Exodus 4:1

NETBible

1 Moses answered again, 2  “And if 3  they do not believe me or pay attention to me, 4  but say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’?”

NIV ©

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?"

NASB ©

Then Moses said, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’"

NLT ©

But Moses protested again, "Look, they won’t believe me! They won’t do what I tell them. They’ll just say, ‘The LORD never appeared to you.’"

MSG ©

Moses objected, "They won't trust me. They won't listen to a word I say. They're going to say, 'GOD? Appear to him? Hardly!'"

BBE ©

And Moses, answering, said, It is certain that they will not have faith in me or give ear to my voice; for they will say, You have not seen the Lord.

NRSV ©

Then Moses answered, "But suppose they do not believe me or listen to me, but say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’"

NKJV ©

Then Moses answered and said, "But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’"

KJV
And Moses
<04872>
answered
<06030> (8799)
and said
<0559> (8799)_,
But, behold, they will not believe
<0539> (8686)
me, nor hearken
<08085> (8799)
unto my voice
<06963>_:
for they will say
<0559> (8799)_,
The LORD
<03068>
hath not appeared
<07200> (8738)
unto thee.
NASB ©
Then Moses
<4872>
said
<559>
, "What if
<2005>
they will not believe
<539>
me or listen
<8085>
to what
<6963>
I say
<6963>
? For they may say
<559>
, 'The LORD
<3068>
has not appeared
<7200>
to you.'"
LXXM
apekriyh {V-API-3S} de
<1161> 
PRT
mwushv {N-NSM} kai
<2532> 
CONJ
eipen {V-AAI-3S} ean
<1437> 
CONJ
oun
<3767> 
PRT
mh
<3165> 
ADV
pisteuswsin
<4100> 
V-AAS-3P
moi
<1473> 
P-DS
mhde
<3366> 
CONJ
eisakouswsin
<1522> 
V-AAS-3P
thv
<3588> 
T-GSF
fwnhv
<5456> 
N-GSF
mou
<1473> 
P-GS
erousin {V-FAI-3P} gar
<1063> 
PRT
oti
<3754> 
CONJ
ouk
<3364> 
ADV
wptai
<3708> 
V-RPI-3S
soi
<4771> 
P-DS
o
<3588> 
T-NSM
yeov
<2316> 
N-NSM
ti
<5100> 
I-ASN
erw {V-FAI-1S} prov
<4314> 
PREP
autouv
<846> 
D-APM
NET [draft] ITL
Moses
<04872>
answered
<06030>
again, “And if
<02005>
they do not
<03808>
believe
<0539>
me or
<03808>
pay attention
<08085>
to me
<06963>
, but
<03588>
say
<0559>
, ‘The Lord
<03068>
has not
<03808>
appeared
<07200>
to
<0413>
you’?”
HEBREW
hwhy
<03068>
Kyla
<0413>
harn
<07200>
al
<03808>
wrmay
<0559>
yk
<03588>
ylqb
<06963>
wemsy
<08085>
alw
<03808>
yl
<0>
wnymay
<0539>
al
<03808>
Nhw
<02005>
rmayw
<0559>
hsm
<04872>
Neyw (4:1)
<06030>
NETBible

1 Moses answered again, 2  “And if 3  they do not believe me or pay attention to me, 4  but say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’?”

NET Notes

1 sn In chap. 3, the first part of this extensive call, Yahweh promises to deliver his people. At the hesitancy of Moses, God guarantees his presence will be with him, and that assures the success of the mission. But with chap. 4, the second half of the call, the tone changes sharply. Now Moses protests his inadequacies in view of the nature of the task. In many ways, these verses address the question, “Who is sufficient for these things?” There are three basic movements in the passage. The first nine verses tell how God gave Moses signs in case Israel did not believe him (4:1-9). The second section records how God dealt with the speech problem of Moses (4:10-12). And finally, the last section records God’s provision of a helper, someone who could talk well (4:13-17). See also J. E. Hamlin, “The Liberator’s Ordeal: A Study of Exodus 4:1-9,” Rhetorical Criticism [PTMS], 33-42.

2 tn Heb “and Moses answered and said.”

3 tn Or “What if.” The use of הֵן (hen) is unusual here, introducing a conditional idea in the question without a following consequence clause (see Exod 8:22 HT [8:26 ET]; Jer 2:10; 2 Chr 7:13). The Greek has “if not” but adds the clause “what shall I say to them?”

4 tn Heb “listen to my voice,” so as to respond positively.