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Read Exodus Chapter 6

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1Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

2And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:

3And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

4And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

5And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

6Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

7And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

8And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

9And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

10And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

11Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

12And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?

13And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

14These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben.

15And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon.

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

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

18And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.

19And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations.

20And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

21And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.

22And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri.

23And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.

25And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.

26These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.

27These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.

28And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,

29That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.

30And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

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Explanation

Exodus 6

In short

God promises Moses that He will free the Israelites from Egypt with a powerful hand, identifying Himself by His name and recalling His ancient covenant with Abraham. When the people do not believe, and Moses doubts his own ability to speak, God sends both Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh. The chapter then traces the family line of Moses and Aaron back through the Levites.

What the text says

Verses 1 to 8 show God speaking directly to Moses. God says He will force Pharaoh to release Israel (verse 1). God identifies Himself as "the LORD" (verse 2) and says He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as "God Almighty" but is now making His name known to them (verse 3). He has kept His covenant to give them the land of Canaan (verse 4) and has heard Israel's cries in slavery (verse 5). God promises to bring them out with "a stretched out arm, and with great judgments" (verse 6), make them His people, and give them the land sworn to the patriarchs (verses 7 to 8).

Verses 9 onwards show the people do not listen to Moses because of their suffering (verse 9). God tells Moses to speak to Pharaoh (verses 10 to 11). Moses objects that he has "uncircumcised lips" (verse 12) and the people did not believe him, so why would Pharaoh listen. God tells both Moses and Aaron they will bring Israel out (verse 13).

Verses 14 to 27 list the families of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, naming their descendants, and specifically identifying Moses and Aaron as the men God sent to Pharaoh (verse 26).

Verses 28 to 30 repeat God's command: Moses must tell Pharaoh all God says. Moses repeats his doubt about his ability to speak.

Takeaways

  • God promises deliverance based on a covenant made long before, to Abraham and his descendants.
  • The Israelites' despair makes them unable to believe the message of freedom, even from their own leader.
  • Moses and Aaron are presented as the chosen ones to carry out God's plan, despite Moses' own hesitation about his ability.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.