EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Exodus 4:2
2Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘What is that thing in your hand?’ Moses answered, ‘It is a stick.’
Exodus 4:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
- New International Version (NIV)Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff."
- New King James Version (NKJV)So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
Context of Exodus 4:2
1Then Moses replied, ‘Perhaps the leaders of Israel will not believe me. Perhaps they will not listen to my message. Perhaps they will say, “The Lord did not really appear to you.” ’ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘What is that thing in your hand?’ Moses answered, ‘It is a stick.’ 3The Lord said, ‘Throw it down on the ground.’ So Moses threw it on the ground. Then the stick became a snake! Moses ran away from the snake. 4Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take hold of the snake's tail with your hand.’ So Moses caught the snake with his hand. Then it became a stick in his hand again.
Read all of Exodus 4Exodus 4:2 word by word
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר אֵלָ֛יו יְהוָ֖ה מַה־זֶּ֣ה בְיָדֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מַטֶּֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 4:2
- Exodus 4:17Take this stick with you and hold it in your hand. You will use it to do the miracles to show that I have sent you.’
- Genesis 30:37Jacob took branches that he had cut from trees. He took them from poplar trees, almond trees and plane trees. He cut white lines on the branches. He stripped off the outside part of the wood to show white lines.
- Leviticus 27:32Out of every ten animals, one animal is holy. It belongs to the Lord.
- Psalms 110:2The Lord will give you great authority, as you rule from Zion. You will rule over all your enemies that are round you.
- Isaiah 11:4But he will judge poor people with true justice. He will decide to do what is right for all the helpless people. He will have authority everywhere in the land. The words that he speaks will bring death to wicked people.
- Micah 7:14Rule us and lead us, Lord. You are like a man who leads his sheep. He uses a strong stick to lead them. We are your own special people. We are like a group of sheep that lives by itself in a forest. There is good grass all round them. Let your sheep eat grass in Bashan and Gilead, as they did a long time ago.
Commentaries on Exodus 4:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2A 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 the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2A rod - The word seems to denote the long staff which on Egyptian monuments is borne by men in positions of authority. It was usually made of acacia wood.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-9The third protest of Moses was that he did not have enough power. He felt unable to do what God asked him to do. God answered by showing his own great power. He performed signs immediately. He turned the staff of Moses into a snake. He also caused a serious skin disease to appear and then disappear at once.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. the Lord said, ... What is that in thine hand?--The question was put not to elicit information which God required, but to draw the particular attention of Moses. A rod--probably the shepherd's crook--among the Arabs, a long staff, with a curved head, varying from three to six feet in length.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 4:2
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
EasyEnglish Bible 2018 — Copyright © MissionAssist 2018
Commentaries