translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: EXO

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “now these” or “and these.” The vav ( ו ) disjunctive marks a new beginning in the narrative begun in Genesis.


text: The expression בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ( bÿne yisra ’ el , “sons of Israel”) in most places refers to the nation as a whole and can be translated “Israelites,” although traditionally it has been rendered “the children of Israel” or “the sons of Israel.” Here it refers primarily to the individual sons of the patriarch Israel, for they are named. But the expression is probably also intended to indicate that they are the Israelites (cf. Gen 29:1 , “eastern people,” or “easterners,” lit., “sons of the east”).


text: Heb “a man and his house.” Since this serves to explain “the sons of Israel,” it has the distributive sense. So while the “sons of Israel” refers to the actual sons of the patriarch, the expression includes their families (cf. NIV, TEV, CEV, NLT).


text: The word נֶפֶשׁ ( nefesh ) is often translated “soul.” But the word refers to the whole person, the body with the soul, and so “life” or “person” is frequently a better translation.


text: The expression in apposition to נֶפֶשׁ ( nefesh ) literally says “those who went out from the loins of Jacob.” This distinguishes the entire company as his direct descendants.


text: Heb “and Joseph was in Egypt” (so ASV). The disjunctive word order in Hebrew draws attention to the fact that Joseph, in contrast to his brothers, did not come to Egypt at the same time as Jacob.


text: The text simply uses the vav ( ו ) consecutive with the preterite, “and Joseph died.” While this construction shows sequence with the preceding verse, it does not require that the death follow directly the report of that verse. In fact, readers know from the record in Genesis that the death of Joseph occurred after a good number of years. The statement assumes the passage of time in the natural course of events.


text: The verse has a singular verb, “and Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation.” Typical of Hebrew style the verb need only agree with the first of a compound subject. sn Since the deaths of “Joseph and his brothers and all that generation” were common knowledge, their mention must serve some rhetorical purpose. In contrast to the flourishing of Israel, there is death. This theme will appear again: In spite of death in Egypt, the nation flourishes.


text: Heb “the sons of Israel.”


text: The disjunctive vav marks a contrast with the note about the deaths of the first generation.


text: Using מְאֹד ( mÿ ’ od ) twice intensifies the idea of their becoming strong (see GKC 431-32 §133. k ). sn The text is clearly going out of its way to say that the people of Israel flourished in Egypt. The verbs פָּרָה ( parah , “be fruitful”), שָׁרַץ ( sharats , “swarm, teem”), רָבָה ( ravah , “multiply”), and עָצַם (’ atsam , “be strong, mighty”) form a literary link to the creation account in Genesis. The text describes Israel’s prosperity in the terms of God’s original command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, to show that their prosperity was by divine blessing and in compliance with the will of God. The commission for the creation to fill the earth and subdue it would now begin to materialize through the seed of Abraham.


text: The relative clause comes last in the verse in Hebrew. It simply clarifies that the new king had no knowledge about Joseph. It also introduces a major theme in the early portion of Exodus, as a later Pharaoh will claim not to know who Yahweh is. The Lord , however, will work to make sure that Pharaoh and all Egypt will know that he is the true God.


text: Heb “arose.”


text: Heb “and he said.”


text: The particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh ) introduces the foundational clause for the exhortation to follow by drawing the listeners’ attention to the Israelites. In other words, the exhortation that follows is based on this observation. The connection could be rendered “since, because,” or the like.


text: The verb is the Hitpael cohortative of חָכַם ( khakam , “to be wise”). This verb has the idea of acting shrewdly, dealing wisely. The basic idea in the word group is that of skill. So a skillful decision is required to prevent the Israelites from multiplying any more. sn Pharaoh’s speech invites evaluation. How wise did his plans prove to be?


text: The word פֶּן ( pen ) expresses fear or precaution and can also be translated “lest” or “else” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax , 75-76, §461).


text: The verb can be translated simply “will multiply,” but since Pharaoh has already indicated that he is aware they were doing that, the nuance here must mean to multiply all the more, or to continue to multiply. Cf. NIV “will become even more numerous.”


text: The words וְהָיָה כִּי ( vÿhayah ki ) introduce a conditional clause – “if” (see GKC 335 §112. y ).


text: Heb “and [lest] he [Israel] also be joined to.”


text: Heb “and go up from.” All the verbs coming after the particle פֶּן ( pen , “otherwise, lest” in v. 10 ) have the same force and are therefore parallel. These are the fears of the Egyptians. This explains why a shrewd policy of population control was required. They wanted to keep Israel enslaved; they did not want them to become too numerous and escape.


text: Heb “princes of work.” The word שָׂרֵי ( sare , “princes”) has been translated using words such as “ruler,” “prince,” “leader,” “official,” “chief,” “commander,” and “captain” in different contexts. It appears again in 2:14 and 18:21 and 25 . Hebrew מַס ( mas ) refers to a labor gang organized to provide unpaid labor, or corvée ( Deut 20:11 ; Josh 17:13 ; 1 Kgs 9:15, 21 ). The entire phrase has been translated “foremen,” which combines the idea of oversight and labor. Cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV “taskmasters”; NIV “slave masters”; NLT “slave drivers.”


text: Heb “over them”; the referent (the Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: The form is a preterite with the vav ( ו ) consecutive, וַיִּבֶן ( vayyiven ). The sequence expressed in this context includes the idea of result.


text: Heb “they”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: The imperfect tenses in this verse are customary uses, expressing continual action in past time (see GKC 315 §107. e ). For other examples of כַּאֲשֶׁר ( ka ’ asher ) with כֵּן ( ken ) expressing a comparison (“just as…so”) see Gen 41:13 ; Judg 1:7 ; Isa 31:4 . sn Nothing in the oppression caused this, of course. Rather, the blessing of God ( Gen 12:1-3 ) was on Israel in spite of the efforts of Egypt to hinder it. According to God had foretold that there would be this period of oppression ( עָנָה [’ anah ] in Gen 15:13 ). In other words, God had decreed and predicted both their becoming a great nation and the oppression to show that he could fulfill his promise to Abraham in spite of the bondage.


text: Heb “they felt a loathing before/because of”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “the Egyptians.” For stylistic reasons this has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation.


text: Heb “with rigor, oppression.”


text: The preposition bet ( ב ) in this verse has the instrumental use: “by means of” (see GKC 380 §119. o ).


text: Heb “and in all service.”


text: The line could be more literally translated, “All their service in which they served them [was] with rigor.” This takes the referent of בָּהֶם ( bahem ) to be the Egyptians. The pronoun may also resume the reference to the kinds of service and so not be needed in English: “All their service in which they served [was] with rigor.”


text: Heb “and the king of Egypt said.”


text: Heb “who the name of the first [was] Shiphrah, and the name of the second [was] Puah.”


text: The verse starts with the verb that began the last verse; to read it again seems redundant. Some versions render it “spoke” in v. 15 and “said” in v. 16 . In effect, Pharaoh has been delayed from speaking while the midwives are named.


text: The form is the Piel infinitive construct serving in an adverbial clause of time. This clause lays the foundation for the next verb, the Qal perfect with a vav consecutive: “when you assist…then you will observe.” The latter carries an instructional nuance (= the imperfect of instruction), “you are to observe.”


text: Heb “at the birthstool” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV), but since this particular item is not especially well known today, the present translation simply states “at the delivery.” Cf. NIV “delivery stool.”


text: The last form וָחָיָה ( vakhaya ) in the verse is unusual; rather than behaving as a III- Hey form, it is written as a geminate but without the daghesh forte in pause (GKC 218 §76. i ). In the conditional clause, following the parallel instruction (“kill him”), this form should be rendered “she may live” or “let her live.”


text: Heb “and they [fem. pl.] feared”; the referent (the midwives) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: The verb is the Piel preterite of חָיָה ( khaya , “to live”). The Piel often indicates a factitive nuance with stative verbs, showing the cause of the action. Here it means “let live, cause to live.” The verb is the exact opposite of Pharaoh’s command for them to kill the boys.


text: The verb קָרָא ( qara ’) followed by the lamed ( ל ) preposition has here the nuance of “summon.” The same construction is used later when Pharaoh summons Moses.


text: The second verb in Pharaoh’s speech is a preterite with a vav ( ו ) consecutive. It may indicate a simple sequence: “Why have you done…and (so that you) let live?” It could also indicate that this is a second question, “Why have you done …[why] have you let live?”


text: Heb “they”; the referent (the Hebrew women) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “before the midwife comes to them (and) they give birth.” The perfect tense with the vav consecutive serves as the apodosis to the preceding temporal clause; it has the frequentative nuance (see GKC 337-38 §112. oo ). sn The point of this brief section is that the midwives respected God above the king. They simply followed a higher authority that prohibited killing. Fearing God is a basic part of the true faith that leads to an obedient course of action and is not terrified by worldly threats. There probably was enough truth in what they were saying to be believable, but they clearly had no intention of honoring the king by participating in murder, and they saw no reason to give him a straightforward answer. God honored their actions.


text: The verb וַיֵּיטֶב ( vayyetev ) is the Hiphil preterite of יָטַב ( yatav ). In this stem the word means “to cause good, treat well, treat favorably.” The vav ( ו ) consecutive shows that this favor from God was a result of their fearing and obeying him.


text: The temporal indicator וַיְהִי ( vayÿhi ) focuses attention on the causal clause and lays the foundation for the main clause, namely, “God made households for them.” This is the second time the text affirms the reason for their defiance, their fear of God.


text: Or “families”; Heb “houses.”


text: The substantive כֹּל ( kol ) followed by the article stresses the entirety – “all sons” or “all daughters” – even though the nouns are singular in Hebrew (see GKC 411 §127. b ).


text: The form includes a pronominal suffix that reiterates the object of the verb: “every son…you will throw it.”


text: The first imperfect has the force of a definite order, but the second, concerning the girls, could also have the nuance of permission, which may fit better. Pharaoh is simply allowing the girls to live. sn Verse 22 forms a fitting climax to the chapter, in which the king continually seeks to destroy the Israelite strength. Finally, with this decree, he throws off any subtlety and commands the open extermination of Hebrew males. The verse forms a transition to the next chapter, in which Moses is saved by Pharaoh’s own daughter. These chapters show that the king’s efforts to destroy the strength of Israel – so clearly a work of God – met with failure again and again. And that failure involved the efforts of women, whom Pharaoh did not consider a threat.