Exodus 4 - Summary

Historical setting

Moses, having fled Egypt decades earlier after killing an Egyptian (3:11-12), now lives in Midian as a shepherd, married to Zipporah, a Midianite woman. God has called him from a burning bush to return to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh release the Israelites from slavery. Pharaoh is the absolute ruler of Egypt and will not yield to an unknown man's request without compelling reason. The Israelites themselves are enslaved in Egypt and have no reason to believe an obscure fugitive carries genuine authority from their God.

Life and customs

In this period, a staff or rod was a common tool for shepherds and a symbol of authority. Leprosy (the condition described in verse 6) was a serious skin disease that rendered a person ritually unclean and excluded from community life in Israelite law. Circumcision was a practice marking covenant membership among Abraham's descendants; failure to circumcise a son was a breach of covenant obligation. An "inn" (verse 24) in the ancient Near East was a stopping place for travelers, not an establishment run for profit. Aaron, being a Levite (verse 14), belonged to the tribe designated for religious duties, though at this point in the narrative his specific role is still being determined.

What the text says

Moses protests that the Israelites will not believe him or listen, claiming they will say God has not appeared to him (verse 1). God responds by asking what is in Moses' hand; Moses says it is a rod (verse 2). When cast to the ground, it becomes a serpent and Moses flees (verse 3). God tells Moses to take it by the tail; it becomes a rod again (verse 4). This sign is "that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers...hath appeared unto thee" (verse 5). God instructs Moses to put his hand in his bosom; it comes out leprous (verse 6), then is restored when placed in the bosom again (verse 7). If the people will not believe the first sign, they will believe the second (verse 8). A third sign is given: water from the river will become blood when poured on dry land (verse 9).

Moses then objects that he is "not eloquent" and is "slow of speech, and of a slow tongue" (verse 10). God responds by asking who made the human mouth, and affirms he will be with Moses' mouth and teach him what to say (verses 11-12). Moses requests that God "send...by the hand of him whom thou wilt send" (verse 13), which provokes God's anger. God reveals that Aaron, Moses' brother, is coming to meet him and "can speak well" (verse 14). Aaron will be Moses' spokesman; Moses will "speak unto him, and put words in his mouth" (verse 15). Aaron will be Moses' mouth, and Moses will be "instead of God" to Aaron (verse 16). Moses is to take the rod "wherewith thou shalt do signs" (verse 17).

Moses returns to his father-in-law Jethro and requests permission to return to Egypt to see if his brothers are still alive; Jethro grants it (verse 18). God tells Moses in Midian that all who sought his life are dead, and he should return to Egypt (verse 19). Moses takes his wife and sons on a donkey and brings the rod (verse 20). God instructs him to perform all the wonders before Pharaoh, but warns "I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go" (verse 21). Moses must tell Pharaoh: "Israel is my son, even my firstborn" (verse 22), and demand he be released to serve God, or God will slay Pharaoh's firstborn son (verse 23).

At an inn on the way, "the LORD met him, and sought to kill him" (verse 24). Zipporah takes a sharp stone, cuts off the foreskin of her son, and casts it at his feet, saying "Surely a bloody husband art thou to me" (verse 25). After this, "he let him go" (verse 26). The text does not explicitly state what the circumcision averts, though the context suggests it satisfies whatever divine threat was present. God tells Aaron to go meet Moses in the wilderness (verse 27). Aaron meets Moses and kisses him (verse 27). Moses tells Aaron all the words and signs God commanded (verse 28). Moses and Aaron gather the elders of Israel (verse 29). Aaron speaks all God's words and performs the signs (verse 30). The people believe when they hear that God has visited and seen their affliction, and they bow down and worship (verse 31).

Takeaways

• God provides visible, repeatable signs not to prove his existence generally but to confirm to the Israelites that Moses carries his specific commission.
• The text does not explain why circumcision was necessary at that moment, but presents it as an obligation that, when fulfilled, removes an obstacle to God's mission.
• Even with signs, wonders, and Aaron as spokesman, Pharaoh's resistance is foreordained; the signs serve the people's faith, not Pharaoh's obedience.