translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: EXO

label: NET translator note

text: The construction uses the infinitive construct followed by the subjective genitive to form a temporal clause.


text: Heb “on this day.”


text: The form is a preterite with vav ( ו ) consecutive, “and they journeyed.” It is here subordinated to the next clause as a temporal clause. But since the action of this temporal clause preceded the actions recorded in v. 1 , a translation of “after” will keep the sequence in order. Verse 2 adds details to the summary in v. 1 .


text: Heb “and Moses went up.”


text: This expression is normally translated as “Israelites” in this translation, but because in this place it is parallel to “the house of Jacob” it seemed better to offer a fuller rendering.


text: The figure compares the way a bird would teach its young to fly and leave the nest with the way Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt. The bird referred to could be one of several species of eagles, but more likely is the griffin-vulture. The image is that of power and love.


text: Heb “listen to my voice.” The construction uses the imperfect tense in the conditional clause, preceded by the infinitive absolute from the same verb. The idiom “listen to the voice of” implies obedience, not just mental awareness of sound.


text: The verb is a perfect tense with vav ( ו ) consecutive; it continues the idea in the protasis of the sentence: “and [if you will] keep.”


text: The lamed preposition expresses possession here: “to me” means “my.”


text: The noun is סְגֻלָּה ( sÿgullah ), which means a special possession. Israel was to be God’s special possession, but the prophets will later narrow it to the faithful remnant. All the nations belong to God, but Israel was to stand in a place of special privilege and enormous responsibility. See Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18 ; Ps 135:4 ; and Mal 3:17 . See M. Greenburg, “Hebrew s ÿ gulla: Akkadian sikiltu , ” JAOS 71 (1951): 172ff.


text: Or “for me” (NIV, NRSV), or, if the lamed ( ל ) preposition has a possessive use, “my kingdom” (so NCV).


text: The construction “a kingdom of priests” means that the kingdom is made up of priests. W. C. Kaiser (“Exodus,” EBC 2:417) offers four possible renderings of the expression: 1) apposition, viz., “kings, that is, priests; 2) as a construct with a genitive of specification, “royal priesthood”; 3) as a construct with the genitive being the attribute, “priestly kingdom”; and 4) reading with an unexpressed “and” – “kings and priests.” He takes the latter view that they were to be kings and priests. (Other references are R. B. Y. Scott, “A Kingdom of Priests (Exodus xix. 6),” OTS 8 [1950]: 213-19; William L. Moran, “A Kingdom of Priests,” The Bible in Current Catholic Thought , 7-20). However, due to the parallelism of the next description which uses an adjective, this is probably a construct relationship. This kingdom of God will be composed of a priestly people. All the Israelites would be living wholly in God’s service and enjoying the right of access to him. And, as priests, they would have the duty of representing God to the nations, following what they perceived to be the duties of priests – proclaiming God’s word, interceding for people, and making provision for people to find God through atonement (see Deut 33:9,10 ).


text: They are also to be “a holy nation.” They are to be a nation separate and distinct from the rest of the nations. Here is another aspect of their duty. It was one thing to be God’s special possession, but to be that they had to be priestly and holy. The duties of the covenant will specify what it would mean to be a holy nation. In short, they had to keep themselves free from everything that characterized pagan people (S. R. Driver, Exodus , 171). So it is a bilateral covenant: they received special privileges but they must provide special services by the special discipline. See also H. Kruse, “ Exodus 19:5 and the Mission of Israel,” North East Asian Journal of Theology 24/25 (1980): 239-42.


text: The verb is an imperfect. The people are not being presumptuous in stating their compliance – there are several options open for the interpretation of this tense. It may be classified as having a desiderative nuance: “we are willing to do” or, “we will do.”


text: The construction uses the deictic particle and the participle to express the imminent future, what God was about to do. Here is the first announcement of the theophany.


text: Heb “the thickness of the cloud”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT “in a thick cloud.”


text: Since “and also in you” begins the clause, the emphasis must be that the people would also trust Moses . See Exod 4:1-9, 31; 14:31 .


text: This verb is a Piel perfect with vav ( ו ) consecutive; it continues the force of the imperative preceding it. This sanctification would be accomplished by abstaining from things that would make them defiled or unclean, and then by ritual washings and ablutions.


text: The form is a perfect 3cpl with a vav ( ו ) consecutive. It is instructional as well, but now in the third person it is like a jussive, “let them wash, make them wash.”


text: The verb is a Hiphil perfect (“make borders”) with vav ( ו ) consecutive, following the sequence of instructions.


text: The Niphal imperative (“guard yourselves, take heed to yourselves”) is followed by two infinitives construct that provide the description of what is to be avoided – going up or touching the mountain.


text: Heb “a man.”


text: The nuance here is permissive imperfect, “they may go up.” The ram’s horn would sound the blast to announce that the revelation period was over and it was permitted then to ascend the mountain.


text: Heb “do not go near a woman”; NIV “Abstain from sexual relations.” sn B. Jacob ( Exodus , 537) notes that as the people were to approach him they were not to lose themselves in earthly love. Such separations prepared the people for meeting God. Sinai was like a bride, forbidden to anyone else. Abstinence was the spiritual preparation for coming into the presence of the Holy One.


text: Heb “and it was on.”


text: Heb “heavy” ( כָּבֵד , kaved ).


text: Literally “strong” ( חָזָק , khazaq ).


text: The word here is שֹׁפָר ( shofar ), the normal word for “horn.” This word is used especially to announce something important in a public event (see 1 Kgs 1:34 ; 2 Sam 6:15 ). The previous word used in the context (v. 16 ) was יֹבֵל ( yovel , “ram’s horn”).


text: This is the same word translated “trembled” above (v. 16 ).


text: The active participle הוֹלֵךְ ( holekh ) is used to add the idea of “continually” to the action of the sentence; here the trumpet became very loud – continually. See GKC 344 §113. u .


text: The two verbs here (“spoke” and “answered”) are imperfect tenses; they emphasize repeated action but in past time. The customary imperfect usually is translated “would” or “used to” do the action, but here continuous action in past time is meant. S. R. Driver translates it “kept speaking” and “kept answering” ( Exodus , 172).


text: The text simply has בְּקוֹל ( bÿqol ); it could mean “with a voice” or it could mean “in thunder” since “voice” was used in v. 16 for thunder. In this context it would be natural to say that the repeated thunderings were the voice of God – but how is that an answer? Deut 4:12 says that the people heard the sound of words. U. Cassuto ( Exodus , 232-33) rightly comments, “He was answering him with a loud voice so that it was possible for Moses to hear His words clearly in the midst of the storm.” He then draws a parallel from Ugaritic where it tells that one of the gods was speaking in a loud voice.


text: The imperative הָעֵד ( ha ’ ed ) means “charge” them – put them under oath, or solemnly warn them. God wished to ensure that the people would not force their way past the barriers that had been set out.


text: Heb “and fall”; NAB “be struck down.”


text: The verb יִפְרֹץ ( yifrots ) is the imperfect tense from פָּרַץ ( parats , “to make a breach, to break through”). The image of Yahweh breaking forth on them means “work destruction” (see 2 Sam 6:8 ; S. R. Driver, Exodus , 174).


text: The construction is emphatic: “because you – you solemnly warned us.” Moses’ response to God is to ask how they would break through when God had already charged them not to. God knew them better than Moses did.


text: Heb “sanctify it.”