Ał c 1-3. The child concealed.
d 4. The sister watching.
c 5,6. The child discovered.
d 7-10. The sister interposing.Exodus 2)
1 And there went a man (Amram = an exhaled peoples, see 6:16-20) of the house (= lineage) of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
1571 B.C.
2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son (Moses was the 7th from Abraham, Abraham the 7th from Heber, Enoch the 7th from Adam. #7 = spiritual completeness. Miriam already born-v.4. Num. 26:59. Also Aaron-7:7): and when she saw him that he was a goodly child (= "beautiful to God" = divinely fair), she hid him three months. (This was "by faith"-Heb.11:23. Therefore she must have "heard" from God-Rom.10:17 and Heb.11:7, or it would have been through affection or fancy. All the steps taken-vv.2-4 were the result of believing what she had heard from God.))
3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark (cp. Gen.6:14) of bulrushes (= papyrus, made from the same Divine instructions as Noah's-Rom.10:17), and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags (reeds) by the river's brink.
4 And his sister (Miriam) stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to fetch it.
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, a babe weeping. And she had compassion on him (It was that tear that lay the defeat of the enemy, the preservation of the Nation, the faithfulness of Yahaveh's Word, the bringing to naught "the wisdom of Egypt", and the coming of "the Seed of the woman"-Gen.3:15. Cp. 1:10 and Job 5:12,13), and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call to you a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?"
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." And the maid went and called the child's mother.
9 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses (probably Egyptian water-saved, or Heb. drawn out of the water. No record of his Hebrew name): and she said, "Because I drew him out of the water."
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown (and learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, but not yet of God), that he went out to his brethren (Acts 7:23 "it came to his heart"), and looked on their burdens (more than merely saw = regarded with lively sympathy): and he spied a man, an Egyptian, smiting (see v.12) an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man (i.e. to help. Cp. same words in Isa. 59:16; 63:5, and context there), he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. (Be careful how you judge Moses here. He did this in defense of his brethren. Also remember the Law [10 Commandments = ordinances = statutes was not established at this time]. There was only the law of the land "The Code of Khamurrabi")
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews striving together: and he said to him that did the wrong (= wickedness. supposing they would have understood. "But they understood not", Acts 7:25), "Why do you smite your fellow fellow?"
14 And he said, "Who made you (Fig. Erotesis for emphasis. Spoken by a Hebrew; cp. Gen. 37:8. Luke 19:14) a man, a prince, and a judge over us?" do you intend to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?" And Moses feared (the "not fearing", in Heb. 11:27 refers to Ex. 10:28), and said, "Surely this thing is known."
1531 B.C.
15 Now 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. (i.e. the well of Jethro = his excellence.)
16 Now the priest of Midian (or chieftain exercising priestly functions, as Job and Melchizedec. Jethro-v.3: is called Reuel-v.18) had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
17 And the shepherds came and drove them away (probably the only well-v.15; hence cause of contention. Cp. Gen. 21:25; 26:15,18,20,21,22): but Moses stood up and helped them (cp. Gen.29:10), and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to Reuel (= friend of God. A true worshiper-18:12. Same as Rauel, Num.10:29. Jethro) their father, he said, "How is it that you all are come so soon today?"
19 And they said, "A man, an Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock."
20 And he said to his daughters, "And where is he? why is it that you all have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread."
21 And Moses was content (= well pleased) to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah (= a sparrow) his daughter.
22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom (= a stranger here): for he (Moses) said, "I have been a stranger in a strange land."
23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed (Heb. = under pressure of evil), by reason of the bondage, and they cried (with a loud voice, from sorrow or fear), and their cry (for help in distress. Fig. Synonymous, to emphasize the greatness of the distress: see also vv.24,25. Can it be that [according to Lightfoot II,22,Pinam], Pslams 88 & 89 come in here? If so, the latter is a wondrous prophecy, containing "maschil" = instruction. For Heman and Ethan, see 1 Chron.6:44 and cp. 1 Kings 4:31) came up to God (Elohim. The Creator in heaven [Eng. God], not yet revealed to them as the Covenant Yahaveh [Eng. Jehovah, LORD]) by reason of the bondage.
24 And God heard their groaning (denoting heaviest affliction. Note the Fig. Synonymous, heard...remembered...looked...had respect. Fig. Anaphora: with...with...with; see note Gen. 50:24, not yet revealed to them as Yahaveh. Fig. Repetito. God repeated 5 times. #5 = grace. Also Fig. Anthropopatheia, ascribing to God what belongs to human and rational beings, irrational creatures, or inanimate things), and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect to them.