God Promises Deliverance
Exodus 5:22-6:12
Exo.5.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- למה: ADV
- הרעתה: VERB,hifil,perf,2,m,sg
- לעם: PREP
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- למה: ADV
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- שלחתני: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg,obj:1,sg
Parallels
- Num.11:11-15 (thematic): Moses again confronts God in despair, asking why he has been afflicted by the people’s burdens and why the leadership has been placed on him — closely parallels the plaintive question about being sent and the harm done to the people.
- Jer.20:7-9 (thematic): Jeremiah bitterly accuses God of having ‘deceived’ him and laments being called to prophesy despite suffering — echoes the complaint ‘why did you send me?’ and the prophetic experience of unwanted mission and affliction.
- Ps.44:23-24 (thematic): A communal lament that asks God why he has rejected and allowed suffering for the people (‘Why do you cast us off?’), matching Exodus’ cry about harm done to the people.
- Job 10:1-3 (thematic): Job pours out a personal complaint to God asking why he persecutes and hides his face, a close thematic parallel of questioning God’s dealings and apparent injustice.
- Ps.13:1-2 (thematic): David’s short lament ‘How long, O LORD? Will you forget me?’ uses the same rhetorical form of addressing God with a ‘why/ how long’ complaint about perceived abandonment or harm.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses returned to YHWH and said, 'My Lord, why have you brought harm upon this people? Why then did you send me?'.
- Then Moses returned to YHWH and said, 'O my Lord, why have you brought harm upon this people? Why indeed did you send me?'
Exo.5.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומאז: CONJ
- באתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לדבר: INF,qal
- בשמך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUF,2,m,sg
- הרע: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לעם: PREP
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- והצל: CONJ+VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- הצלת: VERB,hiph,perf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
Parallels
- Exodus 5:22 (verbal): Immediate literary parallel — Moses' previous complaint to YHWH: 'O Lord, why have you done evil to this people?' (same grievance and language framing God's failure to save).
- Exodus 14:11–12 (thematic): The people accuse Moses/God that deliverance has failed ('Were there no graves in Egypt? ... You have brought us out to kill us in the wilderness'), echoing the theme that God has not rescued Israel and the situation has worsened.
- Numbers 11:11–15 (thematic): Moses again laments to God about the burden and apparent failure of leadership/deliverance ('Why have you afflicted your servant? ... I cannot carry all this people myself'), reflecting the motif of prophetic complaint over unmet expectations of salvation.
- Psalm 44:9–12 (thematic): A communal lament that God has abandoned and delivered Israel to enemies ('You gave us up to the sword... You have made us a byword among the nations'), paralleling the accusation that God did not save his people.
- Isaiah 63:11–12 (allusion): Recalls the memory of Moses and the shepherd who led Israel out of Egypt and asks where that deliverer is now — a prophetical echo to the complaint that God has not rescued his people.
Alternative generated candidates
- And since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought harm to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.'
- 'And since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done harm to this people, and you have not delivered your people.'
Exo.6.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עתה: ADV
- תראה: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- לפרעה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חזקה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ישלחם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+PRON,3,m,pl
- וביד: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזקה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- יגרשם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+PRON,3,m,pl
- מארצו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exod 3:19-20 (verbal): Same promise immediately prior to the commission: Israel's deliverance will not be achieved by Pharaoh willingly but God will act “with a mighty/strong hand” to force their release; language and intent parallel Exod 6:1.
- Exod 6:6 (verbal): Part of the same divine promise-tradition in this chapter — God vows to redeem Israel “with a stretched-out arm” and great judgments, echoing the motif of powerful divine action that results in Pharaoh letting them go.
- Exod 13:3 (verbal): Later liturgical remembrance uses the exact expression that God brought Israel out “by a mighty/strong hand,” recounting the same deliverance that Exod 6:1 predicts will occur.
- Deut 4:34 (verbal): Deuteronomy’s summary of God’s works includes deliverance from Egypt accomplished “by a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm,” repeating the characteristic verbal formula for divine power found in Exod 6:1.
- Ps 136:12 (thematic): Psalmic praise recalls God’s mighty acts in Egypt (parting the sea, deliverance) and celebrates the same saving power by which God brought Israel out — thematically linked to the promise that God will force Pharaoh to let them go.
Alternative generated candidates
- And YHWH said to Moses, 'Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for by a strong hand he will send them out, and by a strong hand he will drive them from his land.'
- And YHWH said to Moses, 'Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for by a strong hand he will send them out, and by a strong hand he will drive them from his land.'
Exo.6.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exod.3.14 (verbal): God reveals his name to Moses at the burning bush — “I AM (אֶהְיֶה)” — a direct verbal revelation of divine identity that parallels the declaration “I am the LORD.”
- Exod.3.15 (structural): Immediately after 3:14 God states the name YHWH as his eternal name and memorial for generations, paralleling 6:2’s affirmation of the LORD’s identity to Moses.
- Exod.6.3 (allusion): The very next verse in this chapter expands the meaning of God’s self‑disclosure — recalling his appearances to the patriarchs and identifying himself as YHWH, directly linked to 6:2’s proclamation.
- Deut.5.6 (thematic): The Decalogue opens with the declaration “I am the LORD your God,” echoing the function of God’s self‑identification in Exodus 6:2 as the basis for covenant relationship and divine authority.
- John 8.58 (allusion): Jesus’ “Before Abraham was, I am” intentionally alludes to the divine self‑designation (Exod.3:14/Exod.6:2), invoking the same divine name to assert identity and preexistence.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God spoke to Moses and said to him, 'I am YHWH.'
- And God spoke to Moses and said to him, 'I am YHWH.'
Exo.6.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וארא: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- אל: NEG
- אברהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- יצחק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- באל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושמי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- נודעתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,_,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 17:1 (verbal): God identifies himself as El Shaddai to Abram — the same divine title (אֵל שַׁדַּי) used in Exodus 6:3 to describe how God appeared to the patriarchs.
- Genesis 35:11 (verbal): God speaks to Jacob using the title El Shaddai and promises offspring and nations, paralleling Exodus 6:3's claim that the patriarchs knew God as El Shaddai.
- Exodus 3:14–15 (quotation): God reveals the name YHWH to Moses ('I AM WHO I AM' / 'This is my name forever'), directly related to Exodus 6:3's distinction between El Shaddai (to the patriarchs) and the name YHWH being made known later.
- Genesis 15:7 (allusion): God tells Abram 'I am the LORD (YHWH) who brought you out...' — a passage often read against Exodus 6:3's statement, highlighting a textual tension/nuance about when and how the name YHWH was known to the patriarchs.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but by my name YHWH I was not known to them.'
- 'I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but by my name YHWH I was not known to them.'
Exo.6.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וגם: CONJ
- הקמתי: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בריתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כנען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מגריהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3
- אשר: PRON,rel
- גרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Gen.15.18 (verbal): God's covenant ceding the land to Abraham's descendants: 'To your descendants I give this land' — the same promissory foundation for giving Canaan.
- Gen.17.8 (verbal): Promise of an everlasting possession: 'I will give to you and to your offspring... the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan,' language closely parallel to Exodus 6:4.
- Deut.1.8 (allusion): Moses urges Israel to occupy the land God swore to their fathers: 'See, I have set the land before you... which the LORD swore to your fathers,' echoing the covenantal land promise.
- Josh.21.43-45 (structural): Narrative fulfillment: the report that the LORD gave Israel all the land and the promises were fulfilled, connecting Exodus' covenant promise with its realized outcome.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'And I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings where they sojourned.'
- 'And I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings where they sojourned.'
Exo.6.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וגם: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- שמעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- נאקת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מעבדים: VERB,piel,ptcp,act,m,pl
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- ואזכר: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בריתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
Parallels
- Exodus 2:23-25 (verbal): Same narrative language: Israel 'groaned', God 'heard' their cry and 'remembered' his covenant — immediate precedent to 6:5.
- Exodus 3:7-8 (thematic): God declares he has 'seen' the affliction, 'heard' their cry and will act to bring Israel out — mirrors the motive and promise in 6:5.
- Exodus 6:6 (structural): Direct continuation: because God has heard and remembered, he proclaims deliverance ('I will bring you out, I will redeem you') — the action that follows 6:5.
- Psalm 105:8-11 (allusion): Affirms that God 'remembers his covenant for ever' with the patriarchs and acts to fulfill it in Israel's deliverance — echoes the covenantal memory in 6:5.
- Genesis 8:1 (verbal): Uses the same root 'remembered' (וַיִּזְכֹּר) where God's remembrance precedes deliverance (Noah after the Flood), a parallel motif to 6:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'And moreover I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.'
- 'And I also—I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.'
Exo.6.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לבני: PREP
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והוצאתי: VERB,hiph,perf,1,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- מתחת: PREP
- סבלת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- והצלתי: VERB,hiph,perf,1,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- מעבדתם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- וגאלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- בזרוע: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נטויה: ADJ,ptc,f,sg,abs
- ובשפטים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- גדלים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exod.3:8 (verbal): God's promise to bring Israel out of Egyptian affliction, deliver and redeem them echoes the language and sequence of 'I am the LORD... I will bring you out... and will redeem you.'
- Lev.26:13 (verbal): Similar opening formula—'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt'—reiterates the divine identity linked to the act of bringing Israel out of Egypt.
- Deut.7:8 (verbal): Attributes Israel's redemption to God's loyal love and oath and uses the motif of being 'brought out with a mighty hand' and redeemed from bondage, closely paralleling Exodus 6:6's redemption and mighty-action language.
- Deut.26:8 (verbal): Explicitly uses the formula 'with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm' to describe the LORD's deliverance from Egypt, mirroring Exodus 6:6's 'outstretched arm' and 'great judgments' motifs.
- Isa.63:11-12 (allusion): Recalls the Exodus deliverance and speaks of God leading Israel by his arm/right hand through the sea—a theological/thematic echo of salvation accomplished by God's outstretched arm.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'Therefore say to the Israelites: I am YHWH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.'
- 'Therefore say to the Israelites: I am YHWH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with outstretched arm and with great judgments.'
Exo.6.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולקחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לעם: PREP
- והייתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- לאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וידעתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- המוציא: VERB,hiph,ptc,_,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- מתחת: PREP
- סבלות: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 20:2 (quotation): Decalogue preface: identical covenant formula ‘I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt,’ asserting God’s identity as deliverer and covenant-maker.
- Deuteronomy 5:6 (quotation): Restatement of the Ten Commandments’ opening formula — same verbal claim that God brought Israel out of Egypt, grounding the covenant relationship.
- Leviticus 26:12 (thematic): Promise of intimate covenant presence: ‘I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people,’ echoing the reciprocal ‘I will be to you a God…you shall be my people.’
- Ezekiel 36:28 (verbal): Uses the same covenant formula ‘you shall be my people, and I will be your God’ in the prophetic promise of restoration, linking deliverance and covenant identity.
- Jeremiah 31:33 (allusion): New-covenant language — ‘I will be their God, and they shall be my people’ — alludes to the Exodus covenantal motif of God as deliverer who establishes a people.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'And I will take you to myself for a people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am YHWH your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of Egypt.'
- 'And I will take you to be my people, and I will be God to you, and you will know that I am YHWH your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of Egypt.'
Exo.6.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והבאתי: VERB,hif,perf,1,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- לאברהם: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ליצחק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וליעקב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- מורשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 12:7 (verbal): Early promise to Abram: God declares He will give the land to Abram's offspring — the patriarchal land-grant that Exodus 6:8 reiterates.
- Genesis 15:18 (thematic): The covenant of the pieces establishes the divine grant of territory to Abraham's descendants (delineating the land ultimately given to Israel).
- Genesis 17:8 (verbal): God's oath to Abraham to give ‘the land of your sojournings…to you and to your offspring’ echoes the language of possession and inheritance in Exod 6:8.
- Exodus 3:8 (verbal): In the burning‑bush revelation God tells Moses He will bring Israel into a good land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ — the same promise of bringing the people into the patriarchal land.
- Deuteronomy 1:8 (quotation): Moses repeats the command to enter and possess ‘the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,’ explicitly citing the oath invoked in Exod 6:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'And I will bring you into the land that I raised my hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession; I am YHWH.'
- 'And I will bring you into the land that I lifted up my hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you as a possession. I am YHWH.'
Exo.6.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כן: ADV
- אל: NEG
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מקצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומעבדה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קשה: ADJ,f,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 5:19-23 (structural): Pharaoh increases the Israelites' workload and the people confront/blame Moses and Aaron—background for their 'not listening' and 'shortness of spirit' in 6:9.
- Exodus 3:7-9 (thematic): God observes Israel's affliction in Egypt and promises deliverance; this promise contrasts with the people's present inability to heed Moses because of their oppression.
- Exodus 6:6-8 (verbal): Immediate context: God proclaims redemption and covenant promises to Israel—yet verse 6:9 reports that the people did not listen to Moses despite these assurances.
- Acts 7:23-25 (allusion): Stephen's retelling of Moses' early intervention among Hebrews notes that the people did not accept/understand his actions—a parallel to Israelites' failure to hear Moses in Exodus 6:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses spoke thus to the Israelites, but they did not listen to Moses because of a broken spirit and hard labor.
- And Moses spoke thus to the Israelites, but they did not listen to Moses because of broken spirit and harsh labor.
Exo.6.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Exodus 6:2 (verbal): Same interlocutive pattern—God speaks directly to Moses (ויאמר אלהים אל־משה/וידבר יהוה אל־משה), continuing the divine address in the chapter.
- Exodus 3:10 (structural): Another instance where the narrative is framed by the formula 'God said to Moses...', here introducing Moses’ commission ('Now go...'), illustrating the recurring commissioning speech-act.
- Leviticus 1:1 (verbal): Leviticus opens with the same formulaic speech introduction ('And the LORD called to Moses, and the LORD spoke to him'), showing the standard prophetic/legislative formula used throughout the Pentateuch.
- Deuteronomy 5:4 (thematic): Speaks to the theme of direct divine communication with Moses ('The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain'), highlighting Moses’ unique status as recipient of God’s words, echoed wherever the narrative says 'the LORD spoke to Moses.'
Alternative generated candidates
- And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
- And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
Exo.6.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מארצו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exod.3.10 (thematic): God's original commission to Moses to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt — establishes the same goal of freeing Israel from Egyptian land.
- Exod.7.16 (verbal): In the plague narratives God tells Moses to say to Pharaoh, “Let my people go”/“let my son go,” a close verbal parallel to the command in Exod 6:11 to send Israel out of his land.
- Exod.8.1 (verbal): Another direct repetition in the plagues cycle: Yahweh commands Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go,” echoing the same release-demand of Exod 6:11.
- Ps.105:26–27 (thematic): The psalm recounts God sending Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and Israel’s departure — a retrospective summary of the same event and divine action described in Exod 6:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the Israelites go from his land.'
- 'Go, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the Israelites go from his land.'
Exo.6.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- הן: PART
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ואיך: CONJ+ADV
- ישמעני: VERB,hiphil,yiqtol,3,m,sg+SUF,1,sg
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- ערל: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- שפתים: NOUN,f,du,abs
Parallels
- Exod.4.10 (verbal): Moses earlier makes the same protest to God — claiming inept speech ('I am of uncircumcised/unclean lips' / 'I have uncircumcised lips') and pleads inability to speak well.
- Exod.6.30 (verbal): Moses repeats the identical objection to God later in the narrative, again citing the people's failure to listen and his 'uncircumcised lips.'
- Exod.4.1 (thematic): A closely related opening concern: Moses asks, 'What if they will not believe me or listen to my voice?' — the same worry about being heard by Israel and Pharaoh.
- Isa.6.5 (allusion): Isaiah confesses his own inadequacy before God ('Woe is me... for I am a man of unclean lips'), echoing the theme of unworthiness and defective speech when called to speak God's word.
- Jer.1.6 (thematic): Jeremiah's protest, 'I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth,' parallels Moses' objection of personal incapacity and reluctance to speak for God.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses spoke before YHWH, saying, 'Look, the Israelites have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, and I am of uncircumcised lips?'
- And Moses spoke before YHWH, saying, 'Look, the Israelites have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, and I am uncircumcised of lips?'
And Moses returned to YHWH and said, 'Lord, why have you brought harm upon this people? Why then did you send me?'
'And since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have by no means delivered your people.' And YHWH said to Moses, 'Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.' And God spoke to Moses and said to him, 'I am YHWH.
I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but by my name YHWH I was not known to them. And I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings where they sojourned.
Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
Therefore say to the Israelites: I am YHWH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. And I will take you to be my people, and I will be God to you, and you shall know that I am YHWH your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of Egypt. And I will bring you into the land that I swore with uplifted hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you as a possession. I am YHWH.' And Moses spoke thus to the Israelites, but they did not listen to Moses because of their crushed spirit and harsh labor. And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying:
'Go, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he send the Israelites out of his land.' But Moses spoke before YHWH, saying, 'Look, the Israelites have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am uncircumcised of lips?'