Digital Logos Edition
From Library Journal: “…a masterful commentary by eminent scholar Sarna. Drawing upon classical and modern sources, Sarna’s exegesis and historical and philological interpretations are scholarly yet quite accessible to nonspecialist readers. Included are an introduction, six excurses on problematic subjects, a glossary, and notes. Sarna eschews any attempt to discuss the provenance of the Exodus text, although he does state that he considers Exodus a work of historiosophy (a document of faith) rather than a work of historiography… this beautifully formatted book will greatly help elucidate the text of a seminal book of the Hebrew Bible.”
This resource is available as part of the JPS Tanakh Commentary Collection (11 volumes).
“This is the first appearance in Exodus of the verb y-d-ʿ. It is a key term in the Exodus narratives, occurring over twenty times in the first fourteen chapters.11 The usual rendering, ‘to know,’ hardly does justice to the richness of its semantic range. In the biblical conception, knowledge is not essentially or even primarily rooted in the intellect and mental activity. Rather, it is more experiential and is embedded in the emotions, so that it may encompass such qualities as contact, intimacy, concern, relatedness, and mutuality. Conversely, not to know is synonymous with dissociation, indifference, alienation, and estrangement; it culminates in callous disregard for another’s humanity.” (Page 5)
“This suggests that the mother deliberately selected the spot after observing the character and habits of this particular princess.” (Page 9)
“Throughout the Near East the bull was a symbol of lordship, leadership, strength, vital energy, and fertility” (Page 203)
“Without doubt, the revelation of the divine name YHVH to Moses registers a new stage in the history of Israelite monotheism.” (Page 18)
“The names of the midwives are recorded but not those of the reigning pharaohs. In the biblical scale of values these lowly champions of morality assume far greater historic importance than do the all-powerful tyrants who ruled Egypt.” (Page 7)
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