2:1 a man Amram; see 6:20.

Levi See Gen 29:34 and note; 34:25–30.

he took Jochebed; see Exod 6:20 and note.

2:2 fine The Hebrew word used here is the common word for “good” (tov). This verse—which combines “she saw” and the word tov—parallels God’s assessment of creation in Gen 1:31. This link indicates that a creative act of God is in view—the birth of Moses will lead to the exodus from Egypt and the birth of Israel as a nation.

she hid him three months In Exod 1:22, Pharaoh commanded that all the people under his authority (including Israelites) kill their newborn male infants by throwing them into the Nile. Moses’ mother disobeys this decree by keeping him for three months.

2:3 a papyrus basket The Hebrew word used here, tevah, is the same term used for Noah’s ark (Gen 6:14). God once again uses a water vessel to preserve life—in this case, that of the baby Moses and his entire people.

papyrus The Hebrew word used here, gome, refers to the papyrus plant, which can be more than 10 feet tall. It was not uncommon to weave the papyrus plant in the manner described to make light, temporary boats.

the bank of the Nile Moses’ mother now obeys Pharaoh’s command of Exod 1:22, but the manner of her compliance actually thwarts Pharaoh’s intention. She gives her child a chance for life under the providence of God.

2:4 his sister Miriam (see Num 26:59).

what would be done to him See Exod 1:5; Miriam and the child’s mother anticipate the events that follow.

2:5 wash at the Nile Miriam’s unseen presence suggests that she and her mother planned when to set the child adrift.

2:6 she had compassion for him Ironically, Pharaoh’s own daughter counteracts his decree.

Hebrews See note on Gen 14:13.

2:7 his sister Since Pharaoh targeted only male children, Miriam has nothing to fear. Her appearance is evidence of premeditation on the part of Moses’ mother.

2:8 she called the mother of the boy Miriam contacts the child’s own mother to nurse the baby. The plan involved both intelligent planning and trust in divine providence.

2:9 Take this boy The command “take” is an unusual form in Hebrew. Though the root of the word is very common, this form occurs only here. It allows for the translation, “Here—it is yours,” suggesting an unconscious acknowledgement that the child is now in the care of his true mother.

wages God’s providence is unmistakable: Moses’ mother has gone from desperately complying with Pharaoh’s unjust decree to being paid out of his treasury to take care of her own child.

the woman took the boy Moses’ mother nursed and cared for him in his own home. After weaning, Moses would become the legal child of Pharaoh’s daughter through adoption.

2:10 he became her son Since infant mortality was common in ancient times, formal adoption generally did not occur until a child was weaned—usually around the age of two or three.

Moses The name “Moses,” mosheh, is Egyptian in origin. Although the name seems to derive from the Egyptian verb msy, translated “to give birth,” that verb does not reflect the interpretation given here—“I drew him out of the water.” (The Hebrew verb for “draw out” is mashah.) An alternate derivation—the Egyptian noun ms (“child, son”; common in Egyptian names e.g., Ahmose, Thutmose, Rameses)—suffers from the same problem.

2:11 had grown up Moses’ childhood in Pharaoh’s household is not important—rather, the story focuses on how Moses became God’s chosen deliverer.

he saw their forced labor Though the text does not mention when he learned this, Moses knows he is not Egyptian.

striking The Hebrew word used here is the same word used in the next verse for the deathblow struck by Moses. It is also used to describe the two Hebrew men fighting (Exod 2:13). Unlike the crime Moses commits in the next verse, beating a slave was not uncommon or illegal for Egyptians.

2:12 here and there Even if the Egyptian man killed his own slave, this act was not a capital offense. Moses had no legal authority to punish the Egyptian (see v. 14). In hiding the body in the sand, Moses demonstrates that he knows he has committed a crime (see v. 15).

2:15 he sought to kill Moses While Egypt had the death penalty, ancient sources provide no evidence that it was used in cases of homicide. Evidence does indicate that the death penalty was given to those involved in a conspiracy to overthrow Rameses III (1186–1155 bc). Egyptians likely would not have opposed the death penalty for the murder or attempted murder of a high-ranking official.

Midian Known from ot descriptions to have been in northwest Arabia, east of the Gulf of Aqaba.

2:16 priest of Midian See v. 18.

2:18 Reuel, their father Reuel is identified as the priest of Midian (v. 16) and the father of the girls at the well. A different name, Jethro, is used in 3:1; 4:18, and throughout ch. 18. The name Reuel also appears in Num 10:29.

2:19 An Egyptian man An identifier such as his clothing likely enabled the women to determine Moses’ place of origin.

2:21 he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses In the patriarchal culture of Moses’ time, fathers had this authority. Reuel likely gave Zipporah to Moses to ensure that he would stay.

Zipporah The Hebrew name “Zipporah” means “bird.”

2:22 Gershom The name Gershom, derived from the Hebrew verb garash (meaning “to drive out”), likely had personal significance to Moses given his flight from Egypt and his new circumstances. The verb garash appears several times elsewhere in the Hebrew text of the Moses narrative, including the description of Jethro’s daughters before they were rescued by Moses (Exod 2:17) and his later confrontations with Pharaoh (6:1; 10:11; 11:1).

2:23 the king of Egypt died Egyptian sources attest to the practice of new pharaohs pardoning criminals. Moses apparently benefited from this policy, since he was not arrested upon his return to Egypt (see 4:19).

2:24 remembered The Hebrew verb used here, zakhar, often appears in conjunction with some activity—referring to a memory that prompts a specific course of action.

with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob See Gen 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 50:24.

2:25 God took notice Exodus 3:7 amplifies this abbreviated thought, where the verbs appear together again. That verse demonstrates that these verbs indicate empathy and identification with the object (the suffering people).