Exodus 4: Three signs, Aaron, and the road back to Egypt
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
Moses says the people will not believe him, so Yahweh gives him three signs: a rod that becomes a snake, a hand that turns leprous, and river water that becomes blood. Moses says he is slow of speech, and Yahweh tells him his brother Aaron will speak for him. On the way to Egypt Yahweh meets "him" and wants to kill him (the Hebrew does not say whether this is Moses or his son), and Zipporah circumcises their son; then Aaron speaks to the elders and does the signs, and the people believe.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. Moses, Yahweh, Jethro and Zipporah speak. God's own words are in 19 of the 31 verses. In verses 22 and 23 Yahweh tells Moses what to say to Pharaoh. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Moses answered, “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’”
In plain English: Moses answered, "But they will not believe me or listen to me. They will say, 'Yahweh has not appeared to you.'"
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2Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?" Moses said, "A rod."
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3He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran away from it.
Good to know: "Snake" is nachash, the word for the serpent in . When Aaron's rod becomes a serpent in , the Hebrew word is a different one.
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4Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand, and take it by the tail.” He stretched out his hand, and took hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand and take it by the tail." He stretched out his hand and took hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.
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5“This is so that they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh went on: "This is so that they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."
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6Yahweh said furthermore to him, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh also said to him, "Now put your hand inside your cloak." Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.
The Hebrew word: "Leprous" is metsora, a word for a serious skin disease. Bible readers differ on whether it is the same as the disease we call leprosy today.
How it is translated: For the verb this word comes from, this Bible says "leper" or "lepers" in about 3 of every 4 of its 18 verses, and "leprous" in about 1 in 4.
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7He said, “Put your hand inside your cloak again.” He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other flesh.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said, "Put your hand back inside your cloak." Moses put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it was healthy again, like the rest of his flesh.
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8“It will happen, if they will not believe you or listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh went on: "If they do not believe you or listen to the first sign, they will believe the second sign.
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9It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land.”God speaks
In plain English: And if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the river and pour it on the dry ground. The river water you take will become blood on the dry ground."
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10Moses said to Yahweh, “O Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”
In plain English: Moses said to Yahweh, "Please, Lord, I am not a skilled speaker (literally: a man of words), not before now, and not since you began to speak to your servant. I am slow of speech and slow of tongue (literally: heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue)."
The Hebrew word: "Lord" here is Adonai, which means master or lord. It is a different word from "Yahweh", God's name.
How it is translated: This Bible says "Lord" for Adonai in 426 of its 430 verses. It writes "Yahweh" for the name, so the two are easy to tell apart. Most English Bibles print "LORD" for Yahweh and "Lord" for Adonai.
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11Yahweh said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh?God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to him, "Who made the human mouth? Who makes a person unable to speak or hear, or able to see or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?
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12Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak.”God speaks
In plain English: Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say."
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13Moses said, “Oh, Lord, please send someone else.”
In plain English: Moses said, "Please, Lord, send someone else (literally: send by the hand of whoever you will send)."
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14Yahweh’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he is coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh's anger burned against Moses. He said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he speaks well. He is also coming out to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart.
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15You shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do.God speaks
In plain English: You will speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you both what to do.
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16He will be your spokesman to the people. It will happen that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God.God speaks
In plain English: He will speak for you to the people. He will be your mouth, and you will be like God to him.
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17You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”God speaks
In plain English: Take this rod in your hand. You will do the signs with it."
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18Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
In plain English: Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt, to see whether they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."
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19Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”God speaks
In plain English: In Midian Yahweh said to Moses, "Go back to Egypt, because all the men who wanted to kill you are dead."
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20Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God’s rod in his hand.
In plain English: Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. Moses also took God's rod in his hand.
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21Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put in your hand. But I will harden (or: make strong) his heart, and he will not let the people go.
The Hebrew word: "Harden" is chazaq, which means to make strong or firm.
How it is translated: This Bible says "strong" in about 1 in 5 of the 266 verses that use chazaq, "courage" in about 1 in 10, and "harden" in about 1 in 20. In Exodus it says "harden" in 12 of the 15 verses.
What changes: Read as "make strong", Yahweh strengthens Pharaoh's heart. The word does not say whether the heart was soft or already stubborn.
Good to know: Exodus says both that Yahweh hardens Pharaoh's heart (in this verse and in ) and that Pharaoh's heart is hardened or that Pharaoh hardens it himself (, ). It uses three different Hebrew words for it.
Church tradition: Churches differ on how Yahweh's hardening and Pharaoh's own choice fit together. The text states both.
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22You shall tell Pharaoh, ‘Yahweh says, Israel is my son, my firstborn,God speaks
In plain English: Then you will tell Pharaoh, 'Yahweh says: Israel is my son, my firstborn,
Good to know: Israel is called God's "firstborn" here. The death of Egypt's firstborn comes in .
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23and I have said to you, “Let my son go, that he may serve me;” and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”God speaks
In plain English: and I told you, "Let my son go, so that he may serve me." But you have refused to let him go. Now I will kill your firstborn son.'"
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24On the way at a lodging place, Yahweh met Moses and wanted to kill him.
In plain English: On the way, at a lodging place, Yahweh met him and wanted to kill him. (The Hebrew says only "him": Moses, or possibly his son.)
Good to know: The Hebrew says only "he met him and sought to kill him". This Bible adds the name "Moses" to say who. The text does not say whether Yahweh meant Moses or his son, or why. Verse 26 mentions circumcision, which God gave Abraham as part of his covenant ().
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25Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
In plain English: Then Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off her son's foreskin. She threw it (or: touched it) at his feet. She said, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me."
Good to know: The Hebrew says only "his feet", and "you are a bridegroom of blood to me". It does not say whose feet, or who the "bridegroom" is. Readers have suggested different answers, such as Moses or his son. The phrase "bridegroom of blood" is found only in these two verses.
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26So he let him alone. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
In plain English: So he let him alone. Then she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
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27Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” He went, and met him on God’s mountain, and kissed him.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." Aaron went, met him at God's mountain, and kissed him.
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28Moses told Aaron all Yahweh’s words with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him.
In plain English: Moses told Aaron all the words Yahweh had sent him to say, and all the signs Yahweh had commanded him to do.
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29Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
In plain English: Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the Israelites.
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30Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
In plain English: Aaron told them all the words Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and he did the signs in front of the people.
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31The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
In plain English: The people believed. When they heard that Yahweh had visited the Israelites and had seen their suffering, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
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