Discovery BoxExodus 8:17 
Context8:17 They did so; Aaron extended his hand with his staff, he struck the dust of the ground, and it became gnats on people 1 and on animals. All the dust of the ground became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.
Exodus 8:24
Context8:24 The Lord did so; a 2 thick 3 swarm of flies came into 4 Pharaoh’s house and into the houses 5 of his servants, and throughout the whole land of Egypt the land was ruined 6 because of the swarms of flies.
Exodus 9:25
Context9:25 The hail struck everything in the open fields, both 7 people and animals, throughout all the land of Egypt. The hail struck everything that grows 8 in the field, and it broke all the trees of the field to pieces.
Exodus 29:42
Context29:42 “This will be a regular 9 burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet 10 with you to speak to you there.
Exodus 30:8
Context30:8 When Aaron sets up the lamps around sundown he is to burn incense on it; it is to be a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations.
Exodus 30:21
Context30:21 they must wash 11 their hands and their feet so that they do not die. And this 12 will be a perpetual ordinance for them and for their descendants 13 throughout their generations.” 14
Exodus 31:13
Context31:13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, 15 for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 16
Exodus 36:6
Context36:6 Moses instructed them to take 17 his message 18 throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman do any more work for the offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more. 19
Exodus 40:15
Context40:15 and anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may minister as my priests; their anointing will make them a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.”
Exodus 40:38
Context40:38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, but fire would be 20 on it at night, in plain view 21 of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
1 tn Heb “man,” but in the generic sense of “humans” or “people” (also in v. 18).
2 tn Heb “and there came a….”
3 tn Heb “heavy,” or “severe.”
4 tn Here, and in the next phrase, the word “house” has to be taken as an adverbial accusative of termination.
5 tn The Hebrew text has the singular here.
6 tc Concerning the connection of “the land was ruined” with the preceding, S. R. Driver (Exodus, 68) suggests reading with the LXX, Smr, and Peshitta; this would call for adding a conjunction before the last clause to make it read, “into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt; and the land was…”
tn The Hebrew word תִּשָּׁחֵת (tishakhet) is a strong word; it is the Niphal imperfect of שָׁחַת (shakhat) and is translated “ruined.” If the classification as imperfect stands, then it would have to be something like a progressive imperfect (the land was being ruined); otherwise, it may simply be a preterite without the vav (ו) consecutive. The verb describes utter devastation. This is the verb that is used in Gen 13:10 to describe how Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Swarms of flies would disrupt life, contaminate everything, and bring disease.
7 tn The exact expression is “from man even to beast.” R. J. Williams lists this as an example of the inclusive use of the preposition מִן (min) to be rendered “both…and” (Hebrew Syntax, 57, §327).
8 tn Heb “all the cultivated grain of.”
9 tn The translation has “regular” instead of “continually,” because they will be preparing this twice a day.
10 tn The relative clause identifies the place in front of the Tent as the place that Yahweh would meet Moses. The main verb of the clause is אִוָּעֵד (’ivva’ed), a Niphal imperfect of the verb יָעַד (ya’ad), the verb that is cognate to the name “tent of meeting” – hence the name. This clause leads into the next four verses.
11 tn Heb “and [then] they will wash.”
12 tn The verb is “it will be.”
13 tn Heb “for his seed.”
14 tn Or “for generations to come”; it literally is “to their generations.”
sn The symbolic meaning of washing has been taught throughout the ages. This was a practical matter of cleaning hands and feet, but it was also symbolic of purification before Yahweh. It was an outward sign of inner spiritual cleansing, or forgiveness. Jesus washed the disciples feet (Jn 13) to show this same teaching; he asked the disciples if they knew what he had done (so it was more than washing feet). In this passage the theological points for the outline would be these: I. God provides the means of cleansing; II. Cleansing is a prerequisite for participating in the worship, and III. (Believers) priests must regularly appropriate God’s provision of cleansing.
15 sn The instruction for the Sabbath at this point seems rather abrupt, but it follows logically the extended plans of building the sanctuary. B. Jacob, following some of the earlier treatments, suggests that these are specific rules given for the duration of the building of the sanctuary (Exodus, 844). The Sabbath day is a day of complete cessation; no labor or work could be done. The point here is that God’s covenant people must faithfully keep the sign of the covenant as a living commemoration of the finished work of Yahweh, and as an active part in their sanctification. See also H. Routtenberg, “The Laws of Sabbath: Biblical Sources,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 41-43, 99-101, 153-55, 204-6; G. Robinson, “The Idea of Rest in the OT and the Search for the Basic Character of Sabbath,” ZAW 92 (1980): 32-42; M. Tsevat, “The Basic Meaning of the Biblical Sabbath, ZAW 84 (1972): 447-59; M. T. Willshaw, “A Joyous Sign,” ExpTim 89 (1978): 179-80.
16 tn Or “your sanctifier.”
17 tn The verse simply reads, “and Moses commanded and they caused [a voice] to cross over in the camp.” The second preterite with the vav may be subordinated to the first clause, giving the intent (purpose or result).
18 tn Heb “voice.”
19 tn The verse ends with the infinitive serving as the object of the preposition: “from bringing.”
20 tn Here is another imperfect tense of the customary nuance.
21 tn Heb “to the eyes of all”; KJV, ASV, NASB “in the sight of all”; NRSV “before the eyes of all.”
