Discovery BoxExodus 8:5 
Context8:5 The Lord spoke to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Extend your hand with your staff 1 over the rivers, over the canals, and over the ponds, and bring the frogs up over the land of Egypt.’”
Exodus 13:9
Context13:9 2 It 3 will be a sign 4 for you on your hand and a memorial 5 on your forehead, 6 so that the law of the Lord may be 7 in your mouth, 8 for 9 with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.
Exodus 27:21
Context27:21 In the tent of meeting 10 outside the curtain that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons are to arrange it from evening 11 to morning before the Lord. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for generations to come. 12
1 sn After the instructions for Pharaoh (7:25-8:4), the plague now is brought on by the staff in Aaron’s hand (8:5-7). This will lead to the confrontation (vv. 8-11) and the hardening (vv. 12-15).
2 sn This passage has, of course, been taken literally by many devout Jews, and portions of the text have been encased in phylacteries and bound on the arm and forehead. B. Jacob (Exodus, 368), weighing the pros and cons of the literal or the figurative meaning, says that those who took it literally should not be looked down on for their symbolic work. In many cases, he continues, it is the spirit that kills and the letter makes alive – because people who argue against a literal usage do so to excuse lack of action. This is a rather interesting twist in the discussion. The point of the teaching was obviously meant to keep the Law of Yahweh in the minds of the people, to remind them of their duties.
3 tn That is, this ceremony.
4 tn Heb “for a sign.”
5 tn Heb “for a memorial.”
6 tn Heb “between your eyes” (KJV and ASV both similar); the same expression occurs in v. 16.
sn That these festivals and consecrations were to be signs and memorials is akin to the expressions used in the book of Proverbs (Prov 3:3, “bind them around your neck…write them on your heart”). The people were to use the festivals as outward and visible tokens to remind them to obey what the Law required.
7 tn The purpose of using this ceremony as a sign and a memorial is that the Law might be in their mouth. The imperfect tense, then, receives the classification of final imperfect in the purpose clause.
8 sn “Mouth” is a metonymy of cause; the point is that they should be ever talking about the Law as their guide as they go about their duties (see Deut 6:7; 11:19; Josh 1:8).
9 tn This causal clause gives the reason for what has just been instructed. Because Yahweh delivered them from bondage, he has the strongest claims on their life.
10 tn The LXX has mistakenly rendered this name “the tent of the testimony.”
11 sn The lamps were to be removed in the morning so that the wicks could be trimmed and the oil replenished (30:7) and then lit every evening to burn through the night.
12 sn This is the first of several sections of priestly duties. The point is a simple one here: those who lead the worship use the offerings of the people to ensure that access to God is illumined regularly. The NT will make much of the symbolism of light.
