Exodus 3:11
New International Version
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

New Living Translation
But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

English Standard Version
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Berean Standard Bible
But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

King James Bible
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

New King James Version
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

New American Standard Bible
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

NASB 1995
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

NASB 1977
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

Legacy Standard Bible
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

Amplified Bible
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Christian Standard Bible
But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

American Standard Version
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Contemporary English Version
But Moses said, "Who am I to go to the king and lead your people out of Egypt?"

English Revised Version
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the people of Israel out of Egypt?"

Good News Translation
But Moses said to God, "I am nobody. How can I go to the king and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

International Standard Version
But Moses told God, "Who am I? How can I go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelis out of Egypt?"

Majority Standard Bible
But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

NET Bible
Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, or that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

New Heart English Bible
And Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

World English Bible
Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Moses says to God, “Who [am] I, that I go to Pharaoh, and that I bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt?”

Young's Literal Translation
And Moses saith unto God, 'Who am I, that I go unto Pharaoh, and that I bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And Moses will say to God, Who am I that I shall go to Pharaoh, and that I shall bring forth the sons of Israel, out of Egypt?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Moses said to God: Who am I that I should go to Pharao, and should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should lead the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

New American Bible
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

New Revised Standard Version
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Moshe said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring out the house of Israel from Egypt?”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Moses said unto God: 'Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharao king of Egypt, and that I should bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Moses at the Burning Bush
10Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12“I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.”…

Cross References
Judges 6:15
“Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”

Jeremiah 1:6
“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”

1 Samuel 9:21
Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?”

Isaiah 6:5
Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.”

1 Kings 3:7
And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.

2 Corinthians 2:16
To the one we are an odor that brings death, to the other a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task?

1 Corinthians 15:9
For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Acts 7:22-25
So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. / When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. / And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. ...

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God. / And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Isaiah 41:14
Do not fear, O Jacob, you worm, O few men of Israel. I will help you,” declares the LORD. “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Matthew 10:19-20
But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. / For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

John 15:5
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

Hebrews 11:24-27
By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. / He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. / He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward. ...

1 Timothy 1:12-16
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service. / I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy. / And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ...


Treasury of Scripture

And Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Exodus 4:10-13
And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue…

Exodus 6:12
And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?

1 Samuel 18:18
And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

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Children Egypt Forth Israel Israelites Moses Pharaoh
Exodus 3
1. Moses keeps Jethro's flock.
2. God appears to him in a burning bush.
9. He sends him to deliver Israel.
13. The name of God.
15. His message to Israel, and Pharaoh, whose opposition is foretold.
20. He is assured of Israel's deliverance.














But Moses asked God
This phrase introduces a pivotal moment of dialogue between Moses and God. The Hebrew root for "asked" is "אָמַר" (amar), which can also mean "said" or "spoke." This indicates a direct and personal communication with God, highlighting the intimate relationship Moses had with the Divine. Historically, this moment occurs at the burning bush, a significant theophany where God reveals Himself to Moses. It underscores the humility and humanity of Moses, who, despite his past as a prince of Egypt, approaches God with questions and concerns.

Who am I
Moses' question "Who am I" reflects a deep sense of inadequacy and humility. The Hebrew phrase "מִי אָנֹכִי" (mi anochi) suggests a self-reflective inquiry into his own identity and worthiness. This is a common theme in Scripture, where God often chooses the seemingly unqualified to fulfill His purposes, emphasizing that it is God's power, not human ability, that accomplishes His will. Moses' question resonates with believers who may feel unworthy of God's calling, reminding them that God equips those He calls.

that I should go to Pharaoh
The mention of "Pharaoh" places this narrative within a specific historical and political context. Pharaoh was the ruler of Egypt, considered a god by his people, and the most powerful man in the known world at that time. Moses' hesitation to confront Pharaoh highlights the enormity of the task and the danger involved. It also sets the stage for the demonstration of God's power over earthly authorities, a recurring theme in the Bible where God uses His chosen servants to challenge and overcome worldly powers.

and bring the Israelites out of Egypt
This phrase encapsulates the mission God is entrusting to Moses: the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. The Hebrew word for "bring" is "יָצָא" (yatsa), meaning to lead out or deliver. This mission is not just a physical relocation but a spiritual and covenantal act, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The "Israelites" are God's chosen people, and their deliverance from "Egypt," a symbol of bondage and sin, foreshadows the ultimate deliverance through Christ. This phrase inspires believers to trust in God's promises and His power to deliver them from their own "Egypts" of sin and oppression.

(11) Who am I, that I should go?--The men most fit for great missions are apt to deem themselves unfit. When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, his reply was, "O Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child" ( Jeremiah 1:6). St. Ambrose fought hard to escape being made Archbishop of Milan. Augustine was loth to undertake the mission to England. Anselm was with difficulty persuaded to accept the headship of our Church in the evil days of Rufus. The first impression of a fit man selected for a high post generally is, "Who am I?" In Moses's case, though there were some manifest grounds of fitness--e.g., his Egyptian training and learning, his familiarity with the court. his knowledge of both nations and both languages--yet, on the other hand, there were certain very marked (apparent) disqualifications. Forty years of exile, and of a shepherd's life had at once unfitted him for dealing with a court, and made him a stranger to his brethren. Want of eloquence seemed to be a fatal defect in one who must work mainly by persuasion. Even his age (eighty) might well have seemed to him unsuitable.

Verse 11. - And Moses said... Who am I, that I should go, etc. A great change had come over Moses. Forty years earlier he had been forward to offer himself as a "deliverer." He "went out" to his brethren and slew one of their oppressors, and "supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them" (Acts 7:25). "But they understood not" (ibid.) They declined to accept him for leader, they reproached him with setting himself up to be "a ruler and a judge" over them. And now, taught by this lesson, and sobered by forty years of inaction, he has become timid and distrustful of himself, and shrinks from putting himself forward. Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh? What weight can I, a foreigner, forty years an exile, with the manners of a rough shepherd, expect to have with the mighty monarch of all Egypt - the son of Rameses the Great, the inheritor of his power and his glories? And again, Who am I, that I should bring forth the children of Israel? What weight can I expect to have with my countrymen, who will have forgotten me - whom, moreover, I could not influence when I was,in my full vigour - who then "refused" my guidance and forced me to quit them? True diffidence speaks in the words used - there is no ring of insincerity in them; Moses was now as distrustful of himself as in former days he had been confident, and when he had become fit to be a deliverer, ceased to think himself fit.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But Moses
מֹשֶׁה֙ (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

asked
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

God,
הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים (hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

“Who
מִ֣י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

am I,
אָנֹ֔כִי (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

that
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I should go
אֵלֵ֖ךְ (’ê·lêḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Pharaoh
פַּרְעֹ֑ה (par·‘ōh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6547: Pharaoh -- a title of Egypt kings

and
וְכִ֥י (wə·ḵî)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

bring the Israelites
בְּנֵ֥י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

out
אוֹצִ֛יא (’ō·w·ṣî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

of Egypt?”
מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ (mim·miṣ·rā·yim)
Preposition-m | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa


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