Leprous - The instantaneous production and cure of the most malignant and subtle disease known to the Israelites was a sign of their danger if they resisted the command, and of their deliverance if they obeyed it. The infliction and cure were always regarded as special proofs of a divine intervention. read more
Exodus 4:5-6. That they may believe The sentence is imperfect, but the meaning is, This thou shalt do before them that they may believe. His hand was leprous as snow For whiteness. This signified, that Moses, by the power of God, should bring sore diseases upon Egypt, that at his prayer they should be removed. And that whereas the Israelites in Egypt were become leprous, polluted by sin, and almost consumed by oppression, by being taken into the bosom of Moses they should be cleansed... read more
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
leprous . First occurance. Nine so afflicted: Exodus 4:6 . Num 12:10 . 2 Kings 5:1 , 2Ki 5:27 ; 2 Kings 7:3 ; 2 Kings 15:5 . (2 Chronicles 26:20 ). Matthew 8:2 ; Matthew 26:6 . Luke 17:12 . (Ninth case, 21 individuals. App-10 .) read more
"And Jehovah said furthermore unto him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh). And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign."This second... read more
6. Put now thine hand into thy bosom—the open part of his outer robe, worn about the girdle. read more
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
6. Moses’ call 3:1-4:18 read more
Signs Attesting the Commission of Moses. His Return to EgyptMoses still hesitates, and now objects that the péople will not believe him when he tells them that Jehovah has sent him. He is granted the power of working three signs by way of substantiating his commission.2. A rod] probably his shepherd’s staff.3. Fled from before it] A graphic trait, showing that the change was real, and that Moses was not prepared for it. 4. By the tail] Snake charmers usually take snakes by the neck to prevent... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 4:6-8
The intent of the second sign. If the first sign was powerful to convince, the second was still more powerful ( Exodus 4:8 ). It showed Moses able to produce, and cure, in a moment of time, the most virulent malady to which human nature was liable. The Egyptians greatly feared leprosy, and declared in their own accounts of the Exodus that they drove the Israelites out of their country because they were afflicted with that loathsome disease. The Israelites regarded it as the worst... read more