Exodus 6:3 says that God appeared to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but they did not know him by the personal name YHWH, which English Bibles render as “the LORD.” The verse does not say the patriarchs lacked faith or that God was unknown to them; it marks a difference in how God chose to make his name known across the generations. God speaks these words to Moses at the start of a new stage in the story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.
And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name the LORD I was not known to them.
Exodus 6:3 (WEB)
What Exodus 6:3 Means
The phrase “God Almighty” translates the Hebrew name El Shaddai, a title that stresses God’s power and sufficiency. God says that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew him under this name. The title pointed to his strength to keep promises, to give children to aged parents, and to lead a family through a foreign land.
The phrase “by my name the LORD I was not known to them” points to the name YHWH, the covenant name God gives Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3. The verse does not claim the patriarchs had no knowledge of God at all, since they clearly trusted him and heard his promises. It says they did not experience the full revelation of who he is through that particular name, which is tied to the fulfillment of what he had promised.
What the verse does not promise is a complete explanation of every theological question about the names of God. It sets up the next part of the story rather than settling every detail. Read in context, it assures Moses and the people that the God who made the old promises is now acting to keep them in a new and fuller way.
The Context of Exodus 6:3
The book of Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses and tells how God rescued the descendants of Jacob from slavery in Egypt and brought them toward the covenant at Sinai. Its first audience was the Israelite community, who needed to understand where they had come from and who was leading them. Exodus 6 falls at a low point, after Pharaoh has increased the people’s labor and after Moses has been discouraged by the lack of immediate results.
Just before verse 3, God reaffirms his commitment in verse 1, saying that Pharaoh will be forced to let the people go. Just after, in verses 4 and 5, God recalls his covenant to give the land of Canaan and says he has heard the groaning of his people. Because the verse sits between a promise of coming deliverance and a reminder of an old covenant, it reads as a link: God is the same faithful God who appeared to the patriarchs, and now he reveals a deeper dimension of his name to the people who will see his salvation.
Key Phrases in Exodus 6:3
Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
(WEB)
This passage at the burning bush records God’s self-disclosure as “I AM,” the root of the covenant name YHWH. Reading it alongside Exodus 6:3 shows how the name God gives to Moses is tied to his presence and his promise to act for Israel.
Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless.
(WEB)
Here God introduces himself to Abram as El Shaddai and calls him to walk before him faithfully. This is one of the clearest places where the title “God Almighty” is used in the patriarchal narratives that Exodus 6:3 recalls.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 6:3
Lord, you are God Almighty, the one who kept your promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob across many years and many trials. Thank you that you continue to reveal yourself more fully to your people. When I feel that I am still waiting to understand your ways, help me trust the faithfulness you have shown in the past. Give me patience to keep walking in obedience while you work out your purposes in my life. Amen.
