Discovery BoxExodus 4:23 
Context4:23 and I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve 1 me,’ but since you have refused to let him go, 2 I will surely kill 3 your son, your firstborn!”’”
Exodus 23:22
Context23:22 But if you diligently obey him 4 and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries.
1 tn The text uses the imperative, “send out” (שַׁלַּח, shallakh) followed by the imperfect or jussive with the vav (ו) to express purpose.
2 tn The Piel infinitive serves as the direct object of the verb, answering the question of what Pharaoh would refuse to do. The command and refusal to obey are the grounds for the announcement of death for Pharaoh’s son.
3 tn The construction is very emphatic. The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) gives it an immediacy and a vividness, as if God is already beginning to act. The participle with this particle has the nuance of an imminent future act, as if God is saying, “I am about to kill.” These words are not repeated until the last plague.
4 tn The infinitive absolute here does not add as great an emphasis as normal, but emphasizes the condition that is being set forth (see GKC 342-43 §113.o).
