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Thursday, July 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

Exodus 4:2

And the Lord said vnto him, What is that in thine hande? And 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."
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.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod.
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 Then Moses answered, and said, But lo, they will not beleeue me, nor hearken vnto my voyce: for they will say, The Lorde hath not appeared vnto thee. 2 And the Lord said vnto him, What is that in thine hande? And he answered, A rod. 3 Then said he, Cast it on the ground. So he cast it on the grounde, and it was turned into a serpent: and Moses fled from it. 4 Againe the Lorde saide vnto Moses, Put foorth thine hand, and take it by the tayle. Then he put foorth his hande and caught it, and it was turned into a rod in his hand. 5 Do this that they may beleeue, that the Lorde God of their fathers, the God of Abraha, the God of Izhak, and the God of Iaakob hath appeared vnto thee. 6 And the Lorde saide furthermore vnto him, Thrust nowe thine hand into thy bosome. And he thrust his hand into his bosome, & when he tooke it out againe, behold, his hand was leprous as snowe. 7 Moreouer he said, Put thine hand into thy bosome againe. So he put his hande into his bosome againe, & pluckt it out of his bosome, and behold, it was turned againe as his other flesh. 8 So shall it be, if they wil not beleeue thee, neither obey the voyce of ye first signe, yet shall they beleeue for the voyce of the seconde signe. 9 But if they will not yet beleeue these two signes, neither obey vnto thy voyce, then shalt thou take of the water of the riuer, and powre it vpon the drie lande: so the water which thou shalt take out of the riuer, shalbe turned to blood vpon the drie land.

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
Therefore the Lord God sent him foorth from the garden of Eden, to till ye earth, whence he was taken.
Genesis 4:25
And Adam knewe his wife againe, and she bare a sonne, and she called his name Sheth: for God, saide she, hath appointed me another seede for Habel, because Kain slewe him.
Genesis 4:26
And to ye same Sheth also there was borne a sonne, and he called his name Enosh. Then beganne men to call vpon the name of the Lord.
Genesis 9:20
Noah also began to be an husband man and planted a vineyard.
Genesis 37:13
And Israel said vnto Ioseph, Doe not thy brethren keepe in Shechem? come and I will send thee to them.
Genesis 47:3
Then Pharaoh said vnto his brethren, What is your trade? And they answered Pharaoh, Thy seruants are shepheards, both we and our fathers.
Exodus 3:1
When Moses kept the sheepe of Iethro his father in lawe, Priest of Midian, & droue the flocke to the backe side of the desert, and came to the Mountaine of God, Horeb,
Psalms 127:3
Beholde, children are the inheritance of the Lord, and the fruite of the wombe his rewarde.
Amos 7:15
And the Lord tooke me as I followed the flocke, and the Lord said vnto me, Go, prophecie vnto my people Israel.
Luke 11:51
From the blood of Abel vnto the blood of Zacharias, which was slaine betweene the altar and the Temple: verely I say vnto 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.


 
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