English Standard Version
Exodus 3:16
16Go 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 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.
- 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;
- New Living Translation (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.
Context of Exodus 3:16
14God said to Moses, "I am who I am." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel: 'I am has sent me to you.'" 15God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 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, 17and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey."' 18And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.'
Read all of Exodus 3Exodus 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 and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel.
- Exodus 18:12And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
- Exodus 24:11And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
- Genesis 1:7And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.
- Matthew 26:3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
- Acts 11:30And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
- Acts 20:17Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
- 1 Peter 5:1So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
- Exodus 2:25God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.
- Exodus 4:31And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
- Exodus 13:19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here."
- Exodus 15:14The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
- Genesis 21:1The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised.
- Genesis 50:24And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."
- Ruth 1:6Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.
- Psalms 8:4what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
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
In the dictionaries
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
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