1Mojžíš se znova ujal slova a řekl: „A co když mi neuvěří a neuposlechnou mě, ale řeknou: ‚Hospodin se ti nezjevil!’? 2Hospodin se ho zeptal: „Co to máš v ruce?“ Odpověděl: „Hůl.“ 3Hospodin mu řekl: „Hoď ji na zem!“ Mojžíš ji hodil na zem a stal se z ní had, takže Mojžíš před ním utekl. 4Hospodin řekl Mojžíšovi: „Vztáhni svou ruku a chyť ho za ocas!“ Vztáhl ruku, chytil ho a v jeho dlani se z něho stala hůl: 5„To proto, aby uvěřili, že se ti zjevil Hospodin, Bůh jejich otců. Bůh Abrahámův, Bůh Izákův a Bůh Jakubův.“ 6Ještě mu řekl Hospodin: „Vlož ruku do záhybu šatu na prsou!“ Vložil ruku do záhybu šatu na prsou, potom ji odtamtud vytáhl, a hle – jeho ruka byla malomocná, bílá jako sníh. 7Potom mu poručil: „Vlož ruku znovu do záhybu pláště na prsou!“ Vložil ji tam, a když ji vytáhl, hle – byla jako ostatní tělo. 8„Jestliže ti neuvěří a neuposlechnou hlasu prvního znamení, uvěří hlasu znamení druhého. 9Jestliže však neuvěří ani těmto dvěma znamením a neuposlechnou tě, nabereš trochu vody z Nilu a vyleješ ji na suchou zem. Voda, kterou nabereš z Nilu, se změní na suché zemi v krev.“ 10Mojžíš řekl Hospodinu: „Prosím, Pane, nebyl jsem předtím výmluvný, nejsem ani nyní, když mluvíš se svým služebníkem, protože mám těžkopádná ústa a těžkopádný jazyk.“ 11Hospodin mu odpověděl: „Kdo dal člověku ústa? Kdo udělal němého nebo hluchého, vidícího nebo slepého? Zdali ne já, Hospodin? 12A nyní jdi a já budu s tvými ústy a poučím tě, co máš mluvit.“ 13Mojžíš však řekl: „Prosím, Pane, pošli si někoho jiného.“ 14Hospodin se rozhněval na Mojžíše a řekl: „Copak nemáš bratra Árona z pokolení Levi? Vím, že je výmluvný. Hleď, jde ti naproti, uvidí tě a zaraduje se v srdci. 15Budeš s ním mluvit a vložíš má slova do jeho úst. Já budu s tvými ústy i s jeho ústy a poučím vás o tom, co máte dělat. 16On bude za tebe mluvit k lidu, on bude tvými ústy a ty mu budeš jako Bůh. 17Tuto hůl si vezmi do ruky, neboť s ní vykonáš znamení!“ 18Mojžíš odešel, vrátil se ke svému tchánu Jithrovi a řekl mu: „Půjdu a vrátím se ke svým bratrům v Egyptě, abych viděl, zda ještě žijí.“ Jithro řekl Mojžíšovi: „Jdi v pokoji.“ 19Hospodin řekl Mojžíšovi v Midjanu: „Jdi a vrať se do Egypta, neboť zemřeli všichni, kdo ti ukládali o život.“ 20Mojžíš vzal svou ženu a své syny, posadil je na osla a vracel se do egyptské země. A v ruce měl hůl od Boha. 21Hospodin řekl Mojžíšovi: „Až se vrátíš do Egypta, hleď, abys vykonal před faraonem všechny divy, které jsem vložil do tvé ruky. Já však zatvrdím jeho srdce a lid nepropusti. 22Faraonovi řekneš: Tak praví Hospodin: ‚Izrael je můj prvorozený syn. 23Proto ti říkám: Propusť mého syna, aby mi sloužil. Jestliže ho odepřeš propustit, já zabiji tvého prvorozeného syna.’“ 24Na cestě, na místě nočního odpočinku, střetl se s ním Hospodin a chtěl ho usmrtit. 25Sippora vzala ostrý kámen a obřezala předkožku svého syna, dotkla se jeho nohou a řekla: „Jsi můj ženich krve.“ 26Hospodin od něho odešel, když řekla: „Ženich krve kvůli obřezání.“ 27Hospodin řekl Áronovi: „Jdi naproti Mojžíšovi na poušť.“ Šel a potkal ho u Boží hory a políbil ho. 28Mojžíš oznámil Áronovi všechna Hospodinova slova, jimiž ho poslal, a všechna znamení, která mu poručil. 29Mojžíš a Áron šli a shromáždili všechny přední muže Izraelitů. 30Áron vyřídil všechna slova, která mluvil Hospodin k Mojžíšovi, a vykonal před lidem znamení 31a lid uvěřil. Když slyšeli, že Hospodin myslí na Izraelity se soucitem a vidí jejich soužení, hluboce se klaněli.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 MIRACULOUS CHANGE OF THE ROD, &c. (Exo. 4:1-31)
But, behold--Hebrew, "If," "perhaps," "they will not believe me."--What evidence can I produce of my divine mission? There was still a want of full confidence, not in the character and divine power of his employer, but in His presence and power always accompanying him. He insinuated that his communication might be rejected and he himself treated as an impostor.
2 the Lord said, . . . What is that in thine hand?--The question was put not to elicit information which God required, but to draw the particular attention of Moses.
A rod--probably the shepherd's crook--among the Arabs, a long staff, with a curved head, varying from three to six feet in length.
6 Put now thine hand into thy bosom--the open part of his outer robe, worn about the girdle.
9 take of the water of the river--Nile. Those miracles, two of which were wrought then, and the third to be performed on his arrival in Goshen, were at first designed to encourage him as satisfactory proofs of his divine mission, and to be repeated for the special confirmation of his embassy before the Israelites.
10 I am not eloquent--It is supposed that Moses labored under a natural defect of utterance or had a difficulty in the free and fluent expression of his ideas in the Egyptian language, which he had long disused. This new objection was also overruled, but still Moses, who foresaw the manifold difficulties of the undertaking, was anxious to be freed from the responsibility.
14 the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses--The Divine Being is not subject to ebullitions of passion; but His displeasure was manifested by transferring the honor of the priesthood, which would otherwise have been bestowed on Moses, to Aaron, who was from this time destined to be the head of the house of Levi (
1Chr 23:13). Marvellous had been His condescension and patience in dealing with Moses; and now every remaining scruple was removed by the unexpected and welcome intelligence that his brother Aaron was to be his colleague. God knew from the beginning what Moses would do, but He reserves this motive to the last as the strongest to rouse his languid heart, and Moses now fully and cordially complied with the call. If we are surprised at his backwardness amidst all the signs and promises that were given him, we must admire his candor and honesty in recording it.
18 Moses . . . returned to Jethro--Being in his service, it was right to obtain his consent, but Moses evinced piety, humility, and prudence, in not divulging the special object of his journey.
19 all the men are dead which sought thy life--The death of the Egyptian monarch took place in the four hundred and twenty-ninth year of the Hebrew sojourn in that land, and that event, according to the law of Egypt, took off his proscription of Moses, if it had been publicly issued.
20 Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass--Septuagint, "asses." Those animals are not now used in the desert of Sinai except by the Arabs for short distances.
returned--entered on his journey towards Egypt.
he took the rod of God--so called from its being appropriated to His service, and because whatever miracles it might be employed in performing would be wrought not by its inherent properties, but by a divine power following on its use. (Compare
Acts 3:12).
24 inn--Hebrew, "a halting place for the night."
the Lord met him, and sought to kill him--that is, he was either overwhelmed with mental distress or overtaken by a sudden and dangerous malady. The narrative is obscure, but the meaning seems to be, that, led during his illness to a strict self-examination, he was deeply pained and grieved at the thought of having, to please his wife, postponed or neglected the circumcision of one of his sons, probably the younger. To dishonor that sign and seal of the covenant was criminal in any Hebrew, peculiarly so in one destined to be the leader and deliverer of the Hebrews; and he seems to have felt his sickness as a merited chastisement for his sinful omission. Concerned for her husband's safety, Zipporah overcomes her maternal feelings of aversion to the painful rite, performs herself, by means of one of the sharp flints with which that part of the desert abounds, an operation which her husband, on whom the duty devolved, was unable to do, and having brought the bloody evidence, exclaimed in the painful excitement of her feelings that from love to him she had risked the life of her child [CALVIN, BULLINGER, ROSENMULLER].
26 So he let him go--Moses recovered; but the remembrance of this critical period in his life would stimulate the Hebrew legislator to enforce a faithful attention to the rite of circumcision when it was established as a divine ordinance in Israel, and made their peculiar distinction as a people.
27 Aaron met him in the mount of God, and kissed him--After a separation of forty years, their meeting would be mutually happy. Similar are the salutations of Arab friends when they meet in the desert still; conspicuous is the kiss on each side of the head.
29 Moses and Aaron went--towards Egypt, Zipporah and her sons having been sent back. (Compare
Exod 18:2).
gathered . . . all the elders--Aaron was spokesman, and Moses performed the appointed miracles--through which "the people" (that is, the elders) believed (
1Kgs 17:24;
Josh 3:2) and received the joyful tidings of the errand on which Moses had come with devout thanksgiving. Formerly they had slighted the message and rejected the messenger. Formerly Moses had gone in his own strength; now he goes leaning on God, and strong only through faith in Him who had sent him. Israel also had been taught a useful lesson, and it was good for both that they had been afflicted.