Exodus 3:11 kjv
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Exodus 3:11 nkjv
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
Exodus 3:11 niv
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
Exodus 3:11 esv
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
Exodus 3:11 nlt
But Moses protested to God, "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?"
Exodus 3 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 3:10 | "Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh..." | God's direct command initiating Moses' question. |
| Exo 3:12 | "And He said, 'I will be with you...'" | God's direct answer to Moses' "Who am I?", emphasizing divine presence. |
| Exo 4:1 | "Then Moses answered and said, 'But, behold, they will not believe me...'" | Moses continues to express doubt about the mission. |
| Exo 4:10 | "And Moses said unto the Lord, 'O my Lord, I am not eloquent...'" | Moses’ persistent resistance due to perceived inadequacies. |
| Exo 4:13 | "And he said, 'O my Lord, send, I pray You, by the hand of him whom You will send.'" | Moses’ ultimate plea to send someone else, reflecting his deep reluctance. |
| Judg 6:15-16 | "And he said to Him, 'O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor...'" | Gideon's similar expression of unworthiness and lack of standing. |
| 1 Sam 18:18 | "And David said unto Saul, 'Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family...'" | David's humility when offered Michal, echoing Moses' question of worthiness. |
| 2 Sam 7:18 | "Then went King David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, 'Who am I, O Lord God?...'" | David's humility and gratitude for God's covenant promise, recognizing his unworthiness. |
| Jer 1:6-8 | "Then said I, 'Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.'" | Jeremiah's similar initial protest of inability to God's calling. |
| Isa 6:5-8 | "Then said I, 'Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips...'" | Isaiah's cry of unworthiness when faced with divine glory and calling. |
| 1 Cor 1:27-29 | "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world...that no flesh should glory in His presence." | God deliberately chooses the weak and despised to demonstrate His power and preclude human boasting. |
| 2 Cor 3:5-6 | "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God..." | Paul affirms that human capability for spiritual tasks comes solely from God. |
| 2 Cor 12:9-10 | "And He said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'" | God's power is manifest in human weakness, validating the choice of the inadequate. |
| Phil 4:13 | "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." | Empowerment comes not from self but from Christ, echoing God's "I will be with you." |
| Zech 4:6 | "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord of hosts." | The principle that divine tasks are accomplished through God's spirit, not human ability. |
| Ps 8:4 | "What is man, that You are mindful of him? and the son of man, that You visit him?" | A reflection on humanity's smallness in comparison to God, a general echo of "who am I?". |
| Gen 12:1-3 | "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, 'Get out of your country...'" | God's unexpected call to Abraham, initiating a new lineage, similar to Moses' call for nation-building. |
| Acts 7:22-29 | "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds." | Stephen's sermon contrasts Moses' earlier strength with his later perceived inadequacy, showing a shift. |
| Heb 11:27 | "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible." | Later faith-filled actions of Moses contrast with his initial fear, underscoring the transformation. |
| Heb 13:6 | "So that we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.'" | A New Testament application of trust in God's presence, overcoming human fear and inadequacy. |
Exodus 3 verses
Exodus 3 11 Meaning
Exodus 3:11 captures Moses’ immediate reaction of profound humility, inadequacy, and self-doubt upon receiving God’s monumental commission. When God calls him to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and confront Pharaoh, Moses responds with a rhetorical question: "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" This question reflects his human limitations and perceived unworthiness, acknowledging the immense power of Pharaoh and the overwhelming scale of the task, especially after his prior failure and flight from Egypt. It highlights the vast chasm between his self-perception as a fugitive shepherd and the divine call to deliver a nation from a superpower.
Exodus 3 11 Context
Exodus chapter 3 initiates the central narrative of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage through Moses. The Israelites have been suffering under oppressive slavery for centuries. God, remembering His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, now intervenes. Moses, after fleeing Egypt for killing an Egyptian, has been living as a shepherd in Midian for forty years, seemingly forgotten and having aged significantly (around 80 years old). In this state of obscurity, God appears to him in a burning bush. After revealing His divine identity as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exo 3:6) and expressing His intention to deliver Israel and bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey (Exo 3:7-9), God explicitly commissions Moses for the task: "Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt" (Exo 3:10). Exodus 3:11 is Moses’ immediate and personal reaction to this overwhelming divine command, rooted in his current low self-estimation and past experiences. The historical context is one of a numerically large but politically powerless and enslaved people against the dominant and religiously deified empire of Egypt and its ruler, Pharaoh.
Exodus 3 11 Word analysis
- But Moses said: This direct and immediate response highlights Moses' agency and humanity in engaging with the divine. It's not passive acceptance, but an honest verbalized internal struggle.
- to God: Emphasizes the direct communication between a mortal and the Divine. The interaction is intensely personal and immediate.
- 'Who am I (מִי אָנֹכִי mī anōkhī)': This is a profoundly significant Hebrew rhetorical question. Mī means "who," and anōkhī means "I" (a strong, archaic first-person singular pronoun). It conveys deep self-abasement, a feeling of absolute inadequacy, unworthiness, and insignificance. Moses is expressing that, in his own person and abilities, he is utterly unqualified for such a grand and dangerous mission. It is a genuine confession of weakness, not an act of defiance, standing in stark contrast to God's powerful "I AM" (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh) in the preceding verses.
- that I should go (כִּי אֵלֵךְ kī ’ēlēḵ): Kī here acts as a causal or purpose particle, linking his "who am I" to the immense action required. ’Ēlēḵ means "I go," in a future or volitional sense. It implies the terrifying reality of confronting a pagan king as a lone shepherd, far removed from his prior status in Egypt.
- to Pharaoh: Refers to the most powerful human figure in Moses' world, the divine king of Egypt. Confronting Pharaoh meant challenging a socio-political-religious system. For Moses, a fugitive who had killed an Egyptian, this was an unimaginable act of courage. It highlights the impossibility of the task from a human viewpoint.
- and bring the Israelites (וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל wəhōṣē’ṯī ’eṯ-bənē yiśrā’ēl): Wəhōṣē’ṯī means "and I will bring out," denoting an active, leadership role in a colossal undertaking. Bənē yiśrā’ēl (sons of Israel) refers to the entire nation, not just a small group. This signifies the leadership of a massive, enslaved population.
- out of Egypt (מִמִּצְרָיִם mimmiṣrāyim): Refers to Mitzrayim, the oppressive empire. This final phrase underlines the enormity of liberating an entire people from such a powerful and organized entity.
- 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh': This phrase vividly captures Moses’ sense of personal insignificance in the face of absolute power. It echoes the historical context where Pharaoh was seen as a god, while Moses was a nameless, exiled shepherd. It's not a mere lack of confidence, but an overwhelming awareness of the power disparity and the potential futility of his presence before such a figure.
- 'and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?': This group of words describes the ultimate, daunting mission. It is a national liberation of a large, disparate group of people from a global superpower of the time. Moses implicitly understands that this is a task demanding divine power, far beyond any human capability he possesses. It positions his "who am I" as a genuine recognition of divine necessity, rather than a personal deficiency, for the task's completion.
Exodus 3 11 Bonus section
- Moses' initial identity was that of an Egyptian prince, then a frustrated deliverer, then a Midianite shepherd. His question "Who am I?" reflects a loss of his previous Egyptian identity and status, coupled with a deep uncertainty about his current identity and role, before God reaffirms and re-establishes his identity in divine purpose.
- This verse embodies the "divine call and human resistance" motif found frequently in Scripture with prophets like Gideon and Jeremiah, highlighting God's persistence and transformative power in overcoming human reluctance.
- The fact that God does not rebuke Moses but patiently addresses his concerns underscores divine grace and understanding towards human frailty and doubt.
Exodus 3 11 Commentary
Exodus 3:11 is a pivotal moment showcasing the archetypal human response to an overwhelming divine calling. Moses’ "Who am I?" is not an act of defiance but an honest outcry of humility, perceived inadequacy, and stark realism in the face of an impossible task. He recognizes the formidable power of Pharaoh, the entrenched system of slavery, and the logistical nightmare of leading an entire nation through the wilderness. From a purely human perspective, Moses, an 80-year-old shepherd with a history of failed intervention, rightly sees himself as utterly unequipped for such a mission.
This verse sets the stage for God's profound assurance in Exodus 3:12 ("I will be with you"). It demonstrates that God often calls the unlikely, the seemingly weak, or those who acknowledge their own insufficiency, precisely so that His power, not human strength or cleverness, might be demonstrated. Moses' questioning allows God to emphasize that the success of the mission hinges entirely on divine presence and power, rather than Moses' own qualifications or merit. This theological truth serves as a foundational principle throughout biblical narrative: God's servants succeed not by their might or power, but by His Spirit (Zech 4:6).