[And He Walks With Me] Exodus 2
1 Levi was the third son of Jacob by Leah (see Genesis 29:34). In Genesis 34, he and his brother Simeon responded to the rape of their sister, Dinah, by killing all the men of the city of Shechem. In the intervening generations, Levi’s family grew so that it is highly unlikely that this man from the family of Levi was anything more than a distant cousin of the Levite woman. Such marriages were common to ensure the hereditary integrity of the nascent nation.
2 According to the textual note in the CSB, the word rendered beautiful may also be translated healthy. In fact, the Hebrew word here was ṭôḇ (טוֹב – H2896), meaning, among other things, “good.” This term had a number of uses, but it always conveyed the sense of comprehensive, holistic health and well-being. It is the same term that God used seven times to assess creation in Genesis 1-2. Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer explained the term like this: “Very good! Very well done! Perfect! Harmony! What a masterpiece!”[9]
Imagine hiding a newborn baby for three months. For several months prior to the birth, the neighbors must have recognized the telltale signs of a pregnancy. Did the family call a midwife to help with the birth, or did they choose to do things themselves so the midwife would not be seen in the area or have to report the birth to the authorities. What did they tell the neighbors after the birth? No doubt, they periodically heard crying. How did they evade patrolling soldiers and other passersby? Perhaps they dressed the child as a girl to fool casual observers and enlisted neighbors to watch for patrols so mother and child could be conveniently absent every time soldiers stopped for a more thorough inspection. Perhaps they began thinking this would be easy, or that they would do anything to protect their son, but after three months, they realized they could not conceal the child forever. Was this revelation the result of a close call? Now, imagine the agony of that recognition and the following decision.
3 Child abandonment was apparently not uncommon in the ancient world, perhaps as a result of insufficient food sources. When such children were adopted, they were often given names that commemorated the abandonment. The story of Moses parallels the story of Sargon, the legendary king of Akkad, who was also placed in a reed basket, set adrift on the river, and later rescued. While this does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that Moses’ story was an appropriation of Sargon’s, it does suggest that Moses and later editors may have intended to tap into the theme of an abandoned child destined for great things.[10]
The word translated here as basket appeared only one other time in the Bible. In Genesis 6:14, it described Noah’s ark. Moreover, papyrus was a highly versatile reed which was both native to the Nile River delta and abundant. When opened and pressed, these reeds were often used as the ancient equivalent of paper. They were also popular in construction, where they were used for thatched roofs, and in boatmaking. The pliable reeds could be spread across a frame, and when dried, they produced a lightweight boat that was ideal for navigating the Nile River. Isaiah 18:2 even suggests they were used to fashion the hulls of seaworthy trading vessels.[11]
4 Whether his sister here was Miriam is unclear, but it would seem likely. Whether she was instructed by her mother to watch over the drifting baby is unclear, but it is clearly providential.
5-6 In another great biblical irony, the great pharaoh’s inability to destroy the people of God is exposed when even his own daughter felt sorry for… one of the Hebrew boys. In fact, pharaoh’s impotence is highlighted by the fact that this is is the fourth time in just over one chapter that his plans were thwarted by women, including the midwives (1:17), the mothers of Israel (1:19), Moses’ mother and sister, and now his own daughter.
If one accepts the earlier date for the exodus, it is possible that Pharaoh’s daughter was the girl who would later become Queen Hatshepsut (c. 1479-1458 BCE).[12]
7-10 Potential tragedy is here averted as the reluctantly abandoned Moses is rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and reunited with his own mother. Not only that, but Pharaoh’s daughter also offered to pay Moses’ mother to nurse and raise him. Thus, what was an impossible burden that morning was, by evening, a profound blessing.
11 Years later is technically ambiguous, but Jewish tradition suggests Moses was 40 years old at the time of the following scene. This tradition was referenced in Acts 7:23 when Stephen, during the speech just prior to his martyrdom, explicitly stated Moses was 40 years old when he decided to visit his people.
The Hebrew word translated observed (CSB) and saw is rā’â (וַיַּרְא – H7200). Certainly, it conveys the idea of seeing something in a literal sense, but it is also used to speak of perception, understanding, and attention.[13] Adult Moses was more than a passerby or spectator of what was happening to his fellow Hebrews. He recognized the Hebrews’ forced labor and abuse (e.g., an Egyptian striking a Hebrew). He understood that the taskmaster’s abuse of the Hebrew slave was condoned and even endorsed by Pharaoh.[14] That is, it was considered right, and perhaps even compulsory, under Egyptian legal and moral codes. Just because something is legal or accepted by the prevailing society does not mean it is right. God’s people must recognize a higher standard set by God.
14 Moses may not have seen anyone in vs 12, but someone apparently saw him.
15 The Hebrew word translated to kill (CSB) was hāraḡ (לַהֲרֹג – H2026). It means “to kill, slay, murder, destroy”[15] and stands in stark contrast to mûṯ (מוּת – H4191), which was used of executing someone as a just penalty for their crime.[16] Pharaoh’s attempt to kill Moses may have been legal under Egyptian law, but it was not justice in God’s eyes.
15 Midian was located on the Sinai Peninsula in modern Egypt or the northwestern portion of modern Saudi Arabia. Its people were descendants of Abraham by his third wife, Keturah (see Genesis 25:1-4) and so were related to the Hebrews in a manner similar to the Arabs (i.e., descendants of Abraham’s son by Hagar, Ishmael).
22 The name Gershom sounds similar to the Hebrew phrase meaning “a stranger there.” This was a common form of wordplay in the ANE and even influenced the use of Scripture. It was also common for ANE parents to choose children’s names based on the circumstances surrounding their births.
23 Again, the Exodus account is vague on the timeline when it picks up again after a long time. Jewish tradition has long held Moses remained in Midian with Jethro for forty years, and it is again Stephen who made that explicit in Acts 7:30.
24-25 As long as it took for God to act on behalf of his people, it is important to recognize that God heard, remembered, saw, and knew. That is, he knew all about the terrible circumstances his people faced, and while he may not have responded instantly, he never forgot them, even in their misery. God may allow his people to struggle for much longer than they would prefer, but he never forgets. To this promise, Jesus added that he would be with his disciples always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20 CSB).
[9] McKnight and Barringer 2020, 8-9
[10] Keener and Zondervan 2016, Exodus 2:3; Wells 2016, Exodus 2:3
[11] Barker et al. 2020, Exodus 2:3
[12] Barker et al. 2020, Exodus 2:5
[13] “H7200 – rā’â – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[14] Wells 2016, Exodus 2:11-25
[15] “H2026 – hāraḡ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[16] “H4191 – mûṯ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.