Exodus 6:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.

NIV: I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them.

NASB: and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them.

CSB: I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I was not known to them by my name ‘the Lord.’

NLT: I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai — ‘God Almighty’ — but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.

KJV: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

NKJV: I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.

When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:4–6), He identified Himself in two ways. One was with the phrase "I am," from the Hebrew eheyeh aser' eheyeh. The other was with the word YHWH, or Yahweh, usually translated as "Lord." The name Yahweh had been used in the biblical text prior to Moses' encounter with God. However, the prima-ry phrase God used to identify Himself had been ēl' saddāy', or El Shad-dai (Genesis 17:1; 35:11), translated as "God Almighty." This was how He presented Himself to Isra-el's patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Readers will notice that the word YHWH, or "the Lord," has appeared since the earliest pages of the Bible (Genesis 2:4). Since Moses recorded the book of Genesis, this is not surprising. However, there are places in Genesis where "the Lord" is spoken aloud (Genesis 4:1; 13:4; 16:2; 19:13). Scholars suggest one of two explanations:

First is that Moses is using a then-familiar name for God to consistently identify Him. This would be like quoting Sarah saying, "Abraham, God is preventing me from having children," even though her hus-band's name at that moment was actually "Abram" and hers was "Sarai" (Genesis 16:2). Since most people know these persons as "Abraham" and "Sarah," the more common names might be used to avoid misunderstanding. The other possibility is that spoken uses of YHWH in Genesis are literal, and God's meaning here is simply that Yahweh was not His primary self-identification until the time of Mo-ses.

This is part of the Lord's reassurance against Moses' doubts (Exodus 5:22–23). God will continue to explain His history with Israel and His plans to liberate them from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 6:4–6).

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.