God saw the children of Israel, and God was concerned about them.
Parallel translations
- KJV And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
- BSB God saw the Israelites and took notice.
- NKJV And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
- NASB And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.
- NLT He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God sees the people of Israel and takes notice of their plight. The chapter ends with God turning His attention toward His suffering people.
Overview
The verbs of chapter 2's close, God heard, remembered, saw, and knew, build toward the deliverance about to unfold. God is not distant or indifferent; He sees and is concerned for the afflicted. This assurance that the Lord knows His people's suffering prepares the way for His mighty intervention in chapter 3.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Exod 4:31The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
- Ps 55:22Cast your burden on Yahweh, and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
- Exod 3:7–8Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
- Luke 1:25“Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”
- Ps 1:6For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.
- Matt 7:23Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’
- 2 Sam 16:12It may be that Yahweh will look on the wrong done to me, and that Yahweh will repay me good for the cursing of me today.”
- Job 33:27He sings before men, and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it didn’t profit me.
- 1 Sam 1:11She vowed a vow, and said, “Yahweh of Armies, if you will indeed look at the affliction of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a boy, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and no razor shall come on his head.”
- Exod 1:8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 2:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.