The Word

Remember (זָכַר zakar)

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your very self, saying: I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven. And this entire land, about which I have spoken, I will give to your offspring. And you shall possess it forever. (Ex 32:13)

זְכֹר לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לָהֶם בָּךְ וַתְּדַבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם אַרְבֶּה אֶת־זַרְעֲכֶם כְּכֹוכְבֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם וְכָל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי אֶתֵּן לְזַרְעֲכֶם וְנָחֲלוּ לְעֹלָם׃

recordare Abraham Isaac et Israhel servorum tuorum quibus iurasti per temet ipsum dicens multiplicabo semen vestrum sicut stellas caeli et universam terram hanc de qua locutus sum dabo semini vestro et possidebitis eam semper.

Μνησθεὶς Αβρααμ καὶ Ισαακ καὶ Ιακωβ τῶν σῶν οἰκετῶν οἷς ὤμοσας κατὰ σεαυτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησας πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγων πολυπληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα ὑμῶν ὡσεὶ τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ πλήθει καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ταύτην ἣν εἶπας δοῦναι τῷ σπέρματι αὐτῶν καὶ καθέξουσιν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

Since God says that His nostrils will burn (וְיִֽחַר־אַפִּ֥י), Moses rightly (anthropomorphizing) suggests to the Lord to also remember (זְכֹ֡ר). We can have the impression that the kind Lord, even in difficult times, gently suggests to us how to take Him at His word to reach His heart.

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