Exodus 4:21

Exodus 4:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the Lord said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

Context of Exodus 4:21

19Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead.” 20So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand. The LORD instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22Then tell Pharaoh that this is what the LORD says: ‘Israel is My firstborn son, 23and I told you to let My son go so that he may worship Me. But since you have refused to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son!’”

Exodus 4:21 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָה֮ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֒ בְּלֶכְתְּךָ֙ לָשׁ֣וּב מִצְרַ֔יְמָה רְאֵ֗ה כָּל־הַמֹּֽפְתִים֙ אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֣מְתִּי בְיָדֶ֔ךָ וַעֲשִׂיתָ֖ם לִפְנֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֑ה וַאֲנִי֙ אֲחַזֵּ֣ק אֶת־לִבּ֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א יְשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־הָעָֽם׃Read the interlinear

• The LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• The LORDאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
• instructedאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• When you goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
• backשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• to Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• see thatרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• you performעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• Pharaohפַּרְעֹהpar‛ôh · PharaohH6547
• allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• the wondersמוֹפֵתmôphêth môphêth · wonderH4159
• thatאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• I have putשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
• within your powerיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• But Iאֲנִי'ănîy · IH589
• will hardenחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: strengthenH2388
• ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
• his heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• so that he will notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• let the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• goשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: let goH7971

Cross-references for Exodus 4:21

• Exodus 3:20So I will stretch out My hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders I will perform among them. And after that, he will release you.
• Exodus 7:3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
• Exodus 9:12But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
• Exodus 10:1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them,
• Exodus 14:8And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out defiantly.
• Genesis 6:3So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”
• Deuteronomy 2:30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day.
• Joshua 11:20For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.
• 1 Kings 22:22And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
• Psalms 105:25whose hearts He turned to hate His people, to conspire against His servants.
• Isaiah 6:10Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
• Isaiah 63:17Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
• John 12:40“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”
• Romans 1:28Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
• Romans 9:18Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
• Romans 11:8as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

Commentaries on Exodus 4:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21But I will harden his heart - The case of Pharaoh has given rise to many fierce controversies, and to several strange and conflicting opinions. Would men but look at the whole account without the medium of their respective creeds, they would find little difficulty to apprehend the truth. If we take up the subject in a theological point of view, all sober Christians will allow the truth of this proposition of St. Augustine, when the subject in question is…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21I will harden - Calamities which do not subdue the heart harden it. In the case of Pharaoh, the hardening was at once a righteous judgment, and a natural result of a long series of oppressions and cruelties.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 4:21

• Heart
• Moses

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Moses
• Pharaoh
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Pharaoh, king of Egypt
• Bosom
• Dead
• Leprous
• Slow
• Spokesman

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