Exodus 2
Introduction
Exodus 2 tells the story of Moses' first eighty years in three swift scenes: his birth and rescue from the Nile, his flight from Egypt to Midian, and God's hearing of Israel's cry. The chapter moves from a papyrus basket on the river to a well in the desert, from a Hebrew slave mother's desperate act of faith to a Midianite priest's household. Moses appears first as a helpless infant, then as a grown man who kills an Egyptian in a burst of righteous anger, and finally as a fugitive shepherd married to a foreign woman in a foreign land — seemingly as far from delivering Israel as anyone could be.
Yet the chapter is saturated with providence. Pharaoh's daughter — the very household from which the death decree issued — rescues and adopts the boy. Moses' own mother is paid to nurse him. The word תֵּבָה ("basket/ark") used for Moses' vessel is the same word used for Noah's ark in Genesis 6-9, linking these two stories of God preserving life through water. The chapter ends with four powerful verbs describing God's response to Israel's suffering: God heard, God remembered, God saw, God knew. The deliverer is being prepared, and the God who seems silent is paying attention.
The Birth and Rescue of Moses (vv. 1-10)
1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5 Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. And when she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to retrieve it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had compassion on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrew children." 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" 8 "Go ahead," Pharaoh's daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages." So the woman took the boy and nursed him. 10 When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and explained, "I drew him out of the water."
1 A man from the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket of papyrus and coated it with tar and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stationed herself at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, while her attendants walked along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman to fetch it. 6 She opened it and saw the child — and behold, a boy, weeping. She had compassion on him and said, "This is one of the children of the Hebrews." 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call for you a nursing woman from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" 8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She called his name Moses, saying, "Because I drew him from the water."
Notes
אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֵוִי ("a man from the house of Levi") — The parents are unnamed here, though they are later identified as Amram and Jochebed (Exodus 6:20). The anonymity in this narrative focuses attention on the child and on God's providence rather than on the parents' status. The marriage is within the tribe of Levi, preserving the priestly lineage.
כִּי טוֹב הוּא ("that he was beautiful/good") — The word טוֹב ("good") is the same word God used to evaluate His creation in Genesis 1 ("God saw that it was good"). The mother sees something in the child that recalls the divine assessment of creation. Acts 7:20 says Moses was "beautiful before God" (literally "beautiful to God"), and Hebrews 11:23 says his parents hid him because they "saw the child was beautiful."
תֵּבַת גֹּמֶא ("a basket of papyrus") — The word תֵּבָה occurs only twice in the Hebrew Bible: here and in the flood narrative for Noah's ark (Genesis 6:14). The parallel is unmistakable: both are vessels of deliverance, coated with pitch (זֶפֶת), placed on water, and used by God to preserve life from destruction. Moses, like Noah, is saved through an ark. The word גֹּמֶא ("papyrus/bulrushes") refers to the papyrus plant abundant in the Nile marshes.
בַּסּוּף ("among the reeds") — The word סוּף ("reeds") is the same word that appears in יַם סוּף ("Sea of Reeds," traditionally "Red Sea"). Moses is placed in the reeds as an infant; later, God will deliver Israel through the Sea of Reeds. The verbal echo links the personal salvation of the deliverer with the national salvation he will lead.
וַתַּחְמֹל עָלָיו ("she had compassion on him") — The Egyptian princess's compassion is a remarkable turn. Pharaoh's decree aimed at destroying Hebrew sons, yet his own daughter rescues one. She immediately recognizes him as a Hebrew child ("This is one of the children of the Hebrews") — she knows the death decree, and she defies it. The narrative does not give her name (Jewish tradition identifies her as Bithiah, 1 Chronicles 4:18), but her act of compassion is the hinge on which Israel's future turns.
הָעַלְמָה ("the young woman") — In v. 8, the narrator calls Moses' sister עַלְמָה ("young woman"), though she is usually identified as Miriam (Numbers 26:59). Her quick thinking — suggesting a Hebrew wet nurse and fetching her own mother — is a stroke of brilliant resourcefulness. The result is that Moses' mother is paid by Pharaoh's household to nurse her own son.
מֹשֶׁה ("Moses") — The name is explained by the Egyptian princess with the Hebrew verb מָשָׁה ("to draw out"): "Because I drew him from the water" (מִן הַמַּיִם מְשִׁיתִהוּ). The name is also similar to the Egyptian element -mose (as in Thutmose, Ramose), meaning "born of" or "son of." The dual etymology — Hebrew and Egyptian — reflects Moses' dual identity as a Hebrew raised in an Egyptian court.
Moses Kills an Egyptian and Flees to Midian (vv. 11-15)
11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. 13 The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you attacking your companion?" 14 But the man replied, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "This thing I have done has surely become known." 15 When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
11 In those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers and looked upon their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrew men were fighting. He said to the one in the wrong, "Why do you strike your companion?" 14 The man said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and said, "Surely the matter is known." 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
Notes
וַיֵּצֵא אֶל אֶחָיו ("he went out to his brothers") — The decisive phrase in Moses' life. Though raised in Pharaoh's palace, Moses identifies with the Hebrew slaves as "his brothers." The author of Hebrews interprets this as a choice of faith: "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God" (Hebrews 11:24-25). בְּסִבְלֹתָם ("their burdens") uses the same word from Exodus 1:11, connecting Moses' observation to the oppression already described.
וַיַּךְ אֶת הַמִּצְרִי ("he struck down the Egyptian") — The verb נָכָה in the Hiphil means "to strike, smite, kill." Moses' action is violent and consequential. The narrative does not explicitly condemn or condone it. Stephen treats it as a failed attempt at deliverance done in human strength rather than divine timing (Acts 7:25). Moses acted out of genuine compassion but without divine commission — a pattern that will be corrected at the burning bush.
מִי שָׂמְךָ לְאִישׁ שַׂר וְשֹׁפֵט עָלֵינוּ ("Who made you a prince and a judge over us?") — The Hebrew man's retort is deeply ironic: God will indeed make Moses a prince and judge over Israel, but not yet and not in this way. Stephen quotes this verse twice in his speech (Acts 7:27, 35), using it to show that Israel rejected Moses just as they later rejected Christ. The pattern of the rejected deliverer is a central biblical motif.
אָכֵן נוֹדַע הַדָּבָר ("Surely the matter is known") — Moses' fear reveals that his action was impulsive, not strategic. He is not yet the leader God will shape him to be. The flight to Midian begins a forty-year period of preparation in the wilderness — the prince of Egypt must become a shepherd before he can shepherd a nation.
וַיֵּשֶׁב עַל הַבְּאֵר ("he sat down by a well") — Wells are meeting places in biblical narrative. Abraham's servant found Rebekah at a well (Genesis 24:11-27); Jacob met Rachel at a well (Genesis 29:1-12). Now Moses sits at a well in Midian, and the scene that follows — rescuing women, meeting a father, gaining a wife — follows the same pattern. The "type-scene" signals that God is at work even in exile, weaving Moses' story into the larger pattern of patriarchal narrative.
Moses in Midian (vv. 16-22)
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock. 18 When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?" 19 "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds," they replied. "He even drew water for us and watered the flock." 20 "So where is he?" their father asked. "Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat." 21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become a foreigner in a foreign land."
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 Then shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses rose up and saved them and watered their flock. 18 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, "How is it that you have come home so quickly today?" 19 They said, "An Egyptian man rescued us from the hand of the shepherds, and he even drew water for us and watered the flock." 20 He said to his daughters, "Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread." 21 Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses. 22 She bore a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
Notes
כֹהֵן מִדְיָן ("the priest of Midian") — Reuel (also called Jethro, Exodus 3:1) is a priest of Midian. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through Keturah (Genesis 25:1-2), so Reuel may have preserved some knowledge of the God of Abraham. His priestly role appears to be genuine — he later offers sacrifices to YHWH (Exodus 18:12). The relationship between Moses and this Midianite priest-family enriches the theme of God working beyond the borders of Israel.
וַיּוֹשִׁעָן ("he saved them") — The verb יָשַׁע ("to save, deliver") is theologically loaded — it is the root of the names Joshua and Jesus. Moses' rescue of the daughters at the well foreshadows his role as deliverer of Israel. He defends the helpless against the powerful, a pattern that defines his entire calling.
אִישׁ מִצְרִי ("an Egyptian man") — The daughters describe Moses as an Egyptian — he looks Egyptian, dresses Egyptian, and likely speaks Egyptian. Moses' identity is layered: Hebrew by birth, Egyptian by upbringing, and now a sojourner in Midian. This threefold identity — insider to the oppressed, insider to the oppressor, and outsider in exile — uniquely equips him for his future role.
צִפֹּרָה ("Zipporah") — The name means "bird" (from צִפּוֹר). Zipporah will play a significant role later in the narrative (Exodus 4:24-26).
גֵּרְשֹׁם ("Gershom") — Moses names his son from the word גֵּר ("sojourner, stranger"): "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land." The name captures Moses' sense of displacement. He is a Hebrew who grew up Egyptian and now lives as a Midianite — a stranger everywhere. Yet the patriarchs were also גֵּרִים ("sojourners") in the promised land (Genesis 23:4, Genesis 47:9). Moses' alienation places him in the company of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God Hears Israel's Cry (vv. 23-25)
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God. 24 So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God saw the Israelites and took notice.
23 In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel groaned because of the slavery and cried out, and their cry for help rose up to God from the slavery. 24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the sons of Israel, and God knew.
Notes
וַיֵּאָנְחוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הָעֲבֹדָה וַיִּזְעָקוּ ("the sons of Israel groaned because of the slavery and cried out") — The verb אָנַח ("to groan") expresses deep, visceral suffering — not articulate prayer but the raw sound of pain. The verb זָעַק ("to cry out") is stronger — a desperate scream for help. Their שַׁוְעָה ("cry for help") then "rose up" (עָלָה) to God. The ascending movement — from the depths of slavery upward to God — is the movement of prayer itself.
The final three verses contain a remarkable four-fold description of God's response, structured with God as the subject of each clause: (1) וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים — "God heard"; (2) וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים — "God remembered"; (3) וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים — "God saw"; (4) וַיֵּדַע אֱלֹהִים — "God knew." The four-fold repetition of "God" as subject is emphatic — after a long narrative absence, God re-enters the story with overwhelming presence.
וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּרִיתוֹ ("God remembered his covenant") — God's "remembering" does not mean he had forgotten. The Hebrew זָכַר means "to act on behalf of" — when God remembers, he acts. He remembered Noah and sent the wind to dry the earth (Genesis 8:1); he remembered Abraham and rescued Lot (Genesis 19:29); now he remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the exodus will follow. The covenant — not Israel's merit — is the basis of deliverance.
וַיֵּדַע אֱלֹהִים ("God knew") — The final verb is striking in its brevity. It has no direct object — the sentence simply ends: "God knew." The KJV adds "God had respect unto them" and the ESV reads "God knew." The Hebrew יָדַע means to know intimately, to take personal notice, to acknowledge with care. God knew their suffering, knew their need, knew the time had come. The chapter ends in silence — God knows, and that knowledge is the prelude to action. What God will do about it begins in Exodus 3.