¹ tn Heb “and it will be on the sixth day.”

² sn There is a question here concerning the legislation – the people were not told why to gather twice as much on the sixth day. In other words, this instruction seems to presume that they knew about the Sabbath law. That law will be included in this chapter in a number of ways, suggesting to some scholars that this chapter is out of chronological order, placed here for a purpose. Some argue that the manna episode comes after the revelation at Sinai. But it is not necessary to take such a view. God had established the Sabbath in the creation, and if Moses has been expounding the Genesis traditions in his teachings then they would have known about that.

³ tn The referent (Moses) and the verb have been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Now is given the etymological explanation of the name of Moses’ other son, Eliezer (אֱלִיעֶזֶר, ’eli’ezer), which means “my God is a help.” The sentiment that explains this name is אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי בְּעֶזְרִי (’elohe ’avi bÿ’ezri, “the God of my father is my help”). The preposition in the sentiment is the bet (ב) essentiae (giving the essence – see GKC 379 §119.i). Not mentioned earlier, the name has become even more appropriate now that God has delivered Moses from Pharaoh again. The word for “help” is a common word in the Bible, first introduced as a description of the woman in the Garden. It means to do for someone what he or she cannot do for himself or herself. Samuel raised the “stone of help” (Ebenezer) when Yahweh helped Israel win the battle (1 Sam 7:12).

⁵ sn The verb “delivered” is an important motif in this chapter (see its use in vv. 8, 9, and 10 with reference to Pharaoh).

⁶ tn The phrase “to do” is added; in Hebrew word order the line says, “In all that I have said to you you will watch yourselves.” The verb for paying attention is a Niphal imperfect with an imperatival force.

⁷ tn Or “honor,” Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar). See also Exod 20:25; Josh 23:7; Isa 26:13.

⁸ tn Heb “mouth.”

sn See also Ps 16:4, where David affirms his loyalty to God with this expression.

⁹ tn The text now shifts to use an imperative with the vav (ו) conjunction.

¹⁰ tn The use of זֶה (zeh) repeated here expresses the reciprocal ideas of “the one” and “the other” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 26, §132).

¹¹ sn The angels were to form one piece with the lid and not be separated. This could be translated “of one piece with” the lid, but it is likely the angels were simply fastened to it permanently.

¹² tn This is the active participle, not the passive. It would normally be rendered “joining together.” The Bible uses the active because it has the result of the sewing in mind, namely, that every curtain accompanies another (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 348).

¹³ tn Heb “a woman to her sister,” this form of using nouns to express “one to another” is selected because “curtains” is a feminine noun (see GKC 448 §139.e).

¹⁴ tn The phrase “the other” has been supplied.

¹⁵ tn “that he put” has been supplied.

¹⁶ tn This is taken as a circumstantial clause; the clause begins with the conjunction vav.

¹⁷ tn Heb “from/at [the] end, from this.”

¹⁸ tn The repetition of the expression indicates it has the distributive sense.

¹⁹ tn The construction is a participle in construct followed by the genitive “wings” – “spreaders of wings.”

²⁰ tn “The cherubim” has been placed here instead of in the second clause to produce a smoother translation.

²¹ tn Heb “and their faces a man to his brother.”

²² tn Heb “to the atonement lid were the faces of the cherubim.”