You Shall Have No Other Gods:
The Book of Exodus

Lesson 6 God Remembers His Covenant
the book of Exodus 6:1–30

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary)
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for the book of Exodus
cross references in the book of Exodus
next lesson: First Plague: The Nile Is Turned to Blood

This material coordinates with Lesson 6 on pages 29–33 in the study book You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”—the book of Exodus 20:1–6

welcome to our in-depth study of the book of Exodus
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to our free lesson video overviews, as well as to a glossary and cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus has been granted an imprimatur and can be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the book of Exodus 5:1–23
Lesson 5 Pharaoh Does Not Know the LORD emphasizes that the Egyptian ruler not only isn’t acquainted with the God of the Hebrews, he’s not interested in allowing the Israelites to worship the God of their patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is the same God, by the way, who was worshiped by Jacob’s son Joseph and who made it possible for the land of Egypt to survive a serious famine several hundred years before the time of Moses. In the fifth chapter in the book of Exodus, Moses and Aaron ask Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to go a three days’ journey into the wilderness so they can sacrifice to the LORD. Both sides appear to understand that Pharaoh really is being asked to free the Israelites from bondage and allow them permanently to leave Egypt. Pharaoh’s response to this request is to double down on the oppression of the Israelites, refusing to give them straw to make bricks and requiring that they continue to meet the same production quotas. When the Israelites fail, their foremen, who are Israelites, are beaten. The foremen complain to Pharaoh, who refuses to change course. This leads the Israelites to turn against Moses and Aaron, and Moses speaks to God and expresses his frustration, which demonstrates Moses’ own lack of complete trust in the LORD.

is it even possible for the LORD to forget?
Even though the book of Exodus 6:5 records that the LORD “remembers” the covenant he made with the Israelites’ ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—this seems to be a human interpretation of God’s behavior. Humans of course are incapable of understanding God’s divine plans. Paul writes about this in his Letter to the Romans 11:34: “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” In the Old Testament, the same idea shows up in the Book of Isaiah 40:13: “Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as his counselor has instructed him?” Although not always a strong focus, the idea of God as omniscient or all-knowing appears throughout the Old Testament and is more fully developed in the New. What the sixth chapter in the book of Exodus probably is suggesting in a round-about way is that it’s not God who’s forgotten but rather the Israelites. The fourth chapter in the book of Exodus alludes to this when it’s apparent that Moses hadn’t circumcised his son. How is God supposed to remember a covenant that the Hebrews themselves have forgotten?

a difference in perspective (01:09:24)
In the sixth chapter in the book of Exodus, the emphasis moves from the development of a relationship between God and Moses to an emphasis on the relationship that God is attempting to establish with the descendants of Jacob. One of the ways this shift in emphasis occurs is through the focus on the hereditary priesthood, which the LORD doesn’t immediately institute. Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps suggests a serious cliffhanger for people unfamiliar with the story in the book of Exodus—how is the LORD going to manage to free the Israelites from bondage in Egypt when Pharaoh is so opposed to the idea of letting them leave?

oops—Matthew misspeaks on the video
On the video that accompanies this lesson, Matthew mistakenly says Egyptians instead of Israelites. A participant points out two instances where this happens—around 23:53 and again around 50:14. We regret that we didn’t catch this at the time we were shooting. Matthew knows the difference. We apologize for the error.


The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 6, “God Remembers His Covenant,” on pages 29–33 in the study book.

a limited description of genealogy
The book of Exodus 6:14–25 lists an unusual genealogy, focusing on the first three sons born to Jacob. Altogether, the patriarch had 12 sons, and it’s into the line of the fourth son, Judah, that the Messiah will be born. The genealogy in the sixth chapter in the book of Exodus, however, fails to even mention Judah. The emphasis is on Levi and his descendants, and the genealogy ends with Phinehas. Consider why this genealogy doesn’t include any mention of Judah, who was born to the same mother (Leah) as his three older brothers, or what might explain why the descendants of Aaron are given prominence and the descendants of Moses aren’t even included. You can learn more in the commentary, “Why Does the Genealogy of Levi Matter?” on page 32 in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. Click on the genealogical chart (right) to enlarge it. The original chart is on page 31 in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

an early emphasis on the hereditary priesthood
Probably the best explanation for the genealogy in the book of Exodus 6:14–25 is that the emphasis in that passage points toward the priesthood of the line of Aaron in the tribe of Levi. This hereditary priesthood hasn’t yet been established in the book of Exodus, although in the book of Exodus 19:22–24 the LORD gives Moses some instructions that indicate that there was some type of priesthood existing prior to the time God established the Aaronic priesthood. Moses isn’t told God’s plan for the Aaronic priesthood until the twenty-eighth chapter in the book of Exodus. The tribe of Levi isn’t distinguished for the priesthood and related worship tasks until the thirty-second chapter in the book of Exodus.

what might be the reason for this?
There are multiple instances in the book of Exodus in which events appear to be recorded either out of sequence or slightly differently from the same or similar events recorded in the remaining three books of the Torah—the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This suggests that although the narratives in the books of the Torah—which include those narratives in the books of Genesis and Exodus—are based on oral tradition that was handed down for generations, the five books themselves weren’t collated until much later. Scholars are divided about when this may have happened. Most believe it occurred either during the Persian period beginning around 539 B.C. or during the Hellenistic (Greek) period immediately following in 333 to 164 B.C. A prominent theory about the book of Exodus is that it was edited by priests who had an agenda to shore up the importance of the priesthood.

patriarch—you could look it up in our archives
In the sixth chapter in the book of Exodus, God makes clear that he intends his relationship with the Israelites to be based on more than their lineage. Learn how the concept of “patriarch,” a word that means “family leader,” carried over into the early Christian Church in Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

Moses’ uncircumcised lips
The sixth chapter in the book of Exodus continues to focus on the importance of circumcision as the sign of participation in the Old Covenant. The book of Exodus 6:10–13 records: “ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.’ But Moses said to the LORD, ‘Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me, who am a man of uncircumcised lips?’  But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.”

Moses’ comment, which at first appears to be yet another excuse, is fascinating when considered in the broader context of the Old Covenant. It appears that Moses may be starting to understand more about what he’s been called to do. The issue no longer is about Moses not being a good public speaker. Now it’s about Moses not being able to speak in a pure and holy enough way to represent God. That suggests Moses is starting to know God and to recognize how very different from God he is—as well as the enormous difference between God and all of humanity.

repetition in Scripture can be important
In the book of Exodus 6:30, the last verse in this chapter, Moses reiterates his concern to the LORD: “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me?” A reference to uncircumcised lips appears in the Book of Isaiah 6:5, and is sometimes translated as “unclean” lips.

?  What might Moses intend when he mentions to God that his lips are uncircumcised?
?  What might the prophet Isaiah (also known as Proto- [First] Isaiah or Isaiah of Jerusalem) mean when he describes himself as a man of unclean lips?
?  What additional information is provided by the verse from the Book of Isaiah?
?  Consider whether both men mean the same thing.
?  How might having clean lips be a prerequisite for those called to prophesy or speak for the LORD?
?  What evidence supports Moses’ claim that he has uncircumcised lips?
?  Consider why Moses has been chosen to speak for the LORD.

a verse variation
“Sons of Israel,” on page 32 in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus cites the book of Genesis 32:28. This is the verse numbering of the Revised Standard Version translations reprinted in Turning to God’s Word Bible study books and on our online study pages. The same verse is the book of Genesis 32:29 in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). These differences are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations that appears at the back of the study book and also are reprinted in the sample lesson, which you can access here as well as at the top of every online study page for this Bible study. You can learn more in Lesson 19 Jacob Wrestles at Peniel and Lesson 21 The Birth of Benjamin & the Death of Rachel, both in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

oops—a correction in the study book
In future printings, the first paragraph in the “Sons of Israel” commentary on page 32 in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus will be corrected to read:

Sons of Israel
Sons of Israel are synonymous with “descendants of Jacob,” the patriarch who twice in the book of Genesis is recorded being renamed Israel—in the book of Genesis 32:28* and 35:10. “Israelites” can refer to all descendants of Jacob, or to inhabitants of the northern kingdom of Israel that began in 931 B.C. after the death of Solomon and ended when it was conquered by the Assyrians in 722–721 B.C. …

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the passage in this lesson from the book of Exodus 6:1–30.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out when a person or place is mentioned in the biblical text under more than one name or more than one spelling. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the biblical text for every lesson in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the book of Exodus 6:1–30 (NIV)

round black doveclose with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following short prayer based on this lesson’s text from the book of Exodus.

O God, you are all-knowing and all-powerful.
Teach us to remain faithful
even in the face of discouraging events.
Help us to avoid equating your divinity
with what little we know about our own nature.
We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ,
who was both fully human and fully divine. Amen.

Lesson 7 First Plague: The Nile Is Turned to Blood, the book of Exodus 7:1–25
Lesson 5 Pharaoh Does Not Know the LORD, the book of Exodus 5:1–23

you also may like our study of Scripture & the Rosary (digital only)
Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels, a 26-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, looks at the biblical foundations of the Rosary. The study includes lessons on Pope St. John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary), the Apostles’ Creed, and the Luminous Mysteries as well as the original 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. Color photographs of stained glass windows depict key scenes in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Free digital lessons rotate throughout the year on our website.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and to offer support. You may use this email to contact us directly if you’re interested in starting a Turning to God study or in having your study schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.