Rod of Moses

Biblical Text and Content

Moses was a shepherd who kept the flock of his father-in-law Jethro (Exodus 3:1). At the burning bush, God asked him, "What is that in thine hand?" When Moses answered that it was a rod, he cast it on the ground, where it became a serpent and then turned back into a rod (Exodus 4:2-5). God said, "And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs" (Exodus 4:17). From that point on, the text calls it "the rod of God" (Exodus 4:20).

The principal scenes in which the rod appears are as follows.

• The plagues: Moses stretched out the rod during the plagues of hail (Exodus 9:23) and locusts (Exodus 10:13). However, when the rod became a serpent before Pharaoh (Exodus 7:10-12), and in the plagues of water turned to blood, frogs, and lice, it is Aaron who holds the rod.
• The Red Sea: Moses lifted up the rod and stretched out his hand over the sea (Exodus 14:16).
• The rock at Rephidim: When Moses struck the rock in Horeb with the rod, water came out (Exodus 17:5-6).
• The battle with Amalek: Moses stood on the top of the hill holding the rod of God. As long as his hands were raised, Israel, led by Joshua, prevailed over Amalek (Exodus 17:9-12).
• Meribah: God told Moses to take the rod and "speak ye unto the rock." Moses instead struck the rock twice, and for this he was told that he would not enter Canaan (Numbers 20:7-12).

Background

The Hebrew word matteh, translated "rod," refers to the staff a shepherd used to lead and protect his sheep. It is also used in the sense of a scepter, that is, a staff symbolizing authority and rank. The same word can also mean "tribe." As a result, the two meanings overlap in Numbers 17, where the rods of the leaders of each tribe are gathered together. The narrative begins with an ordinary shepherd's tool being put to use in the work of God.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The text calls this rod "the rod of God," indicating that the power resided not in the rod itself but in God. In the Red Sea account as well, the parting of the waters is attributed to the strong east wind that the LORD caused to blow all that night (Exodus 14:21). The rod serves as a sign that God was with Moses and had appointed him as His agent.

The New Testament does not mention the rod of Moses directly. Paul says of the rock that gave water in the wilderness, "and that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4). The rod that Hebrews 9:4 records as being inside the ark of the covenant is Aaron's rod that budded.

Interpretations and Debated Questions

• The rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron: Interpreters differ on whether the two rods are the same or distinct. Numbers 20:9 states that Moses took the rod "from before the LORD," which has led some to identify it with Aaron's rod, which had been placed before the testimony (Numbers 17:10). The text does not state this explicitly.
• The fault at Meribah: Numbers 20:12 gives the reason as a failure to believe God and to sanctify Him. Commentators differ as to whether the fault lay in striking the rock contrary to the command or in the attitude Moses displayed before the people.
• Distinction from the bronze serpent: The bronze serpent was set upon a pole (Numbers 21:8-9), an object distinct from the rod of Moses.
• Later traditions: The Mishnah tractate Avot is reported to preserve a Jewish tradition that this rod was created at twilight on the sixth day of creation. Other stories hold that it was handed down from Adam. Such accounts are not found in the biblical text.
• Typological reading: Typology is an interpretive approach that sees Old Testament persons, events, and objects as foreshadowing Christ. Some of the early church fathers are reported to have read this rod as a type of the cross.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, the question of Exodus 4:2, "What is that in thine hand?" is frequently cited. It is often interpreted as a call for each believer to consider the talents and possessions he or she can offer to God. The Meribah incident is also used as a text on a leader's temper and obedience.