Why does Moses ask how Pharao will listen when Israel has not listened?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Israel has not listened because of distress and painful work, and Moses also points to his difficulty with words. God nevertheless charges Moses and Aaron to bring Israel out of Egypt.

Chapter breakdown

Why does Moses ask how Pharao will listen when Israel has not listened? Israel has not listened because of distress and painful work, and Moses also points to his difficulty with words. God nevertheless charges Moses and Aaron to bring Israel out of Egypt.

The Lord tells Moses that he will now see what God will do to Pharao. By a mighty hand the king will let the people go, and by a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. God says he is the Lord who appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but did not show them his name ADONAI.

Challoner’s note explains that the name in the Hebrew text signifies God’s eternal being, existing of himself, and refers to Exodus 3:14. The note says the Jews do not pronounce it out of reverence, but read Adonai, meaning the Lord, whenever it occurs in the Bible. They put Adonai’s vowel points with the four letters Jod, He, Vau, He. Challoner says some modern writers formed the name Jehovah from this, that it was unknown to ancient Jews and Christians, and that long disuse has left the true pronunciation lost. These statements about the name are the edition’s note.

God made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them Chanaan, the land where they journeyed as strangers. He has heard Israel’s groaning under Egyptian oppression and has remembered his covenant.

Moses must tell Israel that the Lord will bring them out of the Egyptians’ work-prison, deliver them from bondage and redeem them with a high arm and great judgments. God will take them as his people and be their God. They will know that he is the Lord their God who brought them out of that work-prison. He will bring them into the land he lifted his hand to give Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and give it to them to possess. He closes the promise with “I am the Lord.”

Moses tells all this to Israel, but they do not listen because of distress of spirit and most painful work. The Lord tells him to go to Pharao, king of Egypt, and tell him to let Israel leave his land. Moses answers that Israel does not listen to him, so how will Pharao listen, especially when he has “uncircumcised lips”? Challoner’s note explains that phrase as the defect Moses had in his words or speech. God speaks to Moses and Aaron and gives them a charge concerning Israel and Pharao: they are to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.

The family list begins with the heads of their houses. Ruben is Israel’s firstborn, and his sons are Henoch, Phallu, Hesron and Charmi. These are Ruben’s kindreds. Simeon’s sons are Jamuel, Jamin, Ahod, Jachin, Soar and Saul, whose mother is a Chanaanitess. These are Simeon’s families.

Levi’s sons by their kindreds are Gerson, Caath and Merari. Levi lives 137 years. Gerson’s sons are Lobni and Semei, by their kindreds. Caath’s sons are Amram, Isaar, Hebron and Oziel; Caath lives 133 years. Merari’s sons are Moholi and Musi. These are Levi’s kindreds by their families.

Amram marries Jochabed, his aunt on his father’s side. She bears Aaron and Moses, and Amram lives 137 years. Isaar’s sons are Core, Nepheg and Zechri. Oziel’s sons are Mizael, Elizaphan and Sethri.

Aaron marries Elizabeth, the daughter of Aminadab and sister of Nahason. She bears Nadab, Abiu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Core’s sons are Aser, Elcana and Abiasaph; these are the kindreds of the Corites. Eleazar, Aaron’s son, takes a wife from the daughters of Phutiel, and she bears Phinees. These are the heads of the Levitical families by their kindreds.

The text identifies these as Aaron and Moses, whom the Lord commanded to bring Israel out of Egypt by their companies, and as the men who speak to Pharao to bring Israel out. It returns to the day the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt. God says he is the Lord and tells Moses to speak to Pharao all that he says to him. Moses again says that he has “uncircumcised lips” and asks how Pharao will listen.

The story inside

The chapter places God’s renewed promise beside a failure to listen. God has heard Israel’s groaning and remembered his covenant, so he tells Moses to announce release and possession of the promised land. Israel’s distress and painful work keep them from listening. When God sends Moses to Pharao, Moses connects that response with his own difficulty speaking. God charges both Moses and Aaron with bringing Israel out. The family list then names their relatives, and the closing verses identify these same men as the ones sent to Pharao. The chapter ends with Moses repeating his question about being heard. (Exodus 6:4–30.)

Lessons worth keeping

1
Israel’s failure to listen has a stated cause. The verse names distress of spirit and most painful work. Keeping those reasons avoids inventing disbelief, rebellion or an inability to hope. (6:9.)
2
God’s promise includes a relationship and a place. He will release Israel, take them as his people, be their God and give them the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These are promises in this chapter, not a completed departure. (6:4–8.)
3
The family list names the men who receive the charge. It gives the lines of Ruben, Simeon and Levi, then Aaron and Moses and their relatives. Its closing identifies Aaron and Moses as the men commanded to bring Israel out by their companies. (6:14–27.)

Test your recall

Why does Israel not listen, and how does Moses use that response in his question? Israel does not listen because of distress of spirit and most painful work. Moses asks how Pharao will hear him when Israel has not, especially with his “uncircumcised lips”; Challoner explains that phrase as a defect in words or speech. What follows the question?

Show answer

God gives Moses and Aaron the charge to bring Israel out. (6:9–13.)

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 6463–6467
Exodus Chapter 6 God reneweth his promise. The genealogies of Ruben, Simon and Levi, down to Moses and Aaron.
Lines 6468–6476
6:1. And the Lord said to Moses: Now thou shalt see what I will do to Pharao: for by a mighty hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he cast them out of his land. 6:2. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: I am the Lord 6:3. That appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty: and my name ADONAI I did not shew them.
Lines 6477–6487
My name Adonai.... The name, which is in the Hebrew text, is that most proper name of God, which signifieth his eternal, self-existent being, Ex. 3.14, which the Jews out of reverence never pronounce; but, instead of it, whenever it occurs in the Bible, they read Adonai, which signifies the Lord; and, therefore, they put the points or vowels, which belong to the name Adonai, to the four letters of that other ineffable name Jod, He, Vau, He. Hence some moderns have framed the name Jehovah, unknown to all the ancients, whether Jews or Christians; for the true pronunciation of the name, which is in the Hebrew text, by long disuse, is now quite lost.
Lines 6488–6493
6:4. And I made a covenant with them, to give them the land of Chanaan, the land of their pilgrimage wherein they were strangers. 6:5. I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, wherewith the Egyptians have oppressed them: and I have remembered my covenant.
Lines 6494–6505
6:6. Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the Lord who will bring you out from the work-prison of the Egyptians, and will deliver you from bondage: and redeem you with a high arm, and great judgments. 6:7. And I will take you to myself for my people, I will be your God: and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the work-prison of the Egyptians: 6:8. And brought you into the land, concerning which I lifted up my hand to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: and I will give it you to possess: I am the Lord.
Lines 6506–6525
6:9. And Moses told all this to the children of Israel: but they did not hearken to him, for anguish of spirit, and most painful work. 6:10. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 6:11. Go in, and speak to Pharao king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 6:12. Moses answered before the Lord: Behold the children of Israel do not hearken to me: and how will Pharao hear me, especially as I am of uncircumcised lips? Uncircumcised lips.... So he calls the defect he had in his words, or utterance. 6:13. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and he gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharao the king of Egypt, that they should bring forth the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
Lines 6526–6532
6:14. These are the heads of their houses by their families. The sons of Ruben the firstborn of Israel: Henoch and Phallu, Hesron and Charmi. 6:15. These are the kindreds of Ruben. The sons of Simeon, Jamuel and Jamin, and Ahod, and Jachin, and Soar, and Saul the son of a Chanaanitess: these are the families of Simeon.
Lines 6533–6544
6:16. And these are the names of the sons of Levi by their kindreds: Gerson, and Caath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were a hundred and thirty-seven. 6:17. The sons of Gerson: Lobni and Semei, by their kindreds. 6:18. The sons of Caath: Amram, and Isaar, and Hebron and Oziel. And the years of Caath’s life, were a hundred and thirty-three. 6:19. The sons of Merari: Moholi and Musi. These are the kindreds of Levi by their families.
Lines 6545–6552
6:20. And Amram took to wife Jochabed his aunt by the father’s side: and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of Amram’s life, were a hundred and thirty-seven. 6:21. The sons also of Isaar: Core, and Nepheg, and Zechri. 6:22. The sons also of Oziel: Mizael, and Elizaphan, and Sethri.
Lines 6553–6562
6:23. And Aaron took to wife Elizabeth the daughter of Aminadab, sister of Nahason, who bore him Nadab, and Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar. 6:24. The sons also of Core: Aser, and Elcana, and Abiasaph. These are the kindreds of the Corites. 6:25. But Eleazar the son of Aaron took a wife of the daughters of Phutiel: and she bore him Phinees. These are the heads of the Levitical families by their kindreds.
Lines 6563–6578
6:26. These are Aaron and Moses, whom the Lord commanded to bring forth the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their companies. 6:27. These are they that speak to Pharao, king of Egypt, in order to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron, 6:28. In the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt. 6:29. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: I am the Lord; speak thou to Pharao, king of Egypt, all that I say to thee. 6:30. And Moses said before the Lord: Lo I am of uncircumcised lips, how will Pharao hear me?