And I say unto thee, let my son go, that he may serve me,.... Worship God according to his will in the place he had designed for him, and where he might be safe and free; and which service was due from him as a son, and to be performed not in a servile way, but in a filial manner, and therefore as a servant he could demand his dismission, and much more as his son; and this is required in an authoritative way, for saying is here commanding, insisting on it as a point of right to be done:and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn; meaning, not only in a strict and literal sense Pharaoh's firstborn son, and heir to his crown, but the firstborn of all his subjects, which in a civil sense were his.
Bible Commentary
Exodus 4:23
Exodus 4:23
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain
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Exodus 4 — OverviewExodus 4 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleThis chapter, I. Continues and concludes God's discourse with Moses at
the bush concerning this great affair of bringing Israel out of Egypt.
1. Moses objects the people's unbelief (ver. 1), and God answers that…Exodus 4 — OverviewExodus 4 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgeExodus 4:1, Moses’s rod is turned into a serpent; Exodus 4:6, His hand is leprous; Exodus 4:10, He is loath to be sent; Exodus 4:13, Aaron is appointed to assist him; Exodus 4:18, Moses departs from Jethro; Exodus 4:21,…Exodus 4 — OverviewExodus 4 · John Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThis chapter is a continuation of the discourse that passed between God and Moses; and here Moses makes other objections to his mission; one is taken from the unbelief of the people of Israel, which is removed by giving…Exodus 4:18-23Exodus 4:18-23 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleHere, I. Moses obtains leave of his father-in-law to return into Egypt,
v. 18. His father-in-law had been kind to him when he was a stranger,
and therefore he would not be so uncivil as to leave his family, nor so…Exodus 4:18-23Exodus 4:18-23 · The Pulpit CommentaryTrue faith and its joy.
I. THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH.
1. Note Moses' swift compliance with God's command. He tarried no longer: "He went and returned, and said, let me go." He does not seek advice. He does not even wait…Exodus 4:18-25Exodus 4:18-25 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITION
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