“But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him.
Parallel translations
- WEB I know that the king of Egypt won’t give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand.
- KJV And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.
- BSB But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.
- NKJV But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.
- NASB But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion.
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 foretells that Pharaoh will refuse to let Israel go, even under a mighty hand. The hardness of Pharaoh is anticipated from the start.
Overview
God knows in advance Pharaoh's resistance, so the coming struggle is no surprise to Him. The reference to a mighty hand points to the powerful acts God will use to overcome that resistance. This shows God's sovereign foreknowledge and sets the stage for displaying His power against the proudest of kings.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Exod 5:2Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don’t know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”
- Exod 6:1Yahweh said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for by a strong hand he shall let them go, and by a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land.”
- Ps 136:11–12And brought out Israel from among them; for his loving kindness endures forever;
- Isa 63:12–13Who caused his glorious arm to be at Moses’ right hand? Who divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name?
- Exod 7:1–14Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.
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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 3:19 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
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