7673. 'Stretch out your hand' means an exercising of power. This is clear from the meaning of 'stretching out' as that which is connected with the exercising of control, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'hand' as power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518. The reason why 'stretching out the hand' means the exercising of power is that there is power in the hand or arm when it is stretched out. When therefore Jehovah is said to stretch out His hand or arm, boundless or infinite power in action is meant. This explains why Jehovah told Moses on so many occasions, when miracles were to be performed, to stretch out his hand or his rod; for example,
Stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, and they will be blood. Exod 7:19.
Stretch out your hand over the rivers, and cause frogs to rise up. Exod 8:1, 2.a
Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the land, and it will then be lice. Exod 8:11, 12.b
Stretch out your hand towards heaven, and there will be hail. Exod 9:22, 23.
Such words would never have been used but for the meaning of 'stretching out the hand' in the highest sense as Jehovah's almighty power.
[2] The same thing is meant by Joshua's being told to stretch out his javelin, described in his book as follows,
Jehovah said to Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand towards Ai. When therefore Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand towards Ai, the ambush rose up quickly out of their place and ran, as soon as he stretched out his hand, and came to the city and took it. Joshua did not withdraw his hand which he had stretched out together with the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai had been utterly destroyed. Josh 8:18, 19, 26.
Being representative of God's almighty power, this too, like all other representative actions when they were commanded in those times, had force.
[3] There are a number of other places in which almighty power is described when it says that Jehovah 'stretches out His hand', or else His 'outstretched hand' or His 'outstretched arm' is spoken of. It is described by Jehovah stretching out His hand in Isaiah,
The anger [of Jehovah] has been roused against His people, and He has stretched out His hand over them and struck them, and the mountains were shaken. Isa 5:25.
In Ezekiel,
I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him. Ezek 14:9, 13.
In the same prophet,
I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations. Ezek 25:7.
I will stretch out My hand over Edom, and cut off from it man and beast. I will stretch out My hand over the philistines, and cut off . . . Ezek 15:17, 16.
Other places like these are Ezek 35:3; Isa 31:3; Zeph 1:4; 2:13.The use of 'outstretched hand' to describe almighty power occurs in Isaiah,
Jehovah's outstretched hand is over all the nations; who will turn it back? Isa 14:26, 27.
In Jeremiah,
I will fight with you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, and in anger and in fury. Jer 21:5.
In Isaiah,
Still His hand is outstretched. Isa 9:11,17; 10:4.
The use of 'outstretched arm' occurs in Jeremiah,
I have made the earth, man, and beast by My great strength and by My outstretched arm. Jer 27:5.
In the same prophet,
You have made heaven and earth by Your great power and Your outstretched arm; there is no matterc that is too impossible for You. Jer 32:17.
Here it is self-evident that 'outstretched arm' means almighty power. The same applies to many other places in which the expression 'by a strong hand and an outstretched arm' is used, such as Deut 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 9:29; 11:2; 26:8; 1 Kings 8:42; 2 Kings 17:36; Jer. 32:21; Ezek. 20:33, 34.
[4] There are places too in which Jehovah is said to 'stretch out the heavens', and in these places also 'stretching out' means almighty power; that is to say, He expands the limits of heaven and fills those who are there with life and wisdom, as in Isaiah,
Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens like a thin veil, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isa. 40:22.
In the same prophet,
Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, spreads out the earth, gives breathd to His people upon it, and spirit to those who walk on it. Isa. 42:5.
In Jeremiah,
. . . He who makes the earth by His power, prepares the world by His wisdom, and stretches out the heavens by His intelligence. Jer. 51:15.
In Zechariah,
Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, and founds the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Zech. 12:1.
There are still more places besides these, such as Isa. 44:24; 45:12; Ps. 104:2.
From all this one may now see why Moses was commanded to stretch out his hand and rod, that miracles were performed when he did so, and that 'stretching out the hand' for that reason means the exercising of power, and in the highest sense almighty power.
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