What does Exodus 6:2 mean?

When Moses expressed doubt (Exodus 5:22–23), God replied with reassurance that this was part of His expected plan (Exodus 6:1). Now God begins to re-establish His authority, His promises, and His relationship with the people of Isra-el.

First, God repeats the name used during Moses' encounter at the burning bush (Exodus 3:4–6). In Hebrew, this is formed with the letters yodh, he, waw, he. This is most easily presented in the Roman alphabet as "YHWH." Hebrew writing does not include vowels, but the presumed pronunciation of the term is Yahweh (Exodus 3:15). This is the closest thing to a proper name associated with God. The term is typically printed in English using small capitals, as "Lord."

The next verse makes a curious reference to how God identified Himself to previous generations (Exodus 6:3). While the word YHWH appears in many verses before the book of Exodus, it was not God's primary alias. Rather, the Lord had labeled Himself as "God Almighty," from the Hebrew ēl' saddāy', or El Shaddai (Genesis 17:1; 35:11).