Exodus 6

God Promises Action

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for 1under compulsion * he will let them go, and under compulsion * he will drive them out of his land."
2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, "I am 2the LORD;
3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as 3God Almighty, but by 4My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them.
4 "I also established 5My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned.
5 "Furthermore I have 6heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.
6 "Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, '7I am the LORD, and 8I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also 9redeem you with 10an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
7 'Then I will take you 11for My people, and 12I will be your God; and 13you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8 'I will bring you to the land which 14I swore * to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and 15I will give it to you for a possession; 16I am the LORD.' "
9 So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on 17account of their despondency * and cruel bondage.
10 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
11 "18Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land."
12 But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, "Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; 19how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am 20unskilled in speech?"
13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

The Heads of Israel

14 These are the heads of their fathers' households. 21The sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
15 The 22sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.
16 These are the names of 23the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari; and the length of Levi's life was one hundred and thirty-seven * years.
17 24The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
18 25The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel; and the length of Kohath's life was one hundred and thirty-three * years.
19 26The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
20 27Amram married * his father's sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the length of Amram's life was one hundred and thirty-seven * years.
21 28The sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri.
22 29The sons of Uzziel: Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri.
23 Aaron married * Elisheba, the daughter of 30Amminadab, the sister of 31Nahshon, and she bore him 32Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 The 33sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.
25 Aaron's son 34Eleazar married * one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him 35Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' households of the Levites according to their families.
26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "36Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their 37hosts."
27 They were the ones 38who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.
28 Now it came about on the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
29 that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "39I am the LORD; 40speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you."
30 But Moses said before the LORD, "Behold, I am 41unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?"

Exodus 6 Commentary

Chapter 6

God renews his promise. (1-9) Moses and Aaron again sent to Pharaoh. (10-13) The parentage of Moses and Aaron. (14-30)

Verses 1-9 We are most likely to prosper in attempts to glorify God, and to be useful to men, when we learn by experience that we can do nothing of ourselves; when our whole dependence is placed on him, and our only expectation is from him. Moses had been expecting what God would do; but now he shall see what he will do. God would now be known by his name Jehovah, that is, a God performing what he had promised, and finishing his own work. God intended their happiness: I will take you to me for a people, a peculiar people, and I will be to you a God. More than this we need not ask, we cannot have, to make us happy. He intended his own glory: Ye shall know that I am the Lord. These good words, and comfortable words, should have revived the drooping Israelites, and have made them forget their misery; but they were so taken up with their troubles, that they did not heed God's promises. By indulging discontent and fretfulness, we deprive ourselves of the comfort we might have, both from God's word and from his providence, and go comfortless.

Verses 10-13 The faith of Moses was so feeble that he could scarcely be kept to his work. Ready obedience is always according to the strength of our faith. Though our weaknesses ought to humble us, yet they ought not to discourage us from doing our best in any service we have to do for God. When Moses repeats his baffled arguments, he is argued with no longer, but God gives him and Aaron a charge, both to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh. God's authority is sufficient to answer all objections, and binds all to obey, without murmuring or disputing, ( Philippians 2:14 ) .

Verses 14-30 Moses and Aaron were Israelites; raised up unto them of their brethren, as Christ also should be, who was to be the Prophet and Priest, the Redeemer and Lawgiver of the people of Israel. Moses returns to his narrative, and repeats the charge God had given him to deliver his message to Pharaoh, and his objection against it. Those who have spoken unadvisedly with their lips ought to reflect upon it with regret, as Moses seems to do here."Uncircumcised," is used in Scripture to note the unsuitableness there may be in any thing to answer its proper purpose; as the carnal heart and depraved nature of fallen man are wholly unsuited to the services of God, and to the purposes of his glory. It is profitable to place no confidence in ourselves, all our sufficiency must be in the Lord. We never can trust ourselves too little, or our God too much. I can do nothing by myself, said the apostle, but I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Cross References 41

  • 1. Exodus 3:19, 20; Exodus 7:4, 5; Exodus 11:1; Exodus 12:31, 33, 39; Exodus 13:3
  • 2. Exodus 3:14, 15
  • 3. Genesis 17:1; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 48:3
  • 4. Psalms 68:4; Psalms 83:18; Isaiah 52:6; Jeremiah 16:21; Ezekiel 37:6, 13
  • 5. Genesis 12:7; Genesis 15:18; Genesis 17:4, 7; Genesis 26:3, 4; Genesis 28:4, 13
  • 6. Exodus 2:24
  • 7. Exodus 13:3, 14; Exodus 20:2; Deuteronomy 6:12
  • 8. Exodus 3:17; Exodus 7:4; Exodus 12:51; Exodus 16:6; Exodus 18:1; Deuteronomy 26:8; Psalms 136:11
  • 9. Exodus 15:13; Deuteronomy 7:8; 1 Chronicles 17:21; Nehemiah 1:10
  • 10. Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 5:15; Deuteronomy 26:8; Psalms 136:11
  • 11. Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 7:6; 2 Samuel 7:24
  • 12. Genesis 17:7; Exodus 29:45; Leviticus 11:45; Leviticus 26:12, 13, 45; Deuteronomy 29:13
  • 13. Exodus 16:12; Isaiah 41:20; Isaiah 49:23, 26; Isaiah 60:16
  • 14. Genesis 15:18; Genesis 26:3; Numbers 14:30; Nehemiah 9:15; Ezekiel 20:5, 6
  • 15. Joshua 24:13; Psalms 136:21, 22
  • 16. Exodus 6:6
  • 17. Exodus 2:23
  • 18. Exodus 4:22, 23
  • 19. Exodus 4:1, 10; Exodus 6:30
  • 20. Jeremiah 1:6
  • 21. Genesis 46:9; Numbers 26:5-11; 1 Chronicles 5:3
  • 22. Genesis 46:10; 1 Chronicles 4:24
  • 23. Genesis 46:11; Numbers 3:17; Numbers 26:57; 1 Chr 6:1, 16-19
  • 24. Numbers 3:18-20; 1 Chronicles 6:17-19
  • 25. Numbers 3:19; 1 Chronicles 6:2, 18
  • 26. Numbers 3:20; 1 Chronicles 6:19; 1 Chronicles 23:21
  • 27. Exodus 2:1, 2; Numbers 26:59
  • 28. Numbers 16:1; 1 Chronicles 6:37, 38
  • 29. Leviticus 10:4; Numbers 3:30
  • 30. Ruth 4:19, 20; 1 Chronicles 2:10
  • 31. Numbers 1:7; Numbers 2:3
  • 32. Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:2; Numbers 26:60; 1 Chronicles 6:3; 1 Chronicles 24:1
  • 33. Numbers 26:11; 1 Chr 6:22, 23, 37
  • 34. Joshua 24:33
  • 35. Numbers 25:7-13; Joshua 24:33; Psalms 106:30
  • 36. Exodus 3:10; Exodus 6:13
  • 37. Exodus 7:4; Exodus 12:17, 51
  • 38. Exodus 5:1
  • 39. Ex 6:2, 6, 8
  • 40. Exodus 6:11; Exodus 7:2
  • 41. Exodus 4:10; Exodus 6:12; Jeremiah 1:6

Footnotes 23

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 6

The Lord encourages Moses to hope for success from his name Jehovah, and the covenant he had made with the fathers of his people, Ex 6:1-5, orders him to assure the children of Israel that he would deliver them from their bondage and burdens, and bring them into the land of Canaan; but through their distress and anguish they hearkened not to him, Ex 6:6-9 but Moses is sent again to Pharaoh to demand the dismission of Israel, to which he seems unwilling, and both he and Aaron are charged both to go to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh, Ex 6:10-13, next follows a genealogy of the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, which seems to be given for the sake of Moses and Aaron, and to show their descent, Ex 6:14-15, who were the persons appointed of God to be the instruments of bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt, Ex 6:26-30.

Exodus 6 Commentaries

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