If they will not believe thee, saith he, nor hear the voice of the former sign, they will believe the word of the latter sign.
וְהָיָה֙ אִם־לֹ֣א יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ לָ֔ךְ וְלֹ֣א יִשְׁמְע֔וּ לְקֹ֖ל הָאֹ֣ת הָרִאשׁ֑וֹן וְהֶֽאֱמִ֔ינוּ לְקֹ֖ל הָאֹ֥ת הָאַחֲרֽוֹן׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
God instructed him to place his hand inside his garment. When Moses did so, his hand was afflicted with leprosy, but upon placing it back inside, it was restored to health. The Lord assures His people through the sign of the serpent and the miracle of the hand that was initially infected but then healed. Pharaoh and his army are not more difficult to transform than the serpent, and just as I transformed your hand, it is within My power to change them as I desire.
God communicates to Moses, setting forth certain conditions regarding the Israelites: “But if they will not believe you, and will not heed the voice of the first sign, they shall believe you for the voice of the second sign” (8); and it will happen, if they do not accept these two signs and refuse to listen to your voice, that you shall be recompensed from the waters of the river” (9). Some might deduce from this conditional promise that God was uncertain about which miracle would persuade the Hebrews to believe. However, this view contradicts God’s omniscience, as He is fully aware of future events.
EXPLANATION. 1) The Lord provides Moses with a conditional promise, accommodating human frailty, similar to how humans often pursue important endeavors through various means. When one approach fails, they seek alternative solutions. God followed this method with Moses, His chosen servant, bestowing upon him the ability to perform miracles in the presence of the Israelites, which would facilitate his mission. Although the initial efforts might appear ineffective, Moses should not lose heart, for God has granted him other miraculous signs to convince the Israelites and affirm the truth of His promises. 2) Furthermore, it is reasonable to believe that among the vast number of Israelites, not everyone displayed the same behavior or characteristics, and as a result, faith did not manifest uniformly. While Moses assured each individual of his divine appointment, his message was not instantaneously accepted by all; rather, it was first embraced by the elders, followed by others of lesser status. Their trust in Moses, God’s messenger, grew as their experiences with the miracles he performed deepened their belief.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS