Bible Strands
Exodus 4:2
And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD addresses Moses in response to Moses’s objection that the Israelites will not believe he has been sent by God. This dialogue occurs at the threshold of the sign sequence, immediately preceding the command to cast the rod on the ground.
The words — The Hebrew מַטּֽה (maṭṭeh) translates literally to “a staff,” referring to the wooden rod Moses carries. The phrase מַה־זֶּה בְּיָדֶךָ (mah-zeh be-yadkha) literally means “what is this in your hand,” positioning the object as the direct subject of divine inquiry.
The thread — The staff functions as the designated instrument for performing signs in Exodus 4:17 and Exodus 4:20, and parallels the royal scepter imagery in Psalms 110:2. These passages trace a consistent biblical pattern where a mundane rod becomes the vehicle for executed authority.
Why it lands — The text requires a literal inventory of one’s current resources and a willingness to submit them to external command. It asks the reader to acknowledge that efficacy depends on divine instruction rather than the inherent properties of the tool.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
Cross-references
- Exodus 4:17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform signs with it.”
- Exodus 4:20 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.
- Psalms 110:2 The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
- Isaiah 11:4 but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
- Genesis 30:37 Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches.
- Leviticus 27:32 Every tenth animal from the herd or flock that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the LORD.
- Micah 7:14 Shepherd with Your staff Your people, the flock of Your inheritance. They live alone in a woodland, surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.