Exodus 2:1-6

The Birth of Moses

1 Now a man from 1the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi.
2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was 2beautiful, she hid him for three months.
3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a 3wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the 4reeds by the bank of the Nile.
4 5His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down 6to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside * the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her.
6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."

Exodus 2:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 2

This chapter relates the birth of Moses, and his preservation in an ark of bulrushes, Ex 2:1-3. His being found by Pharaoh's daughter, took up, and put out to nurse by her, and adopted for her son, Ex 2:4-10, some exploits of his when grown up, taking the part of an Hebrew against an Egyptian whom he slew, and endeavouring to reconcile two Hebrews at variance, when one of them reproached him with slaying the Egyptian, Ex 2:11-14, which thing being known to Pharaoh, he sought to slay Moses, and this obliged him to flee to Midian, Ex 2:15 where he met with the daughters of Reuel, and defended them against the shepherds, and watered their flocks for them, Ex 2:16,17, which Reuel being informed of, sent for him, and he lived with him, and married his daughter Zipporah, by whom he had a son, Ex 2:18-22 and the chapter is concluded with the death of the king of Egypt, and the sore bondage of the Israelites, and their cries and groans, which God had a respect unto, Ex 2:23-25.

was Amram, the son of Kohath, and grandson of Levi, as appears from Ex 6:18,20

\\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 "Ex 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.

{s} Antiqu. l. 2. c. 9. sect. 4. 09514-950103-1343-Ex2.2

Cross References 6

  • 1. Ex 6:16, 18, 20
  • 2. Acts 7:20; Hebrews 11:23
  • 3. Isaiah 18:2
  • 4. Isaiah 19:6
  • 5. Exodus 15:20; Numbers 26:59
  • 6. Exodus 7:15; Exodus 8:20

Footnotes 10

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