Exodus 6:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land."

NIV: "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country."

NASB: Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.'

CSB: "Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go from his land."

NLT: Go back to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and tell him to let the people of Israel leave his country.'

KJV: Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

NKJV: “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”

While discouraged after his first encounter with Pharaoh (Exodus 5:1–3, 6–9, 22–23), Moses had re-mained faithful to the Lord. The people were too beaten down to hear encouragement (Exodus 6:9). Yet the Lord is not done with His work (Exodus 3:19–20). God repeats His demand that Pharaoh release the people of Israel, instructing Mo-ses to pass it along to the Egyptian king. This is no small request. Pharaoh has not only denied it once before, but he spite-fully made the Hebrews' lives even harder (Exodus 5:15–19). Moses is testing the patience of an extremely powerful man.

Moses will begin with some of the signs given to him by God (Exodus 4:1–7), but these will also be rejected (Exodus 7:8–12). This will lead to the first of the ten great plagues: turning the Nile river into blood (Exodus 7:14–19).

Exodus 6:1–13 is God's reassuring response to Moses' disappointment (Exodus 5:22–23). Phar-aoh retaliated against Israel rather than agreeing to their freedom (Exodus 5:6–9). Here, the Lord repeats that this is an expected part of the plan (Exodus 3:19–20). He re-identifies Himself and reminds Moses of His relationship with Israel's ancestors. Israel will be freed, and Egypt will be punished. God commands Moses to confront Pharaoh again, even though the Hebrew people are against it.

God responds to Moses, who struggles to understand recent events (Exodus 5:22–23). Pharaoh has retaliated against the Lord's message about Israel's freedom (Exodus 5:1–9). Here, the Lord repeats His predic-tion that Israel will be freed (Exodus 3:14–22). God's specific identity and relationship to Israel are key to this response. The Lord will fulfill His promises and take the Hebrews from Egypt into the Promised Land. The passage then rec-ords the genealogies of Moses and Aaron. Moses' commission from God is also repeated.

After centuries of enslavement (Exodus 1:11–14), God commissions Moses to be His representative in freeing Israel (Exodus 3:4–10). But when Moses delivers the Lord's message (Exodus 5:1–3), Pharaoh retaliates (Exodus 5:6–9). This leads to infighting (Exodus 5:20–21) and causes Moses to doubt (Exodus 5:22–23). After the Lord offers reassurances in this chapter, He will repeat an account of how the story will play out. Then God begins to bring plagues of judgment against Egypt (Exodus 7).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.

Accessed 3/28/2025 7:13:26 PM