Who made you a prince and judge over us? is a rhetorical question, a question that does not demand an answer. In some languages it will be worded as a strong statement. Here it means “You have no right to interfere!” or “We do not recognize you as having authority over us!” The Hebrew word for prince actually means “ruler” or “officer” (New English Bible), not “son of a ruler.” It was probably known that Moses was the adopted son of the princess, and this would make him a prince in the sense of the English word. But the word means only one who rules or has authority. The word for judge should be understood simply as one who settles disputes, and probably refers to an office of lower rank than that of “ruler.” Alternative translation models are “Who gave you the authority to judge us?” “You have no right to judge us!” or “You are not a chief to be able to decide whether we are right or wrong.”

Do you mean to kill me…? is also a rhetorical question. It may have been asked in self-defense, but more likely it was intended as a threat. The word for kill has a very broad meaning. It does not specify either the means or the intent of killing as do other Hebrew words used in Exodus. It simply means “cause to die” and may need to be translated in this way, if all available terms are too specific. Alternative translation models are “You plan to kill me [or, cause me to die] just as you did that Egyptian, don’t you?” or “I suppose you are going to kill me just as you killed that Egyptian.”

Then Moses was afraid because the secret was out; he was not afraid of this man who rejected his authority. Afraid may be rendered figuratively; for example, “Moses’ heart [or, liver] shivered [or, trembled].” So he thought, or “said to himself.” The Hebrew word means “said,” but the context suggests that he was only thinking the words that follow.

Surely the thing is known expresses what Moses thought as a direct quotation. Surely translates a Hebrew word indicating surprise that events have turned out differently from what was expected. This is difficult to show in English with a single word. In colloquial English one may say “Oh oh!” and some languages may have an appropriate ideophone. Since the thing refers to what Moses had done to the Egyptian the preceding day, one may say “Oh oh! They know what I have done!” Good News Translation‘s model is a good one: “People have found out what I have done.”

In some languages it is not natural to speak to oneself or to express one’s thoughts in direct discourse. So one may translate with indirect discourse. (Compare Moffatt, “This made Moses afraid; he reflected that what he had done must be known,” and the Living Bible, “When Moses realized that his deed was known, he was frightened”). One may also say “When Moses realized that people knew what he had done, he was afraid.”

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 .