Exodus 4:2-17 NIV

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:15

And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth ,.... Or "things" F26 את הדברים . , the matter and substance of what he should say, who being a man of words, an eloquent man, and a good spokesman, would put them into proper language, and express them fluently: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do ; or speak what Moses should say to Aaron, and what Aaron should say to Pharaoh, and to the people of Israel; so that as... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:16

And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people ,.... And open to them Moses's commission from God, and the end of his mission into Egypt, and to them, and declare what signs had been, and would be done, in confirmation of it: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth ; or an interpreter, as all the Targums explain it, and so Jarchi; as he was an orator and master of language, he should speak to the people for Moses, and explain his sense and meaning, and put it into... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:17

And thou shall take this rod in thine hand ,.... Which he then had in his hand, and was no other than his shepherd's staff: wherewith thou shall do signs : wondrous things, meaning the ten plagues inflicted on Egypt. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 4:2

A rod - מתה matteh , a staff, probably his shepherd's crook; see Leviticus 27:32 . As it was made the instrument of working many miracles, it was afterwards called the rod of God; see Exodus 4:20 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 4:3

A serpent - Of what sort we know not, as the word נחש nachash is a general name for serpents, and also means several other things, see Genesis 3:1 ; : but it was either of a kind that he had not seen before, or one that he knew to be dangerous; for it is said, he fled from before it. Some suppose the staff was changed into a crocodile; see Clarke on Exodus 7:10 ; (note). read more

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

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

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

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

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

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:15

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 4:17

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 4:2

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 4:3

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