Exodus 17:4

17:4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What will I do with ¹  this people? – a little more ²  and they will stone me!” ³ 

Exodus 36:5

36:5 and told Moses, “The people are bringing much more than ⁴  is needed for the completion ⁵  of the work which the Lord commanded us to do!” ⁶ 

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¹ tn The preposition lamed (ל) is here specification, meaning “with respect to” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 49, §273).

² tn Or “they are almost ready to stone me.”

³ tn The perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive almost develops an independent force; this is true in sentences where it follows an expression of time, as here (see GKC 334 §112.x).

⁴ tn The construction uses the verbal hendiadys: מַרְבִּים לְהָבִיא (marbim lÿhavi’) is the Hiphil participle followed (after the subject) by the Hiphil infinitive construct. It would read, “they multiply…to bring,” meaning, “they bring more” than is needed.

⁵ tn Heb “for the service” (so KJV, ASV).

⁶ tn The last clause is merely the infinitive with an object – “to do it.” It clearly means the skilled workers are to do it.