◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Exodus 33:12-23 (God’s glory revealed to Moses); Psalm 99 (Proclaim God’s greatness); 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (Thanksgiving for the church at Thessalonica); Matthew 22:15-22 (A teaching about the emperor and God) (New English Translation)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Exodus 33:12-23

¹²Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’^[a] but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name,^[b] and also you have found favor in my sight.’ ¹³Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me^[c] your way, that I may know you,^[d] that I may continue to find^[e] favor in your sight. And see^[f] that this nation is your people.”

¹⁴And the Lord^[g] said, “My presence^[h] will go with you,^[i] and I will give you rest.”^[j]

¹⁵And Moses^[k] said to him, “If your presence does not go^[l] with us,^[m] do not take us up from here.^[n] ¹⁶For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?”^[o]

¹⁷The Lord said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have requested, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know^[p] you by name.”

¹⁸And Moses^[q] said, “Show me your glory.”^[r]

¹⁹And the Lord^[s] said, “I will make all my goodness^[t] pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name^[u] before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious; I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.”^[v] ²⁰But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can^[w] see me and live.”^[x] ²¹The Lord said, “Here^[y] is a place by me; you will station yourself^[z] on a rock. ²²When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover^[aa] you with my hand^[ab] while I pass by.^[ac] ²³Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back,^[ad] but my face must not be seen.”^[ae]

Footnotes

Exodus 33:12 tn The Hiphil imperative is from the same verb that has been used before for bringing the people up from Egypt and leading them to Canaan.
Exodus 33:12 tn That is, “chosen you.”
Exodus 33:13 tn The prayer uses the Hiphil imperative of the verb “to know.” “Cause me to know” is “show me, reveal to me, teach or inform me.” Moses wanted to know more of God’s dealings with people, especially after all that has happened in the preceding chapter.
Exodus 33:13 tn The imperfect tense of the verb “to know” with the vav follows the imperative of this root, and so this indicates the purpose clause (final imperfect): “in order that I may know you.” S. R. Driver summarizes it this way: that I may understand what your nature and character is, and shape my petitions accordingly, so that I may find grace in your sight, and my future prayers may be answered (Exodus, 361).
Exodus 33:13 tn The purpose clause simply uses the imperfect, “that I may find.” But since he already has found favor in God’s eyes, he is clearly praying that it be so in the future as well as now.
Exodus 33:13 tn The verb “see” (an imperative) is a request for God to acknowledge Israel as his people by providing the divine leadership needed. So his main appeal will be for the people and not himself. To underscore this, he repeats “see” the way the section opened.
Exodus 33:14 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Exodus 33:14 sn Heb “my face.” This represents the presence of Yahweh going with the people (see 2 Sam 17:11 for an illustration). The “presence” probably refers to the angel of the presence or some similar manifestation of God’s leading and caring for his people.
Exodus 33:14 tn The phrase “with you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
Exodus 33:14 sn The expression certainly refers to the peace of mind and security of knowing that God was with them. But the expression came to mean “settle them in the land of promise” and give them rest and peace from their enemies. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 434) observes how in 32:10 God had told Moses, “Leave me alone” (“give me rest”), but now he promises to give them rest. The parallelism underscores the great transition through intercession.
Exodus 33:15 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Exodus 33:15 tn The construction uses the active participle to stress the continual going of the presence: if there is not your face going.
Exodus 33:15 tn “with us” has been supplied.
Exodus 33:15 tn Heb “from this.”
Exodus 33:16 sn See W. Brueggemann, “The Crisis and Promise of Presence in Israel,” HBT 1 (1979): 47-86; and N. M. Waldman, “God’s Ways—A Comparative Note,” JQR 70 (1979): 67-70.
Exodus 33:17 tn The verb in this place is a preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive, judging from the pointing. It then follows in sequence the verb “you have found favor,” meaning you stand in that favor, and so it means “I have known you” and still do (equal to the present perfect). The emphasis, however, is on the results of the action, and so “I know you.”
Exodus 33:18 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Exodus 33:18 sn Moses now wanted to see the glory of Yahweh, more than what he had already seen and experienced. He wanted to see God in all his majesty. The LXX chose to translate this without a word for “glory” or “honor”; instead they used the pronoun seautou, “yourself”—show me the real You. God tells him that he cannot see it fully, but in part. It will be enough for Moses to disclose to him the reality of the divine presence as well as God’s moral nature. It would be impossible for Moses to comprehend all of the nature of God, for there is a boundary between God and man. But God would let him see his goodness, the sum of his nature, pass by in a flash. B. Jacob (Exodus, 972) says that the glory refers to God’s majesty, might, and glory, as manifested in nature, in his providence, his laws, and his judgments. He adds that this glory should and would be made visible to man—that was its purpose in the world.
Exodus 33:19 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Exodus 33:19 sn The word “goodness” refers to the divine appearance in summary fashion.
Exodus 33:19 tn The expression “make proclamation in the name of Yahweh” (here a perfect tense with vav [ו] consecutive for future) means to declare, reveal, or otherwise make proclamation of who Yahweh is. The “name of Yahweh” (rendered “the name of the Lord” throughout) refers to his divine attributes revealed to his people, either in word or deed. What will be focused on first will be his grace and compassion.
Exodus 33:19 sn God declares his mercy and grace in similar terms to his earlier self-revelation (“I am that I am”): “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, the grace and mercy of God are bound up in his own will. Obviously, in this passage the recipients of that favor are the penitent Israelites who were forgiven through Moses’ intercession. The two words are at the heart of God’s dealings with people. The first is חָנַן (khanan, “to be gracious, show favor”). It means to grant favor or grace to someone, grace meaning unmerited favor. All of God’s dealings are gracious, but especially in forgiving sins and granting salvation it is critical. Parallel to this is רָחַם (rakham), a word that means “show compassion, tender mercy.” It is a word that is related to the noun “womb,” the connection being in providing care and protection for that which is helpless and dependent—a motherly quality. In both of these constructions the verbs simply express what God will do, without explaining why. See further, J. R. Lundbom, “God’s Use of the Idem per idem to Terminate Debate,” HTR 71 (1978): 193-201; and J. Piper, “Prolegomena to Understanding Romans 9:14-15: An Interpretation of Exodus 33:19, ” JETS 22 (1979): 203-16.
Exodus 33:20 tn In view of the use of the verb “can, be able to” in the first clause, this imperfect tense is given a potential nuance.
Exodus 33:20 tn Gesenius notes that sometimes a negative statement takes the place of a conditional clause; here it is equal to “if a man sees me he does not live” (GKC 498 §159.gg). The other passages that teach this are Gen 32:30; Deut 4:33; 5:24, 26; Judg 6:22; 13:22, and Isa 6:5.
Exodus 33:21 tn The deictic particle is used here simply to call attention to a place of God’s knowing and choosing.
Exodus 33:21 tn Heb “and you will,” or interpretively, “where you will.”
Exodus 33:22 sn Note the use in Exod 40:3, “and you will screen the ark with the curtain.” The glory is covered, veiled from being seen.
Exodus 33:22 tn The circumstantial clause is simply, “my hand [being] over you.” This protecting hand of Yahweh represents a fairly common theme in the Bible.
Exodus 33:22 tn The construction has a preposition with an infinitive construct and a suffix: “while [or until] I pass by” (Heb “in the passing by of me”).
Exodus 33:23 tn The plural “my backs” is according to Gesenius an extension plural (compare “face,” a dual in Hebrew). The word denotes a locality in general, but that is composed of numerous parts (see GKC 397 §124.b). W. C. Kaiser says that since God is a spirit, the meaning of this word could just as easily be rendered “after effects” of his presence (“Exodus,” EBC 2:484). As S. R. Driver says, though, while this may indicate just the “afterglow” that he leaves behind him, it was enough to suggest what the full brilliancy of his presence must be (Exodus, 363; see also Job 26:14).
Exodus 33:23 tn The Niphal imperfect could simply be rendered “will not be seen,” but given the emphasis of the preceding verses, it is more binding than that, and so a negated obligatory imperfect fits better: “it must not be seen.” It would also be possible to render it with a potential imperfect tense: “it cannot be seen.”

Psalm 99

Psalm 99^[a]

99 The Lord reigns!
The nations tremble.^[b]
He sits enthroned above the cherubim;^[c]
the earth shakes.^[d]
²The Lord is elevated^[e] in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
³Let them praise your great and awesome name.
He^[f] is holy!
⁴The king is strong;
he loves justice.^[g]
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly;^[h]
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
⁵Praise^[i] the Lord our God.
Worship^[j] before his footstool.
He is holy!
⁶Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel was one of those who prayed to him.^[k]
They^[l] prayed to the Lord and he answered them.
⁷He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud;^[m]
they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.
⁸O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds.^[n]
⁹Praise^[o] the Lord our God!
Worship on his holy hill,
for the Lord our God is holy.

Footnotes

Psalm 99:1 sn Psalm 99. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s just rule and recalls how he revealed himself to Israel’s leaders.
Psalm 99:1 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 1 are understood here as indicating the nations’ characteristic response to the reality of the Lord’s kingship. Another option is to take them as jussives: “let the nations tremble…let the earth shake!”
Psalm 99:1 sn Cherubim are winged angels. As depicted in the OT, they possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubim suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubim in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
Psalm 99:1 tn The Hebrew verb נוּט (nut) occurs only here in the OT, but the meaning can be determined on the basis of the parallelism with רָגַז (ragaz, “tremble”) and evidence from the cognate languages (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 121).
Psalm 99:2 tn Heb “great.”
Psalm 99:3 tn The pronoun refers to the Lord himself (see vv. 5, 9).
Psalm 99:4 tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (ʿoz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (ʿaz, “strong”).
Psalm 99:4 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
Psalm 99:5 tn Or “exalt.”
Psalm 99:5 tn Or “bow down.”
Psalm 99:6 tn Heb “among those who called on his name.”
Psalm 99:6 tn Heb “those who.” The participle is in apposition to the phrase “those who called on his name” in the preceding line.
Psalm 99:7 sn A pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.
Psalm 99:8 tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).
Psalm 99:9 tn Or “exalt.”

1 Thessalonians 1

Salutation

1 From Paul^[a] and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you!^[b]

Thanksgiving for Response to the Gospel

²We thank God always for all of you as we mention you constantly^[c] in our prayers, ³because we recall^[d] in the presence of our God and Father^[e] your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope^[f] in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴We know,^[g] brothers and sisters^[h] loved by God, that he has chosen you,^[i] ⁵in that^[j] our gospel did not come to you merely in words,^[k] but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (surely you recall the character we displayed when we came among you to help you).^[l]

⁶And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received^[m] the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction. ⁷As a result you became an example^[n] to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸For from you the message of the Lord^[o] has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread,^[p] so that we do not need to say anything. ⁹For people everywhere^[q] report how you welcomed us^[r] and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God ¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.^[s]

Footnotes

1 Thessalonians 1:1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
1 Thessalonians 1:1 tc The majority of witnesses, including several early and significant ones (א A [D] I 33 1175 1241 1505 2464 M bo), have ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυριοῦ Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (apo theou patros hēmōn kai kuriou Iēsou Christou, “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”) at the end of v. 1. The more abrupt reading (“Grace and peace to you”) without this addition is supported by B F G Ψ 0278 629 1739 1881 lat sa. Apart from a desire to omit the redundancy of the mention of God and Christ in this verse, there is no good reason why scribes would have omitted the characteristically Pauline greeting. (Further, if this were the case, why did these same scribes overlook such an opportunity in 2 Thess 1:1-2?) On the other hand, since 1 Thessalonians is one of Paul’s earliest letters, what would become characteristic of his greetings seems to have been still in embryonic form (e.g., he does not yet call his audience “saints” [which will first be used in his address to the Corinthians], nor does he use ἐν (en) plus the dative to refer to the location of the church). Thus, the internal evidence is overwhelming in support of the shorter reading, for scribes would have been strongly motivated to rework this salutation in light of Paul’s style elsewhere. And the external evidence, though not overwhelming, is supportive of this shorter reading, found as it is in some of the best witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western groups.tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
1 Thessalonians 1:2 tn Or “mention you in our prayers, because we recall constantly…”
1 Thessalonians 1:3 tn Grk “making mention…recalling.” The participle ποιούμενοι (poioumenoi) in v. 2 has been translated as temporal, and μνημονεύοντες (mnēmoneuontes) in v. 3 has been translated as causal.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 tn Or the phrase may connect at the end of the verse: “hope…in the presence of our God and Father.”
1 Thessalonians 1:3 tn These phrases denote Christian virtues in action: the work produced by faith, labor motivated by love, and endurance that stems from hope in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:4 tn Grk “knowing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started here in the translation.
1 Thessalonians 1:4 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
1 Thessalonians 1:4 tn Grk “your election.”
1 Thessalonians 1:5 tn Or “because.”
1 Thessalonians 1:5 tn Or “speech,” or “an act of speaking.”
1 Thessalonians 1:5 tn Grk “just as you know what sort of people we were among you for your sakes.” Verse 5 reflects on the experience of Paul and his fellow preachers; v. 6 begins to describe the Thessalonians’ response.
1 Thessalonians 1:6 tn Or “after you received.”
1 Thessalonians 1:7 tc Most mss (א A C D² F G Ψ 0278 1175 1241 1505 2464 M al) have the plural τύπους (tupous, “examples”) here, while a few significant witnesses have the singular τύπον (tupon, “example”; B D*^,c 6 33 81 104 1739 1881 lat). With ὑμᾶς (humas, “you”) immediately preceding, the plural form looks motivated: Scribes would be expected to change the singular to the plural here. Although the external evidence for the singular reading is not overwhelming, the internal evidence for it is compelling.
1 Thessalonians 1:8 tn Or “the word of the Lord.”sn “The word of the Lord” is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rhēma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logos tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said. Here the phrase has been translated “the message of the Lord” because of the focus upon the spread of the gospel evident in the passage.
1 Thessalonians 1:8 tn Grk “your faith in God has gone out.”
1 Thessalonians 1:9 tn Grk “they themselves,” referring to people in the places just mentioned.
1 Thessalonians 1:9 tn Grk “what sort of entrance we had to you” (an idiom for how someone is received).
1 Thessalonians 1:10 sn The coming wrath. This wrath is an important theme in 1 Thess 5.

Matthew 22:15-22

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁵Then the Pharisees^[a] went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words.^[b] ¹⁶They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians,^[c] saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.^[d] You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality.^[e] ¹⁷Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right^[f] to pay taxes^[g] to Caesar^[h] or not?”

¹⁸But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? ¹⁹Show me the coin used for the tax.” So^[i] they brought him a denarius.^[j] ²⁰Jesus^[k] said to them, “Whose image^[l] is this, and whose inscription?” ²¹They replied,^[m] “Caesar’s.” He said to them,^[n] “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”^[o] ²²Now when they heard this they were stunned,^[p] and they left him and went away.

Footnotes

Matthew 22:15 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
Matthew 22:15 tn Grk “trap him in word.”
Matthew 22:16 sn The Herodians are mentioned in the NT only once in Matt (22:16 = Mark 12:13) and twice in Mark (3:6; 12:13; some mss also read “Herodians” instead of “Herod” in Mark 8:15). It is generally assumed that as a group the Herodians were Jewish supporters of the Herodian dynasty (or of Herod Antipas in particular). In every instance they are linked with the Pharisees. This probably reflects agreement regarding political objectives (nationalism as opposed to submission to the yoke of Roman oppression) rather than philosophy or religious beliefs.
Matthew 22:16 sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians was specifically designed to trap Jesus.
Matthew 22:16 tn Grk “And it is not a concern to you about anyone because you do not see the face of men.”
Matthew 22:17 tn Or “lawful,” that is, in accordance with God’s divine law. On the syntax of ἔξεστιν (exestin) with an infinitive and accusative, see BDF §409.3.
Matthew 22:17 tn According to L&N 57.180 the term κῆνσος (kēnsos) was borrowed from Latin and referred to a poll tax, a tax paid by each adult male to the Roman government.sn This question concerning taxes was specifically designed to trap Jesus. If he answered yes, then his opponents could publicly discredit him as a sympathizer with Rome. If he answered no, then they could go to the Roman governor and accuse Jesus of rebellion.
Matthew 22:17 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
Matthew 22:19 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate their response to Jesus’ request for a coin.
Matthew 22:19 tn Here the specific name of the coin was retained in the translation, because not all coins in circulation in Palestine at the time carried the image of Caesar. In other places δηνάριον (dēnarion) has been translated simply as “silver coin” with an explanatory note.sn A denarius was a silver coin worth approximately one day’s wage for a laborer. The fact that they had such a coin showed that they already operated in the economic world of Rome. The denarius would have had a picture of Tiberius Caesar stamped on it.
Matthew 22:20 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
Matthew 22:20 tn Or “whose likeness.”sn In this passage Jesus points to the image (Grk εἰκών, eikōn) of Caesar on the coin. This same Greek word is used in Gen 1:26 (LXX) to state that humanity is made in the “image” of God. Jesus is making a subtle yet powerful contrast: Caesar’s image is on the denarius, so he can lay claim to money through taxation, but God’s image is on humanity, so he can lay claim to each individual life.
Matthew 22:21 tn Grk “they said to him.”
Matthew 22:21 tn Grk “then he said to them.” τότε (tote) has not been translated to avoid redundancy.
Matthew 22:21 sn Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.
Matthew 22:22 tn Grk “they were amazed.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Footnotes

Psalm 99[a]

Footnotes

Salutation

Thanksgiving for Response to the Gospel

Footnotes

Paying Taxes to Caesar

Footnotes

Psalm 99^[a]