Tree of Life Version
Exodus 3:19
19Nevertheless, I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, except by a mighty hand.
Exodus 3:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.
- New International Version (NIV)But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.
Context of Exodus 3:19
17So I promise I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 18“They will listen to your voice. So you will go, you along with the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and say to him: ‘Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to Adonai our God.’ Nevertheless, I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, except by a mighty hand. 20So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders that I will do in the midst of it. After that, he will let you go. 21“Then I shall grant these people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. So it will happen that when you go, you will not leave empty-handed.
Read all of Exodus 3Exodus 3:19 word by word
וַאֲנִ֣י יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּ֠י לֹֽא־יִתֵּ֥ן אֶתְכֶ֛ם מֶ֥לֶךְ מִצְרַ֖יִם לַהֲלֹ֑ךְ וְלֹ֖א בְּיָ֥ד חֲזָקָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 3:19
- Exodus 5:2But Pharaoh said, “Who is Adonai, that I should listen to His voice and let Israel go? I do not know Adonai, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”
- Exodus 7:4But Pharaoh will not listen to you, so I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth My armies, My people Bnei-Yisrael, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
- Exodus 6:1Adonai said to Moses, “Now you will see what I am going to do to Pharaoh. By way of a strong hand he will let them go, and drive them out of his land.”
- Exodus 7:1So Adonai said to Moses, “See, I have set you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.
- Exodus 8:1Then Adonai told Moses, “Say to Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, canals and pools, and cause frogs to come up over the land of Egypt.”
- Exodus 9:1Then Adonai said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him: This is what Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so they may serve Me.’
- Exodus 10:1Then Adonai said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, because I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, so that I might show these My signs in their midst,
- Exodus 11:1Now Adonai had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague upon Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely thrust you out altogether from here.
- Exodus 12:1Now Adonai spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying,
- Exodus 13:1Adonai spoke to Moses saying,
- Exodus 14:1Adonai spoke to Moses saying,
- Psalms 136:11and led out Israel from among them, for His lovingkindness endures forever,
- Isaiah 63:12Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? Who divided the waters before them— to make Himself a Name forever?
Commentaries on Exodus 3:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand - When the facts detailed in this history have been considered in connection with the assertion as it stands in our Bibles, the most palpable contradiction has appeared. That the king of Egypt did let them go, and that by a mighty hand, the book itself amply declares. We should therefore seek for another meaning of the original word. ולא velo, which generally means and not, has…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19No, not - See the marginal rendering. Others explain it to mean, Pharaoh will not let the people go even when severely smitten.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. 19I know: See “Hardened Hearts” Theme Note.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 3:19
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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