Exodus Chapter 6 in Simple English

Read Exodus Chapter 6

1Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. With a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land."

2God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD."

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

4"I also made my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as travellers and strangers."

5"I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep as slaves. And I have remembered my covenant."

6"So say to the children of Israel, 'I am the LORD. I will bring you out from under the heavy loads of the Egyptians. I will set you free from being their slaves. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments."

7"'I will take you to myself as my people, and I will be your God. And you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brings you out from under the heavy loads of the Egyptians."

8"'I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as your possession. I am the LORD.'"

9Moses told this to the children of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because their spirits were crushed and their slavery was cruel.

10The LORD spoke to Moses and said,

11"Go in and speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt. Tell him to let the children of Israel go out of his land."

12Moses spoke before the LORD and said, "Look, the children of Israel have not listened to me. How then will Pharaoh listen to me, since I have uncircumcised lips?"

13The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

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

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

16These are the names of the sons of Levi, in the order of their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived a hundred and thirty-seven years.

17The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimi, with their families.

18The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived a hundred and thirty-three years.

19The sons of Merari: Mahali and Mushi. These are the families of Levi, in the order of their generations.

20Amram married Jochebed, his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived a hundred and thirty-seven years.

21The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

22The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri.

23Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Naashon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korhites.

25Eleazar, Aaron's son, married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites, family by family.

26These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "Bring the children of Israel out from the land of Egypt, army by army."

27These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron.

28On the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

29the LORD said to Moses, "I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything that I say to you."

30And Moses said before the LORD, "Look, I have uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?"

Explanation

Exodus 6

In short

God tells Moses He will rescue Israel from slavery with a strong hand. He reveals His name as "the LORD" (in the King James Version, "JEHOVAH"), distinguishing it from how the ancestors knew Him before. The chapter ends with genealogies establishing Moses and Aaron's descent from Levi, then records God commissioning them to confront Pharaoh.

Context

Moses has just complained to God that his message to Pharaoh has made things worse for Israel, not better. God now responds directly to Moses to reassure him and clarify His identity and purpose. The first part of the chapter is God's words; the second part shifts to genealogy and then records the commissioning that follows.

What the text says

Verses 1-8: God promises to use a strong hand to make Pharaoh release Israel. God identifies Himself and says He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as "God Almighty" but is now making His name known as "JEHOVAH," adding that He has remembered His covenant and heard Israel's groaning. He lists seven actions He will take: bring them out from burdens, free them from bondage, redeem them with a stretched arm and great judgments, take them as His people, be their God, bring them into Canaan, and give it as an inheritance.

Verses 9-13: Israel refuses to listen because of their harsh circumstances. God tells Moses to speak to Pharaoh, but Moses objects that he is "uncircumcised lips" (unable to speak well). God charges both Moses and Aaron to bring Israel out.

Verses 14-27: The text lists the heads of families of Reuben and Simeon, then traces Levi's descendants. Verse 20 shows that Amram, from Kohath's line, was Moses and Aaron's father, and Jochebed their mother. The passage concludes by naming these two as the ones God commissioned to bring Israel out.

Verses 28-30: On the day God spoke, He again tells Moses to speak everything God says to Pharaoh. Moses repeats his objection about his speech.

Takeaways

God reveals Himself by a name that emphasizes faithfulness to His promises, not merely power.
The genealogy establishes that Moses and Aaron come from a specific line within the tribe of Levi, making their role part of a family history.
Moses resists the task twice, and God gives the task to both men together, suggesting partnership in the commission.

Exodus 6 - Simple English