Exodus 20:18 shows a key textual variant: MT “the people saw,” while LXX, SP, SYR, VG read “the people feared.” MT preserves the original.
Exodus 20:18 Textual Commentary
Textual Commentary on Exodus 19:18
The textual issue in Exodus 19:18 contrasts “the whole mountain quaked” (MT) with “all the people trembled” (LXX). The MT reading is strongly preferred.
Old Testament Text Commentary on Exodus 18:12
Jethro “took” a burnt offering (MT), while ancient versions read “offered.” MT preserves the original; versions provide interpretive clarity.
Commentary on the Old Testament Text of Exodus 18:6
Exodus 18:6 preserves Jethro’s own words in the Masoretic Text, while other versions smooth the narrative by inserting a messenger.
Commentary On the Old Testament Text Exodus 14:25
Exodus 14:25 shows Jehovah disabling Egypt’s chariots, with the MT reading “removed the wheels” supported over “clogged” from versions.
Old Testament Textual Commentary on Exodus 14:20
Exodus 14:20 shows the dual role of the cloud—darkness to Egypt and light to Israel. The MT preserves this, while the LXX smooths it away.
Old Testament Textual Commentary on Exodus 13:18
Exodus 13:18 preserves “Sea of Reeds” and “armed,” while the LXX’s “in the fifth generation” is a later interpretive gloss without Hebrew support.
Old Testament Textual Commentary on Exodus 12:40
Exodus 12:40’s 430 years include both Canaan and Egypt, confirmed by the LXX, SP, Josephus, and Paul, not Egypt alone as the MT suggests.
Old Testament Textual Commentary on Exodus 10:19
Exodus 10:19 shows Jehovah driving the locusts into the “Sea of Reeds,” preserved in the Hebrew text, not the LXX’s “Red Sea.”
Old Testament Textual Commentary on Exodus 8:23
Exodus 8:23 uses “redemption” (פְדֻת) in the MT, emphasizing salvation rather than mere distinction, unlike the simplified LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate.
