Exodus

Chapter 3

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Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.

A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.

1Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock beyond the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb.

Notes (1)

Translation
Achar ha-midbar is “beyond the wilderness,” to the far side of it. Jethro is the name in this verse. Reuel was the name in the previous chapter. The two names are not merged.

2Yahweh’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire from the middle of the bush. He looked, and the bush was burning with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Notes (2)

Translation
Yahweh prints the divine name. The consonants in the Hebrew are YHWH. The vowels in “Yahweh” are a later convention, not a record of how the oldest copies said the name. See the glossary.
Translation
Mal’akh is a messenger. “Angel” is not printed. Seneh is a thorn bush. Labbat esh is a flame of fire.

3Moses said, “Let me turn aside and see this great sight. Why does the bush not burn up?”

4Yahweh saw that he turned aside to look. God called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses.” He said, “Here I am.”

5He said, “Do not come any closer. Take your sandals off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

6He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

Notes (1)

Text
“Your father” is singular in Leningrad. It is not changed to “fathers.”

7Yahweh said, “I have seen, I have seen the misery of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their overseers. I know their pains.

8I have come down to rescue him from Egypt’s hand and to bring him up from that land to a good and wide land, to a land oozing milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Notes (1)

Translation
Zavat is oozing, running over. “A land oozing milk and honey” is printed. The people are “him,” singular, as in chapter 1.

9Now the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the pressure with which Egypt presses them.

10Now go. I send you to Pharaoh. Bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”

11Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

12He said, “I will be with you. And this is the sign for you that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”

Notes (1)

Translation
The sign is not a wonder in the moment. It is the later service on this mountain. Ehyeh, “I will be,” is the same verb as the name in verse 14.

13Moses said to God, “Look, I come to the sons of Israel, and I say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ They will say to me, ‘What is his name?’ What shall I say to them?”

14God said to Moses, “I will be who I will be.” He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘Ehyeh has sent me to you.’”

Notes (1)

Translation
Ehyeh asher ehyeh is an imperfect verb, twice: “I will be who I will be.” “I am who I am” treats the verb as a present, and it is not printed. In the message, Ehyeh is left as the name, the same verb.

15God said again to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.

Notes (1)

Translation
Zekher is a memorial, the name by which he is called to mind. “Title” is not printed.

16Go, gather the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I have attended, I have attended to you and to what is done to you in Egypt.

17I said, I will bring you up out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land oozing milk and honey.’

18They will listen to your voice. You and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now let us go, please, a three-day journey into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God.’

Notes (1)

Translation
Niqrah alenu is “has met with us,” an encounter. “Has been invoked over us” is the live alternative.

19I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, and not by a strong hand.

Notes (1)

Text
Leningrad writes velo beyad chazaqah, “and not by a strong hand.” A sense “except by a strong hand” would need different words. It is not printed.

20I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in its midst. After that he will send you away.

21I will give this people favor in the eyes of Egypt. And when you go, you will not go empty.

22A woman will ask her neighbor, and the woman staying in her house, for silver objects and gold objects and clothing. You will put them on your sons and on your daughters. You will strip Egypt.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Venitzaltem is the verb usually heard as “rescue.” Here the object is Egypt, and the sense is to strip Egypt of those goods. “You will rescue Egypt” is not printed.

Exodus

Chapter 3

A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.

1Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock beyond the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb.

Notes (1)

Translation
Achar ha-midbar is “beyond the wilderness,” to the far side of it. Jethro is the name in this verse. Reuel was the name in the previous chapter. The two names are not merged.

2Yahweh’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire from the middle of the bush. He looked, and the bush was burning with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Notes (2)

Translation
Yahweh prints the divine name. The consonants in the Hebrew are YHWH. The vowels in “Yahweh” are a later convention, not a record of how the oldest copies said the name. See the glossary.
Translation
Mal’akh is a messenger. “Angel” is not printed. Seneh is a thorn bush. Labbat esh is a flame of fire.

3Moses said, “Let me turn aside and see this great sight. Why does the bush not burn up?”

4Yahweh saw that he turned aside to look. God called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses.” He said, “Here I am.”

5He said, “Do not come any closer. Take your sandals off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

6He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

Notes (1)

Text
“Your father” is singular in Leningrad. It is not changed to “fathers.”

7Yahweh said, “I have seen, I have seen the misery of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their overseers. I know their pains.

Notes (1)

Translation
Zavat is oozing, running over. “A land oozing milk and honey” is printed. The people are “him,” singular, as in chapter 1.

9Now the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the pressure with which Egypt presses them.

10Now go. I send you to Pharaoh. Bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”

11Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

12He said, “I will be with you. And this is the sign for you that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”

Notes (1)

Translation
The sign is not a wonder in the moment. It is the later service on this mountain. Ehyeh, “I will be,” is the same verb as the name in verse 14.

14God said to Moses, “I will be who I will be.” He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘Ehyeh has sent me to you.’”

Notes (1)

Translation
Ehyeh asher ehyeh is an imperfect verb, twice: “I will be who I will be.” “I am who I am” treats the verb as a present, and it is not printed. In the message, Ehyeh is left as the name, the same verb.

Notes (1)

Translation
Zekher is a memorial, the name by which he is called to mind. “Title” is not printed.

17I said, I will bring you up out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land oozing milk and honey.’

Notes (1)

Translation
Niqrah alenu is “has met with us,” an encounter. “Has been invoked over us” is the live alternative.

19I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, and not by a strong hand.

Notes (1)

Text
Leningrad writes velo beyad chazaqah, “and not by a strong hand.” A sense “except by a strong hand” would need different words. It is not printed.

20I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in its midst. After that he will send you away.

21I will give this people favor in the eyes of Egypt. And when you go, you will not go empty.

22A woman will ask her neighbor, and the woman staying in her house, for silver objects and gold objects and clothing. You will put them on your sons and on your daughters. You will strip Egypt.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Venitzaltem is the verb usually heard as “rescue.” Here the object is Egypt, and the sense is to strip Egypt of those goods. “You will rescue Egypt” is not printed.