Introduction to the Books of the Bible

The Book of Deuteronomy

Title
The Hebrew name of the book is -elleh haddebarim (“These are the words” ) or, more simply, debarim (“words” ; see 1:1). The word “Deuteronomy” (meaning “repetition of the law” ) arose from a mistranslation in the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT) and the Latin Vulgate of a phrase in Dt 17:18, which in Hebrew means “copy of this law.” The error is not serious, however, since Deuteronomy is, in a certain sense, a “repetition of the law” (see Structure and Outline).

Author and Date of Writing
The book itself ascribes most of its content to Moses (see 1:1,5; 31:24 and notes). For that reason, the OT elsewhere ascribes the bulk of Deuteronomy and other Pentateuchal legislation to Moses (see, e.g., Jos 1:7-8; 23:6; 1Ki 2:3; 8:53; Mal 4:4 and notes). Similarly Jesus attributed Dt 24:1 to Moses (Mt 19:7-8; Mk 10:3-5), Peter attributed Dt 18:15,18-19 to Moses (Ac 3:22-23), as did Stephen (see Ac 7:37-38 and notes), and Paul attributed Dt 32:21 to Moses (Ro 10:19). See also Mt 22:24 and note; Mk 12:18-19; Lk 20:27-28. At the same time, it seems clear that the narrative framework within which the Mosaic material is placed (e.g., the preamble [1:1-5] and the conclusion [ch. 34]; see also 5:1; 27:1,9,11; 29:1-2; 31:1,7,9-10, 14-25,30; 32:44-46,48-52; 33:1-2) comes from another- and unknown- hand. See Introduction to Genesis: Author and Date of Writing.

Historical Setting
Deuteronomy locates Moses and the Israelites in the territory of Moab in the area where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea (1:5). As his final act at this important time of transferring leadership to Joshua, Moses delivered his farewell addresses to prepare the people for their entrance into Canaan. In them, Moses emphasized the laws that were especially needed at such a time, and he presented them in a way appropriate to the situation. In contrast to the matter-of-fact narratives of Leviticus and Numbers, here the words of Moses come to us from his heart as this servant of the Lord presses God’s claims on his people Israel.

Special Function in the Bible
The trajectory of the story that unfolds in Genesis-Numbers seems to call for an account of the conquest of Canaan as found in Joshua to bring closure to the movement from promise to fulfillment (see Introduction to Joshua: Title and Theme). But Deuteronomy intervenes as a massive interruption. Here there is very little forward movement. At the end of Numbers, Israel is “on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho” (Nu 36:33) and at the end of Deuteronomy, the people are still there (Dt 34:8) waiting to cross the Jordan (see Jos 1:2). All that has happened is the transition from the ministry of Moses as God’s spokesman and official representative to that of Joshua in his place (Dt 34:9; see Jos 1:1-2). But Moses’ final acts as the Lord’s appointed servant for dealing with Israel are so momentous that Deuteronomy’s account of them marks the conclusion to the Pentateuch, while the book of Joshua, which narrates the initial fulfillment of the promises made to the patriarchs and the conclusion to the mission on which Moses had been sent (see Nu 17:15-23; Jos 21:43-45), serves as the introduction to the Former Prophets.

So Deuteronomy creates a long pause in the advancement of the story of redemption:

of deliverance from bondage to a world power (Egypt) to a place in the earth where Israel can be a free people under the rule of God;
of deliverance from rootlessness in the post-Babel world (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) to security and “rest” (see Dt 3:20 and note; 12:10; 25:19) in the promised land;
of deliverance from a life of banishment from God’s Garden (Ge 3) to a life in the Lord’s own land where he has pitched his tent (Jos 22:19).

But in that long pause on the threshold of the promised land Moses, in this renewal of the Sinaitic covenant, reminded Israel at length of what the Lord required of them as his people if they were to cross the Jordan, take possession of the promised land and there enjoy the promised “rest” in fellowship with him. It was a word that Israel needed to hear over and over again. Upon reading the Pentateuch, Israel was brought ever anew to the threshold of the promised land and its promised “rest” to hear again this final word from God through his servant Moses (see also Ps 95:7b-22). For this reason, all the history of Israel in Canaan as narrated in the Former Prophets is brought under the judgment of this word.

Theological Teaching and Purpose
The book of Deuteronomy was cast in the form of ancient Near Eastern suzerainty-vassal treaties of the second millennium b.c. It contained the Great King’s pledge to be Israel’s Suzerain and Protector if they would be faithful to him as their covenant Lord and obedient to the covenant stipulations as the vassal people of his kingdom. There would be blessings for such obedience, but curses for disobedience (chs. 27-30). Deuteronomy’s purpose was to prepare the new generation of the Lord’s chosen people to be his kingdom representatives in the land he had unconditionally promised them in the Abrahamic covenant (see Structure and Outline below; see also notes on 3:27; 17:14,18).

The love relationship of the Lord to his people, and that of the people to the Lord as their sovereign God, pervade the whole book. Deuteronomy’s spiritual emphasis and its call to total commitment to the Lord in worship and obedience inspired references to its message throughout the rest of Scripture. In particular, the division of the Hebrew Bible called the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) is thoroughly imbued with the style, themes and motifs of Deuteronomy. Among the Latter Prophets, Jeremiah also reflects strong influence from this book.

Structure and Outline
Deuteronomy’s literary structure supports its historical setting. By its interpretive, repetitious, reminiscent and somewhat irregular style it shows that it is a series of more or less extemporaneous addresses, sometimes describing events in nonchronological order (see, e.g., 10:3). But it also bears in its structure clear reflections of the suzerain-vassal treaties (see chart, p. 23) of the preceding and then-current Near Eastern states, a structure that lends itself to the Biblical emphasis on the covenant between the Lord and his people. In this sense Deuteronomy is a covenant renewal document, as the following outline shows:

Preamble (1:1-5)

Historical Prologue (1:6- 4:43)

Stipulations of the Covenant (4:44- 26:19)

The Great Commandment: The Demand for Absolute Allegiance (4:44- 11:32)

God’s covenant Lordship (4:44- 5:33)

The principle of consecration (ch. 6)

The program for conquering Canaan (ch. 7)

A call to commitment in the new land (ch. 8)

The lesson of the broken tablets (9:1- 10:11)

Another call to commitment (10:12- 11:32)

Supplementary Requirements (chs. 12-26)

Ceremonial consecration (12:1- 16:17)

Human leaders in God’s righteous kingdom (16:18- 21:21)

Sanctity of God’s kingdom (21:22- 25:19)

Confessions of God as Redeemer-King (ch. 26)

Ratification; Curses and Blessings (chs. 27-30)

Leadership Succession under the Covenant (chs. 31-34)

Change of Leadership (31:1-29)

Song of Moses (31:30- 32:47)

Moses’ Testamental Blessing on the Tribes (32:48- 33:29)

Death of Moses and Succession of Joshua (ch. 34)

Introduction to the Books of the Bible

The Book of Numbers

Title
The English name of the book comes from the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT) and is based on the census lists found in chs. 1; 26. The Hebrew title of the book (bemidbar, “in the desert” ) is more descriptive of its contents. Numbers presents an account of the 38-year period of Israel’s wandering in the desert following the establishment of the covenant of Sinai (compare 1:1 with Dt 1:1).

Author and Date
The book has traditionally been ascribed to Moses. This conclusion is based on (1) statements concerning Moses’ writing activity (e.g., 33:1-2; Ex 17:14; 24:4; 34:27) and (2) the assumption that the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, are a unit and come from one author. See Introduction to Genesis: Author and Date of Writing.

It is not necessary, however, to claim that Numbers came from Moses’ hand complete and in final form. Portions of the book were probably added by scribes or editors from later periods of Israel’s history. For example, the protestation of the humility of Moses (12:3) would hardly be convincing if it came from his own mouth. But it seems reasonable to assume that Moses wrote the essential content of the book.

Contents
Numbers relates the story of Israel’s journey from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab on the border of Canaan. Much of its legislation for people and priests is similar to that in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The book tells of the murmuring and rebellion of God’s people and of their subsequent judgment. Those whom God had redeemed from slavery in Egypt and with whom he had made a covenant at Mount Sinai responded not with faith, gratitude and obedience but with unbelief, ingratitude and repeated acts of rebellion, which came to extreme expression in their refusal to undertake the conquest of Canaan (ch. 14). The community of the redeemed forfeited their part in the promised land. They were condemned to live out their lives in the desert; only their children would enjoy the fulfillment of the promise that had originally been theirs (cf. Heb 3:7- 4:11).

Theological Teaching
In telling the story of Israel’s desert wanderings, Numbers offers much that is theologically significant. During the first year after Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, the nation entered into covenant with the Lord at Sinai to be the people of his kingdom, among whom he pitched his royal tent (the tabernacle)- this is the story of Exodus. As the account of Numbers begins, the Lord organizes Israel into a military camp. Leaving Sinai, they march forth as his conquering army, with the Lord at the head, to establish his kingdom in the promised land in the midst of the nations. The book graphically portrays Israel’s identity as the Lord’s redeemed covenant people and its vocation as the servant people of God, charged with establishing his kingdom on earth. God’s purpose in history is implicitly disclosed: to invade the arena of fallen humanity and effect the redemption of his creation- the mission in which his people are also to be totally engaged.

Numbers also presents the chastening wrath of God against his disobedient people. Because of their rebellion (and especially the nation’s refusal to undertake the conquest of Canaan), Israel was in breach of covenant. The fourth book of the Pentateuch presents a sobering reality: The God who had entered into covenant with Abraham (Ge 15; 17), who had delivered his people from bondage in the exodus (Ex 14-15), who had brought Israel into covenant with himself as his “treasured possession” (Ex 19; see especially Ex 19:5) and who had revealed his holiness and the gracious means of approaching him(Lev 1-7) was also a God of wrath. His wrath extended to his errant children as well as to the enemy nations of Egypt and Canaan.

Even Moses, the great prophet and servant of the Lord, was not exempt from God’s wrath when he disobeyed God. Ch. 20, which records his error, begins with the notice of Miriam’s death (20:1) and concludes with the record of Aaron’s death (20:22-29). Here is the passing of the old guard. Those whom God has used to establish the nation are dying before the nation has come into its own.

The questions arise: Is God finished with the nation as a whole (cf. Ro 11:1)? Are his promises a thing of the past? In one of the most remarkable sections of the Bible- the account of Balaam, the pagan diviner (chs. 22-24)- the reply is given. The Lord, working in a providential and direct way, proclaims his continued faithfulness to his purpose for his people despite their unfaithfulness to him.

Balaam is Moab’s answer to Moses, the man of God. He is an internationally known prophet who shares the pagan belief that the God of Israel is like any other deity who might be manipulated by acts of magic or sorcery. But from the early part of the narrative, when Balaam first encounters the one true God in visions, and in the narrative of the journey on the donkey (ch. 22), he begins to learn that dealing with the true God is fundamentally different from anything he has ever known. When he attempts to curse Israel at the instigation of Balak king of Moab, Balaam finds his mouth unable to express the curse he desires to pronounce. Instead, from his lips come blessings on Israel and curses on its enemies (chs. 23-24).

In his seven prophetic oracles, Balaam proclaims God’s great blessing for his people (see 23:20). Though the immediate enjoyment of this blessing will always depend on the faithfulness of his people, the ultimate realization of God’s blessing is sure- because of the character of God (see 23:19). Thus Numbers reaffirms the ongoing purposes of God. Despite his judgment on his rebellious people, God is still determined to bring Israel into the land of promise. His blessing to Israel rests in his sovereign will.

The teaching of the book has lasting significance for Israel and for the church (cf. Ro 15:4; 1Co 10:6,11). God does display his wrath even against his errant people, but his grace is renewed as surely as is the dawn and his redemptive purpose will not be thwarted.

Special Problem
The large numbers of men conscripted into Israel’s army (see, e.g., the figures in 1:46; 26:51) have puzzled many interpreters. The numbers of men mustered for warfare seem to demand a total population in excess of 2,000,000. Such numbers appear to be exceedingly large for the times, for the locale, for the desert wanderings, and in comparison with the inhabitants of Canaan. See note on 3:43.

Various possibilities have been suggested to solve this problem. Some have thought that the numbers may have been corrupted in transmission. The present text, however, does not betray textual difficulties with the numbers.

Others have felt that the Hebrew word for “thousand” might have a different meaning here from its usual numerical connotation. In some passages, for example, the word is a technical term for a company of men that may or may not equal 1,000 (e.g., Jos 22:14, “family division” ; 1Sa 23:23, “clans” ). Further, some have postulated that this Hebrew word means “chief” (as in Ge 36:15). In this way the figure 53,400 (26:47) would mean “53 chiefs plus 400 men.” Such a procedure would yield a greatly reduced total, but it would be at variance with the fact that the Hebrew text adds the “thousands” in the same way it adds the “hundreds” for a large total. Also, this would make the proportion of chiefs to fighting men top-heavy (59 chiefs for 300 men in Simeon).

Another option is to read the Hebrew word for “thousand” with a dual meaning of “chief” and “1,000,” with the chiefs numbering one less than the stated figure. For example, the 46,500 of Reuben (1:20) is read as 45 chiefs and 1,500 fighting men, the 59,300 of Simeon (1:23) is read as 58 chiefs and 1,300 fighting men, etc. But in this case, as in the former, the totals of 1:46 and 2:32 must then be regarded as errors of understanding (perhaps by later scribes).

Still another approach is to regard the numbers as symbolic figures rather than as strictly mathematical. The numerical value of the Hebrew letters in the expression bene yisra’el (“the Israelite community,” 1:2) equals 603 (the number of the thousands of the fighting men, 1:46); the remaining 550 (plus 1 for Moses) might come from the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letters in the expression “all the men . . . who are able to serve in the army” (1:3). This symbolic use of numbers (called “gematria” ) is not unknown in the Bible (see Rev 13:18), but it is not likely in Numbers, where there are no literary clues pointing in that direction. (For one more option [hyperbole] see note in 1Ch 12:23-27.)

While the problem of the large numbers has not been satisfactorily solved, the Bible does point to a remarkable increase of Jacob’s descendants during the four centuries of their sojourn in Egypt (see Ex 1:7-12). With all their difficulties, these numbers also point to the great role of providence and miracles in God’s dealings with his people during their life in the desert (see note on 1:46).

Structure and Outline
The book has three major divisions, based on Israel’s geographical locations. Each of the three divisions has two parts, as the following breakdown demonstrates: (1) Israel at Sinai, preparing to depart for the land of promise (1:1- 10:10), followed by the journey from Sinai to Kadesh (10:11- 12:16); (2) Israel at Kadesh, delayed as a result of rebellion (13:1- 20:13), followed by the journey from Kadesh to the plains of Moab (20:14- 22:1); (3) Israel on the plains of Moab, anticipating the conquest of the land of promise (22:2- 32:42), followed by appendixes dealing with various matters (chs. 33-36).

Israel at Sinai, Preparing to Depart for the Promised Land (1:1- 10:10)

The Commands for the Census of the People (chs. 1-4)

The numbers of men from each tribe mustered for war (ch. 1)

The placement of the tribes around the tabernacle and their order for march (ch. 2)

The placement of the Levites around the tabernacle, and the numbers of the Levites and the firstborn of Israel (ch. 3)

The numbers of the Levites in their tabernacle service for the Lord (ch. 4)

The Commands for Purity of the People (5:1- 10:10)

The test for purity in the law of jealousy (ch. 5)

The Nazirite vow and the Aaronic benediction (ch. 6)

The offerings of the 12 leaders at the dedication of the tabernacle (ch. 7)

The setting up of the lamps and the separation of the Levites (ch. 8)

The observance of the Passover (9:1-14)

The covering cloud and the silver trumpets (9:15- 10:10)

The Journey from Sinai to Kadesh (10:11- 12:16)

The Beginning of the Journey (10:11-36)

The Beginning of the Sorrows: Fire and Quail (ch. 11)

The Opposition of Miriam and Aaron (ch. 12)

Israel at Kadesh, the Delay Resulting from Rebellion (13:1- 20:13)

The 12 Spies and Their Mixed Report of the Good Land (ch. 13)

The People’s Rebellion against God’s Commission, and Their Defeat (ch. 14)

A Collection of Laws on Offerings, the Sabbath and Tassels on Garments (ch. 15)

The Rebellion of Korah and His Allies (ch. 16)

The Budding of Aaron’s Staff: A Sign for Rebels (ch. 17)

Concerning Priests, Their Duties and Their Support (ch. 18)

The Red Heifer and the Cleansing Water (ch. 19)

The Sin of Moses (20:1-13)

The Journey from Kadesh to the Plains of Moab (20:14- 22:1)

The Resistance of Edom (20:14-21)

The Death of Aaron (20:22-29)

The Destruction of Arad (21:1-3)

The Bronze Snake (21:4-9)

The Song of the Well and the Journey to Moab (21:10-20)

The Defeat of Sihon and Og (21:21-35)

Israel Returns to Moab (22:1)

Israel on the Plains of Moab, in Anticipation of Taking the Promised Land (22:2- 32:42)

Balak of Moab Hires Balaam to Curse Israel (22:2-41)

Balaam Blesses Israel in Seven Oracles (chs. 23-24)

The Baal of Peor and Israel’s Apostasy (ch. 25)

The Second Census (ch. 26)

Instructions for the New Generation (chs. 27-30)

The inheritance for women (27:1-11)

The successor to Moses (27:12-23)

Commands regarding offerings (28:1-15)

Commands regarding festivals (28:16- 29:40)

Commands regarding vows (ch. 30)

The War against Midian (ch. 31)

The Settlement of the Transjordan Tribes (ch. 32)

Appendixes Dealing with Various Matters (chs. 33-36)

The Stages of the Journey (ch. 33)

The Land of Inheritance (chs. 34-35)

The Inheritance for Women (ch. 36)

Introduction to the Books of the Bible

The Book of Leviticus

Title
Leviticus receives its name from the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT) and means “relating to the Levites.” Its Hebrew title, wayyiqra’, is the first word in the Hebrew text of the book and means “And he [i.e., the Lord] called.” Although Leviticus does not deal only with the special duties of the Levites, it is so named because it concerns mainly the service of worship at the tabernacle, which was conducted by the priests who were the sons of Aaron, assisted by many from the rest of the tribe of Levi. Exodus gave the directions for building the tabernacle, and now Leviticus gives the laws and regulations for worship there, including instructions on ceremonial cleanness, moral laws, holy days, the sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee. These laws were given, at least for the most part, during the year that Israel camped at Mount Sinai, when God directed Moses in organizing Israel’s worship, government and military forces. The book of Numbers continues the history with preparations for moving on from Sinai to Canaan.

Theological Themes
Leviticus is a manual of regulations enabling the holy King to set up his earthly throne among the people of his kingdom. It explains how they are to be his holy people and to worship him in a holy manner. Holiness in this sense means to be separated from sin and set apart exclusively to the Lord for his purpose and for his glory. So the key thought of the book is holiness (see notes on 11:44; Ex 3:5)- the holiness of God and his people (they must revere him in “holiness” ). In Leviticus spiritual holiness is symbolized by physical perfection. Therefore the book demands perfect animals for its many sacrifices (chs. 1-7) and requires priests without deformity (chs. 8-10). A woman’s hemorrhaging after giving birth (ch. 12); sores, burns or baldness (chs. 13-14); a man’s bodily discharge (15:1-18); specific activities during a woman’s monthly period (15:19-33)- all may be signs of blemish (a lack of perfection) and may symbolize human spiritual defects, which break spiritual wholeness. The person with visible skin disease must be banished from the camp, the place of God’s special presence, just as Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. Such people can return to the camp (and therefore to God’s presence) when they are pronounced whole again by the examining priests. Before they can reenter the camp, however, they must offer the prescribed, perfect sacrifices (symbolizing the perfect, whole sacrifice of Christ).

After the covenant at Sinai, Israel was the earthly representation of God’s kingdom (the theocracy), and, as its King, the Lord established his administration over all of Israel’s life. Israel’s religious, communal and personal life was so regulated as to establish them as God’s holy people and to instruct them in holiness. Special attention was given to Israel’s religious ritual. The sacrifices were to be offered at an approved sanctuary, which would symbolize both God’s holiness and his compassion. They were to be controlled by the priests, who by care and instruction would preserve them in purity and carefully teach their meaning to the people. Each particular sacrifice was to have meaning for the people of Israel but would also have spiritual and symbolic import.

For more information on the meaning of sacrifice in general see the solemn ritual of the Day of Atonement (ch. 16; see note on 16:1-34). For the meaning of the blood of the offering see 17:11; Ge 9:4 and notes. For the emphasis on substitution see 16:21.

Some suppose that the OT sacrifices were remains of old agricultural offerings- a human desire to offer part of one’s possessions as a love gift to the deity. But the OT sacrifices were specifically prescribed by God and received their meaning from the Lord’s covenant relationship with Israel- whatever their superficial resemblances to pagan sacrifices may have been. They indeed include the idea of a gift, but this is accompanied by such other values as dedication, communion, propitiation (appeasing God’s judicial wrath against sin) and restitution. The various offerings have differing functions, the primary ones being atonement (see note on Ex 25:17) and worship (see chart, p. 151).

Outline
The subjects treated in Leviticus, as in any book of laws and regulations, cover several categories:

The Five Main Offerings (chs. 1-7)

The Burnt Offering (ch. 1)

The Grain Offering (ch. 2)

The Fellowship Offering (ch. 3)

The Sin Offering (4:1- 5:13)

The Guilt Offering (5:14- 6:7)

Additional Regulations for the Offerings (6:8- 7:38)

The Installation and Ministry of Aaron and His Sons (chs. 8-10)

The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons (ch. 8)

The Ministry of the Priests (ch. 9)

The Death of Nadab and Abihu and Attendant Regulations (ch. 10)

The Distinction Between Clean and Unclean (chs. 11-15)

Clean and Unclean Food (ch. 11)

Purification After Childbirth (ch. 12)

Regulations for Skin Diseases (13:1-46)

Regulations for Mildew (13:47-59)

Cleansing from Skin Diseases (14:1-32)

Cleansing from Mildew (14:33-57)

Discharges That Cause Uncleanness (ch. 15)

The Annual Day of Atonement (ch. 16)

Holy Living (chs. 17-26)

Eating Blood Prohibited (ch. 17)

Unlawful Sexual Relations (ch. 18)

Various Laws for Holy Living (ch. 19)

Punishments for Sin (ch. 20)

Regulations for Priests (21:1- 22:16)

Acceptable and Unacceptable Sacrifices (22:17-33)

The Annual Feasts (ch. 23)

Rules for Oil and Bread in the Tabernacle (24:1-9)

Punishment for Blasphemy (24:10-23)

The Sabbath and Jubilee Years (ch. 25)

Covenant Blessings and Curses (ch. 26)

Regulations for Offerings Vowed to the Lord (ch. 27)

Introduction to the Books of the Bible

The Book of Exodus

Title
“Exodus” is a Latin word derived from Greek Exodos, the name given to the book by those who translated it into Greek. The word means “exit,” “departure” (see Lk 9:31; Heb 11:22). The name was retained by the Latin Vulgate, by the Jewish author Philo (a contemporary of Christ) and by the Syriac version. In Hebrew the book is named after its first two words, we’elleh shemoth (“These are the names of” ). The same phrase occurs in Ge 46:8, where it likewise introduces a list of the names of those Israelites “who went to Egypt with Jacob” (1:1). Thus Exodus was not intended to exist separately, but was thought of as a continuation of a narrative that began in Genesis and was completed in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The first five books of the Bible are together known as the Pentateuch (see Introduction to Genesis: Author and Date of Writing).

Author and Date of Writing
Several statements in Exodus indicate that Moses wrote certain sections of the book (see 17:14; 24:4; 34:27). In addition, Jos 8:31 refers to the command of Ex 20:25 as having been “written in the Book of the Law of Moses.” The NT also claims Mosaic authorship for various passages in Exodus (see, e.g., Mk 7:10; 12:26 and NIV text notes; see also Lk 2:22-23). Taken together, these references strongly suggest that Moses was largely responsible for writing the book of Exodus- a traditional view not convincingly challenged by the commonly held notion that the Pentateuch as a whole contains four underlying sources (see Introduction to Genesis: Author and Date of Writing).

Chronology
According to 1Ki 6:1 (see note there), the exodus took place 480 years before “the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel.” Since that year was c. 966 b.c., it has been traditionally held that the exodus occurred c. 1446. The “three hundred years” of Jdg 11:26 fits comfortably within this time span (see Introduction to Judges: Background). In addition, although Egyptian chronology relating to the 18th dynasty remains somewhat uncertain, some recent research tends to support the traditional view that two of this dynasty’s pharaohs, Thutmose III and his son Amunhotep II, were the pharaohs of the oppression and the exodus respectively (see notes on 2:15,23; 3:10).

On the other hand, the appearance of the name Rameses in 1:11 has led many to the conclusion that the 19th-dynasty pharaoh Seti I and his son Rameses II were the pharaohs of the oppression and the exodus respectively. Furthermore, archaeological evidence of the destruction of numerous Canaanite cities in the 13th century b.c. has been interpreted as proof that Joshua’s troops invaded the promised land in that century. These and similar lines of argument lead to a date for the exodus of c. 1290 (see Introduction to Joshua: Historical Setting).

The identity of the cities’ attackers, however, cannot be positively ascertained. The raids may have been initiated by later Israelite armies, or by Philistines or other outsiders. In addition, the archaeological evidence itself has become increasingly ambiguous, and recent evaluations have tended to redate some of it to the 18th dynasty. Also, the name Rameses in 1:11 could very well be the result of an editorial updating by someone who lived centuries after Moses- a procedure that probably accounts for the appearance of the same word in Ge 47:11 (see note there).

In short, there are no compelling reasons to modify in any substantial way the traditional 1446 b.c. date for the exodus of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.

The Route of the Exodus
At least three routes of escape from Pithom and Rameses (1:11) have been proposed: (1) a northern route through the land of the Philistines (but see 13:17); (2) a middle route leading eastward across Sinai to Beersheba; and (3) a southern route along the west coast of Sinai to the southeastern extremities of the peninsula. The southern route seems most likely, since several of the sites in Israel’s desert itinerary have been tentatively identified along it. See map No. 2 at the end of the Study Bible. The exact place where Israel crossed the “Red Sea” is uncertain, however (see notes on 13:18; 14:2).

Themes and Theology
Exodus lays a foundational theology in which God reveals his name, his attributes, his redemption, his law and how he is to be worshiped. It also reports the appointment and work of Moses as the mediator of the Sinaitic covenant, describes the beginnings of the priesthood in Israel, defines the role of the prophet and relates how the ancient covenant relationship between God and his people (see note on Ge 17:2) came under a new administration (the covenant given at Mount Sinai).

Profound insights into the nature of God are found in chs. 3; 6; 33-34. The focus of these texts is on the fact and importance of his presence with his people (as signified by his name Yahweh- see notes on 3:14-15- and by his glory among them). But emphasis is also placed on his attributes of justice, truthfulness, mercy, faithfulness and holiness. Thus to know God’s “name” is to know him and to know his character (see 3:13-15; 6:3).

God is also the Lord of history. Neither the affliction of Israel nor the plagues in Egypt were outside his control. The pharaoh, the Egyptians and all Israel saw the power of God. There was no one like him, “majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders” (15:11; see note there).

It is reassuring to know that God remembers and is concerned about his people (see 2:24). What he had promised centuries earlier to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he now begins to bring to fruition as Israel is freed from Egyptian bondage and sets out for the land of promise. The covenant at Sinai is but another step in God’s fulfillment of his promise to the patriarchs (3:15-17; 6:2-8; 19:3-8).

The Biblical message of salvation is likewise powerfully set forth in this book. The verb “redeem” is used, e.g., in 6:6; 15:13. But the heart of redemption theology is best seen in the Passover narrative of ch. 12, the sealing of the covenant in ch. 24, and the account of God’s gracious renewal of that covenant after Israel’s blatant unfaithfulness to it in their worship of the golden calf (see 34:1-14 and notes). The apostle Paul viewed the death of the Passover lamb as fulfilled in Christ (1Co 5:7). Indeed, John the Baptist called Jesus the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29).

The foundation of Biblical ethics and morality is laid out first in the gracious character of God as revealed in the exodus itself and then in the Ten Commandments (20:1-17) and the ordinances of the Book of the Covenant (20:22- 23:33), which taught Israel how to apply in a practical way the principles of the commandments.

The book concludes with an elaborate discussion of the theology of worship. Though costly in time, effort and monetary value, the tabernacle, in meaning and function, points to the “chief end of man,” namely, “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). By means of the tabernacle, the omnipotent, unchanging and transcendent God of the universe came to “dwell” or “tabernacle” with his people, thereby revealing his gracious nearness as well. God is not only mighty in Israel’s behalf; he is also present in the nation’s midst.

However, these theological elements do not merely sit side by side in the Exodus narrative. They receive their fullest and richest significance from the fact that they are embedded in the account of God’s raising up his servant Moses (1) to liberate his people from Egyptian bondage, (2) to inaugurate his earthly kingdom among them by bringing them into a special national covenant with him, and (3) to erect within Israel God’s royal tent. And this account of redemption from bondage leading to consecration in covenant and the pitching of God’s royal tent in the earth, all through the ministry of a chosen mediator, discloses God’s purpose in history- the purpose he would fulfill through Israel, and ultimately through Jesus Christ the supreme Mediator.

Outline

Prologue (chs. 1-2)

Israel Blessed and Oppressed (ch. 1)

A Deliverer Prepared (ch. 2)

Infant Moses spared (2:1-10)

Mature Moses’ escape from Egypt (2:11-25)

God’s Deliverance of Israel (chs. 3-18)

The Deliverer Called (ch. 3)

The Deliverer’s Objections and Disqualifications Overcome (ch. 4)

Unsuccessful Attempts to Deliver (5:1- 6:12)

Oppression made more harsh (5:1-21)

Promise of deliverance renewed (5:22- 6:12)

The Deliverers Identified (6:13-27)

Judgment of Plagues on Egypt (6:28- 11:10)

Deliverer’s commission renewed (6:28- 7:7)

Presenting the signs of divine authority (7:8-13)

First plague: water turned to blood (7:14-24)

Second plague: frogs (7:25- 8:15)

Third plague: gnats (8:16-19)

Fourth plague: flies (8:20-32)

Fifth plague: against livestock (9:1-7)

Sixth plague: boils (9:8-12)

Seventh plague: hail (9:13-35)

Eighth plague: locusts (10:1-20)

Ninth plague: darkness (10:21-29)

Tenth plague announced: death of the firstborn (ch. 11)

The Passover (12:1-28)

The Exodus from Egypt (12:29-51)

The Consecration of the Firstborn (13:1-16)

Crossing the “Red Sea” (13:17- 15:21)

Deliverance at the “Red Sea” (13:17- 14:31)

Song at the sea (15:1-21)

Journey to Sinai (15:22- 18:27)

The waters of Marah (15:22-27)

The manna and the quail (ch. 16)

The waters of Meribah (17:1-7)

The war with Amalek (17:8-16)

Basic administrative structure (ch. 18)

Covenant at Sinai (chs. 19-24)

The Covenant Proposed (ch. 19)

The Decalogue (20:1-17)

The Reaction of the People to God’s Fiery Presence (20:18-21)

The Book of the Covenant (20:22- 23:33)

Prologue (20:22-26)

Laws on slaves (21:1-11)

Laws on homicide (21:12-17)

Laws on bodily injuries (21:18-32)

Laws on property damage (21:33- 22:15)

Laws on society (22:16-31)

Laws on justice and neighborliness (23:1-9)

Laws on sacred seasons (23:10-19)

Epilogue (23:20-33)

Ratification of the Covenant (ch. 24)

God’s Royal Tent in Israel (chs. 25-40)

Instructions concerning the Royal Tent (chs. 25-31)

Collection of the materials (25:1-9)

Furnishings of the tent (25:10-40)

Ark and atonement cover (25:10-22)

Table of the bread of the Presence (25:23-30)

Gold lampstand (25:31-40)

The tent and its courtyard (26:1- 27:19)

Curtains and frames (ch. 26)

Altar of burnt offering (27:1-8)

Courtyard (27:9-19)

The tent’s personnel (27:20- 29:46)

Priesthood (27:20- 28:5)

Garments of the priests (28:6-43)

Ordination of the priests (ch. 29)

Remaining provisions concerning the tent (ch. 30)

Altar of incense (30:1-10)

Census tax (30:11-16)

Bronze basin (30:17-21)

Anointing oil and incense (30:22-38)

Appointment of craftsmen (31:1-11)

Observance of Sabbath rest (31:12-18)

Rebellion Threatens Withdrawal of God (chs. 32-34)

The golden calf (32:1-29)

Moses’ mediation (32:30-35)

Threatened separation and Moses’ prayer (ch. 33)

Renewal of the covenant (ch. 34)

God’s Royal Tent Set Up (chs. 35-40)

Summons to build (35:1-19)

Voluntary gifts (35:20-29)

Bezalel and his craftsmen (35:30- 36:7)

Progress of the work (36:8- 39:31)

Moses’ blessing (39:32-43)

Erection of God’s royal tent (40:1-33)

Dedication of God’s royal tent (40:34-38)

“Oil for the light.”

— Exodus 25:6

My soul, how much thou needest this, for thy lamp will not long continue to burn without it. Thy snuff will smoke and become an offence if light be gone, and gone it will be if oil be absent. Thou hast no oil well springing up in thy human nature, and therefore thou must go to them that sell and buy for thyself, or like the foolish virgins, thou wilt have to cry, “My lamp is gone out.” Even the consecrated lamps could not give light without oil; though they shone in the tabernacle they needed to be fed, though no rough winds blew upon them they required to be trimmed, and thy need is equally as great. Under the most happy circumstances thou canst not give light for another hour unless fresh oil of grace be given thee.

It was not every oil that might be used in the Lord’s service; neither the petroleum which exudes so plentifully from the earth, nor the produce of fishes, nor that extracted from nuts would be accepted; one oil only was selected, and that the best olive oil. Pretended grace from natural goodness, fancied grace from priestly hands, or imaginary grace from outward ceremonies will never serve the true saint of God; he knows that the Lord would not be pleased with rivers of such oil. He goes to the olive-press of Gethsemane, and draws his supplies from him who was crushed therein. The oil of gospel grace is pure and free from lees and dregs, and hence the light which is fed thereon is clear and bright. Our churches are the Saviour’s golden candelabra, and if they are to be lights in this dark world, they must have much holy oil. Let us pray for ourselves, our ministers, and our churches, that they may never lack oil for the light. Truth, holiness, joy, knowledge, love, these are all beams of the sacred light, but we cannot give them forth unless in private we receive oil from God the Holy Ghost.

Psa 60:1 To the chief musician. On the Lily of Testimony. A secret treasure of David, to teach; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim, and with Aram-zobah; when Joab returned, and struck twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt. O God! You cast us off; You broke us; You who were angry; take us back.
Psa 60:2 You made the earth tremble; You tore it; heal its breaks, for it is shaking.
Psa 60:3 You have shown Your people hardship; You made us drink the wine of trembling.
Psa 60:4 You have given a banner to those who fear You, to lift it up because of the truth. Selah.
Psa 60:5 Save with Your right hand and answer me, that Your beloved may be delivered.
Psa 60:6 God has spoken in His holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and measure out the valley of Succoth.
Psa 60:7 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim is the strength of My head; Judah is My lawgiver;
Psa 60:8 Moab is My washpot; over Edom I will cast out My shoe; Philistia, shout in triumph.
Psa 60:9 Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me into Edom?
Psa 60:10 Have not You, O God, cast us aside? And will You not go forth with our armies, O God?
Psa 60:11 Give us help against our oppressor, for vain is the deliverance of man.
Psa 60:12 Through God we shall do mighty things; for He shall tread on our oppressors.

Psa 59:1 To the chief musician. Do not destroy. A secret treasure of David, when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; set me on high from the ones who rise up against me.
Psa 59:2 Deliver me from the workers of evil, and save me from bloody men.
Psa 59:3 For lo, they lie in wait for my soul, mighty ones gather against me; not for my transgression, and not for my sin, O Jehovah.
Psa 59:4 Without my fault they run and prepare themselves; awaken to help me, and look on me.
Psa 59:5 And You, O Jehovah God of Hosts, the God of Israel: Awake to visit all the nations; be not merciful to any plotting evil. Selah.
Psa 59:6 They return at evening; they howl like a dog, and go around the city.
Psa 59:7 Behold, they bellow with their mouth; swords are in their lips; for they say, Who hears?
Psa 59:8 But You, O Jehovah, shall laugh at them; you shall mock at all the nations.
Psa 59:9 O my Strength, let me look to You; for God is my strong tower.
Psa 59:10 The God of my mercy shall go before me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.
Psa 59:11 Do not kill them, lest my people forget; scatter them by Your power and bring them down, O Jehovah our shield.
Psa 59:12 For the sin of their mouth is the word of their lips, even let them be captured in their pride, and for cursing and the lying which they utter.
Psa 59:13 Consume them in Your anger; consume, so that they may not be; and they shall know that God is ruling in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah.
Psa 59:14 Yes, they shall return at evening; let them howl like the dog and go around the city;
Psa 59:15 let them wander up and down for food, and growl if they are not satisfied.
Psa 59:16 But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing of Your mercy in the morning. For You have been my strong tower, and my hiding place in the day of my trouble.
Psa 59:17 To You, O my strength, I will sing; for God is my strong tower, the God of my mercy.

Psa 58:1 To the chief musician. Do not destroy. A secret treasure of David. Will you indeed speak righteousness in silence? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
Psa 58:2 Yes, in heart you work the evil, you weigh the violence of your hands in the land.
Psa 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from the belly, speaking lies.
Psa 58:4 Their poison is like the poison of a snake; like the deaf adder he stops his ear,
Psa 58:5 which will not hear the charmer’s voice, skillful charmer of charms.
Psa 58:6 O God, break their teeth in their mouth; break out the big teeth of the young lions, O Jehovah.
Psa 58:7 Let them melt away like waters; they flow off to them; he treads his arrows; let them be as though they were cut off;
Psa 58:8 Let them be as a snail that goes into melting, a miscarriage of a woman; they do not see the sun.
Psa 58:9 Before your pots can discern the thorns, whether green or glowing, He shall sweep it away.
Psa 58:10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Psa 58:11 And man will say, Truly, a fruit is to the righteous; truly, there is a God judging in the earth.

Psa 57:1 To the chief musician. Do not destroy. A secret treasure of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for my soul trusts in You; yea, in the shadow of Your wings I will make my hiding place, until the great destruction passes by.
Psa 57:2 I will cry to God Most High, to God who works for me.
Psa 57:3 He shall send from Heaven and save me; He will shame the one who crushes me. Selah. God shall send His mercy and His truth.
Psa 57:4 My soul is among lions; I lie among those on fire, the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword.
Psa 57:5 Be praised above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be over the whole earth.
Psa 57:6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; they have fallen into it. Selah.
Psa 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise.
Psa 57:8 Wake up my glory! Wake up, harp and lyre! I will stir the morning dawn with praise.
Psa 57:9 I will praise You among the peoples, O Lord, I will sing to You among the nations.
Psa 57:10 For Your mercy is great to the heavens, and Your truth to the clouds.
Psa 57:11 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Your glory over the whole earth.

Psa 56:1 To the chief musician. Concerning the silent dove, those far off. Of David, a secret treasure (when the Philistines seized him in Gath). Favor me, O God, for man snuffs me up; all the day fighting oppresses me.
Psa 56:2 My watchers panted for me all the day; for many are proudly fighting against me.
Psa 56:3 The day I am afraid I will trust in You.
Psa 56:4 In God I will praise His Word; in God I have trusted; I will not fear; what will flesh do to me?
Psa 56:5 All the day they pervert my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.
Psa 56:6 They stir up strife; they hide; they observe my footprints as they wait for my soul.
Psa 56:7 Is escape for them by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God.
Psa 56:8 You have counted my wandering; O put my tear in Your bottle; are they not in Your Book?
Psa 56:9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day I call; this I know, for God is for me.
Psa 56:10 In God I will praise the Word; in Jehovah I will praise the Word.
Psa 56:11 In God I have trusted; I will not fear; what will man do to me?
Psa 56:12 On me, O God, are Your vows; I will render to You thank offerings.
Psa 56:13 For You have delivered my soul from death. Do You not keep my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

Psa 55:1 To the Chief Musician on Neginoth. A Contemplation. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and do not hide Yourself from my cry.
Psa 55:2 Pay attention to me, and answer me; I wander and I moan in my complaint,
Psa 55:3 from the voice of the enemy, from the oppression of the wicked; for they shake trouble over me, and in anger they hate me.
Psa 55:4 My heart is pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen on me.
Psa 55:5 Fear and trembling come on me; and horror has covered me.
Psa 55:6 And I said, Who will give to me wings like a dove? I would fly away and be at rest.
Psa 55:7 I would rove far away, fleeing; I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.
Psa 55:8 I would hasten to my escape from the rushing wind, from the tempest.
Psa 55:9 Swallow up, O Lord; divide their tongue; for I see violence and strife in the city.
Psa 55:10 They go around her on her walls by day and night; and trouble and mischief are in her midst.
Psa 55:11 Covetings are in her midst; oppression and guile will not depart from her streets.
Psa 55:12 For it is not an enemy reproaching me, or I could bear it; it is not one who hates me who is magnifying himself against me; or I would hide myself from him.
Psa 55:13 But it is you, a man of my rank, my friend and my associate.
Psa 55:14 We sweetened counsel together; we marched into the house of God with the throng.
Psa 55:15 Desolation be upon them! They go down into Sheol alive, for evils are among them in their dwelling.
Psa 55:16 I, even I, will call to God, and Jehovah will save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I will complain and cry aloud; and He will hear my voice.
Psa 55:18 He redeems my soul in peace from the war being waged against me; for they were many with me.
Psa 55:19 God shall hear and answer them, even He who is enthroned of old. Selah. There are no changes to them; yea, they do not fear God.
Psa 55:20 He sent out his hand against those who wish him well; he polluted his covenant.
Psa 55:21 The butterings of his mouth were smooth, and war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, but they were as drawn swords.
Psa 55:22 Cast on Jehovah what He has given, and He will keep you; He will not give the righteous to waver, forever.
Psa 55:23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; men of blood and deceit will not live out half their days; but I will trust in You.

Psa 54:1 To the Chief Musician on Neginoth. A Contemplation; A Psalm of David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Does not David hide himself among us? Save me, O God, by Your name; and judge me by Your strength.
Psa 54:2 Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.
Psa 54:3 For strangers have risen up against me; and terrifying men seek after my soul; they have not set God before them. Selah.
Psa 54:4 Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is with those who uphold my soul.
Psa 54:5 He shall reward evil to my enemies; cut them off in Your truth.
Psa 54:6 I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Jehovah, for it is good.
Psa 54:7 For He has delivered me out of all trouble; and my eye has seen its desire on my enemies.

Psa 53:1 To the Chief musician on Mahalath. A Contemplation; A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, There is no God! They have done corruptly; they have committed abominable wickedness; there is none doing good!
Psa 53:2 God looked down from Heaven on the sons of mankind, to see if there was any discerning, who was seeking God:
Psa 53:3 Every one has turned aside, together they are corrupted, not one is doing good, not even one!
Psa 53:4 Have the workers of evil not known, eating up My people as they eat bread? They have not called on God.
Psa 53:5 There they dreaded with dread, where no dread was; for God has scattered the bones of the one who besieges you; you have put them to shame because God rejects them.
Psa 53:6 Who gives from Zion the salvation of Israel? When God brings back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice; Israel shall be glad.

Psa 52:1 To the chief musician. A Contemplation. A Psalm of David when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to him, David has come to the house of Ahimelech. Why do you boast yourself in evil, O hero? The mercy of God is all the day.
Psa 52:2 Like a sharp razor your tongue devises ruin, working deceit.
Psa 52:3 You love evil more than good, lying more than to speak righteousness. Selah.
Psa 52:4 You love all devouring words, O deceitful tongue!
Psa 52:5 God will likewise break you forever; He shall take you away, even pluck you from your tent and uproot you out of the land of the living. Selah.
Psa 52:6 And the righteous shall see and fear; yea, they will laugh over him, saying,
Psa 52:7 Behold, the man who did not set God as his strength; but he trusted in his many riches; he was strong in his destruction.
Psa 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
Psa 52:9 I will thank You forever, because You have done it; and I will hope in Your name, for it is good before Your saints.

Psa 51:1 To the chief musician, A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness, according to the multitude of Your tender mercies; blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me completely from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I know my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against You, You only, I have sinned, and done evil in Your eyes; that You might be justified in Your speaking and be clear when You judge.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden parts You teach me wisdom.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Cause me to hear joy and gladness; the bones You have crushed will rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Do not cast me out from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psa 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways; and sinners will turn back to You.
Psa 51:14 Deliver me from the guilt of shedding blood, O God, O God of my salvation; my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
Psa 51:15 O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare Your praise.
Psa 51:16 For you do not desire sacrifice, or I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Psa 51:18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
Psa 51:19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Psa 50:1 A Psalm of Asaph God, Jehovah God, has spoken, and calls to the earth from the rising of the sun to its going in.
Psa 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone.
Psa 50:3 Our God comes, and He is not silent; a fire shall devour before Him; and it shall be very stormy around Him.
Psa 50:4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, to judge His people.
Psa 50:5 Gather My saints together to Me, those who cut My covenant by sacrifice.
Psa 50:6 And the heavens shall declare His righteousness, for God Himself is judge. Selah.
Psa 50:7 Hear, My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God.
Psa 50:8 Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you; yea, your burnt offerings are continually before Me;
Psa 50:9 I will take no bull out of your house, nor he-goats out of your folds,
Psa 50:10 for every beast of the forest is Mine; the cattle on a thousand hills;
Psa 50:11 I know all the birds of the mountains; and all moving in My fields are Mine;
Psa 50:12 if I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness of it.
Psa 50:13 Will I eat the flesh of mighty ones, and will I drink the blood of he-goats?
Psa 50:14 Offer thanksgiving to God, and pay your vows to the Most High.
Psa 50:15 And call on Me in the day of distress, and I will save you; and you shall glorify Me.
Psa 50:16 But to the wicked, God says, What is it to you to proclaim My statutes, and to take up My covenant on your mouth?
Psa 50:17 Yea, you hate instruction and toss My Words behind you.
Psa 50:18 When you saw a thief, you were pleased with him; and with adulterers is your portion.
Psa 50:19 You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
Psa 50:20 You sit; you speak against your brother; you give fault to the son of your mother.
Psa 50:21 You have done these things, and I have kept silence; you thought that surely I would be like you; but I will rebuke you and set in order before your eyes.
Psa 50:22 Now think of this, you who forget God, lest I tear, and there not be any to deliver:
Psa 50:23 Whoever offers thanks glorifies Me; and he who prepares a way, I will show the salvation of God to him.

Psa 49:1 To the chief musician, A Psalm for the Sons of Korah. Hear this, all peoples, give ear, all those living in the world,
Psa 49:2 both sons of mankind and sons of man together, rich and poor:
Psa 49:3 My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the thoughts of my heart shall be of understanding.
Psa 49:4 I will bow down my ear to a parable; I will open my dark saying on the harp.
Psa 49:5 Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the perversity of my ambushers will surround me?
Psa 49:6 Those who trust in their wealth and in their many riches boast themselves.
Psa 49:7 A man cannot at all redeem a brother, nor give to God a ransom for him,
Psa 49:8 for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases forever,
Psa 49:9 for he shall yet live forever; he shall never see corruption.
Psa 49:10 For he sees wise men die; together the fool and the animal-like ones perish and leave their riches to others.
Psa 49:11 Their inward thought is that their houses shall last forever, their dwelling-places to all generations; they call lands after their own names.
Psa 49:12 But man shall not remain high in honor; he is like the animals; they shall be cut off.
Psa 49:13 This way of theirs is folly to them, yet their followers shall be pleased by their mouth. Selah.
Psa 49:14 Like sheep, they are appointed to Sheol. Death shall reign for them. And upright ones shall rule over them in the morning; and their form is for rotting; Sheol is home for him.
Psa 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the hand of Sheol, for He will take me. Selah.
Psa 49:16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases;
Psa 49:17 for when he dies he shall take nothing; his glory shall not go down after him.
Psa 49:18 For in his life he blessed his soul; yea, men praise you when you do well for yourself.
Psa 49:19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall not see light forever.
Psa 49:20 Man, though high in honor, but understanding not, is like the animals; they shall be cut off.