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Exodus 6 Commentary

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Exodus 6:1-5

The first nine verses of chapter six contain the LORD’s answer to Moses’ complaint to the LORD. The first verse answers Moses’ complaint that the LORD has not fulfilled His promised deliverance. Verses 2 – 9 answer the question concerning who the source of the commands to leave Egypt is and repeats the promised deliverance.

Exodus 6:6-7

The Israelites need to be prepared for their deliverance that is about to happen, and He wanted them to believe that He will do what He says He is going to do. God can be trusted.

Exodus 6:8-9

In verses 6 – 8 is what the LORD commanded Moses to tell the Israelites. They need to be prepared for their deliverance that is about to happen, and He wanted them to believe that He will do what He says He is going to do in these verses.

Exodus 6:10-13

In verses 10 – 13, the LORD commanded Moses to confront Pharaoh again to demand the release of the Israelites.

Exodus 6:14-25

A genealogy is given.

Exodus 6:26-27

These verses (26 – 27) can be viewed as the reason for the genealogy.

Exodus 6:28-30

This section is repetitious to verses 10-12, reiterating God’s command to Moses.

Additional Resources

Book Theme

The book of Exodus is the second book of the Torah (“law”). It continues the story of Genesis concerning the migration of the family of Jacob (the Israelites) to Egypt (Genesis 50). It describes the commissioning of Moses and Aaron as God’s representatives on earth to accomplish God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land (the land of Canaan). It also relates the miraculous deliverance from Egypt beginning with the plagues on Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea. It then describes the journey to Mount Sinai and the establishment of the Mosaic covenant with the Israelites. The last part of the book involves the specifications and building of the tabernacle – the place where the Lord Himself dwelt amongst His people.

In the book of Exodus, the focus shifts to the deliverance of God’s people.

Chapter Context

Chapter 6 contains the LORD’s answer to Moses’ prayer in 5:22-23. It is an answer that not only addresses Moses’ criticism but also contains a great amount of encouragement and comfort. The LORD also repeats what He wants Moses to do – confront Pharaoh about releasing the Israelites. There is a genealogy included to show that Moses and Aaron are of the priestly line and are qualified to receive the LORD’s direct revelation and be His spokesmen in the coming conflict with Pharaoh.

Chapter 6 can be outlined as follows:

The LORD’s answer to Moses’ complaint (6:1-9)
The LORD instructs Moses to speak to Pharaoh (6:10-13)
Moses’ and Aaron’s genealogy (6:14-27)
The LORD instructs Moses to speak to Pharaoh (6:28-30)

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