“Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 6:1 Mean?
After the foremen's curse and Moses' discouragement, God responds with a declaration of escalation: "Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh." The "now" is emphatic: the situation that looks like failure is actually the setup for God's demonstration. The moment of greatest discouragement—when the slaves are cursing and the oppression has doubled—is the moment God says: now watch.
The promise has two dimensions: Pharaoh will release them ("let them go") and Pharaoh will drive them out ("drive them out of his land"). Not just reluctant permission. Forceful expulsion. Pharaoh won't merely open the door. He'll push them through it. The man who refused to let them go will be the one insisting they leave. The captor becomes the ejector.
The phrase "with a strong hand" refers to God's power—the same hand that will produce plagues, split the sea, and destroy the Egyptian army. The strong hand isn't Moses'. It's God's. The deliverance doesn't depend on the deliverer's capability. It depends on the power behind the deliverer. Moses' weakness and God's strong hand are not in competition. They're in partnership.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you at the 'now' moment—where everything has gotten worse and you're ready to quit? What is God about to do?
- 2.God promises Pharaoh will 'drive them out'—not just release but compel. What captor in your life might God be about to turn into an ejector?
- 3.The strong hand is God's, not yours. How does that relieve the pressure you feel to make the deliverance happen?
- 4.The worst moment is God's 'now.' How does that pattern change how you interpret your current discouragement?
Devotional
"Now shalt thou see what I will do." God says this at the worst moment—when the mission looks like it's failed, when the slaves are angrier than ever, when Pharaoh has doubled the oppression, when Moses is ready to quit. And God says: now. Watch. The failure is the setup for the demonstration.
The reversal God promises is extreme: Pharaoh won't just let them go. He'll drive them out. The man who said "I will not let Israel go" will become the man who insists they leave. The refusal will flip to compulsion. The person holding you captive will be the person pushing you out the door. God doesn't just open the prison. He makes the jailer escort you out.
The "strong hand" is God's, not Moses'. The deliverance doesn't depend on the deliverer's eloquence, strategy, or personal power. It depends on the hand of God. Moses stutters. God's hand is strong. Moses doubts. God's hand doesn't waver. The partnership between human weakness and divine strength is the delivery system for the entire Exodus.
If you're at the "now" moment—the point where everything has gotten worse, where your intervention seems to have backfired, where the people you're trying to help are angry and the system has tightened its grip—God's word to Moses is His word to you: now watch. The failure you're seeing is the setup for the deliverance you can't yet see. The strong hand hasn't moved yet. But it's about to. And when it does, the person holding you captive will be the person pushing you toward freedom.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then the Lord said unto Moses,.... In answer to the questions put to him, and the expostulations made with him:
now…
With a strong hand - יד חזקה yad chazakah, the same verb which we translate to harden; see Clarke on Exo 4:21 (note).…
Here, I. God silences Moses's complaints with the assurance of success in this negotiation, repeating the promise made…
Cross References
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