5:1–9 Approaching Pharaoh for the first time, Moses and Aaron issue the Lord’s command to let the Israelites go so that they may hold a communal feast in the Lord’s honor (5:1; cf. 10:9; 32:5–6). That it is to be in the wilderness, outside Egypt (cf. comment on 8:25–27), perhaps signals to Pharaoh that the end goal is much more permanent.131 In any case, by giving Pharaoh a command, the Lord makes clear he is king, not Pharaoh.132 And by calling Israel his people he makes clear they belong to him, not Pharaoh.

Pharaoh’s reply is laced with sarcasm: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?” (5:2). This is akin to other questions, such as David’s “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam. 17:26).133 In these cases the questioner looks down on the person in question. We might paraphrase, “The Lord? Ha! He is in no way worthy of my obedience!” The following statement—“I do not know the Lord”—emphasizes this thinking, since “to know” someone can refer to acknowledging that person’s authority (cf. 1 Sam. 2:12; Prov. 3:6). Pharaoh refuses to do so and therefore refuses the Lord’s command—not realizing that the Lord will answer his sarcastic question with frightening clarity in the coming chapters!

Moses and Aaron try again, noting that disobedience could have disastrous consequences for them, be it through human attack or deadly disease (Ex. 5:3). But Pharaoh remains unmoved, commanding the people to return to their “burdens” (an implicit acknowledgment of the work’s severity; v. 4). He thinks it especially bad if they are not working, either because it means much work remains undone or because it gives them time to unite in rebellion—or both (v. 5).134 He in fact increases their workload. One of the Israelites’ main slave-tasks is to make bricks, central to which is straw, which serves as an adhesive and helps the bricks maintain their shape.135 Pharaoh commands the Israelites’ overseers to stop providing straw and yet requires the same daily quota of bricks, greatly increasing their workload (v. 8a). He claims this is necessary to teach them not to be lazy by requesting time off to worship (v. 8b). He also does this so they will “pay no regard to lying words” (v. 9), that is, Moses and Aaron’s. He wants to turn the people against them—a strategy that eventually works (cf. v. 21).

5:10–14 The taskmasters and foremen relay Pharaoh’s command (vv. 10–11), and the people face an impossible task. Not only do they have to spend time traveling to get straw, but the only straw they can find is scraps of stubble from harvested fields, which is painstakingly slow to gather (v. 12). But their Egyptian taskmasters are undeterred, urgently demanding that the same quota of bricks be made (v. 13), beating the Israelite foremen when the impossible task is not achieved (v. 14a),136 and, ridiculously, asking why the Israelites have slowed down on the job (v. 14b).

5:15–18 The question’s injustice is profound and the humiliation and anger it causes undoubtedly strong. The foremen’s cry to Pharaoh is humble (name themselves his servants) and honest (they make the injustice clear) (vv. 15–16). But Pharaoh continues in his obstinate cruelty, underscoring his accusation of laziness by repeating it (v. 17) and doubling down on his unjust demand (v. 18).

5:19–21 The foremen see that their situation is disastrous and, as Pharaoh hoped, blame Moses and Aaron (vv. 19–21; cf. v. 9). They even ask the Lord himself to bring his justice to bear against Moses and Aaron for putting the Israelites in such a dire situation.137

5:22–23 Moses “turned to the Lord,” perhaps a way of saying he leaves the foremen’s presence and seeks a place to pray.138 He questions why the Lord has harmed the Israelites139 and why he ever sent Moses (v. 22), that is, why he has harmed them by sending Moses to them. What is more, the Lord has not delivered his people at all (v. 23). In noting such things he is asking the Lord’s help to resolve them.

6:1–8 The Lord answers, beginning with an overarching promise: he will send forth his strong hand,140 displaying his power and might by great acts of judgment (cf. 6:6; 7:4–5), leading Pharaoh not simply to release the people reluctantly but to drive them out urgently (6:1; cf. 12:39).141

With great reassurance the Lord then offers the reasons for his deliverance: he was known to Israel’s forefathers, had covenanted to give them the land of Canaan, and now, deeply aware of their suffering—the word “I” is emphasized in the clause “I have heard” (6:5)142—is going to show his faithfulness to his covenant promise (vv. 2–5; cf. note 116 within Response Section on 2:23–4:17). In short, awareness of his people’s suffering and faithfulness to his covenant promises are the driving force behind his coming actions.

It must also be noted that a question arises regarding 6:3, which most versions translate similarly to the ESV: “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty [ʾel shadday], but by my name the Lord [yhwh] I did not make myself known to them.” In short, the forefathers knew him by the name El-Shaddai,143 not Yahweh. This is in tension with the fact that the name Yahweh is used throughout Genesis, not simply by the narrator (Gen. 12:1; 13:10; etc.) but also in the Lord’s own self-description (15:7; 26:24; 28:13) and by the forefathers themselves (14:22; 26:22; 27:20). It is also in tension with the fact that Exodus 3:13–15 seems to presume the Israelites already know this name as the one their forefathers used (cf. comment on 3:13–15 and note 91).

Commentators have proposed at least three solutions to solve these two tensions.144 The first two assume the above translation.

(1)  The author of Genesis uses the name “Yahweh” anachronistically so that the Israelites would know that the God who later revealed his name as Yahweh was the same God their forefathers worshiped.145 This explanation is theoretically possible for most of Genesis but might not work well in Genesis 22:14, where the name Yahweh is central to a well-known phrase that apparently pre-dated Exodus’s audience. Moreover, it does not address Exodus 3:13–15, which seems to assume Israel’s forefathers knew Yahweh’s name. Finally, with the traditional translation, the transition to 6:4 feels disjointed in its use of “also”: “I appeared to [them] as God Almighty, but by name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them . . .”

(2)  The Lord’s words in verse 3 mean the patriarchs did not know the Lord by his name’s full implications.146 In various verses—including the upcoming verse 7—knowing Yahweh is connected to miraculous signs that show his character’s nature (Ex. 7:5; 14:4; 1 Kings 20:13; Isa. 52:6; etc.). Further, this approach works with Exodus 3:13–15, since it does not deny that the forefathers knew the name. However, Exodus 3 and 6 both underscore that Yahweh was God to Israel’s forefathers (3:13, 15; 6:8), thus emphasizing similarity, while this understanding emphasizes difference.147 Another possible weakness is that the bumpy transition to verse 4 remains.

(3)  The third solution proposes a different translation: “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, and by my name the Lord, did I not make myself known to them? I also established my covenant with them . . .”148 While Hebrew often marks questions with an interrogative particle, at times it leaves them unmarked, allowing the context to indicate that a question is being asked.149 Similar examples with negative questions include “Will they not stone us?” (8:26); “Would I not tell you?” (1 Sam. 20:9); “Should not I pity Nineveh . . . ?” (Jonah 4:11). Translating similarly in Exodus 6:3 immediately resolves the two tensions named above. Further, it leads to a smoother connection with verse 4: not only did I reveal my name to them, but I also entered into covenant with them.

The third solution appears to solve the problem most simply and cleanly, though the second may not be ruled out. Either way, the Lord’s awareness of his people’s suffering and his faithfulness to his covenant promises are clearly driving his actions (Ex. 6:4–5). He knows, he cares, and he acts.

Having laid this foundation, God reinforces and builds upon it, focusing on the deliverance he will grant his people (vv. 6–8). The declaration “I am Yahweh” frames the speech (vv. 6a, 8b), as though to make clear that delivering his people is the ultimate answer to Pharaoh’s sarcastic “Who is Yahweh?” (5:2). The “I am Yahweh” frame also makes the Lord’s character the source of the many promises he now gives his people. They are true and trustworthy because they are Yahweh’s promises. The promises focus on his deliverance (6:6), his entering into relationship with them (v. 7), and the promise of land (v. 8).150 We might paraphrase:

I am Yahweh, and therefore151 in view of my faithfulness and care and might:

I will bring you out from under the very burdens Pharaoh just told you to return to (5:4).

I will deliver you from slavery, the very thing I have just been accused of not doing at all (5:23).

I will redeem you, rescuing you from slavery—as a kinsmen does his relative152—by means of my arm outstretched in power and strength,153 fighting against your enemies with terrifying displays of miraculous power (cf. Deut. 4:34; 7:19; 26:8), rendering judgment on them for their evil (cf. 2 Chron. 24:24; Ezek. 5:9–10; 28:22–23).

I will take you to be my people, like a father’s adopting an orphan son, or a husband’s marrying his wife, entering into a close relationship of love and care, and I will be your God,154 watching over you so you may know by personal experience that I am your redeeming God.

I will bring you into the land I swore to your forefathers as a covenant promise, and I will give it to you for a possession, like an inheritance, since you are their descendants and my children (cf. Gen. 15:7–8, 18–21; Lev. 20:24).

Yes, all this I can and will do because I am Yahweh, who is faithful to his covenant, cares for you, and is mighty to save!

6:9 Moses seeks to reassure the people with these promises, but they pay no attention (v. 9). As Pharaoh intended (cf. 5:9), they have given up hope in Moses’ words because of their frustration and anger at their hardship.155 Without faith our hearts are overwhelmed and embittered by trials, making God’s promises impossible to believe.