Exodus 6
6:1 Then 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.
6:2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I [am] the LORD:
6:3 And 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.
6:4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan,
the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
6:5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage;
and I have remembered my covenant. {cp. Gen 15:18; 17:7,8}
Now shall you see what I will do...-
Moses had questioned God's timing, and the difficult circumstances of His people. (5:22,23)
But the Lord knew what He was doing. cp. Isa 46:10(b),11(b); Eph 1:11
I am the LORD {ie., Jehovah}- This statement recalls Ex 3:14.
''I AM'' is the One who is sufficient in Himself for the needs of His people.
by my name 'Jehovah' was I not known unto them...-
What does this mean?
  • The above statement can also be translated as a rhetorical question:
    ''By my name Jehovah was I not known unto them?''
  • Abraham, Isaac & Jacob were intellectually familiar with this name (eg. Gen 12:7,8; 22:14-18; 49:18).
    It was the LORD who gave them the Covenant promises.
    They believed He was the Almighty God, with power to keep His promises.
    Re: 'the Almighty God' {HB=El Shadddai}, see note at Gen 17:1.
  • Abraham, Isaac & Jacob had not experientially known the sufficiency of the LORD to fulfill those promises.
    Now, God was ''about to be revealed in that aspect of His character signified by Jehovah - - ie., His covenant-relation to Israel as the One who redeems her from sin and delivers her from Egypt (v.6-8).'' [NewScofRB]
I appeared... I have established my covenant... I have heard... I have remembered my covenant- (v.3-5)
The Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional, in that it rests solely upon the Lord for fulfillment.
6:6 Wherefore 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:
6:7 And 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.
6:8 And 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.
I will... (occurs 7x in v.6-8)- Redemption rests completely on the work of the Redeemer.
The prophet & preacher proclaim what He has done and what He will do.
But the ministry of salvation belongs only to God. cp. 2Cor 5:17-21
Note the parallels between Israel's redemption from Egypt, and the believer's redemption in Christ-
I will bring you out from under your burdens.
(ie., the pressure of unreasonable taskmasters)		'I will give you rest.' Mat 11:28
(release from the burden of sin. Heb 2:14,15)
I will rid you out of their bondage.
(ie., from being slaves to Egypt)		'Take my yoke upon you...' Mat 11:29
(release from slavery to sin, to serve God)
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
as a King extends his sceptre-
(a) in power against His enemies:
eg., in the 10 plagues (Deu 26:8).
(b) in mercy toward believers:
by the blood of the Passover Lamb
(Psa 136:10-12).		Because Christ stretched out his arms
on the cross,
(a) the Enemy is judged (Joh 12:31).
(b) believers are redeemed by His blood
and raised by the power of His life.
(1Pet 1:18-21)
I will take you for a people.
Israel: God's own people, Lev 26:12; Deu 14:2.		Believers are redeemed to be
'a people that are His own'. Titus 2:14; 1Pet 2:9,10
I will be your God.
Israel was to forsake the gods of the nations,
and serve the Lord with one mind.		Believers are to forsake worldly distractions:
to live for Him...
to look for Him... Titus 2:11-14
I will bring you into the land {of Canaan}.
A physical blessing upon the earth.		Believers are brought in to
spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. Eph 1:3
I will give it to you for an heritage.
Israel's predetermined inheritance-
- to be realized under Messiah's earthly reign.
- is secured by the Word of the Lord.		The believer's predestined inheritance-
- to ''be to the praise of His glory'',
- is sealed by the Holy Spirit. Eph 1:11-14
6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel:
but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
6:10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6:11 Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
6:12 And 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?
6:13 And 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.
The promised redemption was sure, resting upon the Lord's work alone.
The Lord begins now to accomplish this redemption, though all concerned are in unbelief:
  • Pharaoh, v.11,12
  • the children of Israel, v.9,12 - blinded, by life's circumstances, concerning the living God.
  • Moses & Aaron, v.12
    Moses' mention of his 'uncircumcised lips' suggests his continued sense of unpreparedness, and the wavering of his faith in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances. cp. Ex 4:10; Jer 6:10
The Lord... gave... a charge {a command} - (v.13)
- to Moses & Aaron. They must obey His instructions despite their misgivings.
- unto the children of Israel. They must be brought out of Egypt.
- unto Pharaoh. He must submit to the LORD.
6:14 These [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.
6:15 And 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.
6:16 And 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.
6:17 The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families.
6:18 And 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.
6:19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi:
these [are] the families of Levi according to their generations.
6:20 And 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.
6:21 And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.
6:22 And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri.
6:23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife;
and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
6:24 And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these [are] the families of the Korhites.
6:25 And 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.
6:26 These [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.
6:27 These [are] they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt:
these [are] that Moses and Aaron.
This genealogy is intentionally partial. It begins to list the sons of Jacob (the 12 tribes of Israel), but stops at Levi, the third son, to expand on his descendants. The purpose here is to identify the lineage of Moses and Aaron. Complete lists of the 12 tribes are given elsewhere. eg., Ex 1:1-5; Num 26 (where Levi is listed separately)
6:28 And it came to pass on the day [when] the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,
6:29 That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I [am] the LORD:
speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.
6:30 And Moses said before the LORD,
Behold, I [am] of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?
(Read v.28-30 as the opening to chapter 7.)
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