Exodus 3:16

“Go and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, has appeared to me, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, “I have surely attended to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt,”

Exodus 3:16 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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With the Hebrew beneath

16

Exodus 3:16, word by word

Goלֵךְlech

go

To head for a place, to leave where one is in order to reach another.

Where else “lech” appears
and gatherאָסַפְתָּasafta

assemble

To bring people together in one place.

Where else “asafta” appears
the eldersזִקְנֵיzikne

elder

The senior men who led a city or the people.

Where else “zikne” appears
of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyisrael

Israel

Israel, the new name Jacob received from God, explained as "you have striven with God" (Genesis 32:28); then the name of the people that came from him and, after the division, of the northern kingdom.

Where else “yisrael” appears
and sayאָמַרְתָּamarta

say

To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.

Where else “amarta” appears
‘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
the Elohimאֱלֹהֵיelohe

Elohim

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

Where else “elohe” appears
of your fathersאֲבֹתֵיavote

forefather

Ancestors, those who came before in the family.

Where else “avote” appears
has appearedנִרְאָהnira

appear

To let oneself be seen: YHWH let Abram see him.

Where else “nira” appears
of Abrahamאַבְרָהָםavraham

Abraham

Abraham, the name God gave to Abram; it sounds like "father of a multitude" (Genesis 17:5). The father of the people of Israel, to whom God promised the land and blessing for all the families of the earth.

Where else “avraham” appears
Isaacיִצְחָקyitschak

Isaac

Isaac, the son promised to Abraham and Sarah, father of Esau and Jacob. His name means "he laughs" (Genesis 17:17, 19; 21:6).

Where else “yitschak” appears
and Jacobיַעֲקֹבyaakov

Jacob

Jacob, the younger son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin brother of Esau and father of the twelve tribes. In Hebrew "Yaakov" sounds like "heel" and "supplant" (Genesis 25:26; 27:36). God later gave him the name Israel; the name also stands for his descendants, the people of Israel.

Where else “yaakov” appears
“I have surely attendedפָּקֹדpakod

attend to

To attend to someone; God comes to help.

Where else “pakod” appears
has been doneעָשׂוּיasuy

do

To carry out an act or to deal with someone in a certain way, for good or ill.

Where else “asuy” appears
in Egyptמִצְרָיִםmitsrayim

Egypt, Mizraim

See it on the mapWhere else “mitsrayim” 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

15Elohim also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is my remembrance from generation to generation.

16 · This verse (above)

17and I have said: I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

Read all of Exodus 3

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