Exodus 2:11

11 In those days, after that Moses increased, he went out to his brethren, and saw the torment of them, and a man Egyptian smiting an Hebrew man, one of his brethren. (And later, when Moses had grown to be a man, he went to see his brothers, that is, his fellow Israelites; and he saw their torment, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, one of his brothers, or one of his kinsmen.)

Exodus 2:11 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 2:11

And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown
To man's estate; some of the Jewish writers say he was eighteen, others twenty years of age ^F5, but Stephen, who is most to be credited, says he was full forty years of age, ( Acts 7:23 ) ,

that he went out unto his brethren the Hebrews:
whom he knew to be his brethren, either by divine revelation, or by conversing with his nurse, who was his mother; who, doubtless, instructed him while he was with her, as far as he was capable of being informed of things, and who might frequently visit her afterwards, by which means he became apprised that he was an Hebrew and not an Egyptian, though he went for the son of Pharaoh's daughter, which he refused to be called when he knew his parentage, ( Hebrews 11:24 ) now he went out from Pharaoh's palace, which in a short time he entirely relinquished, to visit his brethren, and converse with them, and understood their case and circumstances:

and looked on their burdens;
which they were obliged to carry, and were very heavy, and with which they were pressed; he looked at them with grief and concern, and considered in his mind how to relieve them, if possible:

and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren;
the Egyptian was, according to Jarchi, a principal of the taskmasters of Israel, who was beating the Hebrew for not doing his work as he required, and the Hebrew, according to him, was the husband of Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, ( Leviticus 24:11 ) , though others say it was Dathan ^F6.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 5. 2.
F6 lbid.

Exodus 2:11 In-Context

9 To whom Pharaoh's daughter spake, and said, Take thou this child, and nourish it to me; and I shall give to thee thy meed. The woman took, and nourished the child, (And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take thou this child, and nurse it for me; and I shall give thee thy payment, or thy reward. And so the woman took, and nursed the child,)

10 and she betook him, (when) waxen, to Pharaoh's daughter, whom she (had) purchased into the place of a son; and she called his name Moses , and said, For I took him from the water. (and when he was old enough, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her own son; and she called his name Moses, saying, For I took him out of the water.)

11 In those days, after that Moses increased, he went out to his brethren, and saw the torment of them, and a man Egyptian smiting an Hebrew man, one of his brethren. (And later, when Moses had grown to be a man, he went to see his brothers, that is, his fellow Israelites; and he saw their torment, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, one of his brothers, or one of his kinsmen.)

12 And when he had beholden hither and thither, and had seen, that no man was present, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

13 And he went out in another day, and saw twain Hebrew men chiding, and he said to him that did [the] wrong, Why smitest thou thy brother? (And he went back the next day, and saw two Hebrew men fighting, and he said to the man who did the wrong, Why strikest thou thy brother?)