Exodus 4:10

Exodus 4:10 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
• New International Version (NIV)Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)But Moses said to the Lord, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Context of Exodus 4:10

8⌞Then the Lord said,⌟ “If they won’t believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. 9But if they won’t believe these two miraculous signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the ground. The water you take from the Nile will turn into blood on the ground.” Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I’m not a good speaker. I’ve never been a good speaker, and I’m not now, even though you’ve spoken to me. I speak slowly, and I become tongue-tied easily.” 11The Lord asked him, “Who gave humans their mouths? Who makes humans unable to talk or hear? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? It is I, the Lord! 12Now go, and I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Exodus 4:10 word by word

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶל־יְהוָה֮ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנָי֒ לֹא֩ אִ֨ישׁ דְּבָרִ֜ים אָנֹ֗כִי גַּ֤ם מִתְּמוֹל֙ גַּ֣ם מִשִּׁלְשֹׁ֔ם גַּ֛ם מֵאָ֥ז דַּבֶּרְךָ אֶל־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֧י כְבַד־פֶּ֛ה וּכְבַ֥ד לָשׁ֖וֹן אָנֹֽכִי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• Oבִּיbîy · pleaseH994
• my Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
• Iאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• not eloquentדָּבָרdâbâr · word: speakingH1697
• neither heretoforeתְּמוֹלtemôl temôl · yesterdayH8543
• neither heretoforeשִׁלְשֹׁםshilshôm shilshôm · three days agoH8032
• nor sinceמֵאָז'âz · the pastH227
• thou hast spokenדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• unto thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• slowכָּבֵדkâbêd · heavyH3515
• of speechפֶּהpeh · lip: wordH6310
• tongueלָשׁוֹןlâshôn lâshôn leshônâh · tongueH3956

Cross-references for Exodus 4:10

• Exodus 4:1“They will never believe me or listen to me!” Moses protested. “They will say, ‘The Lord didn’t appear to you.’ ”
• Job 12:2“You certainly are ⌞wise⌟ people, and when you die, wisdom will die.
• 1 Corinthians 2:1Brothers and sisters, when I came to you, I didn’t speak about God’s mystery as if it were some kind of brilliant message or wisdom.
• 2 Corinthians 10:10I know that someone is saying that my letters are powerful and strong, but that I’m a weakling and a terrible speaker.
• 2 Corinthians 11:6Even though I’m not good with words, I know what I’m talking about. Timothy and I have made this clear to you in every possible way.
• Exodus 6:12But Moses protested to the Lord, “The Israelites wouldn’t listen to me. Why would Pharaoh listen to me? I’m such a poor speaker.”
• Jeremiah 1:6I, Jeremiah, said, “Almighty Lord, I do not know how to speak. I am only a boy!”
• Acts 7:22So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man in what he said and did.

Commentaries on Exodus 4:10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10I am not eloquent - דברים איש לא lo ish debarim, I am not a man of words; a periphrasis common in the Scriptures. So Job 11:2, שפתים איש ish sephathayim, a man of lips, signifies one that is talkative. Psalm 140:11, לשון איש ish lashon, a man of tongue, signifies a prattler. But how could it be said that Moses was not eloquent, when St. Stephen asserts, Acts 7:22, that he was mighty in words as well as in deeds? There are three ways of solving this…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10Eloquent - See the margin. The double expression “slow of speech (Ezekiel 3:5 margin) and of a slow tongue” seems to imply a difficulty both in finding words and in giving them utterance, a very natural result of so long a period of a shepherd‘s life, passed in a foreign land. Since thou hast spoken - This expression seems to imply that some short time had intervened between this address and the first communication of the divine purpose to Moses.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-17Verses 10-17 Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in them may appear the more glorious. Christ's disciples were no…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10-17The fourth and final protest of Moses was that he could not speak well. He seemed desperate to avoid this difficult task. God was becoming angry at Moses for refusing to accept the truth. The outcome did not depend on the ability of Moses. Instead, it depended on his willingness to let God's power work through him.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-1310-13. I am not eloquent--It is supposed that Moses labored under a natural defect of utterance or had a difficulty in the free and fluent expression of his ideas in the Egyptian language, which he had long disused. This new objection was also overruled, but still Moses, who foresaw the manifold difficulties of the undertaking, was anxious to be freed from the responsibility.Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 4:10

• Call
• Communion
• Condescension of God
• Despondency
• Doubting
• Excuses
• Faith
• Humility
• Israel
• Preaching
• Stammering

In the dictionaries

• Moses
• Bosom
• Dead
• Leprous
• Slow
• Spokesman
• Aaron
• Egypt
• Eloquent
• Exodus, the

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