Moses' Rod Becomes a Serpent and His Hand Leprous

When Moses protested that no one would believe him, God turned his shepherd's rod into a serpent and his hand leprous as snow - and then restored both.

At the burning bush, Moses objected that the people of Israel would not believe the LORD had appeared to him. God answered by giving him signs. Moses cast his rod on the ground and it became a serpent, so that he fled from it; when he took it by the tail, it became a rod again. He put his hand into his bosom and drew it out leprous as snow, then put it back and drew it out restored. God added a third sign, that water poured from the river would become blood on dry land. Back in Egypt, Aaron spoke God's words and did the signs before the people, and they believed and worshipped.

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Details

Category: Nature
Testament: Old Testament
Performed by: God through Moses

Key Chapters

Exodus 4 Moses Returns to Egypt 5 min read God answers Moses' fear of being doubted with signs of His power, showing that t...

Key Passages

Signs Given to Moses

Exodus 4:1-9

God answers Moses' fear of being doubted with signs of His power, showing that the one He sends He also equips.

A¹nd 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.

² And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. ³ And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. ⁴ And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: ⁵ That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. ⁶ And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. ⁷ And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. ⁸ And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. ⁹ And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

The People Believe

Exodus 4:29-31

The signs do their work: the elders of Israel believe that the LORD has seen their affliction, and they bow and worship.

A²⁹nd Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

³⁰ And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 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.