Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses is the subject, acting on God’s prior command in Midian to return to Egypt after his pursuers died. The narrative moves from divine instruction to Moses’s immediate logistical preparation for the journey.
The words — וַ/יִּקַּ֨ח (va/i.yi.Kach) means "and he took," while בָּנָ֗י/ו (ba.Na/v) translates literally to "his sons." These terms anchor the verse’s focus on Moses’s deliberate action and familial responsibility.
The thread — The staff Moses carries reappears as the instrument of divine power in Exodus 4:2, Exodus 17:9, and Numbers 20:8. This continuity ties his departure to the broader arc of miraculous signs and covenant obedience.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to recognize the transition from divine promise to human execution. It demands readiness to act on prior instruction, even when the path involves personal risk and logistical burden.
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 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.
Cross-references
- Exodus 17:9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.”
- Numbers 20:8 “Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.”
- Exodus 4:2 And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
- Exodus 18:3 along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”
- Numbers 20:11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink.
- Exodus 4:17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform signs with it.”