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

Legacy Standard Bible

Exodus 4:20

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.

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.
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.
Literal Translation
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.
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

18Then Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Please, let me go, that I may return to my brothers who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." 19And Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead." 20So 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. 21And Yahweh said to Moses, "When you go to return to Egypt, see to it that all the miraculous wonders which I have put in your hand, that you do them before Pharaoh; but as for Me, I will harden his heart with strength so that he will not let the people go. 22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says Yahweh, "Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"

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 again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground.
Genesis 4:4
Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And Yahweh had regard for Abel and for his offering;
Genesis 4:5
but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
Genesis 4:9
Then Yahweh said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" 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 your brother's blood is crying out to Me from the ground.
Genesis 4:11
And now, cursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
Genesis 4:12
When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth."
Genesis 4:21
And his brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.
Genesis 25:27
And the boys grew up; Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents.
John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

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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