On the third new moon may be ambiguous, for the word for new moon also means “month.” (See 12.2, where Revised Standard Version translates new moon as “month.”) The Hebrew calendar was based on a lunar month that began with every new moon. New moon is certainly intended here to mean the first day of the month, since the phrase on that day would not refer to a “month.” Translator’s Old Testament is quite explicit, “On the day of the third new moon,” and Good News Translation combines the two, “on the first day of the third month.” Revised English Bible prefers “In the third month” but then omits on that day entirely. Jerusalem Bible and Moffatt assume that the exact date had somehow fallen out of the text, so they add three dots ( … ) to indicate that something is missing. New Jerusalem Bible has revised this to “Three months to the day.” However, the more likely interpretation is that it was the first day of the third month. There are therefore a number of ways in which this phrase may be expressed: “the first day of the third month,” “the first day of the third new moon,” “the day when the third new moon began,” or even “exactly two months after….”

After the people of Israel had gone forth means exactly two months “after they had left Egypt” (Good News Translation). Contemporary English Version has “Then two months after leaving Egypt.” However, in many languages a translation similar to Good News Translation‘s model will be more appropriate; for example, “On the first day of the third month [or, new moon] after the Israelites had left Egypt, they arrived at the wilderness of Sinai.” The English pluperfect (with had) is implied by the context. On that day refers back to “the day of the third new moon,” or “the first day of the third month.” They came into the wilderness of Sinai refers to the wide, desolate area surrounding Mount Sinai. (See the comment on wilderness at 3.1 and 15.22.) An alternative translation model for came into the wilderness of Sinai is “they came into the wilderness near Mount Sinai.”

And when they set out from Rephidim seems out of place and should probably come at the beginning of verse 1 for smoother reading. The people certainly left Rephidim before they arrived at the Wilderness of Sinai. New Revised Standard Version uses the pluperfect again, “They had journeyed from Rephidim.” (Similar are Translator’s Old Testament, Childs, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh.) Good News Translation combines verses 1 and 2 in order to place this phrase before verse 1: “The people of Israel left Rephidim, and on the first day of the third month….” For set out see the comment on “journeyed” at 12.37.

And came into the wilderness of Sinai is still part of the temporal clause beginning with And when, so New Revised Standard Version includes it as part of the pluperfect clause “They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and….” They encamped in the wilderness is repeated in the very next clause, and there Israel encamped before the mountain. It is probably best to combine the two as Good News Translation has done: “There they set up camp at the foot of Mount Sinai.” The mountain, of course, refers to “Mount Sinai.” Revised English Bible repeats the two clauses but changes the terms: “they encamped there, pitching their tents in front of the mountain.”

Alternative translation models for verses 1 and 2 are:

• The Israelites left Rephidim and, exactly two months after leaving Egypt, they arrived at the wilderness near Mount Sinai. They set up their tents near the foot of [or, in front of] the mountain.

• The Israelites left Rephidim and came to the wilderness near Mount Sinai, and set up their tents near the foot of the mountain. They arrived there exactly two months after leaving Egypt.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .