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Exodus Chapter
Four
New King James Version
(NKJV)
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, Exodus 4:1, 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, Exodus 4:10 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, Exodus 4:18 at
which time he received some fresh instructions from the Lord what he should do
before Pharaoh, and what he should say unto him, Exodus 4:21 then
follows an account of what befell him by the way, because of the circumcision
of his son, Exodus 4:24 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, Exodus 4:27.
Exodus 4:1 Then Moses
answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice;
suppose they say, ‘The Lord
has not appeared to you.’”
YLT 1And Moses answereth and saith, `And, if they
do not give credence to me, nor hearken to my voice, and say, Jehovah hath not
appeared unto thee?'
And Moses
answered and said,.... In reference to what Jehovah had declared to him in the
latter end of the preceding chapter:
but, behold,
they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice; this seems to
contradict what God had said to him, Exodus 3:18 that
they would hearken to his voice; but it can hardly be thought, that so good a
man, and so great a prophet as Moses was, would directly fly in the face of
God, and expressly contradict what he had said. To reconcile this it may be
observed, that what the Lord says respects only the elders of Israel, this all
the people; or Jehovah's meaning may be, and so this of Moses, that neither the
one nor the other would regard his bare word, without some sign or miracle
being wrought; for as his call was extraordinary, so it required something
extraordinary to be done that it might be credited:
for they will
say, the Lord hath not appeared unto me: in the bush, as he would
affirm he did, and might do it with the greatest assurance; yet the thing being
so marvellous, and they not eyewitnesses of it, might distrust the truth of it,
or be backward to receive it on his bare word; and this Moses might rather fear
would be the case, from the experience he had had of them forty years ago, when
it was more likely for him to have been a deliverer of them.
Exodus 4:2 2 So
the Lord
said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
YLT 2And Jehovah saith unto him, `What [is] this
in thy hand?' and he saith, `A rod;'
And the Lord
said unto him,.... Not reproving him for contradicting him, or showing any
diffidence of what he had said; but rather as approving the hint he gave of
having some sign or miracle wrought, to command from the Israelites an assent
unto him, as commissioned of God to deliver them:
what is
that in thine hand? which question is put, not as being ignorant of what it was, but
to lead on to what he had further to say, and to the working of the miracle:
and he said, a
rod; or staff, such as shepherds use in the management of their
flocks, for Moses was now feeding the flock of his father-in-law; but Aben Ezra
seems rather to think it was a walking staff, such as ancient men lean upon,
since Moses did not go to Pharaoh after the manner of a shepherd; yea, it may
be added, he went with the authority of a prince or ruler of Israel, and even
with the authority of the ambassador of the King of kings.
Exodus 4:3 3 And
He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a
serpent; and Moses fled from it.
YLT 3and He saith, `Cast it to the earth;' and he
casteth it to the earth, and it becometh a serpent -- and Moses fleeth from its
presence.
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. LightfootF8Works, vol. 1. p. 702.
observes, that as a serpent was the fittest emblem of the devil, Genesis 3:1 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 sayF9Pirke Eliezer, c. 40. 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 JewF11De Vita Mosls, l. 1. 614. says, it was a dragon, an
exceeding large one.
Exodus 4:4 4 Then
the Lord
said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he
reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),
YLT 4And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Put forth thy
hand, and lay hold on the tail of it;' and he putteth forth his hand, and
layeth hold on it, and it becometh a rod in his hand –
And the Lord
said to Moses, put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail,.... Which to
do might seem most dangerous, since it might turn upon him and bite him; this
was ordered, partly that Moses might be assured it was really a serpent, and
not in appearance only; and partly to try his courage, and it suggested to him,
that he need not be afraid of it, it would not hurt him: the above learned doctor
observesF12De Vita Mosis, l. 1. 614. , that he is commanded to take
it by the tail; for to meddle with the serpent's head belonged not to Moses,
but to Christ that spake to him out of the bush:
and he put
forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand; as it was
before. Some think this refers to the threefold state of the Israelites, first
to their flourishing estate under Joseph, when they were as a rod or staff,
then to their dejected state, by this rod cast to the ground, and become a
serpent, and lastly to their restoration and liberty, by its becoming a rod
again: others refer it to Christ, who is the power of God, and the rod of his
strength, and who in his state of humiliation was like this rod, cast to the
ground and became a serpent, of which the brazen serpent was a type, and who by
his resurrection from the dead regained his former power; but perhaps they may
be most right who think it refers to the service and ministry of Moses, which
seemed terrible to him at first, like a hurtful serpent, from which he fled;
but after he was confirmed by the word of God, he readily undertook it.
Exodus 4:5 5 “that
they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
YLT 5`-- so that they believe that Jehovah, God of
their fathers, hath appeared unto thee, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God
of Jacob.'
That they may believe,.... The
elders and people of Israel; for this miracle was wrought not for the
confirmation of Moses's faith; for, as Aben Ezra observes, the sign of the
burning bush was given to him to confirm his faith, that it was God that
appeared to him, and called him to this work; but this was wrought to confirm
the faith of the Israelites in his divine mission:
that the Lord
God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob, hath appeared unto thee; See Gill on Exodus 3:6.
Exodus 4:6 6 Furthermore
the Lord
said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his
bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.
YLT 6And Jehovah saith to him again, `Put in, I
pray thee, thy hand into thy bosom;' and he putteth in his hand into his bosom,
and he bringeth it out, and lo, his hand [is] leprous as snow;
And the Lord
said furthermore unto him,.... Continued his discourse, and gave him
another sign:
put now thine
hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom; within his
coat, under that part of the garment next to his breast:
and when he
took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow; that is,
white as snow, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, through the leprosy that
was upon it; it was a leprosy of the white sort, and which is reckoned the
worst and most difficult to be cured, see Leviticus 13:3. It
is highly probable that this gave rise to the story told by several Heathen
writers, as ManethoF13Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 26. ,
LysimachusF14Apud. ib. c. 34. , TrogusF15Justin e Trogo,
l. 36. c. 2. , and TacitusF16Hist. l. 5. c. 3. , that Moses and the
Israelites were drove out of Egypt by the advice of an oracle, because they had
the leprosy, itch, and other impure diseases upon them.
Exodus 4:7 7 And
He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom
again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other
flesh.
YLT 7and He saith, `Put back thy hand unto thy
bosom;' and he putteth back his hand unto his bosom, and he bringeth it out
from his bosom, and lo, it hath turned back as his flesh –
And he said,
put thine hand into thy bosom again,.... With the leprosy on
it:
and he put his
hand into his bosom again, and plucked it out of his bosom; quickly after
he had put it in:
and, behold, it
was turned again as his other flesh; it was cured of the
leprosy, and recovered its colour, and was as sound as before, and as any other
part of his body. This was a very astonishing miracle, that he should be at
once smote with a leprosy; that this should be only in his hand, and not in any
other part of his body; and that it should be cured immediately, without the
use of any means; and by this miracle Moses, and the Israelites, might be
instructed and confirmed in the power of God, that he that could so suddenly
inflict such a disease, and so easily cure it, was able to deliver them out of
captivity, which was as death; and that however until Moses might be in himself
to be a deliverer of the people, signified by his weak and leprous hand, yet
being quickened and strengthened by the Lord, would be able to answer to the
character; though, after all, the deliverance must be imputed not to his hand
and power, but to the mighty hand and power of God.
Exodus 4:8 8 “Then
it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign,
that they may believe the message of the latter sign.
YLT 8`-- and it hath come to pass, if they do not
give credence to thee, and hearken not to the voice of the first sign, that
they have given credence to the voice of the latter sign.
And it shall
come to pass, if they will not believe thee,.... Will not give credit
to the commission he had from God, but question the truth of it:
neither hearken
to the voice of the first sign; which miracle wrought, spoke plain enough
that he that wrought it, or for whose sake it was wrought, must be one come
from God, or such a miracle would never be wrought by him or for him; but
should any of the Israelites be still incredulous, it is supposed:
that they will
believe the voice of the latter sign; which had a voice in it
commanding belief that he was a messenger of God; the first sign respects his
rod, the other his hand.
Exodus 4:9 9 And
it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your
voice, that you shall take water from the river[a] and pour it
on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become
blood on the dry land.”
YLT 9`And it hath come to pass, if they do not
give credence even to these two signs, nor hearken to thy voice, that thou hast
taken of the waters of the River, and hast poured on the dry land, and the
waters which thou takest from the River have been, yea, they have become --
blood on the dry land.'
And it shall
come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs,.... Performed
before their eyes; for these were done over again when Moses came into Egypt to
the Israelites, and yet some of them might still remain unbelievers to his
commission, and so to the voice of these signs, which loudly called for their
faith:
neither hearken
unto thy voice; affirming he came from God, and was sent to be the deliverer of
them:
that thou shalt
take of the water of the river; of the river Nile, when he should come into
Egypt; wherefore JosephusF17Antiqu. l. 2. c. 12. sect. 3. is
mistaken when he intimates that this was done at the same time with the other
signs; and was water he took near at hand and poured on the ground: but PhiloF18De
Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 614. truly refers this to Egypt, where it was done, as it
ought to be:
and pour it
upon the dry land, and the water which thou takest out of the river shall
become blood upon the dry land; by which it would appear how easily the
Lord could destroy the land of Egypt, and make it a barren land, whose
fertility was owing to the overflow of the river Nile as a means; and this
would be a specimen also of what he would do hereafter, in turning the waters
of the river into blood, thereby avenging the blood of innocent babes drowned
there by the Egyptians.
Exodus 4:10 10 Then
Moses said to the Lord,
“O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken
to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
YLT 10And Moses saith unto Jehovah, `O, my Lord, I
[am] not a man of words, either yesterday, or before, or since Thy speaking
unto Thy servant, for I [am] slow of mouth, and slow of tongue.'
And Moses said
unto the Lord,.... Notwithstanding the above miracles, he seems unwilling to go
on the Lord's errand to Pharaoh and to the Israelites, and therefore invents a
new objection after all his other objections had been sufficiently answered:
I am not
eloquent; or "a man of words"F19איש
דברים "vir verborum", Paguinus, Montanus,
Piscator, Ainsworth. , that has words at command, that can speak well readily,
and gracefully; such an one, he intimates, was proper to be sent to a king's
court, that was an orator, that could make fine speeches, and handsome
addresses, for which he was not qualified:
neither
heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken to thy servant; neither in
his younger years had he ever been an eloquent man, nor was there any
alteration in him in that respect, since God had given him this call:
but I am
slow of speech, and of a slow tongue; had some impediment in
his speech, could not freely and easily bring out his words, or rightly
pronounce them; so LucianF20In Philopatride. the Heathen calls Moses
slow tongued, or one slow of speech, and uses the same word the Septuagint does
here, which version perhaps he had seen, and from thence took it.
Exodus 4:11 11 So the Lord said to him,
“Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the
blind? Have not I, the Lord?
YLT 11And Jehovah saith unto him, `Who appointed a
mouth for man? or who appointeth the dumb, or deaf, or open, or blind? is it
not I, Jehovah?
And the Lord
said unto him, who hath made man's mouth?.... Made that itself,
and put in it the power and faculty of speech, even into the mouth of the first
man, Adam, as the Targum of Jonathan; and so of every other man, did not the
Lord do it? none else could, and therefore he that made it, and made it capable
of speaking, could remove any impediments in it, and cause it to speak freely
and fluently:
or who maketh
the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I, the Lord? as all the
senses, and the perfection of them, are from him, so all the imperfections in
them are according to his good pleasure; what he suffers to be, and can remedy
when he thinks fit: it is he that gives the seeing eye and hearing ear, can and
does make blind and deaf, that gives also the speaking mouth, and makes that
dumb, and can open it again as he pleases! and what is it that he cannot do?
Exodus 4:12 12 Now
therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
YLT 12and now, go, and I -- I am with thy mouth,
and have directed thee that which thou speakest;'
Now therefore
go, and I will be with thy mouth,.... And put words into
it, and cause it to speak readily and powerfully; and so it appears that he was
mighty in words, as well as in deeds, Acts 7:22,
and teach thee
what thou shalt say; to Pharaoh, to the Israelites, and to Aaron, that was to speak
for him, as is hereafter observed.
Exodus 4:13 13 But
he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may
send.”
YLT 13and he saith, `O, my Lord, send, I pray thee,
by the hand Thou dost send.'
And he said, O
my Lord,.... Acknowledging his dominion, his sovereignty, his power to do
the above things: or "on me, O Lord"F21בי
אדני "in me", Oleaster. , be the blame for
making such objections; or on me let this work be devolved, since it is thy
pleasure:
send, I pray
thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. Many of the
ancient Christian fathers understand it of the Messiah that was to be sent, and
as if Moses thought this was a fit time for the sending of him: and so Cocceius
is of opinion, that nothing better can be understood, than that Moses desired
that God would rather send him, whom Israel expected to be sent, even the Angel
that should go before them; of whose mission see Exodus 23:20, but
no particular person is intended, unless himself; and the common interpretation
is, that God would send a more fit and proper person than he was; and that he
would rather send anyone but him, and entreats to be excused; but I see not why
this may not be understood of Moses assenting to his mission, and acquiescing
in the will of God; as if he should say, since it must be so, the will of the
Lord be done, let him send by whom he will, and since it is his pleasure to
send by me, I submit; what may seem to contradict this is, the Lord's anger and
resentment expressed in the following words; but that might be notwithstanding,
since Moses had been so backward and reluctant, and made so many objections
before he consented.
Exodus 4:14 14 So
the anger of the Lord
was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother?
I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you.
When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
YLT 14And the anger of Jehovah burneth against
Moses, and He saith, `Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I have known that he
speaketh well, and also, lo, he is coming out to meet thee; when he hath seen
thee, then he hath rejoiced in his heart,
And the anger
of the Lord was kindled against Moses,.... For the objections,
excuses, and delays he made with respect to his mission. In what way this anger
was expressed is not easy to say, whether by not removing the impediment of his
speech, or not giving him the priesthood, which Jarchi thinks he otherwise
would have had, and Aaron been only a Levite, as he is called in the next
clause; or whether it was by joining Aaron to him, and so lessening his honour
in this embassy, though that seems to be done to encourage him; or by not
suffering him to lead the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, which yet
is ascribed to another cause. However, though the Lord was angry with Moses,
yet without any change of affection to him, he still retained and expressed a
great regard to him; did not reject him from his service as he might have done,
but employed him, and preferred him to his elder brother. Moses shows himself
to be a faithful historian in recording his own weaknesses, and the displeasure
of God at them:
and he said, is
not Aaron the Levite thy brother; he was, and his elder
brother, he was born three years before him, Exodus 7:7 though
JustinF23E Trogo, l. 36. c. 2. , an Heathen writer, says he was his
son, and calls his name Aruas, and speaks of him as an Egyptian priest, and
that he was made king after Moses's death; hence, he says, was the custom with
the Jews for the same persons to be kings and priests; in all which he is
mistaken. But ArtapanusF24Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27.
p. 433, 434. , another Heathen writer, calls him the brother of Moses, and by
his right name, Aaron; and says it was by his advice Moses fled into Arabia,
and speaks of his meeting him afterwards, when he was sent to the king of
Egypt. Aaron is called the Levite, because he was a descendant of Levi, and yet
so was Moses; perhaps this is added here, to distinguish him from others of the
same name in other families, as Aben Ezra thinks; for as for what Jarchi
suggests, as before, is without any foundation; and it is much more likely that
Moses added this title to him, in his account of this affair, because he was
the first of the tribe of Levi that was employed in the priestly office:
I know that he
can speak well; or "in speaking speak"F25דבר ידבר "loquendo
loquetur", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius. , speak very freely,
fluently, in an eloquent manner; in which he was an eminent type of Christ, who
is our advocate with the father, and has the tongue of the learned to speak a
word in season; and does speak and plead for the conversion of his people, for
the comfort of them, for the discoveries of pardoning grace and mercy to them;
and for the carrying on the work of grace in them, and their perseverance to
the end, and for their eternal glorification. The prayer in John 17:1 is a
specimen of this:
and also,
behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; having had an intimation
from God of Moses's call to come into Egypt, and deliver his people from their
bondage, he immediately set out to meet him, whereby he showed more faith,
zeal, and courage, than Moses did; and this is said to animate him, and was a
new sign, and would be a fresh confirmation of his faith, when he should see it
accomplished, as he did:
and when he
seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart: sincerely glad, and not
only secretly so, but would express his cordial joy with his lips; not only
because of his having a sight of his brother once more, whom he had not seen
for forty years past, but because of his coming on such an errand from God, to
deliver the people of Israel; and therefore, as he would express such gladness
on this occasion, it became Moses to engage in this work with the utmost
pleasure and cheerfulness.
Exodus 4:15 15 Now
you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your
mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.
YLT 15and thou hast spoken unto him, and hast set
the words in his mouth, and I -- I am with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and
have directed you that which ye do;
And thou shalt
speak unto him, and put words in his mouth,.... Or
"things"F26את הדברים. , the matter and substance of what he should say,
who being a man of words, an eloquent man, and a good spokesman, would put them
into proper language, and express them fluently:
and I will be
with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do; or speak what
Moses should say to Aaron, and what Aaron should say to Pharaoh, and to the
people of Israel; so that as Aaron was under Moses, and at his direction, they
were both dependent on the Lord, and under his direction; and the one, as well
as the other, needed his assistance, even Aaron that could speak well. Moses
furnished him with matter, he put it into words, and both were instructed and
influenced by the Lord what they should say and do.
Exodus 4:16 16 So
he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth
for you, and you shall be to him as God.
YLT 16and he, he hath spoken for thee unto the
people, and it hath come to pass, he -- he is to thee for a mouth, and thou --
thou art to him for God;
And he shall be
thy spokesman unto the people,.... And open to them Moses's commission
from God, and the end of his mission into Egypt, and to them, and declare what
signs had been, and would be done, in confirmation of it:
and he shall
be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth; or an
interpreter, as all the Targums explain it, and so Jarchi; as he was an orator
and master of language, he should speak to the people for Moses, and explain
his sense and meaning, and put it into plain, proper, easy language, to be
understood by the people; and this may be done where a different language is
not spoken, but the same in plainer words, in more pertinent expressions, and
better pronounced, and this is repeated for the certainty of it:
and thou shall
be to him instead of God; Aaron was to stand between Moses and the people, and speak for
him; and Moses was to stand between God and Aaron, and in God's stead, and tell
him what orders he had received from him, and which he should communicate; and
so some Jewish writersF1Targum Jon. Jerus. & Abendana in loc.
interpret it of his being to him instead of a master or teacher, one that
received doctrine from the Lord, and instructed him in it, and taught him the
mind and will of God: or, as Onkelos paraphrases it; "for a prince",
and so Jarchi, a civil magistrate, one that had the power of life and death;
the administration of civil affairs belonged to Moses, and Aaron, though the
elder brother, was subject to him; and in this sense Moses was a god to him;
and so in after times, the judges of Israel, they that sat in Moses's chair,
were called gods, Psalm 82:1.
Exodus 4:17 17 And
you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
YLT 17and this rod thou dost take in thy hand, with
which thou doest the signs.'
And thou shall
take this rod in thine hand,.... Which he then had in his hand, and was
no other than his shepherd's staff:
wherewith thou
shall do signs: wondrous things, meaning the ten plagues inflicted on Egypt.
Exodus 4:18 18 So
Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please
let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether
they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
YLT 18And Moses goeth and turneth back unto Jethro
his father-in-law, and saith to him, `Let me go, I pray thee, and I turn back
unto my brethren who [are] in Egypt, and I see whether they are yet alive.' And
Jethro saith to Moses, `Go in peace.'
And Moses went
and returned to Jethro his father in law,.... With his flock of
sheep he kept, Exodus 3:1, and
said unto him:
let me go, I
pray thee, and return to my brethren which are in Egypt; the
Israelites, who were so by nation and religion; as Jethro had been kind and
beneficent to him, he did not choose to leave him without his knowledge and consent,
and especially to take away his wife and children without it:
and see whether
they be yet alive; it seems by this that Moses had heard nothing of them during the
forty years he lived in Midian, which may be thought strange, since it was not
very far from Egypt; and besides the Midianites traded in Egypt, as we learn
from Genesis 37:28 but
this must be ascribed to the providence of God, that so ordered it, that there
should be no intercourse between him and his brethren, that so no step might be
taken by them for their deliverance until the set time was come. Moses did not
acquaint his father-in-law with the principal reason of his request, nor of his
chief end in going into Egypt, which it might not be proper to acquaint him
with, he being of another nation, though a good man; and lest he should use any
arguments to dissuade Moses from going, who now having got clear of his
diffidence and distrust, was determined upon it: though some ascribe this to
his modesty in not telling Jethro of the glorious and wonderful appearance of
God to him, and of the honour he had conferred on him to be the deliverer and
governor of the people of Israel:
and Jethro said
to Moses, go in peace; he judged his request reasonable, and gave his full consent to
it, and wished him health and prosperity in his journey.
Exodus 4:19 19 Now
the Lord
said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your
life are dead.”
YLT 19And Jehovah saith unto Moses in Midian, `Go,
turn back to Egypt, for all the men have died who seek thy life;'
And the Lord
said unto Moses in Midian,.... After he had obtained leave of his
father-in-law to quit Midian, but before he left it:
go, return into
Egypt: that is, directly, immediately; before he had only given him a
commission at large to go thither, but had not fixed the time when he should
go; but now he orders him to set forward at once:
for all the men
are dead which sought thy life; to take it away, the king of Egypt, and his
ministers, and the friends of the Egyptian Moses had slain; and this is said to
encourage him to go; and though Moses had never expressed his fear on this
account, or made it an objection, yet it might lie secretly in his heart, and
be one reason of his backwardness to go into Egypt, and which was now removed.
Exodus 4:20 20 Then
Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to
the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
YLT 20and Moses taketh his wife, and his sons, and causeth
them to ride on the ass, and turneth back to the land of Egypt, and Moses
taketh the rod of God in his hand.
And Moses took
his wife, and his sons,.... Gershom and Eliezer; by which it appears that he intended to
stay in Egypt, and that he believed that God would work deliverance by him:
and set them
upon an ass: which though with us a mean creature, yet in those times and
countries were rode upon by great personages; and these, as Aben Ezra says,
were reckoned in Egypt more honourable than mules. It may be the singular is
put for the plural, and that each of them was set upon an ass, with servants to
take care of them:
and he returned
to the land of Egypt; that is, he set forward to go thither; for before he got
thither, various things are related which befell him:
and Moses took
the rod of God in his hand: his shepherd's staff, so called, because
God ordered him to take it; and besides, he had wrought signs and wonders by it
already, and would do many more.
Exodus 4:21 21 And the Lord said to Moses,
“When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh
which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not
let the people go.
YLT 21And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `In thy going
to turn back to Egypt, see -- all the wonders which I have put in thy hand --
that thou hast done them before Pharaoh, and I -- I strengthen his heart, and
he doth not send the people away;
And the Lord
said unto Moses,.... At the same time he appeared to him in Midian, and ordered
him to go into Egypt, even before his departure thither:
when thou goest
to return into Egypt; and when got thither; for before the thing directed to in the
next clause could not be done:
see that thou
do all these wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in thine hand; not the three
signs or wonders, related in the preceding part of the chapter, for they were
to be done not before Pharaoh, but before the children of Israel; but these are
the wonders he was to do in the sight of Pharaoh, by inflicting the various
plagues on him and his people, for refusing to let Israel go, and which God had
put in the power of Moses to perform, and that by means of the rod in his hand
he ordered him to take with him, Exodus 4:17,
but I will
harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go; that is, not
directly, not for some time, not until all the wonders are wrought, and plagues
inflicted to bring him to it: he first hardening his own heart against God, and
all remonstrances made unto him, it was but a righteous thing in God to give
him up to the hardness of his heart, to deny him his grace, which only could
soften it, and to leave him to the corruptions of his nature, and the
temptations of Satan; and by leaving him to strong delusions, to believe the
lying miracles of his magicians: this the Lord thought fit to acquaint Moses
with, lest he should be discouraged by his refusal to dismiss Israel.
Exodus 4:22 22 Then
you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My
son, My firstborn.
YLT 22and thou hast said unto Pharaoh, Thus said
Jehovah, My son, My first-born [is] Israel,
And thou shall
say unto Pharaoh,.... When arrived in Egypt, and in his presence:
thus saith the
Lord; he was to declare to him that he came in his name, and by his
orders, and, as an ambassador of his, required the dismission of the children
of Israel out of Egypt:
Israel is
my son, even my firstborn; as dear to him as a
man's firstborn is, or as his only son: adoption is one of the privileges
peculiar to Israel after the flesh, even national adoption, with all the
external privileges appertaining to it, Romans 9:4.
Exodus 4:23 23 So
I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him
go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”
YLT 23and I say unto thee, Send away My son, and he
doth serve Me; and -- thou dost refuse to send him away -- lo, I am slaying thy
son, thy first-born.'
And I say unto
thee, let my son go, that he may serve me,.... Worship God
according to his will in the place he had designed for him, and where he might
be safe and free; and which service was due from him as a son, and to be
performed not in a servile way, but in a filial manner, and therefore as a
servant he could demand his dismission, and much more as his son; and this is
required in an authoritative way, for saying is here commanding, insisting on
it as a point of right to be done:
and if thou
refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn; meaning, not
only in a strict and literal sense Pharaoh's firstborn son, and heir to his crown,
but the firstborn of all his subjects, which in a civil sense were his. This
was not to be said to Pharaoh at the first opening of his commission to him,
but after all methods had been tried, and the several other plagues designed
were inflicted on him to no purpose, he was to be told this, which was the last
plague, and succeeded; but this is told to Moses before hand, that when other
messages he should be sent with to him, and all that should be done by him
would prove ineffectual, this, when sent with and performed, would have the
desired effect.
Exodus 4:24 24 And
it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and
sought to kill him.
YLT 24And it cometh to pass in the way, in a
lodging place, that Jehovah meeteth him, and seeketh to put him to death;
And it came to
pass by the way, in the inn,.... As Moses and his family were travelling
in their way to Egypt, at an inn where they stopped for the refreshment of
themselves and cattle, or in order to lodge all night: so it was, that the Lord
met him, and sought to kill him; not the uncircumcised son of Moses, as some
think, but Moses himself, who had neglected the circumcision of his son; that
from the context, and the fact of Zipporah, after related, seems to be the
reason of the divine displeasure, and not his bringing his family with him,
supposed to be an hinderance of him in his work, nor of his staying too long at
the inn, and not hastening his journey, which are the reasons given by some:
and Moses's neglect of circumcision was not owing to the disuse of it among the
Midianites, who being the descendants of Abraham, it is highly probable they
retained this rite, and that it was used in Jethro's family, since Zipporah
well understood the nature of it, and how to perform it; and it looks as if her
eldest son had been circumcised before, seeing only one was now circumcised by
her; but the Midianites perhaps followed the same practice as the Ishmaelites
did, who were their neighbours, and the descendants of Abraham also, who
deferred it till their children were thirteen years of age; or if this child
was a very young one, it might have been put off, because of the journey they
were just about to take, and purposing to do it when come into Egypt; but this
was resented by the Lord in Moses, who had such knowledge of the law of God;
and this displeasure of Jehovah might be signified either by inflicting some
disease upon him, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi think, which threatened him with
death, or by appearing in a terrible manner, as the angel of the Lord did to
Balaam, with a drawn sword in his hand.
Exodus 4:25 25 Then
Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it
at Moses’[b] feet, and
said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”
YLT 25and Zipporah taketh a flint, and cutteth off
the foreskin of her son, and causeth [it] to touch his feet, and saith, `Surely
a bridegroom of blood [art] thou to me;'
Then Zipporah
took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son,....
Perceiving that it was the neglect of circumcising her son was the cause of the
divine displeasure against her husband; and he being either so ill through the
disease upon him, or so terrified with the appearance of the Lord to him, in
the manner it was, that he could not perform this rite himself, she undertook
it; and, according to the Jewish canonsF2Maimon. Hilchot Milah, c.
2. sect. 1. Shulchan Aruch, par. 2. Yore Dea, Hilchot Milah, c. 264. sect. 1. ,
a woman may circumcise; and having with her no instrument more proper to do it
with, took a sharp stone, very probably a flint, of which there was great
plenty in Arabia Petraea, where she was, and did it; and so the Jewish writers
sayF3Maimon. ib. Shulchan ib. sect. 2. , they circumcise with a
flint stone, with glass, or anything that will cut; and such like actions have
been performed with sharp stones among the HeathensF4"Mollia
qui rupta secuit genitalia testa." Juvenal Satyr 6. "Devolvit ipse
acuto sibi pondera silice." Catullus. : and cast it at his feet; not at
the feet of the infant Eliezer, as R. Samuel in Aben Ezra; the blood of the
circumcision running down to his feet, as Lyra interprets it; and so touched
his feetF5ותגע לרגליו
"tetigitque pedes ejus", V. L. , as some render the words; not cast
at the feet of the destroying angel, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem,
in order to pacify him; but at the feet of Moses, as the Jerusalem TalmudF6T.
Hieros. Nedarim, fol. 38. 2. ; and so Jarchi and Aben Ezra:
and said, surely
a bloody husband art thou to me; those who think it was at the feet of the
child the foreskin was cast, take these words to be spoken of that, and observe
that it is usual for women, at the circumcision of a child, to call it a
bridegroom or husband, because it is then espoused unto, and reckoned among the
people of God; but this is not well supported; it is a custom of too late a
date to give any countenance to such a sense of the words, which seem plain
enough to be spoken to and of Moses; but not in an angry upbraiding way, as if
he was a bloody cruel man to oblige her to do such an action, but rather in a
congratulatory way, as being thankful and rejoicing, that by this means,
through the blood of the circumcision, she had saved her husband's life; and as
it were in that way had bought him, and afresh espoused him to herself as her
husband; or otherwise it would have been all over with him, but now to her
great joy he was delivered from the threatened destruction, and restored to
her; and so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase the next
verse,"then Zipporah gave praise, and said, how amiable is the blood of
circumcision, which hath delivered my husband from the hand of the destroying
angel.'
Exodus 4:26 26 So
He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of
the circumcision.
YLT 26and He desisteth from him: then she said, `A
bridegroom of blood,' in reference to the circumcision.
So he let him
go,.... That is, the Lord let Moses go; suffered him to go on his
journey without any further interruption; as the Targums, "it", the
angel, ceased from him, or left him; or the disease and trembling departed from
him, as Aben Ezra, and he was quite well and easy; though Grotius, after Lyra,
understands it of Zipporah, she departed from him, that is, from Moses, and
returned to Midian again, as it seems she did; but this the grammatical
construction of the words will not bear, being masculine, though sometimes the
masculine is used of women, as in Exodus 1:21,
then she said,
a bloody husband thou art because of the circumcision; this is repeated,
partly to give the reason of her calling him a bloody husband, because of the
circumcision, and partly because of her great joy on occasion of her husband's
restoration to her by this means.
Exodus 4:27 27 And
the Lord
said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him
on the mountain of God, and kissed him.
YLT 27And Jehovah saith unto Aaron, `Go to meet
Moses into the wilderness;' and he goeth, and meeteth him in the mount of God,
and kisseth him,
And the Lord
said unto Aaron,.... He appeared to him in a dream or vision, and to this
reference is had in 1 Samuel 2:27.
go into the
wilderness to meet Moses; in the wilderness of Arabia, through which Moses was to pass
into Egypt, and who was now set out on his journey thitherward:
and he went; immediately,
being obedient to the heavenly vision: and met him in the mount of God; in
Horeb, where the Lord had appeared to Moses, and therefore called the mount of
God, and where afterwards the law was given, and the covenant made with the
people of Israel; and so the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it,"in the
mount on which the glory of God was revealed:"
and kissed him: as relations
and intimate friends used to do at meeting or parting, to testify affection and
respect; and Aaron must on all accounts be glad to meet Moses, both as he was
his brother, whom he had not seen for many years, and as he was come to be a
deliverer of the people of Israel. And it is observed, that it was but two
days' journey from the land of Midian, where Jethro lived, from whence Moses
set out; and that a common traveller cannot conveniently make the journey from
Ramesses, or Grand Cairo (from whence it may be supposed Aaron set out), to
Mount Horeb, in less than a fortnight, though he be carried on the back of a
camelF7Clayton's Chronology of the Hebrew Bible, p 221. ; and yet
Aaron reached this place by the time that Moses did, which shows that either he
delayed setting out on his journey, or was detained long at the inn on the
road, on account of what happened there.
Exodus 4:28 28 So
Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all
the signs which He had commanded him.
YLT 28and Moses declareth to Aaron all the words of
Jehovah with which He hath sent him, and all the signs with which He hath
charged him.
And Moses told
Aaron all the words of the Lord, who had sent him,.... He
declared his mission and commission from God, and gave him the particulars of
what was to be said both to the people of Israel and to the king of Egypt; and
this he did, because Aaron was to be his spokesman unto them:
and all the
signs which he had commanded him; to do, first before the
children of Israel, and then before Pharaoh; before the one to obtain credit of
them, as being sent of God, and before the other to get leave of him for the
departure of Israel out of Egypt.
Exodus 4:29 29 Then
Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of
Israel.
YLT 29And Moses goeth -- Aaron also -- and they
gather all the elders of the sons of Israel,
And Moses and
Aaron went,.... Set forward for Egypt: and being come thither:
gathered
together all the elders of the children of Israel; the heads of
tribes and families, as many as they could conveniently get together in one
place; probably in the metropolis of the kingdom, where Pharaoh's palace was,
since we quickly hear of their going in to him.
Exodus 4:30 30 And
Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then
he did the signs in the sight of the people.
YLT 30and Aaron speaketh all the words which
Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses, and doth the signs before the eyes of the
people;
And Aaron spake
all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses,.... As Moses
had related to him, being his mouth and spokesman:
and did the
signs in the sight of the people; not Aaron, but Moses,
and these were the turning of his rod into a serpent, and the serpent into a
rod again; putting his hand into and out of his bosom, when it was leprous, and
then doing the same when it was well again; and taking water out of the river,
and changing it into blood, which he did for the confirmation of his mission.
Exodus 4:31 31 So the people believed;
and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children
of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their
heads and worshiped.
YLT 31and the people believe when they hear that
Jehovah hath looked after the sons of Israel, and that He hath seen their
affliction; and they bow and do obeisance.
And the people
believed,.... That Moses was sent of God, and would be the deliverer of
them:
and when they
heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel; in a way of
grace and mercy, by raising such a redeemer and deliverer in the midst of them:
and that he had
looked upon their affliction; with an eye of pity and compassion:
then they bowed
their heads, and worshipped; adoring the goodness of God, and expressing
their thankfulness for the notice he took of them, and signifying their
readiness to obey all instructions and directions that should be given them.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Exodus 4:9 That
is, the Nile
b.
Exodus 4:25
Literally his