Exodus 4:23-31

23 I said to thee, Deliver thou my son, that he serve me, and thou wouldest not deliver him; lo! I shall slay thy first begotten son. (I said to thee, Let my son go, so that he can worship me, but thou wouldest not let him go; so now I shall kill thy first-born son.)

24 And when Moses was in the way, in an inn, the Lord came to him, and would slay him. (And when Moses was on the way, at an inn, the Lord came to him, intending to kill him.)

25 Zipporah took anon a most sharp stone, and circumcised the rod of her son; and she touched Moses? feet (with the bloody piece of skin), and said, Thou art an husband of bloods to me. (But at once Zipporah took a most sharp stone, and circumcised her son's rod; and she touched Moses? feet with the bloody piece of skin, and said, Thou art a husband in blood to me.)

26 And he let go him, after that she had said, Thou art an husband of bloods to me, for [the] circumcision. (And God let him go/And God let him live, after that she had said, Thou art a husband in blood to me, because of the rite of circumcision.)

27 Forsooth the Lord said to Aaron, Go thou into the coming of Moses into desert; which went against Moses into the hill of God, and kissed him. (And the Lord said to Aaron, Go thou into the wilderness to meet Moses; and so he went to meet Moses at God's mountain, and kissed him.)

28 And Moses told to Aaron all the words of the Lord, for which he had sent Moses (that he had sent Moses to say); and he told (him about) the miracles, which the Lord had commanded (him to perform).

29 And they came together, and gathered all the elder men of the sons of Israel. (And they came, and gathered together all the elders of the Israelites.)

30 And Aaron spake all the words, which the Lord had said to Moses, and he did the signs before the people (and then Moses did all the miracles before the people);

31 and the people believed; and they heard, that the Lord had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had beheld the torment of them; and they worshipped low(ly), or meekly, the Lord. (and the people believed; and when they had heard, that the Lord had visited the Israelites, and that he had seen their torment, they lowly, or meekly, worshipped the Lord.)

Exodus 4:23-31 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.