Introduction: Signs, Skepticism, and Theological Assurance
Exodus 4:8 captures a divine anticipation of Israel’s skeptical response to Moshe’s mission. God provides Moshe with miraculous signs and predicts their effects using a conditional structure that weaves together belief, hearing, and persuasion. The verse reads:
וְהָיָה֙ אִם־לֹ֣א יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ לָ֔ךְ וְלֹ֣א יִשְׁמְע֔וּ לְקֹ֖ל הָאֹ֣ת הָרִאשֹׁ֑ון וְהֶֽאֱמִ֔ינוּ לְקֹ֖ל הָאֹ֥ת הָאַחֲרֹֽון׃
And it shall be, if they do not believe you and do not listen to the voice of the first sign, then they shall believe the voice of the latter sign.
This verse is rich in conditional and contrastive constructions. It plays with expectation and consequence, outlining two possible reactions to prophetic signs. The grammar encapsulates divine accommodation: if the people do not respond to one miracle, another will follow. The interplay of verbs for belief and hearing is also significant, as it links faith to sensory reception and moral response.
Grammatical Feature Analysis: Conditional and Coordinated Clauses
The verse begins with וְהָיָה, a wayyiqtol form of הָיָה (“to be”), often used to introduce future conditionals. It marks the protasis of a conditional sentence: “And it shall be, if…”
The condition is stated with אִם־לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לָךְ — a qal imperfect 3mp of א־מ־ן (“to believe”) with the preposition לְ + second ms suffix (“you”). The negation לֹא suggests a real potentiality of disbelief. The verb יַאֲמִינוּ here implies trust or acceptance of Moshe’s prophetic authority.
The next clause וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ לְקֹל הָאֹת הָרִאשׁוֹן features the qal imperfect 3mp יִשְׁמְעוּ (“they will hear/listen”), again with לֹא negating. The phrase לְקֹל הָאֹת (“to the voice of the sign”) is striking—it personifies the sign as having a “voice,” implying communicative power. The word אֹת (“sign”) is modified by the adjective הָרִאשׁוֹן (“the first”), referring to the initial miracle.
Then follows the apodosis: וְהֶאֱמִינוּ לְקֹל הָאֹת הָאַחֲרוֹן. The verb הֶאֱמִינוּ is hiphil perfect 3mp, from the same root א־מ־ן, indicating caused belief: “they will believe.” The phrase לְקֹל הָאֹת הָאַחֲרוֹן refers to the second sign’s “voice.” The grammatical contrast between imperfect and perfect reflects the shift from uncertainty to resolved expectation.
Exegetical Implications: Faith, Hearing, and Divine Pedagogy
The repetition of יַאֲמִינוּ and הֶאֱמִינוּ underscores the central theme: divine signs are meant to elicit trust. The contrast between belief in the first sign and in the second reveals God’s condescension to human doubt. The structure is pedagogical: if one revelation fails to convince, another will follow.
The use of לְקֹול הָאֹת suggests that signs are not merely visual but communicative. The “voice” of the sign implies it carries divine speech. Thus, failure to listen to the sign is not failure to see a miracle but refusal to heed its theological message.
Rashi and Ibn Ezra both note the mercy inherent in this structure: God prepares for rejection by providing multiple chances to believe. This is not just contingency planning—it is an expression of divine patience.
Cross-Linguistic and Literary Parallels
Conditional structures with multiple outcomes are common in treaty and prophetic literature. In Deuteronomy, for instance, blessings and curses are introduced with conditional syntax: “If you obey… then…” Similarly, Akkadian omen texts often use šumma (“if”) to present signs and responses.
The Septuagint renders this passage: ἔσται ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσωσιν σοὶ μηδὲ ἐπακούσωσιν τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ σημείου τοῦ πρώτου, πιστεύσουσιν τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ σημείου τοῦ ἐσχάτου. The Greek preserves the conditional structure and translates אֹת as σημεῖον (“sign”), aligning with New Testament usage of miracles.
Theological and Literary Significance of the Syntax of Persuasion
Exodus 4:8 is not merely about signs—it is about the logic of revelation. The grammar presents a divine strategy: revelation is given in increasing measure to reach hardened hearts. The conditional form captures the tension between divine certainty and human unpredictability.
The pairing of לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ… וְהֶאֱמִינוּ creates a chiastic balance that emphasizes transformation. The language of belief brackets the narrative, with the “voice” of each sign serving as the hinge. The grammatical structure encodes a theological truth: God speaks in signs, and those signs speak back.
When Signs Speak: Grammar of Belief and Response in Exodus 4:8
Exodus 4:8 demonstrates how conditional syntax and repeated verbs shape the theology of response. Faith is not automatic; it is a result of hearing, and hearing comes by the sign’s “voice.” The grammar enacts divine patience, structured to anticipate doubt and guide Israel from disbelief to trust. In this grammar of persuasion, the verbs believe, hear, and speak are not abstract—they are the very substance of covenant revelation.
