Exodus 2

Exo 2:1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.

There went a man - Amram, son of Kohath, son of Levi, Exo_6:16-20 And these were the names of the sons of Levi, according to their generations: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were a hundred and thirty-seven years. The sons of Gershon: Libni, and Shimei, by their families. And the sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred and thirty-three years. And the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These were the families of Levi according to their generations. And Amram took Jochebed, his father's sister, for his wife. And she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years. A daughter of Levi, Jochebed, sister to Kohath, and consequently both the wife and aunt of her husband Amram, Exo_6:20; Num 26:59 And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom one bore to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister. Such marriages were at this time lawful, though they were afterwards forbidden, Lev 18:12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister. She is your father's near kinswoman. The marriage took place, and two children, Miriam and Aaron, were born some years before the infanticidal edict.

Exo 2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

Bare a son - Not her firstborn; Aaron and Miriam were older than Moses. The object of the writer is simply to narrate the events which led to the Exodus, and he mentions nothing that had no direct bearing upon his purpose.

she hid him three months - The hiding of the child is spoken of as an act of faith in Heb_11:23 By faith Moses, having been born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child. And they were not afraid of the king's commandments. It was done in the belief that God would watch over the child.

Goodly child - The text simply that he was good, which signifies that he was not only a perfect, well-formed child, but that he was very beautiful; hence the Septuagint translate Exo 2:2 And she conceived, and bore a male child; and having seen that he was fair, they hid him three months, (Septuagint) which St. Stephen interprets, Acts 7:20 In this time Moses was born, and was beautiful to God, who was brought up three months in his father's house. This very circumstance was wisely ordained by the kind providence of God to be one means of his preservation. Scarcely any thing interests the heart more than the sight of a lovely babe in distress. His beauty would induce even his parents to double their exertions to save him, and was probably the sole motive which led the Egyptian princess to take such particular care of him, and to educate him as her own, which in all likelihood she would not have done had he been only an ordinary child. Beauty was regarded by the ancients as a mark of the divine favor.

Exo 2:3 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.

An ark of papyrus - The ark was made of the papyrus which was commonly used by the Egyptians for light and swift boats. It is a strong bulrush, like the bamboo, about the thickness of a finger, three cornered, and attains the height of 10 to 15 feet. It is represented with great accuracy on the ancient monuments of Egypt.

Slime and pitch - The word used for slime is elsewhere used to mean pitch, bitumen, or asphalt. The pitch or bitumen, commonly used in Egypt, made the small vessel water-tight.

An ark of bulrushes - a small boat or basket made of the Egyptian reed called papyrus, so famous in all antiquity. This plant grows on the banks of the Nile, and in marshy grounds; the stalk rises to the height of six or seven cubits above the water, is triangular, and terminates in a crown of small filaments resembling hair, which the ancients used to compare to a thyrsus. This reed was of the greatest use to the inhabitants of Egypt, the pith contained in the stalk serving them for food, and the woody part to build vessels with; which vessels frequently appear on engraved stones and other monuments of Egyptian antiquity. For this purpose they made it up like rushes into bundles, and by tying them together gave their vessels the necessary figure and solidity

In the flags – or in the reeds, this is another species of the papyrus, called tuff, or sufi, which was less in size and height than the papyrus of which the ark was made.

Exo 2:4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

Exo 2:5 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.

To bathe at the river – It is possible that the residence of the daughter of Pharaoh and of the family of Moses, was at Zoan called Tanis, the ancient Avaris, on the Tanitic branch of the river, near the sea, where crocodiles are never found, and which was probably the western boundary of the district occupied by the Israelites. The field of Zoan was always associated by the Hebrews with the marvels which preceded the Exodus. Psa 78:43 how He had set His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

To bathe at the river – it was a common practice in ancient Egypt for women of rank to bathe in the river. The habits of the princess, as well as her character, must have been well known to the mother of Moses, and possibly decided her choice of the place.

came down to wash herself at the river--The occasion is thought to have been a religious solemnity which the royal family opened by bathing in the sacred stream. Peculiar sacredness was attached to those portions of the Nile which flowed near the temples. The water was there fenced off as a protection from the crocodiles; and doubtless the princess had an enclosure reserved for her own use, the road to which seems to have been well known to Jochebed.

she sent her maid--her immediate attendant. The term is different from that rendered "maidens."

Exo 2:6 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.

She had compassion on him - The Egyptians regarded such tenderness as a condition of acceptance on the day of reckoning. In the presence of the Egyptian lord of truth each spirit had to answer, “I have not afflicted any man, I have not made any man weep, I have not withheld milk from the mouths of sucklings” (‘Funeral Ritual’). There was special ground for mentioning the feeling, since it led the princess to save and adopt the child in spite of her father’s commands.

Exo 2:7 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?

Exo 2:8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.

Exo 2:9 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.

Exo 2:10 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.

and she called his name Moses - The Egyptian origin of this word is generally admitted. The name itself is not uncommon in ancient documents. The exact meaning is “son,” but the verbal root of the word signifies “produce,” “draw forth.” The whole sentence in Egyptian would exactly correspond to our King James Version. She called his name Moses, i. e. “son,” or “brought forth,” because she brought him forth out of the water.

and she called his name Moses - and she said, because I drew him out of the water; by which it appears, that this word is derived from the Hebrew word, "Mashah", which signifies to draw out, and is only used of drawing out of water, 2Sa_22:17 which Pharaoh's daughter gave him, he being an Hebrew child, and which language she may very well be thought to understand; since there were such a large number of Hebrews dwelt in Egypt.

And he became her son - From this time of his being brought home by his nurse his education commenced, and he was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, Act 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds, who in the knowledge of nature probably exceeded all the nations then on the face of the earth.

and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter - when grown up and weaned, and needed a nurse no longer: a Jewish chronologer says, this was two years after his birth; and another says, that he was three years old.

Exo 2:11 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.

Went out unto his brethren - At the end of 40 years Act 7:23 And when a period of forty years was fulfilled to him, it arose in his heart to look upon his brothers, the sons of Israel. The Egyptian princess had not concealed from him the fact of his belonging to the oppressed race, nor is it likely that she had debarred him from contact with his foster-mother and her family, whether or not she became aware of the true relationship.

An Egyptian - This man was probably one of the overseers of the workmen, natives under the chief superintendent Exo_1:11. They were armed with long heavy scourges, made of a tough pliant wood imported from Syria.

When Moses was grown - Being full forty years of age, it came into his heart to visit his brethren; and seeing one of them suffer wrong, by an Egyptian smiting him, probably one of the task-masters, he avenged him and smote - slew, the Egyptian, supposing that God who had given him commission, had given also his brethren to understand that they were to be delivered by his hand; Act_7:23-25 And when a period of forty years was fulfilled to him, it arose in his heart to look upon his brothers, the sons of Israel. And seeing one being wronged, he defended him. and avenged him who was oppressed and struck the Egyptian.

For he thought his brothers would understand that God would give them deliverance by his hand. But they did not understand. Possibly the Egyptian killed the Hebrew, and therefore on the Noahic precept Moses was justified in killing him.

when Moses was grown-- There is a gap here in the sacred history which, however, is supplied by the inspired commentary of Paul, who has fully detailed the reasons as well as extent of the change that took place in his worldly condition; and whether, as some say, his royal mother had proposed to make him coregent and successor to the crown, or some other circumstances, led to a declaration of his mind, he determined to renounce the palace and identify himself with the suffering people of God Heb_11:24-26. Having become great, Moses by faith refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. Having become great means he had grown to be a man according to other uses in scripture.

Exo 2:12 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.

And he looked this way, and that way - All around, to observe if there were any within sight who could see what he did; which did not arise from any consciousness of any evil he was about to commit, but for his own preservation, lest if seen he should be accused to Pharaoh, and suffer for it: The slaying of the Egyptian is not to be justified, or attributed to a divine inspiration, but it is to be judged with reference to the provocation, the impetuosity of Moses’ natural character, perhaps also to the habits developed by his training at the court of Pharaoh. The act involved a complete severance from the Egyptians, but, far from expediting, it delayed for many years the deliverance of the Israelites.

He slew the Egyptian - If the Egyptian killed the Hebrew, Moses only acted agreeably to the divine law Gen 9:6 Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood shall be shed by man; for He made man in the image of God. in thus slaying the Egyptian; nor did he violate the law of Egypt; for, “he who saw a man killed, or violently assaulted on the highway, and did not rescue him, if he could, was punished with death.” Moses, therefore, in this transaction, acted as a brave and good man; especially as at this time there was little probability of obtaining justice on an Egyptian murderer.

Exo 2:13 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?

two men of the Hebrews strove together--His benevolent mediation in this strife, though made in the kindest and mildest manner, was resented, and the taunt of the aggressor showing that Moses' conduct on the preceding day had become generally known, he determined to consult his safety by immediate flight. These two incidents prove that neither were the Israelites yet ready to go out of Egypt, nor Moses prepared to be their leader Jam 1:20 For the wrath of man does not work out the righteousness of God. It was by the staff and not the sword--by the meekness, and not the wrath of Moses that God was to accomplish that great work of deliverance. Both he and the people of Israel were for forty years more to be cast into the furnace of affliction, yet it was therein that He had chosen them.

Exo 2:14 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.

And he said, who made thee a prince and a judge over us? - God had designed him for one, and so he appeared to be afterwards; but this man's meaning is, that he was not appointed by Pharaoh's order then, and so had nothing to do to interfere in their differences and quarrels; though Moses did not take upon him to act in an authoritative way, but to exhort and persuade them to peace and love, as they were brethren:

and said, surely this thing is known - he said this within himself, he concluded from this speech, that somebody had seen him commit the act he was not aware of.

Exo 2:15 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.

The land of Midian - The Midianites occupied an extensive district from the eastern coast of the Red Sea to the borders of Moab. It is supposed that the Midianites derived their origin from Midian, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, God guided Moses to Midian, because the Midianites were of the seed of Abraham, and retained the worship of the true God; so that he might have not only a safe, but a comfortable settlement among them; and through this country he was afterwards to lead Israel.

Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh - Heb 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. The apostle speaks not of this forsaking of Egypt, but of his and the Israelites’ final departure from it, and of the bold and courageous manner in which Moses treated Pharaoh and the Egyptians, disregarding his threatenings and the multitudes of them that pursued after the people whom, in the name and strength of God, he led in the face of their enemies out of Egypt.

Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses - Both for his killing the Egyptian, which by the laws of Egypt was death, whether bond or free; and for his taking part with the Hebrews against the Egyptians, and knowing him to be a wise and valiant man, might fear he would put himself at the head of the Hebrews, and cause a revolt of them;

and he sat down by a well - weary, thoughtful, and pensive. It may be observed, that it was usual with persons in such like circumstances, being strangers and not knowing well to whom to apply for assistance or direction, to place themselves at a well of water, to which there was frequent resort, both for the use of families and of flocks;

Exo 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

The Priest of Midian - Reuel Exo_2:18. His name, and the detailed notices in Exo. 18, prove that he was a priest of the one true God who was known to the patriarchs especially under the name El. The great bulk of his tribe, certainly those who lived farther north and more closely in contact with the Hamites of Canaan, were already plunged in idolatry. The conduct of the shepherds Exo_2:17 may indicate that his person and office were lightly regarded by the idolatrous tribes in his immediate neighborhood. The transaction here very nearly resembles that mentioned Genesis 29 concerning Jacob and Rachel.

drew water, and filled the troughs - which is no contradiction to their being daughters either of a priest or a prince, which were both high titles and characters; since it was usual in those early times, and in those countries, for the sons and daughters of considerable persons to be employed in such services.

Exo 2:17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

The shepherds drove them away- the shepherds drove away the flocks of Reuel’s daughters. The fact seems to be, that, as the daughters of Reuel filled the troughs and brought their flocks to drink, the shepherds drove those away, and, profiting by the young women’s labor, watered their own cattle. Moses resisted this insolence, and assisted them to water their flocks, in consequence of which they were enabled to return much sooner than they were wont to do, Exo_2:18.

Exo 2:18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

Reuel - The name Reguel, friend of God, indicates that this priest served the old Semitic God El. This Reguel, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses, was unquestionably the same person as Jethro. Reuel was his proper name, and Jether or Jethro, which means “excellency,” was his official designation.

how is it that you are come so soon today? - their business was done in so short a time; so quick a dispatch had Moses made, and they through his assistance; and especially it might be more strange, if it was usual, to be molested by the shepherds.

Exo 2:19 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.

An Egyptian - They judged from his costume, or language, and upon their inquiry he might tell them so, being born in Egypt.

Exo 2:20 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.

That he may eat bread - That he may be entertained, and receive refreshment to proceed on his journey. Bread, among the Hebrews, was used to signify all kinds of food commonly used for the support of man’s life.

And he said unto his daughters, and where is he? - he seemed to be displeased, and chides them, and tacitly suggests that they were rude and ungrateful not to ask a stranger, and one that had been so kind to them, to come with them and refresh himself: By the account Reuel's daughters gave of Moses, of his courage and humanity, he was very desirous of seeing him:

Exo 2:21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

And Moses was content to dwell with the man - Moses tells us nothing of what he may have learned from his father-in-law, but he must been well pleased

Zipporah his daughter to be his wife - It appears that Moses obtained Zipporah something in the same way that Jacob obtained Rachel; namely, for the performance of certain services, probably keeping of sheep.

Exo 2:22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

Gershom - Literally, a stranger. The first syllable “Ger” is common to Hebrew and Egyptian, and means “sojourner.” The second syllable “Shom” answers exactly to the Coptic “Shemmo,” which means “a foreign or strange land.”

I have been a stranger in a strange land - so Midian was to him, who was born in Egypt, and being an Hebrew, was entitled to the land of Canaan; this looks as if he had been at this time some years in Midian.

Exo 2:23 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.

In process of time - Nearly forty years Act 7:30 And forty years being fulfilled to him, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai in a flame of fire in a bush. This verse marks the beginning of another section. We now enter at once upon the history of the Exodus.

Their cry came up unto God - This statement, taken in connection with the two following verses, proves that the Israelites retained their faith in the God of their Fathers. The divine name, “God,” 'ĕlohîym, is chosen because it was that which the Israelites must have used in their cry for help, that under which the covenant had been ratified with the Patriarchs.

and they cried, and their cry came up unto God - they not only sighed and groaned inwardly, but so great was their oppression, that they could not forbear crying out aloud; and such was the greatness and vehemency of their cry, that it reached up to heaven, and came into the ears of the Almighty, as vehement cries are said to do, whether sinful or religious; Gen_18:20. Hitherto perhaps they had fretted at the instruments of their trouble, but God was not in all their thoughts. But before God unbound them, he put it into their hearts to cry unto him.

Exo 2:24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

Remembered His covenant - This means that God was moved by their prayers to give effect to the covenant, of which an essential condition was the faith and contrition involved in the act of supplication. The whole history of Israel is foreshadowed in these words: God heard, remembered, looked upon, and knew them. It evidently indicates the beginning of a crisis marked by a personal intervention of God.

God remembered his covenant - God’s covenant is God’s engagement; he had promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give their posterity a land flowing with milk and honey, etc. They are now under the most oppressive bondage, and this was the most proper time for God to show them his mercy and power in fulfilling his promise. This is all that is meant by God’s remembering his covenant, for it was now that he began to give it its effect.

And God heard their groaning - The groans of the oppressed cry loud in the ears of the righteous God, to whom vengeance belongs; especially the groans of God's children, the burdens they groan under, and the blessings they groan after.

Exo 2:25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

And God had respect unto them - God knew them, he approved of them, and therefore it is said that their cry came up before God, and he heard their groaning. The word yada, to know, in the Hebrew Bible, as well as in the Greek Testament, is frequently used in the sense of approving; and because God knew - had respect for and approved of, them, therefore he was determined to deliver them.

The farther we proceed in the sacred writings, the more the history both of the grace and providence of God opens to our view. He ever cares for his creatures, and is mindful of his promise. The very means made use of to destroy his work are, in his hands, the instruments of its accomplishment. Pharaoh orders the male children of the Hebrews to be thrown into the river; Moses, who was thus exposed, is found by his own daughter, brought up as her own son, and from his Egyptian education becomes much better qualified for the great work to which God had called him; and his being obliged to leave Egypt was undoubtedly a powerful means to wean his heart from a land in which he had at his command all the advantages and luxuries of life. His sojourning also in a strange land, where he was obliged to earn his bread by a very painful employment, fitted him for the perilous journey he was obliged to take in the wilderness, and enabled him to bear the better the privations to which he was in consequence exposed.

The bondage of the Israelites was also wisely permitted, that they might with less reluctance leave a country where they had suffered the greatest oppression and indignities. Had they not suffered severely previously to their departure, there is much reason to believe that no inducements could have been sufficient to have prevailed on them to leave it. And yet their leaving it was of infinite consequence, in the order both of grace and providence, as it was indispensably necessary that they should be a people separated from all the rest of the world, that they might see the promises of God fulfilled under their own eyes, and thus have the fullest persuasion that their law was Divine, their prophets inspired by the Most High, and that the Messiah came according to the prophecies before delivered concerning him.