Exodus 2:1

The Birth of the Deliverer

2:1 ¹ A man from the household ²  of Levi married ³  a woman who was a descendant of Levi. ⁴ 

Exodus 1:2

1:2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Exodus 6:16

6:16 Now these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their records: ⁵  Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (The length of Levi’s life was 137 years.)

Exodus 6:19

6:19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi, according to their records.

Exodus 32:26

32:26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come ⁶  to me.” ⁷  All the Levites gathered around him,

Exodus 32:28

32:28 The Levites did what Moses ordered, ⁸  and that day about three thousand men of the people died. ⁹ 

[2:1]  ¹ sn The chapter records the exceptional survival of Moses under the decree of death by Pharaoh (vv. 1-10), the flight of Moses from Pharaoh after killing the Egyptian (vv. 11-15), the marriage of Moses (vv. 16-22), and finally a note about the Lord’s hearing the sighing of the people in bondage (vv. 23-25). The first part is the birth. The Bible has several stories about miraculous or special births and deliverances of those destined to lead Israel. Their impact is essentially to authenticate the individual’s ministry. If the person’s beginning was providentially provided and protected by the Lord, then the mission must be of divine origin too. In this chapter the plot works around the decree for the death of the children – a decree undone by the women. The second part of the chapter records Moses’ flight and marriage. Having introduced the deliverer Moses in such an auspicious way, the chapter then records how this deliverer acted presumptuously and had to flee for his life. Any deliverance God desired had to be supernatural, as the chapter’s final note about answering prayer shows.

[2:1]  ² tn Heb “house.” In other words, the tribe of Levi.

[2:1]  ³ tn Heb “went and took”; NASB “went and married.”

[2:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “a daughter of Levi.” The word “daughter” is used in the sense of “descendant” and connects the new account with Pharaoh’s command in 1:22. The words “a woman who was” are added for clarity in English.

[6:16]  ⁵ tn Or “generations.”

[32:26]  ⁹ tn “come” is not in the text, but has been supplied.

[32:26]  ¹⁰ tn S. R. Driver suggests that the command was tersely put: “Who is for Yahweh? To me!” (Exodus, 354).

[32:28]  ¹³ tn Heb “did according to the word of Moses.”

[32:28]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “fell.”