Discovery BoxExodus 20:12 
Context20:12 “Honor 1 your father and your mother, that you may live a long time 2 in the land 3 the Lord your God is giving to you.
Exodus 27:14-15
Context27:14 The hangings on one side 4 of the gate are to be 5 twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 27:15 On the second side 6 there are to be 7 hangings twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases.
Exodus 38:9
Context38:9 He made the courtyard. For the south side 8 the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet long,
Exodus 38:14
Context38:14 with hangings on one side 9 of the gate that were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases,
1 tn The verb כַּבֵּד (kabbed) is a Piel imperative; it calls for people to give their parents the respect and honor that is appropriate for them. It could be paraphrased to say, give them the weight of authority that they deserve. Next to God, parents were to be highly valued, cared for, and respected.
2 tn Heb “that your days may be long.”
3 sn The promise here is national rather than individual, although it is certainly true that the blessing of life was promised for anyone who was obedient to God’s commands (Deut 4:1, 8:1, etc.). But as W. C. Kaiser (“Exodus,” EBC 2:424) summarizes, the land that was promised was the land of Canaan, and the duration of Israel in the land was to be based on morality and the fear of God as expressed in the home (Deut 4:26, 33, 40; 32:46-47). The captivity was in part caused by a breakdown in this area (Ezek 22:7, 15). Malachi would announce at the end of his book that Elijah would come at the end of the age to turn the hearts of the children and the parents toward each other again.
4 tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here and in v. 15. The east end would contain the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 16).
5 tn Here “will be” has been supplied.
6 tn Heb “shoulder.”
7 tn Here the phrase “there will be” has been supplied.
8 tn Heb “south side southward.”
9 tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here. The east end contained the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 15).
