Exodus 4:11

Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Ver. 11. Who hath made man’s mouth?] There is no mouth into which God cannot put fit words. Balaam’s ass was enabled by God to convince his master. Whereas by a man, never so full and fluent, he cannot bring forth his conceptions, without the obstetrication of God’s assistance. {Pro 16:1}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4:11 God created the organs of speech and has ordained every person’s particular abilities in this area. He is able to use what he has made and ordained.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 11. Who hath made man's mouth? &c.] Cannot he who formed the mouth, the whole organs of speech, and hath given the gift of speech also, cannot he give utterance? God can take away those gifts and restore them again. Do not provoke him: he who created the eye, the ear, and the mouth, hath also made the blind, the deaf, and the dumb.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(11) Who maketh.—Rather, hath made.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. God gives man all his faculties; and therefore, it is implied, can give Moses fluency. The words are spoken in a tone of reproof.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the Lord said unto him, who hath made man's mouth?.... Made that itself, and put in it the power and faculty of speech, even into the mouth of the first man, Adam, as the Targum of Jonathan; and so of every other man, did not the Lord do it? none else could, and therefore he that made it, and made it capable of speaking, could remove any impediments in it, and cause it to speak freely and fluently:

or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I, the Lord? as all the senses, and the perfection of them, are from him, so all the imperfections in them are according to his good pleasure; what he suffers to be, and can remedy when he thinks fit: it is he that gives the seeing eye and hearing ear, can and does make blind and deaf, that gives also the speaking mouth, and makes that dumb, and can open it again as he pleases! and what is it that he cannot do?

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Vers. 11-13. Who hath made man"s mouth! God could and would have cured the defect in Moses" speech, whatever it was; could and would have added eloquence to his other gifts, if he had even at this point yielded himself up unreservedly to his guidance and heartily accepted his mission. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. He gives all powers sight, and hearing, and speech included to whom he will. He would have been "with Moses" mouth," removing all hesitation or indistinctness, and have "taught him what to say supplied the thought and the language by which to express it if Moses would have let him. But the reply in ver. 13 shut up the Divine bounty, prevented its outpour, and left Moses the ineffective speaker which he was content to be. The words, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send, are curt and ungracious; much curter in the original than in our version. They contain a grudging acquiescence. But for the deprecatory particle with which they commence the same as in ver. 10, they would be almost rude. And we see the result in the next verse.

God the Giver of our faculties.

See

1. His power in the creation of them. "Who hath made," etc. Wisdom also.Eyes, ears, organs of speech miracles of contrivance.

2. His goodness in the bestowal of them. A reason for thankfulness.

3. His providence in the deprivation of them. "Who maketh the dumb, ordeaf," etc. A reason for not murmuring.

4. His perfection as mirrored in their functions. "He that planted the ear,shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?". (Psa_94:9) An answer to the objection against positive revelation. He that formed the mouth, shall he not speak? And he that formed the ear, can he not address to it his own message?

5. Lesson His ability to aid us in using them for his glory (ver. 12). J.O.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

מי שם פה וגו׳ WHO HATH MADE MAN’S MOUTH etc.? — Who taught you to speak when you were arraigned in judgment before Pharaoh on account of the Egyptian whom you slew?

או מי ישום אלם OR WHO MAKETH THE DUMB — Who made Pharaoh dumb so that he could not insist upon the carrying out of his command to kill you? Who made his ministers deaf so that they could not hear when he gave orders concerning you? And the executioners whose task it was to slay — who made them blind so that they could not see when you fled from the platform (raised place of execution) and escaped? (Midrash Tanchuma, Shemot 10)

הלא אנכי ה' DID NOT I whose name is THE LORD do all this?

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

WHO HATH MADE MAN’S MOUTH? This is a reference to man’s power of speech because it resides in the mouth. Similarly: Safa echad [literally: “one lip”] (one language); that speak ‘s’fath’ Canaan [literally: “the lip of”] (the language of Canaan).

OR WHO MAKETH A MAN DUMB? Scholars have explained that this refers back to man, meaning: “Who maketh a man that is dumb?” That is to say, “Who has created a man without the capacity of speaking?” “The making” thus refers to the making of man, but as regards the absence of the power of speech, you cannot speak in terms of “making,” for it is non-existence, the lack of the power of speech. Perhaps because man has a speaking soul, and, for people who lack this capacity, it is due to some obstruction in the veins of the tongue, it is then possible to say, “Who made the dumbness?” [since the making of the obstruction required an act]. Now the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] said in the Moreh Nebuchim that it may be said of him who removes a certain property that he produced the absence of that property, for they say of him who puts out the light that he has produced darkness. In accordance with this view, Rambam explains the verse, I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil, [for darkness and evil are non-existent things].

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.