Exodus 6:2–9 (ESV)

2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD.

The core of God’s message in Exodus 6:2–9 is written in Exodus 6:7a: I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God. This becomes clear from the chiastic structure of Exodus 6:2–9.

a. God spoke to Moses (Exodus 6:2)

b. I am the Lord – (Exodus 6:2–3)

c. I have promised the land of Canaan to the people of Israel (Exodus 6:4–5)

d. I will deliver you from Egypt’s burdens (Exodus 6:6)

e. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God (Exodus 6:7).

d' You shall know that I brought you out from the burdens of the Egyptians (Exodus 6:8)

c' I will give you the land of Canaan, as I have promised (Exodus 6:8)

b' I am the Lord (Exodus 6:8)

a' Moses speaks to the people of Israel (Exodus 6:9)

God begins and ends his speech with, I am the Lord. Moses complained that God is not true to his name (Exodus 5:23). God clarifies even more now who he is and what he will do. In Ezekiel 20:5–6 it even says that he swore (an oath) to the people of Israel. We do not read that in so many words in Exodus 6:1–30, but we do read of God’s outstretched arm in Exodus 6:6 and in Ezekiel 20:33, a sign of power in regard to the oath. And Exodus 6:6–8 records seven solemn promises of the Lord. In response to those, the one thing that the Israelites must do is to get to know the Lord your God (Exodus 6:7).