Exodus 6 · Verse 12

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?
Exodus 6:12, King James Version

Exodus 6:12 in other translations

BSBBut 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?”
WEBMoses 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?”
ASVAnd 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?
YLTand Moses speaketh before Jehovah, saying, ‘Lo, the sons of Israel have not hearkened unto me, and how doth Pharaoh hear me, and I of uncircumcised lips?'
DARBYAnd Moses spoke before Jehovah, saying, Lo, the children of Israel do not hearken to me: how then should Pharaoh hearken to me, to me of uncircumcised lips?
BBEAnd Moses, answering the Lord, said, See, the children of Israel will not give ear to me; how then will Pharaoh give ear to me, whose lips are unclean?
WebsterAnd Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened to me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?

What does Exodus 6:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
12. how then shall ... who am of uncircumcised lips?--A metaphorical expression among the Hebrews, who, taught to look on the circumcision of any part as denoting perfection, signified its deficiency or unsuitableness by uncircumcision. The words here express how painfully Moses felt his want of utterance or persuasive oratory. He seems to have fallen into the same deep despondency as his brethren, and to be shrinking with nervous timidity from a difficult, if not desperate, cause. If he had succeeded so ill with the people, whose dearest interests were all involved, what better hope could he entertain of his making more impression on the heart of a king elated with pride and strong in the possession of absolute power? How strikingly was the indulgent forbearance of God displayed towards His people amid all their backwardness to hail His announcement of approaching deliverance! No perverse complaints or careless indifference on their part retarded the development of His gracious purposes. On the contrary, here, as generally, the course of His providence is slow in the infliction of judgments, while it moves more quickly, as it were, when misery is to be relieved or benefits conferred.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 12 Uncircumcised lips? - The word ערל aral, which we translate uncircumcised, seems to signify any thing exuberant or superfluous. Had not Moses been remarkable for his excellent beauty, I should have thought the passage might be rendered protuberant lips; but as this sense cannot be admitted for the above reason, the word must refer to some natural impediment in his speech; and probably means a want of distinct and ready utterance, either occasioned by some defect in the organs of speech, or impaired knowledge of the Egyptian language after an absence of forty years. See Clarke's note on Exo 4:10.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 6:10-13

The faith of Moses was so feeble that he could scarcely be kept to his work. Ready obedience is always according to the strength of our faith. Though our weaknesses ought to humble us, yet they ought not to discourage us from doing our best in any service we have to do for God. When Moses repeats his baffled arguments, he is argued with no longer, but God gives him and Aaron a charge, both to the children of Israel…

Read the full comment on Exodus 6:10-13 →

Exodus 6:12 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.

וַיְדַבֵּ֣רvay.da.Berand he spokeH1696
מֹשֶׁ֔הmo.ShehMosesH4872
לִפְנֵ֥יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068
לֵאמֹ֑רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
הֵ֤ןhenhere!H2005
בְּנֵֽי\־be.nei-[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
שָׁמְע֣וּsha.me.'Uthey have listenedH8085
אֵלַ֔י'e.Laito meH413
וְאֵיךְ֙ve.'eiKhand how?H349
יִשְׁמָעֵ֣נִיyish.ma.'E.niwill he listen to meH8085
פַרְעֹ֔הfar.'OhPharaohH6547
וַאֲנִ֖יva.'a.Niand IH589
עֲרַ֥ל'a.Ral[am] uncircumcised ofH6189
שְׂפָתָֽיִם\׃\ \פse.fa.Ta.yimlipsH8193

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

Cross references for Exodus 6:12

  • Exodus 4:10

    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 6:30

    And Moses said before the Lord, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

  • Jeremiah 1:6

    Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

  • Jeremiah 6:10

    To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

  • Exodus 6:9

    And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

  • Acts 7:51

    Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

  • Leviticus 26:41

    And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:

  • Exodus 3:13

    And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

  • Exodus 4:29-31

    And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 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.

  • Deuteronomy 30:6

    And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

  • Isaiah 6:5

    Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

  • Exodus 5:19-21

    And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task. And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
children.
9; 3:13; 4:29-31; 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?"
30; 4:10; Le 26:41; De 30:6; Isa 6:5; Jer 1:6; 6:10; 9:26; Ac 7:51

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

Context

  • Exodus 6:11

    Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

  • 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?

  • Exodus 6:13

    And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Read all of Exodus 6

Exodus 6:12 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y respondió Moisés delante de Jehová, diciendo: He aquí, los hijos de Israel no me escuchan: ¿cómo pues me escuchará Faraón, mayormente siendo yo incircunciso de labios?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Moïse parla devant l’ Éternel, en disant: Voici, les fils d’Israël ne m’ont point écouté; et comment le Pharaon m’écoutera-t-il, moi qui suis incirconcis de lèvres?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Mose redete vor Jehova und sprach: Siehe, die Kinder Israel haben nicht auf mich gehört, und wie sollte der Pharao mich hören, zumal ich unbeschnitten an Lippen bin?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Respondit Moyses coram Domino: Ecce filii Israël non audiunt me: et quomodo audiet Pharao, præsertim cum incircumcisus sim labiis?