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Exodus 4:23

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 4:23 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and I have said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and I have said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.
Exodus 4:23 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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.
21And Jehovah said unto Moses, When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand: but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.
22And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, Israel is my son, my first-born:
23and I have said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.
24And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that Jehovah met him, and sought to kill him.
25Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.
26So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood [art thou], because of the circumcision.
← Exodus 4:22Exodus 4:24 →
← Full Chapter 4 Exodus Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And I say unto thee, let my son go, that he may serve me, etc.] 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…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Let my son go - Not only my servant whom thou hast no right to detain, but my son whose liberty and honour I am jealous for. If thou refuse, I will slay thy son, even thy first - born - As men deal with God's people, let them expect to be themselves dealt with. Exodus 4:24”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Exo 11:5, Exo 12:29; Psa 78:51, Psa 105:36, Psa 135:8 Exodus 4:24”
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Related study paths

Read Exodus 4 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification