Exodus 4:2 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And the Lord said—What is that? &c.— This is a proof, among many others, that questions are frequently asked in the sacred Scripture, not merely for the purpose of information: the Lord could not be ignorant what Moses had in his hand. This remark may be useful for the rightly understanding of many texts of Scripture. The rod which Moses held, was, most probably, his shepherd's crook. See Micah 7:14. The word, rendered serpent, signifies all kinds of serpents. Lightfoot conjectures it to have been a crocodile. It is probable, from the terror of Moses, that it was an animal of a very fearful kind. Exodus 4:5 as well as Exodus 4:8-9 evince the truth of the interpretation which we have given of the first verse.