Exodus 3:16 kjv
Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:
Exodus 3:16 nkjv
Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt;
Exodus 3:16 niv
"Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers?the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
Exodus 3:16 esv
Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt,
Exodus 3:16 nlt
"Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors ? the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ? has appeared to me. He told me, "I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you.
Exodus 3 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| God's Covenant & Promises | ||
| Gen 12:7 | ...To your offspring I will give this land. | Promise of the land to Abraham. |
| Gen 15:13-14 | Your offspring will be sojourners... then they shall come out with great possessions. | Prophecy of enslavement and liberation. |
| Gen 26:3 | ...I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. | Covenant with Isaac reaffirmed. |
| Gen 35:12 | The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you... | Covenant with Jacob reaffirmed. |
| Exod 2:24-25 | God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. | God's active remembrance of covenant. |
| Exod 6:3-8 | I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob... I remember my covenant. | God identifies Himself by name and covenant. |
| Exod 33:1 | ...go up from here... to the land of which I swore to Abraham... | Reminder of the promise of land. |
| Deut 1:8 | See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession... | Affirmation of the land inheritance. |
| God's Remembrance & Intervention | ||
| Gen 21:1 | The LORD visited Sarah as he had said... | Example of "paqad" meaning divine attention. |
| Exod 3:7 | I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt... | God's active observation of suffering. |
| Psa 105:8-11 | He remembers his covenant forever... for a thousand generations... | God's unchanging faithfulness to promises. |
| Luke 1:68 | Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed... | New Testament use of "paqad" (visited/redeemed). |
| Acts 7:34 | I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt... | Stephen's account, affirming God's sight. |
| The Exodus & Promised Land | ||
| Exod 3:8 | I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians... | God's divine descent for deliverance. |
| Exod 12:40-42 | The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. | Confirmation of the historical duration. |
| Josh 24:1-13 | Recounting God bringing Israel out of Egypt into the land. | Historical fulfillment of the Exodus. |
| Heb 11:22 | By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus... | Joseph's faith anticipating the Exodus. |
| Role of Elders & Moses's Leadership | ||
| Exod 4:29-31 | Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the people... | Fulfillment of the command to gather elders. |
| Num 11:16 | Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel... | Establishment of elders for leadership. |
| Acts 7:35 | This Moses, whom they rejected... God sent... as ruler and redeemer... | Moses's divine appointment as deliverer. |
| NT Echoes & Typology | ||
| 1 Cor 10:1-4 | For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers... | Exodus as a type for Christian experience. |
| Rev 15:3-4 | They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. | Moses's deliverance paralleled with final salvation. |
Exodus 3 verses
Exodus 3 16 Meaning
Exodus 3:16 details God's command to Moses: he is to gather the elders of Israel and announce that Yahweh, the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to him. This appearance confirms God has indeed remembered and visited His people, recognizing their severe suffering under Egyptian oppression, thereby setting the stage for their promised deliverance.
Exodus 3 16 Context
Exodus 3:16 stands at a pivotal moment within the larger narrative of the burning bush. Moses, after encountering the divine presence and hearing the revelation of God's name, Yahweh, is commissioned for a monumental task. The preceding verses establish God's awareness of Israel's suffering and His intention to deliver them. Verse 16 specifies the initial step in this divine plan: Moses is to engage with the established leadership, the elders of Israel. This instruction confirms the covenant continuity from the patriarchs and signifies God's direct intervention in human affairs, countering any despair that His people had been forgotten or abandoned to Egyptian dominance. It introduces God's strategy for liberation, beginning with an internal mobilization through acknowledged representatives of the people.
Exodus 3 16 Word analysis
- "Go" (Hebrew: Halak - הָלַךְ): An imperative command, signifying immediate action and purposeful movement from God to Moses. It underscores Moses's role as God's dispatched agent.
- "Gather" (Hebrew: Qabaṣ - קָבַץ): Another imperative, indicating an organized assembly. It highlights the importance of collective hearing and consent for God's message, starting with the community's representatives.
- "Elders of Israel" (Hebrew: Ziqnê Yisra'el - זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל): These were the established leaders or representatives of the tribes and clans within the Israelite community, often chosen for wisdom and experience. Engaging them first was crucial for validating Moses's message to the broader populace. Their historical and communal authority is recognized by God.
- "The LORD, the God of your fathers" (Hebrew: YHWH Elohei 'Avotekem - יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם): This divine self-identification is deeply significant. "LORD" (Yahweh) is the personal, covenant name revealed just prior (Exod 3:14-15), emphasizing God's active presence and relational fidelity. "The God of your fathers" (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) links God to the foundational promises and covenants made with the patriarchs, reminding Israel of their ancestral heritage and God's faithfulness across generations. It asserts continuity and an exclusive relationship, a stark contrast to polytheistic Egyptian deities.
- "Appeared to me" (Hebrew: Nir'ah 'elay - נִרְאָה אֵלָי): This phrase uses the Niphal (passive) stem, emphasizing that the divine manifestation was initiated by God, not sought by Moses. It signifies a genuine divine encounter and commissioning, providing undeniable authority to Moses's message. It refers back to the burning bush revelation.
- "I have surely visited you" (Hebrew: Paqod paqadeti 'etkhem - פָּקֹד פָּקַדְתִּי אֶתְכֶם): The use of the infinitive absolute (paqod) followed by the finite verb (paqadeti) intensely emphasizes the certainty and effectiveness of God's "visitation" or "remembrance." The root paqad carries a wide semantic range, often implying divine attention, accountability, or intervention, usually for blessing or judgment. Here, it is unequivocally for deliverance, affirming God's active and decisive awareness of their condition and His intent to act on their behalf.
- "and seen what is done to you in Egypt" (Hebrew: Ve'et 'asher na'aseh lakhem biMitzrayim - וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשֶׂה לָכֶם בְּמִצְרָיִם): God's perfect and comprehensive awareness of Israel's oppression is stated. It emphasizes God's empathetic sight and justice, grounding His coming action in a clear understanding of their suffering and the injustice perpetrated against them. This removes any doubt that God might be unaware or indifferent to their plight.
Exodus 3 16 Bonus section
The specific command for Moses to address the "elders of Israel" before the general populace or Pharaoh demonstrates a divinely orchestrated plan respecting existing societal structures and lines of authority within the Israelite community. This approach ensured that the message of liberation received an initial validation from trusted, internal leadership, preparing the people's hearts to receive and believe Moses's challenging commission. It implicitly acknowledges that God works through both direct divine revelation and human representatives. This also established a pattern of leadership that would become foundational for the nascent nation of Israel, showcasing the elders' crucial role in mediating divine revelation to the community.
Exodus 3 16 Commentary
Exodus 3:16 presents God's direct operational instruction to Moses after His self-revelation. It outlines God's strategic first move in the Exodus: not immediately to Pharaoh, but to Israel's elders. This highlights the importance of internal consensus and the validation of Moses's authority within the community. By referring to "the God of your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," God emphasizes His enduring covenant fidelity, reminding His people of His ancient promises that would now come to fruition. The emphatic declaration "I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt" serves as a profound affirmation of God's active remembrance and compassionate awareness. It asserts His justice and benevolent will towards His chosen people, marking the divine transition from passive observation of their affliction to active intervention and promised deliverance from slavery. This message was intended to instill hope and mobilize the Israelites through their established leadership, paving the way for the mighty acts of God.