Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” New Living Translation But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The LORD never appeared to you’?” English Standard Version Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” Berean Standard Bible Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” King James Bible And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. New King James Version Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ” New American Standard Bible Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” NASB 1995 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” NASB 1977 Then Moses answered and said, “What if they will not believe me, or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” Legacy Standard Bible Then Moses answered and said, “What if they will not believe me and will not listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’” Amplified Bible Then Moses answered [the LORD] and said, “What if they will not believe me or take seriously what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” Christian Standard Bible Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’? ” Holman Christian Standard Bible Then Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you?” American Standard Version And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee. Contemporary English Version Moses asked the LORD, "Suppose everyone refuses to listen to my message, and no one believes that you really appeared to me?" English Revised Version And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. GOD'S WORD® Translation "They will never believe me or listen to me!" Moses protested. "They will say, 'The LORD didn't appear to you.'" Good News Translation Then Moses answered the LORD, "But suppose the Israelites do not believe me and will not listen to what I say. What shall I do if they say that you did not appear to me?" International Standard Version Then Moses answered, "Look, they won't believe me and they won't listen to me. Instead, they'll say, 'The LORD didn't appear to you.'" Majority Standard Bible Then Moses answered, ?What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ?The LORD has not appeared to you.?? NET Bible Moses answered again, "And if they do not believe me or pay attention to me, but say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you'?" New Heart English Bible Moses answered, "But, look, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, 'God has not appeared to you.'" Webster's Bible Translation And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared to thee. World English Bible Moses answered, “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd Moses answers and says, “And if they do not give credence to me, nor listen to my voice, and say, YHWH has not appeared to you?” Young's Literal Translation And Moses answereth and saith, 'And, if they do not give credence to me, nor hearken to my voice, and say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee?' Smith's Literal Translation And Moses will answer and say, And behold, they will not believe in me, and they will not bear to my voice: for they will say, Jehovah was not seen to thee. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleMoses answered and said: They will not believe me, nor hear my voice, but they will say: The Lord hath not appeared to thee. Catholic Public Domain Version Responding, Moses said, “They will not believe me, and they will not listen to my voice, but they will say: ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” New American Bible “But,” objected Moses, “suppose they do not believe me or listen to me? For they may say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’ ” New Revised Standard Version Then Moses answered, “But suppose they do not believe me or listen to me, but say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAND Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, The LORD has not appeared to you. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And Moshe answered and said, “Behold, they will not believe me and will not hear my voice, because they will say, ‘LORD JEHOVAH has not appeared to you.’” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And Moses answered and said: 'But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say: The lord hath not appeared unto thee.' Brenton Septuagint Translation And Moses answered and said, If they believe me not, and do not hearken to my voice (for they will say, God has not appeared to thee), what shall I say to them? Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Moses' Staff1Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” 2And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.… Cross References Numbers 20:12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” Numbers 14:11 And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them? Deuteronomy 1:32 But in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, Isaiah 7:9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’” Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? Jeremiah 1:6-8 “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!” / But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak. / Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD. Ezekiel 3:7 But the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen to you, since they are unwilling to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. 1 Samuel 10:27 But some worthless men said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him and brought him no gifts; but Saul remained silent about it. 1 Kings 13:18 Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” The old prophet was lying to him, Judges 6:36-40 Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said, / then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” / And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. ... Matthew 17:20 “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 28:17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Mark 16:14 Later, as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. Luke 24:11 But their words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women. John 12:37-38 Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. / This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Treasury of Scripture And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice: for they will say, The LORD has not appeared to you. Exodus 4:31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. Exodus 2:14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. Jump to Previous Appear Appeared Believe Ear Faith Hearken Moses VoiceJump to Next Appear Appeared Believe Ear Faith Hearken Moses VoiceExodus 4 1. Moses's rod is turned into a serpent.6. His hand is leprous. 10. He loathes his calling. 13. Aaron is appointed to assist him. 18. Moses departs from Jethro. 21. God's message to Pharaoh. 24. Zipporah circumcises her son. 27. Aaron is sent to meet Moses. 29. The people believe them. Then Moses answered, Moses is responding to God after being called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. This moment occurs at the burning bush, a significant theophany where God reveals Himself to Moses. Moses' response indicates his hesitation and doubt, a common human reaction when faced with a daunting task. This reflects the broader biblical theme of God choosing imperfect individuals to fulfill His purposes. “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesA Hebrew prophet chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. At this point, Moses is expressing doubt and insecurity about his mission. 2. The LORD (Yahweh) The covenant name of God, who appears to Moses and commissions him to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. 3. Israelites The descendants of Jacob, who are enslaved in Egypt and whom Moses is called to lead to freedom. 4. Egypt The land where the Israelites are enslaved and from which God plans to deliver them through Moses. 5. The Burning Bush The location where God appears to Moses and commissions him, although not directly mentioned in this verse, it is the context of the conversation. Teaching Points Faith in God's CallingMoses' doubt is a common human response, yet God equips those He calls. We should trust in God's provision and guidance. Overcoming Insecurity Like Moses, we may feel inadequate for tasks God assigns us. However, God often uses our weaknesses to demonstrate His strength. The Importance of Obedience Despite his doubts, Moses eventually obeys God's command. Our obedience can lead to significant outcomes in God's plan. God's Assurance God provides signs and assurances to Moses. In our lives, God often provides confirmation and encouragement through His Word and Spirit. The Role of Faith in Leadership Moses' journey shows that faith is crucial for effective leadership, especially when facing opposition or doubt.IV. (1) Behold.--Some render the word here used by "perhaps" (LXX., Aben-Ezra, Saadia, &c); but it does not appear to have anywhere this meaning. Moses meant to express a positive conviction that he would not be listened to. His faith was weak. They will say, The Lord hath not appeared.--It is very probable that the people would have said this if Moses had not had any credentials to produce. It is even possible that they did say it. There had been no appearance of Jehovah to any one for above four hundred years, and they might well think that the age of miracles was past. Miracles cluster around certain crises in God's dealings with man, ceasing alto gether between one crisis and another. They were suspended for above 500 years between the time of Daniel and the appearance of the angel to Zacharias. Verses 1-17. - The reluctance of Moses to undertake the part of leader, indicated by his first reply at his first calling, "Who am I that I should go?" etc. (Exodus 3:11), was not yet overcome. God had promised that he would succeed; but he did not see how he could succeed, either with the people or with Pharaoh. It was not enough for him that God had declared, "They (the people) shall hearken unto thy voice" (ib. 18); he does not, cannot believe this, and replies: "Behold, they will not believe, neither hearken unto my voice" (Exodus 4:1). This was plain want of faith; but not unnatural, and not, in God's sight, inexcusable. God therefore condescended to the human weakness of his servant, and proceeded to show him how he intended that he should persuade the people of his mission. He should persuade them by producing the credentials of miracles (vers. 2-9). But the laggard heart finds yet a further objection. Moses feels that he labours under a personal defect, which (he thinks) is an absolute disqualification. He is "slow of speech and of a slow tongue" (ver. 10), has always been wanting in eloquence, and does not find himself any the more eloquent since God has been speaking with him. In vain does Jehovah promise to "be with his mouth" (ver. 12); Moses' last word indicates all the old feeling of self-distrust. "Send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send" (ver. 13). Then at last the anger of the Lord is kindled against Moses, and God inflicts on him a sort of punishment - degrades him; as it were - deposes him from the position of sole leader, and associates Aaron with him in such sort that Aaron must have appeared, both to the Israelites and to the Pharaoh, as the chief leader rather than Moses. (See Exodus 4:30; Exodus 7:2, 10, 19; Exodus 8:6, 17, etc.) At this point the interview between Moses and Jehovah ends, and the action of the Exodus commences. Moses obtains leave to quit Midian, and quits it - retires to Egypt, after escaping from a dangerous sickness on the way (vers. 24-26), is met by Aaron and takes him into his counsels, summons the elders and exhibits before them his miraculous powers, persuades them, and is finally accepted as having, with Aaron, a mission from God, both by the elders and the people. Verse 1 - Behold, they will not believe. Attempts have been made to soften down this contradiction of God's words in Exodus 3:18, and to represent Moses as merely saying, "What if the people will not hearken, etc. What shall I do then?" (So the LXX., Geddes, Boothroyd, and others.) But the phrase is really emphatic and peremptory. As Rosenmuller says: "Vox est negantis et detrac-tantis officium." The Lord hath not appeared to thee. It is quite probable that the Israelites would have so spoken, if Moses had had no sign to show. There had been no appearance of Jehovah to anyone for above four hundred years. And the Israelites, who had not seen Moses for forty years, would not know whether he was a veracious person or not.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Then Mosesמֹשֶׁה֙ (mō·šeh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver answered, וַיַּ֤עַן (way·ya·‘an) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 6030: To answer, respond “What if וְהֵן֙ (wə·hên) Conjunctive waw | Interjection Strong's 2005: Lo! behold! they refuse לֹֽא־ (lō-) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no to believe יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ (ya·’ă·mî·nū) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 539: To confirm, support me לִ֔י (lî) Preposition | first person common singular Strong's Hebrew or וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō) Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no listen יִשְׁמְע֖וּ (yiš·mə·‘ū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently to my voice? בְּקֹלִ֑י (bə·qō·lî) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 6963: A voice, sound For כִּ֣י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction they may say, יֹֽאמְר֔וּ (yō·mə·rū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 559: To utter, say ‘The LORD יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel has not לֹֽא־ (lō-) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no appeared נִרְאָ֥ה (nir·’āh) Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 7200: To see to you.’” אֵלֶ֖יךָ (’ê·le·ḵā) Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to Links Exodus 4:1 NIVExodus 4:1 NLT Exodus 4:1 ESV Exodus 4:1 NASB Exodus 4:1 KJV Exodus 4:1 BibleApps.com Exodus 4:1 Biblia Paralela Exodus 4:1 Chinese Bible Exodus 4:1 French Bible Exodus 4:1 Catholic Bible OT Law: Exodus 4:1 Moses answered But behold they will not (Exo. 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