Êxodo 4:3-4 NVIPT

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 4:1-17

Divine supplements for human infirmity. "Now therefore go, and I will be with thee," etc. ( Exodus 4:12 .) It is not at all clear whether the four objections urged by Moses against receiving the Divine commission were presented at one interview with the manifested God, or whether the controversy recorded Ex 3:1-4:17, occupied weeks or months. The probabilities are in favour of some considerable time. See Exodus 4:10 , and specially in the Hebrews In dealing with this particular plea,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 4:3

It became a serpent . The word here used for "serpent," nakhash , is a generic word applicable to any species of snake. We cannot assume that the cobra is the serpent meant, though no doubt Moses, when he fled from before it , believed it to be a venomous serpent. Various reasons for God's choice of this particular sign have been given. Perhaps the best is, that a trick of the kind was known to the Egyptian conjurors, who would be tempted to exhibit it in order to discredit Moses,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 4:4

By the tail . A snake-charmer will usually take up his serpents by the neck, so that they may not be able to bite him. Moses was bidden to show his trust in God by taking up his serpent by the tail. His courage, as well as his faith, is shown in his ready obedience. It became a rod . A veritable rod once more, not a mere stiffened snake like the "rods" of the magicians ( Exodus 7:12 ) read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 4:3

A serpent - This miracle had a meaning which Moses could not mistake. The serpent was probably the basilisk or Uraeus, the Cobra. This was the symbol of royal and divine power on the diadem of every Pharaoh. The conversion of the rod was not merely a portent, it was a sign, at once a pledge and representation of victory over the king and gods of Egypt! read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Exodus 4:3-4

Exodus 4:3-4. It became a serpent Was really changed into a serpent. There was a significancy in this sign: it intimated what and how pernicious his rod would be to the Egyptians. It became a rod in his hand When stretched forth by the hand of Moses or Aaron, it became a token to Israel of guidance, encouragement, and protection; but to Egypt, like the bite of the most poisonous serpent, it betokened desolating judgments. 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 4:3

He [Jehovah] said , Occurs nine times in Exodus: Exodus 4:3 , Exodus 4:7 , Exodus 4:14 ; Exodus 15:26 ; Exodus 15:24 .; Exodus 33:14 , Exodus 33:19 , Exodus 33:20 ; Exodus 34:10 . Compare notes on Exodus 3:7 with Exodus 6:10 , read more

E.W. Bullinger

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

caught it = stiffened it. Same word as "hardened" Pharaoh's heart. 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 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