Exodus — Samaritan Pentateuch
31 variants • 2 high significance • 15 moderate
Overview
Summary
Exodus in the SP contains some of the most extensive expansions in the entire Pentateuch. The plague narrative receives systematic harmonistic additions where God's commands to Moses are supplemented with Moses' execution reports (and vice versa). The Decalogue in Exodus 20 is the site of the SP's distinctive 10th commandment mandating worship at Gerizim. Altar-command passages throughout the book receive Gerizim insertions.
Notable Variants
The single most important variant is the SP 10th commandment added after Exodus 20:17, commanding the building of an altar on Mount Gerizim. The plague narratives (Ex 7-12) contain massive harmonistic expansions. Exodus 32 (golden calf) has minor variants. Every passage mentioning 'the place the LORD will choose' is adjusted to support Gerizim theology.
Theological Significance
SP Exodus reveals the Samaritan claim that the Gerizim commandment is original to Sinai revelation, not a later addition. The harmonistic expansions in the plague narrative show SP's concern for narrative consistency — ensuring divine commands and their fulfillment are explicitly matched. The Passover legislation (Ex 12) contains variants that affect liturgical practice.
Masoretic (MT)
גֵּרְשֹׁם ... גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה
Gershom ... 'I have been a stranger in a foreign land'
Samaritan (SP)
גֵּרְשׁוֹם ... גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה
Gershom ... 'I have been a stranger in a foreign land'
Minor orthographic variant in the spelling of Gershom. Content is identical.
Masoretic (MT)
שֶׁבַע וּשְׁלֹשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה (137 years)
one hundred and thirty-seven years
Samaritan (SP)
שֶׁבַע וּשְׁלֹשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה (137 years)
one hundred and thirty-seven years
Amram's lifespan agrees between MT and SP. The genealogical figures in Exodus are more stable than those in Genesis.
Masoretic (MT)
Short form of plague announcement
(MT has God's command only)
Samaritan (SP)
Expanded form: adds Moses and Aaron going to Pharaoh and delivering the message
(SP adds execution: Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said...)
SP's plague narrative systematically harmonizes divine command and human execution. Where MT has only God's instruction, SP adds the account of Moses carrying it out, and vice versa. This pattern recurs through all ten plagues and represents the largest block of expansive material in the SP.
Masoretic (MT)
End of frog plague announcement
(Command only in MT)
Samaritan (SP)
SP adds fulfillment report matching the command
(SP adds: And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh...)
Another harmonistic expansion in the plague of frogs. SP ensures the reader sees both the command and its fulfillment explicitly.
Masoretic (MT)
Plague of gnats — brief command
(MT: direct action, no prior warning)
Samaritan (SP)
Plague of gnats — expanded with warning to Pharaoh
(SP adds a warning speech to Pharaoh before the plague)
In MT, the gnats plague comes without warning. SP adds a warning speech parallel to the other plagues, creating formal consistency across all ten plagues.
Masoretic (MT)
Plague of flies — standard MT form
(Standard plague formula)
Samaritan (SP)
Plague of flies — expanded fulfillment
(Expanded with harmonistic additions)
SP continues its pattern of harmonizing command and fulfillment throughout the flies plague.
Masoretic (MT)
Plague on livestock — standard form
(Standard plague formula)
Samaritan (SP)
Plague on livestock — expanded with parallel warning
(Expanded with fulfillment report)
The livestock plague receives the same harmonistic treatment. SP's expansions in Exodus 7-12 total several hundred words of additional text.
Masoretic (MT)
Hail plague warning
(Standard plague formula)
Samaritan (SP)
Hail plague — expanded warning and fulfillment
(Expanded with added detail)
SP continues the harmonistic expansion pattern in the hail plague.
Masoretic (MT)
Locust plague introduction
(Standard introduction)
Samaritan (SP)
Locust plague — expanded with execution report
(Expanded with Moses delivering the message to Pharaoh)
The locust plague receives harmonistic expansion consistent with SP's treatment of all plagues.
Masoretic (MT)
Death of firstborn announcement — speech ends at 11:8
(Moses announces the plague and leaves Pharaoh)
Samaritan (SP)
Death of firstborn — expanded with fulfillment narrative
(SP expands Moses' departure and adds transitional material)
The final plague announcement receives the most elaborate SP expansion, befitting its climactic position.
Masoretic (MT)
מוֹשַׁב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה
The dwelling of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years
Samaritan (SP)
מוֹשַׁב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַאֲבוֹתָם אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן וּבְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה
The dwelling of the children of Israel and their fathers who dwelt in the land of Canaan and in the land of Egypt was four hundred and thirty years
SP (and LXX) add 'and their fathers' and 'in the land of Canaan and,' making the 430 years cover both the patriarchal sojourn in Canaan AND the Egyptian slavery, not Egypt alone. This dramatically shortens the Egyptian bondage to approximately 215 years. Paul's argument in Galatians 3:17 depends on this longer reckoning. This is one of the most consequential chronological variants in the entire Bible.
Masoretic (MT)
שְׂאֹר
leaven
Samaritan (SP)
שְׂאֹר
leaven
Minor orthographic variants in the unleavened bread legislation. Content is identical.
Masoretic (MT)
Standard appointment of judges
(Moses appoints leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, tens)
Samaritan (SP)
Slightly expanded appointment narrative
(SP adds minor harmonistic detail from Deut 1:15)
SP harmonizes the Exodus account of judicial appointment with the Deuteronomy parallel, a minor example of its cross-referencing program.
Masoretic (MT)
אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
I am the LORD your God
Samaritan (SP)
אנכי יהוה אלהיך
I am the LORD your God
The opening of the Decalogue is identical in content. SP uses Samaritan script but the words are the same.
Masoretic (MT)
כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת־יָמִים עָשָׂה יְהוָה
For in six days the LORD made
Samaritan (SP)
כי ששת ימים עשה יהוה
For in six days the LORD made
The Sabbath commandment's creation rationale is identical in MT and SP. SP's distinctive Sabbath motivation from Deuteronomy 5 (exodus rather than creation) does not appear here.
Masoretic (MT)
לֹא תִרְצָח / לֹא תִנְאָף
You shall not murder / You shall not commit adultery
Samaritan (SP)
לא תנאף / לא תרצח
You shall not commit adultery / You shall not murder
SP reverses the order of the murder and adultery commandments, placing adultery before murder. The LXX (in some manuscripts) and Nash Papyrus also show this order. This may reflect an older arrangement where sexual violations preceded violent ones.
Masoretic (MT)
לֹא תַחְמֹד ... (coveting prohibition, end of Decalogue)
You shall not covet... (final commandment)
Samaritan (SP)
לא תחמד ... (coveting prohibition, then 10th commandment follows)
You shall not covet... (9th commandment in SP numbering)
In MT, the prohibition against coveting is the final commandment. In SP, it is the 9th, because SP adds a 10th commandment after it. See next entry.
Masoretic (MT)
(No equivalent — Decalogue ends at v. 17)
(No text)
Samaritan (SP)
והיה כי יביאך יהוה אלהיך אל ארץ הכנעני ... והקמת לך אבנים גדלות ... בהר גריזים ... ובנית שם מזבח ליהוה אלהיך
And when the LORD your God brings you to the land of the Canaanites... you shall set up great stones... on Mount Gerizim... and you shall build there an altar to the LORD your God
THE defining variant of the Samaritan Pentateuch. SP adds a 10th commandment to the Decalogue, compiled from Deuteronomy 11:29a, 27:2b-3a, 27:4a, 27:5-7, and 11:30. This commandment mandates the erection of inscribed stones and an altar on Mount Gerizim. In SP, this is part of the Sinai revelation itself, making Gerizim worship a foundational divine command rather than a later institution. The SP achieves its ten-commandment count by treating 'I am the LORD your God' as a commandment preamble (not a separate commandment) and combining the two coveting prohibitions into one.
Masoretic (MT)
בְּכָל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַזְכִּיר אֶת־שְׁמִי
in every place where I cause my name to be remembered
Samaritan (SP)
במקום אשר הזכרתי את שמי
in the place where I have caused my name to be remembered
MT reads 'every place' (כל המקום) with a future/ongoing sense; SP reads 'the place' (המקום) with a past tense, implying a single, already-designated location — Gerizim. This subtle variant transforms an open-ended altar law into a Gerizim-specific one.
Masoretic (MT)
בֵּית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
the house of the LORD your God
Samaritan (SP)
בית יהוה אלהיך
the house of the LORD your God
Text agrees, but Samaritan tradition reads 'house of the LORD' as the Gerizim sanctuary, not the Jerusalem temple.
Masoretic (MT)
וַיִּרְאוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
And they saw the God of Israel
Samaritan (SP)
ויראו את כבוד אלהי ישראל
And they saw the glory of the God of Israel
SP adds 'glory of' (כבוד) to avoid the anthropomorphism of seeing God directly. This is part of SP's anti-anthropomorphic tendency, which it shares with the LXX and Targumim.
Masoretic (MT)
Standard tabernacle measurements
(Tabernacle measurements)
Samaritan (SP)
Minor numerical variants in tabernacle dimensions
(Slightly different measurements)
SP has minor variants in several tabernacle measurements. These may reflect different architectural traditions or scribal errors in number transmission.
Masoretic (MT)
Standard tabernacle furnishing list
(Furnishing list)
Samaritan (SP)
Expanded furnishing list with additional detail
(Expanded furnishing details)
SP occasionally adds minor details to the tabernacle instructions, harmonizing with the execution account in chapters 35-40.
Masoretic (MT)
וַיַּרְא הָעָם כִּי־בֹשֵׁשׁ מֹשֶׁה
And the people saw that Moses delayed
Samaritan (SP)
וירא העם כי בשש משה
And the people saw that Moses delayed
The golden calf narrative is substantially the same in MT and SP. SP does not soften Aaron's role or reduce Israel's culpability, contrary to what some scholars expected.
Masoretic (MT)
וְעַתָּה הַנִּיחָה לִּי
Now leave me alone
Samaritan (SP)
ועתה הניחה לי
Now leave me alone
God's anger speech in the golden calf incident is essentially identical in MT and SP.
Masoretic (MT)
וַיִּגֹּף יְהוָה אֶת־הָעָם
And the LORD struck the people
Samaritan (SP)
ויגף יהוה את העם
And the LORD struck the people
SP agrees with MT on divine punishment for the calf. No anti-anthropomorphic softening here.
Masoretic (MT)
Covenant renewal — standard MT form
(Covenant renewal narrative)
Samaritan (SP)
Covenant renewal — minor expansions
(Minor harmonistic additions)
SP adds small harmonistic touches to the covenant renewal, aligning it more closely with the Exodus 20-23 covenant.
Masoretic (MT)
לֹא־תְבַעֲרוּ אֵשׁ בְּכֹל מֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת
You shall not kindle fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day
Samaritan (SP)
לא תבערו אש בכל משבתיכם ביום השבת
You shall not kindle fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day
SP agrees with MT. Samaritan Sabbath observance interprets this strictly — no fire at all on Sabbath, unlike rabbinic Judaism which permits fire kindled before Sabbath.
Masoretic (MT)
Construction account with some variations from instructions (Ex 25-31)
(Construction narrative with minor discrepancies from blueprint)
Samaritan (SP)
Construction account systematically harmonized with instructions
(Construction narrative made to match blueprint exactly)
SP systematically harmonizes the tabernacle construction account (Ex 36-39) with the divine instructions (Ex 25-31). Where MT has minor wording differences between command and fulfillment, SP eliminates them. This is the largest single block of harmonistic revision in SP Exodus, involving hundreds of small changes.
Masoretic (MT)
כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה
as the LORD commanded Moses
Samaritan (SP)
כאשר צוה יהוה את משה
as the LORD commanded Moses
This refrain appears throughout Ex 36-39. SP and MT agree on the refrain itself, though SP adjusts the surrounding text to make the correspondence between command and execution more precise.
Masoretic (MT)
בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית
in the first month in the second year
Samaritan (SP)
בחדש הראשון בשנה השנית
in the first month in the second year
The date of the tabernacle's erection agrees in MT and SP.