Exodus 4:8

And the LORD said, “If they refuse to believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe that of the second.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The LORD speaks to Moses immediately after the demonstration of the second sign involving the leprous hand. He establishes a contingency protocol for the Israelites if they reject the initial demonstration.

The words — The Hebrew אֹת (’Ot) translates literally as “sign” or “witness,” paired with the conditional particle אִם (’im) for “if.” These terms structure the divine allowance for verified proof when initial skepticism occurs.

The thread — This sequence of verified signs aligns with Exodus 4:30, where Moses performs the signs after Aaron relays the message. It also mirrors the layered instructional pattern described in Isaiah 28:10.

Why it lands — The text requires acceptance of sequential verification rather than immediate conviction. It asks the reader to recognize that divine authority accommodates human doubt through measured proof.

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

וְהָיָה֙ve./ha.Yahand/ it will be אִם־'im-if לֹ֣אlo'not יַאֲמִ֣ינוּya.'a.Mi.nuthey will believeלָ֔ךְLa/kh<to> <the>/ youוְלֹ֣אve./Lo'and/ not יִשְׁמְע֔וּyish.me.'Uthey will listen לְקֹ֖לle./Kolto/ [the] voice of הָאֹ֣תha./'Otthe/ sign הָרִאשׁ֑וֹןha./ri.Shon<the>/ former וְהֶֽאֱמִ֔ינוּve./he.'e.Mi.nuand/ they will believe לְקֹ֖לle./Kol<to>/ [the] voice of הָאֹ֥תha./'Otthe/ sign הָאַחֲרֽוֹן׃ha./'a.cha.Ron<the>/ latter

King James Version

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

Cross-references

Exodus 4:30 and Aaron relayed everything the LORD had said to Moses. And Moses performed the signs before the people,
Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
Isaiah 28:10 For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.”
2 Kings 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”
Job 5:18 For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.
John 12:37 Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.