Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 4:20
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.
20a (J). his wife, &c.] according to E Moses went alone into Egypt, and was only joined by his wife and sons afterwards (Exo 18:5).
his sons ] The birth of only one son has been hitherto mentioned (Exo 2:22); and Exo 4:25 suggests strongly that only one son was with Moses at the time: Di. and others are therefore probably right in thinking that we should read his son, the plural being an alteration due to an editor or scribe who thought that account should be taken of Exo 18:2-4.
20b (E). the rod of God ] So Exo 17:9, cf. on Exo 4:17.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
An ass – Literally, the ass, which, according to Hebrew idiom, means that he set them upon asses. This is the first notice of other sons besides Gershom.
The rod of God – The staff of Moses was consecrated by the miracle Exo 4:2 and became the rod of God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Exo 4:20
Returned to the land of Egypt.
The journey to Egypt
I. That a good man journeying on the service of God should take his family with him. Never go on any good errand without your family; teach the youthful feet to walk in obedience to God.
II. That a good man journeying on the service of God should take his rod with him. Never go on a journey of moral service without God. Especially if you are a minister of the gospel, take the rod on your journey to Egypt.
1. It will keep you humble. It will remind you of your humble occupation in the desert, when you are tempted to pride, in the great service to which God has called you. Every Christian worker needs to have something within his soul to inspire humility.
2. It will make you happy. When you are desponding and sad, when the work does not open up to your effort as you would wish, the rod will remind you of the vision at the bush, and of the miracles wrought at the commencement of the mission. The reason why there are so many unhappy workers in the Church, is because they have left the rod at home.
3. It will make you powerful. With this rod Moses was to work miracles. So if Christian workers had the rod of God in their hand, they would be able to show to the world much more effectively than they do, the holy tokens of their mission. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 20. His wife and his sons] Both Gershom and Eliezer, though the birth of the latter has not yet been mentioned in the Hebrew text. See Clarke on Ex 2:22.
Set them upon an ass] The Septuagint reads the word in the plural, , upon asses, as it certainly required more than one to carry Zipporah, Gershom, and Eliezer.
The rod of God] The sign of sovereign power, by which he was to perform all his miracles; once the badge of his shepherd’s office, and now that by which he is to feed, rule, and protect his people Israel.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
His sons, Gershom, Exo 2:22, and Eliezer, Exo 18:4, whom he intended to carry with him; but afterwards observing that they were like to be impediments to him in his great business, and being well assured that it would not be long ere he returned to them, he sent them back to Jethro, as may seem from Exo 18:5.
Upon an ass: one ass might be sufficient for her and her two children, because one of them was but little, Exo 4:25. Or ass may be put for asses, which changes of the numbers is very frequent in Scripture.
The rod of God; his shepherds rod so called, partly because it was appropriated to Gods special service, to be the instrument in all his glorious works; and partly to show that whatsoever was done by that rod, was not done by any virtue in the rod, or in Mosess hand, but merely by the power of God, who was pleased for the greater confusion of his enemies to use so mean an instrument.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. Moses took his wife and hissons, and set them upon an assSeptuagint, “asses.”Those animals are not now used in the desert of Sinai except by theArabs for short distances.
returnedentered on hisjourney towards Egypt.
he took the rod of Godsocalled from its being appropriated to His service, and becausewhatever miracles it might be employed in performing would be wroughtnot by its inherent properties, but by a divine power following onits use. (Compare Ac 3:12).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Moses took his wife, and his sons,…. Gershom and Eliezer; by which it appears that he intended to stay in Egypt, and that he believed that God would work deliverance by him:
and set them upon an ass: which though with us a mean creature, yet in those times and countries were rode upon by great personages; and these, as Aben Ezra says, were reckoned in Egypt more honourable than mules. It may be the singular is put for the plural, and that each of them was set upon an ass, with servants to take care of them:
and he returned to the land of Egypt; that is, he set forward to go thither; for before he got thither, various things are related which befell him:
and Moses took the rod of God in his hand: his shepherd’s staff, so called, because God ordered him to take it; and besides, he had wrought signs and wonders by it already, and would do many more.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
20. And Moses took his wife. By taking his wife and children with him, Moses clearly and freely professed, that he was returning to Egypt, to dwell there. The ass upon which he set them, is a plain proof how humble was his condition, and how slender his substance. For it is improbable that he left either money or silver vessels or precious garments with his father-in-law, so as to present himself to his people in poverty and nakedness. But as he had been content in the land of Midian with his indigence and coarse fare, he continues in the same simple estate; nor is he ashamed in his contemptible and common habit to mount the stage on which his poverty would be conspicuous, which in the Desert had been concealed. It is well known as a matter of experience, that the poor are led to crime more by the fear of shame than by hunger, cold, and other discomforts. Wherefore Moses withstood a very heavy temptation, when he cared not for being laughed at, and despised, and presented himself without any earthly splendor. But there is here an implied antithesis between “the rod of God” and the appearance of the humble and despised man, without any other equipment whatever; it is as much as to say, that it did not trouble him that he was without everything else, as long as he had the rod, which abundantly compensated for all deficiencies. Therefore, although he perceived that he would be exposed to the scorn of high and low, in leading the ass, burdened, as we have been observing, still he thought himself well, and more than well provided in his rod, the instrument of divine power, by which he should magnificently triumph, and could afford to dispense with the pomp of royalty. And surely the marks by which God would have his servants distinguished, deserve this honor, that we should require nothing to be added to their dignity. We must observe the epithet applied to the rod; it is called no longer the rod of Moses, but “the rod of God,” because it is not used, as of old, to conduct his flock, but (58) to represent the power of God. For since it was by the sovereign power of God that it worked miracles, whatever concerned their glory is truly and properly ascribed to God. Elsewhere, indeed, it is called the rod of Moses; inasmuch as God communicates his own titles to the ministers chosen and created by himself, since he supplies them with the efficacy of his Spirit.
(58) Pour estre lieutenant de Dieu. — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Exo. 4:20
THE JOURNEY TO EGYPT
I. That a good man journeying on the service of God should take his family with him. And Moses took his wife and sons, &c. When a man is going on the errands of God he should always take his family with him, that they may participate in his work, its responsibility, its sorrow, and its victory. Never go on any good errand without your family; it is well to teach the youthful feet to walk in obedience to God. Many a young man has learned the art, and gathered the spirit and desire for Christian service, by being taken to it by a godly parent. Are you journeying to heaven? Take your family with you.
II. That a good man journeying on the service of God should take his rod with him. Never go on a journey of moral service without God. Especially if you are a minister of the Gospel, take the rod on your journey to Egypt.
1. It will keep you humble. It will remind you of your humble occupation in the desert, when you are tempted to pride, in the great service to which God has called you. Every Christian worker needs to have something within his soul to inspire humility.
2. It will make you happy. When you are desponding and sad, when the work does not open up to your effort as you would wish, the rod will remind you of the vision at the bush, and of the miracles wrought at the commencement of the mission. The reason why there are so many unhappy workers in the Church is because they have left the rod at home.
3. It will make you powerful. With this rod Moses was to work miracles. So if Christian workers had the rod of God in their hand, they would be able to show to the world much more effectively than they do, the holy tokens of their mission. To all the emancipators of the souls of men we would say, Never journey to Egypt without your rod. God has given it to you. He has consecrated it by His promise. He has made it the symbol of his power. You cannot afford to travel without it. No other rod can supply its place.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(20) His sons.Only one had been mentioned previously, viz., Gershom (Exo. 2:22), unless we accept the Vulgate addition to that place. But another had been recently born to him.
Set them upon an ass.Heb., upon the ass, i.e., cither upon his ass, or, according to some, upon asses. The singular of a substantive with the article is sometimes used for the genus (Gen. 15:11).
He returned.Rather, set out to return (, LXX.).
The rod of God.An emphatic phrase. Gods endowment of the rod with miraculous power had made it the rod of God. It was the instrument by means of which most of the plagues and the other miracles were wrought (Exo. 7:20; Exo. 8:6; Exo. 8:17; Exo. 9:23; Exo. 10:13; Exo. 14:16; Exo. 17:5; Num. 20:9; &c).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. And Moses took his wife Zipporah . And his (two) sons Gershom and Eliezer .
Set thereupon an ass Rather, made them ride upon the ass . Probably only Zipporah and the child Eliezer rode, while Moses and Gershom walked by the side of the ass . This was an humble, an unostentatious, entry of the commander of the hosts of Israel!
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 4:20. The rod of God It is so called, because it was, in the hand of Moses, the symbol of Divine Power, and the instrument by which he wrought all the prodigies that signalized his ministry.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Act 26:19
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 4:20 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.
Ver. 20. Upon an ass. ] This may argue his poverty, as Zec 9:9 . Especially if he had but one ass for the whole family.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sons = Gershom and Eliezer. See on Exo 2:1.
upon an ass. Still young, So that Moses married after many years in Midian.
rod of God. His own rod is now thus dignified.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the rod of God: Exo 4:2, Exo 4:17, Exo 17:9, Num 20:8, Num 20:9
Reciprocal: Exo 2:21 – Zipporah Exo 7:9 – Take Exo 14:16 – lift Num 18:20 – General 2Ki 4:24 – Then she 1Ch 23:15 – Gershom Act 7:29 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4:20 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 {h} rod of God in his hand.
(h) By which he wrought the miracles.