Discovery BoxExodus 17:12 
Context17:12 When 1 the hands of Moses became heavy, 2 they took a stone and put it under him, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other, 3 and so his hands were steady 4 until the sun went down.
Exodus 18:22
Context18:22 They will judge 5 the people under normal circumstances, 6 and every difficult case 7 they will bring to you, but every small case 8 they themselves will judge, so that 9 you may make it easier for yourself, 10 and they will bear the burden 11 with you.
1 tn Literally “now the hands of Moses,” the disjunctive vav (ו) introduces a circumstantial clause here – of time.
2 tn The term used here is the adjective כְּבֵדִים (kÿvedim). It means “heavy,” but in this context the idea is more that of being tired. This is the important word that was used in the plague stories: when the heart of Pharaoh was hard, then the Israelites did not gain their freedom or victory. Likewise here, when the staff was lowered because Moses’ hands were “heavy,” Israel started to lose.
3 tn Heb “from this, one, and from this, one.”
4 tn The word “steady” is אֱמוּנָה (’emuna) from the root אָמַן (’aman). The word usually means “faithfulness.” Here is a good illustration of the basic idea of the word – firm, steady, reliable, dependable. There may be a double entendre here; on the one hand it simply says that his hands were stayed so that Israel might win, but on the other hand it is portraying Moses as steady, firm, reliable, faithful. The point is that whatever God commissioned as the means or agency of power – to Moses a staff, to the Christians the Spirit – the people of God had to know that the victory came from God alone.
5 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive, making it equivalent to the imperfect of instruction in the preceding verse.
6 tn Heb “in every time,” meaning “in all normal cases” or “under normal circumstances.” The same phrase occurs in v. 26.
7 tn Heb “great thing.”
8 tn Heb “thing.”
9 tn The vav here shows the result or the purpose of the instructions given.
10 tn The expression וְהָקֵל מֵעָלֶיךָ (vÿhaqel me’aleykha) means literally “and make it light off yourself.” The word plays against the word for “heavy” used earlier – since it was a heavy or burdensome task, Moses must lighten the load.
11 tn Here “the burden” has been supplied.
