American Standard Version
Exodus 4:22
22And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, Israel is my son, my first-born:
Exodus 4:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
- New International Version (NIV)Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
Context of Exodus 4:22
20And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 21And Jehovah said unto Moses, When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand: but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, Israel is my son, my first-born: 23and I have said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born. 24And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that Jehovah met him, and sought to kill him.
Read all of Exodus 4Exodus 4:22 word by word
וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה בְּנִ֥י בְכֹרִ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Exodus 4:22
- Exodus 19:5Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine:
- Deuteronomy 14:1Ye are the children of Jehovah your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
- Jeremiah 31:9They shall come with weeping; and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.
- Hosea 11:1When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
- Romans 9:4who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
- 2 Corinthians 6:18And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
- Hebrews 12:23to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
- James 1:18Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Commentaries on Exodus 4:22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Israel is my son, even my firstborn - That is, The Hebrew people are unutterably dear to me.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22My firstborn - The expression would be perfectly intelligible to Pharaoh, whose official designation was “son of Ra.” In numberless inscriptions the Pharaohs are styled “own sons” or “beloved sons” of the deity. It is here applied for the first time to Israel; and as we learn from Exodus 4:23, emphatically in antithesis to Pharaoh‘s own firstborn.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-23Verses 18-23 After God had appeared in the bush, he often spake to Moses. Pharaoh had hardened his own heart against the groans and cries of the oppressed Israelites; and now God, in the way of righteous judgment, hardens his heart against the teaching of the miracles, and the terror of the plagues. But whether Pharaoh will hear, or whether he will forbear, Moses must tell him, Thus saith the Lord. He must demand a discharge for Israel, Let my son go; not…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-23These verses summarize the upcoming chapters. They start with the request to let the people go to worship God and end with the final plague, the death of the firstborn (5:3; 11:4–6). God was preparing the rescuer for the challenging task ahead (see 11:9).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-311. But, behold--Hebrew, "If," "perhaps," "they will not believe me."--What evidence can I produce of my divine mission? There was still a want of full confidence, not in the character and divine power of his employer, but in His presence and power always accompanying him. He insinuated that his communication might be rejected and he himself treated as an impostor.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 4:22
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries