Exodus 4:1

The Source of Sufficiency

4:1 1 Moses answered again, 2  “And if 3  they do not believe me or pay attention to me, 4  but say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’?”

Exodus 21:30

21:30 If a ransom is set for him, 5  then he must pay the redemption for his life according to whatever amount was set for him.

Exodus 21:32

21:32 If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the owner 6  must pay thirty shekels of silver, 7  and the ox must be stoned. 8 

Exodus 22:13

22:13 If it is torn in pieces, then he will bring it for evidence, 9  and he will not have to pay for what was torn.

Exodus 22:15

22:15 If its owner was with it, he will not have to pay; if it was hired, what was paid for the hire covers it. 10 

Exodus 23:13

23:13 “Pay attention to do 11  everything I have told you, and do not even mention 12  the names of other gods – do not let them be heard on your lips. 13 

Exodus 30:14

30:14 Everyone who crosses over to those numbered, from twenty years old and up, is to pay an offering to the Lord.

1 sn In chap. 3, the first part of this extensive call, Yahweh promises to deliver his people. At the hesitancy of Moses, God guarantees his presence will be with him, and that assures the success of the mission. But with chap. 4, the second half of the call, the tone changes sharply. Now Moses protests his inadequacies in view of the nature of the task. In many ways, these verses address the question, “Who is sufficient for these things?” There are three basic movements in the passage. The first nine verses tell how God gave Moses signs in case Israel did not believe him (4:1-9). The second section records how God dealt with the speech problem of Moses (4:10-12). And finally, the last section records God’s provision of a helper, someone who could talk well (4:13-17). See also J. E. Hamlin, “The Liberator’s Ordeal: A Study of Exodus 4:1-9,” Rhetorical Criticism [PTMS], 33-42.

2 tn Heb “and Moses answered and said.”

3 tn Or “What if.” The use of הֵן (hen) is unusual here, introducing a conditional idea in the question without a following consequence clause (see Exod 8:22 HT [8:26 ET]; Jer 2:10; 2 Chr 7:13). The Greek has “if not” but adds the clause “what shall I say to them?”

4 tn Heb “listen to my voice,” so as to respond positively.

5 sn The family of the victim would set the amount for the ransom of the man guilty of criminal neglect. This practice was common in the ancient world, rare in Israel. If the family allowed the substitute price, then the man would be able to redeem his life.

6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

7 sn A shekel was a unit for measure by means of a scale. Both the weight and the value of a shekel of silver are hard to determine. “Though there is no certainty, the shekel is said to weigh about 11,5 grams” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:181). Over four hundred years earlier, Joseph was sold into Egypt for 20 shekels. The free Israelite citizen was worth about 50 shekels (Lev 27:3f.).

8 sn See further B. S. Jackson, “The Goring Ox Again [Ex. 21,28-36],” JJP 18 (1974): 55-94.

9 tn The word עֵד (’ed) actually means “witness,” but the dead animal that is returned is a silent witness, i.e., evidence. The word is an adverbial accusative.

10 tn Literally “it came with/for its hire,” this expression implies that the owner who hired it out and was present was prepared to take the risk, so there would be no compensation.

11 tn The phrase “to do” is added; in Hebrew word order the line says, “In all that I have said to you you will watch yourselves.” The verb for paying attention is a Niphal imperfect with an imperatival force.

12 tn Or “honor,” Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar). See also Exod 20:25; Josh 23:7; Isa 26:13.

13 tn Heb “mouth.”

sn See also Ps 16:4, where David affirms his loyalty to God with this expression.