Bible Strands
Exodus 3:11
But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses speaks to God immediately after receiving the command to confront Pharaoh and deliver the Israelites from Egypt. This response occurs at the precise moment of divine commissioning before the mission begins.
The words — The Hebrew phrase מִי אָנֹכִי (mi 'anokhi) literally translates to "who [am] I" and functions as a direct question of identity. It immediately follows the command to go, highlighting the speaker's focus on personal capacity rather than the task itself.
The thread — This pattern of questioning personal adequacy before a divine mandate appears in Moses' later objection in Exodus 6:12 and David's response to Saul in 1 Samuel 18:18. The New Testament applies the same structural principle in 2 Corinthians 3:5, which locates competence outside human self-assessment.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to identify where they measure their own qualifications before obeying a direct command. It demands a factual shift from self-evaluation to recognition of the caller's authority and presence.
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 Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 18:18 And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?”
- Exodus 6:12 But 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?”
- 2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
- Jeremiah 1:6 “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”
- 2 Corinthians 2:16 To the one we are an odor that brings death, to the other a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task?
- Exodus 4:10 “Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”
- 2 Samuel 7:18 Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
- 1 Kings 3:9 Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
- Isaiah 6:5 Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.”
- 1 Kings 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.