Exodus Chapter 2

Old Testament Law (Torah) 25 Verses

What is Exodus 2 about?

Israel's deliverance from Egypt, the Ten Commandments given at Sinai, and the construction of the Tabernacle. The complete chapter text below provides the immediate literary context for study.

Text — American Standard Version (1901)

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. For original Hebrew/Greek interlinear text, open in BibleWord.ai.
1And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river`s brink.
4And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river-side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it.
6And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews` children.
7Then said his sister to Pharaoh`s daughter, Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
8And Pharaoh`s daughter said to her, Go. And the maiden went and called the child`s mother.
9And Pharaoh`s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
10And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh`s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.
11And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Thinkest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely the thing is known.
15Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father`s flock.
17And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?
19And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.
20And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.
21And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
22And she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.
23And it came to pass in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
24And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25And God saw the children of Israel, and God took knowledge [of them].

What do historical commentaries say about this chapter?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · on verse 1
“And there went a man of the house of Levi, etc.] This man was Amram, the son of Kohath, and grandson of Levi, as appears from (<020618>Exodus 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 “<020620>Exodus 6:20”)): her name in Josephus f43 is Joachebel, which seems to be no other than a corruption of Jochebed, but in the Targum in (<130418>1 Chronicles 4:18) she is called Jehuditha.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“BIRTH AND PRESERVATION OF MOSES. (Exo 2:1-10) there went a man of the house of Levi, &c. Amram was the husband and Jochebed the wife (compare Exo 6:20; Num 26:59). The marriage took place, and two children, Miriam and Aaron, were born some years before the infanticidal edict.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“A man ... a daughter of Levi - Amram and Jochebed. See Exodus 6:20. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · on verse 1
“And there went a man - Amram, from the place of his abode to another place. A daughter - That is, grand - daughter of Levi. Exodus 2:2”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · on verse 1
“2:1-25 Chapter 1 established the need for rescue; ch 2 describes the preparation of Moses, the rescuer. God used the destruction of the Hebrew boy babies to ensure that the rescuer would be trained (see study note on 2:10) for his task. 2:1 The man and woman were named Amram and Jochebed (6:20). • Levi was Jacob’s third son by his wife Leah (Gen 29:34).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · on verse 1
“am 2432, bc 1572 of the house: Exo 6:16-20; Num 26:59; Ch1 6:1-3, Ch1 23:12-14 Exodus 2:2”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · on verse 1
“Birth and Education of Moses. - Whilst Pharaoh was urging forward the extermination of the Israelites, God was preparing their emancipation. According to the divine purpose, the murderous edict of the king was to lead to the training and preparation of the human deliverer of Israel. Exo 2:1-2 At the time when all the Hebrew boys were ordered to be thrown into the Nile, "there went (הלך contributes to the pictorial character of the account, and serves to bring out its importance, just as in Gen 35:22; Deu 31:1) a man of the house of Levi - according to Exo 6:20 and Num 26:59, it was Amram, of the Levitical family…”
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