Exodus 4

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:5

That they may believe ,.... The elders and people of Israel; for this miracle was wrought not for the confirmation of Moses's faith; for, as Aben Ezra observes, the sign of the burning bush was given to him to confirm his faith, that it was God that appeared to him, and called him to this work; but this was wrought to confirm the faith of the Israelites in his divine mission: that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:6

And the Lord said furthermore unto him ,.... Continued his discourse, and gave him another sign: put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom ; within his coat, under that part of the garment next to his breast: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow ; that is, white as snow, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, through the leprosy that was upon it; it was a leprosy of the white sort, and which is reckoned the worst and most... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:7

And he said, put thine hand into thy bosom again ,.... With the leprosy on it: and he put his hand into his bosom again, and plucked it out of his bosom ; quickly after he had put it in: and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh ; it was cured of the leprosy, and recovered its colour, and was as sound as before, and as any other part of his body. This was a very astonishing miracle, that he should be at once smote with a leprosy; that this should be only in his hand, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:8

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee ,.... Will not give credit to the commission he had from God, but question the truth of it: neither hearken to the voice of the first sign ; which miracle wrought, spoke plain enough that he that wrought it, or for whose sake it was wrought, must be one come from God, or such a miracle would never be wrought by him or for him; but should any of the Israelites be still incredulous, it is supposed: that they will believe the voice... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:9

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs ,.... Performed before their eyes; for these were done over again when Moses came into Egypt to the Israelites, and yet some of them might still remain unbelievers to his commission, and so to the voice of these signs, which loudly called for their faith: neither hearken unto thy voice ; affirming he came from God, and was sent to be the deliverer of them: that thou shalt take of the water of the river ; of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:10

And Moses said unto the Lord ,.... Notwithstanding the above miracles, he seems unwilling to go on the Lord's errand to Pharaoh and to the Israelites, and therefore invents a new objection after all his other objections had been sufficiently answered: I am not eloquent ; or "a man of words" F19 איש דברים "vir verborum", Paguinus, Montanus, Piscator, Ainsworth. , that has words at command, that can speak well readily, and gracefully; such an one, he intimates, was proper to be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:11

And the Lord said unto him, who hath made man's mouth ?.... Made that itself, and put in it the power and faculty of speech, even into the mouth of the first man, Adam, as the Targum of Jonathan; and so of every other man, did not the Lord do it? none else could, and therefore he that made it, and made it capable of speaking, could remove any impediments in it, and cause it to speak freely and fluently: or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I, the Lord ?... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:12

Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth ,.... And put words into it, and cause it to speak readily and powerfully; and so it appears that he was mighty in words, as well as in deeds, Acts 7:22 , and teach thee what thou shalt say ; to Pharaoh, to the Israelites, and to Aaron, that was to speak for him, as is hereafter observed. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:13

And he said, O my Lord ,.... Acknowledging his dominion, his sovereignty, his power to do the above things: or "on me, O Lord" F21 בי אדני "in me", Oleaster. , be the blame for making such objections; or on me let this work be devolved, since it is thy pleasure: send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send . Many of the ancient Christian fathers understand it of the Messiah that was to be sent, and as if Moses thought this was a fit time for the sending of him:... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:14

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses ,.... For the objections, excuses, and delays he made with respect to his mission. In what way this anger was expressed is not easy to say, whether by not removing the impediment of his speech, or not giving him the priesthood, which Jarchi thinks he otherwise would have had, and Aaron been only a Levite, as he is called in the next clause; or whether it was by joining Aaron to him, and so lessening his honour in this embassy, though that... read more

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