Tree of Life Version
Exodus 4:24
24It happened along the way, at a lodging place, that Adonai met him and sought to kill him!
Exodus 4:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.
- New International Version (NIV)At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him.
Context of Exodus 4:24
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.’” It happened along the way, at a lodging place, that Adonai met him and sought to kill him! 25But Zipporah took a flint, cut off the foreskin of her son, and threw it at his feet, saying, “You are surely a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26She said, “A bridegroom of blood” because of the circumcision. Then He let him alone.
Read all of Exodus 4Exodus 4:24 word by word
וַיְהִ֥י בַדֶּ֖רֶךְ בַּמָּל֑וֹן וַיִּפְגְּשֵׁ֣הוּ יְהוָ֔ה וַיְבַקֵּ֖שׁ הֲמִיתֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 4:24
- Genesis 42:27As one of them opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at the lodge, he saw his money—behold, it was in the opening of his bag.
- Genesis 17:14But the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin—that person will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
- Exodus 3:18“They will listen to your voice. So you will go, you along with the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and say to him: ‘Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to Adonai our God.’
- Numbers 22:22But the anger of God burned because he was going. The angel of Adonai stood in the road to oppose him—he was riding on his donkey and two of his servants were with him—
- 1 Chronicles 21:16David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of Adonai standing between the earth and the heaven with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
- Hosea 13:8I will meet them like a bear robbed of her cubs, and I will tear open their chests. There I will devour them like a lioness. A beast of the field will rip them to shreds.
- Leviticus 10:3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Adonai spoke of, saying: To those who are near Me I will show myself holy. Upon the faces of all the people I will be glorified.” Then Aaron kept silent.
- 1 Kings 13:24But when he was gone, a lion met him along the way and killed him. So his carcass was thrown on the road with both the donkey and the lion standing beside the carcass.
Commentaries on Exodus 4:24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24By the way in the inn - See Clarke's note on Genesis 42:27. The account in this and the following verse is very obscure. Some suppose that the Exodus 4:23; is not a part of the message to Pharaoh, but was spoken by the Lord to Moses; and that the whole may be thus paraphrased: "And I have said unto thee, (Moses), Send forth שלח shallach, my son, (Gershom, by circumcising him), that he may serve me, (which he cannot do till entered into the covenant by…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24In the inn - Or “resting place.” See Genesis 42:27 note. Met him, and sought to kill him - Moses was attacked by a sudden and dangerous illness, which he knew was inflicted by God. The word “sought to kill” implies that the sickness, whatever might be its nature, was one which threatened death had it not been averted by a timely act. Zipporah believed that the illness of Moses was due to his having neglected the duty of an Israelite, and to his not having…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-31Verses 24-31 God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw of God's bringing them together, the more pleasant their interview…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24-26This incident is mysterious. Zipporah immediately circumcising her son suggests she and Moses had previously discussed it and decided it was unnecessary. Why would having an uncircumcised son make God want to kill the rescuer he had prepared and called? It would seem strange for Moses to arrive in Egypt claiming to represent the God of the Israelites' ancestors, but would not do what God commanded them (Genesis 17:10). This might cause the people to be…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. inn--Hebrew, "a halting place for the night." the Lord met him, and sought to kill him--that is, he was either overwhelmed with mental distress or overtaken by a sudden and dangerous malady. The narrative is obscure, but the meaning seems to be, that, led during his illness to a strict self-examination, he was deeply pained and grieved at the thought of having, to please his wife, postponed or neglected the circumcision of one of his sons, probably…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 4:24
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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