Exodus 6:15 is a list of names. It records the sons of Simeon, the second son of Jacob, and the family groups that descended from them, so that every tribe of Israel can be traced by name. Moses wrote this in the middle of a larger genealogy that tells the reader who the people of Israel really were before they set out for the promised land. The words come from the narrator of Exodus, who places this family record just before Moses and Aaron receive their commission to lead the people out of Egypt.
The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.
Exodus 6:15 (WEB)
What Exodus 6:15 Means
The verse begins with “The sons of Simeon,” which tells you this is a family line rather than a story or a command. Simeon was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, and each name that follows is one of his children or a founder of one of his clans. Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, and Zohar are listed as the heads of family groups that would later form the tribe of Simeon. The verse says these are “the families of Simeon,” meaning the names point to clans, not only to individuals.
The most unusual phrase is the final one, which names Shaul as “the son of a Canaanite woman.” The writer does not hide this detail. Israel’s ancestry includes people from outside the covenant family, and Scripture records that honestly. The verse does not promise anything directly to the reader, and it does not teach a moral lesson on its own. What it does is affirm that God knows every name, including the names that might seem inconvenient or incomplete.
The Context of Exodus 6:15
The book of Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses, and it was written for the people of Israel as they remembered their rescue from slavery in Egypt and their formation as a nation under God. Within the book, chapter 6 begins with God repeating his promise to Moses, reminding him that he is the LORD who will bring Israel out of bondage. The genealogy in verses 14 through 25 interrupts the narrative briefly, but it does important work by grounding the story in a real, traceable people.
Just before verse 15, Moses expresses doubt, saying that he has “uncircumcised lips” and that Pharaoh will not listen to him. The family record that follows answers that doubt indirectly. God is not working with an abstract group of people but with specific families whose history is recorded. When you read verse 15 next to verses 12 and 13, you see that the God who calls a reluctant leader is the same God who keeps track of every family line.
Key Phrases in Exodus 6:15
Genesis 49:5-7
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence. 6 My soul, don’t come into their council. My glory, don’t be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
(WEB)
Jacob’s blessing on Simeon and Levi in Genesis reflects the same family line named in Exodus. Reading the two passages together shows how the later tribal history grew out of the patriarch’s words, and it helps you see that the names in Exodus carry a story already begun in Genesis.
Isaiah 49:1
Listen, islands, to me. Listen, you peoples, from afar: The LORD has called me from the womb; from the inside of my mother he has mentioned my name.
(WEB)
Isaiah speaks of God calling a servant from the womb and naming him, which echoes the theme of God knowing people by name from the start. Placing this verse beside the genealogy reminds you that naming and calling are central to how Scripture describes God’s relationship with his people.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 6:15
Lord, you know every family name and every branch of every household, and nothing about our history is hidden from you. Some of us carry stories we would rather leave out, and some of us feel too small to matter in the long record of your people. Help us to tell the truth about where we come from and to trust your faithfulness in it. Remind us that you remember each of us by name and that you use ordinary, imperfect lives to carry out your purposes. Amen.
