Exodus 3:18
in Exodus 3The elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us: and now let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.
KJV
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
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This verse in Exodus 3
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThey shall hearken to thy voice - This assurance was necessary to encourage him in an enterprise so dangerous and important. Three days’ journey into the wilderness - Evidently intending Mount Sinai, which is reputed to be about three days’ journey, the shortest way, from the land of Goshen. In ancient times, distances were computed by the time required to pass over them.
This site's exposition
The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us
on Exodus 3:18-19
The request Moses is told to put to Pharaoh is worship, three days out into the wilderness to sacrifice, and the contest of chapters 5 to 12 turns on that one word. Pharaoh's later offers each try to keep a piece of it, sacrifice inside the land at 8:25, only the men at 10:11, and the flocks and herds left behind at 10:24, and Moses refuses every one. God tells Moses in advance that the king of Egypt will refuse, so the failure of chapter 5 arrives already announced.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Moreover, they must only beg leave of Pharaoh to go as far as Mount Sinai to worship God, and say nothing to him of going quite away to Canaan; the latter would have been immediately rejected, but the former was a very modest and reasonable request, and his denying it was utterly inexcusable and justified them in the total deserting of his kingdom.
): They shall hearken to thy voice, and not thrust thee away as they did forty years ago. He who, by his grace, inclines the heart, and opens the ear, could say beforehand, They shall hearken to thy voice, having determined to make them willing in this day of power.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And they shall hearken to thy voice,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
But he evinced great reluctance to it and stated a variety of objections [Ex 3:11, 13; 4:1, 10] all of which were successfully met and removed--and the happy issue of his labors was minutely described.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Three days’ journey - i. e. a journey which would occupy three days in going and returning. This was a demand quite in accordance with Egyptian customs. The refusal of Pharaoh and the subsequent proceedings were revealed to Moses at once; but it is important to observe that the first request which Pharaoh rejected could have been granted without any damage to Egypt, or any risk of the Israelites passing the strongly-fortified frontier.
The words behind it
26 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשָׁמְע֖וּ | veshameu | and they will listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| לְקֹלֶ֑ךָ | lekolecha | to voice your | H6963 → | 506 times |
| וּבָאתָ֡ | uvata | and you will go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אַתָּה֩ | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| וְזִקְנֵ֨י | veziknei | and [the] elders of | H2205 → | 178 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| מִצְרַ֗יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֤ם | vaamartem | and you will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלָיו֙ | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָ֞ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֤י | ʾelohei | [the] God of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| הָֽעִבְרִיִּים֙ | haivriyim | the Hebrews | H5680 → | 34 times |
| נִקְרָ֣ה | nikrah | he has met | H7136 → | |
| עָלֵ֔ינוּ | ʾaleinu | with us | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְעַתָּ֗ה | veatah | and therefore | H6258 → | 433 times |
| נֵֽלֲכָה־ | nelakhah- | let us go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| נָּ֞א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| דֶּ֣רֶךְ | derekh | a journey of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת | sheloshet | three | H7969 → | 432 times |
| יָמִים֙ | yamim | days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר | bamidbar | in the wilderness | H4057 → | 270 times |
| וְנִזְבְּחָ֖ה | venizbechah | and let us sacrifice | H2076 → | 134 times |
| לַֽיהוָ֥ה | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ | ʾeloheinu | God our | H430 → | 2601 times |
וְשָׁמְע֖וּand they will listen
veshameuH8085 →1159 times
לְקֹלֶ֑ךָto voice your
lekolechaH6963 →506 times
וּבָאתָ֡and you will go
uvataH935 →2568 times
אַתָּה֩you
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
וְזִקְנֵ֨יand [the] elders of
vezikneiH2205 →178 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֜לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
מִצְרַ֗יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֤םand you will say
vaamartemH559 →5305 times
אֵלָיו֙to him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
יְהוָ֞הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵ֤י[the] God of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
הָֽעִבְרִיִּים֙the Hebrews
haivriyimH5680 →34 times
נִקְרָ֣הhe has met
nikrahH7136 →
עָלֵ֔ינוּwith us
ʾaleinuH5921 →5755 times
וְעַתָּ֗הand therefore
veatahH6258 →433 times
נֵֽלֲכָה־let us go
nelakhah-H1980 →1546 times
נָּ֞אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
דֶּ֣רֶךְa journey of
derekhH1870 →707 times
שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁתthree
sheloshetH7969 →432 times
יָמִים֙days
yamimH3117 →2304 times
בַּמִּדְבָּ֔רin the wilderness
bamidbarH4057 →270 times
וְנִזְבְּחָ֖הand let us sacrifice
venizbechahH2076 →134 times
לַֽיהוָ֥הto Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃God our
ʾeloheinuH430 →2601 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 7:16Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness. But you have not…
it leads to
- Exodus 9:1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 9:13
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go,…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 3:12
“I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will…
- Exodus 5:1–3
After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in…
- Exodus 9:1
Through
Exodus 9:13Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go,…
it leads to
- Exodus 8:20
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, and when Pharaoh goes out to the water, stand before him and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 7:15
Go to Pharaoh in the morning as you see him walking out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was…
- Exodus 8:20
Through
Exodus 9:1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
it leads to
- Exodus 8:1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
- Exodus 10:3
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people…
- Exodus 8:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies9
On this verse
About Exodus
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.