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The Books
of Moses

92

197

256

Genesis

Exodus

Exodus

156

Leviticus

Deuteronomy

nglish Bibles are customarily divided into six major sections: Pentateuch, History, Poetry, Prophets, Gospels
and Acts, and Letters and Revelation. The Pentateuch
(meaning five-volumed book) comprises the first major section of the OT. It is also known as the Torah (Law). Here
Gods first covenants with his chosen people are described and
confirmed.
The five books of Moses are primarily accounts of the history
of Gods covenant people (Israel). Beginning with Genesis, the
narrative moves from a broad view of the universe and all creation to human beings in general and Gods role for them in the
world. From this view of mankind as a whole, the account narrows from a focus on all nations to Abraham and one nationIsrael as the vassal people of the divine suzerain and his kingdom.
The last four books tell the story of Israels exodus from Egypt,
their assent to the Sinaitic covenant, and their wandering in the
Desert of Sinai because of unbelief and disobedience at Kadesh
Barnea (Nu 1314; see note on Heb 3:1619).

Genesis
Introduction
Title
The first phrase in the Hebrew text of 1:1 is bereshith (In [the] beginning), which is also the
Hebrew title of the book (books in ancient times customarily were named after their first word
or two). The English title, Genesis, is Greek in origin and comes from the word geneseos, which
appears in the pre-Christian Greek translation (Septuagint) of 2:4; 5:1. Depending on its context,
the word can mean birth, genealogy, or history of origin. In both its Hebrew and Greek forms,
then, the traditional title of Genesis appropriately describes its content, since it is primarily a book
of beginnings.
Background
Chs. 138 reflect a great deal of what we know from other sources about ancient Mesopotamian life and culture. Creation, genealogies, destructive
floods, geography and mapmaking, construction techniques,
migrations of peoples, sale and purchase of land, legal customs
a quick look
and procedures, sheepherding and cattle-raisingall these
subjects and many others were matters of vital concern to the
peoples of Mesopotamia during this time. They were also of Author:
interest to the individuals, families and tribes whom we read Moses
about in the first 38 chapters of Genesis. The author appears to
locate Eden, humankinds first home, in or near Mesopotamia; Audience:
the tower of Babel was built there; Abram was born there; Isaac
Gods chosen people, the
took a wife from there; and Jacob lived there for 20 years. Al- Israelites
though these patriarchs settled in Canaan, their original homeland was Mesopotamia.
Date:
The closest ancient literary parallels to Ge 138 also come Between 1446 and 1406 BC
from Mesopotamia. Enuma elish, the story of the god Marduks
rise to supremacy in the Babylonian pantheon, is similar in Theme:
some respects (though thoroughly mythical and polytheistic) Genesis is a book of beginnings
to the Ge 1 creation account. Some of the features of certain that introduces central themes
king lists from Sumer bear striking resemblance to the gene- of the Bible, such as creation
alogy in Ge 5. The 11th tablet of the Gilgamesh epic is quite and redemption.

Introduction: Ge n es i s

Genesis is supremely a book that speaks about relationships,


highlighting those between God and his creation, between
God and humankind, and between human beings.

turn composed of three narrative cycles (Abraham-Isaac, 11:2725:11; Isaac-Jacob, 25:1935:29;


37:1; Jacob-Joseph, 37:250:26), interspersed by the genealogies of Ishmael (25:1218) and Esau
(ch. 36).
The narrative frequently concentrates on the life of a later son in preference to the firstborn:
Seth over Cain, Shem over Japheth (but see NIV text note on 10:21), Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Judah and Joseph over their brothers, and Ephraim over Manasseh. Such emphasis
on divinely chosen men and their families is perhaps the most obvious literary and theological
characteristic of the book of Genesis as a whole. It strikingly underscores the fact that the people
of God are not the product of natural human developments but are the result of Gods sovereign
and gracious intrusion in human history. He brings
out of the fallen human race a new humanity consecrated to himself, called and destined to be the
people of his kingdom and the channel of his blessing to the whole earth.
Numbers with symbolic significance figure prominently in Genesis. The number ten, in addition to
being the number of sections into which Genesis
is divided, is also the number of names appearing
in the genealogies of chs. 5 and 11 (see note on
5:5). The number seven also occurs frequently. The
Hebrew text of 1:1 consists of exactly seven words
and that of 1:2 of exactly 14 (twice seven). There are
seven days of creation, seven names in the genealogy of ch. 4 (see note on 4:1718; see also 4:15,24;
5:31), various sevens in the flood story, 70 descendants of Noahs sons (ch. 10), a sevenfold promise
to Abram (12:23), seven years of abundance and
then seven of famine in Egypt (ch. 41), and 70 descendants of Jacob (ch. 46). Other significant numbers, such The Atrahasis Epic, c. 17th c BC, contains
as 12 and 40, are used with similar frequency.
an account of creation and early human
The book of Genesis is basically prose narrative, history, including the flood.
punctuated here and there by brief poems (the longest Kim Walton, courtesy of the British Museum
is the so-called Blessing of Jacob in 49:227). Much of
the prose has a lyrical quality and uses the full range of figures of speech and other devices that
characterize the worlds finest epic literature. Vertical and horizontal parallelism between the two
sets of three days in the creation account (see note on 1:11); the ebb and flow of sin and judgment
in ch. 3 (the serpent, woman and man sin successively; God questions them in reverse order; then
he judges them in the original order); the powerful monotony of and then he died at the end of
paragraphs in ch. 5; the climactic hinge effect of the phrase But God remembered Noah (8:1) at
the midpoint of the flood story; the hourglass structure of the account of the tower of Babel in
11:19 (narrative in vv.12,89; discourse in vv.34,67; v.5 acting as transition); the macabre

22

Ge ne s i s 8 : 2 2

humans, even thougha every inclination of


the human heart is evil from childhood.j
And never again will I destroyk all living
creatures,l as I have done.
22 As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,m
cold and heat,
summer and winter,n
day and night
will never cease.o

Gods Covenant With Noah


Then God blessed Noah and his sons,
saying to them, Be fruitful and in
crease in number and fill the earth.p 2The
fear and dread of you will fall on all the
beasts of the earth, and on all the birds
in the sky, on every creature that moves
along the ground, and on all the fish in the
sea; they are given into your hands.q 3Ev
erything that lives and moves about will
be food for you.r Just as I gave you the
lants, I now give you everything.s
green p
4But you must not eat meat that has its
lifeblood still in it.t 5And for your lifeblood
I will surely demand an accounting.u I will
demand an accounting from every ani

8:21 jGe6:5;
Ps51:5;
Jer17:9;
Mt15:19;
Ro1:21
kJer44:11
lGe9:11,15;
Isa54:9
8:22 mJos3:15;
Ps67:6;
Jer5:24
nPs74:17;
Zec14:8
oSGe1:14
9:1 pSGe1:22
9:2 qSGe1:26
9:3 rSGe1:29
sSAc10:15;
Col2:16
9:4 tLev3:17;
7:26; 17:10-14;
19:26;
Dt12:16,
23-25; 15:23;
1Sa14:33;
Eze33:25;
Ac15:20,29
9:5 uGe42:22;
50:15; 1Ki2:32;
2Ch24:22;
Ps9:12
vEx21:28-32
wGe4:10
9:6 xSGe4:14;

SJdg9:24;
SMt26:52
ySGe1:26
9:7 zSGe1:22
9:9 aver11;

here has a different word for curse, the reference appears to


be to the curse of 3:17. It may be that the Lord here pledged
never to add curse upon curse as he had in regard to Cain
(4:12). even though every inclination of the human heart is evil.
For almost identical phraseology, see 6:5. Because of humanitys extreme wickedness, God had destroyed people (6:7)
by means of a flood (6:17). Although righteous Noah and his
family had been saved, he and his offspring were descendants
of Adam and carried in their hearts the inheritance of sin. God
graciously promises never again to deal with sin by sending
such a devastating deluge (see 9:11,15). Human history is
held open for Gods dealing with sin in a new and redemptive waythe way that was prepared for by Gods action at
Babel (see notes on 11:6,8) and that begins to unfold with the
call of Abram (12:1). from childhood. The phrase replaces all
the time in 6:5 and emphasizes the truth that sin infects a
persons life from conception and birth (Ps 51:5; 58:3).
8:22Times and seasons, created by God in the beginning
(see 1:14), will never cease till the end of history.
9:17 At this new beginning, God renewed his original
benediction (1:28) and his provision for humanitys food (cf.
v.3; 1:2930). But because sin had brought violence into the
world and because God now appointed meat as a part of the
human diet (v.3), further divine provisions and stipulations
are added (vv.46). Yet Gods benediction dominates and
encloses the whole (see v.7).
9:2given into your hands. God reaffirmed that human beings
would rule over all creation, including the animals (see note
on 1:26).
9:3Everything that lives and moves about will be food. Meat
would now supplement the human diet.
9:4 you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood. Lev 17:14
stresses the intimate relationship between blood and life by
twice declaring that the life of every creature is its blood. Life
is the precious and mysterious gift of God, and people are not
to seek to preserve it or increase the life-force within them by
eating life that is in the blood (Lev 17:11)as many pagan
peoples throughout history have thought they could do.

mal.v And from each human being, too, I


will demand an accounting for the life of
another human being.w
6 Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be
shed;x
for in the image of Gody
has God made mankind.
7As

for you, be fruitful and increase in


number; multiply on the earth and in
crease uponit.z
8Then God said to Noah and to his sons
with him: 9I now establish my covenant
with youa and with your descendants af
ter you 10and with every living creature
that was with youthe birds, the live
stock and all the wild animals, all those
that came out of the ark with youevery
living creature on earth. 11I establish my
covenantb with you:c Never again will all
life be destroyed by the waters of a flood;
never again will there be a flood to destroy
the earth.d
a21

Orhumans, for

SGe6:18 9:11 bver16; Isa24:5; 33:8; Hos6:7 cSver9 dSGe8:21

for your lifeblood ... I will demand an accounting


n 9:5
from every animal. God himself is the great defender

of human life (see 4:912), which is precious to him because


eople were created in his image (v.6) and because they are
p
the earthly representatives and focal point of Gods kingdom.
In the theocracy (kingdom of God) established at Sinai, a domestic animal that had taken human life was to be stoned to
death (Ex 21:2832).
9:6Whoever sheds human blood, by human beings shall their
blood be shed. In the later theocracy, those guilty of premeditated murder were to be executed (see Ex 21:1214; Nu
35:1632; see also Ro 13:34; 1Pe 2:1314). for in the image
of God has God made mankind. See 1:26 and note. In killing
a human being, a murderer demonstrates contempt for God
(see also Pr 14:31; 17:5; Jas 3:9 and notes).
9:817Gods first and most basic covenant with his creatures (see chart, p. XXXX). It concerns the creation order itself
and has its sign embedded in that creation order. Since divine judgment had seemed to undo the creation completely,
sinful humanity needed Gods covenanted assurance that his
acts of judgment in history will not destroy the created order.
This is the only divine covenant in which God pledges not to
do something.
9:9 I now establish my covenant. God sovereignly
promised in this covenant to Noah, to Noahs descendants and to all other living things (as a kind of gracious
reward to righteous Noah, the new father of the human
racesee 6:18) never again to destroy the earth and its
inhabitants until his purposes for his creation are fully realized (as long as the earth endures, 8:22). For similar commitments by God, see his covenants with Abram (15:1820),
Phinehas (Nu 25:1013) and David (2Sa 7). See chart, p.
XXXX.
9:11Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a
flood. A summary of the provisions of the Lords covenant
with Noahan eternal covenant, as seen in such words and
phrases as never again (see also v.15), for all generations to
come (v.12) and everlasting (v.16).

Ge ne si s 9:11

23

Major Covenants in the Old Testament


COVENANTS

REFERENCE

TYPE

PARTICIPANT

DESCRIPTION

Noahic

Ge 9:8-17

Royal Grant

Made with righteous (6:9) Noah


(and his descendants and every
living thing on earthall life that is
subject to human jurisdiction)

An unconditIonal divine promise never to


destroy all earthly life with some natural catastrophe, the covenant sign being the rainbow
in the storm cloud

Abrahamic
A

Ge 15:9-21

Royal (land)
Grant

Made with righteous (his


faith was credited ... to him as
righteousness, v. 6) Abram (and his
descendants, v. 16)

An unconditional divine promise to fulfill the


grant of the land; a self-maledictory oath
symbolically enacted it (v. 17; see note there)

Abrahamic
B

Ge 17

Suzerain-vassal

Made with Abraham as patriarchal


head of his household

A conditional divine pledge to be Abrahams


God and the God of his descendants (cf. As
for me, v. 4; As for you, v. 9); the condition:
total consecration to the Lord as symbolized by
circumcision

Sinaitic

Ex 1924

Suzerain-vassal

Made with Israel as the descendants


of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and as
the people the Lord has redeemed
from bondage to an earthly power

A conditional divine pledge to be Israels God


(as her Protector and the Guarantor of her
blessed destiny); the condition: Israels total
consecration to the Lord as his people (his
kingdom) who live by his rule and serve his
purposes in history

Phinehas

Nu 25:10-13

Royal Grant

Made with the zealous priest


Phinehas

An unconditional divine promise to maintain


the family of Phinehas in a lasting priesthood
(implicitly a pledge to Israel to provide her
forever with a faithful priesthood)

Davidic

2Sa 7:5-16

Royal Grant

Made with faithful King David after


his devotion to God as Israels king
and the Lords anointed vassal had
come to special expression (v. 2)

An unconditional divine promise to establish


and maintain the Davidic dynasty on the
throne of Israel (implicitly a pledge to Israel) to
provide her forever with a godly king like David
and through that dynasty to do for her what he
had done through Davidbring her into rest
in the promised land (1Ki 4:20-21; 5:3-4)

New

Jer 31:31-34

Royal Grant

Promised to rebellious Israel as she


is about to be expelled from the
promised land in actualization of
the most severe covenant curse
(Lev 26:27-39; Dt 28:36-37, 45-68)

An unconditional divine promise to unfaithful


Israel to forgive her sins and establish his
relationship with her on a new basis by writing
his law on their heartsa covenant of
pure grace

Major Types of Royal Covenants/Treaties in the Ancient Near East


Royal Grant (unconditional)

Parity

Suzerain-vassal (conditional)

A kings grant (of land or some other


benefit) to a loyal servant for faithful or
exceptional service. The grant was normally
perpetual and unconditional, but the servants heirs benefited from it only as they
continued their fathers loyalty and service.
(Cf. 1Sa 8:14; 22:7; 27:6; Est 8:1.)

A covenant between equals,


binding them to mutual friendship
or at least to mutual respect for
each others spheres and interests.
Participants called each other
brothers. (Cf. Ge 21:27; 26:31;
31:44-54; 1Ki 5:12; 15:19; 20:3234; Am 1:9.)

A covenant regulating the relationship between a great king and


one of his subject kings. The great king claimed absolute right
of sovereignty, demanded total loyalty and service (the vassal
must love his suzerain) and pledged protection of the subjects
realm and dynasty, conditional on the vassals faithfulness and
loyalty to him. The vassal pledged absolute loyalty to his suzerainwhatever service his suzerain demandedand exclusive
reliance on the suzerains protection. Participants called each
other lord and servant or father and son. (Cf. Jos 9:6,8; Eze
17:13-18; Hos 12:1.)

Commitments made in these covenants were accompanied by self-maledictory oaths (made orally, ceremonially or both). The gods were called upon to
witness the covenants and implement the curses of the oaths if the covenants were violated.

28

Ge ne s i s 1 1 : 7

do will be impossible for them. 7Come, let


usv go downw and confuse their language
so they will not understand each other.x
8So the Lord scattered them from there
over all the earth,y and they stopped build
ing the city. 9That is why it was called Ba
belazbecause there the Lord confused
the languagea of the whole world.b From
there the Lord scatteredc them over the
face of the w
hole earth.

From Shem to Abram


11:10-27pp Ge10:21-31; 1Ch1:17-27
10This is the accountd of Shems family
line.

Two years after the flood, when Shem


was 100 years old, he became the fatherb
of Arphaxad.e 11And after he became the
father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years
and had other sons and daughters.
12When Arphaxad had lived 35 years,
he became the father of Shelah.f 13And
after he became the father of Shelah, Ar
phaxad lived 403 years and had other sons
and daughters.c

11:7 vSGe1:26
wSver5
xGe42:23;
Dt28:49;
Isa28:11;
33:19; Jer5:15;
1Co14:2,11
11:8
ySGe9:19;
Dt32:8;
SLk1:51
11:9
zSGe10:10
aPs55:9
bAc2:5-11
cIsa2:10,21;
13:14; 24:1
11:10 dSGe2:4
eLk3:36
11:12 fLk3:35

a9 That

11:14 gLk3:35
11:16 hLk3:35
11:18 iLk3:35
11:20 jLk3:35
11:22 kLk3:34

against God. A godless human kingdom would displace and


exclude the kingdom of God.
11:7let us. See notes on 1:1,26. Gods Come, let us from
heaven counters proud peoples Come, let us (v.4) from
earth. not understand each other. Without a common language, joint effort became impossible (see v.8).
11:8 scattered. See v. 4; 9:1,19. God dispersed the
people because of their rebellious pride. Even the
greatest of human powers cannot defy God and long survive.
11:9Babel. See NIV text note and 10:10. The word is of Akkadian origin and means gateway to a god (Jacobs stairway

14When Shelah had lived 30 years, he


became the father of Eber.g 15And after he
became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403
years and had other sons and daughters.
16When Eber had lived 34 years, he be
came the father of Peleg.h 17And after he
became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430
years and had other sons and daughters.
18When Peleg had lived 30 years, he
became the father of Reu.i 19And after he
became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209
years and had other sons and daughters.
20When Reu had lived 32 years, he be
came the father of Serug.j 21And after he
became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207
years and had other sons and daughters.
22When Serug had lived 30 years, he be
came the father of Nahor.k 23And after he

is, Babylon; Babel sounds like the Hebrew for


confused. b10 Father may mean ancestor; also in
verses 11-25. c12,13 Hebrew; Septuagint (see also
Luke 3:35, 36 and note at Gen. 10:24) 35 years, he
became the father of Cainan. 13And after he became the
father of Cainan, Arphaxad lived 430 years and had
other sons and daughters, and then he died. When
Cainan had lived 130 years, he became the father of
Shelah. And after he became the father of Shelah, Cainan
lived 330 years and had other sons and daughters

was similarly called gate of heaven; see 28:17). confused. The


Hebrew word used here (balal) sounds like Babel, the Hebrew word for Babylon and the origin of the English word
babel.
11:1026 A ten-name genealogy, like that of Seth (see
5:331; see also note on 5:5). Unlike the Sethite genealogy,
however, the genealogy of Shem does not give total figures
for the ages of the men at death and does not end each
paragraph with and then he died. It covers the centuries
between Shem and Abram as briefly as possible.
11:10account. See note on 2:4.

Ziggurat of Nanna at Ur. The large temple dedicated to the god Nanna was built c. 2100 BC by King UrNammu in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur in present-day Iraq. Some believe that the Tower of Babel
(Ge 11:19) was a type of ziggurat.
Michael S. Yamashita/CORBIS

G e ne si s 12:2
became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200
years and had other sons and daughters.
24When Nahor had lived 29 years, he be
came the father of Terah.l 25And after he
became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119
years and had other sons and daughters.
26After Terah had lived 70 years, he be
came the father of Abram,m Nahorn and
Haran.o

Abrams Family
27This is the accountp of Terahs family
line.
Terah became the father of Abram, Na
horq and Haran. And Haran became the
father of Lot.r 28While his father Terah was
still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chal
deans,s in the land of his birth. 29Abram
and Nahort both married. The name of
Abrams wife was Sarai,u and the name
of Nahors wife was Milkah;v she was the
daughter of Haran, the father of both Mil
kah and Iskah. 30Now Sarai was childless
because she was not able to conceive.w
31Terah took his son Abram, his grand
son Lotx son of Haran, and his daughter-

11:24 lLk3:34
11:26 mLk3:34
nJos24:2
o2Ki19:12;

Isa37:12;
Eze27:23
11:27 pSGe2:4
qver29;
Ge31:53
rver31;
Ge12:4; 13:1,
5,8,12; 14:12;
19:1; Lk17:28;
2Pe2:7
11:28 sver31;
Ge15:7; Ne9:7;
Job1:17; 16:11;
Eze23:23;
Ac7:4
11:29 tSver27,
31; Ge22:20,
23; 24:10,
15,24; 29:5
uGe12:5,11;
16:1; 17:15
vGe22:20
11:30
wGe16:1;
18:11; 25:21;
29:31; 30:1,
22; Jdg13:2;
1Sa1:5;
Ps113:9; Lk1:7,
36
11:31 xSver27
yGe38:11;
Lev18:15;

11:26Terah ... became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.


As in the case of Shem, Ham and Japheth, the names of the
three sons may not be in chronological order by age (see
9:24; see also 10:21 and NIV text note). Haran died while his
father was still alive (see v.28).
11:2725:11With Gods calling of Abram out
of the post-Babel peoples, the story of Gods
ways with humankind shifts focus from universal history
to the history of Gods relationship with a particular person
and people. Here begins the history of his saving work, in
which human sin is not only judged (the flood) or restrained
(Babel) but forgiven (through atonement) and overcome
(through the purifying of human hearts). Throughout the
rest of Scripture the unfolding of this history remains the
golden thread and central theme. Its final outcome is made
sure through Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham (Lk 3:34; see
also Mt 1:117 and note on 1:1; Gal 3:16)which is the core
message of the NT.
The account of the God-Abram relationship found here
foreshadows in many ways the God-Israel relationship, and
the trials and triumphs of Abrams faith model the life of faith
for his descendants.
11:27account. See note on 2:4.
11:28Ur of the Chaldeans. Possibly in northern Mesopotamia, but more likely the site on the Euphrates in
southern Iraq excavated by Leonard Woolley between 1922
and 1934. Ruins and artifacts from Ur reveal a civilization and
culture that reached high levels before Abrams time. King
Ur-Nammu, who may have been Abrams contemporary, is
famous for his law code. Chaldeans. See notes on Ezr 5:12;
Job 1:17.
11:30 Sarai was ... not able to conceive. The sterility
of Abrams wife (see 15:23; 17:17) emphasized the
fact that Gods people would not come by natural generation from the post-Babel peoples. God was bringing a new
humanity into being, of whom Abram was father (17:5), just
as Adam and Noah were fathers of the fallen human race.
11:31they came to Harran. In Hebrew the name of the town
is spelled differently from that of Abrams brother (v.26). The

n r

29

in-lawy

Sarai, the wife of his son Abram,


and together they set out from Ur of the
Chaldeansz to go to Canaan.a But when
they came to Harran,b they settled there.
32Terahc lived 205 years, and he died in
Harran.

The Call of Abram


The Lord had said to Abram, Go
from your country, your people
and your fathers householdd to the lande
I will show you.f

12

2 I will make you into a great nation,g


and I will bless you;h
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.ai
a2 Orbe

seen as blessed

20:12; Ru1:6,22; 2:20; 4:15; 1Sa4:19; 1Ch2:4; Eze22:11; Mic7:6


zSver28 aSGe10:19 bSver29; Ge12:4; 27:43; 28:5,10; 29:4;
2Ki19:12; Eze27:23 11:32 cJos24:2 12:1 dGe20:13; 24:4,
27,40 eSGe10:19 fGe15:7; 26:2; Jos24:3; Ac7:3*; Heb11:8
12:2gGe13:16; 15:5; 17:2,4; 18:18; 22:17; 26:4; 28:3,14; 32:12;
35:11; 41:49; 46:3; 47:27; 48:4,16,19; Ex1:7; 5:5; 32:13; Dt1:10;
10:22; 13:17; 26:5; Jos11:4; 24:3; 2Sa17:11; 1Ki3:8; 4:20;
1Ch27:23; 2Ch1:9; Ne9:23; Ps107:38; Isa6:13; 10:22; 48:19;
51:2; 54:3; 60:22; Jer33:22; Mic4:7 hGe24:1,35; 25:11; 26:3; 28:4;
Ex20:24; Nu22:12; 23:8,20; 24:9; Ps67:6; 115:12; Isa44:3; 61:9;
65:23; Mal3:12 iGe22:18; Isa19:24; Jer4:2; Hag2:19; Zec8:13

moon-god was worshiped at both Ur and Harran, and since


Terah was an idolater (see Jos 24:2), he probably felt at home
in either place (Sarahs name probably means moon worshiper). Harran (an Akkadian word meaning caravan) was
a flourishing caravan city in the 19th century BC. In the 18th
century it was ruled by Amorites (see note on 10:16).
12:1had said. God had spoken to Abram while he was still
in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran (Ac 7:2). Go from
... show you. Abram must leave the settled world of the postBabel nations and begin a pilgrimage with God to a better world of Gods making (see 24:7; see also 11:19; Heb
11:810 and notes).
Here begins the story of how the Lord [Yahweh] ... the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ex 3:16), the God of Israel (Ex 5:1), created for himself a people who acknowledged
him as the only true God and who had as their homeland
a place in the world that would be called their land, which
they had acquired in accordance with the command of the
Lord through Moses (Jos 22:9). In the ancient world of the
OT, all the various gods that were worshiped and relied on
were gods of a particular place and/or a particular people (a
family, tribe or nation). The rest of Yahwehs dealings with the
patriarchs and with Israel is an important theme that relates
how Abrams pilgrimage moved ever forward toward the fulfillment of Yahwehs purposes.
12:23Gods promise to Abram has a sevenfold structure: (1)
I will make you into a great nation, (2) I will bless you, (3) I
will make your name great, (4) you will be a blessing, (5) I
will bless those who bless you, (6) whoever curses you I will
curse, and (7) all peoples on earth will be blessed through
you. Gods original blessing on the whole human race (1:28)
would be especially fulfilled in the lives of Abram and his offspring. In various ways and degrees, these promises were reaffirmed to Abram (v.7; 15:521; 17:48; 18:1819; 22:1718),
to Isaac (26:24), to Jacob (28:1315; 35:1112; 46:3) and to
Moses (Ex 3:68; 6:28). The seventh promise is quoted in Ac
3:25 with reference to Peters Jewish listeners (see Ac 3:12)
Abrams physical descendantsand in Gal 3:8 with reference
to Pauls Gentile listenersAbrams spiritual descendants.

30 Ge ne s i s 1 2 : 3
map_01_12_abraham

~75%

Abrams travels
Harran
Balikh
R.

Emar

Ti

Tuttul
tes

R.

Eu p hra

gris

Mari

R.

Damascus

Shechem
Salem
To E

t
gyp

Ur
(Tell el-Maqayyar)

Abrams migration route

100 miles

rs

100 km.

Pe

Abrams alternative migration route

ia
n

one they could bring down the power of the gods (or other
mysterious powers) on that person (cf. 1Sa 17:43). They had
a large conventional stock of such curses, preserved in many
sources, such as the Egyptian Execration Texts, the Hittite
suzerainty-vassal treaties, kudurrus (stone boundary markers), the Code of Hammurapi (Epilogue), etc. For examples,
see notes on Dt 9:14; Jer 15:3; see also note on Ge 27:33; cf.
note on Ezr 6:11.
12:4Abram went, as the Lord had told him. See
Heb 11:8. Prompt obedience grounded in faith
characterized this patriarch throughout his life (see 17:23;
21:14; 22:3). Lot went with him. See 13:1,5. Lot chose to go
with his uncle Abram, seeking a better future. seventy-five
years old. Although advanced in age at the time of his call,
Abram would live for another full century (see 25:7; see also
note on 5:5).

n r

a3 Orearth

/ will use your name in blessings (see48:20)

b7 Orseed

Heb11:8 12:6 sHeb11:9 tGe35:4; Dt11:30; Jos24:26; Jdg7:1;


9:6 uGe33:18; 37:12; Jos17:7; 20:7; 24:1; Jdg8:31; 21:19; 1Ki12:1;
Ps60:6; 108:7 vSGe10:18 12:7wGe17:1; 18:1; 26:2; 35:1; Ex6:3;
Ac7:2 xEx3:8; Nu10:29; Dt30:5; Heb11:8 yGe13:15,17; 15:18;
17:8; 23:18; 24:7; 26:3-4; 28:13; 35:12; 48:4; 50:24; Ex6:4,8; 13:5,
11; 32:13; 33:1; Nu11:12; Dt1:8; 2:31; 9:5; 11:9; 34:4; 2Ki25:21;
1Ch16:16; 2Ch20:7; Ps105:9-11; Jer25:5; Eze47:14; Ac7:5;
Ro4:13; Gal3:16* zSGe8:20; 13:4 12:8 aGe13:3; 28:11,19;
35:1,8,15; Jos7:2; 8:9; 1Sa7:16; 1Ki12:29; Hos12:4; Am3:14; 4:4
bGe26:25; 33:19; Heb11:9

12:5people they had acquired. Wealthy people in that ancient world always had servants in their employ. Some were
slaves, others were servants by choice; all were considered
to be members of the household in which they served (see
14:14; 15:3; 17:1213; 24:2).
12:6site of the great tree. Perhaps the same tree referred to in
35:4 (see also Jdg 9:6,37). Moreh. The name means teacher.
It suggests that the Canaanites sought directions from their
gods by this tree. Abrams God (Yahweh) appeared to him
there (v.7). Shechem. An important city in central Canaan,
founded in the patriarchal period.
12:7The Lord appeared. The Lord at times appeared
in some way to the patriarchs and others, but not in all
his glory (see Ex 33:1820; Jn 1:18). altar. The first of several
Abram built (see v.8; 13:18; 22:9). He acknowledged that the
land of Canaan belonged to the Lord in a special way (see Ex
20:24; Jos 22:19).
12:8Bethel. Just north of Jerusalem (see map, p. XXXX), it was

whoever curses you. The ancient Near Eastern


c p12:3
eoples thought that by pronouncing curses on some-

were in the land. 7The Lord appeared to


Abramw and said, To your offspringb I will
give this land.xy So he built an altar there
to the Lord,z who had appeared to him.
8From there he went on toward the hills
east of Bethela and pitched his tent,b with

ul

4So Abram went, as the Lord had told


him; and Lotl went with him. Abram was
seventy-five years oldm when he set out
from Harran.n 5He took his wife Sarai,o his
nephew Lot, all the possessions they had
accumulatedp and the peopleq they had ac
quired in Harran, and they set out for the
land of Canaan,r and they arrived there.
6Abram traveled through the lands as
far as the site of the great tree of Moreht
at Shechem.u At that time the Canaanitesv

12:3 jGe27:29;
Ex23:22;
Nu24:9; Dt30:7
kGe15:5;
18:18; 22:18;
26:4; 28:4,14;
Dt9:5; Ps72:17;
Isa19:25;
Ac3:25;
Gal3:8*
12:4
lSGe11:27
mGe16:3,16;
17:1,17,24; 21:5
nSGe11:31
12:5
oSGe11:29
pver16;
Ge13:2,6;
31:18; 46:6
qGe14:14; 15:3;
17:23; Ecc2:7
rGe11:31; 16:3;

3 I will bless those who bless you,


and whoever curses you I will curse;j
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.ka

Ge n es is 12:12
Aic

Bethel on the west and


on the east.
There he built an altar to the Lord and
called on the name of the Lord.d
9Then Abram set out and continued to
ward the Negev.e

Abram in Egypt
12:10-20Ref Ge20:1-18; 26:1-11
10Now

there was a famine in the land,f

12:8 cJos7:2;

12:9; Ezr2:28;
Ne7:32;
Jer49:3
dSGe4:26;
S8:20
12:9 eGe13:1,
3; 20:1; 24:62;
Nu13:17;
33:40; Dt34:3;
Jos10:40
12:10
fGe41:27,

an important town in the religious history of Gods ancient


people (see, e.g., 28:1022; 35:18; 1Ki 12:2629).
12:9Negev. The dry wasteland stretching southward from
Beersheba (see map No. 2 at the end of this study Bible). This
Hebrew word is translated south in 13:14.
12:10went down to Egypt ... because the famine was severe. Egypts food supply was usually plentiful because
the Niles water supply was normally dependable. Abrams
experience in this episode foreshadows Israels later experience in Egypt, as the author of Genesis, writing after the exodus, was very much aware. The parallels are striking: a famine
in the land (here; 47:4); affliction at the hands of the Egyptians (vv.1215; Ex 1:1114); Gods plagues on the Egyp-

and Abram went down to Egypt to live


there for a while because the famine was
severe.g 11As he was about to enter Egypt,
he said to his wife Sarai,h I know what
a beautiful womani you are. 12When the
Egyptians see you, they will say, This is
57; 42:5; 43:1; 47:4,13; Ru1:1; 2Sa21:1; 2Ki8:1; Ps105:19
gGe41:30,54,56; 47:20; Ps105:16 12:11 hSGe11:29 iver14;
Ge24:16; 26:7; 29:17; 39:6

tians (v.17; Ex 811); the Egyptians sending the people away


as a result (vv.1920; Ex 12:3132); the Egyptians letting
them take with them all their possessions (v.20; Ex 12:32); the
people obtaining wealth from the Egyptians (v.16; Ex 12:36);
return to Canaan by stages through the wilderness (13:13;
Exodus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; Joshua); arrival back in Canaan, where they worship the Lord (13:4; Jos 5:10; 8:3035;
24:127). Abram was truly the father of Israel.
12:11As he was about to enter Egypt. Having left
the promised land to find food in a time of famine (see Ru 1:1), but doing so without Gods guidance or consent (see 46:34; 2Ki 8:1), Abram showed that he needed to
learn that the God who had called him and made promises

c r

Integrated Chronology of the Patriarchs


Abraham
AGE

75 To Canaan*
Birth of

100

Isaac*

140

age

40 Isaacs marriage*

160

60

175 Abrahams death*

75
100

137
151
157
168
180 Isaacs death*

Note: The ages marked with (*) are expressly given.

31

Births of Esau and

Jacob*
AGE

15
40 Esaus marriage*

77 Jacob to
Paddan Aram
91
97 Jacobs return
to Canaan
108
120
121

Birth of

Joseph
age

130 Jacob to Egypt*

17 Joseph to Egypt*
29
30 Joseph enters
Pharaohs service*
39

147 Jacobs death*

56

110 Josephs death*

116

E xo dus 1 3 : 1 4

14In

days to come, when your sonx asks


you, What does this mean? say to him,
With a mighty hand the Lord brought us
out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.y
15When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let
us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both
people and animals in Egypt. This is why
I sacrifice to the Lord the first male off
spring of every womb and redeem each of
my firstborn sons.z 16And it will be like a
sign on your hand and a symbol on your
foreheada that the Lord brought us out of
Egypt with his m
ighty hand.

Crossing the Sea


17When Pharaoh let the people go, God
did not lead them on the road through the
Philistine country, though that was shorter.
For God said, If they face war, they might
change their minds and return to Egypt.b
18So God ledc the people around by the des
ert road toward the Red Sea.a The Israelites
went up out of Egypt ready for battle.d
19Moses took the b
ones of Josephe with
him because Joseph had made the Isra
elites swear an oath. He had said, God
will surely come to your aid, and then you
must carry my bones up with you from
this place.bf
20After leaving Sukkothg they camped at
Etham on the edge of the desert.h 21By day
the Lord went aheadi of them in a pillar of
cloudj to guide them on their way and by
night in a pillar of fire to give them light,
so that they could travel by day or night.
22Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the
pillar of fire by night leftk its place in front
of the people.
Then the Lord said to Moses, 2Tell
the Israelites to turn back and en
camp near Pi Hahiroth, between Mig
doll and the sea. They are to encamp by
the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.m

14

13:14 xSEx10:2
yEx20:2; Dt7:8;
28:68
13:15 zSver2
13:16 aSver9
13:17 bEx14:11;
Nu14:1-4;
Dt17:16;
Hos11:5
13:18
cEx15:22;
Ps136:16;
Eze20:10
dJos1:14; 4:13
13:19
eJos24:32;
Ac7:16;
Heb11:22
fSGe47:2930
13:20
gSEx12:37
hNu33:6
13:21 iEx32:1;
33:14; Dt2:7;
31:8; Jdg4:14;
5:4; Ps68:7;
77:20; Jer2:2;
Hab3:13
jEx14:19,24;
24:16; 33:9-10;
34:5; 40:38;
Nu9:16; 12:5;
14:14; Dt1:33;
Ne9:12,19;
Ps78:14; 99:7;
105:39; Isa4:5;
1Co10:1
13:22 kNe9:19
14:2 lNu33:7;
Jer44:1;
Eze29:10
mver9
14:4 nSEx4:21
over8,17,
23; Ps71:11
pSEx9:16;
Ro9:17,2223 qSEx6:2;
Eze32:15
14:5
rSGe31:21
sPs105:25
14:7 tEx15:4
14:8
uSEx11:10
vNu33:3;
Ac13:17
14:9 wGe47:17
xver6-7,
25; Jos24:6;
Isa43:17

13:14See note on 12:26.


13:16See note on v.9.
13:17road through the Philistine country. Although the most
direct route from Goshen to Canaan, it was heavily guarded
by a string of Egyptian fortresses.
13:18 desert road. Leading south along the west coast of
the Sinai peninsula. Red Sea. See NIV text note. Various locations of the crossing have been proposed along the line of
the modern Suez Canal and including the northern end of
the Gulf of Suez (see note on 14:2). ready for battle. Probably
armed only with spears, bows and slings.
13:19See notes on Ge 50:2425.
13:21pillar of cloud ... pillar of fire. The visible symbol of Gods
presence among his people (see 14:24; see also note on 3:2).
The Lord often spoke to them from the pillar (see Nu 12:56;
Dt 31:1516; Ps 99:67).
14:2 turn back. Northward, in the general direction
from which they had come. Pi Hahiroth. Located east
of Baal Zephon (Nu 33:7). Migdol. Location unknown. The
name means watchtower. sea. The sea that the NIV, in accordance with established tradition, calls the Red Seain

3Pharaoh will think, The Israelites are


wandering around the land in confusion,
hemmed in by the desert. 4And I will
harden Pharaohs heart,n and he will pur
sue them.o But I will gain gloryp for myself
through Pharaoh and all his army, and the
Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.q
So the Israelites did this.
5When the king of Egypt was told that
the people had fled,r Pharaoh and his offi
cials changed their mindss about them and
said, What have we done? We have let
the Israelites go and have lost their ser
vices! 6So he had his chario
t made ready
and took his army with him. 7He took six
hundred of the best chariots,t along with
all the other chariots of Egypt, with offi
cers over all of them. 8The Lord hardened
the heartu of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so
that he pursued the Israelites, who were
marching out boldly.v 9The Egyptiansall
Pharaohs horsesw and chariots, horsemenc
and troopsxpursued the Israelites and
overtooky them as they camped by the sea
near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.z
10As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites
looked up, and there were the Egyptians,
marching after them. They were terrified
and crieda out to the Lord. 11They said
to Moses, Was it because there were no
graves in Egypt that you brought us to the
desert to die?b What have you done to us
by bringing us out of Egypt? 12Didnt we
say to you in Egypt, Leave us alone; let us
serve the Egyptians? It would have been
better for us to serve the Egyptians than to
die in the desert!c
a18
c9

Or the Sea of Reeds b19 SeeGen. 50:25.


Orcharioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28

yEx15:9 zver2

14:10 aEx15:25; Jos24:7; Ne9:9; Ps5:2; 34:17;


50:15; 107:6,28 14:11 bSEx5:21; 16:3; 17:3; Nu11:1; 14:22;
20:4; 21:5; Dt9:7 14:12 cSEx5:21; 15:24; 17:2; Ps106:78

Hebrew Yam Suph, i.e., Sea of Reeds (see 13:18 and NIV text
note). Reference can hardly be to the northern end of the
Gulf of Suez since reeds do not grow in salt water. Moreover, an Egyptian papyrus seems to locate Baal Zephon in
the vicinity of Tahpanhes (see note on Jer 2:16), a site near
Lake Menzaleh about 20 miles east of Rameses. The crossing of the Red Sea thus may have occurred at the southern
end of Lake Menzaleh (see map, p. XXXX; but see note on
13:18). However, more recent investigation points toward
Lake Balah (see map, p. XXXX). Baal Zephon. Means Baal of
the north or Baal of North (Mountain)also the name of
a Canaanite god.
14:4harden. See v.8 and note on 4:21. know that I am the
Lord. See note on 6:3.
14:7 chariots. Introduced into Egypt from Canaan, they
brought about a revolutionary change in the art of warfare.
Where the terrain was open and relatively flat, as much of
Egypt was, they were especially effective. officers. The Hebrew for the singular of this word means third man, perhaps
referring to his place in a chariot crew.
14:8hardened. See v.4 and note.

map_02_14_exodus

Exo d us 14:12

~ 75%

117

The Exodus

AM

40 km.
40 miles

The Israelite tribes fled past the

Egyptian system of border posts,


through the Red Sea and into the
desert, where they avoided the main
military and trade routes leading
across northern Sinai. Their route
possibly took them past the remote
turquoise and copper mining regions
northwest of Mt. Sinai.

Exact crossing place through the

Biblical Yam Suph is unknown.

It was necessary for Moses to take

refuge in Midian where the Egyptian


authorities could not reach him. The
decades spent on the far side of the
desert were an important formative
part of his life.

Desert
o f Pa ra n

SINAI

Ezion Geber

of Aq
aba

Desert of
Sinai
Desert
o f S i n Hazeroth

Elim

of Zin

Kadesh Punon
(Barnea)

Marah

z
ue
f S
lf o

Jebel
Sin Bisher
(alternative
location of
Mt. Sinai)

Gu

Migdol?

EGYPT

Beersheba
ES
T
D
e
s
ert
I

MI

DIAN

Gulf

Memphis

le R.

Mt.
Salt Nebo

Hebron Sea

ED

Et h a m / D e s e r t
of Shur
Pithom
Great Bitter
Sukkoth
Lake
On
SHASU Little Bitter
NOMADS Lake

L a k e Ti m s a h

Giza

Heshbon

IST

IL

Sile
Migdol?

Rameses

Rabbah

Jericho

PH

Zoan

EK

G O S H E N

Gaza

Lake
Me n z a l e h

AL

Se a o f
Re e d s ?

Ashdod

IA

n
nea
Me diterra

CAN

a
Se

Sea of
Kinnereth

Jo rd a n R .

Alternative route

AAN

Probable Israelite route

AMMON

The exodus and conquest narratives form the classic historical and spiritual drama of OT times. Subsequent ages
looked back to this period as one of obedient and victorious living under divine guidance. Close examination
of the environment and circumstances also reveals the strenuous exertions, human sin and bloody conflicts of
the era.

Ni

gypt

Jebel
al-Lawz
Jebel Musa
(alternative
(traditional
location of
location
Mt. Sinai)
of Mt. Sinai)
Re d Se a

terms, the exodus from Egypt was ignored by Egyptian scribes


ab Inandhistorical
recorders. No definitive monuments mention the event itself, but a
stele of Pharaoh Merneptah (c. 1205 bc) claims that a people called Israel were
encountered by Egyptian troops somewhere in northern Canaan.

Finding precise geographical and chronological details of the period is problematic, but new information has emerged from vast amounts of fragmentary archaeological and inscriptional evidence. Hittite cuneiform documents parallel the
ancient covenant formula governing Israels national contract with God at Mount
Sinai.
The Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 bc) was a time of major social migrations. Egyptian control over the Semites in the eastern Nile delta was harsh, with a system
of brickmaking quotas imposed on the labor force, often the landless, low-class
Apiru. Numerous Canaanite towns were violently destroyed. New populations,
including the Sea Peoples, made their presence felt in Anatolia, Egypt, Canaan,
Transjordan, and elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean.
Correspondence from Canaanite town rulers to the Egyptian court (the Amarna
letters; see chart, p. 0000) in the time of Akhenaten (c. 1375 bc) reveals a weak
structure of alliances, with an intermittent Egyptian military presence and an ominous fear of people called Apiru (= Habiru).

134

E xo dus 2 5 : 1 3

ringsx

on one side and two rings on the


other. 13Then make poles of acacia wood
and overlay them with gold.y 14Insert the
polesz into the rings on the sides of the
ark to carry it. 15The poles are to remain
in the rings of this ark; they are not to be
removed.a 16Then put in the ark the tab
lets of the covenant law,b which I will give
you.
17Make an atonement coverc of pure
goldtwo and a half cubits long and a cu
bit and a half wide. 18And make two cher
ubimd out of hammered gold at the ends

25:12 xver26;
of the cover. 19Make one cherub on one
Ex30:4
end and the second cherub on the other;
y
25:13 ver28;
Ex27:6; 30:5;
make the cherubim of one piece with the
37:28
cover, at the two ends. 20The cherubime
25:14
zEx27:7; 40:20;
are to have their wings spread upward,
1Ch15:15
overshadowingf the cover with them. The
25:15 a1Ki8:8
cherubim are to face each other, looking
25:16
bSEx16:34;
toward the cover. 21Place the cover on top
Heb9:4
of the arkg and put in the ark the tablets
c
25:17 ver21;
of the covenant lawh that I will give you.
Lev16:13;
Ro3:25
25:18 dEx26:1, 8:6; 2Ch3:10-13; Heb9:5 25:20 eSGe3:24 fEx37:9; 1Ki8:7;
31; 36:35;
1Ch28:18; Heb9:5 25:21 gver10-15; Ex26:34; 40:20; Dt10:5
hSEx16:34; Heb9:4
1Ki6:23,27;

25:16covenant law. The two tablets on which were inscribed


the Ten Commandments as the basic stipulations of the Sinai
covenant (see 20:117; 31:18). The Hebrew word for covenant law is related to a Babylonian word meaning covenant
stipulations. See also notes on v.22; 16:34.
25:17 atonement. Reconciliation, the divine act of
grace whereby God draws to himself and makes at
one with him those who were once alienated from him. In
the OT, the shed blood of sacrificial offerings effected atonement (see Lev 17:11 and note); in the NT, the blood of Jesus,
shed once for all time (see Heb 9:12), does the same (see Ro
3:25; 1Jn 2:2 and notes). atonement cover. See Lev 16:2 and
note. That Gods symbolic throne was capped with an atonement cover signified his great mercy toward his people

only such a God can be revered (see Ps 130:34).


25:18cherubim. Probably similar to the carvings of
winged sphinxes that adorned the armrests of royal
thrones (see note on v.10) in many parts of the ancient Near
East (see also note on Ge 3:24). In the OT the cherubim were
symbolic attendants that marked the place of the Lords enthronement in his earthly kingdom (see 1Sa 4:4; 2Sa 6:2;
2Ki 19:15; Ps 99:1). From the cover of the ark (Gods symbolic throne) the Lord gave directions to Moses (see v.22;
Nu 7:89). Later the arks presence in the temple at Jerusalem
would designate it as Gods earthly royal city (see Ps 9:11
and note).
25:21put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law. See note
on 31:18, but see also Dt 31:26.

The Tabernacle
The new religious observances taught by Moses in the desert centered on rituals connected with the tabernacle
and amplified Israels sense of separateness, purity and oneness under the lordship of Yahweh.

2011 by Zondervan. All rights reserved.

desert shrines have been found in Sinai, notably


ab Aatfew
Serabit el-Khadem and at Timnah in the Negev, and
show marked Egyptian influence.

Specific cultural antecedents to portable shrines carried on


poles and covered with thin sheets of gold can be found in
ancient Egypt as early as the Old Kingdom (28002250 bc),
but were especially prominent in the 18th and 19th dynasties (15701180). The best examples come from the fabulous
tomb of Tutankhamun, c. 1350 bc.

Comparisons of construction details in the text of Ex 2540


with the frames, shrines, poles, sheathing, draped fabric covers, gilt rosettes and winged protective figures from the shrine
of Tutankhamun are instructive. The period, the Late Bronze
Age, is equivalent in all dating systems to the era of Moses
and the exodus.

Exo d us 25:31
22There,

above the cover between the two


cherubimi that are over the ark of the cov
enant law, I will meetj with you and give
you all my commands for the Israelites.k

The Table
25:23-29pp Ex37:10-16
23Make

a tablel of acacia woodtwo


cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and
a half high.a 24Overlay it with pure gold
and make a gold molding around it. 25Also
make around it a rim a handbreadthb wide
and put a gold molding on the rim. 26Make
four gold rings for the table and fasten
them to the four corners, where the four
legs are. 27The rings are to be close to the
rim to hold the poles used in carrying the
table. 28Make the poles of acacia wood,

25:22 iNu7:89;

1Sa4:4;
2Sa6:2; 22:11;
2Ki19:15;
1Ch13:6; 28:18;
Ps18:10; 80:1;
99:1; Isa37:16
jSEx19:3;
29:42; 30:6,
36; Lev1:1;
16:2; Nu17:4
kJer3:16
25:23 lver30;
Ex26:35; 40:4,
22; Lev24:6;
Nu3:31;
1Ki7:48;
1Ch28:16;
2Ch4:8,19;
Eze41:22;
44:16; Heb9:2
25:28

mSver13
25:29 nNu4:7

25:30

25:22 ark of the covenant law. Called this because it contained the two tablets of the covenant law (v.16; see note
there). The phrase ark of the covenant law is a synonym of
the more familiar phrase ark of the covenant (see, e.g., Nu
10:33). I will meet with you. See note on 27:21.
25:26rings. See note on v.12.
25:30bread of the Presence. Traditionally showbread.
In this phrase, Presence refers to the presence of God

135

goldm

overlay them with


and carry the ta
ble with them. 29And make its plates and
dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitch
ers and bowls for the pouring out of of
ferings.n 30Put the bread of the Presenceo
on this table to be before me at all times.

The Lampstand
25:31-39pp Ex37:17-24
31Make a lamps tandp of pure gold.
Hammer out its base and shaft, and make
a23

That is, about 3feet long, 11/2 feet wide and 21/4
feet high or about 90 centimeters long, 45 centimeters
wide and 68 centimeters high b25 That is, about
3inches or about 7.5centimeters
oEx35:13; 39:36; 40:4,23; Lev24:5-9; Nu4:7; 1Sa21:4-6;
1Ki7:48; 1Ch23:29 25:31 pEx26:35; 31:8; 35:14; 39:37; 40:4,24;

Lev24:4; Nu3:31; 1Ki7:49; 2Ch4:7; Zec4:2; Heb9:2; Rev1:12

himself (as in 33:1415; Isa 63:9). The bread (12 loaves, one
for each tribe) represented a perpetual offering to the Lord
by which the Israelites declared that they consecrated to God
the fruits of their labors and by which the nation at the same
time acknowledged that all such fruit had been provided
only by Gods blessing. See Lev 24:59.
25:31flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms. The design is patterned after an almond tree (see v.33), the first of the trees

Tabernacle Furnishings
The symbolism of Gods redemptive covenant was preserved in the tabernacle, making each element an object
lesson for the worshiper. Likely reconstructions of the furnishings are based on the detailed descriptions and
precise measurements recorded in Exodus 2540. (The bronze basin is not shown here.)
ARK OF THE COVENANT

ark of the covenant (or Testimony) compares


ab The
with the roughly contemporary shrine and funerary
furniture of King Tutankhamun (c. 1350 bc), which, along
with the Nimrud and Samaria ivories from a later
period, have been used to guide the graphic
interpretation of the text. Both sources show
the conventional way of depicting extreme reverence,
with facing winged guardians shielding a sacred place.

INCENSE ALTAR

LAMPSTAND

The traditional form of the lampstand is not attested


archaeologically until much later.

TABLE

The table holding the bread of the Presence was made of


wood covered with thin sheets of gold. All of the objects
were portable and were fitted with rings and carrying poles,
practices typical of Egyptian ritual processions as early as
the Old Kingdom.

BRONZE ALTAR

ab

The altar of burnt offering was made of


wood overlaid with bronze. The size, five cubits
square and three cubits high, matches altars found at Arad
and Beersheba from the period of the monarchy.

2011 by Zondervan. All rights reserved.

136

E xo dus 2 5 : 3 2

its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of


one piece with them. 32Six branches are to
extend from the sides of the lampstand
three on one side and three on the other.
33Three cups shaped like almond flowers
with buds and blossoms are to be on one
branch, three on the next branch, and the
same for all six branches extending from
the lampstand. 34And on the lampstand
there are to be four cups shaped like al
mond flowers with buds and blossoms.
35One bud shall be under the first pair of
branches extending from the lampstand,
a second bud under the second pair, and
a third bud under the third pairsix
branches in all. 36The buds and branches
shall all be of one piece with the lamp
stand, hammered out of pure gold.q
37Then make its seven lampsr and set
them up on it so that they light the space
in front of it. 38Its wick trimmers and trayss
are to be of pure gold. 39A talenta of pure
gold is to be used for the lampstand and
all these accessories. 40See that you make
them according to the patternt shown you
on the mountain.

25:36 qver18;
Nu8:4
25:37
rEx27:21; 30:8;
Lev24:3-4;
Nu8:2; 1Sa3:3;
2Ch13:11
25:38 sSver37;
Nu4:9
25:40 tSver9;
Ac7:44;
Heb8:5*
26:1 uEx29:42;
40:2; Lev8:10;
Nu1:50;
Jos22:19,
29; 2Sa7:2;
1Ki1:39;
Ac7:44;
Heb8:2,
5; 13:10;
SRev21:3
vSEx25:18
26:2 wver8

The Tabernacle
26:1-37pp Ex36:8-38

Make the tabernacle with ten


26
curtains of finely twisted linen
and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with
u

cherubimv woven into them by a skilled


worker. 2All the curtains are to be the
same sizewtwenty-eight cubits long and
four cubits wide.b 3Join five of the cur
tains together, and do the same with the
other five. 4Make loops of blue material
along the edge of the end curtain in one
set, and do the same with the end curtain

a39

That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms


is, about 42 feet long and 6feet wide or about
13 meters long and 1.8 meters wide c8 That is, about
45 feet long and 6feet wide or about 13.5 meters long
and 1.8 meters wide d13 That is, about 18 inches or
about 45 centimeters e14 Possibly the hides of large
aquatic mammals (see 25:5) f16 That is, about 15
feet long and 21/4 feet wide or about 4.5 meters long
and 68 centimeters wide
b2 That

26:6 xver11
26:8 yver2
26:11 zver6
26:14 aNu3:25
bNu4:25

in the Near East to blossom in spring. The cups of the lampstand resemble either the outer covering of the almond
flower or the almond nut.
25:37 seven. Signifying completeness. lamps.
The ancient lamp was a small clay saucer with
part of its rim pinched together to form a spout from which
protruded the top of a wick fed by oil contained in the saucer.
(Examples of seven-spouted lamps come from the time of
Moses; see note on Zec 4:2.) The classic representation of the
shape of the tabernacle lampstand (menorah) comes from
the time of Herod the Great and may be seen on the Arch of
Titus in Rome. The lamps were to burn all night in the tabernacle, tended by the priests. Oil for the lamps was to be
supplied by the people; the light from the lamps represented
the glory of the Lord reflected in the consecrated lives of the
IsraelitesIsraels glory answering to Gods glory in the tabernacle (29:43). See 27:2021.
25:40Quoted in Heb 8:5 in order to contrast the shadow (the trappings of the old covenant) with the reality
(the Christ of the new covenant). See also Heb 10:1.
26:1tabernacle. See note on 25:9; see also diagram,
p. XXXX. Its basic structure was to be 15 feet wide by
45 feet long by 15 feet high. Over an inner lining of embroidered linen (vv.16), it was to have a covering woven of

c n

in the other set. 5Make fifty loops on one


curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain
of the other set, with the loops opposite
each other. 6Then make fifty gold clasps
and use them to fasten the curtains togeth
er so that the tabernacle is a unit.x
7Make curtains of goat hair for the tent
over the tabernacleeleven altogether.
8All eleven curtains are to be the same
sizeythirty cubits long and four cubits
wide.c 9Join five of the curtains together
into one set and the other six into another
set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the
front of the tent. 10Make fifty loops along
the edge of the end curtain in one set and
also along the edge of the end curtain in
the other set. 11Then make fifty bronze
clasps and put them in the loops to fas
ten the tent together as a unit.z 12As for
the additional length of the tent curtains,
the half curtain that is left over is to hang
down at the rear of the tabernacle. 13The
tent curtains will be a cubitd longer on
both sides; what is left will hang over
the sides of the tabernacle so as to cover
it. 14Make for the tent a coveringa of ram
skins dyed red, and over that a covering of
the other durable leather.eb
15Make upright frames of acacia wood
for the tabernacle. 16Each frame is to be
ten cubits long and a cubit and a half
wide,f 17with two projections set paral
lel to each other. Make all the frames of

goat hair (vv.713) and two additional coverings of leather,


one made from ram skins dyed red and one from another
... durable leather (25:5; see NIV text note there; cf. 26:14).
Internally, the ceiling was probably flat, but whether the
leather coverings had a ridge line with sloping sides (like a
tent) is not known. The tabernacle represented Gods royal
tent. Its form and adornment (like those of the later temples
that replaced it) marked it as a symbolic representation of
the created cosmos over which God is sovereign as Creator
and Lord. As such, it stood for the center of the cosmos
from which the Creator reigns, the place where the heavenly and earthly realms converge. There God lived among
his people (Immanuel, God with us), and his people could
come near to him. At this sanctuary Israel lived symbolically
at the gate of Paradisevery near though still outside,
awaiting the fulfillment of Gods redemptive program (see
vv.3135; Ge 3:24 and notes; see also Rev 21:122:6 and
notes). finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn.
See note on 25:4. cherubim. Signifying a royal chamber (see
25:18 and note).
26:7goat hair. See note on 25:4.
26:14ram skins dyed red ... other durable leather. See note
on 25:5.
26:17projections. Lit. hands; probably the two pegs at the

the New
testament

The Gospels
and the
Early CHurch

1582

1646

1754

1818

Matthew

John

Mark

1693
Luke

Acts

he first four books of the NT are known as the Gospels,


from the Greek word for good news. The good news
is that Jesus Christ and his redemptive work on the
cross fulfill Messianic promises in the OT (see note on
Lk 24:44). Matthew, Mark and Luke are often called the Synoptic
Gospels, because they are written from a similar viewpoint (see
essay, p.0000). These texts are historical narratives, relating the
story of the life and ministry of Christ. The Gospel of John differs
in emphasis from the Synoptics. With a more theological tone,
John is concerned more with examining the special significance
and meaning behind Jesus words, works and identity. The book
of Acts is a companion piece to Luke, picking up where the Gospel narrative ends and telling the story of the early church and
the work of the Holy Spirit through the apostles, especially Peter
and Paul.

The Synoptic Gospels

Four Portraits of the One Jesus


Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

The Gospel of the Messiah

The Gospel of the suffering


Son of God

The Gospel of the Savior


for all people

The Gospel of the divine Son who


reveals the Father

Most structured

Most dramatic

Most thematic

Most theological

Photo Credits (l to r):The Supper at Emmaus, Champaigne, Philippe de/Musee des Beaux-Arts, Angers, France/Giraudon/The Bridgeman Art Library, Scala/Art Resource, NY,
Scala/Art Resource, NY, Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
Taken from Four Portraits, One Jesus by MARK L. STRAUSS. Copyright 2007 by Mark L. Strauss, p. 24. Used by permission of Zondervan.

A comparison of the four Gospels reveals that Matthew, Mark and Luke are noticeably similar, while
John is quite different. The first three Gospels agree extensively in language, in the material they
include, and in the order in which events and sayings from the life of Christ are recorded. (Chronological order does not appear to have been rigidly followed in any of the Gospels, however.) Because of this agreement, these three books are called the Synoptic Gospels (syn, together with;
optic, seeing; thus seeing together). For an example of agreement in content, see Mt 9:28; Mk
2:312; Lk 5:1826. An instance of verbatim agreement is found in Mt 10:22a; Mk 13:13a; Lk 12:17.
A mathematical comparison shows that 91 percent of Marks Gospel is contained in Matthew, while
53 percent of Mark is found in Luke. Such agreement raises questions as to the origin of the Synoptic Gospels. Did the authors rely on a common source? Were they interdependent? Questions such

The Synoptics and John


Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke)

Gospel of John

1. Emphasize the Galilean setting of the first part of Jesus ministry

1. Considerable movement between Galilee and Judea

2. Little information given to determine the length of Jesus ministry;


material could fit into a single year

2. Mentions at least three different Passover festivals (2:13; 6:4; 13:1),


and so a ministry of 2 to 3 years

3. Jesus teaches mostly in parables, short sayings and epigrams

3. Relates long speeches by Jesus, dialogues with his opponents and


interviews with individuals

4. Teaching focuses on the kingdom of God; healings and exorcisms


demonstrate the power of the kingdom and the dawn of
eschatological salvation

4. Teaching focuses on Jesus himself and the Sons revelation of the


Father. Signs or miracles reveal Jesus identity and glorify the Father;
no exorcisms

Taken from Four Portraits, One Jesus by MARK L. STRAUSS. Copyright 2007 by Mark L. Strauss, p. 25. Used by permission of Zondervan.

The Synoptic Gospels

1581

as these constitute what is known as the Synoptic Problem. Many solutions have been proposed,
of which these are the most important:
1.Complete independence. Some hold
that the Synoptic writers worked independently of each other, perhaps using
various written or oral sources. According
to this view, the similarsometimes even
verbatimchoice and order of words
and events are best explained by the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit on the
authors.

Two-source theory

2.The use of an early Gospel. Some have


postulated that the Synoptic authors all
had access to an earlier Gospel, now lost.
3.The use of two major sources. The
most common view currently is that the
Gospel of Mark and a hypothetical document, called Quelle (German for source)
or Q, were used by Matthew and Luke as
sources for most of the materials included
in their Gospels.

mark

matthew

Luke

Matthean Priority

4.The priority and use of Matthew. Another view suggests that the other two
Synoptics drew from Matthew as their
main source.
5.A combination of the above. This theory assumes that the authors of the Synoptic Gospels made use of oral tradition,
written fragments, mutual dependence on
other Synoptic writers or on their Gospels,
and the testimony of eyewitnesses.

Matthew

Luke

mark

Dating the Synoptic Gospels


mark

matthew

luke

Assumption A Matthew and Luke used Mark as a major source


View No. 1 Mark written in the 50s or early 60s AD

(1) Matthew written in late 50s or the 60s

(2) Luke written 5963
View No. 2 Mark written 6570

(1) Matthew written in the 70s or later

(2) Luke written in the 70s or later

matthew

mark

luke

Assumption B Matthew and Luke did not use Mark as a


source; any of the three could have been written from the 50s onward
(see Introductions to Matthew, Mark and Luke)

Matthew
Introduction
Author
Although the first Gospel is anonymous, the early church fathers were unanimous in holding
that Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, was its author. However, the results of modern critical
studiesin particular those that stress Matthews alleged dependence on Mark for a substantial part of his Gospelhave caused some Biblical scholars to abandon Matthean authorship.
Why, they ask, would Matthew, an eyewitness to the events of our Lords life, depend so heavily
on Marks account? The best answer seems to be that Marks Gospel represents the testimony of
Peter (see Introduction to Mark: Author), and Matthew would certainly be willing to follow Peters
apostolic authority.
Matthew, whose name means gift of the Lord, was a tax collector who left his work to follow
Jesus (9:913). In Mark and Luke he is called by his other name, Levi; in Mk 2:14 he is further identified as son of Alphaeus.

Date and Place of Writing


Some have argued on the basis of its Jewish characteristics that
Matthews Gospel was written in the early church period, possibly the early part of AD 50, when the church was largely Jewish
and the gospel was preached to Jews only (Ac 11:19). However,
those who have concluded that both Matthew and Luke drew
extensively from Marks Gospel date it laterafter the Gospel
of Mark had been in circulation for a period of time. See essay
and chart, p. XXXX. Accordingly, some feel that Matthew would
have been written in the late 50s or in the 60s. Others, who assume that Mark was written between 65 and 70, place Matthew
in the 70s or even later. However, there is insufficient evidence
to be dogmatic about either view.
The Jewish nature of Matthews Gospel may suggest that it
was written in the Holy Land, though many think it may have
originated in Syrian Antioch. The church in Antioch had a large
Greek-speaking Jewish population and was at the forefront
of the mission to the Gentiles, a theme Matthew emphasizes
(e.g., 28:1820).

a quick look
Author:
Matthew, also called Levi
Audience:
Greek-speaking Jewish
Christians
Date:
Between AD 50 and 70
Theme:
Matthew presents Jesus as the
Jewish Messiah sent by God to
fulfill Old Testament prophecy.

Introduction: Mat thew

1583

Recipients
Many elements in Matthews Gospel point to a Jewish or Jewish-Christian readership: Matthews
concern with fulfillment of the OT (he has more quotations from and allusions to the OT than any
other NT author); his tracing of Jesus descent from Abraham (1:117); his lack of explanation of
Jewish customs (especially in contrast to Mark); his use of Jewish terminology (e.g., kingdom of
heaven, where heaven reveals the Jewish reverential reluctance to use the name of God; see note
on 3:2); and his emphasis on Jesus role as Son of David (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:3031; 21:9,15;
22:4145). This does not mean, however, that Matthew restricts his Gospel to Jews. He records the
coming of the Magi (non-Jews) to worship the infant Jesus (2:112), as well as Jesus statement that
the field is the world (13:38). He also gives a full statement of the Great Commission (28:1820).
These passages show that, although Matthews Gospel is Jewish, it has a universal outlook.
Purpose
Matthews main purpose is to confirm for his Jewish-Christian readers that Jesus is their Messiah.
He does this primarily by showing how Jesus in his life and ministry fulfilled the OT Scriptures.
Although all the Gospel writers quote the OT, Matthew includes many proof texts unique to his

Aerial view of Capernaum, along the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew was a tax collector in
Capernaum, and was met there and called by Jesus (Mt 9:9).
Duby Tal/Albatross/age fotostock

House of Herod
(22.5% for 2)

Damascus
IT

IDUMEA

Med

BA

Jo rd a n R .

ran

iter

Jo rd a n R .

Archelaus
Jerusalem

20 km.
20 miles

JUDEA
Dead
I D U M E A Sea

Herod the Great

Herod
Antipas

20 km.

Herod Philip
Herod Antipas
Archelaus

2nd Generation

1st Generation

Herod Philip II (MOTHER: CLEOPATRA) Tetrach of Iturea


and Traconitis (4 bcad 34) (Lk 3:1)

Archelaus (MOTHER: MALTHACE) Ethnarch of Judea,

Idumea and Samaria (4 bcad 6); when Mary and Joseph


left Egypt, they avoided Judea and settled in Nazareth
(Mt 2:19-23)

Herod the Great King of Judea,

Galilee, Iturea, Traconitis (374 bc)

Aristobulus (MOTHER: MARIAMNE) (d. 10 bc) Not mentioned


in the Bible

Birth of Jesus (Mt 2:1-19; Lk 1:5)


KEY:

Herod Antipas (MOTHER: MALTHACE) Tetrarch of Galilee


and Perea (4 bcad 39) (Lk 3:1); second husband of
Herodias; he put John the Baptist to death (Mt 14:1-12;
Mk 6:14-29); Pilate sent Jesus to him (Lk 23:7-12)

King
Ethnarch/Tetrarch

Herod Philip I (MOTHER: MARIAMNE) He did not rule; first

BERNICE italic capitals denote females


Antipater bold type: bloodline of Herod the Great
Felix light type: non-bloodline

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son


18This is how the birth of Jesus the Mes
siah came abouta: His mother Mary was
pledged to be married to Joseph, but be

husband of Herodias (Mt 14:3; Mk 6:17) (died c. ad 34)

Antipater (MOTHER: DORIS)

fore they came together, she was found to


be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.p 19Be
cause Joseph her husband was faithful to
1:18 pLk1:35

1:18pledged to be married. There were no sexual relations


during a Jewish betrothal period, but it was a much more
binding relationship than a modern engagement and could
be broken only by divorce (see v.19). In Dt 22:24 a betrothed
woman is called a wife, though the preceding verse speaks
of her as being pledged to be married. Matthew uses the
terms husband (v.19) and wife (v.24) of Joseph and Mary

a18

20 miles

EA

JUDEA

Dead
Sea

TA

BA

LIS
0

SAMARIA

Herod
Philip II

PER

PO

EA

Jerusalem

T
G AU L A N I T I S E A
N
A
EE
Sea of
IL
L
Galilee
AU R A N I T I S

TIS

PER

Herod
the Great

Damascus

NI

TIS

AU R A N I T I S

SAMARIA

EA

NI

U
GA
Sea of
Galilee
GALILEE

TR
A
EA

AC

IT
LAN IS

nean

EA

erra

(~22.5% for 2)

dit

map_41_02_houseofherod2

#1 Palestine (Old Galilee)

Sea

IT

Sea

map_41_02_houseofherod1

Me

#1 Palestine (Old Galilee)

M at t h e w 1 : 1 8

ean

1588

OrThe origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this

before their marriage was consummated (see note on Joel


1:8). the Holy Spirit. The common NT way of referring to the
divine Spirit, who in the OT was almost always called the
Spirit of God or the Spirit of the Lord. See Ps 51:11 and
note. Christian reflection on the Biblical word about him (see
3:1617; 28:19; 2Co 13:14 and notes) led to the understanding that he is one of the three persons of the Trinity.

M atthew 1:20

#1 Palestine (Old Galilee)

A
I

Me
dit
err
ane
an

Jo rd a n R .

SAMARIA
Controlled
by Roman
procurators

PE

Dead
I D U M E A Sea

JUDEA

RE

us

Jerusalem

IAS

TIS

Antipas

Herod
Agrippa I

T
ER

NI

Philip

GA

O
20 miles

SAMARIA

TRACONITIS
Sea of
Galilee

EE

Jerusalem

20 km.

20 miles

IDUMEA

A
NE CONI
TI
A
S
TR

Herod
Agrippa II
0

ABILA

Dead
Sea

3rd Generation

4th Generation

Herod of Chalcis

Felix (Governor of Judea)

Herod Agrippa I King of Judea (ad 3744); killed

IL

Sea of A U R A N I T I S
Galilee

JUDEA

Herod Agrippa I

Damascus

Sea

Damascus

IB

AC

20 km.

Me
dit
err
an
ean

ITIS

IL

(22.5% for 2)

Sea

scus

map_41_02_houseofherod4

AL

CH

IS

Jo rd a n R .

(22.5% for 2)

map_41_02_houseofherod3
#1 Palestine (Old Galilee)

1589

20 km.
20 miles

Controlled by Roman
procurators
Herod Agrippa II

DRUSILLA
Married Felix, governor of Judea (ad 5259);
Felix tried Paul (Ac 24:24)

James; put Peter into prison; struck down by an angel


(Ac 12:1-24)
HERODIAS Married her uncle Herod Philip I, and then
a second uncle, Herod Antipas (Mt 14:3; Mk 6:17)

Herod Agrippa II
King of Judea; Paul makes a legal defense before him
(Ac 25:1326:32)

Denotes Herodiass marriage to Herod Antipas

BERNICE
With her brother at the time of Pauls defense
(Ac 25:13)

Denotes Herodiass marriage to Herod Philip I


and daughter of that marriage

SALOME
Daughter of Herodias and Herod Philip I; danced for
the head of John the Baptist (Mt 14:1-12; Mk 6:14-29)

the law, and yeta did not want to expose


her to public disgrace, he had in mind to
divorceq her quietly.
20But after he had considered this, an

1:19 qDt24:1

1:20 rSAc5:19

sSMt27:19

1:19divorce her quietly. He would sign the necessary legal


papers but not have her judged publicly and stoned (see Dt
22:2324).
1:20in a dream. The phrase occurs five times in the first two
chapters of Matthew (here; 2:1213,19,22) and indicates the
means the Lord used for speaking to Joseph. Joseph son of
David. See notes on 1:1,16; perhaps a hint that the message

angelr of the Lord appeared to him in a


dreams and said, Joseph son of David, do
not be afraid to take Mary home as your
a19 Orwas

a righteous man and

of the angel related to the expected Messiah. take Mary home


as your wife. They were legally bound to each other but not
yet living together as husband and wife. what is conceived in
her is from the Holy Spirit. This agrees perfectly with the announcement to Mary (Lk 1:35), except that the latter is more
specific (see note on Lk 1:2635).

1594

M at t h e w 4 : 4

Herods Temple
20 bcad 70
Begun in 20 bc, Herods new structure towered 15 stories high, following the floor
dimensions of the former temples in the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The
high sanctuary shown here in a cutaway view was built on the site of the former
temples of Solomon and Zerubbabel.
The outer courts surrounding the temple mount were not completed until ad 64.
The entire structure was demolished by the Romans in ad 70.

Dimensions of rooms,
steps, doorways, cornices
and exterior measure
ments are mentioned in
history (Josephus and the
Mishnah) but are subject
to interpretation, and all
drawings vary.
2011 by Zondervan. All rights reserved.

M atthew 4:12
4Jesus

answered, It is written: Man


shall not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes from the mouth of God.aa
5Then the devil took him to the holy
cityb and had him stand on the highest
point of the temple. 6If you are the Son
of God,c he said, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels
concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.bd
7Jesus answered him, It is also writ
ten: Do not put the Lord your God to the
test.ce

Jn4:34
4:5 bNe11:1;
Da9:24;
Mt27:53
4:6 cSver3
dPs91:11,12
4:7 eDt6:16
4:10 f1Ch21:1;
Job1:6-9;
Mt16:23;
Mk4:15;
Lk10:18;
13:16; 22:3,
31; Ro16:20;
2Co2:11;
11:14; 2Th2:9;
Rev12:9
gDt6:13
4:11 hJas4:7
iMt26:53;
Lk22:43;
Heb1:14

#1 Palestine (Old Galilee)

4:4Just as God gave the Israelites manna in a supernatural way


(see Dt 8:3 and note), so also people today must rely on God for
spiritual nourishment. Jesus relied on his Father, not his own
miracle power, for provision of food (cf. Jn 4:34 and note; 6:27).
4:5See note on Lk 4:2. highest point of the temple. See note on
Lk 4:9. temple. The temple, including the entire temple area,
had been rebuilt by Herod the Great (see notes on 2:1; Jn 2:20;
see also diagram, p. XXXX).

the devil took him to a very


high mountain and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9All this I will give you, he said, if you
will bow down and worshipme.
10Jesus said to him, Away from me, Sa
tan!f For it is written: Worship the Lord
your God, and s erve him only.dg
11Then the devil left him,h and angels
came and attended him.i

Jesus Begins to Preach


12When Jesus heard that John had been
put in prison,j he withdrew to Galilee.k
a4 Deut.8:3 b6
d10

Deut.6:13

Psalm91:11,12 c7 Deut.6:16

4:12 jMt14:3 kMk1:14

4:6throw yourself down. See note on Lk 4:9. it is written. See


note on Lk 4:10.
4:9worship me. See note on Lk 4:7.
4:10Satan. See note on v.1.
4:11the devil left him. See note on Lk 4:13.
4:12See map No. 11 at the end of this study Bible. John had
been put in prison. See Mk 1:14 and note on Lk 3:20. The reason for Johns imprisonment is given in 14:34.

Many interpreters place Johns baptismal


ministry at a point on the middle reaches
of the Jordan River, where trade routes
converge at a natural ford not far from the
modern site of Tell Shalem.

EE
I L Capernaum

~ 66%

Sepphoris

Caesarea
Maritima

RIA

U M E A
Beersheba

Jesus Temptation

nes
Ju d e a n W i l d e
r

Jerusalem

Scythopolis

Salim
(Tell Shalem)
Aenon

Me

A
AM

A
J U D E

Gaza

Gadara

Nazareth

di

ter

ran

ean

Sea of
Galilee

Jo rd a n R .

For Jesus temptation, see notes on Mt


4:1-11; Lk 4:1-13.

Sea

Jesus Baptismmap_41_04_jesusbaptismtemptation
and Temptation
Events surrounding Jesus baptism
reveal the intense religious excite
ment and social ferment of the early
days of John the Baptists minis
try. Herod had been rapacious and
extravagant; Roman military occupa
tion was harsh. Some agitation cen
tered around the change of governors
from Gratus to Pilate in AD 26. Most of
the people hoped for a religious solu
tion to their intolerable political situ
ation, and when they heard of a new
prophet, they flocked out into the
desert to hear him. The religious sect
(Essenes) from Qumran professed sim
ilar doctrines of repentance and bap
tism. Jesus was baptized at Bethany
on the other side of the Jordan (see
Jn 1:28). John also baptized at Aenon
near Salim (Jn 3:23).

1595

8Again,

4:4 aDt8:3;

Jericho
Bethany on the other
side of the Jordan
Qumran
Dead
Sea

Jesus Baptism?

Machaerus

0
0

10 km.
10 miles

1682

M a r k 1 4 : 2

Centuries-old olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane.


William D. Mounce

arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.c 2But


not during the festival, they said, or the
people may riot.
3While he was in Bethany,d reclining at
the table in the home of Simon the Lep
er, a woman came with an alabaster jar
of very expensive perfume, made of pure
nard. She broke the jar and poured the
perfume on his head.e
4Some of those present were saying in
dignantly to one another, Why this waste
of perfume? 5It could have been sold for
more than a years wagesa and the money
given to the poor. And they rebuked her
harshly.

14:1
cSMt12:14
14:3
dSMt21:17
eLk7:3739

14:7 fDt15:11
14:8 gJn19:40
14:9
hSMt24:14;
Mk16:15
14:10
iMk3:16-19

14:2not during the festival. During Passover and the weeklong Festival of Unleavened Bread, the population of Jerusalem increased from about 50,000 to a few hundred thousand. It would have been too risky to apprehend Jesus with
so large and excitable a crowd present.
14:39In Johns Gospel this incident is placed before
the beginning of Passion Week (see Jn 12:111 and
note). Matthew and Mark may have placed it here to contrast
the hatred of the religious leaders and the betrayal by Judas
with the love and devotion of the woman who anointed Jesus.
14:3Bethany. See note on Mt 21:17. reclining at the table.
The usual posture for eating at a banquet. Simon the Leper.
See note on Mt 26:6. woman. We know from Jn 12:3 that she
was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. alabaster jar. A
sealed flask with a long neck that was broken off when the
contents were used and that contained enough ointment for
one application. nard. See notes on SS 1:12; Jn 12:3. poured
the perfume on his head. Anointing was a common custom at

6Leave her alone, said Jesus. Why


are you bothering her? She has done a
beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will
always have with you,b and you can help
them any time you want.f But you will not
always have me. 8She did what she could.
She poured perfume on my body before
hand to prepare for my burial.g 9Truly I
tell you, wherever the gospel is preached
throughout the world,h what she has done
will also be told, in memory of her.
10Then Jud as Isc ario t, one of the
Twelve,i went to the chief priests to betray
a5 Greek than three hundred denarii b7 See
Deut.15:11.

feasts (see Ps 23:5 and note). The womans action expressed


her deep devotion to Jesus.
14:4Some of those present. Mt 26:8 identifies them as the disciples, while Jn 12:45 singles out Judas Iscariot.
14:5given to the poor. It was a Jewish custom to give gifts to
the poor on the evening of Passover (see Jn 13:29).
14:7 The poor you will always have with you. See Dt
15:11 and note. Jesus statement did not express lack
of concern for the poor, for their needs lay close to his heart
(see Mt 6:24; Lk 4:18; 6:20; 14:13,21; 18:22; Jn 13:29). He was
simply stating the truth.
14:8prepare for my burial. It was a normal Jewish custom
to anoint a dead body with aromatic oils in preparing it for
burial (see 16:1 and note). Jesus seems to anticipate suffering
a criminals death, for only in that circumstance was there no
anointing of the body.
14:9Truly I tell you. See note on 3:28. gospel. See note on 1:1.
14:10Judas Iscariot. See note on 3:19. chief priests. See note

M a rk 14:30
them.j 11They

Jesus to
were delighted to
hear this and promised to give him money.
So he watched for an opportunity to hand
him over.

14:10
jSMt10:4
14:12 kEx12:111; Dt16:1-4;
1Co5:7
14:15 lAc1:13

The Last Supper


14:12-26pp Mt26:17-30; Lk22:7-23
14:22-25pp 1Co11:23-25
12On the first day of the Festival of Un
leavened Bread, when it was customary
to sacrifice the Passover lamb,k Jesus dis
ciples asked him, Where do you want us
to go and make preparations for you to eat
the Passover?
13So he sent two of his disciples, telling
them, Go into the city, and a man carry
ing a jar of water will meet you. Follow
him. 14Say to the owner of the house he
enters, The Teacher asks: Where is my
guest room, where I may eat the Passover
with my disciples? 15He will show you a
large room upstairs,l furnished and ready.
Make preparations for us there.
16The disciples left, went into the city
and found things just as Jesus had told
them. So they prepared the Passover.
17When evening came, Jesus arrived
with the Twelve. 18While they were reclin
ing at the table eating, he said, Truly I tell
you, one of you will betray meone who
is eating withme.
19They were saddened, and one by one
they said to him, Surely you dont mean
me?
20It is one of the Twelve, he replied,

1683

one who dips bread into the bowl with


me.m 21The Son of Mann will go just as it
is written about him. But woe to that man
who betrays the Son of Man! It would be
better for him if he had not been born.
22While they were eating, Jesus took
bread, and when he had given thanks, he
broke ito and gave it to his disciples, say
ing, Take it; this is my body.
23Then he took a cup, and when he had
given thanks, he gave it to them, and they
all drank fromit.p
24This is my blood of thea covenant,q
which is poured out for many, he said to
them. 25Truly I tell you, I will not drink
again from the fruit of the vine until that
day when I drink it new in the kingdom
of God.r
26When they had sung a hymn, they
went out to the Mount of Olives.s

Jesus Predicts Peters Denial


14:27-31pp Mt26:31-35
27You will all fall away, Jesus told
them, for it is written:

14:20

mJn13:1827

14:21
nSMt8:20
14:22
oSMt14:19
14:23
p1Co10:16
14:24
qSMt26:28
14:25 rSMt3:2
14:26
sSMt21:1
14:27 tZec13:7
14:28 uMk16:7

on 8:31. This was an unexpected opportunity that they


seized, even though they had intended not to apprehend
Jesus during the festival (see v.2 and note).
14:11money. Thirty silver coins (see Mt 26:15 and note).
14:12first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Here the
14th of Nisan is meant because Passover lambs were killed
on that day (Ex 12:6). The entire eight-day celebration was
sometimes referred to as the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
make preparations. These preparations would have included
obtaining food for the meal, such as unleavened bread, wine,
bitter herbs and a lamb.
14:13two of his disciples. Peter and John (Lk 22:8). man carrying a jar. See note on Lk 22:10.
14:14The Teacher asks. See note on Lk 22:11. Where is my
guest room ...? It was a Jewish custom that anyone in Jerusalem who had a room available would give it upon request
to a pilgrim to celebrate the Passover. Apparently Jesus had
made previous arrangements with the owner of the house
(cf. note on Ac 12:12).
14:16as Jesus had told them. See note on Lk 22:13.
14:17evening. Thursday of Passion Week.
14:18 reclining at the table eating. Originally the Passover
meal was eaten standing (see Ex 12:11), but in Jesus time it
was customary to eat it while reclining (cf. v.3 and note). Truly
I tell you. See note on 3:28.
14:20dips bread into the bowl with me. See note on Mt 26:23.
14:21Son of Man. See note on 8:31. as it is written about him.
Jesus may have had the suffering servant passage of Isa 53
in mind. See vv.27,49 and note on Lk 24:44.

I will strike the shepherd,


and the sheep will be scattered.bt
28But

after I have risen, I will go ahead of


you into Galilee.u
29Peter declared, Even if all fall away,
I will not.
30Truly I tell you, Jesus answered,
todayyes, tonightbefore the rooster

a24

Some manuscripts the new b27 Zech. 13:7

NT gives four accounts of the Lords Supn 14:22The


per (here; Mt 26:2628; Lk 22:1920; 1Co 11:2325).

Matthews account is very much like Marks, and Lukes and


Pauls have similarities. All the accounts include the taking of
the bread; the thanksgiving or blessing; the breaking of the
bread; the saying, This is my body; the taking of the cup;
and the explanation of the relation of blood to the covenant.
Only Paul and Luke record Jesus command to continue to
celebrate the Supper. this is my body. The bread represented
his body, given for them (see 1Co 11:24 and note).
14:23had given thanks. The word Eucharist, often used to
refer to the Lords Supper, is derived from the Greek term
used here.
14:24my blood of the covenant. The cup represents the
blood of Jesus, which, in turn, represents his pouredout life (i.e., his death). Gods commitments to his people in
the new covenant are possible only through Christs atoning
death (see Ex 24:6,8; Jer 31:3134; Lk 22:20; Heb 8:812 and
notes). for many. See Ro 5:15 and note.
14:25Truly I tell you. See note on 3:28. kingdom of God. See
note on Mt 3:2.
14:26hymn. See note on Mt 26:30. Mount of Olives. See note
on 11:1.
14:27You will all fall away. Not that the disciples will lose
their faith in Jesus but that their courage will fail and they
will forsake him (see note on Mt 26:31).
14:28I will go ahead of you into Galilee. See 16:7.
14:30Truly I tell you. See note on 3:28. crows twice. See NIV
text note here and on v.72.

1684

Mark 14:31

Passion Week

Bethany, the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem

2011 by Zondervan. All rights reserved.

The Roman road climbed steeply to the crest of the Mount of


Olives, affording spectacular views of the Desert of Judea to the
east and of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley to the west.

Arrival in Bethany

FRIDAY (Jn 12:1)


Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover to spend
some time with his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. On the
following Tuesday evening, while Jesus was still in Bethany,
Mary anointed his feet with costly perfume as an act of humil
ity. This tender expression indicated Marys devotion to Jesus
and her willingness to serve him.

Sabbathday of rest

SATURDAY
Not mentioned in the Gospels.
The Lord spent the Sabbath day in traditional fashion with his
friends.

The Triumphal Entry

SUNDAY (Mt 21:1-11; Mk 11:1-11; Lk 19:28-44; Jn 12:12-19)


On the first day of the week Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a
donkey, fulfilling an ancient prophecy (Zec 9:9). The crowd
welcomed him with the words of Ps 118:25-26, thus ascribing
to him a Messianic title as the agent of the Lord, the coming
King of Israel.

Clearing of the temple

MONDAY (Mt 21:12-17; Mk 11:15-18; Lk 19:45-48)


Jesus returned to the temple and found the court of the Gen
tiles full of traders and money changers making a large profit.
Jesus drove them out and overturned their benches and tables.

Day of controversy and parables

TUESDAY (Mt 21:2324:51; Mk 11:2713:37; Lk 20:121:36)


IN JERUSALEM
Jesus evaded the traps set by the priests.

M ark 14:31

1685

ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES OVERLOOKING JERUSALEM

Crucifixion

(Tuesday afternoon, exact location unknown)

FRIDAY (Mt 27; Mk 15; Lk 22:6623:56; Jn 18:2819:37)

He taught in parables and warned the people against the Phar


isees. He predicted the destruction of Herods great temple and
told his disciples about future events, including his own return.

Following betrayal, arrest, desertion, false trials, denial, condem


nation, beatings and mockery, Jesus was required to carry his
cross to the place of the skull, where he was crucified with two
other prisoners.

Day of rest
WEDNESDAY
Although the Gospels do not mention this day, the counting
of the days (Mk 14:1; Jn 12:1) seems to indicate that there was
another day about which the Gospels record nothing.

Passover, Last Supper

THURSDAY (Mt 26:17-30; Mk 14:12-26; Lk 22:7-23)


In an upper room Jesus prepared both himself and his disciples
for his death. He gave the Passover meal a new meaning. The
loaf of bread and cup of wine represented his body soon to be
sacrificed and his blood soon to be shed. And so he instituted the
Lords Supper. After singing a hymn they went to the Garden
of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in agony, knowing what lay
ahead for him.

In the tomb

Jesus body was placed in the tomb before 6:00 p.m. Friday night,
when the Sabbath began and all work stopped, and it lay in the
tomb throughout the Sabbath.

Resurrection

SUNDAY (Mt 28:1-10; Mk 16:1-8; Lk 24:1-49; Jn 20)


Early in the morning, women went to the tomb and found that
the stone closing the tombs entrance had been rolled back.
Anangel told them Jesus was alive and gave them a message.
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden, to Peter, to
two disciples on the road to Emmaus and later that day to all the
disciples but Thomas.

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