Exodus 4:7 · Bible study
Exodus 4:7 Commentary: God's Power to Afflict and Restore
Hebrew · 6 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Exodus 4:7 shows God instantly healing Moses' leprous hand. This sign authenticates his mission and reveals God's sovereign power over disease and restoration.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God instantly heals Moses' leprous hand to authenticate his mission and demonstrate sovereignty over disease.
- Key words: hinneh (behold), shuv (return/restore), cheq (bosom), yad (hand), baśar (flesh).
- Main debate: Minimal; some discuss whether leprosy symbolises sin, while others stress the literal miracle as a sign for Israel.
- Theological theme: God's sovereign authority to afflict, heal, and restore; His power to confirm His word through visible deeds.
- Best use: Preaching and teaching on God's ability to reverse impossible situations and on His call to trust His power.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
“Put your hand back inside your cloak,” said the LORD. So Moses put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his skin.
WEB World English Bible 2000
He said, “Put your hand inside your cloak again.” He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other flesh.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.)
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and He saith, `Put back thy hand unto thy bosom;' and he putteth back his hand unto his bosom, and he bringeth it out from his bosom, and lo, it hath turned back as his flesh--
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again, and took it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his flesh.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he said: Put back thy hand into thy bosom. He put it back, and brought it out again, and it was like the other flesh.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y dijo: Vuelve á meter tu mano en tu seno: y él volvió á meter su mano en su seno; y volviéndola á sacar del seno, he aquí que se había vuelto como la otra carne.
E disse: Volta a meter tua mão em teu peito; e ele voltou a meter sua mão em seu peito; e voltando-a a tirar do peito, eis que se havia voltado como a outra carne.
L’Éternel dit: Remets ta main dans ton sein. Il remit sa main dans son sein; puis il la retira de son sein, et voici, elle était redevenue comme sa chair.
Und er sprach: Tue sie wieder in deinen Busen. Und er tat sie wieder in seinen Busen und zog sie heraus; siehe, da ward sie wieder wie sein anderes Fleisch.
En Hij zeide: Steek uw hand wederom in uw boezem. En hij stak zijn hand wederom in zijn boezem; daarna trok hij ze uit zijn boezem, en ziet, zij was weder als zijn ander vlees.
E l’Eterno gli disse: “Rimettiti la mano in seno”. Egli si rimise la mano in seno; poi, cavatasela di seno, ecco ch’era ritornata come l’altra sua carne.
I rzekł: Włóż znowu rękę twoję w zanadrza twe; i włożył znowu rękę swoję w zanadrza swe; a gdy ją wyjął z zanadrza swego, a oto, stała się znowu jako inne ciało jego.
[Еще] сказал [ему Господь]: положи опять руку твою к себе в пазуху. И он положил руку свою к себе в пазуху; и вынул ее из пазухи своей, и вот, она опять стала такою же, как тело его.
耶和華說：「再 把手 放 在 懷裡。」他就再把手 放 在 懷裡，及至從懷 裡抽出來，不料，手已經復原，與周身的肉一樣；
And he said, Put your hand inside your robe again. (And he put his hand into his robe again, and when he took it out he saw that it had become like his other flesh.)
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 4:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the instantaneous healing of Moses' leprous hand demonstrates God's sovereign power over disease and His ability both to afflict and restore. Gill notes that the sign teaches Israel about God's power to deliver them, since He could so easily inflict and cure such a malady. The Cambridge Bible observes that the Hebrew verb shavah (שָׁבָה, 'it had turned back') is intransitive, indicating a restoration that occurs naturally by God's design. Keil and Delitzsch link the sign to strengthening Moses' faith and authenticating his divine commission before the people. Matthew Henry views the sign as a pledge of God's grace to restore His people from any condition. Together with the rod-turned-serpent, the sign serves as a divine credential for Moses before both Israel and Pharaoh.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God demonstrated His power to both inflict and instantly heal leprosy, confirming Moses as His chosen messenger.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Literal leprosy vs. symbolic of sin | All traditions affirm the historical reality of the miracle as recorded in Scripture. | Some interpreters read the leprosy as a symbol of sin and uncleanness, while others focus on the literal disease to highlight God's power over a real, incurable condition. |
| Purpose of the sign for Moses vs. Israel | The sign serves to authenticate Moses as God's messenger (v. 5). | Christians differ on whether the sign primarily strengthened Moses' own faith (Ephraem Syrus, Keil & Delitzsch) or was principally intended for the Israelites to believe (Matthew Henry). |
| Significance of the 'bosom' gesture | The hand is placed inside the garment, and the transformation occurs hidden from view. | Some see this as emphasising God's unseen work; others focus on the cultural sense of the garment fold as a place of intimacy and personal identity. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Exodus 4:7 stands within the call narrative of Moses, a reluctant prophet commissioned to lead Israel out of Egyptian bondage. The signs God gives respond directly to Moses' fear that the people will not believe him (v.1). After 430 years of divine silence since the patriarchs, God reasserts His presence through visible wonders.
Leprosy in the ancient Near East was more than a disease; it carried deep social and religious stigma. The condition rendered a person unclean, excluded from community and worship (Leviticus 13-14). To touch a leper was to contract ritual impurity. For Moses to see his own hand suddenly white with leprosy would have been a shock of exclusion and judgment. To see it restored instantly, without medicine, ritual, or time, was a display of power that overturned one of humanity's most feared afflictions.
The word 'bosom' (חֵיק, cheq) refers to the fold of a cloak used as a pouch for carrying items or concealing the hand. The gesture of placing the hand inside the garment and withdrawing it is intimate and personal. The transformation occurs hidden from view, underscoring that God's power operates beyond human observation. This sign, alongside the serpent and the water-turned-to-blood, forms a triad intended first for Moses, then for the elders of Israel (v. 5), and ultimately for Pharaoh (v. 21). The escalation from snake to disease to judgment on Egypt's water source shows God's comprehensive sovereignty over the natural order, human health, and national life.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for Exodus 4:7. The Hebrew witnesses are consistent across the Masoretic Text and the major versions. The verb shavah (שָׁבָה, 'it had turned back') appears as a Qal perfect, indicating completed action, which the narratives in KJV, ASV, and WEB render as 'was turned again' or 'it had turned again.'
Reception History
Early church writers such as Ephraem Syrus (referenced by Keil and Delitzsch) saw the signs given to Moses as instruments that strengthened the prophet's faltering faith. Throughout Christian history, Exodus 4:7 has been read as a type of the healing power of God, foreshadowing Christ's cleansing of lepers (Matthew 8:3) and the ultimate restoration of God's people. Medieval commentators often connected the leprous hand to human sin and the restoration to grace. Reformation-era exegetes like John Calvin (though not directly quoted here) emphasised the sovereignty of God in both affliction and healing, a theme echoed in later evangelical and Reformed preaching. The verse is also used in catechetical contexts to teach that God alone can deliver from what is incurable.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God confirms His word with visible signs. Moses doubted the people would believe, so God gave more than promises; He gave demonstrations of power that addressed Israel's memory of the patriarchs and their hopes for deliverance.
- God holds authority over disease and healing. Leprosy was incurable by human means, yet God reversed it in an instant. The sign shows that affliction and restoration both come from Yahweh's hand.
- God restores what He permits to suffer. The hand that became leprous became whole again. This points forward to the restoration of Israel from Egyptian bondage and, ultimately, to the healing ministry of Christ.
Five-point outline
- Moses' reluctance and God's patience. God meets Moses at his point of fear, responding with layered instruction rather than rebuke.
- The sign of leprosy. A sudden, dramatic infliction that rendered Moses unclean and powerless.
- The sign of healing. An immediate, complete restoration without human intervention.
- Purpose: to authenticate and prepare. The signs confirm Moses as God's messenger and strengthen his own faith (as Ephraem Syrus noted).
- Application: trust the One who holds life and death. If God can heal the incurable, He can deliver the enslaved and restore the broken.
Illustration hooks
- A medical report that changes a patient's prognosis from terminal to treatable overnight, an unexpected reversal that forces a new perspective on hope.
- A strained relationship that appears beyond repair but suddenly finds reconciliation through a single honest conversation or apology.
- The quiet moment when someone discovers that a personal weakness or failure, once hidden like a hand in a cloak, can be brought back into the open and transformed.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God can heal instantly, why does He often allow suffering to continue?
- How do I trust God when He seems to be the one bringing affliction into my life?
- What does this sign teach me about God's power over my own seemingly impossible circumstances?
Leading a Discussion
This small-group guide focuses on Exodus 4:6-9, where God gives Moses three signs. The second sign, leprosy and its instant healing, appears at the very center of the passage. As you discuss, notice the pattern: God commands, Moses obeys, a transformation occurs, and then God explains the purpose. What does this pattern teach about how God works?
Discussion questions
- Read verses 6-7. What does Moses see first when he draws out his hand? What does he see the second time?
- Why do you think God chose leprosy, a disease known for its incurability and for making a person unclean, as a sign for Moses?
- The transformation happens while the hand is hidden inside the cloak. Why might that detail matter?
- According to verse 5 and verse 8, what is the purpose of these signs? Who are they intended to reach?
- How does this sign challenge or expand your understanding of God's power? What does it say about His authority over both human health and ritual purity?
- Moses was about to confront the mighty Egyptian empire. In what ways might this sign have prepared him, both practically and emotionally, for that task?
- Think of a time when you experienced an unexpected “restoration” in your own life. How did that moment shape your view of God's character?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 12:13 | Moses cried to Yahweh, saying, “Heal her, God, I beg you!” |
| Numbers 12:15 | Miriam was shut up outside of the camp seven days, and the people didn’t travel until Miriam was brought in again. |
| Deuteronomy 32:39 | “See now that I myself am he. There is no god with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. There is no one who can deliver out of my hand. |
| II Kings 5:14 | Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. |
| Matthew 8:3 | Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator clarifies that the phrase "was turned" is an archaic way of saying simply "turned," and the Hebrew verb is intransitive, describing a change of state rather than an action done to something. This grammatical point helps readers understand the sign as a spontaneous transformation.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes observe the completeness of the restoration: the hand returned exactly to its original healthy flesh, not merely improved. This highlights God's power not only to heal but to erase every trace of defilement, leaving nothing to remind of the former disease.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that this miracle, involving a sudden leprosy and immediate healing, taught Israel that the same God who could inflict and cure a disease could deliver them from bondage. Moses' leprous hand symbolized his own weakness, but God's quickening power would enable him to become the deliverer, though the work itself belonged entirely to God's mighty hand.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch reads each of the three signs as a purposeful lesson for Moses and Israel. The staff becoming a serpent showed Moses' calling transformed into power to overcome Egypt's serpent-like hostility. The leprous hand taught that God could cleanse Israel from its spiritual defilement through Moses. The Nile turned to blood demonstrated authority over Egypt's life-giving gods.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the three signs as symbolizing the three dimensions of Moses’ calling: the rod becoming a serpent represents his prophetic break with his past; the leprous hand cleansed in his bosom pictures a priestlike sympathy for Israel’s guilt; and the Nile turned to blood prefigures kingly power to turn Egypt’s life‑source into death.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees Moses' reluctance not as distrust of God but as genuine humility. He notes that those God calls to great service are often the least eager, because God clothes them with humility before raising them up. The most fit for service are the least forward.