Exodus 3:10
Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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While God is commissioning Moses to rescue His people, He doesn't just send him, but rather declares "I will send you." This personal sending emphasizes God's direct involvement and authority in the mission, positioning Moses not as an independent actor, but as an instrument in God's hands.
After forty years in exile, Moses encounters God in a burning bush and is called to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Despite his initial fear and objections about his own inadequacy, God promises to be with him. This verse marks God's direct commission to Moses, sending him to confront Pharaoh and deliver His people from Egypt.
Ever feel like you're not qualified for what God is asking? You're not alone. Moses certainly felt that way.
When God calls someone to a task, especially a daunting one, it's not about who they are, but who He is working through them. God initiates this call and He equips His chosen instruments. Moses, who had once acted impulsively in his own strength (Exodus 2:11-15), now hesitates, feeling utterly inadequate. But God's response isn't to find someone better, but to assure Moses, 'Certainly I will be with you' (Exodus 3:12). This is the heart of the divine commission: God's presence is the power, not the individual's capability. We are invited to participate in His work, not to carry it alone.
Why does God call Israel 'My people' right in the middle of a command to Moses? It's more than just a label.
In this verse, God declares, '...bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.' This isn't just an administrative title; it signifies a deep, covenantal relationship. God identifies Israel as His own, chosen and bound to Him by promises made to their forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). Even though they are in bondage and crying out, God claims them. This establishes the divine motivation for the Exodus: it's an act of covenant faithfulness. God acts because they are His, and He is fulfilling His ancient promises to them.
Understand the original words
Paroh · Hebrew Proper Noun
The supreme ruler of Egypt, often depicted as a symbol of worldly power and hostility toward God and His people.
shalach · Hebrew Verb
The act of choosing and commissioning an individual to go on behalf of another to fulfill a specific divine mission or task.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Israelite Exodus from Egypt
The central event of the Book of Exodus, where God liberates the Israelites from over 400 years of slavery in Egypt under Moses' leadership.
c. 1446 BC
Moses' Commission at the Burning Bush
God appears to Moses in a burning bush, reveals His name, and commissions him to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
c. 1446 BC
Moses' Return to Egypt
After 40 years in Midian, Moses returns to Egypt with his family to carry out God's command to confront Pharaoh.
c. 1446 BC
Confrontations with Pharaoh
Moses, along with his brother Aaron, repeatedly confronts Pharaoh, demanding the release of the Israelites, leading to the Ten Plagues.
c. 1446 BC
The Ten Plagues
A series of devastating divine judgments inflicted upon Egypt to coerce Pharaoh into releasing the Israelites from bondage.
This passage echoes the divine promise of protection and deliverance, assuring the people that they are known and redeemed by God, just as God identifies Israel as 'my people' in Exodus 3:10.
Jeremiah 31:10This verse speaks of God's shepherd-like care for His flock, echoing the leadership role God is calling Moses to, and the promise of bringing His people to safety, similar to the Exodus commission.
Matthew 1:21The angel's announcement that Jesus 'will save his people from their sins' parallels God's stated purpose in Exodus 3:10 to 'bring my people... out of Egypt,' both signifying a divine act of salvation and liberation.
Acts 7:34This New Testament passage directly references God's awareness of the Israelites' suffering and His intention to deliver them, confirming the divine initiative behind the mission given to Moses in Exodus.
bensonExodus 3:10: "Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt."
Exodus 3:10 . I will send thee — And the same hand that now fetched a shepherd out of a desert to be the planter of the Jewish Church, afterward fetched fishermen from their ships to be the planters of the Christian Church, that the excellency of the power might be of God.
calvinExodus 3:10-14: "Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt."
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
Et ait Moses ad Deum, Ecce ubi ego venero ad filios Israel, et dixero eis, Deus patrum vestrorum misit me ad vos: tunc si d…
While God is commissioning Moses to rescue His people, He doesn't just send him, but rather declares "I will send you." This personal sending emphasizes God's direct involvement and authority in the mission, positioning Moses not as an independent actor, but as an instrument in God's hands.
After forty years in exile, Moses encounters God in a burning bush and is called to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Despite his initial fear and objections about his own inadequacy, God promises to be with him. This verse marks God's direct commission to Moses, sending him to confront Pharaoh and deliver His people from Egypt.
After forty years in exile, Moses encounters God in a burning bush and is called to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Despite his initial fear and objections about his own inadequacy, God promises to be with him. This verse marks God's direct commission to Moses, sending him to confront Pharaoh and deliver His people from Egypt.
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c. 1446 BC
Passover and Departure from Egypt
The final plague culminates in the death of Egypt's firstborn, leading Pharaoh to finally allow the Israelites to leave Egypt, marking the beginning of their exodus.
"Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”" — While God is commissioning Moses to rescue His people, He doesn't just send him, but rather declares "I will send you." This personal sending emphasizes God's direct involvement and authority in th…
