Exodus 4:3

The Lord ¹  said, “Throw it to the ground.” So he threw it to the ground, and it became a snake, ²  and Moses ran from it.

Ex 4:17; Ex 7:10-15; Am 5:19

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² sn The details of the verse are designed to show that there was a staff that became a snake. The question is used to affirm that there truly was a staff, and then the report of Moses running from it shows it was a genuine snake. Using the serpent as a sign would have had an impact on the religious ideas of Egypt, for the sacred cobra was one of their symbols.