Exodus 4:23 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

And I say to you, 'Let my son go, so that he may worship me.' If you refuse to let him go, I will kill your son, your firstborn.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

God is delivering His ultimatum to Pharaoh: release the Israelites (God's people) or face the death of Egypt's firstborn sons.

📚 Historical Context

In the book of Exodus, God is speaking to Moses at the burning bush, commissioning him to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. God refers to Israel as His firstborn son, underscoring His covenantal relationship with them and His insistence that they be free to worship Him. This warning about slaying the firstborn foreshadows the plagues that would eventually lead to Israel's deliverance.

Explore Similar Verses

Matthew 15:9

But their worship is totally empty when they're teaching human rules like they're God's commands.

Exodus 10:11

Not acceptable! Only you men may go and worship the LORD, since that's what you asked for. Then they were forced out of Pharaoh's presence.

Mark 7:7

But their worship doesn't mean anything to me when they're teaching human rules like they're my commandments.

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