Exodus 4:8-9

4:8 “If ¹  they do not believe you or pay attention to ²  the former sign, then they may ³  believe the latter sign. ⁴  4:9 And if ⁵  they do not believe even these two signs or listen to you, ⁶  then take ⁷  some water from the Nile and pour it out on the dry ground. The water you take out of the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” ⁸ 

Exodus 4:15-16

4:15 “So you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And as for me, I will be with your mouth ⁹  and with his mouth, ¹⁰  and I will teach you both ¹¹  what you must do. ¹²  4:16 He ¹³  will speak for you to the people, and it will be as if ¹⁴  he ¹⁵  were your mouth ¹⁶  and as if you were his God. ¹⁷ 

[4:8]  ¹ tn Heb “and it will be if.”

[4:8]  ² tn Heb “listen to the voice of,” meaning listen so as to respond appropriately.

[4:8]  ³ tn The nuance of this perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive will be equal to the imperfect of possibility – “they may believe.”

[4:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “believe the voice of the latter sign,” so as to understand and accept the meaning of the event.

[4:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “and it will be if.”

[4:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “listen to your voice.”

[4:9]  ⁷ tn The verb form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it functions then as the equivalent of the imperfect tense – here as an imperfect of instruction.

[4:9]  ⁸ sn This is a powerful sign, for the Nile was always known as the source of life in Egypt, but now it will become the evidence of death. So the three signs were alike, each consisting of life and death. They would clearly anticipate the struggle with Egypt through the plagues. The point is clear that in the face of the possibility that people might not believe, the servants of God must offer clear proof of the power of God as they deliver the message of God. The rest is up to God.

[4:15]  ⁹ tn Or “I will help you speak.” The independent pronoun puts emphasis (“as for me”) on the subject (“I”).

[4:15]  ¹⁰ tn Or “and will help him speak.”

[4:15]  ¹¹ tn The word “both” is supplied to convey that this object (“you”) and the subject of the next verb (“you must do”) are plural in the Hebrew text, referring to Moses and Aaron. In 4:16 “you” returns to being singular in reference to Moses.

[4:15]  ¹² tn The imperfect tense carries the obligatory nuance here as well. The relative pronoun with this verb forms a noun clause functioning as the direct object of “I will teach.”

[4:16]  ¹³ tn The word “he” represents the Hebrew independent pronoun, which makes the subject emphatic.

[4:16]  ¹⁴ tn The phrase “as if” is supplied for clarity.

[4:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and it will be [that] he, he will be to you for a mouth,” or more simply, “he will be your mouth.”

[4:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he will be to you for a mouth.”

[4:16]  ¹⁷ tn The phrase “as if” is supplied for clarity. The word “you” represents the Hebrew independent pronoun, which makes the subject emphatic.