And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

EXODUS 6:5KJV
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Exodus 6:5 (KJV)

What does Exodus 6:5 mean?

Exodus 6:5 says that God has heard the suffering cries of the Israelites, who are being forced to work as slaves by the Egyptians, and God has remembered the special promise He made to them. This verse shows that God is aware of their pain and is about to act because of His commitment to them.

In this verse, God is speaking to Moses, reassuring him that He has not forgotten the Israelites’ hardship in Egypt. The “covenant” refers to God’s earlier promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to make their descendants into a great nation and give them a land of their own. The verse is part of God’s message to Moses just before He sends Moses back to confront Pharaoh and lead the people out of Egypt.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 6:5

  • The word “heard” (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ) means more than just listening; it often includes the idea of paying attention and being ready to respond. Here, it shows that God is not distant but attentive to the Israelites’ suffering.
  • “Groaning” (נְאָקָה, ne’akah) refers to deep, painful cries—more than just complaints, these are sounds of real distress. This highlights how severe the Israelites’ suffering was.
  • “Bondage” (עָבַד, ʿavad) is the word for forced labor or slavery. It emphasizes the harshness of the Egyptians’ treatment of the Israelites.
  • “Remembered” (זָכַר, zakar) in Hebrew does not just mean recalling something to mind; it often means to act on a promise or commitment. God’s “remembering” His covenant means He is about to take action to fulfill His promise.

Why Exodus 6:5 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that God was unaware or unmoved by the Israelites’ suffering; it emphasizes that God is attentive and faithful.
  • It connects the Israelites’ current situation to God’s ancient promises, showing that their deliverance is rooted in God’s ongoing relationship with their ancestors.
  • The verse sets up the following events in Exodus, where God’s actions to free the Israelites are shown as a direct response to both their suffering and His covenant.

Where else these words appear

“groaning” Hebrew H5009 · used in 4 verses

  • Exodus 2:24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
  • Judges 2:18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.
  • Ezekiel 30:24 And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

“whom” Hebrew H834 · used in 105 verses

  • Genesis 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
  • Genesis 31:49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
  • Deuteronomy 12:2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: