Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, May 4th, 2025
the Third Sunday after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Douay-Rheims Bible

Exodus 4:2

Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Call;   Communion;   Condescension of God;   Israel;   Miracles;   Moses;   Sign;   Token;   Thompson Chain Reference - Instrumentalities, Weak;   Moses' Rod;   Power;   Rod;   Small Things God Uses;   Weak;   Weakness-Power;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Miracles;   Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Sinai;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Snake;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Rod;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Prophecy, Prophets;   Rod, Staff;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Moses;   Prayer;   Rod;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Miracles;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Moses;   Rod;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Aaron's Rod;   Miracle;   Moses;   Staff;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 9;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod."
King James Version
And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh said to him, "What is this in your hand?" And he said, "A staff."
New Century Version
The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" Moses answered, "It is my walking stick."
New English Translation
The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff."
Amplified Bible
And the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A staff."
New American Standard Bible
The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A staff."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Lord said vnto him, What is that in thine hande? And he answered, A rod.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh said to him, "What is this in your hand?" And he said, "A staff."
Contemporary English Version
The Lord answered, "What's that in your hand?" "A walking stick," Moses replied.
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai answered him, "What is that in your hand?" and he said, "A staff."
Darby Translation
And Jehovah said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A staff.
Easy-to-Read Version
But the Lord said to Moses, "What is that you have in your hand?" Moses answered, "It is my walking stick."
English Standard Version
The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff."
George Lamsa Translation
And the LORD said to him, What is that in your hand? He said, A staff.
Good News Translation
So the Lord asked him, "What are you holding?" "A walking stick," he answered.
Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
Literal Translation
And Jehovah said to him, What is this in your hand? And he said, A staff.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The LORDE sayde vnto him: What is yt, that thou hast in thine hande? He saide a staff.
American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.
Bible in Basic English
And the Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Lorde sayde vnto him: What is that [which is] in thine hande? He aunswered: a rodde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD said unto him: 'What is that in thy hand?' And he said: 'A rod.'
King James Version (1611)
And the Lord said vnto him, What is that in thine hand? and hee said, A rod.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord said to him, What is this thing that is in thine hand? and he said, A rod.
English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
Berean Standard Bible
And the LORD asked him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor the Lord seide to hym, What is this that thou holdist in thin hond? Moises answeride, A yerde.
Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto him, `What [is] this in thy hand?' and he saith, `A rod;'
Update Bible Version
And Yahweh said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to him, What [is] that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.
World English Bible
Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod."
New King James Version
So the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod."
New Living Translation
Then the Lord asked him, "What is that in your hand?" "A shepherd's staff," Moses replied.
New Life Bible
The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" Moses said, "A stick."
New Revised Standard
The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Yahweh said unto him - What is this in thy hand? And he said - A staff.
Revised Standard Version
The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod."
THE MESSAGE
So God said, "What's that in your hand?" "A staff."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A staff."

Contextual Overview

1 Moses answered, and said: They will not believe me, nor hear my voice, but they will say: The Lord hath not appeared to thee. 2 Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod. 3 And the Lord said: Cast it down upon the ground. He cast it down, and it was turned into a serpent, so that Moses fled from it. 4 And the Lord said: Put out thy hand, and take it by the tail. He put forth his hand, and took hold of it, and it was turned into a rod. 5 That they may believe, saith he, that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee. 6 And the Lord said again: Put thy hand into thy bosom. And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it forth leprous as snow. 7 And he said: Put back thy hand into thy bosom. He put it back, and brought it out again, and it was like the other flesh. 8 If they will not believe thee, saith he, nor hear the voice of the former sign, they will believe the word of the latter sign. 9 But if they will not even believe these two signs, nor hear thy voice: take of the river water, and pour it out upon the dry land, and whatsoever thou drawest out of the river, shall be turned into blood.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a rod: Exodus 4:17, Exodus 4:20, Genesis 30:37, Leviticus 27:32, Psalms 110:2, Isaiah 11:4, Micah 7:14

Reciprocal: Exodus 4:30 - did the Exodus 7:9 - Take Exodus 7:15 - the rod Exodus 14:16 - lift Exodus 17:9 - the rod Numbers 17:2 - twelve rods Numbers 20:8 - the rod Numbers 22:9 - What men 2 Kings 13:17 - The arrow

Cross-References

Genesis 3:23
And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.
Genesis 4:25
Adam also knew his wife again: and she brought forth a son, and called his name Seth, saying: God hath given me another seed for Abel, whom Cain slew.
Genesis 4:26
But to Seth also was born a son, whom he called Enos: this man began to call upon the name of the Lord.
Genesis 9:20
And Noe a husbandman began to till the ground, and planted a vineyard.
Genesis 37:13
Israel said to him: Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered:
Genesis 47:3
And he asked them: What is your occupation? They answered: We, thy servants, are shepherds, both we and our fathers.
Exodus 3:1
Now Moses fed the sheep of Jethro, his father in law, the priest of Madian: and he drove the flock to the inner parts of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, Horeb.
Psalms 127:3
(126-3) Behold the inheritance of the Lord are children: the reward, the fruit of the womb.
Amos 7:15
And the Lord took me when I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me: Go, prophesy to my people Israel.
Luke 11:51
From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who was slain between the altar and the temple. Yea I say to you: It shall be required of this generation.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord said unto him,.... Not reproving him for contradicting him, or showing any diffidence of what he had said; but rather as approving the hint he gave of having some sign or miracle wrought, to command from the Israelites an assent unto him, as commissioned of God to deliver them:

what [is] that in thine hand? which question is put, not as being ignorant of what it was, but to lead on to what he had further to say, and to the working of the miracle:

and he said, a rod; or staff, such as shepherds use in the management of their flocks, for Moses was now feeding the flock of his father-in-law; but Aben Ezra seems rather to think it was a walking staff, such as ancient men lean upon, since Moses did not go to Pharaoh after the manner of a shepherd; yea, it may be added, he went with the authority of a prince or ruler of Israel, and even with the authority of the ambassador of the King of kings.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A rod - The word seems to denote the long staff which on Egyptian monuments is borne by men in positions of authority. It was usually made of acacia wood.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 4:2. A rod. — מתה matteh, a staff, probably his shepherd's crook; see Leviticus 27:32. As it was made the instrument of working many miracles, it was afterwards called the rod of God; see Exodus 4:20.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile