Exodus 20:2

““I am YHWH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves.”

Exodus 20:2 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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Giving the law, God introduces himself as the one who brought them out of slaveryWho God IsAt Sinai, God speaks and presents himself as the one who freed his people from slaveryThe Word of God

With the Hebrew beneath

2

Exodus 20:2, word by word

am YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears
your Elohimאֱלֹהֶיelohe

Elohim

The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.

Where else “elohe” appears
brought you outהוֹצֵאתִיhotseti

bring out

To lead someone out: "I led you out of Egypt".

Where else “hotseti” appears
of the landאֶרֶץerets

land

A region or nation, above all Israel's.

Where else “erets” appears
of Egyptמִצְרַיִםmitsrayim

Egypt, Mizraim

See it on the mapWhere else “mitsrayim” appears
out of the houseבֵּיתbet

house

A building to live in, or an enclosed place to keep something or someone.

Where else “bet” appears
of slavesעֲבָדִיםavadim

slave

A person who belongs to a master and works for him, without freedom of his own.

Where else “avadim” appears

Places in this verse

JerusalemEgypt
Approximate location. A “?” means it is not known for sure where it was.
  • Egypt

    Today: Egypt (Nile Valley)

    A country in northeast Africa along the Nile River, southwest of Israel.

    Joseph was sold into it, and his family went down to live there (Gen 37:28; 46:6). God brought Israel out of it with a mighty hand (Exod 12:41). The child Jesus fled there with his parents (Matt 2:14).

    Genesis 12:10Genesis 37:28Exodus 12:41Matthew 2:14

The context

1Elohim spoke all these words, saying,

2 · This verse (above)

3You shall have no other gods before me.

Read all of Exodus 20

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