God was going to use him to set them free translates “God through his (Moses’) hand is giving them freedom”; “through one’s hands” is merely a Semitic way of “through one’s power.”

The rendering of set … free in some languages is “caused to escape” or “caused them not to be slaves any longer.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .