1 Moses answered, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, 'Yahweh has not appeared to you.'" 2 Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod." 3 He said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it. 4 Yahweh said to Moses, "Put forth your hand, and take it by the tail." He put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand. 5 "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." 6 Yahweh 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. 7 He 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. 8 "It will happen, if they will neither believe you nor listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9 It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither 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." 10 Moses 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." 11 Yahweh said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn't it I, Yahweh? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak." 13 He said, "Oh, Lord, please send someone else." 14 The anger of Yahweh was kindled against Moses, and he said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he comes forth to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You 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. 16 He will be your spokesman to the people; and it will happen, that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God. 17 You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs." 18 Moses 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." 19 Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead." 20 Moses 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. 21 Yahweh 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. 22 You shall tell Pharaoh, 'Thus says Yahweh, Israel is my son, my firstborn, 23 and 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 son, your firstborn.'" 24 It happened on the way at a lodging place, that Yahweh met Moses and wanted to kill him. 25 Then 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." 26 So he let him alone. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision. 27 Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." He went, and met him on God's mountain, and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him. 29 Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 The 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.
Moses continuing to express his fear that the Israelites would not credit his Divine mission, Exodus 4:1; God, to strengthen his faith, and to assure him that his countrymen would believe him, changed his rod into a serpent, and the serpent into a rod, Exodus 4:2-5; made his hand leprous, and afterwards restored it, Exodus 4:6, Exodus 4:7; intimating that he had now endued him with power to work such miracles, and that the Israelites would believe, Exodus 4:8; and farther assures him that he should have power to turn the water into blood, Exodus 4:9. Moses excuses himself on the ground of his not being eloquent, Exodus 4:10, and God reproves him for his unbelief, and promises to give him supernatural assistance, Exodus 4:11, Exodus 4:12. Moses expressing his utter unwillingness to go on any account, God is angry, and then promises to give him his brother Aaron to be his spokesman, Exodus 4:13-16, and appoints his rod to be the instrument of working miracles, Exodus 4:17. Moses returns to his relative Jethro, and requests liberty to visit his brethren in Egypt, and is permitted, Exodus 4:18. God appears to him in Midian, and assures him that the Egyptians who sought his life were dead, Exodus 4:19. Moses, with his wife and children, set out on their journey to Egypt, Exodus 4:20. God instructs him what he shall say to Pharaoh, Exodus 4:21-23. He is in danger of losing his life, because he had not circumcised his son, Exodus 4:24. Zipporah immediately circumcising the child, Moses escapes unhurt, Exodus 4:25, Exodus 4:26. Aaron is commanded to go and meet his brother Moses; he goes and meets him at Horeb, Exodus 4:27. Moses informs him of the commission he had received from God, Exodus 4:28. They both go to their brethren, deliver their message, and work miracles, Exodus 4:29, Exodus 4:30. The people believe and adore God, Exodus 4:31.
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 4:1-9) God gives Moses power to work miracles.
(Exodus 4:10-17) Moses is loth to be sent, Aaron is to assist him.
(Exodus 4:18-23) Moses leaves Midian, God's message to Pharaoh.
(Exodus 4:24-31) God's displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.