Exodus 6:2-9

Exodus 6:2-9

[2] And God  spake  unto Moses,  and said  unto him, I am the LORD:  [3] And I appeared  unto Abraham,  unto Isaac,  and unto Jacob,  by the name of God  Almighty,  but by my name  JEHOVAH  was I not known  to them. [4] And I have also established  my covenant  with them, to give  them the land  of Canaan,  the land  of their pilgrimage,  wherein they were strangers.  [5] And I have also heard  the groaning  of the children  of Israel,  whom  the Egyptians  keep in bondage;  and I have remembered  my covenant.  [6] Wherefore  say  unto the children  of Israel,  I am the LORD,  and I will bring  you out from under the burdens  of the Egyptians,  and I will rid  you out of their bondage,  and I will redeem  you with a stretched  out arm,  and with great  judgments:  [7] And I will take  you to me for a people,  and I will be to you a God:  and ye shall know  that I am the LORD  your God,  which bringeth  you out from under the burdens  of the Egyptians.  [8] And I will bring  you in unto the land,  concerning the which I did swear  to give  it to Abraham,  to Isaac,  and to Jacob;  and I will give  it you for an heritage:  I am the LORD.  [9] And Moses  spake  so unto the children  of Israel:  but they hearkened  not unto Moses  for anguish  of spirit,  and for cruel  bondage. 

What does Exodus 6:2-9 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

God explained to Moses that He would indeed deliver Israel out of Egypt in spite of the discouragement that Moses had encountered so far. God proceeded to remind Moses of His promises to the patriarchs and to reveal more of Himself by expounding one of His names.
"During the patriarchal period the characteristic name of God was "God Almighty" ( Exodus 6:3; see, for example, Genesis 17:1), the usual translation of the Hebrew El Shaddai, which probably literally means "God, the Mountain One." That phrase could refer to the mountains as God"s symbolic home (see Psalm 121:1), but it more likely stresses His invincible power and might....
"But during the Mosaic period the characteristic name of God was to be "the LORD," the meaning of which was first revealed to Moses himself ( Exodus 3:13-15). Exodus 6:3 is not saying that the patriarchs were totally ignorant of the name Yahweh." [1]
The occurrences of "El Shaddai" in Genesis are in Genesis 17:1; Genesis 28:3; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 43:14; Genesis 48:3; and partially in Genesis 49:3. The name occurs30 times in Job. Shaddai may come from the Hebrew sd ("breast") or from the Ugaritic tdy ("mountain"). In the former case it would mean "God the Nourisher," and in the latter "God of the Mountain." [2]
"Thus though the name YHWH existed well before the time of Moses, the meaning of that name was not revealed until the time of Moses." [3]
"Yahweh" reveals God as "the absolute Being working with unbounded freedom in the performance of His promises." [2] It emphasizes God"s power at work for His people, as He was about to demonstrate it.
"Whatever the situation or need (in particular, the redemption from Egypt, but also future needs), God will "become" the solution to that need." [5]
In this revelation God promised to do three things for Israel.
1.He would deliver the Israelites from their Egyptian bondage ( Exodus 6:6). Moses communicated this in a threefold expression suggesting the completeness of the deliverance.2.He would adopt Israel as His nation ( Exodus 6:7). This took place at Sinai ( Exodus 19:5).3.He would bring Israel into the Promised Land ( Exodus 6:8).
Note the repetition of the phrase "I will" seven times in these verses, emphasizing the fact that God would certainly do this for Israel. The whole revelation occurs within the statements "I am the LORD" ( Exodus 6:2; Exodus 6:8) which formalize it and further stress the certainty of these promises.
"So this passage effectively paves the way for the transition from the simple covenant with Abraham to the complex new (Mosaic) covenant with the people as a whole." [6]
"This small section of narrative also sketches out the argument of the whole Pentateuch. God made a covenant with the patriarchs to give them the land of Canaan ( Exodus 6:4). He remembered his covenant when he heard the cry of the Israelites in Egyptian bondage ( Exodus 6:5). He is now going to deliver Israel from their bondage and take them to himself as a people and be their God ( Exodus 6:6). He will also bring them into the land which he swore to give to their fathers ( Exodus 6:8). The die is cast for the remainder of the events narrated in the Pentateuch." [7]