Exodus 6:13 records God giving Moses and Aaron a clear commission: to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and to bring that same demand before Pharaoh himself. The verse shows that God’s plan of rescue is not left to chance or to the willingness of Pharaoh, since the LORD speaks directly and gives a command that both leaders must carry out. The speaker is the LORD, and the words are addressed to Moses and Aaron, the Israelites, and the king of Egypt.
The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a command to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 6:13 (WEB)
What Exodus 6:13 Means
The verse begins with “The LORD spoke,” which tells you the initiative belongs to God. Moses had just objected that he is a poor speaker and that Pharaoh will not listen to him, so God answers by repeating his purpose and drawing Aaron into the task alongside him. The command is not a suggestion that they consider if they feel up to it. It is a direction from the one who has already decided to act on behalf of his people.
The phrase “gave them a command to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt” shows that the message has two audiences with opposite needs. The Israelites need to hear that deliverance is coming, and Pharaoh needs to hear that he must release them. Put together, the verse says that God’s word will reach both the oppressed and the oppressor, and that the outcome will be decided by God’s power rather than by the abilities of the messengers.
The verse does not promise that Moses and Aaron will find the work easy or that Pharaoh will respond quickly. Later chapters show resistance, plagues, and hardship before the exodus happens. What the verse does promise is that the LORD has given the assignment, and that the one who sends his servants is the one who keeps his word.
The Context of Exodus 6:13
Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses and is the second book of the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. It tells how the descendants of Jacob, who had grown into a large people in Egypt, were enslaved and then delivered by God through Moses. The original readers were the Israelites, who needed to understand how their history began and why their God had acted to free them.
Just before verse 13, Moses protests that the Israelites have not listened to him and that he speaks with uncircumcised lips, which likely refers to a speech impediment. Verses 10 through 12 record God’s first instruction to go to Pharaoh, and Moses’s hesitation. Verse 13 is God’s reply: he does not withdraw the command but reaffirms it and gives it to Aaron as well. Read in this setting, the verse answers Moses’s fear of inadequacy by showing that the mission belongs to God, not to Moses’s eloquence.
Key Phrases in Exodus 6:13
Exodus 3:10
Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
(WEB)
In this earlier call at the burning bush, God tells Moses directly that he is being sent to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Reading it alongside Exodus 6:13 shows that the commission was not a passing idea but a settled plan that God repeated when Moses’s doubts surfaced.
Exodus 4:12
Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak.”
(WEB)
Here God promises to be with Moses’s mouth and tells him what to say, which speaks directly to the speech concern Moses raised. This verse helps explain how God would enable the messengers he had already commissioned in chapter 6.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 6:13
Lord, you spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a task far beyond their own strength, and you have not changed your mind about the people you call. When I feel unfit for what you have placed in front of me, remind me that the command comes from you and that you will supply what is lacking. Help me take the next faithful step today and leave the outcome in your hands, trusting that you keep your promises. Amen.
