What does Exodus 3:9 mean?

The sight of a bush which is covered in flames, but not burnt, attracts Moses' attention. From that flame, the angel of the Lord speaks to Moses, declaring His intent to free Israel from their slavery. Here, God begins to describe how Moses will lead the Hebrews out of oppression and into a prosperous Promised Land.

The use of, "And now, behold," uses Hebrew words designed to draw attention to whatever words follow. This is similar to saying, "Look at this," in English. God notes two concerns, using a poetically human perspective of "hearing" and "seeing." First, God is aware of "the cry" of the Israelites. This cry represents the pain of slavery endured by the Jewish people. Second, God Himself has "seen" the oppression of the Egyptians. The words "Egypt" or "Egyptians" are used six times in verses 7 through 12, each as a reference to the nation itself, which is strongly labelled as the enemy of God's people.

The idea of oppression is also repeated in this verse. The phrase translated as "oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them" emphasizes the severity of Egyptian treatment of the Jews. Both the noun and verb form of the Hebrew word are used. This word—lachats—can refer to subjugation, suffering, or mistreatment of any kind. The combined use of the noun with the verbal form strengthens the emphasis.