Exodus 4:11
Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
English Standard Version (ESV)
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God's question isn't just about who has the power to create senses; it's a pointed reminder that He orchestrates all human conditions, including perceived limitations like Moses' speech impediment. By asserting His authorship of both ability and inability, God is implicitly saying, "Your perceived weakness is no obstacle to My plan."
Moses has just expressed his deep reluctance and inability to speak effectively to the Israelites, even after God performed miracles through him. God's response directly addresses Moses' excuse by asserting His absolute power over human faculties, including speech. This exchange leads directly into God appointing Aaron to speak for Moses, highlighting God's willingness to work with human limitations and fears.
Why does God allow some to be born with limitations, while others are not?
In Exodus 4:11, God confronts Moses' excuses about his speech by reminding him of His ultimate authority over the very faculties Moses is concerned about.
The Divine Hand
The Lord asks Moses, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" This isn't just a rhetorical question; it's a profound statement of God's sovereignty. He is the one who creates, sustains, and can also afflict or restore. This applies not only to physical abilities like sight and hearing but also to the capacity for speech.
Beyond Human Ability
Moses felt inadequate because of his speech impediment. But God's point is that human limitations are entirely within His divine purview. He is the one who designed the mouth, gave the ability to speak, and can also impose muteness or overcome it. Therefore, Moses' perceived weakness was not an insurmountable barrier for God, who is the ultimate source of all human abilities and conditions.
When God calls you to something, does He expect you to be already equipped?
God's response to Moses' stammering isn't just about asserting His power; it's a promise of His active partnership.
The Call and the Companion
Moses expressed his inability to speak effectively for God's mission to Pharaoh and the Israelites. God's question about who makes a mouth mute or able to speak is immediately followed by the promise in the next verses: "Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say" (Exodus 4:12). This shows that God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called.
God's Presence is the Solution
The Lord doesn't dismiss Moses' concern but assures him that His presence will compensate for his perceived lack. God Himself will direct Moses' words and grant him the ability to communicate His message. This is a recurring theme: God calls ordinary, often unqualified, individuals and then empowers them through His Spirit and His presence to accomplish His purposes. Moses' hesitancy stemmed from a lack of self-reliance, but God's response redirects him to rely on His sufficiency.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal name of the one true God, signifying His eternal, self-existent, and covenant-keeping nature. It is the name revealed to Moses at the burning bush, emphasizing His faithfulness to His promises.
illem · Hebrew Adjective
A state of inability to speak, often viewed in Scripture as under God's sovereign control regarding its occurrence or origin, emphasizing His power over human faculties.
cheresh · Hebrew Adjective
The state of physical inability to hear; biblically, God is often portrayed as the sovereign Creator who determines human physical conditions, demonstrating His absolute authority over all created beings.
piqqeach · Hebrew Adjective
This divine dialogue happens at a pivotal moment as Moses is called to lead his people out of slavery. His fear of not being eloquent enough is met by God's powerful reminder that He is the Creator of all faculties, including speech, and has the ultimate power to enable Moses, or anyone, to fulfill His purpose.
c. 1446 BC
Moses' Birth and Flight
Moses is born into Israelite slavery in Egypt, miraculously survives Pharaoh's decree to kill male infants, and is eventually raised in Pharaoh's court. He later flees Egypt after killing an Egyptian overseer.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Moses encounters the Burning Bush
While tending sheep in Midian, Moses encounters God in a burning bush, receiving the divine commission to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites to freedom.
c. 1406 BC
Moses expresses his inability to speak
Moses voices his reluctance to lead the Israelites, citing his lack of eloquence and slow speech, fearing he will not be believed.
c. 1406 BC
God appoints Aaron as Moses' spokesman
God assures Moses that Aaron, his brother, will speak for him and expresses His anger at Moses' hesitation, but ultimately provides Aaron as a solution.
This passage directly questions who is forming things, just like Exodus 4:11, emphasizing God's ultimate authority over creation and human faculties. It rebukes the idea that humanity has a right to question the Creator's power and purpose in shaping individuals.
Jeremiah 1:6-8Similar to Moses, Jeremiah protests his own inadequacy and lack of eloquence when called by God. God's response in both passages is to assert His power to equip the speaker and promise His presence, highlighting that divine calling transcends human limitations.
Matthew 10:19-20Jesus reassures His disciples facing persecution that they will be given what to say, echoing God's promise to Moses in Exodus 4:12 ('I will be with thy mouth'). This shows that God provides the very words for His messengers when He calls them.
Romans 9:20-21Paul uses the analogy of a potter and clay to illustrate God's sovereign right over His creation, mirroring the rhetorical question in Exodus 4:11 about who makes the different faculties. It underscores God's absolute authority to shape individuals according to His will.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29This passage highlights God's tendency to use the weak and humble, similar to how God confronts Moses' perceived weakness in speech. It reinforces the theme that God's power is made perfect in human frailty, not in human eloquence or strength.
clarkeExodus 4:11: "And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?"
Who hath made man's mouth? etc. - Cannot he who formed the mouth, the whole organs of speech, and hath given the gift of speech also, cannot he give utterance? God can take away those gifts and restore them again. Do not provoke him: he who created the eye, the ear, and the mouth, hath also made the blind, the deaf, and the dumb.
ellicottExodus 4:11: "And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?"
(11) Who maketh. —Rather, hath made. Exodus 4:12Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.( 12 ) I will be with thy mouth. —To suggest words (see Matthew 10:19-20 ), and assist utterance. Comp. the reluctance of Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 1:6 ), and God’s dealings with him ( Jeremiah 1:7-9 ).
God's question isn't just about who has the power to create senses; it's a pointed reminder that He orchestrates all human conditions, including perceived limitations like Moses' speech impediment. By asserting His authorship of both ability and inability, God is implicitly saying, "Your perceived weakness is no obstacle to My plan."
Moses has just expressed his deep reluctance and inability to speak effectively to the Israelites, even after God performed miracles through him. God's response directly addresses Moses' excuse by asserting His absolute power over human faculties, including speech. This exchange leads directly into God appointing Aaron to speak for Moses, highlighting God's willingness to work with human limitations and fears.
Moses has just expressed his deep reluctance and inability to speak effectively to the Israelites, even after God performed miracles through him. God's response directly addresses Moses' excuse by asserting His absolute power over human faculties, including speech. This exchange leads directly into God appointing Aaron to speak for Moses, highlighting God's willingness to work with human limitations and fears.
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One who possesses the faculty of sight; biblically, God is acknowledged as the author of all human physical abilities, emphasizing His role as Creator and sustainer of life.
iwwer · Hebrew Adjective
The state of being unable to see; Scripture highlights God's sovereign role in both the existence and the spiritual significance of physical impairments in the context of His unfolding purposes.
c. 1406 BC
Miracles are given to Moses
To bolster Moses' confidence and convince the Israelites and Egyptians, God empowers Moses to perform two signs with his staff: turning it into a serpent and making his hand leprous and then healthy again.
c. 1406 BC
Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh
Moses and Aaron return to Egypt and, empowered by God, demand Pharaoh let the Israelites go. This marks the beginning of the ten plagues.
"Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" — God's question isn't just about who has the power to create senses; it's a pointed reminder that He orchestrates all human conditions, including perceived limitations like Moses' speech impediment.…
