Exodus 4:2
New International Version
Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.

New Living Translation
Then the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.

English Standard Version
The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”

Berean Standard Bible
And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.

King James Bible
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

New King James Version
So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”

New American Standard Bible
The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”

NASB 1995
The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”

NASB 1977
And the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh said to him, “What is this in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”

Amplified Bible
And the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand? ” “A staff,” he replied.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?"” A staff,” he replied.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD answered, "What's that in your hand?" "A walking stick," Moses replied.

English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then the LORD asked him, "What's that in your hand?" He answered, "A shepherd's staff."

Good News Translation
So the LORD asked him, "What are you holding?" "A walking stick," he answered.

International Standard Version
"What's that in your hand?" the LORD asked him. Moses answered, "A staff."

Majority Standard Bible
And the LORD asked him, ?What is that in your hand?? ?A staff,? he replied.

NET Bible
The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff."

New Heart English Bible
The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.

World English Bible
Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And YHWH says to him, “What [is] this in your hand?” And he says, “A rod”;

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto him, 'What is this in thy hand?' and he saith, 'A rod;'

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will say to him, What this in thy hand? and he will say, A rod.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, he said to him, “What is that you hold in your hand?” He answered, “A staff.”

New American Bible
The LORD said to him: What is in your hand? “A staff,” he answered.

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the LORD said to him, What is that in your hand? He said, A staff.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH said to him, “What is this that is in your hand?”, and he said, “A staff.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said unto him: 'What is that in thy hand?' And he said: 'A rod.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord said to him, What is this thing that is in thine hand? and he said, A rod.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Moses' Staff
1Then 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. 3“Throw it on the ground,” said the LORD. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and he ran from it.…

Cross References
Numbers 17:8
The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, put forth buds, blossomed, and produced almonds.

Hebrews 11:23-29
By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict. / By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. / He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. ...

Acts 7:30-36
After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. / When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him: / ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. ...

1 Samuel 17:40
And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.

2 Kings 4:29
So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go! If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

Isaiah 11:1
Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

John 3:14
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

Mark 16:17-18
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; / they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”

Matthew 10:1
And calling His twelve disciples to Him, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness.

2 Corinthians 12:12
The marks of a true apostle—signs, wonders, and miracles—were performed among you with great perseverance.

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Ezekiel 37:1-10
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones. / He led me all around among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, and indeed, they were very dry. / Then He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come to life?” “O Lord GOD,” I replied, “only You know.” ...

Revelation 11:3-6
And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” / These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. / If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed. ...

1 Corinthians 1:27-29
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. / He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, / so that no one may boast in His presence.

Luke 9:1-2
Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases. / And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod.

a rod.

Exodus 4:17,20
And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs…

Genesis 30:37
And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

Leviticus 27:32
And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

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Hand Rod Staff
Exodus 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.














And the LORD asked him
This phrase introduces a direct interaction between God and Moses, emphasizing the personal nature of God's communication with His chosen leaders. The Hebrew word for "LORD" here is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, which signifies His eternal presence and faithfulness. This encounter is part of a larger narrative where God is preparing Moses for his mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The personal address highlights God's intimate involvement in the lives of His people and His willingness to engage with them directly.

What is that in your hand?
This question from God is not due to His lack of knowledge but serves as a rhetorical device to draw Moses' attention to the ordinary object he possesses. The Hebrew word for "hand" is "yad," often symbolizing power or possession. In this context, it signifies the potential within the ordinary when used for God's purposes. This question invites Moses to see beyond the mundane and recognize the divine potential in what he already holds. It is a reminder that God often uses what we have, no matter how simple, to accomplish His will.

A staff, he replied
The staff, or "matteh" in Hebrew, was a common tool for shepherds, symbolizing authority and support. Historically, a staff was used for guiding and protecting sheep, which aligns with Moses' role as a shepherd at this point in his life. This simple object, however, becomes a powerful instrument in God's hands, later performing miracles and symbolizing divine authority. The staff's transformation throughout the Exodus narrative illustrates how God can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary, reinforcing the theme that God equips those He calls with what they need to fulfill their mission.

(2) A rod.--Most commentators regard the "rod" of Moses as his shepherd's crook, and this is certainly possible; but the etymology of the word employed seems rather to point to an ordinary staff, or walking-stick. Egyptians of rank usually carried long batons; and one suggestion is, that the rod of Moses was "that which he had been accustomed to carry as the son of Pharaoh's daughter." But even if this was still in his possession after forty years of exile, he is not likely to have taken it with him when he went a-shepherding. Probably the "rod" was a common staff, such as a shepherd of eighty years old might need for a support.

Verse 2. - A rod. Or "a staff." Some suppose the ordinary shepherd's staff, or crook, to be meant; but it is objected that this would have been an unfit object to have brought into the presence of Pharaoh (Kalisch), being unsuitable for a court, and emblematic of an occupation which the Egyptians loathed (Genesis 46:34); and the suggestion is therefore made, that it was the baton or long stick commonly carried by Egyptians of good position and especially by persons in authority. But Moses in Midian, forty years after he quitted Egypt, is not likely to have possessed such an article; nor, if he had possessed it, would he have taken it with him when shepherding. Probably a simple staff, the natural support of a man of advanced years, is meant.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And the LORD
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

asked
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

him,
אֵלָ֛יו (’ê·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

“What is that
זֶּ֣ה‪‬ (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

in your hand?”
בְיָדֶ֑ךָ (ḇə·yā·ḏe·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

“A staff,”
מַטֶּֽה׃ (maṭ·ṭeh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4294: A staff, rod, shaft, branch, a tribe

he replied.
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say


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OT Law: Exodus 4:2 Yahweh said to him What is that (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 4:1
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