Exodus chapter 2

Moses is born. Moses flees to Midian.

 


 

MOSES IS BORN

 

VERSE 1. A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.

of the house of Levi. Moses was of the tribe of Levi.

 

VERSE 2. The woman conceived and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.

she hid him. The woman was preventing the child from being executed:

Exodus 1:16. and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 4. His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him.

His sister. The text does not give us her name. She might be Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. The Bible says Miriam is a prophet.

The Bible and the Jewish tradition are very open to female prophets. How strange that we Christians are not. Read more »

 

VERSE 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 servant to get it.

 

VERSE 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.”

 

VERSE 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?”

his sister. This is Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. In the fullness of time, she will be a prophet of the Most High God.

The Bible describes Miriam as a prophet. She is one of the five female prophets mentioned in the Old Testament.

The Bible and the Jewish tradition are very open to female prophets. How strange that we Christians are not. Read more »

 

VERSE 8. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” The young woman went and called the child’s mother.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 10. The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Moses. The Hebrew word is מֹשֶׁ֔ה (“Mosheh”). It sounds like the Hebrew for “draw out.”

 

MOSES FLEES TO MIDIAN

 

VERSE 11. In those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers and saw their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.

his brothers. That is, his fellow Hebrews.

 

VERSE 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.

he killed the Egyptian. Moses stood up for one of his own people, against an Egyptian.

This foreshadows what will happen decades later, when Moses stands up for his entire people, against Pharaoh.

 

VERSE 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?”

 

VERSE 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.”

Who made you a prince and a judge over us. This foreshadows the future. The LORD God will make Moses the prince and judge of the entire Hebrew people.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 16. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.

 

VERSE 17. The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

Moses stood up. That is, Moses got up and defended them. Once again, Moses is protecting people.

 

VERSE 18. When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, “How is it that you have returned so early today?”

 

VERSE 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.”

An Egyptian. Why did they mistake Moses for an Egyptian? Was it his clothing?

 

VERSE 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.”

 

VERSE 21. Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter.

 

VERSE 22 She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land.”

Gershom. This word sounds like the Hebrew for “an alien there.”

 

VERSE 23. In the course of those many days, 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.

 

VERSE 24. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

 

VERSE 25. God saw the children of Israel, and God was concerned about them.

 


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EXODUS

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 3940

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, Pharaoh’s Heart, Moses’ fast

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.