The Meaning of Exodus 3:8 Explained

Exodus 3:8

KJV: And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

YLT: and I go down to deliver it out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to cause it to go up out of the land, unto a land good and broad, unto a land flowing with milk and honey -- unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Darby: And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good and spacious land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey, unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

ASV: and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I am come down  to deliver  them out of the hand  of the Egyptians,  and to bring  them up out of that land  unto a good  land  and a large,  unto a land  flowing  with milk  and honey;  unto the place  of the Canaanites,  and the Hittites,  and the Amorites,  and the Perizzites,  and the Hivites,  and the Jebusites. 

What does Exodus 3:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 3:1-12 - God's Message From The Bush
The learning of Egypt was not sufficient to equip Moses for his life-work. He is taken to the solitudes of the wilderness. That is God's college. All who have done the greatest work in the world have graduated there-Elijah at Horeb, Ezekiel at Chebar, Paul in Arabia, and John in Patmos. God's workers may take their arts course in the universities, but must take their Divinity course alone with Him. Often in the middle of daily duty we come on the outshining of his Presence. Let us be on the outlook for it, and take off our shoes.
This burning bush has generally been taken as the emblem of the Church amid the fires of tribulation; but there is a deeper meaning. The fire was the token of God's presence. The bush was unconsumed, because God's love is its own fuel. Notice the successive steps: "I have seen;" "heard;" "know;" "am come down;" "will send." The "cry" of the previous chapter is answered by the "coming down" of this. See Luke 18:7. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 3

1  Moses keeps Jethro's flock
2  God appears to him in a burning bush
9  He sends him to deliver Israel
13  The name of God
15  His message to Israel, and Pharaoh, whose opposition is foretold
20  He is assured of Israel's deliverance

What do the individual words in Exodus 3:8 mean?

so I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of Egypt and to bring them up from land that to a land good and large flowing with milk and honey the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite
וָאֵרֵ֞ד לְהַצִּיל֣וֹ ׀ מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרַ֗יִם וּֽלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ֮ מִן־ הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִוא֒ אֶל־ אֶ֤רֶץ טוֹבָה֙ וּרְחָבָ֔ה זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ מְק֤וֹם הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י וְהַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי

וָאֵרֵ֞ד  so  I  have  come  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
לְהַצִּיל֣וֹ ׀  to  deliver  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
מִיַּ֣ד  out  of  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
מִצְרַ֗יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרִי  
Sense: Egyptian—an inhabitant or citizen of Egypt.
וּֽלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ֮  and  to  bring  them  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
הָאָ֣רֶץ  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
הַהִוא֒  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
אֶ֤רֶץ  a  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
טוֹבָה֙  good 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
וּרְחָבָ֔ה  and  large 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רָחָב  
Sense: broad, wide.
זָבַ֥ת  flowing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular construct
Root: זוּב  
Sense: to flow, gush, issue, discharge.
חָלָ֖ב  with  milk 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָלָב  
Sense: milk, sour milk, cheese.
וּדְבָ֑שׁ  and  honey 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דְּבַשׁ  
Sense: honey.
מְק֤וֹם  the  place 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙  of  the  Canaanite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כִּנְעָן 
Sense: descendant of inhabitant of Canaan n.
וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י  and  the  Hittite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חִתִּי  
Sense: the nation descended from Heth, the 2nd son of Canaan; once inhabitants of central Anatolia (modern Turkey), later in north Lebanon.
וְהָֽאֱמֹרִי֙  and  the  Amorite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱמֹרִי  
Sense: one of the peoples of east Canaan and beyond the Jordan, dispossessed by the Israelite incursion from Egypt.
וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י  and  the  Perizzite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פְּרִזִּי  
Sense: a people who inhabited southern Canaan prior to the conquest.
וְהַחִוִּ֖י  and  the  Hivite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חִוִּי  
Sense: 6th generation of descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, who were living in northern Canaan near Mount Hermon at the time of the conquest.
וְהַיְבוּסִֽי  and  the  Jebusite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְבוּסִי  
Sense: descendants of the 3rd son of Canaan who lived in or around the site of Jebus, the early name for Jerusalem.