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

14And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons 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 this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. 17So I said, I will bring you up out of the oppression of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18Then they will pay attention to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

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

• Goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
• gatherאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
• the eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• together and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• the Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• of your fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
• of Abrahamאַבְרָהָם'abrâhâm · AbrahamH85
• Isaacיִצְחָקyitschâq · IsaacH3327
• and Jacobיַעֲקֹבya‛ăqôb · JacobH3290
• has appearedרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• I amפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: listH6485
• about you and what has been doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• to you in Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714

Cross-references for Exodus 3:16

• Exodus 4:29Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel;
• Exodus 18:12Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
• Exodus 24:11Yet He did not reach out with His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.
• Genesis 1:7God made the expanse, and separated the waters that were below the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse; and it was so.
• Matthew 26:3At that time the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the courtyard of the high priest named Caiaphas;
• Acts 11:30And they did this, sending it with Barnabas and Saul to the elders.
• Acts 20:17From Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and called to himself the elders of the church.
• 1 Peter 5:1Therefore, I urge elders among you, as your fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and one who is also a fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed:
• Exodus 2:25And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.
• Exodus 4:31So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed low and worshiped.
• Exodus 13:19And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will certainly take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.”
• Exodus 15:14The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
• Genesis 21:1Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised.
• Genesis 50:24Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will assuredly take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
• Ruth 1:6Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the land of Moab, because she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them food.
• Psalms 8:4What is man that You think of him, And a son of man that You are concerned about 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

• 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