Exodus 6

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land”.

6:1 God announced victory for His people before the struggle began. Compare John 16:33; Rom 8:37; 1 Cor 15:57.⚜

2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD, 3 and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but I did not make myself known to them by my name Jehovah.

6:3 Some scholars have suggested that the last sentence in this verse could possibly be translated as a question: “Did I not reveal myself to them by my name Jehovah?” The name Jehovah comes very early in Genesis (Gen 2:5) and is used many times throughout that book. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob certainly knew that name. If we leave the translation in v 3 as it is, without putting a question mark (in the original Hebrew Old Testament there were no question marks anywhere even when questions were asked), the meaning would be this: God progressively gave revelation of Himself in the Bible, here some, there some, and little by little the full picture of who He is builds up. In the New Testament we have the full blaze of His revelation of Himself in Christ.

In Genesis the emphasis is on His almightiness, His all-sufficiency for His people (Gen 17:1; 35:11; 48:3). Though God used His name of Jehovah then He did not reveal its meaning, and His people did not know what the name would eventually mean to them. Here in Exodus God began to reveal all that is meant by the great name of Jehovah (notes at Ex 3:14-15; 33:19; 34:5-7). He reveals especially the relationship between the name Jehovah and the redemption of His people (vs 6-8). He reveals that Jehovah is the one who is faithful to fulfill His promises.⚜

4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, where they were foreigners. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant.

6 “Therefore say to the children of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments. 7 And I will take you for myself as a people, and I will be God to you, and you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for an inheritance. I am the LORD.’ ”

6:8 Gen 15:18; 26:3. Five reasons are given in verses 6-8 and similar verses in Exodus for God’s display of mighty power in Egypt.

First, to free His people from cruel bondage.

Second, to judge the ungodly of Egypt and their false gods.

Third, to show He was the God who keeps His promises and covenant.

Fourth, to show once and for all that He was the supreme and only God, far above all gods, lords and men (Ex 7:5; 10:1-2; 12:12).

Fifth, to show that God was actively involved in the affairs of the world acting in behalf of His people (Ex 8:22-23). He was not a God afar off who had no concern for the affairs of men. God rules over the world (note at Ps 47:2).⚜

9 And Moses told this to the children of Israel, but because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage they did not listen to Moses.

10 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land”.

12 And Moses spoke in the LORD’s presence, saying, “Look, the children of Israel have not listened to me. How then will Pharaoh listen to me, who am of uncircumcised lips?”

13 And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them an order for the children of Israel, and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben.

15 And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.

16 And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were an hundred and thirty-seven years.

17 The sons of Gershon were Libni, and Shimi, according to their families.

18 And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred and thirty-three years.

19 And the sons of Merari were Mahali and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.

20 And Amram took as his wife Jochebed, his father’s sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years. 21 And the sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

22 And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 And Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24 And the sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abi-Asaph. These were the families of the Korahites.

25 And Aaron’s son Eleazar took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.

26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring the children of Israel out from the land of Egypt according to their armies”. 27 These were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.

28 And it came about on the day that the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you”.

30 And Moses said in the presence of the LORD, “Look, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how will Pharaoh listen to me?”