Êxodo 4:2 NVT

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 4:2

A rod . Or "a staff." Some suppose the ordinary shepherd's staff, or crook, to be meant; but it is objected that this would have been an unfit object to have brought into the presence of Pharaoh (Kalisch), being unsuitable for a court, and emblematic of an occupation which the Egyptians loathed ( Genesis 46:34 ); and the suggestion is therefore made, that it was the baton or long stick commonly carried by Egyptians of good position and especially by persons in authority. But Moses in... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 4:2

A rod - The word seems to denote the long staff which on Egyptian monuments is borne by men in positions of authority. It was usually made of acacia wood. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Exodus 4:2

Exodus 4:2. He said, A rod Probably this was his shepherd’s staff, for he was feeding his father-in-law’s flocks when God appeared to him. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:1-17

God gives his power to Moses (4:1-17)In reply to Moses’ further complaints that the people of Israel would not believe God had sent him, God enabled Moses to perform three startling signs. The Israelites had no doubt seen magicians in Egypt and such signs would impress them. But they would see that what Moses demonstrated was more than mere magic (4:1-9).At times Moses himself showed a tendency towards the same disbelief as he suspected in his fellow Israelites. Whether his claim to be... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Exodus 4:2

the LORD said . See note on Exodus 3:7 , and compare note on Exodus 6:10 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Exodus 4:2-4

"And Jehovah said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 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. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail (and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand)."This is the very first in that tremendous series of miracles that would precede and precipitate the exodus of 2,000,000 slaves from the tyranny... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Exodus 4:2

Exodus 4:2. And the Lord said—What is that? &c.— This is a proof, among many others, that questions are frequently asked in the sacred Scripture, not merely for the purpose of information: the Lord could not be ignorant what Moses had in his hand. This remark may be useful for the rightly understanding of many texts of Scripture. The rod which Moses held, was, most probably, his shepherd's crook. See Micah 7:14. The word, rendered serpent, signifies all kinds of serpents. Lightfoot... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Exodus 4:2

2. the Lord said, . . . What is that in thine hand?—The question was put not to elicit information which God required, but to draw the particular attention of Moses. A rod—probably the shepherd's crook—among the Arabs, a long staff, with a curved head, varying from three to six feet in length. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Exodus 4:1-9

God gave Moses three miracles to convince the Israelites that the God of their fathers had appeared to him. They also served to bolster Moses’ faith. Moses had left Egypt and the Israelites with a clouded reputation under the sentence of death, and he had been away for a long time. He needed to prove to his brethren that they could trust and believe him. Not only were these miracles strong proofs of God’s power, but they appear to have had special significance for the Israelites as well (cf.... read more