Exodus 4:21

Exodus 4:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And 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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

Context of Exodus 4:21

19Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand. And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23So I said to you, ‘Let My son go so that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I am going to kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

Exodus 4:21 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָה֮ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֒ בְּלֶכְתְּךָ֙ לָשׁ֣וּב מִצְרַ֔יְמָה רְאֵ֗ה כָּל־הַמֹּֽפְתִים֙ אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֣מְתִּי בְיָדֶ֔ךָ וַעֲשִׂיתָ֖ם לִפְנֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֑ה וַאֲנִי֙ אֲחַזֵּ֣ק אֶת־לִבּ֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א יְשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־הָעָֽם׃Read the interlinear

• And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• to Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• When you goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
• backשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• to Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• that you performעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• Pharaohפַּרְעֹהpar‛ôh · PharaohH6547
• allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• the wondersמוֹפֵתmôphêth môphêth · wonderH4159
• whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• I have putשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
• powerיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• I will hardenחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: strengthenH2388
• his heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• so that he will not letשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: let goH7971
• the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• goשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: let goH7971

Cross-references for Exodus 4:21

• Exodus 3:20So I will reach out with My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.
• Exodus 7:3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
• Exodus 9:12But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
• Exodus 10:1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, so that I may perform these signs of Mine among them,
• Exodus 14:8So the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly.
• Genesis 6:3Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.”
• Deuteronomy 2:30But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today.
• Joshua 11:20For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
• 1 Kings 22:22And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him, and you will also prevail. Go and do so.’
• Psalms 105:25He turned their heart to hate His people, To deal cunningly with His servants.
• Isaiah 6:10Make the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes blind, So that they will not see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”
• Isaiah 63:17Why, Lord, do You cause us to stray from Your ways And harden our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
• John 12:40“He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they will not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and be converted, and so I will not heal them.”
• Romans 1:28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper,
• Romans 9:18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
• Romans 11:8just as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very day.”

Commentaries on Exodus 4:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21But I will harden his heart - The case of Pharaoh has given rise to many fierce controversies, and to several strange and conflicting opinions. Would men but look at the whole account without the medium of their respective creeds, they would find little difficulty to apprehend the truth. If we take up the subject in a theological point of view, all sober Christians will allow the truth of this proposition of St. Augustine, when the subject in question is…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21I will harden - Calamities which do not subdue the heart harden it. In the case of Pharaoh, the hardening was at once a righteous judgment, and a natural result of a long series of oppressions and cruelties.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 4:21

• Heart
• Moses

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Moses
• Pharaoh
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Pharaoh, king of Egypt
• Bosom
• Dead
• Leprous
• Slow
• Spokesman

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