That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.
God identifies Himself as Jehovah and renews His commission to Moses to carry to the king of Egypt everything He tells him. The command comes when Israel is in bitter bondage with the whole power of Egypt set against them, at the beginning of the warnings that lead into the plagues for their deliverance. Moses succeeds not through his own ability but because God calls and directs him, proving that the God of Israel and not the gods of Egypt is the true God with the wisdom, power, and right to rule. The message demands that Pharaoh let Israel go to worship and serve God in the wilderness, including their Sabbath observance, yet Pharaoh refuses to heed and hardens his heart despite continued dealings and mighty miracles. The deliverance that follows is a mighty work of saving a nation as never done before, making Israel a nation with thorough organization, a complete code of laws, and an established worship centered in a sanctuary where God would dwell among them.
Context and Language
Exodus belongs to the history section, chapters 1 to 18, in a book whose name means the going out, referring to Israel's departure from Egypt. It is cited as part of the opening fourteen chapters that recount the events of the Exodus. Those events would not be expected in Egyptian records because public monuments recorded successes and triumphs, not disasters.
The verse is part of God's call and commission to Moses as the chosen leader to lead Israel out of Egypt. It belongs to the renewed approach to Pharaoh after Israel's oppression worsened. It stands at the beginning of God's dealings for their deliverance when Israel was in bitter bondage with the whole power of Egypt set against them. It stands among the warnings that lead into the plagues. It is part of the account of Moses' mission to demand that Pharaoh let Israel go to worship God in the wilderness, with Pharaoh given opportunity to yield to the first request and receive further truth.
It stands in the account in Exodus 5-10 of the interviews with Pharaoh, the contest with his magicians, and the infliction of the plagues. That infliction culminated in the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, and the hurried departure of Israel. That deliverance led to the song of triumph on the farther side of the Red Sea with the host of Egypt overthrown.
The command was spoken to Pharaoh king of Egypt three and one-half millenniums ago when Egypt ruled the world as the greatest of all kingdoms. She was then acknowledged for might and power and skill and wisdom in statecraft. He ruled a land fertilized by the annual overflow of its river, which Egypt deified as one of her gods. Its food was produced by the river joined with the sun, so Egypt worshiped the sun and her kings received their title as the representative of the sun-god upon the throne of men.
The people concerned were the few descendants of the nomadic patriarch Abraham who had sought supplies from Egypt's granaries. Only a few years before, one of the same people, the captive slave Joseph, had taught Pharaoh how to store grain in plenteous years to become rich in time of famine. As prime minister he had instituted one of the best land-laws for Egypt the world has ever known with easy rental and taxes combined. While he lived and as long as his memory was honored and his laws governed, Egypt prospered and the people who lived in Egypt knew no oppression.
"LORD" in capital letters means "Jehovah," the name Pharaoh says he does not know. The verse identifies the speaker as the LORD and shows that God is called by names that express His relations to people. It marks the point after which critics no longer relied on differences in the divine names to distinguish supposed sources in the text.
Divine Authority and Deliverance
God reaffirmed His authority by declaring I am the LORD and commanding Moses to speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that He said to him, and this charge belonged to the renewed approach to Pharaoh after Israel's oppression had worsened. Moses was called to lead Israel out of Egypt, and his mission succeeded not through his own ability but because God called and directed him. The speaker is identified as the LORD, and God is called by names that express His relations to people. With the whole deliverance from Egypt and at the Red Sea this declaration demonstrated His wisdom, love, and power, His ability and right to rule, and Israel's obligation to obey before they were tested to prove whether they would walk in His law or not.
The ensuing promises and plagues showed that the God of Israel, not Egypt's gods, is the true God. The verse stands at the beginning of Israel's deliverance when Israel was in oppression and bondage with the whole power of Egypt set against them, leading to the song of triumph on the farther side of the Red Sea with the host of Egypt overthrown. It was part of God's mighty work in saving Israel, a manifestation of creative power over again, such work in the saving of a nation as was never done before.
The command was to demand that Pharaoh let Israel go to worship God in the wilderness so they could serve Him, as part of God's merciful effort through the plagues to secure the release of His people. Pharaoh's refusal to heed God's message included resisting Israel's worship and Sabbath observance, and his oppression ended only after the plagues and God's intervention. In capital letters LORD means Jehovah, the name Pharaoh said he did not know.
In this setting at the beginning of God's dealings with Pharaoh, Pharaoh was given the opportunity to yield to the first request and receive further truth, but he instead hardened his heart despite God's continued dealings and mighty miracles. The verse belongs to the detailed story of the great deliverance from bitter bondage and oppression and of how Israel became a nation with thorough organization, efficient leadership, a complete code of laws, and an established form of worship. It is part of the history section of Exodus, chapters 1 to 18, in the book whose name means the going out, referring to the departure of Israel from Egypt, with Moses as the chosen leader commanded to speak to Pharaoh. After the deliverance from Egyptian slavery God instructed Moses to ask the people for freewill offerings to build a sanctuary where God would dwell among them.
God identifies Himself as Jehovah and renews His commission to Moses to carry to the king of Egypt everything He tells him. The command comes when Israel is in bitter bondage with the whole power of Egypt set against them, at the beginning of the warnings that lead into the plagues for their deliverance. Moses succeeds not through his own ability but because God calls and directs him, proving that the God of Israel and not the gods of Egypt is the true God with the wisdom, power, and right to rule. The message demands that Pharaoh let Israel go to worship and serve God in the wilderness, including their Sabbath observance, yet Pharaoh refuses to heed and hardens his heart despite continued dealings and mighty miracles. The deliverance that follows is a mighty work of saving a nation as never done before, making Israel a nation with thorough organization, a complete code of laws, and an established worship centered in a sanctuary where God would dwell among them.
Context and Language
Exodus belongs to the history section, chapters 1 to 18, in a book whose name means the going out, referring to Israel's departure from Egypt. It is cited as part of the opening fourteen chapters that recount the events of the Exodus. Those events would not be expected in Egyptian records because public monuments recorded successes and triumphs, not disasters.
The verse is part of God's call and commission to Moses as the chosen leader to lead Israel out of Egypt. It belongs to the renewed approach to Pharaoh after Israel's oppression worsened. It stands at the beginning of God's dealings for their deliverance when Israel was in bitter bondage with the whole power of Egypt set against them. It stands among the warnings that lead into the plagues. It is part of the account of Moses' mission to demand that Pharaoh let Israel go to worship God in the wilderness, with Pharaoh given opportunity to yield to the first request and receive further truth.
It stands in the account in Exodus 5-10 of the interviews with Pharaoh, the contest with his magicians, and the infliction of the plagues. That infliction culminated in the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, and the hurried departure of Israel. That deliverance led to the song of triumph on the farther side of the Red Sea with the host of Egypt overthrown.
The command was spoken to Pharaoh king of Egypt three and one-half millenniums ago when Egypt ruled the world as the greatest of all kingdoms. She was then acknowledged for might and power and skill and wisdom in statecraft. He ruled a land fertilized by the annual overflow of its river, which Egypt deified as one of her gods. Its food was produced by the river joined with the sun, so Egypt worshiped the sun and her kings received their title as the representative of the sun-god upon the throne of men.
The people concerned were the few descendants of the nomadic patriarch Abraham who had sought supplies from Egypt's granaries. Only a few years before, one of the same people, the captive slave Joseph, had taught Pharaoh how to store grain in plenteous years to become rich in time of famine. As prime minister he had instituted one of the best land-laws for Egypt the world has ever known with easy rental and taxes combined. While he lived and as long as his memory was honored and his laws governed, Egypt prospered and the people who lived in Egypt knew no oppression.
"LORD" in capital letters means "Jehovah," the name Pharaoh says he does not know. The verse identifies the speaker as the LORD and shows that God is called by names that express His relations to people. It marks the point after which critics no longer relied on differences in the divine names to distinguish supposed sources in the text.
Divine Authority and Deliverance
God reaffirmed His authority by declaring I am the LORD and commanding Moses to speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that He said to him, and this charge belonged to the renewed approach to Pharaoh after Israel's oppression had worsened. Moses was called to lead Israel out of Egypt, and his mission succeeded not through his own ability but because God called and directed him. The speaker is identified as the LORD, and God is called by names that express His relations to people. With the whole deliverance from Egypt and at the Red Sea this declaration demonstrated His wisdom, love, and power, His ability and right to rule, and Israel's obligation to obey before they were tested to prove whether they would walk in His law or not.
The ensuing promises and plagues showed that the God of Israel, not Egypt's gods, is the true God. The verse stands at the beginning of Israel's deliverance when Israel was in oppression and bondage with the whole power of Egypt set against them, leading to the song of triumph on the farther side of the Red Sea with the host of Egypt overthrown. It was part of God's mighty work in saving Israel, a manifestation of creative power over again, such work in the saving of a nation as was never done before.
The command was to demand that Pharaoh let Israel go to worship God in the wilderness so they could serve Him, as part of God's merciful effort through the plagues to secure the release of His people. Pharaoh's refusal to heed God's message included resisting Israel's worship and Sabbath observance, and his oppression ended only after the plagues and God's intervention. In capital letters LORD means Jehovah, the name Pharaoh said he did not know.
In this setting at the beginning of God's dealings with Pharaoh, Pharaoh was given the opportunity to yield to the first request and receive further truth, but he instead hardened his heart despite God's continued dealings and mighty miracles. The verse belongs to the detailed story of the great deliverance from bitter bondage and oppression and of how Israel became a nation with thorough organization, efficient leadership, a complete code of laws, and an established form of worship. It is part of the history section of Exodus, chapters 1 to 18, in the book whose name means the going out, referring to the departure of Israel from Egypt, with Moses as the chosen leader commanded to speak to Pharaoh. After the deliverance from Egyptian slavery God instructed Moses to ask the people for freewill offerings to build a sanctuary where God would dwell among them.