Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Exodus
Exodus is the Bible's great story of redemption: a people in bondage, a deliverer God raises up, a lamb whose blood shields them, and a passage through the sea into covenant with God. It is the shadow the gospel would one day fill. This commentary walks through it verse by verse.
About This Commentary
Exodus takes the family God grew in Genesis and makes them a redeemed people. In it we meet Moses the deliverer, the plagues that break Egypt's grip, the Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the parting of the sea, and the giving of the Law at Sinai. Every one of these is a signpost to the greater redemption in Jesus Christ, our Passover, who brings us out of bondage and into God.
This commentary covers Exodus verse by verse, with the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, verified background, and an Apostolic reading that keeps the one God and His plan of salvation in view. References are given at the foot of each chapter.
This commentary on Exodus is now complete: all 40 chapters, from Israel's bondage in Egypt to the glory of God filling the tabernacle, are available and verified.
Author
Moses, by the historic testimony of Scripture.
Written
In the time of Moses, traditionally the 15th to 13th century BC.
Covers
From Israel's bondage in Egypt to the tabernacle at Sinai.
Theme
Redemption: the one God delivers His people and dwells among them.
Translation
King James Version (KJV) throughout.
The Chapters
Exodus Commentary
All 40 chapters of Exodus are available now, each verified word for word against the King James Version.
Exodus 1:1-22
Bondage in Egypt
Israel multiplies into a nation just as God promised Abraham, a new king enslaves them, and two God-fearing midwives defy Pharaoh to save the baby boys.
Read Chapter 1 →Exodus 2:1-25
The Deliverer Is Born
Moses is hidden and drawn out of the river into Pharaoh's palace. Grown, he chooses his enslaved people but runs ahead of God and flees to Midian, a stranger in a strange land. At last God hears Israel's groaning and remembers His covenant.
Read Chapter 2 →Exodus 3:1-22
The Burning Bush
God meets Moses in a bush that burns but is not consumed, on holy ground. He has seen His people's affliction and come down to deliver them, and He calls Moses to go. When Moses asks His name, God reveals it: 'I AM THAT I AM,' the eternal name Jesus claimed as His own.
Read Chapter 3 →Exodus 4:1-31
Signs and Excuses
God gives Moses three signs and answers his plea that he cannot speak with 'Who hath made man's mouth? ... I will be with thy mouth.' He appoints Aaron, calls Israel His firstborn son, and confronts Moses over his own household. Aaron meets him, and the people believe and worship.
Read Chapter 4 →Exodus 5:1-23
Who Is the LORD?
Moses demands that Pharaoh let Israel go, and Pharaoh scoffs, 'Who is the LORD? ... I know not the LORD,' then crushes Israel harder with bricks and no straw. The people blame Moses, and Moses brings his honest, confused complaint straight to God.
Read Chapter 5 →Exodus 6:1-30
I Am the LORD
God answers Moses' discouragement with His name, 'I am the LORD,' and the seven great 'I will' promises of redemption, from 'I will bring you out' to 'I will give it you for an heritage.' The people cannot hear for anguish, but God renews His charge to Moses and Aaron.
Read Chapter 6 →Exodus 7:1-25
The Rod and the River
God makes Moses a god to Pharaoh and foretells the hardening of his heart. Aaron's rod becomes a serpent and swallows the magicians' rods, and the first plague turns the Nile, Egypt's lifeline and god, to blood. Yet Pharaoh hardens his heart still.
Read Chapter 7 →Exodus 8:1-32
Frogs, Lice, and Flies
Three more plagues fall. Frogs overrun Egypt, and Pharaoh begs for relief but answers 'to morrow,' then hardens once respite comes. The dust becomes lice the magicians cannot copy, and they confess, 'This is the finger of God.' Swarms of flies fill the land, but God severs Goshen to prove He is the LORD in the midst of the earth.
Read Chapter 8 →Exodus 9:1-35
Murrain, Boils, and Hail
A grievous murrain kills Egypt's cattle while not one of Israel's dies. Boils drive the magicians from the field, and God declares, 'for this cause have I raised thee up.' Fire and hail fall as never before; Pharaoh confesses 'I have sinned,' but hardens the moment the storm stops.
Read Chapter 9 →Exodus 10:1-29
Locusts and Darkness
God asks, 'How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself?' Locusts strip Egypt of every green thing, and a darkness that may be felt covers the land three days while Israel has light. Pharaoh offers partial surrenders, but Moses will leave 'not an hoof' behind.
Read Chapter 10 →Exodus 11:1-10
The Last Plague Foretold
God announces 'one plague more' and sends Israel to ask silver and gold, the wages of their bondage. Moses foretells that at midnight every firstborn will die, while against Israel not a dog shall move his tongue, for the LORD puts a difference between His people and the world.
Read Chapter 11 →Exodus 12:1-51
The Passover
The lamb without blemish, the blood on the doorposts, and the promise, 'when I see the blood, I will pass over you.' The feast of unleavened bread, the death of the firstborn, and Israel brought out of Egypt after four hundred and thirty years. The clearest shadow of Christ our Passover.
Read Chapter 12 →Exodus 13:1-22
The Firstborn and the Pillar
Because God spared the firstborn, He claims them: 'it is mine.' The firstborn are redeemed by a lamb, redemption by substitution. God leads Israel the long, merciful way, Moses carries Joseph's bones, and the pillar of cloud and fire goes before them, never taken away.
Read Chapter 13 →Exodus 14:1-31
The Red Sea
Trapped between Pharaoh and the sea, Israel hears Moses cry, 'stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.' God says 'go forward,' the sea divides into walls of water, Israel passes on dry ground, and Egypt is overthrown to the last man.
Read Chapter 14 →Exodus 15:1-27
The Song of Moses
The redeemed sing the first song in the Bible: 'The LORD is my strength and song.' They exalt the incomparable God who reigns for ever, Miriam leads the women in praise, and at bitter Marah a tree makes the waters sweet as God reveals, 'I am the LORD that healeth thee.'
Read Chapter 15 →Exodus 16:1-36
Bread from Heaven
Israel murmurs for the flesh pots of Egypt, and God rains bread from heaven. Manna is gathered fresh each day, hoarding breeds worms, a double portion provides for the Sabbath rest, and a pot is kept for generations. The true bread points to Christ, the Bread of Life.
Read Chapter 16 →Exodus 17:1-16
The Rock and the Battle
Thirsting at Rephidim, Israel doubts, 'Is the LORD among us?' God stands on the rock, Moses smites it, and water flows, the Rock that was Christ. Then Amalek attacks, and the battle is won by Moses' upheld hands, steadied by Aaron and Hur, under the banner Jehovahnissi.
Read Chapter 17 →Exodus 18:1-27
Jethro's Counsel
Jethro hears of God's deliverance, comes to Moses, and confesses, 'the LORD is greater than all gods.' Seeing Moses judge the nation alone, he warns, 'thou wilt surely wear away,' and counsels him to appoint able, God-fearing men to share the burden.
Read Chapter 18 →Exodus 19:1-25
Israel at Sinai
Borne on eagles' wings and brought unto God, Israel is called to be a peculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests and an holy nation. The people vow to obey, are sanctified, and the LORD descends upon Sinai in fire, cloud, and trumpet as the mountain quakes.
Read Chapter 19 →Exodus 20:1-26
The Ten Commandments
God speaks the ten words with His own voice: worship the one God alone, make no image, revere His name, keep the sabbath, honor parents, and do not kill, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, or covet. Terrified, the people beg Moses to mediate.
Read Chapter 20 →Exodus 21:1-36
The Judgments
God applies His law to daily life. The Hebrew servant goes free, but one who loves his master stays for ever with a bored ear. The maidservant is given rights, life is guarded as sacred, 'eye for eye' limits vengeance, and the goring ox teaches responsibility.
Read Chapter 21 →Exodus 22:1-31
Restitution and Mercy
A thief must make full restitution, and God guards holiness against witchcraft and idolatry. He fiercely defends the stranger, widow, and fatherless, whose cry He will hear, forbids crushing the poor with usury, and calls His people to give Him the first and the best.
Read Chapter 22 →Exodus 23:1-33
Justice, Feasts, and the Angel
God commands impartial justice and love even of enemies, gives the sabbath year to feed the poor, and appoints three yearly feasts. He promises the Angel in whom His name dwells to lead Israel in and drive out their enemies 'by little and little.'
Read Chapter 23 →Exodus 24:1-18
The Blood of the Covenant
The covenant is sealed with blood, sprinkled on altar and people: 'Behold the blood of the covenant.' The elders see the God of Israel and eat and drink in His presence, and Moses enters the cloud of glory for forty days to receive the tables of stone.
Read Chapter 24 →Exodus 25:1-40
A Place for God to Dwell
A willing offering builds a sanctuary, 'that I may dwell among them.' God gives the pattern for the ark and mercy seat where He will meet His people, the table of the bread of the Presence, and the golden lampstand, each pointing to Christ.
Read Chapter 25 →Exodus 26:1-37
The Tabernacle and the Veil
The ten linen curtains woven with cherubim, the coverings plain without and glorious within, the gold-covered boards standing on silver sockets and built into one house, and the veil dividing the holy from the most holy, the veil that was Christ's flesh.
Read Chapter 26 →Exodus 27:1-21
The Altar, the Court, and the Light
The bronze altar of sacrifice meets the worshiper first, the linen court walls off God's dwelling from the world, a single gate of colored linen is the one way in, and pure beaten oil keeps the lamp burning always, the Spirit sustaining the light.
Read Chapter 27 →Exodus 28:1-43
The Garments of the High Priest
The high priest's holy garments: the tribes' names borne on the shoulders of the ephod and over the heart in the breastplate, the robe of golden bells and pomegranates, and the plate 'HOLINESS TO THE LORD.' A picture of Christ who bears us and makes us accepted.
Read Chapter 28 →Exodus 29:1-46
The Consecration of the Priests
The priests are washed, clothed, and anointed, and blood is put on the ear, thumb, and toe, consecrating the whole life. Seven days of offerings set them apart, a lamb is offered morning and evening, and God promises, 'I will dwell among the children of Israel.'
Read Chapter 29 →Exodus 30:1-38
Incense, Ransom, and the Laver
The golden altar of incense pictures prayer rising before God, the half-shekel ransom is one price for every soul, the bronze laver gives daily cleansing to serve, and the holy anointing oil and incense are sacred to God, never to be counterfeited.
Read Chapter 30 →Exodus 31:1-18
Filled With the Spirit, and the Sabbath
Bezaleel is called by name and filled with the Spirit of God for skilled work, the first man Scripture calls Spirit-filled. God gives the Sabbath as a sign that He sanctifies His people, and delivers the two tables of stone written with the finger of God.
Read Chapter 31 →Exodus 32:1-35
The Golden Calf
Impatient with Moses' delay, Israel makes a golden calf and breaks the covenant. God's wrath burns, but Moses stands in the breach and pleads God's promises. He breaks the tables, judges the sin, and offers to be blotted out for the people.
Read Chapter 32 →Exodus 33:1-23
If Thy Presence Go Not With Me
After the calf, God threatens to withhold His presence. Moses meets God face to face as a friend and refuses to move without Him: 'if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up.' God promises His presence and rest, and hides Moses in the cleft of the rock to see His glory.
Read Chapter 33 →Exodus 34:1-35
The Name of the LORD Proclaimed
God cuts two new tables of stone and proclaims His own name, 'merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,' yet who 'will by no means clear the guilty.' The covenant is renewed, the feasts restored, and Moses comes down with a shining face that he must veil.
Read Chapter 34 →Exodus 35:1-35
The Willing Offering
The building of the tabernacle begins with the sabbath and a call for a willing offering. The whole congregation, men and women, gives gladly from stirred hearts, and God fills Bezaleel and Aholiab with His Spirit for skilled work and to teach others.
Read Chapter 35 →Exodus 36:1-38
More Than Enough
The people give so freely that Moses must command them to stop, the only place in Scripture where God's people are told to quit giving. The curtains are coupled into one tabernacle, the coverings laid over the glory within, and the vail is made to guard the most holy place.
Read Chapter 36 →Exodus 37:1-29
The Ark and the Golden Furniture
Bezaleel makes the ark and the mercy seat with its cherubims, the table for the bread of the presence, the golden candlestick, and the altar of incense. Every golden object is a shadow of Christ: the mercy seat of propitiation, the bread of life, the light of the world, and prayer as sweet incense.
Read Chapter 37 →Exodus 38:1-31
The Altar, the Laver, and the Court
Bezaleel makes the brazen altar of sacrifice, the laver cast from the women's surrendered mirrors, and the court with its one gate. The tabernacle's silver foundation came from the atonement money, a half shekel from every man, so the house of God rested on redemption.
Read Chapter 38 →Exodus 39:1-43
The Priestly Garments
The holy garments are made, the tribes' names borne on the high priest's shoulders and over his heart, and the golden crown engraved HOLINESS TO THE LORD. The whole work is finished exactly as the LORD commanded, and Moses looks upon it and blesses the people.
Read Chapter 39 →Exodus 40:1-38
The Glory Fills the Tabernacle
The tabernacle is reared up and anointed on the first day of the first month, and Moses finishes the work as the LORD commanded. Then the glory of the LORD fills the tent, and the cloud leads Israel onward through all their journeys. Exodus ends with God dwelling among His people.
Read Chapter 40 →