Exodus 3:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

NIV: Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.'

NASB: But every woman shall ask her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.'

CSB: Each woman will ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry, and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians."

NLT: Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.'

KJV: But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

NKJV: But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

After instructing Moses and the elders of Israel on how to approach Pharaoh, God has begun promising Israel a successful escape from Egyptian slavery. This verse concludes chapter 3 with further information regarding how the Jews would leave Egypt.

First, each woman will ask her neighbor for jewelry and clothing. Second, this would include "any woman who lives in her house." The contrast appears between the local resident and the foreigner or visitor to the area. Both the Egyptians and anyone else in the area would give the Israelites whatever they wanted and send them away. Both references in this verse are feminine, indicating this was activity that took place among the Jewish women and the female Egyptians and immigrants or visitors there.

These Jewish women would take the jewelry and clothing and put them on their own sons and daughters. The women who were unable to adequately clothe their children under slavery would dress their children in the finest clothing on the day they received their freedom. In this way, they would "plunder" and defeat their Egyptians oppressors.

This odd reaction is, in part, explained by the "wonders" which God plans to do (Exodus 3:20). These plagues, while terrible, will be necessary in order to convince the Egyptian king to release Israel from slavery (Exodus 3:19). By then, the entire nation of Egypt will recognize that keeping the Hebrews enslaved means suffering the wrath of God—so they will give anything to get Israel to leave as soon as possible.

Exodus 3:20–22 summarizes the plan God has for liberating Israel. In response to Pharaoh's hardness of heart, God will ''strike'' Egypt using miracles that will leave no doubt that He is the One True God. This will not only convince Pharaoh to release the Hebrews, it will encourage the Egyptians to hand over much of their wealth to Israel, in order to speed their departure. The details of these wonders, and the fulfillment of these promises, will be given in the following chapters.

Moses is tending sheep for his father-in-law when he sees a miraculous sight: a bush which is on fire, but not burnt up. From this fire, God speaks to Moses, appointing him as the leader of the nation of Israel, whom God intends to free from Egyptian slavery. God identifies Himself in this passage using the famous terminology ''I AM.'' Despite Moses' fears and doubts, God gives him a message to take to the elders of Israel, and eventually to Pharaoh himself.

Prior chapters in Exodus explained how the descendants of Abraham became a nation which was populous, but enslaved, in the land of Egypt. Exodus 3 describes the moment when God calls Moses to lead Israel out of slavery. This is accomplished through the miracle of the burning bush. The beginning of this dialogue between God and Moses includes messages for both Israel and Pharaoh, and will continue into chapter 4.

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.