And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God emphasizes that Moses, through him, will hold an authority over Pharaoh that elevates him to a divine-like status, capable of commanding and executing supernatural judgments. Aaron's role as Moses' "prophet" isn't just about speaking; it highlights Aaron as the divine messenger of Moses' God-given authority to Pharaoh.
And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Moses' discouragement and the Israelites' continued oppression, God reassures Moses that the time for deliverance is near, equipping him and Aaron with divine authority. God declares Moses will be like a god to Pharaoh, wielding His power, while Aaron will act as Moses' spokesperson or prophet. This sets the stage for Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh again, this time with undeniable divine backing, initiating the series of plagues.
Have you ever felt completely out of your depth, facing someone much more powerful? Moses was about to face Pharaoh, the most powerful man in Egypt, and he felt totally inadequate. But God had a plan to change that.
God tells Moses, 'I have made you like God to Pharaoh.' This doesn't mean Moses was divine!
A Divine Mandate
Instead, it means God was giving Moses His authority. Think of it like a king appointing an ambassador. This ambassador speaks for the king, carries the king's seal, and his words carry the weight of the crown. Moses was to act as God's vicegerent, His representative on earth, for this specific, monumental task.
Power Through Partnership
God wasn't taking His power away from Himself; He was choosing to display it through Moses. Moses’s words, commands, and actions would be infused with God’s own power. Pharaoh would witness God’s might not just in abstract pronouncements, but directly through Moses’s commission. This commission would equip Moses to stand against the mightiest ruler on earth.
Moses was a powerful representative, but he struggled with speaking. God didn't leave him without help. He appointed someone to be his voice.
God tells Moses, 'your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.' The term 'prophet' here doesn't just mean someone who predicts the future.
A Divine Spokesperson
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In this context, Aaron is appointed as Moses's interpreter, his spokesman. While Moses carried the divine authority and power, Aaron would be the one to articulate God’s message to Pharaoh. He would translate God's will, as revealed through Moses, into spoken words for the Egyptian king.
Essential Partnership
This highlights a crucial partnership. God understood Moses's weakness (his speech impediment) and provided a solution. Aaron’s role was essential; he was the conduit through which Moses's God-given authority was communicated verbally. Together, they presented a unified front, armed with both divine power and a clear message.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God revealed to Israel, signifying His self-existence, eternity, and faithfulness to His promises.
nabiy' · Hebrew Noun
In this context, it denotes a person commissioned to speak divine revelations or represent the authority of one party to another. It implies a mouthpiece or mediator who conveys the message of a higher authority.
This moment elevates Moses from a hesitant deliverer to a divine representative, highlighting God's ultimate authority over Pharaoh and Egypt as the plagues are about to commence.
c. 1446 BC
Israelites in Egyptian Bondage
For centuries, the Israelites had lived in Egypt, growing in number but increasingly subjected to harsh slavery and oppression by the Egyptian rulers.
c. 1446 BC
Moses' Early Life and Flight
Moses, raised in Pharaoh's household but of Hebrew descent, killed an Egyptian and fled to Midian, believing his people would understand his leadership.
c. 1446 BC
The Burning Bush Encounter
God appeared to Moses in a burning bush, commissioning him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery.
c. 1446 BC
Moses and Aaron Confront Pharaoh
Moses and his brother Aaron, now empowered by God, first approached Pharaoh demanding the release of the Israelites, but Pharaoh hardened his heart.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
God Appoints Moses and Aaron
The LORD reassures Moses, declaring He has made Moses like God to Pharaoh and Aaron his prophet, preparing them for the escalating confrontation and the plagues to come.
c. 1446 BC
The Ten Plagues Begin
Following Pharaoh's continued defiance, God unleashed a series of ten devastating plagues upon Egypt, each one intensifying in severity and targeting Egyptian gods.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus
After the final plague—the death of the firstborn—Pharaoh finally relented, allowing the Israelites to leave Egypt, marking their miraculous deliverance.
Just as Moses was made 'like God' to Pharaoh, David, empowered by God, confronted Goliath, who mocked him and his God, acting as God's representative against a human oppressor.
Jeremiah 1:10This verse mirrors the commissioning of Moses, with God declaring, 'See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant,' highlighting the immense authority delegated by God to His messengers.
Acts 26:16Paul recounts his own commission from Christ, where he was appointed to 'stand before kings and governors and before the children of Israel,' similar to Moses being set as a divine representative with authority over Pharaoh.
John 10:35Jesus affirms that Scripture calls 'those to whom the word of God came' as gods, underscoring that the title in Exodus 7:1 refers to delegated authority and divine enablement, not inherent divinity.
clarkeExodus 7:1: "And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet."
I have made thee a god - At thy word every plague shall come, and at thy command each shall be removed. Thus Moses must have appeared as a god to Pharaoh. Shall be thy prophet - Shall receive the word from thy mouth, and communicate it to the Egyptian king, Exodus 7:2.
bensonExodus 7:1: "And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet."
Exodus 7:1 . A god to Pharaoh — That is, my representative in this affair, as magistrates are called gods, because they are God’s vicegerents. He was authorized to speak and act in God’s name, and endued with a divine power, to do that which is above the ordinary course of nature. And Aaron shall be thy prophet — That is, he shall speak from thee to Pharaoh, as prophet…
God emphasizes that Moses, through him, will hold an authority over Pharaoh that elevates him to a divine-like status, capable of commanding and executing supernatural judgments. Aaron's role as Moses' "prophet" isn't just about speaking; it highlights Aaron as the divine messenger of Moses' God-given authority to Pharaoh.
After Moses' discouragement and the Israelites' continued oppression, God reassures Moses that the time for deliverance is near, equipping him and Aaron with divine authority. God declares Moses will be like a god to Pharaoh, wielding His power, while Aaron will act as Moses' spokesperson or prophet. This sets the stage for Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh again, this time with undeniable divine backing, initiating the series of plagues.
After Moses' discouragement and the Israelites' continued oppression, God reassures Moses that the time for deliverance is near, equipping him and Aaron with divine authority. God declares Moses will be like a god to Pharaoh, wielding His power, while Aaron will act as Moses' spokesperson or prophet. This sets the stage for Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh again, this time with undeniable divine backing, initiating the series of plagues.
"And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet." — God emphasizes that Moses, through him, will hold an authority over Pharaoh that elevates him to a divine-like status, capable of commanding and executing supernatural judgments. Aaron's role as Mose…
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Last reviewed October 2026