King James Version
Exodus 4
31 verses with commentary
Signs for Moses
And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee</strong> (וַיַּעַן מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר וְהֵן לֹא־יַאֲמִינוּ לִי וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ בְּקֹלִי כִּי יֹאמְרוּ לֹא־נִרְאָה אֵלֶיךָ יְהוָה)—Moses' first objection: credibility. <strong>They will not believe me</strong> (לֹא־יַאֲמִינוּ לִי)—Moses projec...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
IV.
(1) **Behold.**—Some render the word here used by “perhaps” (LXX., Aben-Ezra, Saadia, &c); but it does not appear to have anywhere this meaning. Moses meant to express a positive conviction that he would not be listened to. His faith was weak.
**They will say, The Lord hath not appeared.**—It is very probable that the people would have said this if Moses had not had any credentials to produce....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives--**Two only were spoken to--either they were the heads of a large corporation [Laborde], or, by tampering with these two, the king designed to terrify the rest into secret compliance with his wishes [Calvin].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
God gives Moses power to work miracles.(1-9)
Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.(10-17)
Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.(18-23)
God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.(24-31)
**Verses 1-9**
Moses objects, that the people would not take his word, unless he showed them some sign. God gi...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יְהוָה מַזֶּה בְיָדֶךָ וַיֹּאמֶר מַטֶּה)—God's question focuses Moses on what he already possesses. <strong>A rod</strong> (מַטֶּה, <em>matteh</em>)—the shepherd's staff, Moses' ordinary tool for 40 years. God specializes in using the ordinary—shepherd's staff, widow's mite, boy's lunch, f...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **A rod.**—Most commentators regard the “rod” of Moses as his shepherd’s crook, and this is certainly possible; but the etymology of the word employed seems rather to point to an ordinary staff, or walking-stick. Egyptians of rank usually carried long *batons; *and one suggestion is, that the rod of Moses was “that which he had been accustomed to carry as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” But ev...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. if it be a son, then ye shall kill him--**Opinions are divided, however, what was the method of destruction which the king did recommend. Some think that the "stools" were low seats on which these obstetric practitioners sat by the bedside of the Hebrew women; and that, as they might easily discover the sex, so, whenever a boy appeared, they were to strangle it, unknown to its parents; while...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
God gives Moses power to work miracles.(1-9)
Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.(10-17)
Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.(18-23)
God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.(24-31)
**Verses 1-9**
Moses objects, that the people would not take his word, unless he showed them some sign. God gi...
Read full commentary →And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר הַשְׁלִיכֵהוּ אַרְצָה וַיַּשְׁלִכֵהוּ אַרְצָה וַיְהִי לְנָחָשׁ וַיָּנָס מֹשֶׁה מִפָּנָיו)—<strong>Cast it on the ground</strong>—obedience precedes miracle. The rod becomes a <strong>serpent</strong> (נָחָשׁ, <em>nachash</em>), and <strong>Moses fled<...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **A serpent.**—The word here used (*nakhash*) is a generic one for a snake of any kind, and tells us nothing as to the species. A different word (*tannin*) is used in Exodus 7:10, while *nakhash *recurs in Exodus 7:15. *Tannin *is, like *nakhash, *a generic term.
**And Moses fled from before it**—It was natural for Moses to remember his alarm, and record it. Any-later writer would have passed ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. But the midwives feared God--**Their faith inspired them with such courage as to risk their lives, by disobeying the mandate of a cruel tyrant; but it was blended with weakness, which made them shrink from speaking the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
God gives Moses power to work miracles.(1-9)
Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.(10-17)
Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.(18-23)
God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.(24-31)
**Verses 1-9**
Moses objects, that the people would not take his word, unless he showed them some sign. God gi...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה שְׁלַח יָדְךָ וֶאֱחֹז בִּזְנָבוֹ וַיִּשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וַיַּחֲזֶק בּוֹ וַיְהִי לְמַטֶּה בְּכַפּוֹ)—<strong>Take it by the tail</strong> (בִּזְנָבוֹ, <em>biznavo</em>)—the dangerous end! Snake handlers grab b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Take it by the tail.**—Those who venture to handle poisonous snakes, like the modern Egyptians and the inhabitants of the coast of Barbary, generally take hold of them by the neck, in which case they are unable to bite. To test the faith and courage of Moses, the command is given him to lay hold of *this s*erpent “by the tail.”
**He put forth his hand.**—Faith triumphed over instinct. Moses ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
God gives Moses power to work miracles.(1-9)
Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.(10-17)
Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.(18-23)
God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.(24-31)
**Verses 1-9**
Moses objects, that the people would not take his word, unless he showed them some sign. God gi...
Read full commentary →That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee</strong> (לְמַעַן יַאֲמִינוּ כִּי־נִרְאָה אֵלֶיךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָם)—God explains the sign's purpose: <strong>that they may believe</strong> (לְמַעַן יַאֲמִינוּ). Signs serve faith, authenticating God's messenger. The fourfold divine identificat...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **That they may believe . . . —**These are God’s words to Moses, in continuation of those which form the first portion of the preceding verse. The clause describing the action of Moses in Exodus 4:4 is parenthetic. The words give Diviue sanction to the view, so strangely combatted of late, that the power of working miracles is given to men, primarily and mainly, for its evidential value to acc...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
God gives Moses power to work miracles.(1-9)
Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.(10-17)
Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.(18-23)
God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.(24-31)
**Verses 1-9**
Moses objects, that the people would not take his word, unless he showed them some sign. God gi...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה לוֹ עוֹד הָבֵא־נָא יָדְךָ בְּחֵיקֶךָ וַיָּבֵא יָדוֹ בְּחֵיקוֹ וַיּוֹצִאָהּ וְהִנֵּה־יָדוֹ מְצֹרַעַת כַּשָּׁלֶג)—The second sign: instantaneous <strong>leprosy</strong> (צָרַעַת, <em>tsara'at</...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **His hand was leprous as snow.**—The worst form of leprosy was called by the Greeks λεύκη*, *“the white disease.” When it is fully developed, the whole skin appears glossy white, and every hair is “white like wool” (Celsus, *De Re Medica, *v. 28, § 12). This form is said to be absolutely incurable. It was probably from the fact of Moses exhibiting a leprous hand that the Egyptians called the ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20-21. God dealt well with the midwives--**This represents God as rewarding them for telling a lie. This difficulty is wholly removed by a more correct translation. To "make" or "build up a house" in Hebrew idiom, means to have a numerous progeny. The passage then should be rendered thus: "God protected the midwives, and the people waxed very mighty; and because the midwives feared, the Hebrews ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
God gives Moses power to work miracles.(1-9)
Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.(10-17)
Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.(18-23)
God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.(24-31)
**Verses 1-9**
Moses objects, that the people would not take his word, unless he showed them some sign. God gi...
Read full commentary →And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר הָשֵׁב יָדְךָ אֶל־חֵיקֶךָ וַיָּשֶׁב יָדוֹ אֶל־חֵיקוֹ וַיּוֹצִאָהּ מֵחֵיקוֹ וְהִנֵּה־שָׁבָה כִּבְשָׂרוֹ)—The healing: <strong>Put thine hand into thy bosom again</strong>, and it <strong>was turne...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20-21. God dealt well with the midwives--**This represents God as rewarding them for telling a lie. This difficulty is wholly removed by a more correct translation. To "make" or "build up a house" in Hebrew idiom, means to have a numerous progeny. The passage then should be rendered thus: "God protected the midwives, and the people waxed very mighty; and because the midwives feared, the Hebrews ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
God gives Moses power to work miracles.(1-9)
Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.(10-17)
Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.(18-23)
God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.(24-31)
**Verses 1-9**
Moses objects, that the people would not take his word, unless he showed them some sign. God gi...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign</strong> (וְהָיָה אִם־לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לָךְ וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ לְקֹל הָאֹת הָרִאשׁוֹן וְהֶאֱמִינוּ לְקֹל הָאֹת הָאַחֲרוֹן)—God's patient provision: <strong>if they will not believe... the first sign... the latter sign</strong>. God knows ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **The voice of the first sign.**—Not “the voice of Moses witnessed to by the first sign” (Rosenmüller), but the voice, which the sign itself might be regarded as uttering. (Comp. Psalm 105:27, where Moses and Aaron are said to have proclaimed “the *words *of God’s signs.”) A miracle speaks to men.
**They will believe, ***i.e., *most of them. Accustomed to the tricks of the serpent charmers (se...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
God gives Moses power to work miracles.(1-9)
Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.(10-17)
Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.(18-23)
God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.(24-31)
**Verses 1-9**
Moses objects, that the people would not take his word, unless he showed them some sign. God gi...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. shall become: Heb. shall be and shall be
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land</strong> (וְהָיָה אִם־לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ גַּם לִשְׁנֵי הָאֹתוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּן לְקֹלֶךָ וְלָקַחְתָּ מִמֵּימֵי הַי...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Shall become blood.**—The verb is repeated in the Hebrew, which intensifies the assertion. The English equivalent of the phrase used would be, “shall assuredly become.” The signs were, no doubt, selected primarily for facility of exhibition; but they may also have been intended to be significant. The change of a rod into a serpent showed that a feeble implement might become a power to chasti...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
God gives Moses power to work miracles.(1-9)
Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.(10-17)
Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.(18-23)
God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.(24-31)
**Verses 1-9**
Moses objects, that the people would not take his word, unless he showed them some sign. God gi...
Read full commentary →And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore , nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. eloquent: Heb. a man of words heretofore: Heb. since yesterday, nor since the third day
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהוָה בִּי אֲדֹנָי לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים אָנֹכִי גַּם מִתְּמוֹל גַּם מִשִּׁלְשֹׁם גַּם מֵאָז דַּבֶּרְךָ אֶל־עַבְדֶּךָ כִּי כְבַד־פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן אָנֹכִי)—Moses' second objection: inadequ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **I am not eloquent.**—Heb., *No man of words am I. *Moses, still reluctant, raises a new objection. He is not gifted with facility of speech. Words do not. come readily to him; *perhaps, *when they come, he has a difficulty in uttering them. According to a Jewish tradition, he was unable to pronounce the labials, *b, f, m, p, v. *According to his own expressions at the end of the verse, he w...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 2 Ex 2:1-10. Birth and Preservation of Moses.
1. there went a man of the house of Levi, &c. Amram was the husband and Jochebed the wife (compare Ex 6:2; Nu 26:59). The marriage took place, and two children, Miriam and Aaron, were born some years before the infanticidal edict.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-17**
Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in t...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלָיו מִי שָׂם פֶּה לָאָדָם אוֹ מִי־יָשׂוּם אִלֵּם אוֹ חֵרֵשׁ אוֹ פִקֵּחַ אוֹ עִוֵּר הֲלֹא אָנֹכִי יְהוָה)—God's response addresses Moses' excuse at its root: <strong>Who made man's mouth?</strong> God creates human faculties ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Who maketh.**—Rather, hath made.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. the woman ... bare a son, &c.--**Some extraordinary appearance of remarkable comeliness led his parents to augur his future greatness. Beauty was regarded by the ancients as a mark of the divine favor.
**hid him three months--**The parents were a pious couple, and the measures they took were prompted not only by parental attachment, but by a strong faith in the blessing of God prosperin...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-17**
Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in t...
Read full commentary →Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say</strong> (וְעַתָּה לֵךְ וְאָנֹכִי אֶהְיֶה עִם־פִּיךָ וְהוֹרֵיתִיךָ אֲשֶׁר תְּדַבֵּר)—God's promise to Moses (and later all prophets/preachers): <strong>I will be with thy mouth</strong> (אֶהְיֶה עִם־פִּיךָ). Divine presence and enablement trump human eloquence. <strong>Teach thee what thou shalt say</strong>...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12*)* **I will be with thy mouth.**—To suggest words (see Matthew 10:19-20), and assist utterance. Comp. the reluctance of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6), and God’s dealings with him (Jeremiah 1:7-9).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. she took for him an ark of bulrushes--**papyrus, a thick, strong, and tough reed.
**slime--**the mud of the Nile, which, when hardened, is very tenacious.
**pitch--**mineral tar. Boats of this description are seen daily floating on the surface of the river, with no other caulking than Nile mud (compare Is 18:2), and they are perfectly watertight, unless the coating is forced off by stormy...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-17**
Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in t...
Read full commentary →And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. wilt: or, shouldest
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר בִּי אֲדֹנָי שְׁלַח־נָא בְּיַד־תִּשְׁלָח)—Moses' ultimate objection: <strong>send... by the hand of him whom thou wilt send</strong>—essentially, "send anyone but me!" This is no longer legitimate concern about ability but willful resistance. Moses has exhausted objections (credibility, v....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send**.—Rather, *pray send by whom thou wilt.* A curt, impatient, and scarcely reverent speech. Moses means that he will undertake the task if God insists; but that God would do far better to send another. Hence the “anger of the Lord” against him (Exodus 4:14), which led to Aaron’s association with him as joint leader of the people.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. his sister--**Miriam would probably be a girl of ten or twelve years of age at the time.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-17**
Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in t...
Read full commentary →And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart</strong> (וַיִּחַר־אַף יְהוָה בְּמֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר הֲלֹא אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ הַלֵּוִי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־דַבֵּר יְדַבֵּר הוּא וְגַם הִנֵּה־הוּא יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתֶךָ וְר...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **The Levite.**—Aben-Ezra and Rosenmüller think that this was the usual designation of the brother of Moses among the Israelites, who thus distinguished him from other Aarons. But as a distinguishing mark, the term would be superfluous here, since “thy brother” prevented the possibility of any other Aaron being thought of. Probably, the term is a title of honour, the priestly character alread...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river--**The occasion is thought to have been a religious solemnity which the royal family opened by bathing in the sacred stream. Peculiar sacredness was attached to those portions of the Nile which flowed near the temples. The water was there fenced off as a protection from the crocodiles; and doubtless the princess had an enclosure r...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-17**
Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in t...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do</strong> (וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֵלָיו וְשַׂמְתָּ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים בְּפִיו וְאָנֹכִי אֶהְיֶה עִם־פִּיךָ וְעִם־פִּיהוּ וְהוֹרֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשׂוּן)—The new arrangement: Moses receives God's word and speaks to Aaron; Aaron speaks to the people/P...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Thou shalt . . . put words in his mouth,** *i.e.,* Tell him what he is to say—furnish the matter of his speeches, which he will then clothe with appropriate language.
**With thy mouth.**—Suggesting the matter to thee.
**With his mouth.**—Suggesting the language to him.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-9. when she had opened it, she saw the child--**The narrative is picturesque. No tale of romance ever described a plot more skilfully laid or more full of interest in the development. The expedient of the ark, the slime and pitch, the choice of the time and place, the appeal to the sensibilities of the female breast, the stationing of the sister as a watch of the proceedings, her timely sugges...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-17**
Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in t...
Read full commentary →And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God</strong> (וְדִבֶּר־הוּא לְךָ אֶל־הָעָם וְהָיָה הוּא יִהְיֶה־לְּךָ לְפֶה וְאַתָּה תִּהְיֶה־לּוֹ לֵאלֹהִים)—The relationship defined: Aaron is Moses' <strong>mouth</strong> (פֶּה, <em>peh</em>), and Moses is to Aaron <strong>as God</strong> (לֵא...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **He shall be thy spokesman.**—Heb.,*He shall speak for thee.*
**He shall** **be, even** **he shall be.**—Rather, *it shall come to pass that he shall be,* &c.
**Instead of God.**—God did not speak to Aaron directly, but only through Moses. Aaron was to recognise in Moses God’s mouthpiece, and to consider what Moses told him as coming from God. Moses had still, therefore, the higher position.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-9. when she had opened it, she saw the child--**The narrative is picturesque. No tale of romance ever described a plot more skilfully laid or more full of interest in the development. The expedient of the ark, the slime and pitch, the choice of the time and place, the appeal to the sensibilities of the female breast, the stationing of the sister as a watch of the proceedings, her timely sugges...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-17**
Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in t...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs</strong> (וְאֶת־הַמַּטֶּה הַזֶּה תִּקַּח בְּיָדֶךָ אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה־בּוֹ אֶת־הָאֹתֹת)—<strong>This rod</strong> (הַמַּטֶּה הַזֶּה)—the shepherd's staff now becomes the <strong>rod of God</strong> (4:20), instrument of miracles. <strong>Wherewith thou shalt do signs</strong>—God empowers the ordinary tool. The rod wil...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **This rod,** *i.e., *“the rod that had been changed into a serpent,” as the LXX. paraphrase.
(18) **Signs.**—Rather, *“the* signs” (τὰ σημεῖα*,* LXX.); i.e., the signs which thou wilt have to perform, as already implied in Exodus 3:20.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-9. when she had opened it, she saw the child--**The narrative is picturesque. No tale of romance ever described a plot more skilfully laid or more full of interest in the development. The expedient of the ark, the slime and pitch, the choice of the time and place, the appeal to the sensibilities of the female breast, the stationing of the sister as a watch of the proceedings, her timely sugges...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-17**
Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in t...
Read full commentary →Moses Returns to Egypt
And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. Jethro: Heb. Jether
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace</strong> (וַיֵּלֶךְ מֹשֶׁה וַיָּשָׁב אֶל־יֶתֶר חֹתְנוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אֵלְכָה נָּא וְאָשׁוּבָה אֶל־אַחַי אֲשֶׁר־בְּמִצְרַיִם וְאֶרְאֶה הַעוֹדָם חַיִּים וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ לְ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**Moses . . . returned to Jethro.**—Heb., *to Jether.* When Moses married Zipporah, he was probably adopted into the tribe, of which Reuel, and after him Jethro, was the head. The tribal tie was close, and would make the asking of permission for even a temporary absence the proper, if not even the necessary, course Apart from this, Moses would have had to “return,” in order to restore the flock, w...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-9. when she had opened it, she saw the child--**The narrative is picturesque. No tale of romance ever described a plot more skilfully laid or more full of interest in the development. The expedient of the ark, the slime and pitch, the choice of the time and place, the appeal to the sensibilities of the female breast, the stationing of the sister as a watch of the proceedings, her timely sugges...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
After God had appeared in the bush, he often spake to Moses. Pharaoh had hardened his own heart against the groans and cries of the oppressed Israelites; and now God, in the way of righteous judgment, hardens his heart against the teaching of the miracles, and the terror of the plagues. But whether Pharaoh will hear, or whether he will forbear, Moses must tell him, Thus saith ...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְיָן לֵךְ שׁוּב מִצְרָיְמָה כִּי־מֵתוּ כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁים הַמְבַקְשִׁים אֶת־נַפְשֶׁךָ)—God gives Moses the all-clear: <strong>all the men are dead which sought thy life</strong> (כִּי־מֵתוּ כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁים). Pharaoh who issued the death wa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **In Midian.**—Moses appears to have delayed his departure after he obtained permission to go from Jethro. Hence the address “Go, return,” which is peremptory.
**All the men which sought thy life.**—Not only the Pharaoh (Exodus 2:23), but the kindred of the murdered man, and the officials empowered by the Pharaoh to arrest Moses. As forty years had elapsed since the homicide, this is readily ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter--**Though it must have been nearly as severe a trial for Jochebed to part with him the second time as the first, she was doubtless reconciled to it by her belief in his high destination as the future deliverer of Israel. His age when removed to the palace is not stated; but he was old enough to be well instructed in the principles of the true religion;...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
After God had appeared in the bush, he often spake to Moses. Pharaoh had hardened his own heart against the groans and cries of the oppressed Israelites; and now God, in the way of righteous judgment, hardens his heart against the teaching of the miracles, and the terror of the plagues. But whether Pharaoh will hear, or whether he will forbear, Moses must tell him, Thus saith ...
Read full commentary →And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand</strong> (וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת־אִשְׁתּוֹ וְאֶת־בָּנָיו וַיַּרְכִּבֵם עַל־הַחֲמֹר וַיָּשָׁב אֶל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת־מַטֵּה הָאֱלֹהִים בְּיָדוֹ)—Moses brings <strong>his wife and his sons</strong> (Zipporah, Gershom, and Eliezer—18:3...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **His sons.**—Only one had been mentioned previously, viz., Gershom (Exodus 2:22), unless we accept the Vulgate addition to that place. But another had been recently born to him.
**Set them upon an ass.**—Heb., *upon the ass, i.e.,* cither “upon *his* ass,” or, according to some, “upon asses.” The singular of a substantive with the article is sometimes used for the genus (Genesis 15:11).
**He...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ex 2:11-25. His Sympathy with the Hebrews.
**11. in those days, when Moses was grown--**not in age and stature only, but in power as well as in renown for accomplishments and military prowess (Ac 7:22). There is a gap here in the sacred history which, however, is supplied by the inspired commentary of Paul, who has fully detailed the reasons as well as extent of the change that took place in his ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
After God had appeared in the bush, he often spake to Moses. Pharaoh had hardened his own heart against the groans and cries of the oppressed Israelites; and now God, in the way of righteous judgment, hardens his heart against the teaching of the miracles, and the terror of the plagues. But whether Pharaoh will hear, or whether he will forbear, Moses must tell him, Thus saith ...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה בְּלֶכְתְּךָ לָשׁוּב מִצְרַיְמָה רְאֵה כָּל־הַמֹּפְתִים אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתִּי בְיָדֶךָ וַעֲשִׂיתָם לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה וַאֲנִי אֲחַזֵּק אֶת־לִבּוֹ ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **All those wonders.**—Not the “three signs” of Exodus 3:3-9, but the “portents” or “wonders “which were to be done before Pharaoh, and which had been alluded to in Exodus 3:20. These were, in the counsel of God, already “put into Moses’ hand,” though their exact nature was as yet unknown to Moses himself.
**I will harden his heart.**—The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart has been the subject of m...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand--**This act of Moses may seem and indeed by some has been condemned as rash and unjustifiable--in plain terms, a deed of assassination. But we must not judge of his action in such a country and age by the standard of law and the notions of right which prevail in our Christian land; and, besides, not only is it not spoken of as a crime in Scriptur...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
After God had appeared in the bush, he often spake to Moses. Pharaoh had hardened his own heart against the groans and cries of the oppressed Israelites; and now God, in the way of righteous judgment, hardens his heart against the teaching of the miracles, and the terror of the plagues. But whether Pharaoh will hear, or whether he will forbear, Moses must tell him, Thus saith ...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn</strong> (וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹה כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל)—God's message to Pharaoh establishes covenant relationship: <strong>Israel is my son, even my firstborn</strong> (בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, <em>beni vekhori Yisra'el</em>). <strong>Firstborn</strong> (בְּכוֹר, <em>bekhor<...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Israel is my son.**—Compare Hosea 11:1. This tender relation, now first revealed, is not a mere metaphor, meaning “as dear to me as a son,” but a reality. The Israel of God enjoys the sonship of adoption by being taken into the True Son, and made one with Him (Romans 8:14-17).
**My first – born.**—Admitted to sonship in the Messiah before the other nations of the earth.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-14. two men of the Hebrews strove together--**His benevolent mediation in this strife, though made in the kindest and mildest manner, was resented, and the taunt of the aggressor showing that Moses' conduct on the preceding day had become generally known, he determined to consult his safety by immediate flight (He 11:27). These two incidents prove that neither were the Israelites yet ready to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
After God had appeared in the bush, he often spake to Moses. Pharaoh had hardened his own heart against the groans and cries of the oppressed Israelites; and now God, in the way of righteous judgment, hardens his heart against the teaching of the miracles, and the terror of the plagues. But whether Pharaoh will hear, or whether he will forbear, Moses must tell him, Thus saith ...
Read full commentary →And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn</strong> (וָאֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ שַׁלַּח אֶת־בְּנִי וְיַעַבְדֵנִי וַתְּמָאֵן לְשַׁלְּחוֹ הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי הֹרֵג אֶת־בִּנְךָ בְּכֹרֶךָ)—God's demand and threat: <strong>Let my son go, that he may serve me</strong> (שַׁלַּח אֶת־בְּנִי וְיַעַבְדֵנִי)—Israel's purp...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **I will slay thy son, even thy first-born.**—The threat was not made until immediately before the tenth plague (Exodus 11:5). It is not recorded in the words which Moses is here directed to use; but the speech of Moses in Exodus 11 is no doubt much abbreviated.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-14. two men of the Hebrews strove together--**His benevolent mediation in this strife, though made in the kindest and mildest manner, was resented, and the taunt of the aggressor showing that Moses' conduct on the preceding day had become generally known, he determined to consult his safety by immediate flight (He 11:27). These two incidents prove that neither were the Israelites yet ready to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-23**
After God had appeared in the bush, he often spake to Moses. Pharaoh had hardened his own heart against the groans and cries of the oppressed Israelites; and now God, in the way of righteous judgment, hardens his heart against the teaching of the miracles, and the terror of the plagues. But whether Pharaoh will hear, or whether he will forbear, Moses must tell him, Thus saith ...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him</strong> (וַיְהִי בַדֶּרֶךְ בַּמָּלוֹן וַיִּפְגְּשֵׁהוּ יְהוָה וַיְבַקֵּשׁ הֲמִיתוֹ)—One of Scripture's most enigmatic verses: <strong>the LORD met him, and sought to kill him</strong> (וַיִּפְגְּשֵׁהוּ יְהוָה וַיְבַקֵּשׁ הֲמִיתוֹ). Who is "him"? Context suggests Moses, though some argue Gershom. The c...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **In the inn.**—There would not be any “inn,” as we understand the word, in the Sinaitic peninsula. Probably there would not even be a caravanserai. Nothing more is meant by *mâlon* than a recognised resting-place.
**The Lord met him.**—The LXX. have ἄγγελος κυρίου*,* “an angel of the Lord; “and so the Targum of Onkelos and the Arabic versions. But the existing Hebrew text is probably correct...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh--**His flight took place in the second year of Thothmes I.
**dwelt in the land of Midian--**situated on the eastern shore of the gulf of the Red Sea and occupied by the posterity of Midian the son of Cush. The territory extended northward to the top of the gulf and westward far across the desert of Sinai. And from their position near the sea, they early ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-31**
God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw o...
Read full commentary →Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. sharp: or, knife cast: Heb. made it touch
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me</strong> (וַתִּקַּח צִפֹּרָה צֹר וַתִּכְרֹת אֶת־עָרְלַת בְּנָהּ וַתַּגַּע לְרַגְלָיו וַתֹּאמֶר כִּי חֲתַן־דָּמִים אַתָּה לִי)—Zipporah acts decisively, using <strong>a sharp stone</strong> (צֹר, <em>tsor</em>, flint knife) to circumcise their son....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **A sharp stone.—**On the use of stone knives by the Egyptian *paraschistœ* see Herod. ii. 86. They were regarded as more pure than metal knives. From Joshua 5:2 it would seem that stone knives were in the early ages commonly employed for circumcision by the Israelites.
**At his feet.**—Moses’ feet, undoubtedly. The action was petulant and reproachful. Zipporah regarded the bloody rites of he...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16-22. the priest of Midian--**or, "prince of Midian." As the officers were usually conjoined, he was the ruler also of the people called Cushites or Ethiopians, and like many other chiefs of pastoral people in that early age, he still retained the faith and worship of the true God.
**seven daughters--**were shepherdesses to whom Moses was favorably introduced by an act of courtesy and courage...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-31**
God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw o...
Read full commentary →So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision</strong> (וַיִּרֶף מִמֶּנּוּ אָז אָמְרָה חֲתַן דָּמִים לַמּוּלֹת)—<strong>So he let him go</strong> (וַיִּרֶף מִמֶּנּוּ, "and He released him")—God withdraws the threat once circumcision occurs. Immediate obedience averts judgment. Zipporah repeats <strong>bloody husband</strong>, clarifying <strong>bec...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **So he let him go.**—God let Moses go, *i.e.,* allowed him to recover—accepted Zipporah’s act as sufficient, albeit tardy, reparation, and spared the life of her husband.
**Then she said.**—When Moses was sufficiently recovered, Zipporah explained to him why she had called him “a bloody husband;” it was “on account of the circumcisions,” *i.e.,* the two circumcisions—of Gershom in Midian, ma...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16-22. the priest of Midian--**or, "prince of Midian." As the officers were usually conjoined, he was the ruler also of the people called Cushites or Ethiopians, and like many other chiefs of pastoral people in that early age, he still retained the faith and worship of the true God.
**seven daughters--**were shepherdesses to whom Moses was favorably introduced by an act of courtesy and courage...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-31**
God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw o...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him</strong> (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־אַהֲרֹן לֵךְ לִקְרַאת מֹשֶׁה הַמִּדְבָּרָה וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּפְגְּשֵׁהוּ בְּהַר הָאֱלֹהִים וַיִּשַּׁק־לוֹ)—God orchestrates the brothers' reunion. <strong>Go into the wilderness to meet Moses</strong>—divine instruction coordinates their...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Go into the wilderness.-Either** the directions given to Aaron were more definite than this, or they were supplemented by Divine guidance. He went and *met* Moses on “the mount of God,” *i.e.,* in the Sinaitic region. Without Divine guidance, he would naturally have sought him in Midian.
**Kissed him.**—Comp. Genesis 33:4; Genesis 45:14-15. In the East, men closely related still kiss on mee...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16-22. the priest of Midian--**or, "prince of Midian." As the officers were usually conjoined, he was the ruler also of the people called Cushites or Ethiopians, and like many other chiefs of pastoral people in that early age, he still retained the faith and worship of the true God.
**seven daughters--**were shepherdesses to whom Moses was favorably introduced by an act of courtesy and courage...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-31**
God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw o...
Read full commentary →And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him</strong> (וַיַּגֵּד מֹשֶׁה לְאַהֲרֹן אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ וְאֵת כָּל־הָאֹתֹת אֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ)—Moses briefs Aaron on the burning bush encounter, God's commission, and the authenticating signs. <strong>All the words... all the signs</strong> (כָּל־דִּבְרֵי... כָּל...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **Who had sent him.**—Rather, “which he had laid upon him,” τοὺς λόγους κυρίου, οὓς ἀπέστειλεν, LXX.
**All the signs,** *i.e.,* the three miracles of Exodus 4:3-9.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16-22. the priest of Midian--**or, "prince of Midian." As the officers were usually conjoined, he was the ruler also of the people called Cushites or Ethiopians, and like many other chiefs of pastoral people in that early age, he still retained the faith and worship of the true God.
**seven daughters--**were shepherdesses to whom Moses was favorably introduced by an act of courtesy and courage...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-31**
God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw o...
Read full commentary →And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel</strong> (וַיֵּלֶךְ מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן וַיַּאַסְפוּ אֶת־כָּל־זִקְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל)—Moses and Aaron's first action: convene <strong>the elders</strong> (זִקְנֵי, <em>ziknei</em>), Israel's leadership structure. Working through existing authority shows wisdom—Moses doesn't bypass established leaders bu...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
THE RETURN TO EGYPT.
(29) **Moses and Aaron went.**—The two brothers returned together from the Sinaitic region to Egypt. No particulars of the journey are narrated, nor can we even tell what was the route which they followed. On their arrival, they at once set themselves to carry out the charge committed to them (Exodus 3:16). The Israelites in Egypt, though suffering under severe oppression, had...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16-22. the priest of Midian--**or, "prince of Midian." As the officers were usually conjoined, he was the ruler also of the people called Cushites or Ethiopians, and like many other chiefs of pastoral people in that early age, he still retained the faith and worship of the true God.
**seven daughters--**were shepherdesses to whom Moses was favorably introduced by an act of courtesy and courage...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-31**
God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw o...
Read full commentary →And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people</strong> (וַיְדַבֵּר אַהֲרֹן אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה וַיַּעַשׂ הָאֹתֹת לְעֵינֵי הָעָם)—Aaron fulfills his role as spokesman: <strong>spake all the words</strong> (וַיְדַבֵּר אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים). <strong>And did the signs in the sight of the people...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Aaron spake.**—According to the Divine command (Exodus 4:16).
**And did the signs.**—So, generally, afterwards (Exodus 7:10; Exodus 7:19; Exodus 8:6; Exodus 8:17, &c.), not, however, universally (see Exodus 9:10; Exodus 9:23; Exodus 10:13; Exodus 14:21; &c).
**The people believed.**—The narrative is very much compressed. The elders heard the words, and saw the signs first. Then they must ha...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16-22. the priest of Midian--**or, "prince of Midian." As the officers were usually conjoined, he was the ruler also of the people called Cushites or Ethiopians, and like many other chiefs of pastoral people in that early age, he still retained the faith and worship of the true God.
**seven daughters--**were shepherdesses to whom Moses was favorably introduced by an act of courtesy and courage...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-31**
God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw o...
Read full commentary →And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped</strong> (וַיַּאֲמֵן הָעָם וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כִּי־פָקַד יְהוָה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִי רָאָה אֶת־עָנְיָם וַיִּקְּדּוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ)—Israel's response: <strong>the people believed</strong> (וַיַּאֲמֵן הָעָ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16-22. the priest of Midian--**or, "prince of Midian." As the officers were usually conjoined, he was the ruler also of the people called Cushites or Ethiopians, and like many other chiefs of pastoral people in that early age, he still retained the faith and worship of the true God.
**seven daughters--**were shepherdesses to whom Moses was favorably introduced by an act of courtesy and courage...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-31**
God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw o...
Read full commentary →