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? Yehovah told Moshe to come because Yehovah was already there. He wasn’t sending Moshe into territory where Yehovah wasn’t located; instead, Yehovah had prepared the way for this assignment to work!
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)? Yehovah will make certain that Pharaoh will see Moshe.
Proverbs 21:1 The heart of a king is splittings of waters in the hand of Yehovah! He inclines him upon all that He will desire!
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? It is in the past tense because it will be the result of coming and speaking to Pharaoh. When a result is certain in Hebrew, the wording of the result is in the past tense as if it already happened.
4. When the Bible uses the word children, does that imply that they are young? No! It almost never implies this. The children of Israel are the offspring of Israel/Jacob. Their ages will include the old, the young, and the in-between!
5. Why does the text include, “And Moshe spoke to the faces of Yehovah”? This tells the reader that Moshe and Yehovah were speaking together as if both were humans. Moshe was looking at Yehovah, and Yehovah was physically right there for Moshe to see.
6. Was Moshe scared while speaking directly to Yehovah? Moshe had been scared at first, but now the assignment that Yehovah was giving him was what was on his mind. Another text states,
Exodus 33:11 And Yehovah will speak unto Moshe faces unto faces just-as a man will speak unto his neighbour.
7. Why didn’t the children of Israel hearken unto Moshe?
Exodus 6:9 And they didn’t hearken unto Moshe from shortness of spirit/wind and from hard slavery.
They were too out of breath from the hard work, and they were dispirited (meaning that they didn’t feel that anything would do any good; they didn’t feel like trying).
8. Why should Pharaoh hearken to Moshe if the Israelis didn’t? Yehovah can be very convincing, as a reader will see.
9. What does “I am foreskin lips” mean? A foreskin is a very thin strip of skin found on the male’s penis that hides the head of the penis. Yehovah used this strip of skin as a type—as a teaching picture of something else more important. The foreskin typifies (pictures) the lusts of the flesh—truly sinful desires that a person intends to do or does (not desires that aren’t sinful). Desires that are sinful include prostitution, rape, murder, kidnapping, idolatry (including all forms of pornography), using addictive drugs and medications without medical need for them, committing fornication (participating in sexual practices with one to whom one isn’t married or given in marriage), stealing (when there is no need to obtain food, and the person isn’t involved in war or being a spy), lying (when that isn’t being done to save lives, and the person isn’t a spy), etc. Since the foreskin pictures these lusts, Yehovah commanded Avraham and all of his male offspring to circumcise the foreskin—that is, to remove this, and especially to do this on the eighth day of the baby’s life.
The word lip in the Bible refers to a person’s accent. How one uses his or her lips is how one speaks a language—with which accent the person speaks.
If a person is described as being foreskin lips, the person’s accent is considered crude and vulgar, and not something that an educated and high-ranking person would consider a good and trustable source of information. Pharaoh and those around Pharaoh spoke a very high form of Egyptian. Moshe had been away from Egypt and Egyptian society for forty years. He spoke the language of the area where he lived and used the lip (accent) of the area where he lived. The Egyptian Pharaoh would view him as being foreskin lipped, and wouldn’t hearken to him (according to what Moshe thought).
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? The text indicates that he did, since Yehovah also spoke to him.
2. Why did Yehovah command them unto the children of Israel when they couldn’t do anything about leaving? The Israelis had to become prepared to leave. Therefore, they had to experience what Pharaoh and the Egyptians experienced so that they would believe at least enough to leave.
3. What does “commanded them unto” mean? This means that they were commanded to both go unto them and to do what Yehovah had described for them to do.
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? They do, indeed! This depends on how the names are joined. Take verses 14-25, and take all the names listed. Repeat any names if they are repeated. See what you find. I have what I found listed next, and it seems to tell a story:
They saw a dedicated, miracled Son. A trumpet blast/walled my hearkening vineyard. A day—a Mighty One—Right—will establish an attack or victory shout! Dazzling heat!
Merchantess asked my joined one. Expelling, Thou hast dulled my bitterness to my Son! Hearken thou [fem.]! Thou hast dulled! An elevated people will press oil of friendship.
My strength is a Mighty One!
My piercer groped me. An elevated people took! Yehovah glorified!
Oy! Conception! Draw! Bald, tottered, feebled, He remembered me.
My strength is a Mighty One! Who asked my Mighty One? He hid, secreted me!
Oy! Conception! My Mighty One took; He vowed!
A daughter of my people was generous—sister of enchantment.
He was generous! He is my Father! A Mighty One helped!
Where is a palm tree?
Bald, a prisoner, Mighty One acquired. My Father gathered!
A Mighty One helped my bald ones!
Oy! Conception! My bow is a Mighty One!
My mouth rested; refuge!
In order for this to make sense, you need to know the following information:
- The Mighty One is also known as the Mighty One of Israel. If a mighty one is the Mighty One of Israel, that is the Messiah (Yeshua).
- The word Right refers to the right-hand position. The Messiah is known for being at the right of Yehovah the Father. Therefore, this also refers to the Messiah.
- The events being discussed are during the Tribulation. That is why the Messiah will establish an attack shout, and will give a victory shout. He will also use dazzling heat to slaughter His enemies.
- A merchantess is a female merchant.
- A joined one is a person to whom another is very attached. That can be like a mother is to a baby or young child whom she greatly loves.
- Israel has long had a bitterness toward Israel’s Son, the Messiah.
- An elevated people is a people (a group with a common culture) that started out very low in rank, very poor, and considered worthless, that Yehovah has raised in rank and in importance before others.
- I propose that pressing oil of friendship pictures working very hard (like pressing olive oil from olives) to be a friend.
- I also propose that this piercer refers to an enemy. If this enemy groped the speaker, it was to feel for identification (like Isaac did with Jacob) in order to expose the read identity of the one being groped. (Being found out during the Tribulation can be deadly.)
- To glorify is to demonstrate as being very important!
- The expression, “Oy! Conception!” shows that this is a time when becoming pregnant is almost the worst thing that can happen, since it can hinder the woman from doing what she must do to survive.
- Being bald can occur from several terrible situations besides the normal loss of hair that is genetic (normal baldness). It can show intense mourning and frustration in some cultures, and it can be the result of being starved, or being put into a concentration camp where the hair is cut off.
- The question, “Who asked my Mighty One?” Shows that the speaker didn’t ask the Mighty One to do anything; yet He did do some things: He hid and He secreted the speaker.
- The question, “Where is a palm tree?” Shows that the speaker is traveling in a desert. Palm trees in the desert provide food, and are located where there is some water.
- If anyone’s bow is a Mighty One, and if that Mighty One is the Messiah, the arrow that the bow shoots will always go straight to the target and will never miss its mark.
If a mouth rests, it no longer is expressing fears, frustrations, callings for help, etc.
2. In verse 20, Amram took Yocheved his aunt for a woman (for a wife). Was this wrong? No, it wasn’t wrong at this time. Adam’s and Eve’s children married each other. Later, Yehovah gave commands against incest; before that time, taking close relatives in marriage wasn’t incest.
3. What does “Exit-ye the children of Israel from the land of Egypt upon their armies” mean (verse 26)? Yehovah viewed the Israelis as consisting of armies—not just one army, but more than one! That is what Israel will be during the End Times!
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? There will be others named Moshe and Aharon between the time of these men and the End Times. Yehovah knew that some might get confused about them, so He specifically identified them to keep that from happening.
5. Who is he in, “And he was in the day Yehovah spoke unto Moshe in the land of Egypt”? He refers to the commandment for Moshe and Aharon to go to Pharaoh. Yehovah did not give Moshe or Aharon time to prepare anything. They were to go, and to go right away. Moshe still had to get his family, and that was fine.
6. How much of what Yehovah told Moshe was Moshe commanded to tell Pharaoh, according to verse 29? Moshe had to say all that Yehovah told him to say to Pharaoh. (Moshe didn’t tell Pharaoh that Yehovah knew Pharaoh wouldn’t hearken.)
7. Why did Yehovah repeat Moshe’s declaration that Moshe is “foreskin lips”? Yehovah desired for readers to know that Moshe thought Pharaoh would never hearken to him. He therefore repeated it so that future persons to whom Yehovah will give assignments that are impossible will remember this, and will have faith in Yehovah to do the impossible assignments.
8. Why did Yehovah mention that Shaul was the son of a Canaanite woman (verse 15)? Why was this so important? Yehovah will later command the annihilation of the Canaanites. At this time, they can still obtain Truth directly from the Israelis. They won’t take Truth, however, as a people.
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? The main purpose of lineages in the Bible include the following:
- One lineage tells the genealogy from Adam to Yeshua.
- Other genealogies tell how other important groups came into being.
- Genealogies have names; those names have meanings; they give information when they are put together.
Just because males are mentioned in genealogies doesn’t mean that they are important in themselves. Only a few were righteous. When females are mentioned, they are important!
Yocheved was mentioned because this is the place where Moshe’s and Aharon’s mother is named! If it weren’t for this text and Numbers 26:59, readers wouldn’t know the name of this brave woman!
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? This means that Yehovah caused Pharaoh to see Moshe as gods—as Elohim! That is why Pharaoh didn’t try to kill Moshe. He didn’t hearken to Moshe, but he feared him.
2. Why would Yehovah cause one person to see another as gods if He commanded against idols? Yehovah even gave parents to babies as gods. If Yehovah does this, it is right and good. If persons make their own gods and goddesses, that is very bad, and it leads to death!
3. If Aharon will be Moshe’s prophet, whose words will Aharon speak as a prophet? Aharon will infallibly speak the words of Moshe! (Those, of course, will be the words of Yehovah, since Moshe is Yehovah’s prophet!)
4. Wasn’t Aharon sent along because of Moshe’s inability to speak right? He was! Yet, Yehovah will command Moshe to speak, along with Aharon! Thus, Yehovah will make certain that Moshe can speak.
5. Yehovah said in verse 2, “And he will send the sons of Israel from his land.” Will he do this right away? No! At first, Pharaoh will refuse to send the sons of Israel from his land. Yehovah often declares what will occur without indicating when it will occur. When readers of the Bible assume that what He says will happen right away, or will happen in their lifetimes, they almost always assume what isn’t true. If Yehovah tells when He will do something, He will do it at that time.
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? No; it isn’t forcing Pharaoh to do anything. Hardening the heart (mind) of a person helps the person to become absolutely firm (resolute) in whatever the person has decided to do! If the person desires to do right, hardening the person’s heart (mind) will give the person more determination to do right! If the person desires to do wrong, hardening the person’s heart (mind) will give the person more determination in that direction. This hardening forces a person only in one way: to decide and to act. It doesn’t determine what to decide or which way to act. The person is responsible for that.
7. What is the benefit of multiplying signs and miracles in the land of Egypt? Signs and miracles will give both the Egyptians and the Israelis more reason to think and to consider the following:
- Who is doing this?
- Why is he doing this?
- What kind of power does he have?
- How will I respond to him? What should I do?
Yehovah gave them opportunity to think.
8. Why won’t Pharaoh hearken to Moshe and Aharon? It isn’t because Yehovah hardened his heart; it is because Pharaoh didn’t want to hearken. The reasons will be shown later in the text.
9. What does “I will give my hand into Egypt” mean? Yehovah’s hand is His power, just as the hand of any human is the power of that human. Yehovah will directly and personally cause things to occur in Egypt.
10. What are big justices? If justice is rendering a right decision based on all available facts, big justices are rendering (carrying out) big decisions, and thus doing big things that are right to do.
Yehovah will do very big miracles that will cause His People, the children of Israel, to leave Egypt.
11. Who are God’s people, according to this text? The children of Israel (Jacob) are God’s people. A people is a group of individuals with a common culture (and thus, a common way of speaking to each other, as well as conducting business and relationships). Saints throughout the world don’t have a common culture; they are not a people.
12. How will the Egyptians come to know that He is Yehovah, according to verse 5? Does this mean that the Egyptians will believe? They will come to know this during Yehovah’s stretching His hand upon Egypt! It means that the Egyptians will believe that Yehovah is doing all of this, but it doesn’t mean that they will believe—as in, putting their faith in Yehovah. Miracles never produce faith that lasts. Faith that lasts must come from hearkening (hearing and obeying), and hearkening must come from a speech of someone trusted.
13. What does stretching His hand upon anything mean? This normally means wrath. Egypt has taken possession of Yehovah’s property, dealing with them in slavery. Yehovah desires to have His property back. If Egypt doesn’t comply, Yehovah will hurt Egypt until Egypt does comply.
14. Who will ‘exit’ the children of Israel from the midst of the Egyptians, according to this text? Yehovah will do this!
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? They did what Yehovah commanded them! They went to Pharaoh, and they both spoke what Yehovah told them to speak.
2. Why does the text add, “Established, they did”? This lets readers know that they did every detail that Yehovah commanded no matter how they felt about this mission.
3. What is so significant about Moshe being 80 and Aharon being 83 when they went on this mission?
- They were two old men!
- They were sent on an impossible mission!
- They were sent to tell a very strong king what to do!
- They were totally powerless as two old men.
- They had Yehovah behind them to give them power!
- They had no country backing them.
- They were sent as two old men to rescue very muscular Israeli slaves from very well-armed Egyptian soldiers!
- No person is too old to be very valuable for the work of Yehovah. No person is too young to be very valuable for the work of Yehovah.
