God saw the Israelites and took notice.
Parallel translations
- WEB God saw the children of Israel, and God was concerned about them.
- KJV And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
- 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 4:31and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
- Ps 55:22Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
- Exod 3:7–8The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
- Luke 1:25“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
- Ps 1:6For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
- Matt 7:23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
- 2 Sam 16:12Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.”
- Job 33:27Then he sings before men with these words: ‘I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not get what I deserved.
- 1 Sam 1:11And she made a vow, pleading, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head.”
- Exod 1:8Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.