Exodus 3:16

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:

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Go	יָלַךְ yâlak	H3212	to walk (literally or figuratively)
gather	וְאָֽסַפְתָּ֞ ve.'a.saf.Ta	H622	to gather for any purpose · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
elders	זִקְנֵ֣י zik.Nei	H2205	old · adjective, masculine plural construct
Israel	יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל Yis.ra.'El	H3478	Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
together	אָסַף ʼâçaph	H622	to gather for any purpose
say	וְאָמַרְתָּ֤ ve.'a.mar.Ta	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
LORD	יְהוָ֞ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
God	אֱלֹהֵ֤י 'e.lo.Hei	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct
fathers	אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ 'a.vo.tei.Khem	H1	father · noun, common feminine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
God	אֱלֹהֵ֧י 'e.lo.Hei	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct
Abraham	אַבְרָהָ֛ם 'av.ra.Ham	H85	Abraham · proper noun, a man's name
Isaac	יִצְחָ֥ק yitz.Chak	H3327	Jitschak (or Isaac) · proper noun, a man's name
Jacob	וְיַעֲקֹ֖ב ve.ya.'a.Ko	H3290	Jaakob · conjunction + proper noun, a man's name
appeared	נִרְאָ֣ה nir.'Ah	H7200	to see · verb, niphal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
saying	לֵאמֹ֑ר le.Mor	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
surely	פָּקֹ֤ד pa.Kod	H6485	to visit (with friendly or hostile intent) · verb, qal infinitive absolute
visited	פָּקַ֙דְתִּי֙ pa.Kad.ti	H6485	to visit (with friendly or hostile intent) · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
done	הֶעָשׂ֥וּי he.'a.Sui	H6213	to do or make · definite article + verb, qal passive participle, masculine singular absolute
Egypt	בְּמִצְרָֽיִם be.mitz.Ra.yim	H4714	Mitsrajim · preposition + proper noun, a place name

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Exodus 4:29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:
Exodus 4:31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction,…
Genesis 50:24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abra…
Acts 15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
Genesis 21:1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
Exodus 2:25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 3:16–end

Moses is here more particularly instructed in his work, and informed beforehand of his success. 1. He must deal with the elders of Israel, and raise their expectation of a speedy removal to Canaan, Exo 3:16, Exo 3:17. He must repeat to them what God had said to him, as a faithful ambassador. Note, That which ministers have received of the Lord they must deliver to his people, and keep back nothing that is profitable. Lay an emphasis on that, Exo 3:17 : "I have said, I will bring you up; that is enough to satisfy them, I have said it:" hath he spoken, and will he not make it good? With us saying and doing are two things, but they are not so with God, for he is in one mind and who can turn him…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 3:10

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 [Exo 3:11, Exo 3:13; Exo 4:1, Exo 4:10] all of which were successfully met and removed--and the happy issue of his labors was minutely described. Next: Exodus Chapter 4

Adam Clarke on Exodus 3:16

Elders 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 Joseph, Gen 50:24, God will surely visit you, and in the same words too.

John Gill on Exodus 3:16

Go and gather the elders of Israel together,.... Not all the ancient men among them, nor the "judges" of the people of Israel; for it does not appear there were such among them in Egypt, until they came into the land of Canaan, but the heads of tribes or families: and say unto them, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me; in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush at Horeb: saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt; inspected into their state and circumstances, took notice of their afflictions and oppressions, and determined to deliver them out of them, as follows.

Dictionary and topics

Bush — In which Jehovah appeared to Moses in the wilderness (Ex. 3:2; Acts 7:30). It is difficult to say what particular kind of plant or bush is here meant. Probably it was the mimosa or acacia. The words…
Congregation — (Heb. kahal), the Hebrew people collectively as a holy community (Num. 15:15). Every circumcised Hebrew from twenty years old and upward was a member of the congregation. Strangers resident in the…
Elder — A name frequently used in the Old Testament as denoting a person clothed with authority, and entitled to respect and reverence (Gen. 50:7). It also denoted a political office (Num. 22:7). The “elders…
Israel — The name conferred on Jacob after the great prayer-struggle at Peniel (Gen. 32:28), because “as a prince he had power with God and prevailed.” (See JACOB.) This is the common name given to Jacob’s…
Moses — Drawn (or Egypt. mesu, “son;” hence Rameses, royal son). On the invitation of Pharaoh (Gen. 45:17-25), Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. This immigration took place probably about 350 years…
Plagues, The Ten — The occasion on which the plagues were sent is described in Exod 3-12.
Census · .By Moses — .By Moses
Government · Closely as — Closely as
Moses · Commissioned as lea — Commissioned as lea
Religion · .Moses — .Moses

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Exodus 3:16

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 3:16–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 3:10

Adam Clarke on Exodus 3:16

John Gill on Exodus 3:16

Dictionary and topics

Exodus 3:16

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 3:16–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 3:10

Adam Clarke on Exodus 3:16

John Gill on Exodus 3:16

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Exodus 3:15-17

Keil & Delitzsch on Exodus 3:16-20

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Exodus 3:16-17

Rashi on Exodus 3:16