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Saturday, July 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Green's Literal Translation

Exodus 4:20

And Moses took his wife and his sons and made them ride on an ass. And he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Moses;   Scofield Reference Index - Inspiration;   Miracles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Moses' Rod;   Rod;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Sinai;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ass;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Moses;   Prayer;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Ass;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;   Rod;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   On to Sinai;   On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ass;   Exodus, the Book of;   Moses;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Aaron's Rod;   Ass;   Eliezer;   Elohist;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Moshe took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Mitzrayim. Moshe took God's rod in his hand.
King James Version
And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
Lexham English Bible
And Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on the donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
New Century Version
So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and started back to Egypt. He took with him the walking stick of God.
New English Translation
Then Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey and headed back to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
Amplified Bible
So Moses took his wife [Zipporah] and his sons [Gershom and Eliezer] and seated them on donkeys, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.
New American Standard Bible
So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Moses tooke his wife, & his sonnes, and put them on an asse, and returned towarde the lande of Egypt, and Moses tooke the rod of God in his hand.
Legacy Standard Bible
So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.
Contemporary English Version
So Moses put his wife and sons on donkeys and headed for Egypt, holding the walking stick that had the power of God.
Complete Jewish Bible
So Moshe took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and started out for Egypt. Moshe took God's staff in his hand.
Darby Translation
And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them riding upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
Easy-to-Read Version
So Moses put his wife and children on the donkey and returned to Egypt. He carried his walking stick with him—the walking stick with the power of God.
English Standard Version
So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
George Lamsa Translation
And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and started on his way back to Egypt; and he took the staff of God in his hand.
Good News Translation
So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and set out with them for Egypt, carrying the walking stick that God had told him to take.
Christian Standard Bible®
So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff in his hand.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So Moses toke his wife, and his sonnes, and caried them vpon an Asse, & wente againe into the lande of Egipte, & toke the staff of God in his hande.
American Standard Version
And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
Bible in Basic English
And Moses took his wife and his sons and put them on an ass and went back to the land of Egypt: and he took the rod of God in his hand.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Moyses toke his wyfe, and his sonnes, and put them on an asse, and went agayne to Egypt: And Moyses toke the rodde of God in his hande.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
King James Version (1611)
And Moses tooke his wife, and his sonnes, and set them vpon an asse, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses tooke the rod of God in his hand.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Moses took his wife and his children, and mounted them on the beasts, and returned to Egypt; and Moses took the rod which he had from God in his hand.
English Revised Version
And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
Berean Standard Bible
So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Moises took his wijf, and hise sones, and puttide hem on an asse, and he turnede ayen in to Egipt, and bar the yerde of God in his hond.
Young's Literal Translation
and Moses taketh his wife, and his sons, and causeth them to ride on the ass, and turneth back to the land of Egypt, and Moses taketh the rod of God in his hand.
Update Bible Version
And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Moses took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
World English Bible
Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God's rod in his hand.
New King James Version
Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
New Living Translation
So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God.
New Life Bible
So Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the special stick of God in his hand.
New Revised Standard
So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt; and Moses carried the staff of God in his hand.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So Moses took his wife and his sons, and caused them to ride upon the ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt, - and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Moses therefore took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass; and returned into Egypt, carrying the rod of God in his hand.
Revised Standard Version
So Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on an ass, and went back to the land of Egypt; and in his hand Moses took the rod of God.
THE MESSAGE
So Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey for the return trip to Egypt. He had a firm grip on the staff of God.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.

Contextual Overview

18 And Moses went and returned to his father-in-law Jethro, and said to him, Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 19 And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go! Return to Egypt. For all the men are dead, those seeking your life. 20 And Moses took his wife and his sons and made them ride on an ass. And he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand. 21 And Jehovah said to Moses, As you go to return to Egypt, see all the wonders which I have put in your hand, and do them before Pharaoh. And I will make strong his heart, and he will not send the people away. 22 And you shall speak to Pharaoh, So says Jehovah, My son, My first-born is Israel. 23 And I said to you, Send My son away, and let him serve Me; and you refused to send him. Behold, I am about to kill your son, your first-born!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the rod of God: Exodus 4:2, Exodus 4:17, Exodus 17:9, Numbers 20:8, Numbers 20:9

Reciprocal: Exodus 2:21 - Zipporah Exodus 7:9 - Take Exodus 14:16 - lift Numbers 18:20 - General 2 Kings 4:24 - Then she 1 Chronicles 23:15 - Gershom Acts 7:29 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 4:2
And she continued to bear his brother, Abel. And Abel became a shepherd of flocks. And Cain became a tiller of the ground.
Genesis 4:4
And Abel brought, he also, from the firstlings of his flocks, even from their fat. And Jehovah looked to Abel and to his offering.
Genesis 4:5
And He did not look to Cain and to his offering. And Cain glowed greatly with anger, and his face fell.
Genesis 4:9
And Jehovah said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel? And he said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?
Genesis 4:10
And He said, What have you done? The voice of the blood of your brother cries to Me from the ground.
Genesis 4:11
And now you are cursed more than the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
Genesis 4:12
When you till the ground, it will not again give its strength to you. You shall be a vagabond and a fugitive on the earth.
Genesis 4:21
And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the father of all those playing the harp and the organ.
Genesis 25:27
And the boys grew up. And Esau became a man knowing hunting, a man of the field. And Jacob was a simple man, living in tents.
John 8:44
You are of the Devil as father, and the lusts of your father you desire to do. That one was a murderer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaksfrom his own, because he is a liar, and the father of it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Moses took his wife, and his sons,.... Gershom and Eliezer; by which it appears that he intended to stay in Egypt, and that he believed that God would work deliverance by him:

and set them upon an ass: which though with us a mean creature, yet in those times and countries were rode upon by great personages; and these, as Aben Ezra says, were reckoned in Egypt more honourable than mules. It may be the singular is put for the plural, and that each of them was set upon an ass, with servants to take care of them:

and he returned to the land of Egypt; that is, he set forward to go thither; for before he got thither, various things are related which befell him:

and Moses took the rod of God in his hand: his shepherd's staff, so called, because God ordered him to take it; and besides, he had wrought signs and wonders by it already, and would do many more.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

An ass - Literally, “the ass,” which, according to Hebrew idiom, means that he set them upon asses. This is the first notice of other sons besides Gershom.

The rod of God - The staff of Moses was consecrated by the miracle Exodus 4:2 and became “the rod of God.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 4:20. His wife and his sons — Both Gershom and Eliezer, though the birth of the latter has not yet been mentioned in the Hebrew text. Exodus 2:22.

Set them upon an ass — The Septuagint reads the word in the plural, εκι τα ὑποζυγια, upon asses, as it certainly required more than one to carry Zipporah, Gershom, and Eliezer.

The rod of God — The sign of sovereign power, by which he was to perform all his miracles; once the badge of his shepherd's office, and now that by which he is to feed, rule, and protect his people Israel.


 
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