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Text -- Exodus 2:1-10 (NET)

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Context
The Birth of the Deliverer
2:1 A man from the household of Levi married a woman who was a descendant of Levi. 2:2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a healthy child, she hid him for three months. 2:3 But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. 2:4 His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him. 2:5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself by the Nile, while her attendants were walking alongside the river, and she saw the basket among the reeds. She sent one of her attendants, took it, 2:6 opened it, and saw the child– a boy, crying!– and she felt compassion for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 2:7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get a nursing woman for you from the Hebrews, so that she may nurse the child for you?” 2:8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes, do so.” So the young girl went and got the child’s mother. 2:9 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 child and nursed him. 2:10 When the child grew older she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “Because I drew him from the water.”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics

Names, People and Places:
 · Hebrew a person descended from Heber; an ancient Jew; a Hebrew speaking Jew,any Jew, but particularly one who spoke the Hebrew language
 · Levi members of the tribe of Levi
 · Moses a son of Amram; the Levite who led Israel out of Egypt and gave them The Law of Moses,a Levite who led Israel out of Egypt and gave them the law
 · Nile a river that flows north through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea
 · Pharaoh the king who ruled Egypt when Moses was born,the title of the king who ruled Egypt in Abraham's time,the title of the king who ruled Egypt in Joseph's time,the title of the king who ruled Egypt when Moses was born,the title of the king who refused to let Israel leave Egypt,the title of the king of Egypt whose daughter Solomon married,the title of the king who ruled Egypt in the time of Isaiah,the title Egypt's ruler just before Moses' time


Dictionary Themes and Topics: Wean | WOMAN | SLIME | RED SEA | Pharaoh's daughters | PHARAOHS DAUGHTER | PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER | NOAH | Moses | MAID; MAIDEN | Jew | Israel | God | GENESIS, 1-2 | Egyptians | EXODUS, THE BOOK OF, 2 | Child | Bitumen | Adoni-zedec | Aaron | more
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TSK Synopsis , Maclaren , MHCC , Matthew Henry , Keil-Delitzsch , Constable , Guzik

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: Exo 2:1 - -- Amram, from the place of his abode to another place.

Amram, from the place of his abode to another place.

Wesley: Exo 2:1 - -- That is, grand - daughter of Levi.

That is, grand - daughter of Levi.

Wesley: Exo 2:2 - -- It seems just at the time of his birth that cruel law was made for the murder of all the male - children of the Hebrews, and many no doubt perished by...

It seems just at the time of his birth that cruel law was made for the murder of all the male - children of the Hebrews, and many no doubt perished by the execution of it. Moses's parents had Miriam and Aaron, both elder than he, born to them before that edict came out. Probably his mother had little joy of her being with child of him, now this edict was in force. Yet this child proves the glory of his father's house. Observe the beauty of providence: just when Pharaoh's cruelty rose to this height, the deliverer was born.

Wesley: Exo 2:2 - -- In some private apartment of their own house, though probably with the hazard of their lives had he been discovered. It is said, Heb 11:23. That Moses...

In some private apartment of their own house, though probably with the hazard of their lives had he been discovered. It is said, Heb 11:23. That Moses's parents hid him by faith: some think they had a special revelation that the deliverer should spring from their loins; however, they believed the general promise of Israel's preservation, and in that faith hid their child.

Wesley: Exo 2:3 - -- By the river side. God put it into their hearts to do this, to bring about his own purposes: that Moses might by this means be brought into the hands ...

By the river side. God put it into their hearts to do this, to bring about his own purposes: that Moses might by this means be brought into the hands of Pharaoh's daughter, and that by his deliverance, a specimen might be given of the deliverance of God's church.

Wesley: Exo 2:5 - -- Providence brings no less a person than Pharaoh's daughter just at that juncture, guides her to the place where this poor infant lay, inclines her hea...

Providence brings no less a person than Pharaoh's daughter just at that juncture, guides her to the place where this poor infant lay, inclines her heart to pity it, which she dares do, when none else durst. Never did poor child cry so seasonably, as this did; the babe wept, which moved her compassion, as no doubt his beauty did.

Wesley: Exo 2:10 - -- The tradition of the Jews is, that Pharaoh's daughter had no child of her own, and that she was the only child of her father, so that when he was adop...

The tradition of the Jews is, that Pharaoh's daughter had no child of her own, and that she was the only child of her father, so that when he was adopted for her son, he stood fair for the crown: however, it is certain he stood fair for the best preferments of the court in due time, and in the mean time had the advantage of the best education, with the help of which, he became master of all the lawful learning of the Egyptians Act 7:22. Those whom God designs for great services he finds out ways for to qualify them. Moses, by having his education in a court, is the fitter to be a prince, and king in Jeshurun; by having his education in a learned court, (for such the Egyptian then was) is the fitter to be an historian; and by having his education in the court of Egypt, is the fitter to be employed as an ambassador to that court in God's name. The Jews tell us, that his father at his circumcision called him Joachim, but Pharaoh's daughter called him Moses, Drawn out of the water, so it signifies in the Egyptian language, The calling of the Jewish lawgiver by an Egyptian name is a happy omen to the Gentile world, and gives hopes of that day when it should be said, Blessed be Egypt my people, Isa 19:25. And his tuition at court was an earnest of the performance of that promise, Isa 49:23. Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and queens thy nursing mothers.

JFB: Exo 2:2 - -- Some extraordinary appearance of remarkable comeliness led his parents to augur his future greatness. Beauty was regarded by the ancients as a mark of...

Some extraordinary appearance of remarkable comeliness led his parents to augur his future greatness. Beauty was regarded by the ancients as a mark of the divine favor.

JFB: Exo 2:2 - -- The parents were a pious couple, and the measures they took were prompted not only by parental attachment, but by a strong faith in the blessing of Go...

The parents were a pious couple, and the measures they took were prompted not only by parental attachment, but by a strong faith in the blessing of God prospering their endeavors to save the infant.

JFB: Exo 2:3 - -- Papyrus, a thick, strong, and tough reed.

Papyrus, a thick, strong, and tough reed.

JFB: Exo 2:3 - -- The mud of the Nile, which, when hardened, is very tenacious.

The mud of the Nile, which, when hardened, is very tenacious.

JFB: Exo 2:3 - -- Mineral tar. Boats of this description are seen daily floating on the surface of the river, with no other caulking than Nile mud (compare Isa 18:2), a...

Mineral tar. Boats of this description are seen daily floating on the surface of the river, with no other caulking than Nile mud (compare Isa 18:2), and they are perfectly watertight, unless the coating is forced off by stormy weather.

JFB: Exo 2:3 - -- A general term for sea or river weed. The chest was not, as is often represented, committed to the bosom of the water but laid on the bank, where it w...

A general term for sea or river weed. The chest was not, as is often represented, committed to the bosom of the water but laid on the bank, where it would naturally appear to have been drifted by the current and arrested by the reedy thicket. The spot is traditionally said to be the Isle of Rodah, near Old Cairo.

JFB: Exo 2:4 - -- Miriam would probably be a girl of ten or twelve years of age at the time.

Miriam would probably be a girl of ten or twelve years of age at the time.

JFB: Exo 2:5 - -- The occasion is thought to have been a religious solemnity which the royal family opened by bathing in the sacred stream. Peculiar sacredness was atta...

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.

JFB: Exo 2:5 - -- In procession or in file.

In procession or in file.

JFB: Exo 2:5 - -- Her immediate attendant. The term is different from that rendered "maidens."

Her immediate attendant. The term is different from that rendered "maidens."

JFB: Exo 2:6-9 - -- The narrative is picturesque. No tale of romance ever described a plot more skilfully laid or more full of interest in the development. The expedient ...

The narrative is picturesque. No tale of romance ever described a plot more skilfully laid or more full of interest in the development. The expedient of the ark, the slime and pitch, the choice of the time and place, the appeal to the sensibilities of the female breast, the stationing of the sister as a watch of the proceedings, her timely suggestion of a nurse, and the engagement of the mother herself--all bespeak a more than ordinary measure of ingenuity as well as intense solicitude on the part of the parents. But the origin of the scheme was most probably owing to a divine suggestion, as its success was due to an overruling Providence, who not only preserved the child's life, but provided for his being trained in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Hence it is said to have been done by faith (Heb 11:23), either in the general promise of deliverance, or some special revelation made to Amram and Jochebed--and in this view, the pious couple gave a beautiful example of a firm reliance on the word of God, united with an active use of the most suitable means.

JFB: Exo 2:10 - -- Though it must have been nearly as severe a trial for Jochebed to part with him the second time as the first, she was doubtless reconciled to it by he...

Though it must have been nearly as severe a trial for Jochebed to part with him the second time as the first, she was doubtless reconciled to it by her belief in his high destination as the future deliverer of Israel. His age when removed to the palace is not stated; but he was old enough to be well instructed in the principles of the true religion; and those early impressions, deepened by the power of divine grace, were never forgotten or effaced.

JFB: Exo 2:10 - -- By adoption, and his high rank afforded him advantages in education, which in the Providence of God were made subservient to far different purposes fr...

By adoption, and his high rank afforded him advantages in education, which in the Providence of God were made subservient to far different purposes from what his royal patroness intended.

JFB: Exo 2:10 - -- His parents might, as usual, at the time of his circumcision, have given him a name, which is traditionally said to have been Joachim. But the name ch...

His parents might, as usual, at the time of his circumcision, have given him a name, which is traditionally said to have been Joachim. But the name chosen by the princess, whether of Egyptian or Hebrew origin, is the only one by which he has ever been known to the church; and it is a permanent memorial of the painful incidents of his birth and infancy.

Clarke: Exo 2:1 - -- There went a man - Amram, son of Kohath, son of Levi, Exo 6:16-20. A daughter of Levi, Jochebed, sister to Kohath, and consequently both the wife an...

There went a man - Amram, son of Kohath, son of Levi, Exo 6:16-20. 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. Such marriages were at this time lawful, though they were afterwards forbidden, Lev 18:12. But it is possible that daughter of Levi means no more than a descendant of that family, and that probably Amram and Jochebed were only cousin germans . As a new law was to be given and a new priesthood formed, God chose a religious family out of which the lawgiver and the high priest were both to spring.

Clarke: Exo 2:2 - -- Bare a son - This certainly was not her first child, for Aaron was fourscore and three years old when Moses was but fourscore, see Exo 7:7 : and the...

Bare a son - This certainly was not her first child, for Aaron was fourscore and three years old when Moses was but fourscore, see Exo 7:7 : and there was a sister, probably Miriam, who was older than either; see below, Exo 2:4, and see Num 26:59. Miriam and Aaron had no doubt been both born before the decree was passed for the destruction of the Hebrew male children, mentioned in the preceding chapter

Clarke: Exo 2:2 - -- Goodly child - The text simply says ×›×™ טיב ×”×•× ki tob hu , that he was good, which signifies that he was not only a perfect, well-formed ch...

Goodly child - The text simply says ×›×™ טיב ×”×•× ki tob hu , 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 the place, Ιδοντες δε αυτο αστειον, Seeing him to be beautiful, which St. Stephen interprets, Ην αστειος τῳ Θεῳ, He was comely to God, or divinely beautiful. 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.

Clarke: Exo 2:3 - -- An ark of bulrushes - תבת ×’×ž× tebath gome , a small boat or basket made of the Egyptian reed called papyrus, so famous in all antiquity. This...

An ark of bulrushes - תבת ×’×ž× tebath gome , 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. "The vessels of bulrushes or papyrus,"says Dr. Shaw, "were no other than large fabrics of the same kind with that of Moses, Exo 2:3, which from the late introduction of planks and stronger materials are now laid aside."Thus Pliny, lib. vi., cap. 16, takes notice of the naves papyraceas armamentaque Nili , "ships made of papyrus and the equipments of the Nile:"and lib. xiii., cap. 11, he observes, Exodus ipsa quidem papyro navigia texunt : "Of the papyrus itself they construct sailing vessels."Herodotus and Diodorus have recorded the same fact; and among the poets, Lucan, lib. iv., ver. 136: Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro , "The Memphian or Egyptian boat is constructed from the soaking papyrus."The epithet bibula is particularly remarkable, as corresponding with great exactness to the nature of the plant, and to its Hebrew name ×’×ž× gome , which signifies to soak, to drink up. See Parkhurst sub voce

Clarke: Exo 2:3 - -- She laid it in the flags - Not willing to trust it in the stream for fear of a disaster; and probably choosing the place to which the Egyptian princ...

She laid it in the flags - Not willing to trust it in the stream for fear of a disaster; and probably choosing the place to which the Egyptian princess was accustomed to come for the purpose specified in the note on the following verse.

Clarke: Exo 2:5 - -- And the daughter of Pharaoh - Josephus calls her Thermuthis, and says that "the ark was borne along by the current, and that she sent one that could...

And the daughter of Pharaoh - Josephus calls her Thermuthis, and says that "the ark was borne along by the current, and that she sent one that could swim after it; that she was struck with the figure and uncommon beauty of the child; that she inquired for a nurse, but he having refused the breasts of several, and his sister proposing to bring a Hebrew nurse, his own mother was procured."But all this is in Josephus’ s manner, as well as the long circumstantial dream that he gives to Amram concerning the future greatness of Moses, which cannot be considered in any other light than that of a fable, and not even a cunningly devised one

Clarke: Exo 2:5 - -- To wash herself at the river - Whether the daughter of Pharaoh went to bathe in the river through motives of pleasure, health, or religion, or wheth...

To wash herself at the river - Whether the daughter of Pharaoh went to bathe in the river through motives of pleasure, health, or religion, or whether she bathed at all, the text does not specify. It is merely stated by the sacred writer that she went down to the river to Wash; for the word herself is not in the original. Mr. Harmer, Observat., vol. iii., p. 529, is of opinion that the time referred to above was that in which the Nile begins to rise; and as the dancing girls in Egypt are accustomed now to plunge themselves into the river at its rising, by which act they testify their gratitude for the inestimable blessing of its inundations, so it might have been formerly; and that Pharaoh’ s daughter was now coming down to the river on a similar account. I see no likelihood in all this. If she washed herself at all, it might have been a religious ablution, and yet extended no farther than to the hands and face; for the word רחץ rachats , to wash, is repeatedly used in the Pentateuch to signify religious ablutions of different kinds. Jonathan in his Targum says that God had smitten all Egypt with ulcers, and that the daughter of Pharaoh came to wash in the river in order to find relief; and that as soon as she touched the ark where Moses was, her ulcers were healed. This is all fable. I believe there was no bathing in the case, but simply what the text states, washing, not of her person, but of her clothes, which was an employment that even kings’ daughters did not think beneath them in those primitive times. Homer, Odyss. vi., represents Nausicaa, daughter of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians, in company with her maidens, employed at the seaside in washing her own clothes and those of her five brothers! While thus employed they find Ulysses just driven ashore after having been shipwrecked, utterly helpless, naked, and destitute of every necessary of life. The whole scene is so perfectly like that before us that they appear to me to be almost parallels. I shall subjoin a few lines. The princess, having piled her clothes on a carriage drawn by several mules, and driven to the place of washing, commences her work, which the poet describes thus: -

Ται δ απ απηνη

Εἱματα χεÏσιν ἑλοντο, και εσφοÏεον μελαν ὑδωÏ

Στειβον δ εν βαθÏοισι θοως, εÏιδα Ï€ÏοφεÏουσαι

Î‘Ï…Ï„Î±Ï ÎµÏ€ÎµÎ¹ πλυναν τε, καθηÏαν τε Ï̔υπα παντα

Εξειης πετασαν παÏα θιν ἁλος, ᾑχι μαλιστα

Λαΐγγας ποτι χεÏσον αποπλυνεσκε θαλασσα.

Odyssey, lib. vi., ver. 90

"Light’ ning the carriage, next they bore in han

The garments down to the unsullied wave

And thrust them heap’ d into the pools; their tas

Despatching brisk, and with an emulous haste

When all were purified, and neither spo

Could be perceived or blemish more, they sprea

The raiment orderly along the beach

Where dashing tides had cleansed the pebbles most.

Cowper

When this task was finished we find the Phaeacian princess and her ladies ( ΚουÏη δ εκ θαλαμοιο - αμφιπολοι αλλαι ) employed in amusing themselves upon the beach, till the garments they had washed should be dry and fit to be folded up, that they might reload their carriage and return. In the text of Moses the Egyptian princess, accompanied by her maids, נערתיה naarotheyha , comes down to the river, not to bathe herself, for this is not intimated, but merely to wash, לרחץ lirchots ; at the time in which the ark is perceived we may suppose that she and her companions had finished their task, and, like the daughter of Alcinous and her maidens, were amusing themselves walking along by the river’ s side, as the others did by tossing a ball, σφαιÏῃ ται Ï„ Î±Ï ÎµÏ€Î±Î¹Î¶Î¿Î½, when they as suddenly and as unexpectedly discovered Moses adrift on the flood, as Nausicaa and her companions discovered Ulysses just escaped naked from shipwreck. In both the histories, that of the poet and this of the prophet, both the strangers, the shipwrecked Greek and the almost drowned Hebrew, were rescued by the princesses, nourished and preserved alive! Were it lawful to suppose that Homer had ever seen the Hebrew story, it would be reasonable to conclude that he had made it the basis of the 6th book of the Odyssey.

Clarke: Exo 2:6 - -- She had compassion on him - The sight of a beautiful babe in distress could not fail to make the impression here mentioned; see Clarke on Exo 2:2 (n...

She had compassion on him - The sight of a beautiful babe in distress could not fail to make the impression here mentioned; see Clarke on Exo 2:2 (note). It has already been conjectured that the cruel edict of the Egyptian king did not continue long in force; see Exo 1:22. And it will not appear unreasonable to suppose that the circumstance related here might have brought about its abolition. The daughter of Pharaoh, struck with the distressed state of the Hebrew children from what she had seen in the case of Moses, would probably implore her father to abolish this sanguinary edict.

Clarke: Exo 2:7 - -- Shall I go and call a nurse - Had not the different circumstances marked here been placed under the superintendence of an especial providence, there...

Shall I go and call a nurse - Had not the different circumstances marked here been placed under the superintendence of an especial providence, there is no human probability that they could have had such a happy issue. The parents had done every thing to save their child that piety, affection, and prudence could dictate, and having done so, they left the event to God. By faith, says the apostle, Heb 11:23, Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’ s commandment. Because of the king’ s commandment they were obliged to make use of the most prudent caution to save the child’ s life; and their faith in God enabled them to risk their own safety, for they were not afraid of the king’ s commandment - they feared God, and they had no other fear.

Clarke: Exo 2:10 - -- 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 E...

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, who in the knowledge of nature probably exceeded all the nations then on the face of the earth

Clarke: Exo 2:10 - -- And she called his name - משה mosheh , because מן ×”×ž×™× min hammayim , out of the waters משיתהו meshithihu , have I drawn him. מ...

And she called his name - משה mosheh , because מן ×”×ž×™× min hammayim , out of the waters משיתהו meshithihu , have I drawn him. משה mashah signifies to draw out; and mosheh is the person drawn out; the word is used in the same sense Psa 18:16, and 2Sa 22:17. What name he had from his parents we know not; but whatever it might be it was ever after lost in the name given to him by the princess of Egypt. Abul Farajius says that Thermuthis delivered him to the wise men Janees and Jimbrees to be instructed in wisdom.

Calvin: Exo 2:1 - -- 1.And there went I have preferred rendering the verb in the pluperfect tense (abierat, “there had goneâ€) to prevent all ambiguity; for unless we ...

1.And there went I have preferred rendering the verb in the pluperfect tense (abierat, “there had goneâ€) to prevent all ambiguity; for unless we say that Miriam and Aaron were the children of another mother, it would not be probable otherwise that this marriage was contracted after the passing of the edict. Aaron was three years old when Moses was born; and we may easily conjecture that he was brought up openly and securely. But there is no doubt but that the cruelty was greatest at its commencement. Therefore, if they were uterine brothers, there is no other explanation except to say that, by the figure called ὕστεÏον Ï€ÏότεÏον, he now relates what had happened before. But mention is only made of Moses, because it then first began to be criminal to breed up male infants. The Hebrews use the word for going or departing, to signify the undertaking of any serious or momentous matter, or when they put any proposal into operation. Nor is it superfluous for Moses to say that his father married a wife of his own tribe, because this double tie of kindred should have confirmed them in their attempt to preserve their offspring. But soon afterwards we shall see how timidly they acted. They hide the child for a short time, rather from the transient impulse of love than from firm affection. When three months had elapsed, and that impulse had passed away, they almost abandon the child, in order to escape from danger. For although the mother would have probably come next day, if he had passed the night there, to give him the breast, yet had she exposed him as an outcast to innumerable risks. By this example, we perceive what terror had taken possession of every mind, when a man and his wife, united to each other by close natural relationship, prefer exposing their common offspring, whose beauty moved them to pity, to peril of wild beasts, of the atmosphere, of the water, and of every kind, rather than that they should perish with him. But on this point different opinions are maintained: whether or not it would have been better to discharge themselves of the care of their child, or to await whatever danger attended its secret preservation. I confess, indeed, that whilst it is difficult in such perplexities to come to a right conclusion, so also our conclusions are apt to be variously judged; still I affirm that the timidity of the parents of Moses, by which they were induced to forget their duty, cannot advisedly be excused.

We see that God has implanted even in wild and brute beasts so great instinctive anxiety for the protection and cherishing of their young, that the dam often despises her own life in their defense. Wherefore it is the more base, that men, created in the divine image, should be driven by fear to such a pitch of inhumanity as to desert the children who are intrusted to their fidelity and protection. The reply of those who assert that there was no better course in their desperate circumstances than to repose on the providence of God, has something in it, but is not complete. It is the chief consolation of believers to cast their cares on the bosom of God; provided that, in the meantime, they perform their own duties, overpass not the bounds of their vocation, and turn not away from the path set before them; but it is a perversion to make the providence of God an excuse for negligence and sloth. The parents of Moses ought rather to have looked forward with hope that God would be the safeguard of themselves and their child. His mother made the ark with great pains, and daubed it; but for what purpose? Was it not to bury her child in it? I allow that she always seemed anxious for him, yet in such a way that her proceedings would have been ridiculous and ineffectual, unless God had unexpectedly appeared from heaven as the author of their preservation, of which she herself despaired. Nevertheless, we must not judge either the father or mother as if they had lived in quiet times; for it is easy to conceive with what bitter grief they compassed the death of their child; nay, to speak more correctly, we can scarcely conceive what terrible agonies they suffered. Therefore, when Moses relates how his mother made and prepared an ark, he hints that the father was so overwhelmed with sorrow as to be incapable of doing anything. Thus the power of the Lord more clearly manifested itself, when the mother, her husband being entirely disheartened, took the whole burden on herself. For, if they had acted in concert, Moses would not have assigned the whole praise to his mother. The Apostle, indeed, (Heb 11:23,) gives a share of the praise to the husband, and not undeservedly, since it is probable that the child was not hidden without his cognizance and approval. But God, who generally “chooses the weak things of the world,†strengthened with the power of his Spirit a woman rather than a man, to stand foremost in the matter. And the same reasoning applies to his sister, into whose hands his mother resigned the last and most important act, so that while Miriam, who, on account of her tender age, appeared to be exempt from danger, is appointed to watch over her brother’s life, both parents appear to have neglected their duty.

Calvin: Exo 2:2 - -- 2.And when she saw that he was a goodly child There is no doubt but that God had adorned him with this beauty, in order the more to influence his par...

2.And when she saw that he was a goodly child There is no doubt but that God had adorned him with this beauty, in order the more to influence his parents to preserve him; as it sometimes happens that, when God sees his people slow in the performance of their duty, he spurs on their inactivity by allurements; although it appears from the testimony of the Apostle, that this was not their only motive to have pity on him, but that it was the prop, as it were, of their weak faith; for he tells us (Heb 11:23) that “by faith Moses was hid three months of his parents.†If any object that faith and regard for beauty are things not only very different but almost contrary to each other, I reply, that by the wonderful compassion of God, it comes to pass that the very impediment which might darken faith becomes its assistant, though it ought indeed to rest upon the promises alone. Therefore, if faith had shone purely and brightly in their hearts, they would have cared nothing for his beauty; on the other hand, unless the promise had had its power, nay, unless it had occupied the first place, there was no such efficacy in the goodliness of his appearance as would have led them willingly to hazard their lives. We conclude, then, that, since they had good hopes of the deliverance promised to them, their courage was increased by the additional motive of his beauty, and that they were so attracted to pity, that all obstacles were overcome. Thus does God ordinarily work, leading his people in their darkness like the blind, when they are wavering through ignorance and weakness of heart. In fine, the love which his beauty awakened was so far from being a part of faith, that it deservedly detracts from its praise; but God, who, in his wonderful wisdom, makes all things to work for the good of his chosen ones, sustained and strengthened their tottering faith by this support.

Calvin: Exo 2:4 - -- 4.And his sister stood afar off It is probable that this was Miriam. 26 By the fact of her standing to watch what became of him, it appears that his ...

4.And his sister stood afar off It is probable that this was Miriam. 26 By the fact of her standing to watch what became of him, it appears that his parents had some hope remaining, though it was but small. For it is scarcely doubtful but that whatever Egyptian had come that way would have been his executioner, as well from the command of the king as from the general hatred of the nation against the Hebrews. It seems, then, that Miriam was set by her parents to watch, rather to witness her brother’s murder, than to provide for the safety of the child. But, since we have just seen that, in the darkness of sorrow and despair, some sparks of faith still survived, the mother, exposing her little one on the river’s side, did not abandon all care of him, but desired to commend him to the mercy of any passer-by, and therefore stationed her daughter afar off to act as circumstances arose. For, if she had heard that the child still lay there at night, she would have come secretly to give him the breast. This determination, however, as is often the case in times of perplexity and trouble, was vain, though God miraculously stretched forth his hand for the child’s preservation. For there can be no question but that his secret providence brought the king’s daughter to the river, who had the courage to take up the child and to have it nursed; and that he, too, influenced her mind to the kind act of saving its life, — in a word, that he controlled the whole matter. Indeed, all pious persons will confess that he was the author of her great and uninquisitive kindness in not taking more pains to learn who were the child’s parents, and why a nurse offered herself so immediately, which circumstance might have naturally awakened suspicion. Thus it did not happen without many miracles that the child escaped safely from the ark. Scoffers would say that all occurred accidentally; because perverse delusion has possession of their minds, so that they are blind to the manifest works of God, and think that the human race is governed by mere chance. But we must hold fast to the principle, that whilst God rules all men by his providence, he honors his elect with his peculiar care, and is watchful for their deliverance and support; and if we carefully weigh all the circumstances, reason will easily assure us that all things which led to the preservation of Moses, were disposed by his guidance, and under his auspices, and by the secret inspiration of his Spirit. For to ascribe to fortune such an harmonious combination of various and manifold means, is no less absurd than to imagine with Epicurus that the world was created by the fortuitous conjunction of atoms. 27 Assuredly he drew out Moses, who was to be the future redeemer of his people, as from the grave, in order that he might prove that the beginning of the safety of his Church was like a creation out of nothing. And this was the crowning act of his divine mercy, not only that he was given to his mother to be nursed, but that she received wages for it.

Calvin: Exo 2:10 - -- 10.And the child grew Here, however, their grief is renewed, when his parents are again obliged to give up Moses, and he is torn as it were from thei...

10.And the child grew Here, however, their grief is renewed, when his parents are again obliged to give up Moses, and he is torn as it were from their bowels. For, on this condition, he passed over to the Egyptian nation, not only that he should be alienated from his own race, but that he should increase the number of their enemies in his own person. And certainly it is scarcely credible that he could be long tolerated in the tyrant’s court, and amongst the most cruel enemies of Israel, unless he professed to be a partaker of their hatred. We know of what corrupting influences courts are full; it is well known, too, how great was the pride of the Egyptians, whilst experience teaches us how prone even the best natures are to yield to the temptations of pleasure, wherefore we must wonder the more that, when Moses was engulfed in these whirlpools, he still retained his uprightness and integrity. Certainly the hope of their redemption might seem here again to suffer an eclipse, the course of circumstances being all against it; but thus the providence of God, the more circuitously it appears to flow, shines forth all the more wonderfully in the end, since it never really wanders from its direct object, or fails of its effect, when its due time is come. Nevertheless God, as with an outstretched hand, drew back his servant to himself and to the body of his Church, by suggesting in his name the recollection of his origin; for the king’s daughter did not give him this name without the preventing Spirit of God, that Moses might know that he was drawn out of the river when he was about to perish. As often, then, as he heard his name, he must needs remember of what people he sprang; and the power of this stimulus must have been all the greater, because the fact was known to everybody. The daughter of the king, indeed, could have by no means intended this, and would have rather wished the memory of his origin to be lost; but God, who put words in the mouth of Balaam’s ass, influenced also the tongue of this woman to bear loud and public testimony to the very thing which she would have preferred to conceal; and although she desired to keep Moses with herself, became his directress and guide in returning to his own nation. But should any be surprised that she did not fear her father’s anger in thus publicly recording the violation of his command, it may readily be replied that there was no cause of offense given to the tyrant, who would have willingly allowed any number of slaves to be born to him, so that the name of Israel were abolished. For why did he spare the lives of the female infants, but in order that Egyptian slaves might be born of them? And, regarding Moses in this light, he did not conceive that the act of his daughter had violated his command, nay, he rather rejoiced that the Israelitish nation was thus diminished, and the Egyptian nation numerically increased. One question only remains, viz., how it occurred to the mind of Pharaoh’s daughter to give Moses an Hebrew name, 28 when it is certain from Psa 81:5, that there was a great difference between the two languages: “he went out through the land of Egypt, where I heard a language that I understood not?†And again, we know that Joseph made use of an interpreter with his brethren when he pretended to be an Egyptian. (Gen 42:23.) We may probably conjecture that she asked the mother of Moses the word which expressed this signification, or we may prefer supposing that he had an Egyptian name, which was interpreted by his Hebrew one, and this I am most inclined to think was the case. When Moses subsequently fled, he again took the name his mother gave him.

Defender: Exo 2:1 - -- The man, unnamed here, was Amram, and his wife was Jochebed (Exo 6:20). Both were of the tribe of Levi, so this is the first indication that the twelv...

The man, unnamed here, was Amram, and his wife was Jochebed (Exo 6:20). Both were of the tribe of Levi, so this is the first indication that the twelve tribes, by this time, were inclining toward marriage not only within the nation of Israel but within their own tribal families."

Defender: Exo 2:3 - -- It is interesting to compare the three "arks" mentioned in Scripture. The word (Hebrew tebah) means, simply, "box-like container." Noah's ark (Gen 6:1...

It is interesting to compare the three "arks" mentioned in Scripture. The word (Hebrew tebah) means, simply, "box-like container." Noah's ark (Gen 6:14) was overlaid and inlaid with "pitch," Moses' ark with "slime and pitch," and God's ark of the covenant with "pure gold" (Exo 25:10, Exo 25:11). One was made of "gopher wood," the second of "bulrushes," the third of "shittim wood." The first preserved the remnants of the primeval dispensation, the second preserved the prophet of the new dispensation, the last preserved the inscribed divine standard of God's holiness for every generation (Exo 31:17, Exo 31:18; Rev 11:19)."

Defender: Exo 2:4 - -- This sister is undoubtedly Miriam, who is the first "prophetess" mentioned in the Bible (Exo 15:20)."

This sister is undoubtedly Miriam, who is the first "prophetess" mentioned in the Bible (Exo 15:20)."

Defender: Exo 2:10 - -- In Hebrew, "Moses" apparently means "to draw out." However, it was also a common component of Egyptian names, probably meaning "son of," such as Ahmos...

In Hebrew, "Moses" apparently means "to draw out." However, it was also a common component of Egyptian names, probably meaning "son of," such as Ahmose or Thutmose, Pharaohs of this period."

TSK: Exo 2:1 - -- am 2432, bc 1572 of the house : Exo 6:16-20; Num 26:59; 1Ch 6:1-3, 1Ch 23:12-14

am 2432, bc 1572

of the house : Exo 6:16-20; Num 26:59; 1Ch 6:1-3, 1Ch 23:12-14

TSK: Exo 2:2 - -- am 2433, bc 1571 she saw : Psa 112:5; Act 7:20; Heb 11:23

am 2433, bc 1571

she saw : Psa 112:5; Act 7:20; Heb 11:23

TSK: Exo 2:3 - -- could not : Exo 1:22; Mat 2:13, Mat 2:16; Act 7:19 an ark : Isa 18:2 bulrushes : Gome , is the papyrus, so famous in all antiquity. It grows on the...

could not : Exo 1:22; Mat 2:13, Mat 2:16; Act 7:19

an ark : Isa 18:2

bulrushes : Gome , is the papyrus, so famous in all antiquity. It 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. This reed was of the greatest use to the Egyptians; the pith serving them for food, and the woody part to build vessels with; which vessels frequently appear on various monuments of Egyptian antiquity. That boats were made of this reed is also attested by Pliny and others.

with slime : Gen 6:14, Gen 11:3, Gen 14:10

TSK: Exo 2:4 - -- Exo 15:20; Num 12:1-15, Num 20:1, Num 26:59; Mic 6:4

TSK: Exo 2:5 - -- daughter : Act 7:21 herself : As the word herself is not in the original, Dr. A. Clarke is of opinion that it was for the purpose of washing, not her ...

daughter : Act 7:21

herself : As the word herself is not in the original, Dr. A. Clarke is of opinion that it was for the purpose of washing, not her person, but her clothes, that Pharaoh’ s daughter came to the river; which was an employment not beneath even king’ s daughters in those primitive times.

when she : 1Ki 17:6; Psa 9:9, Psa 12:5, Psa 46:1, Psa 76:10; Pro 21:1; Jon 1:17, Jon 2:10

TSK: Exo 2:6 - -- she had compassion : 1Ki 8:50; Neh 1:11; Psa 106:46; Pro 21:1; Act 7:21; 1Pe 3:8

she had compassion : 1Ki 8:50; Neh 1:11; Psa 106:46; Pro 21:1; Act 7:21; 1Pe 3:8

TSK: Exo 2:7 - -- Exo 2:4, Exo 15:20; Num 12:1, Num 26:59

TSK: Exo 2:8 - -- Go : Psa 27:10; Isa 46:3, Isa 46:4; Eze 16:8 mother : Exo 6:20

TSK: Exo 2:9 - -- Take : Jdg 13:8

Take : Jdg 13:8

TSK: Exo 2:10 - -- and he : Gen 48:5; Act 7:21, Act 7:22; Gal 4:5; Heb 11:24; 1Jo 3:1 Moses : Drawn out Because : Gen 4:25, Gen 16:11; 1Sa 1:20; Mat 1:21

and he : Gen 48:5; Act 7:21, Act 7:22; Gal 4:5; Heb 11:24; 1Jo 3:1

Moses : Drawn out

Because : Gen 4:25, Gen 16:11; 1Sa 1:20; Mat 1:21

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Exo 2:1 - -- A man ... a daughter of Levi - Amram and Jochebed. See Exo 6:20.

A man ... a daughter of Levi - Amram and Jochebed. See Exo 6:20.

Barnes: Exo 2:2 - -- 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 t...

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.

A goodly child - See the marginal references. Probably Jochebed did not call in a midwife Exo 1:15, and she was of course cautious not to show herself to Egyptians. The hiding of the child is spoken of as an act of faith in Heb 11:23. It was done in the belief that God would watch over the child.

Barnes: Exo 2:3 - -- The ark was made of the papyrus which was commonly used by the Egyptians for light and swift boats. The species is no longer found in the Nile below...

The ark was made of the papyrus which was commonly used by the Egyptians for light and swift boats. The species is no longer found in the Nile below Nubia. It is a strong rush, 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 most ancient monuments of Egypt.

Slime and pitch - The "slime"is probably the mud, of which bricks were usually made in Egypt, and which in this case was used to bind the stalks of the papyrus into a compact mass, and perhaps also to make the surface smooth for the infant. The pitch or bitumen, commonly used in Egypt, made the small vessel water-tight.

In the flags - This is another species of the papyrus, called tuff, or sufi (an exact equivalent of the Hebrew סוּף sûph ), which was less in size and height than the rush of which the ark was made.

Barnes: Exo 2:5 - -- The traditions which give a name to the daughter of Pharaoh are merely conjectural. Egyptian princesses held a very high and almost independent posi...

The traditions which give a name to the daughter of Pharaoh are merely conjectural. Egyptian princesses held a very high and almost independent position under the ancient and middle empire, with a separate household and numerous officials. This was especially the case with the daughters of the first sovereigns of the 18th Dynasty.

Many facts concur in indicating that the residence of the daughter of Pharaoh and of the family of Moses, was at Zoan, Tanis, now San, the ancient Avaris (Exo 1:8 note), 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. See Psa 78:43.

To wash - It is not customary at present for women of rank to bathe in the river, but it was a common practice in ancient Egypt. The habits of the princess, as well as her character, must have been well known to the mother of Moses, and probably decided her choice of the place.

Barnes: Exo 2:6 - -- 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...

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 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.

Barnes: Exo 2:10 - -- He became her son - See the margin reference. His training and education was, humanly speaking, all but indispensable to the efficient accompli...

He became her son - See the margin reference. His training and education was, humanly speaking, all but indispensable to the efficient accomplishment of his work as the predestined leader and instructor of his countrymen. Moses probably passed the early years of his life in Lower Egypt, where the princess resided. However, there may be substantial grounds for the tradition in Josephus that he was engaged in a campaign against the Ethiopians, thus showing himself, as Stephen says, "mighty in word and deed."

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.

Poole: Exo 2:1 - -- There went a man viz. Amram , Exo 6:20 Num 26:58,59 from the place of his abode to another place for the following purpose. A daughter of Levi nam...

There went a man viz. Amram , Exo 6:20 Num 26:58,59 from the place of his abode to another place for the following purpose. A daughter of Levi namely Jochebed, Num 26:59 , called a

daughter , not strictly, but more largely, to wit, a grandchild, as the words father and son are oft used for a grandfather and a grandson, as hath been showed before: And so the word sister , Exo 6:20 , is to be taken largely, as brother is oft used for a cousin. This seems more probable than that an Israelite should marry his own sister, which even heathens by the light of nature have condemned, especially now when he had such abundant choice elsewhere.

Poole: Exo 2:3 - -- She could not longer hide him with safety to herself, because they now grew more violent in executing that bloody decree, and the child growing up wa...

She could not longer hide him with safety to herself, because they now grew more violent in executing that bloody decree, and the child growing up was more likely to be discovered, especially seeing the Egyptians dwelt among them, Exo 3:22 . That boats were made of such materials as

bulrushes in those parts, is evident from Isa 18:2 , and from the testimonies of Herod, Pliny, and others.

Slime and pitch slime within, and pitch without.

She hid it in the flags which grew near the river’ s side; partly that the vessel might not be carried away, and overturned by the violence of the winds and water, and partly that the child might be sooner discerned, and more easily taken out thence by any kind hand, which she hoped for.

Poole: Exo 2:4 - -- His sister stood afar off that she might not be thought to have laid the child there, or to be related to it. This she might very probably guess, bot...

His sister stood afar off that she might not be thought to have laid the child there, or to be related to it. This she might very probably guess, both from the circumstances in which she found him, and from the singular fairness and beauty of the child, far differing from the Egyptian hue; and she might certainly know it by its circumcision.

Poole: Exo 2:6 - -- This she might very probably guess, both from the circumstances in which she found him, and from the singular fairness and beauty of the child, far ...

This she might very probably guess, both from the circumstances in which she found him, and from the singular fairness and beauty of the child, far differing from the Egyptian hue; and she might certainly know it by its circumcision.

Poole: Exo 2:10 - -- He became her son by adoption, Heb 11:24 . For, as Philo reports, she, though long married, had no child of her own; and therefore treated him as her...

He became her son by adoption, Heb 11:24 . For, as Philo reports, she, though long married, had no child of her own; and therefore treated him as her own, and gave him royal education and instruction. See Act 7:21 .

Moses it matters not whether this be an Egyptian name, or a Hebrew name answering to it in signification, seeing the meaning of it is here explained.

Haydock: Exo 2:1 - -- Gersam, or Gershom. This name signifies, a stranger there: as Eliezer signifies the help of God. (Challoner) --- And she, &c., is wanting...

Gersam, or Gershom. This name signifies, a stranger there: as Eliezer signifies the help of God. (Challoner) ---

And she, &c., is wanting both in Hebrew and Chaldean, but found in the Complutensian edition of the Septuagint. It occurs (chap. xviii. 4,) and we might naturally expect to find it in this place. (Calmet)

Haydock: Exo 2:1 - -- After this. In process of time, without reference to what immediately precedes. The Hebrew and Septuagint omit these words. (Haydock) --- The mar...

After this. In process of time, without reference to what immediately precedes. The Hebrew and Septuagint omit these words. (Haydock) ---

The marriage of Amram, grandson of Levi, with his aunt or cousin, had taken place before the persecution. Tostat and others suppose, that people were not then forbidden to marry their aunts. But it is probable Jochabed was only the grand-daughter of Levi, and the daughter of one of Amram's brothers, as the Septuagint insinuate. Otherwise their ages would have been very disproportionate. See chap. vi. 20. (Calmet)

Haydock: Exo 2:2 - -- Goodly. Handsome, elegant, Hebrews xi. 23; agreeable to God, Acts vii. 20. Josephus says, Amram had been assured by God that the child should b...

Goodly. Handsome, elegant, Hebrews xi. 23; agreeable to God, Acts vii. 20. Josephus says, Amram had been assured by God that the child should be the deliverer of his people. Yet he neglects not to use every prudent precaution. (Worthington) ---

Months. Hebrew moons; whence some erroneously infer, that the Hebrew year was not solar. (Calmet)

Haydock: Exo 2:3 - -- Bulrushes, or paper plant, growing on the banks of the Nile. Such little vessels were used in Egypt in Lucan's time. Conseritur bibula Memphitis c...

Bulrushes, or paper plant, growing on the banks of the Nile. Such little vessels were used in Egypt in Lucan's time. Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro. (Menochius) ---

Sedges, to prevent it from being carried away by the stream. Cajetan thinks the Hebrews did not drown their children; but by thus exposing them, abandoned them to the king's use, Acts vii. 19.

Haydock: Exo 2:4 - -- His sister, Mary, who was born at the beginning of this persecution, and was therefore called bitterness. (Haydock) --- She was about 12 years ol...

His sister, Mary, who was born at the beginning of this persecution, and was therefore called bitterness. (Haydock) ---

She was about 12 years old. (Menochius)

Haydock: Exo 2:5 - -- Daughter, and sole heiress. (Haydock) --- She is called Thermut by Josephus, and Meris by Artapanus. She was going to bathe, or to purify herself,...

Daughter, and sole heiress. (Haydock) ---

She is called Thermut by Josephus, and Meris by Artapanus. She was going to bathe, or to purify herself, according to the custom of the country; or perhaps she was going to wash linen, as Nausicrae, the daughter of Alcinous, was doing, when she met Ulysses. (Calmet)

Haydock: Exo 2:6 - -- Hebrews, against whom the persecution raged. She saw it had received circumcision. (Theodoret, q. in Exodus)

Hebrews, against whom the persecution raged. She saw it had received circumcision. (Theodoret, q. in Exodus)

Haydock: Exo 2:10 - -- Moses, or Moyses, in the Egyptian tongue, signifies one taken or saved out of the water. (Challoner) --- Mo, signifies water in the Egyptian t...

Moses, or Moyses, in the Egyptian tongue, signifies one taken or saved out of the water. (Challoner) ---

Mo, signifies water in the Egyptian tongue; Mosse, "he drew out," in Hebrew. Philo believes that the princess feigned him to be her own child. Moses denied that he was, and would not take advantage of this adoption, Hebrews xi. 24. He was grown up, and had been well instructed by his parents, ver. 9. He afterwards became well versed in all the sciences, (Acts vii. 22,) rejecting what was idle and superstitious. Josephus assures us he became a great conqueror. (Calmet)

Gill: Exo 2:1 - -- And there went a man of the house of Levi,.... This man was Amram, the son of Kohath, and grandson of Levi, as appears from Exo 6:18. and took to w...

And there went a man of the house of Levi,.... This man was Amram, the son of Kohath, and grandson of Levi, as appears from Exo 6:18.

and took to wife a daughter of Levi; one of the same house, family, or tribe; which was proper, that the tribes might be kept distinct: this was Jochebed, said to be his father's sister; see Gill on Exo 6:20, her name in Josephus s is Joachebel, which seems to be no other than a corruption of Jochebed, but in the Targum in 1Ch 4:18 she is called Jehuditha.

Gill: Exo 2:2 - -- And the woman conceived, and bare a son,.... Which was not her first child, nor indeed her first son, for she had both Aaron and Miriam before this: t...

And the woman conceived, and bare a son,.... Which was not her first child, nor indeed her first son, for she had both Aaron and Miriam before this: this son, which was Moses, was born, as the Jews say t, in the thirty seventh year after the death of Levi, A. M. 2365, (or, as others, 2368,) on a Wednesday, the seventh of the month Adar, in the third hour of the day: some say it was on the twenty fourth of Nisan; but, according to Bishop Usher u, he was born forty one years after the death of Levi, A. M. 2433, and in the year before Christ 1571:

and when she saw him that he was a goodly child; exceeding fair and beautiful, as Stephen expresses it, Act 7:20, the Jews say w his form was like an angel of God, and Trogus x, an Heathen writer, says his beautiful form recommended him: this engaged the affections of his parents to him, and who, from hence, might promise themselves that he would be a very eminent and useful person, could his life be preserved:

she hid him three months; in her bedchamber, some Jewish writers say y; others z, in a house under ground, that is, in the cellar; however, it was in his father's house, Act 7:20.

Gill: Exo 2:3 - -- And when she could no longer hide him,.... Because of her neighbours, who might hear the crying of the child, or because of the diligent search made b...

And when she could no longer hide him,.... Because of her neighbours, who might hear the crying of the child, or because of the diligent search made by Pharaoh's officers, which some think was made every three months: the Jews a have a notion that his mother was delivered of him at six months' end, and therefore when the other three months were up women usually go with child, she could hide him no longer, a birth of a child being then expected, and would be inquired about:

she took for him an ark of bulrushes; the word, according to Kimchi b, signifies a kind of wood exceeding light, so Gersom and Ben Melech; an Arabic writer c calls it an ark of wood; it is generally taken to be the "papyrus" or reed of Egypt, which grew upon the banks of the Nile, and of which, many writers say, small vessels or little ships were made; see Gill on Isa 18:2.

and daubed it with slime and with pitch; with pitch without and slime within, as Jarchi observes; which being of a glutinous nature, made the rushes or reeds stick close together, and so kept out the water:

and put the child therein; committing it to the care and providence of God, hoping and believing that by some means or another it would be preserved; for this, no doubt, was done in faith, as was the hiding him three months, to which the apostle ascribes that, Heb 11:23.

and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink; among the sedge, weeds, and rushes, that grew upon the banks of the river Nile; there she laid it, that it might not be carried away with the stream of the river, and that it might be seen and taken up by somebody that would have compassion on it, and take care of it: the Arabic writers d say, that Jochebed made an ark of the papyrus, though in the law it is said to be of cork, and pitched within and without, and put the child into it, and laid it on the bank of the Nile, where the water was not so deep, by the city Tzan (or Zoan, that is, Tanis), which was the metropolis of the Tanitic nome; but very wrongly adds, that it might be killed by the dashing of the waves, and she might not see its death.

Gill: Exo 2:4 - -- And his sister stood afar off,.... This was Miriam, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it; who is supposed to be about ten or twelve years of age, ot...

And his sister stood afar off,.... This was Miriam, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it; who is supposed to be about ten or twelve years of age, others say seven: she was placed e, as the word may be rendered, by her parents, or, "she placed herself" f, by their instruction, at some distance from the place where the ark was, that she might not be observed and be thought to belong to it, and yet so near as to observe what became of it, which was the intent of her standing there, as follows:

to wit what would be done to him; to know, take notice, and observe, what should happen to it, if anyone took it up, and what they did with it, and where they carried it, for, "to wit" is an old English word, which signifies "to know", and is the sense of the Hebrew word to which it answers, see 2Co 8:1.

Gill: Exo 2:5 - -- And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river,.... Her name, in Josephus g, is called Thermuthis, and by Artapanus h, an Heathen ...

And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river,.... Her name, in Josephus g, is called Thermuthis, and by Artapanus h, an Heathen writer, Merrhis, perhaps from Miriam, and frequently by the Jewish writers i, Bithia, which is the name of a daughter of another Pharaoh, 1Ch 4:18 from whence they seem to have taken it: she came down from the palace of her father, the gardens of which might lead to the Nile; for Zoan or Tanis, near to which, the Arabiac writers say, as before observed, the ark was laid, was situated on the banks of the river Nile, and was the royal seat of the kings of Egypt; though perhaps the royal seat at this time was either Heliopolis, as Apion testifies k, that it was a tradition of the Egyptians that Moses was an Heliopolitan, or else Memphis, which was not far from it; for Artapanus, another Heathen writer, says l, that when he fled, after he had killed the Egyptian, from Memphis, he passed over the Nile to go into Arabia: however, no doubt a bath was there provided for the use of the royal family; for it can hardly be thought that she should go down and wash herself in the open river: here she came to wash either on a religious account, or for pleasure: the Jews m say it was an extraordinary hot season throughout Egypt, so that the flesh of men was burnt with the heat of the sun, and therefore to cool her she came to the river to bathe in it: others n of them say, that they were smitten with burning ulcers, and she also, that she could not wash in hot water, but came to the river:

and her maidens walked along by the river's side; while she washed herself; though it is highly probable she was not left alone: these seem to be the maids of honour, there might be others that might attend her of a meaner rank, and more fit to do for her what was necessary; yet these saw not the ark, it lying lower among the flags, and being nearer the bath where Pharaoh's daughter was, she spied it from thence as follows:

and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it; the maid that waited on her while the rest were taking their walks; her she sent from the bath among the flags to take up the ark: the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, and R. Eliezer o, render it,"she stretched out her arm and hand, and took it;''the same word, being differently pointed, so signifying; but this is disapproved of, by the Jewish commentators.

Gill: Exo 2:6 - -- And when she had opened it,.... The ark, for it was shut or covered over, though doubtless there were some apertures for respiration: she saw the c...

And when she had opened it,.... The ark, for it was shut or covered over, though doubtless there were some apertures for respiration:

she saw the child in it, and, behold, the babe wept; and which was a circumstance, it is highly probable, greatly affected the king's daughter, and moved her compassion to it; though an Arabic writer says p, she heard the crying of the child in the ark, and therefore sent for it:

and she had compassion on him, and said, this is one of the Hebrews' children; which she might conclude from its being thus exposed, knowing her father's edict, and partly from the form and beauty of it, Hebrew children not being swarthy and tawny as Egyptian ones: the Jewish writers q say, she knew it by its being circumcised, the Egyptians not yet using circumcision.

Gill: Exo 2:7 - -- Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter,.... Miriam the sister of Moses, who observing the ark taken up, and the maidens that were walking upon the...

Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter,.... Miriam the sister of Moses, who observing the ark taken up, and the maidens that were walking upon the bank of the river, and other women perhaps, gathering about it to see it; she made one among them, and after hearing their discourse about it, proposed what follows to Pharaoh's daughter: Jarchi says, that Pharaoh's daughter tried several Egyptian women to suckle it, but it would not suck of them: Josephus r says the same, and it also is in the Talmud s; and that, if true, gave Miriam a fair opportunity to offer to do the following message for her:

shall I go and call for thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? for she perceived that she was desirous of having the child brought up as her own.

Gill: Exo 2:8 - -- And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, go,.... She fell in at once with the proposal, being, no doubt, overruled, by the providence of God, to agree to...

And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, go,.... She fell in at once with the proposal, being, no doubt, overruled, by the providence of God, to agree to have such a person called:

and the maid went and called the child's mother; and her own, whose name was Jochebed the wife of Amram, as observed in Exo 2:1.

Gill: Exo 2:9 - -- And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her,.... Being come, having made all possible haste: take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give th...

And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her,.... Being come, having made all possible haste:

take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages; by which means she had not only the nursing of her own child, but was paid for it: according to a Jewish writer t, Pharaoh's daughter agreed with her for two pieces of silver a day.

Gill: Exo 2:10 - -- And the child grew,.... In stature and in strength, thriving under the care of its mother and nurse, through the blessing of God: and she brought h...

And the child grew,.... In stature and in strength, thriving under the care of its mother and nurse, through the blessing of God:

and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter; when grown up and weaned, and needed a nurse no longer: a Jewish chronologer u says, this was two years after his birth; and another says w, that when he was three years old, Pharaoh sitting at table, and his queen was at his right hand, and his daughter, with Moses, at his left, and his mother before him, when Moses in the sight of them all took the crown from Pharaoh's head:

and he became her son; by adoption, for though she was a married woman, as some say, yet had no children, though very desirous of them, which accounts the more for her readiness in taking notice and care of Moses; so Philo the Jew says x, that she had been married a long time, but never with child, though she was very desirous of children, and especially a son, that might succeed her father in the kingdom, or otherwise it must go into another family: yea, he further says, that she feigned herself with child, that Moses might be thought to be her own son: and Artapanus y, an Heathen writer, says that the daughter of Pharaoh was married to one Chenephres, who reigned over the country above Memphis, for at that time many reigned in Egypt; and she being barren, took a son of one of the Jews, whom she called Moyses, and being grown up to a man's estate, was, by the Greeks, called Musaeus:

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 משה, "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 she was particularly conversant with Jochebed her Hebrew nurse; and besides, there was a great affinity between the Hebrew and the Egyptian language, and therefore there is no need to derive the word from the latter, as Philo z and Josephus a do; who observe that "Mo" in the Egyptian language signifies "water", and "Yses", "saved"; besides, the Egyptian name of Moses, according to Aben Ezra, who had it from a book of agriculture in that language, is Momos: the Jewish writers b give to Moses many names, which he had from different persons, no less than ten: and Artapanns c says, that by the Egyptian priests he was called Hermes or Mercury, and probably was the Hermes of that people; he is called by Orpheus d υδογενης, "born in water", because drawn out of it.

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Exo 2:1 The first part of this section is the account of hiding the infant (vv. 1-4). The marriage, the birth, the hiding of the child, and the positioning of...

NET Notes: Exo 2:2 Or “fine” (טוֹב, tov). The construction is parallel to phrases in the creation narrative (“and God saw that ...

NET Notes: Exo 2:3 The circumstances of the saving of the child Moses have prompted several attempts by scholars to compare the material to the Sargon myth. See R. F. Jo...

NET Notes: Exo 2:4 The verb is a Niphal imperfect; it should be classified here as a historic future, future from the perspective of a point in a past time narrative.

NET Notes: Exo 2:5 The verb is preterite, third person feminine singular, with a pronominal suffix, from לָקַח (laqakh, “to take̶...

NET Notes: Exo 2:6 The verb could be given a more colloquial translation such as “she felt sorry for him.” But the verb is stronger than that; it means ̶...

NET Notes: Exo 2:7 No respectable Egyptian woman of this period would have undertaken the task of nursing a foreigner’s baby, and so the suggestion by Miriam was p...

NET Notes: Exo 2:8 During this period of Egyptian history the royal palaces were in the northern or Delta area of Egypt, rather than up the Nile as in later periods. The...

NET Notes: Exo 2:9 The possessive pronoun on the noun “wage” expresses the indirect object: “I will pay wages to you.”

NET Notes: Exo 2:10 The naming provides the climax and summary of the story. The name of “Moses” (מֹשֶׁה, mosheh) is expla...

Geneva Bible: Exo 2:1 And there went a ( a ) man of the house of Levi, and took [to wife] a daughter of Levi. ( a ) This Levite was called Amram, who married Jochebed in (...

Geneva Bible: 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 ( b ) put the child therein...

Geneva Bible: Exo 2:8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the ( c ) child's mother. ( c ) Man's counsel cannot hinder that which God has d...

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Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Exo 2:1-25 - --1 Moses is born, and in an ark cast into the flags.5 He is found, and brought up by Pharaoh's daughter;7 who employs his mother to nurse him.11 He sla...

Maclaren: Exo 2:1-10 - --Exodus 2:1-10 I. It Is Remarkable That All The Persons In This Narrative Are Anonymous. We know that the names of the man of the house of ...

MHCC: Exo 2:1-4 - --Observe the order of Providence: just at the time when Pharaoh's cruelty rose to its height by ordering the Hebrew children to be drowned, the deliver...

MHCC: Exo 2:5-10 - --Come, see the place where that great man, Moses, lay, when he was a little child; it was in a bulrush basket by the river's side. Had he been left the...

Matthew Henry: Exo 2:1-4 - -- Moses was a Levite, both by father and mother. Jacob left Levi under marks of disgrace (Gen 49:5); and yet, soon after, Moses appears a descendant f...

Matthew Henry: Exo 2:5-10 - -- Here is, I. Moses saved from perishing. Come see the place where that great man lay when he was a little child; he lay in a bulrush-basket by the ri...

Keil-Delitzsch: Exo 2:1-10 - -- Birth and Education of Moses. - Whilst Pharaoh was urging forward the extermination of the Israelites, God was preparing their emancipation. Accordi...

Constable: Exo 1:1--15:22 - --I. THE LIBERATION OF ISRAEL 1:1--15:21 "The story of the first half of Exodus, in broad summary, is Rescue. The ...

Constable: Exo 2:1-10 - --3. Moses' birth and education 2:1-10 "Whilst Pharaoh was urging forward the extermination of the Israelites, God was preparing their emancipator."34 "...

Constable: Exo 2:6--3:7 - --B. Israel's conduct toward Yahweh and Yahweh's treatment of Israel in the period of the judges 2:6-3:6 T...

Guzik: Exo 2:1-25 - --Exodus 2 - Moses' Birth and Early Career A. Moses' birth and childhood. 1. (1-2) Moses is born - a beautiful child, of the tribe of Levi. And a ma...

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Commentary -- Other

Bible Query: Exo 2:1 Q: In Ex 2:1, how similar is the story of Moses in the basket similar to Sargon’s story? A: Sargon of Akkad (c.2355-2279 B.C.) according to legend...

Bible Query: Exo 2:3 Q: In Ex 2:3, if God loved Moses, why did He allow Moses to be in such great danger from drowning, exposure, and crocodiles? A: God sees all, and it...

Bible Query: Exo 2:5 Q: In Ex 2:5, why would Pharaoh’s daughter want to bathe in the Nile, and what about the crocodiles? A: Today crocodiles are not found north of As...

Bible Query: Exo 2:10 Q: In Ex 2:10, is the name Moses Egyptian or Hebrew? A: The name Moses is unusual because it is both. In Hebrew the name Moseheh comes from masah, m...

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Introduction / Outline

JFB: Exodus (Book Introduction) EXODUS, a "going forth," derives its name from its being occupied principally with a relation of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, and the i...

JFB: Exodus (Outline) INCREASE OF THE ISRAELITES. (Exo. 1:1-22) BIRTH AND PRESERVATION OF MOSES. (Exo 2:1-10) there went a man of the house of Levi, &c. Amram was the hus...

TSK: Exodus (Book Introduction) The title of this Book is derived from the Septuagint; in which it is called ΕΞΟΔΟΣ , " Exodus;" or, as it is in the Codex Alexandrinus, ΕÎ...

TSK: Exodus 2 (Chapter Introduction) Overview Exo 2:1, Moses is born, and in an ark cast into the flags; Exo 2:5, He is found, and brought up by Pharaoh’s daughter; Exo 2:7, who emp...

Poole: Exodus (Book Introduction) SECOND BOOK OF MOSES CALLED EXODUS. THE ARGUMENT. AFTER the death of Joseph, who had sent for his father’ s house into Egypt, the children o...

Poole: Exodus 2 (Chapter Introduction) CHAPTER 2 Moses’ s parentage and birth, Exo 2:1,2 . His mother makes an ark, puts him therein, Exo 2:3 . Pharaoh’ s daughter going to was...

MHCC: Exodus (Book Introduction) The Book of Exodus relates the forming of the children of Israel into a church and a nation. We have hitherto seen true religion shown in domestic lif...

MHCC: Exodus 2 (Chapter Introduction) (Exo 2:1-4) Moses is born, and exposed on the river. (Exo 2:5-10) He is found, and brought up by Pharaoh's daughter. (Exo 2:11-15) Moses slays an Eg...

Matthew Henry: Exodus (Book Introduction) An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Second Book of Moses, Called Exodus Moses (the servant of the Lord in writing for him as well as ...

Matthew Henry: Exodus 2 (Chapter Introduction) This chapter begins the story of Moses, that man of renown, famed for his intimate acquaintance with Heaven and his eminent usefulness on earth, an...

Constable: Exodus (Book Introduction) Introduction Title The Hebrew title of this book (we'elleh shemot) originated from the...

Constable: Exodus (Outline) Outline I. The liberation of Israel 1:1-15:21 A. God's preparation of Israel and Moses chs. ...

Constable: Exodus Exodus Bibliography Adams, Dwayne H. "The Building Program that Works (Exodus 25:4--36:7 [31:1-11])." Exegesis ...

Haydock: Exodus (Book Introduction) THE BOOK OF EXODUS. INTRODUCTION. The second Book of Moses is called Exodus from the Greek word Exodos, which signifies going out; becaus...

Gill: Exodus (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS This book is called by the Jews Veelleh Shemoth, from the first words with which it begins, and sometimes Sepher Shemoth, an...

Gill: Exodus 2 (Chapter Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 2 This chapter relates the birth of Moses, and his preservation in an ark of bulrushes, Exo 2:1. His being found by Pharaoh'...

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