Exodus 6:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.

NIV: They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.

NASB: They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.

CSB: Moses and Aaron were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

NLT: It was Moses and Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about leading the people of Israel out of Egypt.

KJV: These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.

NKJV: These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.

This summary verse again emphasizes Aaron and Moses as God's messengers to Pharaoh. The section is in a "chiastic" structure, where ideas are mirrored around a central point: Aaron and Moses bring the people out of Egypt (Exodus 6:26)—they communicated with Pharaoh—the people are brought out of Egypt by Moses and Aaron.

Such patterns were common in ancient literature. Chiasms provide emphasis and easy remembering for those living in oral cultures. In fact, a larger chiastic structure is visible in this section of Exodus 6:13–27: Bring the people out of Egypt (Exodus 6:13)—Genealogy of the Levites (Exodus 6:14–25)—Bring the people out of Egypt (Exodus 6:26–27).

The text also moves from a narrow focus on family members (Exodus 6:14–25), to a focus on Moses and Aaron themselves (Exodus 6:26–27), to a focus solely on Moses (Exodus 6:28–30). God's plan included all of the Israelites, particularly the Levites, and the lives of Aaron and Moses.

Exodus 6:14–30 records the genealogies of Moses and his brother, Aaron. This supports that this is part of God's continuous plan to arrive at this very point in history. It also clarifies their status as members of the tribe of Levi. Along the way, God reiterates and re-establishes Moses' commission as His messenger. Moses is still wracked with self-doubt.

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 6/15/2025 9:29:43 AM