Exodus 6:12

ESV But Moses said to the Lord, "Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?"

NIV But Moses said to the Lord, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips ?"

NASB But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, 'Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, as I am unskilled in speech?'

CSB But Moses said in the Lord’s presence: "If the Israelites will not listen to me, then how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am such a poor speaker?"

NLT But Lord!' Moses objected. 'My own people won’t listen to me anymore. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen? I’m such a clumsy speaker! '

KJV 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?

NKJV And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

What does Exodus 6:12 mean?

When God first called Moses (Exodus 3:4–6), the command was to go and bring Israel out of slavery in Egypt (Exo-dus 3:7–10). Moses resisted at first claiming he was unworthy of the task (Exodus 3:11). Then he claimed to be a poor communicator (Exodus 4:10). Eventually, Moses simply begged God to send someone else (Exodus 4:13). Once he followed through on the Lord's command, the result was a disaster for Israel (Exodus 5:15–21). When God brought a message of reassurance (Exodus 6:2–8), the people ignored it (Exodus 6:9). While they had been enthusi-astic (Exodus 4:31), now they were bitter and resigned.

If the people Moses came to save don't want to hear him, why would the absolute ruler of all Egypt be more receptive?

Moses uses an interesting phrase here. This can carry one—or all—of several possible meanings. The phrase Moses applies to describe himself is aral' sepātāyim, literally meaning "uncircumcised lips." It suggests something lacking God's approval—explaining why the Israelites are rejecting what Moses says. It implies a lack of read-iness or spiritual ability (Jeremiah 9:26). It also evokes the idea that there's something "in the way" of Moses' words that should not be there, another claim that he is not the right choice to speak these words. In short, Moses is protesting that he's unqualified as a speaker (Exodus 4:14–16), or unworthy, or both. This comment will be mentioned again at the end of this chapter's genealogy (Exodus 6:30).

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