King James Version
Exodus 4:2
2And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
Exodus 4:2 in other versions
- 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.”
- 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
1And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
Read all of Exodus 4Exodus 4:2 word by word
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר אֵלָ֛יו יְהוָ֖ה מַה־זֶּ֣ה בְיָדֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מַטֶּֽה׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Exodus 4:2
- Exodus 4:17And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
- Genesis 30:37And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
- Leviticus 27:32And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.
- Psalms 110:2The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
- Isaiah 11:4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
- Micah 7:14Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed 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
King James Version — Public Domain except in the United Kingdom (Crown rights)
Commentaries