English Standard Version
Exodus 4:22
22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,
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,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
Context of Exodus 4:22
20So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand. 21And 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. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, 23and I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me." If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.'" 24At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.
Read all of Exodus 4Exodus 4:22 word by word
וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה בְּנִ֥י בְכֹרִ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 4:22
- Exodus 19:5Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
- Deuteronomy 14:1"You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead.
- Jeremiah 31:9With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
- Hosea 11:1When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
- Romans 9:4They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.
- 2 Corinthians 6:18and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty."
- Hebrews 12:23and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries