Exodus 6:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.

NIV: I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.

NASB: I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as strangers.

CSB: I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as aliens.

NLT: And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners.

KJV: And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

NKJV: I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers.

God is reassuring Moses (Exodus 5:22–23) who is concerned that the Lord's plan to free Israel (Exodus 3:10) is not happening as expected. God began by reminding Moses that he was about to see fulfillment of exactly what was pre-dicted (Exodus 3:19–20; 6:1). Next, the Lord begins explaining His history with the people of Israel (Exodus 6:2–3). This began with the earliest patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Once mostly known as "God Al-mighty," He will now be "the Lord" to His people.

God's relationship with Moses' ancestors came with a covenant promise (Genesis 17:1–8) and a guarantee that they would possess the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:6–7). During the lives of Abraham and Isaac, their people lived as nomads in that territory. A "sojourn" is to make a temporary stop while travelling to a destination. The Hebrew patriarchs were never fully settled in their lands: they were always there temporarily, anticipating their arrival in a Promised Land.

This continued through most of the life of Jacob, the man God renamed Israel (Genesis 32:28). Near the end of Jacob's life, he and his family moved into Egypt to escape a famine (Genesis 46:2–7). Even then, Jacob and later Joseph knew that Goshen was not their home (Genesis 49:29–32); Joseph anticipated God visiting the people and bringing them into the Promised Land (Genesis 50:24–25). Years after Joseph died, the Egyp-tian's friendly relationship with the Hebrew sojourners turned into brutal slavery (Exodus 1:11–14). During that time, God has not spoken to the people. Yet He has always been aware of their situation and intends to take them out of it (Exodus 6:5).

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.