What does Exodus 3:9 mean?

A bush covered in flames but not burnt attracted Moses' attention (Exodus 3:1–3). From that flame, the angel of the Lord speaks, declaring God's intent to free Israel (Exodus 3:7–8) from their slavery (Exodus 2:23–25). Here, God begins to describe how Moses will lead the Hebrews out of oppression and into a prosperous Promised Land.

The Hebrew words translated "and now, behold," draw attention to whatever follows. This is much the same as saying, "look at this," in English. God notes two concerns, using a poetically human perspective. First, God is aware of Israel's suffering and prayers. This "cry" represents the pain of slavery endured by the Jewish people. Second, God knows exactly how the Egyptians abuse His people. The words "Egypt" or "Egyptians" are used six times in this section (Exodus 3:7–12), each as a reference to the nation itself, which is strongly labelled as the enemy of God's people.

The idea of oppression is also repeated. The phrase translated as "oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them" emphasizes the severity of Egyptian treatment of the Jews. Both the noun and verb form of the Hebrew word are used. This word—lachats—can refer to subjugation, suffering, or mistreatment of any kind. The combined use of noun and verb forms strengthens the emphasis.