New International Version
Exodus 4:2
2Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
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.
- 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
1Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. 3The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into 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 4:17But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
- Genesis 30:37Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.
- Leviticus 27:32Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord.
- Psalms 110:2The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
- Isaiah 11:4but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
- Micah 7:14Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago.
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
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