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the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Literal Standard Version

Exodus 4:3

and He says, "Cast it to the earth"; and he casts it to the earth, and it becomes a serpent—and Moses flees from its presence.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Call;   Communion;   Condescension of God;   Israel;   Miracles;   Moses;   Serpent;   Sign;   Token;   Scofield Reference Index - Miracles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Serpents;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Miracles;   Miracles Wrought through Servants of God;   Prophets;   Serpents;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Miracle;   Sinai;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Snake;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Prophecy, Prophets;   Rod, Staff;   Serpent;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Moses;   Prayer;   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 - Bel and the Dragon (2);   Dragon;   Moses;   Serpent;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Dragon;   Miracle;   Moses;   Serpent;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
He said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moshe ran away from it.
King James Version
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Lexham English Bible
And he said, "Throw it onto the ground." And he threw it onto the ground, and it became a snake, and Moses fled from it.
New Century Version
The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from the snake,
New English Translation
The Lord said, "Throw it to the ground." So he threw it to the ground, and it became a snake, and Moses ran from it.
Amplified Bible
Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a [living] serpent [like the royal symbol on the crown of Pharaoh]; and Moses ran from it.
New American Standard Bible
Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it turned into a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
Geneva Bible (1587)
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.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
Contemporary English Version
"Throw it down!" the Lord commanded. So Moses threw the stick on the ground. It immediately turned into a snake, and Moses jumped back.
Complete Jewish Bible
He said, "Throw it on the ground!" and he threw it on the ground. It turned into a snake, and Moshe recoiled from it.
Darby Translation
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then God said, "Throw your walking stick on the ground." So Moses threw his walking stick on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it,
English Standard Version
And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.
George Lamsa Translation
And the LORD said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Good News Translation
The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." When Moses threw it down, it turned into a snake, and he ran away from it.
Christian Standard Bible®
“Throw it on the ground,” he said. So Moses threw it on the ground, it became a snake, and he ran from it.
Literal Translation
And He said, Throw it to the ground. And he threw it to the ground, and it became a snake. And Moses fled before it.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He sayde: Cast it from the vpon the grounde. And he cast it fro him: then was it turned to a serpent. And Moses fled fro it.
American Standard Version
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Bible in Basic English
And he said, Put it down on the earth. And he put it down on the earth and it became a snake; and Moses went running from it.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayde: Cast it on the grounde. And he cast it on the grounde, and it became a serpent: and Moyses fled fro the syght of it.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And He said: 'Cast it on the ground.' And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
King James Version (1611)
And he said, Cast it on the ground: And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent: and Moses fled from before it.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said, Cast it on the ground: and he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from it.
English Revised Version
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Berean Standard Bible
"Throw it on the ground," said the Lord. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord seide, Caste it forth into erthe; and he castide forth, and it was turned in to a serpent, so that Moises fledde.
Young's Literal Translation
and He saith, `Cast it to the earth;' and he casteth it to the earth, and it becometh a serpent -- and Moses fleeth from its presence.
Update Bible Version
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent: and Moses fled from before it.
World English Bible
He said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it.
New King James Version
And He said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
New Living Translation
"Throw it down on the ground," the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.
New Life Bible
Then the Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. And Moses ran from it.
New Revised Standard
And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw the staff on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses drew back from it.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said he - Cast it to the earth. And he cast it to the earth, and it became a serpent, - and Moses fled from the face thereof.
Douay-Rheims Bible
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.
Revised Standard Version
And he said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
THE MESSAGE
"Throw it on the ground." He threw it. It became a snake; Moses jumped back—fast!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

Contextual Overview

1And Moses answers and says, "And if they do not give credence to me, nor listen to my voice, and say, YHWH has not appeared to you?" 2And YHWH says to him, "What [is] this in your hand?" And he says, "A rod"; 3and He says, "Cast it to the earth"; and he casts it to the earth, and it becomes a serpent—and Moses flees from its presence.4And YHWH says to Moses, "Put forth your hand, and lay hold on the tail of it"; and he puts forth his hand, and lays hold on it, and it becomes a rod in his hand— 5"so that they believe that YHWH, God of their fathers, has appeared to you, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob." 6And YHWH says to him again, "Now put your hand into your bosom"; and he puts his hand into his bosom, and he brings it out, and behold, his hand [is] leprous as snow; 7and He says, "Put your hand back into your bosom"; and he puts his hand back into his bosom, and he brings it out from his bosom, and behold, it has turned back as his flesh— 8"and it has come to pass, if they do not give credence to you, and do not listen to the voice of the first sign, that they have given credence to the voice of the latter sign. 9And it has come to pass, if they do not give credence even to these two signs, nor listen to your voice, that you have taken of the waters of the River, and have poured [it] on the dry land, and the waters which you take from the River have been, indeed, they have become blood on the dry land."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

it became: Exodus 4:17, Exodus 7:10-15, Amos 5:19

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 13:3 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
And the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceives and bears Cain, and says, "I have acquired a man by YHWH";
Genesis 4:11
and now, cursed [are] you from the ground, which has opened her mouth to receive the blood of your brother from your hand;
Numbers 18:12
all the best of the oil, and all the best of the new wine, and wheat—their first-[fruits] which they give to YHWH—I have given them to you.
1 Kings 17:7
And it comes to pass, at the end of [the] days, that the brook dries up, for there has been no rain in the land,
Nehemiah 13:6
And during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came to the king, and at the end of days I have asked of the king,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, cast it on the ground,.... That is, the rod or staff:

and he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; not in appearance only, but in reality, it was changed into a real living serpent; for God, who is the author of nature, can change the nature of things as he pleases; nor is it to be supposed that he would only make it look to the sight as if it was one, by working upon the fancy and imagination to think it was one, when it was not; no doubt but it was as really turned into a true serpent, as the water was turned really and truly into wine by our Lord; this was the first miracle that ever was wrought, that we know of. Dr. Lightfoot h observes, that as a serpent was the fittest emblem of the devil, Genesis 3:1 so was it a sign that Moses did not these miracles by the power of the devil, but had a power over and beyond him, when he could thus deal with the serpent at his pleasure, as to make his rod a serpent, and the serpent a rod, as he saw good:

and Moses fled from before it; the Jews say i it was a fiery serpent, but for this they have no warrant: however, without supposing that it might be terrible and frightful, inasmuch as a common serpent is very disagreeable to men, and such an uncommon and extraordinary one must be very surprising, to see a staff become a serpent, a living one, crawling and leaping about, and perhaps turning itself towards Moses, whose staff it had been. Philo the Jew k says, it was a dragon, an exceeding large one.

h Works, vol. 1. p. 702. i Pirke Eliezer, c. 40. k De Vita Mosls, l. 1. 614.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A serpent - This miracle had a meaning which Moses could not mistake. The serpent was probably the basilisk or Uraeus, the Cobra. This was the symbol of royal and divine power on the diadem of every Pharaoh. The conversion of the rod was not merely a portent, it was a sign, at once a pledge and representation of victory over the king and gods of Egypt!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 4:3. A serpent — Of what sort we know not, as the word נחש nachash is a general name for serpents, and also means several other things, see Genesis 3:1: but it was either of a kind that he had not seen before, or one that he knew to be dangerous; for it is said, he fled from before it. Some suppose the staff was changed into a crocodile; Exodus 7:10.


 
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