A SIGN — a mark, token, or wonder that points beyond itself to authenticate a word or a promise. God gives Moses three OTOT to make Israel believe (Exodus 4:8-9): the staff-serpent, the leprous hand, the water-to-blood. The word runs from the rainbow, the 'sign' of the covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:12), and the sabbath, the 'sign' between God and Israel, to the plagues and the great 'signs and wonders' of the Exodus. A sign is not the point; it is a finger pointing at the one who gives it. → first discussed at Exod 4:8