translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: EXO

label: NET translator note

text: The sentence begins with a preterite and vav ( ו ) consecutive, which can be subordinated to the next clause with the preterite and vav consecutive. Here it has been treated as a temporal clause.


text: The word is often rendered “congregation” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), but the modern perception of a congregation is not exactly what is in mind in the desert. Another possible rendering is “community” (NAB, NIV, NCV, TEV) or “assembly.” The Hebrew word is used of both good and bad groups ( Judg 14:8 ; Ps 1:5; 106:17-18 ).


text: The form in the text is לְצֵאתָם ( lÿtse ’ tam , “after their going out”). It clearly refers to their deliverance from Egypt, and so it may be vividly translated.


text: Or “community” or “assembly.”


text: The text reads: מִי־יִתֵּן מוּתֵנוּ ( mi-yitten mutenu , “who will give our dying”) meaning “If only we had died.” מוּתֵנוּ is the Qal infinitive construct with the suffix. This is one way that Hebrew expresses the optative with an infinitive construct. See R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax , 91-92, §547.


text: The form is a Qal infinitive construct used in a temporal clause, and the verb “when we ate” has the same structure.


text: לְהָמִית ( lÿhamit ) is the Hiphil infinitive construct showing purpose. The people do not trust the intentions or the plan of their leaders and charge Moses with bringing everyone out to kill them.


text: The particle הִנְנִי ( hinni ) before the active participle indicates the imminent future action: “I am about to rain.”


text: This verb and the next are the Qal perfect tenses with vav ( ו ) consecutives; they follow the sequence of the participle, and so are future in orientation. The force here is instruction – “they will go out” or “they are to go out.”


text: The verb in the purpose/result clause is the Piel imperfect of נָסָה ( nasah ), אֲנַסֶּנוּ (’ anassenu ) – “in order that I may prove them [him].” The giving of the manna will be a test of their obedience to the detailed instructions of God as well as being a test of their faith in him (if they believe him they will not gather too much). In chap. the people will test God, showing that they do not trust him.


text: Heb “and it will be on the sixth day.”


text: The text simply has “evening, and you will know.” Gesenius notes that the perfect tense with the vav consecutive occurs as the apodosis to temporal clauses or their equivalents. Here the first word implies the idea “[when it becomes] evening” or simply “[in the] evening” (GKC 337-38 §112. oo ). sn Moses is very careful to make sure that they know it is Yahweh who has brought them out, and it will be Yahweh who will feed them. They are going to be convinced of this now.


text: Heb “morning, and you will see.”


text: The form is a Qal infinitive construct with a preposition and a suffix. It forms an adverbial clause, usually of time, but here a causal clause.


text: The words “as for us” attempt to convey the force of the Hebrew word order, which puts emphasis on the pronoun: “and we – what?” The implied answer to the question is that Moses and Aaron are nothing, merely the messengers. The next verse repeats the question to further press the seriousness of what the Israelites are doing.


text: “You will know this” has been added to make the line smooth. Because of the abruptness of the lines in the verse, and the repetition with v. 7 , B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 273) thinks that v. 8 is merely a repetition by scribal error – even though the versions render it as the MT has it. But B. Jacob ( Exodus , 447) suggests that the contrast with vv. 6 and 7 is important for another reason – there Moses and Aaron speak, and it is smooth and effective, but here only Moses speaks, and it is labored and clumsy. “We should realize that Moses had properly claimed to be no public speaker.”


text: Here again is an infinitive construct with the preposition forming a temporal clause.


text: The words “as for us” attempt to convey the force of the Hebrew word order, which puts emphasis on the pronoun: “and we – what?” The implied answer to the question is that Moses and Aaron are nothing, merely the messengers.


text: The word order is “not against us [are] your murmurings.”


text: Or “congregation” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV); the same word occurs in v. 10 .


text: The verb means “approach, draw near.” It is used in the Torah of drawing near for religious purposes. It is possible that some sacrifice was involved here, but no mention is made of that.


text: Heb “and it was as Aaron spoke.” The construction uses the temporal indicator and then the Piel infinitive construct followed by the subjective genitive “Aaron.”


text: The verb is the Niphal perfect of the verb “to see” – “it was seen.” But the standard way of translating this form is from the perspective of Yahweh as subject – “he appeared.”


text: Heb “during the evenings”; see Exod 12:6 .


text: The verb means “to be sated, satisfied”; in this context it indicates that they would have sufficient bread to eat – they would be full.


text: The form is a Qal perfect with the vav ( ו ) consecutive; it is in sequence with the imperfect tenses before it, and so this is equal to an imperfect nuance. But, from the meanings of the words, it is clear that this will be the outcome of their eating the food, a divinely intended outcome.


text: Heb “and [the dew…] went up.”


text: The preterite with vav ( ו ) consecutive is here subordinated as a temporal clause to the main clause; since that clause calls special attention to what was there after the dew evaporated.


text: The preterite with vav consecutive is here subordinated to the next verb as a temporal clause. The main point of the verse is what they said.


text: Heb “a man to his brother.”


text: The text has: מָן הוּא כִּי לאֹ יָדְעוּ מַה־הוּא ( man hu ’ ki lo ’ yadÿ ’ u mah hu ’). From this statement the name “manna” was given to the substance. מָן for “what” is not found in Hebrew, but appears in Syriac as a contraction of ma den , “what then?” In Aramaic and Arabic man is “what?” The word is used here apparently for the sake of etymology. B. S. Childs ( Exodus [OTL], 274) follows the approach that any connections to words that actually meant “what?” are unnecessary, for it is a play on the name (whatever it may have been) and therefore related only by sound to the term being explained. This, however, presumes that a substance was known prior to this account – a point that Deuteronomy does not seem to allow. S. R. Driver says that it is not known how early the contraction came into use, but that this verse seems to reflect it ( Exodus , 149). Probably one must simply accept that in the early Israelite period man meant “what?” There seems to be sufficient evidence to support this. See EA 286,5; UT 435; DNWSI 1:157.


text: Heb “the thing that.”


text: The perfect tense could be taken as a definite past with Moses now reporting it. In this case a very recent past. But in declaring the word from Yahweh it could be instantaneous, and receive a present tense translation – “here and now he commands you.”


text: The form is the plural imperative: “Gather [you] each man according to his eating.”


text: Heb “for a head.”


text: The word “number” is an accusative that defines more precisely how much was to be gathered (see GKC 374 §118. h ).


text: Traditionally “souls.”


text: Heb “will take.”


text: “lives” has been supplied.


text: The preterite with the vav ( ו ) consecutive is subordinated here as a temporal clause.


text: The address now is for “man” ( אִישׁ , ’ ish ), “each one”; here the instruction seems to be focused on the individual heads of the households.


text: Or “some of it,” “from it.”


text: Heb “men”; this usage is designed to mean “some” (see GKC 447 §138. h , n. 1).


text: The verb וַיָּרֻם ( vayyarum ) is equivalent to a passive – “it was changed” – to which “worms” is added as an accusative of result (GKC 388-89 §121. d , n. 2).


text: Heb “morning by morning.” This is an example of the repetition of words to express the distributive sense; here the meaning is “every morning” (see GKC 388 §121. c ).


text: The perfect tenses here with vav ( ו ) consecutives have the frequentative sense; they function in a protasis-apodosis relationship (GKC 494 §159. g ).


text: Heb “and it happened/was.”


text: This construction is an exception to the normal rule for the through 10 taking the object numbered in the plural. Here it is “two of the omer” or “the double of the omer” (see GKC 433 §134. e ).


text: Heb “for one.”


text: The word suggests “the ones lifted up” above others, and therefore the rulers or the chiefs of the people.


text: Or “congregation” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).


text: The noun שַׁבָּתוֹן ( shabbaton ) has the abstract ending on it: “resting, ceasing.” The root word means “cease” from something, more than “to rest.” The Law would make it clear that they were to cease from their normal occupations and do no common work.


text: The technical expression is now used: שַׁבַּת־קֹדֶשׁ ( s habbat-qodesh , “a holy Sabbath”) meaning a “cessation of/for holiness” for Yahweh. The rest was to be characterized by holiness.


text: The two verbs in these objective noun clauses are desiderative imperfects – “bake whatever you want to bake.”


text: The word “today” is implied from the context.


text: Heb “in the field” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); NAB, NIV, NLT “on the ground.”


text: The verb is plural, and so it is addressed to the nation and not to Moses. The perfect tense in this sentence is the characteristic perfect, denoting action characteristic, or typical, of the past and the present.


text: Heb “remain, a man where he is.”


text: Or “Let not anyone go” (see GKC 445 §138. d ).


text: Hebrew מָן ( man ).


text: Heb “like seed of coriander, white, its taste was.”


text: Heb “This is the thing that.”


text: Heb “for keeping.”


text: Heb “according to your generations” (see Exod 12:14 ).


text: In this construction after the particle expressing purpose or result, the imperfect tense has the nuance of final imperfect, equal to a subjunctive in the classical languages.


text: “for keeping.”


text: The words “omer” and “ephah” are transliterated Hebrew words. The omer is mentioned only in this passage. (It is different from a “homer” [cf. Ezek 45:11-14 ].) An ephah was a dry measure whose capacity is uncertain: “Quotations given for the ephah vary from ca. 45 to 20 liters” (C. Houtman, Exodus , 2:340-41). sn The point of this chapter, with all its instructions and reports included, is God’s miraculous provision of food for his people. This is a display of sovereign power that differs from the display of military power. Once again the story calls for faith, but here it is faith in Yahweh to provide for his people. The provision is also a test to see if they will obey the instructions of God. explains this. The point, then, is that God provides for the needs of his people that they may demonstrate their dependence on him by obeying him. The exposition of this passage must also correlate to . God’s providing manna from heaven to meet the needs of his people takes on new significance in the application that Jesus makes of the subject to himself. There the requirement is the same – will they believe and obey? But at the end of the event John explains that they murmured about Jesus.