Exodus 18:23

Summary

The verse states the consequence of following the advice just given to Moses: if he does this thing (ha-davar ha-zeh), God will instruct him further, he will be able to endure the burden, and the entire people will reach their place in peace. The sentence is built as a conditional clause followed by two chained consequences.

Key words

• 'im ("if", H0518A) — the conditional particle that opens the protasis, setting up a real future condition rather than a hypothetical.
• da.Var ("thing", H1697I) — a definite masculine singular noun (marked by the article ha-) referring back to the specific plan just proposed; it is the direct object of ta'aseh ("you will do").
• tzi.ve.Kha ("he will command you", piel + 2ms suffix, H6680) — a piel sequential perfect attached to a vav that continues the chain begun by the condition; the piel stem gives the action an intensive, directive nuance ("to charge, instruct").
• ya.khal.Ta ("you will be able", H3201) — qal sequential perfect, the main verb of the apodosis, expressing capability resulting from the prior conditions.
• me.ko.M-o ("its place", construct + 3ms suffix, H4725) — singular noun with suffix, referring distributively to each person's own place, governing the final verb ya.Vo'.

What the text says

The verse opens with the conditional particle 'im governing a clause built on the definite object et-ha-davar ha-zeh ("this thing") followed by the qal imperfect ta'aseh ("you will do"). The apodosis is expressed through two verbs joined by the narrative vav in sequential perfect form: ve-tzivvekha Elohim ("and God will command you") and ve-yakhalta 'amod ("and you will be able to endure"), where 'amod is an infinitive completing yakhalta. This chain (condition → God's action → Moses' resulting capacity) shows how Hebrew narrative syntax links successive clauses without subordinating conjunctions beyond the initial 'im.

The final clause adds a second consequence introduced by ve-gam ("and also"), with the subject kol ha-'am ha-zeh ("all this people") preceding the prepositional phrase 'al-meqomo ("to its place") and the verb yavo' be-shalom ("it will come in peace"). The singular meqomo treats the people as a collective returning each to an individual place.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders ve-tzivvekha Elohim ("and God will command you") as κατισχύσει σε ὁ θεός ("God will strengthen you"), shifting the verb from commanding to empowering. The Vulgate gives implebis imperium Dei ("you will fulfill the command of God"), making Moses the subject of fulfilling rather than God the subject of commanding. For 'amod ("to endure"), the LXX uses παραστῆναι ("to stand beside/assist"), while the Vulgate's sustentare ("to sustain, endure") stays closer to the Hebrew sense. The Vulgate also renders the singular meqomo ("its place") as plural loca sua ("their places").