19:1 2 In the third month after the Israelites went out 3 from the land of Egypt, on the very day, 4 they came to the Desert of Sinai.
32:31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin, 5 and they have made for themselves gods of gold.
1 sn This military term is used elsewhere in Exodus (e.g., 6:26; 7:4; 12:17, 50), but here the Israelites are called “the regiments of the Lord.”
2 sn This chapter is essentially about mediation. The people are getting ready to meet with God, receive the Law from him, and enter into a covenant with him. All of this required mediation and preparation. Through it all, Israel will become God’s unique possession, a kingdom of priests on earth – if they comply with his Law. The chapter can be divided as follows: vv. 1-8 tell how God, Israel’s great deliverer promised to make them a kingdom of priests; this is followed by God’s declaration that Moses would be the mediator (v. 9); vv. 10-22 record instructions for Israel to prepare themselves to worship Yahweh and an account of the manifestation of Yahweh with all the phenomena; and the chapter closes with the mediation of Moses on behalf of the people (vv. 23-25). Having been redeemed from Egypt, the people will now be granted a covenant with God. See also R. E. Bee, “A Statistical Study of the Sinai Pericope,” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 135 (1972): 406-21.
3 tn The construction uses the infinitive construct followed by the subjective genitive to form a temporal clause.
4 tn Heb “on this day.”
5 tn As before, the cognate accusative is used; it would literally be “this people has sinned a great sin.”