Exodus 4:11-12
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God isn't just asserting His power over physical abilities; He's pointing out that He creates the very faculty of speech and the capacity for understanding. This means that any perceived lack in Moses’ speaking ability isn't an insurmountable obstacle, but a condition God Himself can address and empower.
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? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Moses is expressing his deep reluctance to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt, citing his lack of eloquence. In response, God rebukes Moses' doubts by asserting His sovereign power over all human abilities, including speech. God emphasizes that He, as the Creator, can grant or withhold these faculties and will empower Moses for the task ahead.
Moses felt inadequate, but God reminds him of a fundamental truth: He is the Creator and Sustainer of all abilities.
God directly challenges Moses's doubt by posing rhetorical questions about the origin of human faculties.
The Source of All Ability
This isn't about God arbitrarily afflicting people, but about His supreme authority. He is the one who establishes the 'normal' functioning of creation, and therefore, has the ultimate authority over it. Moses’s stammering, in this context, is not an insurmountable obstacle for God, who holds the very keys to human function.
God's power isn't just theoretical; it's purposeful. He can use any condition, even limitations, to fulfill His plans.
The passage implies that all human conditions, whether perceived as gifts or deficiencies, fall under God's ultimate authority and can be used for His purposes.
Sovereignty in Limitations
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This divine perspective reframes our understanding of human limitations. They are not outside of God's control, but can be instruments in His hands to reveal His power and accomplish His will. The focus shifts from Moses’s inability to God’s ability to work through Moses's perceived weakness.
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
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.
im · Hebrew Preposition
Refers to the divine presence and guidance granted to a believer, ensuring that God is actively involved in and directing the actions or speech of His servant.
This conversation happens at the very beginning of Moses' ministry, right after God calls him from the burning bush. Moses' deep-seated fear about his inability to speak clearly is met by God's powerful reminder that the Creator of all faculties is fully capable of empowering His chosen messenger.
~1446 BC
Israel's Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from over 400 years of slavery in Egypt through Moses and Aaron. This foundational event shapes their identity as a people and their relationship with God.
~1446 BC— this verse
Moses' Hesitation and God's Commission
Moses expresses his inadequacy and fear to God, particularly regarding his speech impediment, when called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. God responds by affirming His power to equip Moses and provides Aaron as his spokesman.
~1446 BC
The Ten Plagues Begin
After Moses and Aaron's initial confrontation with Pharaoh, God begins to send a series of devastating plagues upon Egypt to demonstrate His power and compel Pharaoh to release Israel.
~1446 BC
The Parting of the Red Sea
God miraculously parts the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to escape the pursuing Egyptian army. This event marks a decisive victory and deliverance for Israel.
~1446 BC
Giving of the Law at Mount Sinai
God gives the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, establishing the covenant relationship and the framework for Israelite society.
This passage echoes the theme that God often uses the seemingly weak and unqualified, like Moses with his speech impediment, to accomplish His purposes, highlighting divine power in human frailty.
Jeremiah 1:6-8Similar to Moses, Jeremiah expresses his inadequacy due to youth and speech difficulties when called by God, but God assures him of His presence and power to speak through him.
Matthew 10:19-20Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about what to say when facing persecution, as the Holy Spirit will give them the words, directly parallel to God's promise to be with Moses' mouth and teach him.
John 9:1-3When asked about a man born blind, Jesus explains that sometimes disabilities are permitted not due to sin, but so that God's works might be displayed, touching on the sovereignty of God over physical conditions mentioned in Exodus.
Romans 9:20-21Paul uses the imagery of a potter and clay to illustrate God's absolute sovereignty over His creation, including the physical conditions and destinies of people, reinforcing the idea that God is the ultimate maker of all faculties and conditions.
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 isn't just asserting His power over physical abilities; He's pointing out that He creates the very faculty of speech and the capacity for understanding. This means that any perceived lack in Moses’ speaking ability isn't an insurmountable obstacle, but a condition God Himself can address and empower.
Moses is expressing his deep reluctance to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt, citing his lack of eloquence. In response, God rebukes Moses' doubts by asserting His sovereign power over all human abilities, including speech. God emphasizes that He, as the Creator, can grant or withhold these faculties and will empower Moses for the task ahead.
Moses is expressing his deep reluctance to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt, citing his lack of eloquence. In response, God rebukes Moses' doubts by asserting His sovereign power over all human abilities, including speech. God emphasizes that He, as the Creator, can grant or withhold these faculties and will empower Moses for the task ahead.
"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? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”" — God isn't just asserting His power over physical abilities; He's pointing out that He creates the very faculty of speech and the capacity for understanding. This means that any perceived lack in Mo…
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Last reviewed October 2026
