Exodus 4:1-10

1 Moses answered, and said, The commons shall not believe to me, neither they shall hear my voice; but they shall say, The Lord appeared not to thee.

2 Therefore the Lord said to him, What is that that thou holdest in thine hand? Moses answered, A rod, that is, a shepherd's staff.

3 And the Lord said, Cast it forth into the earth (Throw it down onto the ground); and he cast it forth, and it was turned into a serpent, so that Moses fled.

4 And the Lord said, Hold forth thine hand, and take the tail thereof; he stretched forth his hand, and held it, and it was turned again into a rod. (And the Lord said, Stretch forth thy hand, and take its tail; and he stretched forth his hand, and took hold of it, and it turned back into a staff.)

5 And the Lord said, (So) That they (shall) believe, that the Lord God of thy fathers appeared to thee, (yea, the) God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob.

6 And the Lord said again to Moses, Put thine hand into thy bosom; and when he had put it into his bosom, he brought forth it leprous, at the likeness of snow. (And the Lord said to Moses, Put thy hand inside thy cloak; and after he had put it inside his cloak, when he took it out again, he brought it forth leprous, and as white as snow.)

7 The Lord said, Again draw thine hand into thy bosom; Moses again drew (in) his hand, and brought it forth again, and it was like to the tother flesh. (And the Lord said, Put thy hand inside thy cloak again; and Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, once more it was like his other flesh.)

8 The Lord said, If they shall not believe to thee, neither shall hear the word of the former sign, either miracle, they shall believe to the word of the sign following; (And the Lord said, If they do not believe thee, nor accept the proof of the first sign, or the first miracle, then they may believe the proof of the sign that followeth;)

9 that if they believe not to these two signs, neither hear thy voice, take thou water of the flood, and shedded out it on the dry land, and whatever thing thou shalt draw up of the flood, it shall be turned into blood. (but if they do not believe these two signs, nor will listen to thy voice, then take some water from the River, and pour it out onto the dry land; and whatever water thou shalt draw up out of the River, it shall be turned into blood, when it falleth onto the ground.)

10 Moses said, Lord, I beseech (thee), I am not eloquent, that is, a fair speaker, from yesterday and the third day ago; and since thou hast spoken to thy servant, I am of more hindered, and of slower tongue.

Exodus 4:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 4

This chapter is a continuation of the discourse that passed between God and Moses; and here Moses makes other objections to his mission; one is taken from the unbelief of the people of Israel, which is removed by giving him power to work miracles, by turning the rod in his hand into a serpent, and then into a rod again; and by putting his hand into his bosom at one time, when it became leprous, and again into the same place, when it became sound and whole, and by turning the water of the river into blood, Ex 4:1-9, another objection is formed from his want of eloquence, which is answered with an assurance, that God, that made man's mouth, would be with his mouth, and teach him what to say; and besides, Aaron his brother, who was an eloquent man, should be his spokesman, Ex 4:10-17 upon which he returned to Midian, and having obtained leave of his father-in-law to depart from thence, he took his wife and his sons, and returned to Egypt, Ex 4:18-20 at which time he received some fresh instructions from the Lord what he should do before Pharaoh, and what he should say unto him, Ex 4:21-23 then follows an account of what befell him by the way, because of the circumcision of his son, Ex 4:24-26 and the chapter is closed with an account of the meeting of Moses and Aaron, and of their gathering the elders of Israel together, to whom the commission of Moses was opened, and signs done before them, to which they gave credit, and expressed their joy and thankfulness, Ex 4:27-31.