Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Exodus Chapter 2 mean?

Chapter 2 provides the birth account of Moses (Exodus 2:1–10), the story of his exile to Midian as an adult (Exodus 2:11–22), and the context of the Jews just prior to the call of Moses to free the people (Exodus 2:23–25). In the first section, the text reveals Moses was born to parents from the tribe of Levi (Exodus 2:1). He was hidden for three months to escape death under Pharaoh’s command to murder infant Hebrew boys (Exodus 1:22). When the mother of Moses could hide him no longer, she placed him in a basket in the Nile River.

The scene of the basket on the water serves a similar purpose as Noah’s ark. The basket becomes the means through which God provides protection from death in an evil context. Floating upon the water, the basket remains upon the Nile River among the reeds. Moses’ older sister, later revealed as Miriam, remains with the basket until it stops where Pharaoh’s daughter is bathing in the river.

Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the baby (Exodus 2:6), and Moses’ sister asks if she would like a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for her. This results in bringing the real mother of Moses to Pharaoh’s daughter who agrees to pay her to nurse Moses as her adopted son. This providential situation ends with the princess naming the boy Moses, a word that sounds like the Hebrew word “draw out.” Ironically, the Egyptian king’s effort to subdue Israel through infanticide results in his own household raising and educating the man who would free the slaves (Acts 7:21–22)!

The second section (Exodus 2:11–22) skips ahead to a time when Moses is an adult. Acts 7:23 says this took place when Moses was forty years old. Moses sees an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave, gets involved in an argument with the taskmaster, and kills him. He hides the body in the sand (Exodus 2:12). The next day, Moses tries to break up a fight between two Jews and one of the men answers, “Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” (Exodus 2:14). Moses realizes his crime had become known. Pharaoh seeks to punish him with death, but Moses flees to the land of Midian to escape (Exodus 2:15).

Contrary to popular myth, especially movies and other portrayals, Moses is never presented as a man unaware of his own heritage. The Bible does not record Moses “discovering” his Jewish ancestry. Nor does it claim that Moses was, somehow, considered to be a prince, an heir to the throne, or otherwise treated as a member of the royal family. In fact, Scripture’s description of Moses strongly suggests that both he, his Egyptian benefactors, and his family, knew from the beginning who and what he was.

While in exile in Midian, Moses drives away shepherds who were preventing the seven daughters of Midian from feeding their sheep. Their father Reuel—also named Jethro—invites Moses to stay with them, eventually leading to a marriage between Moses and Reuel’s daughter Zipporah. The birth of their first son Gershom is noted; the meaning of Gershom’s name is connected with Moses as a sojourner or exile (Exodus 2:22).

The third section (Exodus 2:23–25) returns to the land of Egypt. The Pharaoh who had sought to kill Moses had died, yet the people “groaned” due to their slavery. They cried out to the Lord for help. God “remembered” His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He “saw” the people and “knew.” The context prepares the reader for upcoming action in which the Lord will act to save His people from their situation.

Chapter Context
Exodus chapter 2 introduces the character of Moses, after describing the plight of Israel under Egyptian slavery. This passage provides a few interesting ironies. Primarily, the Egyptian king attempts to oppress Israel through infanticide; this very command leads to his own daughter adopting an abandoned Hebrew boy—Moses. She provides him with support and education, essentially raising the future liberator of the very people her father seeks to control. After chapter 2 establishes Moses’ exile from Egypt, chapter 3 will begin narrating his call to lead the nation of Israel out of captivity under the Pharaoh.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.

Exodus 2:1–10 provides the account of the arrival of Moses. This verse presents the context of his birth. His parents were both Levites, descendants of Levi the son of Jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac the son of Abraham, the man God promised to bless with a people who would become a nation (Genesis 12:1–3). The birth of their children took place within the expected context of marriage (Genesis 2).

Moses’ parents are named in Exodus 6:20 as Amram and Jochebed. Amram lived 137 years, and was the son of Kohath who was the son of Levi (Exodus 6:16–20). The mother of Moses, Jochebed, was noted as Amram’s “father’s sister” or one of his aunts, though this may also refer more generally to a relative. Moses was not their only child or oldest child, though this passage only focuses on Moses. In Exodus 2:4 the older sister of Moses, later identified as Miriam, is described as following Moses to make sure he was safe. Exodus 4:14 first introduces his brother, Aaron.

Context Summary
Exodus 2:1–10 describes the birth and early life of Moses. His mother defies the order to kill Hebrew boys and hides her son. Once he becomes too old to conceal, she places him in a basket on the Nile. Apparently, this was a deliberate attempt to have Moses adopted, as Moses’ older sister is stationed nearby, watching. Pharaoh’s daughter finds the baby, and winds up hiring Moses’ own mother to be his wet nurse. Once weaned, Moses is sent back to the Egyptian princess, gaining the benefits of a royal education and upbringing.

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

Moses was not the first child of this couple (Exodus 2:1). However, his birth is described in customary order. His mother conceived and gave birth to a son. The problem, however, is that Pharaoh had just announced all newborn sons must be thrown into the Nile River (Exodus 1:22). According to the law, and the surrounding culture, their son was supposed to die. However, his mother saw he was “a fine child.” The idea of a “good” or “fine” child is the same adjective “good” from the Hebrew tov found in the creation account (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). This general term describes Moses as a healthy, happy child, without providing significant details.

Rather than obey Pharaoh, his mother preserves Moses’ life. Like the midwives in Exodus chapter 1, Jochebed chooses to disobey an evil decree to save her child. Hiding a newborn son for three months would have been extremely difficult for the mother and her family. Even more difficult, she would soon have to make a tough decision regarding her son’s future, leaving his young life in God’s hands. God would clearly reward her efforts with a miraculous turn of events in the following verses (Exodus 2:3–10).

Verse 3. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.

When Moses was three months old (Exodus 2:2), he had grown to the point where hiding him completely from the Egyptians was impossible (Exodus 1:22). Rather than risk her entire family being caught and punished for hiding her newborn son, Moses’ mother hatches a plot. She will, in a poetic sense, obey Pharaoh’s command to “cast into the Nile” her Hebrew boy. At the same time, this ruse will give hope for her son’s survival. She makes a basket from bulrushes or papyrus reeds and coats it with pitch so it will float. This construction includes some similarities to Noah’s ark, which included pitch that would allow it to float on the water.

The last part of the verse reveals the mother placing Moses in the basket and placing the basket “among the reeds by the river bank.” Unlike many movie portrayals of this event, the basket was strategically placed in the reeds where Egyptian women would pass. The baby was not allowed to drift downstream, at least not according to Scripture. There is no indication Moses floated any length down the Nile River, nor that he was abandoned to an uncertain fate. His mother clearly hoped a woman would come by and care for him—the fact that Moses’ sister is waiting and prepared with the right words is no coincidence (Exodus 2:7–8).

Verse 4. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.

Moses’ sister is introduced in this verse. She was clearly mature enough to speak with Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:7). We later discover this sister is Miriam, a woman who plays an important part in the history of Israel and the Exodus. Even as a child, her courage would lead to saving the life of Moses and keeping their mother involved in his young life.

Miriam is next mentioned in Exodus 15:20–21 where she leads the women in dancing and singing with tambourines. She later opposes Moses’ leadership and briefly experiences leprosy (Numbers 12; Deuteronomy 24:9). She would much later die and be buried during the wilderness journey in the wilderness of Zin at Kadesh (Numbers 20:1). Micah 6:4 remembers Miriam as being among those sent by God to bring up God’s people and redeem them from the house of slavery. Without Miriam, the early life of Moses would have been much different. Even in her old age, likely in her 90s, she rejoiced at the miracle at the Red Sea and led others in worship of the Lord (Exodus 15:20–21).

Verse 5. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.

This verse introduces the daughter of Pharaoh. Her identity is uncertain, though there are possible candidates to fit this description. One is Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmose I. She would have been the appropriate age at the time of Moses’ birth. Her historical account also portrays her as a kind princess who could fit the description found in this biblical passage. Another possibility is Sobekneferu, the daughter of Amenemhat III. Amenemhat had no surviving sons, and Sobekneferu had no children, making her all the more likely to adopt a child. Whoever this daughter was, her attitude is clearly much different than her father. He had commanded all infant sons to be thrown into the Nile River to die. She would find a newborn son and raise him as her own.

This daughter of Pharaoh comes to the Nile to bathe, something not uncommon in her time. Her servant girls would have been present. Moses’ mother also likely knew the location. She probably placed Moses there in hopes he would be cared for by this woman or one of the other women who bathed there. Though this verse says Pharaoh’s daughter “saw the basket” and had a servant get it, the next verse shows she may have initially noticed Moses due to his crying (Exodus 2:6).

Verse 6. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews ‘ children.”

Pharaoh’s daughter opens the basket and finds Moses crying. Unlike her father, who had ordered infanticide (Exodus 1:22), this woman has a more compassionate heart. She takes pity on this seemingly abandoned child. This verse also makes it clear that she realized Moses was a Jewish male. This would have been clear for three reasons. First, the baby was found on the Nile River. Second, the child would have a Jewish complexion, a look distinct from the Egyptians.

Third, and most importantly, Moses would have been circumcised. This Jewish practice began with Abraham and was performed on Jewish males on the eighth day after their birth in generations to follow (Genesis 17:12). Though hidden as a young child, Moses’ parents would have obeyed the practice of circumcision. This is also made clear in Exodus 4:24–26 where the son of Moses required circumcision before Moses could return to Egypt. If Moses had not already been circumcised, it would have been noted at this time.

Verse 7. Then his sister said to Pharaoh ‘s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”

Miriam, the sister of Moses, now speaks to Pharaoh’s daughter. It is uncertain whether or not Moses’ mother sent her for this purpose, because she was a young girl and therefore more easily received. However, God used Miriam to offer a unique situation for both Pharaoh’s daughter and Moses’ mother. Miriam asks if she can get a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. This practice must have been common in this time. Unlike today when bottle-feeding an infant is a common practice, women in ancient times sometimes employed the use of other women—”wet nurses”—to provide milk for newborn children.

This proposed solution provided an easy way for Pharaoh’s daughter to say yes to Miriam’s request and raise Moses as her own son. Unknown to Pharaoh’s daughter, the nurse would also be Moses’ mother. The end result would be the rescue of Moses, his mother nursing him in his young age, and adoption into the wealthiest family in the nation. God perfectly orchestrated events to uniquely prepare Moses for his future role.

Verse 8. And Pharaoh ‘s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child ‘s mother.

In the prior verses, Moses has been hidden in a basket to protect him from a murderous law (Exodus 1:22). He is discovered by the Egyptian king’s own daughter, who expresses her sympathy (Exodus 2:6). Moses’ sister, Miriam, pops up and suggests that the infant be given to a Hebrew wet nurse (Exodus 2:7). Pharaoh’s daughter agrees to Miriam’s suggestion. Miriam then brings her mother—also the newly discovered infant’s mother—to Pharaoh’s daughter. In this most unlikely situation, Miriam would introduce the adoptive mother of Moses to his birth mother without her knowledge. Miriam’s role is so important that Micah 6:4 later remembers her as someone God raised up to help free the Jewish people from bondage. Without her involvement, Moses’ life would have been drastically different.

Much is unknown about the early years of Moses. However, it is clear he later knew who his sister and brother were. Exodus gives no indication that Moses or anyone in his adoptive Egyptian family were confused about his heritage. The names of Moses’ parents are also recorded in Scripture. His entire family was involved in rescuing him from early death: “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict” (Hebrews 11:23). Unless Moses’ father was very old when Moses was born, his long life indicates he also participated in the exodus and died in the wilderness (Exodus 6:20). One Jewish tradition says his father Amram lived long enough to see Moses’ great-grandchildren.

Verse 9. And Pharaoh ‘s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.

Pharaoh has ordered the death of all Hebrew boys (Exodus 1:22), an order defied by Moses’ mother, who instead hides him in a basket (Exodus 2:2–3). In an interesting twist, the Pharaoh’s own daughter discovers the baby and feels compassion (Exodus 2:6). She speaks to the mother of Moses, and arranges for him to be weaned and brought back to her. Instead of Moses dying in the Nile River, he is rescued, adopted, and placed into the care of his own birth mother. Further, Moses’ family is even compensated for their work! This was especially significant since the Jews were already slaves under Egyptian control. Pharaoh’s daughter could have forced the job upon her, but instead showed favor to the mother of Moses. The entire scene reveals God’s divine work during a dark time in the history of the Jewish people.

As expected, we are told, “The woman took the child and nursed him.” The mother of Moses cared for him until the time he was weaned and could eat solid food. This would have been at least a year. Many children in ancient cultures were nursed until two or even three years old. The most formative time of Moses’ early life remained in the arms of his own mother during a time when baby boys his age had not even been allowed to live.

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

Pharaoh’s daughter officially took over care for Moses when he was done nursing (Exodus 2:9). It would have been extremely difficult for Moses’ mother to give her son away. However, this option was far better than the alternative of losing him to an early death (Exodus 1:22).

Of great importance in this verse is the origin of Moses’ name. Whether or not Moses’ biological mother named him, Scripture gives the baby no name until now. Instead, Pharaoh’s daughter chooses a name that matches his story. She names him Moses because she “drew him out of the water.” The Hebrew word “Moses” sounds similar to the word for “draw out.” Moses is Mosheh while “draw out” is meshitihu from the root word mashah. This word play may not be exact, however, as Pharaoh’s daughter likely spoke Egyptian rather than Hebrew. She might have been thinking of something more traditionally Egyptian, or it might have been a pun on a Hebrew word she knew. The significance for Jewish readers was that the name Moses sounded like the word “draw out;” this connected with his providential escape from an early death.

Verse 11. One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.

This verse begins a new section explaining how Moses grew up and moved away from Egypt to Midian. The shift is abrupt, leaping from Moses as a young boy in verse 10 to a grown man in this verse. Acts 7:23 says Moses was about forty years old at this time.

Despite popular myth, as well as many movies, Moses clearly knew he was Jewish. This verse, in particular, indicates Moses was well aware of who he was. He was an adoptive son of the Egyptian princess, but Scripture never claims his Israeli heritage was a secret. Nor does it suggest Moses was legitimately in line for the throne. However, the Bible does say Moses benefitted greatly from his Egyptian education (Acts 7:21–22). The book of Exodus describes him leading his people out of their slavery, laying waste to Egypt in the process (Exodus 6:6; 12:36). There is no small irony in the fact that Moses’ adoption was caused by the Pharaoh’s own command for infanticide (Exodus 1:22). An order meant to further oppress Israel contributed to her rescue!

In particular, this verse notes one situation Moses encountered that caused him much anger. He saw an Egyptian “beating a Hebrew.” This was more than slavery, but rather some instance of violence or perhaps even torture. Moses identified with the man who was being beaten as “one of his people.” Moses saw that this could have been his own life if he had not been raised among Pharaoh’s family. The Hebrew text literally speaks of the man as “one of his brothers.” The man was unlikely a literal brother, but rather a fellow Jewish man.

Exodus 2:11–22 describes how Moses went from the adopted son of an Egyptian princess to an exiled shepherd living in Midian. As an adult, Moses defends a fellow Jew by killing an Egyptian aggressor. Moses is shocked to find that his attempt to hide the act failed, and he is forced to flee Egypt. In Midian, Moses heroically defends a group of shepherd girls, and is welcomed into their family. This establishes the backdrop of Moses’ life for one of God’s most dramatic encounters with man: the burning bush.

Verse 12. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

The phrase, “He looked this way and that,” is the modern equivalent of the literal wording “he turned thus and thus.” The idea is that Moses looked around to make sure no one would witness what he was about to do. Since no one was seen to stop him or witness the event, Moses felt he could stop unjust violence against his fellow Hebrew, using violence of his own. Suggestions that this was an accident, as suggested in some fictional portrayals, are not supported by the Bible.

Some believe Moses killed the man with his bare hands, though this is uncertain. The text only says “he struck down the Egyptian,” and no weapon is mentioned, but the phrasing suggests he used some kind of instrument. Samson “struck down” 1,000 men with a donkey jawbone (Judges 15:16), David “struck down” animals with a sling (1 Samuel 17:36), and the Israelites struck down enemies with swords (1 Samuel 11:11). Moses may have used his hands or any kind of weapon. However, Exodus later shows God had His own plan that involved striking down the Egyptians in judgment (Exodus 12:29). Moses hides the man’s body “in the sand,” indicating a quick and quiet burial to avoid being caught.

Verse 13. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?”

This verse transitions to the next day in the story. Two Jewish men are wrestling or fighting for some unknown reason. Moses’ question to them is important for both its contrast, and its hypocrisy. Moses “struck down” his enemy (Exodus 2:12), yet questions another who similarly uses violence. In the following verse, the man being confronted will point out this contradiction.

It is also important to note one major difference between the two conflicts in this passage. Moses fought against an Egyptian who was beating a Jewish man. Particularly in the context of Egyptian oppression (Exodus 1:8–14), this was most likely not mutual combat. In this verse, one Jewish man is beating another Jewish man. Though this is apparently an unfair beating, it is a different scenario than what Moses encountered in the prior verse. However, Moses had indeed sought to correct injustice through violence the day before.

The motive for the Jewish men’s conflict is unmentioned. The focus of this narrative is not on the reason for their fight, but rather that Moses had killed an Egyptian and his crime had become known to others (Exodus 2:14–15).

Verse 14. He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.”

Moses has attempted to break up a fight between two of his fellow Hebrews. One of the Jewish fighters answers the question of Moses with his own questions, calling out two points of hypocrisy. First, Moses was a Jew and yet lived among the Egyptians. Socially, at least, he was the last person with any authority to make judgments among the Hebrews. Moses was also a prince in one sense, since Pharaoh’s daughter had adopted him into the royal family. He may have even been dressed in Egyptian clothing, further separating him from the culture of his own people. The question, then, can be re-phrased simply as “who are you to get involved in this?”

Second, the man implies that he knows about Moses’ recent killing of an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew (Exodus 2:11–12). This second point of hypocrisy questions how Moses can criticize violence when he himself has acted violently.

This second question is the one which strikes fear into the heart of Moses. His crime was known. Moses can now be put to death himself (Exodus 2:15). Instead of worrying about the fight between the two Jews, Moses was now in fear for his own life. His courage had turned to fear as Moses faced a crisis in which he must now face the consequences of his actions, or try to escape.

Verse 15. When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.

Moses has attempted to break up a fight between two Hebrews, and learned that his own murder of a violent Egyptian was not a secret (Exodus 2:11–12). Soon afterwards, Pharaoh hears of the crime Moses had committed and seeks to have him killed. Moses chose to flee to save his own life. As a result, the location of the narrative shifts from Egypt to the land of Midian. Midian is a name first mentioned in Genesis 25:2 as the son of Abraham and his wife Keturah. Midian had five sons who lived east of where Abraham lived (Genesis 25:4–6). The Midianites lived near the Moabites (Genesis 36:35) and were involved in buying Joseph and selling him into Egyptian slavery (Genesis 37:28–36). Their land was in the northwest Arabian Peninsula.

Moses is specifically said to have rested by a well. This would be a natural stopping point due to the need for water in a desert area. However, in this context, the well serves as a setting connecting Moses with his future wife, Zipporah, and her father. This man is Reuel, also named Jethro, and a priest of Midian. Through this family, Moses would have children, including his firstborn son Gershom, mentioned in Exodus 2:22, who would become the leader of the Gershomites.

Verse 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 text transitions from Moses fleeing Egypt for Midian (Exodus 2:11–15) to the priest of Midian and his seven daughters. These daughters came to get water for their livestock at the same well where Moses sat. The account presents this as part of God’s providence in the story of Moses and his leadership in saving the Jews from Egyptian slavery. Moses could have fled to any point outside of Egypt. However, he ends up at one particular well where he will be introduced to the daughters of an influential family.

This important connection would offer Moses a new family and profession for the next forty years of his life. This would include both a wife and children. The account will end with the naming of Moses’ son and its meaning, similar to the name given to Moses and its significance in Exodus 2:10. The life of Moses included special orchestrating of events in his childhood and adult life to prepare him for his unique role in leading the Jewish people out of Egypt.

Verse 17. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock.

The context indicates a group of male shepherds coming to the well when the daughters of Reuel were there to water their family’s livestock. These shepherds “drove them away,” meaning they made the women leave. This was most likely so the men would not have to wait to obtain water for themselves and their own flock. Moses acts to correct an injustice once again, this time standing up for these seven women and watering their sheep.

The contrast stands out greatly from the previous action of Moses. In the previous account, Moses killed an Egyptian who mistreated one of Moses’ own people (Exodus 2:11–14). In this account, he helps those in need without committing a crime, and despite the fact that they are unrelated to him. Instead of fleeing afterwards, Moses is invited into the family of Reuel and rewarded for his actions. His previous act led to 40 years of exile from his home and people. His current act would lead to provision during that same exile and a positive new life during those same 40 years. His previous crime took a life. This current action leads to the life of someone new, his firstborn son Gershom (Exodus 2:22).

Verse 18. When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?”

The scene transitions from the women watering their flock to their return home. Their father, Reuel, asks how they returned home so soon. He is surprised, perhaps knowing his daughters were often mistreated by male shepherds who watered their own flocks first. His question will lead to a response from the daughters regarding Moses. Moses then becomes the object of their father’s questions (Exodus 2:20). Reuel—also known as Jethro—discovers that Moses has rescued his daughters from harassment at the hands of other shepherds (Exodus 2:16–17). Reuel eagerly desires to meet Moses, rewards him, and soon makes him part of the family.

An interesting aspect of this verse is the theme of “home.” Moses grows up in a home not his own and later flees this home for exile. In contrast, Reuel and his family have a home where Moses will be welcomed and treated well. Even during his forty years of exile, God provides for Moses and his needs. This background foreshadows God’s future provision for the Jewish people. God will bring the Jews out of Egypt and into exile for forty years where He will supernaturally provide for their needs before bringing them into their own land.

Verse 19. They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

It’s worth noting that the daughters of Reuel refer to Moses as “an Egyptian.” Moses, in fact, is a Hebrew (Exodus 2:1–10). This perception makes sense, however, since Moses would have dressed and probably spoken like an Egyptian from the perspective of these seven women. Even more interestingly, Moses “delivered” them from mistreatment and helped water their sheep. This act would foreshadow the role of Moses with the Jewish people. Moses would help deliver the Jews from mistreatment in Egypt. This deliverance would then lead to shepherding; first, Moses as a shepherd in Midian, and later as the leader of the nation of Israel.

Another unique aspect of this verse is the connection of the term “drew water” with the naming of Moses in Exodus 2:10. The Hebrew Mosheh sounds like the Hebrew word for “drew out,” and Moses was “drawn out” of the water of the Nile River. Now Moses draws out water for sheep in an act of justice for others. Decades later, Moses will once again be involved in a miraculous act involving water as he parts the Red Sea so the Jewish people can escape from their enemies (Exodus 14).

Verse 20. He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”

Reuel asks his daughters two questions regarding Moses. First, Reuel sought to honor or reward Moses for his action, and so he wants to meet him face to face. Second, he asks, why Moses has not been brought back to be properly thanked. In Reuel’s mind, this man should have been brought home for a meeting and to receive hospitality from his family. Reuel then commands his daughters to call Moses and offer him a meal. This kind response again foreshadows God’s provision to the Jewish people in the wilderness. God would work through Moses to provide bread in the form of manna for forty years in the desert for His people.

In addition, the desire to show hospitality to Moses would result in much more than a meal. Moses would become part of Reuel’s family, both through marriage and mission. Moses would become a shepherd in the family, leading a flock on their behalf. This period of training would both foreshadow his future activity as shepherd of the Jewish people and prepare him for the positive and negative aspects of leading a “flock” of people through the desert for forty years.

Verse 21. And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah.

This verse connects the visit of Moses with his decision to stay in Midian. Despite fleeing a palace, and all he had known growing up in Egypt, Moses was “content” to live with Reuel and his family. Second, Moses married Reuel’s daughter Zipporah. She is mentioned by name only two other times in Scripture. In Exodus 4:25 Zipporah circumcised their son. In Exodus 18:2 Zipporah is noted as having traveled home from Moses in Egypt to her father, clearly for safety reasons. She would rejoin him in the wilderness after the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 18:5–6). In that same passage, we learn that Reuel was also known as Jethro.

This would become the context of Moses’ life for the next forty years. He would live with his wife and the rest of Reuel’s family in Midian, serving as a shepherd. Acts 7:29 describes this time, saying, “… Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.” God would use these quiet years to prepare Moses for his future calling. Moses would one day lead people, not sheep, bringing the Jewish people from slavery into a new land.

Verse 22. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

The previous verse describes the marriage of Moses. This verse notes the birth of his first son. Zipporah’s son was named Gershom. This was chosen because Moses considered himself an immigrant or sojourner in a foreign land. The name Gershom sounds similar to the Hebrew word gur that means “to sojourn.” The Hebrew ending of Gershom, shom, is the same as the Hebrew shom, an adverb meaning “there.” Moses was a “sojourner, there” in the land of Midian. Interestingly, the name Gershon / Gershom had already been used in the family of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:1, 16).

It is notable that Moses refers to Midian as a foreign location. He felt away from home and could only seek to be “content” in his new home with Zipporah and Gershom (Exodus 2:21). He would later have a second son as well, named Eliezer (Exodus 18:3–4). Eliezer’s birth is not described in detail in Scripture. This is not unexpected, as the firstborn son received prominent status in ancient culture. Eliezer was certainly born to Moses and Zipporah during their forty years together in Midian. Both sons were considered part of Moses’ family and named among the Levites (1 Chronicles 23:14–17).

Verse 23. During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.

Verses 23 through 25 briefly look back on the situation of the fellow Jews Moses has left in Egypt. The “many days” described here is a period of some forty years (Acts 7:30). During this time, the king of Egypt who sought to put Moses to death had died. The slavery the Jews experienced continued and seems to have gotten even worse. The Jews responded in two ways. First, they are said to have “groaned,” implying an expression of pain in their slavery. They complained or made a plea and God heard them (Exodus 2:24). Later, God would tell Moses He has “heard the groaning of the people” (Exodus 6:5) and remembered His covenant to help.

Second, The Hebrews prayed, and God heard that prayer. This “crying out” is both an ongoing call and also took place on specific occasions (Exodus 14:10). This pattern would repeat in the book of Judges, where the people would “cry out” when in trouble and receive the help of the Lord (Judges 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6¬–7).

The plight of the nation of Israel, and God’s response, are important when interpreting the Bible’s stance on slavery. Modern audiences typically think of the pre-Civil War United States when encountering the word “slavery.” This brings to mind racial, inhuman, permanent, inherited, lifelong, brutal drudgery; the concept is also known as “chattel slavery.” This is exactly what the people of Israel are experiencing under Egypt, and it’s a practice God will fiercely judge in the coming chapters. Not all servitude mentioned in the Bible is exactly the same, and neither is it all morally equal.

Context Summary
Exodus 2:23–25 briefly looks away from Moses and back to the people of Israel. Prior to Moses’ birth, the king of Egypt began brutally enslaving the Jewish people. Most of chapter 2 was used to describe Moses’ adoption by the Egyptian princess, his murder of an Egyptian bully, and his escape to Midian, where he settles and builds a family. In the meantime, Israel’s oppression becomes continually worse. The Hebrews cry out to God for rescue, who has not forgotten His promises to them. The following words of Scripture reveal God’s appointment of Moses to return and free Israel, through the miraculous appearance of a burning bush.

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

The phrase indicating that God heard Israel’s cries of pain is parallel with the phrase describing that “groaning” in verse 23. They prayed, and He heard, reminding us God always hears our prayers. Further, God “remembered” His covenant. The covenant referred to here is the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1–3). God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants. They would become a great people and a nation. God would bless those who blessed them and judge those who judged them.

This covenant extended from Abraham to his son Isaac and Isaac’s son Jacob. From Jacob came the twelve sons who became leaders of the twelve tribes of Egypt (Exodus 1:1–7), extending God’s covenant to all the Jewish people. God’s promise to Abraham was that his descendants would live in the land where Abraham walked, the land of Israel. This promise would be realized through Moses leading the people of Israel out of Egyptian slavery toward this Promised Land.

Verse 25. God saw the people of Israel — and God knew.

The final verse of the chapter notes two important truths. This is part of a temporary shift away from the story of Moses, looking back on the Hebrews still enslaved in Egypt.

First, God recognized Israel’s difficult situation and cared deeply about the way they were treated. These words prepare readers for the upcoming calling of Moses to bring the Jewish people out of slavery. Second, God “knew” all about their situation. The Hebrew usage of “to know” generally referred to more than understanding a situation, but also included involvement. For example, Adam’s sexual intimacy with Eve was described as Adam “knowing” his wife. This involved more than understanding; personal involvement was part of this experience.

In addition, the concluding words of this chapter that “God knew” remind readers God is fully aware of the pain we endure in this life. Even when we suffer, God has a plan at work. Romans 8:28 expresses this truth well: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” God’s plan and promise would unfold through the life of Moses as the leader of God’s people from slavery to freedom.

The next passage will return to Moses, and his dramatic call by God, through the miracle of the burning bush.

End of Chapter 2.

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