what did moses mean when he said the lord was angry with him

Moses was most likely referring to a moment when he felt God was displeased with his reluctance and excuses about being sent to lead Israel. In Exodus 4, Moses keeps objecting to the call, and the text says “the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses,” after which God points him to Aaron as a helper.

What it meant

God’s anger was about Moses’ repeated hesitation, not that God had abandoned him. Moses did not want to take on the mission, and his objections suggested a lack of confidence in God’s provision.

Why Moses said it later

When Moses later spoke about the Lord being angry with him, he was reflecting on that earlier episode as part of his own history with God’s discipline and mercy. The key idea is that Moses recognized both his weakness and God’s continued faithfulness.

In plain terms

• Moses felt convicted because he had resisted God’s call.
• God’s anger was a response to Moses’ delay and excuses.
• Even so, God still used Moses and gave him Aaron as support.

TL;DR: Moses meant that God was angry with him because he kept resisting the assignment to lead Israel, but God still worked with him rather than rejecting him.