Shemot 4:3

3 And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a nachash; and Moshe fled from before it.

Shemot 4:3 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 4:3

And he said, cast it on the ground
That is, the rod or staff: and he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent;
not in appearance only, but in reality, it was changed into a real living serpent; for God, who is the author of nature, can change the nature of things as he pleases; nor is it to be supposed that he would only make it look to the sight as if it was one, by working upon the fancy and imagination to think it was one, when it was not; no doubt but it was as really turned into a true serpent, as the water was turned really and truly into wine by our Lord; this was the first miracle that ever was wrought, that we know of. Dr. Lightfoot ^F8 observes, that as a serpent was the fittest emblem of the devil, ( Genesis 3:1 ) ( Revelation 12:9 ) so was it a sign that Moses did not these miracles by the power of the devil, but had a power over and beyond him, when he could thus deal with the serpent at his pleasure, as to make his rod a serpent, and the serpent a rod, as he saw good: and Moses fled from before it;
the Jews say ^F9 it was a fiery serpent, but for this they have no warrant: however, without supposing that it might be terrible and frightful, inasmuch as a common serpent is very disagreeable to men, and such an uncommon and extraordinary one must be very surprising, to see a staff become a serpent, a living one, crawling and leaping about, and perhaps turning itself towards Moses, whose staff it had been. Philo the Jew ^F11 says, it was a dragon, an exceeding large one.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 Works, vol. 1. p. 702.
F9 Pirke Eliezer, c. 40.
F11 De Vita Mosls, l. 1. 614.

Shemot 4:3 In-Context

1 And Moshe answered and said, But, what if they will not believe me, nor pay heed unto my voice but will say, Hashem hath not appeared unto thee.

2 And Hashem said unto him, What is that in thine yad? And he said, A matteh (a rod, staff).

3 And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a nachash; and Moshe fled from before it.

4 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Put forth thine yad, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his yad, and caught it, and it became a matteh in his yad;

5 That they may believe that Hashem Elohei Avotam, Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak, and Elohei Ya’akov, hath appeared unto thee.