Exodus 3 · Verse 18

Exodus 3:18

And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
Exodus 3:18, King James Version

Exodus 3:18 in other translations

BSBThe elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
WEBThey will listen to your voice. You shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD, our God.’
ASVAnd they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us: and now let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.
YLT‘And they have hearkened to thy voice, and thou hast entered, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye have said unto him, Jehovah, God of the Hebrews, hath met with us; and now, let us go, we pray thee, a journey of three days into the wilderness, and we sacrifice to Jehovah our God.
DARBYAnd they shall hearken to thy voice. And thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us; and now, let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.
BBEAnd they will give ear to your voice: and you, with the chiefs of Israel, will go to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and say to him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has come to us: let us then go three days' journey into the waste land to make an offering to the Lord our God.
WebsterAnd they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and ye shall say to him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go (we beseech thee) three days journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

What does Exodus 3:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 3:10-22

10-22. Come now therefore, and I will send thee--Considering the patriotic views that had formerly animated the breast of Moses, we might have anticipated that no mission could have been more welcome to his heart than to be employed in the national emancipation of Israel. But he evinced great reluctance to it and stated a variety of objections [Ex 3:11, 13; 4:1, 10] all of which were successfully met and…

Read the full comment on Exodus 3:10-22 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 They shall hearken to thy voice - This assurance was necessary to encourage him in an enterprise so dangerous and important. Three days' journey into the wilderness - Evidently intending Mount Sinai, which is reputed to be about three days' journey, the shortest way, from the land of Goshen. In ancient times, distances were computed by the time required to pass over them. Thus, instead of miles, furlongs, etc., it was said, the distance from one place to another was so many days', so many hours' journey; and it continues the same in all countries where there are no regular roads or highways.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 3:16-22

Moses' success with the elders of Israel would be good. God, who, by his grace, inclines the heart, and opens the ear, could say beforehand, They shall hearken to thy voice; for he would make them willing in this day of power. As to Pharaoh, Moses is here told that petitions and persuasions, and humble complaints, would not prevail with him; nor a mighty hand stretched out in signs and wonders. But those will…

Read the full comment on Exodus 3:16-22 →

Exodus 3:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְשָׁמְע֖וּve.sha.me.'Uand they will listenH8085
לְקֹלֶ֑ךָle.ko.Le.chato voice yourH6963
וּבָאתָ֡u.va.Taand you will goH935
אַתָּה֩'a.TahyouH859
וְזִקְנֵ֨יve.zik.Neiand [the] elders ofH2205
יִשְׂרָאֵ֜לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מֶ֣לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
מִצְרַ֗יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgyptH4714
וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֤םva.'a.mar.Temand you will sayH559
אֵלָיו֙'e.Lavto himH413
יְהוָ֞הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵ֤י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
הָֽעִבְרִיִּים֙ha.'iv.ri.Yimthe HebrewsH5680
נִקְרָ֣הnik.Rahhe has metH7136
עָלֵ֔ינוּ'a.Lei.nuwith usH5921
וְעַתָּ֗הve.'a.Tahand thereforeH6258
נֵֽלֲכָה\־ne.la.khah-let us goH1980
נָּ֞אna'pleaseH4994
דֶּ֣רֶךְDe.rekha journey ofH1870
שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁתshe.Lo.shetthreeH7969
יָמִים֙ya.MimdaysH3117
בַּמִּדְבָּ֔רba.mid.Barin the wildernessH4057
וְנִזְבְּחָ֖הve.niz.be.Chahand let us sacrificeH2076
לַֽיהוָ֥הla.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ\׃'e.lo.Hei.nuGod ourH430

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 3:18

  • Exodus 9:1

    Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

  • Exodus 7:16

    And thou shalt say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

  • Exodus 10:24-26

    And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither.

  • Exodus 9:13

    And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

  • Numbers 23:15-16

    And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the Lord yonder. And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.

  • Exodus 10:3

    And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

  • 2 Chronicles 30:12

    Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the Lord.

  • Psalms 110:3

    Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

  • Exodus 4:31-5:3

    And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

  • Numbers 17:4

    And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.

  • Joshua 1:17

    According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.

  • Exodus 3:12

    And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
and they.
16; 4:31; Jos 1:17; 2Ch 30:12; Ps 110:3; Jer 26:5
and thou.
5:1-3
The Lord.
7:16; 9:1,13; 10:3
met.
4:24; 5:3; 25:22; 29:42,43; 30:6,36; Ge 12:1; 15:1; 17:1; 48:3
Nu 17:4; 23:3,4,15,16; Isa 64:5
three days'.
8:27; 13:17,18
that we may.
12; 7:16; 8:25-28; 9:1; 10:24-26; 19:1; Jer 2:2,6

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 3:17

    And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

  • Exodus 3:18

    And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

  • Exodus 3:19

    And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

Read all of Exodus 3

Exodus 3:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y oirán tu voz; é irás tú, y los ancianos de Israel, al rey de Egipto, y le diréis: Jehová, el Dios de los Hebreos, nos ha encontrado; por tanto nosotros iremos ahora camino de tres días por el desierto, para que sacrifiquemos á Jehová nuestro Dios.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et ils écouteront ta voix, et tu entreras, toi et les anciens d’Israël, vers le roi d’Égypte, et vous lui direz: L’ Éternel, le Dieu des Hébreux, s’est rencontré avec nous; et maintenant, nous te prions, laisse-nous aller le chemin de trois jours dans le désert, afin que nous sacrifiions à l’ Éternel, notre Dieu.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und sie werden auf deine Stimme hören; und du sollst hineingehen, du und die Ältesten Israels, zu dem Könige von Ägypten, und ihr sollt zu ihm sagen: Jehova, der Gott der Hebräer, ist uns begegnet; und nun laß uns doch drei Tagereisen weit in die Wüste ziehen, daß wir Jehova, unserem Gott, opfern.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et audient vocem tuam: ingredierisque tu, et seniores Israël, ad regem Ægypti, et dices ad eum: Dominus Deus Hebræorum vocavit nos: ibimus viam trium dierum in solitudinem, ut immolemus Domino Deo nostro.