearts they really do not like some of the
commandments. The philosopher Will Durant said, “The
world has never quite come to terms with the ten command-
ments.” This is not surprising. The apostle Paul in Romans
8:7 declared, “The mind of the flesh is enmity against God;
for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it
be. ”
4. What are the names that aregiven to the ten commandments?
We believe in using Bible names for Bible things. We
believe also that names tell us very much about the character
and function of the things that are named. What are the
names?
a. The ten words (or commandments), (Ex. 34:28; Deut.
4:13; lOi4). This is the Biblical name for them. The term
words does not refer to single words, but to utterances, or
sayings. We use the term word with the same signification
in such statements as “Bring me word.”
b. The name Decalogue is a good title for the ten command-
ments. It comes from the Greek words deka (meaningten)
and logos (meaning word). It is first found in the writings
of Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 160-210), and was
commonly used by the church “fathers” who followed
him.
. “The words of the covenant” (Ex. 34:28)
d. “The tables of the covenant” (Deut. 9:9)
e. “The covenant” (Deut. 4:13)
f. “The two tables” (Deut. 9:10-17)
g. “The testimony” (a very common name for them; Ex.
16:34; 25:16)
h. “The tablets of the testimony” (Ex. 31:18)
i. “The commandments” (Matt. 19:17)
5. How are the ten commandments to be divided?
The scripture does not set forth any division of the ten
commandments, either as to which commandment is number

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 THE TEN WORDS 20:1-26

one, two, , .. ten; or as to how the commandments were

divided up and arranged on the original stone tablets.
We do know that there were TEN commandments, but
opinions differ as to how these are divided.
a. Which commandments are to be numbered one, two, etc. ?
(1)Most Protestants and the ancient Jewish authorities
Philo and Josephus treat 20:3 as the first command-
ment, 20:4-6 as the second, and thus on to 20:17 as
the tenth, We prefer this arrangement.
(2) Jewish scholars regard Ex. 20:2 as the first command-
ment. Then 20:3-6 is treated as the second command-
ment. The remainder are divided up as most Protes-
tants do, with all of 20:17 being the tenth command-
ment.
(3) Roman Catholic and Lutheran theologians treat 20:3-6
as the first commandment; 20:7 as the second, and
thus on to 20:17, which is divided into two command-
ments, the ninth and tenth. The ninth is “Thou shalt
not covet they neighbors’ house,” and the tenth is
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.” Most
non-Catholics suspect that this method of dividing the
commandments was made to deemphasize the com-
mandment against image-making. When stated as a
separate command, the law against image-making
seems somewhat more definite than it does as part of
the commandment about having no other gods.
As for dividing the commandment against coveting
into two commandments, the form of the command-
ments in Deut. 5 2 1 argues against this. There the
order of the two primary objects of coveting (house
and wife) is reversed from that in Exodus. Also a
synonym for covet (desire) is used instead of covet in
one of the statements. This seems to us to weaken the
probability that there are two commandments there.
b. How were the ten commandments arraltged and divided
on the originalstone tablets?
The undeniable truth is that we do not know. Some have
415
 20: 1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

proposed that five were on one slab and five on the other.
This arrangement would have placed 137 words on the
first tablet and only 26 on the second. Others have sug
gested that the first three laws were on the first tablet and
the last seven were on the second. This arrangement
would come as near to equalizing the writing on each slab
as could be done, and still allow the first tablet to end at
the bottom with a completed commandment.
Others have proposed that the first tablet had the first
four commandments, which concern men’s duties to God;
and the second tablet had the last six, which involve men’s
duties to men. To this we can only say “Maybe so.” This
arrangement would place 122 words on the first tablet and
41 on the second.
We see no reason for assuming that the first tablet had
to end its writing at a division between commandments.
Many ancient tablets ended in mid-sentence, and then the
writing continued on the next tablet.
6. What is the relation of the Decalogue to the rest of the laws
in Exodus?
. The law of Moses (the Torah) makes no clear line of
separation between the ten commandments and the laws in
‘I’ the chapters that follow it. All alike disclose the will of God.
Admittedly the ten commandments stand out most promi-
nently among the precepts of the Torah because of the awe-
inspiring manner in which they were given and because of
their fundamental and far-reaching importance. Only the
ten commandments were placed in the ark of the covenant
(Ex. 40:20). The conciseness and comprehensiveness of the
Decalogue are unique in all the world’s literature.
Nonetheless, there is still no clear demarcation between
the authority and permanence of the Decalogue and that of
the other laws of Moses. The Decalogue is called the covenant
in Ex. 34:28, but the other laws also constitute the “book of
the covenant” (24:7). While the Decalogue was kept I N the
ark, the other laws were kept BY the side of the ark of the
covenant (Deut. 3 1:26).

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 THE TEN W O R D S 20: 1-26

The two greatest commandments of all are not even in.

cluded among the ten commandments. See Matt. 2237-40;
Deut, 6:s;Lev. 19:18.
Interpreters have sometimes tried to maintain that the ten
commandments are the permanent MORAL law, and that
this was not done away with as were the CEREMONIAL laws
when Christ died on the cross. This is simply not a valid
division of the law. There are many MORAL laws outside of
the ten commandments. See Ex. 23:l-3 for example. Also the
Sabbath law in the ten commandments has a partly CERE-
MONIAL character. Furthermore, in God’s laws, ceremon-
ial laws often have distinctly moral character about them.
Note Ex. 23:lO-12. The law is simply not divisible into dis-
tinct categories. The law is a unit, and the ten command-
ments, in spite of all their distinctive features, are an integral
part of the larger undivided LAW given in Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
7 . How do the ten commandments difler in Exodus .from the
form given in Deuteronomy?
(1) The fourth commandment (about the Sabbath) is
different in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy says (in 5: 12)
to keep (or observe) the Sabbath, rather than to re-
member it, as in Ex. 20:8. Deut. 5 1 2 adds “as the
LORD thy God hath commanded thee.” Deut. 5 1 4
adds “your ox or your ass” and “that thy manservant
and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.” Deut.
5: 15 says that the Sabbath is to be observed in memory
of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, rather than because
Jehovah made heaven and earth in six days and rested
the seventh day (Ex. 20: 11).
In the fifth commandment (Deut. 5:16), the words
“that it may go well with thee” are added. Also Deu-
teronomy has the words “as the LORD thy God com-
manded thee” added.
In Deut. 518-21 the last four commandments are all
introduced by “and” (sometimes translated “neither”).
The tenth commandment (about coveting) is

417
20: 1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

considerably different in Deuteronomy 5 2 1 from Ex.

20:17. Deuteronomy reverses the order of “wife” and
“house.” Deut. adds “field.” Deut. also uses “desire”
as a synonym for covet at the second occurrence of the
word covet.
8. How shall we account for the differences between the form of
the ten commandments in Exodus and in Deuteronomy?
Probably it is to be accounted for by the fact that in Deu-
teronomy Moses was citing somewhat extemporaneously
God’s words that had been given at Mt. Sinai. Often in such
cases the very words themselves are not cited, but certain
variations and changes are introduced.
The version in Exodus twenty is said to have been written
by the very finger of God (Ex. 31:18). We accept this as true
and therefore regard the commandments there as being the
exact original wording.
When Moses repeated the law nearly forty years later in
the Plains of Moab (as given in Deuteronomy), he enlarged
upon many parts of it and paraphrased it somewhat. For an
illustration, compare the laws about the Hebrew slave in
Ex. 21:l-6 and Deut. 1.512-18. Compare also the laws about
the Feast of Weeks in Ex.23:16 and Deut. 16:9-12. Compare
also Ex. 20:24-26 and Deut. 27:5-8. We should not be sur-
prised to find some minor variations between the ten corn-
mandments as given in Exodus and in Deuteronomy.
This does NOT imply that the Deuteronomy version of the
en commandments is inferior, or represents only Moses’
own imperfect memory of them or his own personal interpre-
tation of the Exodus twenty commandments! Jehovah spoke
through Moses at the Plain of Moab just as certainly as He
spoke on Mt. Sinai. See Num, 36:13; Deut. 29:l. God
allowed Moses or caused Moses to speak some new words in
Deuteronomy five. But the ideas are unchanged, or are
merely enlarged upon. There is no conflict of truth between
Exodus and Deuteronomy.
Cassuto (op. cit., pp. 250-251) calls attention to the fact
that the two laws which differ most in Deuteronomy from

418
 THE TEN WORDS 20:1-26
Exodus (the laws on obeying parents and the sabbath law)
both insert in Deuteronomy the words “as Jehovah thy God
commanded thee.” Thus Moses alluded to the fact that
although the commandments were expressed one way in
Deuteronomy, he was not quoting their precise words.
9. Were the ten commandments given at first in the words in
which we now have them?
It is a popular opinion that the ten commandments as
originally given were all brief, succinct, one-line command-
ments. Supposedly the enlargements and explanations given
with some of the commandments (like those in the com-
mandments about graven images, the sabbath day, and
coveting) were added later.
We do not feel that this is a correct opinion. The text says
of itself that God spake ALL these words (20:1). When Moses
repeated the ten commandments in Deuteronomy 5, he
declared that “These words Jehovah spake unto all your
assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire.” Moses
referred to the ten commandments in the form in which we
now have them.
Also we feel that the idea that the commandments were
originally all brief one-line assertions rests upon a basic mis-
understanding of the commandments that are somewhat
elaborated. The commandments that are elaborated (the
ones about graven images, sabbath day, coveting, etc.) are
the very ones which expressed NEW religious ideas. Laws
about stealing or killing were familiar. But the ideas of a
God who must not be represented in any material form, and
of a regular day of rest to commemorate the rest of God after
creation, and of a law against desiring other people’s posses-
sions - these were new and revolutionary ideas which required
some elaboration, even in the concise presentation the ten
commandments make. Compare Cassuto, op. cit., pp. 235-
237.
10. Are Christians under the ten commandments?
To this vital question we must give a paradoxical answer:
Yes and No.

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20: 1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

To the Christian the law is holy and righteous and good

(Rom. 7:12-13). We do not nullify the law through faith.
God forbid! Rather, we establish the law (Rom. 3:31). Christ
came not to destroy the law, but tofilJiZl it (Matt. 517). He
came “that the ordinance (or requirement) of the law might
befilfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
spirit” (Rom. 8:4). We delight in the law of God in our
inward man (Rom. 8:22). We can speak with all the intensity
of King David: “Oh how I love thy law! It is my meditation
all the day!’’ (Ps. 119:97). The scriptures of the O.T.law are
“able to make us wise unto salvation’’ (I1 Tim. 3:lS). We
could never praise God’s law enough!
In spite of the preceding sincere praise of the ten com-
mandments and the other laws of Moses, we must declare
categorically that WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW,
including the ten commandments. Romans 6:15: “We are
not under the law but under grace.’’
Please consider the following argument carefully:
(1) Ex. 34:28 and Deut. 9:9 specifically refer to the ten
commandments as being the covenant.
(2) Jer. 31:31-32 prophesied that God would make a new
covenant with the house of Israel, not like the covenant
he made when he brought them out of Egypt.
(3) Heb. 8:6-13 declares that Christ is now the mediator
of a new and better covenant, and contrasts this new
covenant with the very one God made when He led
Israel out of Egypt. In I1 Cor. 3:6 Paul declared that he
was a nlinister of a new covenant, not of a covenant
written on stones (and only the ten commandments
were written on stones).
When the present United States were colonies of Great
Britain, the Continental Congress enacted laws against
various crimes. Our present laws include ordinances against
some of the same crimes. Does this mean that we are still
under the laws of the Continental Congress because some of
our present laws have provisions like those of the Continental
Congress? Similarly, although numerous laws in the old

420
 THE TEN WORDS 20:1-26

covenant are repeated in the new covenant, that does not

mean we are under the old covenant. Our Christian laws get
their authority from being in the new covenant, whether they
were in the old covenant or not.
As a matter of fact, nine of the ten commandments are
repeated in the New Testament in one form or another. Only
the Sabbath law is not repeated. So, as a matter of fact, we
are under most of the ten commandments, not because we
are legally under the covenant that included the ten com-
mandments, but because the new covenant includes most of
these commandments.
When the apostles and elders held the big conference in
Jerusalem to determine whether Gentile Christians had to
keep the customs of Moses or not (Acts 151, 5), their deci-
sion (which was reached by the guidance of the Holy Spirit
[Acts 1528; Gal. 221) was that the Gentiles did not have to
keep any of the laws of Moses except to avoid idolatry, and
fornication, and things strangled, and eating blood (Acts
1520). Not a word was uttered about keeping Sabbath days,
or diet laws, or feast days, or sacrifices, or circumcision.
Failure to understand these things will cause us to seek to
’return to the law of Moses, which is a ministration of death
(I1 Cor. 3:7), a ministration of condemnation (I1 Cor. 3:9).
The law of Moses passes away (I1 Cor. 3:ll). It brings us
under a curse (Gal. 3:lO). It causes us to be cut off from
Christ (Gal. 5:4). It was only a shadow of things to come
(Col. 2:17; Heb. 1O:l). Let us hold on to Christ, and in so
doing we shall fulfill the law.

EXPLORING NOTES ON CHAPTERTWENTY

EXODUS:
1. Who uttered the ten commandments? (20:1)
God (Heb., Elohim, God, the powerful creator, God of
nature, and God of all nations) spoke all these words, saying
“I am Jehovah (Yahweh, the LORD) thy God.” Yahweh is

42 1
20:1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

the covenant name of God as God of Israel. See Ex, 3: 13-15.

Note how the Bible text links GOD to the WORDS which
were spoken. Deut. 522: “These words Jehovah spake unto
all your assembly in the mount.”
2. Were the words of the law given by angels?
Acts 7 5 3 : “Ye who received the law as it was ordained by
. . .”
angels, , Gal. 3:19: (The law was) “ordained through an-
gels by the hand of a mediator.” Heb. 2:2: “If the word spoken
through angels proved steadfast, . . . .”Deut. 33:2: “Jehovah
came from Sinai, ... And he came from the ten thousands of
holy ones.” (“Holy ones’’ frequently refers to angels.)
From these passages we learn that the law was in some way
communicated by God through angels. We do not know the
process by which this was done. It does not appear that the
Decalogue (ten commandments) was delivered by angels, but
directly to the people by God’s voice, “face to face.” (Deut.
54).
3 . What was the purpose of God’s declaration of Himself in
20:2?
It would seem that God declared His great acts to cause
the Israelites to pay strict attention to the great words He was
about to say.
Although God had brought Israel out of Egypt, that did not
mean that they had no responsibilities to Him. Far from it!
Redemption introduces new motivations and responsibilities
upon us.
Exodus 20:2starts with an emphaticIin the Hebrew.
The LORD had declared many times in earlier chapters
that the people would know that He was Jehovah! (6:7). Surely
by now that name had become extremely meaningful to Israel.
Jewish scholars usually regard 20:2 as the first command-
ment of the ten. However, the eminent Jewish commentator
Cassuto’ says (correctly we feel) that verse two is not a

‘U.Cassuto, A Commentary on the Book of Exodus (Jerusalem: Magnes, 1963,

p. 241.

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 THE TEN WORDS 20:1-26

command, but only a proclamation introducing the speaker,

Nevertheless, the Jewish designation of 20:2as the first com-
mandment does emphasize the truth that we cannot have the
moral values of the ten commandments without having faith
in the LORD who gave the commandments.
4. What does “before me” mean in “Thou shalt have no other
gods before me”? (20:3)
Literallyit reads “before my face” or “near my face.” Since
God’s face (or presence) is everywhere (Jer. 23:23),to have no
other gods “before me” actually means to recognize no other
gods at all.
In Hebrew “before me” is a2 panay. Very similar Hebrew
expressions are found in Gen. 11:28 (“Haran died before the
face of his father Terah.”); also in Job 1:11 (“He will renounce
thee to thyface. ”); also Ezek, 40:15 (“And from thefront of
the gate. .. .”); and Ex. 18:13 (“the people stood before
Moses.”). These passages illustrate the meaning of “before
me.”
The expressionmay also imply “against me” or ’‘in opposi-
tion to me.” The Heb. preposition al has this meaning in
Ezek. 5 8 and Ps. 3:l.It could also mean “in addition to me.”
This meaning is implied by the preposition a2 in Gen. 31:50.
The Greek O.T.translates it “besides me.” (The Greek
preposition is plen, meaning besides, except, or save.)
The verse clearly teaches that God did not tolerate recogni-
tion of any god except Him. Israel was to practice a genuine
monotheism. The “liberal” view of this verse is that the com-
mand does not state that only one God exists, but rather that
the LORD was supreme among the gods of the ancient Near
East; and that only in the later centuries did Israel affrm that
only the Lord existed (as in Isa. 455;46:1).2It surely appears
to us that Ex. 20:2teaches a pure and exclusive monotheism.
The fact that Israel worshipped other “gods” in later
centuries (Joshua 24:15)does not prove that a commandment
against such practices had not been given. Note Judges 17:4.

lBroadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 (1969), p. 411.

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20:1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

The expression “Thou shalt have” (literally, “There shall not

be to thee”) has a singular verb, although its subject (“other
gods”) is plural. This appears to forbid acceptance of all
other gods as a collective body of nonentities.
When Israel remained true to the one exclusive God, she
was victorious and united. When she forsook the LORD, she
was defeated and fragmented. (Judges 2:ll-15; Chs. 17,18)
5. What are “graven” images? (20:4-5)
A graven image is a carved image of wood, stone or such
Imaterial. (Our word engrave is from the same root .) Compare
Judges 17:3; I1 Kings 21:7. Cast (or molten) images were also
forbidden (Ex. 34:17).
A “likeness” is a form seen by man, rather than an image
made by man.3(Num. 12:8; Deut. 4:12, 1%; Job 4:16; Ps.
17:lS). In 20:4 “likeness” refers to a statue or painting of
anything they may have seen.
The command forbidding the making of any graven images
was in total opposition to the religious practices of all the
world at that time. It is little wonder that God elaborated
upon this commandment (in 20:4-6) more than He did upon
obvious commandments, such as “Kill not.” (The two com-
mandments that are lengthily elaborated - the graven image
and Sabbath commandments - are the very ones that deal with
completely new religious ideas, and therefore needed a more
thorough presentation.)
Israel was not forbidden to make all statues or paintings.
They were just forbidden to make such things “unto thee,”
that is, as objects of worship. God Himself commanded them
to make golden cherubim (angel figurines) upon the ark of the
covenant. Presumably these were made by an “engraver”
(Ex. 38:23). Also in Solomon’s temple there were decorations
of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers (I Kings 6:32),
and also of lilies (IKings 7:22). Decoration of lions, oxen, and
cherubim decorated the lavers by Solomon’s temple (I Kings

T.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. I1
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968), p. 115.

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 TH E TEN WORDS 20: 1-26

7:29). Moses made a brass snake at God’s command (Num.

21:8-9). Thus it appears not all statues and art work was for-
bidden in Israel, only those which were objects of worship,
I (Even the brass snake was destroyed when it became an object
of worship (I1 Kings 18:4).
6. Whal is the “water under the earth”? (20:4)
The “water under the earth” is simply the water lying below
the surface of seas, rivers, etc. This is made clear by Deut.
4: 18, which refers to the “fish that are in the water under the
earth.” It is “under (or below) the earth” because it is lower
than the ground level at the surface of the water.
Occasionally we read the view that the “waters under the
earth” refer to one of the “three stories” which ancient people
thought the universe consisted of, namely of heaven above,
the earth, and the world “beneath the earth,” as if there were
some great subterranean cavity under the earth full of water.
The Bible presents no such unscientific and superstitious
world -view.
7. In what way is Godjealous? (20:5)
He is jealous in that He is full of zeal and ardor against
those who give to graven images the recognition and worship
that He alone deserves as God.
This word jealous is a term applied exclusively to God.
Compare Deut. 34:14. The word does not suggest the pet-
tiness and nastiness that we often associate with jealousy.
Isaiah 42:8: “I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my
glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto
graven images.” Compare Isa. 46:5; 44:9-17; 42:8; Deut.
6:15; Josh. 24:15; Nahum 1:2.
8. Is it fair for God to recompense the iniquity of the.fathers
upon the childm? (20:s-6)
Assuredly it is just and fair. It would be just and fair even if
we did not understand why God did it, because God is always
just (Rom. 3:26).
Consider first Deut. 24: 16: “The fathers shall not be put to
death for the children, neither shall the children be put to
death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his
425
20:1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

own sins.” Compare Ezekiel 18:4,20!

The word translated “third generation” (shillesh)means a
great-grandchild. The expression “third and fourth genera-
tion” seems simply to refer to indefinite future generations.
Compare Amos 1:3,6.
The best way to understand the threat of 20:s is to see how
God carried it out. From later history we learn that God often
endured the wrongdoing of people with great longsuffering.
However, His patience had a definite limit. And when God
finally ,brought down punishment upon the later generations,
He inflicted upon those generations the punishment for their
own sins and also those of their fathers. But - and this is very
important - God only did this to the descendants who con-
tinued to walk in the wicked ways of their fathers. To those
who loved Him and kept His commandments He showed
great lovingkindness. (“Lovingkindness,” or “mercy,” or
“steadfast love” is hesed in Hebrew, an enduring covenant-
love. See notes on 1513 and compare Ex. 34:7.) (LovingGod
means keeping God’s commandments. I John 5 3 ) .
The histories of the Biblical kings illustrate Ex. 205-6.
King Manasseh was a very evil king, whose evils brought the
sentence of destruction upon the kingdom (I1 Kings 21:lO-
15). However, Manasseh’s good grandson, Josiah, who kept
God’s covenant, was not punished (I1Kings 22:16-20).None-
theless, Josiah’s goodness did not turn away the wrath upon
Manasseh’s sins (I1 Kings 23:26-27); and the penalty for the
wrongdoings of all the kings fell in the time of Josiah’s son
Zedekiah (who was Manasseh’s great-grandson, “the third
generation”), who “did that which was evil” (I1 Kings 24:19).
Similarly, God threatened doom on the house of king Ahab
for his sins (I Kings 21:19,22-26). But Ahab repented some-
what and “walked softly” (I Kings 21:27). Therefore God
postponed His judgment (I1 Kings 21:29), but brought it
down upon Ahab’s son Jehoram who “walked in the ways of
Ahab” (I1 Kings 3:2-3;9:24).
Likewise, because of king Jehu’s sins and excessive
bloodshed (I1 Kings 10:29; Hosea 1:4), his great-grandson
426
 THE TEN WORDS 20~1-26

was slain (along with the entire dynasty) because “he did that
which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as his fathers had
done.” (I1 Kings 15:9).
The children “fill up the sins of their fathers” so that when
they are punished for doing as their fathers did, the conse-
quences of both their sins and those of their fathers fall on
them at once. Compare Lev. 26:39; Amos 7:17; Jer. 16:llff;
Dan. 9:16. If the children would only keep God’s covenant,
they would receive mercy from God, regardless of what their
fathers had done.
The “thousands” in 20:6 has no reference to the sequence
of generations, that is, it does not refer to a “thousand gen-
erations.” There have been less than two hundred genera-
tions in the entire time since Moses’ life.
9. What does taking the LORD’Sname IN VAIN mean? (20:7)
“In vain” (or “for vanity”) means at least three things:
(1) It means to use God’s name to back up a LIE. The fol-
lowing are some of the verses that illustrate this mean-
ing of “vain”: Isa. 59:4: “They trust in vanity and speak
lies. ” (The word lies here is the same Hebrew word shav
translated “vain” in Ex. 20:7). Hosea 10:4: “swearing
falsely in making covenants.” Ex. 23:l: “Thou shalt
not take up a false report.” Compare Job 31:5.
(2) It means to use God’s name in an idle, useless, flippant,
irreverent utterance. This meaning of “vain” is illus-
trated by the following passages: Psalm 6 0 : l l : “for
vain (useless) in the help of man.” Compare Ps. 108:
12. Malachi 3:14: “Ye have said, It is vain (useless)
to serve God.” Psalm 119:37: “Turn away mine eyes
from beholding vanity. ”
The Greek O.T. confirms this meaning of the word
vain, by translating the phrase epi mataio, “for some-
thing worthless” (idle, foolish, trifling).
(3) “In vain” also means to use God’s name for any wicked
purpose, in defiance, blasphemy, etc. Ps. 139:19:
“For they speak against thee wickedly. And thine
enemies take thy name in vain. ”

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Ex. 20:7 condemns the cursing and much of the slang that
is so popular in our time. Read Psalm 19:14.
A person’s name is closely associated with the person
who bears it. Thus to use the name wrongly is to use the
person wrongly. Note Ex. 3:13-15.
The Old Testament saints could swear by God’s name
if they swore the truth. (Lev. 19:12; Jer. 4:2; I1 Sam. 2:27).
The New Testament forbids taking oaths in God’s name
(Matt. 534-37;James 512).
Instead of uttering God’s name in vain, we should reecho
Psalm 111:9: “Holy and reverend (fearsome) is his name;”
also Matthew 6:9: “Hallowed be thy name.”
Jewish interpreters have felt that the law against using
God’s name in vain meant that God’s name is not to be uttered
unnecessarily in common conversation. In fact, in centuries
after Moses’ time the Jews pronounced the divine name
(Yahweh) only once a year, by the high priest when he gave
the blessing on the day of atonement. It appears to us that
Jehovah’s name was used quite freely by Godly people in the
Old Testament age. See Ruth 2:4; Gen. 14:2; I1 Sam. 16:12;
and others also. Of course, we agree that it would be better
not to use the name at all than to use it irreverently.
Some liberal commentators think they detect implications
of evil or magical powers in the uttering of the divine name;
and hence it was not to be uttered “in vain.” We feel that
this notion is apparent only to those who are looking for some
such idea.
10. What was the law about thesabbath day? (20:8-10)
Two things: (1) Keep it holy; (2) Do not work on that day.
It was to be aday not profaned by usual workaday activities.
What day of the week is the Sabbath day? It is the seventh
day of the week, Saturday on our calendars. It is a mistake
to call Sunday, the first day of the week, the Lord’s day, the
Sabbath day.
See the Special Study on the Ten Commandments con-
cerning the differences between the wording of the com-
mandments (especially the Sabbath law) in Exodus and

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Deuteronomy, and concerning whether Christians are ob-

ligated to keep the ten commandments or not.
11,, What does REMEMBER imply in “Remember the Sabbath
day”? (20:8)
Remember may simply mean to observe faithfully. See
Malachi 4:4 for an example of this meaning of remember.
More probably remember implies that the people already
knew something about the Sabbath, which they were to
remember by appropriate obedience. They knew that the
manna had not been provided on the Sabbath days, and
that they were to rest on that day. (See Ex. 16:22-23, 29).
This they were to remember, along with other things about it.
There is no scriptural indication that men knew anything
about the Sabbath day until the giving of the manna, as
related in Exodus sixteen. Neh. 9:13-14 says, “Thou camest
down also upon Mt. Sinai, and spakest with them from
heaven, . . . and MADEST KNOWN unto them thy holy
Sabbath, , .” See also Ezek. 2O:lO-12.
Thus it seems that although God had rested on the seventh
day after creation, He had not commanded man to keep
the seventh day until Exodus sixteen and twenty. Israel may
have known that God created the world in six days and rested
on the seventh, but no commandment had been given to man
to sanctify that day.
Is there archaeological information which suggests that
men were acquainted with the Sabbath day before the time
of Moses? We do not feel that any such evidence exists.
The Babylonians and the Assyrians applied the name
shabattu (or shapattu) to certain days, and this name i s
etymologically related to the Hebrew word Sabbath. But
the applications of the Babylonian and Hebrew words were
fully as different as Sunday is different from sun-god’s day.
U. Cassuto4sums up the archaeological evidence by noting
that the Babylonians and Assyrians applied the name

‘Cassuto, op. cit., pp. 244-245.

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20:1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

Shabattu to the day of the full moon, the fifteenth of the

month, which was especially dedicated to worship of the
moon-god and of related deities. Also the seventh, four-
teenth, twenty-first and twenty-eighth days of the month had
a particular significance in the Mesopotamian calendar.
They were connected with the four phases of the moon, and
were seven days apart, except for the seventh of the month,
which came eight days after the twenty-eighth day of the
preceding month, if that month was defective (that is, consis-
ted of 29 days), or nine days thereafter if that month was full
(that is comprised 30 days). All these days, both the day of
the full moon, and the other days mentioned above, were
considered days of ill luck, on which it befitted a man to fast,
to abstain from pleasures, and to avoid performing important
works, for they would not succeed. It seems that the Israelite
sabbath was instituted in opposition to the Mesopotamian
system, and its character was completely original. It was not
on the day of the full moon, nor any other day dependent on
the moon’s phases. It was the seventh day in perpetual
sequence, and had no connection with the signs of heaven. It
was not a day for the worship of the host of heaven, but a day
consecrated to Him who created the Host of heaven. It was
not a day of fasting and of misfortune, but a day of rest and
blessing. No work was to be done, not because of the danger
it would fail, but because it was a day on which the people
rose above the need for hard work that they were called upon
to do on other days for a living, and thereby shared the divine
refreshment with the creator of the world. (Summary adapted
from Cassuto)
12. Why was the Sabbath given? (20:9-11)
(1) It was given to provide rest for men and beasts. See
Deut. 514. The Hebrew word sabbath means a day of
rest. The related verb means to cease, or to rest. This
principle of a day of rest each week is a valuable,
necessary, and joyful arrangement. It was a day of
delight (Isa. 58: 13), a precious boon to the weary.
On the sabbath days all work activities were to be

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 THE TEN WORDS 20: 1-26

suspended except those utterly unavoidable. Forbidden

work included plowing and reaping (Ex. 34:21), press-
ing wine and carrying goods (Neh. 13:15), bearing
burdens (Jer. 17:21), carrying on trade (Amos 8:5),
holding markets (Neh. 13:15ff), gathering firewood
(Num. 15:32), and kindling fires for cooking (Ex.
35:3).
While the Lord’s day, the first day of the week, is
not strictly a sabbath (rest) day, we are of the opinion
that Christians ought to keep it holy, and that this can
probably be best done by keeping the day somewhat as
the Jews kept their sabbaths. Many of the early Christ-
ians were slaves or soldiers and did not have the oppor-
tunity of rest on the Lord’s day. Thus, God did not
command a particular legal rest day for Christians. But
the principle of rest still deserves our serious attention.
“Six days shalt thou work.” Certainly work is a
necessary part of the life of God’s people, and is com-
manded in both the old and new Testaments. Gen.
3:17-19; I Thess. 4 : l l ; I1 Thess. 3:lO. Buttheprinciple
of rest is also important.
(2) A second reason for the Sabbath is to attest the fact
that the LORD is the creator of the world (Ex. 20:11).
In fact, if it had not been for this link with God as
creator, we doubt that the Sabbath law would have had
a place in the Decalogue, any more than the laws about
the other holy days.
The fact that the LORD blessed a day of rest after
six days of creation, and then used the Sabbath day as
a direct comparison to the seventh day of creation
surely indicates that the days of creation in Genesis one
are the same duration as our days now. This means
that we should regard the earth as “young” in contrast
to the speculations of many, who assume the earth
is several billion years old, There is no cause to assume
that the earth is much over 6,000 years old. All theories
to the contrary disregard much scientific evidence as
43 1
20: 1-26 E X P L O R I N G E X O D U S

well as Biblical evidence.5

(3) A third reason for keeping the Sabbath was stated in
Deut. 5:15. This was to cause Israel to remember that
they had been slaves in Egypt and that the LORD had
brought them out of Egypt. This reason for keeping
the Sabbath would apply to Israel only, and shows that
the Sabbath day was never designed to be observed by
I’
all races and nations.
13. Are Christians to keep the Sabbath (Saturday) as a holy day?
The answer is No. We live under a new covenant (I1 Cor.
3:6), and the new covenant does not include the command-
ment to keep the Sabbath day. The early Christians, who
were under inspired apostolic oversight and direction, met
on the first day of the week, our Sunday (Acts 20:7). The
first day of the week is not called by the name Sabbath in the
New Testament, but is referred to as the Lord’s Day (Rev.
1:lO). The Sabbath, like the other Hebrew feast days, such
as the new moon, and the laws about meat and drink, was
only a shadow of things to come. But the “body” (which cast
the shadow) is Christ’s. (Col. 2:16-17) Hebrews 4:9 speaks of
a “sabbath rest” which now remains for the people of God.
The setting of that verse indicates that this “sabbath rest’’
was a rest that was different from God’s rest on the seventh
day of creation, and was instituted long after that. It came
into being even after Joshua gave Israel “rest” in the con-
quered promised land. Thus our Christian “sabbath rest”
is not the seventh-day rest commanded in Moses’ law, but
is probably our spiritual rest in Christ (Matt. 11:28), or our
eternal rest (Rev. 14:13), or both.
14. What was the law about parents? (20:12)
They were to be honored. The reason for honoring parents
was that the children’s days might be long in the land which
-
’There are many books now available which give scientific as well as Biblical evidence
that the earth and the universe are young in comparison to the billions of years proposed
by evolutionary dates. We mention here only a few: John C. Whitcomb, Jr., & Henry M.
Morrib, The Genesis Flood (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1961); Henry M.
Morris, Bihlicul C O W I O ~ untl ) ~o d e m Science (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1970); Melvin
O ~ .M
A . Cook, Prehistory andEarth Models (London: Parrish, 1966).

432
 THE TEN WORDS 20:1-26

Jehovah their God was giving them.

The command to honor is a very impressive significant
command. The same word honor that is here applied to
parents is frequently applied to the honor due to God. See
Prov. 3:9; Isa. 43:23. The Hebrew noun translated honor
(kubod, from the verb kubed) is also translated gloty, and is
applied to God’s glory (Ex. 16:7; 24:17; 40:34; I Kings 8 : l l ;
and others). The Greek O.T.translated “honor” as timao, a
verb referring to honor rendered to superiors, of men to gods,
of men to elders, rulers, and guests. The use of these words
shows that honoring parents was a very meaningful act.
How is this honor to be shown to parents?
(1)Negatively, parents were not to be cursed or struck.
SeeEx. 21:15; Lev. 21:15, 17.
(2) By showing them respect. Lev. 19:3: “Ye shall fear
every man his mother, and his father.”
(3) By obeying them. Deut. 21:18-21; Ephesians 6:l.
(4) By caring for them in their advanced years. Mark
7;lO-12; I Timothy 5 4 , 8. The honor due to parents
continues on into their elderly life, even after their
children are grown.
A persistently disobedient, stubborn, drunken, gluttonous
son could be stoned to death. God views disobedience in sons
as very serious. See Deut. 21:18-21.
The command about honoring parents comes immediately
after the law about the Sabbath. The same two command-
ments are mentioned together in Lev. 19:3. Probably God
intended that they should be associated together. In societies
where divine worship is not practiced, the elderly are some-
times neglected, rejected, and “turned out.”
In our modern society youth is worshipped and old age is
dreaded or despised. The result is a folly in which men and
women strive to remain eternally youthful, only to find it is
an impossible task. We need to return to the Biblical ideal
of honoring parents and respecting the elderly.
As the apostle Paul stated (in Eph. 6:2) this command
about honoring parents is the “first commandment with a

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promise,” the promise that their days would be long in the

land which the LORD their God gave them. Also there is the
promise “that it may go well with thee” (Deut. 516).
Obedience by children will generally result in good health,
safety, and wisdom. These things, plus the blessing of God,
will generally make the days of our life longer.
It must not be assumed, of course, that obedience to par-
ents guaranteed longevity in every case, any more than that
lack of obedience guaranteed a short life for all wicked men.
The promise probably had a collectivenational application.
If Israelite children obeyed Godly parents, their nation (or
land) would survivelonger.If they disobeyed, their land would
go into captivity and they would not “dwell long in the land.”
If the promise of long life seems to be too material and
earthly for those who feel they are more spiritually minded,
remember that in the O.T. age God’s promises were usually
of a material nature because the people were yet spiritual
children, as it were yet in God’s school. See Gal. 323-25.
Most of us are still in that state!
15. What is forbidden in the command “Thou shalt not kill”?
(20:13)
It seems to forbid murder, manslaughter, and-suicide.
Certainly the Hebrew word ratsah translated kill referred
to murder. It has this meaning in numerous references. See
Num. 3516, 17, 18; and others. In the laws in the following
chapters more detailed laws about murder are given. Note
21:12,14; and others.
The word kill also applies to manslaughter. It has this
meaning in at least a score of references. See Num. 3516-21;
Deut. 4:42; Josh. 20:3; Num. 35:6,11; andothers. In thelaws
in the following chapters more specific details are given about
manslaughter, See 21:13, 20, 29; and others. We have a di-
vinely ordained obligation to respect and protect the lives of
others in all our life’s activities (including our auto driving).
We must not kill in carelessness, anger, hatred, or vengeance.
Inasmuch as there is no specific object named after “Thou
shalt not kill,” the verse surely forbids killing ourselves

434
 THE TEN WORDS 20: 1-26

(suicide) also.
In the O.T. life is viewed as sacred, as a gift from God,
“All souls are mine,” God said in Ezek. 18:4. The ending of
any man’s life must be left to God’s decision.
“Thou shalt not kill” does NOT forbid capital punishment
I
when that punishment is administered by authorized judges
following God’s directions. “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood,
by man shall his blood be shed” (Gen. 9:s-6). In the follow-
ing three chapters alone there are at least eight offences
~ named for which God commanded that men be executed.
The apostles Paul and Peter believed in capital punishment.
I Acts 2511; Rom.,13:4;I Pet. 2:13-15.
I Neither does “Thou shalt not kill” forbid war. Wars were
frequently instituted by God himself. Ex. 15:1; Deut. 20: 1;
Ex. 17:16; Num. 10:9. The question as to what circum-
stances might now be the basis of a “just war” is a topic that
lies outside the scope of this book.
We must not conclude our comments about “killing”
without referring to our savior’s words. “Ye have heard that
...
it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; But I
say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother with-
out a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and ...
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell
fire.” (Matt. 5:21-22, King James, vers.)
16. What is adultery? (20:14)
I
In the O.T. adultery meant sex relations between a man
and a married woman (other than his wife) or a betrothed
woman. See Gen. 39:9. Both an adulterer and the adulteress
were to be put to death. See Lev. 20:lO; Deut. 22:22. To lie
with a betrothed virgin brought death to both man and
woman, unless she cried out for help (Deut. 22:23-27). A
betrothal (engagement) was regarded as being as binding a
contract as the marriage. If a man lay with a virgin, he had
, to pay a dowry to her father and take the woman as his wife,
and could never leave her (Deut. 22:28-29; Ex. 22:16-17).
The law of Moses did not directly forbid concubinage and
polygamy, although the ideal of one wife for one man with

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no divorce ever occurring had been God’s intention €or men

from the beginning. See Matt. 19:7-8; Malachi 2:15-16;
Deut. 24:l-4.
While adultery, strictly speaking, is limited to relations
with a married woman, the law also dealt with other types of
sexual offenses. These include bestiality (Ex. 22:19), homo-
sexuality (sodomy) (Lev. 20:13), sex relations with near
relatives (incest) (Lev. 20:14-21), and rape (Deut. 22:25-29).
While there is no specific law in the Torah forbidding seek-
ing prostitutes, God did indicate that this was a detestable
practice to Him, and its practice would fill the land with
wickedness (Lev. 19:29). No Israelites were to make prosti-
tutes of their daughters (Lev. 19:29; Deut. 23:17-18). In the
later writings by the prophets (like Hosea 4:11, 14) and other
writings (Prov. 6:26;29:3) God expressed His condemnation
of prostitution clearly. The New Testament condemns lying
with harlots in the severest language (I Cor. 6:15-18; Eph.
5:5-6).
The law against adultery is an absolute necessity for the
security and happiness of homes and family life.
Matt. 537-28: “Ye have heard that it was said, Thou
, shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, that every one
that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart.”
17. What was the law about stealing? (20:15)
The law was “Don’t do it.” Every unlawful acquisition of
property by violence, cheating, embezzlement, forgery, etc.,
is forbidden. Even “sophisticated” methods like moving over
a neighbor’s property boundary marker (usually just a rock
pile) were forbidden (Deut. 19:14). The law farbade stealing
people (kidnapping) (Ex. 21:16). The laws and penalties
for stealing are expanded in 22:1-4.
Eph. 4:28: “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather
let him labor.” I1 Cor. 8:21: “Take thought for things honor-
able , . . in the sight of all men.”
The eighth commandment protected the right of private
property. Not even a king dared to steal the property of one

436
 THE TEN WORDS 20:1-26

of his people without just compensation (I Kings 21:lS-19).

In our times of communist propaganda and growing social-
ism and agitation for government ownership of everything,
we need to proclaim loudly that the right of private property
is a God-given right, and is the basis for the only social and
economic system that will produce enough wealth to supply a
nation.
18. What is meant by bearing false witness? (20:16)
Since witnessing generally referred to testimony in courts
of law, bearing false witness meant lying in court, or perjury.
See Ex. 23:2; I Sam. 12:3; Prov. 1 4 5 ; Deut. 19:18.
However, the command about bearing false witness is
broad enough to include all lying in daily conversation (Ps.
40:4; 101:7; Prov. 6:16-13,the flattery of a false tongue (Ps.
12:2-3), and even tattling and unfounded unkind gossip
(Lev. 19:16). “Putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each
one with his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25). Compare Col. 3:9; Rev.
21:8,27.
Who is “thy neighbor” against whom we are not to bear
false witness? It seems that “neighbor” prob,ably means “all
men.” Thus “neighbor” in Ex. 11:2 referred to anyone near
to a person. In Lev. 19:18 “neighbor” is made parallel to
“children of thy people” (or Israelites). Lev. 19:34 says that
the Israelites were to love the stranger that sojourned with
them “as thyself.” Therefore, Jewish scholars have inter-
preted the “neighbor” in this command to refer to all men,
and we think this is corr ct. Jesus in the story of the good
A
Samaritan (Luke 10:29-3 taught that our “neighbor” is
anyone who needs our help.
The commandment to be truthful always in dealing with
our neighbor is so contrary to usual human conduct that it
surely bears the marks of God’s divine authorship right on
the face of it.
19. What is coveting? (20:17)
To covet means to desire. The Hebrew word for covet
(hamad) is translated “desire” in Psalm 68:16. The word it-
self does not necessarily suggest an EVIL desire. Like the
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20:1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

Greek epithumeo, it indicates evil only when the desire is

directed toward unlawful things.
Sin begins with wrong thoughts and wrong desires. This
commandment cuts off sin at its root - our own desires and
cravings. See Eph. 5 5 ; James 4:l-2. Only God would issue a
law against coveting. Can you imagine the U.S. congress
passing a law against coveting?
Many interpreters (generally those of a “liberal” persua-
sion) feel that coveting refers not just to a mental state but to
activities by which we seek to acquire what we desire. Thus
coveting is (to them) the attempt to take property. We agree
with Cassuto (op. cit., p. 248-249) that this is NOT implied
in the word covet. If it were, it would only be a repetition of
the commands about stealing and adultery. The use of the
word desire in Deut. 5 2 1 as a synonym for covet also argues
against the idea that coveting primarily refers to actions to
take things. The verses set forth to prove this view (such as
Deut. 7:25; Josh. 7:21; Micah 2:2) merely indicate that covet-
ing preceded seizure. We fear that it is easier toreinterpret the
word covet than it is to discipline our spirits to stop coveting.
The commandment about coveting as stated in Deut. 5 2 1
differs somewhat in arrangement of words from Ex. 20:17.
In Deuteronomy the reference to a neighbor’s wife comes
1

first and then the neighbor’s house. Deuteronomy adds

“field” which is not in Exodus. The Greek O.T.of Ex. 20:17
follows closely the order of items as listed in Deut. 5 2 1 , but
c adds cattle, which is not mentioned in the Hebrew of either
Deuteronomy or Exodus. As stated in our special study on
the Ten Commandments, we do not regard the changes in
Deuteronomy from the text in Exodus as having any real
significance.
The variations between the commandment about covet-
ing in Exodus and Deuteronomy suggest that the Roman
Catholic division of the commandment in Exodus into two
commandments is probably not valid.
20. How did the people react to the thunderings, voice, etc.?
(20:18)
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 THE TEN WORDS 2O:l-26

They trembled and stood afar off. The spectacle was too
much for them. (Ex. 19:16-19),They shrank back away from
the mountain in near-panic.
Josephus (Ant. 111, v, 6) says that when the multitude
heard God himself giving these precepts [the decalogue], they
rejoiced at what was said! That is an astounding contradiction
to the Biblical story, and suggests that Josephus’ writings are
frequently pure propaganda to make Israel look good.
The word “perceived” (or “saw”) has the idea of perceiv-
ing a continuous viewing. (It is a Hebrew participle.) The
sentence is worded so as to indicate that their “perceiving”
was not after the preceding account of hearing the ten com-
mandments, but during the course of ita6
Ex. 20:18-21 forms the introduction to the “book of the
covenant,” that body of laws given by God and recorded in
Ex. 20:18-23:33. This “book of the covenant” contains
numerous enlargements upon the ten commandments, but it
is more than just that. It has new subject material of its own.
The actual phrase “book of the covenant” appears in Ex. 24:
4, 7.
The clause which the A.S.V. translates “When the people
saw it,” the R.S.V. translates “the people were afraid, they
trembled. , . .”
This is really a very small and even possibly
legitimate alteration. The change was made because the
R.S.V. translators felt that the vowels attached to the He-
brew consonants of the verb should be altered to read “They
feared” rather than “They saw.” The R.S.V. reading is
supported by the Greek reading (phobethentes). However, it
does involve changing the vowels that were added by the
Jewish Masoretic rabbis A.D. 500-900, and are in the
common Hebrew Bible now.’

6The“and” in the Hebrew is attached to the pronoun aZ1 rather than to the verb, as is
done to indicate consecutive action.
’The R.S.V.reads the verb asyira’ (fromyare’, to fear) instead ofyar’ (from ra’ah, to
see). This involves no changes in the Hebrew consonants. We do not assume that the
vowel markings in modern Hebrew Bibles are part of the inspired Biblical text. Nonethe-
less we are not disposed to alter the vowel markings without rather strong cause for
doing so.
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20: 1-26 EXTLORING EXODUS

21. How did the people want to hear God’s words? (20: 19)
They wanted to hear them from Moses. They wanted
Moses to listen to God’s awesome voice and then have Moses
to speak to them. They feared (unnecessarily) that they
would die if God spoke more to them. Deut. 5:23 says that
when they heard the voice, they came near unto Moses, that
is, the heads of their tribes and their elders came unto him.
It is easy to criticize Israel’s fear of God’s voice. But it
probably is not fair to do so. Even Moses felt some fear (Heb.
12:21). At least Israel desired to hear what God would say.
We doubt that any of us now living would have been less
fear-struck than they. But what Israel dreaded, Moses
desired! See Ex.33:18.
At this point please read Deut, 528-33. God very gra-
ciously accepted the Israelites’ words and promise to Moses,
saying “They have well said all that they have spoken.” God
knew that the people would not live up to their promises, but
He was gracious nonetheless. The people were sent back to
their tents, while Moses was called to stand by the Lord and
hear His commandments.
Moses’ position as the mediator through whom the law
. was given becomes very apparent at this time. See Gal. 3:19.
Israel’s terror at God’s voice (see Heb. 12:18-21) should be
A a warning to the ungodly of our time. We shall ALL hear
God’s voice in the time to come. That voice will then not
shake the earth only (as at Mt. Sinai) but the heaven itself
(Heb. 12:26). If the Israelites, a people who had committed
themselves to accept God’s covenant (Ex. 19:8), were ter-
rified by God’s coming, what will be the fears of those who
have scorned His gracious covenant offers?
22. For what purposes had God come to the people at Mt. Sinai?
(20320-21)
(1)To prove (or test) you; (2) that his fear may be before
you; (3) that ye sin not.
Proving Israel is a frequent theme in Exodus. See 16:4.
God did not test Israel to discover for Himself how they
would react in any situation. That He already knew. But, as

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any experienced teacher will know, a test is a powerful

training tool in itself. It intensifies study and thought. God’s
awesome demonstrations at Sinai brought the Israelites
face to face with realities of His power and majesty that many
of them had simply not yet faced up to (not that they had
lacked opportunity).
Note that God wanted to put the “fear of God” into the
people. Prov. 16:6: “By the fear of the LORD men depart
from evil.”
The use of the name God (Heb., elohim) in 20:21 rather
suggests that God spoke then as the Lord of all creation,
rather’than as YAHWEH, the LORD of Israel. However,
20:22 starts, “And Jehovah said, . . . .” Thus all aspects of
God’s name and nature are on display.
Moses drew near “unto God,” that is unto the place where
the infinite omnipresent God had designated for finite man
to meet him. And Moses drew near the “thick darkness.”
Compare Ex.19:9.
23. What was Israel not to make? (20:22-23)
They were not to make gods of silver or gold, These shall
not be “with me” (a slightly different expression than “before
me” in 20:3). Twice in 20:23 God declared, “You shall not
make. .. . ” The building of the golden calf (Ex. 32) soon
violated this command.
When Israel left Mt. Sinai, she began to encounter many
pagan peoples of that region. All of these had their own
religions, idols, altars, and temples. There was strong prob-
ability that Israel would pick up practices of these religions
and corrupt her own true worship. Therefore God gave the
restrictions on worship in 20:23-26.
24. What were altars to be made 0$’(20:24-25)
Altars were to be made of earth or unhewn stones (“Cyclo-
pean” altars). These would be the humble altars of wander-
ers, to be used and then abandoned.
We do not know the exact reasons why God commanded
them to use earth and uncut stones. Certainly such humble
materials would restrain a common feeling that men get,

44 1
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thinking one spot is more holy than another because it has

some impressive statue or monument on it. It would be very
humbling to a skilled stone cutter to be told that his chiseling
upon stones would pollute them and make them unaccept-
able in God’s altar! This suggests that human works and
human skill cannot in any way bring God’s salvation to us. It
is God‘s gift altogether (Eph. 2:8-9). No human shall glory
in God’s presence.
Not long after this God gave to Israel the instructions
about the altar to be built for use in their tabernacle. It was
made of wood and brass. See Ex. 27:l-8.
25. What types of offerings were to be made on the altar? (20:24)
Two types: burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. These are
two very ancient types of offerings. (Gen. 8:20; 222; Ex.
18:12). These were the very two kinds of offerings that the
young men offered on the altar soon afterwards (Ex. 245).
Offerings with names like “peace-offerings” and “burnt-
offerings” were offered by the ancient Canaanites. These
were, of course, corrupted forms of the ancient offerings to
God.
Burnt-offerings are described in Lev. 1:3-17 and 6:8-13.
Peace-offeringsare described in Lev. 3:l-17; 7:ll-18.
The offering of sacrifice indicates a break of fellowship
between God and men. Burnt-offerings involved the death
and destruction of sacrifices to cover the separation between
man and God. Peace-offerings were given in gratitude when
that separation between God and man had been covered
(atoned for) through burnt-offerings,
26. Where was sacri!ce to be made? (2024)
“At every place where I cause my name to be remem-
bered.” Compare Jer. 7:12. As God led Israel from encamp-
ment to encampment by His guiding cloud (Num. 9:17-181,
they would set up their altar at each stop. It is noteworthy
that only ONE altar for all the people is mentioned in 2024.
God did not say, “Ye shall build altars of earth unto me,”
but “an altar (singular) of earth shalt thou (a collective
singular pronoun, referring to all the people) make unto

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 THE T E N W O R D S 20: 1-26
me,” Note in Ex. 24:4 that they set up twelve pillars, but
only one altar.
Thus from its very outset Israel’s worship was supposed to
be centralized. This is in perfect agreement with the restric-
tion in Deut. 12:ll that all offerings in the promised land of
Canaan were to be made in the place which Jehovah would
choose. God’s word is consistent within itself.
The site of the one altar was, of course, transferred from
place to place - from wilderness camps, to Mt. Ebal (Josh..
8:30-31!), to Shiloh, to Gibeon, and to Jerusalem.
Ths people later disobeyed this law about the single altar
and built many altars, many of them to other gods. But that
did not occur because God had not given commandment to
build only one altar.
We stress this point, because one of the basic ideas in the
“critical” interpretation of the Old Testament is that the
idea of a single sanctuary and a single altar developed much
later in Israel’s history, long after the time of Moses. Sup-
posedly the “primitive” people in the day of Moses had many
altars and many gods. “Critics” think that they can see
evidence of this in some passages, and they attribute these to
authors they call J (for Jehovist) or E (for Elohist). Then
supposedly in the time of king Josiah (621 B.C.) a new
document called D (for Deuteronomy) was sprung on the
people in an effort to shut down the many sanctuaries and
altars outside of Jerusalem and to centralize worship there,
By attributing this D document to Moses, the priests over-
came the popular resistance and centralized worship at
Jerusalem. Some scholars now think this “Deuteronomistic
reformation” occurred earlier, in the time of King Hezekiah
(728-696 B.C.) or thereabouts.
Admittedly kings Josiah and Hezekiah shut down the out-
of-Jerusalem sanctuaries. But they did this because they were
obedient to the word of God given through Moses. Their
actions in no way prove that Deuteronomy and other passages
advocating a single place of worship were written long after
Moses’ time.

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20:1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

One particularly valuable book showing that Deuteronomy

(and other passages teaching the idea of a single place of
worship) could not have been written centuries after the time
of Moses is G. T. Manley, The Book of the Law (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957).
We suspect that the solitary altar of ancient Israel served
as a type of Christ, who alone is our altar. (Heb. 13:lO-12).
27. Why were steps not to be made up to God’s altar? (20:26)
“So that your nakednessbe not revealed while you are on
the altar.” “Nakedness” is a euphemism for the sex organs.
See Lev. 318:6.
We know that priests in Ancient Mesopotamia (Sumer)
sometimes were naked.8 But among the Israelites even
immodesty by priests, much more nakedness, was forbidden
by the holy God of Israel. God’s priests even wore pants!
(Ex. 28:42)
God made clothes for Adam and Eve after they sinned
(Gen. 3:21). When people get away from God, they want to
throw off their clothes and “break loose” and act like ani-
mals (Ex. 32:25, King James vers.). God’s people should
dress modestly (ITim. 2:9).
The Canaanites built steps up to their altars (like those
at Megiddo and Petra). The Israelites’ equipment for worship
was to be as distinctive as the God whom they worshipped.

THELAWOF MOSESAND THELAWCODEOF HAMMURABI~

.The law code of Hammurabi is one of the most helpful archae-
ological discoveries ever found t o aid us in understanding the
law of Moses.

STames B. Pritchard, ed.,Ancient Near East in Pictures, 2nd ed., with Supplement
(Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press, 1969), p. 197.
*The entire Code of Hammurabi and the Laws of Eshnunna are given in an English
translation in Ancient Near Eastern Texts, James B. Pritchard ed. (Princeton, N.J.:
Princeton Univ. Press, 1955), pp. 163-180.

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 T W O ALTARS WITH STEPS 20: 1-26

Two altars with steps. The Israelites were not to build altars with steps (Ex.20:26).
The lower picture shows the great Canaanite altar at Megiddo (about 1900 B.C.).
The upper shows a stone altar at the “high place” of Petra (probably Nabatean,
about 300 B.C.). (Photos by author.)

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20:1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

“And the Lord spake iiiito Moses, saying, I hnue heard d e nisrtiirtvitgs a)’t/ie
rhildien of Israel rpeuk iinto them, saybig, At eueii ye dial1 eutJerk ... And
it cane to pass, that at eueii the pails cntire up, and couered the raiiip”
(Exodus 16:II-Ij).
Quails are found not only in Europe but also, as has been observed
from ancient times, in Egypt and Arabia. Every spring, ffocks of these
migratory birds cross the Red Sea on their way to the Sinai pemnsula,
where they land exhausted near the coast and are easily caught. This
is exactly how the Bible describes what happened during the
Israelites’ sojournin the desert (Exodus I 6 : I j and Numbers 11:31).
The birds wete on their wdy northwards: “and there went forth 0
wind. . . and brought quails from the sea”. This walLpainting from
a grave at Thebes shows that the trapping of quails was a normal
occurrence on the Nile and indicates how it was done. Four men are
walking through a cornfield holding a square finemeshed net, extended
in a horizontal position. When the birds fly up they are entangled in the
net awl ca? be readily caught.
FROM2 THE BIBLE AS HISTOJCV IN PICTURES
-
By Werner Keller wm Morrow Co.

444B
 THE TEN WORDS 20: 1-26

Hammurabi (1728-1696 B.C.) was the greatest king of the Old

Babylonian empire. He was a great conqueror, but was also a
builder and a lawgiver for his people.
The significance of Hammurabi’s law code to us lies partly in
the change its discovery made in the thinking of scholars about
the Old Testament law.
In the last century (the nineteenth) Bible critics confidently
declared that ancient Israel did not have any written law code in
the time of Moses. Such codes did not exist that long ago. They
believed that Deuteronomy was the first written law in our sense
of the word, and that Deuteronomy was not written till nearly
600 B.C. (eight hundred years after Moses’ time)!
Julius Wellhausen, the famous German critic, wrote, “Ancient
Israel was certainly not without God-given bases for the ordering
of human life; only they were not fixed in writing. ” (Emphasis
ours.) He also said, “There was no Torah as a ready-made
product, as a system existing independently of its originator and
accessible to every one; it became actual only in the various
utterances, which naturally form by degrees the basis of a fixed
tradition.” (Prolegomena to the History of Israel (Edinburgh,
1885>,pp. 393, 395). Views like these came to be accepted far
and wide.
In A.D. 1901-2 the Frenchman Jacques de Morgan found at
Susa (the Biblical Shushan) fragments of a black stone pillar
about seven and a half feet tall and two feet in diameter. It had
been inscribed by King Hammurabi. It contained a prologue
dedicating it to Shamash, the sun god. The main body of its
writing consisted of about 282 brief laws dealing with many
social issues. An epilogue heaps praise on Hammurabi for his
noble deeds. Fragments of two other duplicates of this code have
also been found. It must have been widely known.
When this code was translated, it was found to contain
numerous laws resembling those in the law of Moses. This
caused a great change in the thinking of scholars about the Old
Testament law. No longer could men allege that law codes such
as that of Moses were nonexistent in those ancient times.
Since the discovery of Hammurabi’s Code, more than half a

445

...
20:1-26 EXPLORING EXODUS

dozen other ancient codes of law have been found, many of

which are older even than that of Hammurabi. Law codes
presently known include (besides that of Hammurabi) the
following:
(1) Code of Ur-Nammu, king at Ur. Dated about 2050 B.C. It
is a mutilated fragment having only five fairly readable
laws.
(2) Laws of the city of Eshnunna (near the Tigris river). These
are dated about 2000 B.C. There are over sixty laws in
this, three of which closely resemble the laws in Ex. 21:28,
29, 35.
(3) Code of Lipit-Ishtar, king of the city of Isin. About 1900-
1850 B.C.
(4) Later Babylonian laws (after the time of Hammurabi).
(5) Assyrian laws, from Cappadocia (about 1800 KC.), and
from the City of Ashur (about 1350 B.C.)
(6) Hittite laws, found in Asia Minor. Dated about 1350 B.C.
A large group of these were found.
In the course of our commentary on Exodus we shall refer to
numerous laws of Harnrnurabi and others which shed light on
the verses in the Bible, either by similarities or by differences.
These are quite striking in many cases.
We list here just a few of Hammurabi’s laws that seem to be
comparable to laws in Exodus:
a. Smiting parents. Hammurabi 195; Ex. 21:15.
b. Stealing people. Ham. 14; Ex. 21:16.
c. Wounding people. Ham. 206; Ex. 21:18-19.
d. Law of retaliation. Ham. 196; Ex. 21:24.
e. Knocking out someone’s eye. Ham. 199; Ex. 21;26.
Was Moses familiar with law codes such as that of Harnmu-
rabi? We feel that he was. Both certain similarities and certain
contrasts are so striking that we hardly see how it could have
been accidental. This need not trouble us. God did not give His
laws in a vacuum, to a people who had never had contact with
any other cultures and never would. Educated people in Egypt
like Moses were familiar with the Babylonian language and
literature. If Israel’s law was to be truly meaningful to them, it

446
 THE TEN WORDS 20:1-26

had to relate in some ways to the laws of the world with which
they were familiar. Thus God gave t o Moses a law which re-
sembled other law codes in occasional good points, and differed
from them noticeably in points where men’s laws had departed
from God’s standards. Overall, there is not much relationship
either way.
Did Moses copy from Hammurabi or adapt some of Hammu-
rabi’s laws? We definitely think not. The scripture declares that
God directly gave His law to Moses. Furthermore, most scholars
who have studied Hammurabi’s code feel that the differences
between Moses and Hammurabi are so basic that it is unbelieve-
able that Moses could have borrowed from Hammurabi. George
A. Barton wrote as follows:
A comparison of the code of Hammurabi as a whole with
the Pentateuchal laws as a whole, while it reveals certain
similarities, convinces the student that the laws of the Old
Testament are in no essential way dependent upon the
Babylonian laws. (From Archaeology and the Bible, 7th ed.
[Philadelphia: American Sunday School Union, 19371,
p. 405.)
Hammurabi’s code is altogether secular. It does not give
spiritual or religious reasons for obedience, as the Torah does.
Note Ex. 22:7.
Hammurabi’s code shows much partiality toward the upper
classes of society. Those who harm them receive severer punish-
ment than those who harm poor citizens or slaves. Moses’ law
shows very little of such class distinctions.
The law of Moses presupposes that life is sacred. No one is to
be executed for taking property, as Hammurabi commanded.
Even the life of a slave is sacred in the Torah. Hammurabi is
often more interested in protecting property than people.

447
21~1-36 E X P L O R I N G E X O D U S

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
Now these are the ordinances which thou shalt set before
21(2) Ifthem.
thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and
in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. (3) If he come in
by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he be married, then his
wife shall go out with him. (4) If his master give him a wife, and
she bear him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall
be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. (5) But if the
servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my
children; I will not go out free: (6) then his master shall bring
him unto God, and shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-
post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and
he shall serve him for ever.
(7) And if a man sell hi daughter to be a maid-servant, she
shall not go out as the men-servants do. (8) If she please not her
master, who hath espoused her to himself, then shall he let her
be redeemed: to sell her unto a foreign people he shall have no
power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. ( 9 ) And if he
espouse her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner
of daughters. (10) If he take him another wife; her food, her
raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. (11)
And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out
for nothing, without money.
(12) He that smiteth a man, so that he dieth, shall surely be
put to death. (13)And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver
him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place wither he shall
flee. (14) And if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor,
to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that
he may die.
(15) And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be
surely put to death.
(16) And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be
found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
(17) And he that curseth his father or mother, shall surely be

448
 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCES 21:l-36
put to death.
(18)And if men contend, and one smite the other with a stone,
or with his fist, and he die not, but keep his bed; (19)if he rise
again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote
him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall
cause him to be thoroughly healed.
(20)And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod,
and he die under his hand; he shall surely be punished. (21)
Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be
punished: for he is his money.
(22)And if men strive together, and hurt a woman with child,
so that her fruit depart, and yet no harm follow; he shall be
surely fined, according as the woman’s husband shall lay upon
him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. (23)But if any
harm follow, then thou shalt give life for life, (24)eye for eye,
tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (25) burning for
burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
(26) And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his
maid, and destroy it; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.
(27) And if he smite out his man-servant’s tooth, or his maid-
servant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.
(28)And if an ox gore a man or B woman to death, the ox shall
be surely stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner
of the ox shall be quit. (29)But if the ox was wont to gore in time
past, and It hath been testified to its owner, and he hath not
kept it in, but it hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be
stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. (30)If there be
laid on him a ransom, then he shall give for the redemption of
his life whatsoever is laid upon him. (31)Whether it have gored a
son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall
it be done unto him. (32)If the ox gore a man-servant or a maid-
servant, there shall be given unto their master thirty shekels of
silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
(33)And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit
and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein, (34)the owner
of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money unto the owner
thereof, and the dead beast shall be his.
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21: 1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

(35) And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, so that it dieth, then

they shall sell the live ox, and divide the pricepf it; and the dead
also they shall divide. (36) Or if it be known that the ox was wont
to gore in time past, and its owner hath not kept it in; he shall
surely pay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his own.

EXPLORINGEXODUS:CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE
FROM THE BIBLE

1. What does Ex. 21:l entitle the section that follows it?
2. For how many years was a Hebrew servant (slave) obligated
to serve his master? (21:2)
3. What did the servant have to pay upon his release? (21:2)
4. Could a Hebrew slave take his wife and children with him
when he left free? (21:3-4)
5. Did the Hebrew slave have a choice of going free or remain-
ing as a servant? (2156)
6. To whom did a slave’s owner bring a servant who did not
want to be freed? (21:6)
7. What act was done to indicate that a slave had bound himself
permanently to his master? (21:6)
8. Were maidservants freed in the seventh years as menservants
were? (21:7)
9. What was to be done and NOT done with maidservants who
were displeasing to their masters? (21:8)
10. To whom might a man arrange for his maidservant to be
given? (21:9)
11. From 21:lO we see that the “maidservant” was regarded as
practically equivalent to what?
12. What was the penalty for striking a man fatally? (21:12)
13. Can a man’s death be an “act of God”? (21:13). How might
this occur?
14. What was to be done by a man who unintentionally killed
another? (21:13; Compare Num. 359-28)

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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T ORDINANCES 2l:l-36

15. Was a murderer safe while at the altar of God (21:14; I

Kings 2:28-34)
16. What was the penalty for striking parents? (21:15) For
cursing parents? (21:17)
17. What was the penalty for kidnapping? (21:16)
18. What was the penalty for wounding a man or disabling him
in a fight? (21:18-19)
19. What was the penalty for fatally beating one’s own slave?
(21:20-21)
20. Who determined the fines upon men who caused a woman to
suffer injury and miscarriage? (21:22)
21. Did the laws about “eye for eye,” etc. entitle people to take
revenge for themselves? (21:22-25;Compare Matt. 543-46)
22. What was the penalty for destroying the eye or tooth of one’s
slave? (21:26-27)
23. What was the penalty upon a man-killing ox and upon its
owner? (21;28)
24. What intensified the penalty upon the owner of a man-killing
ox? (21:29). Was any variation allowed in this penalty?
(21:30)
25. What penalty was imposed upon an ox and its owner if it
killed a slave? (21:32)
26. What rule was given concerning the deaths of animals that
fell into pits that were not covered over? (21:32-34)
27. What was the rule about one ox killing another ox? (21:
35-36)

TWENTY-ONE:
EXODUS GOD’SCOVENANT
ORDINANCES
1. The Hebrew servant; 21:2-11
2. Capital offenses; 21:12-17
3. Injuries to people; 21:18-27
4. Injuries by and to oxen; 21:28-36.

45 1
21:1-36 ,EXP L 0 R I N G E X 0 D U S

EXODUS
TWENTY-ONE: SECURITY,SAFETY
SERVANTS,
I. Servants; 21:2-11.

11. Security; 21:12-22.

1. Security guaranteed by capital punishment; 21:12-17.
2. Security guaranteed by punishment of smiters; 21:18-27.
111. Safety; 21:28-36.
1. Safety from animals; 21:28-32.
2. Safety from hazards; 21:32-34.
3. Safety for property;’21:35-36.

EXODUS GOD’S
TWENTY-ONE: A PROTECTION!
ORDINANCES,

1. Protection for servants; 21:2-11.

2. Protection from killers; 21:12-14.
3. Protection for parents; 21:15,17.
4. Protection from kidnappers; 21:16.
5. Protection from financial loss; 21:18-19.
6. Protection for slaves; 21:20-21,26-27.
7. Protection for women; 21:22-24.
8. Protection from animals; 21:28-32.
9. Protection from negligence; 21:33-34.
10. Protection from property loss; 21:35-36.

GOD’S
CARE FORTHESLAVE; 21:2-11
1. His term of service as strictly limited; 21:2.
2. He was set free without charge; 21:2.
3. His service was such that itmight be preferred to freedom;
21:s.
4. Women could be slaves only on condition of marriage;
21 :7-11.
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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 2l:l-36
5. Kidnapping and selling into slavery was a capital offense;
21:16.
6. A slave’slife and limb were protected by law; 21:20; 26-27.

EXODUS
TWENTY-ONE:
RIGHTSAND RESPONSIBILITIES

I. RIGHTS.
1. Freedom; 21:2, 11.
2. Service at the place of one’s own choice; 21:s.
3. Protection from assault; 21:12-14.
4. Protection from kidnapping; 21:16.
5. Protection from injuries; 21:18-19, 22.
6. Payment for damages; 21:18-19,22, 32, 35.
7. Protection from hazards; 21:33.

11. RESPONSIBILITIES.
1. Respect men’s right to freedom; 21:2,7,8.
2. Respect for parents; 21:15,17.
3. Must pay for damages; 21:18-19’22-24,32.
4. Must practice safety; 21:22-25.
5. Must avoid negligence; 21:29,33,36.

CRIMESTHATFORFEITEDLIFE!
1. Smiting and killing a man; 21:12.
2. Smitingfather or mother; 21:lS.
3. Stealing and selling a man; 21:16.
4. Cursing father or mother; 21:17.
5. Neglecting warnings about dangerous animals; 21:29.
6. Sorcery (witchcraft); 22:18.
7. Lying with a beast; 22:19.
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21~1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

8. Sacrfificingto other gods; 22:20.

(Note: God still hates these sins, and they will be punished in
hell. But the “church” does NOT now have authority from
God to execute wrongdoers, for example witches!)

AGAINSTABUSINGPARENTS!
GOD’SINDIGNATION
1. Against smiting father or mother; 21:15.
2. Against cursing father or mother; 21:17.

OF BRUTEFORCE!
GOD’SDISAPPROVAL

1. The smiter who kills must die; 21: 12.

2. The smiter who injures must pay damages; 21:18-19,26.
3. The fighter may be afflicted as he afnicts others; 21:23.
4. The laws protect all victims - men, women, even slaves.

NEGLIGENCE!(21:28-36)
I. Examples of Negligence
1. Not keeping in a goring ox; 21:29,36.
2. Not covering a pit; 21:33.
11. Penalties for Negligence
1. A goring ox must be killed; 21:28.
2. A heedless ox-owner slain; 21:29.
(A ransom might be paid instead.)
3. Money charged for damages; 21:32,34.

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 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCES 21:l-36
THE ORDINANCESOF GOD
(EXODUS
21-23)
1. The ten commandments are simple and comprehensive
principles. But human character and life is crooked and
complex. Is all killing murder? Are all sexual wrongs of the
same seriousness? To bridge the gulf between the simple
absolute principles of the ten commandments and everyday
life, many ordinances were needed. These are found in the
“book of the covenant” (Ex.21-23; 24:7), and in Leviticus,
and Deuteronomy. (Adapted from Ramm, op. cit. p. 132)
2. Many of the ordinances in Ex.21-23 are extremely attractive
to us. Read Ex. 23:l-9 for example! All of these laws derive
their force from a personal relationship with God. See Ex.
23:25.
3. Some of the laws in Ex. 21-23 will seem strange to you at
first, perhaps even shocking.
Remember that God revealed His will in many “divers
portions” (Heb. 1:1).Things which we have known as God’s
truth for centuries had not all been revealed in Moses’ time.
Also many of the laws which seem at first glance to be
harsh and even sub-Christian served a very beneficial pur-
pose. For example, the laws about slavery, as strange as they
seem to us, served a very needful social purpose. See Ex.
21:2-4, 20-21. Every nation must do something about its
destitute people, and Israel’s “slavery” system cared for this
need. And besides this, the Israelites were to carry out these
, laws in a kind, non-rigorous manner. See Lev. 25:39-55;
Deut. 1512-15.
4. The laws in Ex.21-23 dealt with a wide variety of subjects,
covering practically all aspects of life. There were laws about
servants (21:2ff), criminal laws (21:12), property laws (21:
3 3 , moral laws (22:16), laws of personal conduct (22:21-27;
23:1-9),laws about religious ceremonies (23: 14ff), etc.
No people can have a functioning society without a culture
system of rules and beliefs. The ordinances of God provided
an instant, ready-made cultural basis for Israel as a society.
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5. The principles illustrated by these laws have endless applica-

tions. For example, the law about releasing your enemy’s
overloaded and fallen donkey (23:4-5) establishes a principle
of kindness that is applicable in countless situations.
6. We must not assume that the covenant ordinances in Ex.
21-23 constitute a complete and systematic code of law.
Numerous regulations are mentioned without giving enough
details to make clear how the commandments were to be
carried out. For example, Ex. 22:16 speaks of “the dowry of
virgins” without indicating how much it was. (Compare
Deut. 2228-29). Ex. 23:14-17 mentions the three annual
compulsory feasts to be kept by all Israelites. But the text
tells very little about how they were to be observed. These
details were added later in the laws in Leviticus (Chap. 23)
and Deuteronomy.
Unless we realize that the ordinances in Ex. 21-23 are
only a “sampler” of the more complete laws given later, we
may be perplexed by their lack of completeness and orderli-
ness.

EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTER

EXODUS: TWENTY-ONE
1. What is in Exodus chapter twenty-one?
Exodus 21 contains the first group of the “judgements”
(or ordinances) of the LORD. These extend on through
chapter 23. This chapter contains laws about slaves, crimes
requiring the death penalty, offenses involving injuries, and
property losses.
We must keep in mind that as Christians our conduct is
to “establish” the law (Rorn. 3:31). We cannot be less con-
cerned about the lives and safety of people than God required
people under the law of Moses to be. While we are not under
the law, wefu@ZZthe law by loving our neighbor as ourselves
(Rorn. 13:9-10).
2. What are ordinances (orjudgments)?(21:1)
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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 21:l-36
Judgments (Heb., mishpatim) are judicial decisions,
decisions at law, legal rulings. The uses of this word in Ex.
21:31 and Deut. 1:17 illustrate this meaning.
But the word judgments implies yet another conception:
that of JUSTICE. The Hebrew word for judgment is often
translated justice. See Ex. 23:6; Deut. 16:19. This fact
implies that perfect justice for all social relationships is
found in God’s ordinances. It surely has not been found in
men’s ordinances!
The word Now (Heb., and) at the start of 21:l links the
ordinances that follow with the words of God that preceded
them in chapter twenty. All are from God and all are part of
the same covenant.
Radical critics assume that these “judgments” presuppose
a society settled a long time into the land, and that they were
therefore written long after the time of Moses. We cannot
accept such a notion. Moses had already judged many
cases (Ex. 18:13). He knew the types of questions that would
arise and need written precedents to guide future judges.
Furthermore, Moses had very probably studied the legal
system in Egypt, and he had observed Midianite tribal laws.
He was probably acquainted with Near Eastern law codes,
such as that of Hammurabi.
But all of these arguments are second-rate evidence of the
Mosaic origin and divine authority of these “judgments.”
The plain assertions that GOD gave these ordinances to
Moses is the basis of our faith in them. They were revealed
words of Jehovah (23:3).
3 . How long did a Hebrew servant serve his master? (21:2)
He served six years. In the seventh year he went out free,
for nothing, without payment of any redemption or ransom
price. In fact, he was to be given liberal gifts of food and
livestock (Deut. 15:12-15). The same rule applied to women
servants (Deut. 15:12).
The word translated servant means a bondservant or slave.
But we should not picture in our minds the Hebrew slave as
as victim of a harsh cruel system, The slavery actually served
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21~1-36 EXPLORING E X O D U S

the social purpose of caring for the destitute. The service of

Hebrew bondmen to their masters was rather mild. Their
masters were not to treat them as bondservants, but as hired
servants. They were not to rule over them with harshness
(Lev. 2539-43). Servants were to rest on the Sabbath days
and be refreshed like the rest of the family (Ex. 23: 12).
The year of a servant’s release was the seventh year of his
service, which was not necessarily the Sabbatical year, which
occurred every seventh year and was observed by all Israel
(EX.23:10-11).
Servants were also to be freed in the year of Jubilee, every
fiftieth year, even if that occurred one year after they signed
on. Lev. 2510, 39-41.
The Law of Hammurabi (No. 117) said that if because of
obligations a citizen sold his wife, or son, or daughter to
service to someone else, they would serve three years in the
house of their purchaser, and then go free in the fourth year.
Hammurabi did not provide for generous gifts to be given to
the liberated servant, as the Hebrew law did. Neither did his
law ordain the generous loans and credit assistance that were
in the Hebrew law (Lev. 25:35-37; Deut. 15:7-11). These
provisions probably kept many poor people from having to
sell themselves or members of their family into servitude.
Laws like 21:2ff that are formulated from cases and are
introduced by “If,” are called casuistic (or case) laws. The
w codes of the ancient Near East (like Hammurabi’s law)
ave almost all of their laws in this casuistic form: “If such
and such an event occurs, then this is what the law requires
to be done.” Casuistic law is distinguished from apodeictic
laws, which concisely state principles for conduct, often in
negative form. Laws like “Thou shalt not kill” are apodeictic.
The presence of many apodeictic laws in Exodus suggests the
intrinsic, divine authority of the laws. The presence of
casuistic laws in Exodus shows that God expressed His word
and laws to Moses in literary and legal forms familiar to
men. God’s word comes to men in men’s language!
4. What was a HEBREWservantl(21:2)
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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 21:l-36

We feel that Hebrew is here synonomous with Israelite.

Indeed, Jer. 34:9 later equated Hebrew with Jew. This
identification is supported by the parallel passage Deut.
1 5 2 , which says, “If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a He-
brew woman, be sold unto thee, . . . .” This is further indi-
cated by the fact that Lev. 25:44-46 says that strangers and
foreigners bought by Israelites were kept as bondmen f o r
ever, in distinction to the requirement to release a Hebrew in
the seventh year.
This question might seem to be a matter of no significance.
Our reason for bringing it up is that some interpreters
(Cassuto, for example) feel that the word Hebrew is here
equivalent to a broader term Habiru (or ’Apiru, or Khapiru),
which is found frequently in writings of Mesopotamia,
Egypt, and Canaan prior to Moses’ time. The Habiri were
alien peoples who were employed as servants or took other
subordinate service. They existed outside of the normal
societal system, something like “gypsies.” Sometimes they
are referred to as predatory conquerors. In the Amarna
letters (written by Canaanite cityirulers to the kings of Egypt
shortly after the time of Moses), the Habiri are said to be
taking over the land. We feel that the Habiri referred to in
these letters included the Israelites, but also included other
invading settlers.
If the term Hebrew in 21:2 were equivalent to Habiri, then
the command about releasing slaves in the seventh years had
a very broad application to peoples of numerous races. How-
ever, the evidence cited above makes L?S think that the term
Hebrew here meant only an Israelite, a descendant of
Abraham.’ The Egyptians and Babylonians would have
considered the Israelites as Habiri (or Hebrews), while in-
cluding other racial groups within that term. Thus Joseph
was called a Hebrew (Gen. 39: 141, as was Abraham (Gen.

‘In the Hebrew language the name Hebrew1 seems to come from the verb eber, mean-
ing “to cross over.” Abraham was presumably a Hebrew because he crossed over the
Euphrates to come to Canaan. The name of Abraham’s forefather Eber (Gen. 11:16) is
probably in some way also linked to this meaning.
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21:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

5. Could a liberated Hebrew slave take his family with him?

(21:3-4)
If he became a servant alone (not married), he was liber-
ated alone. If he was married when he became a slave, his
wife went out free with him. If during his slave-service his
master gave him a wife and she bore him children, the man
went free alone. The wife and children stayed with the
master. Note that the slave had no right to contract a mar-
riage for himself. The master had to give him the wife.
This law about not letting the slave’s wife go free with him
may seem severe to us. But it would have been a very ex-
pensive loss to the master when he was already rendering a
valuable service to the bondman providing for him an
opportunity to work himself out of debt. Also any woman
that the master may have given to him would probably have
been a foreign permanent bondwoman. It is improbable that
the master would have had authority to give away a Hebrew
woman indentured to him for only six years. Certainly mar-
riage to such foreign wamen by Israelite servants could raise
racial difficulties in Israel. Also one other practical effect of
, keeping slave women as slaves was that the rule prevented
the contracting of many marriages which could not well con-
tinue after the servant went free. We assume that in the
administration of the law about marriages of bondmen that
the Israelites were basically kind to their bondmen. (Ex. 22:
21; Lev. 19:33-34).
6. How could a Hebrew slave commit himself to a lifetime of
sewice? (215-6)
He could do this by having his ear pierced through before
the judges (or “before God”).
The bondman’s master brought him “unto God” (or,
“unto the judges”), and there took him to the door and
pierced through his ear with an awl. Compare Deut. 15:
16-17.
The very fact that this law is given in the law of Moses is
indicative of the fact that slaves would desire permanent
servitude frequently enough that a law was needed to tell the
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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 21:l-36
procedure for bringing it about. The law indicates that many
Hebrew masters were kind. (This is like our service to Christ,
our kind master.)
The exact meaning of the expression “unto the judges,” or
“unto God” (Heb. elohirn), is a bit uncertain.
In the Code of Hammurabi (law #120) we are told that a
dispute over loss of grain was to be settled “in the presence of
god, that is, in the court of the local idol. Similarly in the
”

laws of Eshnunna (#’s 36-37) a disputed property loss was

to be settled by an oath taken in the gate of the main god at
Eshnunna. These literary exEmples suggest that the Hebrew
bondman went to the tabernacle of God to make his declara-
tion and have his ear bored.
The Greek O.T. says that they were to bring the bondman
to the tribunal (kn’ten’on)of God. This strengthens our view
that the bondman came before God’s tabernacle for commit-
ment of himself.
On the other hand, the uses of elohirn in Ex. 22:28, 8, 9
indicate that the word sometimes meant judges, and this
idea is as old as the Targum of Onkelos (a paraphrase of the
law in the Aramaic language, dated about 400 B.C.). Perhaps
the judges were looked upon as God’s agents in this matter.
Commentators disagree on whether the servant’s ear was
bored at the door of his master’s house or at the door of
God’s house. We feel that the Biblical text says it was at
God’s house. We suppose that the boring was done as the ear
was placed against the door post.
“For ever” (21:6 ) seems to mean “for life,” although the
Jewish rabbis interpreted it to mean “till the year of jubilee.”
Psalm 40:6 quotes God’s servant (whoever he may be) as
saying, “Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in. Mine
ears hast thou opened.”
This passage is applied to Jesus in Heb. 105, 8. On the
basis of this some interpreters (e.g. Pink) have thought that
the servant who pledged himself permanently to his master
by having his ear bored is a type of Jesus Christ. We do not
think this is a legitimate or true type. We do not see any
46 1
21:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

definite connection between Ex. 21:6 and Psalm 40:6. The

word translated “opened” in Psalm 40:6 is not the same
word as the word translated “bore” in Ex. 21:6. Also the
type seems incongruous. Admittedly Jesus committed him-
self to a master (God) so that he might gain a bride (the
church). But when Jesus did this the bride was in no way
already in the service of the master, as was the bride in Ex.
21:4-6.
7. Why were maidservants not released after sk years? (21:7-8)
They were not released because these womqn became
concubines, or secondary wives, to the master. Nbte that the
master espoused her to himself or to one of his sons.2
The word maid-servant used here (’amah)is applied to the
slave woman Hagar (Gen. 21:10,12,13);to Bilhah, Rachel’s
maid (Gen. 30:3). Both of these women bore children in the
house. Gideon’s son Abimelech was born of a maid-servant
(Judges 9: 18). These examples show one common meaning
of the term maid-servant.
However, the term was also employed by such primary
wives as Hannah (I Sam. l : l l ) , Abigail (I Sam. 25:25),
Bathsheba (I Kings 1:13), and Ruth (Ruth 3:9), when speak-
ifig of themselves. So the term does not always indicate a
servant-concubine.
8. What did a master do with a maid-servant who displeased
him? (21:8)
He permitted her to be redeemed (bought back). Probably
she was purchased by some Israelite outside of his family
because her father was too poor to buy her back. The law
forbade the master to sell her to a foreign power. Hertz tells
of the Saxons in England, who at the time of the Norman
conquest would sell maid servants on their estates into a life
of shame or into foreign slavery after associating with them

’A.S.V. margin says, “Another reading is “so that he hath not espoused her.” This
appears to be the reading of the written Hebrew text (the kethib). But the marginal read-
ing in the Hebrew (the qere) gives “to himself,” and this definitely seems to be the correct
reading. See Cassuto, op. cit., p. 268.

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 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCES 21:l-36
them~elves.~ The Hebrews were forbidden to practice such
abominations.
9. What was to be done with maid-servants taken as wivesjbr
sons? (21:9)
They were to be treated likedaughters. Ex. 21:lO seems to
say, “If he (the father-purchaser) take for him (that is, for
his son) another wife, her (the first maid-servant’s) food, . . . .”
The old Chinese custom of buying a slave girl as a future
wife for a son is an exact parallel. By buying the girl thus, he
avoided paying a higher price in ‘the years to come, and
guaranteed that she would “fit in” in the future. Such a
system abolished slavery in all except its namee4
10. What rights did the hand-maid have? (2l:lO-11)
She had the right to (1)food, (2) clothing, and (3) partici-
pation in family life. If the master did not grant these things,
she could go out as a frse woman, without anyone’s paying
money for her.
“Food” is literallyflesh, suggesting that she was not to get
a mere subsistence diet, but meat and other quality food.
“Duty of marriage,” or “marital rights” (as in R.S.V.)
probably simply means (1)a place to live and (2) the right to
associate with the family like all the other members of it. The
Hebrew word ’onah (unique here) comes from a verb mean-
ing “to dwell,” suggesting an abodem5The Greek O.T.
translated it hornilia, meaning association or companion-
ship. Later traditions interpreted it to mean times of co-
habitation. This seems quite unlikely to us. The Bible does
not present sex as a “right” that women (or men either!)
cannot live without. But ostracizing and snubbing a young
woman, refusing to talk with her and refusing to treat her as
part of the household she dwells in is an intolerable hurt, and
is forbidden here.
11. What was the penalty for killing a man? (21: 12-14)

)J. H.Hertz, ThePentateuch andHaforahs (London: Soncino, 1969), p. 307.

‘cole, OP. cit., p. 166.
Tassuto, op. cit., pa269.

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21: 1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

A person who struck another and caused him to die was to

be put to death, unless it happened accidentally and unin-
tentionally. In that case the manslayer had to flee to a place
of safetg prepared for this situation. But the presumptious
(willfuil slayer was to be put to death, even if he fled to the
Lord’s altar for safety from vengeance. The “and” at the
beginning of 21:14 is better rendered as “but,”
This law was applied to non-Israelite foreigners, as well as
Israelites. (Lev. 24:17,21,22).
Gen. 9:6: “Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his
blood be shed.” This law goes back to the time of Noah,
when it was given to the whole human race.
In ancient times if a man was killed, his close relatives
sought to avenge his death by killing the killer.
Human life is sacred according to the Torah (law of
Moses). Whoever assails this sanctity forfeits his own life.
But the life of the slayer is sacred too, and so his life was not
to be taken if the death was accidental. But human life is so
sacred that even an accidental killing brings drastic con-
sequehces, and the normal life pattern of the manslayer was
interrupted.
The place for the manslayer to flee to was called a city of
refuge. There were six of these designated to be set up in the
land of Israel. See Num. 3510-34; Deut. 19:l-10; 4:41-43;
Joshua 20:1-9. Perhaps in the wilderness wanderings some
temporary place of safety was designated.
But there was no place of security for a murderer! See
Numbers 3516.21. Killers have fled to s cred laces hoping
Y P
to escape punishment, both in eastern and western countries.
David’s general Joab and David’s son Adonijah both did
this, fleeing to the altar and clutching its horns. (I Kings
1 5 0 ; 2:28-34). It did not save Joab.
Ex. 21:13 describes an accidental killing as an act of God:
“If, .. God deliver him into his hand; . . . .”We do not
know enough about God’s workings in men’s experiences to
state positively how far this statement about God’s actions
should be applied. Is every man’s every misfortune or
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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 21:l-36
death under God’s direction? Or do “time and chance”
bring about events without any definite purpose or pattern?
(Eccl. 9:ll). We understand the scriptures to teach that “a
[righteous] man’s goings are ordered by the LORD” (Ps.
37:23), while recognizing that many choices are left up to us.
King Saul declared that the Lord had delivered him into
David’s hand (I Sam. 24:18).
The idea that calamities (lightnings, windstorms, floods,
etc.) are “acts of God’’ was widespread in the ancient Near
East. Hammurabi’s law (number 266) spoke about a “visita-
tion of god” occurring in a sheepfold.
12. What was the penalty for striking father or mother? (21: 15)
Those who smote father or mother were to be put to death.
This act was a specific breaking of the commandment about
honoring father and mother. (Ex. 20:12).
The verb translated smite (nakah) sometimes means to
smite hard enough to kill. See Ex. 2:12. This suggests that
the beating of parents referred to here was a violent striking
and beating. Note that in 21:12 “smiting” could lead to
death. The Jewish rabbis interpreted 21:15 to mean that only
when a blow left a bruise upon parents was the death penalty
to be inflicted. Certainly we do not regard their interpretation
as being authoritative like the divine word itself. Neither do
we consider that a non-injurious blow struck at parents is less
reprehensible-to God than a severe blow. It is the attitude
of the heart that mattered most.
We must not disregard and dismiss this law about killing
a child for smiting its parents as a “temporary cultural prac-
tice.” Certainly in our Christian age we do not execute
children for smiting parents. On the contrary, the prodigal
son was allowed to live and was received back home with
much joy (Luke 1.511-32). But God’s hatred of smiting and
cursing parents still continues. And unless there is a re-
pentance (as in the case of the prodigal son), the smiter’s
punishment in hell will be infinitely worse than killing his
body on earth!
Hammurabi’s law (#195) prescribed that if a son struck
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21:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

his father, his hand should be cut off. God took a more
serious view of this offense than even Hammurabi did.
Compare Ex. 21:17 for more information concerning
offenses against parents.
13. What was thepenaltyfor kidnapping? (21:16)
The kidnapper was certainly to be put to death. God so
hated this crime that He prescribed dire consequences. Men
may not execute the kidnapper, but God will recompense
him.
Deut. 24:7: “If a man be found stealing any of his brethren
of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, or
selLhim, then that thief shall die: so shalt thou put away the
evil from the midst of thee.”
The kidnapper was condemned even if he had not yet
collected his ransom and still had his victim.
The kidnapping law, of course, recalls to our minds the
case of Joseph’s brothers selling him (Gen. 37:25-28). God
hated this act.
The Jewish rabbis held that this verse (21:16) meant that
only if a person stole a man AND he was seen by witnesses
in possession of the kidnapped one was he to be slain.
dmittedly, the Hebrew conjunction is and and not or.
Furthermore, criminals were not to be executed without
witnesses to prove their guilt (Num. 3530). Nonetheless,
most commentators and translators think that the man-
stealer was to be slain, even if his victim was not found with
the abductor, if clear evidence of his guilt could be obtained.
Possibly the ransom money or sale price money could be
traced. We feel that the translation “or” in the middle of
21:16 is correct.
Other law codes in the ancient Near East also forbade
kidnapping. Hammurabi’s law (#14) directed that if a citizen
stole the young son of another citizen, that he should be put
to death. However, stealing a slave was not looked upon so
seriously. Eshnunna law (#49) directed that a man caught
with a stolen slave or slave girl was to surrender one slave for
each one stolen.
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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 21:l-36
14. What was the penalty for cursing parents? (21:17)
The one cursing father or mother was most certainly to be
put to death.
Lev. 20:9: “For every one that curseth his father or his
mother shall surely be put to death: he hath cursed his father
or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.”
What does it mean to CURSE father or mother? The
Hebrew verb (qaZa2)translated curse has several applications. ‘*
Often it referred to language much like our modern slander-
ous profanity. See I Samuel 17:43; I1 Sam. 165. The dic-
tionaries define it to mean “to esteem lightly, hence to revile,
curse, or execrate.” In Deut. 23:4 to curse refers to a curse of
supernatural type, like voodoo or hexing. In I Sam. 2:30 the
word qalal is translated “lightly esteem” and is set forth as
the opposite of honoring. Jesus quoted Ex. 21:17 in Matt.
154 and Mark 7:lO to condemn the Pharisees for neglecting
to care for their parents. obviously, therefore, to curse
parents had a very broad meaning.
Respect for parents is commanded in the New Testament
in Eph. 6:l. God does not feel less strongly now about those
who curse their parents than He did in Moses’ time.
15. What was the penalty for injuring someone in a fight?
(21:18-19)
One who inflicted a non-fatal injury upon someone in a
fight was to pay for the loss of the injured man’s time off
from work and to cause him to be completely healed, that is,
pay for his medical care. Aside from these requirements, he
was “quit,” that is, clear and free from further penalty. The
guilty party had to pay workman’s compensation and health
benefits, to express it in modern jargon. God cares about
injuries and injustices, as well as about the loss of life.
If the smitten man died, then 21: 12 would apply as the rule.
It seems to us that Ex. 21:18 refers to an unplanned, im-
promptu fight. The use of impromptu weapons like the fist6

6Both the Hebrew and the Greek have a word meaningfist. The Aramaic Targums
and some other versions understand it as a stick or cudgel.

46 7
21:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

and the stone suggests that the blow was not premeditated.’
If the smiter had planned the deed he would have carried a
knife or a club. Martin Notha does not feel that the text
clearly indicates by mentioning fist and stone that there was
no evil intent in the smiter. We concede that the evidence is
not positive. But the law could be applied, whether the blow
was planned or unplanned.
Laws about personal injuries were common in ancient
Near Eastern law codes. Hammurabi’s law #206 asserted
that if a citizen struck another citizen in a brawl and inflicted
an injury upon him, that the citizen was to swear that he had
not struck him deliberately, and should pay for the physician.
This stipulation is similar to that in Moses’ law. Hammurabi
added (in laws 207-208) that if the smitten one died because
of his blow, that the smiter was to swear that it was not
deliberate; and if the slain man was a member of the aristoc-
racy, the slayer should pay one-half mina of silver; but if the
slain man was a member of the commonality, the slayer was
to pay one-third of a mina of silvet. Thus Hammurabi made
class distinctions which God did not make in the Toraht..
(Also we wonder how honest some of the oaths were!)
16.,What was thepenalty for beating a slave to death? (21:20-21)
For beating a slave to death, his master shall “certainly be
punished.” However, if the slave survived the beating for a
day or so, the master was not to be punished because the
financial loss incurred by the slave’s death was considered
punishment enough. “They are your possession.”
We think that this passage refers to foreign slaves. Lev.
2544-46 declares that Israelite bondmen were not to be
made to serve with rigor.
The manner of inflicting the punishment on the slave-
killing master is not specified. Some think the master was
executed, as 21:12 directs. But this seems unlikely to us. If
the punishment for killing a slave were the same as for killing

‘cole, op. cit., p. 168.

‘Op. cit., p. 181.

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 G o D’ s c o V E N A N T o R D I N A N c E S- 2l:l-36

any other person, there would seem to be no purpose in this

distinct law applying to slaves.
The word for punish is a word usually meaning “to take
vengeance.” This might make it appear therefore that some
members of the slave’s family would punish or kill the master
in the usual ways of taking blood vengeance. But we doubt
that foreign slaves would have relatives available to take such
action.
We suppose that it was left to the Israelite authorities to
instigate investigation and determine punishment in such
cases.
The “rod” referred to was probably the instrument cus-
tomarily used to chasten and impress a slave. See Prov.
10:13; 13:23. “Under his hand” means during the act of the
beating, or very quickly thereafter.
The fact that a beaten slave lived a day or two was taken as
proof that his master had not intended to kill him, and he
therefore was exonerated from further penalty.
If all of this seems harsh and sub-Christian to you, con-
sider the additional fact that the law (in 21:26-27) stated that
permanent physical injuries to the slave, like loss of an eye or
tooth, brought about his release from slavery. Also this very
law in 21:20-21 hints that a strong public sentiment might
arise in behalf of a slain slave and ihdignation might rise so
high as to be difficult to repress without specific rules about
the matter. The Israelites were not indifferent to the rights of
a slave. Much less was God indifferent!
The protection of slaves afforded by this verse may seem to
us a slight one. But it is the earliest trace of such protection
known in legislation. God had to educate His people little by
little, line upon line. He overlooked many things in olden
times of which he now commands all men to repent (Acts
17:30).
Babylonian law was not concerned about the slave at all,
but only about the loss to his master. If someone killed an-
other man’s slave, he had to pay one-third mina of silver and
also forfeit other valuables. (Hammurabi’s law #116), To the
469
 21~1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

Israelite a slave was a person, a human being created in the

divine image, and whoever assaulted this divinely-given life
was answerable for it and would surely be punished. This
attitude and approach to the matter of slavery could eventu-
ally lead only to total emancipation.
17. What was the penalty for accidentally causing a woman to
have a miscarriage? (21:22)
If two men were fighting and accidentally injured a woman
in the fracas and caused her to have a miscarriage, the one
who had caused the miscarriage was to be fined according as
the woman’s husband demanded and the judges gave
sentence.
If, however, harm followed, then the one who injured the
woman was punished by being injured in a manner similar to
the injury that he had inflicted.
What is this “harm” that might follow? This word (’ason)
translated “harm” is found elsewhere in scripture only in
Gen. 42:4,38 and 44:29. In these passages it seems tosignify
serious harm, perhaps even death. We assume that it has
this meaning here.
Was the harm that done to the mother, or to the unborn
child, or both? We feel that it was the harm done to the
mother because her violently-aborted fetus probably would
die in nearly all such cases. The Jewish rabbis and the
Targum of Onkelos understood the “harm” as referring to
the death of the mother.lo We think that this certainly was
one possibility that the verse relates to, and that this is in-
dicated by the “life for life” judgment in 21:23. But the other
penalties that are suggested (“eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
etc.”) suggest that this law dealt with other possible injuries
and effects besides the woman’s death. The text says that the
woman was hurt so as to have a miscarriage. She was not just
frightened to the point of losing her baby (something that

‘“As the judges determine” is a permissible but loose translation. Literally the text
says only “In (or among, amidst) judges. . . .”
‘OKeil and Delitzsch, op. cit., p. 135.

470
 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCES 21:l-36

does indeed happen).

The law was general enough that it could apply in many
different situations, both in cases when the women just
happened to be too near men who started fighting; or whep
as wife of one she interfered with their quarrel. (Compare
Deut. 2511-12.)
The expression “that her fruit depart” could be literally
translated “and her children go out” (of her womb). The
word “children” is plural because it might be twins.
The word translated “fruit” is yeled. This word is almost
always translated “child.” (It is rendered that way seventy-
two times in the King James Bible. See Gen. 21:8; Ex. 2:3,
10.) Sometimes it is rendered “boy” (Zech. 8:5), “son”
(Ruth l:S), or ‘‘youngman” (Gen. 4:23; I kings 12:8).
The use in Ex. 21:22 of the word yeled to describe the
woman’s aborted fetus is surely no comfort to the advocates
of “legalized” abortion. Some writers have used Ex. 21:22 to
argue that a fetus is not really a child, and that the abortion
of a fetus is not regarded in the law as equally serious to the
death of a person after birth.” (Note Ex. 21:12). But the
same term (yeled) describes the unborn child that refers to
the child after birth.
The Greek O.T. renders 21:22, “And the child come out
not perfectly formed.” We do not consider this to be an
authoritative translation; but it is worth noting that the
Greek-speaking Jews understood the verse to refer to a non-
liveable fetus.
Hammurabi (Laws 209-212) dictated that if a citizen
struck another citizen’s daughter and caused her to have a
miscarriage, he was to pay ten shekels of silver for her fetus.
If the woman died they were to put the striker’s daughter to
death. Hammurabi then decreed that if a citizen caused a
commoner’s daughter to have a miscarriage, he was to pay
five shekels of silver; but if that woman died, he was to pay
one-half mina of silver. The law of Moses did not make such

”Surprisingly even Keil and Delitzsch, ibid, makes this allegation.

471
21:1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

class distinctions among people.

18. What was to be done ifharmfollowed a miscamage? (20:23-
25)
In such a case, the one who brought on the miscarriage by
hurting the woman was punished in a degree according to
what he had done - “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
etc.” This is the so-called lex talionis, a Latin expression
meaning law of retaliation. Compare Lev. 24: 17-21.
The lex talionis may seem severe, but it is not a bad law. It
makes the penalty fit the crime. It prevents extreme harsh
retaliations. It was more valuable as a deterrent than as a
penalty.
Cassuto” thinks that it is very unlikely that accidentally
killing a pregnant woman was punishable by “life for life,”
when 21:13 says that accidental killers were not to be ex-
ecuted. Also Num. 3531 indicates that a ransom was to be
refused only for the life of a murderer. This led Cassuto to
hold that the formula “life for life” is a sterotyped legal
saying meaning that the punishment for a crime was to
correspond generally to the crime itself, but did not always
require exactly the same infliction as punishment. Thus “life
for life” sometimes meant only a fair monetary compensa-
tion. We feel that this is probably correct; and that “life for
life” here probably meant that the slayer was to spend his
life in a city of refuge working to repay to the husband the
loss of the life of the mother and baby.
Although there is no mention of the decision of judges in
21:23-25, the reference to judges in 21:22 causes us to think
that the penalty to be inflicted was decided upon by judges.
The references in Deut. 19:18-21 to judges deciding in
another situation how to administer the “life for life, eye for
eye” law strengthens our view that the judges decided the
punishments of Ex. 21:23-25.
In ancient times wrongdoings were sometimes punished
by the law of unlimited revenge. According to this system a

”Op. cit., p. 276.

472
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 21:l-36
wrongdoer’s entire family was wiped out for his misdeed
(Gen. 34:25-31). In later times the “eye for an eye” law
prevented such extreme punishments, and functioned as a
law of limited revenge. While this was progress in human
relationships, even it will not solve the fightings and enmities
of society. To achieve this, men must accept the law taught
by Christ, the law of unlimited forgiveness: “If thine enemy
hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink.” (Rom. 12:
20),’3
Matthew 538-39: “Ye have heard that it was said, An eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, Resist
not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right
cheek, turn to him the other also.”
The Jewish rabbis regarded “eye” and “tooth” as typical
of all sorts of injuries, and this is probably true. They
enumerated twenty-four bodily organs which come within
the operation of this law. Probably that did not exhaust all
the possible applications of the law.
Hammurabi gave several laws about personal injuries. He
also employed the lex talionis, and decreed that if a citizen
destroyed the eye of a member of the aristocracy, they should
destroy his eye; and if he broke another citizen’s bone, they
should break his bone. Also if a citizen knocked out a tooth
of a citizen of his rank, they were to knock out his tooth.
(Laws 196-197, 200). Hammurabi’s application of this law
shows it was not always interpreted to mean that one paid
the value of a tooth when he knocked one out. His own tooth
was knocked out1
19. What was thepenalty for injuring slaves? (21:26-27)
If a man inflicted permanent injury upon his slave, like
destroying his eye or knocking out a tooth, the slave or slave
girl was set free for the sake of the eye or tooth. We presume
that other permanent injuries also brought about emancipa-
tion. Compare this law with 21:20-21.

”The author learned these three laws of human relationship from Dr. Najib Khouri, a
gracious, wise, elderly Arab Christian of Beit Hanina, Israel.

473
21: 1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

Hammurabi (law 199) decreed that if a citizen destroyed

the eye of another citizen’s slave or broke the bone of another
man’s slave, he was to pay one-half his value. Hammurabi
says nothing about a man’s injuring his own slave.
20. What was thepenalty ifan ox gored a man to death? (21:28-
2 9)
The ox was to be stoned to death, and its flesh was not to
be eaten. The owner was then clear of further responsibility.
However, if the ox was known to be a gorer in times past, and
its owner had not kept it shut up, and it gored a man or
woman to death, then the ox was stoned and its owner was
also put to death. Probably injuries inflicted by other animals
were settled by the example of the law about the ox.
Gen. 95-6: “Surely your blood, the blood of your lives,
will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it: and
at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of
man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood
be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
The ox that killed a man was slain because it had killed a
human life, that which is a divine gift and has the image of
God. So extreme is the act of taking a life that even the beast,
though it has no moral sensibilities, was removed from
existence to implant horror for killing. Guilty negligence on
the part of the owner was reckoned to be a capital offense,
though it could be commuted by a fine.
We suppose that the ox was not eaten because in being
stoned it would not be properly bled for slaughtering. Also
its carcass would be bruisdd. Also bloodguiltiness was
imputed to the ox.
Law codes in the ancient Near East had severallaws similar
to Ex. 21:28-29. Hammurabi’s law (No. 250) said that if an
ox, when it was walking along the street, gored a citizen to
death, the case was not subject to claim. The law of Moses
required the ox to be slain in such cases.
Hammurabi also commanded (laws #251-252) that if a
citizen’s ox was a gorer and the city council made it known to
him that it was a gorer, but he did not dehorn it or tie up the
474
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 21:l-36
ox, and that ox gored to death a member of the aristocracy,
he should pay one-half mina of silver. (This law resembles
Ex. 21:32). Eshnunna law 54 is quite similar. We notice in
these laws a somewhat less positive view of the sacredness of
human life than the Torah presupposes.
21. How might the owner of a killing ox escape execution? (21:
30-31)
The owner of the ox could escape execution if the other
people involved (the family of the dead man and the author-
ities) agreed to lay upon him a ransom for his life. In that
case he had to pay whatever was laid upon him as the re-
demption of his life (soul, Heb. nepesh). The words redemp-
tion and ransom are important words for the later teachings
about salvation. Note Psalm 49:7-8.
Ex. 21:31 emphasizes the impartiality of the law. The
owner of an ox that killed someone after the owner had been
warned was either sentenced to death or had a ransom
charged for him, regardless of whether the ox gored a son or
a daughter. It is barely possible that the law in 21:31 may
reflect an acquaintance with a Babylonain law (Hammurabi
#229-230). This law sentenced the son of a house builder to
death if the builder built a house and it collapsed and killed
the son of the house owner; the law sentenced the builder
himself to death if the house he built collapsed and killed the
house owner. The Babylonian law was a severe deterrent, but
it did punish the innocent son for the sins of his father. The
Hebrew law put the penalty where it belonged, upon the
negligent manslayer. The children were not to be put to
death for the sins of the father (Deut. 24:16),
22. What was the penalty ifan ox gored a slave? (21:32)
The owner of the ox gave to the master of the slave (whether
the slave was male or female) thirty shekels of silver and the
ox was stoned.
This law is one of the very few rules in Israel’s law which
shows a differentiation in the evaluation of bond and free
men, But the slave was still a person, and the ox that gored
the slave was slain.
475
21~1-36 EXPLORING EXODUS

Ex. 21:32 reveals the price of a dead slave - thirty pieces

(shekels) of silver! See Zech. 11:12; Matt. 26:15.
Hammurabi’s law (No. 252) prescribed a payment of one-
third of a mina of silver as payment to a slave’s owner if he
were fatally gored, but the goring ox was not to be destroyed.
23. What was the penalty for causing an animal’s death in a pit?
(21:33-34)
If a man dug a pit and did not cover it adequately, and an
animal belonging to someone else fell into it, the owner of the
pit had to pay for the dead animal, and the dead beast was
given to the pit owner. (A dead ox would probably be more
trouble than benefit! Imagine trying to remove a dead ox
from a pit!) The text does not indicate what judgment was to
be given if the animal in the pit was only injured.
Pits of various types were common in Israel. They were
dug into the bed rock (which is often very near the surface),
a
. for water cis erns, for grain storage, for traps for animals
(I1 Sam. 23: 0), or prisons for men (Jer. 38:6), or military
defences (Jer. 41:9). 0

The principle of personal liability for the physical safety of

people and animals is clearly stated in God’s law. We who
are Christians do not have in the New Testament all the
detailed instructions about safety which are given in the law,
such as rules about covering pits or building railings around
the edges of flat roof tops. But we who are under the gospel
of Christ are more obligated to protect the safety and lives of
people than were the people under the law, We can receive
guidance from the law and internal motivation from the Holy
Spirit within.
Romans 13:9-10:“If there be any other commandment, it
is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; love
therefore is the fulfillment of the law.”
24. What was the judgment ifone man’s ox killed another man’s
OX? (21~35-36)
In such a case the live ox was sold and the money was
divided between both men. The dead ox was also divided
476
 GOD'S COVENANT ORDINANCES 22:l-31

between them. This provision very probably ended up with

both men being losers, but not losers to the degree that they
would have been without this protective law.
If the ox that killed the other ox was known to be a gorer in
times past and the owner had been warned and had not kept
it in, then the owner assuredly paid for the dead ox totally,
but the dead beast was to be his (21:36).
One of the laws at Eshnunna (No. 53) was very similar to
the Hebrew law. It decreed that if an ox gored another ox
and caused its death, that both ox owners should divide
among themselves the price of the live ox and also the equiva-
lent of the dead ox.
The concern often expressed in the O.T. prophets for fair
dealing had its roots in the law of Moses, and, of course,
ultimately in the very nature of God. To a struggling Israelite
farmer a fair payment for the death of an ox might mean the
difference between subsistence and hunger, or between
freedom and slavery for debt. l 4

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it;
22 he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
(2) If the thief be found breaking in, and be smitten so that he
dieth, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him. (3)If the sun be
risen upon him, there shall be bloodguiltiness for him; he shall
make restitution: if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his
theft. (4) If the theft be found in his hand alive, whether it be
ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall pay double.
(5) If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and
shall let his beast loose, and it feed in another man's field; of the

"Cole, op. cit., p. 170.

477
22:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he
make restitution.
(6) If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the shocks of
grain, or the standing grain, or the field are consumed; he that
kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
(7)If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor money or stuff to
keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be
found, he shall pay double. (8) If the thief be not found, then
the master of the house shall come near unto God, to see whether
he have not put his hand unto his neighbor’s goods. (9) For every
matter of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for
raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, whereof one saith, This
is it, the cause of both parties shall come before God; he whom
God shall condemn shall pay double unto his neighbor.
(10)If a man deliver unto hi neighbor an ass, or an ox, or a
sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven
away, no m ing it: (11)the oath of Je-ho-vah shall be be-
tween them both, whether he hath not put his hand unto his
neighbor’s goods; and the owner thereof shall accept it, and he
shall not make restitution. (12)But if it be stolen from him, he
shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. (13)If it be torn in
pieces, let him bring it for witness; he shall not make good that
which was tom.
(14) And if a man borrow aught of his neighbor, and it be
hurt, or die, the owner thereof not being with it, he shall surely
make restitution. (15)If the owner thereof be with it, he shall not
m8li.e it good: if it be a hired thing, it came for its hire.
(16)And if a man entice a virgin that is not betrothed, and lie
with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife. (17)If
her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money
according to the dowry of virgins.
(18)Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live.
(19)Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.
(20)He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto Je-ho-vah
only, shall be utterly destroyed. (21)And a sojourner shalt thou
not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress hi:for ye were sojourners
in the land of E-gypt. (22)Ye shall not afflict m y widow, or

478
 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCE’S 22:l-31

fatherless child. (23)If thou af€lict them at all, and they cry at all
unto me, I will surely hear their cry; (24) and my wrath shall wax
hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be
widows, and your children fatherless.
(25) If thou lend money to any of my people with thee that is
poor, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor; neither shall ye lay
upon hi interest. (26)If thou at all take thy neighbor’s garment
to pledge, thou shalt restore it unto him before the sun goeth
down: (27)for that is his only covering, it is his garment for his
skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he
crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.
(28) Thou shalt not revile God, nor curse a ruler of thy people.
(29)Thou shalt not delay to offer of thy harvest, and of the out-
flow of thy presses. The first-born of thy sons shalt thou give unto
me. (30)Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy
sheep: seven days it shall be with its dam;on the eighth day thou
shalt give it me. (31)And ye shall be holy men unto me: therefore
ye shall not eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall
cast it to the dogs.

EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading propose a brief title or topic for the

chapter,
2. What was the penalty (or required restitution) for stealing a
sheep? An ox? Why the difference? (22: 1)
3. What distinction was made in the responsibility upon one
who smote a thief in the night so that he died, from the
responsibility upon who killed a thief in the daytime? Why?
(22:2-3)
4, What punishment was imposed upon a thief if a stolen ani-
mal was found in his possession? (22:4)
5. What was the penalty for letting one’s animal graze in an-
other’s field? (22:s)
6. What penalty was imposed for letting fire burn in a neighbor’s
479
22: 1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

graih fieid? (22:6)

7. Who decided what was to be done when goods entrusted to
sameone were stolen? (22:7-9)
8. What was to be done if entrusted animals died while under
the care of someone? (22:lO-11)
9. What were people to do about borrowed things that were
damaged or hurt? (22:14-15).
10. What requirements were imposed upon those who seduced
virgins? (22:16-17)
11. What was the law about sorceresses (witches)? (22:18)
12. What was the penalty for immorality with a beast? (22:19)
13. What punishment was given to those who sacrificed to other
gods?
14. What treatment was to be given to sojourners? Why? (22:21)
15. Who claimed the poor people as “my people”? (22:25)
16. What interest was to be charged to poor people? (22:25)
17. How long could garments held as security for a loan be kept?
Why? (22:26-27; Compare Lev. 2535-37)
18. What was the law about reviling rulers (and God)? (22:28)
19. Who quoted this law? (Acts 235)
20. What was to be done with the firstborn? (22:29-30)
21. Wliat sort of men were the people to be unto God? (22:31)
22. What rule was given about eating torn flesh? (22:31)

EXODUSTWENTY-TWO:
GOD’SCOVENANT
ORDINANCES
(CONTINUED)
1. Laws about theft; 22:l-4.
2. Laws about damaging others’ produce; 225-6.
3. Loss of thing entrusted to others; 22:7-15.
4. Seduction of avirgin; 22:16-17.
5. Capital crimes; 22:18-20.
6. Laws protecting the weak; 22:21-27.
a. The sojourner; 22:21.
480
 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCEG 221-31

b. The widow and orphan; 22:22-24.

c. The poor debtor; 22:25-27.
7. Duties to rulers and to God; 22:28-31.

TWENTY-TWO:
EXODUS PEOPLE,
PROPERTY, POTENTATES
I. Property.
1. Restitution for stolen goods; 22:1, 4.
2. Repayment for pasturing or burning fields; 225-6.
3. Responsibility for goods left in trust; 22:7-13.
11, People.
1. A homeowner - Right to self-protection; 22:2.
2. A thief - His life is to be spared; 22:3.
3. A virgin - Seduction brings consequences; 22:16-17.
4. A sorceress - Execution; 22:18,
5. A sodomite - Execution; 22:19.
6. An idolater - Execution; 22:20.
7. A sojourner - Kind treatment; 22:21.
8. A widow or orphan - Not afflicted; 22:22-24.
9. A poor man - Kind credit treatment; 22:25-27.

111. Potentates.
1. Rulers - Do not curse; 22:28.
2. God; 22:29-31.
a. Offer your produce.
b. Offer your firstborn.
c. Be holy; eat no torn flesh.

THESACREDNESS TRUSTS
OF HUMAN (22:7-13)
1. God recognizes the owner’s possession of entrusted goods;
22:7.
48 1
22~1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

2. God gives judgment in disputes over trusts; 22:8-9, 11.

3. God holds a trustee responsible for theft; 22:12.
4. God excuses the trustee in cases of violence; 22:13.

CRIMESTHATFORFEITLIFE (22:18-20)

1. Sorcery; 22:18.
2. Sodomy; 22:19.
3. Idolatry; 22:20.

WITCHCRAFT!
(22:18)
1. Dangerous; 2. Deceptive; 3. Doomed.

GOD’S RIGHTTo MAN’SWORSHIP!(22:20)

EXCLUSIVE
1. Based on God’s nature.
2. Based on non-reality of other gods.
3. Eased on fact of God’s creating man.

OF THE WEAKAND THE MIGHTY

TREATMENT (22:21-31)
I. Treatment of the weak; 22:21-27.
1. The sojourner - Not wronged or oppressed; (22:21).
-
2. The widow and orphan Not afflicted; (22:22-24).
3. The poor debtor - Gentleness in lending; (22:25-27).
482
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 22:l-31
11. Treatment of the mighty; 22:28-31.
1. Treatment of rulers - Curse not; (22:28)
2. Treatment of God; (22:28-31)
a. Do not revile; (22:28)
b. Bring your offerings and firstfruits; (22:29-30)
c. Be holy in diet; (22:31)

EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

EXODUS:
1. What is in Exodus 227
Exodus twenty-two continues God’s covenant ordinances,
which are given in Ex. 21-23. The chapter deals with punish-
ment of thieves, damage to field produce, goods left in care
of non-owners, etc. The chapter has a section of laws protect-
ing the weak (22:21-23, and closes with ordinances about
duties to God (22:28-31.)
It might be helpful to remember the contents of this chap-
ter by saying that it has ordinances about property, people,
and potentates (rulers and God).
2. What was the penaltyjbr stealing an ox or sheep? (22:1)
For stealing an ox and killing or selling it, a man had to
restore or pay five oxen for the stolen one. The penalty for
stealing and selling a sheep was four sheep. The word sheep
(seh) may also refer to a goat. Killing or selling the animal
would indicate that the theft was deliberate.
The difference in penalty for stealing an ox from that of
stealing a sheep is probably due simply to the greater value of
the ox. It took years to train an ox well.
The fourfold restitution for a stolen sheep is referred to in
King David’s condemnation of the man who stole the little
ewe lamb: “He shall restore the lamb fourfold’’ (I1 Sam.
12:6). Prov. 6:30-31 mentions a sevenfold restitution of
stolen things. Perhaps that passage uses the larger number
to emphasize the seriousness of theft, without meaning to be
483
22:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

legally precise in defining the punishment.

People have always made harsh laws against thievery,
because it hits them where it hurts, in the pocketbook. They
may wink at immorality (if no one is physically injured), but
theft is not so excusable among men. Hammurabi’s law (No.
8) reflects this common human feeling toward theft, and
declared that if a man stole an ox or a sheep, or ass, or such,
and it belonged to the church or state, he had to make a
thirtyfild restitution. If it belonged to a private citizen, he
had to make it good tenfold; and if he did not have enough to
make restitution, he was put to death!
Possibly the law of Moses contained the law in 22:l to
oppose the extreme sentence of Hammurabi, which was
probably a prevailing approach to punishing thieves. Cer-
tainly God’s law never allowed that a man’s life be taken for
offenses against property.
Ex. 22:4 gives a related law about stealing animals. See
below.
3. How might the time of a theft affect its consequences? (22:
33)
* If a thief was caught breaking in at night and was killed in

the act, his slayer was not held accountable for the thief‘s
death. If the sun had risen and the thief was smitten and
slain, his slayer had bloodguiltiness (Heb., blood) upon him.
The dead thief s relatives could attempt to take the life of the
one killing the thief. Compare 21:12.
The proper punishment of a thief caught stealing in the
daytime was that he had to make restitution (repay double;
see 22:4,7). If the thief could not repay, then he was sold for
his theft. Compare 21:2.
The principle is that human life is greater than property.
If the thief were breaking in at night, there was the possibility
that he was going to harm or kill the householder or his
family; thus the householder was not held accountable for
striking and slaying the thief because this may have been
necessary self-defence. But in the daytime the thief‘s inten-
tions (whether he was just stealing or seeking to harm people)
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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 22:l-31
would probably be visible by his actions. He was not to be
smitten just to make certain that he did try to kill someone.
Admittedly 22:2 does not mention the night time, but the
contrast of 22:2 and 22:3 indicates that 22:2 does refer to a
nighttime breakin.
“Breaking in” (literally, “digging in”) presupposes the
houses were made of mud brick or other easily removeable
materials.
The way Hammurabi’s law dealt with thieves breaking in
makes us shudder. If a citizen made a breach in a house,
they put him to death in front of that breach, and then
walled him up in the breach! (Law No. 21). If a citizen
committed robbery and was caught, he was put to death.
4. What was the penalty for a thief “caught with the goods”?
(22:4)
Whatever he was caught with (ox, or ass, or sheep), he had
to pay double. (It seems that this was in addition to restoring
the stolen animal.)
Possibly the reason for the lesser penalty (double instead
of fourfold) was that if the stolen item was still with the thief,
he yet might repent of his crime, acknowledge his guilt, and
restore what he had stolen. He could not do this after the
animal was disposed of.
The R.S.V,of the Bible places 22:3b-4 right after 22:l.
The reason for doing this is that verse four deals with the
same subject as verse one. We do not feel that anyone has the
right to rearrange the Biblical text. The Greek Bible gives the
verses in the same order as the Hebrew Bible and most
English versions. Furthermore, the laws in Ex. 21-23 are
not set forth as a comprehensive and systematic presentation
of all Israel’s laws. They are sort of a “sampler” of the fuller
code of laws in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, etc. It is an indication
of misunderstanding of the section (chs. 21-23)to assume that
the section originally had all laws on the same topics grouped
together in a polished and systematic legal and literary style.
5 . What was the penalty for pasturing another man’sfield?
(22:5)
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22:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

The one who pastured another man’s field or vineyard was

to make restitution out of the best part of his own field or
vineyard.
It appears that the pasturing of the field was intentional.
..
The text could be translated literally, “If a man. shall send
his cattle and cause them to eat in a field of another, .. . .99

The Greek translates send as aphiemi, meaning to send

away or let go. The law would be applicable, whether the
pasturing was intentional or unintentional.
The words eat in 22:s and consume in 22:6 are in Hebrew
the same word (ba’ar). This word usually (but not always)
means to consume by fire. The New English Bible translates
2 2 5 as “burn off.”
Beast in 225 is a collective word referring to cattle.
The law of Moses set a stiff penalty for presumptiously
grazing another’s field. Isa. 3:14 speaks of elders and princes
in the land who ate up the vineyards of the poor. Probably
some inconsiderate people thought they could profit more by
pasturing another man’s field than the law would possibly
exact from them in punishment. Therefore God decreed that
they had to make restitution from the best part of their
4 fields.
No one pastures his neighbor’s field and still loves his
neighbor as himself. Lev. 19:18.
6. What was the judgment for burning another man’s field?
(22:6)
He that kindled the fire was surely to make restitution.
The fire referred to “got away” and “went forth.” Small
fires started for cooking or burning off stubble might break
out in a strong breeze (and such a breeze is customary in
Palestine), and catch in thorns, and quickly spread to fields
of standing grain. Burning off fields of grain was a sure way
to arouse an agitated response! See Judges 154-6; I1 Sam.
14:30-31.
Palestinian thorns are very flammable in the dry season
and are used as fuel by the poor. The author has vivid me-
ories of helping fight a fire in the thistles and thorns on Tell
486
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 22:l-31

Gezer in Israel. The strong breeze had caused a fire set in a

nearby wheat field to burn off stubble to break out into the
adjoining uncultivated hillside. The thorns and thistles and
sheep dung in the hot dry late June air were almost explo-
sively flammable, and the flames could hardly be beaten out.
7. What was to be done if goods left in someone’s care were
stolen? (22:7)
If the thief were caught, he had to pay double. This refers
back to 22:4, where a thief caught with the goods was sen-
tenced to pay double to the owner.
8. What was to be done if goods left in someone’s care were
stolen and the thief was not caught? (22:8-9)
In such a case the keeper of the goods had to clear himself.
The keeper of the goods would come “unto God” (K.J.V.,
“Unto the judges”) to determine whether he had stolen or
embezzled the goods left in his care. The Greek and Latin
translations add that the keeper was to swear that he had
not taken the goods. God would reveal in some way who had
transgressed, and whoever was condemned had to pay his
neighbor double. Possibly this was done by the priests by
their Urim and Thummim or other means of obtaining
information from God (Ex.28:30; Ezra2:63; Deut. 1:16-17).
We prefer the translation “unto God” rather than “unto
the judges” in 22:8. “Before God” is the Greek rendering
here. Compare 21:6 and 22:28 on the translation of elohim
as God or as judges.
If an owner of goods had entrusted the goods to someone
and the goods disappeared, and then the owner located his
lost livestock (or clothing or whatever it was), he could de-
clare, “This is itl” “That’s mine!” The Israelites did not
follow the Anglo-Saxon practice of “Finders-keepers.” A lost
object remained the possession of its original owner, who
could claim it on sight.
The practice of settling disputes over property in the
presence of God (or “the gods”) was common in the ancient
Near East. Hammurabi’s law (No. 120) commanded that a
dispute about grain that disappeared while in the care of
487
22: 1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

someone was to be settled “in the presence of god,” that is

at the local idol sanctuary, which doubled as the court of
justice. Certainly there is no evidence here that Moses bor-
rowed his law from Hammurabi. Hammurabi decreed that
the owner of the grain should go to their gods for the truth.
Moses had the accused keeper to go before God to clear
himself. The Torah here protected the accused man.
9. How has a case involving uncertainty about the loss of live-
stock to be settled? (22:lO-13)
If livestock in the care of someone besides its owner died
or was hurt or driven away (by enemy raiders or attacked by
animals), and no one saw it happen, an oath in Jehovah’s
name was sworn out as to whether the keeper had stolen or
slaughtered the animal for himself. In some way Jehovah
would make known the truth of the matter. If the keeper was
innocent, no restitution was made. Natural losses (from beasts
or sickness, etc.) were not the responsibility of the keeper.
If wild beasts had killed a sheep or other animal, the
keeper could bring the remaining pieces of the animal as
evidence of what had happened. The keeper might rescue
“two legs or a piece of an ear.” (Amos 3:12).
If the animal($ had been stolen from the one keeping
them, the keeper had to make restitution to the owner. The
keeper was responsible to protect against thievery.
Jacob spoke to his father-in-law, Laban, about animals
stolen while under his care: “Of my hand didst thou require
, whether stolen by day or stolen by night” (Gen. 31:39).
The Jewish Talmud applied 22:7 to an unpaid custodian
and 22:lO to a paid keeper of goods.’ This has no authority
to us, but it was probably generally true, because objects
(as in 22:7) would usually be cared for without pay, but
livestock would probably be kept by a paid guardian.
10. What wus done about borrowed animals that died or were
hurt3 (22: 14-15)

’Cassuto, op. cit., p. 285.

488
 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCES 221-31

If the owner was not present when they were hurt, the
one who borrowed the animals had to make restitution,
If the owner was there when it happened, the borrower
was not held responsible for the damage. Presumably the
owner could have done something in such a case to prevent
the loss.
If the keeper had hired (or rented) the animal and it was
hurt or died, the renter did not have to make it good. The
owner assumed this risk in return for the hire given to him.
“Borrow” in 22:14 is from the same verb that is used in
3:22 with reference to “asking” (or “borrowing”) jewelry of
the Egyptians. The verb itself leaves open the question as to
whether the object was to be returned or not. But we feel
that in this passage (22:14-15) the return of the goods is
certainly implied.
An alternate translation of 22: 15b has been suggested by
Noth and others: “If the man [through whom the damage B
came] is a hired man, the damage shall be charged to his
hire.” This reading suggests the carelessness of a hired man
as opposed to the care of the owner (John 10:12). The word
translated “hired thing” does frequently mean a hired
laborer or hireling (Job 146; Lev. 2.553). But it does not
always mean that. See Isa. 7:20 where is just means “hired.”
We must agree with Keil and Delitzsch that this is not a
good translation. The Hebrew simply reads, “If [it is] a
hired [thing], it came in (or with) its hire.” The past tense
of the verb came argues against the idea that the verse refers
to a future repayment coming’out of a hired man’s wages.
11. What were the consequences if a man seduced a virgin?
(22:16-17)
He had to pay her father the bride-money (dowry), and
take the woman as his wife, and could never divorce her.
See Deut. 22:28-29. The dowry was fifty shekels of silver.
If her father absolutely refused (the absolutely is stressed)
to give her to him, the man still had to pay the marriage
price.
If the woman had been a betrothed virgin, then both the
48 9
22:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

man and the woman were put to death. See Deut. 22:23-
24. If the man forced the woman and she cried for help,
only the man was slain. See Deut, 22:25-27.
It might seem strange to insert this section about seducing
a virgin right after discussing the property laws: But a
man’s daughters were his property, although few men
looked upon children as no more than property. In their
culture a young woman who was not a virgin was generally
rejected as a candidate for marriage. See Deut. 22:14ff.
Thus, to violate the woman meant a probable financial loss
to the father, to say nothing of the feelings of the girl.
The laws in Ex. 22:16-17 and Deut. 22:23-27 partly
explain the consternation of Joseph, husband of Mary, in
Matt. 1:9. Would Mary be sentenced to die? Would she
be compelled to marry the father of her child?
The law in Ex. 22:16-17 is not full and complete, as is
the law on the same subject in Deut; 22:22-29. This points
up again that the covenant ordinances in Ex. 21-23 are not
designed to be an exhaustive law code but a “sampler” of
the laws later to be given in full. ‘rV,

12. What was to be done with a sorceress (witch)? (22:18)

She was not to be allowed to live. (I Samuel 28:3, 9)
This verse does NOT give authority to Christians now to
execute witches, whether real or unreal. We are not under
the covenant of the law of Moses which commanded this.
Furthermore, to force confessions out of witches (or anyone
lse) by torture was never part of the Jewish law, much less
of Christian doctrine.
Other passages condemning witchcraft, sorcery, consult-
ing with a “familiar spirit,’’ etc. include Lev. 19:31; 20:6,
27; Deut. 18:lO-11; I Kings 21:6; I Chron. 10:13; Isa.
8: 19-20; Micah 5:12, The New Testament condemns sorcery
and witchcraft in Gal. 520; Rev. 21:8; 22:15. It is an
“abomination unto Jehovah.”
Witchcraft has always been a forbidden practice for the
people of God. It is an attempt to bypass the rule of God in
nature and human life. It was a capital offense under the
490
 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCES 22:l-31
law. We must not be involved with it, even to learn about
it. Many who have been involved with it testify that it i s
dangerous. But we should not avoid it just for that reason.
Our reason for avoiding it is that God says it is sin.
Although specifically forbidden by Israelite law, sorcery
continued through much of Israel’s history. It was also
commonly practiced by other nations. See Ex. 7 : l l ; Isa.
47:9, 12; Dan. 2:2; Num. 24:l.
The Hebrew word for witch in 22:18 is feminine, probably
because many of those who practiced sorcery as a profession
were woman. However, the law applied against men sorcer-
ers as See Lev. 20:2.
As an illustration of the character of witchcraft, we cite
from an article in the Joplin (Mo.) Globe, Aug. 7, 1975,
concerning a man and wife in Salem, Mo., who practice
witchcraft. They declare that they are not satanists, and
believe that Jesus Christ lived and was a great healer. But
they object to Christian doctrine and the idea that humans
have the ability to really know what God is. (This is a denial
that God has ever revealed Himself through His prophets or
in His word.) They tell of dancing nude under the full moon
inside concentric circles of sulfur to gather power to heal or
influence an event. Facing retirement, the couple said, “We
feel a little sorrow in retiring, but it’s not as bad as it used
to be in the old days, In those days you didn’t just retire.
You were sacrificed in a ritual.”
13. What was the penalty for immorality with a beast? (22:19)
Whoever lay with (that is, performed a sex act) a beast
was surely to be put to death.
The verse begins in Hebrew with “All” (or “Everyone
who”). So also do the parallel passages which condemn this

’The Greek translation of the Hebrew word for sorcerer is pharmakeeus, one who deals
in drugs and poison, a sorcerer, a poisoner. The Hebrew word for one having a familiar
spirit is ’ob, meaning a hollow place, particularly a hollow space in the belly which was
supposedly inhabitated by the spirit, and from which came the muttering and peeping
sounds. The Greek translation of ‘obis eggastrimuthos, meaning “one making utterance
in the belly.”

49 1
 22:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

sin. (Lev. 18:23; 20:16; Deut. 27:l). All must die who do
this. But WE must now leave this judgment to God, al-
though such acts should result in suspension from a church.
This unnatural act was partly legal among the Hittites.
Those who did evil with a pig were to die. But those doing
this with a horse or mule were free of penaltyB3
In Canaanite (Ugaritic) literature, there is a story of Baal
(the god) coupling with a cow in order to be saved magically
from death. Also in the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh
there are references to the relations of the goddess Ishtar
with various ani mal^.^ The Hebrews were NOT to be like
their pagan neighbor nations.
14. What was the punishment for sacrificing to other gods?
(22:20)
Such people were to be utterly destroyed. Those who
served other gods were to be stoned to death. Deut. 17:2, 3,
5; 13~1-16.
The verb translated “utterly destroyed’’ comes from the
verb haram, “to utterly destroy.’’ (The related noun is
herem, an accursed thing, something devoted to destruc-
tion, something set apart for God’s use or for destruction at
God’s orders.) The word haram has religious overtones
absent in other words meaning kill or slaughter. Those
who sacrificed to other gods were accursed, put under the
ban, and devoted to destr~ction.~
15. What was not to be done to sojourners? (22:21)
They were not to be wronged (cheated) or oppressed. The
Israelites had once been sojourners in Egypt and knew the
feeling of strangers in a foreign land. Shielding an alien
from wrong is a basic act of Godliness. Compare 23:9.

3Hittite Laws No. 199-200, in Ancient Near Eastern Texts, James B. Pritchard, ed.
(Princeton, N.J.:Princeton Univ. Press, 19551, p. 197.
‘Cassuto, op. cit., p. 290.
STheherem may refer to something “devoted” to God in a good sense, as for sacrifice,
as well as something devoted to destruction. See Lev. 27:21, 28; Ezek. 44:29. But with
both meanings the idea is present that the herem (“devoted thing”) is set apart for
God’sdisposal.

492
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 22:l-31
The “sojourners” referred to were resident aliens living
amongst the Israelites. See Ex. 20:lO; 23:12.
Deut. 10:18-19: “Jehovah Ioveth the sojourner, in giving
him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the sojourner;
. . .”
, Compare Lev. 19:34; Matt. 2535.
Note the singular thou and the plural ye in this verse.
Right treatment of strangers is both an individual and a
collective responsibility.
Love for aliens was not the practice in most ancient
nations. The Egyptians hated “strangers,” and the Greeks
called them barbarians.
16. What was the penalty for aflicting widows and orphans?
(22:22-24)
God would hear the prayer and cry of these lonely people
and His wrath would grow hot, and He would cause their
afflictors to be slain with the sword. Killing with the sword
refers to wars in which men and their families would perish.
All through the scriptures God reveals that He has a
special protective love for the widows and fatherless. See
< Deut. 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Ps. 94:6; Isa.
1:23; 10:2; Jer. 75-7; Zech. 7:lO; Mal. 3:s. In the New
Testament we have James 1:27; Mark 12:40. If there is an
especially hot corner in hell, it is resewed for those who
cheat and oppress any widow or orphan.
God’s wrath is often referred to in scripture. See Ps.
69:24; Rev. 14:lO. We should fear the wrath of God.
The “surely’’ in 22:23 is emphatic.
Ex. 22:22 begins (in Hebrew) “Every widow and or-
phan. . . .” Placing the word every (or all) first stresses the
fact that this command applies with reference to ALL.
(Compare 22:19, which also starts with the word all.)
The punishment of “making your wives widows and your
children fatherless” is a severe but strikingly appropriate
punishment to those who afflict any widow or orphan.
17. What were those who loaned money NOT to do? (22:25).
They were not to speak and act roughly to their debtors.
Neither were they to lay interest charges upon these people.
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22:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

Note that the poor are called “my people’’ (GOD’S

people).
The Israelites were not to act like the demanding creditors
in I1 Kings 4:1 and Matt. 18:28, and seize a debtor or his
family or land.
’
The law about not charging interest applied only to
Israelite debtors. They could charge interest to foreigners.
Deut. 23:19-21,
Note the switching between thou (singular) and ye (plural)
in 22:25. The duty of not charging interest was both indi-
vidual and collective.
Nehemiah (53-10) condemned wealthy Jews for charging
usury (interest) to their less fortunate brothers, Compare
~ Psalm 155.
Christ told us to give not even expecting the principal
back, much less any interest. (Luke 6:34-35). Christians
must be eyen more gracious and generous to their needy
brethren than Ex. 22:25 requires.
In modern times money is usually loaned for commercial
purposes, to increase a man’s ,capital, increase his business,
or enhance his comfort. It is proper that a reasonable
interest or payment be collected for this help. Thus Ex.
22:25 does not mean we should demand that our banks
stop charging interest. Jesus himself approved the taking
of interest from a bank (Matt. 2527; Luke 19:23). But this
is quite a different thing from making gain out of a neigh-
bor’s need or being callous to the needs of a brother in the
Lord.
18. What restriction was made about taking security for loans?
. (22:26-27)
Items that were necessary for a man’s life were not to be
taken as security (or pledge) for a loan. A creditor could
not take a poor man’s garment. It might be the only clothing
he had. In the daytime it was his clothing. In the mighttime
it was his bed covering, if he even had a bed.
Another item that could not be kept as security for a loan
. was a handmill or mill stone (Deut. 24:6). Without these

494
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 22:1-31
items a poor man (or woman) could not grind grain for his
daily bread.
If the poor man’s garment was taken as loan security, it
had to be returned to him before the sun went down the
same day. Taking a pledge was legal, but barely so.
God said in 22:27, “When he crieth unto me, I will
hear!” This verse seems to be set as a parallel passage to
part of 22:23.
The backdrop of many of God’s laws about loving one’s
neighbor is the marvelous truth about God: “I AM
GRACIOUS” (or compassionate).
19. How were the Israelites NOT to speak about their rulers?
(22:28)
They were not to revile them nor curse them. This applied
to rulers who were unreasonable, unjust, and harsh, as well
as to the noble and respected ones.
The apostle Paul quoted this verse in Acts 2 3 5 . Compare
Rom. 13:l-7; Heb. 13:17; I Peter 2:13-17.
The King James version has “Thou shalt not revile the
gods. ” The marginal reading gives “judges.” The Greek
O.T. also reads, “Thou shalt not revile the gods. ” This is
an abominable translation. The O.T. nowhere recognizes
the existence of other gods. Much less does it command us
to speak respectfully of them.
The word translated gods in King James version is elohim,
the word which is usually translated God. The word is
plural in form (though singular in meaning when referring
to God), and is therefore used to refer to the gods of all
nations. Furthermore, the word elohim basically means
mighty ones. See Gen. 23:6. (Its singular form el means “a
mighty one, a powerful one.”). Because of this meaning
“mighty ones,” elohim sometimes refers to judges or other
mighty rulers among men. See Ex. 21:6; 22:8. Also it refers
to angels (Ps. 8:5), which are mighty.
We think that here in Ex. 22:28 elohim refers to judges
or other dignitaries among men. The fact that it is made
parallel with “ruler of thy people” supports this view.

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Whether the reviling and cursing is directed at God or

earthly judges, it should not be done.
Revile is from the same Hebrew word translated “curse”
in 21:17 (“curseth father or mother”). See notes on that
verse for the meanings implied by curse.
Lev. 24:lS-16 tells of one who blasphemed God’s name
and was stoned to death for doing so. God’s name is holy.
“Reviling the king” is a bad act for God’s children.
Eccl. 10:20: “Revile not the king, no not in thy thoughts,
..
. .” Compare I Kings 21:lO. Jude 8 speaks of evil men
who “set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities.” (Jude
even goes so far as to indicate that we would do well not
to rail at the devil.)
If the apostles Paul and Peter could direct the early
church to honor the emperor (Nerol), we need to shut our
mouths when tempted to speak harsh things against our
rulers. We may reprove wicked acts, but we should not
condemn people.
Keil and Delitzsch6 suggest that in 22:28 the “reviling”
of God refers to disregarding His threats with reference ) I

to the poor (vss. 22-23), and withholding offerings of the

firstborn, etc. This interpretation ties the verse closely to
its setting, but it seems to us to restrict the applications
of “revile” too much.
20. What were people to do with the &its they produced and
their firstborn?
These were to be brought to the Lord fat least certain
parts of their harvest were to be brought to the Lord). Com-
pare 23:19.
Ex. 22:29 speaks (literally) of “thy fulness and thy tear.”
Tear seems to refer to juice or liquid that could form drops,
as from a wine press. Num. 18:27 speaks of the “fulness of
thy winepress.”
Ex. 22:29 may refer to several (or all) types of offerings

‘Op. cit., p. 143.

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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 22:l-33
of grain and produce, and not just to the firstfruits, al-
though it certainly includes the firstfruits, and may refer to
them primarily. The Greek version renders it, “Thou shalt
not keep back the first-fruits of thy threshing floor and
[wine] press.”
The Israelites were not t o delay offering their first-
fruits or any other offerings. This would sometimes be a
temptation.
The law about giving firstfruits and firstborn (men and
beasts) is given more fully in Lev. 19:23-25; Num. 1517-21;
18:12-17; Deut. 26:l-11; 1519-20. The first produce of
everything was the Lord’s.
The firstborn sons were “given” by giving to the LORD
five shekels of silver as a redemption price for them. See
Ex. 13:2, 11-15. Firstborn animals were all either brought
to the LORD (to His priests), or slain. Compare Num.
3:46-48; Deut. 1519. Part of the meat of firstborn ani-
mals went to the priests as part of their livelihood. (Num,
18:15, 19).
The firstborn animal was left seven days with its dam
(mother), and then on the eighth day was brought to the
LORD as a sacrifice and offering. Apparently, in its first
seven days the animal was not sufficiently developed to be
regarded as a suitable sacrifice. Compare Lev. 22:27.
21. What sort of men were the Israelites to be unto God?
(22:31)
They were to be holy men.
Among other ways, this holiness was to be shown by what
they ate and did not eat. They were to eat no flesh of ani-
mals that had been killed and torn (chewed up) by beasts.
Such flesh was to be cast to the dogs. They must not eat
carrion.
All Israel was a holy nation, Ex. 19:6; Lev. 19:2. On the
meaning of holy, see notes on Ex. 195-6.
Lev. 17:15 decreed that those eating an animal that died
of itself or was torn by beasts were ceremonially unclean till
the evening. Compare Ezekiel 4: 14.

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Presumably the rule forbidding the eating of animals torn

in the field rested on the fact that such animals were not
properly bled in slaughtering. The people who ate of them
would eat blood. See Lev. 17:ll-15.
What lesson or truth is there for Christians in the ancient
rule about not eating torn beasts? Firstly, Christians should
practice the same restriction, since we also are not to eat
blood. Acts 1520. Secondly, Israel’s atonement was pro-
vided by the blood offered on the altar. Blood was not to
be thought of as applicable to other purposes. This points
out to us the incomparable value and unique power of the
blood of the Lord Jesus. His blood was a covering for
our sins.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION

Thou shalt not take up false report: put not thy hand
a
23 with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. (2) Thou
shal,t:not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak
in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to wrest justice: (3)
neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his cause.
(4) If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray,
halt surely bring it back to him again. (5) If thou see the
ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, thou shalt
forebear to leave him,thou shalt surely release it with him.
(6) Thou shalt not wrest the justice due to thy poor in his
cause. (7) Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent
and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
(8)And thou shalt take no bribe: for a bribe blindeth them that
have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous. (9) And a
sojourner shalt thou not oppress: for ye know the heart of a
sojourner, seeing ye were sojourners in the land of E-gypt.
(10) And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather

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 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCES 23:l-33
in the increase thereof: (11)but the seventh year thou shalt
let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat:
and what they leave the beast of the fleld shall eat. In like man-
ner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
(12) Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day
thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and
the son of thy handmaid, and the sojourner, may be refreshed.
(13) And in all things that I have said unto you take ye heed:
and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it
be heard out of thy mouth.
(14) Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
(15) The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep: seven days
thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the
time appointed in the month A-bib (for in it thou camest out
from E-gypt); and none shall appear before me empty: (16) and
the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labors, which thou
sowest in the field and the feast of ingathering, at the end of
the year, when thou gatherest in thy labors out of the field. (17)
Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the
Lord Je-ho-vah.
(18) Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with
leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my feast remain all
night until the morning. (19) The first of the first-fruits of thy
ground thou shalt bring into the house of Je-ho-vah thy God.
Thou shalt not boil a kid in ita mother’s milk.
(2O)Behold’I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the
way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
(21) Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice;
provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: for
my name is in him. (22) But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto
his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto
thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. (23)
For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the
Am-or-ite, and the Hit-tite, and the Per-iz-zite, and the Ca-
naan-ite, the Hi-vite, and the Jeb-u=site:and I will cut them off.
(24) Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them,
nor do after their works; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them,

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23:1-33 E X P L O R I N G EXODUS

and break in pieces their pillars. (25) And ye shall serve Je-ho-
vah your God, and he will bless thy bread, and thy water; and
1 will take sickness away from the midst of thee. (26) There
shall none cast her young, nor be barren, in thy land: the
number of thy days I will ful€il.(27) I will send my terror before
thee, and will discomfit all the people to whom thou shalt come,
and I wiU make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
(28) And I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive
out the Hi-vite, the Ca-naan-ite, and the Hit-tite, from before
thee. ( 2 9 ) P will not drive them out from before thee in one
year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field
multiply against thee. (30) By little and little I will drive them
out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the
land. (31) And I will set thy border from the Red Sea even
unto the sea of the Phimlis-t€nes, and from the wilderness unto
the River: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into
your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. (32)
Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
(33) They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin
against me; for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare
unto thee.

EWLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Q~STIONS ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE
1. After careful reading propose a topic for the chapter.
2. What was the law about spreading false reports? (23:l)
3. How might this be done? Where? (23:l)
4. What was the law about following a mob? (23:2-3)
5. What law was given about witnessing in court? (23:2-3)
6. Why was it necessary to forbid the people to “favor a poor
man in his cause”? (23:3; Lev. 19:lS)
7. How were the people to treat their enemy’s overloaded
fallen donkey? (235) Was the general attitude that is
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I GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 23:l-33
commanded in the law about the fallen donkey limited to
that one situation?
8. What was the law about justice to the needy? (23:6)
9. What was the law about bribes? (2393)
10. How were the Israelites to treat strangers? Why? (23:9;
22:21)
11. What was the law about farming in the seventh years?
(23:lO-11)
12. What was the purpose of the sabbath day according to
23:12?
13. What was the law concerning talking about other gods?
(23:12-13)
14. Name the Israelites’ three annual compulsory feasts. (23:
14-15; Compare Ex. 34:22-24; Deut. 16:16)
15. What did God mean by saying “Ye shall not appear before
me empty”? (23:15)
16. What was not to be offered with their sacrifices? (23:18)
17. What law was given about preparing a kid to be eaten?
(23:19)
18. What was to be sent before Israel? (23:20)
19. What divine characteristics did the guiding angel have?
(23:21)
20. What was to be done with Canaanites’ religious objects?
(23:24, 32)
21. What promise was given about sickness? (23:25)
22. How would God help the Israelites to conquer the Canaan-
ites? (23:27-28)
23. Were the Canaanites to be driven out suddenly? Why or
why not? (23:29-30)
24. What were to be the boundaries of the promised land?
(23:31; Compare Gen. 1518)
25. What “River” is referred to in 23:31?
26. Were the Canaanites to live among the Israelites? (23:33)
Why or why not?

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23:1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

EXODUS GOD’S
TWENTY-THREE: COVENANT
ORDINANCES
(CONCLUDED)

1. Justice and goodness to all men; 23:l-9.

2. The sacred seasons and feasts; 23:lO-19.
3. Conquering the Canaanites; 23:20-33.

EXODUS
TWENTY-THREE:
GOD’SGOODORDINANCES
1. Ordinances about JUSTICE; 23:l-9.
2. Ordinances about WORSHIP;23:lO-19,
3. Ordinances about VICTORY in the Lord; 23:20-33.

(Ex.23:1)
SLANDER!

1. Don’t start it.

2. Don’t listen to it.
3. Don’t repeat it.

ADMINISTERINGJUSTICE(Ex. 23:l-3, 6-9)

1. Avoid perjury; 23:la.
2. Avoid collusion; 23:lb.
3. Avoid mob pressure; 23:2.
4. Avoid false sentiment; 23:3.
5. Avoid oppression; 23:6-7, 9.
6. Avoid bribes; 23:8.
7. Remember that judges shall themselves be judged; 23:7.

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 G O‘D’ s c oVENANT oRD INAN cE s 23:l-33
DUTIESTo ENEMIES
(23:4-5) i

1, Protect their interests; 23:4.

2. Restrain our impulses to leave them; 23:s.
3. Help their difficulties; 23:s.

SABBATICYEARSAND SABBATHDAYS(23:lO-12)
I. Sabbatic years; 23:lO-11.
1. Required faith in God; Lev, 2520.22.
2. Benefited the land; Lev. 25:s; Ex. 23:ll.
3. Benefited the land owner; Lev. 2 5 6 .
4. Benefited the poor and the beasts; Ex. 23:11,
11, Sabbath days; 23:12.
1. Rest for animals.
2. Rest for men.

RELIGIOUSFEASTS(23:14-17)

1. Kept unto God; 23:14.

2. Kept as memorials; 23:15.
3. Kept by bringing offerings; 23:15.
4. Kept frequently; 23:16.
(The Lord requires dedication of our time, as He
required it in Israel’s time. The Lord blesses those who
worship Him.)

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23~1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

FEASTSREQUIRED BY GOD(23:14-17)
1. A feast to commemorate past deliverance; 23:lS.
2. A feast to dedicate the first-fruits of our labor; 23:16.
3. A feast to celebrate the year’s final ingathering; 23:16;
Lev. 23:39-47.

JESUS, THE ANGELOF THECOVENANT(23:20-23)

I. His nature.
1. Equal with God. “My name is in Him.’’ 23:21.
2. Able to forgive sins; 23:21.
11. His work.
1. Keeping God’s people; 23:20.
2. Overcoming enemies; 23:22.
3. Bringing God’s people to their destination; 23:23.
111. Our attitude toward Him.
1. Take heed; 23:21.
2. Provoke Him not;
3. Hearken; obey; 23:21-22.

GOD^ (23:24, 32-33)

FALSE

1. Treatment of them.
a. Don’t bow down to them; 23:24.
b. Destroy them; 23:24.
c. Drive them out; 23:31.
d. Make no covenant with them; 23:32.
2. Dangers from them.
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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 23:l-33

a. Cause sin; 23:33.

b, Be a snare; 23:33.

BLESSINGSFORTHEOBEDIENT!(23:25-30)
1. Bless their food; 2325.
2. Bless their rainfall; 23:25.
3. Bless their health; 23:25.
4. Bless their productivity; 23:26.
5. Bless them with long life; 23:26.
6. Give victory over enemies; 23:27-30.

AN EXCLUSIVE
FAITHI(23:24-33)

1. Destroy false religious objects (23:24; Acts 19:19.)

2. Drive out sinful associates; (23:27-31, 33; I Cor. 1533.)
(See I Cor. 59-13)
3. Make no covenant with evildoers; (23:32; I1 Cor.
6:14-18; I1 John 10-11)

EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTER

EXODUS: TWENTY-THREE

1. What is in Exodus twenty-three?

This chapter contains the closing group of God’s covenant
ordinances, which are given in chapters 21-23. By th’e
acceptance of this “book of the covenant” (24:7), Israel
entered into its covenant with God and became God’s
special people, a holy nation.
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23:1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

The chapter deals with three main themes: (1) justice and
goodness for all men (23:l-9); (2) the sacred seasons and
feasts (23:10-19); (3) conquering the Canaanites (23:20-33).
This last section forms an epilogue to chapters 21-23, and
looks forward to future triumphant conquests in Canaan.
2. What were the people to do with a false report they heard?
(23~1-2)
They were not to pick it up and tell it to others, nor to
utter it in court as testimony.
Ex. 23:l-2 could be translated rather literally, “You shall
not take up something you have heard (that is) false (or
vain); put not your hand with a wicked (man, to conspire
together) to be a witness of violence.”
There are five brief negative commands in 23:l-3, each
introduced by a negative particle (in Hebrew). These would
be guidelines in maintaining justice. Ex. 23:l-3 is an ex-
pansion of the ninth commandment, which forbade bearing
false witness.
We could “take up” a false report by repeating it as
gossip, or by telling it in a court hearing. Ps. 101:s: “Who-
so privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I destroy.”
Lev. 19:16: “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer
among thy people.”
The word translated “report” means something heard, a
rumor, report, reputation, fame. “False” might also be
translated “vain,” since it is the same word as that used in
Ex. 20:7 with reference to taking God’s name in vain.
An “unrighteous witness” is a witness of violence, that
is, one who inflicts violence upon others. Violence need not
always be physically violent to be, terribly hurtful!
A witness who made false charges against someone was
to be punished with the same penalty which he had tried
to bring upon someone else. (Deut. 19:16-21).
The Israelites were not to follow a mob (multitude) in
its efforts to do evil. Mobs sway people into doing or
tolerating acts that they would not do if they considered the
matter without pressure. Christ was crucified through mob

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 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCES 23:l-33
action instigated by a few leaders (Matt. 27:20). Mobs,
multitudes, and majorities are often in the wrong. Only Noah
was righteous in his time. (Gen. 7:l. Compare Matt. 7: 13-14.)
If some cause (lawsuit) was being heard, no Israelite was
to give false testimonyjust because a certain feeling was pop-
ular (and probably loud!) just then. Many innocent people
have died because a multitude was stirred up against them
and many were screaming for their blood. Note the cases
of Stephen (Acts 6:ll) and Naboth (I Kings 21:lO).
3. Why should they not favor a poor man in his cause? (23:3)
The Israelites were to promote JUSTICE. Justice favors
neither the poor nor the rich; nor does it disfavor either the
poor or the rich.
Lev. 19:lS: “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment.
Thou shalt not respect (show partiality to) the person of the
poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteous-
ness shalt thou judge thy neighbor.”
God is NOT indifferent to the plight of the poor. See Ex.
23:6; 22:25-27; Deut. 157-11. The poor are often oppressed
by the rich and powerful (Amos 512). They have their
special temptations (Prov. 30:9, 14).
Nonetheless, the poor man may be fully as selfish, cruel,
dishonest, lazy, and covetous as anyone else. Men can be
“minded to be rich” even when they are not rich (I Tim.
5 9 ) . When a poor man has broken the law, he is to be
punished just as anyone else. Note Ex.22:3.
Neither pressure from a crowd, sympathy for the poor,
or even revenge, was to influence the Israelites’ conduct.
Our times have seen the rise of the foolish notion that we
should pass every possible law to take wealth from the rich
and give it to the poor. There is not enough material wealth
in the world for all (or even most of us) to live like kings.
When there are no longer any wealthy people to help the
poor, all become poor.
4. What was to be done if one saw his enemy’s donkey going
astray? (23:4-5)
In such a case, one was surely to bring it back to him

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again. (The surely is emphatic.)

Deut. 22:4: “Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his
ox fallen down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou
shalt surely help him to lift them up again.”
How beautiful! Animosity is not to destroy one’s willing-
ness to be of assistance in the times of need. Your enemy is
also your brother! It is only a short step from the kind actions
suggested by these verses to the “Love your enemy” of Matt.
5 4 4 . Compare Romans 12:20.
Lev. 19:18: “Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any
grudge against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself: I am Jehovah.’’
Ex. 23:s describes a situation in which a man sees his
enemy with his donkey. The enemy obviously has been cruel
to his beast and has overloaded it till it has fallen down under
the load and cannot get up. The enemy has brought the
problem upon himself. What shall the man of God do? He
shall forbear doing his natural inclination of walking off
and leaving his enemy to solve his own problem. Rather,
he shall most certainly give assistance, and working WITH
his enemy, release the ass!
If the law taught men to be good to their enemies (as it
surely did!), what did Jesus mean by saying, “Ye have heard
that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine
enemy”? (Matt. 543.) Some Jewish authorities are incensed
at these words, which they regard as a baseless charge
against the Torah and the rabbis.
We happily acknowledge that the law taught men to do
good to their enemies. However, there are a few verses in the
Old Testament which indicate that even some Godly men did
hate their enemies. See Psalm 139:21,22;265). Also certain
passages in the apocryphal books (like Ecclesiasticus 12:4, 7)
and in the Dead Sea Scrolls show that Jesus was telling the
truth when he indicated that some pre-Christian Jews really

1J. H. Hertz, op. c k , p. 316.

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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T ORDINANCES 23:1-33
advocated hating epemies. The Manual of Discipline (one of
the Dead Sea Scrolls) declared about their chosen members,
“He is to bear unremitting hatred towards all men of ill
repute, and to be minded to keep in seclusion from them.”2
We hasten to add (in shame and pain) that some who claim
to be Christians have also taught their followers to hate their
enemies. Consider the bloodshed in northern Ireland. But
this has never been God’s approved attitude for men.
The R.S.V. on Ex. 23:s reads “You shall refrain from
leaving him with it, you shall help him to lift it up.” The
footnote on this verse says that this is the Greek reading and
the Hebrew is obscure.
The Hebrew of 2 3 5 could be literally translated “If you
see the ass of him who hates you [lying] under his (or its)
burden, you shall beware that you leave him not, but you
shall surely release [it] with him.”3
As you can see, this is hardly an “obscure” verse. It is only
slightly difficult because no object follows the verb “release.”
Probably it is best to supply an indefinite object, such as the
it inserted in italics in the American Standard version. The
Hebrew does not make completely clear whether the man is
releasing the ass or its load (although both involve the same
actions). The Greek reading makes it clear that it is the ass
that the verb release refers and the Hebrew very probably
means that also.
5. What command is given about the justice due to the poor?
(23:6-7)
Men were not to wrest the justice due to the poor man in
his lawsuit. (“Wrest” means “stretch out,” “distort,” “turn
aside ,” or “pervert. ’7

’Theodore Gaster, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English Translation (Garden City, N.Y.:
Anchor, 1964), pp. 46,68.
3This translation is adapted from that in Alexander Harkavy’s Hebrew and Chaldee
Dictiona y .
4Thegenders of the Greek pronouns and articles indicate clearly that the object being
released was the ass rather than its burden.

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23:1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

The word translated justice in 23:6 is mishpat, or judg-

ment. It is the same word occurring in 21:1, translated
“judgments” (or ordinances).
Note that the poor are “thy poor.” Probably this hints that
the poor are our brothers and our responsibility. We cannot
say, “They are no concern of mine.”
Ex. 23:7 commands men to keep far away from a false
“matter.” In its setting this “matter” appears to refer to
false utterance in a lawsuit. Ex. 23:7 is primarily directed at
judges in court.
We must take heed to our court decisions, because God
also holds court;and all our witnesses and judges are on trial
before HIM. Our decisions must be in harmony with His!
God will not justify (that is, acquit, declare not guilty) the
wicked person. (The word “wicked” is singular, emphasizing
every individual’s responsibility in this matter.)
6 . What is thseffectof a bribe? (23:8)
A bribe blinds those whose eyes are usually open and
watchful, and perverts (tangles, twists) the words of those
usually righteous.
“They that have sight” (KJV, “the wise”) are the judges
- - and officials. Ex. 23:8 (like 23:7) is directed at the judges.
. Ex. 23:8 is very much like Deut. 16:19. We simply must
not let ourselves be deceived about the power of a bribe
upon us.
Bribery was a very common practice in Biblical times (and
.-.’still isl). See Amos 512; I Sam. 8:3; Ps. 26:lO; I1 Chron.
19:7; Isa. 1:23; Ezek. 22:12. Prov. 1527: “He that hateth
bribes shall live.”
No specific penalty is set in the law for accepting bribes.
But in the rule of God over men, it did NOT go unpunished!
“The words of the righteous” seem to be the words of
usually-righteousjudges who have been influenced by bribes.
It may also refer to the causes (or lawsuits) of the poor, who
are referred to as the righteous (or innocent) in 23:7. (The
word translated “words” also may have the meaning of
“causes.”)

510
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 23:l-33
7 . Why were the Israelites not to oppress sojourners? (23:9)
They had been sojourners in Egypt and therefore knew the
“heart” of a sojourner. Compare 22:21.
“Heart” is from the Hebrew nephesh, meaning soul, life,
feelings, self, and numerous related meanings. The use of
nephesh here makes a transition to the next paragraph (23:
10-12),where a related word (the verb naphash) is translated
“be refreshed” in 23:12.
8. For how many years were Israelites to sow the land and
gather crops? (23:lO-11)
Israel was to sow seed and gather crops for six consecutive
years, but in the seventh years the land lay fallow, unculti-
vated. The oliveyards (literally “olive trees”) and vineyards
were to be treated the same way. This seventh year is com-
monly called the sabbaticalyear, The laws about this year are
given more fully in Lev. 25:1-7 and Deut. 151-3, Grain which
grew by itself in the seventh year was not harvested, but was
left for the poor of the people to eat, and for the beast of the
field. God plainly promised that the land would produce
enough in the sixth years to carry them over until the harvest
of the eighth year. See Lev. 2520-22 and Neh. 10:31.
The spiritual basis for this law is stated by God in Lev.
2523: “For the land is mine; for ye are strangers and so-
journers with me.”
The word rest in 23:ll is not from the verb shabath (mean-
ing “to keep sabbath”), but from another verb (shamat),
meaning to let rest, or to release (as of a debt). (That has
interesting spiritual implications.) See Deut. 15:1-2.
Note that God cares for the beasts. Ps. 36:6: “0Jehovah,
thou preservest man and beast.” Compare Ps. 104:21. God
cares for sparrows and feeds the raven (Luke 12:24).
In the following centuries Israel neglected keeping its
sabbatical years. The seventy years of Babylonian captivity
was partly intended to make up for unkept sabbatical years.
I1 Chron. 36:21.
To a child of God, his relationship with God controls all
his life, even the way he farms and eats.

51 1
23:1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

9. What tvds the purpose of the seventh-day rest? (20:12)

It was a time of rest for all, even for the work (draft)
animals, the servants, and the sojourners. It was to bring
refreshment and rest. The reference here to the sabbath
emphasizes its humanitarian character rather than its mem-
orial character, which is stressed in Ex. 20:8-11 and Deut.
5:12-15.
“Be refreshed” is from a verb (naphash) related to the
noun (nephesh) meaning soul. It can be translated “to
breathe, to take rest, to draw breath, to be refreshed.” On
the, Sabbath days people were to “catch their breath.” By
keeping the Sabbath, every Israelite was reminded that he
had a soul and there was a higher life than mere drudgery.
10. What mention of pagan gods were the Israelites to utter?
(23:13)
NO mention was to be made of the name of other gods.
While the Israelites were not to oppress sojourners, they were
not to utter the names of the sojourners’ gods. This prohibi-
tion about uttering the names of gods should have prevented
marriages and other contacts with idolatrous peoples.
This verse probably accounts for the dropping of the name
Bad in the names of several men whose names included
aal’s name. Instead of Baal the word bosheth (meaning
shame) was inserted. Thus Jerubbaal (Judges 4:32) became
Jerubbesheth (I1 Sam. 11:21); Eshbaal (I Chron. 8:33)
became Ishbosheth (I1 Sam. 2:8); Meribaal (I Chron. 8:34)
ame Mephibosheth (I1 Sam. 4:4). Note that the book
of Samuel, which is prophetic in character, avoided the
name Baal.
The apostle Paul tells Christians to avoid mentioning
several sins, in a manner similar to the way the Israelites
were to avoid mentioning the names of gods. (Eph. 5 3 )
Ex. 23:13 opens with a general exhortation to obey: “In
allthings that I have spoken unto you, take ye heed.”
11. How many annualfeasts was each Israelite required to keep?
(23:14, 17)
Three. Compare Ex. 34:23; Lev. ch. 23; Deut. 14:l-17.

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 GOD’S C O V E N A N T ORDINANCES 23:l-33
All male Israelites were required to come before the Lord
for these three feasts, Though not required, women and boys
often went with the men to the feasts (I Sam. 1:3,4,22;Luke
2:41-43). Israel’s religious observances were the one factor
in their society that could hold the nation together.
The three feasts are not mentioned here for the first time
nor in full detail. Probably they are mentioned as part of the
privileges of the people bestowed on them by Jehovah. This
view relates the observance of the feasts to the nearby para-
graphs. Ex. 23:13 told of a false way to worship God. 23:
14-17 gave the true way.
“Three times” is literally “three feet, ” suggesting pilgrim
festivals to which they marched on foot.
Critics (Martin Noth, for example) say that the three feasts
were taken over by Israel only after the settlement in Canaan,
long after Moses’ time. (This view eliminates Moses as
author of Exodus.) The proof (?) of such a view is mainly
the presupposition that such feasts could not have originated
I from direct divine revelation and commandments, but
gradually developed through cultural contacts with other
I peoples who observed similar feasts.
I
12. What were the three annual compulsory feasts? (23:lS-16)
(1) The feast of unleavened bread. This seven-day observ-
1 ance was immediately preceded (the day before) by the
Passover, which, surprisingly, is not mentioned here. Per-
I
haps the reason for this was that the Passover in early days
was more of a family meal than a central religious activitya6
~

I
Another possible reason for Dot mentioning the Passover
I
may be that the extremely close linkage of the Passover to
the feast of Unleavened bread probably caused most Israelites
to think of both when they heard either one mentioned.
Noth in his usual manner contends that the Passover is
not mentioned here with the rules about Unleavened Bread
because the Passover came into Israel’s practice much later

. pp. 190-191.
’Noth, ~ ptit.,
Tole, op. cit., pa 180.

513
23: 1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

than the feast of Unleavened bread.’ There is no realevidence

for this view.
An allusion is made by God in 23: 15 to the previous com-
mandment about keeping the feast of unleavened bread, “As
I commanded thee.” See 12:14-20; 13:6-10. Regarding the
month Abib, see 13:4.
The Passover was observed sporadically by Israel during
the days of the kingdom. (I1 Kings 2322).
“None shall come before me empty” means that no man
was to come to the central place of worship during the three
compulsory feasts without an offering, that is, empty-
handed. They were to bring animals and other things for
offerings. See Deut. 16:16-17; Lev. 7:32-34; Ex. 34:20. We
feel that the same rule about not coming before the Lord
empty should be a guideline to Christians: Do not come to
the Lord’s services without an offering.
(2) Thefeast of harvest. This is the same feast that is called
the “feast of weeks” (Lev. 23:9-21; Deut. 16:9-12) and the
“day of firstfruits” (Num. 28:26). It is called Pentecost in
the New Testament (Acts 2: 1;20: 16). It came fifty days after
the first grain was harvested. It was a harvest feast of dedica-
tion and thanks to God.
) Thefeast of ingathering. This is the same feast that is
called the feast of booths or tabernacles. Its observance is
described fully in Lev. 23:34, 39-43; Deut. 16:13-15. Note
John 7:2. This feast occurs in late September, “at the end of
the year,” that is, of the civil year, which begins in the
autumn, as distinguished from the religious year, which
began in the spring. Its name “Ingathering” is taken from
the gathering in of the grapes and olives, which had been
completed by that time each year. During this feast the
Israelites lived outdoors in temporary brush arbors called
booths or tabernacles. This was to remind them year by year
of their wilderness wandering experiences. An extensive

‘Noth, ibid.

514
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 23:l-33
series of sacrifices was offered each day of this feast.
On 23:17,see 23:14.
13. What was NOT to be offered with blood sacn~ces?(23:18)
They were not to offer leavened bread with the blood of
sacrifices. Also they were NOT to let the f a t or sacrificed
animals remained unburned overnight.
Lev. 3:17: “It shall be a perpetual statute throughout
your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat
neither fat nor blood.”
The fat or sacrifices was all burned, even in the peace
offerings, which were partly eaten by the offerer. (See.
Lev. 1;8;3:3-5;4:8,19.)Thus no fat should have ever been
left unburned overnight. Compare Lev. 19:6.
Israel’s burnt-offerings (animal sacrifices) were to be
accompanied by a grain (or meal) offering, which was
sometimes presented in the form of baked bread (Lev. 2:4-5;
Num. 151-9).These meal-offerings were NOT to be made
with leaven (Lev. 2:ll; 6:17). This would be doubly en-
forced during the week of the feast of unleavened bread,
when no leaven at all was to be seen in their property (Deut.
16:4; Ex. 13:6-11;12:15-20).Leaven is a symbol of evil
influence and sin (I Cor. 5:7-8).
During the feast of unleavened bread no flesh sacrificed
at evening was to remain all night until the morning: eat
it or burn it. See Deut. 16:4. At the original passover,
nothing was left till the morning. See Ex. 12:lO. This custom
of not leaving sacrifices unconsumed overnight seems to have
applied to all Israel’s sacrifices. The practice Impressed
Israel with the seriousness and the unique function of
sacrifices. They were not to be treated as leftover garbage.
Regarding the offering of first fruits (23:19a),see 22:29-30
and Deut. 26:2-11.
14. How were kids NOT to be cookedfor eating? (23:19)
~

They were not to be boiled in the milk of their mother.

This law is now generally understood to make allusion
to a Canaanite religious practice, in which a kid was boiled
in its mother’s milk. This practice was included in the

515
23:1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

rituals at Ugarit, when such a dish was prepared at festal

ceremonies pertaining to the fertility of the soil. In the
Ugaritic tablet on “The gods pleasant and beautiful,” it
is written, “Boil a kid in milk, a lamb in butter.”8 The
practice of boiling small cattle in milk has been continued
among Bedouin to this time. God did not want His people’s
practice even to resemble those of the heathen.
Partly on the basis of 23:19b Jews do not prepare or serve
meat dishes and milk dishes at the same meal. Orthodox Jews
even keep separate kitchens for preparation of milk and meat
dishes. The connection between this custom and Ex. 23:19
seems rather remote, although the Kosher diet laws of the
Jews would certainly eliminate any possibility of cooking a kid
in its mother’s milk. J. H. a Jewish commentator, says
that the practice of not eating milk and meat together was
doubtless observed long before the age of the rabbis (about
400 B.C.-A.D. SOO), and in connecting the practice with this
text, they merely sought a support in the Torah for the very
ancient Jewish practice. That is a fair and accurate statement.
The Jewish diet laws are not directly derived from this verse,
although it is an indirect support for their practice.
3 Christians are not obligated by the diet laws of the O.T.,
talthough they may find some helpful guidance in them.
See Mark 7:19; I Cor. 8:8; I Tim. 4:3; Rom. 14:13-17.
15. Who was sent with Israel to keep them in their journey?
(23~20-21)
n angel was sent. Ex. 20:23 reads literally, “behold,
I (the I is emphatic) am sending an angel before thy face
to guard you in the way and to bring you unto the place
which I have prepared.” Compare Ex. 14:19; 3:2; Acts 7:38.
This angel was a personality. Israel was to hearken unto
his voice. He could pardon transgressions and God’s name
was in him, literally, “in the midst of him,” in the inward
part of his being and body.

‘Cassuto, op. cit., p. 305.

’Op. cit.. p. 318.

516
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 23:l-33
“My name is in him” means “My (God’s) presence is
in him,” In Biblical usage, name often refers to one’s entire
being, nature, and authority. See Ps. 8 : l ; 20:l; Acts 8:12.
We believe that this angel was none other than that
divine person called the Word (John l : l ) , who later came
to earth as Jesus Christ. The word angel means a messenger,
Jesus has certainly always been God’s communicator (John
1:18). Malachi 3:1 prophesied the coming of the “messenger
(or angel) of the covenant whom ye desire.” Certainly no
one since Malachi’s time has claimed to be eternal with
God and to have power to forgive sins and to know all
truth, other than Jesus. He backed up these claims with
miracles done in the presence of many witnesses.
Isa. 63:9: “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and
the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his
pity, he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried
I them all the days of old.”
Numerous 0.T. prophecies foretold the coming of God’s
Messiah, who would bear God’s name. “Unto us a son
..
is given; , and his name shall be called. ..Mighty God,
. .”
, (Isa. 9:6). Jer. 23:6 spoke of the coming “branch”
I . .
from David, that “his name , shall be called Jehovah
l our righteousness.” We believe that these prophecies refer
I
to Jesus. They help us to understand what God meant when
he said of the “angel,” “My name is in him.”
Israel was to take care that they did not provoke the angel
I
I
of God. “Provoke” means “to make bitter.” (The verb is
related to Maruh, bitter.) Sadly, we learn from Ps. 78:40,
“How often did they provoke him in the wilderness.”
Not surprisingly, “liberal” and Jewish commentators
I strongly deny that the “angel” could be the Word (Jesus).
I
But they disagree among themselves as to who or what
the angel is. Some seek to identify the “angel” with the
ark of the covenant that went before the tribes.*O (This is

I
10BroadmanBible Commenta?y, I, (1968), p. 428.

I
517
23:1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

impossible. The angel was personal and the ark very im-
personal.) Hertz maintains that the angel is Moses himselfl
(How could Moses himself go “before thee,” when God was
talking to Moses? Furthermore, Moses did not bring Israel
into the land, as the angel was to do. See 23:23.) Cassuto’’
argues that the “angel” is not distinct from God himself
and simply is a term for God’s own actions, (It surely seems
unlikely that God would say “My name is in him, if He
only meant “My name is in myself.”) Some feel that the
pillar of cloud was the angel. See Ex. 14:19. (How could
the pillar of cloud “pardon your transgressions”?) The
“angel” manifested his presence in the cloud, but was
distinct from the cloud. These views show how far men
will go in their determined refusal to confess the Lord Jesus.
16. What would the angel do for Israel if they were obedient?
(23:22-23)
He would bring them unto the Canaanite nations, and
there God would “cut them off’ (destroy them). This act
of cutting them off would be done gradually. See 23:29.
Observe in 23:22-23 how very closely linked are God
and the “angel.” “If thou shalt indeed hearken unto his
‘ voice, and do all that I speak; , . . .”This is exactly the rela-
tionship of Jesus and the Father. John 10:30: “I and the
Father are one.” John 8:28-29: “I (Jesus) do nothing of my-
self, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things . .. for
I do always the things that are pleasing to him.”
Concerning the Canaanite tribes, see notes on Ex. 3:8, 17.
To “cut them off’ (R.S.V., “blot them out”) meant to
hide or conceal, cut off, efface, destroy. The Canaanites
were finally indeed utterly effaced from the earth, al-
though it took Israel a long time.
For God to be “an enemy unto your enemies” is a ful-
fillment of God’s promise to Abraham in Gen. 12:3.
Ps. 139:21-22 indicates that God’s enemies become enemies

“Op. tit., pp. 305-306.

518
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 23:l-33,
of God’s people. Even the New Testament speaks about
those that are “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 1:18),
Some interpreters feel that the idea of God’s being an
“enemy” to Israel’s enemies is theological propaganda
justifying Israel’s conquest of the land, and differs from the
view expressed elsewhere in the O.T. that God is the God
of all nations. This idea fails to consider the depravity of
the Canaanites. It also injects the implications that the
Bible teaches contradictory points of view. We feel that
further study will always show that the Bible is completely
harmonious.
17. What was Israel toi do with Canaanite religious objects?
(23:24)
They were not to bow down to them or serve them, but
were to destroy them utterly. Compare Ex. 2 0 5 ; 34:13;
Deut. 7:s; Num. 3352; Ex. 23:32-33. The Hebrew text
emphasizes the utter destruction of these things. “Thou
shalt utterly destroy them, and you shall utterly break in
pieces their pillars.”
They were particularly to break in pieces their pillars.
These were upright standing stones, sometimes as much
as ten feet tall. Such pillars have been found in excavations
at Gezer and Tanaach. See Deut. 12:3.
The “works” of the Canaanites included burning their
sons and daughters in fire to their gods. See Deut. 12:30-31.
Israelites were not even to “inquire” about their gods.
Compare Deut. 6:14.
18. What would God bless if Israel served Him? (23:25-26)
He would bless their bread, their water, and their health.
Their “bread” would be their grain harvest, from which
bread was made. See Deut. 285. The “water” would be
the needed rainfall. See Deut. 28:12.
Malachi 3:ll: “I will rebuke the devourer (such as
locusts) for your sakes .. ., neither shall your vine cast
its fruit before the time in the field.” Compare Amos 4:9.
The promise to protect the Israelites from sickness is
repeated several times in the scripture. See Ex. 1526.

519
23~1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

Deut. 7:lS: “Jehovah will take away from thee all sickness.”
It is painful to compare this promise with Israel’s later
afflictions sent upon them because of their unfaithfulness.
See Amos 4:lO; Isa. 15-6. (In this passage the sickness
spoken of seems to be a collective national sickness of soul.)
God further promised that there would not be a woman
miscarrying in the land, or a barren woman. Deut. 7:14
enlarges this promise to declare that “there shall not be a
male or female barren among you or among your cattle.”
Compare Deut. 28:4.
Another promise yet more! “The number of thy days I
will fulfill.” Their people would not die young, before they
had fulfilled their potential in life. Compare Ex. 20:12:
“That thy days may be long in the land.” It would be true
of Israelites generally as it was of Abraham; “Abraham
gave up the ghost and died ... an old man, andfill. . .”
(Gen. 258). So also David: “David was old and f i l l of
days” (I Chron. 23:l).
As Christians we do not claim all of ,these material
physical promises in the law. But we do live under a cov-
enant with “better promises” (Heb. 8:6).
19. How would God prepare things so as to help Israel conquer
Canaan? (23:27-28)
God would send his terror before Israel and would dis-
comfit (that is, bring into confusion, or disturb) all the
people in Canaan to whom Israel would come; and God
would cause Israel’s enemies to turn their back (literally
“neck”) unto Israel, that is, to turn and flee.
God spread this terror ahead of Israel by causing reports
and rumors about Israel’s invincible power to be circulated
widely. See Josh. 2:9, 11; Deut. 2:25; Ex. 1514-16; Num.
22:2-3; I Sam.4:6-8.
God further promised to “send the hornet” before Israel,
which would drive out the Canaanite nations. Compare
Deut. 7:20. The closeness of verses 27 and 28 suggests that
“hornet” and “terror” refer to the same thing, the psycho-
logical and social weakening of the people’s courage and

520
 GOD’S C O V E N A N T O R D I N A N C E S 23:l-33

ability to resist. The word hornet as here used seems to have

a figurative and indefinite meaning, and could refer to
anything which helped Israel to be victorious in its conquest
- psychological terror, storms (Josh. lO:ll), or such. The
word hornet is singular (not like KJV and RSV “hornets”),
but it is probably used in a collective sense for all the means
used by God to “soften up” the Canaanites for Israel’s con-
quest. Josh. 24:12 indicates that God surely did send the
hornet before Israel, as He had promised.
The archaeologist John Garstang, l 2 who excavated at
Jericho in the 1930’s, suggested that since the “hornet” (or
wasp) was the sacred symbol of some of the Pharaohs of
Egypt, that the “hornet” may have referred to the Egyptian
armies that fought victoriously in Canaan against the
Hyksos and other peoples about eighty years before Israel
conquered the land. These Egyptian conquerors supposedly
weakened Canaan’s ability to resist Israel. We consider this
theory very improbable. God did not say “I have sent the
hornet before you,” but “I will send” (future).
Furthermore, God never indicated that the Canaanites
would be weak (or weakened) adversaries. They are de-
scribed as being “greater and mightier than yourselves.”
(Deut. 11:23; 4:38).
20. Would God drive out the Canaanites quickly? (23:29-30)
No. Israel would need considerable time to occupy the
land. And if the land were left without people, it would
soon become desolate and run-down. Israel would occupy
the houses, cities, fields, and vineyards of the former in-
habitants (Deut. 6:lO-11). These things would soon be in
disrepair if left unoccupied.
The danger that wild beasts (lions, bears, wild dogs, etc.)
would multiply and become a peril in the land if people
were not occupying it was a very real menace. (I1 Kings
17:24-26;Lev. 26:22).

llJoshua-Judges: The Foundations of Bible History (New York: Richard R. Smith,

Inc., 1931), p. 259.

52 1
23:1-33 EXPLORING EXODUS

Israel’s conquests of Canaan required six or seven years.

See Josh. 14:7, 10; Num. 14:33. Jehovah cast out those
nations before Israel little by little. Deut. 7:22.
Further reasons for the slowness in conquering the land
were (1) that Israel transgressed God’s covenant, and He
wanted to test Israel whether they would walk in His ways
or not (Judges 2:20-23; 3:4); and (2) to teach them war,
that is, how to fight (Judges 3 2 ) .
Even after Israel had conquered much of the land,
various tribes were slow in occupying it. See Josh. 18:l-3.
They lacked the aggressive faith to take qver the land.
Skeptical‘critics think that the promise to drive the
Canaanites out little by little indirectly suggests that the
number of incoming Israelites was actually considerably
smaller than the two and a half million people “often pre-
supposed” on the basis of 600,000 fighting men.I3 This
view is not a presupposition, but merely an acceptance of
the statistics given in the scripture (Ex. 12:37). The people
who operate on presuppositions are those who feel that the
record just could not be true as it stands and therefore
it isn’t.
21. WhaV were to be the borders of Israel’s land? (23:31)
From the Red Sea (probably from the tip of the Gulf of
Akabah at Elath) to the sea of the Philistines (the Med-
iterranean); and from the wilderness (probably the Sinai
wilderness of Shur) unto the river (the Euphrates). ’
The boundaries of Israel’s promised land are given several
places in the scriptures. See Deut. 11:24 (“from the river
[Euphrates] even unto the hinder sea” [the Dead Sea]); Gen.
1518 (“from the river of Egypt [probably the Wady el
Arish in the northern Sinai peninsula] unto the ... river
Euphrates”); I Kings 4:21 (“from the River [Euphrates]
unto the land of the Philistines”). This passage in I Kings
tells of the extent of the land in the days of king Solomon.
It reached nearly to that extent in the time of Jeroboam I1

13BroadmanBible Commentary, I, (19691,p. 429.

522
 GOD’S COVENANT ORDINANCES 23:l-33
of Israel (I1 Kings 14:25) and Uzziah of Judah (I1 Chron.
26~1-2,
6).
The reference to the “Red Sea” in 23:31 is literally to the
“Sea of Reeds.” This is the same body of water known as
the Red Sea. See notes on Ex,13:18.
Observe that while God would deliver the inhabitants of
the land into Israel’s hand, that Israel had to “drive them
out.” Human effort must work with the divine assistance.
22. What sort of covenant was Israel to make with the Canaan-
ites?
NO covenant was to be made with them or with their
gods! The Hebrew says that no covenant was to be made
“TO” them, rather than “with” them. Israel was to enter
the land as a conqueror, who might condescend to make a
covenant of amnesty to the conquered people. But they
were not even to do this. Much less were they to deal with
the people as equals, with whom a covenant might be made.
Compare Ex.34:12-16;Deut. 7:2-3.
Israel was permitted to make peace covenants with cities
far off from their land. See Deut. 7:l-2;2O:lO-15.
The Canaanites and their gods would cause Israel to
sin against God and would surely be a snare (trap) unto
Israel. The word snare (like stumbling-block in the New
Testament) expresses the idea of being trapped into destruc-
tion, rather than simply into sin (as bad as that is!). The
warning is very severe and stern.
Israel did fall into this snare! Psalm 106:36-37:“And
(they) served their (the Canaanites’) idols, which became a
snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their
daughters unto demons, and shed innocent blood.”
Ex. 23:33 marks the end of the “book of the covenant.”
This section has included chs. 21-23,and perhaps part of
chapter twenty. It told the terms upon which God would
enter into covenant with Israel. The next chapter moves on
to the actual ratification of this covenant. In view of the
exclusive nature of the relationship between God and Israel,
it is appropriate that the covenant book should end with

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24: 1-18 EXPLORING E X O D U S

commands forbidding Israel to make any covenant with

any other gods or men.I4

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And he said unto Mo-ses, Come up unto Je-ho-vah, thou,
24 and Aar-on, Na-dab, and A-bi-hu, and seventy of the
elders of Is-ra-el; and worship ye afar off: (2) and Mo-ses alone
shall come near unto Je-ho-vab; but they shall not come near;
neither shall the people go with him. (3) And Mo-ses came and
told the people all the words of Je-ho-vah, and all the ordi-
nances: and aU the people answered with one voice, and said,
All the words which Je-ho-vah hath spoken will we do. (4) And
Mo-ses wrote all the words of Je-ho-vah, and rose up early in
the morning, and builded an altar under the mount, and twelve
pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Is-ra-el. (5) And he
sent young men of the children of Is-ra-el, who offered burnt-
offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto Je-ho-vah.
(6) And Mo-ses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and
half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. (7)And he took the
book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people:
and they said, All that Je-ho-vah hath spoken wlll we do, and
be obedient, (8)And Mo-ses took the blood, and sprinkled it on
the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which
Je-ho-vah hath made with you concerning all these words.
( 9 ) Then went up Mo-ses, and Aar-on, Na-dab, and A-bi-hu,
and seventy of the elders of Is-ra-el: (10) and they saw the God
of Is-ra-el; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work
of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven for clearness.
(11)And upon the nobles of the children of Is-ra-el he laid not

“Cole, o p c i t . , p. 184.

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 RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT 24: 1-18

his hand: and they beheld God, and did eat and drink.
(12)And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Come up to me into the
mount, and be there: and I will give thee the tables of stone,
and the law and the commandment, which I have written,
that thou mayest teach them, (13) And Mo-sea rose up, and
Josh-u-a his minister: and Mo-ses went up into the mount of
God. (14) And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us,
until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aar-on and Hur
are with you; whosoever hath a cause, let him come near unto
them. (15) And Mo-ses went up into the mount, and the cloud
covered the mount. (16)And the glory of Je-ho-vah abode upon
mount Si-nai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh
day he called unto Mo-ses out of the midst of the cloud. (17)
And the appearance of the glory of Je-ho-vah was Iike devouring
fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Is-ra-
el. (18) And Mo-ses entered into the midst of the cIoud, and
went up into the mountr and Mo-ses was in the mount forty
days and forty nights.

EXPLORING EXODUS:
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE
FROM THE BIBLE

1. Who was to come up with Moses into the mount? (24:1,9)

2. Who alone was to come near the Lord? (24:2)
3. What words did Moses tell the people? (24:3)
4. What did the people promise to do? (24:3)
5. What did Moses write down?\,(24:4)
6. What did Moses build? (24:4)
7. Who offered sacrifices unto the Lord? Of what types? (24:5)
8, How did Moses divide the blood? (24:6)
9. What did Moses sprinkle the blood upon? (24:6, 8; Heb.
9:19)
10. What did Moses read publicly? (24:7)
11. By what title did Moses refer to the blood? (24:8; Compare

525
24~1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

Luke 22:20)
12. What did Moses and the others see in the mount? (24:10,
11)
13. What was under God's feet? (24:lO; Ezek. 1:22, 26; Rev.
4:6)
14. What fs meant by "upon the nobles .. .
hand"? (24:ll)
15. What did the nobles eat and drink? (24:11, 5). Where did
they eat and drink?
16. What did God promise to give to Moses (24:12)
17. Who went with Moses up into the mount? (24:13)
18. What was Moses to do with the tables of stone? (24:12)
19. What was Joshua's position, of office? (24:13)
20. Where did the elders wait? (24:14)
21. Who were appointed to settle legal disputes? (24:14)
22. What was the appearance of the mount as Moses entered
it? (24:15)
23. How long did Moses wait before God called him? (24:16)
24. From where did God call Moses? (24:16)
25. What did the glory of the Lord look like? (24:17)
26. How long was Moses upon the mount? (24:18)
27. What did Moses eat during this stay on the mount? (Deut.
9:9)

EXODUS
TWENTY-FOUR:
RATIFICATION
OF THE COVENANT

1. The call to ascend the mount; 24:l-2.

2. The blood ratification; 24:3-8.
3. The fellowship with God; 24:9-11.
4. The ascent of Moses into the mount; 24:12-18.

526
 RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT 24:1-18

WORSHIPAFAROFFI (24:l)
1. Afar off because of past unbelief.
2, Afar off because of past disobedience,
3, Afar off because sacrifices had not yet been offered.
(This separation was removed when sacrifices were made!
24:5-6, 8-10.)

EXODUS
TWENTY-FOUR:
MOUNTOF TRANSFIGURATION^
THEOLDTESTAMENT
1. An ascent into the mount; Ex. 24:1,9; Matt. 17:l.
2. An emphasis on sacrifice; Ex.24:s; Luke 9:31.
3. A vision of God and glory; Ex. 24:lO; Luke 9:29.
4. A covering cloud; Ex.24:15-16;Luke 9:34.
-
5. Moses only Jesus only; Ex. 24:18; Luke 9:34.

(Ex.24:3-8)
THECOVENANT!
1, The covenant was divinely revealed; 24:3.
2. The covenant was willingly accepted; 24:3,
3. The covenant was permanently written; 24:4.
4. The covenant was impressively presented; 24:4-5.
5. The covenant was ratified with blood; 245.6, 8.

How MENMAKECOVENANT
WITHGOD(24:3-8)
1. By hearing God’s words; 24:3.

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24~1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

2. By commitment to obey; 24:3.

3. By writing God’s words; 24:4.
4. By sacrifices unto God; 24:4-5.
5. By sprinkling the blood God-ward; 24:6.
6. By promises to obey; 24:7.
7. By sprinkling the blood man-ward; 24:8.

WITHGOD!(Ex. 24:3-11)
FELLOWSHIP
I. How fellowship with God was obtained (24:3-8)
1. By accepting God’s words; 24:3, 7.
2: By offering sacrifices; 245.
3. By sprinkling the blood; 245-6, 8.
a. Toward God; 2 4 5 6 .
b. Toward the people; 24:8.
II. Blessings of fellowship with God (24:9-11)
1. Access to God; 24:9.
2. A view of God; 24:lO.
3. Security with God; 24:ll.
4. Nourishment in God’s presence; 24:ll

(Ex. 24:3-11)
MOSESAND CHRIST:COVENANT-MAKERS!
1. Both declared God’s words.
Moses (Ex.24:3); Christ (John 3:16; 8:26)
2. Both offered sacrifices.
Moses (Ex.244-5); Christ (Eph. 5 2 ; Heb. 9:13)
3. Both sprinkled the blood.
Moses (Ex.24:6, 8); Christ (Heb. 1294; I Pet. 1:2)
4. Both brought men unto God,

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 RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT 24:1-18

Moses (Ex. 24:9); Christ (Eph. 2:18; I1 Cor. 3:18)

GOD’S (Ex. 24:12-18)

MEDIATOR
1. Called up alone unto God; 24:12-14.
2. Entered divine surroundings; 24:15-16, 17.
3. Heard God’s call; 24:16.
4. Continued long with God; 24:18.
(Both Moses and Jesus shared these experiences.)

EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

EXODUS:
1. What is in Exodus twenty-four?
I Exodus twenty-four i s one of the most sublime and
glorious chapters in the Old Testament. We agree with
I Arthur Pink that there is no subsequent passage in the Old
I
Testament approaching a parallel to the glories revealed in
this chapter. Not until we come to the New Testament
I
account of God tabernacling among men through the
I presence of His son do we have anything equal to Exodus
twenty-four (John 1:14). This chapter has been designated
~

the Old Testament Mount of Transfiguration! It is the

I climactic point of the history in Exodus.
I
In Exodus twenty-four we have the call to Israel’s rep-
I resentatives to come up to Jehovah (24: 1-2). This indicates
the achievement of direct fellowship with God.
The chapter continues by telling of Moses’ reading the
book of the covenant to the people, and the people’s accept-
ance of it, and the ratifying of it by the sprinkling of blood
I
(24:3-8). Thus Exodus twenty-four tells the fulfillment of
the promise God made in 195-6 to take Israel as His special
\-

529
24~1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

people, a holy nation.

The chapter records the actual meeting with God by
Israel’s leaders. They saw God and ate and drank with Him
in security. (24:9-11)
The chapter concludes with the call to Moses to come up
into the mount again to receive the written law and the
commandments. Moses ascended and was there forty days.
(24:12-18)
This chapter has been a particular target of unbelieving
critics, who have tried to dissect it and and attribute various
parts of it to different authors living centuries apart. It
seems that those chapters in which believers perceive the
deepest spiritual significance and meaning are often the
very ones the critics concentrate their attacks upon. (Such
chapters include I1 Samuel 7, Isaiah 53, Zechariah 6,
Genesis 1-2.) We should not be surprised at this, because
the Bible says that the god of this world (the devil) has
blinded the minds of the unbelieving. (I1Cor. 4:3-4)
2. Who was called to come up into the mount? (24:l-2)
Moses, Aaron, Aaron’s two sons (Nadab and Abihu), and
seventy men from the elders of Israel were summoned to
come up and worship “afar off.” Only Moses was to come
near to Jehovah. The people were not to go up with him.
It appears that Moses had come down from the mountain
after hearing the words in chapters twenty-one to twenty-
three. Note 20:21. Either Moses was already down at the
start of chapter twenty-four, or he was in the process of
scent.when God spoke the words of 24:l.
Twice in this chapter Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron,
are named (24:1,9). They shared the rare honor of seeing
God (24:9-10).They are referred to elsewhere in Num. 3:4;
Lev. 1O:l-2; Ex. 6:23. They are remembered chieflybecause
they died by fire from the Lord, sent upon them when they
“offered strange fire.” The repeated mention of them in
Exodus twenty-four speaks of lost opportunities, of high
privileges thrown away. Neither the dignity and righteous-
ness of parents, nor our own special privileges from God

530
 RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT 24:1-18

will save us, if we do not respond to God with a lowly,

believing, obedient spirit.
The seventy elders seem to have been the accepted repre-
sentatives of the entire nation. (Ex. 24:14; Compare Num.
11:16; Ex. 18:12; 3:16; 12:21; 17:s.) Though some dis-
regard the number seventy as a “loose traditional number,”
we accept it as precisely correct,
The fact that Israel’s representatives had to worship
“afar off’ shows that men cannot approach God on the
basis of their own works and personal righteousness. I Even
at our best we need a mediator.
The fact that Moses alone could come near to Jehovah
indicates again his unique position as mediator and as a
type of Christ, our mediator, who draws near unto the
presence of God for us (Heb. 9:24). i

The shifting of wording from second person (“thou”) in-

24:l to third person (“him”) in 24:2 surprises us a bit. We
feel that Cassuto2 is correct in suggesting that verse two
was worded in third person because those who accompanied
Moses were also enjoined to let Moses go up by himself. An
abrupt change from second to third person occurs some-
times in Hebrew literature. See Ex. 23:25 and 20:5, 6, 7 for
other examples.
Many critics of the Bible attribute 24:l-2, 9-11 to one
author (Driver says J; Noth says E), and 24:3-8, 12-14 to
some other source. Martin Noth says, “In 24:l-11 two dif-
ferent literary strata may easily be di~tinguished.”~ These
critics do not agree among themselves as to the exact break-
off point after verse fourteen. (Driver sets it after 14;
Oesterly and Robinson after 15; Noth after 15a.) Noth feels

‘J. H. Hertz, The Pentateuch and Hafiorahs, p. 322, quotes the Jewish authority
Nachmanides: “They [the seventy elders] remained uninjured, because they were won@
to see the vision.” This opinion surely conflicts with the scriptural view that “There is
none that doeth good, no not one“ (Pslam 14:3).Men are accepted by God solely be-
cause of God’sgraciousness and not because of their worthiness.
’Op. cit., p. 310.
’Op. cit., p. 194.

53 1
 24:1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

that even 24:l-2 shows it has been worked over. The lack of
agreement among those holding such views reveals the lack
of real evidence to confirm them. The fact that these theories
conflict so sharply with the scriptures’ own statements of
authorship reveals the presupposition of the critics that the
Bible is not trustworthy.
3. What did Moses tell to the people? (24:3)4
He told them all the “words of Jehovah and all the
ordinances.” The people responded to Moses’ words by
unanimously declaring that they would do all the words
which Jehovah had spoken.
We suppose that the “words” and “ordinances” which
Moses told the people were all the words that he had heard
from God after he left the people. See 20:21. This would
include everything in 2022-2323. It seems unlikely to us
that Moses repeated the words of the ten commandments,
since all the Israelites had heard these for themselves from
God’s own voice. See Deut. 4:33, 36.
After hearing Moses, ALL the people answered with ONE
voice, saying, “ALL which Jehovah has spoken we will do.”
(Compare Israel’s earlier promises to obey in Ex. 19:8;
20:19; Deut. 527.) Their prompt and unanimous response
makes us forget for a moment how short was the time they
remained faithful. In less than forty days they made the
golden calf (Ex. 32).
4. What last-minute preparations did Moses make for the
ratij2ation of the covenant? (24:4-5)
(1) He wrote the words of Jehovah.
(2) He built one altar and set up twelve stone pillars.
(3) He sent young men to offer burnt-offerings and peace-
offerings.

‘Martin Noth, op. cit., p. 198, considers 24:3-8 an independent fragment attached
to the “originally independent” book of the covenant (chapters 21-23), to connect that
book with the covenant made at Sinai. He feels that chapter 34 is the I version of the
making of the Sinai covenant, and that the story of the covenant making in chapter 24
was not originally by the same author as the one who wrote chapter 34. We feel that
the story as given in Exodus is too harmonious with itself to permit us to accept such
extreme ideas about its production.

532
 RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT 24~1-18

The words which Moses had told the people orally (24:3),
he then wrote upon papyrus or parchment. Surely both
Moses’ act of oral recitation and his written record of God’s
words required inspiration from God. Probably no one
could have recalled all those details unless God aided him
in recalling all that God had said. Compare John 14:26.
Numerous passages affirm that Moses wrote a great
amount of material. See Deut. 31:9, 19, 24; Num. 33:2;
Ex. 17:14. Certainly we believe these statements.
Regarding “under the mount” (or, “at the foot of the
mountain”), see Ex. 19:17.
Moses’ altar was made of earth or of uncut stones. See
20:25, The altar appears to have symbolized the Lord’s
presence among the Israelites. See Ex. 20:24.
The twelve pillars (presumably made of stone) symbol-
ized the tribes of Israel. The act of setting up stones as
memorials or symbols when a covenant was made is men-
tioned in other places in scripture. See Gen. 31:45; Joshua
24:25-26.
We appreciate the thought of R, Alan Cole,s that while
the pillars represented Israel, the fact that this was only
symbolism and not superstition is shown by the fact that
in the blood ceremony, the blood was dashed over the peo-
ple themselves (24:8), and not over the pillars that repre-
sented them.
We think that the “young men” who were sent to offer
sacrifices were the firstborn sons. Ex. 13:2: “Sanctify unto
me all the firstborn.” This is the view expressed in the
Jewish Talmud and the Targum of Onkelos. Keil and
Delitzsch‘ deny that these young men were the firstborn
sons, or some pre-Levitical priests. Positive proof of their
identity is indeed not given, bpt we still think they were the
firstborn.
Burnt-offerings and peace-offerings were Israel’s most

cit., p. 184.
6 0 p . cit., 11, p9157.

533
24:1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

ancient types of offerings. See 20:24. God later revealed His

will on more involved types of offerings, like sin-, trespdss-,
and meal-offering v. A-7). Burnt-offerings indicated
man’s guilt and God’s condemnation of this guilt. Peace-
. offerings indicated the state of harmony brought about by
the offering of burnt-offerings. Only the peace-offerings I

were partly eaten by the offerer (Lev. 7:15-16)‘ It seems

probable that the food eaten in 24:ll was from the peace-
offerings.
There is a special emphasis on.the fact that the sacrifices
of 24:s were unto the LORD. See 22:20.
5 . What did Moses do with the blood of the oflerings? (24:6, 8)
He put half the blood in basins, and he sprinkled this
part of the blood on the altar he had built (24:4). The
sprinkling of the blood on the altar indicated the tblood was
sprinkled God-ward (toward God) to satisfy the require-
ments of divine justice. Similarly, Christ’s blood was
presented in heaven on our behalf (Heb. 9:ll-12, 24-25).
After sprinkling blood on the altar (an act of reaching
out for God’s accepiiance), Moses read to the people the
entire book of the covenant which he had written. After
reading, Moses sprinkled the blood upon the people (or in
the direction of the people). He also sprinkled’ the book
itself. Seemingly, Moses used the remaining half of the
blood for these acts. The blood was sprinkled man-ward,
as well as God-ward. The blood was to change the lives of
the people.
Hebrews 8: 18-20: “Wherefore, even the first covenant
hath not been dedicated without blood. For when every
commandment had been spoken by Moses unto all the
people according to the law, he took the blood of the calves
and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop,
and sprinkled both the BOOK itself and all the PEOPLE,
saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God

’The verb zuruq, translated sprinkle in 248, means to scatter, to sprinkle, to swing,
to shake, to pour out a vessel.

534
 RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT 24~1-18

commanded to you-ward.”
Christ used similar words at the last supper: “This cup is
the new covenant in my blood, even that which is poured
out for you.” (Luke 22:20)
God’s covenants are solemn, sealed with blood! Blood
speaks of sin, and of death, and of life.
6. Why was blood used in ratifying the covenant? (24:8)
No theological explanation is given in Exodus, but several
reasons are suggested in other passages.
(1) The blood was a means of enactment. Heb. 9:lS-17
tells us that for a will (or testament, or covenant) to be in
force, a death must have occurred. The offering of blood is
possible only when a death has occurred. Thus, the blood
functioned as a means of ENACTMENT of the covenant.
“Wherefore, not even the first covenant (that given by
Moses) was dedicated without blood.” (Heb. 9:18)
(2) Furthermore, blood has always been connected with
the forgiveness of sins. See Lev. 17:ll; Heb. 9:15, 22. The
passage in Hebrews quite definitely links remission (release)
of sins with the offering of blood, w d specifically mentions
Moses’ sprinkling the blood at the making of the covenant
as one of the applications of blood offered for remission of
sins. Without the shedding of blood, Israel could not have
been accepted as a people.
(3) Also blood served as a visual warning to the people
that they must keep the terms of the covenant or face death.
Blood-covenants showed the deadly seriousness of the com-
mitments being made. See Gen. 159-10, 17; Jer. 34:18-20.
(4) The blood functioned also as a means of bringing
unity between God and Israel. There was blood sprinkled
upon both the altar (symbolizing God) and the people.
Thus the two contracting parties were by this means united
by a solemn bond. The blood was for the people a trans-
I position into the kingdom of God, a fulfillment of Ex.
19:s-6.
7. What promise did the people make when they heard the law
I read? (24:7)

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24~1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

They promised to obey all that Jehavah had spoken.

God’s covenants must be accepted voluntarily by His peo-
ple. Regrettably, Israel did not keep to its promise.
Note that Moses twice declared the law to Israel, once
extemporaneously and once by reading from the written
word. Public reading of a book of covenant was a frequent
practice in Bible times. It was done by Joshua and King
Josiah, among others. (Joshua 24:1ff, I1 Kings 23:2, 21.)
If it be objected that Moses could not possibly have
spoken so as have been heard by 600,000 men plus women
and children, we can only reply that perhaps this was done
by speaking to certain individuals who were representatives
of all the people or tribes, Probably the same thing occurred
in the sprinkling of the blood upon the people. Furthermore,
we can not dismiss the possibility that God miraculously
amplified Moses’ voice so that all could hear it.
Israel’s promise to obey in 24:7 was their third open
promise to obey. See Ex.19:8; 24:3. Compare 23:22.
We must remind ourselves at this point that the law of
Moses was never given as a means for justifying men from
sin: See Gal. 3:21. It only pointed out sins, with the goal of
.curbing the practice of sin. (Gal, 3:19; I Tim. 1:9-10; Rom.
3:20.) The law was (and is) an essential guide to those who
would live Godly. But the attainment of righteousness in
God’s sight has always been possible only because God
graciously accepts those who believe and seek Him through
the sacrificial system He has provided, namely through
the death of Jesus Christ. (Gal. 38-9, 22.)
8. What marvelous demonstration of fellowship followed the
making of the covenant? (24:9-11)
Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders
went up upon the mount and actually saw the God of Is-
rael!* They met in harmony, and beheld God, and ate and

BTheGreek LXX reads “They saw the place where the God of Israel stood.” This
appears to be a deliberate alteration of the text to avoid the possibility of describing
God as having human or tangible form.

536
 RATIFICATION O F THE COVENANT 24~1-18
drank1 However, even at this time it appears that Moses
came much closer to God than the others. See 24:2.
Only a few days before it would have been DEATH for
any Israelite to have broken through the fence-barrier
and gazed at God (19:21, 24). Now after the blood has
been sprinkled and the covenant accepted, they eat and
drink with God in peace. Though the people had been
rebels against God’s holy nature and laws, He as the God
of all grace meets with their representatives in gracious
fellowship.
Moses had previously been commanded to ascend into
the mount with the people’s representatives (24:l). But
they did not ascend till the blood was sprinkled and the
covenant was ratified. This point cannot be stressed too
strongly1 Ponder the power of the blood to bring men into
God’s presence (Rev. 7:14-15). When we consider the rebel-
liousness and disobedience of Israel up to this point, and
consider that God foresaw their soon-forthcoming dis-
obedience, we are awed at the graciousness of God. We
should also be awed that through the blood of Christ we
have an access to the Father (Eph. 2:18).
Meditate on the marvel of seeing God19 How unusual
this is1 Exodus 33:20: “Thou canst not see my face; for
man shall not see me and live.” John 1:18: “No man hath
seen God at any time.” Compare I John 4:12. God dwells
in light unapproachable, whom no man hath seen, nor can
see (I Tim. 6:16). When Isaiah saw the Lord, he felt that he
was “undone” (or destroyed), “for mine eyes have seen the
king. . , .” (ha. 6:3) It was generally recognized among the
Israelites that man could not see God and live. See Judges
6:22; 13:22. Ex. 24:ll itself hints that there was something
very out of the ordinary in the fact that God did not lay His
hand upon (or harm) the nobles.

PMosesand the others with him on ’the mount saw elohim, or God. The name Yah-
nfeh is not used here. Neither is it used in other accounts that tell of men seeing God.
Compare Isa. 6 : l ; Judges 13:22.

537
24:1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

Never again for 1500 years did a body of men see God
again, not until they saw the Lord Jesus with “glory as of
the only-begotten of the father.” We think that the one
whom Moses and the elders saw was God the Word, he
who later came in the flesh as Jesus; and that they did not
actually behold God the Father. If this be true, then both
the statements that they saw God and that no man has
beheld God at any time can be true. Compare Isa. 6:l and
John 12:41. But we claim no knowledge of the divine vision
presented unto Moses other than the words of the scripture
text itself.
Critical scholars who seek to connect 24:l-2 directly to
24:9-11, and attribute 24:3-8 to another author, saying it
has been inserted into the story, miss a principal point of
Exodus 24: the point that the ratification of the covenant
in vss. 3-8 was followed by a glorious experience of fellow-
ship with God upon the mount.
The “then” at the start of 24:9 could be (literally) trans-
lated simply as “and,” although the “and” there does
indicate the consecutive sequence of events which we ex-
press by “then.”
9. What was the appearance of God like? (24:10)
The description of God’s appearance is so brief that no
image could possibly be made from the information given
here. See Deut. 4:15. What is described is only that which
lay “under his feet,” which was like a work (or production
of labor) made of brilliant, clear sapphire. The translation
“pavement” seems to be a bit too specific, but probably
represents the general idea correctly.
The area under God’s feet is said to have been like the
very essence (KJV, “body”) of heaven for (or in) purity.
The term translated “body” in KJV does indeed mean
bone, body, or frame; but it also has the meanings of
“essence, self, self-same, very.’” This seems to be its mean-
ing in 24:lO. This indicates that what Moses and the elders
saw had in every way the apearance of heaven itself. They
did not see some watered-down representation.

538
 RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT 24:1-18
The word “saw” in 24:lO (Heb., ra’ah) is a common
word for seeing with physical eyes. The word “saw” (or
“beheld”) in 24:ll (chazah) is the customary word for
seeing a vision. The use of both of these words leads us to
think that God had not actually transported His heavenly
throne apparatus to Mt. Sinai but that the nobles saw it
by a vision, but with a vision of such clarity that it was like
the very essence of heaven, like being there on the spot.
Cassuto’O says that the word translated “purity” is com-
monly used (in Ugaritic poetry) to signify the brightness of
the sapphire.
The “paved work” under God’s feet appears to be the
same as that which is referred to in the description of God’s
throne in Ezekiel 1:26: “Above the firmament .. . was the
likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone;
and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the
appearance of a man upon it.” Ezekiel alone refers to the
appearance of God as the appearance of a man. The
sapphire is a sky-blue semi-precious stone. See Ex. 28:18.
Rev. 4:6 says that before the throne of God was, as it were,
“a sea of glass, like unto crystal.” We suppose that this
“crystal” refers to the same “pavement” as that described
as sapphire in Exodus.
The liberal critic Noth tries to link the sapphire paved
work of Ex. 24:lO with painted or glazed pavements of
sapphire color, such as are known to have existed in ancient
Mesopotamia.” This, of course, renders the Exodus ac-
count a fictitious description, written by some author who
devised a description of heaven resembling a Mesopotamian
temple, and then alleged that the summit of Mt. Sinai was
in heaven and that the God of Israel was present there. We
are frequently astounded to see how far unbelievers will go
to avoid accepting scripture statements as simple truth.
10. What was the SigniJicance of eating and drinking before

loop. cit., p. 314.

JWp,cit., p. 195.

539
24:1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

God? (24:ll)
The exact significance of this act is not stated. We sup-
pose that it was mainly an act of fellowship with God,
celebrating the ratification of the covenant, It is noteworthy
that Jesus also instituted the new covenant with a meal, the
last supper. See Luke 22:19.
We suppose also that what they ate were portions of the
peace-offerings brought with them upon the mount.12 See
2 4 5 . The burnt-offerings would have been completely
burned, but not the peace-offerings (Lev. 1:9; 7:11, 14). The
peace-offerings were the only sacrifice of which the worship-
pers ate parti See notes on 20:24. The peaceful eating and
drinking in God’s presence indicates the harmony existing
I

at that moment between God and Israel. It may be even a

type of the blessedness of our presence with God in eternity,
and of the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 197-9; 21:3).
Was the eating in God’s presence part of the process of
ratifying God’s covenant with Israel? We feel that it was.
Jacob and Laban sealed the covenant between them by a
meal together (Gen. 31:46, 54). BUT - and this is important
-
it was NOT the complete process of ratifying the covenant.
Nor was it eveh the major part. That had taken place a day
(or more) before when Moses sprinkled the people and the
altar and the book with blood (24;6-8).The eating seems to
us to have been more a celebration of the previaus ratifica-
tion of the covenant than a substantial part in the act of
ratifying it.
We stress this, because the liberal critical view is that
Exodus twenty-four contains two accounts of ratifying the
covenant woven together. Supposedly the account in 24:1-2,
9-11 tells of ratifying the covenant by eating the meal with
God up on Mt. Sinai. Then ,243-8 gives another author’s
version of the covenant ratification by sprinkling blood at

**Keiland Delitzsch, op. cit., p. 315, feels that they ate and drank after they de-
scended and returned to camp. We certainly do not get that impression from the
Biblical text.

540
 RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT 24:1-18

the foot of the m o ~ n t a i n . It

’ ~is much better to understand
the sprinkling of the blood and the eating as being two acts
in the one story.
11, For what purpose was Moses called up into the mount?
(24:12)
He was called up to receive tablets of stone, and the law
(torah) and commandment, which God had written.
We assume that the call of verse twelve came AFTER
Moses had returned to the foot of the mountain with Aaron
and his other companions. This surely seems to be implied
by verse fourteen.
The giving of the tablets written by God would be a
further and final confirmation of the covenant with God.
When Moses was told to come up into the mount and
“Be there,” he probably never imagined that he would be
there forty days. See 24:18.
The section 24:12-18 looks ahead to 32:1, where Moses
was sent down off the mount after the people built the
golden calf.
The text surely declares that God himself wrote on the
tablets of stone which He gave to Moses. See 31:18. We
accept this as true.
It seems to us that the “tablets of stone” and the “law”
spoken of are one and the same thing, namely the ten
commandments on stone. The text could be translated (and
probably should be), “I will give thee the tables of stone,
even the law. . .”
(The “and” merely introduces another
a

word by way of explanation, and stands between words in

apposition.)
Jewish interpreters believe that the “law” spoken of in
verse twelve was an oral law (or tradition) given to Moses
in addition to the written law. This oral law is supposedly
now preserved in written form in the Jewish Talmud. The
Talmud has volumes of material telling how the laws of

“Noth, og. cit., p a194.

54 1
24:1-18 E X P L. 0 R I N G EXODUS

Moses are to be interpreted and how they are to be carried

out in all of life’s activities. To many Jews every interpreta-
tion of the law given by a universally recognized authority
(or rabbi) is regarded as having been given on Mt. Sinai.
Jesus rejected these traditions which were added to the
law as being without authority from God. See Mark 7:5,
8-9. Moses himself declared that men were NOT to add to
nor take away anything from the word which had been
commanded to them (Deut. 4:2), referring to their written
statutes and ordinances (Deut. 4:i).
12. Who went with Moses up into the mount? (24:13-14).
Joshua, Moses’ servant, went up with him. Regarding
Joshua, see 17:9 and 32:17. Not even Aaron went up,
Aaron and Hur are mentioned together in 24:14, as they
were in 17:10, 12. See notes on those verses.
Moses had served as the judge in disputes too difficult for
the other :judges of Israel (18:26). In Moses’ absence, the
people were to bring such cases to Aaron and Hur.
The last clause of verse thirteen seems out of order with
what follows it in verses fourteen and fifteen. That does not
prove that the text is a jumble of contradictory statements
copied clumsily from several sources. It merely reflects the
. Hebrew style of writing, which is not as concerned with
strict chronological order as modern writers generally are.
We saw another example of this back in 10:28-11:4.
13. What covered the mount when Moses ascended into it?
(24:15-17)
The cloud covered it. The text suggests that the cloud
returned, a cloud similar to which appeared previously,
when the ten commandments were proclaimed (19:16).
The “glory of Jehovah” was seen there with the cloud.
This glory is described as “like a devouring fire on the top
of the mount,” and it was visible even down below to the
eyes of the children of Israel (24:17). Compare Ex.16:lO.
The glory of Jehovah “abode” upon Mt. Sinai. The word
abode is a translation of the verb shakan, from which later
developed a non-Biblical term shekinah (meaning dwelling,

542
 RATIFICATION OF THE COVENANT 24:1-18
or presence, of God), that referred to the glory cloud within
the tabernacle and above it.
Moses was in the cloud on the mount six days, and on the
seventh day God called him from the midst of the cloud.
We suppose that these six days were days of spiritual prep-
aration. In the Bible we have several instances where the
events of six days reached a culmination on the seventh day.
Examples could include creation, the weekly sabbath, the
manna, etc. Perhaps the six-days’ delay caused Moses to
associate this experience with other great doings of God.
God’s men need patience! Moses waited six days before
God’s voice came to him.
Many critics skparate the story in Exodus into “sources”
at 24:15 or near there. (See notes on 24:l-2). They allege
that beginning at 24:15 we have a resumption of the Priestly
narrative (P), which was interrupted after 19:20. This
I
Priestly section is said to include 24: 15-31: 18, and to have
been written centuries later, probably during Babylonain
captivity (about 550 B.C.), and set into the older story by
editors of the literary material. There is certainly no ancient
manuscript evidence that the story has such sources. We
have observed repeatedly how the text tells a continuous,
I harmonious story. We should not be intimidated by the
critics’s confident but unverified declarations. Their views
I deny the unity, truthfulness, and spiritual significance of
I the Exodus story.
1 14. How long was Moses in the mount7 (24:18)
I
I He was there forty days and forty nights. Moses did not
I come down until the making of the golden calf (Ex. 32:15).
In those forty days he received all the information in
I chapters 25-31 about the tabernacle, the priesthood, etc.
Moses was gone so long that the people thought he had
i perished or otherwise left the scene (32:l).
We do not know whether Joshua was with Moses at any
time in these forty days or not. Perhaps they tented together
I some of the time, or stayed together in some cave.
II During these forty days Moses neither ate nor drank. See

54 3
25: 1-40 E X P L O R I N G EXODUS

Detk 9:9. Moses also fasted during his second stay on the
mount (Deut. 9:18; Ex. 34:28). Elijah fasted forty days at
this same place (I Kings 19:8). And Christ fasted forty days
in the desert (Matt. 4:2). Assuredly Moses could not have
survived €orty days without water if he had not been mirac-
ulously sustained.
The spectacle of Moses amidst the cloud and the fire of
God’s glory is awesome. But it is typical of the events con-
nected with the giving of the law. “Thou heardest his words
out of the midst of the $re” (Deut. 4:36). The Israelites
came to a mount that “burned with $re, and unto black-
ness, and darkness, and tempest” (Heb, 12:18).
As Christians, we have come to a very different spiritual
startirig place. We have come, not to Sinai, but to Mt. Zion,
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
We have come to “Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant”
(Heb. 12:18, 24).
Israel’s representatives briefly came into the presence of
God after the covenant was ratified. As Christians we have
a constant and eternal access to the father through the
ne.w covenant ratified by Christ through His death upon
the cross.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TUN sLATIO N

And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-see, saying, (2) Speak unto

25 the children of Is-ra-el, that they take for me an offering:
of every man whose heart maketh him willing ye shall take my
offering. (3) And this is the offering which ye shall take of
them: gold, and silver, and brass, (4) and blue, and purple,
and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, (5) and rams’ skins
dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia wood, (6) oil for the light,
spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, (7) onyx

544
 s A N cTU A R Y I N sTRUc TI oN s 251-40
stones, and stones to be set, for the eph-od, and for the breast-
plate. (8) And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell
among them. (9) According to all that I show thee, the pattern
of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof,
even so shall ye make it.
(10) And they shall make an ark of acacia wood: two cubits
and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half
the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
(11)And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and with-
out shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of
gold round about. (12) And thou shalt cast four rings of gold
for it, and put them in the four feet thereof; and two rings shall
be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.
(13) And thou shalt make staves of acacia wood, and overlay
them with gold. (14) And thou shalt put the staves into the
rings on the sides of the ark, wherewith to bear the ark. (15)
The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be
taken from it. (16) And thou shalt put into the ark the testi-
mony which I shall give thee. (17) And thou shalt make a
mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the
length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. (18)
And thou shalt make two cher-u-bim of gold; of beaten work
shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat.(lg)
And make one cher-ub at the one end, and one cher-ub at the
other end: of one piece with the mercy-seat shall ye make the
cher-u-bim on the two ends thereof. (20) And the cher-u-bim
shall spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat
with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the
mercy-seat shall the faces of the cher-u-bim be. (21) And thou
shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and in the ark
thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. (22) And
there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from
above the mercy-seat, from between the two cher-u-bim which
are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will
give thee in commandment unto the children of Is-ra-el. .
(23)And thou shalt make a table of acacia wood: two cubits
shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and

54 5
25: 1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

a cubit and a half the height thereof. (24) And thou shalt over-
lay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round
about. (25) And thou shalt make unto it a border of a hand-
breadth round about; and thou shalt make a golden crown to
the border thereof round about. (26) And thou shalt make for
it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four comers that
are on the four feet thereof. (27) Close by the border shall the
rings be, for places for the staves to bear the table. (28) And
thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them
with gold, that the table may be borne with them. (29) And
thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and the spoons thereof, and
the flagons thereof, and the bowls thereof, wherewith to pour
out: of pure gold shalt thou make them. (30) And thou shalt
set upon the table showbread before me alway.
(31) And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of
beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and
its shaft; its cups, its hnops, and its flowers, shall be of one
piece with it: (32)and there shall be six branches going out of
the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the
one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of
the other side thereof: (33) three cups made like almond-
blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three cups
made like almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a
flower: so for the six branches going out of the candlestick: (34)
and in the candlestick four cups made like almond-blossoms,
the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof; (35) and a knop
under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two
branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches
of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the
candlestick. (36)Their knops and their branches shall be of one
piece with it; the whole of it one beaten work of pure gold. (37)
And thou shalt make the lamps thereof, seven: and they shall
light the lamps thereof, to give light over against it. (38) And
the snuffers thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of
pure gold. (39) Of a talent of pure gold shall it be made, with
all these vessels. (40) And see that thou make them after their
pattern, which hath been showed thee in the mount.

546
 SANCTUARY IN sTRUcTI oN s 251-40

EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
ANSWERABLE
QUESTIONS FROM THE BIBLE

1. What were the Israelites to bring to Jehovah? (252)

2. With what feeling were the offerings to be brought? (252)
3. What metals were to be offered? (253)
4. What colors of cloth were to be brought? (254)
5. What types of animal skins were to be brought? (25:4-5)
6. What type of wood was to be brought? (255)
7. What were the Israelites to build for God? (258)
8. Where would God dwell? (258; 29:45; I1 Cor. 6:16)
9. According to what was God’s tabernacle to be made?
(259, 40)
10. What were the dimensions of the ark? (2510)
11. With what was the ark to be overlaid? (2511)
12. By what means was the ark to be carried? (2512-13)
13. Where were the staves of the ark kept? (2515)
14. What is the testimony? (25:16; 32:15; 34:29)
15. What is the mercy-seat? (2517)
16. What was at the top of the mercy-seat? (2518; Compare
Ezekiel 10:14, 20; Rev. 4:6-8)
17. How were the cherubim positioned? (2519.20)
18. From where did God meet and commune with Israel?
(2522)
19. Of what was the tabernacle a type? (Heb. 9:9, 11-12)
20. Of what was the ark of the covenant a type? (Psalm 99:l;
80:l; 97:2; 89:14)
21. Of what was the tabernacle a copy? (Heb. 9:23; 8:5;
Compare Rev. 11:19)
22. What happened when men looked into the ark without
the mercy-seat covering its contents? (I Samuel 6:19)
23. Suggest ways inqwhich Christ compares to the mercy-seat.
(Compare I John 2:2; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 12:24)
24, Describe the table of showbread. (2523)
25. Of what materials was the table to be constructed?
(25:23-24)
26. How was the table decorated? (2525)

547
25: 1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

27. What equipment was made to be used with the table?

(2529)
28. When was showbread kept upon the table? (2530; Com-
pare Lev. 245-9)
29-40. From Leviticus 24:s-9 answer these questions about the
showbread:
29. What was the showbread made of?
30. How many loaves of showbread were to be set on the
table?
31. How much flour went into each loaf? Would this make
the loaves large or small?
32. What was to be poured on each row (or pile) of loaves?
33. True or false? The showbread is called a type of (sacri-
ficial) offering. (Lev. 24:7, 9)
34. How often was the showbread to be set in order?
35. From whom was the showbread to be taken?
36. By whom was the showbread eaten?
37. What would the number of loaves of showbread possibly
indicate that they symbolized?
38. What does the name showbread (or “bread of the
presence”) indicate about the significance of the show-
bread?
39. What would the use of frankincense on the bread suggest
about it? (Compare Psalm 141:2;Rev. 5 8 )
40. Is the showbread a type or symbol of the Lord’s supper?
41. Describe the candlestick (lampstand). (2531-36)
42. How much gold was in the lampstand? (2539; 37:24)
43. Who was to bring olive oil for the lamp? (Ex. 27:20)
44. When was the lamp kept burning? (Lev. 24:3; I Sam. 3:3)
45. Who tended to the lamp to keep it burning? (Ex. .27:21)
46. Of what may the lampstand be a type or symbol? (Eph.
5 8 ; I John 1:s; Philippians 2:15; Psalm 119:lOS; John
8:12; I1 Cor. 4:3-6).

548
 S A N C T U A R Y I N S TR U C T I O NS 25:l-40
TWENTY-FIVE:SANCTUARYINSTRUCTIONS
EXODUS
1, Take an offering; 251-8.
2, Make it according to the pattern; 2 5 9 , 40.
3, Make an ark and mercy seat; 2510-22.
4. Make a table; 2523-30.
5. Make a lampstand; 2531-39.

AN OFFERING
FOR GOD!(2.51-7)

1. Comes from willing people; 251-2.

2. Consists of valuable possessions; 253-7.

A SANCTUARY
FOR GOD! (258)

1. Made by MEN.
2. Dwelt in by GOD.

MAKEIT LIKETHEPATTERN!
(25:9,40)
1. A divinely revealed pattern.
2. A pattern of the heavenly tabernacle; (Hebrews 8:s; 9:23)
3. A pattern of the Christian religion; (Hebrews 9:8-9)

54 9
 25: 1-40 E X P L O R I N G E X O D U S

MESSAGES
FROM FURNITURE
GOLDEN (25: 10-39)
1. The ark (25:lO-16): God dwells among men!
2. The mercy-seat (2517-22): God communes (talks) with men!
3. The table (25:23-30): God desires his people in his presence!
God sets an offering in his presence!
4. The Lampstand (2531-39): God gives light to men!

THEARK- THEFOOTSTOOL THELAMPSTAND (Menorah)!

OF GOD’STHRONE! 1. A precious light (golden).
(EX.25:10-16) 2. A united light (all of one
1. Contained the ten com- piece).
mandments. “Righteous- 3. A perfect light (seven-
ness and justice are the fold).
foundation of thy throne.” 4. A spiritual light (fueled by
(Ps. 89:14a) oil, symbolic of the Spirit).
2. Had the pot ofmanna (Ex.
16:33). “Lovingkindness
and truth go before thy SHOWBREAD
face. ” (Ps. 89:14b) (Presence-bread)!
3. Had Aaron’s staff that (EX.25:23-30)
budded. “No man taketh 1. Twelve loaves (symbolizing
the honor (priesthood) un- the twelve tribes) always in
to himself, unless he is God’s presence! (Lev. 24:
called by God” (Heb. 54): 5-8).
2. An offering made by fire
always in God’s presence!
THEMERCY-SEAT (Lev. 24:9)
(EX.25:17-22)
1. A precious golden covering.
2. A worship-centered cover-
ing (cherubim).
3. A blood-sprinkled cover-
ing; Lev. 16:14.

550
s A N c T U A R Y I Ns T R U C T I o N s 25:l-40

TABERNACLE VIEWS

General view of the Tabernacle and court

The encampments of Israel around the Tabernacle

550A
25: 1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

Alhr dbrrnt dtermg

Ground plan of the Tabernacle and court

Acacia tree beside a wadi mnnlng into the Dead Sea. Acacia (or shitth) wood WBS
used in the tabernacle. (Photo by author.)

550B
 S AN CT U A RY I N S TR U CTI 0N S 25:1-40
SPECIALSTUDY:THETABERNACLE

1, What was the tabernacle?

(1) The tabernacle was that beautiful place of worship made
by the children of Israel in the days of Moses. It was a
sanctuary, a holy place set apart for God. God showed
His presence at the tabernacle, and there received the
worship of the people. Exodus 29:43-46.
(2) It was a portable house of worship. When we go on
camping trips, we carry with us a “house” that we can
move about, a tent. Out in the desert the Israelites were
constantly moving about. Therefore they had to have a
house of worship that could easily be moved with them.
The very word “tabernacle” means a “tent,” and the
word “tent” certainly suggests a portable dwelling. God
gave instructions about how to transport the tabernacle
in Numbers 4:s-15.
a. Some pieces of furniture in the tabernacle had staves
on each side, so men could carry them on their
shoulders.
b. The heavier parts of the tabernacle were carried by six
wagons pulled by oxen. Numbers 7:l-7.
(3) It was the meeting place of God and Israel.
God dwelt among his people, Israel. Exodus 2 5 8 . God
particularly revealed His presence around the tabernacle,
and especially in that part of it called the Most Holy
Place. Exodus 2522.
The fact that God dwelt in the midst of Israel was the
central fact of their life. To Israel God’s presence meant
plan, protection, and provision. If God had not mani-
fested His presence in the tabernacle, the tribes of Israel
would have been scattered about helter-skelter, with no
one to protect or provide for them,
This was an appeal to the senses of a people whose
spiritual discernment was underdeveloped. God’s presence
among them was plainly indicated by the daily manna,
the pillar of cloud, and the miracles that occurred during

55 1
25:1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

their journeyings. But to a people brought up amidst the

idolatry of Egypt, a centralized shrine was more readily
comprehended than an omnipresent spiritual God.
Today God dwells in the midst of his church, just as
He dwelt among the Israelites. I1 Corinthians 6:16. The
presence and worship of God give order, protection, and
purpose to our lives. The worship of God should be as
central to us as the tabernacle was central in the camp of
Israel.
2. Where is the information given about the tabernacle?
(1) The instructions about how it was to be built are given in
EX.25-31.
(2) The account of its construction and erection are in Ex.
35-40. Most of the information in this section is a repeti-
tion of that in Ex.25-31.
(3) The book of Hebrews, chs. 9-10, discusses the signifi-
cance of the tabernacle at length.
(4) Many other references throughout the Bible refer to it.
The legislation in Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteron-
omy was primarily to be carried out in the tabernacle
rituals.
3. What was the importance of the tabernacle?
The importance of this tabernacle can be seen in several
ways:
(1) The details of its construction are described twice in Exo-
dus, and much information is found about it throughout
the rest of the Bible.
Arthur Pink reminds us that God only used two
chapters to tell of the creation and furnishing of heaven
and earth. But he used at least thirteen chapters (and
really many more) to discuss the tabernacle!
(2) The tabernacle is presented as a Qpe of the Christian
religion now operative (Heb. 9:8-9). (See Question No. 14
in this special study of the Tabernacle.)
(3) The tabernacle was an earthly illustration and counter-
part of God’s heavenly dwelling and tabernacle. The
tabernacle was a copy of things in the heavens (Heb. 8:s;

552
 sANcTu A R Y INsTR u c T Io N s 25:l-40

9:23-29). Rev. 11:19: “There was opened the temple of

God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his temple
the ark of his covenant.” Both the earthly and heavenly
tabernacles therefore had covenant arks. Both had an
altar for incense (Rev. 8:3). Both had seven lamps (Rev,
4:s). Christ entered the greater and more perfect taber-
nacle not made with hands (Heb. 9:ll). Christ with his
blood entered the true holy place (holy of holies) in
heaven (Heb. 9:24). These facts made the earthly taber-
nacle very important.
(4) God’s insistence that it be made according to the precise
pattern he had showed in the mount stresses the impor-
tance of each detail of it.
4. Who were camped around the tabernacle?
(1) The Israelites camped all around the tabernacle. Each
tribe camped by itself in its designated place. Although
each tribe camped separately, the three on each of the
four sides of the tabernacle were grouped together into
larger encampments, called the Camp of Dan, the Camp
of Judah, the Camp of Reuben, and the Camp of
Ephraim. See Numbers 2:l-3:39. See page 550A.
(2) Moses and the priestly families of Gershon, Merari, and
Kohath were camped around the tabernacle up close to it.
5. What were the names which were given to the tabernacle?
God not only ordains things to exist, but He gives them
their names as well. Let us use “Bible names for Bible
things.” Here are the names for the tabernacle:
(1) “Tabernacle.” Exodus 26:l. This word is the translation
of several Hebrew words (2 main ones). One (ohell means
“tent.” The other (mishkan)means “dwelling place,”
(2) “Tent.” Exodus 26:36.
(3) “Sanctuary.” Exodus 2.58. This word means “a place set
apart,” or “a holy place.”
(4) “Tabernacle of the congregation.” Exodus 29:42, 44; 30:
36; etc. This name is rendered “tent of meeting” in the
Revised Version. The name “tabernacle of the congrega-
tion” is applied to that room in the tabernacle called

553
25:1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

“the holy place.” Exodus 2721.

(5) “House of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 23:18. (The church
is now the house of the Lord, and God dwells in it
through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:22.)
(6) “Temple of the Lord.” I Samuel 1:9. This name sug-
gests the magnifcence of the tabernacle, as if it were
a palace or temple. The church is now the temple of God.
6 . How were materials obtained for the tabernacle?
Free-will offerings provided the materials. See Exodus
25:l-9; 35:4-29; 36:5-7.
7. Who actually constructed the tabernacle?
It was constructed by men specially called and filled and
guided by the Spirit of God to have wisdom and skill. God
called them by name. Among these builders were Bezaleel
and Oholiab. (Ex. 36:l; Ex. 3530-36:l.)
These builders of the tabernacle correspond to the apostles
of Christ ifi the church. Christ specifically called His apos-
tles, and filled them with the Holy Spirit so that they could
establish the church without error. Acts 1:8; John 16:13.
8. How many tabernacles did all the parts of the tabernacle
combine to form?
Just one. It was ONE tabernacle. Exodus 26:6. All its parts
formed one harmonious whole.
Accordingly we find a unity prevading the whole church
of Christ. There are many different members of it, but all
produce one body. I Corinthians 122.
9. How was the tabernacle maintained?
It was maintained by an offering of “atonement money.”
Every person over twenty had to give a half-shekel. Exodus
3O:ll-16. This was an annual offering. Matthew 17:24. The
fact that God provided through the tabernacle a means of
atonement (or covering) for sins made the people indebted
to God and t o His tabernacle.
10. By what act was the tabernacle “sanctiped” or set apart for
holy use?
It was set apart by anointing with holy oil. The taber-
nacle, all its pieces of furniture, and its priests were

554
 sA N cTUARY I Ns T R U c T Io N s 251-40

anointed with a holy oil, so that it was sanctified and be..

came “most holy.” Exodus 30:22-33; 40:9-16.
Anointing oil, as used in the Old Testament, was sym-
bolic of the Holy Spirit. See Luke 4:18; Psalm 1332;
Hebrews 1:9; Acts 10:38.
As every part of the tabernacle was anointed with the
holy oil, so every feature of the Christian faith is anointed
with the Holy Spirit. See Ephesians 1:22; I Corinthians
12:13; Acts 2: 17. Our religion is therefore divine, holy,
precious, anointed of God.
11. What covered over, or lodged above, the tabernacle?
The cloud of God’s glory covered over or lodged above
the tabernacle. Exodus 40:34-39; Numbers 9: 15-23. This
glory cloud is called the SHECHINAH.(This word, however,
is not actually found in the Bible.)
God’s presence has frequently been associated with a
cloud, or a shining light, or smoke, or fire. Exodus 16:lO;
24:16-17; Numbers 20:6; Isaiah 6:4; Luke 2:9. This creates
a great sense of God’s presence and majesty.
This cloud also guided and led the Israelites. When the
cloud lifted up, this was a sign for the Israelites to pack up
for moving on. When the cloud moved, they followed.
When the cloud stopped, they camped.
The Scripture indicates that God intends to glorify His
people today with a glory like that which crowned the taber-
nacle. Isaiah 60:2; 4:s.
12. What was the value of the material in the tabernacle?
The value was tremendous. See Exodus 38:24-29. The
exact value is impossible to determine, but a million and a
half dollars has been suggested as a conservative figure.
The worship of God is not a cheap, trifling, and incon-
sequential thing.
13. Layout and firniture of the Tabernacle.
A. The Layout of the tabernacle.
(1) The Court of the Tabernacle, in which the Taber-
nacle itself stood, was an oblong space, 100 cubits by
50 (Le., 150 feet by 7 9 , having its longer axis east

555
25:1-40 E X P L O R I N G EXODUS

and west, with its front to the east. It was surrounded

by linen cloth hangings 5 cubits in height, and sup-
ported by pillars of brass 5 cubits apart, to which the
curtains were attached by hooks and fillets of silver
(thin rods or rails between the pillars). This enclosure
was only broken on the eastern side by the entrance,
which was 20 cubits wide, and closed by curtains of
I .
fine twined linen, wrought with needle-work, and of
the most gorgeous colors. (Ex. 27:9-19; 38:9-20.)
In the outer or eastern half of the court was placed
the altar of burnt-offering, and between it and the
Tabernacle itself, the laver at which the priests
washed their hands and. feet on entering the Temple.
(2) The Tabernacle itselfwas placed toward the western
end of this enclosure. It was an oblong rectangular
structure, 30 cubits in length by 10 in width (45 feet
by 15), and 10 in height; the interior being divided
into two chambers, the first or outer of 20 cubits in
length, the inner of 10 cubits, and consequently an
exact cube. The former was the Holy Place, or First
Tabernacle (Heb. 9:2), containing the golden candle-
stick on one side, the table of show-bread opposite,
and between them in the center the altar of incense.
The latter was the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of
Holies, containing the ark, surmounted by the
cherubim, with the two stone tablets inside.
The two sides, and the further, or western, end,
were enclosed by boards of shittim-wood overlaid
with gold. (Ex. 26:15-26; 36:20-70).
Four successive coverings of curtains looped to-
gether were placed over the open top, and fell down
over the sides. The first, or inmost, was a splendid
fabric of linen, embroidered with figures of cheru-
bim, in blue, purple, and scarlet, and joined to-
gether by golden fastenings. The next was a woolen
covering of goats’ hair; the third, of rams’ skins dyed
red; and the outermost, of porpoise skins (Ex.

556
 s A N C T U A R Y I NS T R U c TI oN s 251-40

cherubim above the ark.

B . Furniture of the tabernacle.

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25: 1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

in darkness, there was but one object, the most

sacred of the whole. The Ark of the Covenant, or
the Testimony, was a sacred chest, containing the
two tables of stone, inscribed with the Ten Com-
mandments.
The cover of the ark (called the mercy-seat) was a
place of pure gold, overshadowed by two cherubim,
with their faces beht down and their wings meeting.
This was the very throne of Jehovah, who was there-
fore said to “dwell between the cherubim.”
14. Typology of the Tabernacle.
A type is some person, thing, or event in the Old Test-
ament age which foreshadowed some person, thing, or
event in the New Testament age. The antitype is that per-
son, thing, or event in the New Testament age which was
foreshadowed by the Old Testament type. We are expressly
told in Heb. 9:8-9 that the first tabernacle is a figure, or
type, for the time present. The typology is given for many
parts of the tabernacle.
In the list of the tabernacle types that follows we have
placed question marks alongside our stateinents if the
antitypes are not specifically stated in the scripture. In most
such cases reasonable inferences may be drawn from scrip-
ture that should enable us to determine the antitypes with
some certainty.
a. The entire tabernacle-A type of the Christian religion
that has now come into reality (Heb. 9:8)
b. The Holy of Holies-A type of heaven (Heb. 9:24).
(1) The ark of the covenant-A type of the footstool of
God’s throne (I Chron. 28:2; Psalm 132:7-8). (1)
(2) The mercy-seat-A type of God’s throne, which is a
place of mercy because Christ our priest is there. See
Romans 3 2 5 ; I John 2:2; 4:lO. The term propitiation
in these verses is the same word used in the Greek
Bible for mercy-seat.
(3) The veil between the Holy and Most Holy places-A
type of Christ’s flesh, which was broken on the cross

558
 s A N cTuA R Y IN s TR uc TI oN s 251-40
(Heb, 10:19-20; Luke 23:44-45).
c. The Holy Place-A type of the church (?). (As the Holy
of Holies was entered only from the Holy Place, so
heaven is entered only from the church. As the Holy
Place was for priests only, so the church is for priests
(Christians) only.)
(1) Altar of incense-A type of prayer (Rev. 5 8 ; 8:3-4;
Ps. 141:2).
(2) Table of showbread-A type of the fellowship of
saints in the presence of God (?), (The twelve loaves
seem to have represented Israel. Show-bread means
presence-bread. Thus the showbread symbolized
Israel’s being in God’s presence, and foreshadowed
our fellowship in God’s presence [I John 1:3]).
Also as an “offering made by fire” (Lev. 24:9) it
was a type of Christ our offering (Eph. 5 2 ) ’ who is
always in God’s presence for us.
(3) Lampstand-A type of the light of the Gospel (1).
We walk in the light (Eph. 5:7-8). God is light (I Jn.
1:s).Christ is the light (John 8:12). The scriptures
are a light (Ps. 119:lOS; I1 Pet. 1:19). Churches are
lights (Rev. 1:12, 20). Christians are lights (Phil.
2:15).
d. The court-A type of the world, or God’s outreach into
the world (?). (As God placed in the court, within the
reach of all Israelites, the means for forgiveness, so God
has placed in the world the means for forgiveness to all
who will draw near seeking God.)
(1) Altar of burnt offering-A type of Christ’s death
(Heb. 13:lO; John 1:29).
(2) Laver-A type of baptism (Eph. 5 2 6 ; Titus 3:s). (?>
The word “washing” in Greek means “laver.”
Also the laver appears to have been a type of the
daily cleansing available to all priests (Christians!) (I
John 1:9),This seems to be a necessary conclusion be-
cause the priests washed ai the laver each time they
entered and went out of the tabernacle (Ex. 30:19-21).

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25:1-40 E X P L O R I N G EXOD.US

e. The priesthood.
(1) Aaron, the high priest-A type of Christ our high
priest (Heb. 4:14).
(2) Aaron’s sons (lesser priests)-A type of Christians; all
Christians are priests (Rev. 1:6; I Peter 2:9).
15. What are the views of many critics about the tabernacle?
Generally the critical view is that the information about
the tabernacle in Exodus was written by priestly writers
who lived nearly a thousand years after the time of Moses.
These priestly writers lived during or after the Babylonian
captivity (about 550 B.C.), and wrote their description of
the tabernacle from their memories of the Solomonic temple
in Jerusalem, or possibly even from their acquaintance with
the temple of Zerubbabel built AFTER the Babylonian
captivity. They projected back into the distant past an
idealized description, based on later temple features. Their
writings are usually refered to as the P (for Priestly)
document. The P document was supposedly inserted into
the older narratives comprising the remainder of Exodus.
(Examples of these views may be seen in Noth’s Exodus,
p. 201, and Broadman Bible Commentary Vol. I (1969)’
p. 431.)
The critics hold that the ark was the imaginary creation
of one who knew no more about it than that it once stood
in the innermost part of Solomon’s temple before the
Babylonian exile. (Noth, op. cit., p. 203).
The lampstand is said to have been an innovation (!)
presumably introduced into the temple of Zerubbabel (516
B.C.). (Noth op. cit., p. 203.) Since it had features re-
sembling those of a tree, some have thought that it reflects
an ancient reverence for trees.
The general conclusion drawn from such theories is
that nothing in the Biblical stories is true or edifying. Such
theories are often asserted as certain truth when there is
not a shred of solid evidence to back them up. Archaeo-
logical discoveries have frequently shown that the critics
have been in error. For example, we now know that

560
 s ANcTUARY IN s TR uc T I o N s 251-40
moveable shrines (such as the tabernacle) existed in several
nations - Egypt, Canaan (at Ugarit), Syria (at Palmyra).
Many of these go back as far as the time of Moses, and
some in Egypt back as far as 2600 B.C. (John Davis, Moses
and the Gods of Egypt, 241, 243). Why then should critics
assume that the Israelites in Moses’ times simply could not
have produced a moveable place of worship like the taber-
nacle?
In this commentary we have occasionally discussed the
critics’ views on certain passages. In most cases we have
found ourselves in strong disagreement with their opinions.

EXPLORING NOTESON CHAPTER

EXODUS: TWENTY-FIVE

1. What is in Exodus twentyrfive?

The chapter contains (1) God’s instructions to Moses
about taking an offerning from the people to obtain materials
to build the tabernacle (251-9); (2) instructions about how
to make the ark (25:10-15) and the mercy-seat (25:16-22);
(3) instructions about the table of presence-bread (2523-30);
(4) instructions about the lampstand (25:31-39).
2. Who was to make an ofsering fir tabernacle materials
(25:1-2)
Everyone whose heart made him willing was to give.
Giving to God should be voluntary, not forced. See I1
Cor, 8:4-5; 9:6-7. Those who are willing do give freely, The
Israelites gave more materials than were needed for the
tabernacle. See Ex. 3521-29; 36:5-7. In a similar way
many years later they gave very much for the temple (I
Chron. 29:l-5).
The word translated ofsering (Heb. tencmah) means a
heave-offering, one that is lifted up or separated unto God.
The same word is used in Ex. 29:27, Lev. 7:14, Num, 1 5 1 9
to refer to various types of sacrifices. This use of this word

56 1
25:1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

indicates that a sacredness comes upon all things presented

to the LORD.
3. What materials were given for the tabernacle? (253-7)
(1) Blue. This was wool cloth dyed with deep violet color
made from glands of the murex shell-fish found in the sea
by Phoenicia and Palestine.
(2) Purple. Wool dyed dark red or reddish-purple by the
shell-fish dye.
(3) Scarlet. Literally this says “worm of scarlet.” The cloth
was colored a brilliant red by color from the cochineal (or
coccus) worm (or insect). In the Arabic language the word
translated scarlet is kirmiz, from which we get our word
crimson.
(4) Gold. All of the items in the Holy Place room or the
Holy of Holies were of pure gold or gold-plated. The gold
was probably obtained in Egypt (12:35), or possibly by spoil
from the Amalekites or by inheritance from their forefathers.
Gold was also used to overlay the boards of the tabernacle
(38:24).
(5) Silver. This was obtained in part by a levy of half a
shekel from each adult man (3t326-28). It was used for
casting bases (pedestals or sockets) for the boards and
pillars (36:24-26).
(6)Brass, This is more correctly translated “copper” or
“bronze” (the alloy of copper and tin). Certainly it was not
brass (copper and zinc). See 38:28-31. Copper was mined
even before Moses’ time in the rocky hills north of the Red
Sea Gulf of Akabah, and still is.
(7) Fine linen. Egypt was famous for this material. See
Ezek. 27:7. The Hebrew word for linen (shesh) is a borrowed
Egyptian term. Joseph in Egypt was arrayed in linen (41:42).
It was used for the innermost tabernacle covering (26:1), for
the veil (26:31),the screen (26:36), and the priests’ garments
(28:6, 8, 42).
(8) Goats’ hair. Literally, just goats! The goats usually had
black hair (Song of Sol. 4:l). The women spun the goats’
hair, twisting it into yarn (35:26), which was woven into

562
 sA N cTUARY I Ns T R U c T Io N s 25:l-40

cloth. It was used for the second covering of the tabernacle

(26:7).
(9) Rams’ skins dyed red. These red rams’ skins were used
for the third covering over the tabernacle (26:14). R.S.V.
reads “tanned rams’ skins.” This does not appear to be
the best translation because the verb means “to be made
red.”
(10) Sealskins. (R.S.V. “goatskins,” a conjectural transla-
tin; K.J.V., “badger skins,” a faulty translation.) The New
English Bible gives “porpoise skins,” which seems to be a
good rendering. The Hebrew word tahash refers possibly to
the sea cow (dugong, or manatee), which is found in the Red
Sea. It is ten to twelve feet long, with a rounded head. It
has a hide admirably suited for making sandals (See Ezek.
16:lO). Its upper skin is thicker and coarse, but the lower
belly skin is thin yet tough.’ An Arabic word related to the
Hebrew tahash refers to several kinds of sea animals - seals,
dolphins, sharks, dogfish. Perhaps the Hebrew word is
equally applicable to several marine creatures.
The “sealskins” were used for the outermost covering of
the tabernacle (26:14), and for a covering over the ark and
other furniture of the tabernacle (Num. 4:6, 8, 10, 11).
(11) Acacia wood, (King James, “shittim”). The acacia
trees are the only trees in Sinai or Arabia from which planks
might be cut. They are very tough, thorny, rather flat-topped
trees, not usually over twenty feet high at present. The
author has seen many of them in the Negev, the Arabah,
and around the Dead Sea. The wood is indestructible by
insects. The thorns (very numerous!) are up to two inches
long. Most of the acacia trees now surviving are too small to
have been cut into planks one and a half cubits broad (26:
15-16). The Arab charcoal business has depleted the larger
trees. However, S. C. Bartlett in the nineteenth century
reported finding a great many large acacia trees in Wady
\
IKeil and Delitzsch, op. cit., Vol. 11, p. 164.
2Davis, op. cit., pp. 252-253.

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25: 1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

Sa‘al (which leads into Wady Sheikh).3 Many of these were

very large, twenty inches to two feet in diameter. Bartlett
tells that Mr. Holland, another Sinai traveller, found one
nine feet in circumference. It is incorrect to assett that there
have been no trees in Sinai from which boards the size of the
tabernacle boards might have been cut. (In Ex. 26:15 R.S.V.
renders “boards’’ as “frames.’’) (The boards might have
been made by splicing wood from several trees together.)
(12) Oilfor the This was a pure (or clear) olive oil
beaten from the olives (Lev. 24:2). See Ex. 256; 27:20-21.
(13) Spices for anointing oil (30:23-33) and for sweet
incense (30:34-38; 3528).
(14) Onyx stones and other gemstones (257). See 28:9,
17-29. The onyx was probably a banded agate with straight
bands. Others consider it to be a beryl. (Zondewan Pictorial
Bible Dictionary, article “Minerals.”) These stones were
used in the high priest’s garments. The onyx stones and
other gems were presented by the rulers of the congregation
(3527). Ex. 2 5 7 mentions the ephod and breastplate. See
Ex. 28:6-14; 39:2-7,On the ephod, and 28:15-30; 39:8-21
on the breastplate.
The absence of mention of iron in the list of materials to
be ddnated is possibly an indication of the very early date of
the book of Exodus.
4. What was God’spurpose for the santuary? (258)
God’s purpose was that He might dwell among the Israel-
ites. God desired to live among his people. See Ex. 29:45; I
Kings 6:13; Lev. 26:ll-12; I1 Cor. 6:16; Heb. 3:6; Rev.
21:3. It is certainly true that God inhabits eternity (Isa.
57:15), and fills heaven and earth (Jer. 23:24). Heaven is His
throne and earth is His footstool (Isa. 66: 1). Spiritually-minded

3Bartlett,op. cit., pp. 300-301.

4The Greek LXX omits 256, possibly because of a skip by the eye of the translator
between words with similar endings, shittim in vs. 5, and sammim in vs. 6 . But the
verse is needed to provide a full list of the materials for the tabernacle. See Cassuto,
op. cit., p. 327.

564
 s A N c T u A R Y I Ns T R u c T Io N s 251-40
Israelites realized this. See I Kings 8:27.
Nonetheless, God condescends to meet his children in
limited places where they can reach Him.
The word sanctuary (258) means a holy place, one set
apart for God. See Jer. 17:12.
God did not ask for a tabernacle; he asked for a sanctuary.
God needs no tabernacle in which to dwell. The word “taber-
nacle” in 2 5 8 simply means a “dwelling.” Do not read
into 2 5 8 the meaning “Make me a sanctuary to provide
a place where I may dwell among them.” The text does not
say that God dwelt in it (the tabernacle), but rather that
he dwelt in them (the people)!
5. What was the guide used in constructing the tabernacle?
(25:9)
The guide was the pattern which God showed Moses in the
mount. See 2540; 26:30; 27:8. Making the tabernacle
exactly like this pattern was absolutely required. See Heb.
85.
God seems to have shown Moses a model or form of the
tabernacle made in,the way He wanted Moses to make it.
This model was actually a model of the very tabernacle of
God in heaven, and the earthly tabernacle was thus to be
itself a model (pattern) of the heavenly tabernacle. To have
digressed from the pattern shown to him would have caused
Moses to misrepresent the design of God’s tabernacle in
heaven. Further, it would have produced a faulty type (or
advance representation) of the religion which Jesus Christ
has brought to us.
Some Jewish commentators have held that Moses saw a
prophetic vision of the actual divine dwelling place in
heaven, and that it therefore became necessary for Moses to
erect in the middle of the camp of Israel a tabernacle de-
signed like that seen in his vision, corresponding to the
heavenly sanctuary. Hertz (also Jewish) disagrees, saying

Tassuto, op. c i t . , p. 322.

565
25:1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

that the tabernacle was only an educational tool to wean

Israel from idolatrous worship, and that it did not correspond
to any tabernacle on a universe-wide scale.6
Keil’ argues (correctlywe feel) that God showed Moses not
the heavenly original, but only a model of the heavenly
original. The word translated pattern (Heb. tabenith) seems
to have this meaning in Deut. 4:17 (“the likeness of any
beast”), 11 Kings 16:lO (“the fashion of the altar”), and
I1 Kings 16:lO (David’s pattern of the temple, which he
gave to Solomon).
Observe that the pattern of the tabernacle shown to Moses
extended to the pattern of ALL the vessels (furniture,
instruments) of it. There is an opinion that God has given
men no definite pattern for His worship. God does indeed
allow much freedom of expression in worship, but the com-
mand to conform exactly to the tabernacle pattern suggests
that the pattern is a very real thing for us to recognize and
accept.
6. What was the first item of tabernacle firniture to be de-
scribed? (2510-11) 3”

The ark of the testimony (or covenant). For further in-

formation about the ark, see 37:l-9; Deut. 10:2-5; Heb.
9:3-5.
The ark was a wooden chest overlaid “within and with-
out”8 with gold. It was 1% x 1% x 2% cubitsg (about 27 x
27 x 45 inches). The ark (Heb. ’aron) of the covenant should
certainly not be confused with the ark (Heb. tebah) of Noah
or the ark-basket (tebah) of the baby Moses (Ex.2:3).

4. H. Hertz, Pentateuch and Hafrorahs (London, Soncino Press, 1969), p. 325.

’Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit. 11, pp. 165t167.
‘The Hebrew expression in 25:ll meanlng “inside and outside” could quite literally
be rendered “in (the) house and in (the) street.” This same idiom is used to describe
how Noah’s ark was pitched with pitch “within and without” (Gen. 6:14). Probably the
ark was overlaid with gold by the Egyptian method of attaching thin hammered plates
of gold to the wood by means of small nails. Cassuto, op. cit., p. 329.
9Davis, op. cit., p. 246, discusses the length of a cubit, and settles upon a length of
eighteen inches. We adopt his conclusion.

566
S AN CTU ARY INS T R U C T IO N S 25~1-40

The ark of the covenant and the mercy-seat with cherubim

Table of showbread with its double crown and loaves.

566A
 25:1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

FLOWER

The golden MENORAH (lampstand, or candlestick). The drawing shows that the
lamps could be lifted off the lampstand for cleaning or refueling. Decorations on the
lampstand include “cups” (resembling the calyx, or false petals, of flowers), knops
(spherical ornaments), and flowers. The three-legged stand .is adapted from a crude
ancient sketch of the lampstand found in the Sinai peninsula. (Drawing by James
Sherrod)

566B
 sAN cTu AR Y IN s TR u c T I o N s 251-40
The ark is called by several names: (1) “ark of God” (I
Sam. 3:3); (2) “ark of the covenant” (Num. 10:33; Deut.
1093); (3) “holy ark” (I1 Chron. 353); (4) “ark of the
LORD” (Josh. 6:7, 13; I Kings 2:26); (5) “ark of the test-
imony” (Ex.2522; 39:35); (6) “ark of thy strength” (Ps.
132:8). In Exodus it is uniformly called the ark of the
testimony.
The ark and all the articles of furniture within the taber-
nacle building were of gold or overlaid with gold. Anything
closely associated with God’s presence was made of gold,
God’s heaven is golden. Rev. 21:lO.
The ark and its covering (the mercy-seat) were the only
items in the innermost tabernacle room, the holy of holies.
Thus the ark was the central focus of the sanctuary, and the
instructions concerning it were given first. It seems to have
been a representation of God’s throne and His footstool,
and therefore it was befitting that first attention should have
been given to it.
Likewise we need to set our minds on things above (Col.
3:l-2). Our heavenly home should be our primary focus of
interest and our life goal. Set your home perfectly (com-
pletely) on the grace (the favor) that is to be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:13).
Although the ark was the first thing described, it appeafs
that it was not constructed until after the tabernacle building
was made (37:l-9).
We observe the pronouns in 25:lOff. First, “they shall
make an ark.” But then many times after that, Moses him-
self is told, “Thou shalt. . . .” This points out Moses’
leadership in making it. The, workman Bezalel actually
constructed it. See Ex.37:l.
It appears from Deut. 10:2-5 that Moses himself had
made a previous ark right after coming down from the
mount the second time with the tablets of the ten command-
ments. He put the commandments in this ark, and declared
many years later “There they are.” It appears therefore that
Moses considered the ark of the covenant to be in some way

567
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a continuation of the simpler ark he himself had built for

the stone tablets. Perhaps Bezalel only gold-plated and
decorated the chest Moses prepared.
The top edge of the ark had a “crown” (moulding, rim,
border, edge) round about it. This crown served to keep
mercy-seat (covering) upon the top of the ark. Also it was
decorative. A similar crown was upon the table of show-
bread and the golden altar of incense (30:3; 37:26).
7. How was the ark carried about? (2512-15)
Staves of acacia wood overlaid with gold were inserted
into rings of solid gold attached to the four “feet” of the
ark. These staves were used to carry the ark on the shoul-
ders of the Levites (Numbers 4:lS). The “feet” of the ark
seem to have been short legs or low blocks attached to the
corners under the ark to keep it from sitting directly upon
the ground. Ff the rings were in feet on the bottom, the
ark would liave stuck well up above the heads of the Levites
as it was being carried by the staves. The rendering “feet”
in 2 5 1 2 is preferable to “corners” (King James version).
The staves were not to be taken from the ark at any time.
ee I Kings 8:8. For information about how the ark was
covered over before being carried about, see Numbers
4:5-6, 15.”
8. What was placed in the ark? (25:16,21)
The ark was to contain the “testimony.” This “testi-
mony” was the two tablets of the ten commandments. See
,Ex.31:18; 40:20.
’ The word testimony means a precept or law. The Hebrew
word translated “testimony” comes from a verb meaning
“to turn, return, repeat, say repeatedly, testify, affirm.”
We might therefore say that the “testimony” was a constantly

‘“Numbers 4:6 says, “shall put in the staves thereof.” This does not contradict the
statement of Ex. 2515 that the staves were not removed from the ark. The Hebrew verb
Grim) of Num. 4:6 means to “set, put, place,” but does not mean to put somethfng into
something unless it is used with the preposition in. Since this is not in Num. 4:6, the
verse probably simply means that the staves were to be properly adjusted for use in
carrying.

568
 S AN CTUARY INS T R U C TI 0 N S 25:1-40
repeated communication to the people. That is worth
pondering.
Although the original stone tablets were concealed in
the ark, copies of their text were certainly available for
the people to see and read.
The ark also had with it two other items: Aaron’s wood
staff which budded (Numbers 17:lO); and a pot of manna
(Ex. 16:3. See Hebrews 9:4-5.)“
Only the stone tablets were actually put into the ark.
The rod of Aaron was “before the testimony” (Num. 17:lO)
and so was the pot of manna (Ex.16:34). The ark con-
tained only the stone tablets in Solomon’s day (I Kings 8:9).
Cassuto12 refers to the fact that ancient kings would
sometimes deposit deeds (writings) of a covenant into
boxes at the footstools of their idols. The Egyptian king
Rameses I1 placed the documents pledging peace between
himself and the Hittites under the feet of his god Re.
Similarly the Hittite king placed the documents under the
feet of his idol called Teshub. It therefore appears that
God used human covenant customs to impress the Israelites
with the meaning and seriousness of His covenant with
Israel.
9. What did the ark represent? What was it a type ofl
The Bible does not give a direct statement saying that
the ark represented one specific thing. Nonetheless, there

llAccording to Heb. 9:3-4, the Holy of Holies contained a golden altar (K.J.V.,
censer) of incense. No such article is mentioned by Moses in Exodus. A censer for
incense was indeed taken into the Holy of Holies by the high priest on the Day of Atone-
ment, and this may be what Hebrews 9:3 refers to. Another view is that the passage
refers simply to the altar of incense in the Holy place, but speaks of it as being as-
sociated with the Holy of Holies because it was so close to the veil and the Holy of
Holies, I Kings 6:22 says that in the construction of Solomon’s temple “the whole altar
that belonged to the oracle (the Holy of Holies) he overlaid with gold.” It does not
appear from the text that Solomon’s temple actually had an altar inside the oracle, and
that the altar referred to was probably only the altar of incense in the House (Holy
Place). All of these facts seem to support the conclusion that the altar of incense was in
some ways not fully explained to us associated both with the Holy Place and to the
Holy of Holies.
”Op. cit., p. 331,

56 9
25: 1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

are some statements that help us to understand what it

symbolized.
It appears to us that the ark was a sort of footstool of
God’s throne and the mercy-seat upon it was a representa-
tion of the throne itself.
Psalm 99:l: “Jehovah reigneth; ... He sitteth (or, is
enthroned) above the cherubim.” Similar statements are
made in Ps. 80:l; I Sam. 4:4; I1 Sam. 6:2; Isa. 37:16;
2522. (The cherubim referred to are the gold angel figures
on the mercy-seat, the covering of the ark. See below,
section 11.)
King David said in I Chron. 28:2, “It was in my heart to
build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Jehovah,
and for the footstool of our God.” The “and” of this verse
could be translated “even for the footstool.. . .”
Psalm 1327-8: “We will go into his tabernacle. We will
is FOOTSTOOL. Arise, 0 Jehovah, into thy
resting place; Thou, and the ark of thy strength.”
These passages seem to confirm the idea that the mercy-
seat with its cherubim was a symbol of God’s throne, and
: the ark a symbol of the footstool of God’s throne.
% Consider the rich significance of the ark and the mercy-
1 seat as a symbol of God’s throne! The ark contained the
ten commandments. This would indicate that God’s throne
rests upon divine LAW and truth. The ark had with it
the pot of manna, symbolizing that God’s throne is a
-. .place of loving-care for His people. The ark had Aaron’s
staff with it, symbolizing God’s sovereignty in choosing
who shall minister unto Him, and how men shall ap-
proach Him.
Perhaps the greatest teaching of the ark as a visual
symbol was that it was covered by a seat (or throne) of
mercy! “Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto
the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, ... 9’

(Heb. 4:16)
“Mercy and truth are met together” (Psalm 85:lO).
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy

570
 s A NcT uAR Y I Ns T R ucTIoNs 25:l-40

throne: Lovingkindness and truth go before thy face”

(Ps. 89:14). All of these things - righteousness, justice,
lovingkindness, truth - are presented to us by the A R K ,
God’s throne!!!
10. What covered the ark? (25:17)
A mercy-seat of pure gold covered the ark. The mercy-
seat had no wood in its composition. It had the same di-
mensions as the top of the ark and was held in position by
the crown around the top of the ark (2512).
The mercy-seat was so significant that in I Chron. 2 8 : l l
the whole room called the Holy of Holies is called “the
house of the mercy-seat.” The mercy-seat was the major
spot of significance in the ritual on the Day of Atonement
(Lev. 16;2, 14-15).
The term mercy-seat was first used by Wm. Tyndale. It
is an apt translation of the Hebrew kapporeth. Martin
Luther rendered it Gnadenstuhl, meaning throne of mercy.
Kapporeth has both the ideas of covering and of atone-
ment for sins. The Latin propitiatorium is a good render-
ing, meaning “a place of pr~pitiation.”’~
The Greek rendering of kapporeth is hilasterion, mean-
ing a place to please (or propitiate) and be reconciled to
I God, a propitiatory. The Greek word hilasterion is found
in Romans 3:25 referring to Christ (“whom God set forth .
as a propitiation”) and in Heb. 9 : s to refer to the mercy-
seat itself. A related word, hilasrnos, is used in I John 2:2
I
l and 4: 10 to refer to Christ as our propitiation. These usages
I
of words show that Christ has for us the same functions as
I
the mercy-seat had for Israel. Christ is our mercy-seat1
The word kapporeth (mercy-seat) is not used in the O.T.
I with the limited meaning of lid or cover, as over a box.
I It is derived from the verb kaphar (found 113 times in
the O.T.), which by far most frequently (70 times) means
“to make atonement.’’ (In some places it simply means
~

”Ramrn, o p , CII., p. 154.

I
I 571
25: 1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

“to cover,”)
What is it that is covered by the functions of the mercy-
seat? Your souls are covered (Ex. 30:16). You are covered
(Lev. 23:28). Your sin is covered (Ex. 32:30; Compare
Ps. 32:l). Thus the atonement provided by the mercy-
seat was a very comprehensive covering. (Atonement is a
manufactured word in English, from at-one-rnent, sug-
gesting harmony.)
Consider the importance of the mercy-seat! When the
Israelites in the days of the judges looked into the ark of
the covenant (I Samuel 6:19), thousands of them died.
They dared to look upon the tablets of ten commandments,
God’s law which they had broken.
It seems that men cannot confront God‘s law that they
have broken and not perish, unless there is a mercy-seat
sprinkled with blood between them and God’s law.
On the day of judgment, when the books are opened
(Rev. 20:12), and we all stand face to face with God, con-
fronting His law, which we have broken, we shall yet be
safe, IF we have accepted Christ as our savior. He is our
mercy-seat, our ‘propitiation!
But if we have not received Christ as our propitiation
(mercy-seat), we shall be cast into the lake of fire, which is
the second death (Rev. 20:15).
11. What was made to project from the ends of the mercy-
seat? (25: 18-20)
Two cherubim, made of gold, all of one piece with the
mercy-seat, and made of beaten (hammered-out) work,
projected upwards from the mercy-seat. (The word cheru-
bim is the Hebrew plural form of cherub.) The cherubim
were not added upon the mercy-seat, but rose from its
top at the ends.
Cherubim are one type of angelic creature. They are
frequently mentioned in connection with God’s throne.
See Ezekiel 1:22, 26, 28; 10:20-21. We are reasonably
certain that the “living creatures” (or “beasts”) of Rev.
4:6ff are cherubim. The golden cherubim of the mercy-seat

572
 s A N c T U A R Y I Ns T R U c T Io N s 251-40
were earthly representatives of the real heavenly beings.
They seem to be outstanding for their rapid activity and
their reverent worship.
Ezekiel describes the cherubim that he saw as creatures
with bodies like men (1:6), but having four faces (of qn
ox, man, lion, and eagle) and four wings (Ezek. 1:s-11).
Because their faces looked toward one another and also
downward toward the mercy-seat, we assume that the
cherubim on the mercy-seat had only one face each.
Considerable stress is given to the fact that the cherubim
were of ONE piece with the mercy-seat, literally “out of
the mercy-seat.” Perhaps this is to emphasize that adoring
angels are always present at God’s throne. Compare Rev.
4:6-8; 511; Isaiah 6:l-2.
The wings of the cherubim spread out upwards above
the mercy-seat so as to cover it. But certainly their wings
did not cover it so completely that it became impossible for
the priest to sprinkle blood upon it (Lev. 16:14).
The faces of the cherubim were directed (1) towards
(facing) one another. and (2) towards the mercy-seat. In
other words, they were bowing. The downward look of
the cherubim suggests the reverence due to God, who
promised to commune (or speak) with Moses from a
position above the mercy-seat (Ex. 25:22), The cherubim
did not gaze upon God’s presence above their wings.
Compare Isaiah 6:2.
Some Bible references picture God as “riding” upon the
cherubim. I1 Sam. 22:ll: “He rode upon a cherub, and
did fly; Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind.”
(Compare Ps. 18:lO. It surely seems reasonable to us that
this is merely a figurative description of the rapidity of God’s
actions. Nonetheless, the expression is Biblical, and we
certainly approve of it! I Chronicles 28:18 actually refers to
the mercy-seat as “the chariot.” This brings back to our
minds the fact that our God is a God of life and activity,
unlike the dead idols that must be moved about by men.
Ancient peoples, such as the Assyrians, Egyptians, and

573
 25:1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

Phoenicians drew and sculptured composite creatures that

many people associate with the Biblical cherubim. l 4 ‘These
had bodies of lions or oxen, and head of humans or birds.
The Egyptian sphinx is such a figure. They were usually
winged. The Assyrians even called their winged, human-
headed bull statues kan’bu, a word related to the Hebrew
cherubim. l 5
We surely think that these pagan cherubim(?) were
nothing more than feeble, distorted attempts to reproduce
the appearance of real cherubim. People had known of
cherubim ever since man was expelled from Eden (Gen.
3:24). Their superhuman speed and power probably stimu-
lated attempts to make idolatrous representations of them.
Certainly Israel did not need to borrow the idea and designs
of cherubim from pagans to form their concept of cherubim
as given in the scriptures.
We suppose that the cherubs of the mercy-seat had the
basic body forms of men, rather than of oxen or lions.
Such four-legged forms would have required too much
space on the mercy-seat. This view is strengthened by the
fact that cherubim with human forms were placed in
Solomon’s temple (I Kings 6:23-28). The Jewish Talmud
says that the tabernacle cherubim resembled youths. l 6
We have mentally pictured the cherubim on the mercy-seat
as kneeling, alJhough the cherubim in Solomon’s temple
were standing upon their feet. (I1 Chron. 3:13)
Cherubim were embroidered upon the veil in the taber-
nacle (Ex. 26:31) and upon its inner linen curtains (26:l).
*
They were not regarded as “graven images,” probably be-
cause no worship was directed toward them. See Ex. 20:l.
12. Where would God contmune with Israel? (2522)
God promised to meet Moses (and Moses alone is referred
to) and to speak (or commune) with him from the area

I‘M. F. Unger, Archaeology and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1964), pp. 39, 42.
”Cole, op. cit., p. 191. Cassuto, op. cit., pp. 333-334.
“B. kagiga, 13b. Referred to in Cassuto, op. crt., pp. 333-334.
574
 s A N c T U A R Y I Ns T R u c T Io N s 251-40

above the mercy-seat, between the two cherubim. God

would speak to Moses all the words which he wished to
command unto the children of Israel.
Ex. 2 5 2 2 points out vividly the position of Moses as a
mediator between God and Israel.
Observe that God was not in the box, the ark! The
presence of God was indicated by the glory-cloud (Shekinah)
above the mercy-seat. See Lev. 16:2.
13. What was the second article o f f i r n i t w e to be described?
(25:2 3)
The table of showbread (presence-bread). We find it
surprising to us that the table should be given this priority
in listing. But our surprise probably only shows our lack
of ability to see things from God’s point of view.
14. Describe the table of showbread. (2523-25; 37:lO-16)
It was one cubit (18 in.) broad, one and a half cubits
high, and two cubits (three feet) long. It was really a very
small table. It was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold,
Like the ark and the altar of incense it had a crown (rim)
of gold around its top edge. This prevented items on the
table from falling off.
The table had a “border” round about it, and the border
was a handbreadth (about three inches) wide. The term
translated “border” is also rendered as margin, moulding,
ledge. The text does not clearly state where the border was
placed. Some feel that the border was on the flat table top,
so that the table had both an outer and inner crown on its
top, causing the top to have a picture-frame appearance.
This arrangement would have severely ‘decreased the al-
ready limited space available on top of the table for the
bread and the vessels. Also, the carved representation of
the temple table shown on the Arch of Titus in Rome seems
to show a “border” placed around the legs of the table,
about halfway down the legs. The Arch of Titus relief shows
two segments of such a frame around the legs of the table
near the middle of the legs. Such a “border” attached to
the legs would strengthen the table, like rungs on a chair.

575
25: 1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

15. How was the table carried about? (2526-28)

It was carried by gold-plated wood staves thrust into
rings of gold, which were placed in the four corners of the
table that were on the four “feet” (or legs) of the table.
The rings were placed “close by” the border. (“Close by”
here means “against” or joined to it.) Therefore, if the
border were on the table top, the rings must have been
located near the upper ends of the legs. If the border were
positioned about halfway down the legs, the rings would
have been there. We favor this view. It would have been
much easier to cover and carry the table with the rings
down lower on the legs than with the rings and staves near
the top of the table. See Num. 4:7-8. The staves in the table
were removed except when the table was being carried about.
about.
16. What vessels were used with the table? (2529)
The text Izentions (1) dishes, (2) spoons, (3) flagons,
and (4) bowls. The “dishes” (R.S.V. “plates”) may have
been flat receptacles to carry the bread on, or upon which
were stacked the loaves on the table. The “spoons” were
probably small cups or dishes used for holding and pour-
ing incense. The same word is used in Numbers 7:14, 20
to refer to small containers for incense. The “flagons”
(K.J.V., “covers”) seem to have been small beakers (drink-
ing cups) used for pouring out drink-offerings (Num.
28:7-8). The “bowls,” like the flagons, were vessels for
pouring out. See Ex. 37:16, where the bowls and flagons
are mentioned again, but in reverse order from that in
2529. Ex. 37:16 says that these vessels were made to
pour from. Possibly the bowls were goblets or chalices,
having cup-like tops with slim. stems beneath for con-
venience of handling. Such vessels are known to have
been used in Moses’ time.”
17. What was the weekly ritual involving the showbread?
(25:30; Lev. 24:5-9

”Ruth Amiran, Ancient PotreTy ofthe Holy Land (Rutgers University Press, 1970).
pp. 129-131. Cassuto, op. cit., p. 339.

576
 sA N cTUARY I Ns T R u c T Io N s 251-40
Twelve loaves were made of fine flour, each having “two
tenth parts” of flour in it. If the “tenth parts” were tenths
of an ephah (about three-fifths of a bushel), then each loaf
would have had about a gallon of flour in it! The loaves
would have been of enormous size. Lev. 24:7 says the
loaves were placed on the table in two rows (or piles), The
Hebrew word simply means “arrangement” and could refer
to either loaves or piles. We do not think there was room
enough on the table for two rows of such loaves, with six
loaves in each row. Josephus (Ant. 111, vi, 6) says that the
twelve loaves were placed six upon each heap, one above
another.
Lev. 2 4 5 6 speaks as if ONE man (the high priest pre-
sumably) set up the table each weekly Sabbath day. Then
all the priests (“Aaron and his sons”) ate the old bread in
a holy place. The new loaves were set in place and pure
frankincense placed on each row.
18. What was the signijicance of the showbread?
The exact theological significance of the bread is not
systematically set forth in the scripture. The more we study
about the showbread, the more we realize it was a symbol
with many facets of meaning, and cannot be fully compre-
hended under one brief tidy heading.
Firstly, it seems to have been a symbol of God’s people
in God’s presence. The very name showbread literally
means “bread of the face($,” or presence-bread. Ex. 2 5 3 0
says rather literally, “Thou (singular) shalt set (or give)
upon the table bread of (the) presence before my presence
continually.” The showbread therefore did not symbolize
God’s presence, but the presence of someone (or something)
else in God’s presence.
The fact that there were TWELVE loaves set out seems
to suggest that the bread symbolized the twelve tribes,
the people. The showbread surely reminded the Israelites
that they were always in God’s presence. Note that the
bread is called the “continual bread” in Numbers 4:7, and
“holy bread” in I Sam. 21:4, What a marvelous symbol

577
..I
25:1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

the bread was, representing as it did a holy people con-

tinually in God’s presence!
Secondly, the showbread was an “offering made by FIRE
unto Jehovah” (Lev. 24:7). As such it was a type of Christ
Jesus, who is man’s ONLY effective offering unto God
(Eph. 5 2 ) . The term “fire-offering” in Lev. 24:7 is applied
to several types of offerings - the burnt-offering in Ex.
29:18, 41-42, and Lev. 1:9; the meal-offering in Lev. 2:3;
to the peace-offering in Lev. 3 : l l ; to the sin-offering in
Lev. 5 1 2 . From this fact we may be reminded that in
Christ’s ONE offering are summed up all the numerous
types of offerings prescribed in the O.T. law. It would
appear that the showbread was basically one form of the
meal-offering (Lev. 2:l-16).
The idea that in the very sanctuary of God there is
constantly displayed before God’s presence an “offering
made by fire” is very comforting to those who know the
horrible realities about sin1
Thirdly, the showbread was to be a “memorial” (Lev.
24:7). The term memorial is a sacrificial term referring
to that which brings the worshipper into favorable re-
membrance before God. See its use in Acts 10:4; Lev. 2:2;
512; 6:15. The showbread is said to have become a
“memorial” when the frankincense was applied to it (Lev.
24:7). Frankincense appears to be a symbol of prayer. See
Psalm 141:2; Rev. 5:8. All of these facts cause us to under-
J stand that when we pray, trusting in the Lord Jesus, who
is always in God’s presence as was the showbread, we are
brought into good remembrance before God.
Fourthly, settting forth the showbread was a covenant
requirement for the children of Israel (Lev. 24:8). Such
acts of obedience are frequently required by God as con-
ditions of continued covenant relationship with Him.
In pagan religions food was sometimes placed on a sacred
table as food for the god. For an example see the apocry-
phal book Bel and the Dragon, vs. 13. The showbread
presented a different picture of God - of a God who did

578
 sA NcTUARY IN s T R u c T Io N s 251-40

not eat men’s food; of a God who wanted his people to

be in his presence more than he wanted gifts from them;
of a God who ministered unto His people, rather than the
people ministering unto Him,
The showbread has been regarded by some as a type
or symbol of the Lord’s supper. There are a few resem-
blances, such as the weekly eating of bread by the priests,
the offering of frankincense (symbolic of prayers) on the
bread, and the fact that both are expressions of a covenant
(Lev. 24:8; Luke 22:20). On the other hand, the fact
that the twelve loaves were a symbol of the PEOPLE befnre
God is quite different from the symbolism of the Lc
supper, in which the bread is the LORD’S body. Also
the fact that the showbread was a sacrificial offering made
by fire is quite in contrast to the Lord’s supper, which is
certainly not a repeated sacrifice of Christ. (Roman Catholic
theology does view the communion [mass] as a sacrifice.)
We doubt that the showbread was a specific type of the
Lord’s supper.
19. What was made to give light in the holy place? (2531-35.
Compare 37:17-24; 27:20-21; 30:7-8; Lev. 24:2-4; Num-
bers 8:l-4.)
A lampstarid (K.J.V., candlestick) of pure gold was
made, and oil-burning lamps were placed on the liranches
of the lampstand. The Hebrew word for lampstand is
MENORAH (a beautiful word, derived from the verb nor
[“to shine”] and the noun ’or, meaning “light”). The
seven-branched lampstand has become the great symbol ’
of the Jewish religion. A relief carving on the Arch of Titus
I
in Rome shows’the menorah taken from Herod’s temple
in Jerusalem (A.D. 70). The lampstand in that carving
is not the same one that was in the tabernacle, but ‘it .
probably resembled it in many ways. It must have been
very heavy, judging by the number of men pictured as
carrying it. The lampstand in Herod’s temple is described
in Josephus, Ant. 111, vi, 7.
The lampstand was made of “beaten” (or hammered)

579
25~1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

work, like the cherubim of the mercy-seat. It had a base,

the form of which is not described, but the base was almost
certainly NOT like the decorated two-stage pedestal shown
in the arch of Titus. The Hebrew word translated “base”
means literally “hip” or “thigh,” but this does not reveal
much about its form. Cassuto18 suggests that the base
resembled those on lampstands found at Megiddo and
Bethshan, which had three feet projecting from the central
shaft. A rough sketch of a menorah with a three-legged
base is shown in Beno Rothenberg’s God’s Wilderness.19
This was scratched onto a rock in the Sinai desert.
The lampstand had a central shaft projecting upwards
from the base. We do not know its height. We suppose
it was about the same height as the table (1% cubits, or
27 inches) or the altar of incense (2 cubits, or 36 inches).
The word translated “shaft” is kaneh, meaning reed,
stem, or cane.
Three branches went out of the central shaft on one
side and three went from the opposite side, making seven
supports for lamps. Because of the use of the number
seven to indicate the complete number of seals, trumpets,
etc. in Revelation, seven is usually thought to indicate
completeness. The lampstand with its lamps was perfectly
adequate, and it furnished all the light that was provided.
(2532)
Decorations on the central shaft and branches consisted
’.of (1) cups (K.J.V., bowls), (2) knops (R.S.V., capitals),
and (3) flowers. The “cups” probably were like the cup
(or calyx) of a flower, consisting of the green false petals
directly under the true flower. The “knops” (Heb., cuphtor)
were probably spherical (or egg-shaped) designs, perhaps
resembling the ovaries (seed-chambers) of flowers. The
“flowers” were like the blossoms of flowers, perhaps like
almond-tree blossoms. (2533)
~

“Op. cit., p. 341.

19Publishedin London by Thames and Hudson, 1969, p. 179.

580
 sAN cTu A R Y I N s T R u c T Io N s 251.40
The whole menorah had the general shape of a natural
plant, with a stalk (or stem) and paired branches, turned
upwards. The ornamentation was also of floral design.20
Three cups were in each branch, each almond-shaped
(that is, the cups were like the calyxes of almond blossoms).
Also on each branch was a knop and a flower blossom
design. It appears that the top cup (calyx) was the support
for the lamp on each branch. In the center shaft (which
is by itself called the “lampstand” in 25:33b, 34) were
four cups (calyxes) shaped like almonds (or almond-
flowers), and a knop and a flower with each. (25:34)
In the central shaft just below the levels where the pairs
of branches issued forth from both sides were knops. The
text says that the knops were both under each pair of two
branches and also “out of the same.” We understand
this to say that the knops actually touched each pair of
branches, but were actually just below them.
20. How was the entire lampstand made of one piece? (2536)
All of the connecting points where the branches came
forth from the central shaft were to be constructed of one
piece with the rest. The branches were not to be made
separately and then attached by couplings to the central
shaft.
Admittedly Ex. 2536 is a difficult verse. Noth (Op. cit.,
p. 208) says it is “not fully comprehensible.” (Such an
attitude is typical for Noth.) The plural possessive endings
in “their knops and their branches’’ appear to refer to the
six branches mentioned in vs. 35. But we cannot imagine
that the six branches themselves had branches.
Cassuto (op. cit., p. 343) feels that the “branches” of
2536 (Hebrew, qenoth, having a feminine ending) and
the “branches” of 2 5 3 5 (Hebrew qanim, having a mascu-
line ending) refer to different things. The feminine word
is used in Job 31:22, where it refers to the joint, or socket

T a s s u t o , op. c i f . pp. 342-343.

I

58 1
25:1-40 EXPLORING EXODUS

(“Let my arm be broken from the joint”). If “joint” be

the meaning in 2536, then the verse would mean “The
knops of the six branches and their connecting points
(joints) out of the central shaft shall all be of one piece of
hammered work of pure (unalloyed) gold.”
Considerable stress is given to the fact that the lampstand
was all made of ONE piece of gold (2531, 35, 36). What-
ever the lamp symbolized should therefore be regarded
as a unity, even if it has several parts.
21. What was to be placed on top of the lampstand? (2537)
Seven lamps, one on each branch. These were made
separately from the lampstand. The material used in
makihg the lamps is not stated. It may have been gold, as
in Solomon’s temple (I Kings 7:49)). We definitely prefer
this view. Or they may have been made of ordinary clay
(terracotta), as were most of the lamps of those times. The
clay lamps of the period were like saucers having one place
on the rim pinched into a spout or hole for holding the
wick up out of the olive oil in the lamp.
The lamps were to be so positioned that they would give
light “over against it,” that is, in front of it, toward the
area across the room from the lamp. The spouts of the
lamps were pointed toward the north, the opposite side
of the room, so that no lamp shadows would block the light.
The lampstand itself stood on’ the south side of the room.
See Ex. 36:35.
22. What implements were prepared for use with the lamp-
stand? (2538)
(1) Snufsers. These were a type of tweezers to remove
old wicks and install new ones. (2) SnufSdishes( These
were trays or bowls to hold charred remains of old wicks
and soot, which would then be thrown out.
23. How much gold was used in the lampstand? (2539)
A talent, about seventy-five pounds. At a price of 5150
an ounce, the lampstand would be worth about $180,000.
The vessels and implements with the lampstand were in-
cluded in this total weight of gold.

582
 s A N c T u A R Y I N s T R u c T Io N s 251-40
24. What final direction was given about the making of the
lampstand and its implements? (2539)
Make all of them according to their pattern which you
were shown on the mount! Compare Ex. 2 5 9 . The verb
“was shown” does not imply that Moses had already left
the mount and had returned to camp. Rather it indicates
that God had already shown Moses the vision of the pattern
(or model) of the tabernacle, and then gave the description
required to construct it.
25. What was the ritual connected with the lampstand? (Lev,
24:2-4; EX.27:20, 21)
Pure (or clear) olive oil was obtained by beating olives
to extract their oil. (These the Israelites must have obtained
from nomadic caravans.) In the mornings the high priest
came in to the holy place to light the lamp (literally “to
cause it to go up”). He was to keep (or arrange) it “from
evening to morning” before the face of the LORD con-
tinually.
26. What was the significance of the menorah? Of what was it
a type?
As with the table of showbread, the scripture does not
give a systematic exposition of the significance of the lamp-
stand, Nevertheless, certain conclusions seem rather evident.
(1) The lampstand signified that the covenant of the
Lord was essentially a covenant of LIGHT. There were no
dark spooky chambers where priests might carry on secret
esoteric rites. See Isa. 6O:l-3.
In the same way the gospel of Christ is a religion of light.
(a) God is light (I John 1 5 ) . (b) Jesus is the light of the
world (John 8:12). (c) Christians are children of light (Eph.
5 8 ) . They are the light of the world (Matt. 514) and
“lights in the world” (Phil. 2:lS). (d) The Bible is a light
(I1 Pet. 1:19; Psalm 119:lOS). (e) The gospel (good news)
of Christ Jesus is a light (I1 Cor. 4:4). Christians are to
cast off the works of darkness (Romans 13:12).
(2) God’s light is complete and perfect. This is indicated
by the seven-fold nature of the lampstand. See notes on

583
26:1-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

section No. 19 above. Similarly in the gospel of Christ

we have been granted all things that pertain unto life and
godliness (I1 Pet. 1:3),
(3) The lamp was fueled by olive oil, which is often a
symbol of the Holy Spirit. See Acts 10:38; Heb. 1:9; Lev.
8:12; Zech. 4:2-6. Thus the light was the light of the Spirit.
Compare Rev. 4:s (which tells of a vision of God’s throne):
“There were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne,
which are the seven spirits of God.”
The fact that the scriptures were written by men moved
by the SPIRIT (I1 Pet. 1:21) confirms a correspondence
between the tabernacle lampstand and the scriptures. The
lampstand was fueled by oil; the scriptures were inspired
by the Holy Spirit, which the oil symbolized.
To say that the lampstand was a type of just one thing
(as, for example, the Bible alone) is to give an incomplete
interpretation of it. Perhaps we could sum it up in a broad
way by saying that it symbolized the light of the gospel of
Christ (I1 Cor.4:4).

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten cur-
26 tains; of fine twined limen, and blue, and purple, and
scarlet, with cher-u-bim the work of the skilful workman shalt
thou make them. (2) The length of each curtain shall be eight
and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits:
all the curtains shall have one measure. (3)Five c u r t a h shall
be coupled together one to another; and the other five curtains
shall be coupled one to another. (4) And thou shalt make loops

584
 ENCLOSINGS 26:l-37
of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in
the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the edge of the
curtain that is outmost in the second coupling. (5) Fifty loops
shalt thou make in the one curtaii, and fifty loops shalt thou
make in the edge of the curtain that is in the second coupling;
the loops shall be opposite one to another. (6) And thou shalt
make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to another
with the clasps: and the tabernacle shall be one WHOLE.
(7) And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent
over the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make them.
(8) The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the
breadth of each curtain four cubits: the eleven curtains shall
have one measure. (9) And thou shalt couple five curtains by
themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double
over the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tent. (10) And
thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that
is outmost in the Coupling, and fifty loops upon the edge of
the curtain which is outmost in the second coupling. (11)And
thou shalt make afty clasps of brass, and put the clasps into
the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. (12)
And the overhanging part that remaineth of the curtains of
the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the
back of the tabernacle. (13) And the cubit on the one side, and
the cubit on the other side, of that which remaineth in the
length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of
the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it. (14)
And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins
dyed red, and a covering of sealskins above.
(15) And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle of
acacia wood, standing up. (16) Ten cubits shall be the length
of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board.
(17) Two tenons shall there be in each board, joined one to
another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the taber-
nacle. (18) And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle,
twenty boards for the south side southward. (19) And thou
shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards;
two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets
585
26:l-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

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 sockets of silver; two sockets under one board,
and two sockets under another board. (22) And for the hinder
part of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.
(23) And two boards shalt thou make for the comers of the
tabernacle in the hinder part. (24) And they shall be double
beneath, and in like manner they shall be entire unto the top
thereof unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they
shall be for the two corners. (25) And there shall be eight
boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets
under one board, and two sockets under another board.
(26) And thou shalt make bars of acacia wood; five for the
boards of the 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 hinder
part westward. (28) And the middle bar in the midst of the
boards shall pass through from end to end. (29) And thou
shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of
gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars
with gold. (30) And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according
to the fashion thereof which hath been showed thee in the
mount.
(31) And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and fine twined line: with cher-u-bim the work of the
skilful workman shaU it be made: (32) and thou shalt hang
it,,Irpon four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold; their hooks
shall be of gold, upon four sockets of silver. (33) And thou
shalt hang up the veil under the clasps, and shalt bring in
thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil
shall separate unto you between the holy place and the most
holy. (34) And thou shalt put the mercyseat upon the ark
of the testimony in the most holy place, (35) And thou shalt
set the table without the veil, and the candlestick over against
the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and
thou shalt put the table on the north side.
(36) And thou shalt make a screen for the door of the Tent,

586
 ENCLO SINGS 26~1-37

of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined h e , the

work of the embroiderer. (37) And thou shalt make for the
screen five pfllars of acacia, and overlay them with gold; their
hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of
brass for them.

EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE
FROM THE BIBLE
1. How many curtains were made for the first covering of the
tabernacle? Of what material? With what colors and decor-
ations were they to be made? (26:l)
2. What were the dimensions of these curtains? (26:2)
3. How were the ten curtains joined together? (26:3-6)
4. What other items in the tabeniacle did these curtains
resemble in material, decoration, and in color? (26:31,
37; 27:16)
5. What was the number of goats’ hair curtains? (26:7)
6. What were the dimensions of the goats’ hair curtains?
(26:8)
7. How were the goats’ hair curtains joined together? (26:9-11)
8. How was the additonal goats’ hair curtain (one more than
the linen curtains) arranged and positioned? (26:12)
9. What were the other two tabernacle coverings made from?
(26:16)
10. What materials were the tabernacle boards (frames?) made
of? (26:lS)
I
11. What were the dimensions of each board? (26:16)
12. What material was used for sockets (bases or pedestals)
under the boards? (26:19)
13. How many sockets were under each board? (26:19)
14. How many boards were on the south (and north) side of
the tabernacle? (26:18)
15. What were made to hold the boards into their sockets?
58 7
26:l-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

(26:17, 19)
16. How were the rear (west) corners of the tabernacle walls
strengthened? (26:23)
17. HOWmany bars on each side held the tabernacle boards
together? (26:26-27)
18. HOW did the middle bar differ from the upper and lower
ones? (26:27-28)
19. Of what material were the rings on the boards for the bars
to be made? (26:29)
20. According to what plan was the tabernacle to be erected?
(26:30)
21. What were the materials and colors of the veil? (26:31)
22. Upon how many pillars was the veil hung? (26:32)
23. Of what material were the sockets under these pillars to
be made? (26:32)
24. Why was the ark called the “ark of the testimony”? (26:33;
32:15; 40:20)
25. What covered the ark? (26:35)
26. Draw a rough sketch of the tabernacle floor layout, show-
ing the position of all items of furniture. Indicate directions.
(26:35; 40:2-8)
27. What was hung at the doorway of the tabernacle building?
(26:37)
28. How many pillars were at the tabernacle door? (26:37)
29. Of what material were the sockets under the pillars at the
tabernacle door made? (26:37)
-3 I.

EXODUS
26: ENCLOSINGS!
(The architectural items described in Exodus 26 enclosed
the tabernacle building completely.)
1. Curtains;26:l-14.
- Furnished beauty, worshipful atmosphere (26:l), unity
(26:6, 111, and protection (26:12-14).
588
 ENCLOSINGS 26:l-37
2. Boards and Bars; 26:15-30.
- Furnished strength (not seen by men) (26:lS-16), port.
ability (so it could always be with men), and beauty
(26:29).
3. Veil and Screen; 26:31-37.
- Showed a separation between earth and heaven (26:33).
- Showed a separation between the world and the church.
(Only the priests served in the holy place [Num. 4:18-20;
3:38]).

CURTAINS!(26:1-14)

1. Glory hidden from those on the outside.

2. Glory revealed to those on inside.
3. Unity produced from many parts (26:6, 11)
4. Protection for the sanctuary (26:12-14).

BOARDS!(26:15-25)
1. The boards provided great STRENGTH. (This strength
could not be seen from the outside because the boards were
concealed behind curtains.)
2, The boards provided great BEAUTY. (They were gold-
covered, but this gold could only be seen from the inside.)
3, The boards provided great ACCESSIBILITY. (The taber-
nacle was always accessible to the people because its board
framework was easily disassembled, carried about, and
reassembled wherever the people moved .)

OF THEHOLYPLACE- For Priests Only!

FURNITURE
(Numbers 3:10, 38)
1. The showbread - God’s people in God’s presence!
2. The lampstand - A perfect light, fueled by the oil of God’s
589
26:1-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

Spirit.
3. The incense altar - The prayers of saints (Rev. 58).
(All Christians are priests unto God [I Peter 2 5 , 91. They
have free access to those things symbolized by the holy place
and its furniture!)

THEHOLYOF HOLIES- God’s Throne Room!

(The Holy of Holies was a type of heaven. Heb. 9:ll-12, 23-24)
1. God was enthroned in both. (Psalm 99:l; Rev. 4:l-2)
2. Both have divine light and glory. (Lev. 16:2; Rev. 21:23)
3. Both have worshipping cherubim. (Ex. 2518; Rev. 4:6-8)
4. Both are golden. (Ex. 2511, 17; 26:29; Rev. 21:18)
5. Both are “foursquare.” (Ex. 26:16; Rev. 21:16)
6. Both have God’s law in them. (Ex. 40:20; Ps. 119:89; 89:14)
7. Both are places where blood atonement is made. (Lev.
16:lS-16; Heb. 9:ll-12, 24-25)

THEVEIL - A Type of Christ’s Flesh! (Heb. 10:19-20)

1. The unbroken veil showed that the way into the Holiest place
(heaven) was not yet clear. (Heb. 9:8)
2. The rent veil shows the way into God’s presence is now open.
(Matt. 2751; I1 Cor. 5 6 , 8)

NOTES ON CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
EXODUS:
EXPLORING

1. What is in Exodus twenty-six?

The chapter contains God’s instructions to Moses about
how to make the ENCLOSINGS of the tabernacle - the
curtains and coverings over it (26:l-14), the boards of its
walls (26:26-30), the veil that separated the two rooms
590
 ENCLOSINGS 26: 1-37

-
Tabernacle building showing boards, bars, sockets, pillars, and the two rooms

Tabernacle building showing its four coverings and the “hanging” across the front

Floor plan-showing its boards

A tabernacle board with its tenons and sockets.

590A
 26:1-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

I‘I
4i 4
I
%
\
Taches

The innermost (linen) curtains of the Tabernacle. Note that it was formed of two
groups of five curtains decorated with cherubim, and joined by loops and taches
(or clasps).

590B
 ENCLOSINGS 26:1-37

(26:31-35), and the screen that closed the entrance (26:

36-37).
2. What was the material of the innermost curtains? (26:l;
36:8-13)
They were made of fine linen. The threads were prepared
by twisting many strands of linen fibre together. These
were woven together with blue, purple, and scarlet thread
(Ex. 3525). Cherubim figures were woven into the fabric
by a skilled weaver. The expression “work of the skillful
workman” literally says “work of a thinker.” (It does refer
to a weaver.) Regarding the cherubim, see notes on 2519.
The material of these curtains was the same as that of the
veil (26:31), the screen (26:36), and the screen at the
entrance of the court (27:16).
Note that the linen curtains formed a covering called
the “tabernacle” (Heb. mishkan, meaning dwelling). The
same limited technical use of the term tabernacle is found
in 26:6 and Num. 3:25. However, the term also refers to
the entire structure of the tabernacle building in such
passages as Ex. 2 5 9 ; 26:12, 30. In Ex. 27:19 it even refers
to the tabernacle and the court around it.
The word tabernacle is derived from the verb shakan,
meaning to dwell temporarily, suggesting the brevity of
Israel’s sojourn. The earthly sojourn of all of God’s people
is brief.
3. How many linen curtains were joined together, and in what
way? (26:2-6)
Ten curtains, each four by twenty-eight cubits (six by
forty-two feet), were joined together. Five were joined to-
gether into one set by sewing them together along their
long sides.’ These formed two very large sets of curtains
twenty by twenty-eight cubits. Then along one edge of each
set fifty loops of blue thread were attached. These rows
of loops were placed side by side, and then gold clasps

‘To describe how the curtains were placed side by side, the Hebrew uses the idion
“a woman to her sister.”

59 1
26: 1-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

(K.J.V., “taches”) were used to couple the two large sets

of curtains into a single covering. The loops would have
been spaced slightly over one-half cubit apart. (“Selvedge”
in 26:4 means “end,” “border,” or “extremity.”)
4. What is the signi3cance of the linen curtains?
The scripture does not state that they had a specific
1

significance. Some interpreters seek to find symbolism in

all their colors and numbers. But those who do this produce
widely different interpretations, and show how futile specu-
lative interpretation is. It may be edifying to meditate
about such matters, but our conclusions must always
remain private opinions.
Probably we are not speculating too much to say that
the beauty of the curtains suggests the beauty of God’s
divinely revealed religion. The cherubim figures suggest
the presence of God, because they are always associated
with God’s presence in scripture. (Note that the inside
walls of Solomon’s temple were decorated with cherubim.
I Kings 6:29).
5 . What material comprised the second tabernacle covering?
(26:7; 36~14-18)
Goats’ hair (literally, just “goats”). This was the usual
material of nomads’ tents, and still is. It is black (or nearly
so), strong, and gives good protection from the weather.
The goats’ hair was spun (twisted) into yarn by wise (skilled)
women, and then woven into cloth (3526).
The goats’ hair coverings are called the “Tent” (Heb.
ohel). See 26:11, 13; 36:14; 40:19 for other examples of this
specialized use of the term tent. However, Ex. 26:36 uses
tent to refer to the entire tabernacle building. Also Num.
24:s; Isa. 5 4 2 , and Jer. 30:18 use the terms tent and taber-
nacle as synonyms referring to dwelling places generally.
6 . How many goats’ hair curtains were joined, and in what
way? (2623-11)
Eleven curtains, each four by thirty cubits, were made
and then coupled together along their long sides in sets of
five and six curtains. Fifty loops were set in one edge of
592
 ENCLOSINGS 26~1-37

each set and the sets were joined by placing bronze clasps
in the loops that lay side by side. Note that the clasps were
bronze, not gold as with the linen curtains. (The material
of the loops is not indicated. Probably it was goats’ hair
cord) The clasps joined the two sets into one huge covering,
thirty by forty-four cubits.
The coupling together of the sets of curtains produced
ONE tent (26:ll). The unity of the tabernacle was a signifi-
cant feature of it, just as the unity of the church should be
a significant quality about it.
7. How were the Brst two coverings over the tabernacle
positioned? (26:12-13)
Apparently they were draped flat over the tabernacle,
I
the linen curtains first and the goats’ hair curtains over
them.
Some interpreters have proposed that this flat-roofed
design does not form a “tent.” They feel the coverings must
have been suspended on a slope from a ridge pole running
lengthwise over the tabernacle. The lower ends of the
curtains would then have been tautly staked down. The
presence of five pillars at the west end of the tabernacle
is thought to strengthen this view, because the middle
pillar of the five was possibly higher than the rest and
served as one support for the ridgepole.
I We feel that the flat roof arrangement is more probably
the actual one used. Among the desert dwellers “tent”
did not usually suggest a sloping roof. Their tents were
(and are) generally flat-roofed, except for the spots where
the interior stakes hold small areas of the black curtains
up in points.
There is no indication that the middle pillar at the front
was taller than those about it. The scripture does not
mention any ridgepole. And it mentions no pole at the back
end of the tabernacle to support that end of a ridgepole.
It is hard to see how the goats’ hair coverings could have
hung down “over the backside” of the tabernacle if they
had been suspended high enough over a ridgepole to have
593 I
 26:1-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

formed a sloping roof. They would have formed many un-

even folds as they hung down from the angle of the sloping
roof.
The clasps of the linen curtains were placed directly
over the veil separating the holy place from the Holy of
Holies. See 26:33. This position would cause the linen
curtains to extend exactly to the front edge of the tabernacle
boards on the east (the entrance), and to extend westward
clear back to the end of the Holy of Holies, and then drape
down to the very bottoms of the tabernacle boards on the
west end.
With their length of twenty-eight cubits tbe linen curtains
would span the open top of the tabernacle (ten cubits) and
hang down over both sides to within one cubit of the bot-
toms of the tabernacle boards on the north and south.2
The goats’ hair curtains were draped flat over the top
of the tabernacle boards and over the linen curtains. Being
two cubits longer, they completely covered them on the
sides, and indeed hung down to the very bottoms of the
tabernacle boards on the north and south, extending one
cubit lower than the linen curtains.
The set (or coupling) of the srjc goats’ hair curtains was
placed over the east (front) part of the tabernacle. It was
so positioned that the sixth curtain (which would appear to
be the first as one approach the tabernacle) was “doubled
over” at the forefront. This doubling over (or doubling

*Keil and Delitzsch (Op.cit., Vol. 11, p. 176) suggest that the linen curtains hung
down inside the boards of the holy place, so that the cherubim figures would be visible
on the side walls inside, as well as on the ceiling above. They feel that the elaborate
cherubim embroidered on the curtains would be largely needless if they were never seen
on the outside of the boards. We do not deny that this might have been the position
of the linen curtains. The presence of cherubim figures on the walls of Solomon’s
temple is a possible parallel. Nonetheless, the text in Exodus does not clearly state that
the linen curtains hung inside the walls. And no reference is made to any supports
at the tops of the boards from which the curtains may have hung down on the inside.
3 C a ~ ~ ~op.
t o cit.,
, p. 352, suggests that the folded-back goats’ hair curtain was
folded beneath the front edge of the linen curtain in order to cover its edge well and
give it thorough protection. We find neither proof nor disproof of this idea.

594
 ENCLOSINGS 26:l-37
back) would reduce its width to two cubits. Thus the second
curtain from the tabernacle forefront started just two cubits
from the forefront edge. In this position it would cause
the clasps joining the two large sets (couplings) to lie two
cubits behind the clasps joining the sets of linen curtains.
Having the joints (the clasps) “staggered’’ in this way would
be helpful in keeping out wind and rain from the taber-
nacle. (Rain was not much of a problem in the Sinai
peninsula, but infrequent cloudbursts do occur in winter.)
Since the clasps joining the sets of goats’ hair curtains
came two cubits behind the clasps of the linen curtains,
there would have been eight cubits from the point of the
clasps of the goats’ hair to the back edge of the tabernacle.
But there were twenty cubits of goat’s hair extending back
from the clasps. This would cause the goats’ hair to cover
the tabernacle top completely and then dangle down to the
ground (ten more cubits), and still have “half a curtain”
(two cubits) to remain over at the back, lying on the ground
(26:12). Cassuto quotes a passage from the Talmud which
said that the two cubits of goats’ hair trailed on the ground
“like a woman walking in the street with her train trailing
behind her .”4
The dark goats’ hair curtains gave no hint of the brilliant
colors beneath and within it. The tabernacle materials
were so chosen that there was a consistent movement from
less valuable materials to more valuable as one moved closer
to the most holy place from the outer areas. In a similar
way, the nearer that one draws to God and Christ, the
greater are the riches that he finds.
8 . What were the two outer tabernacle coverings? (26:14;
36:19; 39:34)
Coverings of rams’ skins dyed red and of sealskins were
placed over the goats’ hair curtains. Regarding these
materials, see notes on 2 5 5 .

40p. cit., p. 353.

595
26:l-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

Sacred tent-shrines, some with red coloring, are known

to have been used by Moslems; and also even farther back,
into the third-first centuries B.C. at Palmyra; and in the
seventh century B.C. in Phoeni~ia.~ Certainly this does not
necessarily indicate that either the pagans or the Israelites
borrowed the idea of a red-covered sacred tent from one
another.
The ancient rabbis held that the covering of red rams’
skins was ten by thirty cubits, only large enough to have
covered the top area of the tabernacle. Cassuto (also Jewish)
feels that it may have hung down a little over the walk6
These opinions are hardly solid evidence.
The R.S.V. translation of 26:14 suggests that the two
coverings of rams’ skins and sealskins were actually just
ONE covering made of the two materials. However, the
ses the words for “a covering of skins” be-
terms translated “rams’ skins” and “seal-
e sealskins are said to be “above” the other
covering. These facts argue strongly for two separate
coverings.
There is, however, a bit of uacertainty about whether
the rams’ skins and sealskins were one or two coverings.
In the account of the erection of the tabernacle in 40:19,
‘ the word for “covering” is in the singular, possibly h d i -
cating that only the covering of tams’ skins was placed
over the tabernacle when it was set up. Certainly the two
- outer coverings wou€d have been very heavy and unwieldy.
Some authors suggest that possibly the sealskins were used
only as a tent bag or wrapping to. protect the outer coverings
when they were being moved.’ Compare Num. 4:6,8,11,12.
. We still think the tabernacle was covered with separate

SFrankM. Cross, Pi., “The Priestly Tabernacle,” reprinted in The Biblical Archae-
ologist Reader, edited by G . Ernest Wright and David Noel Freedman (Garden City,
N.Y.: Doubleday & Co., 1961),pp. 217-219.
lop. cit., p. 353.
’Cole, op. cit., p. 194. Cassuto, op. cit., p. 354.

596
 ENCLOSINGS 26:l-37

coverings of rams’ skins and sealskins.

From the standpoint of outward beauty the tabernacle
could not be considered attractive. In a similar way, even
Christ Jesus had no outward beauty that we should desire
him (Isa. 53:2). The preciousness is seen by those who
believe (I Peter 2:7).
9. Whatformed the walls of the tabernacle? (26:lS-18)
Boards of acacia wood overlaid with gold (26:29), stood
on end like pillars, and held together by rods through gold
rings, formed the walls. The boards were ten cubits (fifteen
feet) long and a cubit and a half wide (twenty-seven inches).
Twenty such boards were on the south side,* and twenty
were on the north, but only six with these dimensions were
on the west (back) side. Two extra corner boards were
also on the west.
The thickness of the boards is not stated. Josephus
(Ant. 111, vi, 3) says that they were four fingers thick, about
three inches. This seems very reasonable, but is hardly
conclusive evidence. Some Jewish commentators have said
that the walls were one cubit thick! This would make the
boards into impossibly heavy beams. (This thick dimension
was proposed because of a desire to make the tabernacle’s
inside measurements exactly ten cubits. By assuming that
all of the eight boards [26:22-25) on the west side were one
and a half cubits wide, they calculated that this side was
twelve cubits wide. To reduce this to ten cubits, it was
proposed that the side boards were each one cubit thick,
and their outside faces were even with the ends of the
west wall.)

‘“For the south side” in 26:18 is literally “to the side of the Negev, southward.”
Similarly “westward” in 26:22 is literally “to the sea.” Some critics have argued that
the use of these geographical orientations as indicators of directions reveals that the
writer of Exodus lived in Canaan, probably long after Moses’ time. but inasmuch as the
Hebrew language was used even before Israel sojourned in Egypt (Gen. 42:22-23),
these geographical expressions indicating directions had probably become established
idiomatic usages before the sojourn, and continued to be used by the Hebrews even
when they were in areas that did not have the Negev at the south and the Great Sea
to the west.

597
26:1-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

Cassuto comments that most probably the thickness of

the boards was small, and hence the question as to whether
the tabernacle dimensions (the ten cubits width) were ex-
ternal or internal is of little consequence, since there was
no appreciable difference.
Each board of the walls had two tenons (Heb. “hands”)
in the lower end of it. These were “joined one to another”
(literally “the woman to her sister”). It seems that the
tenons, though side by side in the ends of the boards,
yere also joined to one another, perhaps by another short
board (or piece of metal) into which they were mortised.
This combination of the two tenons and their coupling-
pieces could then be attached to the bottom of each board.
This design would make the tenons more rigid and less
likely to break out of the boards when under strain.
It is widely held that the “boards” of the tabernacle were
hollow “frames” made of two upright
r more cross pieces at the ends, and per-
haps in between, making them somewhat like ladders.
The R. S . V. translates the Hebrew word qeresh (?board”)
as “frame.” However, it renders the same word as “deck”
(of a ship) in Ezek. 27:6, demonstrating that the Hebrew
word does not always have the meaning of “frame.”
Several arguments have been advanced for the use of
frames rather than solid boards. (1) Acacia trees were not
large enough to yield such large boards. (See our notes
on 2 5 5 on the size of acacia trees. Even if one tree were
not large enough for a whole board, wood from several
of them could be spliced together.) (2) The solid boards
would be so heavy they could hardly have been handled.
(This argument depends upon how thick the boards were.)
(3) The fact that the cherubim decorations on the linen
curtains on the side walls could not be seen if draped on
the outside of walls of solid wood argues that the walls were
of frames, through which the wall decorations could be
seen. This is based on the assumption that everything
beautiful in the tabernacle had to be visible. This is hardly
598
 ENCLOSINGS 26~1-37
the case. The curtains in the Holy of Holies were seen only
once a year. The gold overlay inside the ark of the covenant
was never to be seen. The gold overlay on the outside of the
tabernacle walls was covered by the goats’ hair curtains.
The beauty was seen by God, even if it was invisible to
men. Men would be aware of its beauty even though it did
not always hang in plain sight. Certainly the decorations
on the curtains were visible above, on the tabernacle ceiling.
(4) The Hebrew word translated “board” is from a root
word meaning “cut off” in other Semitic languages, and
in the Ugaritic language the noun is used of a pavillion of
the Canaanite god El, which might suggest framework
here. Also Canaanite and Assyrian buildings were made
of wooden framework. To this we reply that the example
of Assyrian buildings is irrelevant since they date from
centuries after the Israelite tabernacle. Furthermore, there
is no evidence that the Israelites patterned God’s taber-
nacle after Canaanite architecture. Also the fact that the
word for board is derived from a word meaning “to cut
off” hardly proves the boards were frames. The boards
themselves were also “cut off.”
We agree with Cassuto, who says it is hard to suppose
that the boards were not actually boards.’O
10. What supported the boards? (26:19-21)
Two sockets, or pedestals, or bases, of silver supported
each board. Each socket was of one talent (about seventy-
five pounds) of silver (38:27). The presence of two sockets
under each board with each mortised to receive the tenons
under a board, would keep the boards from rotating, as
they might have done if each board had had only one tenon
at top and bottom. We do not know the shape of the
sockets, but they probably were wider at the bottom than
at the top.
Altogether one hundred sockets supported the tabernacle

9C0le, op. c i t . , pp. 194-195.

loop.cit., p. 351.

599
26:1-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

boards and the pillars holding up the veil (Ex. 38:27).

Wagons were used to transport these heavy silver sockets.
See Num. 4:31; 7:3, 6-8.
11. How were the back comers of the tabernacle designed?
(26:22-25)
The boards for the two back corners are mentioned
separately, as if they had different dimensions or designs
from the other boards. Their width is not stated. We find
ourselves in agreement with various authors who feel that
they were only half a cubit wide. Two of them with this
width would add only one cubit‘to the nine-cubit width
of the other six boards at the west end of the tabernacle,
making ten cubits.
Ex. 26:24 is a difficult verse. We have not found any
two commentators in agreement about its meaning. The
e corner boards were in some way “doubled”
ned) together “beneath,” that is, at the
bottom. Possibly this means that the boards were made of
two thicknesses of board for a few cubits at the bottom.
Perhaps each of the two thicknesses was stuck into one of
‘ the sockets. Then the boards extended on up “entire” (or
hole, unbroken, perhaps meaning unspliced) to its [singu-
r] top (or head), unto “the one ring.” This suggests to us
that at the top of the boards some type of a ring clamped
each corner board to the adjoining end boards of the south
north sides. (The meaning of the Hebrew technical
translated “doubled” is not fully known.)
12. What bound the tabernacle boards together? (26:26-30;
36 :31-34)
Five bars of acacia wood overlaid with gold were thrust
through rings of gold attached to the tabernacle boards.
Five such bars were placed on the north side and on the
south side, and the west end of the tabernacle. The middle
bar on each side was “in the midst of the boards” and
“passed through from the end to the end.”
This design made the tabernacle easy to assemble and
disassemble as the Israelites moved from place to place.

600
 ENCLOSINGS 26: 1-37
How cleverly designed it was1’
The statement about the middle bar reaching from end
to end causes most interpreters to feel that the other four
bars did not reach from end to end along the sides of the
tabernacle, but probably only half way. These four bars
were probably arranged into just two rows, one above and
one below the long middle bar. Thus there were only three
rows of bars, even though there were five bars, because
the top and bottom rows consisted of two bars, each only
extending half the length of the walls. We feel this is a
probability, but by no means a certainty.
Some have felt that the long middle bar was inserted
not through rings, but through holes bored in a straight
line through the midst of the boards from edge to edge.
However, the text surely sounds as though all the bars were
thrust through rings.
Cassuto felt that the rings and bars were on the inside
of the tabernacle walls. Noth felt that the bars were “pre-
sumably on the outside.” We think they were on the outside.
The obscurity in the instructions about the boards and
bars in our Bibles was cleared up for Moses, because God
had showed him exactly how he was to set up the taber-
nacle (26:30). Observe that even the manner of setting
up the tabernacle was not left to human judgment. God
has given careful directions to his children on all matters
wherein exact obedience is required.
13. What separated between the two tabernacle rooms? (26:31-
33; 36~35-38)
A beautiful ,veil separated the rooms called the Holy
Place and the Most.Holy Place (Holy of Holies). The word
veil (Heb. paroketh) means “that which separates Its .”
“Noth, op. cit., p, 211, fails to sense the reasonableness and efficiency of this design.
Instead he imagines that a priestly writer (P) living a thousand years after the time of
Moses, fused together two disparate story elements, first of a tent sanctuary such as
nomads use; and then the pattern of the Jerusalem temple, which the priestly writer
transformed into a wooden structure capable of being dismantled. Such daring, dog-
matic assertions of unproven and destructive theories never cease to amaze us.

60 1
26:l-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

dimensiond seem to have been ten cubits square. It is

called the “veil of the screen” in 40:21; 3512; 39:34, al-
though the term screen is usually associated with the
hanging at the entrance to the Holy Place.
The description of the material and decorations of the
veil is almost identical to that of the linen curtains over
the tabernacle. (See 26:1.)
The veil was hung on four pillars of acacia wood over-
laid with gold. These pillars were supported on four sockets
(pedestals) of silver. See 26:19. The pillars had hooks of
gold at their tops, and the veil was hung upon these hooks,
hanging directly below the clasps (taches) that joined the
two large sets of linen curtains. (See section 7 of the notes
on this chapter.)
The “ark of the testimony” (see 2510-16) was to be
brought into the innermost room (the Holy of Holies).
Ex. 4090-21 indicates that when the tabernacle was erected,
the ark was put into its position in the tabernacle first and
then after that the pillars and veil were set up. Thus 26:33
does not set forth a sequence of acts to be followed in
erecting the tabernacle.
14. What was the sign@cance of the veil?
The New Testament clearly identifies the veil as a symbol,
or type, of Christ’s FLESH, which was broken on the cross
of Calvary (Heb. 10:19-22).
The Holy of Holies was God’s throne room, a type of
heaven. See Heb. 9:11, 24. The Holy of Holies was closed
off by the veil, and no one went past it except the high
priest, and he only one day of each year (Heb. 9:7; Lev.
16:2, 34). The Holy Spirit signified to men by this visual
means that the way into the true holiest place (heaven!)
was not yet made open and plain as long as the tabernacle
of Moses was still standing with its veil intact. The same
condition continued on into the times of Solomon’s temple
(which replaced the tabernacle) and later temples. The
way into heaven was at that time simply NOT made manifest
(open, plain)!
602
 ENCLOSING S 26:l-37
Thus in the O.T, times there was some uncertainty about
the future life and immortality. Job cried, “If a man die,
will he live again?” (Job 14:14), In later times God revealed
the promise of the resurrection of men’s dead bodies (Dan.
12:2), but it was still a matter of future hope and not
present assurance.
At the hour our Lord Jesus died, the veil in the temple
in Jerusalem was ripped in two from top to bottom (Matt.
27:51). This veil corresponded to the one in the tabernacle,
It separated the two innermost rooms of the temple, which
corresponded to the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.
When Christ’s fleshly body died, the true veil (his fleshl)
was torn apart. The barrier between God and man, be-
tween earth and heaven, between death and immortality,
was swept aside for everl
Now men may approach boldy to God’s heavenly throne.
“Let us draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace”
(Heb. 4:16). We can now KNOW that we have eternal life
(I John 513). We are of good courage, knowing that even
when we are absent from the body (dead!) we are “AT HOME
WITH THE LORD”(I1 Cor. 58). We depart from this world
and are “WITH CHRIST”(Phil. 1:23). More than that, our
mortal bodies will themselves be resurrected at the end
to become immortal (I Cor. 1550-53).
Thanks be to God for sending the Savior Christ Jesus,
who abolished death, and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel! (11 Tim. 1: 10)
Thanks be to God for a mighty savior, who rent the veil
in two through the death of himself, and then rose again
from the dead!
15. How was the tabemacle&miture arranged? (26:34-35)
In the Holy of Holies there was only the ark and its
mercy-seat covering, See 25:16-21. “Outside the veil,” in
the Holy Place, was the lampstand on the south side, the
table of showbread on the north and the altar of incense
up near the veil at the west part of the Holy Place (30:6;
40:23-26).
603
26:1-37 EXPLORING EXODUS

The Holy Place was probably a type of the church. As

the Holy of Holies was entered only from the Holy Place, so
heaven is entered only from the church. As the Holy Place
was for priests only, so the church is for priests (Christians)
only.
The tabernacle building was a surprisingly small build-
ing, only ten by ten by thirty cubits (fifteen by forty-five
feet floor size). But it did not need to be extremely large,
since no one entered it but the priests. The congregation
worshipped at the door of each man’s tent. See 33:8.
Probably only a small portion of the people ever even
entered the courtyard, since even it was small (fifty by a
hundred cubits, seventy-five by one hundred fifty feet).
On feast days they could view the sacrifices from just out-
side the court, or from further distance.
16. What closed the entrance to the door of the tent? (26:36-37;
36~37-38;38:18-19)
A “screen” (hanging, curtain) of cloth hung at the door
of the Holy Place. Its colors and fabric were like those of
th!: veil and the linen curtains (26:1, 31), except that it
had no cherubim figures woven into it. Cherubim were
present only in those places immediately associated with
God’s presence. The colors of the screen were embroidered
into it.
The screen was supported by five pillars, one more than
held up the veil. Five pillars were probably used here be-
cause additional support was needed at the entrance, on
account of the frequency with which the screen would be
drawn aside for priests to enter.
The five pillars were overlaid with gold, and had gold
hooks at the top. See 26:32. Its sockets (pedestals) were of
bronze, unlike the silver sockets of the rest of the taber-
nacle.
Exodus 36:37-38 speaks of the pillars at the entrance
having capitals and fillets of gold. We read of no capitals
nor fillets on the pillars holding up the veil. The word
capital here is simply the word meaning top or head. It

604
 ALTAR, COURT, O I L 27~1-21

does not suggest the presence of a fancy top piece on the

pillar.
"Fillet" in 36:38 is a word meaning a junction rod, or
something which is attached or fastened together. It
possibly refers to rods connecting the pillars. Whether the
screen was hung from these fillets, as from a curtain rod,
or just hung on the hooks like the veil, is not clearly in-
dicated.
Keil and Delitzsch felt that the fillets formed a sort of
architrave, a solid wooden (but gold-overlaid) section
above the pillars.12 Cassuto says that the fillets formed a
pole lying on the hooks, and that this prevented the side
boards from inclining inwards because of the weight of
the curtains suspended over them.13
We cannot tell whether the pillars were inside or out-
side the screen. We are of the opinion that they were inside,
because they were covered with gold. Gold was reserved
for the things inside the tabernacle, except for the outside
of the side boards, and even they were covered by the
curtains. However, the fact that the pillars had bronze
sockets shows that they were regarded as near or part of
the items in the court, which were of bronze.
1

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And thou shalt make the altar of acacia wood, five
27 cubits long, and 5ve cubits broad; the altar shall be
foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. (2)
And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four comers
thereof; the horns thereof shall be on one piece with it: and

" o p . cit., Vol. 11, p. 182.

"Op. cit., p. 361.

605
27:1-21 EXPLORING EXODUS

thou shalt overlay it with brass. (3) And thou shalt make ita
pots to take away it ashes, and it shovels, and its basins, and
its flesh-hooks, and its firepans: all the vessels thereof thou
shalt make of brass. (4) And thou shalt make for it a grating
of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four
brazen rings in the four comers thereof. (5) And thou shalt
put it under the ledge round the altar beneath, that the net may
reach halfway u p the altar. (6) And thou shalt make staves for
the altar, staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with brass.
(7) And the staves thereof shall be put into the rings, and the
staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, in bearing it.
(8) Hollow with planks shalt thou make it: as it hath been
showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.
(9) And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for
the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court
of fine twined h e n a hundred cubits long for one side: (10) and
the pillars thereof shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of
brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
(11)And likewise for the north side in length there shall be
hangings a hundred cubits long, and the pillars thereof twenty,
and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and
their fillets, of silver. (12)And for the breadth of the court on
the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten,
and their sockets ten. (13)And the breadth of the court on the
east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. (14) The hangings for
the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars
three, and their sockets three. (15) And for the other side shall
be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their
sockets three. (16) And for the gate of the court shall be a
screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and
fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars
four, and their sockets four. (17)All the pillars of the court
round about shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver,
and their sockets of brass. (18) The length of the court shall be
a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the
height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of
brass. (19) All the instruments of the tabernacle in all the

606
 ALTAR, COURT, OIL 27: 1-21
service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of
the court, shall be of brass.
(20) And thou shalt command the children of Is-ra-el, that
they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause
a lamp to bum continually. (21)In the tent of meeting, without
the veil which is before the testimony, Aar-on and his sons
shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Je-ho-vah:
it shall be a statute for ever throughout their generations on
the behalf of the children of Is-ra-el.

EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE
QUESTIONS

1. After reading the chapter carefully, propose a brief chapter

topic for it.
2. Of what materials was the altar made? (27:1, 2, 8)
3. What was the general shape of the altar? (27: 1)
4. What were the dimensions of the altar? (27:l)
5. What stuck out of the upper corners of the altar? (27:2)
6. What accessory utensils were made for the altar? (27:3)
7. What was the grating (net-work) made from? (27:4)
8. Where were the bronze rings of the altar set? (27:4)
9. Where was the grating of the altar placed? (275)
10. Where were the poles placed? (27:7)
11. What were the poles (or staves) used for? (27:7)
12. When were sacrifices made on the altar? (Lev. 6:9, 12, 13)
13. Of what would the altar be a type? (Hebrews 13:lO-12;
John 1:29; Matthew 23:19)
14. Suggest some ways in which the altar resembled that of
which it was a type.
15. What were the dimensions (including height) of the court?
(27:9, 13, 18)
16. What formed (or enclosed) the court? (27:9, 10)
607
27: 1-21 EXPLORING EXODUS

17. Describe the way the court was constructed. (27:9-13)

18. How many pillars were used in the court? (27:lO-15)
19. On which side of the court was its entrance? (27:13, 14)
20. How wide was the entrance of the court? (27:14, 15)
21. What was hung across the court entrance? Describe it.
(27:15)
22. Who might enter the court? (Lev. 17:8-9; 22:18; 6:9-10;
3:1-2)
23. What items of furniture were in the court? (Ex.40:6-8)
24. Of what may the court have been a type? (Compare Rev.
1l:l-2)
25. Of what material were the utensils of the tabernacle made?
(27: 19)
26. Who was to bring pure olive oil? For what use? (27:20)
27. Of what may olive oil be a type? (Compare Heb. 1:9; Acts
10~38;Zech. 4:2-6)
28. When did the lamp burn? (27:20)
29. In what room (or area) did the lamp burn? (27:21)
30. What is the “testimony”? (27:21; Ex. 32:15; 34:29)
31. Who tended the lamp? (27:21)
32. How long was the law about the burning of the lamp to
continue? (27:21)

EXODUS ALTAR,COURT,OIL!
TWENTY-SEVEN>

1. The altar; 27:l-8

a. Made of wood and bronze; 27:1, 8.
b. Made with horns; 27:2-3.
c. Made with a grating; 27:4-5.
d. Made portable; 27:6-7.
e. Made according to the pattern; 27:8.
2. The court; 27:9-19.
a. Made of curtains upon pillars; 27:9-10, 17.

608
 ALTAR, COURT, O I L 27: 1-21

b, Made according to dimensions given by God; 27:11.13, 18,

c. Made with an entrance; 27:14-16.
d. Made of sturdy bronze; 27:19,3.
3. The oil; 27:20-21.
a. Brought by the people; 27:20.
b. Burned before Jehovah; 27:21*
c. Brought for ever; 27:21.

THEALTAR,A TYPEOF CHRIST’S

DEATH(27:l-8)

1. A place of power! (It had horns!) Ex. 27:2; Eph. 1:19.

2. A place of death! Lev, 17:ll; Rom. 6:23, 3-5.
3. A place of atonement (or covering)! Lev. 1:4; 4:20; Heb.
9124.26.
(The atonement was continual! Ex. 29:42)
4. A place of meeting God! Ex. 29:42; Eph. 2:16-18.
5, A place of sweet smell unto the Lord! Lev. 1:9, 13, 17;
Eph. 5 2 .
6. A place of thanksgiving! Lev. 7:lS-17; Col. 1:12-13.
“The altar shall be most holy!” (Ex. 40:lO)

To MEN!(27:9-19)
THECOURT,GOD’SOUTREACH
1. The court was separated from the outside world.
a. The court was enclosed by high hangings. (27:12-15)
b. We must “draw near’’ to God. (Isa. 5 5 6 ; James 4:8)
2. The court was open to all. (Ex. 27:16)
a. To priests (Lev. 4:3-4)
b. To Israel (Lev. 4:27-29)
c. To Gentiles (Num. 15:14)
3. The court contained the altar and the laver. (Ex. 40:29,
30, 33)
a. The altar, a place of blood atonement. (Lev. 17:ll)
b. The laver, a place of washing. (Ex. 30:18-21; Titus 3:s)
“Enter into his courts with praise!” (Psalm 100:4)

609
27:1-21 EXPLORING EXODUS

OILFORTHELAMP! (Ex. 27:20-21)

“Let your lamp be burning” (Luke 12:35). “Let your light
shine before men; that they may ...
glorify your Father who
is in heaven” (Matt. 516). See Matthew 252-9.
1. Brought by the people. (27:20)
2. Beaten from the olives - to be the best oil!
3. Burned continually! (27:20)
4. Brought daily! (27:21)
5. Brought for ever.

OIL- A TYPEOF GOD’S

SPIRIT! (27:20-21)
1. Priests anointed with oil (Ex. 29:7); Jesus anointed with the
Spirit (Acts 10:38; Heb. 1:9)
2. The lamp light fueled by oil (Ex. 27:20; Zech. 4:2-3, 6);
The light of God’s word fueled (inspired) by the Holy Spirit
.
(I1 Pet 1:20-21; I1 Tim. 3:16)

EXODUS:
EXPLORING NOTES ON CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
1. What is in Exodus twenty-seven?
The chapter gives the instructions for making the altar
of burnt-offering, and for making the pillars and hangings
around the courtyard of the tabernacle. It closes with in-
structions about oil for the lamp. Probably it is simplest
to remember the chapter as relating to “Altar and Court.”
2. What was the material used in making the altar? (27:l-2)
Its basic framework was made of acacia wood (255).
The frame itself was hollow (27:8). Apparently there was no
internal bracing. The altar was overlaid with bronze (or
copper). At a later time (about a year later) the bronze
610
 ALTAR, COURT, OIL 27:1-21

Probable design of the altar of burnt-offering, or brazen altar. The altar was hollow,
wooden, and copper-plated. It had a network of copper reaching halfway up the altar,
under the ledge round about the altar. The altar was almost shoulder-high to a man
(three cubits, or four and a half feet). The ledge therefore probably served as place
for priests to stand ot to lay objects. Uncut field stones may have been placed in the
altar to hold up the firewood and sacrifices (Ex.2024-26). (Drawing by James Sherrod)

610A
27:1-21 EXPLORING EXODUS

The high priest in his holy garments. The garments include (1) the breastplate with
twelve gemstones, (2) the ephod, an apron-like garment with straps over the shoulders,
(3)the blue robe of the ephod with pomegranates and bells at its bottom, (4) the inner
“coat” of fine linen, (5) the girdle (sash) of the ephod, and (6) the mitre (or turban)
with its inscribed golden plate. (Art by Ellen Cline)

610B
 censers (incense burners) of certain rebels who sought to
become priests were beaten into plates and attached to the
altar as additional covering for it (Num. 16:37-39). We
suspect that this was done because the wooden framework
needed more protection from the fire than had been original-
ly provided (although the stated reason was that these
censers were holy).
The use of bronze for the altar is an obvious contrast to
the use of gold for the furniture in the tabernacle building.
We observe that the value and beauty of the materials used
decreased as they were located further out from the Holy
of Holies, (We also notice that the order in which the various
objects of furniture are described is generally progressively
outward from the Holy of Holies, through the Holy place,
and now into the court.)
It has been proposed frequently that the hollow altar was
filled with natural uncut stones or earth when it was in
use. See 20:24-25. The fire that burned the sacrifices would
in that case have actually burned on the stones in the center
of the altar. This,would have lM the altar less exposed to
heat damage, as well as conforming to the instructions about
making altars of earth or stones. There is, however, no
definite statement that the altar was actually filled with
I stones or earth.
3. What are the names of the altar?
It is called the “altar of burnt-offering” (Lev. 4:7; 10:18);
or the “brazen altar” (Ex. 38:30), to distinguish it from the
“golden altar” of incense (Ex. 39:38). When the altar is
referred to, it is always THE altar, because it was the only
such article in the Israelite religious rituals. King Solomon’s
temple had ten lavers, ten tables of showbread, etc. But
even it had only one altar. Perhaps this points toward the
fact that we have in Christ our only altar for covering sins.
4. What were the dimensions of the altar? (27:l; 38:l)
It was five cubits long, five wide, and three high (7% feet
by 7% feet by 4%). King Solomon’s temple had a much
larger altar, twenty by twenty by ten cubits (I1 Chron. 4:l).

611
27:1-21 EXPLORING EXODUS

Some have thought that the tabernacle altar was wider

at the bottom than at the top, because the sides of the altar
below the “ledge” (vs. 5) extended downward from the out-
side edge of the ledge. The text does not actually describe
it this way; however, it really does not preclude this as
possibly being the real design. (We doubt that it was.)
5 . Why was the tabernacle equipped with an altar?
This was necessary because a blood atonement has always
been required before men can obtain fellowship with God.
“All things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding
of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 10:22).Sin requires
payment of life. A life is required as a substitute for a life
forfeited by sin. See Lev. 17:ll.
As repulsive as altars may seem to us, they are part of the
necessary education of people to understand the cross, We
cannot understand the death of Christ without thinking
in terms of altars and sacrifices. Altars speak of death.
It was not a pleasant object lesson - burning, smelling,
smoky, blood-smeared .
We Christians have an altar (Heb. 13:lO). The death of
Jesus provides for us both an altar and a sacrifice. Christ’s
.death was just as painful and grisly as any burnt-offering
on the altar. And, most grievous of all, He had to die be-
cause WE have sinned. But he loved us and gave himself
for us because we could not save ourselves. Because of this
supreme gift of Himself, we should concentrate our preach-
ing on “Christ and him crucified” (I Cor. 22).
Because of the presence of the altar, an infinitely holy
God became approachable by His unworthy people. Israel
(like ourselves) approached the LORD by the way of the
court, the altar, the laver, the lamp, the bread, and incense,
the veil, and into the presence of the Lord.
God’s covenant with Israel was ratified at the first by the
sprinkling of blood (24:8). The presence of “continual burnt-
offerings” on the altar (29:42) was a perpetual reminder of
the covenant, and a constant means of keeping within the
covenant. The sacrifices done at the altar are described
612
 ALTAR, COURT, OIL 27: 1-21
in detail in Leviticus 1-7.
6, What was upon the corners of the altar? (27:2; 38:2)
Horns! They were not detachable, but were made “of
one piece” with the altar (literally, “from it”).
As the horns of an animal give it power, so horns came
to be a symbol of power and strength. Note Psalm 7510;
Micah 4:13.
The horns indicate the power in the blood atonement -
power to remove condemnation and power to cleanse the
life of a transgressor. Because of divine power, we are more
than conquerors through him that loved us (Romans 8:37).
In the sin-offerings blood was smeared upon the horns of
the altar. See Lev. 4:7; 8:15; 9:9; 16:18; Ex. 29:12.
Sacrificial animals were sometimes tethered to the horns
of the altar (Ps. 118:27). Men pleading for their lives some-
times clutched onto the horns of the altar (I Kings 1:50;
2:28; Ex. 21:14).
I. What accessory equipment was made fir use at the altar?
(27:3; 38:3)
(1) Pots (KJV: “pans”) to hold ashes being taken away;
(2) shovels; (3) basins for sprinkling blood (Lev. 1:5); (4)
flesh-hooks (or forks) for moving pieces of flesh about
(I Sam. 2:13; (5) fire-pans. This is a translation of the
Hebrew word rendered “snuffdishes” in 2 5 3 8 and 37:23,
and “censers” in Lev. 1O:l and 16:12. All of these items
were of brass (27:19).
Similar equipment was prepared for the altar in Solomon’s
temple. (I Kings 7:45)
8. Where was the network of brass placed? (27:4-5; 38:4-5).
The exact positions of the “network” and the “ledge”
(KJV: “compass”) are difficult to determine. Cole‘ suggests
that the brass network (or grating) lay horizontally inside
the altar framework, and was supported upon a ledge pro-
truding from the inside walls of the altar frame and located

Cole, op. cit., pp. 196-197.

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27:1-21 EXPLORING EXODUS

halfway up the sides. If this was the real design, then the
sacrificial animals were burned upon the grating and the
ashes dripped below. This design would account for the fact
that the wooden altar frame was not damaged much by
fire, and explain how the ashes in the altar were spilled
out when the altar of Jeroboam I was split apart (I Kings
13:lS). (We do not think that the sacrificial animals were
burned upoh the grating. The text does not definitely state
that the network was supported by the ledge. In fact, the
network was under the ledge. See 275)
Most commentators think that the network stood upright
(vertically) on edge as part of the outside structure of the
altar, extending from the ground upward to halfway up
the sides. This design would provide an air draft for the
fire on the altar. To us this seems the better view, because
the rings employed to hold the staves to carry the ark were
of necessity on the outside of the altar, and these rings are
said to have been mounted on the corners of the network.
Also the net-work is clearly said to have been installed
“unto half (way up) the altar.” To us this seems meaningless
if the net-work were not vertical and on the outside.
As for the “ledge” itself, Cassuto2 suggets that it was a
kind of horizontal projection that encompassed the altar
on all sides, and that its purpose was purely ornamental.
He does not think that it was supported under its outer
edge by the network or anything else.
This view would interpret the altar as having the same
external dimensions at the bottom as it had at the top. We
favor this view, because no suggestion is made in the text
that the altar was wider at the bottom than at the top.
Keil and Delitzsch3, Barnes4, and others have felt that
the ledge was a bench or shelf protruding at right angles
from the sides of the altar halfway up its sides, and that the

’Op. cit., p. 364.

3 0 p . cit., p. 186.
‘Op. cit., p. 73.

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 ALTAR, COURT, OIL 27:1-21

network of brass stood vertically under the outer edge of

the ledge so as to support the outer edge of it. This design
would result in the altar’s being wider at the bottom than
at the top. Keil and Delitzsch suggest that the priests stood
upon this ledge when offering the sacrifices, and that this
would explain how Aaron could “come down” from offering
sacrifices. (Lev. 9:22).
The use of the ledge as a place upon which the priests
might stand seems reasonable (though unproven). The
altar was four and a half feet tall (three cubits, or fifty-four
inches). Thus a bench or ledge halfway up its sides (twenty-
seven inches up) would make the work of lifting firewood,
pieces of flesh, pots, tools, etc. upon the altar much easier.
Possibly a ramp of earth (certainly no steps!) was sloped
up beside the altar to the level of the ledge. See Ex. 20:26.
After all has been said, we have to admit that we do not
know the precise purpose of the ledge around the altar.
Probably it was used for whatever purposes it might con-
veniently serve. We also do not know the width of the ledge,
9. How was the altar of burnt-offeering transported about?
(27:6-7; 38~5-7)
It was carried by staves thrust into rings mounted on the
corners of the altar, upon the net of brass. The staves were
overlaid with brass, unlike the staves with the furniture
inside the tabernacle, which were overlaid with gold.
When being transported the altar was covered with a
purple cloth and a covering of sealskins. (See 25:s.) Only
this altar had a purple covering. The other furniture had
blue coverings.
10. What material was used for the frame of the altar? (27:8)
“Planks” (KJV & RSV: “boards”) were used. The
Hebrew word for “plank” (Zuach) in 27:8 is not the same
word used of the boards of the tabernacle building. Luach
is the word also used to refer to the stone tablets of the
ten commandments (Ex. 24:12; 31:18). It may mean table,
tablet, plate of stone or metal, wooden plate, board, or
plank. (Harkavy’s Lexicon)
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27: 1-21 EXPLORING EXODUS

11. What was the name of the enclosure around the tabernacle?
(27:9; 38:9)
It was called the court of the tabernacle. “Court” simply
means yard or enclosure. There the people could come and
and assemble at God’s house for worship. The court
marked the outer limit of the area dedicated exclusively
to the service of God. Later temples in Jerusalem would
have stone walls marking off their courts (I Kings 7:12).
We do not read of vast crowds thronging the tabernacle
courts as they did in the temple courts later (Isa. 1:12).
Even Gentiles could enter the court. Lev. 17:8; 2218;
Num. 1514.16. This shows that the LORDhas always been
rich unto all who call upon Him (Rom. 10:12, 13).
There was joy in coming into the court. “Blessed is the
man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto
thee, That he may dwell in thy courts” (Ps. 654). “Enter
into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with
praise” (Psalm 100:4).
The court shows the two principles of exclusion and
inclusion. The nation of Israel was unholy in its deeds, and
thus could NOT go into the immediate presence of Yahweh
in the Holy of Holies. The veil before the Holy of Holies
and the screen before the Holy Place excluded all but
certain peoples. There are barriers between a holy God
and unholy men. But the great message in God’s good
news is that God has reached out to men and provided
a meeting place where men may come to Him. The walls
of the court are up, but the door is open. God has set
forth to reach out and reconcile the world unto Himself
(I1 Cor. 516-21). While God’s holiness excludes us as
unworthy sinners, yet his love and mercy include us in a
divine outreach.
This is the reason we have spoken of the court as a type
of God’s outreach into the world.

SRamm,op. cit., pp. 162-164.

616
 ALTAR, COURT, OIL 27:l-21

In some manner God’s heavenly kingdom also has

a “court.” See Rev. 11:l-2. We see in this fact another
illustration of the truth that the tabernacle on earth was a
copy of the things in the heavens (Heb. 9:23).
12, What were the dimensions of the court? (27:9, 12, 18)
It was fifty cubits wide (75 feet) on the east and west,
and a hundred cubits (150 feet) on the north and south.
Its entrance was on the east side (27:13-14). The entrance
was twenty cubits wide (27:16), and located in the center
of the east side.
If in Egypt the Israelites had ever worshipped the rising
sun, this practice would have been unlikely to be continued
at the tabernacle, because their backs would have been
toward the rising sun as they approached the tabernacle
facing west, toward its entrance on the east.
13. What was the court made of7 (27:9-10; 38:9-10)
It consisted of pillars five cubits tall (7% feet), which
held up a hanging of fine twisted linen cloth (38:16, 18).
The court was too tall to gaze over, even on tiptoe. People
had to come inside to see what was going on inside.
The material of the pillars is not specifically stated, but
probably it was acacia wood. The columns were not made
of brass, a fact indicated by the non-mention of the columns
in 38:29-31, where the uses of the brass are itemized,
The columns had sockets (bases, or pedestals) of brass,
but hooks and fillets of silver at their tops. The capitals
(or decorated tops) of the pillars were overlaid with silver
(38:17). Josephus (Ant. 111, vi, 2) says that the brass bases
had sharp ends like spears, which were stuck into the
ground. The scripture does not mention such a fact.
The hooks were used to hold up the cloth hangings.
Cassuto suggests that the hooks were Y-shaped, like the
Hebrew letter waw.
The nature of the “fillets” remains quite uncertain.
See 38:lO. The Hebrew word for fillet (chashuq) comes
from a verb (chisheq) meaning “to fasten together” (Hark-
avy). Therefore, some have suggested that the fillets were

617
27: 1-21 EXPLORING EXODUS

silver connecting rods, like curtain rods, connecting the

tops of the pillars to one another; and that the “hanging”
hung from these rods. Other commentators suggest that
the fillets were bands or rings of silver encircling the pillars
at various points, perhaps at the tops, bottoms, and mid-
dles, and that the hangings may have been anchored to
the pillars at their fillets. The function of the fillets is not
clearly indicated. We somewhat favor the view that they
were bands of silver upon the pillars, and did not extend
from one pillar to the next one.
The expression “south side southward” in 27:9 is literally
“to the side of the Negev, to the south.” See notes on 26:18.
14. How many pillars were used in the court? (27:lO-15;
38:lO-15)
Sixty pillars. Twenty were on the north and on the south
side. Ten were on the east and on the west ends.
The most probable layout is that the pillars were exactly
five cubits apart. The pillar at each corner was probably
counted as belonging to only one side, even though each
corner pillar supported an end of the hanging on two
adjacent sides. Keil and Delitzsch affirm that anyone may
easily convince himself of the correctness of the number of
sixty pillars by drawing a figure of their layout. We agree.
15. How largezwas the entrance of the court? (27:16; 38:18-19)
It was twenty cubits (30 feet) wide. It was made of the
same colored linen material as that used at the doorway
af the tent. See 26:36. (Regarding linen, see 254.) The
hanging at the entrance to the court was embroidered with
needlework. It was held up on four pillars, which rested on
four sockets (pedestals). See 27:lO. On either side of the
entrance fifteen cubits of linen curtains were hung up.
The expression in 38:18 “the height in the breadth” is
a rather singular one, and “breadth” there is to be under-
stood of the door way of the court. It emphasizes that the
screen at the court entrance was the same height as the
rest of the court.
Regarding the “fillets” of 27:17, see notes on 27:9-10.

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 ALTAR, COURT, OIL 27:1-21
16. What material were the tabernacle instruments made of7
(27:19; 38:20)
Of brass. See 2 5 3 . The instruments referred to are
probably the vessels and tools used at the altar (27:3), and
possibly others also.
The “pins” of the tabernacle are probably the tent pins
which provided anchors to the guy ropes holding upright
the pillars of the court. Ex. 27:19 also indicates that the
main tabernacle building used “pins.” Possibly they held
the side boards of the tabernacle rigid, although their
position and function are not stated.
17. What was used asfiel for the light? (27:20)
Pure olive oil obtained by beating olives was to be brought
by the children of Israel to the priests. The Jewish Mishna6
indicates that the very best oil was produced by beating
the olives lightly with rods. This oil was clear and colorless
and burned with little smoke. The lower grades of oil were
obtained by crushing the olives completely in a press
or mortar.
The small amount of oil required by the lamp could have
been obtained from caravans passing through the wilder-
ness. There is no need to question the Biblical text because
oil was (supposedly) not available in the desert.
The Hebrew words for “light” (ma’or) in 27:20 and
I for “lamp” (ner) are different from the word (menorah)
I
translated “candlestick” in 25:31. Some have therefore
thought that they refer to a different light, perhaps some
much simpler light. To us it appears that Ex. 3 5 1 4 and
39:37 clearly indicate that all these Hebrew words refer
to the same “light.”
The wording of Lev. 24:2-4 is almost identical to Ex.
27~20-21.
The lamp is said to “burn continually.”
It seems somewhat surprising to find at this point (27:20)

‘See Cole, op. cit., p. 198.

619
27:1-21 EXPLORING EXODUS

the instructions about bringing olive oil for the lamp, We

would have imagined that such information would have
been given back in 25:31ff where the lamp was described.
But it is the usual pattern in Exodus to keep the descriptions
of the construction of the items of furniture separate from
the information about the rituals associated with them.
Also, 27:20-21 may be considered the start of a new
section of subject matter, giving directions for the priest-
hood. Note that chapter twenty-eight continues the dis-
cussion of the priesthood. Cassuto’ notes that 27:20, 28:1,
and 28:3 all begin (in Hebrew) with the word “and thou.”
He considers this an indication of connection between
27:20-21 and the following chapter. We do not feel that
this is a certainty, but it is a possibility.
18. When was the lamp to burn? (27:20-21)
It was to burn “continually” (Heb., tamid). This word
itself may mean either continuously, without interruption;
or regularly, that is, every night. It is used with the second
meaning in Psalm 34:1: “His praise shall continually be in
my mouth.” This can hardly mean an unbroken flow
of praise.
The lamp was to burn “from evening to morning” (27:21;
Lev. 24:3; Ex. 30:7-8; I Sam 3:3) I Sam. 3:3 says, “The
lamp had not yet gone out.”
Nonetheless, we are of the opinion that the seven lamps
were never all extinguished at one time. They were the only
source of light in the Holy Place. Light would frequently
be needed in the Holy Place in the daylight hours, as well
as at night. See Lev, 4;7; 24:7-8. Later Jewish practice
was to keep the lamp burning unceasingly.
19. Where was the lamp to burn? (27:21).
It burned in the “tent of meeting” (KJV: “tabernacle
of the congregation”). This was the Holy Place, the room
just “without (outside of) the veil,” which was before the

’Op. cit., p. 369.

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 ALTAR, COURT, OIL 27:1-21

testimony (the tablets of the ten commandments in the ark).

The expression “tent of meeting” is used here for the
first time as a title for the Holy Place. After this time it is
often employed. The word “meeting” (Heb. mo‘ed) refers
to the place, the time, and the event of a “meeting” be-
tween God and man.
20. Who was responsible for caring for the light? (27:21)
Aaron (the high priest) and his sons (the other priests).
The light was kept “before Jehovah.” Keeping the light
burning was important to God. It said something about
Him and about His people also.
Burning the lamp was to be a statute (or law) “for ever,”
literally, a “statute of eternity.” The Hebrew word ‘olam
(translated “for ever”) sometimes means existence with-
out end, as in the expression in Gen. 21:33, “the ever-
lasting God.” However, sometimes it refers to long periods
of time which may have an end. Thus we read that slaves
might become servants “for ever,” that is, for life (Deut.
15:17). Also the grave is called the “everlasting home”
in Eccl. 125, even though there will be a resurrection.
God put His name in Solomon’s temple “for ever”; never-
theless, Solomon’s temple was destroyed. Thus also cir-
cumcision was an “everlasting covenant” (Gen. 17:13), even
though at present neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
matters at all (Galatians 5:6),
These uses of “for ever” (and related expressions) make
clear how the lamp could be a “statute for ever,” and yet
exist no more at present.
The burning of the lamp was “on behalf of” the children
of Israel. This expression is translated “by” in the R.S.V.,
and “for” (margin: Lit. from) in the New American
Standard version. The Hebrew has a compound preposi-
tion literally reading “from with.” Primarily it means
“from,” but the idea that it was also “with” Israel seems
true here. God’s light was “from” them in the sense that
they furnished the oil, but it was “with” them in that it
was God’s light in their tabernacle.

621
28:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And bring thou near unto thee Aar-on thy brother, and
28 his sons with him, from among the children of Is-ra.el,
that he may minister unto me in the priest’s offlce, even
Aar-on, Na-dab and A-bi-hu, E-le-a-zar and Ith-a=mar, Aar-
on’s sons. (2) And thou shalt make holy garments for Aar-on
thy brother, for glory and for beauty. (3) And thou shalt speak
Unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I have Wed with the
spirit of wisdom, that they make Aar-on’s garments to sanctify
him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. (4)
And these are the garments which they shall make: a breast-
plate, and an eph-od, and a robe, and a coat of checker work,
a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for
Aar-on thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto
me in the priest’s of€ice. (5) And they shall take the gold, and
the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine hen.
(6) And they shall make the eph-od of gold, of blue, and
purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen, the work of the skilful
workman. (7) It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined to the
two ends thereof, that it may be joined together. (8) And the
ven band, which is upon it, wherewith to gird it
on, shall be like the work thereof and of the same piece; of
gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
(9) And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the
names of the children of Is-ra-el: (10) six of their names on
the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the
other stone, according to their birth. (11) With the work of an
engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou
engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children
of Is-ra-el: thou shalt make them to be inclosed in settings of
gold. (12) And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulder-
pieces of the eph-od, to be stones of memorial for the children
of Is=ra-el: and Aar-on shall bear their names before Je-ho-vah
upon his two shoulders for a memorial. (13) And thou shalt
make settings of gold, (14) and two chains of pure gold; like

622
 HOLY GARMENTS 28;l-43
cords shalt thou make them, of wreathen work: and thou shalt
put the wreathen chains on the settings.
(15) And thou shalt make a breastplate of judgment, the
work of the skilful workman; like the work of the eph-od thou
shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and
fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. (16)Foursquare it shall
be and double; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span
the breadth thereof. (17) And thou shalt set in it settings of
stones, four rows of stones: a row of sardius, topaz, and car-
buncle shall be the first row; (18)and the second row an emer-
ald, 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 inclosed in gold
in their settings. (21)And the stones shall be according to the
names of the children of Is-ra-el, twelve, according to their
names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according
to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes. (22)And thou
shalt make upon the breastplate chains like cords, of wreathen
work of pure gold. (23)And thou shalt make upon the breast-
plate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two
ends of the breastplate. (24) And thou shalt put the two wreath-
en chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.
(25)And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou
shalt put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder-
pieces of the eph-od in the forepart thereof. (26) And thou
shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon
the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge thereof, which
is toward the side of the eph-od inward. (27) And thou shalt
make two rings of gold, and shalt put them on the two shoulder-
pieces of the eph-od underneath, in the forepart thereof, close
by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven hand of the
eph=od. (28)And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings
thereof unto the rings of the eph-od with a lace of blue, that
it may be upon the skilfully woven band of the eph-od, and
that the breastplate be not loosed from the eph-od. (29)And
Aar-on shall bear the names of the children of Is-ra-el in the
breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto

623
28:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

the holy place, for a memorial before Je-ho-vah continually.

(30) And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the
U-rim and the Thum-mim; and they shall be upon Aar-on’s
heart, when he goeth in before Je-ho-vah: and Aar=on shall
bear the judgment of the children of Is-ra-el upon his heart
before Je-ho-vah continually.
(31) And thou shalt make the robe of the eph-od all of blue.
(32) And it shall have a hole for the head in the midst thereof:
it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of
it, as it were the hole of a coat of mail, that it be not rent. (33)
And upon the skirts of it thou shalt make pomegranates of
blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the skirts
thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: (34) a
golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pome-
granate, upon the skirts of the robe round about. (35) And
it shall be upon Aar-on to minister: and +he sound thereof
shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before
Je-ho-vah, and when he cometh out, that he die not.
(36) And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave
upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO JE-HO.
VAH. (37) And thou shalt put it on a lace of blue, and it shall
be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
(38) And it shall be upon Aar-on’s forehead, and Aar-on shall
bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Is-
ra-el shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always
upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before Je-ho-vah.
(39) And thou shalt weave the coat in checker work of fine
linen, and thou shalt make a mitre of fine linen, and thou
shalt make a girdle, the work of the embroiderer.
(40) And for Aar-on’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou
shalt make for them girdles, apd head-tires shalt make for
them, for glory and for beauty. (41) And thou shalt put them
upon Aar-on thy brother, and upon his sons with him, and
shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them,
that they may minister unto me in the priest’s offlce, (42) And
thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their
nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall

624
 HOLY GARMENTS 28:1-43

reach: (43) and they shall be upon Aar-on, and upon his sons,
when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come
near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they
bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto
him and unto his seed after him.

EXODUS:CHAPTER
EXPLORING TWENTY-EIGHT
ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE
QUESTIONS

1. After reading the chapter carefully, propose a very brief

topic-title for it.
2. Who was to bring Aaron near and clothe him? (28:1, 2, 41)
3. What office were Aaron and his sons to have? (28:l)
4. Did Aaron take this office unto himself ’by volunteering?
(Heb. 54)
5. Who is the Christian’s high priest? (Heb. 4:14)
6, What other people are priests NOW? (I Peter 2:9; Rev.
1:6; 510)
7. Name Aaron’s four sons. (Ex.28:l)
8. What were two purposes of the priests’ garments? (28:2,40)
9. Who were to make Aaron’s garments? (28:3; 31:2, 3, 10)
10. What were Aaron’s garments to do for him? (28:3)
11. Name the six garments of Aaron. (28:4)
12. What materials went into the garments? (28:s)
13. Who contributed these materials? (354-9)
14. What materials went into the ephod? (28:6; 39:2, 3)
15. What part of the ephod went over the priest’s shoulders?
(28:7)
16. What was used to gird (or tie) the ephod on? (28:8)
17. What was placed on the shoulders, as part of the ephod?
(28: 12)
18, What was carved on the onyx stones on the shoulders?
(28:9-11)

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28:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

19. What class of men wore ephods? (I Sam. 22:18; I Sam.

2:18, 28; 14:3; 30:7; I1 Sam. 6:14)
20. What was the breastplate said to be for? (28:15)
21. What material was used to make the breastplate? (28:lS)
22. What was set upon the breastplate? (28:17-20)
23. What was engraved on the stones of the breastplate? (28:21)
24. To what was the breastplate tied? (28:26-28)
25. What did Aaron bear on his heart? (28:29) What may this
symbolize if we apply it to Christ?
26. What was placed in the breastplate? (28:30)
27. What was the purpose of these items? (28:30; Num. 27:21;
I Sam. 28:6; Ezra 2:62, 63)
28. What was Aaron to bear upon his heart as he wore the
breastplate? (28:30)
29. What was the color of the robe of the ephod? (2891)
30. What was upon the skirts of the robe of the ephod?
(28:33, 34)
31. How important were these items? (28:35)
32. What was engraved upon a golden plate? (28:36)
33. Where was the golden plate worn? (28:37, 38)
34. Besides Aaron, what other priest is bo&? (Heb. 7:26)
35. What did Aaron bear? (28:38)
36. What was the coat of Aaron made of? (28:39; 39:27)
37. What was the mitre? (28:39; 39:28)
38. What garments were made for Aaron’s sons? (28:40)
39. What four things was Moses to do to the priests? (28:42)
40. What covered the naked flesh of the priests? (28:42)
41. When were the priests to wear the linen breeches? (28:43).
What might happen if they did not wear them? (Compare
Ex. 20:26.)

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 HOLY GARMENTS 28:1-43
TWENTY-EIGHT:
EXODUS (28:2)
HOLYGARMENTS!
1.PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE HOLY GAR-
MENTS; 28:l-5.
1. Aaron and his sons - To be priests. (28:1)
2. Moses - To make the garments and put them on the
priests. (28:1, 2)
3, Wise-hearted men - To make the garments. (28:3-5)
11. PURPOSES OF THE HOLY GARMENTS
1. “For glory and beauty” (28:2, 40)
2. “To sanctify Aaron and his sons” (28:3)
3. “That he may minister unto me in the PRIEST’S office”
(28:3, 4)
111. PLANS OF THE HOLY GARMENTS; 28:6-43.
1. The ephod; 28:6-14.
2. The breastplate; 28:lS-30.
(Urim and Thummim; 28:30)
3. The robe of the ephod; 28:31-35.
4. The plate of gold; 28:36-38.
5. The coat, mitre, and girdle; 28:39.
6. Garments for Aaron’s sons; 28:40, 41.
7. Linen breeches; 28:42, 43.

BY GOD! (Ex. 28:3, 4)

PRIESTSAPPOINTED

1. Aaron - A type of Christ, our high priest; (Heb. 8:l-6)

-
2. Aaron’s sons A type of Christians, who are priests unto
God; (I Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6).

(28:6-14)
THE EPHOD~

1. A garment distinctively for priests; (28:6; I Sam. 22:18;

2:28).

627
28:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

2. A garment of beauty and glory; (28:6, 8, 13).

(Christ, our priest, is glorious; Rev. 1:13-16; Phil. 3:21.)
3. A garment for bearing the names of God’s people; (28:9-12)

BREASTPLATE!
THEPRIESTLY (28:lS-30)
I. Its purposes
1. For judgment; 28:lS.
2. To contain the Urim and Thummim; 28:30.
3. To bear the names of the children of Israel; 28:29.
11. Its pattern
1. Made as a folded cloth pouch; 28:15, 16.
2. Made of gold; 28:15, 20, 24.
3. Adorned with gems; 28:17-20.
4. Supported, on golden chains; 28:22-28.

ROBEOF THEEPHOD!
(28:31-35)
1. Its blue color suggests the close connection of the priest to
other blue things of the tabernacle. (254; 26:31; 27:16;
Num. 4:6)
2. Its seamless form suggests the robe of Christ. (John 19:23)
3. Its bells suggest the public nature of Christ’s work. (No
secret priestly rituals)
4. Its pomegranates suggest the beauty and fruitfulness which
there is in Christ.

- THEBADGEOF HOLINESS!(28:36-38)
THEGOLDENPLATE
1. By means of the plate of sinful priests became HOLINESS.
2. By means of the plate the priest bore the iniquity of the
holy gifts presented by the people. (28:38)

628
 HOLY GARMENTS 28:1-43

3, By means of the plate the people and their gifts were ac-
cepted before the Lord!

SONS! (28140-43)
CLOTHES FOR AARON’S

1, Resembled those of the high priest; (28:40)

(We also are dressed in the righteousness of Christ, our
high priest. Phil. 3:9; Rom. 9:30)
2. Provided the priests with glory and beauty.
(We also are changed from glory to glory. I1 Cor. 3:18)
3. Covered their nakedness. (Ex. 28:42; Rev. 3:18)

EXODUS:NOTESON CHAPTER
EXPLORING TWENTY-EIGHT
1. What is in Exodus twenty-eight?
The chapter deals with the garments of the high priest
and the other priests. We entitle the chapter “Holy Gar-
ments” (28:2). It forms an obvious unit of subject matter.
The next chapter continues the instructions about the
priesthood, but takes up the topic of their consecration
ritual. The material in chapter twenty-eight is very similar
to 39:l-31, where we read of the actual making of the gar-
ments,
2. Who was to go get Aaron and make holy garments for
him? (28:1, 2)
Moses was to do this. The “thou” (“you”) in 28:l is
stressed. Moses is made very prominent here as the medi-
ator of God’s covenant. God does His work through chosen,
clearly-designated men.
Moses was to bring near unto himself from the midst
of the children of Israel Aaron and his sons, so they might
serve as priests unto God. The names of Aaron’s four
-
sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar - appear

629
28~1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

here together.
Nadab and Abihu had been mentioned in 24:1 as among
those going up into the mount. They later died by fire
during their consecration ritual (Lev. lO:l, 2). Aaron’s
sons Eleazar succeeded him as high priest (Num. 3:4;
20:25, 26). Still later the descendants of Ithamar became
the high priests, from Eli through Abiathar (I Sam. 2:27,
28; I Kings 2:26, 27). After that time the descendants of
Eleazar resumed the priesthood, from Zadok onward
(I Chron. 6:8-15).
3. What service were Aaron and his sons to perj5rrnl (28:l)
They were to be priests. Note that they were called: they
did not volunteer (Heb. 5 4 ) . The priesthood was serious
business, as we can see by the case of Nadab and Abihu
(Lev. lO:l, 2).
The creation of a special hereditary priesthood was a new
development in Israel. Up until this time priestly functions
had been conducted by the head of each family or tribe,
generally in accordance with the principle of the dedication
of the firstborn son (Ex. 13:2; Num. 3:12, 13). We read
of priests serving at various times and places - men like
Melchizedek and Jethro. Job offered sacrifices for his
family (Job 1 5 ) . But if there was any continuity in the
office of priest - as from father to son - we are not in-
formed about it. Now the priesthood is to become an
“established” order in Israel.
1_ The duties of the priests included burning incense daily
(30:7, 8; 27:21); keeping fire on the altar (Lev. 6:9-13);
offering daily sacrifices (Ex. 29:38-44); blessing the people
(Lev. 9:22; Num. 6:23-26); blowing the silver trumpets
(Num. 10:8-IO);testing for adultery (Num. 5); and teaching
the people (Deut. 17:8; 19:17; 215).
Many scholars of a skeptical (“liberal”) persuasion
have set forth the idea that the whole priestly system did
not originate until the Babylonian captivity or afterwards.
This is part of the Wellhausen theory about a P (Priestly)
source of some of the O.T. books. But even Martin Noth

630
28:1-43 HOLY GARMENTS

(himself a rather extreme liberal) admits that P would not,

have written his account of Aaron and his garments purely
from fantasy.’ But while admitting that the priesthood is
older than the time of the Babylonian captivity, they still
think that the priesthood originated through the people’s
common reverence of holy men separated from usual
worldly activities. Not so! The priesthood was established
by divine choice.
Please remember that the whole religious system con-
nected with the tabernacle, including the priesthood, was
only a shadow and type of the heavenly realities (Heb. 10:1).
Thus Aaron and his sons were only representations of the
true eternal priesthood. God never planned that the priest-
hood from the tribe of Levi (Aaron’s family) would be
priests forever. God foretold that there would come a priest
after the order and likeness of Melchizedek, who would
be a priest forever (Psalm 110:4). This, of course, refers
to our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 7:ll-17). In the age of the
“new covenant” under which we live, the preparatory
symbolic religious system existing in the time of Moses
has been replaced by the genuine heavenly realities them-
selves! Thus we are no longer under the priesthood of
Aaron and his sons, but of Christ Jesus, of whom Aaron
was only a foreshadowing.
Similarly Aaron’s sons no longer function as lesser priests
working with their father. AI1 Christians are now God’s
priests. See I Peter 2:s; Rev. 1:6; 5 9 , 10. We may all
pray for ourselves and for others!
We must beware of religions like Roman Catholicism
and its descendants, that set up a special class of indi-
viduals within the church as “priests.’’ To adopt a system
of having a special class of men as priests is to lapse back
into the covenant of Moses1 We live under a new and better
covenant, with a better priesthood (Heb. 7:18-22). To

‘Exodus, p. 220.

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28:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

revert to the system of the law of Moses is to revert to con-

demnation (Gal. 3:lO; I1 Cor. 3:9).
4. Whrtt wefe the purposes of the priests’ garments? (28:2-4)
They were for “glory and for beauty.” God intended
that His priests be prominent and glorious before the
people. Also the garments were prepared “that he may
minister unto me in the priest’s office.” It surely seems
that in Aaron’s case the clothes made the man! He was
invested with his office, not created in it. Note that 28:2
refers to the garments as “holy garments” (or “garments
of holiness”).
5. Who was to make the priestly garments? (28:3)
“Wise-hearted” men. These wise-hearted men were the
craftsmen Bezalel and Oholiab (Ex. 31:1-6). “Wise-
hearted” in the Hebrew idiom meant able to enjoy skill
and practical wisdom, as in artistic skill. (The R.S.V.
rendering “endowed with an able mind” seems a rather
weak rendering.)
6. What were the garments of the priest? (28:4)
Six items are listed: breastplate, ephod, robe, coat,
mitre (or turban), and girdle (belt, or sash). Aaron’s sons
had only coats, girdles, and head covering. In addition,
n breeches (under-pants) were provided (28:42).
7. What materials were used in the priests’ clothing? (285;
39: 1)
The gold, blue (cloth), purple, scarlet, and fine linen
were used. The use of the article the points to specific gold
and specific cloth, namely that presented by the people
(35:20-23),
8. What was the ephod? (28:6-8; 39:2-5)
The ephod was a cloth garment worn by the priest, and
sometimes by others temporarily engaged in religious
ceremonies.
The ephod worn by the high priest was very much more
magnificent than those worn by others. See I Sam. 2:28;
14:2; 21:9; 23:6-9; 30:7. But we do read of common priests
wearing ephods (I Sam. 22:18). The boy Samuel wore one

632
 HOLY GARMENTS 28~1-43

(although he was of the tribe of Levi [I Chron. 6:16, 281).

King David wore one when he brought up the ark to Jeru-
salem (I1 Sam. 6:14). References to the “ephod” of Gideon
(Judges 8:27) and that of Micah (Judges 17:s) seem to
be euphemisms for idols,2 although that is not definite.
The ephod was made of gold wires (like threads), and
of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. The gold
was beaten into thin plates and then cut into fine wires
and worked into the fabric (39:3). The ephod had the
same material in it a5 the veil and the screen, except for
the added gold threads and the absence of embroidered
cherubim. The ephod was a spectacular garment.
The exact form of the ephod is rather uncertain. One
view is that it was somewhat of a double apron, with one
section over the front of the body and another section on
the back. These were coupled at the shoulders by strips
of cloth attached to the front section (28:25). These shoul-
der-pieces had upon them two engraved onyx stones resting
upon the shoulders. A girdle at the waist held the two
I
sections to the bodye3Compare 28:7 and 39:4. The ancient
rabbis seemed to think the ephod had this general form
and hung down to about the hips.
Another view of the form of the ephod is that it was
i sort of a loin-cloth, of one piece, held up by shoulder
straps like suspenders, and having its two ends attached
I
together in some way at the back of the body. The band
I (or girdle) of the ephod was a thicker, belt-like section
I
of the ephod made of one piece with the rest of the garment
(28:8). The ephod did not extend higher on the body than
the waist. The band (girdle) of the ephod was of the same
material as the rest of the ephod. The rings on the lower
part of the breastplate (28:28) were attached to the band
of the ephod.

’Cole, op. cit., p. 200.

’Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit., pp. 193-194,favor this view.

633
28:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

With some hesitancy we adopt this latter view.‘ Ancient

Near East in Pictures (Princeton, 1969), p. 66, shows
male dancers in Egypt during the Old Kingdom (prior
to Moses’ time) wearing garments somewhat similar to
ephods of this description.
The exact meaning of “two ends” in 28:7 is uncertain.
Josephus (Ant. 111, vii, 5) said that the ephod was made
with sleeves also, and did not appear to be made differently
from a short coat. To us this idea does not seem to fit the
scriptural information.
9. What was on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod? (28:9-14;
39:6, 7)
Two onyx stones were on the shoulders, each engraved
with names of the sons of Jacob. Six names were on one
stone and six on the other, listed in the order of their births.
The names were engraved with the type of engraving used
on signets. (A “signet” was a seal, or stamp. These were
made of stone or other hard material. They were often
shaped like small cylinders about the size of a little finger,
with carvings around them. Others were like pebbles with
one flat side, and had a carving of a name or figure on the
flat face, which was used to stamp an impression on a
soft clay tablet .)
The onyx stones were enclosed in setting (K.J.V.,
“ouches”) (or frames) of gold. These settings were of
“wreathen” work, which was gold wire twisted to form
sort of a chain (28:13, 14). The breastplate was fastened
from its top side to these settings (28:25).
The exact function of two chains attached to the settings
of the onyx stones (28:14) is not stated. Keil and DelitzschS
think they were the same chains as those extending up
from the top of the breastplate to the settings. (See notes
on 28:24 below). Others feel that they held the two sections
of the ephod together at the shoulders.

4 C a ~ ~ ~op. , p. 373, holds this view.

t ocit.,
cit.. p. 197.

634
 HOLY GARMENTS 28:1-43

We do not know for certain what type of gemstone is

referred to as “onyx” here (Heb. shocham). According
to the Greek LXX they were emeralds. Josephus (Ant.
111, vii, 5) called them sardonyx, which is the best variety
of onyx. Harkavy’s Lexicon suggests that they may have
been a beryl.
10. What was the purpose of the onyx stones and the ephod?
(28: 12)
By means of the inscribed shoulder stones Aaron bore
the names of the children of Israel before Jehovah for a
“memorial.” They were “stones of memorial” for the
children of Israel.
The term memorial is a sacrificial term referring to that
I
which brings the one remembered into favorable remem-
I brance before God. See Ex.30:16.
It is a delight to our souls to meditate upon the fact that
I
Christ, though he does not wear an ephod made by hands,
bears our names before the Father for a memorial. He
I
causes us to be remembered with favor before the Father,
and not as we deserve to be remembered. The Lord Jesus
is our ADVOCATE with the father (I John 2: 1).
The ephod was a garment associated with holy men,
with priests. The ephod of Aaron was designed so that he
carried about the names of God’s people. Similarly Christ
is plainly set forth before our minds as the holy priest of
God, and one who bears our names before God.
11. What was the form of the breastplate? (28:15, 16; 39:8, 9)
Basically it was a folded cloth, forming sort of a pouch,
decorated with 12 inscribed gemstones, and worn on
Aaron’s chest.
It was made of the same gold and fabric material as
the ephod (28:6). It was square and doubled, that is,
folded double. It was a span each way, about nine inches
square. We suppose that it was two spans long and one
wide, but when folded double it was a span square. Four
I rows of jewels were set upon it.
It appears that the fold was at its bottom, so as to form

635
28:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

a kind of pouch to hold the Urim and Thummim (28:30).

The translation “breastplate” is only an interpretation,
because we do not know for certain what the Hebrew word
chosen (translated “breastplate”) meant.
12. What was upon the breastplate? (28:17-21; 39:lO-14)
There was a “setting” (Hebrew, “filling”) for stones.
In the Hebrew the word for “setting” is singular, suggesting
one large setting holding all the gems. However, verse
twenty plainly refers to “settings” (plural), showing that
the “setting” was a collective plural word.
In the settings were twelve gems, arranged in four rows,
and having the names of the twelve sons of Israel engraved
upon them, much as the names were engraved upon the
onyx stones worn upon the shoulders.
13. What gemstones were set on the breastplate? (28:17-19)
The Hebrew names of the gemstones are hard to link
positively with modern names of gemstones. The topaz
is probably a correct identification. It is a golden yellow
gemstone. The blue sapphire is known. The “diamond”
is named in several English versions, but there is no indi-
cation that the ancients were either acquainted with this
stone or had acquired the skill to engrave upon it. The
amethyst is probably a correct identification. It is purple.
The Greek LXX renderings of the Hebrew words prob-
ably carry no great authority in identifying the stones.
But it is interesting that eight of the twelve stones named
in the Greek LXX as being on the priest’s breastplate are
mentioned as adornments of the foundations of the New
Jerusalem (Rev. 21:19, 20).
14. What held the breastplate in place? (28:22-28; 39:15-21)’

6Noth, op. cit., p. 222 refers to a rectangular golden breastplate set with precious
stones and found at Byblos. It dates from the Middle Bronze (abaut 1700 B.C.). It
hung from a golden chain. Thus it slightly resembled the ephod of Aaron. Nonethe-
less, we do not feel that it resembled the breastplate of Aaron closely enough to indicate
any real relationship between the two, since Aaron’s breastplate had the gems in
individual settings.
‘The Greek LXX uses the 29th verse from the Hebrew text as verse 23. To us this
(Continued on next page. )

636
 HOLY GARMENTS 28~1-43

It was bound to the settings of the onyx stones on the

shoulders by chains. Its bottom was tied to the girdle of
the ephod.
“Chains” of “wreathen” (twisted) gold wire were attached
to two gold rings at the upper corners of the breastplate.
The ends of the chains were attached to the gold settings
holding the onyx stones on the shoulder-pieces of the
ephod.
Keil and Delitzsche maintain that the chains mentioned
in 28:14 are the same chains as those of 28:22. The chains
are mentioned only once in the account of the execution
of the work in 39:15. Also the chains in both verses are
said to be attached to the gold settings on the shoulders.
If the chains in the two verses are not really one and the
same, then no function is ascribed to those of 28:14. To
us this seems true.
The lower corners of the breastplate (as folded double)
had gold rings on the inner side. Then two more rings
were placed on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, evidently
near their lower parts over the abdomen (28:6, 7). Then
with a “lace” (probably a thread, cord, or line) of blue,
the rings on the girdle of the ephod were tied to the lower
rings on the breastplate. (Note that the shoulder-pieces
[or straps] of the ephod extended downward to the bottom
of the breastplate, probably near the waist.)
15. What was thefunction of the breastplate? (28:29)
By means of the breastplate Aaron bore the names of the
children of Israel for a memorial before the LORD con-
tinually when he went into the Holy place. The priest
represented ALL Israel, as indicated by the twelve stones on
the breastplate. Regarding memorial, see notes on 28:12.

seems to break the continuity of subject matter about the construction of the breast-
plate as given in 28:22-28.
Also the Greek LXX omits 28:26-29 of the Hebrew (Masoretic) text. This causes
omission of the information as to how the breastplate was attached to the shoulder-
pieces of the ephod. Also it modifies the numbering of the following verses. We doubt
the accuracy of the LXX here.
cit., p. 197.
637
 28:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

We know of no symbol that more vividly pictures how

Christ our high priest bears us about upon His heart than
the breastplate of Aaron! We are “graven upon the palms
of thy hands” (Isa. 49:16).
Also the very use of gemstones is suggestive and com-
forting. God’s people are His jewels (or possession, or
treasure) (Mal. 3:17).
I Also the fact that the breastplate was for judgment
1 (28:15) is a pleasing idea. The word for judgment (mishpat)
was used in 21:l to refer to God’s ordinances. Its use in
connection with the breastplate therefore suggests that
the priest is the communicator of divine truths (judgments,
ordinances). Indeed Christ Jesus is the priest who revealed
God’s judgments to us, and will finally be the judge of
all. See John 8:26! Luke 2:35; Acts 10:42.
16. What was in the breastplate? (28:30)
The Urim and Thummim were in it. These objects,
whatever they were, were to be upon Aaron’s heart when
he went in to Jehovah’s presence in the Holy place. By
the presence of the breastplate and the Urim and Thum-
mim, Aaron bore upon his heart continually the judgment
of the children of Israel. This may include both bearing
their guilt (compare Deut. 1:37), and interceding for
Israel in prayer.
The Urim and Thummim functioned as means for dis-
cerning facts about the will of God not otherwise knowable.
No one knows exactly what they consisted of.
“Urim and Thummim” are Hebrew words transliterated.
Most Bibles do not attempt to translate the terms because
of the uncertainty about their meaning. “Urim and Thum-
mim” quite literally mean “lights and perfections.’’ The
Greek LXX rendered them as “revelation and truth.”
Symmachus’ Greek translation gave a better rendering,
“illumination and completion.”
The function of the Urim and Thummim is illustrated
by Numbers 27:21, where Joshua was instructed to inquire
(seek God for unrevealed information) before the priest
638
 HOLY GARMENTS 28:1-43

Eleazar through the Urim and Thummim. (This does I

not indicate that the Urim and Thummim had magical

power in themselves, but only that God used these items
as a vehicle for his truth.)
From the way the Urim and Thummim are spoken of
here in Exodus and in Lev. 8:8, it appears that they were
some material things, previously existing, and familiarly
known. They were separate from the breastplate itself,
as well as from the gems upon the breastplate. Moses was
not told to make the Urim and Thummim, but just to
put them in the breastplate. The Urim and Thummim
were considered to be the crowning glory of the tribe of
Levi (Deut. 33:8). Inasmuch as the Urim is called the
“Urim of judgment” in Num. 27:21, it is appropriate that
it was placed in the “breastplate of judgment.”
King Saul could get no answer from the Lord by Urim
and Thummim or by dreams and prophets (I Sam. 28:6).
In the days after the return from Babylonian captivity, the
Urim and Thummim were lacking, but men still sought
to locate them (Ezra 2:62, 63).
Guesses as to the nature of the Urim and Thummim are
legion. Since Urim starts (in Hebrew) with the first letter
of the alphabet and Thummim with the last, they may
contain a reference to the nature of God as the alpha and
omega (the A and Z), whose will they revealed. l o
The most common opinion is that the Urim and Thum-
mim were two sacred lots (something like dice). Compare
I Sam. 14:21. However, this is not positively asserted
anywhere,
In those cases in the O.T. when men inquired of the
Lord for needed revelations of information, it was the
kings or leaders who sought the Lord. This makes it appear

9Josephus identified the Urim and Thummim with the stones on the breastplate,
which he reports as shining with great light and splendor when Israel marched to victory
in battle. Ant. 111, viii, 9.
l°Cole, op. cit., p . 201.

639
28:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

that the use of Urim and Thummim was limited to ques-

tions from the leaders of the people. Note Num. 27:21;
I Sam. 14:37, 38; I Sam. 23:2; 30:7, 8; Judges 1:1, 2;
20:18, 23, 27,28.
Also it does seem to be true that questions asked of the
Urim and Thummim were so framed that they could be
answered by a Yes or a No, or by a choice between two
things.
These facts have led numerous scholars to feel that the
Urim and Thummim were two lots. Some have speculated
that the Urim and Thummim had a yes side and a no side,
and that rolling two yes’s meant yes, while two no’s meant
no, and a divided answer meant that no answer was given.”
Certainly lots were in that age directed by the Lord. See
Proverbs 16:33. Nonetheless, we still find ourselves un-
convinced that Urim and Thummim were lots.
We never read of the presenceof Urim and Thummim
after the time of King Saul. But the time of and reason
for their disappearance still remain-mysteries.
The Urim and Thummim are another illustration of the
fact that God is a revealer of secrets to His people. See
Daniel 2:19, 22. But this does not indicate that we have a
right to demand and expect G9d to reveal the secrets of
His government to us at all 2mes. We must be content
with what He has already revealed. “The secret things be-
long unto the LORD our God; but the things that are
revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that
we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29).
17. What was the robe of the ephod like? (28:31, 32; 39:22-24)
This robe seems to have been like a sleeveless dress.
It seems to have been worn under the breastplate and
ephod, although this is not actually stated. It was all of
blue cloth. The hole for the priest’s head to pass through
was rimmed with a woven border to strengthen it, so that

llCompare Ramm, op. cit., p. 166.

640
 HOLY GARMENTS 2w-43
it would not become ripped at that point. The translation
“habergeon” or “coat of mail” is “not beyond doubt”
(to quote Cassuto) To us it seems very doubtful, indeed,
and much more applicable to a medieval knight’s armor
than to priestly garments in the time of Moses.
The pullover robe of one piece reminds us of Christ’s
seamless robe. John’s reference to Christ’s robe seems
almost an indirect reference to Christ’s high priestly office.
(John 19:23).
18. What was at the bottom of the robe of the ephod? (28:33-
35; 3925, 26)
Placed at the bottom of the skirt of the robe were alter-
nating pomegranates and golden bells. The pomegranates
were of blue, purple, and scarlet. Pomegranates are fruit
about the size of oranges, bright red in color, with juicy
red seeds arranged in rows parallel to the core. They have
on their outside, at the end of the core where the flower
was, short, pointed, calyx-like projections of tissue (like
the skin of the fruit). These give the pomegranate a dis-
tinctive form and appearance.
Some have suggested that the pomegranates on the robe
of the ephod were only embroidered onto the cloth of the
robe. Certainly pomegranates do not naturally come in
blue and purple colors. Still the fact that the golden bells
were solid (and ringingl) objects and that the bells hung
“between” the pomegranates (Heb., “in the midst of
them”) makes us feel that the pomegranates were solid
material dangling like bobbles from the robe. The book
of Ecclesiasticus (459) refers to the glory of Aaron’s pome-
granates and bells.
The bells provided sound to be heard when Aaron
ministered in the Holy place before Jehovah and when
he came out. This making of sound was essential to Aaron
“that we die not.” The scripture does not state why the
bell-ringing was considered so essential. Some think it was
simply a means of announcing Aaron’s coming before God.
If that is so, the announcement was to alert the people

64 1
28: 1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

about Aaron’s activity, not to alert God that Aaron was

about to enter. The ringing made the worshippers conscious
that the priest was ministering in their behalf in God’s
presence. The ringing-forth conveyed the impression’ that
Aaron’s work was something that everyone was to know
about and feel himself involved in.
The same effect of making all men aware of God’s work
in their midst is still necessary. See Eph. 3:9. Whether we
ring out the news by bells, publish it on paper, preach it
from the housetops, men still need to know that God’s
priest is at work for them.
19. What object was placed on the high priest’s head covering?
(28:36-38; 39:30, 31)
A plate of PURE gold inscribed with the words HOLI-
NESS TO YAHWEH was placed on the front of Aaron’s
turban.
This plate was placed upon a lace (or cord, thread, line)
of blue. Then the plate and its backing of lace were placed
upon the mitre (or turban.) (See 28:39). Thus it was kept
upon Aaron’s forehead.
It appears to us that the K.J.V.translation HOLINESS
TO THE LORD is preferable to “Holy to the LORD.”
The Hebrew word QODESH is a noun. Admittedly it is
frequently used as an adjective, as in “holy ground” (liter-
ally, “ground of holiness”; Ex. 35) or “holy city” (“city
of holiness”; Isa. 48:2). But the use of the word here with-
out a closely preceding noun that it modifies indicates
that it should be taken as a noun, “holiness.” The Greek
LXX renders it as hagiasma, “Holiness of the Lord.”
The gold plate testified that Aaroh was wholly holy.
By wearing this plate Aaron was qualified by God to
bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of
Israel presented to the LORD in all of their holy gifts.
These “gifts” seem to refer to all their sacrifices, free-will
offerings, and such. Even upon these gifts to God there
was a stain from the iniquity of the donors, and possibly
from the very curse of Adam (Haggai 2:12-14; Gen. 3:17).

642
 HOLY GARMENTS 28~1-43
Every thing that they offered was unclean. But the fact
that a HOLY priest presented their gifts caused the people
to be accepted.
These facts should cause us to thank the LORD that
Jesus our priest is the HOLY ONE OF GOD! (John 6:69;
Rev. 3:7; Heb. 7:26; Luke 1:35). Without a holy and unde-
filed priest like him, we could present nothing as acceptable
to God, neither ourselves nor our gifts.
Aaron’s holiness was, admittedly, more in label than
in fact. But God in His grace accepted Aaron and accepted
the people’s gifts given through him.
The Hebrew word (tsits) translated “plate” may also
be translated “blossom,” “flower,” or “crown.” The
N.E.B. renders it “rosette.” We do not see clear indication
that the golden plate worn by Aaron was flower-shaped.
20. Which priestly garments are vey briefly mentioned?
(28~39;39:27-29)
(1) the coat of Aaron, his mitre (turban), and girdle
(sash, or belt).
The “coat” was made of fine linen, wovewin “checker
work.” This term does not necessarily imply that it was
sewn in squares like a checker-board, but it does imply
that it was in some way sewn and “quilted” together. It
was the priest’s inner garment, It seems that the robe of
the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate were all worn
outside of it.
Josephus (Ant. 111, 7, 2) says that the inner vestment
(the coat) reached down to the feet, and was close to the
body, and had sleeves tied fast to the arms. He says further
that it was embroidered with flowers of scarlet, purple
and blue, and hung loosely down to the ankles, and was
tied about the waist. This is interesting information, but
is not one hundred percent certain.
The mitre, or turban, was also made of fine linen. It
appears to have been a long band of cloth, wrapped in
swathes about the head. The Talmud suggests that the
turban had sixteen cubits (24 feet!) of material in it.

643
28~1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

Compare Josephus, Ant. 111, 7, 3 . The gold plate was

attached to the front of it.
The “girdle” of 28:39 appears to have been that which
held snug the coat referred to in the same verse. If so, it
was concealed by the robe of the ephod. The word trans-
lated “girdle” in 28:39 is a different word from that
translated “girdle” (or band) in 2 8 ~ 8 .We feel they refer
to entirely distinct items.
21. What priest& garments were prepared for Aaron’s sons?
(28~40;39:27-29)
Three garments are named: coats, girdles, and head-
tires.
These garments were “for glory and beauty,*’ as were
the garments of their father Aaron, the high priest. (28:2).
The priests’ coats were made of fine linen, of woven
work. Their mitres (turbans) were also of fine twisted linen.
The mitres were “goodly.” Their girdles were of fine twisted
linen, blue, purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroider-
er. See 3 9 ~ 2 829.
,
While .these garments of cloth adorned the flesh of the
priests, they were to have a better clothing:
“Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; ,. .
Her priests will I clothe with salvation.” (Psalm 132:9, 16)
The word translated “head-tires” (K.J.V. “bonnets”)
is not the word translated “mitre” in 2839. This word
rendered “head-tires” occurs only four times in the O.T.,
and refers exclusively to the dress of the priests. It is derived
from a verb meaning “to be high.” This hints that these
head-coverings were large and prominent.
No shoes for the priests’ feet are mentioned. We suppose
that they ministered barefooted. Compare Joshua 5:15
and Ex. 3 5 .
22. Who was to clothe the priests? (28:41)
Moses was to clothe them, both Aaron and his sons.
Compare 28:2; 295-7; Lev. 8:7. Moses was also to anoint
them by pouring oil upon their heads, and to consecrate
them. To “consecrate” means, quite literally, “to fill the

644
 CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS 29:1-46

hands.” This idiom is very suggestive of the fact that the

priests’ hands were to be filled with the Lord’s service.
However, as an idiom, it seems to mean only “to install.”
(Compare Cassuto, op. cit., p. 386.) “To sanctify” means
“to set apart to holy use.”
23. What innermost garments were provided f i r the priests?
(28:42, 43; 39:28)
Moses was to make for them linen breeches to cover
the flesh of their nakedness. These covered from the loins
(abdomen) to the thighs. These were to be worn beneath
all other garments whenever they came near to the altar
in the Holy place. Failure to wear these could cause them
to “bear iniquity,” (that is, to suffer the punishment of
iniquity) and die! This was to be a law for the priests
forever.
Modesty was required in God’s priests. Compare Ex.
20:26. It is worthy of notice that Moses put upon the
priests all of their garments except these linen inner
breeches. See Lev. 8:13; Ex.29:s.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to
29 hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s ofnce:
take one young bullock and two rams without blemish, (2) and
unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened mingled with oil,
and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of fine wheaten flour
shalt thou make them. (3) And thou shalt put them into one
basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and
the two rams. (4) And Aar-on and his sons thou shalt bring
unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them
with water. ( 5 ) And thou shalt take the garments, and put

645
29:1-46 EXPLORING EXODUS

upon Aar=on the coat, and the robe of the eph.od, and the
eph-od, and the breastplate, and gird him with the skflfully
woven band of the eph-od; (6) and thou shalt set the mitre
upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. (7)
Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his
head, and anoint him. (8) And thou shalt bring his sons, and
put coats upon them. (9) And thou shalt gird them with girdles,
Aar-orlGand his sons, and bind head-tires on them: and they
shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statutes and thou
shalt consecrate Aar-on and his sons.
(10) And thou shalt bring the bullock before the tent of
meeting: and Aarmon and h 4 sons shall lay their hands upon
the head of the bullock. (11)And thou shalt kill the bullock
before Je-ho-vah, at the door of the tent of meeting. (12)And
thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon
the horns of the altar with thy finger; and thou shalt pour out
all the blood at the base of the altar. (13)And thou shalt take
all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul upon the
liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and
bum them upon the altar. (14) But the flesh of the bullock,
and its skin, and its dung, shalt thou bum with fire without
the camp: it is a sin-offering.
(15)Thou shalt also take the one ram; and Aar-on and his
sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the ram. (16) And
thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take its blood, and
sprinkle it round about upon the altar. (17) And thou shalt
cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its inwards, and its legs,
and put them with ita pieces, and with ita head. (18) And thou
shalt bum the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt-offering
unto Je-ho-vah; it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire
unto Je-ho-vah.
(19) And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aar-on and his
sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the ram. (20)Then
shalt thou kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon
the tip of the right ear of Aar-on, and upon the tip of the
right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand,
and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the

646
 CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS 29:l-46
blood upon the altar round about. (21) And thou shalt take
of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil,
and sprinkle it upon Aar-on, m d upon his garments, and
upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with himr
and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and
his sons’ garments with him. (22) Also thou shalt take of the
ram the fat, and the fat tail, and the fat that covereth the
inwards, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys, and
the fat that is upon them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram
of consecration), (23) and one loaf of bread, and one cake of
oiled bread, and one wafer, out of the basket of unleavened
bread that is before Je-ho-vah: (24) and thou shalt put the
whole upon the hands of Aar=on, and upon the hands of his
sons, and shalt wave them for a wave-offering before Je=ho-
vah. (25) And thou shalt take them from their hands, and
bum them on the altar upon the burnt-offering, for a sweet
savor before Je-ho-vah: it is an offering made by fire unto
Je-ho-vah.
(26) And thou shalt take the breast of Aar.on’s ram of con-
secration, and wave it for a wave-offering before Je-ho-vah:
and it shall be thy portion. (27) And thou shalt sanctify the
breast of the wave-offering, and the thigh of the heave-offer-
ing, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of
consecration, even of that which is for Aar-on, and of that
which is for his sons: (28) and it shall be for Aar-on and his
sons as their portion for ever from the children of Is-ra-el;
for it is a heave-offering: and it shall be a heave-offering from
the children of Is=ra=elof the sacrifices of their peace-offerings,
even their heave-offering unto Jeho-vah.
(29) And the holy garments of Aar-on shall be for his sons
after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in
them. (30) Seven days shall the son that is priest in his stead
put them on, when he cometh into the tent of meeting to
minister in the holy place.
(31) And thou shalt take the ram of consecration, and boil
its flesh in a holy place. (32) And Aar-on and his sons shall
eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket,

647
29:1-46 EXPLORING EXODUS

at the door of the tent of meeting. (33) And they shall eat those
things wherewith atonement was made, to consecrate and to
sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because
they are holy. (34) And if aught of the flesh of the consecration,
or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt
burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because
it is holy.
(35) And thus shalt thou do unto Aar-on, and to his soms,
according to all that I have commanded thee: seven days shalt
thou consecrate them. (36)And every day shalt thou offer the
bullock of sin-offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse
the altar, when thou makeat atonement for It; and thou shalt
anoint it, to sanct@ it. (37) Seven days thou shalt make atone-
ment for the altar, and sanctify it: and the altar shall be most
holy; whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.
(38) Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar:
two lambs a year old day by day continually. (39)The one
lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou
shalt offer at even: (40) and with the one lamb a tenth part
fun e-phah of fine flour mingled with the fourth part of a
hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a
drinkBoffering. (41) And the other lamb thou shalt offer at
even, and shalt do thereto according to the meal-offering of
the morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof,
for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Je-ho-vah.
(42) It shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your
generations at the door of the tent of meeting before Je-ho-vah,
where I will meet with you, to speak there unto thee. (43) And
there I will meet with the children of Is-ra=el; and the Tent
shall be sanctified by my glory. (44) And I will sanctifg. the
tent of meeting, and the altar: Aar-on also and his sons wi.M I
sanctify, to minister 80 me in the priest99s of8Eice. (45) And I
will dwell among the children of Is-ra-el, and wfu be their
God. (46) And they shall kntow that I am Je-hs-vah their God,
that brought them forth out of the land of E-
dwell among them: I am Je-ho-vah their God,

648
 CONSECRATION O F PRIESTS 29:l-46
EXPLORINGEXODUS: CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE

1. After reading the chapter carefully, propose a very brief

topic-title for it.
2. To whom are the commands of 29:1, 3, 5 addressed?
3. What items were to be collected for the consecration ritual?
(29:1-2)
4. Where was the consecration ritual to take place? (29:4)
5. What was the first act in the priest’s consecration? (29:4)
Of what may this act have been a symbol? (Matt. 3:13;
John 17:19)
6. What did Moses put upon Aaron? (295-6) Of what may
this act have been a symbol? (Isa. 1 1 5 ; 63:l-2; 59:17;
Rev. 1:13; Psalm 458)
7. With what was Aaron anointed? How? (29:7; Psalm 133:2)
Of what may Aaron’s anointing have been a symbol? (Acts
10:38; Psalm 4 5 7 ; Heb. 1:9; Matt. 3:16; Luke 4:1, 14)
8. What garments were placed on Aaron’s sons? (29:8-9)
9. How long was the priesthood to belong to Aaron’s family?
(29:9)
10. What does the word consecrate mean? (Do some research
on this.) (29:9)
11. For what type of an offering was the bull brought? (29:10,
14; Compare Lev. 4:1-4)
12, Upon which offerings did the priests lay their hands?
(29:10, 15, 19)
13. For whose sin was the bull offered? (29:lO; Compare Heb.
(5:1-3.)
14. Where was the blood of the bullock put and where was it
poured out? (29:12) (Where was the blood of sin-offerings
usually put and poured out? Lev. 4:5-7)
15, For what type of offering was the one ram offered? (29:15,
18)
16. How much of the ram was burned? (29:18; Lev. 1:9)
17. Where was the blood of the other ram placed? (29:20).
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29:1-46 EXPLORING EXODUS

What may the application of blood to Aaron’s ear, thumb,

and toe have symbolized? (Compare Ps. 40:6-9; Heb.
10:5-10; Zech. 3:6-8)
18. What designation (or descriptive name) is applied to the
other ram? (29:26, 31)
19. What two things were sprinkled on the priests’ garments?
Why? (29:21)
20. What was placed into the priests’ hands for a brief time?
(29:22-24) What motions did the priests make while hold-
ing these items? (29:24)
21. What part of the ram was to be saved for Aaron and his
sons? (29:26-28; Compare Lev. 7:32-34)
22. What type of an offering was the portion reserved for
. Aaron and his sons said to have been? (29:28; Compare
Lev. 7:34)
23. What was done with the high priest’s garments when he
died? (29:29)
24. How long did a new priest wear his father’s garments?
(29:30)
25. What type of sacrifice does the ram whicb,the priests ate
part of appear to have been? (29:31-32; Compare Lev.
7 :29-3 3)
26. What was done with the bread which Moses brought?
(29:33, 2-3; Lev. 7:11-13)
27. What was the law about “strangers” eating the priests’
food? (29:33) What should this teach us about men taking
the office and privileges of priesthood to themselves?
(Heb. 54-6)
28. Why did the priests eat the bread and flesh? (29:33)
29. What was done with leftover bread and flesh? (29:34;
Compare 12:10)
30. For how long did the consecration ritual continue? (29:35-
36)
31. What object was cleansed by the sin-offerings? (29:36-
37) Why should it need cleansing?
32. Did touching the altar make whatever touched it holy?
(29:37; Compare Haggai 2:12) Is 29:37b a simple statement
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 CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS 29:l-46

of fact, or is it a command of God to be obeyed?

33. What was to be offered every day on the altar? (29:38,
4 2)
34. When were they to be offered? (29:39,41)
35. What was offered along with the lambs? (29:40)
36. What did these daily offerings symbolize to us now living?
(29:42; Compare Heb. 9:24-26; 1O:ll-12; I John 1:7, 9;
John 1:29)
37. Where did God meet with Israel? (29:42-43; 2521-22)
38. What was the effect of God’s glory and presence on the
tabernacle? (29:4 3-44)
39. What does sanctifjr mean? (29:43-44)
40. What two great promises did God give to Israel in 29:45?
Compare 258; Gen. 195-6; 17:l; Eph. 3:17; Rev. 21:3.
41. What was Israel to know? (29:46; 6:7; 16:12) What would
cause them to know this?
42. How could Israel’s knowing that Jehovah was their God
be BOTH a result of and a means of God’s dwelling among
them? (29:46)
43. Why state at-the close “I am Jehovah their God”? (29:46)

EXODUS
29: CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS;
CONTINUALBURNT-OFFERING

I. CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTS; 29:1-37.

1. Items used in the consecration; 29:l-3.
2. Priests washed (29:4), clothed (29:s-6, 8-9)’ and anointed
(29:7).
3. Bullock of sin-offering; 29:lO-14.
4. Ram of burnt-offering; 29:15-18.
5. Ram of consecration; 29:19-28, 31-34. - Priest’s gar-
ments inherited; 29:29-30.
6 . Seven days of consecration; 29:35-37.
11. CONTINUAL BURNT-OFFERING; 29:38-42
1. Offered twice each day; 29:38-41.
65 1
29:l-46 EXPLORING EXODUS

2. Offered with meal- and drink-offerings; 29:41.

3. Offered at the place God met with Israel; 29:42.
111. GOD’SPRESENCE WITH ISRASL; 29:43-46.
1. Sanctified the Tent; 29:43.
2. Sanctified the priests; 29:44.
3. Caused Israel to know the LORD; 29:45-46.

AARON, A TYPE OF CHRIST (our high priest)!

Aaron Christ
I. SIMILARITIES
1. Called. Ex. 29:4 Heb. 54-6; John 10:18
2. Washed. Ex. 29:4 Matt. 3:13-15
3. Clothed. EX. 29:5-6 Isa. 63:l-2; Rev. 1:13
4. Anointed. Ex. 29:7 Heb. 1:9; Acts 10:38
5. Perpetual priest. Ex. 29:9 Heb. 7:16-17
B

11. DIFFERENCES
1. Christ needs no sacrifices for His own sins; Ex. 29:10,15-
16; Heb. 7:26-28.
1
2. Christ never dies; Ex. 29:29; Heb. 7:23-24.
3. Christ need not repeat His sacrifice daily; Ex. 29:38-
39; Heb. 1O:ll-12.

AARON’S SONS, A TYPE OF CHRISTIANS (as Priests)!

Aaron’s Sons Christians

1. Called. Ex. 29:4 I Pet. 2:9
2. Washed. Ex. 29:4 Heb. 10:22; Titus 3 5
3. Clothed. EX. 29:8-9 Rev. 3:18
4. Perpetual Ex. 29:9 Rev. 1:6
priests.

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 CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS 29:l-46
5. Offered sacri- Ex. 29:10, 15, Eph. 5:2
fices. 19
6, Consecrated in Ex, 29:20 Rom. 12:l
ear, thumb,
and toe.
7. Made HOLY. Ex. 29:21 I Pet. 1:16; 2:9
8. Sacrifices Ex. 29:24 I Them 2:4
placed on
hands.
9. Partook of the Ex. 29:32 Heb. 13:lO-12
sacrifices.

THE CONTINUAL BURNT-OFFERING

(A type of the death of Christ)I
(Exodus 29~38-42)

1. Offered every day; Ex. 29:38-39. (Christ’s sacrifice in un-

failingly available.)
2, Offered with enrichment (meal- and drink-offerings); Ex.
29:40-41. (Christ’s sacrifice is rich.)
3. Offered to create fellowship with God; Ex. 29:42.
(Christ’s sacrifice brings fellowship with God. I John 1:3, 7)

GOD’SPRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE (EX.29;43-46)

1. A sacriBce-boughtpresence; 29:42-43.
2. A sanctifying presence; 29:43-44.
(Sanctifies the tabernacle, altar, and priests)
3. A steadfast presence; 29:45.
4. A knowledge-givingpresence; 29:46.

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TWENTY-NINE
NOTES ON CHAPTER
EXPLORINGEXODUS:
1. What is in Exodus twenty-nine?
The chapter deals with the consecration of Aaron as high
priest and his sons as ordinary priests. The chapter closes
with instructions about the every-day continual burnt-
offerings (29: 38-46). We entitle the chapter CONSE-
CRATION OF PRIESTS.
The chapter is of great value to us because it illustrates
how Christ Jesus received His high-priesthood and how
He functions as priest. Also it illustrates how we Christians
have become priests and how we function as priests. In
other words, the things related in this chapter are TYPES
for our enlightenment.
The eternal application of Exodus twenty-nine lies in the
fact that true priests must be cleansed, clothed, anointed,
installed by sacrifice, and consecrated in ear and hand and
foot (29:20). Then and only then can they make sacrifices
pleasing to God,
Exodus twenty-nine is very similar to Leviticus chapter
eight.
Exodus twenty-nine i s different in the character of its
subject matter from the material in surrounding chapters.
They deal with the materials and construction of the
tabernacle, whereas this chapter deals with the ritual of
consecration of priests and closes with the ritual of daily
burnt-offerings. The insertion of this chapter gives purpose
to the instructions about material things in the adjoinging
chapters.
Although chapter twenty-nine deals mainly with cere-
monial instructions, the book of Exodus does not attempt
to set forth a thorough description of the religious practices
in Israel. Exodus sets forth just enough about the cere-
monies to make the history it tells and the construction
details it relates relevant and exciting. Exodus leaves to
the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy the
main body of data about Israel’s religious rituals.

654
 CONSECRATION O F PRIESTS 29:l-46
Thus, allusions in Exodus twenty-nine to the sin-offering
(29:14, 36), the burnt-offering (29:18, 25, 42), wave-
offering (29:41), drink-offering (29:40), etc., can only
be understood after a study of Leviticus 1-7.
2. What items were used in the priests’ consecration? (29:l-3)
(1) A young bull (literally, “one bull, a son of the cattle”)
for a sin-offering (29:10, 14; Lev. 8:2); (2) two rams, one
for a burnt-offering (29:18) and the other for the “ram of
consecration” (29:22); (3) unleavened bread, unleavened
cakes mixed with oil (resembling pancakes, or tortillas,
or Arab pita), and unleavened wafers anointed (spread)
with oil (29:32; Leviticus 2:l). These bread items were
all made of fine white flour and were all brought in one
basket. The bread formed a meal-offering (also called a
grain-offering, or cereal-offering, or meat-offering in KJV).
See Lev. 6:19-23.
The exact significance of meal-offerings is in no place
in scripture set forth specifically. It was always offered
with the burnt-offerings and with the peace-offerings
(Num. 154-10). Some have felt that it was a symbol of
Christ’s human nature (Pink), Others (the author, for
example) have felt it was a symbol of the people of God
(who are often described as God’s good harvest of grain)
presenting themselves to God, along with Christ’s presenta-
tion of Himself as our burnt-offering. In cases like this
where the scriptures do not definitely inform us about
things, we must avoid strong, dogmatic, divisive opinions.
3. What was the first act in the priests’ consecration? (29:4;
40:12; Lev. 8:6)
They were washed with water. This was probably done
at the laver (30:17-20). This outward washing certainly
is to be viewed as a symbol of their inner cleansing of mind
and conscience. But it was also an essential act of obedience
in bringing about this inner cleansing.
It is noteworthy that Christ’s “washing” (his baptism)
was theJirst act as He began His ministry. (Matt. 3:13).
. However, unlike Aaron he did not need cleansing of soul;

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29: 1-46 EXPLORING EXODUS

He was washed only to set us an example.

Aaron’s sons were washed as well as their father. The
washing of the sons appears to be a type of the baptism
of believers in Christ. Our baptism is both a symbol of
the inward cleansing God gives, and an act of faith re-
quired by God to bring about the cleansing. See Titus 35;
Eph. 5 2 6 ; Heb. 10:22. As priests unto God our garments
are washed in the blood of the lamb (Rev. 7: 14).
4. What clothes were placed upon the priests? (2956, 8-9;
LEV. 8~7-9,13)
The same garments are mentioned here’ that are de-
scribed in h chapter twenty-eight. The breeches of 28:42 are
not mentioned in 29:5-6, 8-9, because the priests them-
selves put these on, and this passage lists only the garments
which Moses placed on them.
Leviticus 8:8 mentions specifically that the Urim and
Thummin were placed in the breastplate as they were clothed.
5. What was poured on Aaron’s head? (29:7; Lev. 8:12)
The special anointing oil was poured upon him. The
composition of this oil is described in Lev. 30:22-33. It
was a unique compound prepared exclusively for the pur-
pose of anointing. It was composed of olive oil and several
spices. It appears that only the high priest had the holy
anointing oil poured on his head. Compare Ps. 133:2.
However, Ex. 30:30 does indicate that his sons were also
anointed. Perhaps their anointing consisted of that sprink-
ling of oil and blood referred to in 29:21, where the oil
is said to have been sprinkled upon them and upon their
garments.
The anointing of Aaron was a type of the anointing of

‘The RSV omits “Aaron and his sons” from 299, although it is in the Hebrew
text. This omission does not change the meaning, but it probably should be retained
because its presence reemphasizes the distinctive position of Aaron and his sons.
The Hebrew term for “holy crown” in 29:6 is nezet (meaning sprout, shoot,
branch), whereas in 28:36 the golden “plate” in Hebrew is called tsits (meaning blos-
som, flower). The use of the two different terms for the golden plate on Aaron’s turban
is hardly a proof for multiple or composite authorship of the two chapters. Two descrip-
tive terms are frequently used to refer to the same object.
656
 CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS 29:l-46
Christ Jesus. The very word messiah (or Christ) means
“the anointed one.” Immediately after Jesus’ baptism,
the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and He was anointed
with the Holy Spirit and power. See Acts 10:38; Ps. 4.57;
Heb. 1:9; Luke 3:22; 4:1, 14. These passages seem to
indicate that the anointing oil was a symbol (or type) of
the Holy Spirit.
Aaron’s sons were anointed as was Aaron himself. Sim-
ilarly Christians are anointed with the Holy Spirit. (I John
2:20, 27; 4:13). When we obey the gospel, and repent and
are baptized, we receive God’s Spirit as a gift (Acts 5 3 2 ;
2:38). We certainly are not anointed in the same degree
that Christ was, but we all become partakers of the Holy
Spirit.
The fact that Israel’s priests, kings, and prophets were
anointed as part of their installation into office suggests
that to do God’s work all human talents need the special
touch of God’s Spirit.
6 . How long was the priesthood to belong to Aaron’s family?
(299, 33; Num. 18:7)
The priesthood was given to them by a “perpetual
statute.” (This may also be translated “a statute for the
distant future.” See Harkavy’s Lexicon, under ‘oZam.)2
Thus their priesthood was to be permanent as long as the
statute (the law) was in effect,
God later prophesied the appearance of another priest
(referring to Christ Jesus who was to come), who would
be of the order (or likeness) of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4).
The coming of a priest from an entirely different family
and people certainly indicated that the law giving the
priesthood to Aaron’s family “by a perpetual statute” was
to be abolished (Heb. 7:ll-18).
7. What does “consecrate” mean? (29:9)

‘Olarn is variously translated “distant future,” “everlasthg,” “eternity.” It

certainly does not always imply an endless eternity to come. For example, it is used
in Deut. 1517,where it clearly means only “for life.”

657
29:1-46 EX.P L 0 R I N G E X 0DU S

In the Hebrew language the words literally mean “to

fill the hand.” This literal rendering is very suggestive
and causes us to ponder the fact that God’s service should
fill our hands, and also our minds, lips, etc.
Nevertheless, it seems that the expression “fill the hands”
had lost much of its purely literal meaning and had be-
come just a synonym for “install” or “ordain.” (Note
the R.S.V. and New English Bible.)
8. What was the purpose of the sacri3ce of the bull? (29:lO-
14; Lev. 8~14-17)
It was to be a sin-offering (29:14). The sin-offerings are
described in Leviticus chapter four and 6:24-30. They
were offered for sins done unintentionally and unawares.
These sins might include violations of anything which
Jehovah had commanded not to be done (Lev. 4:2).
When Aaron and his sons laid hands upon the bull before
it was sacrificed, they were making an acknowledgement
of their sins. As men “‘compassed with infirmity” they
needed first to offer sacrifice for their own sins before
they could offer €or others. (Heb. 52; 7:27). Killing the
bull was an admission, “We deserve to die, but God in
His grace accepts the death of this creature instead of
my death.”
Note that Aaron and his sons laid hands on all three
of the offerings made during their consecration (29:10,
15, 19),*9ALLthe priests laid hands upon the bullock of
the sin-offering.
The act of the priests in laying hands on the bull was
like to our act of confessing, “He (Jesus) was wounded for
our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities”
(Isa. 535).
Moses himself killed the sin-offering. Priests did not
usually have to kill the sacrifices themselves. (Lev. 1:s)
The application of the blood to the horns of the altar of
burnt-offering suggests the POWER of the sacrifices,
Compare 27:2.
The “inwards” of 29:13 are the entrails. The “caul of

658
 CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS 29:l-46

the liver” (29:13) refers to fleshly tissues coupled with and

round about the liver. The word translated “caul” literally
refers to something which is left over or redundant. (R.S.V.
renders it “appendage of the liver.”)
“Burn them upon the altar” (29: 13) literally reads
“make them smoke upon the altar.” This expression is
applied to burning a sacrifice or burning incense.
Parts of the bull of the sin-offering were burned upon
the altar, and parts (the sin, flesh, dung) were burned
outside the camp. The burning outside the camp hints
that the animal had taken the sins of the offerer upon it
in such a way that God viewed it as inappropriate for
offering on the altar. Even sin that has been removed by
sacrifice has an abhorrent quality about it. Compare
Lev. 4:ll; Heb. 13:2.
9. W h a t was the purpose of the sacrifice of the first ram?
(29:15-18; Lev. 8:18-21)
It was to be a burnt-ofSering unto Jehovah. Burnt-
offerings are described in Leviticus chapter one and 6:8-12.
The burnt-offering was a type of Christ’s death on the
cross.
The fact that the WHOLE ram was burned has been
interpreted to signify that the priests gave themselves
completely to the Lord. Much more probably it signifies
the TOTAL destruction due to sin and to the sinner.
Burnt-offerings illustrate the utter destruction coming
to the sinner in hell, and the total ruin endured by Christ
when He died.
The numerous sacrifices of the law speak of many
things - of the holiness of God, of the sin of men, of the
power in sacrifices, of the wickedness of sin, of Christ the
lamb to cornen3
Sprinkling the blood about the altar (29:16, 12) reminds
us that God’s offerings must be made where God desig-
nates. It is the altar that makes a gift holy (Matt. 23:19).

3Ramm, op. cit., p. 168.

659
29:1-46 EXPLORING EXODUS

Unless brought to the altar, blood was just blood. Sim-

I
ilarly, a change in.our way of living, unless done with a
recognition that Christ is our altar, does not make that
change a “repentance unto life.”
The mention of “a sweet savor (smell)” reminds us of
Noah’s sacrifice (Gen. 8:2). A “sweet savor” does not
necessarily suggest that the sacrifice smells like perfume.
But is one that is agreeable to the Lord. Christ gave him-
self for us “an offering and a sacrifice unto God for a
sweet-smelling savor.” (Eph. 5 2 )
10. Where was the blood of the second ram applied? (29:19-21;
Lev. 8:22-24, 30)
The blood of this ram was placed upon the priests - upon
the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and
the toe of the right foot. Also, the blood was sprinkled
upon the altar round about (that is, all around it). Further,
it was sprinkled upon the priests and their garments.
This second ram (compare 29:1, 15) is called the “ram
of consecration.” (Note 29:22, 26.) Literally this would
read, “the ram of filling (the hands)!” Compare 29:9.
Its use was special and unique as a part of the priests’
consecration, even though it does seem to have been sort
of a peace-offering. The peace-offering was the one offering
partly eaten by the offerers. See Ex. 29:31-34; Lev. 7:15-17.
The application of blood to the priest’s ear, toe, and
thumb ,suggests that his ears were to be consecrated to
hearing God’s words, his feet to walking in God‘s courts,
and his hands to God’s works.
The blood-on their ears also recalls to our minds that
a slave’s, ear was bored if he wished to commit himself to
perpetual service to his master (21:6). The priest was
committing himself to perpetual service to God.
The application of blood to both priest and altar suggests
the close linkage of priests and sacrifice. Offering sacrifices
was one of their primary duties. But sacrifice was also
their only hope for personal acceptance before God. Sim-
ilarly, we must preach Christ and Him crucified (I Cor. 2:2);

660
 CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS 29:l-46
but we must recognize as we preach that the cross of Christ
is our personal hope and glory (Gal. 6:14) and not just
something which we preach to others.
The sprinkling of a mixture of blood and anointing
oil (29:21) upon the priests further links together the blood
atonement and service to God, Heb. 9:22 tells us that all
things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding
of blood there is no remission.
The sprinkling of the blood hallowed (made holy) both
the priests and their garments (29:21-33).
We need not be disturbed by the thought that sprinkling
blood and oil upon the priests’ costly garments would
spatter and’ befoul them. Some things are much more
important than spotless tidiness! Also, not a large amount
of oil and blood was sprinkled, probably only a few drops.
11. What was placed upon the priests’ hands during their
consecration? (29:22-25;Lev. 8:25-29)
Several parts of the body of the ram of consecration and
one piece of each of the various kinds of bread mentioned
in 2 9 2 were placed upon the hands of Aaron and of his
sons. These items were then “waved” before the face of
the Lord. The verb “shalt wave” in 29:24 reads literally
“thou shalt wave,” suggesting that Moses waved the flesh
and the bread. However, 29:25 indicates that Moses did
not take back the flesh and bread from the priests’ hands
until after it had been waved. Obviously then the priests
did the waving, and Moses himself only waved the flesh
and bread in that he caused Aaron and his sons to wave it.
The act of placing parts of the offerings in the hands
of the priests seems to symbolize and visualize the fact
that they were being given the authority to handle sacred
offerings and bring them before the Lord. In a similar
way Christ has been fully qualified to bring our offering
(Himself!) before God. (Heb. 58-9)
Possibly also the waving served to dramatize that the
offering was to be seen and known by all men everywhere,
and was offered to God, who is everywhere.
66 1
29:1-46 EXPLORING EXODUS

The movement indicated by “waving” was a horizontal

motion. It may have been forward and back again, like
the motion of sawing, as if extending the offering towards
the altar. (Isa. 1O:lS uses the verb nuph, translated “to
wave,” to refer to the motion of sawing.) Also, the waving
motion may have been a right-to-left motion, side to side,
like the motions used in cutting with a sickle. (Nuph ex-
presses this type of motion in Deut. 23:25 [23:26 in
Hebrews].) “Wave” is not necessarily thought of as being
in contrast to “heave” (in 29:27), as if waving were horizon-
tal motions and heaving were up-and-down motions.
See 29:27.
The “rump” of 29:22 K.J.V. refers to the “fat tail”
of the Oriental sheep. Their tails are thick, wide (often
six inches or thereabouts), heavy, and full of fatty tissue.
12. What was done with the breast of Aaron’s ram of con-
secration? (29:26-28; Lev. 8:29)
The breast (meat from the lower abdomen) was waved
by Moses before the Lord, and then it became Moses’
special portion fop food. This breast of the wave-offering
thereafter (after this one original priestly consecration)
was t&be the priest’s portion of sacrifices, along with the
thigh (shoulder) of heave-offerings. See Lev. 1O:lS; Deut.
18:3. Also, peace-offerings were partly waved before the
Lord, and, then the wave-breast of peace-offerings was
reserved for the priests to eat. (Lev. 7:30)
The breast was given to Moses on this one occasion be-
cause he filled the office of priest for Aaron and his son
during their consecration. But thereafter it was a part
reserved for the priests’ food.
The term “heave-offering” (29:28) (Heb. terurnah)
simply means an oblation or something offered to God
or to the priests. The root of the word (rum, to be raised,
to be high) suggests a raised position, but does not definitely
state that it was handled with up-and-down motions during
its presentation.
As Moses and Aaron received part of the meat brought
662
I CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS 29:l-46
to the altar for sacrifices as support for their priestly work,
so also the Lord has commanded that those who now
proclaim the gospel shall live by the support of those who
hear the gospel. (I Cor. 9:14)
Leviticus 8:30 gives the instruction to sprinkle Aarod
and his sons with blood and oil after the instructions about \,
the wave-offering. Ex. 29:21ff mentions the sprinkling ‘
before the instructions about the wave-offering. We need
not assume from this (as Noth does. See op. cit., pp. 232-
233) that Exodus contradicts Leviticus, or that there is
indication of “secondary additions” to the Biblical text.
We do not know exactly why there is the difference in ’
order, but it is only a very slight difference. We doubt
that this Biblical record of the priests’ consecration was
recorded with such detail that it could function as a step-
by-step procedure manual for repeating the ceremony.
13. What was done with the high priest’s garments when he
died? (29:29-30)
They were passed on to his son after him, and the son
was anointed in them and consecrated in them. God in-
tended that there would ALWAYS be a qualified priest
on the job to enable men to approach Him acceptably.
Compare Heb. 7:23-25.
Numbers 20:25-26 tells of the transfer of Aaron’s gar-
ments to his son Eleazar.
The new priest wore the robes of his father seven days
at the start of his priestly career. These seven days cor-
respond to the seven days that Aaron and his sons remained
within the tent of meeting during their consecration.
(Lev. 8:33, 35). “Tent of meeting” (KJV, “tabernacle of
the congregation”) usually refers to the room called the
Holy Place (27:21).
“Liberal” critics generally assume (wrongly, we feel)
that the instructions about the regalia of high priest were
not formulated or put into practice until the post-exilic
time after the Babylonian captivity, a thousand years after
Moses’ time. This is surely NOT the way the Biblical text
663
29:1-46 EXPLORING E X O D U S

tells it.
14. What wad done with theflesh of the ram of consecration?
(2431-34; Lev. 8:31-32)
Moses was to boil it in a holy place (not THE Holy
Place), and Aaron and his sons were to eat it along with
the bread (29:2, 23) at the door of the tent of meeting
(the Holy Place).
How meaningful it was that Aaron and his sons should
EAT those things by which atonement (at-one-ment) was
made for them, and by which they had been consecrated
and sanctified1 (29:18, 25). Similarly, the sacrifice of
Christ for us not only provides us forgiveness, but also
sustains our spiritual life (John 6: 51).
Any bread or flesh which the priests did not eat was to be
burned the next morning (29:34). See notes on 12:20 for
possible reasons for the destruction of leftover food.
“Atonement” in 29:33 (and elsewhere) refers to covering.
The Hebrew verb translated “make atonement” (kaphar)
is related to the word translated “mercy-seat” (kapporeth),
This idea of atonement (covering) is very prominent in
God’s coZTenant with Israel.
No stranger dared to eat the holy food specially reserved
for Aaron and the priests. “Stranger” in 29:37 refers to
anyone not of the family of Aaron.
15. How long did the consecration ritual last? (2935; Lev.
8:33-36)
It lasted seven days and then on the eighth day Aaron
and his sons, as newly consecrated priests, offered the
first sacrifices themselves.
In their first sacrifices they offered a calf for a sin-
offering and a ram for a burnt-offering (Lev. 9:l-2). It is
very noticeable that after all the offerings Moses had made
for Aaron and his sons that they themselves had to offer
for themselves sin- and burnt-offerings (Lev. 9:7-8). Only
then did they present the people’s offering (oblation Lev.
9:lS). Truly the blood of bulls and goats could NOT take
away sins (Heb. 10:4, 11).

664
 CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS 29:l-46
The number seven frequently suggests completeness,
Perhaps the seven-day stay in the tent of meeting points
toward the completeness of the consecration of the priests.
16. What sacrifices did Moses offer during the seven days of
the priests’ consecration? (29:36-37)
Every day of the seven he offered the bull of the sin-
, offering. (See 29:10, 14.) These particular offerings were
made primarily to make atonement for the altar itself.
Ex. 29:36 can be translated rather literally to read, “And
the bull of the sin-offering thou shalt offer daily for the
atonement, and thou shalt purge (upon) the altar in thy
making atonement for (or upon) it, and thou shalt anoint
it to make it holy.”
The result of these sacrifices was that the altar became
MOST holy (literally, “holy of holy things”). Everyone
touching the altar would be “holy.” Inasmuch as no one
was to touch the altar except the priests (not even the
Levites; see Num. 4:15), the statement about the altar
making whoever touched it holy really only serves to intensi-
fy the “holiness” of the priests. Certainly “lay” persons
did not become “holy” by touching the altar either in-
tentionally or accidentally. Compare 30:29; Haggai 2:12.
Christ is our altar (Heb. 13:lO-12). The sanctification of
the altar at the tabernacle by Moses suggests that great
significance is attached to Christ’s sanctifying himself
unto God’s service. See John 17:19.
17. What was to be offered on the altar every day perpetually?
(29:38-42; Num. 28:3-8)
A continual burnt-offering was to be made daily through-
out Israel’s generations, consisting of two yearling lambs,
one offered each morning and one offered in the evenihg,
(Literally, “between the two evenings.” See 12:6.)
Along with each burnt-offering a meal-offering was
offered, consisting of a tenth part of an ephah of fine
flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil.
Also, the fourth part of a hin of wine or a drink-offering
was poured on the burnt-offering. See Num. 28:15; Ex,
665

.
29~1-46 EXPLORING EXODUS

27:20. One-fourth of a hin would be about a quart.

A tenth of an ephah of flour would be about three
and a half pints. (The ephah itself is about three-fifths
bushe1.)
Offering these daily burnt-offerings constituted the
major function of the brazen altar. Omission of these daily
sacrifices was a matter of greatest consequence (Daniel.
8:ll).
The continual burnt-offerings seem to have symbolized
the future death of Christ, that it would be a continuously
effective sacrifice for us. As there was always a burnt-
offering smouldering on the altar, so the death of Christ
is a constantly available sacrifice for us.
Regarding the significance of the meal-offerings, see
notes on 29:2-3. The significance of the drink-offering of
wine is not explained in scripture. It certainly was an
added enrichment of the sacrifice, and Paul compares
his giving his own life to a drink-offering (Phil. 2:17).
18. Where would God meet with Israel? (29:42-44)
God would meet with Israel at the door of the tent of
meeting (the Holy place). For examples of God doing this,
see Num. 125;14:lO; 16:19,42; 20:6.
Note that God met with Israel and not just with the
priests alone. God’s presence was for all.
God had promised to commune (talk) with Israel from
above the mercy-seat on the ark (2522). .But because
almost no one entered the room where the ark was, God
revealed his presence at a nearby place where people could
come, at the door of the Tent. e . .

God’s presence sanctified (made holy) the tent and the

altar.
God describes his presence as “my glory.” This refers
to the cloud described in 40:34ff.
God’s presence among His people is precious! Rev. 21:3
promises, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he shall dwell with them.”
In 29:43 a subject must be supplied for the verb “shall be

666
 I CONSECRATION O F PRIESTS 29:l-46
sanctified.” The King James and American Standard
versions supply the word “Tent” (or tabernacle), and this
I
appears to be correct. Ex. 29:44 appears to contain a
statement parallel to 29:43, and 29:44 definitely mentions

‘
the Tent. R.S.V. renders the subject of the verb in 29:43
indefinitely: “It shall be sanctified by my glory.” To us
this seems unnecessarily vague, even though the Hebrew
text does not actually state the subject. (Note that Tent
is in italics, which indicates that it is not actually in the
Hebrew text.)
19. Who would dwell amongst Israel? (29:45)
I God himself would dwell among them and be their
God. See 2 5 8 ; 195. Ex. 6:7: “I will be to you a God.”
Gen. 17:7: “And I will establish my covenant between
.
thee and thee and thy seed after thee . . to be a God
unto thee and to thy seed after thee.” God’s promise to
’ dwell with Israel (in 29:45) is a fulfillment of promises
given as far back as the time of Abraham six hundred
years earlier.
~
20. What would Israel come to know because of God’s presence
I among them? (29:46)
Israel would know that He was Jehovah their God! Over
and over again in Exodus God had stated that this was
His great purpose - that they would know that He was
JEHOVAH. See 6:7 notes.
Sadly we must state that in spite of all of God’s deliver-
ances for Israel and the wonders He did among them,
I
many Israelites never really learned that God was the
I LORD. Therefore, when later tests came upon them, they
failed to trust God.
Note that the continuation of God’s dwelling among
Israel was conditioned upon their realizing that He was
the Lord.
I God closed the instructions about the priests’ conse-
cration and the daily burnt offerings by asserting, “I am
Jehovah their God.” This same declaration is found in
many other passages. See Lev. 18:2, 4, 6 , 21, 20. The fact
66 7
30: 1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

that God is the LORD Jehovah is all the authorization

that God needed for Him to command Israel or any-
one else.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And thou shalt make an altar to bum incense upon:
30 of acacia wood shalt thou make it. (2) A cubit shall be
the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; four-
square shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof:
the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it. (3) And thou
shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides
thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt
make unto it a crown of gold round about. (4) And two golden
rings shalt thou make for it under the crown thereof; upon
the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make
them; and they shall be for places for staves wherewith to
bear it. ( 5 ) And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood,
aqd overlay them with gold. (6) And thou shalt put it before
the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-
seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
(7)And Aar-on shall burn thereon incense of sweet spices:
every morning, when he dresseth, the lamps, he shall burn it.
(8) And when Aar-on lighteth the lamps at even, he shall bum
it, a perpetual incense before Je-ho-vah throughout your gen-
erations. (9) Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor
burnt-offering, nor meal-offering; and ye shall pour no drink
offering thereon. (10) And Aar-on shall make atonement upon
the horns of it once in the year; with the blood of the sin-
offering of atonement once in the year shall he make atone-
ment for it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto
Je-ho-vah.
(11)And Je-ha-vah spake unto Mo-ses, saying, (12)When
thou takest the sum of the children of Is-ra-el, according to

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 ALTAR OF INCENSE 30:1-38

those lhat are numbered of them, then shall they give every
man a ransom, for his soul unto Je-ho-vah, when thou num-
berest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou
numberest them. (13) This they shall give, every one that
passeth over unto them that are numbered: half a shek-el
a€ter the shelr-el of the sanctuary (the shek-el is twenty ge-
rahs), half a shek-el for an offering to Je-ho-vah. (14) Every
one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, from
twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of Je-ho-
vah. (15) The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not
give less, than the half shek-el, when they give the offering of
Je-ho-vah, to make atonement for your souls. (16)And thou
shalt take the atonement money from the children of Is-ra-el,
and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that
it may be a memorial for the children of Is-ra-el before Je-ho-
vah, to make atonement for your souls.
(17) And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses, saying, (18) Thou
shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass,
whereat to wash. And thou shalt put it between the tent of
meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. (19)
And Aar-on and his sons shall wash their hands and their
feet thereat: (20) when they go into the tent of meeting, they
shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come
near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire
unto Je-ho-vah. (21)So they shall wash their hands and their
feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them,
even l o him and to his seed throughout their generations.
(22) Moreover Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses, saying, (23)
Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five
hundred shek-els, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even
two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred
and fifty, (24) and of cassia five hundred, after the shek-el
of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin; (25) and thou shalt
make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after
the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. (26)
And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the
ark of the testimony, (27)and the table and all the vessels

669
30: 1-38 EXPLORING E X O D U S

thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels thereof, and the
altar of incense, (28)and the altar of burnt-offering with all
the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof. (29)And
thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatso.
ever toucheth them shall be holy. (30) And thou shalt anoint
Aar-on and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister
unto me in the priest’s office. (31)And thou shalt speak unto
the children of bra-el, saying, This shall be a holy anointing
oil unto me throughout your generations. (32)Upon the flesh
of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like
it, according to the composition thereof: it is holy, and it shall
be holy unto you. (33) Whosoever compoundeth any like it,
or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be
cut off from his people.
(34)And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Take unto thee sweet
spices, stac-te, and on-y-cha, and gal-ba-num; sweet spices
with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a light weight;
(35)and thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the
art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy: (36)and
thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the
testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it
shall be unto you most holy. (37)And the incense which thou
shalt make, according to the composition thereof ye shall not
make for yourselves: it shall be unto thee holy for Je-ho-vah.
(38)Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof,
he shall be cut off &om his people.

EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTERTHIRTY
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLEFROM THE
BIBLE

1. After careful reading, propose a brief summary, topic, or

theme(s) for the chapter.
2. What were the materials and the dimensions of the altar
of incense? (3O:l-2)
3. How were the horns of the altar connected to the rest of

6 70
 ALTAR O F INCENSE 3011-38

the altar? (30:2)

4, What other items of furniture were made of the same
materials as the altar and had several features in common?
(25~10-12,23-26)
5 . How was the altar of incense carried about? (30:4-5;
Num, 4:11)
6. Where was the altar of incense positioned in the tabernacle?
(30:6; 405)
7. With what tabernacle room was the altar of incense some-
times associated? Why? (Heb. 9:2-4; I Kings 6:22)
8. When was incense burned on the altar? (30:8)
9. Of what was incense a symbol? (Ps. 141:2; Rev. 5 8 ; 8:4-5).
What might the REGULAR burning of incense suggest
about our devotional activities? (Compare Ps. 55: 17)
10, What was NOT to be put on the altar of incense? (30:9)
11. What special act was done at the horns of the altar once a
year? (30:lO)
12. What was to be paid when a census was taken? (30:12-13)
13. What does this census rule suggest that God considers
about his people? (Ezek. 18:4)
14. How much were the people to pay? (30:13)
15. Who was to pay it? (30:14-15)
16, As far as the people themselves were concerned, what was
the purpose of this payment? (30:12, 15, 16)
17. What was the money used for? (30:16; 38:25-28)
18. What was the laver made of? (30:18, 38:25-28)
19. Where was the laver placed? (30:18)
20. What was the laver used for? (30:19)
21. When was the laver used? (30:20)
22. How seriously did God regard the washings at the laver?
(30:21)
23. Of what may the laver have been a type? (Titus 3:s; Eph.
526; Rev. 7:14; Heb. 10:22; I John 1:9)
24. What were spices and oil combined to make? (30:22-25)
25. What was anointed? Who was anointed? (30:26-30)
26. What restrictions were placed on the use and making of
anointing oil? (30:31-33)
671
 3O:l-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

~
27. Of what is anointing oil a symbol? (Heb. 1:9; Acts 10:38;
Isa. 61:l; Luke 4:18; Psalm 456-8)
28. What were sweet spices and frankincense used to make?
(30:34-35)
29. Where was incense placed? (30:36, 7)
30. Where would God meet with Israel? (30:36)
31. What restriction was placed on making incense? (30:37-
38) Why?

EXODUSTHIRTY:INCENSE
(and other Tabernacle Features)
A. Altar ofIncense; 3O:l-10.
1. Its pattern; 30: 1-5.
2. Its position^; 30:6.
3. Its rituals; 30:7-10.
B. Atonement money: 30: 11-16.
1. Collected during a census; 3O:ll-13.
2. Collected from all alike; 30:14-15.
3. Collected for tabernacle service; 30:16.
C. Laver: 30:17-21.
1. Material; 30:17-18.
2. Position; 30:18.
3. Function; 30:19-21.
D. Anointing oil; 30: 19:33.
1. Formula; 30:19-25.
2. Function; 30:26-31.
3. Restrictions of use; 30:32-33.
E. Incense; 30:34-38.
1. Formula; 30:34-35.
2. Function; 30:36.
3. Restrictions on use; 30:37-38.

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 ALTAR OF INCENSE 30~1-38

INCENSE,
A TYPEOF PRAYER!
(Ex. 3O:l-10, 34-38)
1, Purpose; 30:l. (A sacrifice!; Heb, 13:W
2. Pattern; 3O:l-2. (Must be God’s pattern!)
3, Power; 30:2. (Had horns!)
4. Position; 30:6. (Nearest to God!)
5. Practice; 30:7-8, 36. (Regular!)
6. Purity; 30:35.
7 . Preciousness; 30:3, 34-35.
8. Pulverized! 30:37.
9. Private property! 30:37-38.

GOD’SCOUNTED ONES!(3O:ll-16)
“All souls are mine!” (Ezek. 18:4)

1. Those counted need ransom! 30: 11-12.

2. Those counted must pay! 30:13.
3. Those counted are all equal before God; 30:15.
4 , Those
~ counted render “service”; 30:16.

EQUALITY
BEFOREGOD!(Ex. 30: 12-15)

1. ALL CLAIMED by God; 30:12.

2. All need atonement; 30:12, 15.
3. AI1 redeemable by God; 30: 15.
4. All useful for service; 30:16.

THEWASHING
OF PRIESTS
(Ex. 30:17-21)

1. Commanded by God; 30: 19.

2. Essential for life; 30:20, 21.
3. Necessary for service; 30:20.
4, Perpetual in practice; 30:21.

673
3O:l-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

ANOINTINGOIL - A TYPEOF THE HOLYSPIRIT!

(EX.30:22-23)
1. Precious; 30:22-25.
2. Pure; 30:25.
3. Pervasive! 30:26-29.
4. Sanctifying! 30:29.
5. Qualifying; 30:30.
6 . Not for the world; 30:32-33; John 14:17.

EXODUS:NOTES ON CHAPTER
EXPLORING THIRTY
1. What is in Exodus thirty?
The chapter has a MIXTURE of subjects in it. Subjects
include (1) the incense altar, (2) atonement money, (3)
laver, (4) anointing oil, (5) incense formula. Inasmuch
as the INCENSE is mentioned both first and last in the
chapter, it is probably our most helpful memory aid to
recall the contents of the chapter under the heading of
‘ INCENSE, etc.

Although the material of the chapter is mixed, ALL of

it is essential for an accurate comprehension of the taber-
nacle. Without this material, our understanding would be
hopelessly deficient.
Note that most of the paragraphs are introduced by
.
the formula, “And Jehovah said unto Moses, . . .” (32:11,
17, 22, 34). This same introductory expression continues
to appear in chapter 31 (31:1, 12). Indeed, it appears that
chapter 31 is very closely joined to chapter 30, and probably
should not even be divided from it by a separate chapter
number.
We do not know why the segments of information in
chapter thirty are grouped together just as they are. It
would seem more orderly if the section about the altar of
incense were placed back in chapter twenty-five with the

674
 ALTAR OF INCENSE 3O:l-38

discussion of the lampstand and table. (Indeed, in chapter

thirty-seven these three are grouped together.) The dis.
cussion of the laver would seem more natural back with
that of the altar in chapter twenty-seven, (The two are
associated in 38:l-8.) No one really knows why the material
in chapter thirty is given just at this point as it is. In saying
this we are NOT finding fault with the order that God’s
word presents its material. We are just stating a fact.
We have good reasons to reject the skeptical critics’
notion that chapters thirty and thirty-one are very later
supplements to the Priestly narrative, and likely were
written as late as the Babylonian exile.2 If they really were
“late additions,’’ the editors would probably have stuck
them into the narrative at points where they would appear
to fit more naturally.
2. What were the materials and dimensions of the altar of
incense? (3O:l-5; 37:25-28; 40:5, 26; Lev. 4:7)
It was made of acacia wood. (See 25:s.) It was overlaid
with pure gold, so that it is called the “golden altar” in
, 39:38 and Num. 4:11, to distinguish it from the brazen

altar of burnt-offering. It stood two cubits (36”) high,

and had equal width and length of one cubit (18”). Horns
projected from its four upper corners. The horns were
made of one piece with the rest of the altar, rather than as
separate pieces attached to it. It had a crown, or moulding,
around the edge of its top, as did the table of showbread
and the ark of the covenant ( 2 5 1 1 , 24). Whether this was
for ornamentation, or to keep material from sliding off
its top is not stated.
The altar was transported by using staves that were
thrust through golden rings anchored into the sides of the
altar under its crowp, very much like those on the ark of
the covenant and tfie table of showbread. The staves were
of acacia wood overlaid with gold. For the method of

‘Noth, op. cit., p. 234.

lBroadman Bible Commentary, I, (1969), p. 446.

675
30~1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

covering and transporting the altar of incense, see Num.

4:ll.
3. Where was the altar of incense positioned in the tabernacle?
(30:6)
It was placed in the Holy Place, just in front of the veil.
Just behind the veil was the Most Holy Place, containing
the ark of the covenant, covered over by the mercy-seat.
The smoke from the altar of incense wafted past the veil
into the Holy of Holies, and thus, as it were, into the very
presence of God.
The mention here of the mercy-seat along with the facts
Iabout the incense altar suggests that the altar of incense
had a very intimate relationship to the ark and mercy-seat.
Smoking incense was brought into the .Holy of Holies on
the day of atonement (Lev. 16:12-13). For these reasons,
and perhaps others, the altar of incense in Solomon’s
temple is spoken of as belonging t o the oracle (Holy of
Holies) (I Kings 6:22). Also Heb. 9:4 speaks of the golden
altar as being in the Holy of Holies.
4. When was incense burned on the altar? (30:7-8)
Every morning and evening. When Aaron dressed (liter-
ally “made good”) the lamps in the morning, he burned
incense. Also when the lamps were lighted in the evenings
(literally, “between the two evenings.” See 12:6) he burned
incense. “Morning by morning” Aaron caused the incense
“to smoke.” (These verses sound as if the lamp did not
burn during the daytime, but compare 27:20-21; 25:37.)
5. What was NOT to be put on the altar of incense? (30:9)
No strange incense, no burnt-offerings, no meal-offering,
and no drink-offerings. Sin-offerings were made on its
horns once a year. (30:lO). “Strange” (or foreign) incense
would be incense with any formula other than that described
in 30:34-38. There was a distinctiveness about the use of
this altar that was not to be compromised.
The “strange incense” of 30:9 is probably not the
“strange fire” offered by Nadab and Abihu (Lev. lO:l),
although the “strange fire” incident shows how seriously
676
ALTAR OF INCENSE 30:1-38

Altar of Incense

676A
30~1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

Conjectural form
of the laver and its base

-Wheeled laver of the type made for Solomon’s temple. It is remotely possible that
the laver in the tabernacle may have had resemblances to this design.

676B
 ALTAR O F 1NCENS.E 30:1-38

God regarding His commands about the incense. See

30:37-38. We do not know with certainty what this “strange
fire” was. On the annual day of atonement the priests was
to obtain coals of fire from the altar of burnt-offering (Lev.
16:12). Upon these coals he placed incense as he went into
the Holy of Holies. It appears that the fire used by Nadab
and Abihu was taken from some place besides the altar.
It is possible that when the priest burned incense on the
altar each day, he did it by bringing in coals of fire from
the brazen altar, although we do not know this for sure.
6. What special act was done upon the horns of the altar
once a year7 (30:lO)
Once a year Aaron made atonement for the altar by
placing the blood of the sin-offering upon the horns of
the altar of incense. (Concerning sin-offerings, see 29:lO-
14.)
The preposition “upon” (Heb. ‘a0 in 30: 10 probably
means “for” it. This preposition is used in 29:36 to refer
to making atonement “for” the altar of burnt-offering.
Similarly Ex. 30:15 has “atonement for (‘a0 your souls.”
Similarly Lev. 16:18. Certainly the word means “upon,”
but here it seems to have the added meaning of “for.”
The A.S.V. has “upon” in the text and “Or for” in the
margin.
We agree with Keil and Delitzsch3 that the reference
in Lev. 16:18 to putting blood “upon the horns of the altar
round about” refers to the altar of burnt-offering rather
than to the altar of incense (even though most commentators
hold the opposite view). The expression “go out” in Lev.
16:M refers not to Aaron’s going out of the Most Holy
Place into the Holy Place, but to his going out of the tent
of meeting into the court.
However, as Keil and Delitzsch also assert, the allusion
to Aaron’s making atonement “for the tent of meeting”

’Op.cit., 11, p. 400.

677
30~1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

(Holy Place) most probably refers to the yearly act of atone-

ment on the altar of incense referred to in Ex. 3O:lO. After
making this atonement for the tent of meeting by placing
the blood of the sin-offering on the horns of the altar of
incerise, then Aaron went out to the altar of burnt offering
to make atonement for it also.
. Note that man’s use made God’s golden altar con-
taminated.
7. How did God view the altar of incense? (30:lO)
It was most holy-untoJehovah, literally “holy (or holiness)
of holies.” The same expression is applied to the altar
of burnt-offering (29:37; 40:10), to all the vessels of the
sanctuary (30:28-29), and to the offerings of Israel that
were partly eaten by the priests (Num. 18:9-10; Lev. 2:3).
8. What was symbolized by the incense? (Rev. 5 8 ; 8:4-5)
Prayer1 “Let my prayer be set forth as incense before
thee, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice”
(Psalm 141:2).
Incense functioned also as sort of a sacrzjke. The very
fact that it was offered on an altar (Heb. zebach, a place
of sacrifice) suggests the sacrificial quality in prayer. “In
* every place incense shall be ofSered unto my name” (Mal.

i 1:ll). This should cause us to regard prayer as very neces-

sary and serious in our Christian activities.

The closeness of the altar of incense to the veil and to
the ark of the covenant suggests that we are never closer
o God than when we pray. Only a thin veil separates us
from the very face of God, and in Christ even this veil
is removed! (I1Cor. 3:14-18)
The presence of horns on the altar of incense suggests
the power of prayer. Compare 27:2.
The necessity of regularity in prayer is suggested by the
regular daily offering of incense. “Evening, and morning,
and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear
my voice” (Psalm 55:17; Compare Dan. 6: 10.)
The importance of reading God’s word (‘‘a lamp unto
my feet”; Ps. 119:105) at the time of our prayers may be
678
 ATONEMENT MONEY 30:1-38

suggested by the fact that the incense was offered at the

same time that the lampstand was tended.
The concept of prayer as a tribute to God as king is at
least hinted in the fact that the burning of incense was done
as a tribute to great kings. See I1 Chron. 16:14; 21:19.
There is NO New Testament example or teaching which
would lead Christians to incorporate the burning of incense
into our worship assembly activities. To do this would be
to borrow from the outgrown system of the law of Moses
or from pagan religious rituals. To pagans incense is
burned to drive out demons, or to add punch to prayers,
or to convey some priestly blessings.
9. What was to be paid when a census was taken? (3O:ll-15)
Every one was to pay half a shekel. This money was a
ransom for their souls, “to make atonement” for their
souls. The amount paid was a very small sum. A shekel
was about four-tenths of an ouncee4(At that time the shekel
was not a coin, but a unit of weight, a piece of metal
weighing that amount. Compare Gen. 24:22.) Anyone
could have afforded this little payment. This very smallness
of the offering should have made obvious the fact that the
people were NOT purchasing their atonement by this
pittance, but only acknowledging that they had a debt
which God alone could pay for them. Compare I Pet.
1:18-19.
Implied in this law about censuses is the truth that
God owns all souls (people). “All souls are mine” (Ezek.
18:4). The very fact of counting one’s flock or one’s wealth
suggests ownership. We do not usually count our neighbor’s
sheep or his income; we count our own. If we do count
them, the owner will want to know about it. The experience
of King David taking a census showed that taking a census
could be a dangerous business. Seventy thousand people

‘BroadmanBible Commentmy, 11, (1969) gives 0.40302. Cassuto, op. cit., p. 394,
says the “shekel of the sanctuary” was double the weight of the regular shekel; but
the difference is not positively known.

679
3011-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

died in a plague (I1 Sam. 24:1, 15). Being counted in Israel

meant that each Israelite owned up to his covenant mem-
bership and responsibilities with God. God still claims
exclusive ownership of His people. (John 10:27-29),
The “offering” mentioned in 30:13 was a heave-offedng
(Heb. terurnah), something “lifted up” to God. See notes
on 29:27-28. Note the three-fold reference to the offering
(30:13, 14, 15). Note also the three-fold reference to “soul”
(30:12, 15, 16). ((‘Sou1” is a very comprehensive term; it
refers to everything about us that relates to life - our whole
person, our physical animal life, our spirit, our emotions,
etc.)
The payment of the half-shekel acknowledged not only
God’s ownership, but also the uncleanness and unworthi-
ness of the people. By nature Israel was alienated from
God, and could remain in covenant with the LORD only
on the ground of His grace, which covered the sin. This
idea of ransom and redemption extends on into the New
Testament, where we read that in Christ we have “re-
demption” (ransom). (Eph. 1:7; I Pet. 1:18)
The fact that the rich and poor alike paid the same
amount may have suggested to the people’s minds that all
eople stand aliie before God - one not preferred above
another, all equally in need of atonement (30:15). Note
that there were rich people in that generation of Israelites.
Censuses are referred to in Num. 1:2-3; 26:2. Ex. 38:25-
6 mentions the silver half-shekel collection from 603,550
men, the exact same count as in Numbers 1:46. The census
in Numbers one did not take place until after the building
of the tabernacle, or some nine months after this atone-
ment-money offering. The fact that the count was the same
in both indicates the precision of both the atonement-money
collection and the census. Probably the numbering in
Numbers one according to “fathers’ houses” (families and
tribes) was greatly speeded up by the information gained
in the previous numbering for atonement money.
On the shekel being 20 gerahs, see Lev. 23:25. The

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 ATONEMENT MONEY 30~1-38

word “gerah” means a “grain” (Harkavy’s Lexicon) or

possibly a “bean” (Barnes).
10, What was the atonement money used for? (30:16)
It was used for the service of the tabernacle. Compare
38:25-31. The shekels of silver furnished the material
for the sockets (pedestals, or bases) used in the tabernacle,
and also the hooks on the pillars.
The text does not state that the half-shekel atonement
money was to be an annual levy, but rather that it was
paid only when a census was taken. At a later time the
half-shekel did become an annual temple tax (Matt. 17:24).
In the time of Nehemiah the Jews themselves made
ordinances to charge themselves yearly one-third of a shekel
for the service of the house of God. But this is not the same
law as that in Exodus.
The atonement money was to be a “memorial” for the
children of Israel before Jehovah. Memorial is a sacrifical
term referring to something which brings the offerer into
favorable remembrance before God. The term is applied
to various sacrifices (Lev. 2:2, 9; 512; Num. 5:26), and
to the memorial stones worn by the priest (Ex. 28:12), and
to prayer and alms (Acts 10:4).
11. What was the laver made ojc? (30:17-18; 38:8; I Kings 7:37-
38)
The laver was a wash basin made of brass, or, more
correctly, bronze (See 253). The bronze came from metal
that had formerly been in the mirrors owned by the women
that ministered at the door of the tent of meeting. (Regard-
ing the women, see I Sam. 2:22 and Luke 2:37.) These
mirrors were probably obtained in Egypt (Ex. 12:35-36),
where such mirrors were common object^.^ They were
made of flat discs of polished bronze to which was attached
a short handle to be held in one hand. The handles were

6For photographs of Egyptian mirrors see Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary,

p. 546;or Interpreter’s Dictionary ofthe Bible, Vol. 111, (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962),
p. 403.

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30:1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

sometimes ornate, carved, made of ebony, and even covered

with gold plate. The reflector and handle would together
be about eleven inches long. These would be difficult to
obtain out in the wilderness where the Israelites were. But
the women seemed willing to sacrifice that which assisted
them to acquire beauty of features to make the thing which
would give the priests beauty of soul. We admire this
sacrifice.
The dimensions and shape of the laver are not given.
If only Aaron and his four sons used it, it need not have
been large. We doubt that it was shorter than the lowest
item of tabernacle furniture, the table, which was a cubit
and a half in height (27”). By contrast the molten “sea”
where the priests washed in Solomon’s temple was huge!
(I Kings 7:23; I1 Chron. 4:2-6.)
A base (K.J.V., “foot”) is always mentioned with the
laver. The fact that they are always referred to separately
suggests that they were detached from one another (31:9;
3516; 39:39; Lev. 8:ll). The base was anointed separately
from the rest of the laver (Ex. 40:ll). The bases under
the ten lavers in Solomon’s temple were separate from the
lavers. These bases in Solomon’s temple were bronze four-
,wheeled carts with side panels engraved with cherubim,
lions, and palm-trees (I Kings 7:27-37).
The form of the base supporting the laver in the taber-
nacle is not described. We do not know whether it was
actually coupled to the laver, OT whether the laver simply
rested on the base. We rather favor the view that they were
not coupled to one another.
The fact that a cart-like wheeled base for a laver has
been found in Cyprus6 dating back to 1400-1200 B.C.
causes us to think that possibly the base of the laver in the
tabernacle may itself have had a similar form, and that
this pattern was later adopted for Solomon’stemple.

”Werner Keller, The Bible as Hirtory in Pictures (London: Thames and Hudson,
1964), p. 190.

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 LAVER 30:1-38

Was there water in the base of the laver, as well as in

the laver itself? Josephus says there was. (Ant. 111, vi, 2)
Except for the difficulty of washing the feet in a laver
probably over two feet above ground, we know no reason to
suspect that the base was designed to hold water.
12. What was the jknction of the laver? (30:19-21; 40:30-32)
The priests washed their hands and feet there when they
went into the Holy Place and also when they came near to
the altar to minister. They were to do this “that they die
not,” (Compare 28:35.) There is no mention of the priests’
washing at the laver after they completed their ministrations.
Nothing is stated in Numbers four about the method of
packing or transporting the laver or its base.
13. Of what may the laver have been a type?
Generally speaking, it was a type of the inner cleansing
required of all who serve the Lord. “I will wash my hands
in innocency: So will I compass thine altar, 0 Jehovah’’
(Psalm 26:6).
The laver was used both for the initial washing of the
priests during the consecration ceremony, and repeatedly
thereafter when they came to minister, We suppose there-
fore that the laver symbolized the Christian’s initial cleans-
ing upon receiving the Lord, and the repeated cleansing
he can share thereafter.
The Greek word for laver (Zoutron) occurs in Titus 3:5
and Eph. 5 2 6 . Hebrews 10:22 speaks of our “having our ,
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience; and having our
body washed with pure water.” The “sprinkling” is certain-
ly the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:2).
Mentioned with the sprinkling of the blood is the washing
of the body in pure water. This would seem to refer to our
baptism. Thus, in accord with this, we read in the accounts
of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, that after Saul had
heard and seen the Lord Jesus, and believed, and repented
(even asking, “What shall I do, Lord?”), and prayed
(Acts 9:11), the Lord sent the devout Ananias unto him.
Ananias came and said to Saul, “Why tarriest thou? arise

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and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on his

name.” (Acts 22:16). Note that the inner cleansing from
sins occurred at the same time as the outer washing of
baptism.
Even after becoming a priest unto God, after being
washed in the “laver of regeneration,” the Christian still
sins ofttimes and is unclean for the service of God (I John
1:8, 10). In those circumstances he may confess his sins
and be forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness
(I John 1:9). (The promise in I John 1:9 is addressed to
Christians and not to unsaved people.) The repeated
washings at the laver would appear to have portrayed this
frequent cleansing available to those in Christ.
The view is commonly expressed that it is the WORD
(the scriptures) in which Christians are washed. Note
Ephesians 5 2 6 . It appears that Eph. 5 2 6 refers to the
initial cleansing of believers, rather than to the cleansings
we experience after receiving the Lord. This initial cleansing
was accomplished “in word,” that is, in the sphere of the
word, wherever the word was preached. In that realm
where the word has been proclaimed men may be cleansed
. by the “washing of water.” The word itself does have
cleansing power (Psalm 119:9), but only as a guide to
direct us in seeking cleansing in God’s approved way. We
take heed to our way according to God’s word. Salvation
requires more than hearing alone. That word which we
must be accompanied by faith (Heb. 4 2 ) and the
dience of faith” (Romans 15; 16:26).
14. What were spices and oil combined to make? (30:22-25)
They were made into a holy anointing oil.
Blended with a hin (about a gallon) of olive oil were
fifteen hundred shekels weight (about thirty-eight pounds)
of spices! This might appear to form a thick mass, not
pourable. But information from ancient Mesopotamian
(Akkadian) documents indicates that the spices were
subjected to a long and complicated process of soaking
and boiling in water over a period of many days, so that

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 ANOINTING OIL 30:1-38

at the end of the distillation the fragrance of the spices

remained as a liquid, even with the solid materials re-
moved. This distilled fragrance was blended with the oil,
and it is to this process that Exodus 30:25 refers.’ A “per-
fumer” (or apothecary) made this product.
Spices mentioned include “flowing myrrh” (K. J.V.,
“pure myrrh”). “Flowing” refers to the liquid form, in
contrast to the dry gum. This is a resin exuded from
branches, stems, and incisions in a thorny shrub, or small
tree found in south Arabia and Palestine. Secondly, there
was “sweet cinnamon,” from a tree up to thirty feet tall
native to Ceylon. The commercial cinnamon is obtained
from its fragrant inner bark. The third spice was the “sweet
calamus, ” or “fragrant cane.” The plant producing this
is an aromatic reed (a perennial grass) that grows in India.
Its sap forms the calamus, or ginger grass oil. The fourth
spice was a cassia. See Psalm 4 5 8 . This is the aromatic
bark of a tree in India, Ceylon, and Malaya, similar to
cinnamon, but of quality inferior to the true cinnamon.
Ezekiel 27:19 mentions cassia and calamus as products
of trade with Tyre. The copper “Treasure” scroll of the Dead
Sea Cave 111mentions a “vessel of incense in cassia wood.”6
15. What was anointed? (30:26-30;40:9; Num. 7:l)
Everything connected with the tabernacle was anointed,
including the priests and their garments (29:21). This
m d e everything “most holy” (or “holy of holies”). See
notes on 29:37 concerning how those who touched the
most holy things became “holy.”
Since the anointing oil was a symbol of the Holy Spirit,
the thorough anointing of the tabernacle suggests that every
aspect of the Christian faith, which the tabernacle symbol-
ized, is anointed with the Holy Spirit, and is therefore
touched with the very holiness of God. Our faith is precious
with God’s own Spirit in every aspect.
Anointing the tent did not mean smearing its entire
‘Cassuto, op. cit., p, 397. Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit., 11, p. 215.
‘Interpreter’s Dictionary o f t h e Bible, Vol. I (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962), p. 541.
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30:1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

surface, but just sprinkling a few drops on it.

16. What restrictions were placed on the anointing oil? (30:31-
33)
The people were not to make any with the same formula.
They were not to put it upon the flesh of anyone, Israelite
or “stranger.” People ofttimes did apply sweet oils to
themselves (Prov. 27:9; Ps. 104:lS). But this oil was for
the tabernacle and the priests only. Anyone appropriating
it for himself would be “cut off” from his people. This
probably meant he would be executed. (See notes on 31:14.)
Some have thought that being “cut off” was a punishment
imposed by heaven, in that the transgressor would die
before his time, leaving no children. A similar restriction
was placed on the making of the holy incense (30:38).
17. What were sweet spices and frankincense used to make?
They were used to make a special incense to be burned
only on the altar of incense, On the spiritual significance
of incense, see notes on 30:lO.
The spices and frankincense were mingled together in
quantities of equal weight. These ingredients were “seasoned
with salt” (K.J.V., “tempered together”). While the
4 Hebrew verb here certainly can be translated as “to be
salted,” it does also appear here to mean “tempered” or
“mixed” together. A similar meaning is given in the Greek
LXX (memigmenon, mingled).
Frankincense is a light-colored (yellow or milky) resin
exuded from incisions in the bark of the frankincense tree,
which is native to Arabia and northern India. It forms
beads which are easily ground into powder, and emit a
balsamlike odor when burned. Stacte is a highly perfumed
gum resin that exudes from the incised bark of the storax
tree. The tree has a whitish color and grows in Palestine
on dry hillsides with the oaks and terebinths. Another
identification of stacte is the opobalsamum. Onycha is
thought to be the covering flaps from certain mussel shells
found in India. (Others say from the Red Sea.’) When

‘J. H.Hertz, Pentateuch and Haftorahs (London: Soncho, 1969), p. 354.

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 INCENSE 3O:l-38
burned, this tissue gives a very pungent odor resembling
musk. Its smell adds strength to the smell of other materials
mixed with it. It was very costly. Galbanum seems to have
been the gum resin excreted from the lower parts of stems
of several species of Ferula herbs that grow in the Holy
Land. When hardened tears of this resin are burned, the
odor is pungent; but the effect when mixed with other
spices is pleasant.
18. Where was incense placed? (30:36)
Incense was placed in the tent of meeting (the Holy
Place), near the testimony (the ten commandments in the
ark), where God met with Israel. It was burned on the
altar of incense.
Note that the incense was beaten very small, probably
in a mortar. This “smallness” might well remind us that
when we come to God in prayer, we need to be “beaten
small.” “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A
broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise”
(Psalm 51:17).
19. What restriction was placed on making the incense? (30:37-
3 8)
No one was to make any for themselves so they could
smell of it.
If incense is a symbol of prayer, the stern rule about not
making any of the special incense for men’s own use and
pleasure suggests that we dare not pray to anyone except
the true God, who alone is worthy of prayer.
Regarding the penalty of “cutting off,” see notes on
31:14 and 30:33.
Cole’O tells that Knobel tried to reproduce the incense
formula and found it to be “strong, refreshing, and very
agreeable.” To a Jew such an experiment would have meant
death. His experiment is made even less worthwhile because
the identification of some of the spices in the incense is
rather uncertain;

l o o p . cit., p , 208. Cole refers to Driver as his source of information.

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3l:l-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And Je=ho-vahspake unto Mo-ses, saying, (2) See, P
31 have called by name Be-zal-el the son of U-ri, the son of
Hur, of the tribe of Ju-dah: (3) and I have filled him with the
Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowl-
edge, and in all manner of workmanship, (4) to devise skilful
works, to work in gold, and in silver, and In brass, (5) and in
cutting of stones far setting, and in carving of wood, to work
in all manner of workmanship. (6) And I, behold, P have ap-
pointed with him 0-ho-li-ab, the son of A-his-a-mach, of the
tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I
have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have com-
manded thee: (7) the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testi-
mony, and the mercy-seat that is thereupon, and all the furni-
ture of the Tent, (8) and the table and its vessels, and the pure
candlestick with all its vessels, and the altar of incense, (9) and
the altar of burnt-offering with all its vessels, and the laver
and its base, (10) and the finely wrought garments, and the
holy garments for Aar-on the priest, and the garments of
his sons, to minister in the priest’s office. (11)and the anointing
oil, and the incense af sweet spices for the holy place: according
to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.
(12)And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses, saying, (13) Speak
thou also unto the children of Ism-el, saying, Verily ye shall
keepmy sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you through-
out your generations; that ye may know that I am Je-ho-vah
who sanctifieth you. (14) Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore;
for it is holy unto you: every one that profaneth it shall surely
be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that
soul shall be cut off ffom among hid people. (15) Six days shall
work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn
rest, holy to Je-ho-vah; whosoever doeth any work on the
sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (16) Wherefore
the children of Is-ramel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the
sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
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 T H E WORKMEN AND T H E SABBATH 31~1-18
(17) It is a sign between me and the children of Is-ra-el for
ever: for in six days Je-ho-vah made heaven and earth, and on
the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
(18) And he gave unto Mo-ses, when he had made an end of
communing with him upon mount Si-nai, the two tables of the
testimony, tables of stone written with the finger of God.

EXPLORING EXODUS: CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE FROM THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading, propose a brief title (topic or theme)

for the chapter.
2. How many times does the expression “Jehovah (the LORD)
spake unto Moses” occur in chapters 30-31? Does this
expression seem to mark the start of new paragraphs?
3. What man had God called to be a skillful workman?
(31:2; Compare 17:10, 12; 24:14.) How specific was the
call? Of what tribe was he?
4. How had God assisted the craftsman to do his work? (31:3)
5. What particular skills was this man given? (31:4-5)
6. Who also was appointed to work with the first craftsman?
(31:6) Of what tribe was he?
7. Were these two the only ones to be given help by God in
craft work? (31:6)
8. How is the candlestick (lampstand) described? (31:8)
9. What are the “finely wrought garments”? (31:lO; 3519;
39:1,41)
10. What items were the craftsmen to make? (31:11, 6)
11. Of whom may these craftsmen possibly have been a type?
(John 14:26; 16:13; Acts 1:8)
12. What was to be a sign between Israel and the Lord? (31:13,17)
13. What was keeping the Sabbath to cause Israel to know?
(31:13)
14. What does “sanctify” mean? (31:13)
15. What was the penalty for profaning (defiling) the Sabbath?
(31:14, 15)
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3l:l-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

16. What day of the week was the Sabbath day? (31:lS)
17. How did God view the Sabbath? (31:lS)
18. How long was the Sabbath to be kept? (31:16. Compare
Col. 2: 16-17.)
19. What did the Sabbath commemorate? (31:17)
20. What effect on God did the seventh day rest have? (31:17)
21. What did God give to Moses? When? (31:18)
22. What is the “testimony”? (31:18; 34:28)
23. How were the tables (tablets) written? (31:18. Compare
24:12, 32~15-16;34:1,4, 28.)
24. How long had Moses been up in the mount? (24:18; Deut.
9:ll)

EXODUS
THIRTY-ONE: AND THESABBATH
THEWORKMEN

I. WISE WORKMEN; 31~1-11.

1. Called by name; 31:l-2, 6.
2. Filled with the Spirit; 31:3.
3. Given skills; 31:4-5.
4. Ap.pointed to make the tabernacle; 31:7-11.
5. Limited to what God commanded; 31:ll.

11. THE SIGN OF THE SABBATH; 31:12-17.

1. The practice (“Verily ye shall keep it.”); 31:12-13.
2. The purpose (“That ye may know that I am Jehovah.”);
31:13.
3. The preciousness (“It is holy.”); 31:14.
4. The penalty (“He shall surely be put to death.”); 31:14-15.
5. The permanence (“for a perpetual covenant”); 31:16-17.
6. The proclamation (or commemoration). “In six days
Jehovah made heaven and earth.”; 31:18.

GOD’SSPIRIT IN GOD’S
MEN!(3l:l-11)

1. Filled them; 31:l-3.

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,

THE WORKMEN AND THE SABBATH 3l:l-18

2, Furnished them skills; 31:4-5.

3. Furthered their natural talents; 31:6.
4. Fulfilled what God commanded; 31:11, 6.

THESABBATH,
A SIGN!(31:13, 17)

1, A sign God had spoken to Israel.

2. A sign of concern for human weariness; (Ex. 23:12)
3, A sign of faith that God is creator.
4. A sign of faith that God will provide.
5. A sign of commitment to obey God.

TABLETS
OF TESTIMONY!
(31:18)

1. Based on the spoken word; (20: lff; Deut. 9:lO)

2. Promised by God to Moses; (24: 12)
3. Written by God; (32:16; Deut. 4:13)
4. Presented by God to Moses; (32:18)

EXPLORING NOTES ON CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

EXODUS:
1. What is in Exodus thirty-one?
The chapter tells of God’s calling the SKILLED WORK-
MEN to make the tabernacle, its furniture, etc. Then it
commands the keeping of the SABBATH as a sign between
God and Israel. The chapter closes with a statement about
God’s giving the stone tablets of the ten commandments
to Moses.
Exodus 31:l starts a new paragraph, as is indicated by
the words “And Jehovah spake unto Moses saying. . . . Y,

Compare 30:11, 17, 22, 34; 31:12. With the completion

of directions for construction of the sanctuary, the names
of its builders are now given.

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31~1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

2. What man had God called as a skillful workman? (3l:l-2)

God had called Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the
tribe of Judah. His grandfather appears to have been the
Hur who, along with Aaron, held up Moses’ hands during
battle (17:10), and was with Aaron while Moses was in
the mountain (24:14). (See notes on these passages.) Bezalel
was the chief artificer in metal, stone, and wood; and he
performed the apothecary’s work in compounding the
anointing oil and incense (37:1, 29).
We suppose that Bezalel’s ancestry is that given in I
Chron. 2:3, 5, 9, 18-19 - Judah, Perez, Hezron, Caleb’ (or
Chelubai), Hur Uri, Bezalel.
Bezalel’s name seems to mean “In God’s (El’s) shadow.”
We do not feel that this meaning of his name has great
significanae. But it is significant that God called him BY
NAME. God knows us individually and uses us individually.
Note th great Persian ruler Cyrus was called “by
name.” 454).
The workmen who were chosen were God’s choice, not
necessarily Moses’s. The power imparted to the workmen
God’s power and not men’s.
ezalel was more prominent than his co-craftsman
Oholiab. Bezalel is sometimes mentioned alone (37:l),
and when both are named, Bezalel is always named first
(3530, 34; 36:1, 2).
Martin Noth in his characteristic “liberal” fashion at-
ributes chapter thirty-one to a post-Babylonian exile
Priestly author, and then even says that parts (e.g., 31:7-11)
of the chapter are “secondary additions” to P. He associates
the names Bezalel and Hur with men of the same names
in Ezrh 30:24; Neh. 3:9; I Chron. 250; 4:1, 4. Since these
writings are post-exilic, he says “This could suggest a post-
exilic origin for the tradition.”Z Noth fails to mention that

’Certainly this is not the famous Caleb, son of Jephunneh, who was associated
with Joshua,
l o p . cit., p. 240. Noth’s argument is unproven, to say the least.

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 THE WORKMEN AND THE SABBATH 31:1-18
there was also a Hur in the time of King Solomon (I Kings
4:8). (This would not support his theory of late priestly
authorship.) Cole3says that the names Bezalel and Oholiab
are archaic, since neither contains a form of the divine
name YAH. We agree that they are archaic!
3. How did God assist the craflsman in his work? (31:3;
35:30- 3 6 :1)
Jehovah filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God. This assisted
him in wisdom, in understanding, knowledge, and all
manner of workmanship. “Understanding” refers to in-
sight, understanding, and intelligence; whereas “wisdom”
seems to be the ability to use intelligence effectively.
Exodus 31:6 suggests that these craftsmen were already
naturally “wise-hearted.” To their naturally-given talents
God added His Spirit. The passage certainly does not
belittle natural abilities. They are as much a gift from
God as are specially bestowed abilities. Even Moses was
possessed of natural ability and training before God aided
him yet more. Similarly the seven “deacons” of Acts 6:3
were men of wisdom even before they were appointed to
their special work.
Please note that wisdom included skills of artistry,
mechanics, and construction. Note also that God’s Spirit
bestowed the “wisdom” of this type. We usually think of
the Spirit empowering prophecy (as in Num. 11:17ff) and
moral and spiritual qualities. But the Spirit also empowers
other works. On occasion He may impart military power
(Judges 3:lO). And here in Ex. 31:3 we read of the Spirit
bestowing skill in art and construction. The Spirit thus
seems to empower all of life’s activities that are within
the will of God.
4. What particular skills was Bezalel given? (31:4-5)
All types of manual skills are listed. He was to “devise
skilful works.” The Hebrew words thus translated may also
be rendered “to devise devices’’ or “to think thoughts.”

l o p . cir., p. 209,

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31:1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

This stiggests that he was to think out artistic designs,

id&$, and inventions, all of course within the limits of
what Gdd had commanded to Moses. Thus these men
were not automated puppets but were granted use of their
own creative abilities within limits.
Cassuto4 says that later Jewish traditions sought to
magnifSt the tabernacle and said it was built miraculously
of its own accord. But he correctly affirms that this is not
the meaning inherent in the simple interpretations of
the text.
5 . What other, man was appointed with the Brst crafsman?
(31:6-8)
Oholiab of the tribe of Dan was appointed. No other
Bible person bears this name. He was from the tribe of
Dan, the same tribe as Hiram, the chief architect of
Solomon’s temple (I1 Chron. 2:13-14). He appears to have
had primary charge of the textile work (38:23; 3534-35).
His name means something like “My tent (or shelter) (is)
the father (or God).” His name has in it the Hebrew word
’ohel, which means tent. This does seem very appropriate
since he was the maker of the tent curtains.
The “I” at the start of 31:6 is emphatic. The word
“behold” seems to be inserted to arrest our attention upon
a significant fact.
Exodus 31:6 mentions that God had also granted wisdom
to others who were wise, so they also could make the
tabernacle parts that God had commanded Moses.
Exodus 31:7-11 lists the items to be made, all of which
have been described in detail perviously, and all of which
will be described again during the account of the con-
struction, which is given in chapters 35-39.
The “furniture” of 31:7, 8, 9 literally refers to “vessels.”
6. What are the ‘ffinelywrought garments”? (31:lO)
This expression “finely wrought garments” (KJV,

‘Op. cit., p. 402.

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 THE WORKMEN AND THE SABBATH 31:1-18
“cloths of service”) appears here for the first time. It is
also in 3519 and 39:1, 41. The Hebrew word serad (“finely
wrought”) occurs only these four times in the O.T. Its
meaning is somewhat uncertain. It appears to be derived
from a verb meaning to twist, weave together, knot. (This
accounts for the ASV translation.) The Greek LXX rendered
it “robes of ministry” (Zeitourgikaz], from which the KJV
rendered it “cloths of service.”
We feel that Barness has correctly identified the “finely
wrought garments” as the robes of the high priest described
in 28:6-38; 39:lff. The “holy garments” referred to in
31:lO are probably the linen garments worn by the high
priest on solemn occasions like the day of atonement.
Note the expression “holy garments” in both Ex. 31:lO
and Lev. 16:4-5. Ex. 31:lO seems to list as a third class
of priestly garments the garments of Aaron’s sons which
were made of linen and worn in their regular ministrations
(28:40, 41).
Other identifications for the “finely wrought garments”
include the rabbinical view that they were wrappers for
vessels of the sanctuary while in transit, and Gesenius’
view that they were inner curtains of the tabernacle or
inner hangings of the dwelling place.6 Cassuto’ felt that
they may have been inner garments worn by the priests
under their tunics in winter time. To us these views seem
improbable.
7. Of whom may these crafsrnen have been a type? (John
14:26; 16:13; Acts 193)
The scripture does not say they were types of anyone,
of Christ or of anyone else. Certainly Christ builds His
own church, and Bezalel and Oholiab could have been
types of Christ in this aspect (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:19-22).
Jesus also called his holy apostles to build his church.

“Op.cit., p. 86.
‘Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit., p. 218.
‘Op.cft., p. 403.

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 3l:l-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

He called them by name (John 6:70; Mark 3:14-19), as

Bezalel was called by name. Jesus gave them power by
the Holy Spirit (Acts l:l), so they would be led into all
truth (John 16:13), and would speak the things of Christ
(John 16:14). In these respects Bezalel and Oholiab re-
sembled the apostles sufficiently to justify comparing
the two.
8. What was to be a sign between Israel and the Lord? (31:12-
13, 17)
The Sabbath day was to be the sign. The Sabbath day
is referred to here for the first time as a sign. Compare
Ezek. 20:12, 20.
Circumcision (Gen. 17:1), and unleavened bread (Ex.
13:19) are also said to be signs between God and Israel.
The Sabbath, circumcision, and unleavened bread were
all practiced outside of Israel, but only in Israel did they
have a religious significance.
Note that God calls the Sabbath “MY Sabbath.”
Most commentators say that the reference to the Sabbath
here relates especially to the keeping of the Sabbath during
the construction of the tabernacle. As important and
exciting as the construction would be, it was not to be
done on the Sabbath days. All of this is true, but it is not
set forth in the text as the reason for asserting the Sabbath
law just here. Rather, the text emphasizes here that the
Sabbath was to be kept “throughout your generations.”
The application is more for all time than for that particular
time.
The keeping of the Sabbath was to cause Israel to know8
that God was the LORD who sanctified them (made them
holy). Failure to observe times of worship makes men
forget that God is the LORD who makes us holy.

‘“That ye may know” is literally just “to know.” Some Jewish interpreters have
supplied as the subject for “to know” “that all nations shall know.” See J. H. Hertz,
Pentateuch and Haftomhs, p. 356. This idea seems legitimate. When the Jews kept
the Sabbath, all nations knew that Jehovah was their God. Nonetheless, the text does
not definitely imply that “all nations” is the subject of “to know.”

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 THE WORKMEN AND THE SABBATH 31:1-18

Regarding the Sabbath day, see notes on 20:8-11.

9. What was the penalty for profaning the Sabbath day?
(31:14-15)
Execution! The “surely” in “surely be put to death” is
emphatic.
To “profane” (KJV, “defile”) the Sabbath is to break
it or regard it as unholy.
Is there a difference between being “put to death” for
profaning the Sabbath, and being “cut off” from among
the people (by excommunication) for working on the
Sabbath? We think not. These appear to be parallel state-
ments and not two different assertions. Ex. 31:15 plainly
says that doing any work on the Sabbath (such as the work
referred to in 31:14) was to be punished by execution.
Compare 352.
Numbers 1532-36 tells of one man who was executed
(stoned) for gathering sticks on the Sabbath. We have
no record of any others who were slain for breaking the
Sabbath. Nehemiah later enforced the Sabbath with con-
siderable severity (Neh. 13:15-22). Neh. 13:17-18 declares
that the Jews went into captivity because they failed to
keep the Sabbaths. Christ was threatened with death for
breaking the Sabbath (John 5:16-18). Nonetheless, it
appears plain that very few people were ever executed for
breaking the Sabbath.
How can we explain this neglect to enforce a plainly-
stated penalty for Sabbath-breaking? First of all, if it had
been universally enforced, there would have been a near-
total depletion of the population! Secondly, God has often
laid down clear penalties for certain offenses and then
only enforced it occasionally in this age, as if to make
examples of the few. Thus Uzzah was slain, but not the
men who loaded the ark on the cart (I1 Sam. 6:6-7; Num.
4:15). David and Bathsheba were spared from the penalty
of adultery (Lev. 2O:lO). Ananias and Sapphira died
quickly for lying about the use of their money (Acts 5 5 , lo),
but God in His longsuffering has generally delayed this
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31~1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

punishment, apparently to give opportunity for men to

repent and be forgiven (I1 Pet. 38). The punishments for
disobeying God will certainly come, but very often God
in His grace defers the punishment to allow opportunity
for repentance and forgiveness.
7. How did God view the Sabbath? (31:15)
He viewed it as “holy to Jehovah” (or “holiness to
Jehovah”). (This is the same expression as that on the
high priest’s golden plate. Ex. 28:36.)
God wanted the Sabbath to be a “Sabbath of solemn
rest” (Heb., shabbat shabbaton), meaning a complete
cessatioh of work. (The use of shabbaton in Lev. 23:3 and
2 5 5 show it meant “rest” or “complete rest.”) Not even
fires were to be kindled on the Sabbath. (Num. 3531.1
%. What day of the week was the Sabbath day? (31:15)
The seventh day of the week, our Saturday. For reasons
why Christians are certainly not obligated to keep Saturday
as a Sabbath rest, see notes on 20:8-11.
9. How long was the Sabbath to be kept? (31:16-17)
Israel was to keep it “throughout their generations, for a
perpetual covenant.” “perpetual covenant” is literally “a
covenant for distant future.” The same expression was
applied to the priesthood in 29:9. (See notes on that pas-
sage). It does not necessarily mean “for an endless future
eternity.”
10. What did the Sabbath commemorate? (31:17)
It commemorated God’s creation of the world in six
days and His resting on the seventh day. See Ex. 20:ll;
Deut. 20:lS. Keeping the Sabbath was for an Israelite a
constantly recurring proclamation that God was the creator
and king of the universe, and thus to desecrate the Sabbath
was an open denial of God. We ought to take our worship
of God with equal seriousness.
11. What effect on God did the seventh day of rest have? (31:17)
He was refreshed! Literally, He “took breath” or “caught
his breath.” (The verb “refreshed” is a translation of a
verb related to the word nephesh, meaning soul, life, breath.)
698
 THE WORKMEN AND THE SABBATH 31:1-18
The application of this expression to the creator is
surprising and remarkable. It is not used elsewhere in
reference to Him. The same expression is used in 23:12
to refer to the rest and refreshing of servants by the Sabbath
rest.
We do not feel we should try to be “wise” by commenting
on how God might be “refreshed.” We leave the state-
ment as the scripture gives it. God does not need our
analysis or defense.
12. What did God give to Moses? When? (13:18)
God gave to Moses the two stone tablets inscribed with
the words of the ten commandments (the testimony).
Compare 32:15; 34:1, 28; 2516. God had promised to
give these tablets to Moses (24:12). The other parts of
the law were written in a “book,” probably a scroll (24:7).
The stone tables were given at the close of God’s com-
muning (speaking) with Moses. Moses had been up on the
mount forty days. See Ex. 24:18; Deut. 9 : l l .
The choice of stone as the material and engraving (cut-
ting) as the method for writing both suggests the imperish-
able duration of the words of God.
The inscription upon the tablets was written with “the
finger of God.” Does this mean that God himself engraved
the writing, or that He wrote it in that he caused Moses to
write it? Commentators have mostly taken the latter view.
Still the literal force of the statement sounds as if God
wrote it. Ex. 32:16 definitely says the tables were the work
of God, and the writing was the writing of God. Ex. 34:l
instructs Moses to hew out a second set of stone slabs to
replace the first set (which he broke), but God indicated
th;lt He himself would do the writing. Ex. 34:27-28 con-
tains a commandment for Moses himself to write “these
words”; but the words there seem to refer to the covenant
words in Ex. 34. The assertion in 34:28 “he wrote” could
refer either to God’s act or Moses’s.
The expression “finger of God” is understood by all to
point to a divine source or causation. Its use in Ex. 8:19 to

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31~1-18 EXPLORING EXODUS

refer to the plague of lice suggests it refers to a direct work

of God, rather than one done by an intermediary. Similarly
“finger of God” in Luke 11:20 (referring to Jesus’ casting
out demons) seems to describe direct divine action. Cassuto9
thinks that the use of “finger of GOD” instead of “fmger
of the LORD” and the use of finger instead of hand (since
writing requires more, than one finger for man) show that
the expression does not refer to God’s actual physical act
of writing. This argument does not seem very strong to us.
But whichever view we take, God was the author of the
words on the tablets.
We can only guess as to the size of the ten command-
ments. Certainly they were smaller than the ark of the
covenant, and light enough to be carried in the hand
(32:15). Keil and DelitzschlO suggest that stone slabs about
one cubit by one and a half cubits would be large enough
€or the 172 words of the ten commandments without the
writing being excessively small.
Exodus 31:18 is a transitional verse between the in-
structions about the tabernacle and the priesthood and the
story of the golden calf that follows in chapters 32-34.
Notice Ex. 32:15, 19.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION

And when the people saw that Mo-ses delayed to

32 come down from the mount, the people gathered them-
selves together unto Aar-on, and said unto him, Up, make us
gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Mo-ses, the man
that brought us up out of the land of E-gypt, we know not
what is become of him. (2) And Aar-on said unto them, Break

qOp. cif., pp. 405, 406.

loop. cit., pp. 219, 220.

700
 IDOLATRY 32~1-35
off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of
your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
(3) And all the people brake off the golden rings which were
in their ears, and brought them unto Aar-on. (4) And he re-
ceived it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool,
and made it a molten calf: and they said, These are thy gods,
0 Is-ra-el, which brought thee up out of the land of E-gypt. ( 5 )
And when Aar-on saw this, he built an altar before it; and
Aar-on made proclamation, and said, To-morrow shall be a
feast to Je-ho-vah. ( 6 ) And they rose up early on the morrow,
and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and
the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
(7) And Je-ho-vah spake unto Mo-ses, Go, get thee down;
for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of
E-gypt, have corrupted themselves: (8) they have turned aside
quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have
made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have
sacrificed unto it, and said, These are thy gods, 0 Is-ra-el,
which brought thee up out of the land of E-gypt. (9) And
Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, I have seen this people, and,
behold, it is a stiffnecked people: (10) now therefore let me
alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I
may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
(11)And Mo-ses besought Je-ho-vah his God, and said, Je-
ho-vah, why doth thy wrath wax hot against they people,
that thou hast brought forth out of the land of E-gypt with
great power and with a mighty hand? (12)Wherefore should
the E-gyp-tians speak, saying, For evil did he bring them forth,
to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from
the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent
of this evil against thy people. (13) Remember Abraham,
1-saac, and Is-ra-el, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by
thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your
seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken
of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
(14) And Je-ho-vah repented of the evil which he said he would
do unto his people.
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32~1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

(15) And Mo-ses turned, and went down from the mount,
with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that
were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the
other were they written. (16) And the tables were the work of
God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon
the tables. (17) And when Josh-u-a heard the noise of the
people as they shouted, he said unto Mo-ses, There is a noise
of war in the camp. (18) And he said, It is not the voice of
them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them
that cry for being overcome; but the noise of them that sing
do I hear. (19) And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh
unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and
Mo-ses anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his
hands, and brake them beneath the mount. (20) And he took
the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fme, and
ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made
the children of Is-ra-el drink of it.
(21) And Mo-ses said unto Aar-on, What did this people
unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon them?
(22) And Aar-on-said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot:
thou lmowest the people, that they are set on evil. (23) For
they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us;
for as for this Mos.ses, the man that brought us up out of the
land of E-gypt, we know not what is become of him. (24) And
I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break
it off: so they gave it me; and I cast it into the fire, and there
came out this calf.
(25) And when Mo-ses saw that the people were broken
loose (for Aar-on had let them loose for a derision among
their enemies), (26) then Mo-ses stood in the gate of the camp,
and said, Whoso is on Je-ho-vah’s side, let him come unto me.
And all the sons of Le.vi gathered themselves together unto
him. (27) And he said unto them, Thus saith Je-ho-vah, the
God of Is-ra-el, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh,
and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp,
and slay every man his brother, and every man his neighbor.
(28) And the sons-ofLe-vi did according to the word of Mo-ses:

702
 I D O L A T R Y 32: 1-35
and there fell of the people that day about three thousand
men. (29) And Mo-ses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to
Je-ho-vah, yea, every man against his son, and against his
brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
(30) And it came to pass on the morrow, that Mo-ses said
unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will
go up unto Je-ho-vah; peradventure I shall make atonement
for your sin. (31) And Mo-ses returned unto Je-ho-vah, and
said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made
them gods of gold. (32) Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin-;
and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou
hast written. (33) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Whoso-
ever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
(34) And now go, lead the people unto the place of which I
have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before
thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin
upon them. (35) And Je-ho-vah smote the people, because
they made the calif, which Aar-on made.

EXPLORING EXODUS:
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE
FROM THE BIBLE

1. Aker careful reading, propose a topic or title for the chap-

ter. (This one is easy!)
2. How long had the people waited for Moses? (24:18)
3. To whom did the people come with a request? (32:l;
24: 14)
4.What was their request? (321)
S. What was the condition of the people’s hearts just then?
(Ps. 106:21; Acts 7:39-40; Nehemiah 9:17-18)
6. Where did Aaron obtain material to make the calf? (32:2-3)
7. How could a “graving tool” be used to make a “molten”
calf? (32:4)
8. What did the people say about the golden calf when they
saw it? (32:4) What did they say that contradicted
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32:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

themselves? (32:1)
9. What did Aaron build after he made the calf? What procla-
mation did he make? (325)
10. What sacrifices did the people make? (32:6; 20:24)
11. What is involved in “they rose up to play”? (32:18-19;
I Cor. 10:7)
12. Did the Lord know about their idolatry? (32:7-8)
13. Whose people did the Lord say they were? (32:7. Compare
32: 11)
14. What is meant by a “stiffnecked” people? (32:9; Deut.
9:6; Isa. 48:4; I1 Chron. 30:8; Acts 751)
15. Did God suggest by saying to Moses, “Let me alone,”
that Moses very probably could affect and influence His
intentions? (32:10)
16. What did God at that moment intend to do with the people?
(32:lO; Ps. 106:23)
17. What would God make of Moses? (32:lO; Compare Num.
14:12; Gen. 12:2; Deut. 9:14)
18. Would this offer have been a strong temptation to Moses?
19. What three arguments did Moses use to influence God to
spare the people? (32:ll-13)
20. Did God spare the people? (32:14)
21. How can God “repent” when he “changes not”? (Mal.
3:6; Ex. 32:14) (For other examples of God “repenting,”
see Jonah 3:lO; Jer. 26:19; Joel 2:13; I1 Sam. 24:16; Jer.
18:lO; Gen. 6:6-7.)
22. How were the stone tablets written? (32:lS-16)
23. Who was with Moses on the mount? (32:17; 24:13)
24. What did the minister of Moses think about the noise
from the people? (32:17)
25. What sort of sound did Moses say they heard? (32:18)
26. What did Moses do when he saw the calf and the dancing?
(32:19)
27. What did Moses do with the calf? (32:20; Deut. 9:21)
28. What question did Moses ask of Aaron? (32:21)
29. By what title did Aaron address Moses? (32:22; Num.
12:11) Why use such a title?
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 IDOLATRY 32:1-35

30, Was it really true that the people were “set on evil” (mis-
chief)? (32:22; See Deut. 10:6, 24)
31. What “tall tale” did Aaron tell Moses? (32:24) What
does this show about the character of Aaron or the condi-
tion of his heart?
32. How did the Lord feel about Aaron at that time? (Deut.
9:20)
33, In what way were the people “broken loose”? (32:25).
(Compare the King James translation of 32:25.)
34. How would Israel now be regarded among their enemies
since they had “broken loose”? (32:25)
35. What call did Moses issue to the people? (32:26)
36. Who answered the call? (32:26)
37. What were the Levites told to do? (32:27) Wasn’t this
rather extreme? Compare Num. 2 5 5 , 7-11; Deut. 33:9;
Luke 14:26; Ex. 22:20.
38. How many were slain? (32:28. Compare Acts 2:41)
39. What were the Levites called to do? (32:29)
40. What did Moses tell the people that he would do for them?
(32:30) Was he certain that his efforts would be success-
ful?
41. What did Moses ask God to do for the people? (32:31-32)
‘42. Is the first part of 32:32 a complete or an incomplete
sentence? What is the significance of this?
43. What self-sacrificing request did Moses make? (32:32)
Who made a somewhat similar statement? (Rom. 9:3)
44. Did Jehovah forgive the people’s sins? (3233, 34; Com-
pare Ex. 34:7; Ezek. 18:20)
45. Did God agree to let the people go to the promised land?
(32:34)
46. Who (two persons) would lead them? (32:34; 23:20; Num.
20:16)
47. How did God punish the people? (32:35)

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32~1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

EXODUS
THIRTY-TWO:
IDOLATRY!

I. Causes of Idolatry
1. Forgetful people; (32:1).
2. Weak leadership; (32:2, 21-24, 25).
3. Lust of flesh; (32:6).
11. Consequences of Idolatry
1. Anger of God; (32:7-10).
2. Anger of leaders; (32:19).
3. Punishments; (32:20, 35).
4. Derision of enemies; (32:25).
111. Cure of Idolatry
1. Call for decision; (32:26).
2. Discipline; (32:27-28).
3. Prayer for forgiveness; (32:30-31).

INTERCESSOR!

1. Need for an intercessor; (32:7-10).

2. Test of an intercessor; (32:lO).
3. Pleas of an intercessor; (32:11-13).
a. Must be earnest.
b. Must be based on truth.
4. Power of an intercessor; (32:14).
5. Truthfulness of an intercessor; (32:30-31).
6. Self-sacrifice of an intercessor; (32:32).
7. Limitations of an intercessor; (32:33).

OF GOD!(Ex. 32:14)
THE REPENTANCE

A. What it is not!
1. Not a change in God’s standards; (Mal. 3:6).
2. Not partiality to God’s favorites (“pets”); (I Pet. 1:17).

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 IDOLATRY 32:l-35

3. Not getting over a temper tantrum.

4. Not withholding just punishment; (32:33, 35).
B. What it is!
1. A consistent pattern for God; (Jonah 3:lO; Jer. 26:19;
’ Joel 2:13; TI Sam. 24:16; Jer. 18:lO; Gen. 6:6-7).

2. An act of compassion. (“Repent” here means “have

compassion.”)
3. A change in God’s response based on a change in man’s
relation to Him.

(Ex. 32:21-24)
FAILUREOF LEADERS!
1. Failure brings sin on the people; (32:21).
2. Failure brings God’s anger on the leaders; (Deut. 9:20).
3. Failure leads to blame-shifting; (32:22-24).
a. Blames the people; (32:22-23).
b. Blames chance happenings; (32:24).

MOSES- A SPIRITUAL (Ex. 32:19-20’25-35)

STATESMAN!
1. Reacted strongly to sin; (32:19).
2. Administered discipline; (32:20).
3. Called for decision; (32:26).
4. Placed spiritual relationships over fleshly ties; (32:27, 29).
5. Denounced sin as sin; (32:30-31).
6. Prayed for the people; (32:30).
7. Willing to sacrifice himself; (32:32),

EXPLORING NOTESO N CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

EXODUS:
1. What is in Exodus thirty-two?
The chapter contains the familiar story of the making
of the golden’calf, God’s anger, Moses’ breaking the ten
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32:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

commandments, and Moses’ prayer.

The chapter makes clear that the idolatry of the people
brought upon them later punishments that could never be
all averted: “I will visit their sin upon them!” (32:34).
Israel’s idolatry caused them to be rejected temporarily
as God’s special people, until Moses prayed for their
restoration with great earnestness. Note Ex. 33:13: “Con-
sider that this nation is thy people!” Ex. 33:9: “Pardon
our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.’’
The chapter protrays a RUPTURE of the covenant between
God and Israel.
Ramm accurately entitles the section “Israel in Idolatry;
or Israel is out of Egypt, but Egypt isn’t out of Israel.”’
The chapter reveals the power of idolatry. We need this
dramatic reminder, because we tend to think idolatry is a
temptation only to primitive peoples. We do not always
recognize our own idolatries. John wrote, “Little children,
guard yourselves from idols” (I John 521). Paul cautions
us, “Neither be ye idolaters, as some of them were” (I Cor.
109).
Many critics view the chapter as a resumption of the
Sinai story left off after 19:24. They consider the story
in Ex. 32-34 to have been written shortly after the time
of King Solomon to condemn Jeroboam I for making the
golden calves (I Kings 12:28-33). According to this theory
the author of 32-34 was the writer commonly called “J”
(for Jehovist, or Yahwist). J’s story was interrupted after
Ex. 24 by the insertion of a long section of Priestly in-
structions (Ex. 25-31), written about the time of the Bab-
ylonian captivity. With chapter 32 the “J” (or JE) section
is resumed. In addition, some critics hold that within
chapters 32-34 themselves there are evidences of later
interpolations.
We cannot accept these critical views. There is utterly

lop. cit., p. 179.

’Martin Noth, op. cit., pp. 243-245.

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 IDOLATRY 321-35

no evidence in any ancient manuscripts of the existence of

the separate source documents that the critics write of.
The supposed lack of unity in the material seems evident
to those who want to believe it and not evident to those
who do not want to believe it. To us, the book of Exodus
has a remarkable unity and progressiveness. And even the
critics cannot agree among themselves as to exact points
.”
of division between the various “sources
King Jeroboam I deliberately created religious ceremonies
that would conflict with the Mosaic law, so as to get the
people in this new nation completely cut off from loyalty
to the Jerusalem temple. Thus it appears that the laws
and stories in Exodus were things he was familiar with,
things that had been written centuries before his time.
It is quite hard to believe that someone (“J”) wrote Exodus
32-34 AFTER Jeroboam had already made his golden
calves.
2. What request did the people make to Aaron? (32:l)
They requested that Aaron make them “gods” who
would go before them on their journey.
They referred to Moses as “this Moses (‘this guy!’) that
brought us up out of the land of Egypt.” They did not
mention that JEHOVAH had brought them up! The lofty
truth of an eternal, imageless God had not yet penetrated
their minds, much less their religious habits. They wanted
visible gods who would go before them - gods they could
SEE!
Moses endured “as seeing him who is invisible.” (Heb.
11:27). But the people wanted a visible god.
We marvel at how quickly the Israelites had forgotten
the LORD1 Scarcely five months before they were singing,
“Jehovah is my strength and song, and he is become my
salvation: This is my God .. .” (Ex. 152).
The story of the making of the golden calf is a plain
demonstration that seeing miracles and experiencing God’s
great wonders will not save and uphold those who have a
weak faith. Those who cannot endure “as seeing the

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invisible” (God) will probably not be saved by an abundance

of visible miracles.
Moses had been gone forty days (24:18), and the people
thought he would never return. Moses had delegated
Authority to Aaron and Hur (24:14). After 24:14 we hear
no rriore of Hur. Jewish tradition (unverified) says he
resisted the people’s demands and was put to death by
them. Josephus Mntiquities 111, v, 7-8) mentions the
people’s anxiety over Moses’ delay; but he says not even
one word about the golden calfl Josephus tends to glorify
Israel and to super-glorifyMoses.
There has been MUCH discussion about the identity of
the “gods” which the Israelites requested Aaron to make.
Were these “gods” (plural) or “a god”? The story mentions
only one golden calf (32:8). But the Hebrew verbs translated
“go up” and “brought” (in 32:4) are forms used with
plural subjects. The Hebrew word for “God” (’elohim)
is naturally plural in form, although when referred to
the LORD it normally takes a singular verb (as in Gen.
1:l: “God [plural form] created [singular verb] . ,”). . .
The word ’elohim frequently has a definitely plural mean-
ing, “gods.” In such cases the verb is plural also, as it
’is in Ex. 32:lB3We agree with John Davis4 that the people
were thinking of “gods” (plural) when they made their
request to Aaron. Compare Ex. 32:31. (Isn’t it remark-
able that the people asked for “gods” to lead them in-
stead of another man like Moses?)
Exodus 34:4 quotes the people as saying when they saw
the ONE golden calf, ‘‘These are thy gods, 0 Israel.” It
has been proposed that the words “gods” and “these” in
this verse are “plurals of majesty,” which only refer to one
god. This is a possible and commonly-accepted explanation
as to why ’elohimoften takes a singular verb. But examples

%terestingly, Nehemiah 9:18, in telling of this very event, quotes the people as
saying, “This (singular) is thy God (’elohim)that brought thee up out of Egypt.”
‘Moses and the Gods of Egypt“ (Grand Rapids: Baker, 19711,p. 283.

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 IDOLATRY 32:1-35
of the pronoun these with a singular meaning are RARE
indeed. I1 Chron. 3:3; Ezek. 46:24; and Ezra 1:9 have
been proposed as examples of this; but these are extremely
uncertain passages, as a little study will reveal.
Our opinion,is that the Israelites were not trying to be
grammatically consistent at that moment. They were too
excited to be bothered about grammatical points, such as
whether the word “god” took a singular or plural verb.
We should not be surprised if they were inconsistent.
Theologically they were very inconsistent. Why not also
grammatically?
Another much-discussed question is this: Were the
people desiring to make another god instead of Jehovah?
Or was their idol a representation of Jehovah? Was it an
adaptation of some Egyptian idol? Or perhaps of some
Canaanite idol?
The prevailing opinion among scholars is that the golden
calf was in some way a representation of Jehovah, or a
mount for Jehovah to sit or stand upon. Scholars feel it
was probably NOT a representation of an Egyptian god,
because the feast held in connection with the worship of
the calf was announced as a “feast of Jehovah” (32:5).5
(At least Aaron proclaimed a feast unto Jehovah.) Cassuto6
thinks that the Israelites were not actually asking for a
substitute for the God of Israel, but were only asking for a
replacement for Moses; and that Aaron did not consider
that he was making another God instead of Jehovah.
Scholars who hold views such as these assume that Aaron
and the Israelites were thinking about god-images like
those of Canaan and Syria, rather than like those of Egypt.
The Canaanites at ancient Ugarit called their father-god
“El, Father Bull.” These Canaanite and related gods are
very often pictured as sitting or standing on wild beasts -
bulls, lions, cattle, etc. The Ancient Near East in Pictures

‘Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, p, 141

60g. cit., pp. 411-413.

71 1
3211-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

(Princeton Univ. Press, 1969), pp. 163, 164, 167, 179,

shows pictures of numerous such gods riding upon animals.
Thus according to this view, when Aaron made the calf,
he was seeking to fashion a mount for the LORD, a bull
calf upon which the invisible God could ride, like Canaanite
deities. As the mercy-seat was indeed sort of a throne for
Yahweh, so the bull calf was to be sort of a vacant throne
for Yahweh. Thus, according to this view, Aaron did not
really intend to commit the sin of idolatry when he made
the calf.
Though the theories just presented are frequently ex-
pressed, there are problems in adopting them. The Biblical
text does NOT state that the golden calf was designed like
the idols of any particular people. Then there is the prob-
lem as to why the Israelites should have tried to make a
calf like some Canaanite or Syrian image when they had
lived in Egypt for centuries, and had become thoroughly
Egyptianized. When the Israelites were in the wilderness
and experienced difficulties, they always wanted to go back
to EGYPT, and not to Canaan. (See Neh. 9:17; Ex. 14:ll;
16:13; Num. 14:4.) Joshua 24:14 and Ezek. 20:7, 8 both
speak of the Israelites serving the gods of EGYPT. Ezekiel
even mentions that they did not “forsake the idols of
Egypt.” Acts 7:39 quotes Stephen as saying that they
“turned back in their hearts unto EGYPT” (not to Canaan
or Syria); and then they “made a calf in those days and
brought a sacrifice unto the idol,” Observe that the calf
is plainly called an idol. Psalm 106:21 says that when they
made the likeness of the ox “They forgot God their savior
who had done great things in Egypt.” Surely if they had
firgotten God, they were not trying to make an image of
him or for him to ride upon.
This scriptural evidence causes us to think that the
golden calf actually was an idol in the worst sense of that
word; and that it was probably adapted from some Egyptian
model, rather than being patterned after a Canaanite
bull-statue upon which some god-figure was standing.

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 IDOLATRY 32~1-35
It is well-known that the Egyptians made statues of
animals that were worshipped as gods. These included the
Hathor cow images, and the image of the Apis bull. The
Apis bull was most often worshipped as a living bull,
another one being picked to replace each former one at
death. But statues of the Apis bull have indeed been found,
dating as far back as the seventh century B.C.,and possibly
older , 7
3. Where was material obtained for the golden calf? (32:2-3)
It was obtained from the golden rings in the ears of the
families of the Israelities. The text does not clearly state
this, but possibly Aaron thought that the request for costly
earrings might restrain the Israelites. Not only was the
value of the earrings great, but the Israelite men had to
take them away from their family members, who might
be uncooperative. If that was in Aaron’s mind, his hopes
were in vain. ALL the people BROKE OFF the earrings,
and brought them to him. Aaron underestimated their
fanaticism, and in so doing put himself in position where
he needed to reject his own offer; and he was not equal
to it. Thus he was swept along by the mob pressure to make
an idol, an act that he certainly did not personally ap-
prove.
The Israelites did wear earrings in ancient times (Gen.
354). But in later years they did not (Judges 8:24). The
taboo on earrings seems to have started at Mt. Sinai after
the golden calf incident (Ex. 33:4-6). Gideon made an
“ephod” from earrings, but they were the earrings of the
Midianites (Judges 8:24-27).
4. What was the technique used in making the calf? (32:4, 8 )
It was first “molten” and then “fashioned” (cut, form,
make) with an engraving tool. “Molten” indicates that the

’Ancient Near East in Pictures (Princeton Univ. Press, 1969), p. 190, has a photo-
graph of an Apis statue wearing a sun-disk between its horns and a sacred cobra
(uraeus) from its forehead. It is dated in the Saite period, 663-525 B.C. See also
Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionafy, p. 141.

713
32:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

gold was first melted. We are not informed how it was

made after the gold was melted. We suppose that a wooden
model or a wooden frame of the idol was then made, and
the gold was then overlaid upon this wood.8 Isaiah 3 0 9 2
and 40:19 suggest that idols were made in this manner. The
fine details (such as eyes) would then be engraved into the
golden shell. This would explain how the image could be
“burned” (32:20). We get the impression that the calf
was made in one day. If so, it could hardly have been any-
thing but CRUDE.
We cannot excuse Aaron’s action of making this idol.
His heart was surely not in his work, but he did it. This
did not disqualify him from the priesthood, any more than
the sins of Abraham, Jacob, and David disqualified them
from being great leaders in God’s program for the ages.
God’s gifts are bestowed on the basis of grace rather than
merit.
5 . How did the people respond when they saw the golden
calj? (32:4)
They became almost delirious with ecstasy1 They said,
“These are thy gods, 0 Israel, which brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt!” Whereas they had said shortly be-
fore (32:l) that MOSES brought them up from Egypt,
now they say the calf-idol had brought them up. What
insanity1 The calf had not even been in existence when they
left Egypt I
The use of the plural forms “these” and “gods” gives
problems, because only one idol was made. See notes on
32:l. Cassuto9 writes that the Jews never had the foolish

‘An alternate translation of “fashioned it with a graving tool” is “he bound it up

in a bag.” To arrive at this rendering one must read charit (bag, purse, pocket) for
the word cherit (graving tool) that is actually in the text. Then we must translate the
verb tsarar as “wrap” or “bind up.” This translation is found in I1 Kings 5 2 3 , where
Naaman put two talents in a bag. But this rendering seems incongruous and super-
fluous. Why should Aaron tie up the earrings in a bag? Why should such a triviality
be mentioned? See Keil and Delitzsch, op. cit., p. 221.
’Op. cit.. p. 413.

714
 IDOLATRY 32: 1-35
idea that the calf led them from Egypt, but only that they
considered the calf an emblem of God, itself worthy of
divine honor along with the Lord, and thus spoke of
“these,” referring to the LORD and to the calf. This idea,
as appealing as it might be, just isn’t what the text says.
The people upon seeing the calf said, “These are thy gods,
0 Israel, which brought thee up.”
The words of the people are the very words later used by
King Jeroboam I (931-909 B.C.) to refer to his golden
calvek set up at Dan and Bethel (I Kings 12:28). Jeroboam’s
allusion to Aaron’s golden calf could hardly be missed.
The people were probably just as ready to worship a golden
calf in Jeroboam’s time as they were in Aaron’s time.
The term “calf” (Heb., ‘egel) is masculine, and refers to
a young bull in full strength. A three-year old animal is
referred to as an egelah (same word with a feminine end-
ing). The same word refers to an ox (or to the female heifer
counterpart) mature enough to work at plowing or threshing
(Judges 14~18;Jer, 5O:ll; Hosea 10:ll). Psalm 106:19-20
makes the “calf” synonomous with an “ox.”
6 . What did Aaron do when he saw the people’s reaction to
the calf? (32:s)
Aaron built an altar before the calf, and he cried out, ,
“A feast to Yahweh tomorrowl”
What was Aaron thinking when he built the altar and
proclaimed a feast to Yahweh (if indeed he really was think-
ing in any coherent way at all)? It is proper for us to give
Aaron whatever credit there may be possible. “Love be-
lieveth [the best possible about] all things” (I Cor. 13:7).
Aaron’s making the altar was surely a legitimate act
(Ex.20:24), and the altar was not mentioned later as a
cause for criticism. Making the altar was Aaron’s ’own
idea; the people had said nothing (as far as we know)
about an altar.
Proclaiming a feast to Yahweh was also Aaron’s own
idea. We cannot assert on the evidence of the text that
Aaron was trying to link the molten calf to Jehovah worship
715
32:l-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

(as some have alleged). If that was his idea, it did not
work. Jehovah himself told Moses that the people had
sacrificed TO THE CALF, and not to Him (32:8). It seems
to us that Aaron was probably trying to divert the people’s
minds from the calf to the altar, and thus from calf-worship
to Jehovah worship. It hardly compliments Aaron to repre-
sent him as thinking that he could transform the calf into a
Jehovah-worship accessory by making an altar before it
and proclaiming a Jehovah feast. (That would be somewhat
like trying to make a cocktail party or a dance holy by
having an “invocation” at the start.) Aaron did not later
attempt to excuse himself by saying something such as,
“Well, I thought we could use the calf to symbolize Jehovah,
or use it for Jehovah to ride upon.” Compare 32:21-24.
Whatever Aaron had on his mind, it did not cancel his
sin. God became so angry with him that He was ready to
kill him (Deut. 9:20). The decisiveness of Moses in situa-
tions of idolatry makes Aaron look very shaky. See Ex.
32:19-20; Num. 254-5.
7. How did the peopleworship around the calj? (32:6)
The people responded enthusiastically, rising up early
the next morning. (Perhaps it was late in the evening when
tke calf was completed.) They “broke loose.” (See notes
on Ex. 32:25 concerning this expression.) They offered
burnt-offerings (20:24) and peace offerings. Then they
“sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”
Eating and drinking are innocent enough, but the “play”
was another matter. Paul classifies this “play” as idolatry
(I Cor. 10:7). The “play” including singing and dancing
(32:18-19), The “play” included laughter, probably loud
and uproarious. The Hebrew word translated “play”
(tsachaq) means to laugh (Gen. 17:17), jest, mock (Gen.
19:14; 21:9), make sport of (as in Judges 16:25, where
the Philistines “made sport of’’ Samson), and play. The
word is used in Gen. 26:8 to refer to Isaac “sporting”
with his wife, Rebekah. On the basis of this one use of
the word many interpreters have read into the ‘‘play”
716
 IDOLATRY 32:1-35

around the golden calf the idea of a wild sex orgy,l0 such
as the Canaanites might have indulged in at a Baal festival,
We seriously question that the “play” around the idol
involved any sex orgy. Tsachaq does not basically refer
to sex acts. What Isaac was doing with Rebekah was out-
of-doors in plain sight, and probably involved nothing
more than teasing, or joking, or laughing with Rebekah.
The passage about Isaac does not indicate that the word
meant “fondling” or even “caressing.” Paul does not
mention in I Cor. 10:7-8 that “fornication” was associated
with the “play” around the golden calf, as it was with
I
later idolatry (Num. 251).
It is not necessary, or even possible, to assume that all
I the people (600,000 men!) were involved in the idolatry.
But many were, and therefore the whole nation was col-
lectively involved in the transgression.
i 8. How did God react to the golden calj-? (32:7-8; Deut. 9:12)
I

I Jehovah was angry enough to destroy them (Deut. 9:19).

His displeasure was HOT. Observe the statement that
I
I
“They have made. ..
,” They all made it by contributing
materials, by requesting that it be made. See Ex. 32:20, 35.
I Note that God referred to Israel as “THY (Moses’)
people” (32:7). For that moment He disowned them. But
Moses reversed this, and (in 32:ll) referred to them as
“thy (God’s) people.”
God accused the Israelites of three things:
(1) They had corrupted themselves. “Corrupt” means
“destroy, lay waste, corrupt morally (Gen. 6:11), over-
throw.” All acts of forsaking God corrupt those who dis-
obey.
(2) They had turned aside quickly. Quickly indeed! It
was scarcely six weeks since they had heard the ten com-
mandments, which forbade the making of any type of
image.

LoCole, op. cit., p. 216. Cassuto, op. cit., p. 414.

717
32:l-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

(3) They had made a molten calf and worshipped it and

sacrificed unto it (NOT unto God). Concerning the plurals
“these” and “gods,” see notes on 32:l.
9. What did God threaten to do to the Israelites? (32:9-10;
Deut. 9:13-14).
To consume them, that is, burn them up (literally “to
devour’’ them).
God declared that they were a stiff-necked people. This
was a common expression (Deut. 9:6; I1 Chron. 30:8;
Isa. 48:4; Acts 7:51), which described people as being
like oxen or horses that would not respond when the guiding
rein was tugged.
God declared that He would make of MOSES a great
nation, once He had consumed the Israelites. The same
promise was made to Moses later at Kadesh (Num. 14:12).
The promise was like that given to Abraham (Gen. 12:2).
-’Moses later mentioned this promise to Him in his speech
to the people (Deut. 9:14).
Whether this promise was actually an alluring tempta-
tion to Moses or,mot, he rejected it instantly. If he had
accepted it, his own descendants would not necessarily have
been better people. than the other Israelites. His grandson
became an idolatrous priest (Judges 18:30).
God said to Moses, “Now therefore, let me alone.”
But Moses refused to let God alone. Like Jacob, he would
not let go until he obtained the blessing (Gem. 3224-29).
In “Let me alone” there is an acknowledgement that
Moses’ intercession could alter (or at least delay) God’s
threatened punishment. God placed the fate of the whole
nation into the hands of Moses. Would Moses, as the
mediator of the covenant, show himself worthy of his
calling, and sacrifice his own exaltation for the sake of a
guilt-laden people?
“He (God) said that he would destroy them, Had not
Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, To turn
away his wrath, lest he should destroy them” (Psalm
106:23).
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 IDOLATRY 32:1-35

10. What three appeals did Moses make to God to spare Israel?
(32:11- 13)
(1) Remember your special relationship with Israel.
They are “thy people,” which thou hast brought out of
the land of Egypt.
(2) The Egyptians would hear of it and think God had
brought Israel forth to slay them, and they would gloat,
(Joshua later used a similar argument, Josh. 7:9.)
(3) Remember your covenant promises with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, to multiply their seed and give them
the promised land. The promises mentioned in Ex, 32:13
can be read in Gen. 22:17; 13:15.
Moses mentioned “mountains” in 32: 12. The Sinai
area was very well supplied with mountains.
Regarding “repent” in 32:12, see notes on 32:14.
Note in 32:13 that God had sworn “by his own self.”
God can swear by none greater. (Heb. 6:13)
11, How can God REPENT? (32:14)
It should not be surprising to us that God “repents” of
His threats to do evil (bodily punishment). “Repenting of
evil” is one of the most prominent and basic aspects of
God’s nature. See Joel 2:13; Jonah 3:2. The Old Testament
very frequently mentions God’s repentance. See Jer. 26:19;
18:lO; Jonah 3:lO; 11 Sam. 24:16; Gen. 6 6 7 . Aren’t you
glad that God will “repent” (change his mind about) the
evil which He would be absolutely just to inflict?
The word here translated “repent” (nacham) most often
means “to have compassion, to pity, to be comforted, to
console.” It is used in Psalm 23:4: “Thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.” Ex. 34:14 could be translated, “And
Jehovah had compassion concerning the evil which He
said he would do to his people.” (Note the reassuring
reference to “his” [God’s] people.) Of thirty-five occurences
of this verb in the Old Testament, thirty refer to God as
the subject and only five to men’s acts of repenting.
God does not “repent” in the sense that he acknowledges
He was in error or made a bad judgment. See Mal. 3:6.

719
32: 1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

God does not have temper tantrums, of which He needs to

repent. God NEVER really desires or gets pleasure from
the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:ll).
God was totally just in being angry over Israel’s idolatry.
God would be unworthy of our worship if He did not abhor
evil. But at the very moment God was angry, He left the
door open to Moses’ intercession for the people, with the
clear hint that if Moses prayed, the consequences would
be different. In all of these things, God showed no shifti-
ness, no uncertainty, no variation. (James 1:17)
We are not told whether Moses was informed at that
moment that God had repented. But the fact that God did
not object t o Moses’ prayer for the people was itself a
reassurance to Moses. Later when Moses wrote the book
of Exodus, he knew that God had forgiven at that moment,
and thus Moses wrote of what had actually happened just
then.
Many commentators have tried to explain God’s “re-
pentance” as a figure of speech that seeks to express God’s
feelings in human terms that we can understand, because
His feelings are beyond human comprehension. They speak
of God’s repentance as an anthropopathism (attributing
human feeling to God) or an anthropomorphism (at-
tributing human forms to God). This explanation seems
to us rather unnecessary. Mankind learned of “repentance”
from God, not God from man. We do not assume we know
all about God. But one revelation from God about Him-
self is worth a thousand of our speculations about Him.
12. What did Moses carry as he came down from the mount?
(32~15-16)
He carried the two tables (tablets) of stone inscribed with
the ten commandments. See notes on 31:18. It was un-
usual for ancient inscribed stones to be written on both
sides.
13. What did Joshua think about the noise in the camp?
(32:17-18)
He thought it was a sound of war in the camp. Being a

720
 IDOLATRY 32: 1-35

military man, he was probably conditioned to interpret

all loud sounds from people as war. See Ex. 17:9.
Joshua had been left on the lower slopes of the mount
when Moses went up (24:13), As Moses descended, he
met Joshua, but he did not tell him what God had said
in 32:8. Even when Joshua commented about the uproar,
Moses did not tell Joshua what God had said, but merely
corrected his false impression of the sound.
Exodus 32:18 very definitely has a poetic rhythm in
Hebrew. However, this does not necessarily indicate that
the whole book was originally written in verse, of which a
fragment is here preserved.” Poetic lines sometimes drop
from the lips of gifted people without the lines being in a
poetic setting.
The words “shout,” “cry,” and “sing” are all actually
translated from one Hebrew word (‘anah). This word
refers to antiphonal singing in Ex. 1521, and may do so
here, as if one group of idolaters were singing and another
group were echoing their words.
14. How did Moses react when he saw the idolatry? (32:19)
He was surprised, shocked, stunned, and indignant!
Though he had been told about it, the impact of seeing
it was much stronger than of hearing about it.
The word “dancing” is plural, as if referring to dances,
or different types of dances. Cole12 suggests that the plural
is a “plural of indignation,’’ as if to say “such goings-on!’’
Moses slammed down the tables of ten commandments,
and broke them “beneath the mount” (that is, at the foot
of the mount). In the very place where the covenant had
been made (24:4), the tables of the covenant were broken.
How sad, but how appropriate.
We are not informed as to whether we should interpret
the breaking of the ten commandments as merely an act
of Moses in anger, or as a symbol of the breaking of the

“Cole, op. cit., p. 218.

”Op.cit,, p. 218.

721
32~1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

covenant between God and Israel. The scripture does not

definitely state the latter idea, but the symbolism comes
immediately into our minds. Certainly there was a rupture
in the covenant relationship. Observe Moses’ fervent pleas
to God to accept Israel back as His people (33:13; 34:9).
Perhaps God blamed Moses slightly for breaking the
ten commandments. See notes on 34:l.
Moses’ breaking ALL the laws seems to illustrate James
2:lO: “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend
in one point, he is guilty of all.” Israel in breaking one
law had broken all the law.
S, C. Barlett tells of climbing up and descending Mt.
Sinai:
We started to descend ...
by the gorge on the north-
east side [called “Jethro’s path”], by which possibly
Moses may have descended when he heard the sounds
of the camp, before he could see what was taking place
there. We were completely shut in by the sides of the
gorge till just as we emerged from it near the,bottom.
There was no sound below for us to hear, but we could
readily accept Mr. Palmer’s statement that while
descending here, he had distinctly heard the sounds of
his own camp at the foot of the mountain, while entire-
ly hidden from view. ..
. The passage by which we
[and presumably Moses] descended was of the steepest,
I. the rocks often loose, and the descent hard. Between
the almost perpendicular cliffs, sometimes singularly
honey-combed ...
we made our way ...
in an hour
and a quarter from the top of Ras Safsafeh.I3
15. What did Moses do with the golden calf? (32:20; Deut.
9:21)
He utterly destroyed it, even making the Israelites drink
the water containing its ashes. Deut. 9:21 mentions that

‘)FromEgypt to Palestine (New York: Harper, 18791, pp. 269, 270.

722
 IDOLATRY 32~1-35

the water was that in “the brook that descended out of

the mount.”
Moses GROUND the calf, probably between stones.
See notes on 32:4 regarding how the golden calf might
be burned.
Moses’ treatment of the idol surely showed the worth-
lessness of it. It also humiliated the idolaters. In later
years King Josiah treated the altar at Bethel in a way
similar to the way Moses treated the golden calf. (I1 Kings
23:lS)
Numerous Jewish and modern commentators have
associated the “water of bitterness” used as a test of a
wife suspected of adultery (Num. 517-22), with Moses’
act of making the people drink the water bearing the
ashes of the golden calf. To us this does not appear to be a
legitimate association.
Firstly, the scripture does not associate the two passages.
Secondly, the law given in Numbers five was apparently
revealed by God to Moses some time AFTER the golden
calf was destroyed. Thirdly, Exodus 32 does not mention
any examination of the people to see who passed and who
flunked the water-drinking test.
In spite of these barriers to associating the two passages
--(Ex.32-and-Num. -5),-writers-still speak -as -if Moses-used-
the gold-dusted water as a guilt-detector, a sort of trial,
or ordeal, by water. Supposedly the people’s physiological
or psychological reactions to drinking the water would
show which ones were guilty of participating in the idolatry.
The smiting of the people referred to in 32:35 has been
considered to be a reference to those who got sick after
drinking the water because they were guilty of the idolatry.
But Ex. 32:35 appears to be a statement about punish-
ment rather than about testing.
16. What e x c u ~ edid Aaron give to Moses? (32:21-24)
Aaron blames the people. Also he said that the calf
formed itself (miraculously!) in the fire, and “came out”
(under its own powerl). It is hard to imagine that Aaron
723
32:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

did not have a sheepish grin after he told his story about
the calf. What a “tall tale”! God was ready to destroy
Aaron (Deut. 9:20).
Moses said, “What did the people do unto thee, that
thou hast brought a great sin upon them?” Moses was
astounded at Aaron. Aaron had failed miserably to be a
strong leader. Moses’ question was more designed to
convict and reprove Aaron than to get information.
What Aaron said about Israel in 32:22 was very true.
They were constantly “in evil.” See 14:9; 1524; 16:2, 20;
17:2, 4. Israel had been rebellious ever since Moses knew
them (Deut. 9:7, 24).
Nevertheless, Aaron’s answer was very evasive and
defensive, like that of Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen.
3:12-13)..Aaron shows no real sorrow for his sin.
Aaron addresses Moses as “My lord.” See also Num.
itle has a servile tone about it that seems
most unfitting from the one who stood with Moses on the
bank of the Nile when it turned to blood (7:20).
17. What call for decision did Moses make? (32:25-26)
He stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is for
Jehovah? Unto me!”
While this had the nature of an ultimatum, it also
contained the opportunity of an amnesty.
Exodus 32:25 speaks of the people having “broken
loose” (K.J.V., being “naked”). They had broken loose
fqom all the regulations of God. The word does not mean
to “make naked,” and it is not so translated that way
anywhere in the American Standard version. The Hebrew
verb para‘ means “to loosen, to let loose, unbridle, to
break out” (as a disorder). It may mean to “uncover”
(or let loose), as of the hair (Num. 518; Lev. 13:45). But
there is not one passage where it clearly refers to naked-
ness. This has a bearing on whether or not the “play” of
32:6 refers to a sex orgy. See notes on that verse.
Israel’s “breaking loose’’ had given their enemies an
opportunity for derision (literally, a “whispering”). The

724
 IDOLATRY 32~1-35
enemies would include the nearby Amalekites and others
who would hear about this. Compare Deut. 28:37. The
sins of saints cause unbelievers to blaspheme God.
In these circumstances Moses made his ultimatum-
amnesty proclamation. And all the sons (meaning descend-
ants) of Levi gathered together unto Moses.
The response of the Levites comes as a surprise to us.
Nothing previously written about the tribe of Levi (except
possibly the faith of Moses’ parents) causes us to think
very highly of them. Levi and his brother Simeon were
angry and cruel men. They massacred the Shechemites
(Gen. 34~25-26).They hocked an ox (Gen. 49:S-V. Still,
when the call came for men to stand with Moses, the tribe
of Levi responded to a man, (Possibly the “all” may be
used here a bit hyperbolically, as in other places. Compare
Ex. 9:6.)
Several questions must remain unanswered: Were the ,
Levites as a whole less guilty of participating in the idolatry
than the other tribes? Was their family association with
Moses cause for their response? Were they more willing
to confess their sins than the other tribes?
The immediaie response of the Levites suggests that
if Aaron had boldly stood up and opposed the people’s
request that he make them “gods,” he would have had
many loyal Israelites to stand with him.
18. What were the Levites commissioned to do? (32:27-28)
They were to put on their swords and go through the
camp slaying people. About 3000 fell that day.
Note that it was Jehovah the God of Israel who com-
manded this mass execution, but the “word of Moses”
proclaimed it. A similar order to execute violators is in
Num. 2 5 5 .
The expression “from gate to gate” indicates that Israel’s
wilderness encampment had definite boundaries, and
probably a fence with gates.
“Brother” means “fellow-Israelite.” Fleshly ties must
not be stronger than spiritual relationships. (Matt. 12:46-
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32~1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

50; 10:37\ Luke 12:52-53; 14:26).

The sfflall number slain (small in contrast to the total
population) may indicate that not all the people were in-
volved in the idolatry, or that God in His grace spared
many offenders.
Three-thousand men were slain at Sinai for breaking
the law. On the day of Pentecost after Christ ascended
three-thousand law-breakers were made alive (Acts 2:41;
Eph. 25). This is a vivid object lesson showing the dif-
fering natures of the law and the gospel.
The command to slay was a drastic test of faith for the
Levites. But the punishment was just: “He that sacri-
ficeth unto any God save unto Jehovah only, shall be utterly
destroyed” (Ex. 22:20).
How could the Levites rampage through the camp killing
without resistance? Was the meekness of the people due
to the suddenness of the attack, or the guilt they felt for
their sin, or the authority projected by Moses’ language
and bearing? It would seem reasonable that 22,000 Levites
could slay 3000 people before the people realized what
was happening (Num. 3:39). The people did not know
what Moses had ordered the Levites to do. We suppose
that the Levites slew only guilty idolaters, those whom
they may have seen participating.
19. What were the Levites called to consecrate themselves ta?
(32:29)
They were t o consecrate themselves to Jehovah, for a
holy war against sinners. “Consecrate” means literally
“fill the hand.” Compare 29:9,
Exodus 32:29 is a difficult verse. Does the command
refer to something that the Levites were called to do
AFTER the 3000 were slain? (We favor this view.) Or is
it merely a restatement of the order in 32:27? Or is it
merely a report on the consequences of their slaying the
3000?
The R.S.V., which follows the Septuagint here, gives
the verse the latter meaning: “Today you have ordained

726
 IDOLATRY 32:1-35

yourselves.” The Septuagint reads, “Ye have filled your

hands this day to the Lord.” It definitely seems that the
imperative reading, “Consecrate yourselves,’’ is the cor-
rect reading, rather than ihe indicative reading, “Today
you have ordained yourselves.”14
The words of 32:29 stand AFTER the report of the
slaughter. Thus it seems preferable to interpret them as
being Moses’ words to the Levites after they had completed
the punitive slaughter. After that fearsome event, they
are called on to present themselves. (“Fill your hand!’’)
They are to give themselves to service to the Lord that
day, for service in time to come, so that every man of
them might, if need be, be against his own father and
mother, and thus to get themselves a blessing that day.
They accepted the call.
The “blessing” which Levi was to obtain that day was
the privilege of service in God’s tabernacle (Num. 3:6-9).
Moses blessed Levi in Deut. 37:9 with these words:
Who said of his father, and of his mother, I have not
seen him,
Neither did he acknowledge his brethren;
Nor knew he his own children:
For they have observed thy word
And keep thy covenant.
The previous ferocity of the Levites was now disciplined
and consecrated to serve God alone. And thus the curse
that once rested on them (Gen. 49:7) was turned into
a blessing.
20. What did Moses promise to do for the people? (32:30)
He promised to go unto Jehovah (back up in the mount)
to try to make atonement (covering) for them.

“The Hebrew reading is an imperative, “Consecrate yourselves.” The verb could

possibly be rendered as an indicative (reading it as pie1 perfect instead of Qal impera-
tive); “They have filled your (plural) hand.” But the presence of the plurals “they” and
“your” indicate that the imperative reading is the correct one, and the Greek reading
is incorrect.

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32: 1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

The “Ye” is emphatic: “You! you have sinned a great

sin.”
The word “peradventure” (meaning “perhaps”) is a
word that expresses hope in Jer. 20:12. But the same word
expresses fear and doubt in Gen. 27:12. The use of this
word suggests that Moses was not at all sure his efforts
would be successful.
21. What did Moses pray unto God? (32:31-32)
Moses confessed their sin. He requested God to forgive
(literally “lift up”) their sin. And if God would not do
this, to blot out his name out of God’s book.
Exodus 32:31 mentions for the third time their “great
sin.” See 32:21, 30, 31. Regarding the “gods,” see 32:l.
Moses’ prayer was utterly selfless. He lived only for the
people. His prayer was similar to Paul’s in Rom. 9:3. He
was willing to sacrifice himself for the people.
The last part of the request for forgiveness in 32:32
is not stated, leaving its conclusion to be supplied by the
mind of the reader. The last part of 32:32 might have
been “then I will be content,” or “I will say no more,”
or “please do sol” For similar incomplete sentences, see
Daniel 3:15; Luke 13:9; 19:42; Romans 9:22; I Samuel
12:14-15. (This type of expression is called aposiopesis.)
Moses’ reference to the “book” of God is the first
reference to this book in the scriptures. We do not know
how Moses even knew such a book existed. We do not know
what Moses understood the nature of this book to be.
(Many facts and practices in divine religion had been
taught to the pre-Mosaic patriarchs, concerning which
we are told nothing of the way or time they were revealed.
Examples include tithing, the priesthood, burnt-offerings,
etc.)
This book is elsewhere called “the book of the living”
(Psalm 69:28; Isa. 4:3), “the book of remembrance”
(Malachi 3:16), and the “book of life” (Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:s;
20:15; 13:8; 17:8).
We do not know for sure that the book mentioned by

728
 I D O L A T R Y 32:1-35
Moses was the same book that we know as the book of
life, Possibly this “book” was a list of those granted more
lifetime on earth, and did not have reference to eternal
life. We do feel, however, that it probably was the same
book that we know as the book of life, because the names
of those to be saved by God have been written in the book
of life “from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 17:8).
We do not assume that Moses knew as much about the
book as we have learned by revelation since his time.
Moses prayed for Aaron also at this time. The exact
time of Moses’ prayer is hard to specify. Possibly it was
during the forty-day period in the mountain that Moses
was to in a few days (Deut. 9:18-20;Ex. 34:l-2, 28).
There would come a time when not even the prayers of
Moses or Samuel could avert judgment upon Israel, but
that time was not yet (Jeremiah 1 5 1 ) .
22. Was Moses’ prayer granted? (32:33-35)
The request (or offer) of Moses was refused. Moses could
not be a substitute for Israel. (Only Christ could be a
substitute.) Whoever had sinned would be blotted out of
the book, not Moses.
Though God is forgiving, there are times when He will
be no means clear the guilty (Ex. 34:7). This gives God
no pleasure. “For he doth not afflict willingly (‘from his
heart’), nor grieve the children of men.” (Lam. 3:32-33)
But justice must often be administered, even when it
is painful.
God foresaw that that generation would continue in
their ways of unbelief. He foreknew that that generation
would be rejected at Kadesh-barnea (Num. 14:22-35),
and all perish in the desert (Ex. 32:34b).
“Forty years long was 1 grieved with that generation,
And said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and
they have not known my ways: Wherefore, I sware in my
wrath. That they should not enter into my rest” (Psalm
95:lO-11). Hebrews 4:5-7 quotes this passage, and indicates
that Israel not only did not get to enter into the promised

729
33:1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

rest of Canaan-land, but they did not enter God’s eternal

rest. How totally tragic! (But the sad fate of Israel was
written to warn us of the same danger! Heb. 4:ll)
Nonetheless, God did allow the people to be led on by
Moses and an angel to the place of which God had spoken
(to the promised land). God foreknew they would never
make it.
God promised that “My angel shall go before your face”
(or presence). Regarding this angel see 33:2; 23:20-24;
Num. 20:16.
The statement is 32:35 that “Jehovah smote the people”
is indefinite as to when and how the smiting was done.
The verb translated “smote” is related to the word trans-
lated “plague” (negeph) in Ex. 12:13; Num. 16:47. This
suggests a deadly smiting. The R.S.V. translates it “The
LORD sent a plague upon the people.” It has been sug-
gested that this plague was the possible consequence of
the potion (the gold-dusted water) that Moses had made
them drink.15 This notion seems untrue. See notes on 32:20.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION

And Je-ho-vah spake unto 1510-ses, Depart, go up

33 hence, thou and the people that thou hast brought up
out of the land of E-gypt, unto the land of which I sware unto
Abraham, to 1-saac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will
I give it: (2) and I will send an angel before thee; and I will
drive out the Ca-naan-ite, the Am-or-ite, and the Hit-tite, and
the Per.iz.zite, the Hi-vite, and the Jeb-u-site: (3) unto a land
flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst
of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people; lest I consume thee
in the way. (4) And when the people heard these evil tidings,

‘ 5 B ~ a d m aBible
n Commentary, Vol. 1 (1969),p. 454.

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 G O D A N D ISRAEL IN TENSION 33:l-23

they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.

( 5 ) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Say unto the children
of Is-ra-el, Ye are a s a e c k e d people; if I go up into the
midst of thee for one moment, I shall consume thee: there-
fore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know
what to do unto thee. (6) And the children of Is-ra-el stripped
themselves of their ornaments from mount Ho-reb onward.
(7) Now Mo-ses used to take the tent and to pitch it with-
out the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it, The
tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one that
sought Je-ho-vah went out unto the tent of meeting, which
was without the camp. (8) And it came to pass, when Mo-ses
went out unto the Tent, that all the people rose up, and stood,
every man at his tent door, and Iooked after Mo-ses, until he
was gone into the Tent. (9) And it came to pass, when Mo-ses
entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood
at the door of the Tent: and Je-ho-vah spake with Mo-ses.
(10) And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the
door of the Tent: and all the people rose up and worshipped,
every man at his tent door. (11) And Je-ho-vah spake unto
Mo-ses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his hiend. And
he turned again into the camp: but his minister Josh-u-a, the
son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tent.
(12) And Mo-ses said unto Je-ho-vah, See, thou sayest unto
me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom
thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I h o w thee by
name, and thou hast also found favor in my sight. (13) Now
therefore, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thy sight, show
me now thy ways, that I may know thee, to the end that I may
find favor in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy
people. (14) And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and
I will give thee rest. (15) And he said unto him, If thy presence
go not with me, carry us not up hence. (16) For wherein now
shall it be known that I have found favor in thy sight, I and
thy people? is it not in that thou goest with us, so that we are
separated, I and thy people, born all the people that are upon
the face of the earth?
73 1
33:l-23 EXPLORING E X O D U S

(17) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, I will do this thing

also that thou hast spoken; for thou hast found favor in my
sight, and I know thee by name. (18)And he said, Show me, I
pray thee, thy glory. (19) And he said, I will make all my
goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of
Je-ho-vah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will
be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
(20) And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall
not see me and live. (21)And Je-ho-vah said, Behold, there
is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock: (22)and
it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will
put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my
hand until I have passed by: (23) and I will take away my
hand, and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be
seen.

EXPLORING EXODUS:
CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE
FROM THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading, propose a brief title or topic for

the chapter.
2. Where was Moses directed to go? Who was to accompany
him? (33:1, 12; 32:34)
3. What change does the command of 321 indicate had taken
place in God’s feelings toward Israel? (Compare 32:lO.)
4. Who was to be sent before Moses and Israel? Why? (33:2;
Compare 23:20-23.)
5. What was the land where they were going like? (33:3)
6. Why would God not personally go up with Israel? (33:3, 5)
7. What made the people mourn? (33:4) What did the people
do that showed their sorrow? (33:4)
8. Why did God tell the Israelites to put off their ornaments?
(335)
9. At what place did the Israelites strip off their ornaments?
How long did this non-wearingof ornaments continue? (33:6)

732
 G O D AND ISRAEL IN TENSION 33:l-23

10. Where did Moses take the “tent”? (33:7) What did he do
with it? What did he call it? (Compare 27:21.) Was this
removal of the tent done just one time? Was this the same
“Tent” that is referred to in 26:36, 71
11. What did the removal of the Tent from out of the camp
symbolize or indicate?
12, Who went out to the Tent? (33:7)
13. What did the people do when Moses went out to the Tent?
Where did they do this? (33:8, 10)
14. What happened when Moses entered the Tent? What did
this symbolize or indicate? (33:9-10)
15. What was remarkable about the way the LORD spoke to
Moses? (33:ll; Compare Num. 12:6-7.)
16. Who remained at the Tent (possibly as a guard)? (33:ll)
17, Where did the conversation of 33: 12-23 occur?
18. What did Moses desire more information from God about?
(33:12)
19. What had God said to Moses about Moses? (33:12, 17)
20. What did Moses want God to show him? (33:13)
21. For what two purposes did Moses want God to show him
His way(s)? (33:13)
22. How did Moses want God to consider (or look upon) the
nation (Israel)? (33:13)
23. Who would go with Israel? (33:14) What change in God’s
intentions does this indicate? (Compare 33:3, 5, 12.)
24. What is the “rest” of 33:14? (Joshua 21:44; 22:4; 23:l;
Psalm 9510-11; Deut. 12:9)
25. How strongly did Moses desire God’s presence? (33:15)
26. How could it be known that Moses and Israel had found
favor in God’s sight? (33:16)
27. How was Israel “separated” from all other peoples? (33:16;
Compare Num. 23:9.)
28. What is the “thing that thou (God) hast spoken”? (33:17;
Compare 33:14-16.)
29. W h k is the significance of God’s knowing Moses by name?
(33:17)
30. How many times do forms of the word know occur in

733
33:1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

33:12-17?
31. What did Moses request God to show him? (33:18)
32. With what is God’s “goodness” made synonomous?
(33:19, 22)
33. What would God proclaim to Moses? (33:19)
34. What is the significance of “I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious” in the setting (context) in which it was
uttered? (33:19)
35. What can man not see and yet live? (33:20, 23; Compare
I Timothy 6:15-16; John 1:18. Compare Ex. 24:lO.)
36. What was the “place by me” (God)? (33:21; 34:2, 6)
37. How would God “cover” Moses as He passed by? (33:21-22)
38. What would Moses see of God? (33:23)

EXODUS
THIRTY-THREE:
GODAND ISRAEL
IN TENSION!

1. God’s presence withdrawn; (33:1-3).

2. The people in mourning; (33:4-6).
3. The meeting-tent removed from camp; (33:7-11).
4: The mediator in prayer; (33:12-23).

HIS FACE!(33:l-7)
WHENGODWITHDRAWS
1. We journey without Him; (33:l-7).
2. We confront Him with danger; (33:3, 5).
3. We mourn; (33:4, 6).
4. We seek Him at the distant place; (33:7).

THEFAR-OFF
TENTOF GOD(33:7-11)
1. Placed afar-off because of sin; (33:7-8).
2. Sought by men in need; (33:7).
3. Fully accessible to the chosen mediator; (33:8-11).

734
 G O D AND ISRAEL IN TENSION 33:l-23
GOD’SABOUNDINGGRACE(33:12-17)

Grace, the source of hope ...

1. To remove uncertainties; (33:12).
2. To learn God’s way; (33:13).
3. To know God; (33:13).
4. To have God’s presence; (33:14-17).

SEEINGGOD’SGLORY(Ex. 33:18-23)

1. Man’s desire to see God’s glory; (33:18).

2. Man’s limitations in seeing God’s glory; (33:20, 23).
3. God’s grace in showing His glory; (33:19).
4 . God’s assistance in revealing His glory; (33:21-22).

NOTES ON CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE
EXODUS:
EXPLORING
1

I 1, What is in Exodus thirty-three?

I The chapter tells of the tense period between Moses’
I prayer for Israel (32:31-34) and God’s re-acceptance of
I Israel (33:14, 17). The early part of the chapter tells of
I God and Israel in tension, but it ends with the tension
I relieved and Moses asking God to show him His very glory.
I The theme of the Lord’s presence pervades all of chapter
33. How can a sinful people continue to experience God’s
presence at all? How can Israel survive without God’s
presence among them?
2. What are the critical theories about chapter thirty-three?
Some critical scholars have expressed the view that this
chapter consists of material from several sources. M. Noth
considers 33:1-6 to be mostly of “Deuteronomistic origin’’
(sixth century) and not to be from just one source. He

‘Cole, op. cit., p. 222.

735
33:l-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

feels 33:7-11 is an old prehpriestly, pre-deuteronomistic

tradition possibly “taken up” by J.*
On the other hand Broadman Bible Commentary (1969)
attributes 33:7-11 to E (supposedly after J), and 33:12-16
to J (tenth ~entury).~ Obviously there is not a unity of
opinion about the “sources.”
A view much more in harmony with the scripture itself
and with the archaeological evidences is that of Cassuto:
For two consecutive passages [like 32:34-35 and
33:l-41 to treat of the same theme, with a few vari-
ations, was a common feature of [ancient] epic poetry.
It will suffice, for instance, to point out that in the
Ugaritic epic of Aqhat [fifteenth century B.C.] Daniel’s
action in a year of dearth is recounted in two successive
paragraphs, which are identical except for the change
of a few synonym~.~
Thus it appears that Moses wrote in the literary style
of his time, and that suspicions about sources and additions
are not based on solid evidence.
3. Where was Moses directed to go? (33:1)
He was directed to go ~ l pwith the people into the land
God had sworn to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God’s wrath of 32:lO had been softened by Moses’ inter-
cession. Compare 32:31. God was now allowing them to
go up to the land. This broadens slightly the promise of
32:34. But still God was not Himself going up with them,
lest he consume them. God refers to the people as “the
people” rather than as “thy people” (as in 32:7). But God
still had not called them “my people.” Compare 33:13.
4. Who would go before Israel? (33:2-3)
An angel would be sent. See 32:34. Ex. 23:20-23 also
refers to an “angel” who would be sent before them. But

’Op. cit., p. 255.

’P.456.
‘Op. cit., p. 425.

736
 G O D AND ISRAEL IN TENSION 33:1-23
the “angel” of 23:20-21 was one like God Himself, if not
actually God himself. On the other hand, the angel of
32:2 and 3 2 3 4 seems to refer to an ordinary angel, and
the verse is a virtual refusal of the direct presence of God.
Moses appealed to God in 33:12-16 to reverse this threat.
Regarding the Canaanite tribes, see 3: 17. Regarding
the “land flowing with milk and honey,” see 3:8.
The reason for God’s refusal to accompany Israel was
“lest I consume thee in the way.” God’s anger toward
Israel was such that if he did go up with Israel, He might
destroy her because of her apostasy. Regarding “stiff-
necked,” see 32:9. God’s presence with them would be a
danger to them rather than a blessing. For in their state
God would be a consuming fire in their midst (Deut. 4:24).
Israel was to be put on a level with other nations. It
would lose its character as the people have a special
covenant connection with Yahweh. See 33:16.
5. How did the Israelites show their sorrow and mourning?
(33:4-6)
As a sign of mourning over the lost presence of God
among them, the Israelites did not put on their ornaments.
More than that, God commanded them to strip off the
ones they were wearing. This practice of not wearing
ornaments became a permanent custom in Israel there-
after. Israel must have seemed like a nation of ascetics and
puritans in the ancient world. Putting off luxurious clothing
and jewelry is a sign of mourning. Compare Ezek. 26:16.
Israel’s.mourning is the first real evidence of repentance
in them. “Blessed are they that mourn” (Matt. 5 4 ) . When
the Lord is not in the midst of His people, it is a time to
mourn1 See James 4:9-10. Christians might well strip off
some ornaments sometimes and mourn.
The “evil tidings” (literally, “this evil word”) was the
news that God would not go up in the midst of them. The
tidings were “evil” in the sense of being painful, but certain-
ly not morally evil. Actually, God was being very long-
suffering to let them live at all.

737
33:1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

The translation “If I go up into the midst of thee, . . .”

is preferable t o the King James reading, “I will come up
into the midst of thee.” The “if” is implied, if not actually
in the Hebrew text.
The “one moment” is the time of a wink, or an instant.
Ex. 3 3 5 could be translated: “(If)I go up in your midst
(for) one instant (wink), I will finish you offl And now put
off your ornament($ from you, that I may know what I
should do to you.”
The wearing of ornaments might indicate a joyous
defiance of God or an indifference to Him. Even in their
humiliation God was uncertain what to do with them.
The “onward” of 33:6 is not actually in the text. It just
reads “from Mt. Horeb.” Horeb is the same as Sinai. See
3:l; 17:6.
The word ‘ktripped” in 33:6 is from the same verb
(natsal) that is translated “spoil” in 12:36: “they despoiled
(or plundered) the Egyptians.” The people who were once
victorious and adorned are now themselves stripped of
their ornaments by their sin.
The ornaments that had been partly used to make a
golden calf were now available to make God’s sanctuary.
Ex. 3 5 2 2 makes plain that such trinkets were a major
source of the offering of gold from the people. Some have
suggested that the ornaments were religious medallions of
some sort, and were associated with foreign gods. There
is no real evidence of this.
6. Where did Moses pitch the Tent? (33:7-8)
He pitched it outside of the camp, quite a ways from
the camp. (The “camp” of the Israelites had definite
boundaries and “gates.” See 32:27.) Moses called this
tent the “Tent of meeting,” the same name that was given
to the tabernacle room called the Holy Place. See 27:21;
2942.
The exact reason for removing the tent from the midst
of the camp is not stated. It is natural to assume that the
separation was brought about by God’s anger toward and
738
 G O D AND ISRAEL IN TENSION 33:l-23
alienation from Israel. Or it may have been a means to
keep a distance between God’s “glory” and the people,
(33:lO)
Although the tent was moved from the midst of the
camp, God had not withdrawn His presence altogether
from them.
As far as we can tell, the removal of the tent was not
done by any command of God, but was an act of spiritual
discernment by Moses, in faith that God would not totally
and finally reject them. (Pink)
When the Israelites now came to seek Jehovah, they had
to depend on Moses. Moses had a very direct communi-
cation with God, more so than any other prophet ever.
See 33:ll; Num. 12:8. He did not commune with God in a
trance or ecstasy, but as directly as one speaking to a friend.
In the Christian church we do not require such a prophet
or direct revelation; for the faith has “once for all been
revealed to the saints” (Jude 3); and we may gain a true
understanding by reading. (Eph. 3:4)
What is the Tent referred to in 33:7? Probably it was a
tent specially designated as the place for talking with God
before the more elaborate Tabernacle was built. Certainly
it was not the Tabernacle-tent itself. It probably was not
Moses’ own tent, for Moses left this Tent after communing
with God, and returned to the camp, presumably to his
own dwelling. Compare 18:7.
The verb “take’’ (or “took”) in 33:7 is in the imperfect
form, which usually indicates incomplete, repeated, or
future action. This is the reason for the translation “Moses
.
used to take. . .” Most interpreters therefore feel that
Moses’ action of taking the tent out from the camp was
not a single event, but one repeated many times.S The same
imperfect “tense’’ form is used with the other verbs in 33:7.
However, in this instance the text clearly indicates that

5Davis, op. cit., p. 293.

739
33:1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

the Tent was not moved back and forth, but remained in
one spot outside the camp, while Joshua stayed there
constantly. Moses came back and forth, but the Tent
stayed. The imperfect therefore does not here have the
meaning of repeated action, as it usually does. Ex. 8:24
(Heb., 8:20) is another example of an imperfect form which
does not express unfinished action, and is translated “The
land was corrupted.”
7 . What indicated God’s presence at the Tent? (33:9-11)
The pillar of cloud over the tent indicated God’s presence
there, like a flag-pole over a royal palace would point it out.
When Moses entered the Tent, the pillar of cloud de-
scended, and Jehovah spoke to Moses. See Num. 14:14 and
Ex. 13:21-22 concerning the cloud. Ex, 40:34-35 describes
a pillar of cloud that covered the completed tabernacle.
This surely was the same cloud as that of 33:9.
The subject of the verb “spake” in 33:9 is not stated,
but obviously it is Jehovah.
When the cloud descended, the people would rise up
and worship (bow down), each man at this own tent door.
The mention of Joshua stresses his closeness to Moses
and to the sacred Tent, and therefore to God. Compare
17:9; 24:13; 32:17. Joshua received a befitting preparatory
exposure to the people before he became the successor to
Moses. He was a constant guard at the Tent.
It appears from Numbers 11:26 and possibly 12:4 that
the Tent where Moses met God outside the camp was
preserved even after the tabernacle was constructed; and
that on some occasions of rebellion, unbelief, and murmur-
ing among the people that God would appear in the cloud
over this out-of-camp tent. This would surely dramatize
Israel’s estrangement from God at such times.
8. What information, revelation, and consideration did Moses
wantfvom God?
(1) He wanted to know the identity and status of the
angel that God said He would send with them (33:2).
(2) He wanted to know God’s “way,” and (3) to know God
740
 G O D AND ISRAEL IN TENSION 33:l-23
himself. (4) He wanted God to consider that the Israelites
were HIS people.
Moses was fearful (rightly sol) that Israel would never
make it through their journeys without God’s own presence
with them. Who was this “angel” that god said he would
send with them? Moses was uneasy, even after the promise
of 331-2.
The conversation between Moses and God in 33:12-23
seems to have taken place in the Tent of meeting (33:8-9):
M. Noth writes that beginning with 33:12 Moses is “once
again imagined” as being present on the rnountaine6But
this is hardly so.
The conversation of 33:12-14 is an illustration of the
intimate way Moses was able to talk with God.
The command to “Bring up this people” was that which
was spoken in 32:34.
We do not know when God had spoken the words of
33:12, “I know thee by name, and thou hast also found
favor in my sight.” Compare 33:17.
Moses asked God, ::$how me now thy wuy.” The Hebrew
word for “way” is spelled as a singular word (as in K.J.V.),
although most translations render it as “ways,” We prefer
the singular translation. The Greek O.T. translated (or
paraphrased) the expression very perceptively: “Reveal thy-
self to me.” That is really what Moses wanted. To know
God’s “way” is to know God himself.
Possibly the “way” could refer to the route through the
desert that God would lead them over. (We doubt this view.)
The purpose for which Moses requested to know God’s
way was that he might “know thee, so that I may find
favor and grace in thy sight.” One act of grace (33:13a)
would lead to obtaining even greater grace. One revelation
of God’s way would lead to an even deeper knowledge of
God.

OOp. cit., p. 256.

74 1
33: 1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

Finally Moses wanted God to “look upon this nation as

THY people.” Compare Deut. 9:29! God had spared their
lives, and agreed to let them go to the promised land. But
Moses wanted God to accept them again as His own people.
9 . Did God agree to go up personally with Israel to the
promised land? (33:14-16)
Yes. God pledged, “My presence shall go with thee.”
This may mean that the same divine “angel of his presence”
promised in 23:20-22 would continue to accompany Israel.
Compare Isa. 63:9. This angel’s presence was God’s own
presence. That was guarantee enough that they would
’
attain their goal.
“Presence” (literally, “face”) may refer to God’s literal
presence, or to His gracious care (Ps. 24:6), or to His
personal activity. “My presence” could mean “my person,”
as in 11 Sam. 17:ll.
The “rest” promised was the secure possession of the
promised land. See Deut. 3:20; 12:lO; Josh. 1:13, 15;
21:44;22:4; Heb. 4:8. Rest is always the longed-for goal of
those on a journey.
Moses was glad for the promi‘se of God’s presence. How
otherwise could it be known that Moses and the people
had found favor in God’s sight, except that God was in
their midst? Observe Moses’ stress in 33:16 on “thy people”
(stated twice).
Israel’s distinctiveness lay in their fellowship with God.
This made them separate from all other nations. Num.
23:9; I1 Sam. 7:22-24; I Kings 8:53.
Moses seemed to have a fear, even after the reassurance
of 33:14, that the evil root of the people’s rebelliousnes
might yet cause God’s presence to depart from them.
See 34:9. He wanted God’s presence to be guaranteed by
God’s irreversible commitment, and not on the people’s
future faithful conduct. He sought guaranteed grace!
10. Did God agree to accept again the people as His? (33:17)
Yes! The acceptance was complete. God’s acceptance
of the people was based upon His acceptance of Moses.
74 2
 G O D A N D ISRAEL IN TENSION 33:l-23
God said, “I know you by name.” Compare 33:12. What
an illustration this is of our acceptance by God because
of Christ‘s merit and His intercession for us1 Rom. 8:34;
Isa. 53: 12.
11. What all-surpassing thing did Moses ask God to show
him? (33:18-19)
He asked to see God’s own glory. He wanted a revela-
tion surpassing all former revelations (such as those of
16:7, 10; 24:16-17). There had been an obvious withholding
of full revelation of God’s glory in the former revelations,
as wonderful as they had been.
We do not know exactly why Moses made this request.
Possibly his sense of competency as a leader had been
shaken by the events associated with the golden calf.
Perhaps he just desired the closest association with God
that could be had.
God granted Moses’ request, not totally, but in a very
large degree. God declared He would make all his “good-
ness” (Heb., ‘(good”) to pass before Moses, and would
proclaim the name of Jehovah before him. Proclaiming
the “name” of Jehovah seems to mean proclaiming His
nature and person. See 34:6-7.
The “I” at the start of 33: 19 is emphatic.
Observe that God’s goodness and God’s glory are equated
in 33:19, 22. God’s glory is goodness. “Goodness” (Heb.,
tov) means “excellence” (Ps. 119:66), “fairness,” “beauty”
(Hosea 1O:l l), “joy” (Isa. 65: 14), “prosperity,” “fortune,”
etc, “Goodness” here probably refers both to the brilliancy
that strikes the senses; and also to the spiritual and ethical
goodness of the divine being. See Ps. 31:19. Goodness
is beautiful and glorious!
God declared in 33:19, “I will be gracious to whom I will
be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show
mercy.” Possibly God added this declaration here because
Moses had repeatedly appealed to God on the basis of
grace (or favor), See 33:12, 13, 16. God’s words in 33:19b
seem like a gentle reminder that although He would grant
74 3
33~1-23 EXPLORING EXODUS

Moses’ request, pleas based on grace alone have limitations.

God was not less gracious than Moses was, but God Him-
self would determine how far grace and mercy would be
extended. Moses could not expect an unregulated supply
of grace. Perhaps also God’s words hint that it was an
act of grace for God to show Moses his “goodness.”
Observe that grace and mercy are among the most
prominent attributes of God. In God‘s great self-proclama-
tion He declared Himself merciful and gracious (34:6).
“Man is never nearer to the Divine than in his compassion-
ate moments.” (J. H. Hertz)
Paul quoted part of Ex. 33:19 in Romans 9:lS to justify
God’s choice of Jacob over Esau and the temporary fall of
the Jews from God’s favor. God is above man’s power to
defy Him or even question Him when He makes a choice
as to how grace is to be dispensed.
12. Can man see God? (33:20)
“Man shall not see me and live.” Therefore God would
not allow Moses to see His “face.” Seeing “me” refers
to the same act as seeing “my face.” This meant seeing
God in His limitless glory.
Numerous scriptures affirm that man cannot see God,
and that no man has seen God. I Tim. 6:16; John 1:M;
6:46; I John 4:12. There was an awareness in the ancient
world that seeing God was dangerous. (Judges 6:22; 13:22;
Isaiah 6:6)
Nonetheless, some people have seen God! (1) the elders
(Ex. 24:lO); (2) Jacob (Gen. 32:30); (3) Abraham (Gen.
18:l); (4) Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:l); Isaiah (Isa. 6:l); etc. There
is NO contradiction in this fact with the truth that “man
shall not see me and live.” Those who saw God either
saw a partially concealed view of Him, or saw that God-
one called the WORD, through whom God has always
communicated Himself, and who later came into the world
as Jesus. Compare Isaiah 6:l-10 and John 12:41.
13. Where would Jehovah “pass by” Moses: (33:21-23)
He would pass by a cleft in the rock, in which Moses

744
 I G O D AND ISRAEL I N TENSION 33:l-23
would be covered.
The “place by me” where Moses was to stand ”upon
the rock” was at the “top of the mount” (34:2).
I
The passing-by of God’s glory (33:22) seems to be the
act related in 34:6. God “passed by” Elijah at Mt. Horeb
! somewhat as He passed by Moses. (I Kings 19:ll)
The “glory” of 33:22 is called “goodness” in 33:19.
I The “cleft of the rock” may refer to a cave. Elijah was
I in a cave when God passed by (I Kings 19:9, 13). “Cleft”
I (Heb. niqruh) simply means a hole or dug-out place.
I God’s “hand” would cover Moses in the cleft while His
I unviewable glory passed over. Then God would take away
His hand and Moses would see his “back” or “back part.”
I I
I
It would be like seeing the sun by seeing its afterglow just
after it set; or like seeing a ship by the magnitude of the
wake it left behind it. There is no other way that man
~
can behold God.
I “Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
I Grace hath hid me safe in theel” (Toplady/Pink)
I
I
“He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.” (Fanny J. Crosby)
Commentators almost unanimously have written that
the references to God’s “hand,” “face,” and “back parts”
must be understood as human terms used to describe the
indescribable aspects of God’s being in terms as definite
as we can comprehend them. There is surely much truth
in this, because God fills heaven and earth (Jer. 23:24)
and inhabits eternity (Isa. 57:15). However, we must
remember that we cannot improve upon the description
of the event that is given. It is easy to explain away the
specific reality of the event by trying to explain it abstractly.
It is better to have the child-like faith that visualizes Moses
in the cleft of the rock, covered by the hand of God,. than
to utter abstractions that make God unreal.

745
34~1-35 E X P L O R I N G EXODUS

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Hew thee two tables
34 of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon the
tables the words that were on the first tables, which thou
brakest. (2) And be ready by the morning, and come up in the
morning unto mount Si-nai, and present thyself there to me
on the top of the mount. (3) And no man shall come up with
thee; neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount;
neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. (4) And
he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Mo-ses
rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Si-nai,
as Je-ho-vah had commanded him, and took in his hand two
tables of stone. ( 5 ) And Je-ho-vah descended in the cloud,
and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Je-
ho-vah. (6) And Je-ho-vah passed by before him, and pro-
claimed, Je-ho-vah, Je-hs-vah, a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth; (7)
keeping lovingkiidness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guiZty,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon
the children’s children, upon the third and upon the fourth
generation. (8) And Mo-ses made haste, and bowed his head
toward the earth, and worshipped. (9) And he said, If now I
have found favor in thy sight, 8 Lord, let the Lord, I pray
thee, go in the midst of us; for it is a s-ecked people; and
pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thiie in-
heritance.
(10)And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy
people I will do marvels, such as have not been wrought in all
the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among which
thou art shall see the work of Je-ho-vah; for it is a terrible
thing that I do with thee. (11)Observe thou that which I com-
mand thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Am-
or-ite, and the Ca-nmn-ite, and the Hit-tite, and the Per-iz-zite,
and the Hi-vite, and the Jeb-u-site. (12)Take heed to thyself,

746
 THE COVENANT RENEWED 34:l-35
lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land
whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
(13) but ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces
their pillars, and ye shall cut down their A-she-rim (14) (for
thou shalt worship no other god: for Je-ho-vah, whose name is
Jealous, is a jealous God); (15) lest thou make a covenant with
the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot after their
I
I gods, and sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee and thou
I eat of his sacrifice; (16)and thou take of their daughters unto
thy sons, and their daughters play the harlot after their gods,
and make thy sons play the harlot after their gods. (17) Thou
I shalt make thee no molten gods.
I
(18) The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven
days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee,
1
I
at the time appointed in the month A-bib; for in the month
A-bib thou camest out from E-gypt. (19) All that openeth the
I womb is mine; and all thy cattle that is male, the firstlings of
1 cow and sheep. (20) And the firstling of an ass thou shalt re-
deem with a lamb: and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou
1
shalt break its neck. A91 the first-born of thy sons thou shalt
redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
I (21)Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou
I shalt rest: in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. (22)
I
And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first-
fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the
year’s end. (23)Three times hi the year shall all thy males
appear before the Lord Je-ho-vah, the God of Is-ra-el. (24)
I For I will cast out nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders:
neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou goest up to
appear before Je-ho-vah thy God three times in the year.
(25) Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with
leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the
passover be left unto the morning. (26)The first of the first-
fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of Je-
ho-vah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s
milk.
(27) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Write thou these
747
34:1-35 EXPLORING E X O D U S

words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant
with thee and with Is-ra-el. (28) And he was there with Je.
ho-vah forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread,
nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of
the covenant, the ten commandments.
(29) And it came to pass, when Mo-ses came down from
mount Si-nai with the two tables of the testimony in Mo.ses’
hand, when he came down from the mount, that Mo-ses knew
not that the skii of his face shone by reason of his speaking
with hi. (30) And when Aar-on and all the children of Is-
ra-el saw Mo-ses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they
were afraid to come nigh him. (31) And Mo-ses called unto
them; and Aar-on and all the rulers of the congregation re-
turned unto him: and Mo-ses spake to them. (32)And after-
ward all the children of Is-ra-e1 came nigh and he gave them
in commandment all that Je-ho-vah had spoken with him in
mount Si-nai. (33) And when Mo-ses had done speaking with
them, he put a veil on his face. (34) But when Momses went
in before Je-ho-vah to speak with h i , he took the veil off,
until he came out; and he came out, and spake unto the chil-
dren of Is-ra-el that which he was commanded. (35) And the
children of Is-ra-el saw the face of Mo-ses, that the skii of
Mo-sed face shone; and Mo-ses put the veil upon his face
again, until he went in to speak with him.

EXPLORING EXODUS:CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE

1. After careful reading, propose a brief title or topic for the

chapter.
2. What was Moses to hew out? (34:1, 4)
3. Who would write the words on the tablets? (34:l; Deut.
10:2,4)
4. Is a little blame laid upon Moses for breaking the first
tablets? (34: 1)

748
 THE COVENANT RENEWED 34:l-35

5. Who was to come up into Mt. Sinai with Moses? (34:2-3)

6. Had anyone gone with Moses up on the mount during
the first stay there? (24:13)
7 . To what part of the mount was Moses to come? (34:3)
8. In what did Jehovah descend onto the mount? (345;
Compare 19:18; 24:15-16.)
9. What did Jehovah proclaim? (34:s)
10. List the characteristics which Jehovah proclaimed about
himself. (34:6-7)
11. Why should God visit the iniquity of fathers upon the
children? (36:7; Compare 205-6.)
12. What three things did Moses ask God to do for the people?
(34:9)
13. What did God declare he would make? (34:10, 27)
14. How impressive would God’s marvels be before the people?
(34:10)
15. What was to be done with the Amorites, Canaanites, etc.
(34:11)
16. What was to be done with Canaanite religious objects?
(34:13)
17, What could making a covenant with the inhabitants of
the land lead to? (34:12, 15-16)
18. What are “molten gods”? (34:17; 32:4, 8, 24)
19. What was to be done or not done during the feast of Un-
leavened Bread? (34:18)
20. What animals did God claim as his? (34:19)
21. What things were to be redeemed? (34:20; 13:12-13;
Num. 18:15-16)
22. At what particular times were the people to be sure to rest
on the seventh (Sabbath) days? (34:21)
23. How many compulsory feasts were to be attended by male
Israelites each year? (34:22-23)
24. Why should the enlargement of the Israelites’ borders
strengthen their obligation to keep the three annual feasts?
(34:24)
25. What was not to be offered with the blood of the sacrifices?
(34:25)
74 9
34:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

26. How many of the covenant laws of 34:lO-26 have parallels

in the “covenant book” of Ex. chs. 20-23? (This will
require some research.)
27. What was Moses to do with the words that God spoke?
(34:27)
28. What did Moses not do during the time he was with Je-
hovah? (34:28)
29. What words are called the “words of the covenant”?
(34:28) Were these words an eternal covenant? (Jer. 31:31-
32; I1 Cor. 3:6-11)
30. What was unusual about Moses’ appearance when he
came down from the mount? (34:29) What had caused this?
31. How did the people react to Moses’ appearance? (34:30)
32. Could the people look at Moses without being blinded?
(34:30-31, 35)
33. To whom did Moses speak the words of the command-
ment which Jehovah spoke with him? (34:32)
34. When did Moses put on a veil? (34:33)
35. Why did Paul say that Moses put on the veil? (I1 Cor. 3:13)
36. Did Moses wear the veil when he came in before Jehovah
(in the tent of meeting)? (34:34-35)

THIRTY-FOUR:
EXODUS THECOVENANTRENEWED
1. The tablets restored; 34:l-4.
2. God’s name proclaimed; 345-9.
3. God’s covenant pledged; 34:lO.
4. God’s ordinances commanded; 34:ll-26.
5. God’s words written; 34:27-28.
6. God’s commandments reported; 34:31-32.
7. Moses’ face shines; 34:29-30, 33-35.

750
 THE C O V E N A N T RENEWED 34:l-35

SERMONON THENAME OF GOD(Ex, 34:s-7)

I, An introduction by the Infinite God; 34:s.
11. A theme beyond compare (THE NAME!); 34:s.
111, An exposition (development)in detail; 34:6-7.
1. Jehovah, Jehovah (A name doubly-declared).
2. God (Mighty one!)
3. Merciful!
4. Gracious!
5. Slow to anger1
6. Abundant in lovingkindness!
7 . Abundant in truth!
8. Keeping lovingkindness for thousands!
9. Forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.
10. Will by no means clear the guilty!
11. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children!

RENEWING (34:lO-26)
THE COVENANT

1. Promise of the covenant; 34:lO.

2. Prohibitions in the covenant; 34:ll-17, 25.
3, Practices (or precepts) in the covenant; 34:18-24.

OF HIS
GOD’SREQUIREMENTS PEOPLE
(34:18-24) ,

1. Keep the feasts; 34:18, 22-23.

2. Present your firstborn; 34:20.
3. Come before me with an offering; 34:20.
4. Keep the day of rest; 34:21.

THEGLOWFROM GOD’SPRESENCE
(34:29-35)

1. Comes from speaking with God; (34:29).

2. Comes upon a man unawares; (34:29).
75 1
34:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

3. Frightens sinful men; (34:30),

4. Veiled in men’s presence; (34:33).
5. Unveiled in God’s presence; (34:34-35).

THEFADING AND UNFADING GLORY

(EX.34:33; I1 Cor. 3:13-18)
1. The fading old covenant glory was veiled.
2. The unfading new covenant glory is unveiled.

EXPLORING NOTES ON CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR

EXODUS:
1. What is in Exodus thirty-four?
The chapter tells of God’s making a covenant anew with
Moses and Israel. The broken tablets of the ten command-
ments were replaced (34:l-4, 28). God proclaimed to
Moses His basic nature (345-9). God set forth some of the
laws He required the people to keep under the renewed
covenant (34:lO-26). (Nearly all of these laws are repeated
from the decalogue and the covenant book of chs. 21-23.)
Again, as at the ratification of the covenant the first time
(24:4-8), Moses wrote the words of God and told them to
the people (34:27-35). When Moses came down to the
people with the covenant words, his face shone. Moses
veiled his face after uttering God’s words to the people.
“The whole chapter is a magnificent witness to Moses’
power of intercession before God.’’ (Ramm, op. cit., p. 193)
2. What are the critical theories about Exodus thirty-four?
Many critics have held that Exodus 34 is a separate
account of the giving of the Sinai covenant by a different
author. Chapters 19-24 have been attributed to E (an
eighth century Northern Kingdom Elohistic writer), and
chapter 34 to J (tenth century Jehovistic writer), who
adapted old Canaanite rituals. Many critics have followed

752
 THE COVENANT RENEWED 34:l-35
the conjecture of the German poet Goethe, who in 1773 said
that the regulations of 34:14-26 could be grouped into
ten laws, and that these laws were actually the original
ten commandments! Chapter 20 has been entitled the
“ethical” (or moral) decalogue and chapter 34 the “ritual”
(or cultic) decalogue. M. Noth says that these titles “express
quite pertinently, though in somewhat unhappy terminology,
a difference in the predominant interest [of the authors of
chs. 20 and 341, but we cannot speak of a fundamental
opposition.”‘ Supposedly chapter 34 was written by a man
predominantly interested in religious rituals, and came
from an agricultural society; whereas chapter 20 was written
by one primarily concerned with ethics, whose cultural
and social setting cannot be identified. Such nonsense!
Only by assuming that Exodus 34 has a corrupt, jumbled-
up text can Exodus 34:14-26 be arranged into ten comm-
mandments. Noth admits that the passage (34:lO-26) now
offers more than ten commandments, but he regards it
as being full of later “deuteronomistic” insertions. * Goethe
himself in his later and riper years spoke of his alleged
discovery of ten commandments in Ex. 34:14-26 as a
“freakish notion” due to insufficient knowledge.
Actually Ex. 34:l makes it perfectly clear that chapter
34 is a RENEWAL of the original covenant and not a
distinct version of the covenant by another author. Also
Deut. 9:9-20, 25-29; 1O:l-5, 10-11 indicates that Exodus
was a renewal of the covenant.
Almost all of the laws in 34: 11-26 are like laws in chapters
20-23. This is easily understandable if chapter 34 is a
renewal of the covenant of 20-23; but it is hard to explain
if chapter 34 was a separate covenant document by a
different author and two centuries older than chapter 20.
We should shun the terms “ethical decalogue” and

‘Op. cit., p, 265.

’Op. cit., p. 262.
3Quoted in J. H . Hertz, The Pentateuch and Haforuhs, p. 368.

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34:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

‘‘ritual decalogue.”
3. What was Moses to bring up into the mount? (34:l-4;
Deut. 10:1-2)
He was to bring two new tablets of stone. Moses was
to hew these out and then God would write upon them
the words that were on the first tablets.
The first set of tablets had been completely the work
of God, both the hewing out of the tablets and the writing
(32:16).
God’s comment to Moses concerning the first tablets
“which you broke” seems to us a gentle reprimand to
Moses. “You broke them; you replace them.” Keil and
Delitzsch, suggest that God had Moses remake the tablets
to show.the same zeal that he showed in breaking them.
Moses was to be “ready” when he came up to God. Per-
haps the “readiness” was similar to that commanded in
19:10-11, 1445.
The “top of the mount” was the “place by me” of 33:21.
Moses was to go up completely alone this time. Not
even Joshua was to go along. Compare 24:13.
No flocks nor herds were to feed before the mount while
Moses was up in it. This restriction is similar to that im-
posed when the commandments were first given (19:12-13).
Compare Hebrews 12:20.
God seems to have wanted His covenant WRITTEN.
See 33:27; 24:4.
4. What did the LORD proclaim about himselj? (345-7)
He proclaimed the name of Jehovah. The NAME of
Jehovah expresses all that Jehovah is and does. Compare
Ex. 6:3. God proclaims His saving ways; He proclaims
Himself.
Luther called 34:6-7 the “Sermon on the name of the
Lord.” It reveals the most hidden nature of Jehovah. It is
impossible to express the Lord’s nature better than by
His name.
The proclamation of the name of the Lord is a fulfill-
ment of the promise in 33:19.
754
 THE COVENANT RENEWED 34:l-35
The statement that Jehovah descended in the cloud is
somewhat similar to 19:20. We suppose that it was at this
time that Jehovah covered Moses in the cleft of the rock
as He passed by (33:22). What Moses saw of God is not
stated.
Some interpreters have translated 34:5b, “He (Moses)
stood with him (God) there, and called upon the name.”
This is a grammatically possible translation, but is surely
not the preferred one.
Exodus 34:s-7 is the second revelation of the NAME
of the LORD. The first revelation (in 3:14-15) was of Yah-
weh as the self-existent savior, This revelation of the name
is of a loving, forgiving, but NOT overindulgent savior.
Jewish interpreters (quite justly!) make much of 34:6-7,
calling it The Thirteen Attributes of the Divine N a t ~ r e . ~
Jewish interpreters have some variations among themselves
in the way they divide 34:6-7 into thirteen attributes, but
this is one such analysis:
(1) The LORD; (2) The LORD. (The Talmud explains
the repetition of God’s name as indicating that God is
merciful to a man both before he sins and after he sins.
Whatever change has to be wrought must be in the heart
of the sinner, not in the nature of d e i t ~ . ~ )(3)
; God (or
Mighty one); (4) merciful; (5) gracious; (6) longsuffering;
(7) abundant in lovingkindness (Heb., hesed); (8) abundant
in truth; (9) keeping mercy to thousands; (10) forgiving
iniquity (or guilt); (11) forgiving transgression; (12) for-
giving sin; (13) will by no means clear the guilty.
We do not regard the division of these descriptions of
God into thirteen points as a divine revelation. But we
thank God for providing us this description of his glorious
(6
name,” and we worship Him!
Similar descriptions of God are in Psalm 103:8; 86:lS;
Num. 14:18; Deut. 5:9-10.

‘J. H. Hertz, op. cit., pp. 362, 364,

51bid.

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34~1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

Some of the very FIRST things God says about Himself

are that He is merciful and gracious. Compare 33:19!
To “clear” (34:7) means to declare innocent, to let go
unpunished.
Observe the balance between love and justice, grace
and firmness in God’s nature.
Concerning “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the
children,” see notes on 2 0 5 .
Some interpreters interpret 34:7a to mean “thousands of
generations.” The word generations is not actually in the
text at that point. There have been barely two hundred
generations of men since creation.
The synonyms for sin in 33:7 are hard to distinguish
precisely. Possibly iniquity refers to turning from the right
course; transgression is rebellion; and sin is an act of
missing the desired mark.6
5. What was -$Moses’response to God’s self-proclamation?
(34~8-9)
He responded by worship and by asking for acceptance
of the people. He took advantage of God’s description of
Himself as merciful and gracious to ask a favor.
Anyone who becomes aware of God as He described
Himself in 34:6-7 will hurry, and bow, and worship. What
is worship other than a heartfelt acknowledgement of the
greatness of the Lord?
The request that the Lord (Heb., Adonay) would go
awith them is repeated from 33:15-16. God had already
accepted this request in 33:14, 17; but seemingly Moses
was still uneasy about the matter, not because he did not
trust God, but because the people were “stiffnecked.”
Note that Ex. 34:9 uses the name Adonay (meaning “my
Lord”) as God’s title.
Moses did not pray for God to give them an inheritance,
but to take them as His inheritance. Compare Zech. 2:12.

Tassuto, op. cit., p. 440.

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 THE COVENANT RENEWED 34:l-35
6. What did God promise to make and do before the people?
(34:lO)
God promised to make a covenant, and to do marvels.
Thus the request of 34:9 was answered and accepted by
the promise of 34:lO.
The first and the last I in 34:lO are emphatic personal
pronouns.
The verb “make” is a participle, indicating in some way
a continuous action.
God’s covenant would be like certain treaties and cove-
nants called suzerainty treaties. Ancient kings (such as
the Hittites) would make such covenants with their people.
As covenants proclaimed by a superior to vassals, their
effectiveness and force depended not on compliance by
both parties to specified terms, but on the unilateral
declaration and determination of the covenant-maker.’
God spoke to Moses (in 34:lO) of “thy” people. But this
expression no longer carried the idea of alienation that it
carried right after the golden calf was made (32:7).
God promised to do “marvels” before “thy people.”
“Marvels” is a term referring to anything wondrous, or
of which men stand in awe. The term was used in 3:20 to
refer to the plagues sent upon Egypt. See also Judges
6:13; Psalm 26:7.
The marvels are spoken of (literally) as being “created.”
This term suggests that the likes of these marvels was
never known before. Probably the marvels are the deliver-
ances during future desert wanderings and the conquest
of Canaan. The “covenant” was to include a host of
miracles, such as driving out the Canaanites. See Deut.
4:38. God is a God of miracles, not a subject for theological
speculation.
“Terrible” means fearsome, fearful, dreadful, wonder-
ful, astonishing. Compare Deut. 10:21; Psalm 1456.

’Cole, op. cit., pp, 228, 229.

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34:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

Probably 34:lO is the preamble to the covenant, and we

should regard 34:ll as starting a new paragraph (as in
R,s.V.), Cole feels we should take verses 10-11 as closely
jdined together, and together forming the covenant pre-
amble.
The terms of the covenant in Ex. 34:ll-26 are in NO
way to be considered the complete covenant requirements.
They are only a sampler of the full requirements set forth
in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The same thing
was true of the longer set of ordinances in Exodus 20-23,
as explained in our notes before. The very absence of the
ten commandments in Ex. 34 shows that it was not a full
statement of the covenant.
7. What did God command about the Canaanites? (34:ll-16;
Compare 23:23-24, 32-33; Deut. 7:l-5; 12:2-3.)
Israel was t o make no covenant with them, and was to
destroy their religious objects utterly. Sadly, Israel later
violated this command repeatedly. See Judges 2:l-2, 11-13;
Josh. 9:3-27; Psalm 106:34-39.
It was GOD who would drive out the Canaanites, and
not actually Israel. The verb translated “I drive out”
expresses continuous action: “I am driving out” or “I am
about to drive out.” Compare 23:27-30. God was already
softening up the Canaanites, even before Israel arrived.
Regarding the various Canaanite peoples, see 3:17.
Regarding the “pillars” (K.J.V. “images”), see 23:24.
“Asherim” (K.J.V., “grooves”) were sacred trees or
wooden poles dedicated to Asherah, a goddess of fertility
often associated with Baal or with Baal’s father El. Asherim
are mentioned here for the first time. See Deut. 16:21;
Judges 6:25; I1 Kings 18:4; 21:3.
In the common Hebrew Bible the word for “other” in
34:14 is printed with an enlarged R (resh) (’achaR) so no
one could possibly confuse it with the quite similar-looking
word meaning one (’echad).
The word for “jealous” in 34:14 is a very strong word.
It is used only of God in the Old Testament. It expresses

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 THE COVENANT RENEWED 34:l-35
none of the pettiness that is sometimes associated with
jealousy, but means to burn with zeal, or be provoked to
wrath. See Deut. 4:24; 6:15; Ex. 20:3-5.
Baal worship involved “playing the harlot” quite literally.
See Num. 251-5; Hosea 4:13-14. Certainly it also con-
stituted a spiritual immorality, and it is thus spoken of
here for the first time. Compare Deut. 31:16.
Even the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac had recognized
the dangers of intermarriages with Canaanites. See Gen.
24:3; 28:6; Joshua 23:12.
The commands against the Canaanites are sterner in
34:ll-16 than in 23:23ff, possibly because of the golden
calf incident.
8 . What law was given about molten gods? (34:17)
They were not to be made “unto thee” (same phrase
as in 20:4). “Molten” means melted and cast. The golden
calf was molten (32:4), and therefore this command was a
very live matter. The specific prohibition against molten
images should have been needless after the very compre-
hensive law against idols of all types in 20:4-5; but the
people had failed to heed it.
9. What was the commandment about the feast of unleavened
bread? (34:18)
It was to be observed annually. Compare 12:14, 15-20;

’
I 23:15. (Ex. 34:18 and 23:15 are almost identical verses.)
I
The feast of Unleavened Bread originated with the exodus
rather than from events associated with an agricultural
season, as some critics have alleged.
The Passover is not mentioned among the feasts in
34:18-23, probably because it was not one of the national
feasts to which everyone journeyed, but was a feast observed
in each home. It was very closely associated with the feast
of Unleavened Bread.
Concerning the month Abib, see 13:4; 12:2.
10. What was to be done with thefirstborn? (34:19-20)
They were given to the LORD or redeemed. See 13:2,
12-13; 22:29-30.
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34~1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

See 23:15 concerning the instruction “None shall appear

before me empty.”
The R.S.V. renders 34:19, “All that opens the womb is
mine, all your male cattle, the firstlings, . . . .” A foot-
note by the word “male” says “Gk., Theodotian, Vg., Tg.:
Heb. uncertain.” It is simply not true that the Hebrew is
uncertain. It differs hardly at all from the Greek. The
Hebrew lacks a relative pronoun that we include in English,
Ibut it is quite clear. It reads, “Every firstborn of the womb
(is) mine, and (or even) all thy cattle (that is) born a male,
(the) firstborn of ox and sheep.”
11. What days and feasts was Israel to observe? (34:21-26)
The seventh day (Sabbath) was to be a day of rest.
Compare 20:8-10; 23:12.
The instruction to keep the seventh day as a day of rest
during plowing time (K.J.V., “earing time”) and harvest
time is stated only in this verse. This was a faith-testing
command. Rest days were to be strictly observed even at
the times when the farmer was busiest and in greatest
danger of losing his crop. The Sabbath day was a test of
faith from its very first observance (16:4), and it always
kept this character about it. God’s people still must seek
first the kingdom of God in all their activities. (Matt. 6:33)
The feast of weeks (also called the “feast of harvest” and
the “feast of firstfruits”) came annually in June, after the
harvest. See 23:16; Deut. 16:lO.
The feast of ingathering (also called “Tabernacles” or
“Booths”) came at the “year’s end,” literally at the “revolu-
tion” (or “circuit”) of the year, in September/October.
See 23:16.
Exodus 34:23 is almost identical to 23:17. Compare
23:14.
Exodus 34:23-24 alludes to a central sanctuary, which
the Israelites would set up and go to after conquering the
land. Critics take this as evidence of a post-Mosaic date
for the passage. But those who believe that God can
prophesy about events and places that are yet in the future

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 THE COVENANT RENEWED 34:l-35
will accept the words as they stand. See Isa. 41:4, 23; 44:8.
Some Israelites feared that squatters and land thieves
would claim and occupy their lands while they were away
attending God’s feasts. This was probably more of an
excuse for neglect of worship than any real danger. But
God reassured them that while they were at the feasts,
no one would even covet (desire) their land, much less try
to seize it. Furthermore, He would enlarge their national
borders until there was such an abundance of land that no
one would have any cause to covet his neighbor’s land.
Exodus 34:25 resembles 23:18. Concerning the matter
of not leaving Passover sacrifices uneaten till morning,
see 1210. Ex. 34:26 is similar to 23:19.
Observe the reference to “my sacrifice” in 34:25.
12. What covenant words were written down? (34:27-28)
The covenant commands of 34:lO-26 were to be written
by Moses. The ten commandments themselves were written
by God. Compare 34:l. “These words’’ referred to in 34:27
seem to be the covenant words in 34:lO-26.
From 34:27-28 alone it might be assumed that “he”
who wrote the words of the ten commandments was Moses,
However, this is not definitely asserted here. And the words
of 34:l and Deut. 10:2, 4 are conclusive in asserting that
the writing of the ten commandments was the work of God.
In the same manner that Moses wrote the covenant
ordinances of chapters 21-23, he also wrote the words
of this covenant. (24:4, 7) It appears definite that God
wanted His covenant in written form.
“Tenor” in 34:27 is literally “face.” It is probably best
to translate the expression simply “according to these
words.” (Harkavy’s Lexicon; R. S.V.)
Deut. 1O:lO repeats a fact asserted here, that Moses
fasted during this second stay in the mount. He had also
fasted during the first prolonged stay on the mount.
(Deut. 9:9)
Deut. 1O:l-5 tells that Moses made an ark of acacia
wood for the ten commandments when he came down from

76 1
34: 1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

the mount, and this simple ark became the predecessor of

the ark of the covenant described in 25:lOff.
The ten commandments are specifically identified as
the “words of the covenant” in 34:28. This passage makes
clear to us what words are referred to as the “covenant”
when contrasts are made in the scripture between the “old
covenant’’ and the “new covenant.” (I1 Cor. 3:6-13; Jer.
31:31-32; Heb. 8:7-13).
13. What was amazing about Moses’ appearance when he
came downfrom the mount? (34:29-30)
His face shone, so that both Aaron and the children
of Israel were afraid to come near him. The fear of Israel
when Moses came among them with a glowing face is
understandable after their recent experience with idolatry
and the wrath of Moses!
Moses was unaware that his face was shining. He was
not fully conscious of his own spiritual stature and priv-
ileges. Numbers 12:13 rightly describes him as the meekest
of men. The glow surely proved that Moses had been
with God.
The Hebrew verb translated “shone” (“shot forth
beams”) has a related noun often meaning “horns.” There-
fore the Latin Bible translated Ex. 34:29 as “having horns.”
From this rather bizarre translation, medieval art works,
such as Michaelangelo’s statue at Rome, represent Moses
as having a pair of horns from his head!
The K.J.V. translation of 34:29, “while he talked with
I
him,” is translated more properly “because he had been
talking with God.” (R.S.V.)
Things exposed to light and radiation sometimes glow
even after being removed from the light. Thus Moses,
having been with God who dwells in light unapproachable
(I Tim. 6:16), had acquired some of the glow of God (Rev.
21:23), even though he had seen only the “back part” of God
(33:23). How he would have shone if he had stood before
God in all His glory! God’s glowing glory was manifested
by Christ Jesus at His transfiguration. (Matt. 17:2; Compare
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 THE COVENANT RENEWED 34:l-35

Rev. 1:16.)
The countenance of Moses did not shine after his first
stay on the mount. Probably this happened because the
divine presence was then withdrawn from Israel.
14. What did Moses tell the people after he came down from
the mount? (34:31-32)
Moses spoke (unveiledl) to Aaron and all the rulers of
Israel, giving them in commandment all which the Lord
had told him in Mt. Sinai. Compare 24:3.
The word “returned” in 34:31 suggests that Aaron and
Israel had at first fled in terror from Moses with his shining
face.
The acts of sprinkling the blood and public declaration
of acceptance of the covenant were not done this time, as
they had been done when the covenant was first accepted
(24:3-8). Possibly the reason for this was that this time the
covenant was less based on the people’s compliance and
more on God’s oath and His grace. Note in Judges 2:l
that God declared, “I said, I will never break my covenant
with you.”
Ramm remarks that it is proverbial that second weddings
are very short. And thus at this second making of the
covenant Moses merely assembled the people and an-
nounced the covenant with a minimal statement or two
of what was involved.a
15. When did Moses put on a veil? (34:33-35)
He put it on after he finished speaking with them. He
removed the veil when he went in to speak with Jehovah
(presumably in the tent of meeting). Upon coming out,
he spoke with the children of Israel that which was com-
manded by God. They saw his face shining and unveiled.
Then he put the veil upon his face again, until he went in
again to speak with God.
The Hebrew word for veil (masweh) is used only in this

8Ramm, op. cit., p. 201.

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34~1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

passage; but its meaning seems obvious from the story.

Some interpreters have speculated that the “veil:’ was
actually a priestly mask, such as priests in Egypt wore.
But there is no teal evidence for this idea, and it is con-
trary to the New Testament explanation of the veil.
Paul in I1 Cor. 3:7-18 says that Moses put the veil on his
face so the Israelites would not see the “end” of the glory
that was fading away (I1 Cor. 3:13). The Exodus narrative
does not tell us why Moses wore the veil. It surely was not
because the Israelites were not allowed to see the glow,
or because it was so bright it blinded them. We believe
Paul was an inspired interpreter, not just another specu-
lative rabbinic interpreter.
Paul used the fading glory of Moses’ face as a symbol
of the fading glory of the old covenant that God made
with Moses. That covenant has passed away, like the glow
of Moses’ face.
The veil also was a symbol of the hardening of the minds
of the Israelites in rejecting Christ (I1 Cor. 3:14-15). For
to this day, whenever Moses (that is, the writings of Moses,
or the law) is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. This veil
is removed when they turn to the Lord.
Somewhat as Moses had an unveiled association with
the LORD, so believers in Christ, by the Spirit of the
Lord, view with unveiled face the glory of the Lord, though
beholding it as in a mirror. In the presence of that glory
we are transformed into the same image from glory to
glory. We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
(I John 3:2).

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 0 F F E R I N G, CRAFTS M E N 35: 1-35

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And Mo-ses assembled all the congregation of the
35 children of Is-ra-el, and said unto them, These are the
words which Je-ho-vah hath commanded, that ye should do
them. (2) Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh
day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of solemn rest
to Je-ho-vah: whosoever doeth any work therein shall be put
to death. (3) Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations
upon the sabbath day.
(4) And Mo-ses spake unto all the congregation of the chil-
dren of Is-ra-el, saying, This is the thing which Je-ho-vah
commanded, saying, (5)Take ye from among you an offering
unto Je-ho-vah; whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring
it, Je-ho-vah’s offering: gold, and silver, and brass, (6) and
blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
(7) and rams’ skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia wood,
(8) and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and
for the sweet incense, (9) and onyx stones, and stones to be set,
for the eph-od, and for the breastplate.
(10)And let every wise-hearted man among you come, and
make all that Je-ho-vah hath commanded: (11)the tabernacle,
its tent, and its covering, its clasps, and its boards, its bars,
its pillars, and its sockets; (12)the ark, and the staves thereof,
the mercy-seat, and the veil af the screen; (13) the table, and
its staves, and all its vessels, and the showbread; (14) the
candlestick also for the light, and its vessels, and its lamps,
and the oil for the light; (15)and the altar of incense, and
its staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and
the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; (16) the
altar of burnt-offering, with its grating of brass, its staves, and
all its vessels, the laver and its base; (17) the hangings of the
court, the pillars thereof, and their sockets, and the screen
for the gate of the court; (18) the pins of the tabernacle, and
the pins of the court, and their cords; (19) the fmely wrought
garments, for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments
76 5

. .. ...
35~1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

for Aar-on the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister
in the priest’s office.
(20) And all the congregation of the children of Is-ra-el de.
parted &om the presence of Mo-ses. (21) And they came, every
one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his
spirit made willing, and brought Je-ho-vah’s offering, for the
work of the tent of meeting, and for all the service thereof,
and for the holy garments. (22) And they came, both men and
women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought brooches,
and ear-rings, and signet-rings, and armlets, all jewels of gold;
even every man that offered an offering of gold unto Je-ho-vah,
(23) And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple,
and scarlet, and fine l i e n , and goats’ hair, and rams’ skins
dyed red, and sealskins, brought them. (24) Every one that
did offer an offering of silver and brass brought Je-ho-vah’s
offering; sand every man, with whom was found acacia wood
for any work 6f the service, brought it. (25) And all the women
that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought
that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the scarlet,
and the f i e l i e n . (26) And all the women whose heart stirred
them up in wisdom spun the goats’ hair. (27) And the rulers
brought the onyx stones, and the stones to be set, for the
eph-od, and for the breastplate; (28) and the spice, and the
oil; for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet
incense. (29) The children of Is-ra-el brought a freewill-offering
anto Je-ho-vah; every man and woman, whose heart made them
wllling to bring for all the work, which Je-ho-vah had com-
manded to be made by Mo-ses.
(30) And Mo-ses said unto the children of Is-ra-el, See, Je-
ho-vah hath called by name Be-zal-el the son of U-ri, the son
of Hur, of the tribe of Ju-dah; (31) and he hath filed him with
the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understandig, and in knowl-
edge, and in all manner of workmanship; (32) and to devise
skilful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, (33)
and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to
work in all manner of s k i 1 workmanship. (34) And he hath
put in his heart that he may teach both he, and 0-ho-li-ab,

766
 0 F F E I1 I N C, C R A F T S M E N 35: 1-35
the son of A-his-a-mach, of the tribe of Dan. (35) Them hath
he filled with wisdom of heart, lo work all manner of work.
manship, of the engraver, and of the skilful workman, and
of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and
in f i e linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any
workmanship, and of those that devise skilful works.

EXODUS 35 - 39

These chapters repeat the material in chapters 25-31 al-

most word for word, The earlier chapters gave God’s instruc-
tions about how to build the tabernacle. Chapters 35-39
tell how it was built part by part, following God’s instructions
word by word.
Naturally the forms of the verbs are changed from imperative
(“thou shalt make”; 30:l) to indicative (“he made”; 37:25).
Also the instructions in the earlier chapters about the functions
of the tabernacle equipment are omitted in chapters 35-39
because the rituals associated with the tabernacle parts are
given in the following books. Compare 25:30 with 37:16, and
28:35 with 39:26. Also information about how to set up the
tabernacle parts is omitted in chapters 35-39 because chapter
forty tells about setting up the tabernacle. Compare 25: 16 with
37:5, and 30:18 with 38:18.
The order in which the tabernacle parts are described in
35-39 differs from the order in 25-31. Chapters 35-39
begin with a description of the basic architectural structure -
the curtains, boards, bars, veil, and screen, The earlier chapters
started by describing the most significant furniture - the ark,
table, and lampstand. Possibly the building in which to house
the items of furniture was made before the furniture. More
probably a number of craftsmen were working on different
parts simultaneously (see 36:2), and the order in which the
parts are mentioned is not necessarily the same as the order
of their construction.
767
 35:1-35 E X P L 0 R I N G ‘ E XO D U S

The question naturally arises: Why should there be such

extensive repetition of material in 35-39? Certainly it was not
a mere accidental duplication of documents. The interesting
additions and the rearrangements of material preclude this
possibility.
Possibly the repetition was written t o stress how faithfully
and lovingly Moses carried out God’s instructions. The phrase
“as Jehovah commanded Moses” appears seven times in
chapter thirty-nine and eight more times in chapter forty.
The skeptical critics at once suspect more “sources” as the
explanation for repetition in 35-39. S . R. Driver’ says, “If
chapter 30 be allowed to belong to a secondary stratum of P
[post-exilic Priestly writer], the same conclusion will follow
for these chapters [35-391 as a necessary corollary. For in
chapters 35-39 the notikes referring to chapters 30-31 are in-
troduced in their proper order; and chapter 30 alludes to the
altar of incense.’’ Martin NothZ regards chapters 35-39 as a
later reworking of P. (He attributes chapters 25-31 to P.)
to‘Driver we may observe that while the order in
tabernacle parts are mentioned in chapters 30-31 is
quite similar to that in 36-39, it is not identical. The anointing
oil is mentioned just AFTER the laver in chapter thirty, but
just after the altar of incense in chapter thirty-seven. But even
if the items had been listed in exactly the same order in both
groups of chapters, that would not prove multiple authorship
for Exodus. It would seem to argue even more strongly for a
single author for the book.
Cassuto3 has a most valuable comment. He says that the
repetition in chapters 35-39 has caused some to suspect a
secondary stratum of P. But this conjecture is based on ignor-
ance of the methods employed in the composition of books
in the Ancient East. Thus in the Ugaritic epic of King Keret
(about 1400 B.C.), the king saw El, the father of the gods,

‘Introduction to the Litemture ofthe Old Testament (New York: Meridian, 1958),
p. 42.
lop. cit., p. 274.
30p. cit., p. 453.
768
 0 F F E R I N G, CRAFTSMEN 35:l-35
in a dream, and received from him instructions concerning
the offering of sacrifices, the mustering of an army, and other
things. A t the conclusion of the instructions, we are informed
that King Keret did as El had directed in his dream. And his
actions are described by the literal repetition of the terms of
the instructions, except for changes in the verb form and other
very minor changes - precisely what we find in the latter section
of the book of Exodus. Chapters 35-39 are not therefore a later
document. They are required just where they are, and if they
were not there, we should have to assume that they were
niissing from the text.

EXODUS 35 - 40
IN THE HEBREW AND GREEK BIBLES

In this book we have frequently referred to the wording

of the Greek (Septuagint) Bible. (See Index under “Septu-
agint.”) In chapters 1-34 there is a remarkably close overall
agreement in the readings of the Hebrew and Greek Bible.
There are indeed a few notable passages showing variations
(for example, 1:s and 12:40). But in most chapters only a few
words, or sometimes a single verse, are different.
However, in chapters 35-40 there are very conspicuous
differences between the Greek and Hebrew texts. Both tell of
the construction of the tabernacle, but the order the events
are related is quite different. The information is the same in
both the Hebrew and the Greek, but the order of presentation
certainly is not.
The question naturally arises: Which reading is closer to
the original document of Exodus, the Hebrew or the Greek?
How did the variations develop? Since we do not have the
original document, we simply do not know. Perhaps the Dead
Sea (Qumran) writings may yet shed some light on this.
Although certainty is impossible, we are strongly of the
opinion that the Hebrew text (which is followed in our common
769
35~1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

English Bibles) is preferable to the Greek reading of Ex. 35-

40. Unless there is good evidence otherwise, the Hebrew Old
Testament should consistently be regarded as a more trust-
worthy transmission of God’s word than the Greek. The Greek
is a translation of the Hebrew and has all the weaknesses
inherent in any translation. Furthermore, Jesus endorsed the
religiorr of the Jews as being the way of salvation (John 4:22).
We suppose that this implies that He endorsed the Hebrew
scriptures as the generally reliable ones.
Furthermore yet, there are certainly improbabilities in the
way the Greek text of Ex. 35-40 is arranged. The very first
tabernacle items described are the garments of the priests!
See LXX, chapter 36. It is nearly incredible that the report
about these garments actually preceded information about
the making of the ark, the table, the lampstand, or the basic
tabernacle structure. Also the Greek Bible mentions only the
inner (linen) curtains in discussing the making of the tabernacle
coverings. See LXX, 37:l-2. This just does not match up with
the information in 26:l-14, whereas the Hebrew reading of
36:8-19 corresponds closely to the instructions in chapter
twenty-six. Also it is very surprising to us that the Greek Bible
gives information about such major items as the ark, table,
and lampstand AFTER the information about less prominent
things such as the curtains, veil, screen, and court. See LXX
38:l-17; 37:l-18. (See also the notes on 38:22.)
We know that in a very few verses the Greek Bible gives
a reading that is more correct than the Hebrew. (For example,
Psalm 19:4 has the word for “sound” [or “voice”] in the Greek
Bible, rather than “line,” which the Hebrew has. “Sound”
makes better parallelism with the next line, and is the form
quoted in the New Testament in Romans 10:18.) Nonetheless,
we feel that the Hebrew Bible gives a more trustworthy form
of the material in Ex. 35-40 than the Greek does.
We give here lists of the order of subject matter in Exodus 36-
40 as it is given in the Hebrew Bible and in the Greek Bible.4

Tompare S . R. Driver, Introduction to Literature of Old Testament, p. 41.

770
 OFFERING, CRAFTSMEN 35:1-35

The parallel (or nearly parallel) passages in the other version

are listed alongside, Our lists start at Exodus 36:8, because
the principle divergences begin there. (Admittedly Ex. 358-20
is arranged in a different order in the Greek than in the Hebrew,
but the same material is presented.)
HEBREW(MASORETIC)
TEXT GREEK(SEPTUAGINT)
TEXT
36:8-19 (Tabernacle curtains) 37:l-2 (Much omitted from Heb.)
I 36:20-34 (Boards and bars)
36:35-38 (Veil and screen)
37: 1-9 (Ark)
38:18-21 (Much omitted)
37:3-6
38~1-8
37:lO-16 (Table of showbread) 38~9-12
37: 17-24 (Lampstand) 38:13-17
37:25-28 (Altar of incense) Lacking; Compare LXX 4 0 5 .
37:29 (Anointing oil and incense) 38:25
38:l-7 (Altar of burnt-offering) 38:22-24 (Some differences)
38:8 (Laver) , 38:26
38~9-20(Court) 37:7-18
38:21 (Introduction to sum of materials) 37:19
~ 38:22-23 (Bezalel and Oholiab) 37:20-21
38:24-31 (Materials used) 39:1-10
I 39:l-31 (Priests’ garments) 36:8b-40 (Garments listed in same order in
Heb. & Gr.)
39:32 (Work finished) 39:11
39:33-43 (Deliverv of tabernacle to 39:14-23
Moses)
4O:l-16 (Moses to rear up tab.) 40:1.16 (Vss. 7-8, 11 ofHeb. omitted. Some
other differences also.)
40:17-33 (Tabernacle erected) 40:17-33; 38:27 (40:20b, 28, 29b-32 of
Heb. omitted. LXX 38:27 re-
sembles Heb. 40:30-32.)
40~34-38(Cloud and fire) 40:34-38.

GREEKTEXT HEBREWTEXT
36:8a (Intro. to robes) 36:8a (Intro. to tab. curtains!)
36:8b-40 (Priests’ garments) 39:1-31
37:l-2 (Curtains. Brief) 36:8b-19
37:3-6 (Veil and screen) 36:35-38
37:7-18 (Court) 38~9-20
37:19 (Tab. service for Levites) 38:21
37:20-21 (Bezalel & Oholiab) 38:22-23
38: 1-8 (Ark) 37:l-9
38:9-12 (Table) 37:lO-16
38:13-17 (Lampstand) 37:17-24

771
35:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

38:18-21 (Posts, rings, capitals, hooks, 36:36, 38 (Codsiderably different from the
pins) Greek)
38:22-24 (Altar of burnt-offering) 38: 1-7 (Numerous differences)
38:25 (Anointing oil & incense) 37:29
38:26-27 (Laver) 3 8 ~ 840:30-32
;
39:1-10 (The gold, silver, brass) 38:24-31
39:li (Israelites obey) 39:32b
39:12-13 (Leftover gold and cloth) Lacking
39: 14-23 (Items brought to Moses) 39:33-43
(Items listed in 39:14-21 differ
in order from the Heb.)
4O:l-16 (Tabernacle set up; Greek lacks 40:1-16
40:7-8, 11 of Hebrew.)
40:17-33 (Lacks 40:28,29b-32 of Heb.) 40:17-33
40:34-38 (Cloud and fire) 40:34-38

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
EXODUS:
EXPLORING
ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE
QUESTIONS
1. After careful reading propose a brief title or topic for
chapter thirty-five.
2. What restriction was imposed on kindling fires? (353)
Where was this to be observed?
3. Who was to give an offering? (355, 21, 29)
4. How are the makers of the tabernacle described? (3510;
28:3)
5. What items are referred to as the “tabernacle” and “its
tent”? (3511; Compare 26:1, 7.)
6. What items did the men and women bring in the offering?
35:22-24)
7. What work did the wise-hearted women do? (3525.26;
Compare Prov. 31:19.)
8. Who was the leading craftsman? (3530; Compare 3l:l-5.)
9. Who was the second notable craftsman? (3524)
10. What were the craftsmen to do besides their skilled work?
(35:34)
11. How is the verb “work” translated differently in the Ameri-
can Standard version from the King James version? (36:l)
12. Before whom had the donated materials been placed?
Who came there to receive the materials? (36:2-3)
772
 0 F F E R I N G, CRAFTSMEN 35~1-35

13, When were materials being donated? (36:3)

14. What (joyful!) complaint did the builders have about the
materials available? (36:5-7)

EXODUS
THIRTY-FIVE:
OFFERING, CRAFTSMEN!

I. Offering
1. Called for; 35:4-9.
2. Contributed freely; 3520-29.
11. Craftsmen
1. Called; 3510-19.
2. Commissioned; 3.530-36:l.

THIRTY-FIVE:
EXODUS COMMANDSAND COMPLIANCE

I. The Lord’s commands

1. Sabbath rest; 351-3.
2. Free-will offering; 354-9.
3. Wise-hearted men to come; 3510-19.
11. The people’s compliance
1. Offering collected; 3520-29.
2. Workmen commissioned; 3530-36:l.

A BUILDINGCOMMITTEE’S
DREAM!(35:20-29)

1. Immediate response. (3520-29).

I
2. Willing earnest response. (3521-22).
, 3. Sacrificial response. (3522-24).
I 4. Working response. (3525-26).

773
35:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

MENI (3.510, 30-36:l)

WISE-HEARTED

1. Filled with God’s Spirit; (35x30-31).

2. Skilled ih work; (3532, 35).
3. Committeed to teach others; (3534).

EXPLORING NOTES ON CHAPTER

EXODUS: THIRTY-FIVE

1. What are the parallel passages to the sections in chapter

thirty-jive?
(1) 351-3 (on Sabbath): 20:8-11; 31:12-17; 34:21.
(2) 354-9, 20-29 (on offering): 251-7.
(3) 3510-19 (on craftsmen): 3l:l-11; 3530-36:l;
38:22-23.
2. What was the law about_fires on the Sabbath day? (351-3)
No fires were to be kindled on the Sabbath days through-
out their habitations. Fire was certainly permissible at the
tabernacle on the sabba;ths for the sabbath sacrifices
(Num. 28:9-10). It was only in their habitations that fire
was not kindled.
This law is not stated elsewhere in the O.T.However,
Ex. 16:23 does indicate that the manna for the Sabbath
was to be cooked the day before the Sabbath. This law
about no fires on the sabbath days strengthens the view
that the seventh-day rest was never designed to be kept
in all climates by all nations.
Note (in 351) that Moses assembled ALL the congre-
gation of Israel. What a huge assembly this was, unless
the expression refers only to the heads of the class as
representatives of all the people. However, 3 5 2 0 indicates
that “all the congregation departed from the presence of
Moses” to go get their offerings.
The Sabbath was to be a “holy day,” literally “holiness.”
(352)
The “sabbath of solemn rest” (Heb., shabbath shabbaton)

774
 0 F F E R I N G, C R A F T S M E N 35:1-35

was a “sabbath of entire rest.” See 31:15.

The reference to the sabbath in 351-3 comes as a surprise
so soon after the command in 34:21. Even though 351-3
I seems to be somewhat associated with the covenant stipu-
lations of chapter thirty-four, the text makes clear that
the commandment of 351-3 was delivered on a separate
occasion from those spoken of in 34:31-32. Israel needed
to be reminded to keep the sabbath days during the con-
struction of the tabernacle.
3. Who was to give an offering? (354-9)
“Every one” (Heb., “all”) who was willing (or generous)
in heart was to bring an offering. The willingness is strongly
stressed. See 3521, 22, 29. Grateful hearts give willingly.
God loves a cheerful giver (I1 Cor. 9:7). The temple of
God cannot be built unless everyone takes a part (Eph.
4: 16).
The offering is called (in Hebrew) a “heave-offering”
(terumah). See 252; 29:27-28. This refers to something
“lifted-up” (figuratively) as an offering to God.
See 253-7 concerning the materials mentioned in 355-9.
I 4. How are the makers of the tabernacle described? (3510-19)
They were “wise of heart.” (28:3; 3l:l-5). Their “wis-
dom” was that which was shown by manual and artistic
~

skill. See 3531-32.

The construction work was not limited to Bezalel and
Oholiab (3530, 34), but was shared by every wise-hearted
I man.
I - “Covering” in K.J.V. of 3512 refers to the entrance
I curtain, or screen, at the door of the Holy Place.
“Tabernacle” in 3511 refers only to the inner linen
curtains. See 36:8. “Tent” in 3 5 1 1 refers to the goats’
hair curtains. See 36:14. The term “tabernacle” (same
Hebrew word as in 3511) refers to the entire structure.
Thus the term “tabernacle” (mishkan) had both a broad
application and a specific narrow application.
“Cloths of service” in K.J.V. 3519 are the priests’ gar-
ments. See 31:lO; 39:1, 4.
775
35:1-35 EXPLORING EXODUS

5 . What items were brought as ofserings? (3520-24, 27-29)

They brought items of jewelry - brooches (K.J.V.,
“bracelets”); earrings (the same term applies to both ear-
rings and nose-rings. See Gen. 3.54; Ezek. 16:12; Isa.
3:21); signet-rings (Signet-rings had carved designs on
them which were used to stamp the owner’s name on docu-
ments.); armlets (K.J.V., “tablets.” Literally “globules,”
probably referring to strings of beads, or necklaces).
Note that the rulers brought some expensive items - onyx
stones, spices, etc. (3527-28; 28:9, 17-20).
6. What work did the wise-hearted women do? (3525-26)
They spun goats’ hair into yarn, which was then woven
into cloth. See Prov. 31:19. Spinning was done with a
stick about eighteen inches long. It bore a round weight
(called a spindle-whorl) on one end. This served as a fly-
wheel to help rotate the spindle. A hook on the opposite
end caught the raw wool, and the rotating motion twisted
it into thread or yarn.
7. Who were the two principal tabernacle workmen? (3530-
36: 1)
Bezalel and Oholiab. See 31:l-6; 38:22-23. The obscure
tribe at Dan was honored by supplying a craftsman, as
well as the prominent tribe of Judah.
These.men not only did artistic and craft work them-
selves, but they taught others. “A light that cannot kindle
other lights is but a feeble flame.” (J. H. Hertz) ,
The work of making the tabernacle could only be done
by those with divine enlightenment from the Holy Spirit.
See 3531-35. Note that Gen. 41:38 speaks of administrative
ability and wisdom in social affairs as “the spirit of God.”
We do not often think of manual work and administrative
ability as something that the Spirit of God assists. But on
various occasions this has been so, and probably still is.
The word “engraver” in 3 5 3 5 is translated from a verb
meaning to “cut” or “engrave.” The “skilful workman”
(K.J.V., “cunning workman”) of 3 5 3 5 is one who devises
and thinks out artistic designs and then produces them.
776
 ENCLOSINGS 36:1-38

8 . Is the division between chapters 35 and 36 correct?

It is not correct if chapters are expected to be rather
complete blocks of subject matter. The discussion about
the workmen in chapter 35 goes right on to 36:7, or at
least to 36:l.
Possibly one reason for separating chapters 35 and 36 at
the point where they are divided was the faulty translation
of 36:l in the Greek Bible (which is followed in the K.J.V.).
It translates the verb “work” as a past (aorist), “wrought.”
The Hebrew very plainly gives it as a future (a ‘perfect with
waw consecutive), which should be rendered “shall work.”

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And Be-zal-el and 0-ho-li-ab shall work, and every
36 wise-hearted man, in whom Je-ho-vah hath put wisdom
and understanding to know how to work all the work for the
service of the sanctuary, according to all that Je-ho-vah hath
commanded.
(2) And Mo-ses called Be-zal-el and 0-ho-li-ab, and every
wise-hearted man, in whose heart Je-ho-vah had put wisdom,
even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the
work to do it: (3) and they received of Mo-ses all the offering
which the children of Is-ra-el had brought for the work of the
service of the sanctuary, wherewith to make it. And they
brought yet unto him freewill-offerings every morning. (4) And
all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary,
came every man from his work which they wrought; ( 5 ) and
they spake unto Mo-ses, saying, The people bring much more
than enough for the service of the work which Je-ho-vah com-
manded to make. (6) And Mo-ses gave commandment, and
they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying,
Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offer-
ing of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from

777
36:1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

bringing. (7) For the stuff they had was sumcient for all the
work to make it, and too much.
(8) And all the wise-hearted men among them that wrought
the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined
linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cher-u-bim,
the work of the skilful workman, Be-zaZ-el made them. (9)The
length of each curtain was eight and twenty cubits, and the
breadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains had one
measure. (10)And he coupled five curtains one to another:
and the other five curtains he coupled one to another. (11)And
he made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from
the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the edge of
the curtain that was outmost in the second coupling. (12)Fifty
loops made he in the one curtain, and fifty loops made he in
the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling: the
loops were opposite one to another. (13)And he made fifty
clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to another with
the clasps: so the tabernacle was one.
(14)And he made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the
tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. (15) The length
of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth
of each curtain: the eleven curtains had one measure. (16) And
he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by
themselves. (17)And he made fifty loops on the edge of the
curtain that was outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops made
he upon the edge of the curtain which was outmost irz the
second coupling. (18) And he made fifty clasps of brass to
couple the tent together, that it might be one. (19)And he
made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a
covering of sealskins above.
(20) And he made the boards for the tabernacle, of acacia
wood, standing up. (21)Ten cubits was the length of a board
and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board. (22)Each
board had twa tenons, joined one to another: thus did he make
for all the boards of the tabernacle. (23)And the made the
boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side
southward; (24) and he made forty sockets of silver under the
778
 E N C L O S I N G S 36:1-38

twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons,
and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. (25)
And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he
made twenty boards, (26) and their forty sockets of silver;
two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another
board. (27)And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward
he made six boards. (28) And two boards made he for the
corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part. (29)And they
were double beneath; and in like manner they were entire unto
the top thereof unto one ring: thus he did to both of them in
the two corners. (30) And there were eight boards, and their
sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; under every board two sockets.
(31)And he made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of
the 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 hinder part westward. (33) And he
made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards
from the one end to the other. (34) And he overlaid the boards
with gold, and made their rings of gold for places for the bars,
and overlaid the bars with gold.
(35) And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet,
and fine twined linen: with cher-u-bim, the work of the skilful
workman, made he it. (36) And he made thereunto four pillars
of acacia, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of
gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver. (37)And he
made a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple,
and scarlet, and fine twined hen, the work of the embroiderer;
I
(38) and the five pillars of it with their hooks, and he over-
laid their capitals and their fillets with gold; and their five
sockets were of brass.

EXPLORING
EXODUS:
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
(Questions over 36:l-7 are included in the notes on chapter 35.)
1. Topic: It is helpful to remember the contents of this chapter

779
36:1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

under the title of ENCLOSINGS, because it tells of the

curtains, boards, bars, etc. that enclosed the tabernacle.
2. Outline: (1) Workmen called; 36:2.
(2) Excessive materials donated by people; 36:3-7.
(3) Tabernacle curtains made; 36:8-13.
(4) Tent of goats’ hair made; 36:14-19.
(5) Boards; 36:20-30,
(6) Bars; 36:31-34.
(7) Veil and screen; 36:35-38.
3. Parallel passages: (See the notes on the earlier parallel
passages.)
(1) 36:2-7 (Offering) - 251-7; 354-9, 20-29.
(2) 36:8-19 (Curtains) - 26:l-14.
-
(3) 36:20-30 (Boards) 26:15-25.
(4) 36:35-38 (Veil and screen) - 26:31-37.
4. Notes:
-
36:1 The A.S.V. translation “shall work” is a better
translation than the King James translation “wrought.”
‘‘According to all” is more clearly translated “with
respect to all.” .a

36:3 -The offering is pictured as having been brought and

placed in a heap before Moses. The craftsmen then came
and took from it whatever they needed.
The people brought offerings every morning. The
Hebrew idiom is picturesque: “In the morning, in the
morning. ”
36.4 - “Wrought” is an old past tense form of the verb
“work.” The Hebrew text emphasizes the continuity of
the work: they “were doing” it.
36:5 - The generosity of the Israelites reminds us of that of
the churches of Macedonia (I1 Cor. 8:2, 3). These people
are examples for us.
36:8 - The subject of the last verb (“made”) in 36:8 is not
stated, but the verb is singular: “he made them.” The
same is true of numerous verbs in the following verses
(36:10, 11, 13ff). It is probable that the subject is
“Bezalel” (as in 37:l). The A.S.V. supplies this reading

780
 INSIDE FURNITURE 37:1-29

in italics, Possibly the subject is indefinite, and refers to

whichever craftsman did each work.
36:8 does not indicate that the items were made in the
exact order in which they are mentioned. Probably they
were all being made simultaneously.
36:16 - The instructions in 26:9b about doubling back the
sixth curtain (the one that lay at the front of the taber-
nacle) is not repeated here, because chapters 36-39 do
not give details about how the tabernacle parts were
positioned. Similarly 26:12-13 is not repeated after
36:18.
36:38 - “He overlaid their capitals and fillets with gold.”
In the passage parallel to this (26:37) it says only that
he was to “overlay them (the pillars) with gold.” This is
an example of the infrequent but interesting variations
between chapters 26-31 and 36-39.

I
I THETEXTOF EXODUS
I TRANSLATION
And Be-zal-el made the ark of acacia wood: two cubits
37 and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half
the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it. (2)
And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and
made a crown of gold to it round about. (3) And he cast for
it four rings of gold, in the four feet thereof; even two rings on
the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. (4) And
he made staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.
(5) And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the
ark, to bear the ark. (6) And he made a mercy-seat of pure
gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and a cubit
and a half the breadth thereof. (7) And he made two cher-u-
bim of gold; of beaten work made he them, at the two ends of
the mercy-seat; (8)one cher-ub at the one end, and one cher-ub
at the other end: of one piece with the mercy-seat made he the
781
37~1-29 EXPLORING EXODUS

cher-u-bim at the two ends thereof. (9)And the cher-u-bim

spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with
their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy-
seat were the faces of the cher-u-bim,
(10)And he made the table of acacia wood: two cubits was
the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a
cubit and a half the height thereof. (11)And he overlaid it with
pure gold, and made thereto a crown of gold round about.
(12)And he made unto it a border of a handbreadth round
about, and made a golden crown to the border thereof round
about. (13)And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the
rings in the four corners that were on the four feet thereof. (14)
Close by the border were the rings, the places for the staves to
bear the table. (15)And he made the staves of acacia wood,
and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. (16) And he
made the vessels which were upon the table, the dishes thereof,
and the spoons thereof, and the bowls thereof, and the flagons
thereof, wherewith to pour out, of pure gold.
(17)And he made the candlestick of pure gold of beaten
work made of the candlestick, even its base, and its shaft; its
cups, its knops, and its flowers, were of one piece with it.
(18)And there were six branches going out of the sides thereof;
three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof,
and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side
thereof: (19) three cups made like almond-blossoms in one
branch, a knop and a flower; and three cups made like almond-
blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower: so for
the six branches going out of the candlestick. (20)And In the
candlestick were four cups made like almond-blossoms, the
h o p s thereof, and the flowers thereof; (21)and a knop under
two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two
branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches
of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it. (22)
Their knops and their branches were of one piece with it: the
whole of it was one beaten work of pure gold. (23)and he made
the lamps thereof, seven, and the snuffers thereof, and the
snuff-dishes thereof, of pure gold. (24) Of a talent of pure

782
 INSIDE FURNITURE 37: 1-29

gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.

(25) And he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a
cubit was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof
foursquare; and two cubits was the height thereof; the horns
thereof were of one piece with it. (26) And he overlaid it with
pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about,
and the horns of it: and he made unto it a crown of gold round
about. (27) And he made for it two golden rings under the
crown thereof, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides
of it, for places for staves wherewith to bear it. (28) And he
made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.
(29) And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense
of sweet Bpices, after the art of the perfumer.

EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN

1. Topic; The Inside Furniture. The chapter discusses the

ark and the mercy-seat (37:l-9), the table of showbread
(37:lO-16), the lampstand (37:17-24), and the altar of
incense (37:25-29). All of these items were inside the taber-
nacle building.
2. Parallel passages: (See the notes on the earlier parallel
passages.)
(1) 37:l-9 (Ark and mercy-seat) - 2510-22.
(2) 37:lO-16 (Table) - 25:23-30.
(3) 37:17-24 (Lampstand) - 2531-39; 27:20-21.
(4) 37:25-28 (Incense altar) - 3O:l-10.
(5) 37:29 (Anointing oil ahd incense) - 30:23-25, 31-33,
34-38.
3. Notes:
Several statements in chapter twenty-five about the
positioning of the articles of tabernacle furniture are not
repeated in the parallel sections in this chapter. Compare
25:15b and 375; 2521-22 and 37:9; 2.530 and 37:16;
25:37b and 37:22.

783
38: 1-31 E X P L O R I N G EXODUS

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
And he made the altar of burnt-offering of acacia
38 wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits
the breadth thereof, foursquare; and three cubits the height
thereof. (2) And he made the horns thereof upon the four
corners of it; the horns thereof were of one piece with it: and
he overlaid it with brass. (3) And he made all the vessels of the
altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basisn, the flesh-hooks,
and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass. (4)
And he made for the altar a grating of network of brass, under
the ledge round it beneath, reaching halfway up. ( 5 ) And he
cast four rings for the four ends of the grating of brass, to be
places for the staves. (6)And he made the staves of acacia
wood, and overlaid them with brass. (7) And he put the staves
into the rings on the sides of the altar, wherewith to bear it;
he made it hollow with planks.
(8) And he made the laver of brass, and the base thereof of
brass, of the mirrors of the ministering women that ministered
at the door of the tent of meeting.
(9) And he made the court: for the south side southward the
hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred
cubits; (10) their pillars were twenty, and their sockets twenty,
of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.
(11)And for the north side a hwndred cubits, their pillars
twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the
pillars, and their fillets, of silver. (12)And for the west side
were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets
ten; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver. (13) And
for the east side eastward fifty cubits. (14) The hangings for
the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three,
and their sockets three; (15) and so for the other side: on this
hand and that hand by the gate of the court were hangings of
fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. (16)
All the hangings on the court round about were of fine twined
l i e n . (17) And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the

784
 OUTSIDE F U R N I T U R E 38~1-31
hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver; and the over-
laying of their capitals, of silver; and all the pillars of the
court were filleted with silver. (18) And the screen for the gate
of the court was the work of the embroiderer, of blue, and
purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits
was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits,
answerable to the hangings of the court. (19) And their pillars
were four, and their sockets four of brass; their hooks of silver,
and the overlaying of their capitals, and their fillets, of silver.
(20) And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round
about were of brass.
(21) This is the sum of the things for the tabernacle, even
the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were counted, according
to the commandment of Mo-ses, for the service of the Le-vites,
by the hand of Ith-a-mar, the son of Aar-on the priest. (22)
And Be-zal-el the son of U-ri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of
Ju-dah, made all that Je-ho-vah commanded Mo-ses. (23) And
with him was 0-ho-lli-ab, the son of A-his-a-mach, of the tribe
of Dan, an engraver, and a skilful workman, and an embroider-
er in blue, and in pimple, and in scarlet, and in fine linen.
(24) All the gold that was used for the work in all the work
~

I
I of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty
and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shek-els, after
the shek-el of the sanctuary. (25) And the silver of them that
~

I were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and

a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shek-els,
l
after the shek-el of the sanctuary: (26) a be-ka a head, that is,
~

half a shek-el, after the shek-el of the sanctuary, for every one
that passed over to them that were numbered, from twenty
years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three
thousand and five hundred and fifty men. (27) And the hundred
talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary,
and the sockets of the veil; a hundred sockets for the hundred
talents, a talent for a socket. (28) And of the thousand seven
hundred seventy and five shek-els he made hooks for the pillars,
and overlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them. (29) And
the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand
78 5
38: 1-31 E X P L O R I N G EXODUS

and four hundred shek-els. (30) And therewith he made the

sockets to the door of the tent of meeting, and the brazen altar,
and the brazen grating for it, and all the vessels of the altar,
(31) and the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets
of the gate of the court, and all the pins of the tabernacle,
and all the pins of the court round about.

EXODUS:
EXPLORING CHAPTERTHIRTY-EIGHT

1. Topic: The Outside Furniture and court; Cost of Materials.

The theme of Outside Furniture gives this chapter an
easily-remembered topic that contrasts with that of chapter
thirty-seven. .
2. Parallel pasirJages: (See the notes on the earlier parallel
passages.)
(1) 38:l-7 (Altar of burnt-offering) - 27:l-8.
(2) 38:8 (Laver) - 30:17-31.
. (3) 38:9-20 (Court) - 27:9-19.
(4) 38:22-23 (Builders) - 3l:l-11; 3510-18, 30-36:l.
3. Questions Answerable from the Bible:
(1) What was the source of the brass for the laver and its
base? (38:8)
(2) Which tribe was to do service for the tabernacle? (38:21)
(3) Under whose “hand” (or leadership) was the sum (ac-
counts) of the tabernacle materials counted? (38:21)
(4) What craft work was Oholiab particularly skilled in?
What materials did he use? (38:23)
(5) How much gold was used in the sanctuary? (38:24)
(6) How much silver was used in the sanctuary? (38:25)
(7) How much silver had been given by each of the men
over twenty? (38:26; Compare 30:12-14.)
(8) How many Israelite men were counted and assessed for
silver? (38:26; Compare Num. 1:46.)
(9) What was the silver used for? (38:27-28)
786
 OUTSIDE FURNITURE 38:1-31

(10) How much brass was contributed for the sanctuary?

(38 :2 9)
(11) What was the brass used for? (38:30-31)
4. Notes on Exodus 38:
38:1 - The fuller title “altar of burnt-offering” is used here,
to distinguish the altar from the altar of incense (37:25).
Ex. 27:l simply referred to “the altar” because the altar
of incense had not yet been introduced.
38:8 - Only here is the information given that the laver
and its bases were made from copper from the mirrors of
the ministering women. See notes on 30:17-21. The
laver and its base were not made from the material
donated in the Lord’s offering (38:29), but from the
brass mirrors of the women.
This verse refers to the “ministering women” for the
first time. The verb translated “minister” (tsabah) means
“to assemble for service” (Num. 4:23), “to assemble for
military service, to go forth to war” (Num. 3:17). The
verb is related to the Hebrew word for “host” (as in the
I “Lord of hosts”). The same word is applied to the women
in I Sam. 2:22, whom the sons of Eli wickedly lay with.
1 Statements have been made that the reference to the
women ministering at the door of the tent of meeting is
an anachronism, because there was not yet any tent of
i meeting built before which they could minister. (See
Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, [1969], p. 466.)
i This statement is nonsense, if not blasphemy. The “tent
I
of meeting” referred to is obviously the “tent of meeting”
mentioned in 33:7. These women served there; and after
the tabernacle was built, they continued their service
around the new structure.
38:20 - The reference to the “pins” in the tabernacle is
found only here. The word refers to a peg, nail or pin,
something used for fastening. Probably it refers to the
pins or stakes used to hold upright the tabernacle court
and boards.
38:21 - Translation (with slight paraphrase in parentheses):

787
38:1-31 EXPLORING EXODUS

“These are the enumerations (or accounts) of (the ma-

terials collected for) the tabernacle, even the tabernacle
of the testimony (or law), which were numbered (counted)
by the order (literally “mouth”) of Moses, for the service
of the Levites, by the hand (the work of leadership) of
Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.” On Ithamar,
see 6:23 and 28:1.
Moses specifically ordered an inventory of the materials
used. Apparently the Levites did the tabulating and
Ithamar supervised the Levites.
The “sum” (literally “enumerations”) of the materials -
-
the gold, silver and brass is given in 38:24-31.
Observe the striking name “tabernacle of the testi-
mony.” Regarding the “testimony,” see 25:1. “Testi-
mony” means precept, law, or testimony, and refers to
the ten commandments.
This xerse is the first mention of the service of the
Levites since they were consecrated to Jehovah in 32:29.
The formal appointment of the Levites to the service of
tabernacle is related in Numbers 35-51. A special setting
apart ceremony for them was done at yet a later time,
and is mentioned in Deut. 10:8.
38:22 - High tribute is here paid to Bezalel. The Greek
Bible relates erroneously that Bezalel had made the
brazen altar of the brazen censers which belonged to
the rebels who joined with Korah. See Numbers 16:36-39
for the real facts about this incident.
38~24- A talent was approximately seventy-five pounds.
A talent consisted of 3000 shekels, as can be calculated
easily from 38:25-26. A shekel was about four-tenths
of an ounce.
From these values we learn that the gold of the sanc-
tuary amounted to one ton and 350 pounds. This would
be worth over five and a half million dollars at $150 an
ounce. “Gold of the offering” is literally “gold of waving.’’
It was in God’s sight a type of wave-offering. See 29:26.
The amount of metals offered for the sanctuary may

788
 ~ OUTSIDE FURNITURE 38:l-31

uncertain to us.
-
38:26 The word bekah (from a verb meaning “to divide”)
means “half,” hence, half-shekel.
Concerning the heavier “shekel of the sanctuary” see
30:13.
1 See 3O:ll-14 for the instructions about taking a census
and collecting the half-shekel atonement money. A major
census is described in Num. 1:l. It was taken only a
month after the tabernacle was set up (Ex. 40:17). But

78 9
38:l-31 E X P. L 0 R I N G E X 0 D U S

have provided. The names of the people were all already

written down (possibly on potsherds). With the names
already on hand, the census takers could quickly have
checked and collated them into tribes and families. See
Num. 1:2, 20, 22, 24, passim,
A collection of money similar to that mentioned in
Ex. 38:26 was made in the time of King Joash (I1 Chron.
24:4-6), apparently at the same rate per head, for the
repairing of the temple, This was not an annual tax,
but a special one. The tax of Matt. 17:27 (which seems to
have been an annual levy) was a later and different tax,
even though it involved the same sum (half a shekel) as
the special levy for the sanctuary.
38:27 - Regarding the “sockets,” see 26:19-25,
38:28 - Regarding the pillars, see 27:10, 17.
38:29-30 - The brass (copper) of the offering amounted to
two tons and 500 pounds.
The uses of the brass are described in 38:30. No
mention is made of the laver among these uses listed,
because the brass for the laver came from a separate
source.
See Ex, 27:4 concerning the “brazen grating.” This
grating seems to have been a network of brass on the
sides of the altar, through which a draft of air could be
drawn up into the fire inside the altar.
38:31 - The heavy brass and silver sockets and other heavy
items were transported about in six covered wagons
pulled by twelve oxen. See Num. 7:2-5.

Does the great amount of gold, silver, and brass in the taber-
nacle indicate that God’s people should expect to live in wealthy
surroundings and comfort? Does it indicate that we should
build church buildings of luxurious quality?
The Israelites themselves, who made the tabernacle, were
often brought low and even caused to hunger, that they might
learn that man does not live by bread alone, but by the word of
790
a)
OUTSIDE FURNITURE 38: 1-31

God (Deut. 8:2-3). These people did not live in luxury, even
though their tabernacle was somewhat luxurious. Neither can
we as God’s people expect soft luxurious living. The people
of God have often been destitute, afflicted, ill-trddted (Heb.
11:37). The early Christians iook joyfully the spoiling of their
possessions (Heb. 10:34). We really must not expect better
treatment.
There is, however, another side to this matter. God’?, pro&et
Isaiah (60514) spoke of the time when the “wealth of the
nations shall come unto thee,” referring to Zion, the people of
God. Similarly Haggai 2:7-8 prophesied that “the precious
things of all nations” would come to fill God’s house with
glory, In fulfillment of these prophecies, there have indeed
been times when the church has had a great deal of wealth.
Even Paul declared that he knew how “both to abound (have
abundance) and to suffer need” (Phil. 4:2). Thus it appears
that the church should not expect to be poor at all times in all
places. The important thing is to learn to be content, what-
ever our lot, and not to set our hope on the uncertainty of
riches, but on God. (Phil. 4 : l l ; I Tim. 6:17)
Does the luxury of the tabernacle suggest that we should
build luxurious church buildings? Probably not. ThB New
Testament does not even mention church buildings. .g The
PEOPLE of God now constitute His temple, rather than a
building of stones and gold (I Peter 2:s; Eph. 2:19-22). The
Christians in apostolic times met in homes, public porches,
school houses, etc. They were aware that everything in‘this
earth is to be burned up (I1 Peter 3:lO). They did not consider
that the tabernacle or even Solomon’s temple was a precedent
to them to make luxurious structures. In fact, God had never
asked Solomon to build any temple; and God caused the
temple to be demolished when the people became unfaithful
to Him. God dwells with him that is “poor and of a contrite
spirit” (Isa. 66:2). We do not condemn the making of adequate
attractive meeting houses. They may be helpful and even
quite necessary. But the tabernacle is hardly a precedent to
us to build buildings of great luxury. If God should grant
791
39~1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

us on some occasions a degree of luxury, we shall pray it may

be used to His glory. If we suffer want, we shall still praise
Him, and be content.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANs LATIO N

And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made

39 fiely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy
place, and made the holy garments for Aar-on; as Je-ho-vah
commanded Mo-ses.
(2)And he made the eph-od of gold, blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and fine twined linen. (3) And they did beat the gold
into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue,
and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine l i e n , the
work of the skilful workman. (4) They made shoulder-pieces
for it, joined together; at the two ends was it joined together.
(5) And the skilfully woven band, that was upon it, wherewith
to gird it on, was of the same piece and like the work thereof;
of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen;
as Je-ho-vah commandedMo-ses.
(6) And they wrought the onyx stones, inclosed in settings
of gold, graven with the engravings of a signet, according to
the names of the children of Is-ra-el. (7) And he put them on
the shoulder-pieces of the eph-od, to be stones of memorial
for the children of 1s.ra-el; as Je-ho-vah commanded Ma-ses.
(8) And he made the breastplate, the work of the skilful
workman, like the work of the eph-od; of gold, of blue, and
purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. (9) It was four.
square; they made the breastplate double: a span was the
length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double.
(10)And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius,
topaz, and carbuncle was the first row; (11) and the second
row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; (12)and the third
row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; (13) and the fourth

792
 PR IE s T S’ GARMENT s 39: 1-43
row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in in-
closings of gold in their settings. (14)And the stones were
according to the names of the children of Is-ra-el, twelve, ac-
cording to their names; l i e the engravings of a signet, every
one according to his name, for the twelve tribes. (15)And they
made upon the breastplate chains like cords, of wreathen work
of pure gold. (16)And they made two settings of gold, and
two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the
breastplate. (17)And they put the two wreathen chains of gold
in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. (18)And the
other two ends of the two wreathen chains they put on the two
settings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the eph-od,
in the forepart thereof. (19)And they made two rings of gold,
and put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the
l edge thereof, which was toward the side of the eph-od inward.
I (20)And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the
I two shoulder-pieces of the eph-od underneath, in the forepart
thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully
I
woven band of the eph-od. (21)And they did bind the breast-
I plate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the eph-od with a
lace of blue, that it might be upon the skilfully woven band of
the eph-od, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from
I the eph-od; as Je-ho-vah commanded Mo-ses.
I (22)And he made the robe of the eph-od of woven work,
all of blue; (23)and the hole of the robe in the midst thereof,
I
as the hole of a coat of mail, with a binding round about the
I
hole of it, that it should not be rent. (24)And they made upon
I the skits of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and twined linen, (25) And they made bells of pure
gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the
skirts of the robe round about, between the pomegranates;
(26)a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, upon
the skirts of the robe round about, to minister in; as Je-ho-vah
commanded Mo-ses.
(27)And they made the coats of fine linen of woven work
for Aar-on, and for his sons, (28)and the mitre of fine linen,
and the goodly head-tires of fine linen, and the linen breeches

793
39~1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

of fine twisted linen, (29) and the girdle of fine twined h e n ,

and blue, and purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroiderer;
as Je-ho-vah commandedMo-see.
(30) And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold,
and wrote upon it a writing, like the engravings of a signet,
HOLY TO JE-HO-VAM. (31) And they tied unto it a lace of
blue, to fasten it upon the mitre above; as Je-ho-vah com-
manded Mo-ses.
(32) Thus was finished all the work of the tabernacle of the
tent of meeting: and the children of Is-ra-el did according to
all that Je-ho-vah commanded Mo-ses; so did they. (33) And
they brought the tabernacle unto Mo-ses, the Tent, and all its
furniture, its clasps, Its boards, its bars, and its pillars, and
its sockets; (34) and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and
the covering of sealskins, and the veil of the screen; (35) the
ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy-
serprt; (36) the table, all the vessels thereof, and the showbread;
(37)the pure candlestick, the lamps thereof, even the lamps to
be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for the
light; (38) and the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the
sweet incense, and the screen for the door of the Tent; (39) the
brazen altar, and its grating of brass, its staves, and all its
vessels, the laver and its base; (40) the hangings of the court,
its pillars, and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the
court, the cords thereof, and the pins thereof, and all the
instruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of
meeting; (41) the finely wrought garments for ministering in
the holy place, and the holy garments for Aar-on the priest,
and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.
(42) According to all that Je-ho-vah commanded Mo-ses, so
the children of Is-ra-el did all the work. (43) And Mo-ses saw
all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as Je-ho-vah had
commanded, even so had they done ik and Mo-ses blessed
them.

794
 PRIESTS’ GARMENTS 39;l-43

EXPLORING CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINE
EXODUS:

1, Topic: Priests’ garments; Finished Work Presented. Much

of the material in this chapter is parallel to material in
chapter twenty-eight. Note that seven times in this chapter
(and eight times in chapter forty) it says that things were
made “as God commanded Moses” (395, passim).
2. Outline: A. Garments of priests; 39: 1-31.
(1) Materials; 39:1.
(2) Ephod; 39~2-5.
(3) Onyx shoulder-stones; 39:6-7.
(4) Breastplate; 39:8-21.
(5) Robe of ephod; 39:22-26.
(6) Coats, head-coverings, breeches, girdle;
39:27-29.
I (7) Golden plate; 39:30-31.
B. Tabernacle brought to Moses; 39:32-43.
3. Parallel passages: (See the notes on the earlier parallel
passages.)
(1) 39:l (Materials) - 28:l-5.
I (2) 39:2-7 (Ephod) - 28~6-13.
(3) 39:8-21 (Breastplate) - 28:15-30.
(4) 3992-26 (Robe) - 28:31-35.
I

-
(5) 39:27-29 (Coat mitre, girdle) 28:39-40, 42-43.
I (6) 39:30-31 (Golden plate) - 28:36-38.
I
I
(Observe how closely the order of items described in chapter
39 follows the order in chapter 28.)
I
4. Questions on Ex. 38 answerable from the Bible:
(1) How were gold wires (or threads) obtained for weaving
into the ephod? (39:3; 28:6)
(2) What is the golden plate on Aaron’s mitre called in
39:30? Compare 28:36.
(3) How fully did Israel carry out Jehovah’s commands
about making the tabernacle: (39:32, 42)
(4) To whom were the items of tabernacle furniture bought?
(39:33)
795
39~1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

PEBULUN - Carbuncle ISSACHAR - Topaz J U D A H - Sardius

(Green emerald) (Green peridot) (Red Carnelian)

GA.D - Diamond SIMEON - Sapphire REUBEN - Emerald

(Transparent, hard?) (Blue lapis-lazuli) (Rich green turquoise)

(Purple quartz) (Banded red, white, (Orange color)

NAPHTALI - Jasper ASHER - Onyx DAN - Beryl

(Red-brown, yellow)
black, red)

‘See“Jewels,” Interpreter’s Dictionary of The Bible, Vot 2 (New York Abingdon,

19621, pp. %98-902.

796
 PRIE s TS’ GARMENT s 39:1-43
39:22 - We are not told exactly where the priest wore the
robe of the ephod. We suppose it was worn under the
ephod and under the breastplate, so that it did not
cover the gems of the breastplate or the gorgeous ephod.
The bells and pomegranates would hang below the ephod.
39:29 - The singular “girdle” with the definite article
does appear to refer to Aaron’s girdle. There is no
special description of the girdles of Aaron’s sons that are
referred to in Ex. 28:40. We suppose that those were
made of the same materials and in the same form as
Aaron’s, and that the singular “girdle” in 39:29 is a
collective, or generic, expression referring to the girdles
of all priests. (See Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on
the Old Testament, Vol. 2,pp. 253-254.)
39:30 - The golden plate is called a “crown” (diadem)
here. In 28:36 it is spoken of as a “plate” of gold.
39:31 - The construction details end at 39:31.
39:32 - Cassuto (op. cit., p. 476) says that the word “fin-
ished” in 39:32 recalls Gen. 2:l to our minds, where God
“finished” the work of creation. (The same verb is used
in both verses.) He feels that there are intentional paral-
lels made between the completion of creation and the
completion of the tabernacle. Compare Ex. 39:43 and
Gen. 1:31 (Moses/God “saw.”); Ex. 39:43 and Gen.
1:22, 28 (Moses/God “blessed.”) This idea seems to us
rather weakly supported by the evidence.
39:33 - “Tabernacle” in 39:33 probably refers to the inner
curtains. “Tent” probably refers -to the goats’ hair
curtains. See 40:19;26:13.
39:34 - The “veil of the screen” (K.J.V., “vail of the
covering”) refers to the veil between the Holy Place and
the Holy of Holies, Compare 39:38;3512, 15;40:3,21.
39:37 - A new expression “lamps of the order” (or arrange-
ment) appears in this verse. The expression uses a form
of the word “order” employed in 27:21: “Aaron and
his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning

797
39:1-43 EXPLORING EXODUS

before Jehovah.” The lamps were to be positioned in

such an arrangement that they would give light toward
the opposite side of the room.
39.40 - Regarding the “hanging of the court,” see 27:9-15;
38: 9-17.
39.42 - Credit was given to all the children of Israel, not
just to the principal craftsmen.
39:43 - How Moses must have rejoiced to see the tabernacle
completed1 Less than two years before he had been a
fearful shepherd. Now he has lived to see the fulfillment
of God’s promise: “Ye shall serve God upan this moun-
tain” (3:12).
The work of building the tabernacle had been brief,
but probably ardurous. In a little over five months all
the work had been done. See 191; 24:18; 34:28; 4 0 2
The words “as Jehovah had commanded” describe
ALL the work done. It was necessary to make the taber-
nacle according to HIS directions. Only God knew what
was His plan to redeem man. Only God knew what
pleased Him.
Jewish tradition attributes Psalm 90 to this occasion
of completing the tabernacle. (J. H. Hertz, Pentateuch
and Hajlorahs, p. 388.) Note Psalm 90:17, the closing
words of the psalm: “Establish thou the work of our
hands upon us; Yea, the work of our hands, establish
thou it.” The Psalm is attributed to Moses by its title,
but the idea that it was composed for this occasion is
not a certainty.

THETEXTOF EXODUS
TRANSLATION

And Je-hs-vah spake m t o Mo-ses, saying, (2) Qm the

40 &st day 0f the first month shalt thou rear up the traber.
nacle of the temt of mwtimg. (3) Amd thou shalt gut there
798
 TABERNACLE S E T UP 40: 1-38

the ark of the testimony, and thou shalt screen the ark with
the veil. (4) And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order
the things that are upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candle-
stick, and light the lamps thereof. (5)And thou shalt set the
golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and
put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. (6) And thou shalt
set the altar of burnt-offering before the door of the tabernacle
of the tent of meeting. (7) And thou shalt set the laver between
the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water therein.
(8) And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang
up the screen of the gate of the court. (9) And thou shalt take
the anointing oil? and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is
therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the furniture thereof: and
it shall be holy. (10) And thou shalt anoint the altar of burnt-
offering, and all its vessels, and sancti€y the altar: and the altar
shall be most holy. (11)And thou shalt anoint the laver and its
base, and sanctify it. (12) And thou shalt bring Am-on and
his sons unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash
them with water. (13) And thou shalt put upon Aar-on the
holy garments; and thou shalt anoint him, and sanctify him,
that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. (14) And
thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them; (15) and
thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that
they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: and their
anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood through-
out their generations. (16) Thus did Mo-ses: according to all
that Je-ho-vah commanded him, so did he.
(17) And it came to pass in the first month in the second year,
on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
(18) And Mo-ses reared up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets,
and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and
reared up its pillars. (19) And he spread the tent over the taber-
nacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it, as Je-
ho-vah commanded Mo-ses. (20) And he took and put the
testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put
the mercy-seat above upon the ark: (21)and he brought the ark
into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and

799
40: 1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

screened the ark of the testimony; as Je-ho-vah commanded

Mo-ses. (22) And he put the table in the tent of meeting, upon
the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. (23) And
he set the bread in order upon it before Je-ho-vah; as Jeuho-vah
commanded Mo-ses. (24) And he put the candlestick in the tent
of meeting, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle
southward. (25) And he lighted the lamps before Je-ho-vah;
as Je-ho-vah commanded Mo-ses. (26) And he put the golden
altar in the tent of meeting before the veil: (27) and he burnt
thereon incense of sweet spices; as Je-ho-vah commanded
Mo-ses. (28) And he put the screen of the door to the taber-
nacle. (29) And he set the altar of burnt-offering at the door
of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it
the burnt-offering and the meal-offering; ag Je-ho-vah com-
manded Mo-ses. (30) And he set the laver between the tent
of meeting and the altar, and put water therein, wherewith
to wash. (31) And Mo-ses and Aar-on and his sons washed their
hands and their feet thereat; (32) when they went into the tent
of meeting, and when they came near unto the altar, they
washed; as Je-ho-vah commanded Mo-ses. (33) And he reared
up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and
set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Ma-ses finished
the work.
(34) Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the
glory of Je-ho-vah filled the tabernacle. (35) And Mo-ses was
not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud
abode thereon, and the glory of Je-ho-vah filled the tabernacle.
(36) And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle,
the children of Is-ra-el went onward, throughout all their
journeys: (37) but if the cloud was not taken up, then they
journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. (38) For the
cloud of Je-ho-vah was upon the tabernacle by day, and there
was fwe therein by night, in the sight of all the house of Is-ra-el,
throughout all their journeys.

800
 TABERNACLE SET U P 40:1-38
EWLORINGEXODUS:CHAPTERFORTY
ANSWERABLEFROM THE BIBLE
QUESTIONS
1. After careful reading, propose a brief title or topic for the
chapter.
2. Who designated the day for the setting up of the tabernacle?
(40~1-2)
3. On what day was it to be set up? (40:2, 17). How long
had it been since Israel left Egypt? (12:6-8, 29-33)
4. By what name is the ark called in 40:3?
5. Where was the altar of burnt-offering placed? (40:6, 29)
6. Where was the laver placed? (40:7, 30)
7. What was the anointing to cause the tabernacle to be?
(40:9)
8. What was to be done to Aaron and his sons? (40:12-15). Is
this the same ritual described in 29:l-37 and Lev. chapter
eight?
9. Who set up the tabernacle? (40:18)
10. What did Moses put into the ark? (40:20; Compare Deut.
10~4-5.)
11. On which side of the Tent of meeting was the table placed?
(40:22)
12. Who performed the first priestly work of setting bread in
order, lighting lamps, and burning incense? (40:22-29)
13. Who washed at the laver? (40:31) What parts of their
bodies were washed?
14, What covered the tent of meeting when the tabernacle was
finished? (40:34; Compare I Kings 8:lO-11.)
15. What is the “glory of Jehovah”? (40:34; 24:17; Num.
16:43; Luke 2:9; Rev. 21:23)
16. Why could not Moses enter the tent of meeting for a time?
(40:35)
17, How did the cloud signal for Israel to prepare to move?
How did the cloud direct their journeys? (40:36-37; Num.
9~15-23)
18. How did the cloud appear by day and by night? (40:38)
19. Who could see the cloud? When? (40:38)

80 1
40: 1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

EXODUS TABERNACLE
FORTY: SETUP! GLORYOF THELORD!

1. Command to set up the tabernacle; 40: 1-15.

2. Compliance of Moses; 40:17-33.
3. Cloud of glory! 40:34-38.

IN HIS SANCTUARY
GOD’SINVOLVEMENT (4O:l-16, 34)

1. He determines who sets it up. (40:2)

2. He determines when it is set up. (40:2)
3. He directs the arrangement of all parts. (40:3-8)
4. He commands the anointing of all parts. (40:9-11)
5. He requires the consecration of its priests. (40:12-15)
6. He covers the tent with glory. (40:34)

“As THE LORDCOMMANDED”!(40: 16-33)

An overview of obedience! A chronicle of compliance!

See 40:16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32 - eight statements of
obedience!

THEGLORY
OF THE LORD!(40:34-38)

A. At the tabernacle.
1. Filled God’s house; 40:34; I1 Chron. 7:l; Ezek. ,435.
2. Kept men at a distance; 40:35; I1 Chron. 7:2.
3. Directed God’s people; 40:36-37.
4. Was visible to all! 40:38.
B. At other places and times.
1. Indicated God’s presence when the law was given; Ex.
24~16-17.
2. Indicated God’s presence in anger; Num. 16:19, 42;
14:lO; 20:6; Ex.16:7, 10.
3. Indicated God’s presence in blessing; Lev. 9:23, 6.

802
 TABERNACLE SET UP 4.0~1-38

4. Revealed to Moses; Ex. 33:18, 22.

5. Revealed to Ezekiel; Ezek. 1:28; 3:23; 9:3; 43:4-5.
6, Shone the night Christ was born; Luke 2:9.
7, The glory of the Lord is upon his people; Isaiah 6O:l-2.
8. Christians behold it as in a mirror; I1 Cor. 3:18.
9, Will lighten the New Jerusalem. Rev. 21:23.
“Let the glory of Jehovah endure for ever!” (Ps. 104:31)

NOTESON CHAPTERFORTY
EXODUS:
EXPLORING

1. What is in Exodus 407

I
The chapter deals with the setting up of the tabernacle.
It tells God’s commands about how it was to be set up
(4O:l-15), and tells of Moses’ compliance (40:16-33). The
chapter closes excitingly with information about the cloud
of God’s glory filling the tabernacle and leading Israel
through their journeys.
Note that eight times in the chapter the statement is
made that Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.
The chapter is composed in accordance with the technique
frequently used in various Biblical sections, and in general
with the literary tradition of the Ancient East: one para-
graph tells of the divine command, and the next records
its implementation. (See Cassuto, op. cit., p. 478.) Skep-
tical critics accuse it of being made of three parallel literary
layers (4O:l-17, 18-33, 34-38), each written separately, and
all being additions to “Pa” (See Martin Noth, op. cit.,
pp. 282-283.)
2. When was the tabernacle to be set up? By whom? (40:l-
2, 17)
It was to be set up by Moses on the first day of the first
month o i the second year after their departure from Egypt.,
It had been eleven and a half months since they left Egypt,
nine months since they arrived at Mt. Sinai, and less than

803
40: 1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

six months since Moses came down from Sinai after his
second forty-day stay. Compare 12:2, 6.
3. What was to “screen” (or cover) the ark? (40:3, 21)
The VEIL was to “screen” the ark. The other “screen”
at the entrance of the Holy Place is referred to in 4 0 5 .
Although the Hebrew verb translated “screen” (sakak)
may mean “cover,” it does not here indicate that the veil
lay over the ark like a cover. The mercy-seat did that. But
the veil did screen the ark from view from the Holy Place.
4. What did Moses set on the table? (40:4, 23)
He set the showbread in order upon it. Compare 2530.
It surely appears that the instructions about the showbread
in Lev. 245-9 are here presupposed, and must have been
issued before the tabernacle was set up.
Exodus 40:4 reads literally, “And thou shalt arrange its
arrangement” (referring to the showbread).
5. Where were the altar of burnt-offering and the laver lo-
cated? (40:6-7)
The altar was in the court, in front of the entrance to the
tent of meeting (the Holy Place). The laver was between
the altar and the tent of meeting. Note that the laver had
water in it; but there is no indication that water was in its
base. Compare 30:17-18. The translation “water therein”
appears to be a little too definite; the Hebrew just says
“You shall put water there.” Note the separate anointing
of the laver and its base (40:11).
6 . What effect was the anointing to have on the tabernacle
and itsfirniture? (40:9-10)
It was to make it “holy.” The “it” in 40:9 refers to the
tabernacle and all its equipment. On anointing, see 30:26-
28.
Exodus 40:lO says that the altar of burnt-offering would
be “MOST holy” after its anointing. Because all of the
tabernacle equipment is said to be “most holy” in 30:29,
we suppose that in 40:9-10 “holy” and “most holy” are
garallel terms and not distinctions.
7 . Does 40:12-15refer to the consecration ritual of the priests?
804
 TABERNACLE SET UP 40~1-38

Although both this passage and the passages about the

priests’ consecration mention washing, robing, and anoint
ing the priests, it still does not seem that 40:12-15 refers
to the consecration ritual described in detail in Ex. 29
and Lev, 8. There is no allusion in Ex. 40 to the elaborate
program of sacrifices described in the other passages, nor
to the application of the blood, nor to the seven-day stay
at the tabernacle. Also it seems that Nadab and Abihu
died during the consecration ritual (Lev. 10). There is no
hint of such an event in Ex. 40. The consecration of 40:12-
15 must have been preparatory and preliminary to the full
ritual,
Concerning the “everlasting priesthood” (literally,
“priesthood of eternity”), see 29:9 and Numbers 2 5 1 3 .
8. How filly did Moses carry out the instructions about setting
I up the tabernacle? (40:16-17)
€€e obeyed in all points. The order in which his acts of
I obedience are listed (in 40:17-33) corresponds to that of
I
the directions, in accordance with usual ancient literary
I practice. (Cassuto, op. cit., p. 481)
9. What did Moses place in the ark? (40:20)
He placed the “testimony” in the ark, the tablets of the
ten commandments. This verse seems to indicate that the
pot of manna (16:33) and Aaron’s budded rod (Num.
17:lO) were not actually inside the ark, but were kept
beside it. Compare Heb. 9:4. In the time of Solomon
nothing was in the ark except the ten commandments
(I Kings 8:9).
10. What did Moses do with the lamps? (40:25)
He “lighted” the lamps before Jehovah. Some translations
(A.S.V. margin) have rendered this to mean “he set up”
the lamps. But the verb used here refers to lighting the
lamps in Num. 8:3 and Lev. 24:2, and probably means
that here.
Needless to say, the lighting was not done the instant
the lampstand was set in place, but after the erection and
anointing of the tabernacle.

805
40:1-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

11. What sacri$ces did Moses ofSer? (40:29)

He offered the burnt-offering and the meal-offering.
Compare 20:24; 29:39-41. Moses himself performed the
first priestly ceremonies in the tabernacle. After that the
priests {the family of Aaron) and the Levites performed
these functions. Observe that Moses offered incense (40:27),
another priestly function.
12. Who washed at the laver? (40:30-32)
Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons. Compare 30:19-21.
The detail ofMoses’ washing is not given in 30:19.
13. What command and what promise were JitEJLiled when
Mosesfinished the work? (40:33)
The words of Ex. 2 5 8 were fulfilled: “Let them make a
I,
sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
See notes on 39:32 concerning the expression “finished.”
See the outline on the Glory of the Lord near the start of
the notes on this chapter.
14. What covered the tent of meeting and the tabernacle?
(40:34)
The cloud of the glory of the Lord covered the tent of
meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
This verse is quite poetic in wording (in Hebrew), and the
two clauses show parallelism. (The second line repeats
the thought of the first in slightly different words.)
The presence of the cloud was a fulfillment of the promise
in 29:43, 45. God showed His approval of the Tent by
descending in a cloud of glory. God’s approval was based
on what the tabernacle showed about the hearts of the
people and about Himself, rather than on the material
magnificence of the building.
God’s glory had previously descended on Mt. Sinai
(24:15-16). In a similar way the glory came upon the
tabernacle. As Mt. Sinai had been a holy place where
Israel met God, the tabernacle was to be a portable holy
place (a portable Mt, Sinai!) where they would meet with
God wherever they might be.
15. Why could not Moses enter the tabernacle? (40:35)

806
4O:l-38 EXPLORING EXODUS

LATER HISTORY OF THE TABERNACLE

1. It was probably set up at Gilgal after Israel crossed 1 le

Jordan into the promised land. (Josh. 4:19; 510; 9:6; 10:6,
43).
2. It was erected at Shiloh in the center of the land, and re-
mained there through the period of judges. (Joshua 18:l;
1951; I Samuel 1:3; 4:3, 12).
While at Shiloh, it was altered so as to have “doors”
(I Sam. 3:15); and it came to be called the “temple.” (I Sam.
1:9; 3:3).
3. The ark was captured by the Philistines (I Sam. 4:lO-11),
but was returned to Israel to Kiriath-Jearim west of Jeru-
salem. (I Sam. 7:l).
Shiloh seems to have been destroyed about 1050 B.C.,
possibly in the time of Samuel and Eli. (Jer. 7:12-14)
4.After the time of Eli it was removed to Nob (probably just
north of Jerusalem). (I Sam. 21:l-9) The ark remained at
Kiriath-Jearim till the time of David. (I Sam, 7:l-2; I Chron.
13:5-6)
5. By the time of David (about 1000 B.C.) the tabernacle, the
tent of meeting, and the altar of burnt-offering had been
moved to Gibeon, located five miles northwest of Jerusalem.
(I Chron. 21:29; 16:39-40; I1 Chron. 1:3; I Kings 3:4; 9:2)
6. David brought the ark to Jerusalem, where he had prepared
a new tent for it. (I1 Sam. 6:17; I Chron. 16:l)
7. Solomon built the temple, and replaced every part of the
tabernacle except the ark of the covenant, which he placed
in the Oracle (Holy of Holies) of the temple. (I Kings 8:4, 6)
8. Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586
B.C. After this we hear no more of the ark of the covenant.
It was not replaced in the second temple by Zerubbabel
(516 B.C.) I1 Maccabees 2:4-8 has a fanciful tale about how
the prophet Jeremiah hid the ark of the covenant and the
altar of incense in a cavern on Mt. Sinai.

808
 T A B E R N A C L E SET U P 40~1-38
Because the glory cloud filled it for a time. Compare I
Kings 8:lO-11. In a somewhat similar fashion, Moses did
not immediately enter the cloud on Mt. Sinai (24:16-18).
16. What guided the Israelites in their journeys? (40:3&~37)
The cloud. See Numbers 9:lS-23; 10:ll. The lifting up
of the cloud was a signal for Israel to pack for moving.
The people followed the cloud as it moved slowly in the
direction God desired. When the cloud descended, they
camped again.
“Let the fiery, cloudy pillar,
Lead me all my journey through.”
(From “Guide me, 0 Thou Great Jehovah”)
The statement about the leading of the cloud presupposes
that at least this part of Exodus was written late in their
wilderness journeyings.
The verb form “went onward” (or “moved”) indicates
frequentative, repeated movements.
17. How constant was thepresence of the cloud? (40:38)
It was always there, as a cloud by day and a fire by
night. It was visible to all the house of Israel throughout
all their journeys. God never forsook them.
Exodus 40:38 ends with the same words as 40:36. The
words reverberate like a final echo of what was narrated
previously in 13:21-22.
The book of Exodus ends with a confident look ahead
toward Israel’s johrney to Canaan. This confidence be-
longs to the. people of God i n every age.
The book of Exodus ends with the house of God full of
glory! May the house of God always be filled with the
glory of God. “Jehovah will create over the whole habitation
of mount Zion, and over all her assemblies, a cloud and
smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night;
for over all the glory shall be spread for a covering.”
(Isaiah 4:s)

807
 INDEX

A 86, 132-133, 160, 256, 311

Amman, Temple at, 27
Aaron, 73, 105, 113-114, 122, Aman, (Amon-ra), 176, 222
127, 139-140, 150, 151-152, Amorites, 98
157, 158, 184, 225, 356, 368- Amram, 73, 139, 149-150, 271
369, 382, 389, 406, 525, 536, Angel of the Lord (God), 304-
542, 560, 621, 629-631, 637, 305, 499, 504, 516-518, 703,
638, 642-643, 644, 658, 700- 736-737
701, 710, 723-724, 763, 797 Angels, 422
Abib (Month), 242, 273, 279, Anointing of Priests, 564, 656-
499, 759 657, 674, 799
‘Abiri, (See Habiri) Anointing of Tabernacle, 554-
Abortion, 75, 471 555, 564, 669-670, 674, 685,
Abraham, 96, 719, 730, 736 799, 804
1 Abu Rudeis, 39, 341 Antitype, 108, 558
Acacia (Shittim) wood, 544, Apis, (Bull), 175, 202, 713
545, S O B , 557, 563, 568, Apodeictic Laws, 458
I 586, 587, 597, 675, 761, 778, Arabah, 326
779, 781-783 Ark, (for baby Moses), 75
I Adabiya, Cape, 37 Ark of the Covenant, 354, 545,
Adonay (Compare Jehovah), 756 550, 558, 560, 566-571, 602,
I Adultery, 435-436 761-762, 781, 805, 808 *’

I Ai, 29 Asherim, 758

, ’Ain Hawwarah, (See Marah) Atonement, 554, 572, 609, 664,
Akhenaton, 22 677-678, 727
!
I
All (Meaning of term), 188, Atonement Money, 668-669,
201-202 679, 680, 681, 789
Altar, 408, 412, 441-442, 442- Authorship of Exodus, 11-13,
444,444A, 715-716 229, 354
Altar of Burnt-offering, 557, Avaris, 64, 259
559, 605, 608, 609, 610-615, ’Ayun Musa (See Springs of
610A, 665, 784, 786, 787, 790 Moses)
Altar of Incense, 557, 559, 569,
590, 603, 668, 675-676A,677, B
678, 783, 800, 804
Alush, 41, 361, 362 Baal, 512
Amalekites, 41, 356, 367, 370, Baal-zephon, 36, 291, 297, 298-
372, 384 299
Amarna letters, 22, 30, 78 Baba Bathra, 12-13, 85
Amenhotep 11, 17, 20, 21, 27, Back, backside, 93, 298
809
 EXPLORING EXODUS

Badger skins (See Sealskins) Buto (serpent goddess), 110

Baptism, 108B, 295, 296-297,
312, 559, 655-656, 684 C
Barley, 196, 210
Bars, 589, 600-601, 779 Calamus, 685
Bekah, 789 Call of Moses, 92
Bells, 641, 793, 797 Camels, 201
Bestiality, 491-492 Canaan, 97
Bezalel, 554, 567-568, 632, 688, Canaanites, 97-99, 280, 499,
690, 692-693, 695-696, 766, 518-519, 521-522, 523, 730,
777, 781, 785, 788 746, 758
Bitter Lakes, 34, 35, 287, 289, Candlestick (See Menorah)
297 Capital Punishment, 435, 453.
Blains, 203 454, 464, 465, 466, 467, 482,
Blessings, 505, 519-520 490,491, 492, 686
Blood, 153-154, 162-163, 250, Capitals, 604, 781
534-535, 540, 612 Cassia, 685
Boards, 589, 597-599, 600, 615, Casuistic Laws, 458
778-779 Cattle, 108B, 152B, 177, 201-
Boils, 194, 203-204 202, 208
Bondage in Egypt, 57-58, 63, 65 Census, 260, 261, 673, 679-680,
Bondage (Length of), 264, 268- 786, 789-790
272 Ceremonial Law, 417
Brass (See Bronze) Chapter topics, 3A-3B
Breastplate, 623, 628, 635-639, Chariots, 301, 309
792-793, 795, 796 Cherubim, 558, 570-574, 575,
Breeches, 444, 645, 656, 793, 591, 592, 604, 781-782
795 Christ (See Jesus Christ)
Bribe, 498, 510 Church, 108B, 559, 604
Brickmaking, 20, 48, 65, 124, Cinnamon, 685
131, 133 Circumcision, 105, 120-122,
Bridegroom, 121- 122 147, 266
Bronze (Brass), 562, 609, 610- Cities of Refuge, 464
611, 613, 619, 779, 785-786, Cleft of the Rock, 732, 744.745
790 Cloud, 276, 289, 290, 292, 304,
Bulrushes, 75 400-401, 542-543, 555, 731,
Burning Bush, 87, 95 800, 801, 802, 806-807
Burnt-offering, 382, 442, 515, Coats (of priests), 643, 793
532-534, 540, 651-652, 653, Compromises of Pharaoh, 181-
659, 664, 665-666, 666, 716, 182, 192-193, 223-224
806
810
 INDEX

Congregation, 243 Day of Atonement, 245, 677

Conquest of Canaan, 21-22, 97, Death Angel (See Destroyer)
326-327, 520-521, 758-759 Debbet Er-Rarnleh, 360
Consecration, 726-727 Debir, 28
Consecration of Priests, 644. Debtors, 493-494, 495
645, 646-648, 649-651, 654- Decalogue (See Ten Command-
665, 804.805 ments), 414, 416
Copper, (See Bronze) Decision in Egypt, 73, 78-79
Court of the Tabernacle, 555, Destroyer, 254, 256
557, 559, 604, 606, 608-609, Deuteronomist, 15, 279, 443,
616, 617, 618, 784-785, 786, 735, 753
800 Diamond, 623, 636, 796
Courville, Donovan, 26, 29, 311- Dophka, 39, 40, 342, 361
312- Drink-offering, 665-666
Covenant, 87, 144, 146, 269-
271, 388, 393, 396-397, 420- E
421, 523, 524, 526, 527, 532,
534-535, 536, 537, 540, 578, E (Elohist), 15, 115, 130, 142,
612, 667, 748, 750, 751, 752, 161, 265, 279, 308, 363, 443,
753, 754, 757-758, 761-762 531, 736, 752
Coverings, 592-596 Eagles’ wings, 395
Coveting, 437, 438 Earrings, 713
Creation, 431-432, 698 Edom, 326
Creation Story (Babylonian), Egypt, 34A
313-314 Elders, 102, 127, 364, 382, 407,
Critical Theories (See J , E, Deu- 524, 530-531, 536
teronomist, Priestly docu- Eleazer, (Son of Aaron), 150.
ment), 14-17, 82, 752-754, 768, 151, 629, 630
803 El, Elohim, 82, 95, 143
Crossing Place of Red Sea, 34B, Eliezer, Son of Moses, 85, 116,
37, 263, 306-307, 308 374
Crown, 642, 794, 795, 797 Elim, 38-39, 316, 330B, 333-
Cursing Parents, 467 334, 340-341
, Curtains, 584, 588, 589, 590- Elishaba, (Elizabeth), 150
i 596, 590B, 775, 778, 781, 797 El Murkah, (Wilderness of
I Sin?), 39, 341, 342, 360
D Eloquence, 111-112
Dancing, 329, 702, 721 El Shaddai, 143
Darkness, 213, 215, 222-223 Ephah, 336, 577
Date of exodus, 18-32, 268-272 Ephod, 622, 627-628, 632-634,

811
 EXPLORING EXODUS

792, 795 792-795

Er-Rahah Plain, 34G, 40, 41, Galbanum, 687
361, 362, 368, 393-394 Garstang, John, 28, 521
Eshnunna, Laws of, 446, 461, Gemstones, 636-638, 796
466,477 Genealogy, 148-151
Etham, (See also Wilderness of Gershom, 70, 85, 116, 374, 380
E.), 35, 274, 288-289 Gershon, 149, 553
Everlasting, 621, 805 Girdle, 644, 795, 797
Ezion-Geber, 46, 83 Girgashites, 99
Glory of God, 345, 346, 542,
F 666, 732, 735, 743-745, 762,
800, 801, 802-803, 806-807
Faith, 74-75, 109-1 0, 253, 288, Glueck, Nelson, 22, 27
307, 313 Goats’ hair, 562, 592, 594, 595,
False Witness, 437; 506 778
Feast of Harvest, I iee Feast of God, 1, 49-53, 425, 495, 751,
Weeks). 760 754-755
Feast of Ingathering (See Feast Gold, 104, 258, 562, 576, 579,
of Tabernacles) 582, 597, 605, 632, 633, 637,
Feast of Tabernacles, 514, 760 642, 713-714, 779, 781-783,
Feast of Weeks, 514 785, 788, 796
Feasts, 504, 512-513 Golden Calf, 543, 701, 709-718,
Fillets, 605, 617-618, 781, 785 722-723
Finger of God, 182, 189, 699- Goshen, Land of, 34, 61, 190,
700 260
Firstborn, 119-120, 225, 230, Grace, 735, 744
272, 277-278, 282-284, 496- Gracious (God is), 495, 743,
497, 759-760 746, 755
Firstborn (Death OD, 233, 239, Graven Images, 424, 713-714
249-250, 256, 273 Graves, 302
Firstfruits, 497 Gulf of Akabah, 44,81
Flags, 44 Gulf of Suez, 34, 35, 37, 306
Flax, 196, 210
Flies, 179, 191-193 H
Frankincense, 548, 578, 686
Frogs, 178, 183-186 Habiri, 22-23, 30, 129,459
Hail, 195, 205-210
G Hammurabi, (Law, code of),
444-447, 458, 461, 465-466,
Garments of Priests, 627-645, 468, 469, 471, 474, 475, 484,
644-645, 656, 663, 694-695, 487
812
 INDEX

Hangings (of court), 617, 786, 692, 710

790 Hyksos, 30, 61-62, 65, 66, 129,
Hapi, 174, 175 200, 263
Hardening Pharaoh’s Heart, Hyssop, 246, 253
116-119, 161, 169, 204-205,
211, 213, 222, 232, 299, 300, 1
304
Hathor, 36, 40, 174, 175, 202, I Am, 88, 96, 99, 100, 101
360, 713 Idols, Idolatry (See Graven
Hatshepsut, 19, 21, 76, 80 Images), 441, 492, 504, 512,
Hazor, 23, 29, 97 706, 708
Heave-offering, 561, 662, 680, Imhotep, 175, 204
775 Incense, 564,670, 671,672,673,
I
Hebrews, 123, 129, 458-459 674, 676, 676A, 678-679,686,
Hekt, 183, 184 687
Herbs, bitter, 248 Injuries, 467, 468, 470, 473
Heritage, 146 Intercession, 706
Herodotus, 187, 220 Interest, 493-494
Hesed (lovingkindness), 325, Iron, 564
426, 746, 755 Israel, 108B, 119, 128
High Priest (See Priests), 610B Ithamar, 151, 629-630, 785, 788
Hittite Laws, 446, 492
Hittites, 98, 569 J
Hivites, 98
Hobab, 379, 388 J (Jahwist), 15, 115, 130, 142,
Holiness, 399, 497, 642-643, 161, 253, 265, 279, 308, 363,
665, 804 443, 531, 532, 708, 709, 736,
Holy of Holies, 556, 557, 557- 752
558, 558, 569, 590, 603, 616, Jebel Musa, 34G, 42, 93, 361,
676, 808 393, 394
Holy Place, 556, 559, 603, 604, Jacob, 59, 60, 148
620, 621, 804 Jah (Yah), (See Jehovah), 321
Holy Spirit, 555, 584, 610, 657, Jannes and Jambres, 161
674, 685, 693, 696 Jealousy of God, 425, 758-759
Honoring Father and Mother, Jebusites, 98-99
432-434, 467 Jehovah, 86, 100, 101, 110, 127,
Hornet, 520-521 128, 134, 138, 141, 142, 143-
Horns (of Altar), 613-658, 675, 144, 150, 158, 162, 168, 185,
678 186, 210, 381, 382, 383, 421,
Hur, 356, 368-369, 525, 542, 428, 441, 537, 746, 747

813

\
 EXPLORING EXODUS

Jehovah-nissi, 356, 371 217, 250, 667, 733-734, 740-

Jericho, 28 ’74 1
Jeroboam I, 185-614, 708, 709, Kohath, 149-150, 271, 553
715 Koncharis, 312
Jerusalem, 30 Korah, 139, 151
Jesus Christ, 1, 94, 96, 108A, Kosher, 516
145, 538, 544, 559, 560, 603,
612, 631, 635, 638, 641, 660, L
683, 695-696, 762, 764
Jethro (or Reuel), 70, 82-84, 85, Lab’ayu, 23
93, 114-115, 373, 376, 377, Lachish, 28
378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 383, Lake Menzaleh, 44, 46,47,286,
384, 386, 387 297
Jewels, 103, 104, 228, 258-259, Lake Sirbonis, 44, 286, 297
636-638, 796 Lake Timsah, 35, 46-47, 61,
Jochebed, 73, 150 260, 287, 297
Joseph (Son of Jacob), 30, 60, Lamb (See also Passover), 232,
102, 274, 276, 288 242, 244, 247
Josephus, 13, 147, 166, 190, Lampstand, (See Menorah),
269, 305, 307, 312, 367, 439, 566B
617, 634, 639, 643, 710 Late Bronze Age, 23, 29
Joshua, 356, 357, 367-368, 370, Laver, 559, 669,675,676B, 681-
542, 720-721, 731, 740 684, 784, 786, 787, 790, 800,
Journey of Israelites (See Route) 804
Judgments, (See also Ordi- Law, 536, 541
nances), 157, 158, 167, 168, Leaven, (See also Unleavened
174. 455-457 Bread), 252, 515
Judges, (Appointed by Moses), Leprosy, 104, 106, 111
375, 386-387 Levi, 73, 113, 148, 149-150, 271
Justice, 502, 507, 510 Levites, 113, 282, 568, 702, 725-
727, 785, 788, 806
K Lex Talionis, 472-473
Lice, 187-189
Kenites, 83 Lightning, 208
Kenite Theory, 86, 382 Linen, Linen Curtains, 562, 591,
Kenyon, Kathleen, 28-29 618, 632, 775
Kidnapping, 466 Lipit-Ishtar, Law Code of, 446
Killing, 434-435,464 Locusts, 211, 215, 217-222
Knop, 566B, 580, 581 Lord’s Day, 436
Knowing God, 49, 50, 146, 162, Lord’s Supper, 579

814
 INDEX

LXX (See Septuagint) Moses (many references

throughout); note especially
M 69, 73-81, 108-109, 135, 147,
158, 210, 295, 364, 369, 384,
Magicians, 153, 155, 159, 160- 385, 387, 440, 707, 718-719,
161, 165, 179, 184, 188-189, 798, 799, 806
204 Most Holy Place (See Holy of
Manna, 261, 335,336, 338, 339, Holies)
340, 347-351, 353, 354, 355, Mountain (Land of Israel), 327
5.49, 805 Mount Atakah, 37,299
Manslaughter, 434, 464 Mount Horeb, 81, 89, 94
Marah, 34, 35, 37-38, 46, 47, Mount of Pharaoh’s Hot Bath,
299, 316, 330, 331, 332 34F, 38, 341
Massah, 355, 365 Mount Serbal, 362, 362B
Materials for Tabernacle, 562, Mount Sinai, 34G, 93, 388,389,
775, 776, 788-789, 790, 795 394A, 394B, 722, 798, 803-
Meal-offerings, 515, 655, 806 804, 806
Memorial, 578, 635, 637, 681 Mount Tahuneh, 34F, 368
Menorah (Lampstand), 550, Murmuring, 332, 343
557, 559, 560, 566B, 579, Murrain, 194, 200-202
589, 603, 619, 620-621, 676, Myrrh, 685
679, 782, 797.798, 800, 805
Mercy-Seat, 545, 550, 558, 570-
572, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574,
676, 781 N
Meribah, 355, 363, 365, 366
Merneptah, 25, 28 Nadab and Abihu, 150, 151,
Midian, Midianites, 70, 81-82 406, 524, 530, 536, 629-630,
Midnight, 225, 229, 234, 256 676, 677, 805
Midwives, 54-55, 65-68 Nakedness, 444, 645, 724
Migdol, 291, 298 Name of the Lord, 88, 142, 144,
Milk, Cooking in, 515-516 751, 754-755
Ministering Women, 787 Nationhood of Israel, 3, 285-
Miriam, 73, 316, 319, 329 286, 391, 398, 399
Mirrors, 681-682, 784, 787 Neighbor, 437
Miscarriage, 470, 472 Network of Brass, 610A, 613-
Mitre, 642, 643, 644, 793 615, 790
Mixed Multitude, 66, 263, 264 New Covenant, 432
Molten Gods, 713-714, 718, 759 New Kingdom, 65
Moral Law, 417 Nut, 211
815
 EXPLORING EXODUS

0 Pihahairoth, 34, 35-36, 291,

297, 298, 302
Offerings, 514, 544, 561, 765, Pillars, 519, 604-605, 617, 618
775, 776 Pins, 619, 785, 787
Oholiab, 554,632,688,766,785 Pithom, 54, 64
Oil (Olive), 564, 582, 583, 584, Plagues, 166-177, 217, 228,250,
609, 610, 619, 621, 669, 674, 730
684, 685 Plate of Gold, 642, 794, 795,
Olive Oil (See Oil) 797
Omer, 335, 344, 348, 354 Play, 716-717
Onycha, 686-687 Pomegranates, 641, 793, 797
Onyx stones, 564, 634-635, 792 Population, 33, 60, 260
Oral Transmission, 14 Poor, the, 507, 509-510
Ordinances of God, (See Judg- Prayer, 678,679,687
ments), 332-333, 455-457, Prayers of Moses, 135, 185-186,
480-481,483, 502, 532 209-210, 221-222, 364, 369,
Ornaments (See also Jewels), 719, 728-729, 746, 756
737, 738 Presence of God, 574-575, 742
Outline of Exodus, 4-10 Presence-bread (See Showbread)
Oxen, 474-477 Priestly Document, (P), 15-16,
114, 141-142, 147, 150, 161,
P 241, 265, 279, 308, 363, 543,
560, 601, 630-631, 692, 708,
Papyrus, 47, 53, 75 768, 803
Passover, 233, 234, 235, 239- Priests, 398-399, 406, 533, 560,
240, 241, 242, 245-246, 248- 610B, 620-621,622,625,627,
255, 265, 265-267, 513, 759, 630-631, 657, 684
761 Promised Land, 96-97, 500, 522
Pavement, 538 Promises, 141, 145
Peace-offerings, 442, 532-534, Prophet, 109, 157, 739
540, 662, 716 Propitiation, 558, 571, 572
Pentecost (See Feast of Weeks), Prostitution, 436
726 Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions, 24,
Perizzites, 98 40, 78
Pharaoh, (See separate names), Proving, (See Tests)
63, 156, 311 Pursuit by Egyptians, 291
Pharaoh’s Daughter, 76
Philistines, 285, 326, 808 Q
Phinehas, 151
Phylactery, 281-282, 284 Qantir, 34, 64, 259, 260

816
 INDEX

Quails, 335, 346.347 Root of Israel, 284-287, 360.362

Route of Israel’s Journey, 33-43,
R 34A, 34B, 34C, 34F
Ra (Re), 160, 176, 222 S
Raamses 11, 25, 61, 64, 259, 569
Raamses (City), 25-26, 34, 42, Sabbath, 336, 351-352, 353,
54, 64, 235, 259 428-432, 503, 512, 688, 690,
Raamses (Land of), 26 691, 696-698, 747, 760, 765,
Raddana, 24 774-775
Rahab, 314 Sabbatical Year, 503, 511
Rams’ skins, 563, 596, 597 Sacrifices (See also Burnt-offer-
Ras Safsafeh, 34G, 41-42, 393, ings, peace-offerings), 224,
722 245-246, 382, 575, 662, 678,
Redemption, (Redeemed), 2, 716, 761, 806
145, 191, 283, 325, 680 St. Catherine,442
Red Sea, 33-34, 34B, 35, 44-47. Salvation, 303
286, 297, 311, 313, 316, 323, Sanctuary (See Tabernacle),
326, 523 327, 549, 564-565, 806
Reed Sea, (See Red Sea) Sapphire, 538, 539, 796
Rekh-mire, 48 Satan, 110, 156, 185, 313
Repentance (of God), 701, 704, Scarlet Cloth, 562
706-707 Schematization of numbers, 31,
Rephidim, 41, 355, 362, 367, 32
380, 388, 394 Screen, 604, 618, 785, 804
Restitution, 483-484, 486, 489 Sea of Reeds, (See Red Sea)
Reuben, 148-149 Sea of Weeds, (See Red Sea)
Reuel, (See Jethro) Sealskins, 563, 595, 596, 615
Reviling, 495-496 Seeing God, 524, 536-539, 744
Revised Standard Version, 305, Septuagint, (Greek Old Testa-
309, 314, 381, 439, 509, 563, ment), 60, 115, 134, 190, 223,
596, 598, 656, 667, 760, 762 247, 267, 268-269, 207-288,
Ritual Decalogue, 753-754 305, 309, 371, 373, 378, 380,
River of Egypt, 330 381, 393, 400, 403, 471, 536,
Robe of the Ephod, 624, 628, 564, 636-637, 638, 741, 769-
640-641, 793, 795, 797 772, 788
Rod of Aaron, 159, 569, 805 serabit El-Khadim, 40, 78, 83,
Rod of Moses, 110, 114, 158, 342, 360
159, 184, 208, 303-305, 365, serpent, 110, 158, 159
368 Servants (slaves), 448, 452, 457-
817
 EXPLORING EXODUS

458, 468-470, 473 Springs of Moses, 34B, 37-38,

Servants (Maidservants), 462- 43, 332A, 330, 330A
463 Stacte, 686
Seti I, 23, 61 Staves, 568,576, 615, 675
Shaddai, (See El Shaddai) Stealing, 436-437, 477, 483,
Shekel, 669, 679, 680, 789 484-485, 487
Shekinah, 542-543, 555 Stephen, 60, 268, 288, 712
Shepherds, 34H, 62 Steps to altar, 444, 615
Shewbread (See Showbread) Stiffnecked, 704, 730, 731, 756
Shiloh, 808 Strange Incense, 676-677
Shining of Moses’ face, 748,762 Succoth, 34-35, 235, 260, 274,
Shittim (See Acacia) 277, 278, 286, 289
Showbread, 548, 550, 557, 559, Suicide, 434
575-579, 589, 603, 782, 800,
804 T
Shu, 177
Signet-ring, 776 Tabernacle, 549-550, 550A-
Signs, 153, 167g.281, 284, 696 SOB, 551-561, 565-566,
Silver, 258, 441;775, 562, 599, 590A, 590B, 790-791, 794,
602, 778, 779, 785, 789, 790 798-808
Simeon, 149 Tabernacle of the Congregation
Sinai Pennisula, 33, 34C, 34E, (See Tent of Meeting)
329-331 Table of Showbread (See Show-
Siniatic Manuscript, 42 bread)
Sin-offering, 658-659, 677 Talent, 582, 599, 788
Slaves (See Servants) Talmud, 541, 574
Sockets, 599-600, 604-605, 617, Tamarisk Tree, 349
786, 790 Tanis, 34, 64, 259
Sojourners, 492-493, 511 Taskmaster, 63, 123, 130-131
Solomon’s Temple, 560, 611, Temple of Solomon, 569, 611,
676B, 682, 781, 808 676B, 682,791,808
Song of Miriam, 328 Tempting God, 365-366
Song of Moses, 314ff., 319, 328 Ten Commandments, 407-408,
Song, the (Exodus 19, 320 410-411, 413-421, 541, 699-
Soul, 60, 679, 680, 698 700, 720, 721, 761-762
Spelt, 196, 210 Tent of Meeting (Holy Place),
Sphinx, 152A, 257 620-621, 663, 666, 677, 687,
Spices, 564, 684-685, 686 731, 734, 738, 740, 787, 804
Spinning, 776 Testimony (Ten Command-
Spoil, 259, 738 ments), 353, 414, 545, 568,

818
 INDEX

689, 690, 699, 702, 748, 805 Urim and Thummim, 638-640
Tests, (Proving), 169, 316, 332,
344, 364, 412, 440 V
Thebes, 27
Theme of Exodus, 2-3 Vain (“in vain”), 427
Thutmose 111, 17, 19-20, 21, 27, Veil, 557, 558, 586, 590, 601-
48, 80, 86 603, 678, 748, 750, 752, 763-
Thutmose IV, 20, 21, 256-257 764, 779, 797, 804
Timbrel, 316, 329 Vengeance, 508
Topaz, 623, 636, 796 Virgins, 489-490
Torah, 59
Transition, 57 W
Transjordan, 27
Triumph, 318, 320, 321 Wadi El-Arish, (See River of
Trumpet, 403, 404,405,408 Egypt)
Trusts, 481-482 Wadi Esh-Sheikh, 39-40, 361,
Tutankhamon, 21 362, 564
Turban (See Mitre) Wadi Et-Taiyibeh, 341, 360
Type, Aaron, a Type of Christ, Wadi Feiran, !34F, 39, 41, 43,
560, 627, 631, 635, 652, 654 341, 361, 362, 362A, 362B
Type, Aaron’s Sons, a Type of Wadi Gharandel, (See Elim)
Christians, 652-653 Wadi Mukkatab, 362
Type, Israel, a Type of the Wadi Es-Sebaiyeh, 42, 394
Church, 1, 108B, 170 Wadi Tumilat, (See Goshen)
Type, Moses, a Type of Christ, War, 435 I (

1, 108, 108A, 109, 111, 116, Washings, 655-656, 673

169, 528 Water (From the Rock), 364-367
Type, Passover, a Type of Wave-offering, 661-662
Christ, 239-240, 242-243, Way of the Sea, 284-285
247, 252, 267 Wheat, 196, 210
Type (Tabernacle types), 1, 552, Wilderness of Etham, 35, 38,
558-560 287
Wilderness of Shur, 35, 287,
U 289, 316, 329-330
Wilderness of Sin, 34C, 34F,
Ugarit, Ugaritic, 736, 768 39, 43, 334, 341, 342, 355
Unleavened Bread, Feast of, Wilderness of Sinai, 388, 393
233, 238-239, 247-248, 251- Widows, 493
253, 258, 273, 276, 280, 499, Winds, 220, 222, 305-306, 308
513-514, 515, 747, 759 Wisdom, 693, 694
819
 EXPLORING EXODUS

Witch, 482, 490-491 Yam Suph (See Red Sea), 44,

Women, (See individual names), 286
77, 787 Year of Jubilee, 458, 461
Workmen, (See Bezalel and
Oholiab), 773, 774, 775, 776,
777 Z
Y Zipporah, 70, 84-85, 105, 108,
120-122, 373, 379, 380
Yahweh (See Jehovah) Zoan, 64

820