BibleTools
Exodus 4:22
Compare all
20 Then Moses atook his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took bthe rod of God in his hand.  
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those awonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But bI will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.  
22 Then you shall asay to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: b“Israel is My son, cMy firstborn.  
23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed aI will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”  
24 And it came to pass on the way, at the aencampment, that the Lord bmet him and sought to ckill him.  
25 Then aZipporah took ba sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and1 cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”  
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?
<< Exodus 4:21   Exodus 4:23 >>

What Does Exodus 4:22 Mean?



Exodus 4:21-23

The Bible uses a large variety of metaphors, imagery, similes, types, parables, allegories, and analogies as teaching tools. They are used either to hide or cloud a meaning from outsiders, or sometimes to make them clear—so that God's people understand either way. Here, in Exodus 4:21, Israel is shown as a cohesive body—as a single, human son. In other places, Israel is portrayed as a virginal woman, married to God, and in yet other places, as a harlot who is still legally married but who, in reality, has left the marriage and pursued lovers.

In like manner, the church is typified as a body (of which Christ is the Head) and the firstborn of God. In another analogy, the church is portrayed as the firstfruits—not a body, but an assembly of individuals harvested as a crop. In another place, it is pictured as a loaf of bread that has leaven in it. The New Testament contains many other symbols for the church.

John W. Ritenbaugh
New Covenant Priesthood (Part One)

Related Topics: Analogies as Teaching Tools | Biblical Allegories | Biblical Analogies | Biblical Imagery | Biblical Metaphors | Biblical Parables | Biblical Types | Church Portrayed as Firstfruits | Church Typified as Body | Church Typified as Firstborn | Church Typified as Loaf of Bread with Leavening | Israel as Harlot | Israel as Virginal Woman Married to God | Metaphors as Teaching Tools | Parables | Parables used to Cloud Meaning



Exodus 4:22-23

God's warning to the Egyptians that He would kill their firstborn was part of the plan from the beginning. It was not, as The Ten Commandments movie would have one believe, a last minute decision to which God resorted when all the other plagues failed to achieve His desired effect. In His mercy, God repeats His warning to Pharaoh, giving him plenty of opportunity to repent: "[A]ll the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the beasts" (Exodus 11:5).

Staff
The Law of the Firstborn

Related Topics: First Born, Killing the | Killing the First Born | Opportunity to Repent | Pharaoh | Pharaoh's Opportunity to Repent | Plagues of Egypt


 
<< Exodus 4:21   Exodus 4:23 >>

Join 137,098+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Close
E-mail This Page