And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
Parallel translations
- WEB Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they didn’t listen to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
- BSB Moses relayed this message to the Israelites, but on account of their broken spirit and cruel bondage, they did not listen to him.
- NKJV So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.
- NASB So Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.
- NLT So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.
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
Moses relays God's promises, but the people will not listen because of anguish and harsh bondage. Suffering can deafen even God's people to His word of hope.
Overview
Despite the glorious promises, Israel's crushed spirits and cruel slavery leave them unable to receive Moses' message. Their unbelief stems not from rebellion alone but from the weight of despair that bondage produces. The verse honestly portrays how affliction can dull faith, while the unfolding deliverance will show that God's purposes do not depend on the strength of His people's response.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Exod 5:21And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
- Job 21:4As for me, is my complaint to man? and if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?
- Prov 14:19The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
- Num 21:4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
- Exod 14:12Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
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 6:9 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.