Orders and Heads
Background and Printed Text: Exodus 6:10-7:7
Exodus 6:10 And Yehovah spoke unto Draw [Moshe] to say, 11 “Come! Speak unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt! And he sent the children of Israel from his land.” 12And Draw [Moshe] spoke to the faces of Yehovah to say, “Behold, the children of Israel didn’t hearken unto me. And how shall Pharaoh hearken-to me? And I am foreskin lips!”
13And Yehovah spoke unto Draw [Moshe] and unto Oy!-Conception! [Aharon]. And He commanded them unto the children of Israel and unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt to exit the children of Israel from the land of Egypt.
14These are heads of the house of their fathers:
- The sons of They-Saw-A-Son [Reuben] the firstborn of Israel:
- Dedicated [Hanoch] and
- Miracled [Pallu],
- Trumpet-Blast/Walled [Hezron] and
- My-Vineyard [Carmi].
These are the families of They-Saw-A-Son [Reuben].
15And the sons of Hearkening [Shimon]:
- A-Day-And-A-Mighty-[One] [Yemuel] and
- Right [Yamin] and
- Attack-[or Victory]-Shout [Ohad] and
- He-Will-Establish [Yachin] and
- Dazzling-Heat [Zohar] and
- Asked [Shaul], son of the Merchantess [Canaanitess].
These are the families of Hearkening [Shimon].
16And these are the names of the sons of My-Joined-[one] [Levi] to their childings:
- Expelling [Gershon] and
- Thou-Hast-Dulled [Kohath] and
- My-Bitterness [Merari].
And the years of the lives of My-Joined-[one] [Levi] are seven and thirty and a hundred year.
17Sons of Expelling [Gershon]:
- To-My-Son [Libni] and
- Hearken-Thou [fem.] [Shimi]
to their families.
18And sons of Thou-Hast-Dulled [Kohath]:
- Elevated-People [Amram] and
- He-Will-Press-Oil [Izhar] and
- Friendship [Hevron] and
- My-Strength-Is-A-Mighty-[One] [Uzziel].
And the years of the lives of Thou-Hast-Dulled [Kohath] are three and thirty and a hundred year.
19And sons of My-Bitterness [Merari]:
- My-Piercer [Mahali] and
- He-Groped-Me [Mushi].
These are the families of the My-Joined-[one] [Levi] to their childings.
20And Elevated-People [Amram] took Yehovah-Glorified [Yocheved] his aunt to him for a woman. And she childed Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] and Draw [Moshe] to him.
And the years of the lives of Elevated-People [Amram] are seven and thirty and a hundred year.
21And the sons of He-Will-Press-Oil [Izhar]:
- Bald [Korah] and
- Tottered-Feebled [Nepheg] and
- He-Remembered-Me [Zichri].
22And the sons of My-Strength-Is-A-Mighty-[One] [Uzziel]:
- Who-Asked [Mishael] and
- My-Mighty-[One]-Hid [Elzaphan] and
- He-Secreted-Me [Zithri].
23And Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] took My-Mighty-[One]-Vowed [Elisheva], daughter of My-People-Was-Generous [Amminadab], sister of Enchantment [Naashon], to him for a woman. And she childed:
- He-Was-Generous [Nadav] and
- He-Is-My-Father [Avihu],
- A-Mighty-[One]-Helped [Eleazar] and
- Where-Is-A-Palm-[Tree] [Ithamar]
to him.
24And the sons of Bald [Korah]:
- Prisoner [Assir] and
- A-Mighty-[One]-Acquired [Elkanah] and
- My-Father-Gathered [Aviasaph].
These are the families of the My-Bald-[ones] Korahites.
25And A-Mighty-[One]-Helped [Eleazar] Oy!-Conception!’s [Aharon’s] son took to him from the daughters of My-Bow-Is-A-Mighty-[One] [Putiel] to him for a woman. And she childed:
- My-Mouth-He-Rested-Refuge [Pinkhas]
to him.
These are the heads of the fathers of the My-Joined-[ones] [Levites] to their families. 26He is Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] and Draw [Moshe] to whom Yehovah said, “Exit-ye the children of Israel from the land of Egypt upon their armies!” 27These are the speakers unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt to exit the children of Israel from Egypt. He is Draw [Moshe] and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon]. 28And he was in the day Yehovah spoke unto Draw [Moshe] in the land of Egypt. 29And Yehovah spoke unto Draw [Moshe] to say, “I am Yehovah! Speak thou unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt all that I say unto thee!” 30And Draw [Moshe] said to the faces of Yehovah, “Behold I am foreskin lips! And how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?”
Exodus 7:1 And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “See, I gave thee, gods to Pharaoh. And Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] thy brother will be thy prophet! 2Thou—thou shalt speak all that I will command thee. And Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] thy brother will speak unto Pharaoh. And he will send the sons of Israel from his land! 3And I—I will harden the heart of Pharaoh. And I will multiply my signs and my miracles in the land of Egypt! 4And Pharaoh will not hearken unto you. And I will give my hand into Egypt. And I will exit my armies—my People the childrenof Israel—from the land of Egypt via big justices! 5And the Egyptians shall know that I am Yehovah in my stretching my hand upon Egypt. And I will exit the children of Israel from their midst!”
6And Draw [Moshe] did, and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon], just as Yehovah commanded them. Established, they did! 7And Draw [Moshe] is a son of 80 year! And Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] is a son of 3 and 80 year during their speaking unto Pharaoh!
I. Yehovah’s Orders (verses 10-12)
Yehovah had more to say to Moshe. He told Moshe to come and to speak unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Yehovah indicated to Moshe that this will result in Pharaoh sending the children of Israel from his land!
Moshe spoke face to face with Yehovah, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel didn’t hearken unto me. And how shall Pharaoh hearken-to me? And I am foreskin lips!”
Questions
1. Why did Yehovah say, “Come!” instead of, “Go!” when He told Moshe to travel to speak unto Pharaoh?
2. How could Moshe speak unto a king when kings choose who will come before them, and when Moshe is merely a poor shepherd (which is an abomination to the Egyptians)?
3. After the command to come and to speak to Pharaoh, Yehovah next states, “And he sent the children of Israel from his land.” What is that in the past tense?
4. When the Bible uses the word children, does that imply that they are young?
5. Why does the text include, “And Moshe spoke to the faces of Yehovah”?
6. Was Moshe scared while speaking directly to Yehovah?
7. Why didn’t the children of Israel hearken unto Moshe?
8. Why should Pharaoh hearken to Moshe if the Israelis didn’t?
9. What does “I am foreskin lips” mean?
II. Yehovah Speaks to Both (verse 13)
Yehovah spoke to both Moshe and Aharon. He commanded them unto the children of Isdrael and unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt to exit the Israelis from the land of Egypt.
Questions
1. Did Aharon also see Yehovah?
2. Why did Yehovah command them unto the children of Israel when they couldn’t do anything about leaving?
3. What does “commanded them unto” mean?
III. Heads of Houses (verses 14-30)
The next number of verses gives the heads of the houses of the sons of Jacob:
Sons of Reuben (Reuben being the firstborn of Israel): Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, Carmi.
Sons of Shimon: Yemuel, Yamin, Ohad, Yachin, Zohar, Shaul (Shaul being the son of a Canaanite woman).
Sons Levi: Gershon, Kohath, Merari.
Levi lived to be 137 years old.
Grandsons of Levi, sons of Gershon: Libni, Shimi.
Grandsons of Levi, sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hevron, Uzziel.
Kohath lived to be 133.
Grandsons of Levi, sons of Marari: Mahali, Mushi.
Amram took his Aunt Yocheved for his own woman (wife). She childed Aharon and Moshe.
Amram lived for 137 years.
Great Grandsons of Levi, Grandsons of Kohath, sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, Zichri.
Great Grandsons of Levi, Grandsons of Kohath, sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, Zithri.
Aharon took Amminadab’s daughter, Elisheva (she was sister of Naashon) for a woman (wife). Elisheva childed Nadav, Avihu, Eleazar, Ithamar.
The great great grandsons of Levi, great grandsons of Kohath, grandsons of Izhar, sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, Aviasaph.
Aharon’s son Eleazar took a daughter of Putiel for a woman (wife). She childed Pinkhas to Eleazar.
This is a listing of the heads of the fathers of the Levites to their families. This lineage leads to Aharon and Moshe, the two to whom Yehovah said, “Exit-ye the children of Israel from the land of Egypt upon their armies!” These are the very same two who spoke unto Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to exit the children of Israel from Egypt! This is Moshe, along with Aharon!
This occurred in the day Yehovah spoke unto Moshe in the land of Egypt. Yehovah spoke unto Moshe saying, “I am Yehovah! Speak thou unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt all that I say unto thee!”
This occurred in the day that Moshe responded to the faces of Yehovah, “Behold I am foreskin lips! And how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?”
Questions
1. If you place all the meanings of the names together, do they give information?
2. In verse 20, Amram took Yocheved his aunt for a woman (for a wife). Was this wrong?
3. What does “Exit-ye the children of Israel from the land of Egypt upon their armies” mean (verse 26)?
4. Why did Yehovah say, “These are the speakers unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt to exit the children of Israel from Egypt. He is Moshe and Aharon,” as if some readers might get Moshe and Aharon confused with another Moshe and another Aharon?
5. Who is he in, “And he was in the day Yehovah spoke unto Moshe in the land of Egypt”?
6. How much of what Yehovah told Moshe was Moshe commanded to tell Pharaoh, according to verse 29?
7. Why did Yehovah repeat Moshe’s declaration that Moshe is “foreskin lips”?
8. Why did Yehovah mention that Shaul was the son of a Canaanite woman (verse 15)? Why was this so important?
9. The males in the lineage are normally the only ones mentioned. Why are the females normally ignored, and why was Yocheved (verse 20) specially mentioned?
IV. Yehovah’s Plans (chapter 7, verses 1-5)
Yehovah next told what He had done to make these things work. Yehovah said to Moshe, “See, I gave thee, gods to Pharaoh.”
Yehovah continued, “And Aharon thy brother will be thy prophet!”
Yehovah commanded Moshe, “Thou—thou shalt speak all that I will command thee.”
He also stated, “And Aharon thy brother will speak unto Pharaoh.”
Yehovah then gave the results: “And he will send the sons of Israel from his land!”
Yet, Yehovah had plans before that exit (exodus) from the land: “And I—I will harden the heart of Pharaoh. And I will multiply my signs and my miracles in the land of Egypt! And Pharaoh will not hearken unto you.”
Yehovah’s response to Pharaoh’s not hearkening will be this: “And I will give my hand into Egypt.” After He has done this for quite a while, Yehovah will do the next step: “And I will exit my armies—my People the children of Israel—from the land of Egypt via big justices!”
How will the Egyptians respond and react? “And the Egyptians shall know that I am Yehovah in my stretching my hand upon Egypt.”
Finally, Yehovah will “exit the children of Israel from their midst!”
Questions
1. What does “See, I gave thee, gods to Pharaoh” mean?
2. Why would Yehovah cause one person to see another as gods if He commanded against idols?
3. If Aharon will be Moshe’s prophet, whose words will Aharon speak as a prophet?
4. Wasn’t Aharon sent along because of Moshe’s inability to speak right?
5. Yehovah said in verse 2, “And he will send the sons of Israel from his land.” Will he do this right away?
6. Why would Yehovah harden the heart of Pharaoh (verse 3) so that Pharaoh will not hearken unto Moshe and Aharon (verse 4)? Isn’t that forcing Pharaoh to do wrong?
7. What is the benefit of multiplying signs and miracles in the land of Egypt?
8. Why won’t Pharaoh hearken to Moshe and Aharon?
9. What does “I will give my hand into Egypt” mean?
10. What are big justices?
11. Who are God’s people, according to this text?
12. How will the Egyptians come to know that He is Yehovah, according to verse 5? Does this mean that the Egyptians will believe?
13. What does stretching His hand upon anything mean?
14. Who will ‘exit’ the children of Israel from the midst of the Egyptians, according to this text?
V. Obedience and Age (verses 6-7)
Moshe didn’t ask more questions. He did just as Yehovah commanded, and Aharon did the same. They were firmly established in their goal; they now knew what would happen, and why.
Moshe is 80 years old at the time of speaking unto Pharaoh, and Aharon is 83 years old!
Questions
1. The text states that they did. What did they do?
2. Why does the text add, “Established, they did”?
3. What is so significant about Moshe being 80 and Aharon being 83 when they went on this mission?