And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but they did not know me by my personal name JEHOVAH.
God is explaining that while He revealed Himself to the patriarchs as the all-powerful God, He's now revealing His personal, covenant name JEHOVAH to Moses and the Israelites.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Exodus, God is speaking to Moses while the Israelites are enslaved in Egypt, as He commissions Moses to lead them out of bondage. God reminds Moses that He had appeared to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob primarily as "God Almighty" (El Shaddai), which highlighted His power and provision for their needs. However, this earlier revelation did not include the fuller understanding of His personal name "Jehovah" (or Yahweh), which emphasizes His eternal covenant-keeping nature and is now being disclosed to Moses.
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