Exodus 4:17

4:17 You will also take in your hand this staff, with which you will do the signs.” ¹ 

Exodus 12:24

12:24 You must observe this event as an ordinance for you and for your children forever.

Exodus 12:26

12:26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ ²  –

Exodus 14:14

14:14 The Lord ³  will fight for you, and you can be still.” ⁴ 

Exodus 25:16

25:16 You are to put into the ark the testimony ⁵  that I will give to you.

Exodus 33:14

33:14 And the Lord ⁶  said, “My presence ⁷  will go with you, ⁸  and I will give you rest.” ⁹ 

Exodus 40:11

40:11 You must also anoint the large basin and its pedestal, and you are to sanctify it. ¹⁰ 

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¹ sn Mention of the staff makes an appropriate ending to the section, for God’s power (represented by the staff) will work through Moses. The applicable point that this whole section is making could be worded this way: The servants of God who sense their inadequacy must demonstrate the power of God as their sufficiency.

² tn Heb “what is this service to you?”

³ tn The word order places emphasis on “the Lord” (Heb “Yahweh”).

⁴ tn The imperfect tense needs to be interpreted in contrast to all that Yahweh will be doing. It may be given a potential imperfect nuance (as here), or it may be obligatory to follow the command to stand firm: “you must be still.”

⁵ sn The “testimony” is the Decalogue (Exod 24:12; 31:18; Deut 4:13; 9:9; 1 Kgs 8:9); the word identifies it as the witness or affirmation of God’s commandments belonging to his covenant with Israel. It expressed God’s will and man’s duty. In other cultures important documents were put at the feet of the gods in the temples.

⁶ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ sn Heb “my face.” This represents the presence of Yahweh going with the people (see 2 Sam 17:11 for an illustration). The “presence” probably refers to the angel of the presence or some similar manifestation of God’s leading and caring for his people.

⁸ tn The phrase “with you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

⁹ sn The expression certainly refers to the peace of mind and security of knowing that God was with them. But the expression came to mean “settle them in the land of promise” and give them rest and peace from their enemies. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 434) observes how in 32:10 God had told Moses, “Leave me alone” (“give me rest”), but now he promises to give them rest. The parallelism underscores the great transition through intercession.

¹⁰ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 480) notes that the items inside the tent did not need to be enumerated since they were already holy, but items in the courtyard needed special attention. People needed to know that items outside the tent were just as holy.