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Exodus 2:3 – NASB vs. HCSB vs. ESV
Exodus 2:3 NASB But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.
Exodus 2:3 HCSB But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.
Exodus 2:3 ESV When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.
I like that the HCSB used “papyrus” instead of “wicker” (NASB) or “bulrushes” (ESV) because of the specificity of the language. Egypt is known for papyri. As an aside, I wonder when Moses wrote this, if he used papyri to write about his little ride in papyri?
What I do not like about the HCSB translation is the use of “asphalt.” The HCSB is written in modern language. So what do you think of when you hear “asphalt.” When I think of asphalt, the thought is a road, not tar or bitumen.
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