Exodus 4:22
ESV
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,
NIV
Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,
NASB
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: 'Israel is My son, My firstborn.
CSB
And you will say to Pharaoh: This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
NLT
Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
KJV
And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
NKJV
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
What does Exodus 4:22 mean?
The Lord plans to send a message to the ruler of Egypt (Exodus 3:10; 4:21). God sees the nation of Israel as a first-born son. In that era, this was the most precious and important child (Psalm 89:27; Colossians 1:15). When Pharaoh holds on to the Israeli slaves, it will be an attempt to take that son away from the Lord. In response, Egypt will be punished with the death of their firstborn (Exodus 4:23).Pharaoh will resist God's commands many times (Exodus 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7) before the Lord begins to amplify the stubbornness as a means of judgment (Exodus 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10). That plague of death on the firstborn will be the last of ten major catastrophes brought on Egypt (Exodus 3:20).
