Bible Strands
Exodus 10:24
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Even your little ones may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Pharaoh summons Moses after three days of darkness and offers a partial concession for Israel to depart.
The words — The Hebrew לְכוּ (le.Khu) commands "go," while עִבְדוּ ('iv.Du) is a plural imperative meaning "serve" or "worship."
The thread — This negotiation follows Pharaoh’s earlier partial concession in Exodus 8:28 and repeats the command "Go, worship" from Exodus 10:8, while contrasting with the livestock seizure logic of Genesis 34:23.
Why it lands — The text presents a conditional compromise that separates worship from livestock, requiring the reader to evaluate whether partial religious freedom meets the full demand of the covenant.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Exodus 8:28 Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go and sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”
- Exodus 10:8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?”
- Genesis 34:23 Will not their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell among us.”
- Exodus 9:28 Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer.”