Faith and Truth

1. If there is a faith that is the Truth (and therefore eliminates all other faiths as being the Truth, though other faiths will contain some of that Truth), it will be imitated by those who don’t want to live according to that faith, but want to appear to be representing it.

2. Truth is always absolute. Thus, the idea of altering it according to circumstances proves that it isn’t Truth; Truth doesn’t change.

3. If prophet A speaks Truth and prophet Z speaks Truth, Prophet Z’s prophecy never is weightier than prophet A’s prophecy. There is no such thing as ‘a final prophet’ whose prophecy is above all other prophets if each prophet speaks Truth. If there can be a final prophet whose prophecy must be heeded more than another prophet’s prophecy, that proves that Truth was never the issue. Truth has no competition.

4. A faith that is Truth will be mimicked by false adherents to it until that faith looks like a lie. That way, all faiths begin to look like each other, and that way Truth can be erased (unless there is a God). Mimicking Truth proves that there is Truth, and it also proves that those who follow error are determined to silence Truth to hide their own shame and sin.

5. There is no such thing as Truth without an attached God. Truth and a God must always be together. No created being can possibly learn Truth without a God, since Truth is not visible in most of its actions and pronouncements. Only a God associated with Truth can declare Truth. ‘Discovering’ Truth never occurs. A human can only discover that there is Truth. Only a true God can reveal Truth. (Part of the Truth isn’t necessarily Truth.)

John 1:18 “No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son Who is in the bosom of the Father—He hath declared!”

6. A false god will be accompanied by a ‘false truth.’ That false ‘truth’ will appear to be what it isn’t: Truth. A false god will usually have a false prophet or prophets and priests who declare the false ‘truths,’ and a set of scriptures that give the rules of life and of the future according to those false ‘truths.’

7. A faith that is Truth absolutely never needs to be defended, but must instead be lived. Since it must have a God associated with it, if that deity cannot defend what needs to be defended, the ‘truth’ of that deity is that deity’s impotence. Any person defending his/her god/goddess is proving the indefensibility of that deity and the falsehood of that deity’s ‘truth.’

8. A faith that is Truth will always tend to save lives of others and benefit those outside of that faith. A faith that is a false ‘truth’ will do the opposite: it will make the leaders rich and impoverish others, and it will not tend to save lives at the risk of its own. It will not seek to benefit those outside of the faith unless that benefiting will make it look good, and it will always finally seek its own rather than what is best for others. It will always put its adherents into jeopardy, promising what won’t be delivered.

9. A faith that is Truth will call its faithful to defend those outside of the faith even at the cost of the lives of those in the faith since Truth is absolute. If there is no resurrection, Truth isn’t absolute, since death would cancel the absolute. That is impossible. Thus, those in the faith will look to the resurrection since what is absolute can never go out of existence. That will make defending those outside of the faith at the risk of the faithfuls’ own lives reasonable.

10. Zeal that is according to Truth will show itself as a life-saving fervency, and not as a explosion of steel nuts designed to maximize damage. Those who follow a faith that dictates ‘heroism’ in the form of destroying anyone (innocent or not) in order to get a point across prove their faith to be based on bitterness and on the total lack of potency of their god. Those who follow a faith that is Truth will also show heroism: that form heroism that gives life to others who are not in the faith (as well as to those who are in the faith).

11. The zeal that accompanies Truth will fight in battles and war with great zeal, but the fight will be for the defenseless, and not for the deity. Even David, when he killed Goliath, stated:

1 Samuel 17:45 Then said David to the Palestinian, “Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield! And I come to thee via Name Yehovah of armies, the God of the armies of Israel whom thou hast defied. ⁴⁶This day, Yehovah will deliver thee into my hand. And I will smite thee. And I will take thy head from thee. And I will give the carcasses of the army of the Palestinians this day unto the fowls of the air and to the wild animals of the land. And all the land will know that there is a God in Israel!”

This was no defense of God. It was to show that there is a God in Israel. David did not desire war with the Palestinians; the Palestinians desired war with Israel (read the text). Had the Palestinians kept their agreement (read the text), only one Palestinian would have died, and the rest would have lived.

12. When a false ‘truth’ begins to have less success than its leaders thought that should occur, followers of that false ‘truth’ become all the more zealous to shut up the mouths of those who challenge that false ‘truth.’ They become more belligerent, and they demand more rights instead of making certain that their own belts haven’t broken. This eventually leads to violence that is founded in humans fighting in the places of their own deity, since their own deity can’t fight for itself. Those who have to fight to maintain the rights of their deity to not be insulted prove that their own deity is impotent.

November 22, 2010July 5, 2017

Exodus 11 and 12 Death and Unleavened Bread

Death and Unleavened Bread

Background and Printed Text: Exodus chapters 11 and 12

Exodus 11:1 And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “I will bring one further strike upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward, he will send you from this. He finished according to his sending. Thrusting, he will thrust you from this!

² “Speak thou, na, in the ears of the people. And they have asked a man from with his neighbour and a woman from with her neighbour utensils of silver and utensils of gold.” ³And Yehovah gave favour of the people in the eyes of Egypt. The man Draw [Moshe] is also very big in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of the slaves of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of the people!

⁴And Draw [Moshe] said, “So said Yehovah, ‘As halving the night, I am exiting in the midst of Egypt. ⁵And every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die—from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting upon his chair unto the firstborn of the slave-woman who is after the millstones, and every firstborn of beast.’ ⁶And a big scream will be in all the land of Egypt that was not like him, and will not increase like him. ⁷And a dog will not cut his tongue to all the children of Israel to/from a man and unto a beast, so that ye will know that Yehovah will segregate between Egypt and between Israel! ⁸And all these thy slaves will descend unto me. And they will worship to me to say, ‘Exit thou!—thou and all the people that is with thy feet!’ And afterward I will exit.” And he exited from with Pharaoh via heats of nose!

⁹And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “Pharaoh will not hearken unto you so that my wonders are multiplied in the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰And Draw [Moshe] and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] did all these wonders to the faces of Pharaoh. And Yehovah gripped the heart of Pharaoh. And he did not send the children of Israel from his land.

Chapter 12

Exodus 12:1 And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe] and unto Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] in the land of Egypt to say, ² “This month is the head of months to you. He is the first to you to the months of the year.

³ “Speak-ye unto all the congregation of Israel to say, ‘In the 10th to this month, and they have taken to them a man a lamb for the house of fathers, a lamb for a house. ⁴And if the house will-be-too-little from being from a lamb, and he will take, and his neighbour near unto his house, via the blanketing of beings.’ Ye will blanket a man to the mouth of his eating concerning the lamb.

⁵ “A perfect male son-of-a-year lamb will be to you. Ye shall take from the sheep and from the goats. ⁶And he shall be to you for a guarding until the 14th day to this month. And ye shall slaughter him between the evenings—all the congregation of the witness of Israel.

⁷ “‘And they shall take from the blood. And they shall give upon two of the doorposts and upon the lintel, upon the houses in which they will eat him.

⁸ “‘And they shall eat the flesh in this night roasted of fire. And they shall eat him, Matzahs upon bitternesses.’ ⁹Ye shall not eat from him raw and boiling, boiled in water, but rather fire-roasted, his head upon his knees and upon his approach.

¹⁰ “And ye shall not make-remain from him unto morning. And ye shall burn the remainder from him unto morning in fire.

¹¹ “And ye shall eat him thus: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your walking-staff in your hand. And ye shall eat him in haste—he is the Skip-Over to Yehovah!

¹² “And I will cross-over in the land of Egypt in this night. And I will smite every firstborn in the land of Egypt from Adam and unto cattle. And I will do justices via all gods of Egypt. I am Yehovah!

¹³ “And the blood shall be to you for a sign upon the houses where ye are. And I will see the blood. And I will skip-over above you. And the strike will not be in you for a slaughter when I smite in the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ “And this day shall be to you for a remembrance. And ye shall solemnize him a solemnity to Yehovah to your generations. Ye shall solemnize him, a statute of Hider!

¹⁵ “Ye shall eat Matzahs seven days. Indeed, ye shall make-cease leaven from your houses in the first day. For every eater of vinegar, and that being shall-be-cut-off from Israel from the first day unto the seventh day.

¹⁶ “And a calling of a Holy-[One] is in the first day. And a calling of a Holy-[One] shall be to you in the day seven. He will not do any errand in them. He alone shall do for you only what he will eat for every being.

¹⁷ “And ye shall guard the Matzahs. For in this selfsame day I made-exit your armies from the land of Egypt. And ye shall guard this day to your generations, a statute of Hider. ¹⁸Ye shall eat Matzahs in the evening in the first, in the 14th day to the month, unto the day one and twenty to the month in the evening.

¹⁹ “Leaven will not be found in your houses seven days. For every eater from vinegar, and that being—in a sojourner and in a native of the land—shall be cut-off from the witness of Israel! ²⁰Ye shall not eat every vinegar! Ye shall eat Matzahs in all your dwellings!”

²¹And Draw [Moshe] called to all elders of Israel. And he said unto them, “Draw-ye and take-ye a flock to you—to your families. And slaughter-ye the Skip-Over! ²²And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop. And ye shall immerse in blood that is in a basin. And ye shall cause-to-touch unto the lintel and unto two of the doorposts from the blood that is in the basin.”

“And ye, ye shall not exit—a man from the opening of his house—unto morning. ²³And Yehovah will cross-over to smite Egypt. And He will see the blood upon the lintel and upon two of the doorposts. And Yehovah will Skip-Over above the opening. And He will not give the Slaughterer to come unto your houses to smite.

²⁴ “And ye shall guard this speech for a statute to thee and to thy children unto Hider. ²⁵And he shall be when ye shall come unto the land that Yehovah will give to you just-as He spoke. And ye shall guard this service!

²⁶ “And he shall be, for your children shall say unto you, ‘What is this service to you?’ ²⁷And ye shall say, ‘He is the Sacrifice of Skip-Over to Yehovah Who Skipped-Over above the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt in His smiting Egypt! And He rescued our houses!’”

And the People bowed. And they worshipped. ²⁸And they walked. And the children of Israel did just-as Yehovah commanded Draw [Moshe] and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon]—they did so!

²⁹And he was in the half of the night. And Yehovah smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits upon his chair unto the firstborn of the captive who is in the house of the pit, and every firstborn of cattle! ³⁰And Pharaoh arose that night, and all his slaves, and all Egypt. And a big scream was in Egypt. For there is not a house where there is no death there!

³¹And he called to Draw [Moshe] and to Oy!-Conception! [Aharon]… night!… and said, “RISE-YE! EXIT-YE FROM THE MIDST OF MY PEOPLE!—also ye! Also the children of Israel! And walk-ye! Serve-ye Yehovah as ye spoke— ³²also your flock! Take-ye also your herd just-as ye spoke! And WALK! And bless-ye also me!”

³³And Egypt was strong upon the People to hurry to send them from the land. For they said, “All of us are dead-[ones]!”

³⁴And the People lifted his dough before he will ‘vinegarize,’ their kneadingtroughs bound-up in their clothes upon their shoulder. ³⁵And the children of Israel did as Draw [Moshe] spoke. And they asked from Egypt utensils of silver and utensils of gold and clothing. ³⁶And Yehovah gave the favour of the People in the eyes of Egypt. And they asked them. And they rescued Egypt.

³⁷And the children of Israel journeyed from Raamses to Succot as 600,000 feet of the valiant-ones, beside a little-one. ³⁸And also a great mixture ascended with them, and a very heavy flock and herd of livestock!

³⁹And they baked the dough that they made-exit from Egypt, discs of Matzah. For it was not ‘vinegarized;’ for they were forced from Egypt. And they were not able to WHAT?WHAT? themselves. And they also did not make victuals for themselves.

⁴⁰And the settlement of the children of Israel where they lived in Egypt is 30 year[s] and 400 year[s]. ⁴¹And he was from the end of 30 year[s] and 400 year[s]. And he was in this selfsame day. All armies of Yehovah exited from the land of Egypt! ⁴²He is a night of guardings to Yehovah to make-exit from the land of Egypt! He is this night to Yehovah, guardings to all the children of Israel to their generations!

⁴³And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe] and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon], “This is the statute of the Skip-Over: Every son of a foreigner will not eat in him. ⁴⁴And every slave, a man bought of silver and thou hast ‘fronted’ him, then he will eat in him. ⁴⁵A sitter and a hireling—he will not eat in him. ⁴⁶He shall be eaten in one house. Thou shalt not make-exit outside from the house from the flesh. And ye shall not break a bone in him. ⁴⁷All the witness of Israel—they shall do him!

⁴⁸ “And if a sojourner will sojourn with thee and will do Skip-Over to Yehovah, ‘front’ to him—every male! And then he will approach to do him. And he shall be as a native of the land. And every foreskin shall not eat in him! ⁴⁹One teaching will be to the native and to the sojourner sojourning in your midst.” ⁵⁰And all the children of Israel did just-as Yehovah commanded Draw [Moshe] and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon]—they did so!

⁵¹And he was in this selfsame day. Yehovah made-exit the children of Israel from the land of Egypt upon their armies!

I. Finished! (verse 1)

Yehovah told Pharaoh, “I will bring one further strike upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward, he will send you from this.” Yehovah then added, “According to his sending, he finished.” This will be the last of Pharaoh’s refusing to send the Israelis.

Yehovah told Moshe how Pharaoh will deal with the Israelis: “Thrusting, he will thrust you from this!”

Questions

1. Why did Yehovah view what He was about to do as a strike?

2. Why did Yehovah attack Egypt when the Egyptians couldn’t do anything about what their leader caused?

3. To what does this refer in “Afterward, he will send you from this”?

4. What does “He finished according to his sending” mean? Identify the pronouns (He and his).

5. Explain “Thrusting, he will thrust you from this”:

II. Utensils of Silver and Gold (verses 2-3)

Yehovah gave Moshe an assignment for the Israelis to do. He must speak this in the ears of the people of Israel. Each man and woman must ask from an Egyptian neighbour for utensils of silver and gold.

Yehovah gave favour into the eyes of Egypt toward the Israelis; otherwise, they wouldn’t have given precious valuables.

Moshe is very big in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh’s slaves, and in the eyes of the people!

Questions

1. How could Moshe speak in the ears of the people of Israel? Wouldn’t that take years?

2. Did the Israelis only have to ask for utensils of silver and gold? What is a utensil?

3. What happened when “Yehovah gave favour of the people in the eyes of Egypt”?

4. Did the Egyptians feel threatened into giving these items?

5. What does “Moshe is very big in the land” mean?

6. Moshe was very big in the eyes of what groups?

III. The Firstborn Warning (verses 4-8)

Moshe came to Pharaoh. He gave him terrifying information for the next . He told them, “So said Yehovah, ‘As halving the night, I am exiting in the midst of Egypt.’” Halving the night refers to midnight.

Yehovah’s speech continued, “And every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die—from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting upon his chair unto the firstborn of the slave-woman who is after the millstones, and every firstborn of beast.” Yehovah will kill every firstborn in Egypt!

“And a big scream will be in all the land of Egypt that was not like him, and will not increase like him.” The Egyptians will respond with screams to all the dead firstborn. While these screams will occur through Egypt, Yehovah explained what would happen in Israel: “And a dog will not cut his tongue to all the children of Israel to/from a man and unto a beast, so that ye will know that Yehovah will segregate between Egypt and between Israel!” (The dog cutting his tongue refers to barking.)

“And all these thy slaves will descend unto me.” Yehovah gave this speech to Moshe! All Pharaoh’s slaves will descend unto Moshe! “And they will worship to me to say, ‘Exit thou!—thou and all the people that is with thy feet!’” The slaves of Pharaoh will beg Moshe to leave with all the Israelis, including the entire people at Moshe’s feet!

Moshe continued, “And afterward I will exit.” Moshe then left Pharaoh with great anger!

Questions

1. What does “As halving the night” mean?

2. Where is Yehovah going if He is exiting in the midst of Egypt?

3. What will Yehovah do in Egypt?

4. Why is Yehovah attacking the firstborn, when some of those are little children and babies?

5. What does “the slavewoman who is after the millstones” mean?

6. Isn’t Yehovah’s killing a slavewoman’s child cruel, since she doesn’t have freedom?

7. What are the purposes of all these attacks, besides convincing the Egyptians to send the Israelis?

8. Why didn’t Yehovah slaughter the leaders of Egypt who held the Israelis instead of going after little children?

9. Will firstborn die if they are females?

10. What does “a big scream will be in all the land of Egypt that was not like him, and will not increase like him” mean?

11. What does “a dog will not cut his tongue to all the children of Israel to/from a man and unto a beast” mean?

12. What is the purpose for Yehovah causing the dogs owned by the Israelis to refrain from barking?

13. Who is speaking in these verses, and to whom is he speaking?

14. Who is me in, “And all these thy slaves will descend unto me”?

15. If Pharaoh’s slaves will descend and worship to Moshe, what is happening, and why are they doing this?

16. What does “that is with thy feet” mean?

17. What does “he exited from with Pharaoh via heats of nose” mean?

18. Why was Moshe so angry?

IV. The Recap (verses 9-10)

Yehovah told Moshe again, “Pharaoh will not hearken unto you…” Yehovah then told Moshe what the result of Pharaoh’s refusal will be: “…so that my wonders are multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

The text now gives this information about all that has been done and will yet be done: “And Draw [Moshe] and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] did all these wonders to the faces of Pharaoh. And Yehovah gripped the heart of Pharaoh. And he did not send the children of Israel from his land.”

Questions

1. Yehovah said, “Pharaoh will not hearken unto you so that my wonders are multiplied in the land of Egypt.” Hadn’t His wonders already been multiplied in the land of Egypt? What did Yehovah mean?

2. Do Egyptians today know about these events that occurred in Moshe’s day?

3. Again, what happened when Yehovah gripped the heart of Pharaoh?

V. New Year (chapter 12, verses 1-2)

Yehovah commanded both Moshe and Aharon to give this command to the Israelis: “This month is the head of months to you. He is the first to you to the months of the year.” This month is the month in which the spring of the year occurs.

Questions

1. What does “This month is the head of months to you” mean?

2. Why did Yehovah repeat what He said by saying, “He is the first to you to the months of the year”?

3. Exactly when is this month? Does it refer to one of the months of the year that we use?

4. Why did Yehovah choose this month to be the first month of the year?

VI. One Lamb (verses 3-4)

Yehovah commanded Moshe and Aharon to speak unto all the congregation of Israel, and to say the following: “In the 10th to this month, and they have taken to them a man a lamb for the house of fathers, a lamb for a house.” They will be slaughtering, cooking and eating this lamb.

“And if the house will-be-too-little from being from a lamb, and he will take, and his neighbour near unto his house, via the blanketing of beings.” Thus, if one house of persons has too few folks to eat an entire lamb, a house of persons and a neighbouring house of persons will together take one lamb so that one lamb will ‘blanket’ (will cover) the eating of both houses. Yehovah explains and commands: “Ye will blanket a man to the mouth of his eating concerning the lamb.” Thus, the Israelis will make certain that they will know how much all the members of a house can eat so that they can determine if two houses will come together to eat one lamb.

Questions

1. How could Moshe and Aharon speak unto all the congregation of Israel?

2. What does “they have taken to them a man a lamb for the house of fathers” mean?

3. Should more than one lamb be acquired if the household is very large?

4. What does “if the house will-be-too-little from being from a lamb” mean?

5. What will they take in, “And if the house will-be-too-little from being from a lamb, and he will take, and his neighbour near unto his house”?

6. What does via the blanketing of beings mean?

7. What does the instruction, “Ye will blanket a man to the mouth of his eating concerning the lamb” mean?

8. Why is it so important that each person will have enough lamb to eat? What does this picture?

VII. Male Yearling (verses 5-6)

Yehovah now explained how to determine what lamb is acceptable: “A perfect male son-of-a-year lamb will be to you. Ye shall take from the sheep and from the goats.” Thus, a goat is also an acceptable animal.

Yehovah commanded the Israelis to guard the animal until the 14th day of this first month. They then must slaughter him “between the evenings.” All the congregation of the witness of Israel must do this slaughter.

Questions

1. Why must the lamb be a perfect male son-of-a-year lamb?

2. What does “to you” mean in “A perfect male son-of-a-year lamb will be to you”?

3. Why did Yehovah give the option of taking the lamb from the sheep and from the goats?

4. How many days must the Israelis keep the lamb?

5. What does “he shall be to you for a guarding until the 14th day to this month” mean, and what is the purpose of this?

6. Why does the text only refer to one lamb in all of its parts as if there is only one lamb in mind?

7. Why did the Israelis have to guard this lamb if they were only going to slaughter him in the end?

8. What occurs on the 14th day of every Israeli month?

9. Who is him in, “And ye shall slaughter him between the evenings”?

10. What does “between the evenings” mean?

11. Why must they slaughter the lamb exactly between these evenings?

12. Who will do the slaughter of the lamb, according to this text?

13. What is “the witness of Israel,” and what does that mean?

14. This event with one lamb can only occur under what one condition?

VIII. The Given Blood (verse 7)

After slaughtering this perfect one-year-old male goat or sheep lamb, they must take some of the collected blood, and they must give that blood “upon two of the doorposts and upon the lintel, upon the houses in which they will eat him.”

Questions

1. Why must they take from the blood (instead of taking all the blood)?

2. Why does the text say that they will give the blood upon the doorposts and lintel instead of saying that they will splatter the blood there?

3. Why did they have to place the blood particularly upon two of the doorposts and upon the lintel, and what is a lintel and what are doorposts?

4. Why did they have to eat the lamb? Why couldn’t they just slaughter the lamb, and place the blood?

5. Why did they have to eat the lamb in the same houses where they placed the blood?

6. Did the Israelis understand these things when they did what Moshe said to do?

7. Do the Israelis and other folks (like those who claim to be Christian) understand these things today?

8. Must a person understand these things in order for them to work for the person?

IX. Roasted Lamb and Matzahs (verses 8-9)

The Israelis must roast the sheep or goat lamb, and they must eat the meat of the lamb in this one night. Yehovah then commanded, “And they shall eat him, matzos upon bitternesses.” (Matzos/matzahs are pieces of unleavened bread.)

There are two ways the Israelis are not to eat the sheep or goat lamb: “Ye shall not eat from him raw and boiling, boiled in water, but rather fire-roasted…”

The entire lamb must be roasted with “his head upon his knees and upon his approach.”

Questions

1. Why did the flesh have to be roasted (instead of baked, boiled, or treated in some other fashion)?

2. What are matzahs?

3. What do matzahs picture?

4. What does “And they shall eat him, Matzahs upon bitternesses” mean?

5. What is wrong with eating from the lamb either raw or boiling, boiled in water?

6. Why is fire-roasting so important?

7. The text next states, “his head upon his knees…” What does this mean?

8. The text also states, “his head … upon his approach.” What does that mean?

9. Could the Israelis eat the head and every part of the lamb?

X. No Remainder (verse 10)

Yehovah gave two commands regarding any leftovers from the lamb: “And ye shall not make-remain from him unto morning,” and “ye shall burn the remainder from him unto morning in fire.”

Questions

1. What does “And ye shall not make-remain from him unto morning” mean?

2. What were they commanded to do with leftovers?

3. Why did they have to get rid of lamb leftovers?

4. Why did they have to burn the remainder of the lamb (instead of throwing the rest away, giving it to friends, or burying it)?

5. Why does the text say, “ye shall burn the remainder from him unto morning in fire” instead of this: “ye shall burn the remainder from him before morning in fire”?

6. Look carefully at verse 10. It starts with this: “And ye shall not make-remain…” Verse 9 above starts with this: “Ye shall not eat from him…” Above that is verse 8, though, that starts with this: “And they shall eat the flesh…” Verse 7 also has they, and verse 5 has you and ye. Why does the text keep switching from you and ye to they and them? In other words, why do the pronouns go from being as if the speaker is speaking directly to the Israelis to speaking about the Israelis?

XI. Dress Code (verses 11-12)

How must the Israelis be dressed while eating the lamb? “And ye shall eat him thus: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your walking-staff in your hand.”

How quickly must the Israelis eat the lamb? “And ye shall eat him in haste.” Why must they be dressed like this and eat the lamb so quickly? “He is the Skip-Over to Yehovah!”

Yehovah next told what He will be doing at the same time that these other events will be occurring: “And I will cross-over in the land of Egypt in this night. And I will smite every firstborn in the land of Egypt from Adam and unto cattle. And I will do justices via all gods of Egypt.”

Yehovah then gave His signature: “I am Yehovah!”

Questions

1. What three items did the Israelis have to have or wear while eating the lamb?

2. What does “loins girded” mean?

3. Why did they have to have (or have to wear) these three things?

4. Why is hand singular in “and your walking-staff in your hand”?

5. Why did the Israelis have to eat the roasted lamb in haste?

6. What does “he is the Skip-Over to Yehovah” mean?

7. Why does the text now state that He will cross over instead of skip over?

8. What does “I will do justices via all gods of Egypt” mean? What will happen?

9. Why did Yehovah now state, “I am Yehovah”?

XII. Blood (verse 13)

He now explained the purpose of the blood: “And the blood shall be to you for a sign upon the houses where ye are. And I will see the blood. And I will skip-over above you. And the strike will not be in you for a slaughter when I smite in the land of Egypt.”

Questions

1. What was the purpose for the blood, according to verse 13?

2. Who will see the blood? Who will skip over above the Israelis?

3. If Yehovah is so kind, gentle and good, why would He do a slaughter in the land of Egypt?

XIII. Memories (verse 14)

A new Holy Day will be born: “And this day shall be to you for a remembrance. And ye shall solemnize him a solemnity to Yehovah to your generations. Ye shall solemnize him, a statute of Hider!” This Holy Day is called Passover in English.

Questions

1. Why does Yehovah sometimes command that a day be for a remembrance? Is it just because it was an important day in the past?

2. What does solemnize mean?

3. What must the Israelis do if they will solemnize this day?

4. What does to your generations mean?

5. Why is this a solemnity to Yehovah instead of being a solemnity to the Israelis?

6. What is Hider?

7. What is a statute?

XIV. Matzahs (verse 15)

The Israelis must eat only unleavened bread if they eat any bread during the next seven days. They must cause all leaven to cease from their houses in the first day. Yehovah then warns, “For every eater of vinegar, and that being shall-be-cut-off from Israel from the first day unto the seventh day”—that is, anyone who eats any form of vinegar during the seven days will be cut off from Israel!

Questions

1. Why must the Israelis eat matzahs seven days?

2. Do the seven days include the day of the Skip-Over?

3. How can the Israelis “make-cease leaven” from their houses?

4. What does this ‘making cease’ leaven picture?

5. What does vinegar picture?

6. What does eating vinegar picture?

7. What will happen to every Israeli who eats vinegar during these seven days?

8. How many of the Israelis must do these commands?

XV. Callings (verse 16)

Yehovah now told the Israelis, “A calling of a Holy-[One] is in the first day.” He didn’t explain in this text whether that meant that a Holy One will do the calling or whether the Israelis will call the Holy One.

Yehovah continued, “And a calling of a Holy-[One] shall be to you in the day seven.”

Yehovah then referred to one person using the pronoun he: “He will not do any errand in them. He alone shall do for you only what he will eat for every being.”

Questions

1. This text refers to two callings of the Holy One. What are these events? Are they the same event?

2. What does “He will not do any errand in them” mean?

3. What does “He alone shall do for you only what he will eat for every being” mean and show if the reader takes it literally?

XVI. Guarding (verses 17-18)

Yehovah’s commands to the Israelis continued: “And ye shall guard the Matzahs.” It is as if the Matzahs are in danger! But why must they guard the matzahs? “For in this selfsame day I made-exit your hosts from the land of Egypt. And ye shall guard this day to your generations, a statute of Hider.” (A statute of Hider is a statute that continues until the planet ends.)

Yehovah even told them when to eat the Matzahs: “Ye shall eat Matzahs in the evening in the first, in the 14th day to the month, unto the day one and twenty to the month in the evening.”

Questions

1. What is involved with guarding the matzahs, and why do they need guarding?

2. What armies are these?

3. How long did it take the armies of the Israelis to exit from Egypt?

4. Why must they guard this day to their generations?

5. When the Israelis exited from Egypt, where did they go?

6. How many days must the Israelis eat matzah, according to this text?

XVII. No Vinegar, No Leaven (verses 19-20)

“Leaven will not be found in your houses seven days.” (Yehovah is serious when He commands!) “For every eater from vinegar, and that being in a sojourner and in a native of the land shall be cut-off from the witness of Israel!” Yehovah states this warning again: “Ye shall not eat every vinegar!” He tells what they must eat: “Ye shall eat Matzahs in all your dwellings!”

Questions

1. No leaven must be found in the houses of the Israelis for which seven days?

2. Why must no leaven be found during those seven days?

3. What is wrong with eating vinegar? What does this typify?

4. What is a sojourner?

5. What is a native?

6. What does “shall be cut off from the witness of Israel” mean?

7. Why will Yehovah cut off even sojourners from the witness of Israel if they eat vinegar?

8. How many types of vinegars are included in this restriction?

9. If you look at a Passover section (in the spring of the year), you will find several products that are “kosher for Passover” that include vinegar. What does this text have to say about these products?

10. In how many of the dwellings of the Israelis must matzah be eaten?

XVIII. The Skip-Over (verses 21-23)

Moshe now called to all the elders of Israel. He commanded them: “Draw-ye and take-ye a flock to you—to your families.” Thus, Moshe made the elders responsible to both draw—that is, to remove from the larger flocks—and to take a flock for them and their families. The elders had to then slaughter the Skip-Over!

Moshe told them what to use to move the blood from the collection pot to the lintel and the two doorposts: “And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop. And ye shall immerse in blood that is in a basin. And ye shall cause-to-touch unto the lintel and unto two of the doorposts from the blood that is in the basin.” (Hyssop is a plant.)

Moshe’s commands were now warnings: “And ye, ye shall not exit—a man from the opening of his house—unto morning.” Why must they not exit? “Yehovah will cross-over to smite Egypt. And He will see the blood upon the lintel and upon two of the doorposts. And Yehovah will Skip-Over above the opening. And He will not give the Slaughterer to come unto your houses to smite.”

Questions

1. Moshe called to all elders of Israel, telling them to draw and take a flock to them—to their families. What did drawing and taking a flock to them show?

2. The text continues, “And slaughter-ye the Skip-Over.” Why didn’t it say to slaughter sheep and goats?

3. What is hyssop?

4. Why must they take a bunch of hyssop?

5. The next statement is this: “And ye shall immerse in blood that is in a basin.” Explain this curious wording:

6. What is a lintel?

7. What are doorposts?

8. What does the touching of the lintel and the doorposts using the hyssop bunch dipped in blood show?

9. Yehovah commanded the Israelis to not exit from the opening of the house unto morning. Houses didn’t have indoor plumbing; there were places outside where folks used what we call ‘the restroom.’ What were they supposed to do if they had to use the restroom?

10. Why couldn’t they go outside of the house until morning?

11. Did the Israelis remain in their houses during the first Skip-Over (about which we are reading)?

12. Verse 23 stated that “Yehovah will cross-over to smite Egypt.” Is that what He said He would do? Explain.

13. What will cause Yehovah to skip over above the opening of a house?

14. Why does the text refer to the opening instead of the door? What is the difference between an opening and a door?

15. Who is this Slaughterer?

16. Why does the text use the word give instead of send?

XIX. Guarding Speech and Service (verses 24-25)

Moshe next warned the Israelis to guard this speech that he had been giving to them. They must view this speech as a statute “to thee”—that is, to the people of Israel as one unit—“and to thy sons”—that is, to all the sons of the people of Israel—unto Hider.

When the Israelis finally will “come unto the land that Yehovah will give to you just-as He spoke,” the Israelis must guard this service!

Questions

1. Why is guarding this speech so important to Yehovah and for the Israelis?

2. Why can’t they just forget the speech itself, but keep it recorded in the Bible, only studying it in detail just before it will occur? Wouldn’t that be the same thing?

3. What is a statute?

4. What is Hider?

5. Again, why must the Israelis guard this speech unto Hider?

6. What “shall be” when the Israelis shall come unto the land that Yehovah will give to them?

7. What is a service?

XX. The Question (verses 26-27)

Moshe prophesied that the Israelis’ sons will say unto the Israelis, “What is this service to you?” The Israelis must answer, “He is the Sacrifice of Skip-Over to Yehovah Who Skipped-Over above the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt in His smiting Egypt. And He rescued our houses!”

Questions

1. What do the children mean by the question, “What is this service to you?”

2. Look at the wording of verse 27. Yehovah commanded the Israelis to say to their children, “He is the Sacrifice of Skip-Over to Yehovah Who Skipped-Over above the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt in His smiting Egypt,” speaking of them. He then commanded them to say, “And He rescued our houses”—speaking of us. Why did Yehovah tell them to word it this way?

3. Where will all these houses that were rescued (in the future) be located?

XXI. Perfect Obedience (verses 27-28)

Moshe had called the elders. The People of Israel now bowed, prostrated—that is, they lay flat and face-down to the ground, and then they got up and walked to their places. The sons of Israel did exactly as Yehovah commanded Moshe and Aharon! They did so!

Questions

1. What is the difference between bowing and worshipping?

2. To whom did the people bow?

3. Whom did they worship?

4. Where did they walk?

5. Why does the text twice say that the children of Israel did as Yehovah commanded Moshe and Aharon?

XXII. The Half-Night Smiting! (verses 29-30)

At midnight, when the night is split in half, Yehovah smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt! He smote Pharaoh’s firstborn “who sits upon his chair” and all other firstborn ones right down to the firstborn of the captive who is in the house of the pit (the prison). He also smote every firstborn of cattle!

Pharaoh got up that night, as well as all his slaves and all of Egypt. There was a very big scream in all of Egypt since there wasn’t a house where there wasn’t death in that house!

Questions

1. What is the half of the night?

2. Who is he in, “And he was in half of the night”?

3. Why did Pharaoh arise that night? What awoke him?

4. Why did the slaves arise that night?

5. Was Pharaoh himself a firstborn?

6. Why was there a big scream in all of Egypt?

7. How many Egyptian houses were completely free from anyone dying in that night?

8. Were all the dead males?

XXIII. The Command to Exit (verses 31-32)

Pharaoh called to Moshe and Aharon in the middle of the night. And he said, “Rise-ye! Exit-ye from the midst of my people!—also ye!—also the sons of Israel! And walk-ye! Serve-ye Yehovah as ye spoke—also your flock! Take-ye also your herd just-as ye spoke! And walk! And bless-ye also me!”

Questions

1. Were Moshe and Aharon close to where Pharaoh was when Pharaoh called to them?

2. Why does the text say “… night! …”?

3. The words and wording that Pharaoh used to tell Moshe, Aharon and the Israelis to leave show what about Pharaoh’s mental state?

4. Pharaoh said, “RISE-YE! EXIT-YE FROM THE MIDST OF MY PEOPLE!—also ye!” To whom is Pharaoh referring by the first ye, and to whom is he referring by the second ye?

5. Why did Pharaoh command them to serve Yehovah?

6. Pharaoh twice commanded, “Walk!” What did he mean?

7. Why would this man whose son was newly slaughtered by Yehovah now command, “And bless ye also me”?

8. Was Pharaoh now a believer in Yehovah?

XXIV. Sending Israelis with Fear (verse 33)

All of Egypt greatly urged the Israelis to leave! They now wanted to send them from the land, and they wanted them to go as soon as possible. The Egyptians thought, “All of us are dead-[ones]!”

Questions

1. Why did the Egyptians so strongly urge the people of Israel to leave the land?

2. Were they right to fear that Yehovah might kill them all?

3. Were the Egyptians being mean or cruel when they hurried the Israelis to leave the land of Egypt?

XXV. Dough, Valuables and Rescue (verses 34-36)

The people of Israel was used to preparing flour to make bread on a daily basis. Bread was a very important part of the diet of the Israelis. When the Egyptians awoke them and urged them to quickly leave, one of the valuables that the Israelis knew they had to carry was the dough being prepared to make bread. The entire people lifted the people’s dough before the dough will become sourdough (which is very delicious if properly made). This is described as vinegarizing in the text. The Israelis also took their kneadingtroughs with them, binding them in their clothes upon their shoulder.

The children of Israel did as Moshe spoke by asking Egypt for utensils of silver and utensils of gold, and clothing. Yehovah gave to the Israelis the favour of Egypt when they asked the Egyptians. This act of receiving gold, silver and clothing rescued Egypt.

Questions

1. What kind of bread were the Israelis making in verse 34?

2. How did they carry the dough?

3. How did they make dough in the first place?

4. What does “before he will vinegarize mean?

5. Why did they bind up their kneadingtroughs in their clothes and upon their shoulder (as if they all shared just one shoulder)?

6. If they asked for these utensils from Egypt, whom did they ask?

7. Silver is valuable, and gold is even more valuable. Isn’t clothing very inexpensive?

8. What does “Yehovah gave the favour of the People in the eyes of Egypt” mean?

9. What were the Egyptians thinking that they became willing to give valuables to their slave neighbours?

10. Did Yehovah make the Egyptians change their minds by using His own power to overrule what they were thinking?

11. Why does the text describe favour being given in the eyes of the Egyptians?

12. Who rescued Egypt, and how did this occur?

XXVI. The Multitude’s Mix (verses 37-38)

The children of Israel journeyed as a giant group. They went from Raamses to Succot in the first leg of their journey. There were 600,000 feet of valiant ones that were walking. This number didn’t include the count of little ones. The Israelis were joined by a great mixture of other folks. They traveled with a heavy flock and a heavy herd of livestock.

Questions

1. How far is Raamses from Succot?

2. How many valiant ones traveled, according to this text?

3. Why did Yehovah describe it this way instead of giving the number of persons, and why is this important?

4. Why does the text mention the number of valiant ones instead of the entire population?

5. What was the total population of the Israelis leaving at this time?

6. Why does the text say, “beside a little one” instead of, say, “besides the little ones,” and why doesn’t it mention the women, the teenagers, the elders, etc.?

7. Of what did this great mixture (that ascended with the Israelis) consist?

8. What is a very heavy flock?

9. What is a herd of livestock?

XXVII. Eating Matzah (verse 39)

The group became hungry. They baked the dough that they had brought from Egypt; they were discs of matzah (unleavened bread). None of the bread was ‘vinegarized’—it hadn’t leavened, and it hadn’t gone to sourdough. The Israelis had been forced from Egypt.

The Israelis were not able to “What?What?” themselves—they hadn’t had time to ask questions about how they were supposed to provide anything for themselves. They hadn’t had opportunity to make victuals for themselves.

Questions

1. What are discs of Matzah?

2. What does “they were not able to WHAT?WHAT? themselves” mean?

3. What are victuals?

4. Why didn’t they make victuals?

XXVIII. Exiting after Centuries, and Guarding (verses 40-42)

The children of the man whose name was Israel settled in Egypt and remained in that same location for 430 years. At the very day that period of time ended, all the armies of Yehovah exited from the land of Egypt. That very night is a night of guardings to Yehovah to cause an exit from the land of Egypt. This is the very night that belongs to Yehovah that all the children of Israel must guard to their generations!

Questions

1. How long did the Israelis live in Egypt?

2. The text states, “And he was from the end of 30 year[s] and 400 year[s].” Who was from the end of 430 years?

3. What does “And he was in this selfsame day” tell the reader?

4. What are these armies of Yehovah that exited from the land of Egypt?

5. What does “He is a night of guardings to Yehovah to make-exit from the land of Egypt” tell the careful reader?

6. On which night will these guardings take place?

XXIX. The Statute of the Skip-Over (verses 43-47)

Yehovah communicated information about the statute of the Skip-Over to Moshe and Aharon:

Every son of a foreigner will not eat in him.
Every slave that has been bought using silver and who has been ‘fronted’ (circumcised) will eat in him.
A ‘sitter’ (squatter) and a hireling (person hired from another land) will not eat in him.
The Skip-Over must be eaten in one house.
The meat from the Skip-Over must not be taken outside of the house.
No one is permitted to break a bone of the Skip-Over.
Everyone who is part of the witness of Israel shall do the Skip-Over.

Questions

1. Why can’t a son of a foreigner eat in the Skip-Over?

2. What does “fronted him” mean?

3. The text states, “every slave, a man bought of silver and thou hast ‘fronted’ him, then he will eat in him.” Must the slave believe in Yehovah to eat the Skip-Over?

4. Suppose that a slave has been captured in a war, and therefore wasn’t bought using silver; can he still eat the Skip-Over lamb?

5. What is a sitter?

6. Why can’t a sitter eat in the Skip-Over lamb?

7. What is a hireling?

8. What is wrong with a hireling eating in the Skip-Over?

9. Suppose that a sitter or a hireling truly desires to eat in the Skip-Over: is there a way that the person can?

10. Why must the Skip-Over be eaten in one house?

11. What is wrong with breaking a bone in the cooked lamb?

12. Explain “All the witness of Israel—they shall do him”:

XXX. Statutes Regarding the Sojourner (verses 48-50)

If a sojourner (a traveler from another land) will sojourn with the people of Israel and will do Skip-Over to Yehovah, every male in the group with the sojourner must first be circumcised. Only then is he allowed to approach to do the Skip-Over. The sojourner will then be as the native Israeli. No foreskin is permitted to do the Skip-Over.

There is one teaching to the native and to the sojourner who sojourns in the midst of the Israelis.

All the children of Israel did exactly as Yehovah commanded Moshe and Aharon. They really did!

Questions

1. Who can be a sojourner?

2. The text states, “if a sojourner will sojourn with thee…” Does the sojourner have to stay with an Israeli (that is, lodge in the Israeli’s tent or house) in order to qualify?

3. Who is thee in “if a sojourner will sojourn with thee”?

4. What must the sojourner do in order to do Skip-Over to Yehovah?

5. Why must every male in the group submit to circumcision if just one desires to do the Skip-Over?

6. What must the person approach in order to do the Skip-Over?

7. Is Yehovah calling an uncircumcised person a foreskin?

8. Why does Yehovah have one teaching (Torah) for the native and the sojourner instead of different teachings for the two groups?

9. Again, what is so amazing about the children of Israel doing just as Yehovah command Moshe and Aharon?

XXXI. The Israelis Finally Exit upon their Armies (verse 51)

In that very day, Yehovah exited the children of Israel from the land of Egypt upon their armies!

Questions

1. What took place in this selfsame day?

2. How did they exit upon their armies?

October 22, 2010July 5, 2017

Exodus 10 Locusts and Horrifying Darkness QA Supplied

Locusts and Horrifying Darkness

With Questions and Proposed Answers

Background and Printed Text: Exodus chapter 10

Locust

Exodus 10:1 And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “Come unto Pharaoh. For I, I weighted his heart and the heart of his slaves so that I put these my signs in his midst ²and so that thou wilt scroll what I have acted myself in Double-Adversity [Egypt] in the ears of thy son and the son of thy son, and my signs that I placed in them. And ye shall know that I am Yehovah!”

³And Draw [Moshe] came, and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon], unto Pharaoh. And they said unto him, “So said Yehovah Gods of the Hebrews, ‘Until when hast thou refused to humble from my faces? Send my people, and he has served me! ⁴For if thou art refusing to send my people, behold I am bringing a locust into thy border tomorrow. ⁵And he will cover the eye of the land. And he will not be able to see the land. And he will eat the excess of the escapee remaining to you from the hail. And he will eat all the tree that springs-forth to you from the field! ⁶And they shall fill thy houses and the houses of all thy slaves and the houses of all Double-Adversity [Egypt] that thy fathers and fathers of thy fathers did not see from the day of their being upon the soil unto this day!’” And he turned. And he exited from with Pharaoh.

⁷And the slaves of Pharaoh said unto him, “Until when will this be to us for a snare? Send the men! And they have served Yehovah their Gods! Is it before thou wilt know that Double-Adversity [Egypt] perished?”

⁸And he returned Draw [Moshe] and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] unto Pharaoh. And he said unto them, “Go ye! Serve ye Yehovah your Gods! Who and who are the walking?” ⁹And Draw [Moshe] said, “We will walk with our youths and with our elders; we will walk with our sons and with our daughters, with our flock and with our herd. For the solemnity of Yehovah is to us!” ¹⁰And he said unto them, “He will be so! Yehovah is with you, just as I will send you and your little-one! See ye that bad is straight-to your faces! ¹¹Not established! Go-ye, na, valiant-ones! And serve ye Yehovah! For ye are seeking her!” And he forced them from with the faces of Pharaoh.

¹²And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “Stretch thine hand upon the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt] via the locust. And he has ascended upon the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt]. And he has eaten every herb of the land, all that remained the hail.” ¹³And Draw [Moshe] stretched his rod upon the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt]. And Yehovah guided the spirit of east in the land all that day and all the night. The morning was. And the spirit of the east carried the locust. ¹⁴And the locust ascended upon all the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt]. And he rested in every border of Double-Adversity [Egypt], very heavy. To his faces there was not established a locust like him, and after him he will not be established. ¹⁵And he covered the eye of all the land. And the land was darkened. And he ate every herb of the land and every fruit of the tree that remained the hail. And every green did not remain in a tree and in the herb of the field in all the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt].

¹⁶And Pharaoh hurried to call to Draw [Moshe] and to Oy!-Conception! [Aharon]. And he said, “I sinned to Yehovah your Gods and to you! ¹⁷And now, carry thou, na, my sin but the stroke, and entreat ye to Yehovah your Gods! And He has turned-away from upon me only this death!” ¹⁸And he exited from with Pharaoh.

And he entreated unto Yehovah. ¹⁹And Yehovah flipped-over the spirit of the sea, very gripping. And he carried the locust. And he blasted Ending Seaward. One locust did not remain in all the border of Double-Adversity [Egypt]. ²⁰And Yehovah gripped the heart of Pharaoh. And he did not send the children of Israel.

Felt Darkness

²¹And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “Stretch thine hand upon the heavens. And darkness was upon the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt]. And he felt darkness.” ²²And Draw [Moshe] stretched his hand upon the heavens. And darkness of gloom was in all the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt] three days. ²³They did not see—a man his brother, and they did not arise—a man from his tuchases three days! And light was to all the children of Israel in their settlements.

²⁴And Pharaoh called unto Draw [Moshe]. And he said, “Go ye! Serve ye Yehovah! Only your flock and your herd he will position. Also your little-one will walk with you!” ²⁵And Draw [Moshe] said, “Also thou, thou wilt give into our hand sacrifices and ascensions? And we will do to Yehovah our Gods? ²⁶And also our cattle will walk with us! A hoof will not remain! For we will take from us to serve Yehovah our Gods! And we, we will not know what we will serve Yehovah until our coming there!”

²⁷And Yehovah gripped the heart of Pharaoh. And he did not consent to send them. ²⁸And Pharaoh said to him, “Walk from upon me! Guard to thee! Do not add to see my faces! For in the day of thy seeing my faces, thou shalt die!” ²⁹And Draw [Moshe] said, “Established! Thou hast spoken! I will not add further to see thy faces!”

I. The Purpose of Weighting a Heart (verses 1-2)

Yehovah told Moshe to again come unto Pharaoh. Yehovah took credit for ‘weighting’ Pharaoh’s heart and the heart of his slaves, giving the reasons:

In order to put Yehovah’s signs in his midst
So that this ‘thou’ will scroll what Yehovah Himself did in Egypt in the ears of his son and the son of his son
So that this same ‘thou’ will scroll Yehovah’s signs that He placed in them
So that this ‘ye’ will know that He is Yehovah.

Questions

1. What did Yehovah do when He weighted the heart of Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s slaves? Yehovah filled their minds with thoughts about what would happen to Egypt if the Israelis were to leave. Those thoughts were so heavy that they couldn’t think of other things.

2. Why did Yehovah do this? He did this in order to put these very signs (the plagues) in the midst (middle) of Pharaoh. He also did this so that the Israelis will tell in detail what Yehovah did in Egypt, including these signs. Later, the Israelis will come to know that He is Yehovah!

3. How did Yehovah put these signs in Pharaoh’s middle (midst)? Pharaoh represented all of Egypt. Yehovah put these miraculous signs in the very middle and heart of Egypt so that all the Egyptians and the Israelis knew that Yehovah was the source.

4. What does scroll mean in verse 2? It means to recount something in detailand in order.

5. Who is thy in, “in the ears of thy son and the son of thy son”? Yehovah is speaking to Moshe. Therefore, the obvious conclusion is that thy refers to Moshe. Yet, Yehovah also speaks to Moshe as if Moshe is all of Israel. He does this quite frequently. Thy in this text refers to Israel. All Israel will repeat what Yehovah did in the ears of Israel’s son and grandson—and not just one son, and not just one grandson; all Israel will repeat what Yehovah did in Egypt in the ears of every son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, and so on!

6. Have the Israelis realized that He is Yehovah? They haven’t! They didn’t even in Moshe’s day! They thought, for example, that Yehovah was a calf. This statement isn’t for Moshe’s day, but is rather directed to a future day a very long time from now when all Israel will know who Yehovah is and what signs He did in the midst of Egypt. Those signs will be similar to these, but will be performed during the future time known as the Tribulation. Yehovah did what He did in Moshe’s day as a preparation for what He will do in that future day.

II. The Locust Threat (verses 3-6)

Moshe and Aharon came. They told Pharaoh that Yehovah Gods of the Hebrews said, “Until when hast thou refused to humble from my faces?”

They then told Pharaoh what Yehovah further said: “Send my people, and he has served me!” This was the same message that Yehovah kept sending to Pharaoh.

Yehovah then gave the threat: “For if thou art refusing to send my people, behold I am bringing a locust into thy border tomorrow. And he will cover the eye of the land. And he will not be able to see the land. And he will eat the excess of the escapee remaining to you from the hail. And he will eat all the tree that springs-forth to you from the field!” This destruction will destroy the rest of the field crops.

Yehovah also sent the locusts to invade another area: “And they shall fill thy houses and the houses of all thy slaves and the houses of all Double-Adversity [Egypt] that thy fathers and fathers of thy fathers did not see from the day of their being upon the soil unto this day!”

Moshe then turned and exited from being with Pharaoh.

Questions

1. Consider what Moshe and Aharon said to a great king and pharaoh: “So said Yehovah Gods of the Hebrews, ‘Until when hast thou refused to humble from my faces?’” Weren’t Moshe and Aharon afraid to say such words to a man who could order their deaths for being so rude to a king and pharaoh? By now, they were not afraid. They knew that Pharaoh and his slaves were afraid of them! Moshe and Aharon were angry at Pharaoh, but they didn’t show that anger at this time. Instead, Yehovah showed His anger at their refusal to humble themselves from Yehovah’s faces!

2. Why is Yehovah angry when He is the one who keeps working on Pharaoh’s mind so that Pharaoh won’t send the Israelis? It is true that Yehovah keeps working on Pharaoh’s mind, but Yehovah isn’t causing Pharaoh to refuse to send the Israelis; Yehovah is rather causing Pharaoh to consider what will occur if Pharaoh does send the Israelis. Pharaoh is acting upon his own fears. Yehovah isn’t causing Pharaoh to do wrong. Pharaoh needs no help when it comes to doing wrong. The great signs tend to weaken Pharaoh’s unwillingness to send the Israelis; Yehovah reminds Pharaoh what will occur if he does send them. He therefore weighs down Pharaoh’s mind/heart.

Yehovah is angry because Pharaoh has refused to humble himself before the faces of Yehovah!

3. Again, why didn’t Yehovah just take His people out of Egypt instead of insisting that Pharaoh send them? The Israelis were guests in the land. In those cultures, it was rude for a guest to just leave without being sent by the host. Yehovah desired the Egyptian host to willingly send the Israelis out of the land.

4. What does bringing a locust into the land have to do with their sending the Israelis out of the land? It is a matter of economy—that is, of business. Pharaoh and his slaves are unwilling to send the Israelis because they are afraid of economic ruin and disaster. Yehovah is showing the Egyptians that He has an army that can do far greater damage to the Egyptian economy than they will experience by sending the Israelis.

5. Is Yehovah bringing just one locust? Why does He refer to the locust as if it is one? The entire and huge cloud of locusts will act as if they together are one giant locust. That will be far more frightening than individual locusts.

6. Would a locust attack like this be scary? What would it be like? It is like small birds that are locusts landing everywhere. If one tries to walk outside, the person will step on the locusts, and they will be squished. The person will find them very slippery while other locusts land on them. The sounds and sights will be worse than Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. While locusts don’t attack humans, they get in their hair, they land on their shoulders, they cling to their clothing, and they look rather fierce.

7. What does “he will cover the eye of the land” mean? The eye of anything is the most tender and delicate part, and is the most watered part. The locusts will land in all of Egypt, but especially in the best parts where the plants are growing well.

8. Who won’t be able to see the land, and what does this mean? The locust won’t be able to see the land because the locust is covering it!

9. What is “the escapee” that remains from the hail? The escapee refers to every green plant that didn’t get struck and ruined by the hail. Some plants survived the hail by being too young to be aboveground; other plants lost branches, but stayed alive.

10. How can the locust eat all the tree? Do locusts eat wood? These locusts will be very unusual since they will eat wood! They are more like termite locusts (which don’t exist).

11. What else, besides the above, will the locusts do? They will:

Fill Pharaoh’s houses
Fill Pharaoh’s slaves’ houses
Fill all the houses in Egypt
Be the worst locust attack that Egypt has ever experienced.

12. Did Pharaoh believe Moshe? Pharaoh knew that Moshe was speaking the truth. He believed him.

III. Slaves and Sense (verse 7)

Pharaoh’s slaves asked Pharaoh, “Until when will this be to us for a snare?” They wanted this destruction to stop. They then counseled Pharaoh: “Send the men! And they have served Yehovah their Gods!”

The slaves then asked Pharaoh a question: “Is it before thou wilt know that Double-Adversity [Egypt] perished?” They desired to know if Pharaoh would send the Israelis before or after Egypt finally is totally ruined.

Questions

1. What is this in, “Until when will this be to us for a snare?” This refers to Moshe. Folks refer to others as this in a number of texts. We would say something like this: this one or this person.

2. What did Pharaoh’s slaves advise Pharaoh to do? They advised Pharaoh to send the men.

3. When they said, “send the men,” did they mean the males? I propose that this is what he meant. He will shortly ask who will be going. The slaves thought that the men going alone would keep them from leaving, since their families and cattle were still in Egypt.

4. What did the slaves of Pharaoh mean by, “Is it before thou wilt know that Egypt perished?” They are asking if Pharaoh will refuse to send the Israelis until Egypt has completely perished and gone dead. Is Pharaoh waiting to see if Egypt will perish first?

IV. Pharaoh’s Strange Answer (verses 8-11)

Pharaoh now called Moshe and Aharon to return to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said, “Go ye! Serve ye Yehovah your Gods!” This very much sounded like permission! Yet, Pharaoh continued: “Who and who are the walking?” Pharaoh desired to know who all will be going!

Moshe answered, “We will walk with our youths and with our elders; we will walk with our sons and with our daughters, with our flock and with our herd.” Thus, everyone, including all the animals, will be walking. Moshe told why: “For the solemnity of Yehovah is to us!”

Pharaoh didn’t like this answer. He spoke sarcastically: “He will be so! Yehovah is with you, just as I will send you and your little-one!” He had no intention of sending them and their little-one—their children!

Pharaoh then threateningly spoke: “See ye that bad is straight-to your faces! Not established!” They are headed for trouble! His saying, “Not established,” is like saying, “No way!”

Pharaoh then told them who could go: “Go-ye, na, valiant-ones! And serve ye Yehovah! For ye are seeking her!” Thus, the valiant ones in Israel could go, but the rest could not.

In anger, Pharaoh forced Moshe and Aharon out of his faces—out of his sight.

Questions

1. Who returned Moshe and Aharon unto Pharaoh? Whoever this was had the authority to call them back. I can only think of three possibilities: Yehovah, the main slave of Pharaoh, or Pharaoh himself. The grammar doesn’t fit well for it being Pharaoh himself. If Yehovah returned them, Yehovah knew that Pharaoh desired to see them. If the main slave of Pharaoh did this, this would also show that Pharaoh was eager to speak with them.

2. When Pharaoh said, “Go ye! Serve ye Yehovah your Gods,” was he giving them permission? Yes, he was. As long as the group going out to serve Yehovah was approved, he was indeed giving permission.

3. What did Pharaoh mean by, “Who and who are the walking”? Pharaoh desired to know who will be going on this ‘serve Yehovah’ trip. He was not thinking that all Israel would go.

4. Who would be going, according to Moshe? All the Israelis would be going without exception. Their animals would also go.

5. What is a solemnity? It is a serious event—even if it is a happy event. It is an event that mustn’t be taken as a joke or as something both unimportant and fun. It is rather to be viewed as very important even if it is fun.

We speak of holidays (not referring to trips that Americans call vacations). A holiday at one time was a holy day—a serious day to remember something important. Yehovah calls important events to remember solemnities. All Yehovah’s solemnities are given to remember things in the future. They are not looking at past events except to show what will occur in the future. This is different from other gods and other religions.

6. What does “For the solemnity of Yehovah is to us” mean? This means that Yehovah’s solemnity must be done by us, and it belongs to us. We are the targets of Yehovah’s solemnity. (The us are the Israelis.)

7. Pharaoh’s next reply was, “He will be so!” What did he mean by this? He refers to the plan that Moshe just said. I propose that Pharaoh is sarcastically speaking—that is, that he is saying what sounds like his agreement when he is angrily telling them (by the next statement) that this will never occur.

8. Pharaoh continued, “Yehovah is with you, just as I will send you and your little-one!” What did he mean? Pharaoh determined to not send them and their little-one—that is, their children, but spoken as if they had only one child. Since he would never be sending them and their children, his reply was that Yehovah is with them to the same degree that he will send all the Israelis. In other words, Pharaoh is declaring that Yehovah isn’t with them at all! So, now, Pharaoh is acting as if he is a spokesperson for Yehovah!

9. What did Pharaoh mean by, “See ye that bad is straight-to your faces”? Pharaoh is now becoming threatening. The way they are going is going to lead them to harm or death. Bad in the Bible refers to some form of destruction, harm, loss, and even death.

10. When Pharaoh said, “Not established,” what was he saying? He was expressing the opposite of “He will be so”—that is, “He will be established.” He is declaring, “No way!”

11. To whom was he speaking when he said, “Go-ye, na, valiant-ones”? He was speaking to Moshe, to Aharon, and to all the strong Israeli men. He told them to go ahead, but in a threatening way—something like this: “You just try it!”

12. He continued with, “And serve ye Yehovah!” Was he giving permission? He was being very sarcastic. Sarcasm is a form of communication in which a person says the opposite of what the person means with a voice that shows contempt.

13. Pharaoh ended with this statement: “For ye are seeking her!” Who is the object of the pronoun, her? The word bad above is feminine. He is declaring that they are looking for bad—what we would say, looking for trouble.

14. Who forced them from Pharaoh? This appears to be the same one who brought them. If this is the case, I propose that it is the main slave of Pharaoh.

V. The Spirit and the Locust (verses 12-15)

Yehovah told Moshe to stretch his hand upon the land of Egypt by means of the locust. Once Moshe does this, the locust will have ascended upon the land of Egypt and will have eaten every herb of the land—everything that remains after the destruction of the hail. Moshe did this with his rod. Yehovah then guided the spirit of the east (which includes the east wind) in the land of Egypt all that day and through all the night.

When the morning came, the spirit of the east carried the locust! The locust ascended upon all the land of Egypt! The locust ‘rested’ (landed) in every border of Egypt in very heavy amounts! There was no locust that had ever been established like this, and there will never be like it again.

The locust covered ‘the eye of all the land’—the entire exposed portion of Egypt! The whole land became dark from the locust; its huge cloud covered the entire land!

The locust ate every herb of the land and every fruit of the tree that remained and that survived the hail! There wasn’t any green anywhere in any tree and among the herbs of the field in all the land of Egypt!

Questions

1. How could Moshe stretch his hand upon the land of Egypt via the locust? What does this mean? Moshe had the rod in his hand. This time, he was using that rod by means of the locust to call this creature to cover the land. The text doesn’t say that Moshe had to call the locust; stretching his hand was enough.

2. Did Pharaoh see Moshe do this? No! In this case, he didn’t. He is about to feel the results, but he forced Moshe and Aharon away from him.

3. What is “the spirit of east”? The same Hebrew word that means spirit also means wind. Yet, this text gives the reader the proper impression that there was a spirit who is over the east. There are four spirits who control and run the winds on earth, according to the Bible:

Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the land holding the four winds of the land so that the wind won’t blow on the land nor on the sea nor on any tree!

Those four angels are assigned to deal with the winds on this planet. If the winds stop, as they will in the Revelation event, the results will be terrible for all living things on the planet.

In the case of Egypt, it is different. The east wind/spirit will deliver the locusts so that they will come and cover Egypt alone.

4. The text states that the locust rested in every border of Egypt. Did that include the Israeli area? No. The Israelis only felt the first three of these plagues. There were no locusts in the Israeli area.

5. Was this locust like other locust plagues? Yehovah said, “To his faces there was not established a locust like him, and after him he will not be established.” This means that there will never be a locust like this one. There can be another locust attack that is as bad or worse, but it will be different. This one was unique.

6. What does “to his faces” mean, and whose faces are in mind? The expression means, before him—that is, in his sight, and straight in front of his face. Faces is always plural in Hebrew. The word his in to his faces refers to the border of Egypt. (The word for land is feminine, so that it can’t refer to the land.) Every border has faces; it faces toward a land and toward the outside of the land.

7. What is the eye of a land? It is the most sensitive and productive part—the part that is well-watered, like the human eye is well-watered.

8. Why was the land darkened? The locusts are darker in color than the soil, and their flying blocks out the sunlight.

9. How much did the locusts eat? They ate everything that could be eaten! (They even ate the trees. See verse 5.)

10. What were the Egyptians going to eat now that all their crops were gone? They could eat locusts; after all, they are kosher! Apart from that, they would have to purchase food from the Israelis. Though the Israelis were slaves, the Egyptians didn’t just take their things; that would have caused them to rebel as if the Egyptians were trying to kill them. The Israelis had food and crops still growing. The Israelis and the Egyptians had cattle.

VI. Pharaoh Hurries (verses 16-18)

Pharaoh was in a hurry to call Moshe and Aharon. He was also quick to confess that he sinned—not only against Yehovah, but also against Moshe and Aharon! His confession came with a request for them to carry his sin at this time and to entreat Yehovah so that Yehovah will turn away this particular death from him. Moshe exited from being with Pharaoh.

Questions

1. Why did Pharaoh hurry to call them? He knew that these creatures were destroying the land of Egypt, and thus destabilizing his authority, as well as ruining the economy. His people, the Egyptians, were in danger of starvation.

2. Was Pharaoh serious when he said, “I sinned to Yehovah your Gods and to you”? He was serious at the time; he was terrified. That doesn’t mean that he would remain that way.

3. What did Pharaoh mean by, “carry thou my sin”? The Hebrew word carry means what we expect it to mean in English, but it also is the Hebrew (and obviously the Egyptian) way of saying forgive. If one forgives another in Hebrew, that person agrees to carry the offense and its harm so that there can be peace. Every offense is a burden that the offended party must carry, but it is also a debt that the offender carries. If the offender asks the one offended to carry it, and the offended person agrees, the offense is now gone as far as both of them are concerned. (Sin always has two or more offended parties: the person who was hurt by the sin, and Yehovah Who was harmed by the sin. Every sin harms Yehovah. Every sin drove Him to provide a sacrifice worth more than the person who sinned. That is why one must also obtain forgiveness from Him; that is why one asks Him to carry the sin. That is also a very good reason to stop sinning.)

4. Pharaoh said, “carry thou, na, my sin but the stroke.” What does “the stroke” mean? This refers to the rhythm of time. It is as if a clock with a pendulum is running, and strikes every time it stops at one side or the other. Pharaoh was saying, forgive thou my sin but this time. He is very fearful.

5. Why didn’t Pharaoh entreat to Yehovah himself? Yehovah wasn’t his god, and he didn’t know how to entreat to this invisible deity. Whenever Pharaoh had previously asked them to entreat to stop a plague, they had done so, and the plague had ceased.

6. What death did Pharaoh fear? He feared either the starvation of his people, and what they would do to him because of it, or he feared dying in the midst of these terrifying locusts. No one among the Egyptians was able to sleep. No tomb would have been free of a locust if the door was opened!

7. Why is Gods plural? Even Pharaoh knew that Yehovah was all the Gods of Moshe and Aharon—the God of the land and the God of the sea; the God of prosperity and the God of the locusts; the God of the heavens and the God of physical death.

8. The text says, “And he exited from with Pharaoh.” Why didn’t Moshe say something before he exited? He didn’t need to say anything; his actions will speak louder than his words. Besides this, I suspect that all communications needed to be both loud and protected from invasion. No one wants a locust jumping into his mouth while he speaks!

9. What does “he exited from with Pharaoh” mean? Moshe was with Pharaoh during this conversation. Moshe left being with him—that is, he left the room.

VII. The Opposite Wind (verses 18-20)

Moshe entreated unto Yehovah, and Yehovah flipped over the spirit of the sea that gripped the land of Egypt. The spirit/wind carried the locust and blasted the locust toward the Ending Sea. The force was so great and so complete that not a single locust remained in all the border of Egypt.

Yehovah gripped Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh refused to send the children of Israel.

Questions

1. What did Yehovah do when He flipped over the spirit of the sea? He changed it completely to its reverse course so that the wind went in exactly the opposite direction. This is the wind/spirit that is over the sea. Since the spirit/wind of east brought them, that wind/spirit changed to the east. The sea is east of Egypt; the wind took them from Egypt and threw them into the sea.

2. What was very gripping? The wind was very gripping on the locusts. It grabbed them and removed them to such a degree that not a single locust was found in all the border of Egypt! That was a wind that would be of hurricane strength.

3. Who carried the locust? The wind carried the locust—that is, the spirit of the sea.

4. What does Ending Seaward mean? The Ending Sea is what we call the Red Sea, though it isn’t red, and it has absolutely nothing to do with reeds. It is the Ending Sea because it is where the Land of Israel ends to the south.

The expression, Ending Seaward, means toward the Ending Sea. Thus, “And he blasted Ending Seaward” means “And he blasted toward the Ending Sea.” The Hebrew language is very brief in its expressions.

5. What does blasted mean? The winds were so strong that they were hurricane force; they blasted means they gusted—wind gusts that picked up all the locusts in the land.

6. If one locust didn’t remain in all the border of Egypt, did even the dead locusts disappear? Even the dead ones were gone, the winds were so strong. Yehovah entirely removed all traces of them except that the land was eaten.

7. What did Yehovah do—that is, what does “Yehovah gripped the heart of Pharaoh” describe? Yehovah caused Pharaoh’s heart—that is, his mind—to grip and to cling to what he already thought—that Egypt cannot and must not afford for the Israelis to leave even for a few days. Yehovah never swayed Pharaoh’s mind to do wrong; He strengthened Pharaoh’s resolve—that is, his decision to go in a direction—so that Pharaoh stood firm on his (wrong) decisions.

8. Doesn’t this make Yehovah responsible for Pharaoh doing wrong? Anyone can help another to be resolved—that is, to stand firm—in a decision without agreeing with that decision and without being an accomplice in that decision. Yehovah kept on telling Pharaoh to send His people Israel from Egypt. Pharaoh kept on being undecided. Thus, Yehovah told him the right thing to do, but also firmed Pharaoh’s mind to make his decision. That aided Pharaoh to be firm. Yehovah was not helping Pharaoh to disobey Yehovah. If a reader thinks that Yehovah is helping Pharaoh to sin by firming his mind, that same reader will think that Yehovah is involved in every sin of the world since Yehovah gave every human physical and mental abilities that they use when they sin. That doesn’t make good sense.

VIII. Darkness and Horror (verses 21-23)

Yehovah again spoke to Moshe: “Stretch thine hand upon the heavens. And darkness was upon the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt]. And he felt darkness.”

Moshe did as he was told, and stretched his hand upon the heavens. Darkness of gloom became in all the land of Egypt for three days. The Egyptians did not see each other; an Egyptian could not see his own brother. They also didn’t arise from their own tuchases three days!

Light was to all the children of Israel in their settlements!

Questions

1. Who felt darkness (in, “And he felt darkness”)? I propose that this refers to each individual Egyptian. This was not a group terror; it was a terror that separated every Egyptian man, woman, child and baby from every other man, woman, child and baby.

2. How can one feel darkness? This darkness had a physical component (a physical part to it). It was as if a person were in a fog where the feeling of water from the fog can be felt, but this wasn’t water, and it wasn’t wet. It was like some physical item moved against their skin. They breathed this darkness in even while they felt it. This is like nightmares that some folks have. A person who is claustrophobic—that is, who is deathly afraid of tight or small enclosed places—would have found this almost deadly.

3. What does gloom mean in this text? This refers to a darkness that doesn’t permit hope or an end. It is like what one might experience in a nightmare where there is this darkness and terror of something unknown, and no way to see it.

4. Was darkness also an Egyptian deity? I propose that darkness wasn’t the deity, but the sun was. The Egyptians worshipped the Sun god. This was a conquering of the power of the Sun god.

5. Could the Egyptians just be brave, waiting for the three days of darkness to end? They had no idea that this darkness would ever end. During those three days, most would have concluded that they would die of thirst or starvation in that state as if they had been buried alive! Had they prayed to their Sun god, they would have soon lost hope in an ending.

6. If several Egyptians were in the same house, wouldn’t this have given them a little comfort to know that they were not alone? They didn’t even get up to go to each other! They heard each other, and the terrifying sounds and conversations would have made it worse, not better.

7. What does “they did not arise—a man from his tuchases three days” mean? The word tuchas is a Hebrew word meaning underneath. Some in English speak of the butt or the buttox, or even the tush. It is the human rear end. They sat down, and they didn’t get up for three days. Thus, they urinated and defecated (went to the bathroom—but not going to the room itself) right in place. They must have thought they were dead, or wishing they were dead.

8. Why didn’t they get up and go? This darkness produced a terror that kept them from going anywhere. They couldn’t sleep, they couldn’t eat; the only thing they could do very well was think.

9. Were the Israelis suffering with the same darkness? The darkness was upon all the land of Egypt, and was therefore in the Israeli settlement, too. However, wherever the Israelis were located, they had light in their settlements and where they sat or stood. Thus, they moved around and did their chores without a problem. They didn’t even need a candle; they had light everywhere.

10. What was the source of the light that all the Israelis had?

11. If Egyptians were in the Israeli settlements, did the Egypt have and see light? Yes. If the Egyptians were with the Israelis, the Egyptians too would have light. Yeshua later stated regarding the Israelis, ye are the light of the world.

12. If the light was to all the children of Israel, was it also to their parents? The word children used in the Bible always refers to offspring, and has no connection to age. These are the offspring of the man named Israel. He died many generations ago from this time, but they are still his offspring—his great, great, great… great grandchildren.

IX. Pharaoh Again Says Go (verses 24-26)

Pharaoh called unto Moshe. He commanded, “Go ye! Serve ye Yehovah!” This sounded like he had finally relented. He then added, “Only your flock and your herd he will position.” Pharaoh was not permitting them to take their flocks and their herds; they had to keep them in Egypt. He did add, “Also your little-one will walk with you!” Thus, they could take their children.

Moshe responded, “Also thou, thou wilt give into our hand sacrifices and ascensions?” They had to take their sheep and cattle in order to do sacrifices. Even if the Egyptians gave the Israelis the animals for sacrifices, Moshe asked, “And we will do to Yehovah our Gods?” This made no sense. Thus, Moshe continued, “And also our cattle will walk with us! A hoof will not remain! For we will take from us to serve Yehovah our Gods!”

Besides this, Moshe explained, “And we, we will not know what we will serve Yehovah until our coming there!”

Questions

1. How did Pharaoh call unto Moshe? The text doesn’t say. This was three days after Moshe had brought this on, and the darkness left.

2. What was Pharaoh demanding when he said, “Only your flock and your herd he will position”? He was demanding that the Israelis leave their animals while they go to serve Yehovah.

3. Why did Pharaoh insist that they leave their animals? There were several reasons:

Pharaoh knew that the Israelis wouldn’t permanently leave their animals; those were their wealth and part of their diets.
They Egyptians needed the Israelis’ animals; they purchased them and the Israelis also provided for their slavemasters. Egypt needed what the Israelis produced.

4. Why was Pharaoh so willing for them to now travel with their little one? Traveling with children will slow folks down. If Pharaoh and his army must pursue the Israelis, the children will keep them from going so far so fast.

5. Why did Moshe ask, “Also thou, thou wilt give into our hand sacrifices and ascensions?” He is asking this because the Israelis were going to do sacrifices. Will the Egyptians pay for the Israeli Holy Days? This was totally unreasonable. Besides this, sheep are abominations to Egyptians at this time.

6. Moshe continued, “And we will do to Yehovah our Gods?” What did he mean by this? Doing, in this case, referred to setting up and performing the sacrifices. Moshe was asking Pharaoh if Pharaoh was going to permit the Israelis to do sacrifices to a god whom Pharaoh and his people didn’t acknowledge. Would Pharaoh provide sacrifices for that?

7. What was Moshe telling Pharaoh when he said, “And also our cattle will walk with us”? Moshe was telling Pharaoh that the Israelis will go when they can also take their cattle and sheep!

8. What did he mean by, “A hoof will not remain”? Not even a piece of an animal of the Israelis will remain in Egypt!

9. What will the Israelis take from themselves to serve Yehovah? They will take animals from their own herds and flocks for the sacrifices, not those that belong to the Egyptians.

10. What would have been wrong with taking and using Egyptian-provided sacrifices to serve Yehovah? There would have been no problem except this: the Egyptians would have attacked and killed Israelis for using them in sacrifices to gods in whom they didn’t believe or even like.

11. Since they will not know what they will serve Yehovah until their coming to the three-days-journey location, do they have any idea of what they will serve Him? What does this mean? We think of serving someone a meal. In Hebrew, serving Yehovah isn’t providing a meal for Him, but it is doing what He commands to do. The Israelis won’t know of what the sacrifices will consist until they arrive at the location that Yehovah specifies. Thus, even if the Egyptians were willing to provide the animals, they couldn’t, since they wouldn’t know what Yehovah will require.

X. Moshe Thrust Out (verses 27-29)

Yehovah once again gripped the heart of Pharaoh. He refused to send the Israelis by not consenting to send them. Pharaoh now was very angry. He threatened Moshe: “Walk from upon me! Guard to thee!” He then added, “Do not add to see my faces! For in the day of thy seeing my faces, thou shalt die!”

Moshe responded, “Established! Thou hast spoken! I will not add further to see thy faces!” Moshe was also quite angry.

Questions

1. Yehovah again gripped Pharaoh’s heart. What does this describe that Yehovah did? Yehovah held on to Pharaoh’s mind, steadying it; and thus He aided Pharaoh in steadying his own mind regarding what he (Pharaoh) had already decided that he must not do: he mustn’t send the Israelis. Both Yehovah and Pharaoh are taking hold of Pharaoh’s mind so that Pharaoh will be strong in his decisions.

2. Why did Yehovah keep gripping Pharaoh’s mind? Yehovah determined to show his own power in Pharaoh. Had Pharaoh finally done what was right and reasonable, the power of Yehovah would not have become obvious to all concerned. Pharaoh had set his own mind to keep the Israelis as slaves. Yehovah knew this, and thus He showed His power to the Israelis, the Egyptians, the slaves of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh himself. Yehovah was not pleased with Pharaoh; his hard-headedness was not good in Yehovah’s eyes even if Yehovah’s power was shown. Instead, Pharaoh is an example to all readers of how stupid and obstinate a fool can be. Yehovah also is warning readers that Yehovah can confirm fools who will not change so that the fools run headlong into a disaster because of their own foolishness. Since Pharaoh was already minded this way, Yehovah just made certain that he didn’t back down because of Yehovah’s forces. Yehovah never forced Pharaoh to do right.

3. What does “Walk from upon me” mean? It means, “Go away from me!”

4. What does “Guard to thee” mean? It means, “Look out!”

5. What does “Do not add to see my faces” mean? This means, “Don’t come to see me again!” The expression, see my faces, is much more personal, however. It is as if Pharaoh is also saying, “Don’t come to see me to make any more requests!”

6. What was Pharaoh doing when he said, “For in the day of thy seeing my faces, thou shalt die”? He was threatening Moshe to kill him. Pharaoh now behaved as a king; he was through playing with Moshe.

7. Did Moshe agree to not see Pharaoh again? He agreed to not seek to see Pharaoh again. He was fed up with Pharaoh and with his stupidity! That doesn’t mean that Moshe never saw Pharaoh again; he did see him later.

8. Did Moshe now leave Pharaoh? Read on! See if he left or if he stayed! Stay tuned… Now for a word from our sponsor…

October 22, 2010July 5, 2017

Exodus 10 Locusts and Horrifying Darkness

Locusts and Horrifying Darkness

Background and Printed Text: Exodus chapter 10

Locust

Felt Darkness

I. The Purpose of Weighting a Heart (verses 1-2)

Yehovah told Moshe to again come unto Pharaoh. Yehovah took credit for ‘weighting’ Pharaoh’s heart and the heart of his slaves, giving the reasons:

In order to put Yehovah’s signs in his midst
So that this ‘thou’ will scroll what Yehovah Himself did in Egypt in the ears of his son and the son of his son
So that this same ‘thou’ will scroll Yehovah’s signs that He placed in them
So that this ‘ye’ will know that He is Yehovah.

Questions

1. What did Yehovah do when He weighted the heart of Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s slaves?

2. Why did Yehovah do this?

3. How did Yehovah put these signs in Pharaoh’s middle (midst)?

4. What does scroll mean in verse 2?

5. Who is thy in, “in the ears of thy son and the son of thy son”?

6. Have the Israelis realized that He is Yehovah?

II. The Locust Threat (verses 3-6)

Moshe and Aharon came. They told Pharaoh that Yehovah Gods of the Hebrews said, “Until when hast thou refused to humble from my faces?”

They then told Pharaoh what Yehovah further said: “Send my people, and he has served me!” This was the same message that Yehovah kept sending to Pharaoh.

Moshe then turned and exited from being with Pharaoh.

Questions

2. Why is Yehovah angry when He is the one who keeps working on Pharaoh’s mind so that Pharaoh won’t send the Israelis?

3. Again, why didn’t Yehovah just take His people out of Egypt instead of insisting that Pharaoh send them?

4. What does bringing a locust into the land have to do with their sending the Israelis out of the land?

5. Is Yehovah bringing just one locust? Why does He refer to the locust as if it is one?

6. Would a locust attack like this be scary? What would it be like?

7. What does “he will cover the eye of the land” mean?

8. Who won’t be able to see the land, and what does this mean?

9. What is “the escapee” that remains from the hail?

10. How can the locust eat all the tree? Do locusts eat wood?

11. What else, besides the above, will the locusts do?

12. Did Pharaoh believe Moshe?

III. Slaves and Sense (verse 7)

Questions

1. What is this in, “Until when will this be to us for a snare?”

2. What did Pharaoh’s slaves advise Pharaoh to do?

3. When they said, “send the men,” did they mean the males?

4. What did the slaves of Pharaoh mean by, “Is it before thou wilt know that Egypt perished?”

IV. Pharaoh’s Strange Answer (verses 8-11)

Pharaoh then threateningly spoke: “See ye that bad is straight-to your faces! Not established!” They are headed for trouble! His saying, “Not established,” is like saying, “No way!”

Pharaoh then told them who could go: “Go-ye, na, valiant-ones! And serve ye Yehovah! For ye are seeking her!” Thus, the valiant ones in Israel could go, but the rest could not.

In anger, Pharaoh forced Moshe and Aharon out of his faces—out of his sight.

Questions

1. Who returned Moshe and Aharon unto Pharaoh?

2. When Pharaoh said, “Go ye! Serve ye Yehovah your Gods,” was he giving them permission?

3. What did Pharaoh mean by, “Who and who are the walking”?

4. Who would be going, according to Moshe?

5. What is a solemnity?

6. What does “For the solemnity of Yehovah is to us” mean?

7. Pharaoh’s next reply was, “He will be so!” What did he mean by this?

8. Pharaoh continued, “Yehovah is with you, just as I will send you and your little-one!” What did he mean?

9. What did Pharaoh mean by, “See ye that bad is straight-to your faces”?

10. When Pharaoh said, “Not established,” what was he saying?

11. To whom was he speaking when he said, “Go-ye, na, valiant-ones”?

12. He continued with, “And serve ye Yehovah!” Was he giving permission?

13. Pharaoh ended with this statement: “For ye are seeking her!” Who is the object of the pronoun, her?

14. Who forced them from Pharaoh?

V. The Spirit and the Locust (verses 12-15)

The locust covered ‘the eye of all the land’—the entire exposed portion of Egypt! The whole land became dark from the locust; its huge cloud covered the entire land!

Questions

1. How could Moshe stretch his hand upon the land of Egypt via the locust? What does this mean?

2. Did Pharaoh see Moshe do this?

3. What is “the spirit of east”?

4. The text states that the locust rested in every border of Egypt. Did that include the Israeli area?

5. Was this locust like other locust plagues?

6. What does “to his faces” mean, and whose faces are in mind?

7. What is the eye of a land?

8. Why was the land darkened?

9. How much did the locusts eat?

10. What were the Egyptians going to eat now that all their crops were gone?

VI. Pharaoh Hurries (verses 16-18)

Questions

1. Why did Pharaoh hurry to call them?

2. Was Pharaoh serious when he said, “I sinned to Yehovah your Gods and to you”?

3. What did Pharaoh mean by, “carry thou my sin”?

4. Pharaoh said, “carry thou, na, my sin but the stroke.” What does “the stroke” mean?

5. Why didn’t Pharaoh entreat to Yehovah himself?

6. What death did Pharaoh fear?

7. Why is Gods plural?

8. The text says, “And he exited from with Pharaoh.” Why didn’t Moshe say something before he exited?

9. What does “he exited from with Pharaoh” mean?

VII. The Opposite Wind (verses 18-20)

Yehovah gripped Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh refused to send the children of Israel.

Questions

1. What did Yehovah do when He flipped over the spirit of the sea?

2. What was very gripping?

3. Who carried the locust?

4. What does Ending Seaward mean?

5. What does blasted mean?

6. If one locust didn’t remain in all the border of Egypt, did even the dead locusts disappear?

7. What did Yehovah do—that is, what does “Yehovah gripped the heart of Pharaoh” describe?

8. Doesn’t this make Yehovah responsible for Pharaoh doing wrong?

VIII. Darkness and Horror (verses 21-23)

Yehovah again spoke to Moshe: “Stretch thine hand upon the heavens. And darkness was upon the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt]. And he felt darkness.”

Light was to all the children of Israel in their settlements!

Questions

1. Who felt darkness (in, “And he felt darkness”)?

2. How can one feel darkness?

3. What does gloom mean in this text?

4. Was darkness also an Egyptian deity?

5. Could the Egyptians just be brave, waiting for the three days of darkness to end?

6. If several Egyptians were in the same house, wouldn’t this have given them a little comfort to know that they were not alone?

7. What does “they did not arise—a man from his tuchases three days” mean?

8. Why didn’t they get up and go?

9. Were the Israelis suffering with the same darkness?

10. What was the source of the light that all the Israelis had?

11. If Egyptians were in the Israeli settlements, did the Egypt have and see light?

12. If the light was to all the children of Israel, was it also to their parents?

IX. Pharaoh Again Says Go (verses 24-26)

Besides this, Moshe explained, “And we, we will not know what we will serve Yehovah until our coming there!”

Questions

1. How did Pharaoh call unto Moshe?

2. What was Pharaoh demanding when he said, “Only your flock and your herd he will position”?

3. Why did Pharaoh insist that they leave their animals?

4. Why was Pharaoh so willing for them to now travel with their little one?

5. Why did Moshe ask, “Also thou, thou wilt give into our hand sacrifices and ascensions?”

6. Moshe continued, “And we will do to Yehovah our Gods?” What did he mean by this?

7. What was Moshe telling Pharaoh when he said, “And also our cattle will walk with us”?

8. What did he mean by, “A hoof will not remain”?

9. What will the Israelis take from themselves to serve Yehovah?

10. What would have been wrong with taking and using Egyptian-provided sacrifices to serve Yehovah?

11. Since they will not know what they will serve Yehovah until their coming to the three-days-journey location, do they have any idea of what they will serve Him? What does this mean?

X. Moshe Thrust Out (verses 27-29)

Moshe responded, “Established! Thou hast spoken! I will not add further to see thy faces!” Moshe was also quite angry.

Questions

1. Yehovah again gripped Pharaoh’s heart. What does this describe that Yehovah did?

2. Why did Yehovah keep gripping Pharaoh’s mind?

3. What does “Walk from upon me” mean?

4. What does “Guard to thee” mean?

5. What does “Do not add to see my faces” mean?

6. What was Pharaoh doing when he said, “For in the day of thy seeing my faces, thou shalt die”?

7. Did Moshe agree to not see Pharaoh again?

8. Did Moshe now leave Pharaoh?

October 17, 2010August 22, 2016

The Use of the Name Yehovah

Hyperlinked Table of Contents

Introduction

Of What the Name Consists

Repeating the Commandments to the Children

Adding To or Subtracting From the Torah

Thou Shalt Swear By My Name

Who Is the Name?

Disciples Were Taught the Name

“Hallelujah” And Its Friends

Issues of Truth, and Pleasing God or Man

Lord, Baal, and Such

Placing Fences around the Law

Thou Shalt Not Pronounce the Name of the False Gods

Individual Cases of the Name, And What These Show

Introduction

As has been true for centuries, there is a real aversion among a number of Jewish sects to pronounce the Name Yehovah. This has to do with an extension of the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the Name of Yehovah thy God in vain.” But what does the Teaching of Yehovah truly state regarding these issues? This writing is dedicated to one who truly loves the Name Yehovah, and who has been outraged that His Name would be expunged from the lips of those who claim to know Him.

Of What the Name Consists

Folks have debated the derivation of the Name , Yehovah for years. Many scholars believe that it is more likely to have been pronounced Yahweh indicating breath or air, since God is a spirit. These scholars rarely seem to pay attention to the Biblical statement of the derivation of this name, and therefore, to its correct pronunciation. Before considering this, there was a pagan god named Javeh. Some have tried to link Yehovah’s name to this name. Those who go along with any relationship to either Javeh or Yahweh demonstrate great ignorance of the Scriptures.

Exodus 3:13-15 in Hebrew reads:

Exodus 3:13

The literal rendering of this passage is as follows:

Exodus 3:13 And Moshe said unto the Elohim, “Behold I am coming unto the sons of Israel. And I will say to them, ‘Gods of your fathers sent me unto you!’ And they shall say to me, ‘What is his name?’ What shall I say unto them?” ¹⁴And Elohim said unto Moshe, “I Will Be Who I Will Be!” And He said, “Thus shalt thou say to the sons of Israel, ‘I Will Be sent me unto you!’” ¹⁵And Elohim said more unto Moshe. “So shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel, ‘Yehovah Gods of your fathers, Gods of Avraham, Gods of Isaac and Gods of Jacob sent me unto you!’ This is My Name to Hider. And this is My Remembrance to generation, generation.”

From the above, the term Yehovah must be related to the term I-will-be. Orthodox Jewish children taught in Orthodox schools learn what the Name means; they sing its meaning: “He will be, He is, He was.” The Name Yehovah is a contraction derived in the following way:

Yehiyeh+Hoveh+Hayah

He will be+He is+He was

Ye+Hov+ah

He will be, is, was.

The Bible often employs such contractions. Yehovah is abbreviated again to Yah, and is used as a Name in that form.

Since this is declared in Exodus, this is Yehovah’s own derivation of His Name. Anyone who desires to argue with this is arguing with the Torah. (Scholars who make their livings from the Bible are paid to argue against the Bible; expect this from them.)

Repeating the Commandments to the Children

In the famous passage known as the Shma, we have this command to Israel:

ShmaExtended

This literally reads:

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hearken-thou, Israel! Yehovah our Gods Yehovah is One! ⁵And thou shalt love Yehovah Thy Gods via all thy heart and via all thy being and via all thy very-much! ⁶And these speeches that I am commanding thee today shall be upon thy heart. ⁷And thou shalt repeat them to thy children. And thou shalt speak via them via thy sitting in thy house and via thy walking in the way and via thy lying-down and via thine arising.

The text commands, “thou shalt repeat them.” It gives no permission to change any of the words. Part of them is the Name Yehovah. If Yehovah had desired other words to be repeated into the children, including HaShem (the Name), Adonai (my Lords), or Elokim (an intentional variant of Elohim), He would have stated this in the Torah. When Yehovah gave “these words,” He meant what He said with all the authority of these words. Changing these words to other words is a sinful violation.

The next set of paragraphs will further explore this violation.

Adding To or Subtracting From the Torah

Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add upon the speech that I am commanding you and ye shall not diminish from him to guard the commandments of Yehovah your Gods that I am commanding you.

Deuteronomy 12:32 (KJV; 13:1, Hebrew) All the speech that I am commanding you: ye shall guard him to do. Ye shall not add upon him and ye shall not diminish from him.

If Yehovah commanded to repeat these words into the children, no one is permitted to change these words to other words, and no one is permitted to repeat the changed words into the children. Doing so is sin.

Rabbi Yeshua stated,

Matthew 5:17 “Don’t think that I am come to destroy the Torah or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. ¹⁸For I say faith unto you: until the heavens and land pass, one yod or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Torah until all is fulfilled! ¹⁹Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of the Heavens. And whosoever shall do and teach, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of the Heavens.”

It is typical for men to try to demonstrate their zeal for God by improving upon His Teaching. It is also typical for men to try to please other men by choosing to not offend men even at the risk of offending God.

Thou Shalt Swear By My Name

Yehovah in His wisdom commanded the Israelis to swear via His Name. If they vowed, they were to use His Name. Thus, His Name had to be used for such solemn acts. They weren’t usually forced to vow, but when they did, they had to use His Name:

Deuteronomy 6:13 Thou shalt fear Yehovah thy God and serve Him. And thou shalt swear via His name.

Deuteronomy 10:20 Thou shalt fear Yehovah thy God. Thou shalt serve Him, and thou shalt cleave to Him. And thou shalt swear via His name.

There are many titles for God, but they are not names. Elohim literally means gods, and this is also used for the false gods (as in Exodus 20 where Israel is commanded to have no other gods before Yehovah’s faces). Adonai means my lords, and it is also not a name, but a title. According to the command, the Israelis must use His name if he/she will vow.

Who is the Name?

This may seem like a strange question, but in the Psalms (for example) there are far more accolades given to the name Yehovah than to Yehovah Himself! These phrases may bring this to remembrance:

Praise the Name Yehovah
Glorify His Name
Sing unto His Name
Magnify His Name

Why would the text honour a name—a special title of identification—more than the holder of the name?

Isaiah 30:27 Behold, the Name of Yehovah comes from far; His anger is burning and the burden is heavy! His lips are full of indignation and His tongue is as a devouring fire! ²⁸And His breath shall reach to the midst of the neck as an overflowing stream to sift the races with the sieve of vanity!

The Name is coming in this text. Yehovah Himself isn’t the subject of the sentence. If a careful reader were to follow the Name through the Scriptures, that reader would find the presence of this wording in the most curious places. Even in the text, “His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, etc.,” it is as if His Name is a person. The expected wording would be more like this: “His Messiah shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, etc.”

Disciples Were Taught the Name

Yehovah taught His students the Name:

John 17:6 “I have manifested thy Name unto the men that thou gave me from the world. They were thine, and thou gave me them. And they have kept thy speech!”

John 17:12 “While I was with them in the world, I kept them via thy Name. I have kept those whom thou gave me; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition so that the Scripture will be fulfilled.”

John 17:26 “And I have declared and will declare thy Name unto them so that the love with which thou hast loved me will be in them; and I will be in them.”

To manifest a Name is to make that Name become visible. Manifestation isn’t merely a matter of understanding, but a matter of visibility. Yeshua stated, “I have declared thy Name unto them.” This would be necessary only if they somehow didn’t know His Name! Thus, we see that the tradition of not using the Name had already come into practice, and Rabbi Yeshua corrected this practice among His students!

“Hallelujah” And Its Friends

It struck me as both curious and inconsistent when I learned that religious Jewish communities refuse to pronounce the Name Yehovah, and often refrain from using Elohim, choosing instead to say Elokim. It is tradition when counting to change the number 15 (consisting of Yod, 10, + Heh, 5—the letters for Yah having the value of 10 + 5) from 10 + 5 to 9 + 6 just to avoid writing the Name Yah; yet the same tradition permitted saying Hallelujah and names like Jeremiah (YeremYahu in Hebrew, with Yahu being an abbreviated form for Yehovah). If the Name Yehovah is so special that it mustn’t be pronounced, the Name Yah is more special since it is far rarer in the Scriptures! The number 16 is likewise changed since it is Yod + Vov, or Yoh, a possible contraction of Yehovah (as used in the name Yo-el, Joel). Yet, these names are commonly employed by very Orthodox Jewish parents when naming their children; the Name is being used for very mundane purposes! If any non-believer in the God of Israel has the Name Yo-El, Joel, his very life is taking the Name in vain! This name is declaring a Biblical truth while the holder of the Name is declaring that ‘truth’ to be a lie! It also struck me that those who claim to have such a high regard for the Name Yehovah that they refuse to pronounce it would sing songs employing worlds like Hallelujah where the Name Yah is repeated over and over again (vain repetition of the Name is also against the Teaching of God), besides the contradiction of singing this Name at all. Is this ignorance, or is it hypocrisy?

Consider how the Name of Yehovah is being used in vain when singing a command employing it where the command won’t be carried out. Singing “Praise ye Yehovah,” which is “Commend ye Yehovah” (for specific things He has done) without hearers responding according to the command is giving a false command in His Name. In all the Psalms where His Name is so used, there is always a response with specific commendations! Psalm 150 is perfect example. The choirs sang the command and the People responded by commending Yehovah.

Some have the audacity (or ignorance) to use “Hallelujah!” as an expletive, like a religious person might use the expletive, “Hosannah!” or like a non-religious person might use “holy mackerel!” Yehovah will not hold him guiltless who uses His Name in vain:

Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11 Thou shalt not lift the Name Yehovah thy Gods to a vanity; for Yehovah will clear him who lifts His Name to a vanity!

Issues of Truth, And Pleasing God or Man

Does a person desire to pursue Truth and pleasing God, or does one desire to not offend man and tradition even if it means compromising on the commandments of God? One who takes the latter view will not produce good fruit (in the Biblical sense). Anyone who fears God doesn’t concern himself with the traditions of man that violate obedience. Daniel knew that he was violating a new tradition by praying other than to the king; he did so, knowing it would be an offense. Yet, he stood firm. Yehovah honoured his stance. Man-pleasers cannot be God-pleasers. Truth cannot be compromised, even to avoid offense. A tradition that teaches contrary to Scriptures is a tradition that challenges the authority of Yehovah.

Lord, Baal, and Such

The term Lord (in Hebrew) basically means sir, and is a term of respect in view of rank or service. It is also a term of submission, and can be used of a slave toward a master. The term Baal (in Hebrew) also means lord, and is used of a woman toward her husband. It is also the name of a false god. It is used in much the same way as the term lord is used in religious communities around the world today. A Buddhist uses the term lord to refer to Buddha with the same zeal and love as Christians do. Lord is not a specific term. It describes a rank, a position; it doesn’t specify a person or the deity.

Matthew 7:1 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but rather, he who does the will of my Father Who is in the heavens. ²Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord! Lord, haven’t we prophesied in thy Name, and cast out devils in thy Name, and done many wonderful works in thy Name?’ ³And I will then profess unto them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from me, ye who work iniquity!’”

Who was this lord that these identified as being their lord? They were addressing some other being. They obviously used Lord often; that is why Yeshua used “Lord! Lord!” Some even did great things that would seem to prove that the power of God was with them. They were obviously fooled even if they helped others in the process; their work was iniquity! How strange it is that it is considered appropriate to use this term that is also used for all the pagan gods instead of identifying the god (God) in whom one truly believes by name!

Who is this Elokim? Who is HaShem? Who is G-d? Who is L-rd? As I mentioned above, Elokim is Elohim with the middle letter intentionally changed so as not to take the Name in vain accidentally. Whose idea was this? If one takes the ‘name’ Elokim in vain, is it any less serious than taking Elohim in vain if both refer to the same God? And who is HaShem (the Name)? Is this not the very One who is the bearer of the Name? And if HaShem is improperly used, is there less guilt than if the doer/speaker takes Yehovah in vain? Who is G-d? When I was young, I learned what G-d meant. It was used in literature replace “God damn.” Is it better to use G-d rather than God? Is it safer to use L‑rd rather than Lord?

Consider the following logic argument regarding a separate issue; see if this same argument can be used here:

Matthew 5:33 “Again, ye have heard that it has been said by them of old time, ‘Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shall perform thine oaths unto the Lord.’ ³⁴But I say unto you, don’t swear at all—neither by the heavens, for it is God’s throne, ³⁵nor by the earth, for it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; ³⁶nor shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou can’t make one hair white or black!”

If we use this logic argument, using even part of a title of identification that is known to identify the One Whose Name is Holy is still using Him Who is Holy! So, why use HaShem when this only refers to Yehovah? And if this doesn’t refer to Yehovah (as Lord), why use it at all? It makes sense to use Lord in the Name Lord Yehovah, since Yehovah is clearly identified as being the specific Lord to whom one is referring. Otherwise, why follow the pagans who do the same practices?

Placing Fences around the Law

I already discussed adding and subtracting or changing items in the Teaching (Torah) of Yehovah. This is a brief discussion of the concept of ‘placing fences around the Torah (Teaching). According to Jewish tradition, one reason why the God of Israel has been so angry with Israel is because Israel has not kept the Torah. (This is also Biblically true.) The rabbis felt that the Messiah will come when the Jewish People will faithfully keep the Torah, and the faces of Yehovah will return back toward Israel for blessing. The Jewish People (including all Jewish individuals) have not kept the Torah with its regulations, however. So, the rabbis felt that if regulations were made that would normalize the keeping of the Torah, and would guard individual Israelis much farther back from even coming close to breaking the Torah, this would bring the Jews into Torah compliance.

Thus, if the text stated not to seethe a goat kid in its mother’s milk, why not legislate that meat and dairy were not to be eaten in the same meal in order to keep an Israeli from accidentally doing this? But then, there might be the accidental mixture of meat and dairy if the same utensils were used to prepare meat and dairy. So, they legislated to have separate pans, pots, dishes, spoons, etc.: one for meat and one for dairy. They viewed this as placing a fence around the Torah to keep the Jewish People far from violating its commands. However, in the process of building this very large and detailed fence, they violated the Torah they sought to protect. They added many commands to the Torah, which is a violation of the Torah! Instead of increasing righteousness, it increased rabbinic discussions on the Torah and on this Fence which became, in effect, the ‘Jewish Orthodox New Testament’! If God had meant for them to do this, He would sent prophets to give this part of the written Torah.

Any oral transmission of information goes through changes after a while. Only written communications have greater certainty of being the same if great care in copying is employed.

This Fence around the Torah is called the “Oral Law,” and it is deemed as holy as the written Torah, or more so! It is deemed more binding than the written Torah by some very Orthodox groups! This certainly violates the written Torah given to Moshe.

The refusal to pronounce and use the Name Yehovah is part of the Oral Law. Thus, it is not a neutral choice; it is participation in wrong-doing. The use of the Name Yehovah is vital for any obedient Jewish person.

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, whosoever shall call on the name Yehovah shall be delivered: for deliverance shall be in mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as Yehovah said, and in the remnant whom Yehovah shall call.

Calling upon HaShem, the Name isn’t good enough; identify your God! Tolerate no fences around the Torah, the Teaching of the Gods of Israel!

Thou Shalt Not Pronounce the Name of the False Gods

I was amazed that the Teaching of God could be so easily switched around. While the Torah commands the use of Yehovah’s Name for swearing and for teaching children, and for anyone who will read the Scriptures out loud, it also prohibits the pronunciation of the names of false gods!

Exodus 23:13 “And ye shall guard via all that I said unto you. And ye shall not remind-of the name of other gods. He shall not hear upon thy mouth!”

Thus, Jewish tradition has reversed the whole command, and feels free to mention the names of the false gods, while not being at liberty to mention the Name of the True and Living God, Yehovah!

Individual Cases of the Name, And What These Show

The following texts show something specific about the use of the Name Yehovah:

Psalms 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call via the name Yehovah.

There is a direct connection between taking the cup of salvation, and calling via the name Yehovah!

Psalms 116:17 I will offer the sacrifice of confession to thee, and will call via the name Yehovah.

Thee is separated from the Name Yehovah. The speaker states that he will offer to ‘thee’ (to Yehovah) the sacrifice of confession, and he will call—not upon thee, but rather the Name Yehovah.

Zephaniah 3:9 For then I will flip-over to the peoples a pure tongue to call—all of them—via name Yehovah, to serve him, one shoulder!

This is obviously a future event. At that time, they will all call via the Name Yehovah! But then, shouldn’t folks who believe the texts be doing so now?

Genesis 12:8 And he removed from there unto a mountain on the east of Bethel. And he pitched his tent. Bethel is on the west and Hai is on the east. And he built an altar there unto Yehovah. And he called via the name Yehovah.

He didn’t call on “HaShem.”

Genesis 26:25 And he built an altar there. And he called upon the name Yehovah. And he pitched his tent there. And Isaac’s servants dug a well there.

Neither Abraham nor Isaac feared to use the Name. Rather, they feared to not use the name.

1 Samuel 20:42 And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace forasmuch as we have sworn both of us via the name Yehovah, saying, ‘Yehovah be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever.’”

This is an example of what it means to swear in the name Yehovah: “Yehovah be between me and thee.”

2 Samuel 6:18 And as soon as David had made an end of offering ascensions and peace offerings, he blessed the people via the name Yehovah of hosts.

Yehovah’s fuller name/title includes His military position!

Psalms 129:8 And they who go by don’t say, “The blessing of Yehovah is upon you; we bless you via the name Yehovah.”

This shows the proper way of blessing one via the name of Yehovah (although this is a negative text): “The blessing of Yehovah is upon you.”

Psalms 7:17 I will praise Yehovah according to His righteousness! And I will ‘ballad’ to the name Yehovah most high!

How does one ‘ballad’ to a name?

Psalms 20:7 Some [trust] in chariots, and some in horses. But we will remember the name Yehovah our God!

What individuals prove to have the desire to forget the Name more than those who refuse to make mention of it? In the Psalm, the speakers will remember that Name!

Psalms 102:15 The races shall fear the name Yehovah, and all the kings of the earth thy glory!

The races will fear the Name! They will only fear it if they knew what it is and Who it is!

Psalms 102:20 (Hebrew) For His Holy-[One] looked-down from the height! Yehovah peered from the heavens unto land ²¹to hearken to [the] groan of a prisoner, to open sons of death ²²to scroll name Yehovah in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem ²³via the gathering of unified peoples and kingdoms to serve Yehovah!

How does one scroll a name that isn’t ever mentioned?

Psalms 113:1 Praise ye Yehovah! Praise, ye slaves of Yehovah! Praise Name Yehovah!

How can one praise (that is, commend) a name? What can a name do? It must be a person!

Psalms 116:4 I then called upon Name Yehovah. Yehovah, deliver my soul, na!

(The Hebrew particle na is a softener of something that might sound like a demand; it is softened to something akin to a request or a non-demand.)

This text shows how this speaker will call upon Name Yehovah, and how the speaker will know that Name Yehovah and Yehovah are the same, and yet different.

Psalms 135:1 Praise ye Yehovah. Praise ye Name Yehovah! Praise, ye slaves of Yehovah!

The speaker commends Yehovah and then Name Yehovah as separate beings!

Psalms 148:5 They shall praise Name Yehovah! For He commanded, and they were created!

Who created? It doesn’t say that Yehovah created in this text, since Name Yehovah is being commended for this! Name commanded, and they were created!

Psalms 148:13 They shall praise Name Yehovah! For His Name alone is enfortressed! His glory is upon land and heavens!

How can a name be enfortressed? How can a being be enfortressed? If Yehovah can show up as a Rock that provides water, He can show up as a giant Rock Fortress. (Limiting Yehovah isn’t too smart.) If Name Yehovah is Yehovah and is separate from Yehovah, He also can easily show up as a giant Rock Fortress in which fleeing ‘good guys’ of Israel and of the races can escape! (Anyone who doesn’t believe that Yehovah can be in two places at the same time doesn’t believe in the Biblical Yehovah. Anyone who doesn’t believe that Yehovah can show up with a separate identity—that is, as Name Yehovah—has a very limiting view of Yehovah, and doesn’t believe in the Biblical Yehovah. Such a person truly will do better in Islam where the absolute oneness of their deity never permits their deity to take on separate identities.)

Proverbs 18:10 Name Yehovah is a tower of strength! The righteous-[one] runs into it, and is enfortressed!

This tower of strength will be a literal tower. The righteous person will run into this tower, and will be enfortressed from pursuing enemies. (These events will occur in the very distant Tribulation that is so well-described in the Bible.)

Isaiah 56:6 “And the sons of the foreigner joined unto Yehovah to minister-to Him and to love Name Yehovah to be to Him to slaves and to bless Name Yehovah, and every guard of the Shabbat from piercing him (her, Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah) and grasping-[ones] via my Covenant, ⁷and I will bring them unto the Mountain of my Holy-[One]! And I will rejoice them in the House of My Prayer! Their ascensions of her and their sacrifices of her shall ascend to desire upon my altar! For my House shall be called House of Prayer to All the Peoples,” ⁸declared my Lords Yehovah, Gatherer of expelled-[ones] of Israel!

Loving and blessing Name Yehovah must be significant and important. No one can say that he/she loves and blesses Name Yehovah who will not even pronounce that name, and who doesn’t even know what the name is!

Isaiah 60:9 For, islands shall hope to me, and ships of Tarshish in her first-[place], to bring thy sons from a distance, their silver and their gold with them, to Name Yehovah thy Gods and to Holy-[One] of Israel! For He bright-glorified thee!

They will bring these physical things to the Name Yehovah and to the Holy One of Israel; “For, He (not they) bright-glorified thee!”

Amos 6:10 And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he who burns him, to bring out the bones from the house. And he shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, “[Is any] yet with thee?” and he shall say, “No.” Then shall he say, “Hold thy tongue! For we shall not make mention of the name Yehovah!”

These conversing folks during an extreme time of oppression didn’t feel the freedom to make mention of the Name Yehovah. What is the excuse, today?

Micah 4:5 For all the peoples shall walk—a man via the name of his gods. And we, we shall walk via Name Yehovah our Gods to Hider and onward!

That will be a great day! There will be no fear or reluctance because of potential offense to do so!

Everyone who fears Yehovah of Hosts, the Gods of Israel, use His Name! Use it properly! Don’t be like others who shout that “God is his name!” (That makes as much sense as shouting regarding a hero, “Person is his name!”)

October 4, 2010July 5, 2017

Exodus 9 Plague, Ashen Boil, Bombing Hail, Voices, Lightning, Rain

Plague, Ashen Boil, Bombing Hail, Voices, Lightning, Rain

Background and Printed Text: Exodus chapter 9

Exodus 9:1 And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “Come unto Pharaoh. And thou shalt speak unto him: ‘So said Yehovah Gods of the Hebrews, “Send my people, and he has served me!” ²For if thou art refusing to send, and thou art yet gripping into them, ³behold the Hand of Yehovah is being in thy cattle that is in the field—in horses, in asses, in camels, in herd and in flock, a very heavy plague! ⁴And Yehovah will segregate between the cattle of Israel and between the cattle of Egypt. And not a thing will die from all to the sons of Israel!’”

⁵And Yehovah put an appointment to say, “Tomorrow Yehovah will do this speech in the land.” ⁶And Yehovah did this speech from tomorrow. And every cattle of Egypt died. And not one from the cattle of the children of Israel died. ⁷And Pharaoh sent. And behold, not unto one from the cattle of Israel died. And the heart of Pharaoh weighted. And he did not send the people.

Ashen Boil

⁸And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe] and unto Aharon, “Take ye to you a fullness of your fists of ash of a furnace. And Draw [Moshe] shall sprinkle him heavens-ward to the eyes of Pharaoh. ⁹And he shall become to powder over all the land of Egypt. And he shall be upon the adam and upon the beast for a boil flowering eruptions-eruptions in all the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰And they took the ash of the furnace. And they stood to the faces of Pharaoh. And Draw [Moshe] sprinkled him heavens-ward. And the boil of the eruptions-eruptions flowered in adam and in beast. ¹¹And the diviners were not able to stand to the faces of Draw [Moshe] from the faces of the boil. For the boil is in their diviner and in all Egypt. ¹²And Yehovah gripped the heart of Pharaoh. And he did not hearken unto them just as Yehovah spoke unto Draw [Moshe].

Bombing Hail, Voices, Lightning, Rain

¹³And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “Early-rise in the morning. And position thyself to the faces of Pharaoh. And thou shalt say unto him, ‘So said Yehovah Gods of the Hebrews, “Send my people, and he has served me! ¹⁴For in this stroke I am sending all my plagues unto thine heart and into thy slaves and into thy people for the sake that thou shalt know that there is not like me in all the land! ¹⁵For now I sent my hand and I smote thee and thy people via pestilence. And thou hast been expunged from the land! ¹⁶And silently for the sake of this I ‘stood’ thee—for the sake of showing thee my power and in order to publish my Name in all the land! ¹⁷Thou art yet building-up thyself via my people to not send them! ¹⁸Behold I am raining very heavy hail as a time tomorrow, that there was not like him in Egypt from the day of her being founded and unto now! ¹⁹And now, send! Firm thy cattle and all that is to thee in the field. All the adam and the beast that he will find in the field, and he will not be gathered to the house, and the hail will descend upon them, and they shall die!”’”

²⁰The fearer of the speech of Yehovah from the slaves of Pharaoh made his slaves and his cattle flee unto the houses. ²¹And who did not put his heart unto the speech of Yehovah, and he forsook his slaves and his cattle in the field.

²²And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “Stretch thine hand upon the heavens! And hail was in all the land of Egypt—upon the adam and upon the beast and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt!” ²³And Draw [Moshe] stretched his rod upon the heavens. And Yehovah gave voices and hail! And fire walked landward! And Yehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt!

²⁴And hail was very heavy, and fire taking herself in the midst of the hail—that there wasn’t like him in all the land of Egypt from then, her becoming to a race!²⁵And the hail smote all that is in the field from adam and unto beast in all the land of Egypt. And the hail smote every herb of the field. And he broke every tree of the field. ²⁶Only in the land of Goshen where the sons of Israel are there, hail wasn’t.

²⁷And Pharaoh sent. And he called to Draw [Moshe] and to Aharon. And he said unto them, “I sinned the stroke! Yehovah is the righteous! And I and my people are the culpable-ones! ²⁸Entreat-ye unto Yehovah, and multiply from there being voices of gods and hail. And I have sent you. And ye shall not add to stand!”²⁹And Draw [Moshe] said unto him, “As my going out of the city, I will spread my palms unto Yehovah. The voices shall cease and the hail will not be any more, so that thou shalt know that the land is to Yehovah! ³⁰And thou and thy slaves—I knew! For before ye will fear from the faces of Yehovah Gods, ³¹and the flax and the barley—she was smitten!” For the barley is spring, and the flax is exalted-above. ³²And the wheat and the spelt were not smitten, for they are darkened.

³³And Draw [Moshe] exited the city from with Pharaoh. And he spread his palms unto Yehovah. And the voices ceased, and the hail and rain. And he did not pour-forth landward. ³⁴And Pharaoh saw that the rain ceased, and the hail and the voices. And he added to sin. And his heart heavied—he and his slaves. ³⁵And the heart of Pharaoh gripped. And he did not send the children of Israel just as Yehovah spoke via the hand of Draw [Moshe].

I. The Threat to Herd and Flock (verses 1-4)

Yehovah commanded Moshe to come unto Pharaoh. Moshe introduced whom he was quoting: “So said Yehovah Gods of the Hebrews.” Yehovah’s command to Pharaoh was the same as it had previously been: “Send my people, and he has served me!” Moshe then gave Yehovah’s threat: “For if thou art refusing to send, and thou art yet gripping into them, behold the Hand of Yehovah is being in thy cattle that is in the field—in horses, in asses, in camels, in herd and in flock, a very heavy plague!”

Moshe then declared the segregation that Yehovah will perform: “And Yehovah will segregate between the cattle of Israel and between the cattle of Egypt. And not a thing will die from all to the sons of Israel!”

Questions

1. Why did Yehovah insist that Pharaoh send Yehovah’s people (instead of just leading them out, and stopping Pharaoh from stopping them)?

2. Does Yehovah ever threaten anyone?

3. What is the Hand of Yehovah, and how does this hand differ from Yehovah?

4. Yehovah threatened the horses, asses, camels, herd and flock of Pharaoh and all Egypt (except for the Israeli herds and flocks) if Pharaoh didn’t send the people of Israel. Why was Yehovah willing to harm animals that couldn’t do anything about what Pharaoh chose to do?

5. Why did Yehovah segregate between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt? Define segregation:

6. How many animals of the Israelis normally died on a daily basis in Egypt?

II. One Day’s Notice (verses 5-7)

Yehovah Himself set the appointment for this event, and Moshe told Pharaoh this: “Tomorrow Yehovah will do this speech in the land.”

The text then explained that Yehovah did this speech (what He said) from tomorrow—that is, it began starting the next day. Every cattle of Egypt died. Not even one of the Israelis’ cattle died!

Pharaoh sent investigators to see if any of the Israelis’ cattle died, and they found that not a single animal died. How did Pharaoh respond? His heart (mind) weighted—he became concerned about what would happen if he sent the Israelis. He didn’t send the people.

Questions

1. What is an appointment in the Bible, and why is this word so important?

2. Verse 5 states, “Tomorrow Yehovah will do this speech in the land.” What speech will He do?

3. The next statement says, “And Yehovah did this speech from tomorrow.” What does from tomorrow mean?

4. How many of the Egyptian cattle died in this plague?

5. How many died from the Israeli cattle?

6. For what purpose did Pharaoh send, and whom did he send?

7. Why did Pharaoh’s heart weigh, this time, and what does this mean?

III. Boils with Eruptions (verses 8-12)

Yehovah now directed both Moshe and Aharon: “Take ye to you a fullness of your fists of ash of a furnace.” Thus, they filled their four fists with furnace ash. Yehovah told only Moshe to sprinkle the ash toward the heavens directly in the sight of Pharaoh. When Moshe does this, the ash shall become a powder over all the land of Egypt! The powder will land upon ‘the adam’ (the human, referring to every human) and upon the beast (referring to every beast). It will then become a boil that flowers and erupts over again over all the land of Egypt.

Moshe and Aharon did as they were told, taking ash of the furnace. They then stood directly in front of Pharaoh. Moshe sprinkled the ash toward the heavens. The boils flowered with eruptions in man and animal.

The diviners couldn’t stand directly in front of Moshe because of the faces of the boil! The diviners erupted with boils, as well as all Egypt.

This time, Yehovah gripped the heart (mind) of Pharaoh! Pharaoh didn’t hearken unto them, which is what Yehovah had said Pharaoh wouldn’t do.

Questions

1. Why did Yehovah command both Aharon and Moshe to take a fistful of ash from a furnace when only Moshe was commanded to sprinkle the ash toward the heavens?

2. What does “upon the adam” mean (when ‘adam’ isn’t capitalized)?

3. What is a boil?

4. What does “a boil flowering eruptions-eruptions” mean?

5. What beasts were there since so many of the cattle of the Egyptians died?

6. Why did Yehovah also put boils on Egyptian cattle?

7. Did the Israelis’ cattle also suffer with boils?

8. Would Egyptian cattle that was temporarily grazing on Israeli lands and in the hands of the Israelis be safe from the boil?

9. Why weren’t the diviners able to stand in front of Moshe?

10. What does “For the boil is in their diviner and in all Egypt” mean?

11. How long did the boils and the ‘boil plague’ last?

12. Did Pharaoh get hit with the boils?

IV. Yehovah’s Threat and Editorial (verses 13-19)

Yehovah had new orders for Moshe: “Early-rise in the morning. And position thyself to the faces of Pharaoh.” Yehovah identified Himself in the normal way: “So said Yehovah Gods of the Hebrews.” Yehovah commanded Pharaoh in the usual way: “Send my people, and he has served me!”

Yehovah then followed this with a direct threat: “For in this stroke I am sending all my plagues unto thine heart and into thy slaves and into thy people for the sake that thou shalt know that there is not like me in all the land!”

Yehovah then gave the result of this threat being carried out: “For now I sent my hand and I smote thee and thy people via pestilence. And thou hast been expunged from the land!”

Why did Yehovah tolerate Pharaoh? He explained: “And silently for the sake of this I ‘stood’ thee—for the sake of showing thee my power and in order to publish my Name in all the land!”

Yehovah openly stated Pharaoh’s motives: “Thou art yet building-up thyself via my people to not send them!”

Thus, Yehovah told Pharaoh what was next coming: “Behold I am raining very heavy hail as a time tomorrow, that there was not like him in Egypt from the day of her being founded and unto now!”

Yet, Yehovah told Pharaoh what to do to save the humans and the cattle: “And now, send! Firm thy cattle and all that is to thee in the field.”

He gave the results of not doing this: “All the adam and the beast that he will find in the field, and he will not be gathered to the house, and the hail will descend upon them, and they shall die!”

Questions

1. Did Pharaoh enjoy seeing Moshe early in the morning?

2. Why did Yehovah use the very same wording over and over again when He said, “Send my people, and he has served me”?

3. What does stroke mean in, “For in this stroke, I am sending…”?

4. What did Yehovah mean by, “in this stroke, I am sending all my plagues unto thine heart?

5. What was the purpose for sending all these plagues?

6. Yehovah said, “For now I sent my hand.” What does this mean?

7. What will the hand be doing, according to verse 15?

8. What does smite mean?

9. What does pestilence mean?

10. What does expunged mean?

11. Who will be expunged from the land?

12. Wouldn’t this be a direct threat to Pharaoh’s life from Yehovah? Wouldn’t Pharaoh become very angry being threatened in this way?

13. What does stood mean in, “And silently for the sake of this I ‘stood’ thee”?

14. Why did Yehovah use silently in, “And silently for the sake of this I ‘stood’ thee”?

15. What two reasons did Yehovah give for ‘standing’ Pharaoh?

16. What land did Yehovah have in mind when He said, “in order to publish my Name in all the land”?

17. What would be accomplished if Yehovah published His Name in all the land?

18. Yehovah said through Moshe, “Thou art yet building-up thyself via my people to not send them.” What was Pharaoh doing, according to this description?

19. How heavy is heavy hail?

20. Had there been hail in Egypt before this time?

21. When Yehovah gave the command, “And now, send,” whom was Pharaoh to send, and for what purpose?

22. What does “Firm thy cattle” mean?

23. What is an ‘adam’?

24. How many of the animals and humans that remain in the fields will die?

V. The Fearer and the Ignorer (verses 20-21)

Pharaoh’s slaves heard these words. Every slave who feared the speech of Yehovah made his slaves and his cattle flee unto (toward) the houses. Every slave who didn’t put his heart (mind) unto the speech of Yehovah abandoned his slaves and his cattle in the field.

Questions

1. What is a “fearer of the speech of Yehovah,” and does that person have faith in Yehovah?

2. What does “And who did not put his heart unto the speech of Yehovah” mean?

3. Why does the text state, “and he forsook his slaves and his cattle in the field” instead of stating, “and he left his slaves and his cattle in the field”?

VI. Hail, Thunder, Lightning (verses 22-23)

Yehovah commanded just Moshe to: “Stretch thine hand upon the heavens.” Yehovah told Moshe the results: “And hail was in all the land of Egypt—upon the adam and upon the beast and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt!”

Moshe did as he was commanded, stretching his rod upon the heavens. Yehovah gave voices and hail! Fire walked toward the land! Yehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

Questions

1. How can Moshe stretch his hand upon the heavens when Moshe just isn’t that big?

2. When did Moshe stretch his hand upon the heavens?

3. Wasn’t Moshe outside when this occurred? If so, wasn’t Moshe in danger of being hit by the hail and being killed?

4. What else besides humans and cattle was destroyed?

5. In what danger was the land of Egypt because of this hail, besides those who were killed by it?

6. Yehovah told Moshe to stretch his hand upon the heavens; Moshe stretched his rod upon the heavens. Did Moshe do wrong?

7. What does “Yehovah gave voices” mean?

8. What causes these voices?

9. What does “fire walked landward” describe?

10. The text doesn’t describe any rain. Did it rain?

VII. Devastation (verses 24-26)

The hail was very heavy (both in the amount of hail and in the size of the hail). Fire took herself in the midst of the hail! That is fire and ice at the same time! This kind of a hailstorm never occurred from the time that Egypt (the original person) became a race! The hail smote (attacked with the force to kill) everything in the field including man and animal. The hail smote every herb of the field. It also broke every tree of the field! There was no hail, however, in the land of Goshen where the sons of Israel are.

Questions

1. How heavy was the hail?

2. What does “fire taking herself in the midst of the hail” describe?

3. What does “there wasn’t like him in all the land of Egypt from then, her becoming to a race” mean?

4. What does smote mean?

5. How many herbs of the field survived this hail?

6. How many trees survived this hail?

7. Did the Israelis see the hail?

8. Were the Israelis being slave-driven during this time?

VIII. False Repentance (verses 27-30)

Pharaoh sent and called Moshe and Aharon. He admitted that he had sinned this time, and that Yehovah is righteous. He then stated that he and his people are the culpable ones.

He told them to entreat unto Yehovah, and multiply from their beings voices of gods and hail. On this condition, Pharaoh stated, “I have sent you. And ye shall not add to stand!”

Moshe responded, “As my going out of the city, I will spread my palms unto Yehovah. The voices shall cease and the hail will not be any more, so that thou shalt know that the land is to Yehovah!”

Moshe then added, “And thou and thy slaves—I knew! For before ye will fear from the faces of Yehovah Gods, and the flax and the barley—she was smitten!”

Moshe explained, “For the barley is spring,” that is, the barley is coming up well, as it does in the spring of the year. “And the flax is exalted-above,” meaning that it is already several inches high. “And the wheat and the spelt were not smitten, for they are darkened,” meaning that the tender plants haven’t yet broken aboveground.

Questions

1. When did Pharaoh send for Moshe and Aharon?

2. Where were Moshe and Aharon located during the storm?

3. What does “I sinned the stroke” mean?

4. Pharaoh also said, “Yehovah is righteous!” Did he mean it?

5. Was “I and my people are the culpable-ones” true?

6. What does entreat mean?

7. What does “multiply from there being voices” mean?

8. Pharaoh called the thunder voices of gods. Was he right?

9. Pharaoh promised that if Moshe and Aharon entreated unto Yehovah, and if Yehovah stopped the voices of gods and the hail, he would send the Israelis. Was this true?

10. Pharaoh also said, “And ye shall not add to stand.” What does that mean?

11. Did Moshe believe him?

12. Moshe told Pharaoh that he was going out of the city, at which time he would spread his palms unto Yehovah. Wasn’t he afraid of being hit by the hail or struck by the lightning?

13. What was the point of this terrible destruction, according to verse 29?

14. Who is ‘I’ in, “And thou and thy slaves—I knew”?

15. What did he know?

16. What is flax?

17. What is barley?

18. What does “barley is spring” mean?

19. What does “the flax is exalted above” mean?

20. What does being darkened mean in verse 32?

IX. Sinning More (verses 33-35)

Moshe left the city and Pharaoh. He spread the palms of his hands unto Yehovah. The voices ceased, as well as the hail and the rain. The rain didn’t pour down on the land.

Pharaoh saw that the rain ceased, as well as the hail and the voices. He sinned even more! His heart (mind) heavied, and so did the heart of his slaves!

Pharaoh’s heart gripped, hanging on to his views from before. He didn’t send the children of Israel, exactly as Yehovah spoke by means of the hand of Moshe!

Questions

1. Verse 34 states that Pharaoh “added to sin.” What did he do that was sin?

2. What does “his heart heavied” mean, and why did the heart of his slaves do the same thing?

3. The next text states that the heart of Pharaoh gripped. What does this mean?