Now I know means “At the present moment I know.” It may also be expressed as “Now I am convinced that” or “At last I am convinced that.” That the LORD is greater than all gods assumes that other gods exist. The translator should avoid using a term that means false gods, for Yahweh is here recognized as greater or more powerful than all the various gods that were believed to exist in the ancient world. This weakens the confession to the point of comparing the true God to harmless idols. To avoid this problem one may translate “Now I know [or, am convinced] that Yahweh is greater than all those gods that people worship.”

Because he delivered the people is really taken from the end of verse 10 in the Hebrew text, as the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates. It is inserted here for two reasons: a) it seems redundant in verse 10, since it repeats the earlier clause in the same verse, changing only the plural “you” to the people; and b) it helps to resolve a problem of syntax here in verse 11. From under the hand of the Egyptians is the rest of the clause transferred from verse 10. As mentioned in verse 10, the hand of the Egyptians means “the power of the Egyptians.” Translators are at liberty to follow Revised Standard Version or to place this clause at the end of verse 10, as in Good News Translation. See the alternative translation models below.

When they dealt arrogantly with them is literally “because [or, when] in the thing [davar] which they were arrogant against them.” It is difficult to understand the intended meaning here, especially since they, without the inserted clause from verse 10, would refer to the gods in the opening clause. But with the inserted clause, they clearly refers to the Egyptians. Every translation has made some adjustment in order to make sense out of this final clause. Arrogant describes someone who is “haughty,” “contemptuous” toward other people, or “looks down on” them.

Good News Translation does not really transfer the clause from verse 10, but adds the words “because he did this,” and then changes they to “the Egyptians” and them to “the Israelites.” The clause then reads “because he did this when the Egyptians treated the Israelites with such contempt.” This gives the verse the same meaning as Revised Standard Version. So the translator is safe in following either model. However, one may expand Good News Translation‘s translation slightly and say “because he rescued the Israelites when the Egyptians treated them with such contempt.” And the whole verse may be translated as follows: “Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all those other gods, because he rescued the Israelites from their arrogant Egyptian enemies.”

Alternative translation models for verses 10 and 11 are:

• Then he said, “I want to say that Yahweh is great! He rescued you and the Israelites from the Egyptians and their king. He saved you from the power of the Egyptians. Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all those gods that people worship, because he saved his people when the Egyptians treated them with such contempt.”

• Then he said, “I want to tell Yahweh how wonderful he is! He rescued you and the Israelites from the Egyptians and their king. At last I am convinced that Yahweh is greater than all other gods, because he rescued the Israelites from the power of their arrogant Egyptian enemies.”

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 .