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Exodus 6

God pledges to redeem Israel through his covenant power while the people remain overwhelmed and Moses questions his fitness.

God speaks to Moses while Israel remains enslaved in Egypt, promising to compel Pharaoh to release the people. He recalls his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and pledges to bring their descendants into Canaan. Moses carries this message to Israel, but anguish and cruel bondage keep them from listening. God then sends him back to Pharaoh. A genealogy traces Moses and Aaron’s place within Israel before the account returns to Moses’ doubts about his speech.

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1The LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for by a strong hand he shall let them go, and by a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land.”
2God spoke to Moses, and said to him, “I am the LORD.
3I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name the LORD I was not known to them.
4I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their travels, in which they lived as aliens.
5Moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant.
6Therefore tell the children of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments.
7I will take you to myself for a people. I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am the LORD.’”
9Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they didn’t listen to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
11“Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.”
12Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel haven’t listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, when I have uncircumcised lips?”
13The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a command to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
14These are the heads of their fathers’ houses. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
15The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.
16These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred thirty-seven years.
17The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
18The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred thirty-three years.
19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
20Amram took Jochebed his father’s sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. The years of the life of Amram were one hundred thirty-seven years.
21The sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.
22The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, as his wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.
25Eleazar Aaron’s son took one of the daughters of Putiel as his wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.
26These are that Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.”
27These are those who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron.
29The LORD said to Moses, “I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I tell you.”
30Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh listen to me?”
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Exodus 6:6God commits himself to ending Israel’s bondage, making their release depend on his power and judgment against Egypt.
Exodus 6:3God connects his revelation to Moses with his appearances to the patriarchs, preparing Israel to know him through covenant fulfillment.
Exodus 6:7The promised rescue establishes Israel as God’s own people, who will know him as YHWH who freed them.
Where this chapter reaches

Genesis shares the patriarchs and the promise of Canaan, while Numbers and 1 Chronicles share family lines recorded in the genealogy of Moses and Aaron. Deuteronomy recalls Israel’s rescue from Egypt by God’s strong hand, and Leviticus shares the covenant promise that he will be their God.

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After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about God’s promises alongside Israel’s inability to listen under cruel bondage?

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How does the genealogy affect your reading of Moses and Aaron’s commission to confront Pharaoh?

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Questions people ask about Exodus 6

What does Exodus 6:3 mean when God says his name was not known to the patriarchs?

The verse contrasts God’s appearances to the patriarchs as God Almighty with his disclosure of the name YHWH to Moses. Genesis also uses the divine name in patriarchal accounts, so the contrast requires care. A common reading concerns knowing the name’s significance through God’s fulfillment of his covenant promises.

What does Moses mean by “uncircumcised lips” in Exodus 6?

Moses uses “uncircumcised lips” to describe his sense that his speech is unfit for the task. Since Israel has refused to listen, he doubts Pharaoh will hear him. The phrase expresses inadequacy; this chapter does not identify a medical condition or explain the precise nature of his speech difficulty.

Why is there a genealogy in Exodus 6?

The genealogy identifies Moses and Aaron within Israel’s families. It begins with Reuben and Simeon, then follows Levi’s line to the brothers and Aaron’s descendants. Verses 26–27 connect these named men with the command to bring Israel out of Egypt, anchoring their commission in the people’s family history.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).