Discovery BoxExodus 4:18 
Context4:18 1 So Moses went back 2 to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Let me go, so that I may return 3 to my relatives 4 in Egypt and see 5 if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
Exodus 33:12
Context33:12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’ 6 but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name, 7 and also you have found favor in my sight.’
Exodus 34:9
Context34:9 and said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord 8 go among us, for we 9 are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
1 sn This last section of the chapter reports Moses’ compliance with the commission. It has four parts: the decision to return (18-20), the instruction (21-23), the confrontation with Yahweh (24-26), and the presentation with Aaron (27-31).
2 tn The two verbs form a verbal hendiadys, the second verb becoming adverbial in the translation: “and he went and he returned” becomes “and he went back.”
3 tn There is a sequence here with the two cohortative forms: אֵלְכָה נָּא וְאָשׁוּבָה (’elÿkhah nna’ vÿ’ashuva) – “let me go in order that I may return.”
4 tn Heb “brothers.”
5 tn This verb is parallel to the preceding cohortative and so also expresses purpose: “let me go that I may return…and that I may see.”
6 tn The Hiphil imperative is from the same verb that has been used before for bringing the people up from Egypt and leading them to Canaan.
7 tn That is, “chosen you.”
8 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” two times here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
9 tn Heb “it is.” Hebrew uses the third person masculine singular pronoun here in agreement with the noun “people.”
