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Exodus 33:10-12
New English Translation
Exodus 33:10-12
New English Translation
10 When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship.[a] 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face,[b] the way a person speaks[c] to a friend. Then Moses[d] would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent.[e]
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’[f] but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name,[g] and also you have found favor in my sight.’
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 33:10 tn All the main verbs in this verse are perfect tenses continuing the customary sequence (see GKC 337 §112.kk). The idea is that the people would get up (rise) when the cloud was there and then worship, meaning in part bow down. When the cloud was not there, there was access to seek God.
- Exodus 33:11 tn “Face-to-face” is circumstantial to the action of the verb, explaining how they spoke (see GKC 489-90 §156.c). The point of this note of friendly relationship with Moses is that Moses was “at home” in this tent speaking with God. Moses would derive courage from this when he interceded for the people (B. Jacob, Exodus, 966).
- Exodus 33:11 tn The verb in this clause is a progressive imperfect.
- Exodus 33:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Exodus 33:11 sn Moses did not live in the tent. But Joshua remained there most of the time to guard the tent, it seems, lest any of the people approach it out of curiosity.
- Exodus 33:12 tn The Hiphil imperative is from the same verb that has been used before for bringing the people up from Egypt and leading them to Canaan.
- Exodus 33:12 tn That is, “chosen you.”
New English Translation (NET)
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