Exodus 4:10-15

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 4:10-17

Moses still continues backward to the service for which God had designed him, even to a fault; for now we can no longer impute it to his humility and modesty, but must own that here was too much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in it. Observe here, I. How Moses endeavours to excuse himself from the work. 1. He pleads that he was no good spokesman: O my Lord! I am not eloquent, Exod. 4:10. He was a great philosopher, statesman, and divine, and yet no orator; a man of a clear head, great... 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

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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 4:10

I am not eloquent - דברים איש לא lo ish debarim , I am not a man of words; a periphrasis common in the Scriptures. So Job 11:2 , שפתים איש ish sephathayim , a man of lips, signifies one that is talkative. Psalm 140:11 , לשון איש ish lashon , a man of tongue, signifies a prattler. But how could it be said that Moses was not eloquent, when St. Stephen asserts, Acts 7:22 , that he was mighty in words as well as in deeds? There are three ways of solving this difficulty: Moses... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 4:11

Who hath made man's mouth? etc. - Cannot he who formed the mouth, the whole organs of speech, and hath given the gift of speech also, cannot he give utterance? God can take away those gifts and restore them again. Do not provoke him: he who created the eye, the ear, and the mouth, hath also made the blind, the deaf, and the dumb. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 4:12

I will be with thy mouth - The Chaldee translates, My Word, meimeri , shall be with thy mouth. And Jonathan ben Uzziel paraphrases, I and my Word will be with the speech of thy mouth. See Clarke on Genesis 15:1 ; (note), and Leviticus 25:10 ; (note). read more

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