Exodus 2:17-24

17 But some shepherds drove Jethro's daughters away. Then Moses went to their rescue and watered their animals for them.
18 When they returned to their father, he asked, "Why have you come back so early today?"
19 "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds," they answered, "and he even drew water for us and watered our animals."
20 "Where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave the man out there? Go and invite him to eat with us."
21 So Moses decided to live there, and Jethro gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage,
22 who bore him a son. Moses said to himself, "I am a foreigner in this land, and so I name him Gershom."
23 Years later the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites were still groaning under their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry went up to God,
24 who heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 1

Exodus 2:17-24 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 1

  • 1. 2.24Genesis 15.13, 14.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. gershom: [This name sounds like the Hebrew for "foreigner."]
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.