It is important to identify clearly the four things that God did and the object for each, in logical sequence:

• a) God heard — their groaning

• b) God remembered — his covenant

• c) God saw — the people

• d) God knew — their condition.

Verse 23 implies that God heard their “cry,” but here God hears their groaning, suggesting an even deeper sensitivity. The word used for translating groaning should resemble the same verb used in verse 23.

Then God remembered his covenant, that is, his promise as part of the agreement he had made with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. The word for covenant normally involves both promise and mutual obligation between two parties, but here the focus is more on God’s promise. The preposition with is repeated in the Hebrew for each name, perhaps emphasizing that the one covenant was made and then renewed with each of the three patriarchs. It was not made with all three patriarchs at one time, as Good News Translation‘s “with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” may suggest. In receptor languages where translators will have difficulty showing this point, one may translate, for example, “with Abraham, again with Isaac, and again with Jacob.” (This “patriarchal formula” is discussed again at 6.3.) God remembered his covenant may also be expressed as “God remembered that he had promised [or, made a promise to].” Remembered here denotes recalling information, in this case his covenant, but it does not imply that this information was forgotten. Other ways to express remembered are “brought to mind,” “recalled,” and so on.

God saw the people of Israel should not be understood literally. The word for saw sometimes conveys the added meaning of looking with understanding or sympathy. One may say “he looked with compassion on Israel” (Translator’s Old Testament), or “he saw the slavery of the Israelites” (Good News Translation), or “he saw that the Israelites were suffering.”

God knew their condition is an expansion of the two Hebrew words that literally mean “and God knew,” but the text does not indicate what God knew. Some translations have tried to show this difficulty. For example, New American Bible makes use of ellipsis points and has “He saw the Israelites and knew….” New Jerusalem Bible has “and took note….”

The Septuagint has “and he was known to them,” which Good News Translation refers to in the footnote. But most translations attempt to make sense from the Hebrew as it stands (Hebrew Old Testament Text Project supports the Hebrew). The context supports the interpretation “He saw the suffering of the Israelites and was concerned for them.” “Was concerned for them” may be alternatively expressed as “wanted to help them.”

An alternative translation model for verses 23-25 is:

• A long time after that the king [or, high chief] of Egypt died. The people of Israel were still groaning as they worked like slaves. They cried out, “Please help us God.” God heard their cry. He heard their groanings and remembered the promise that he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He saw that the Israelites were suffering, and he wanted to help them.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .