Exodus 4:4

ESV But the Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand and catch it by the tail" — so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand —

NIV Then the Lord said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.

NASB But the Lord said to Moses, 'Reach out with your hand and grasp it by its tail'—so he reached out with his hand and caught it, and it turned into a staff in his hand—

CSB The Lord told Moses, "Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail." So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand.

NLT Then the Lord told him, 'Reach out and grab its tail.' So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.

KJV And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

NKJV Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),

What does Exodus 4:4 mean?

Moses is concerned that no one will believe his story about speaking to the Lord (Exodus 4:1). God told Moses to throw a staff-like walking stick on the ground, which immediately turned into a snake of some kind (Exodus 4:2–3). This was almost certainly a large cobra or other dangerous species. Moses retreats from it.

And yet, the Lord tells Moses to fight natural instinct: to grab the snake by the tail. Despite what some might think, this is actually the safest place to secure a hold on large venomous snakes—assuming the snake isn't coiled and protecting its tail. The concept is still dangerous, so Moses' obedience came with risks. Once the tail is held, the serpent turns back into a staff.

This will serve as a sign that God (Exodus 3:10) truly sends Moses. It will convince the elders of Israel (Exodus 4:30–31). Pharaoh will be harder to persuade; cobras were part of Egyptian religious and political imagery. Court magicians will seem to duplicate the miracle (Exodus 7:11). However, the snake-staff empowered by God will eat those lesser snakes (Exodus 7:10–13).

Despite this, and other signs, Pharaoh and his henchmen will refuse to believe that these are miracles from God (Exodus 7:13). God will give Moses other signs to reinforce his message (Exodus 4:7–9).

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