1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
1 And there went H3212 a man H376 of the house H1004 of Levi, H3878 and took H3947 to wife a daughter H1323 of Levi. H3878
2 And the woman H802 conceived, H2029 and bare H3205 a son: H1121 and when she saw H7200 him that he was a goodly H2896 child, she hid H6845 him three H7969 months. H3391
3 And when she could H3201 not longer H5750 hide H6845 him, she took H3947 for him an ark H8392 of bulrushes, H1573 and daubed H2560 it with slime H2564 and with pitch, H2203 and put H7760 the child H3206 therein; and she laid H7760 it in the flags H5488 by the river's H2975 brink. H8193
4 And his sister H269 stood H3320 afar off, H7350 to wit H3045 what would be done H6213 to him.
5 And the daughter H1323 of Pharaoh H6547 came down H3381 to wash H7364 herself at the river; H2975 and her maidens H5291 walked H1980 along by the river's H2975 side; H3027 and when she saw H7200 the ark H8392 among H8432 the flags, H5488 she sent H7971 her maid H519 to fetch H3947 it.
6 And when she had opened H6605 it, she saw H7200 the child: H3206 and, behold, the babe H5288 wept. H1058 And she had compassion H2550 on him, and said, H559 This is one of the Hebrews' H5680 children. H3206
7 Then said H559 his sister H269 to Pharaoh's H6547 daughter, H1323 Shall I go H3212 and call H7121 to thee a nurse H3243 of the Hebrew H5680 women, H802 that she may nurse H3243 the child H3206 for thee?
8 And Pharaoh's H6547 daughter H1323 said H559 to her, Go. H3212 And the maid H5959 went H3212 and called H7121 the child's H3206 mother. H517
9 And Pharaoh's H6547 daughter H1323 said H559 unto her, Take H3212 this child H3206 away, H3212 and nurse H3243 it for me, and I will give H5414 thee thy wages. H7939 And the woman H802 took H3947 the child, H3206 and nursed H5134 it.
10 And the child H3206 grew, H1431 and she brought H935 him unto Pharaoh's H6547 daughter, H1323 and he became her son. H1121 And she called H7121 his name H8034 Moses: H4872 and she said, H559 Because I drew H4871 him out of the water. H4325
11 And it came to pass in those days, H3117 when Moses H4872 was grown, H1431 that he went out H3318 unto his brethren, H251 and looked H7200 on their burdens: H5450 and he spied H7200 an Egyptian H4713 H376 smiting H5221 an Hebrew, H5680 one of his brethren. H251
12 And he looked H6437 this way H3541 and that way, H3541 and when he saw H7200 that there was no man, H376 he slew H5221 the Egyptian, H4713 and hid H2934 him in the sand. H2344
13 And when he went out H3318 the second H8145 day, H3117 behold, two H8147 men H582 of the Hebrews H5680 strove H5327 together: and he said H559 to him that did the wrong, H7563 Wherefore smitest H5221 thou thy fellow? H7453
14 And he said, H559 Who made H7760 thee H376 a prince H8269 and a judge H8199 over us? intendest H559 thou to kill H2026 me, as thou killedst H2026 the Egyptian? H4713 And Moses H4872 feared, H3372 and said, H559 Surely H403 this thing H1697 is known. H3045
15 Now when Pharaoh H6547 heard H8085 this thing, H1697 he sought H1245 to slay H2026 Moses. H4872 But Moses H4872 fled H1272 from the face H6440 of Pharaoh, H6547 and dwelt H3427 in the land H776 of Midian: H4080 and he sat down H3427 by a well. H875
16 Now the priest H3548 of Midian H4080 had seven H7651 daughters: H1323 and they came H935 and drew H1802 water, and filled H4390 the troughs H7298 to water H8248 their father's H1 flock. H6629
17 And the shepherds H7462 came H935 and drove them away: H1644 but Moses H4872 stood up H6965 and helped H3467 them, and watered H8248 their flock. H6629
18 And when they came H935 to Reuel H7467 their father, H1 he said, H559 How H4069 is it that ye are come H935 so soon H4116 to day? H3117
19 And they said, H559 An Egyptian H4713 H376 delivered H5337 us out of the hand H3027 of the shepherds, H7462 and also drew H1802 water enough H1802 for us, and watered H8248 the flock. H6629
20 And he said H559 unto his daughters, H1323 And where is he? why is it that ye have left H5800 the man? H376 call H7121 him, that he may eat H398 bread. H3899
21 And Moses H4872 was content H2974 to dwell H3427 with the man: H376 and he gave H5414 Moses H4872 Zipporah H6855 his daughter. H1323
22 And she bare H3205 him a son, H1121 and he called H7121 his name H8034 Gershom: H1647 for he said, H559 I have been a stranger H1616 in a strange H5237 land. H776
23 And it came to pass in process H1992 H7227 of time, H3117 that the king H4428 of Egypt H4714 died: H4191 and the children H1121 of Israel H3478 sighed H584 by reason of H4480 the bondage, H5656 and they cried, H2199 and their cry H7775 came up H5927 unto God H430 by reason of the bondage. H5656
24 And God H430 heard H8085 their groaning, H5009 and God H430 remembered H2142 his covenant H1285 with Abraham, H85 with Isaac, H3327 and with Jacob. H3290
25 And God H430 looked H7200 upon the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 and God H430 had respect H3045 unto them.
1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river-side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it.
6 And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maiden went and called the child's mother.
9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Thinkest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely the thing is known.
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
17 And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?
19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.
20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.
21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
22 And she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.
23 And it came to pass in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God saw the children of Israel, and God took knowledge `of them'.
1 And there goeth a man of the house of Levi, and he taketh the daughter of Levi,
2 and the woman conceiveth, and beareth a son, and she seeth him that he `is' fair, and she hideth him three months,
3 and she hath not been able any more to hide him, and she taketh for him an ark of rushes, and daubeth it with bitumen and with pitch, and putteth the lad in it, and putteth `it' in the weeds by the edge of the River;
4 and his sister stationeth herself afar off, to know what is done to him.
5 And a daughter of Pharaoh cometh down to bathe at the River, and her damsels are walking by the side of the River, and she seeth the ark in the midst of the weeds, and sendeth her handmaid, and she taketh it,
6 and openeth, and seeth him -- the lad, and lo, a child weeping! and she hath pity on him, and saith, `This is `one' of the Hebrews' children.'
7 And his sister saith unto the daughter of Pharaoh, `Do I go? when I have called for thee a suckling woman of the Hebrews, then she doth suckle the lad for thee;'
8 and the daughter of Pharaoh saith to her, `Go;' and the virgin goeth, and calleth the mother of the lad,
9 and the daughter of Pharaoh saith to her, `Take this lad away, and suckle him for me, and I -- I give thy hire;' and the woman taketh the lad, and suckleth him.
10 And the lad groweth, and she bringeth him in to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he is to her for a son, and she calleth his name Moses, and saith, `Because -- from the water I have drawn him.'
11 And it cometh to pass, in those days, that Moses is grown, and he goeth out unto his brethren, and looketh on their burdens, and seeth a man, an Egyptian, smiting a man, a Hebrew, `one' of his brethren,
12 and he turneth hither and thither, and seeth that there is no man, and smiteth the Egyptian, and hideth him in the sand.
13 And he goeth out on the second day, and lo, two men, Hebrews, striving! and he saith to the wrong-doer, `Why dost thou smite thy neighbour?'
14 and he saith, `Who set thee for a head and a judge over us? to slay me art thou saying `it', as thou hast slain the Egyptian?' and Moses feareth, and saith, `Surely the thing hath been known.'
15 And Pharaoh heareth of this thing, and seeketh to slay Moses, and Moses fleeth from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelleth in the land of Midian, and dwelleth by the well.
16 And to a priest of Midian `are' seven daughters, and they come and draw, and fill the troughs, to water the flock of their father,
17 and the shepherds come and drive them away, and Moses ariseth, and saveth them, and watereth their flock.
18 And they come in to Reuel their father, and he saith, `Wherefore have ye hastened to come in to-day?'
19 and they say, `A man, an Egyptian, hath delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also hath diligently drawn for us, and watereth the flock;'
20 and he saith unto his daughters, `And where `is' he? why `is' this? -- ye left the man! call for him, and he doth eat bread.'
21 And Moses is willing to dwell with the man, and he giveth Zipporah his daughter to Moses,
22 and she beareth a son, and he calleth his name Gershom, for he said, `A sojourner I have been in a strange land.'
23 And it cometh to pass during these many days, that the king of Egypt dieth, and the sons of Israel sigh because of the service, and cry, and their cry goeth up unto God, because of the service;
24 and God heareth their groaning, and God remembereth His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob;
25 and God seeth the sons of Israel, and God knoweth.
1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi.
2 And the woman conceived, and bore a son. And she saw him that he was fair, and hid him three months.
3 And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of reeds, and plastered it with resin and with pitch, and put the child in it, and laid [it] in the sedge on the bank of the river.
4 And his sister stood afar off to see what would happen to him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the river; and her maids went along by the river's side. And she saw the ark in the midst of the sedge, and sent her handmaid and fetched it.
6 And she opened [it], and saw the child, and behold, the boy wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is [one] of the Hebrews' children.
7 And his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call thee a wet-nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the damsel went and called the child's mother.
9 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give [thee] thy wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it.
10 And when the child was grown, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he turned this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 And he went out on the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarrelling; and he said to him that was in the wrong, Why art thou smiting thy neighbour?
14 And he said, Who made thee ruler and judge over us? dost thou intend to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? Then Moses feared, and said, Surely the matter is known.
15 And Pharaoh heard of this matter, and sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from before Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian. And he sat by the well.
16 And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew [water], and filled the troughs, to water their father's flock.
17 And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses rose and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, Why are ye come so soon to-day?
19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew [water] abundantly for us, and watered the flock.
20 And he said to his daughters, And where is he? why then have ye left the man behind? Call him, that he may eat bread.
21 And Moses consented to remain with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
22 And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.
23 And it came to pass during those many days, that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and cried; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage;
24 and God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob;
25 and God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged [them].
1 A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.
2 The woman conceived, and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.
3 When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank.
4 His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him.
5 Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her handmaid to get it.
6 She opened it, and saw the child, and, behold, the baby cried. She had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Should I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?"
8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." The maiden went and called the child's mother.
9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." The woman took the child, and nursed it.
10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses,{"Moses" sounds like the Hebrew for "draw out".} and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."
11 It happened in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brothers, and looked at their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.
12 He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 He went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?"
14 He said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?" Moses was afraid, and said, "Surely this thing is known."
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
17 The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, "How is it that you have returned so early today?"
19 They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock."
20 He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread."
21 Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter.
22 She bore a son, and he named him Gershom,{"Gershom" sounds like the Hebrew for "an alien there."} for he said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land."
23 It happened in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.
24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 God saw the children of Israel, and God was concerned about them.
1 Now a man of the house of Levi took as his wife a daughter of Levi.
2 And she became with child and gave birth to a Son; and when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she kept him secretly for three months.
3 And when she was no longer able to keep him secret, she made him a basket out of the stems of water-plants, pasting sticky earth over it to keep the water out; and placing the baby in it she put it among the plants by the edge of the Nile.
4 And his sister took her place at a distance to see what would become of him.
5 Now Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to take a bath, while her women were walking by the riverside; and she saw the basket among the river-plants, and sent her servant-girl to get it.
6 And opening it, she saw the child, and he was crying. And she had pity on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, May I go and get you one of the Hebrew women to give him the breast?
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and got the child's mother.
9 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take the child away and give it milk for me, and I will give you payment. And the woman took the child and gave it milk at her breast.
10 And when the child was older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son, and she gave him the name Moses, Because, she said, I took him out of the water.
11 Now when Moses had become a man, one day he went out to his people and saw how hard their work was; and he saw an Egyptian giving blows to a Hebrew, one of his people.
12 And turning this way and that, and seeing no one, he put the Egyptian to death, covering his body with sand.
13 And he went out the day after and saw two of the Hebrews fighting: and he said to him who was in the wrong, Why are you fighting your brother?
14 And he said, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? are you going to put me to death as you did the Egyptian? And Moses was in fear, and said, It is clear that the thing has come to light.
15 Now when Pharaoh had news of this, he would have put Moses to death. But Moses went in flight from Pharaoh into the land of Midian: and he took his seat by a water-spring.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came to get water for their father's flock.
17 And the keepers of the sheep came up and were driving them away; but Moses got up and came to their help, watering their flock for them.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that you have come back so quickly today?
19 And they said, An Egyptian came to our help against the keepers of sheep and got water for us and gave it to the flock.
20 And he said to his daughters, Where is he? why have you let the man go? make him come in and give him a meal.
21 And Moses was happy to go on living with the man; and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
22 And she gave birth to a son, to whom he gave the name Gershom: for he said, I have been living in a strange land.
23 Now after a long time the king of Egypt came to his end: and the children of Israel were crying in their grief under the weight of their work, and their cry for help came to the ears of God.
24 And at the sound of their weeping the agreement which God had made with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob came to his mind.
25 And God's eyes were turned to the children of Israel and he gave them the knowledge of himself.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Exodus 2
Commentary on Exodus 2 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Birth and Education of Moses. - Whilst Pharaoh was urging forward the extermination of the Israelites, God was preparing their emancipation. According to the divine purpose, the murderous edict of the king was to lead to the training and preparation of the human deliverer of Israel.
Exodus 2:1-2
At the time when all the Hebrew boys were ordered to be thrown into the Nile, “ there went ( הלך contributes to the pictorial character of the account, and serves to bring out its importance, just as in Genesis 35:22; Deuteronomy 31:1) a man of the house of Levi - according to Exodus 6:20 and Numbers 26:59, it was Amram, of the Levitical family of Kohath - and married a daughter (i.e., a descendant) of Levi, ” named Jochebed, who bore him a son, viz., Moses. From Exodus 6:20 we learn that Moses was not the first child of this marriage, but his brother Aaron; and from Exodus 2:7 of this chapter, it is evident that when Moses was born, his sister Miriam was by no means a child (Numbers 26:59). Both of these had been born before the murderous edict was issued (Exodus 1:22). They are not mentioned here, because the only question in hand was the birth and deliverance of Moses, the future deliverer of Israel. “ When the mother saw that the child was beautiful ” ( טוב as in Genesis 6:2; lxx ἀστεῖος ), she began to think about his preservation. The very beauty of the child was to her “a peculiar token of divine approval, and a sign that God had some special design concerning him” ( Delitzsch on Hebrews 11:23). The expression ἀστεῖος τῷ Θεῷ in Acts 7:20 points to this. She therefore hid the new-born child for three months, in the hope of saving him alive. This hope, however, neither sprang from a revelation made to her husband before the birth of her child, that he was appointed to be the saviour of Israel, as Josephus affirms (Ant. ii. 9, 3), either from his own imagination or according to the belief of his age, nor from her faith in the patriarchal promises, but primarily from the natural love of parents for their offspring. And if the hiding of the child is praised in Hebrews 11:23 as an act of faith, that faith was manifested in their not obeying the king's commandment, but fulfilling without fear of man all that was required by that parental love, which God approved, and which was rendered all the stronger by the beauty of the child, and in their confident assurance, in spite of all apparent impossibility, that their effort would be successful (vid., Delitzsch ut supra ). This confidence was shown in the means adopted by the mother to save the child, when she could hide it no longer.
Exodus 2:3-4
She placed the infant in an ark of bulrushes by the bank of the Nile, hoping that possibly it might be found by some compassionate hand, and still be delivered. The dagesh dirim. in הצּפינו serves to separate the consonant in which it stands from the syllable which follows (vid., Ewald , §92 c ; Ges. §20, 2 b ). גּמא תּבת a little chest of rushes. The use of the word תּבה ( ark ) is probably intended to call to mind the ark in which Noah was saved (vid., Genesis 6:14). גּמא , papyrus , the paper reed: a kind of rush which was very common in ancient Egypt, but has almost entirely disappeared, or, as Pruner affirms ( ägypt. Naturgesch . p. 55), is nowhere to be found. It had a triangular stalk about the thickness of a finger, which grew to the height of ten feet; and from this the lighter Nile boats were made, whilst the peeling of the plant was used for sails, mattresses, mats, sandals, and other articles, but chiefly for the preparation of paper (vid., Celsii Hierobot . ii. pp. 137ff.; Hengstenberg, Egypt and the Books of Moses , pp. 85, 86, transl.). ותּחמרה , for תּחמרהּ with mappik omitted: and cemented (pitched) it with חמר bitumen , the asphalt of the Dead Sea, to fasten the papyrus stalks, and with pitch , to make it water-tight, and put it in the reeds by the bank of the Nile, at a spot, as the sequel shows, where she knew that the king's daughter was accustomed to bathe. For “the sagacity of the mother led her, no doubt, so to arrange the whole, that the issue might be just what is related in Exodus 2:5-9” ( Baumgarten ). The daughter stationed herself a little distance off, to see what happened to the child (Exodus 2:4). This sister of Moses was most probably the Miriam who is frequently mentioned afterwards (Numbers 26:59). תּתצּב for תּתיצּב . The infinitive form דּעה as in Genesis 46:3.
Exodus 2:5
Pharaoh's daughter is called Thermouthis or Merris in Jewish tradition, and by the Rabbins בתיה . על־היאר is to be connected with תּרד , and the construction with על to be explained as referring to the descent into (upon) the river from the rising bank. The fact that a king's daughter should bathe in the open river is certainly opposed to the customs of the modern, Mohammedan East, where this is only done by women of the lower orders, and that in remote places (Lane, Manners and Customs ); but it is in harmony with the customs of ancient Egypt,
(Note: Wilkinson gives a picture of bathing scene, in which an Egyptian woman of rank is introduced, attended by four female servants.)
and in perfect agreement with the notions of the early Egyptians respecting the sanctity of the Nile, to which divine honours even were paid (vid., Hengstenberg's Egypt, etc . pp. 109, 110), and with the belief, which was common to both ancient and modern Egyptians, in the power of its waters to impart fruitfulness and prolong life (vid., Strabo , xv. p. 695, etc., and Seetzen, Travels iii. p. 204).
Exodus 2:6-8
The exposure of the child at once led the king's daughter to conclude that it was one of the Hebrews' children . The fact that she took compassion on the weeping child, and notwithstanding the king's command (Exodus 1:22) took it up and had it brought up (of course, without the knowledge of the king), may be accounted for from the love to children which is innate in the female sex, and the superior adroitness of a mother's heart, which co-operated in this case, though without knowing or intending it, in the realization of the divine plan of salvation. Competens fuit divina vindicta, ut suis affectibus puniatur parricida et filiae provisione pereat qui genitrices interdixerat parturire ( August . Sermo 89 de temp.).
Exodus 2:9
With the directions, “ Take this child away ( היליכי for הוליכי used here in the sense of leading, bringing, carrying away, as in Zechariah 5:10; Ecclesiastes 10:20) and suckle it for me, ” the king's daughter gave the child to its mother, who was unknown to her, and had been fetched as a nurse.
Exodus 2:10
When the child had grown large, i.e., had been weaned ( יגדּל as in Genesis 21:8), the mother, who acted as nurse, brought it back to the queen's daughter, who then adopted it as her own son, and called it Moses ( משׁה ): “ for ,” she said, “ out of the water have I drawn him ” ( משׁיתהוּ ). As Pharaoh's daughter gave this name to the child as her adopted son, it must be an Egyptian name. The Greek form of the name, Μωΰσῆς (lxx), also points to this, as Josephus affirms. “Thermuthis,” he says, “imposed this name upon him, from what had happened when he was put into the river; for the Egyptians call water Mo, and those who are rescued from the water Uses” (Ant. ii. 9, 6, Whiston's translation). The correctness of this statement is confirmed by the Coptic, which is derived from the old Egyptian.
(Note: Josephus gives a somewhat different explanation in his book against Apion (i. 31), when he says, “His true name was Moüses, and signifies a person who is rescued from the water, for the Egyptians call water Moü.” Other explanations, though less probable ones, are attempted by Gesenius in his Thes . p. 824, and Knobel in loc .)
Now, though we find the name explained in the text from the Hebrew משׁה , this is not to be regarded as a philological or etymological explanation, but as a theological interpretation, referring to the importance of the person rescued from the water to the Israelitish nation. In the lips of an Israelite, the name Mouje , which was so little suited to the Hebrew organs of speech, might be involuntarily altered into Moseh ; “and this transformation became an unintentional prophecy, for the person drawn out did become, in fact, the drawer out ” ( Kurtz ). Consequently Knobel's supposition, that the writer regarded משׁה as a participle Poal with the מ dropped, is to be rejected as inadmissible. - There can be no doubt that, as the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, Moses received a thoroughly Egyptian training, and was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, as Stephen states in Acts 7:22 in accordance with Jewish tradition.
(Note: The tradition, on the other hand, that Moses was a priest of Heliopolis, named Osarsiph (Jos. c. Ap. i. 26, 28), is just as unhistorical as the legend of his expedition against the Ethiopians (Jos. Ant. ii. 10), and many others with which the later, glorifying Saga embellished his life in Egypt.)
Through such an education as this, he received just the training required for the performance of the work to which God had called him. Thus the wisdom of Egypt was employed by the wisdom of God for the establishment of the kingdom of God.
Flight of Moses from Egypt to Midian. - The education of Moses at the Egyptian court could not extinguish the feeling that he belonged to the people of Israel. Our history does not inform us how this feeling, which was inherited from his parents and nourished in him when an infant by his mother's milk, was fostered still further after he had been handed over to Pharaoh's daughter, and grew into a firm, decided consciousness of will. All that is related is, how this consciousness broke forth at length in the full-grown man, in the slaying of the Egyptian who had injured a Hebrew (Exodus 2:11, Exodus 2:12), and in the attempt to reconcile two Hebrew men who were quarrelling (Exodus 2:13, Exodus 2:14). Both of these occurred “in those days,” i.e., in the time of the Egyptian oppression, when Moses had become great ( יגדּל as in Genesis 21:20), i.e., had grown to be a man. According to tradition he was then forty years old (Acts 7:23). What impelled him to this was not “a carnal ambition and longing for action,” or a desire to attract the attention of his brethren, but fiery love to his brethren or fellow-countrymen, as is shown in the expression, “One of his brethren” (Exodus 2:11), and deep sympathy with them in their oppression and sufferings; whilst, at the same time, they undoubtedly displayed the fire of his impetuous nature, and the ground-work for his future calling. It was from this point of view that Stephen cited these facts (Acts 7:25-26), for the purpose of proving to the Jews of his own age, that they had been from time immemorial “stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears” (Acts 7:51). And this view is the correct one. Not only did Moses intend to help his brethren when he thus appeared among them, but this forcible interference on behalf of his brethren could and should have aroused the thought in their minds, that God would send them salvation through him. “But they understood not” (Acts 7:25). At the same time Moses thereby declared that he would no longer “be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; and chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt” (Hebrews 11:24-26; see Delitzsch in loc .). And this had its roots in faith ( πίστει ). But his conduct presents another aspect also, which equally demands consideration. His zeal for the welfare of his brethren urged him forward to present himself as the umpire and judge of his brethren before God had called him to this, and drove him to the crime of murder, which cannot be excused as resulting from a sudden ebullition of wrath.
(Note: The judgment of Augustine is really the true one. Thus, in his c. Faustum Manich . l. 22, c. 70, he says, “I affirm, that the man, though criminal and really the offender, ought not to have been put to death by one who had no legal authority to do so. But minds that are capable of virtues often produce vices also, and show thereby for what virtue they would have been best adapted, if they had but been properly trained. For just as farmers, when they see large herbs, however useless, at once conclude that the land is good for growing corn, so that very impulse of the mind which led Moses to avenge his brother when suffering wrong from a native, without regard to legal forms, was not unfitted to produce the fruits of virtue, but, though hitherto uncultivated, was at least a sign of great fertility.” Augustine then compares this deed to that of Peter, when attempting to defend his Lord with a sword (Matthew 26:51), and adds, “Both of them broke through the rules of justice, not through any base inhumanity, but through animosity that needed correction: both sinned through their hatred of another's wickedness, and their love, though carnal, in the one case towards a brother, in the other to the Lord. This fault needed pruning or rooting up; but yet so great a heart could be as readily cultivated for bearing virtues, as land for bearing fruit.”)
For he acted with evident deliberation. “ He looked this way and that way; and when he saw no one, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand ” (Exodus 2:12). Through his life at the Egyptian court his own natural inclinations had been formed to rule, and they manifested themselves on this occasion in an ungodly way. This was thrown in his teeth by the man “in the wrong” ( הרשׁע , Exodus 2:13), who was striving with his brother and doing him an injury: “Who made thee a ruler and judge over us” (Exodus 2:14)? and so far he was right. The murder of the Egyptian had also become known; and as soon as Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses, who fled into the land of Midian in fear for his life (Exodus 2:15). Thus dread of Pharaoh's wrath drove Moses from Egypt into the desert. For all that, it is stated in Hebrews 11:27, that “by faith ( πίστει ) Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.” This faith, however, he manifested not by fleeing - his flight was rather a sign of timidity - but by leaving Egypt; in other words, by renouncing his position in Egypt, where he might possibly have softened down the kings' wrath, and perhaps even have brought help and deliverance to his brethren the Hebrews. By the fact that he did not allow such human hopes to lead him to remain in Egypt, and was not afraid to increase the king's anger by his flight, he manifested faith in the invisible One as though he saw Him, commending not only himself, but his oppressed nation, to the care and protection of God (vid., Delitzsch on Hebrews 11:27).
The situation of the land of Midian, to which Moses fled, cannot be determined with certainty. The Midianites, who were descended from Abraham through Keturah (Genesis 25:2, Genesis 25:4), had their principal settlements on the eastern side of the Elanitic Gulf, from which they spread northwards into the fields of Moab (Genesis 36:35; Numbers 22:4, Numbers 22:7; Numbers 25:6, Numbers 25:17; Numbers 31:1.; Judges 6:1.), and carried on a caravan trade through Canaan to Egypt (Genesis 37:28, Genesis 37:36; Isaiah 60:6). On the eastern side of the Elanitic Gulf, and five days' journey from Aela, there stood the town of Madian , the ruins of which are mentioned by Edrisi and Abulfeda , who also speak of a well there, from which Moses watered the flocks of his father-in-law Shoeib (i.e., Jethro). But we are precluded from fixing upon this as the home of Jethro by Exodus 3:1, where Moses is said to have come to Horeb, when he drove Jethro's sheep behind the desert. The Midianites on the eastern side of the Elanitic Gulf could not possibly have led their flocks as far as Horeb for pasturage. We must assume, therefore, that one branch of the Midianites, to whom Jethro was priest, had crossed the Elanitic Gulf, and settled in the southern half of the peninsula of Sinai (cf. Exodus 3:1). There is nothing improbable in such a supposition. There are several branches of the Towara Arabs occupying the southern portion of Arabia, that have sprung from Hedjas in this way; and even in the most modern times considerable intercourse was carried on between the eastern side of the gulf and the peninsula, whilst there was formerly a ferry between Szytta , Madian , and Nekba . - The words “ and he sat down ( ויּשׁב , i.e., settled) in the land of Midian, and sat down by the well, ” are hardly to be understood as simply meaning that “when he was dwelling in Midian, he sat down one day by a well” ( Baumg .), but that immediately upon his arrival in Midian, where he intended to dwell or stay, he sat down by the well. The definite article before בּאר points to the well as the only one, or the principal well in that district. Knobel refers to “the well at Sherm ;” but at Sherm el Moye (i.e., water-bay) or Sherm el Bir (well-bay) there are “several deep wells finished off with stones,” which are “evidently the work of an early age, and have cost great labour” ( Burckhardt , Syr. p. 854); so that the expression “ the well” would be quite unsuitable. Moreover there is but a very weak support for Knobel's attempt to determine the site of Midian, in the identification of the Μαρανῖται or Μαρανεῖς (of Strabo and Artemidorus ) with Madyan .
Here Moses secured for himself a hospitable reception from a priest of Midian, and a home at his house, by doing as Jacob had formerly done (Genesis 29:10), viz., helping his daughters to water their father's sheep, and protecting them against the other shepherds. - On the form יושׁען for יושׁען vid., Genesis 19:19; and for the masculine suffixes to יגרשׁוּם and צאנם , Genesis 31:9. תּדלנה for תּדלינה , as in Job 5:12, cf. Ewald , §198 a . - The flock of this priest consisted of nothing but צאן , i.e., sheep and goats (vid., Exodus 3:1). Even now there are no oxen reared upon the peninsula of Sinai, as there is not sufficient pasturage or water to be found. For the same reason there are no horses kept there, but only camels and asses (cf. Seetzen , R. iii. 100; Wellsted , R. in Arab. ii. p. 66). In Exodus 2:18 the priest is called Reguel , in Exodus 3:1 Jethro . This title, “the priest of Midian,” shows that he was the spiritual head of the branch of the Midianites located there, but hardly that he was the prince or temporal head as well, like Melchizedek, as the Targumists have indicated by רבא , and as Artapanus and the poet Ezekiel distinctly affirm. The other shepherds would hardly have treated the daughters of the Emir in the manner described in Exodus 2:17. The name רעוּאל ( Reguel , friend of God) indicates that this priest served the old Semitic God El ( אל ). This Reguel, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses, was unquestionably the same person as Jethro ( יתרו ) the חתן of Moses and priest of Midian (Exodus 3:1). Now, as Reguel's son Chobab is called Moses' חתן in Numbers 10:29 (cf. Judges 4:11), the Targumists and others supposed Reguel to be the grandfather of Zipporah, in which case אב would mean the grandfather in Exodus 2:18, and בּת the granddaughter in Exodus 2:21. This hypothesis would undoubtedly be admissible, if it were probable on other grounds. But as a comparison of Numbers 10:29 with Ex 18 does not necessarily prove that Chobab and Jethro were the same persons, whilst Exodus 18:27 seems to lead to the very opposite conclusion, and התן , like the Greek γαμβρός , may be used for both father-in-law and brother-in-law, it would probably be more correct to regard Chobab as Moses' brother-in-law, Reguel as the proper name of his father-in-law, and Jethro , for which Jether ( praestantia ) is substituted in Exodus 4:18, as either a title, or the surname which showed the rank of Reguel in his tribe, like the Arabic Imam , i.e., praepositus, spec. sacrorum antistes . Ranke's opinion, that Jethro and Chobab were both of them sons of Reguel and brothers-in-law of Moses, is obviously untenable, if only on the ground that according to the analogy of Numbers 10:29 the epithet “son of Reguel” would not be omitted in Exodus 3:1.
Moses' Life in Midian. - As Reguel gave a hospitable welcome to Moses, in consequence of his daughters' report of the assistance that he had given them in watering their sheep; it pleased Moses ( ויּואל ) to dwell with him. The primary meaning of הואיל is voluit (vid., Ges. thes. ). קראן for קראנה : like שׁמען in Genesis 4:23. - Although Moses received Reguel's daughter Zipporah as his wife, probably after a lengthened stay, his life in Midian was still a banishment and a school of bitter humiliation. He gave expression to this feeling at the birth of his first son in the name which he gave it, viz., Gershom ( גּרשׁם , i.e., banishment, from גּרשׁ to drive or thrust away); “ for ,” he said, interpreting the name according to the sound, “ I have been a stranger ( גּר ) in a strange land .” In a strange land he was obliged to live, far away from his brethren in Egypt, and far from his fathers' land of promise; and in this strange land the longing for home seems to have been still further increased by his wife Zipporah, who, to judge from Exodus 4:24., neither understood nor cared for the feelings of his heart. By this he was urged on to perfect and unconditional submission to the will of his God. To this feeling of submission and confidence he gave expression at the birth of his second son, by calling him Eliezer ( אליעזר God is help); for he said, “ The God of my father (Abraham or the three patriarchs, cf. Exodus 3:6) is my help, and has delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh ” (Exodus 18:4). The birth of this son is not mentioned in the Hebrew text, but his name is given in Exodus 18:4, with this explanation.
(Note: In the Vulgate the account of his birth and name is interpolated here, and so also in some of the later codices of the lxx. But in the oldest and best of the Greek codices it is wanting here, so that there is no ground for the supposition that it has fallen out of the Hebrew text.)
In the names of his two sons, Moses expressed all that had affected his mind in the land of Midian. The pride and self-will with which he had offered himself in Egypt as the deliverer and judge of his oppressed brethren, had been broken down by the feeling of exile. This feeling, however, had not passed into despair, but had been purified and raised into firm confidence in the God of his fathers, who had shown himself as his helper by delivering him from the sword of Pharaoh. In this state of mind, not only did “his attachment to his people, and his longing to rejoin them, instead of cooling, grow stronger and stronger” ( Kurtz ), but the hope of the fulfilment of the promise given to the fathers was revived within him, and ripened into the firm confidence of faith.
Exodus 2:23-25 form the introduction to the next chapter. The cruel oppression of the Israelites in Egypt continued without intermission or amelioration. “ In those many days the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the service ” (i.e., their hard slave labour). The “ many days ” are the years of oppression, or the time between the birth of Moses and the birth of his children in Midian. The king of Egypt who died, was in any case the king mentioned in Exodus 2:15; but whether he was one and the same with the “ new king ” (Exodus 1:8), or a successor of his, cannot be decided. If the former were the case, we should have to assume, with Baumgarten , that the death of the king took place not very long after Moses' flight, seeing that he was an old man at the time of Moses' birth, and had a grown-up daughter. But the greater part of the “many days” would then fall in his successor's reign, which is obviously opposed to the meaning of the words, “It came to pass in those many days, that the king of Egypt died.” For this reason the other supposition, that the king mentioned here is a successor of the one mentioned in Exodus 1:8, has far greater probability. At the same time, all that can be determined from a comparison of Exodus 7:7 is, that the Egyptian oppression lasted more than 80 years. This allusion to the complaints of the Israelites, in connection with the notice of the king's death, seems to imply that they hoped for some amelioration of their lot from the change of government; and that when they were disappointed, and groaned the more bitterly in consequence, they cried to God for help and deliverance. This is evident from the remark, “ Their cry came up unto God, ” and is stated distinctly in Deuteronomy 26:7.
Exodus 2:24-25
“ God heard their crying, and remembered His covenant with the fathers: “and God saw the children of Israel, and God noticed them .” “This seeing and noticing had regard to the innermost nature of Israel, namely, as the chosen seed of Abraham” ( Baumgarten ). God's notice has all the energy of love and pity. Lyra has aptly explained ויּדע thus: “ ad modum cognoscentis se habuit, ostendendo dilectionem circa eos ;” and Luther has paraphrased it correctly: “He accepted them.”