Exodus 3:7
And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
Study Note
Study Note
God's declaration — 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings' — is a foundational text for the theology of a God who sees, hears, and knows human suffering rather than remaining aloof from it. The triple verbs (seen, heard, know) progressively intensify the claim: God does not merely observe from a distance but attends with the full engagement of a relational being who responds to what he perceives. The context of Exodus 3 grounds the revelation of the divine name (verse 14) in an act of compassionate attention to human suffering, making 'I AM' not an abstract metaphysical claim but the identification of the God who intervenes in enslaved human experience. The verse became paradigmatic for liberation theology's reading of the Exodus as God's preferential solidarity with the oppressed.
Other Translations
And Jehovah said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
And Jehovah saith, `I have certainly seen the affliction of My people who <FI>are<Fi> in Egypt, and their cry I have heard, because of its exactors, for I have known its pains;
And God said, Truly, I have seen the grief of my people in Egypt, and their cry because of their cruel masters has come to my ears; for I have knowledge of their sorrows;
Cross References
I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is …
And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath …
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, …
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel …
And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt …
And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; …
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.