Tree of Life Version
Exodus 4:21
21Adonai said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put in your hand. Still, I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.
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
19Then Adonai said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for all the men that sought your life are dead.” 20So Moses took his wife and his sons, set them on a donkey and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand. Adonai said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put in your hand. Still, I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. 22You are to say to Pharaoh, “This is what Adonai says: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23So I have said to you, Let My son go, that he may serve Me, but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay your son, your firstborn.’”
Read all of Exodus 4Exodus 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
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- When thou goestיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- to returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- into Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
- seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- that thou doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- all those wondersמוֹפֵתmôphêth môphêth · wonderH4159
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- Pharaohפַּרְעֹהpar‛ôh · PharaohH6547
- which I have putשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
- in thine handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- but I will hardenחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: strengthenH2388
- his heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- that he shall not let the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- goשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: let goH7971
Cross-references for Exodus 4:21
- Exodus 3:20So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders that I will do in the midst of it. After that, he will let you go.
- Exodus 7:3Yet I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 9:12But Adonai hardened the heart of Pharaoh, so he did not listen to them—just as Adonai had said to Moses.
- Exodus 10:1Then Adonai said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, because I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, so that I might show these My signs in their midst,
- Exodus 14:8Adonai hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so he pursued Bnei-Yisrael, for Bnei-Yisrael went out with a high hand.
- Genesis 6:3Then Adonai said, “My Spirit will not remain with humankind forever, since they are flesh. So their days will be 120 years.
- Deuteronomy 2:30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, because Adonai your God stiffened his spirit and hardened his heart, in order to hand him over to you this very day.
- Joshua 11:20For it was of Adonai to harden their hearts to encounter Israel in battle, that they might be put to the ban, that they might receive no mercy, in order to destroy them as Adonai had commanded Moses.
- 1 Kings 22:22And he said: ‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said: ‘You shall entice him and shall prevail also—go and do so.’
- Psalms 105:25He turned their hearts to hate His people, to deal shrewdly with His servants.
- Isaiah 6:10Make the heart of this people fat, their ears heavy, and their eyes blind. Else they would see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, and be healed.”
- Isaiah 63:17Adonai, why do You cause us to stray from Your ways, and harden our heart from fearing You? Return for Your servants’ sake, the tribes of Your heritage.
- John 12:40“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they might not see with their eyes nor understand with their hearts and turn back, and I would heal them.”
- Romans 1:28And just as they did not see fit to recognize God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what is not fitting.
- Romans 9:18So then He has mercy on whom He wills, and He hardens whom He wills.
- Romans 11:8just as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes not to see and ears not to hear, until 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
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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