English Standard Version
Exodus 4:2
2The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff."
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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.
Context of Exodus 4:2
1Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, 'The Lord did not appear to you.'" The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff." 3And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4But the Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand and catch it by the tail"—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—
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 4:17And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs."
- Genesis 30:37Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks.
- Leviticus 27:32And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the Lord.
- Psalms 110:2The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!
- Isaiah 11:4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
- Micah 7:14Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
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