EXO 4:20 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, blue:Elohim.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Ἀναλαβὼν δὲ Μωυσῆς τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἀνεβίβασεν αὐτὰ ἐπὶ τὰ ὑποζύγια, καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον· ἔλαβε δὲ Μωυσῆς τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ.
(Analabōn de Mōusaʸs taʸn gunaika kai ta paidia, anebibasen auta epi ta hupozugia, kai epestrepsen eis Aigupton; elabe de Mōusaʸs taʸn ɽabdon taʸn para tou Theou en taʸ ⱪeiri autou. )

BrTr And Moses took his wife and his children, and mounted them on the beasts, and returned to Egypt; and Moses took the rod which he had from God in his hand.

ULT And Moses took his wife and his sons and caused them to ride on a donkey, and he returned toward the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

UST So Moses put his wife and sons on a donkey and started going toward Egypt. He took the staff with him as God had told him to do.

BSB So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.

OEB No OEB EXO book available

WEBBE Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God’s rod in his hand.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Then Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey and headed back to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

LSV and Moses takes his wife, and his sons, and causes them to ride on the donkey, and turns back to the land of Egypt, and Moses takes the rod of God in his hand.

FBV Moses put his wife and sons on a donkey and went back to Egypt, carrying the walking stick that God had used to perform miracles.[fn]

4:20 “The walking stick that God had used to perform miracles:” literally, “the walking stick of God.” This interpretation refers back to the miracles recorded in verses 3 and 4.

T4T So Moses/I took his/my wife and sons and put them on donkeys, and they/we returned to Egypt. And Moses/I took in his/my hand the stick that God told him/me to take along.

LEB And Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on the donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

BBE And Moses took his wife and his sons and put them on an ass and went back to the land of Egypt: and he took the rod of God in his hand.

Moff No Moff EXO book available

JPS And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

ASV And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

DRA Moses therefore took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass: and returned into Egypt, carrying the rod of God in his hand.

YLT and Moses taketh his wife, and his sons, and causeth them to ride on the ass, and turneth back to the land of Egypt, and Moses taketh the rod of God in his hand.

Drby And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them riding upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of [fn]God in his hand.

4.20 Elohim

RV And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

Wbstr And Moses took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

KJB-1769 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

KJB-1611 And Moses tooke his wife, and his sonnes, and set them vpon an asse, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses tooke the rod of God in his hand.
(And Moses took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.)

Bshps And Moyses toke his wyfe, and his sonnes, and put them on an asse, and went agayne to Egypt: And Moyses toke the rodde of God in his hande.
(And Moses took his wife, and his sons, and put them on an ass, and went again to Egypt: And Moses took the rod/staff of God in his hand.)

Gnva Then Moses tooke his wife, and his sonnes, and put them on an asse, and returned towarde the lande of Egypt, and Moses tooke the rod of God in his hand.
(Then Moses took his wife, and his sons, and put them on an ass, and returned towarde the land of Egypt, and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. )

Cvdl So Moses toke his wife, and his sonnes, and caried them vpon an Asse, & wente againe into the lande of Egipte, & toke the staff of God in his hande.
(So Moses took his wife, and his sons, and carried them upon an Asse, and went again into the land of Egypt, and took the staff of God in his hand.)

Wyc Moises took his wijf, and hise sones, and puttide hem on an asse, and he turnede ayen in to Egipt, and bar the yerde of God in his hond.
(Moses took his wife, and his sons, and put them on an ass, and he turned again in to Egypt, and bar the yerde of God in his hand.)

Luth Also nahm Mose sein Weib und seine Söhne und führete sie auf einem Esel und zog wieder nach Ägyptenland; und nahm den Stab Gottes in seine Hand!
(So took Mose his woman and his sons and führete they/she/them on one donkey and pulled again after Egyptland; and took the Stab God’s in his Hand!)

ClVg Tulit ergo Moyses uxorem suam, et filios suos, et imposuit eos super asinum: reversusque est in Ægyptum, portans virgam Dei in manu sua.[fn]
(Tulit therefore Moyses wife his_own, and filios suos, and imposuit them over asinum: reversusque it_is in Ægyptum, portans rod/staffm of_God in by_hand sua. )

4.20 Tulit ergo Moyses, etc. AUG., Quæst. 12 in Exod. Quod dictum est, quia Moses uxorem et infantes suos imposuit super vehiculum, ut in Ægyptum iret: postea vero Jethro socer ejus illic cum eis occurrit, cum eduxisset populum de Ægypto; intelligendum est, post illam, quæ ab angelo futura erat, interfectionem, Mosi vel infantis uxorem reversam fuisse cum parvulis. Nam quidam putaverunt propter hoc angelum terruisse, ne ad impedimentum ministerii divinitus impositi femineus sexus comitaretur.

4.20 Tulit therefore Moyses, etc. AUG., Quæst. 12 in Exod. That dictum it_is, because Moses wife and infantes suos imposuit over vehiculum, as in Ægyptum iret: postea vero Yethro socer his illic when/with to_them occurrit, when/with eduxisset the_people about Ægypto; intelligendum it_is, after illam, which away angelo futura was, killedonem, Mosi or infantis wife reversam fuisse when/with parvulis. Nam quidam putaverunt propter this a_messenger/angel terruisse, not to impedimentum ministerii divinitus impositi femineus sexus comitaretur.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / extrainfo

בָּנָ֗י⁠ו

sons,his

Moses’ second son is not introduced until 18:4 but had already been born before they left Midian. It is not necessary to make this explicit here, if it would confuse your readers you could add a footnote.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

וַ⁠יָּ֖שָׁב אַ֣רְצָ⁠ה מִצְרָ֑יִם

and,returned towards=land Miʦrayim/(Egypt)

It is clear from 4:24 and 25 that Moses’ family went with him. If this is confusing in your language, you may need to change from he to “they” returned.

Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-time-sequential

וַ⁠יָּ֖שָׁב אַ֣רְצָ⁠ה מִצְרָ֑יִם

and,returned towards=land Miʦrayim/(Egypt)

After the incident on the road in verses 24–26. Moses’ family is not mentioned again until 18:2, which says that Moses sent them back, so it may be better to make a translation similar to the UST, which only commits to the family starting on the way to Egypt. This option has the further benefit of allowing for the several events that happen before Moses gets to Egypt. The ULT’s toward is another way of giving space in the translation for the next several events.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מַטֵּ֥ה הָ⁠אֱלֹהִ֖ים

staff the=ʼElohīm

The phrase the staff of God refers to the staff that God told Moses to take with him in 4:17. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express that explicitly.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מַטֵּ֥ה הָ⁠אֱלֹהִ֖ים

staff the=ʼElohīm

The book describes this staff as the staff of God because God appointed it as his instrument so that Moses could do miraculous works through it. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Make sure your translation does not lead people to think the staff was a magic wand or shaman’s staff that had its own power or power from Moses or that the staff gave Moses the ability to command God. In every instance where miracles happened, first God told Moses to do something with the staff, then Moses obeyed, and then God caused a miracle. Alternate translation: “the staff that God had told him to bring because God intended to work powerfully through it when Moses stretched it out.”

Parallel EXO 4:20