Exodus 6:12
But in the Lord’s presence Moses replied, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I am unskilled in speech?”
Note Hebrew I have uncircumcised lips; also in verse 30
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?
Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel haven’t listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, when I have uncircumcised lips?”
And Moses spake before Jehovah, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?
Related passages
From the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, grouped by the word they explain.
- children
- Exodus 6:9; Exodus 3:13; Exodus 4:29–31; Exodus 5:19–21
- am
- The italics shew that this word has been supplied by our translators; hence it may be inferred by some that Moses was uncircumcised. The difficulty is in some measure cleared away, by using the word uncircumcised in the sense of unsuitable or incapacitated, see ver. 30, which agrees with ch. 4:10 where Moses complains of want of eloquence; but by substituting is for am in this place, the connection with the former part of the verse is preserved; "For if the chosen seed, the circumcised sons of Jacob, refuse to hear me," as though Moses had said, "how can I expect to make uncircumcised Pharaoh pay attention to me?"
- Exodus 6:30; Exodus 4:10; Leviticus 26:41; Deuteronomy 30:6; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 1:6; Jeremiah 6:10; Jeremiah 9:26; Acts 7:51