6:2 I am Yahweh Yahweh first reveals His name to Moses in 3:14–16. The phrase “I am Yahweh” appears throughout in the Hebrew Bible, indicating that it does not provide new information for Moses. Rather, it is precisely because Moses already knows the name that he must heed the instructions that follow its pronouncement.

6:3 God Shaddai The Hebrew phrase is el-shaddai. See Gen 17:1 and note; 28:3; 35:11.

by my name Yahweh This appears to indicate that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not know the name yhwh (Yahweh), the name revealed to Moses at Sinai (Exod 3:14–16).

6:4 covenant See Gen 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 17:8; 28:4.

6:5 the groaning of the Israelites See Exod 2:24; 3:7–9.

6:6 I will redeem The Hebrew word used here, ga'al, occurs in social and legal contexts with respect to kinship laws and rights. The go'el—or “redeemer”—was a kinsman charged with the responsibility to preserve or reacquire the family’s property and individual members. Over time, the term became more abstract and theological, as it was used to describe God’s actions toward Israel, whom He calls His firstborn son (e.g., 4:22). Compare v. 7.

Go’el Word Study

6:8 I swore The Hebrew phrase used here means “I lifted up my hand.” This gesture was associated with oath taking. See note on Gen 14:22.

to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob The promise of the land of Canaan was part of the covenant Yahweh made with the patriarchs (see Gen 26:3; 50:24; Exod 13:5, 11; 33:1; Num 11:12; 14:16; 32:11; Deut 1:8, 35; 6:10, 18, 23).

6:9 hard work The people blame Moses and Aaron for worsening their burden (Exod 5:18–21); they have given up.

6:12 a poor speaker A reference to Moses’ apparent speech impediment. See note on 4:10.

6:13 he commanded them God does not accept Moses’ excuse now, as he had not before (4:10–17).

6:15 the Canaanitess Likely noted explicitly to indicate disapproval of such intermarriage. See Gen 24:3 and note; 38:2 and note; compare 46:10.

6:16 Gershon and Kohath and Merari See Num 3:17–29 for their Levitical duties.

6:20 Jochebed Although Moses’ mother appears in Exod 2:1–10, she is not named there. She is identified simply as a “Levite woman” (in Hebrew, bath-Levi, meaning “daughter of Levi”). She is the first character in the Bible whose name incorporates the divine name “Yahweh”; “Jochebed” means “Yahweh is glorious.”

his aunt Moses and Aaron were born of a marriage that would later be prohibited under Mosaic law (marriage to a paternal aunt; see Lev 18:12; 20:19). This suggests that the tradition about Moses and Aaron predates the Mosaic period.

Aaron and Moses Amram and Jochebed also had a girl, Miriam (Num 26:59). Other textual traditions of the ot—such as the Greek Septuagint, Syriac translations, and the ancient Samaritan Pentateuch—include the phrase “and their sister Miriam.”

6:23 Nadab and Abihu See Exod 24:1; Lev 10:1.

6:24 the sons of Korah Superscriptions of certain psalms refer to the sons of Korah as singers in the temple (e.g., Psa 42; 44; 45; 46). The inscription “the sons of Korah” appears on a bowl that was recovered from an Israelite shrine at Arad and dates to the eighth century bc.

6:25 Phinehas An Egyptian name meaning “the southerner”—a stock description for Nubians, inhabitants of the Sudan. The term indicates a person with very dark or black skin.