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.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it.
- KJV 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.
- BSB “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.
- NASB 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.
- NLT “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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
At God's word Moses throws down his staff and it becomes a snake, and he flees in fear. The sign proves that God can transform the ordinary and that His power, not Moses', stands behind the mission.
Overview
The first confirming sign turns Moses' staff into a serpent, a creature laden with menace in Egypt and recalling the deceiver of Eden. Moses' flight underscores that this is no trick of his own but a genuine display of divine power he cannot control. God will later use this same sign to confront Pharaoh's magicians, demonstrating His supremacy over the gods and serpents of Egypt.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Exod 4:17You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
- Amos 5:19As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; Or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.
- Exod 7:10–15Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 4:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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