^4:18⁵³ So Moses went back⁵⁴ to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Let me go, so that I may return⁵⁵ to my relatives⁵⁶ in Egypt and see⁵⁷ if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” ^4:19The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back⁵⁸ to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”⁵⁹^4:20Then Moses took⁶⁰ his wife and sons⁶¹ and put them on a donkey and headed back⁶² to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

53 This last section of the chapter reports Moses’ compliance with the commission. It has four parts: the decision to return (18–20), the instruction (21–23), the confrontation with Yahweh (24–26), and the presentation with Aaron (27–31).
54 The two verbs form a verbal hendiadys, the second verb becoming adverbial in the translation: “and he went and he returned” becomes “and he went back.”
55 There is a sequence here with the two cohortative forms: אֵלְכָה נָּא וְאָשׁוּבָה (’elékhah nna’ vé’ashuva)—“let me go in order that I may return.”
56 Heb “brothers.”
57 This verb is parallel to the preceding cohortative and so also expresses purpose: “let me go that I may return … and that I may see.”
58 The text has two imperatives, “Go, return”; if these are interpreted as a hendiadys (as in the translation), then the second is adverbial.
59 The text clearly stated that Pharaoh sought to kill Moses; so this seems to be a reference to Pharaoh’s death shortly before Moses’ return. Moses was forty years in Midian. In the 18th dynasty, only Pharaoh Thutmose III had a reign of the right length (1504–1450 b.c.) to fit this period of Moses’ life. This would place Moses’ returning to Egypt near 1450 b.c., in the beginning of the reign of Amenhotep II, whom most conservatives identify as the pharaoh of the exodus. Rameses II, of course, had a very long reign (1304–1236). But if he were the one from whom Moses fled, then he could not be the pharaoh of the exodus, but his son would be—and that puts the date of the exodus after 1236, a date too late for anyone. See E. H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests, 62.
60 Heb “And Moses took.”
61 Only Gershom has been mentioned so far. The other son’s name will be explained in chapter 18. The explanation of Gershom’s name was important to Moses’ sojourn in Midian. The explanation of the name Eliezer fits better in the later chapter (18:2–4).
62 The verb would literally be rendered “and returned”; however, the narrative will record other happenings before he arrived in Egypt, so an ingressive nuance fits here—he began to return, or started back.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”

Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”

Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Then Moses went back to his father-in-law, Jethro, and said to him, “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still living.”

Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

Now in Midian the Lord told Moses, “Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff in his hand.

NLTNew Living Translation

So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.”

“Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.”

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And Moses went, and he returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and he said to him, “Please let me go, and let me return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and let me see whether they are yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” And Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt because all the men have died who were seeking your life.”

And Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on the donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

KJV 1900King James Version

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. And 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.

Public Domain