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Good News Translation

Exodus 4:31

They believed, and when they heard that the Lord had come to them and had seen how they were being treated cruelly, they bowed down and worshiped.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Aaron;   Faith;   Government;   Miracles;   Moses;   Thankfulness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bowing;   Prayer;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Egypt;   Head;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Sinai;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Worship;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Leadership;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Prayer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron;   Exodus;   Moses;   Prayer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Benedictus;   Faith ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gospel, the,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;   Preaching;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Aaron;   Exodus, the Book of;   Moses;   Worship;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Aaron;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ahabah (Ahawah, aḥa, aḥwa) B. Zeira (Zera);   Apple;   Moses;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Yisra'el, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
King James Version
And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Lexham English Bible
And the people believed when they heard that Yahweh had attended to the Israelites and that he had seen their misery, and they knelt down and they worshiped.
New Century Version
and the Israelites believed. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their troubles, they bowed down and worshiped him.
New English Translation
and the people believed. When they heard that the Lord had attended to the Israelites and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed down close to the ground.
Amplified Bible
So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the Israelites and that He had looked [with compassion] on their suffering, then they bowed their heads and worshiped [the LORD].
New American Standard Bible
So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed low and worshiped.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the people beleeued, and when they heard that the Lorde had visited the children of Israel, and had looked vpon their tribulation, they bowed downe, and worshipped.
Legacy Standard Bible
So the people believed; and they heard that Yahweh cared about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction. So they bowed low and worshiped.
Contemporary English Version
and everyone believed. They bowed down and worshiped the Lord because they knew that he had seen their suffering and was going to help them.
Complete Jewish Bible
The people believed; when they heard that Adonai had remembered the people of Isra'el and seen how they were oppressed, they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Darby Translation
And the people believed. And when they heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Easy-to-Read Version
and they believed what they had heard. Then the Israelites understood that the Lord had seen their troubles and had come to help them. So they bowed down and worshiped God.
English Standard Version
And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
George Lamsa Translation
And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had remembered the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they knelt down and worshipped before the LORD.
Christian Standard Bible®
The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that he had seen their misery, they knelt low and worshiped.
Literal Translation
And the people believed. And they heard that Jehovah had visited the sons of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction. And they bowed and worshiped.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& the people beleued. And whan they herde yt the LORDE vysited the children of Israel, and loked vpon their trouble, they bowed them selues, and worshipped.
American Standard Version
And the people believed: and when they heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Bible in Basic English
And the people had faith in them; and hearing that the Lord had taken up the cause of the children of Israel and had seen their troubles, with bent heads they gave him worship.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the people beleued. And when they hearde that the Lorde had visited the children of Israel, and had looked vpon their tribulation, they bowed the selues, and worshipped.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had remembered the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
King James Version (1611)
And the people beleeued: And when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked vpon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and the people believed and rejoiced, because God visited the children of Israel, and because he saw their affliction: and the people bowed and worshipped.
English Revised Version
And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Berean Standard Bible
and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and the puple bileuede; and thei herden, that the Lord hadde visitid the sones of Israel, and that he hadde biholde the turment of hem; and thei worschipiden lowe.
Young's Literal Translation
and the people believe when they hear that Jehovah hath looked after the sons of Israel, and that He hath seen their affliction; and they bow and do obeisance.
Update Bible Version
And the people believed: and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads, and worshiped.
World English Bible
The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
New King James Version
So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
New Living Translation
Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
New Life Bible
So the people believed. When they heard that the Lord cared about the people of Israel and had seen their suffering, they bowed to the ground and worshiped.
New Revised Standard
The people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had given heed to the Israelites and that he had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the people believed, - and when they heard that Yahweh had concerned himself for the sons of Israel, and that he had looked upon their humiliation, then bent they their heads and bowed themselves down.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction: and falling down they adored.
Revised Standard Version
And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.

Contextual Overview

24 At a camping place on the way to Egypt, the Lord met Moses and tried to kill him. 25Then Zipporah, his wife, took a sharp stone, cut off the foreskin of her son, and touched Moses' feet with it. Because of the rite of circumcision she said to Moses, "You are a husband of blood to me." And so the Lord spared Moses' life. 27 Meanwhile the Lord had said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he went to meet him at the holy mountain; and when he met him, he kissed him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything that the Lord had said when he told him to return to Egypt; he also told him about the miracles which the Lord had ordered him to perform. 29 So Moses and Aaron went to Egypt and gathered all the Israelite leaders together. 30 Aaron told them everything that the Lord had said to Moses, and then Moses performed all the miracles in front of the people. 31 They believed, and when they heard that the Lord had come to them and had seen how they were being treated cruelly, they bowed down and worshiped.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

believed: Exodus 4:8, Exodus 4:9, Exodus 3:18, Psalms 106:12, Psalms 106:13, Luke 8:13

visited: Exodus 3:16, Luke 1:68

looked: Exodus 2:25, Exodus 3:7

bowed: Exodus 12:27, Genesis 17:3, Genesis 24:26, 1 Chronicles 29:20, 2 Chronicles 20:18

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:1 - visited Genesis 29:32 - looked Genesis 50:24 - visit you Exodus 4:1 - General Exodus 4:5 - That they Exodus 5:21 - The Lord Exodus 13:19 - God Exodus 14:31 - believed Exodus 33:10 - worshipped Exodus 34:8 - General Deuteronomy 26:7 - we cried Judges 7:15 - worshipped Ruth 1:6 - visited 1 Samuel 1:11 - look 2 Chronicles 7:3 - they bowed Nehemiah 8:6 - bowed Psalms 8:4 - visitest Psalms 119:132 - Look Lamentations 1:9 - behold Ezekiel 20:5 - and made Zephaniah 2:7 - shall visit Zechariah 10:3 - visited Luke 7:16 - God Acts 7:34 - I have seen

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the people believed,.... That Moses was sent of God, and would be the deliverer of them:

and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel; in a way of grace and mercy, by raising such a redeemer and deliverer in the midst of them:

and that he had looked upon their affliction; with an eye of pity and compassion:

then they bowed their heads, and worshipped; adoring the goodness of God, and expressing their thankfulness for the notice he took of them, and signifying their readiness to obey all instructions and directions that should be given them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 4:31. The people believed — They credited the account given of the Divine appointment of Moses and Aaron to be their deliverers out of their bondage, the miracles wrought on the occasion confirming the testimony delivered by Aaron.

They bowed their heads and worshipped. — See a similar act mentioned, and in the same words, Genesis 24:26. The bowing the head, c., here, may probably refer to the eastern custom of bowing the head down to the knees, then kneeling down and touching the earth with the forehead. This was a very painful posture and the most humble in which the body could possibly be placed. Those who pretend to worship God, either by prayer or thanksgiving, and keep themselves during the performance of those solemn acts in a state of perfect ease, either carelessly standing or stupidly sitting, surely cannot have a due sense of the majesty of God, and their own sinfulness and unworthiness. Let the feelings of the body put the soul in remembrance of its sin against God. Let a man put himself in such a position (kneeling for instance) as it is generally acknowledged a criminal should assume, when coming to his sovereign and judge to bewail his sins, and solicit forgiveness.

The Jewish custom, as we learn from Rabbi Maymon, was to bend the body so that every joint of the backbone became incurvated, and the head was bent towards the knees, so that the body resembled a bow and prostration implied laying the body flat upon the earth, the arms and legs extended to the uttermost, the mouth and forehead touching the ground. In Matthew 8:2 the leper is said to worship our Lord, προσεκυνει αυτω. but in Luke 5:12 he is said to have fallen on his face, πεσων επι προσωπον. These two accounts show that he first kneeled down, probably putting his face down to his knees, and touching the earth with his forehead; and then prostrated himself, his legs and arms being both extended. Genesis 17:3.

THE backwardness of Moses to receive and execute the commission to deliver the children of Israel, has something very instructive in it. He felt the importance of the charge, his own insufficiency, and the awful responsibility under which he should be laid if he received it. Who then can blame him for hesitating? If he miscarried (and how difficult in such a case not to miscarry!) he must account to a jealous God, whose justice required him to punish every delinquency. What should ministers of the Gospel feel on such subjects? Is not their charge more important and more awful than that of Moses? How few consider this! It is respectable, it is honourable, to be in the Gospel ministry, but who is sufficient to guide and feed the flock of God? If through the pastor's unfitness or neglect any soul should go astray, or perish through want of proper spiritual nourishment, or through not getting his portion in due season, in what a dreadful state is the pastor! That soul, says God, shall die in his iniquities, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hands! Were these things only considered by those who are candidates for the Gospel ministry, who could be found to undertake it? We should then indeed have the utmost occasion to pray the Lord of the harvest, εκβαλλειν, to THRUST OUT labourers into the harvest, as no one, duly considering those things would go, unless thrust out by God himself. O ye ministers of the sanctuary! tremble for your own souls, and the souls of those committed to your care, and go not into this work unless God go with you. Without his presence, unction, and approbation, ye can do nothing.


 
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