New King James Version
Exodus 4:17
17And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
Exodus 4:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
- New International Version (NIV)But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs."
- New Living Translation (NLT)And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.”
Context of Exodus 4:17
15Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 16So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” 18So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”
Read all of Exodus 4Exodus 4:17 word by word
וְאֶת־הַמַּטֶּ֥ה הַזֶּ֖ה תִּקַּ֣ח בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשֶׂה־בּ֖וֹ אֶת־הָאֹתֹֽת׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 4:17
- Exodus 4:2So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
- Exodus 7:9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ”
- 1 Corinthians 1:27But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
Commentaries on Exodus 4:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Thou shalt take this rod - From the story of Moses's rod the heathens have invented the fables of the thyrsus of Bacchus, and the caduceus of Mercury. Cicero reckons five Bacchuses, one of which, according to Orpheus, was born of the river Nile; but, according to the common opinion, he was born on the banks of that river. Bacchus is expressly said to have been exposed on the river Nile, hence he is called Nilus, both by Diodorus and Macrobius; and in the…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. 14-17God did not allow Moses to avoid his responsibility. However, he responded to the concern of Moses by appointing his brother Aaron to speak for him (14:16). Aaron would serve as the mouthpiece of Moses before Pharaoh and the people. As the story continues, the text records fewer occasions when Aaron speaks on behalf of Moses. Moses increasingly speaks directly. This suggests that the speaking difficulty of Moses may not have been as severe as he feared…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 4:17
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries