Exodus 3:16

Exodus 3:16 in other versions

• King James Version (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:
• New International Version (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.
• English Standard Version (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,
• New King James Version (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;

Context of Exodus 3:16

14God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am! Say this to the Israelite people: “I AM has sent me to you.” ’ 15God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the Israelite people: “It is the Lord God who has sent me to you. He is the God that your ancestors worshipped. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” That is my name for all time. All generations of my people must call me by that name. Go and call the leaders of Israel to meet together. Say to them, “The Lord God has appeared to me. He is the God that your ancestors worshipped. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He said to me, ‘I have been carefully watching my people in Egypt. I have seen the bad things that the Egyptians have done to you. 17I promise that I will bring you out of your troubles in Egypt. I will lead you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. It is a land that will give you plenty of good food and drink, enough for everyone.’ ” 18When you say that, the leaders of the Israelites will listen to you. Then you must go with them to the king of Egypt. Say to him, “The Lord God has met with us. He is the God that we, the Israelite people, worship. So let us go on a journey into the wilderness. That will be a journey of three days. We must offer sacrifices to the Lord our God there.”

Exodus 3:16 word by word

לֵ֣ךְ וְאָֽסַפְתָּ֞ אֶת־זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֤ אֲלֵהֶם֙ יְהוָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֤י אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ נִרְאָ֣ה אֵלַ֔י אֱלֹהֵ֧י אַבְרָהָ֛ם יִצְחָ֥ק וְיַעֲקֹ֖ב לֵאמֹ֑ר פָּקֹ֤ד פָּקַ֙דְתִּי֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְאֶת־הֶעָשׂ֥וּי לָכֶ֖ם בְּמִצְרָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• and gatherאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
• the eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto them, The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• of your fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
• of Abrahamאַבְרָהָם'abrâhâm · AbrahamH85
• of Isaacיִצְחָקyitschâq · IsaacH3327
• and of Jacobיַעֲקֹבya‛ăqôb · JacobH3290
• appearedרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• I have surelyפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: visitH6485
• that which is doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• to you in Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714

Cross-references for Exodus 3:16

• Exodus 4:29Then Moses and Aaron went to Egypt. They brought together all the leaders of the Israelites.
• Exodus 18:12Then Jethro brought an animal to burn as a sacrifice to God. He also brought other sacrifices. Aaron came, with all the leaders of the Israelites. They ate a special meal together with Jethro, to worship God.
• Exodus 24:11God did not hurt those Israelite leaders. They saw God. They ate a meal and they drank together.
• Genesis 1:7So God made this wide space. He made the water under the space separate from the water that was above it. What God said happened.
• Matthew 26:3Then the leaders of the priests and the important Jews met together in the house of the most important priest. His name was Caiaphas.
• Acts 11:30Then they gave the money to Barnabas and Saul. Barnabas and Saul took this gift to the leaders of the believers in Jerusalem.
• Acts 20:17When we were in Miletus, Paul sent someone to Ephesus with a message. This message was for the leaders of the believers in Ephesus. Paul asked them to come to Miletus to meet him there.
• 1 Peter 5:1Now I want to say something to you who are leaders of the groups of believers. Like you, I am also a leader. I myself saw how people caused Christ to have great pain so that he died. One day people will see how great he really is. Then I will be among those people who join with him in heaven. So I say this to you who are leaders:
• Exodus 2:25God saw what was happening to the Israelites. He knew that he must help them.
• Exodus 4:31And the people believed Aaron and Moses. They had heard that the Lord had come to his people. God had seen their hard life and he was sorry for them. They put their heads down and they worshipped God.
• Exodus 13:19Moses took Joseph's bones with him. Joseph had made the Israelites promise to do this. He had said, ‘One day, God will come and he will save you. Then you must carry my bones with you when you leave this place.’
• Exodus 15:14The people of other nations will hear what you have done. They will be very afraid. The people who live in Philistia will shake with fear.
• Genesis 21:1The Lord was kind to Sarah. He did what he had promised to do for her.
• Genesis 50:24Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I will soon die. But God will come to you and he will help you. He will take you out of Egypt. He will take you back to the land that he promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’
• Ruth 1:6Naomi received news from Judah that the Lord had helped his people. There was now enough food in Judah again. So Naomi decided to leave Moab and return to Judah with Ruth and Orpah.
• Psalms 8:4So why do you even think about men and women? Why do you take care of humans?

Commentaries on Exodus 3:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Elders of Israel - Though it is not likely the Hebrews were permitted to have any regular government at this time, yet there can be no doubt of their having such a government in the time of Joseph, and for some considerable time after; the elders of each tribe forming a kind of court of magistrates, by which all actions were tried, and legal decisions made, in the Israelitish community. I have surely visited you - An exact fulfillment of the prediction of…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 Moses' success with the elders of Israel would be good. God, who, by his grace, inclines the heart, and opens the ear, could say beforehand, They shall hearken to thy voice; for he would make them willing in this day of power. As to Pharaoh, Moses is here told that petitions and persuasions, and humble complaints, would not prevail with him; nor a mighty hand stretched out in signs and wonders. But those will certainly be broken by the power…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17God ordered Moses to tell the people of Israel that the God speaking to them now was the same God their ancestors knew and worshiped. This God would lead them into a fruitful land captured from others. The message of Moses was not a magical formula. Instead, it was the word of God who, although outside of history, can still enter and direct it. flowing with milk and honey: See study note on 3:8.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-2210-22. Come now therefore, and I will send thee--Considering the patriotic views that had formerly animated the breast of Moses, we might have anticipated that no mission could have been more welcome to his heart than to be employed in the national emancipation of Israel. But he evinced great reluctance to it and stated a variety of objections [Ex 3:11, 13; 4:1, 10] all of which were successfully met and removed--and the happy issue of his labors was…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 3:16

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Government
• Israel
• Moses
• Religion

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• Egypt
• God
• Isaac
• Israel
• Jacob
• Abraham, Abram
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel

Commentaries on Exodus 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings