Exodus 5:2
1 After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
3 “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they answered. “Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
- KJV
- And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
- WEB
- Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don’t know the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”
- ASV
- And Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto his voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go.
- DARBY
- And Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah, to whose voice I am to hearken to let Israel go? I do not know Jehovah, neither will I let Israel go.
- BLB
- And Pharaoh said, “Who [is] YHWH, that I should listen to His voice to send out Israel? I do not know YHWH, and moreover Israel I will not send out.”
- ÅB
- Men Farao sa: Hvem er Herren som jeg skal lyde og la Israel fare? Jeg kjenner ikke Herren, og heller ikke vil jeg la Israel fare.
- OTB
- Farao svarte: «Hvem er Herren, så jeg skulle høre på hans røst og la Israel gå? Jeg kjenner ikke Herren, og dessuten vil jeg ikke slippe Israel.»
- B1930
- Men Farao sa: Hvem er Herren som jeg skal lyde og la Israel fare? Jeg kjenner ikke Herren, og heller ikke vil jeg la Israel fare.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Exodus 3:19
But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.
Read in contextJob 21:15
Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’
Read in context2 Kings 18:35
Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
Read in context2 Thessalonians 1:8
in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Read in contextRomans 1:28
Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
Read in contextJohn 16:3
They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me.
Read in context2 Chronicles 32:19
They spoke against the God of Jerusalem as they had spoken against the gods of the peoples of the earth—the work of human hands.
Read in contextPsalms 12:4
They say, “With our tongues we will prevail. We own our lips—who can be our master?”
Read in context