John Calvin Commentary Exodus 4:19

"And Jehovah said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt; for all the men are dead that sought thy life." — Exodus 4:19 (ASV)

And the Lord said⁵⁶ to Moses. Some connect this sentence with what follows, as if God had spoken to His servant after permission to return had been given to him by his father-in-law. However, my opinion is rather that what had previously been omitted is here inserted out of order. Such repetition is frequent in the Scriptures.⁵⁷

Moses, therefore, adds to what he had already said that the fear of danger was removed, since God had testified that the memory of his having slain the Egyptian no longer presented a danger. For this would have been a stumbling block at the very beginning, if Moses had supposed that this accusation would confront him; not because his conscience troubled him before God, but because he would have been rejected by the perverse judgments of people. Therefore, on this point also, God allays his fear, assuring him that the enemies who had plotted against his life were dead.

And, perhaps, he now particularly mentions this because, in asking for permission to depart, he could safely speak of it. For it is probable that Jethro, before he had married his daughter to an unknown foreigner, had inquired about the reason for his exile, since it was easy to conjecture from his wandering in the Desert that he had been expelled from his country. Then, having confessed that he fled from the wrath of the king, he now says that he is recalled by divine revelation and that he is promised a safe return. Nor is he guilty of falsehood, for, among other things, God had promised him that no danger awaited him from his former enemies.

⁵⁶ Lat., “had said.”., “had said.”

^{57 “}And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian,, i e., at a different time from that when he appeared to him in the wilderness at Mount Sinai. Things are not always recorded in the sacred writings in the order in which they happened.” — ., at a different time from that when he appeared to him in the wilderness at Mount Sinai. Things are not always recorded in the sacred writings in the order in which they happened.” — Rosenmuller in loco