Read the Bible
KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

Exodus 4:18–23

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
¶ And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
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.
And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
Share
Email linkOpen a new message in your email app
Read chapter
More
Report an issueTell us about a text or study problem

PASSAGE SELECTION

Build from either side

6 selected · 4 available

Choose up to 10 verses in this chapter. The study tools update with the selected passage.

SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

28 Essential passages are open for comparison.

Reference depth

From verse 18

  1. Exodus 3:1Rank 1 from verse 18
    Open

    1NOW Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

  2. 1 Samuel 1:17Rank 2 from verse 18
    Open

    17Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

  3. 1 Timothy 6:1Rank 3 from verse 18
    Open

    1LET as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

  4. Acts 15:36Rank 4 from verse 18
    Open

    36¶ And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.

  5. Acts 16:36Rank 5 from verse 18
    Open

    36And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.

From verse 19

  1. Matthew 2:20Rank 1 from verse 19
    Open

    20Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.

  2. Exodus 2:15Rank 2 from verse 19
    Open

    15Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

  3. Exodus 2:23Rank 3 from verse 19
    Open

    23¶ And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

From verse 20

  1. Exodus 17:9Rank 1 from verse 20
    Open

    9And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

  2. Numbers 20:8–9Rank 2 from verse 20
    Open

    8Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

    9And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

  3. Exodus 18:3–4Rank 3 from verse 20
    Open

    3And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:

    4And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:

  4. Exodus 4:2Rank 4 from verse 20
    Open

    2And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

  5. Numbers 20:11Rank 5 from verse 20
    Open

    11And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

From verse 21

  1. Romans 9:18Rank 1 from verse 21
    Open

    18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

  2. Exodus 14:8Rank 2 from verse 21
    Open

    8And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

  3. Isaiah 63:17Rank 3 from verse 21
    Open

    17¶ O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

  4. Joshua 11:20Rank 4 from verse 21
    Open

    20For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.

  5. Exodus 7:13Rank 5 from verse 21
    Open

    13And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.

From verse 22

  1. Hosea 11:1Rank 1 from verse 22
    Open

    1WHEN Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

  2. Romans 9:4Rank 2 from verse 22
    Open

    4Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

  3. Hebrews 12:23Rank 3 from verse 22
    Open

    23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

  4. Jeremiah 31:9Rank 4 from verse 22
    Open

    9They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

  5. Deuteronomy 14:1Rank 5 from verse 22
    Open

    1YE are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

From verse 23

  1. Exodus 11:5Rank 1 from verse 23
    Open

    5And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

  2. Exodus 12:29Rank 2 from verse 23
    Open

    29¶ And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

  3. Psalms 105:36Rank 3 from verse 23
    Open

    36He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.

  4. Psalms 135:8Rank 4 from verse 23
    Open

    8Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.

  5. Exodus 5:1Rank 5 from verse 23
    Open

    1AND afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

Exodus 4:18

COMBINED MEANING

returned

↗

Past-tense, participial, or adjectival form of return, meaning to go, come, send, or give back; to restore, answer, or turn again.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

father

↗

Sense 1: A male parent or begetter. Sense 2: An ancestor, forefather, founder, source, originator, chief, elder, or one bearing paternal authority and care. Sense 3: God as Father, including the Father of Jesus Christ and of those described as his children.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

law

↗

Sense 1: An authoritative rule, command, ordinance, instruction, standard, or body of requirements. Sense 2: The writings containing such instruction. Sense 3: A governing principle, power, regular order, or civil rule. Sense 4: In family compounds, relationship by marriage.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

let

↗

Sense 1: To allow or permit; in older KJV use, also to hinder or restrain. Sense 2: To lower or send down.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

pray

↗

Sense 1: To ask, beseech, request, or entreat. Sense 2: To make requests or supplications to God, or address him in worship.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

return

↗

Sense 1: To go, come, send, or give back; to restore, answer, or turn again. Sense 2: The act or time of coming back or recurring.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

brethren

↗

1. Persons of the same people, tribe, community, or shared service who are regarded or addressed as brothers. 2. Persons regarded as brothers by reason of faith or another spiritual relation. 3. Male siblings or other male relatives.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

which

↗

1. An interrogative or relative pronoun identifying one or more persons or things from a stated or implied set. 2. That which; what.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

see

↗

Sense 1: To perceive or behold with the eyes or in a vision. Sense 2: To observe, examine, discover, ascertain, consider, understand, know, or recognize. Sense 3: To visit, meet, converse with, or be in the presence of. Sense 4: To experience, undergo, endure, or enjoy. Sense 5: To attend to, take care, ensure, or beware.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

yet

↗

1. Up to or at the present or stated time; still. 2. At some future time. 3. Nevertheless; however. 4. In addition; further.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

alive

↗

Sense 1: Living; having life; not dead. Sense 2: Continuing or active in life, force, or operation.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

peace

↗

Freedom from war, strife, disturbance, or inward trouble; quietness, reconciliation, safety, or well-being.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Exodus 4:19

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

return

↗

Sense 1: To go, come, send, or give back; to restore, answer, or turn again. Sense 2: The act or time of coming back or recurring.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

dead

↗

Sense 1: Without life; deprived of life. Sense 2: Lifeless, inactive, insensible, or separated from a former state by figure.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

which

↗

1. An interrogative or relative pronoun identifying one or more persons or things from a stated or implied set. 2. That which; what.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Exodus 4:20

COMBINED MEANING

set

↗

1. To put or place a person or thing in a position, relation, or condition; when passive, to be so placed, fixed, or adorned. 2. To establish, fix, appoint, assign, prescribe, or determine. 3. To arrange, prepare, present, display, or put in order or array. 4. To direct, turn, or firmly apply the face, heart, eyes, mind, affection, or action toward something. 5. To start, advance, send out, proceed on a course or work, or make an attack, as in set forward, set forth, or set upon where those meanings apply. 6. To value or esteem; or, in set at nought or set light by, to despise. 7. Of the sun, to go down.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

upon

↗

1. Marks the person, place, thing, or basis to which something is related: on or onto; above or over; toward or against as the target of action, speech, thought, attention, or force; resting on, assigned to, or affecting as a state, gift, burden, duty, guilt, or judgment; supported by or based on; or one placed, added, or repeated on or after another. 2. With a stated time or occasion, or a preceding event, at that time or point, or at or after that event: on, at, when, then, or following it.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

returned

↗

Past-tense, participial, or adjectival form of return, meaning to go, come, send, or give back; to restore, answer, or turn again.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

land

↗

Sense 1: The ground or earth; a country, territory, or region. Sense 2: To set or come on shore.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

hand

↗

Sense 1: The part of the body at the end of the arm. Sense 2: Figuratively, power, possession, aid, or agency.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Exodus 4:21

COMBINED MEANING

thou

↗

The singular second-person subject pronoun, meaning you when directly addressing one person, being, or individually treated addressee.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

return

↗

Sense 1: To go, come, send, or give back; to restore, answer, or turn again. Sense 2: The act or time of coming back or recurring.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

see

↗

Sense 1: To perceive or behold with the eyes or in a vision. Sense 2: To observe, examine, discover, ascertain, consider, understand, know, or recognize. Sense 3: To visit, meet, converse with, or be in the presence of. Sense 4: To experience, undergo, endure, or enjoy. Sense 5: To attend to, take care, ensure, or beware.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

wonders

↗

Sense 1: Marvellous signs, extraordinary works, or things that cause amazement. Sense 2: Marvels.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

before

↗

Earlier than in time; in front of; in the presence of; or prior in order or rank.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

Pharaoh

↗

The royal title used for the king of Egypt, applied to successive Egyptian rulers in the biblical record.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

which

↗

1. An interrogative or relative pronoun identifying one or more persons or things from a stated or implied set. 2. That which; what.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

put

↗

To place, set, lay, appoint, bring into a condition, or cause to be.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

hand

↗

Sense 1: The part of the body at the end of the arm. Sense 2: Figuratively, power, possession, aid, or agency.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

but

↗

Sense 1: However; marking contrast or qualification. Sense 2: Except or unless; excluding all others or alternatives. Sense 3: Only; no more than what follows.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893 · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

heart

↗

Sense 1: The bodily organ. Sense 2: The inward person: the mind, will, affections, conscience, or moral character.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

shall

↗

An auxiliary verb expressing future action, intention, promise, command, requirement, or determination.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

let

↗

Sense 1: To allow or permit; in older KJV use, also to hinder or restrain. Sense 2: To lower or send down.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

people

↗

Persons collectively; a nation, community, or group considered as a body.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Exodus 4:22

COMBINED MEANING

thou

↗

The singular second-person subject pronoun, meaning you when directly addressing one person, being, or individually treated addressee.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

say

↗

Sense 1: To speak, declare, tell, or express. Sense 2: What is said.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

Pharaoh

↗

The royal title used for the king of Egypt, applied to successive Egyptian rulers in the biblical record.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

Israel

↗

The name given to Jacob and, by extension, his descendants, their nation, or the people so called.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

son

↗

1. A male child or descendant. 2. One belonging to, related to, or characterized by the person, people, place, condition, or quality named.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

even

↗

1. Used to emphasize, include, or precisely identify what is meant: indeed, precisely, or namely. 2. Used to mark a boundary, endpoint, or full reach in place, time, or degree: up to, as far as, or through. 3. In ‘even as,’ ‘even so,’ and like constructions, just as, exactly so, or in the same manner. 4. The evening, or close of day. 5. Equal, level, identical, balanced, or uniform.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Exodus 4:23

COMBINED MEANING

say

↗

Sense 1: To speak, declare, tell, or express. Sense 2: What is said.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

let

↗

Sense 1: To allow or permit; in older KJV use, also to hinder or restrain. Sense 2: To lower or send down.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

son

↗

1. A male child or descendant. 2. One belonging to, related to, or characterized by the person, people, place, condition, or quality named.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

serve

↗

To work for, obey, attend, minister to, worship, or fulfil a purpose.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

thou

↗

The singular second-person subject pronoun, meaning you when directly addressing one person, being, or individually treated addressee.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

behold

↗

1. Used as an attention word or command directing someone to look at or take notice of the person, thing, statement, or event presented: look; see; take notice. 2. As a verb, to look upon, see, observe, or witness.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

even

↗

1. Used to emphasize, include, or precisely identify what is meant: indeed, precisely, or namely. 2. Used to mark a boundary, endpoint, or full reach in place, time, or degree: up to, as far as, or through. 3. In ‘even as,’ ‘even so,’ and like constructions, just as, exactly so, or in the same manner. 4. The evening, or close of day. 5. Equal, level, identical, balanced, or uniform.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

FOLLOW THE THEME

Related Concepts

Choose a connected KJV word or phrase to find where it appears in scripture.

READ BEFORE AND AFTER

Surrounding Verses

Nearby Scripture remains separate from the selected passage until you add it.

17And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

18¶ And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

Selected passage

19And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

Selected passage

20And 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.

Selected passage

21And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

Selected passage

22And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Selected passage

23And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Selected passage

24¶ And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.

LOCAL PASTOR DIRECTORY

Find a Pastor Near You

Enter a U.S. ZIP code to find nearby pastors committed to holding fast the faithful word.

Your ZIP is processed in this browser from local data. It is not sent to a ZIP lookup service or to a church. ZIP coordinates from GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0.