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Parsha[GN]
13: Sh'mot (continued)
“Names,” Exod. 1:1-6:1
b. The Three Signs (4:1-9)
(1) The Staff (4:1-5)
1 Moshe answered, “What if they refuse to believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘ADONAI has not appeared to you.’”
2 ADONAI asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he answered.
3 “Throw it on the ground,” said ADONAI.
So Moshe threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and he ran away from it.
4 ADONAI told Moshe, “Reach out and grab it by the tail.”
He reached out and caught it, and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
5 “This is so that they may believe that ADONAI the God of their fathers — the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak, and the God of Ya‘akov — has appeared to you.”
(2) The “Leprous” Hand (4:6-7)
6 ADONAI said furthermore to him, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.”
So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, hinneh,[GN] his hand was as white as snow with tzara'at.[GN]
7 “Put your hand inside your cloak again,” ADONAI said.
He put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, hinneh, it was restored like the rest of his skin.
(3) Water to Blood (4:8-9)
8 Then ADONAI said, “If they refuse to believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the second sign. 9 But if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, take some water from the river and pour it on the dry ground. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry ground.”
c. The Appointment of Aaron (4:10-17)
10 Moshe replied to ADONAI “O Adonai“my lord,” “sir”, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past, nor recently, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and of tongue.”[10]
11 ADONAI said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute or deaf, or sighted or blind? Isn’t it I, ADONAI ? 12 Now go! I will help you speak and teach you what to say.”
13 Moshe replied, “Oh, Adonai, please send someone else.”
14 Then ADONAI’s anger burned against Moshe, and He said, “Isn’t Aharon the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well, and he is now on his way to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will help both of you to speak, and I will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and it will be as if you were Elohim to him. 17 Now take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with.”
d. Moses Returns to Egypt (4:18-31)
(vi) 18 Moshe went and returned to his father-in-law Yitro, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brothers in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”
Yitro said to Moshe, “Go in peace.”
19 ADONAI had said to Moshe in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead.”
20 So Moshe took his wife and his sons, set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moshe took Elohim’s staff[20] in his hand. 21 ADONAI instructed Moshe, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart[21] and he will not let the people go. 22 Then tell Pharaoh, “This is what ‘ADONAI says, ‘Isra'el is My son, My firstborn, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so that he may worship me.” But you have refused to let him go, so I will kill your firstborn son.’”
[Between Midyan and Egypt, January 1463 BCE]
24 At a lodging place along the way, ADONAI confronted Moshe and was about to kill him. 25 But Tzipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched Moshe’s feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.
26 So He let him [Moshe] alone. (When she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.)
[February 1463 BCE]
27 ADONAI had said to Aharon, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moshe.” So he went and met him on the mountain of Elohim and kissed him. 28 Moshe told Aharon everything ADONAI had sent him to say, and about all the He had instructed him to perform. 29 Then Moshe and Aharon went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Isra'el, 30 and Aharon repeated everything that ADONAI had told Moshe and [Moshe] performed the signs before the people. 31 The people believed, and when they heard that ADONAI had paid attention the Isra'elites, and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
10. “Slow slow of speech and of tongue.” The Hebrew word translated “slow” is כָּבּד (kabed), which may also be translated as burdensome, difficult, grievous, heavy, numerous, stubborn, thick, or weighed down. Thus, many interpret this as meaning that Moshe stammered or had some other sort of speech impediment. [BACK]
20. Moshe’s simple shepherd’s staff had now become God’s staff. [BACK]
21. “I will harden his heart …” God only hardened Pharaoh’s heart because Pharaoh had first hardened His own heart. It is not God’s intent for any to be lost (2Pet 3:9), but He will use the lost for His purposes. [BACK]
Other commentaries on Exodus 4
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Pulpit Commentary
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
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ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
