Exodus 5 · Verse 2

Exodus 5:2

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.
Exodus 5:2, King James Version

Exodus 5:2 in other translations

BSBBut Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
WEBPharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don’t know the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”
ASVAnd Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto his voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go.
YLTand Pharaoh saith, ‘Who is Jehovah, that I hearken to His voice, to send Israel away? I have not known Jehovah, and Israel also I do not send away.'
DARBYAnd Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah, to whose voice I am to hearken to let Israel go? I do not know Jehovah, neither will I let Israel go.
BBEAnd Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, to whose voice I am to give ear and let Israel go? I have no knowledge of the Lord and I will not let Israel go.
WebsterAnd 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.

What does Exodus 5:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord--rather "Jehovah." Lord was a common name applied to objects of worship; but Jehovah was a name he had never heard of. Pharaoh estimated the character and power of this God by the abject and miserable condition of the worshippers and concluded that He held as low a rank among the gods as His people did in the nation. To demonstrate the supremacy of the true God over all the gods of Egypt, was the design of the plagues. I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go--As his honor and interest were both involved he determined to crush this attempt, and in a tone of insolence, or perhaps profanity, rejected the request for the release of the Hebrew slaves.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Who is the Lord - Who is Jehovah, that I should obey his voice? What claims has he on me? I am under no obligation to him. Pharaoh spoke here under the common persuasion that every place and people had a tutelary deity, and he supposed that this Jehovah might be the tutelary deity of the Israelites, to whom he, as an Egyptian, could be under no kind of obligation. It is not judicious to bring this question as a proof that Pharaoh was an atheist: of this the text affords no evidence.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 5:1-9

God will own his people, though poor and despised, and will find a time to plead their cause. Pharaoh treated all he had heard with contempt. He had no knowledge of Jehovah, no fear of him, no love to him, and therefore refused to obey him. Thus Pharaoh's pride, ambition, covetousness, and political knowledge, hardened him to his own destruction. What Moses and Aaron ask is very reasonable, only to go three days'…

Read the full comment on Exodus 5:1-9 →

Exodus 5:2 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.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
פַּרְעֹ֔הpar.'OhPharaohH6547
מִ֤יmiwho?H4310
יְהוָה֙Yah.weh[is] YahwehH3068
אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.SherthatH834
אֶשְׁמַ֣ע'esh.Ma'I will listenH8085
בְּקֹל֔וֹbe.ko.Loto voice hisH6963
לְשַׁלַּ֖חle.sha.Lachby letting goH7971
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
לֹ֤אlo'notH3808
יָדַ֙עְתִּי֙ya.Da'.tiI knowH3045
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וְגַ֥םve.Gamand alsoH1571
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
אֲשַׁלֵּֽחַ\׃'a.sha.Le.achI will let goH7971

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

Cross references for Exodus 5:2

  • Exodus 3:19

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

  • Job 21:15

    What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

  • 2 Kings 18:35

    Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?

  • 2 Thessalonians 1:8

    In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

  • Romans 1:28

    And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

  • John 16:3

    And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

  • 2 Chronicles 32:19

    And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.

  • Psalms 12:4

    Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

  • Jeremiah 44:16-17

    As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

  • Psalms 10:4

    The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

  • Psalms 14:1

    To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

  • 2 Chronicles 32:15

    Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Who.
3:19; 2Ki 18:35; 2Ch 32:15,19; Job 21:15; Ps 10:4; 12:4; 14:1
I know not.
1Sa 2:12; Joh 16:3; Ro 1:28; 2Th 1:8
neither.
3:19; Jer 44:16,17

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

Context

  • Exodus 5:1

    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.

  • Exodus 5:2

    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.

  • Exodus 5:3

    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.

Read all of Exodus 5

Exodus 5:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y Faraón respondió: ¿Quién es Jehová, para que yo oiga su voz y deje ir á Israel? Yo no conozco á Jehová, ni tampoco dejaré ir á Israel.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et le Pharaon dit: Qui est l’ Éternel pour que j’écoute sa voix et que je laisse aller Israël? Je ne connais pas l’ Éternel, et je ne laisserai pas non plus aller Israël.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Da sprach der Pharao: Wer ist Jehova, auf dessen Stimme ich hören soll, Israel ziehen zu lassen? Ich kenne Jehova nicht, und auch werde ich Israel nicht ziehen lassen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
At ille respondit: Quis est Dominus, ut audiam vocem ejus, et dimittam Israël? nescio Dominum, et Israël non dimittam.