New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Exodus 6
1
Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. Because of my powerful hand, he will let the people of Israel go. Because of my mighty hand, he will drive them out of his country."
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 136:12
Exodus 12:39
Exodus 12:33
Deuteronomy 32:39
Psalm 89:13
References Lord
Exodus 12:31
Exodus 11:1
Psalm 12:5
Exodus 13:3
References Moses
Isaiah 63:12
3
I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the Mighty God. But I did not show them the full meaning of my name, The Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 83:18
Revelation 1:4
Isaiah 42:8
References Abraham
John 8:58
References God
Psalm 68:4
Exodus 3:14
Genesis 17:1
Genesis 48:3
Isaiah 44:6
Genesis 35:11
4
"I also made my covenant with them. I promised to give them the land of Canaan. That is where they lived as outsiders.
Reference
5
Also, I have heard the groans of the Israelites. The Egyptians are keeping them as slaves. But I have remembered my covenant.
Reference
6
"So tell the people of Israel, 'I am the Lord. I will throw off the heavy load the Egyptians have put on your shoulders. I will set you free from being slaves to them. I will reach out my arm and save you with mighty acts when I judge Egypt.
Reference
Judgment
Exodus 7:4
Parallel theme
Psalm 81:6
Redemption
1 Chronicles 17:21
Deuteronomy 7:8
Nehemiah 1:10
Exodus 15:13
Deuteronomy 15:15
References Egypt
Exodus 3:17
References Lord
Deuteronomy 26:8
Deuteronomy 4:23
7
" 'I will take you to be my own people. I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God when I throw off the load the Egyptians have put on your shoulders.
Reference
References God
Deuteronomy 29:13
Deuteronomy 7:6
Revelation 21:7
Deuteronomy 14:2
References Lord
Deuteronomy 4:20
Deuteronomy 26:18
8
" 'I will bring you to the land I promised with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I lifted up my hand and promised it to them. The land will belong to you. I am the Lord.' "
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 32:40
Ezekiel 47:14
References Abraham
Genesis 26:3
Exodus 32:13
Genesis 35:12
References Lord
Genesis 15:18
Genesis 14:22
Ezekiel 20:42
Genesis 28:13
9
Moses reported those things to the Israelites. But they didn't listen to him. That's because they had lost all hope and had to work very hard.
Reference
10
Then the Lord said to Moses,
11
"Go. Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the people of Israel leave his country."
12
But Moses spoke to the Lord. "The people won't listen to me," he said. "So why would Pharaoh listen to me? After all, I don't speak very well."
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 7:51
Leviticus 26:41
References Lord
Exodus 4:10
Jeremiah 1:6
Exodus 6:30
Jeremiah 6:10
References Moses
Exodus 6:9
13
The Lord had spoken to Moses and Aaron. He had talked with them about the Israelites and about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He had commanded Moses and Aaron to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt.
Reference
Kingdom
2 Timothy 4:1
Parallel theme
Psalm 91:11
1 Timothy 6:13
1 Timothy 1:18
References Lord
1 Timothy 5:21
Deuteronomy 31:14
Numbers 27:23
14
Here were the leaders of the family groups of Reuben, Simeon and Levi. Reuben was the oldest son of Israel. His sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. Those were the family groups of Reuben.
Reference
15
The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a woman from Canaan. Those were the family groups of Simeon.
Reference
16
Here were the names of the sons of Levi that were recorded in their family history. They were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived for 137 years.
Reference
18
The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived for 133 years.
Reference
People
19
The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Those were the family groups of Levi that were recorded in their family history.
Reference
People
20
Amram got married to his father's sister Jochebed. Aaron and Moses were born in Amram's family line. Amram lived for 137 years.
Reference
People
23
Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. She had Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar by Aaron.
Reference
People
24
The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. Those were the family groups of Korah.
People
25
Eleazar, the son of Aaron, married one of the daughters of Putiel. She had Phinehas by Eleazar. Those were the leaders of the families of Levi that were recorded by their groups.
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Joshua 24:33
26
The Lord had spoken to that same Aaron and Moses. He had told them, "Bring the Israelites out of Egypt like an army on the march."
Reference
References Egypt
Exodus 12:17
References Israel
Exodus 7:4
References Lord
Exodus 12:51
Exodus 6:13
References Moses
Numbers 33:1
27
They spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. They were that same Moses and Aaron.
28
The Lord had spoken to Moses in Egypt.
29
He had told him, "I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I tell you."
Reference
Summary of Exodus 6
Exodus chapter six begins from where Exodus 5 left off, with Moses in despair over the people’s complaint. Not wasting anytime explaining to him the source of his anger, God promises to deliver Israel from the Egyptians. ‘Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh for his sins, for by a mighty hand he shall let them go, and by a mighty hand he shall drive them out of his land.’ (Exodus 6:1). To emphasize this promise, God reveals to Moses that he will deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage by a powerful force as great as his own, and that this power is what the Israelites had already seen in their forefathers.
This is the first time that God has used the covenant name JEHOVAH, which the King James Version sometimes renders I AM THAT I AM, in revealing himself to Moses. ‘I am Jehovah, I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known unto them.’ (Exodus 6:3). What God seems to be saying is that his people had only previously known his power, but now they would know his covenant faithfulness since he had made a covenant with them as Israel.
Then the Almighty proceeds to show the extent of his faithfulness to Israel by declaring through seven ‘I will’ statements, each one of which is a marvel or miracle. ‘I will bring thee out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid thee out of their bondage, and I will redeem thee with a stretched out arm, and with awesome judgments against Egypt: and I will take thee to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and I will bring you in unto the covenant of my son, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give you the land of Canaan for a possession,’ (Exodus 6:6-7). Each one of these things is something that God will do, not Moses or the people themselves, which is why Israel needed redemption. It would not have been possible for them to deliver themselves from the Egyptians because the task itself was far greater than the united strength of all the people of Israel. This is the message that Moses delivers to the people of Israel, which only makes them more miserable, because of ‘the anguish of spirit,’ and ‘their cruel bondage.’
God, in turn, commands Moses to go unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and bring the children of Israel out of his land. Moses tries to excuse himself on two grounds: first, the Israelites have not heeded his message, and second, he is not eloquent enough to persuade Pharaoh, ‘for I am a man of uncircumcised lips.’ (Exodus 6:12) This is almost an identical complaint to the one that Moses made at the beginning of chapter 4, concerning his inapt speech. It shows that the problem which caused him to hesitate at the start of his prophetic work was not eased by the miracles which he performed in the name of God. It is surprising that Moses made this excuse immediately after having been told how successful he had been in getting Israel to recognize God’s power. There is also a contradiction in Moses’ argument because the Israelites’ misery may have been due to their failure to understand that the mighty miracles wrought in Egypt were meant to persuade them to leave with Moses. Therefore, Moses’ complaint about their unwillingness to heed him seems unwarranted. However, at the moment, the feeling seems to have gotten the better of him.
Just at this point, the narrative takes a sudden turn, going into the genealogy of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi – with emphasis on the latter. The reason for giving this information is to prepare the reader for the introduction of Aaron and Moses as Israel’s leaders. ‘The sons of Levi are Kohath, and his sons Amram, and his wife Jochebed bore Aaron and Moses, and Aaron took Elisheba to wife, and they had sons also. This is the genealogy of Moses and Aaron.’ (Exodus 6:18-20). By giving this genealogy, the writer wants to assure his readers that Moses and Aaron are legitimate descendants of Jacob, and so are fit to lead Israel as representatives of their father, Jacob. This is important because the Israelites had to see Moses as one of them – one of their own – and not as some outsider chosen by God to lead them.
It seems almost as if the writer is ‘going back to where he left off,’ right after giving the genealogy. ‘These are the words which Jehovah spake concerning Aaron and Moses, unto the children of Israel, saying, Bring out the assembly of the children of Israel from the midst of the Egyptians, according to their hosts.’ (Exodus 6:26-27). Just as the writer picked up the main thread of the story after giving the genealogy of Moses and Aaron, so too does he repeat the substance of what has been said immediately before this interlude. Moses begins to complain again about his inability to persuade the people because of his ‘uncircumcised lips,’ and about the unresponsiveness of the Egyptians to his messages. One gets the impression that this part of the story is written in a way similar to the manner in which Exodus 6:1-5 is framed, almost making Exodus 6:6-9 seem as if it were an interruption. Exodus 6:1-5, with its promise of a great deliverance, is the frame for the statement that appears in Exodus 6:6-9 concerning Moses’ fear and the people’s unresponsiveness.
Exodus 6 is a chapter which unifies two ideas: one that represents God’s tremendous promises, and the other, the doubts which persist despite the manifestation of his power. God declared through seven ‘I wills’ that he would deliver Israel from Egypt by his power and bring them to Mount Sinai, where they would become his covenant people. Meanwhile, Moses kept doubting the success of his mission because of his own shortcomings and Pharaoh’s unyielding attitude. However, the events of this chapter did not remove the obstacles that were about to confront Moses. What they did was to set the stage for what was to happen, which would bring Israel to Mount Sinai, where they would become God’s covenant people.
This is the first time that God has used the covenant name JEHOVAH, which the King James Version sometimes renders I AM THAT I AM, in revealing himself to Moses. ‘I am Jehovah, I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known unto them.’ (Exodus 6:3). What God seems to be saying is that his people had only previously known his power, but now they would know his covenant faithfulness since he had made a covenant with them as Israel.
Then the Almighty proceeds to show the extent of his faithfulness to Israel by declaring through seven ‘I will’ statements, each one of which is a marvel or miracle. ‘I will bring thee out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid thee out of their bondage, and I will redeem thee with a stretched out arm, and with awesome judgments against Egypt: and I will take thee to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and I will bring you in unto the covenant of my son, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give you the land of Canaan for a possession,’ (Exodus 6:6-7). Each one of these things is something that God will do, not Moses or the people themselves, which is why Israel needed redemption. It would not have been possible for them to deliver themselves from the Egyptians because the task itself was far greater than the united strength of all the people of Israel. This is the message that Moses delivers to the people of Israel, which only makes them more miserable, because of ‘the anguish of spirit,’ and ‘their cruel bondage.’
God, in turn, commands Moses to go unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and bring the children of Israel out of his land. Moses tries to excuse himself on two grounds: first, the Israelites have not heeded his message, and second, he is not eloquent enough to persuade Pharaoh, ‘for I am a man of uncircumcised lips.’ (Exodus 6:12) This is almost an identical complaint to the one that Moses made at the beginning of chapter 4, concerning his inapt speech. It shows that the problem which caused him to hesitate at the start of his prophetic work was not eased by the miracles which he performed in the name of God. It is surprising that Moses made this excuse immediately after having been told how successful he had been in getting Israel to recognize God’s power. There is also a contradiction in Moses’ argument because the Israelites’ misery may have been due to their failure to understand that the mighty miracles wrought in Egypt were meant to persuade them to leave with Moses. Therefore, Moses’ complaint about their unwillingness to heed him seems unwarranted. However, at the moment, the feeling seems to have gotten the better of him.
Just at this point, the narrative takes a sudden turn, going into the genealogy of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi – with emphasis on the latter. The reason for giving this information is to prepare the reader for the introduction of Aaron and Moses as Israel’s leaders. ‘The sons of Levi are Kohath, and his sons Amram, and his wife Jochebed bore Aaron and Moses, and Aaron took Elisheba to wife, and they had sons also. This is the genealogy of Moses and Aaron.’ (Exodus 6:18-20). By giving this genealogy, the writer wants to assure his readers that Moses and Aaron are legitimate descendants of Jacob, and so are fit to lead Israel as representatives of their father, Jacob. This is important because the Israelites had to see Moses as one of them – one of their own – and not as some outsider chosen by God to lead them.
It seems almost as if the writer is ‘going back to where he left off,’ right after giving the genealogy. ‘These are the words which Jehovah spake concerning Aaron and Moses, unto the children of Israel, saying, Bring out the assembly of the children of Israel from the midst of the Egyptians, according to their hosts.’ (Exodus 6:26-27). Just as the writer picked up the main thread of the story after giving the genealogy of Moses and Aaron, so too does he repeat the substance of what has been said immediately before this interlude. Moses begins to complain again about his inability to persuade the people because of his ‘uncircumcised lips,’ and about the unresponsiveness of the Egyptians to his messages. One gets the impression that this part of the story is written in a way similar to the manner in which Exodus 6:1-5 is framed, almost making Exodus 6:6-9 seem as if it were an interruption. Exodus 6:1-5, with its promise of a great deliverance, is the frame for the statement that appears in Exodus 6:6-9 concerning Moses’ fear and the people’s unresponsiveness.
Exodus 6 is a chapter which unifies two ideas: one that represents God’s tremendous promises, and the other, the doubts which persist despite the manifestation of his power. God declared through seven ‘I wills’ that he would deliver Israel from Egypt by his power and bring them to Mount Sinai, where they would become his covenant people. Meanwhile, Moses kept doubting the success of his mission because of his own shortcomings and Pharaoh’s unyielding attitude. However, the events of this chapter did not remove the obstacles that were about to confront Moses. What they did was to set the stage for what was to happen, which would bring Israel to Mount Sinai, where they would become God’s covenant people.