Exodus 5:1-7:7 - Moses' First Encounter with Pharaoh, His Genealogy with Aaron, and God's Reassurance
Divine Reassurance and the Promise of Power. God equips Moses for the challenge ahead with authority, signs, and judgment.
In Exodus 3 and 4, we read how God called Moses to save the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush, demonstrating His power and presence. Despite Moses' unworthiness and doubt, God assured him and promised to be with him. When Moses inquired as to how the people would believe him, God revealed His name—"IAm"—and gave three miraculous signs to confirm that Moses was, indeed, sent by God. These chapters lay the groundwork for Moses' trip to meet with Pharaoh and initiate the work of taking God's people out of bondage.
Pharaoh’s Defiance and the Beginning of God’s Revelation to Egypt
(Exodus 5:1-23) With this initial success to encourage them, Moses and Aaron proceeded to meet Pharaoh. He, however, displayed absolute contempt towards Moses, Aaron and especially towards God: Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go (Exodus 5:2). Although Pharaoh had no personal knowledge of God at present, this would soon change dramatically. Significantly, the theme of knowing 'the LORD' recurs frequently throughout the following chapters (Exodus 6:7; Exodus 9:14, 16, 29; Exodus 10:2). Having already revealed himself to Moses, Aaron and the Israelite elders, God would now reveal himself powerfully to Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
Exodus 5:2 CSB: But Pharaoh responded, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by letting Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”
Exodus 6:7 CSB: I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians.
Exodus 9:14, 16, 29 CSB: [14] For this time I am about to send all my plagues against you, your officials, and your people. Then you will know there is no one like me on the whole earth. [16] However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you my power and to make my name known on the whole earth. [29] Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know the earth , belongs to the Lord.
Exodus 10:2 CSB: and so that you may tell your son and grandson how severely I dealt with the Egyptians and performed miraculous signs among them, and you will know that I am the Lord.”
Pharaoh's Harsh Response and Moses’ Crisis of Faith
As instructed by God (Exodus 3:18), Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh that the Israelites be permitted to make a three-day journey into, the desert to offer sacrifices to their God. Interestingly, Moses drew attention to the fact that failure to obey might cause God to strike the Israelites with plagues or the sword (Exodus 5:3). Implicit in this was a warning to Pharaoh that God should be treated with respect. Pharaoh's response to their request appears excessive. He gave orders that the Israelites'task of making bricks should be made more difficult; they were no longer to be provided with the straw necessary for making them (Exodus 1:14). To the Hebrew foremen it appeared as if Moses and Aaron had provided Pharaoh with an ideal opportunity to extend his campaign of genocide against the Israelites. As a result, they viewed Moses and Aaron with utter loathing. In the face of this rejection, Moses turned in despair to God. Why had he permitted things to develop like this?
Exodus 3:18 CSB: They will listen to what you say. Then you, along with the elders of Israel, must go to the king of Egypt and say to him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
Exodus 5:3 CSB: They answered, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, or else he may strike us with plague or sword.”
Exodus 1:14 CSB: and made their lives bitter with difficult labor in brick and mortar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them.
God Reaffirms His Covenant Amid Doubt and Discouragement
(Exodus 6:1-13) God's purpose was now revealed: Pharaoh would be forced to submit before the mighty hand of God (Exodus 6:1). To reassure Moses, God reminded him of the promises which were part of the covenant previously established with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 6:2-8). Through their deliverance from Egypt the Israelites will know that 'the LORD' is indeed their God and that they are his people (Exodus 6:7). The three-fold repetition of the phrase 'I am the LORD' in vs 2,6 and 8 emphasizes that it is the LORD who will achieve this. Nevertheless, when Moses communicated God's response to the Israelites, they did not listen (Exodus 6:9). Pharaoh's power over them seemed unshakeable. Consequently, even Moses started to believe that it was futile to ask for the release of the Israelites (Exodus 6:12).
Exodus 6:1-9, 12 CSB: [1] But the Lord replied to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: because of a strong hand he will let them go, and because of a strong hand he will drive them from his land.” [2] Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, “I am the Lord. [3] I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I was not known to them by my name ‘the Lord.’ [4] I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as aliens. [5] Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. [6] “Therefore tell the Israelites: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians and rescue you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment. [7] I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians. [8] I will bring you to the land that I swore , to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.” [9] Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor. [12] But Moses said in the Lord’s presence, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am such a poor speaker?”.
The Mystery of God's Name: Yahweh and the Patriarchs
(Exodus 6:3) This verse raises an important question: was the name 'Yahweh' known before the time of Moses? Scholars are divided in their responses to this question. Some point to the frequent use of the term in Genesis. Others suggest that the occurrences of the term in Genesis are later additions. While it is possible to demonstrate that in certain places in Genesis the term 'Yahweh' may have replaced an earlier divine title (Genesis 16:11, 13), this is not always possible (Genesis 15:7 and Genesis 22:14). It is apparent, however, that other divine names, and in particular El Shaddai (God Almighty), were popular among the patriarchs. The correct interpretation of Exodus 6:3 remains something of an enigma.
Genesis 16:11, 13 CSB: [11] The angel of the Lord said to her, “You have conceived and will have a son. You will name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your cry of affliction. [13] So she named the Lord who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,” for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?”
Genesis 15:7 CSB: He also said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
Genesis 22:14 CSB: And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”
Exodus 6:3 CSB: I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I was not known to them by my name ‘the Lord.’
The Line of Levi: Establishing the Ancestry of Moses and Aaron
(Exodus 6:14-27) Genealogy of Moses and Aaron - at this point, the plot is interrupted by a genealogy which focuses attention on the family of Levi, to which Aaron and Moses belong (Exodus 6:14-25). The genealogy follows the order of the sons of Jacob as recorded in Exodus 1:2: Reuben (Exodus 6:14), Simeon (Exodus 6:15), and Levi (Exodus 6:16). At this point, however, it concentrates on the descendants of Levi, rather than mentioning the remaining sons of Jacob. The genealogy serves two functions. First, it provides details, recorded nowhere else in Exodus, about the family of Moses and Aaron. Secondly, interrupting the plot at a crucial stage keeps the reader waiting in suspense to see what will happen next.
Exodus 1:2 CSB: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.
Exodus 6:14-16 CSB: [14] These are the heads of their fathers’ families: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These are the clans of Reuben. [15] The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the clans of Simeon. [16] These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their family records; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
God Reassures Moses and Prepares for the Coming Signs and Judgments
(Exodus 6:28-7:7) Divine reassurance for Moses - The story is resumed in Exodus 6:28-30 through the repetition ofcomments already made in Exodus 6: 10-13. If the Israelites did not believe Moses, what likelihood was there that Pharaoh would? In response, God reassured Moses of his ability to overcome Pharaoh and lead the people out of Egypt.He even stated that Moses would be like a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron would be his prophet (Exodus 7:1-2). With such assurances, Moses should remain confident of success. The divine speech also anticipates the miraculous signs and wonders which are to dominate Exodus chapters 7-14. Furthermore, mention is made of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart and of the mighty acts of judgment by which God will lead Israel out of Egypt. As a result, the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD (Exodus 7:5). Thus the scene is set for the cycle of episodes which comprise Exodus 7:8 - 11:10.
Exodus 6: 28-30 CSB: [28] On the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, [29] he said to him, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I am telling you.” [30] But Moses replied in the Lord’s presence, “Since I am such a poor speaker, how will Pharaoh listen to me?”
Exodus 6:10-13 CSB: [10] Then the Lord spoke to Moses, [11] “Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go from his land.” [12] But Moses said in the Lord’s presence, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am such a poor speaker?” [13] Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them commands concerning both the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 7:1-2 CSB: [1] The Lord answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. [2] You must say whatever I command you; then Aaron your brother must declare it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites go from his land.
Exodus 7:5 CSB: [5] The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them.”