1 AND there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. [ Background on Moses, and the circumstances that result in his life being preserved. Owing to the circumstances described in ch. 1 For more background given here later on see 1 Sam 2:28. ]

2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: [ How hard must this be knowing that it is the same as loosing a child at child birth. Since it wa a male child. The penalty for disobedience was death to the midwife as well as the family. ] and when she saw him that he was a goodly [ "goodly", Everett Fox, in his Five Books of Moses says "The parallel in Genesis is 'God saw the light: that it was good' (Gen. 1:4). goodly, [meaning] handsome (so Ibn Ezra, among others), although others interpret the Hebrew tov as 'healthy,' given the context. What is important is the Genesis connection just mentioned." ] child, she hid him three months. [ A Levite couple (v. 1) conceives and bears a child, the mother hides him as long as possible. ]

3 And when she could not longer hide him, [ Could be translated as treasure up. It has been three months which she has endeavored to keep him quiet, no crying, if so the soldiers would have checked in to see the nature of the child male or female. ] she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. [ Is forced to put him into the river. She does so by placing him in a basket among reeds. It is likely Moses’ mother deliberately intended for what happened to happen. She probably deliberately set the basket down in the river, sitting still among bulrushes (v. 3), near to where she knew a group of Egyptian woman would be congregating and thereby hope they would take mercy on him, as opposed to floating him down the river and hoping fate would spare him. The baby being “a goodly child” (v. 2), or pleasant looking with an agreeable disposition, probably didn’t hurt any either. The daughter of Pharaoh found the floating basket in the bulrushes where it was left (v. 5), and Miriam was there waiting to see what happened (v. 4). This was no act of blind faith, sending the child down the river in the hopes someone would rescue him. According to Josephis he says that Moses's father had seen a dream that his son was going to do great things for the Lord. So here we have his mother and father simply trusting God, they have done all that they can do. ]

4 And his sister [ Miriam. ] stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. [ Moses older sister is assigned to watch to see what happens 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 flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. [ The Pharaoh’s daughter (Queen Ahmose) and her entourage come to bathe in the river, where she sees the basket and has it brought to her by a servant. Moses was carried right to the doorstep of the woman who held the future of Egypt in her hands. He was delivered by the current of the river, the hopes of his mother and sister, and the desperate ambition of a dying line of kings with no male child as royal offspring. This moment was the beginning of the end for the 18th dynasty. With a king looking for a son and a people looking for a way out, the current of the Nile is the most predictable force in the ancient world. It moves with a steady, relentless pull that dictates the life of every person living in its banks. When Jochebed placed that basket in the reeds, she was trusting the predictable movement of the Memphis Riverfront. She knew the water would carry her son toward the specific section of the bank where the royal family spent their mornings. Exodus 2:3 says, "But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bull rushes for him, dobbed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank." The riverbank wasn't just a place for bathing. In the 18th dynasty, the Nile was a sacred stage for royal rituals and the private sanctuary for the great royal wife, Queen Ahmose. Queen Ahmose is a woman defined by her bloodline and her burden to produce a male child. She's the daughter of the pharaoh who liberated Egypt. Yet, she's currently presiding over a dynasty that's one heartbeat away from collapse as no new upcoming Pharaoh is waiting in the wings. She's surrounded by the luxury of the Memphis Palace, but she's also trapped by the political realities of the cork. Her husband, Tutmos, the is a military powerhouse, but is legitimacy comes from her. The dynastic pressure on her is immense. She's expected to produce a male heir to secure the line of a liberator, but so far that heir hasn't arrived. And in this case, the royal nursery is full of sons of second wives. These are the children of women who don't carry the sacred blood of the 18th dynasty. Yet, they're the ones currently positioned to inherit the throne. Queen Ahmose knows that if one of these rival sons takes the crown, her influence and the legacy of her father will be erased. She's looking for a solution, a way to secure the succession without relying on the biological luck of the herum. And as she descends to the water with her attendants, she sees something caught in the reeds. It's a small tarro- covered woven basket, a piece of Levite technology designed to be both buoyant and discreet. ]

6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. [ She has mercy on the crying baby, which she recognizes as a Hebrew. When she orders her maid servant to retrieve the basket in the reeds, she's acting out of curiosity or maybe a faith that doesn't believe in coincidences or perhaps the suspicion that the basket carries something specifically for her. She's an elite political operator who understands that nothing in the Memphis palace happens by accident. She opens the basket and she finds something that she never could have expected. It's a child of the pestilence, a Hebrew infant who should have been purged as part of the death decree that ordered babies like him to be executed. ]

7 Then said his sister [ Moses's sister. ] to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, [ She would have needed to be standing right there at the time in order to accomplish the task, and so that she had direct access the Pharaoh's daughter without restraint. So the idea is that since Moses would be in need of nourishment, his sister, Miriam asked the Pharaoh's daught would you like me to go find a Hebrew woman who can nurse the baby? After all, all of the Hebrew woman who have had male children have had to dispose of them so surely I can find a woman who ahs plenty of milk to give the child. ] that she may nurse the child for thee? [ Miriam approaches and offers to get a nursemaid for the baby. The child is crying, a sound that usually signals a death sentence for a Hebrew male in this city." A crying baby would have brought the attention of the executors of the decree. But in this moment, Queen Ahmose sees something else. She sees a blank slate in a child who can be molded, legalized, and used to solve the crisis of the succession. This Hebrew baby is an opportunity. This is the moment of her own political epiphany. She realizes that a child with no Egyptian father can be claimed as a gift from the gods themselves. Such a claim is difficult to deny when the one making the claim is Egypt's own god's wife of Amun. The only woman who can stimulate the Egyptian god to help the Egyptian people. If she adopts this child, he becomes her son. Because she is the great royal wife, her son becomes the legitimate heir regardless of the rival wives and their children. The idea that's come into her head is a highstakes legal maneuver. She's choosing to devy the death decree to save the future of her father's dynasty and her husband's legacy. At this exact moment, Miriam steps out from the shadows. She's been watching from a distance. Miriam doesn't approach her with a plea of mercy. No doubt that she was also inspired by the Lord, she approaches with a solution to a logistical problem for the queen. That's Moses's sister again, saying to Pharaoh's daughter, "shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?" She asks if she needs a Hebrew nurse to care for the child. It's a tactical offer that provides the queen with a layer of plausible deniability. Miriam is a smart girl. If the queen takes the child directly into the palace, the Hyksos origin of the infant will be too obvious to ignore. The court would see through the deception immediately. But if the child is sent away to be nursed in the Hebrew quarters, he can be reintroduced to the court later as a providential discovery. It gives the queen a little bit of time to prepare the legal framework for his adoption. ]

8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, [ Moses's sister. ] Go. And the maid [ Miriam. ] went and called the child’s mother. [ Moses's mother. ]

9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, [ Moses's mother. ] Take this child [ Moses. ] away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. [ Queen Ahmose offers to pay wages to the nurse, which creates a formal documented contract between the palace and Jochebed's family. Notice Jochebed isn't treated as a slave. Something about the arrangement feels more like a quiet understanding between the two, knowing that the payment is about more than just wages for work. Perhaps it's an acknowledgement of the need for discretion in this moment. This contract also acts as a legal shield. It identifies the child now as property of the crown, this acting as a protection him from the state sponsored purges that are still happening back in the brickyards. Without it, the baby is reintroduced to the same threat from which his mother saved him once already. Joabed is now being paid by the state to raise her own son. The very system that was designed to destroy her family is now funding his survival. During these early years, Moses is being raised with a dual identity. He's learning the language and traditions of the Levites from his own mother, but he carries the official protection of the Egyptian throne. He's being prepared for a life in the war room of Memphis. His mother and sister are likely teaching him the secrets of their people while knowing that one day he'll have to walk into the palace as a stranger. ] And the woman took the child, and nursed it. [ Which offer is accepted, with wages attached, and the baby ends up being nursed by his own mother. We see the hand of the Lord in their lives as they have trusted in the Lord as seen in the vision of his father. ]

10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. [ A formal legal process known as "BEN-LAH" or "a son to her". the ancient world, this is a formal taking as a son that carries the full weight of the law. The Greeks would later call this is "EIS HUION" or "into a son". That's the Greek translation of this passage. The placement of a child into the status of a son with full inheritance rights. It's a legal transformation that erases his past and replaces it with a royal future. This phrase he became her son is full of implications. The word for son here isn't just a male child. It's the son of promise. In a single stroke, Moses is made the heir. He's now the child destined for the throne of Egypt. The queen gives him a name that fits the propaganda of the era. She calls him Amun Mos, which means born of Amun, and a fitting name to be given to the son of the wife of Amen. This name is a direct challenge to the rival factions in the court. By naming him after the state god, Amun Ra, she's claiming that his birth was a divine act of providence. She's using what's called the divine birth propaganda that her father used to justify his own rise to power. She's telling the court that the gods have provided the heir, a claim that's pretty difficult to oppose to finalize the maneuver. His name is enclosed in a royal cartou. This is a visual symbol of sovereignty that places him above the other children in the nursery. And to add to the weight of his calling, it's rare for a child's name to be enshrined in this way. Cartes are typically reserved for sitting royals. He's no longer a refugee now. He's the great overseer of soldiers in training. He's being tutored by men like Pahiri, elite officials whose families built their wealth on the labor of the Hebrews. Moses is learning the art of war from the very men who are tasked with keeping his people in chains. This whole part of Moses's life is a bit of a question mark. I'm going to lean on Josephus and some Jewish traditions and of course some Egyptian archaeology to fill in the blanks from between his birth to when he flees to Midian. During this time he's growing up alongside his half brother Thutmose II. Tutmos is the biological son of the pharaoh and a second wife and he's the natural rival for the throne. While Thutmose II is often described as sickly and physically weak, Amun Mo(Moses), is being groomed as the warrior ideal. The queen is positioning him to be the strong man in the 18th dynasty. It's the very person the 18th dynasty needs to continue its expansion. Watching all of this from the sidelines as a young girl named Hatshepsut. She's the biological daughter of Queen Ahmose and Thutmose I. Hatshepsut is a keen observer of power. She sees how her mother uses religion and law to bypass the limitations of biology, a strategy she'll use later to propel herself to the throne as the first female pharaoh in history. She's learning that in Egypt, the truth of a person's birth is less important than the legitimacy of their legal status. The royal nursery is now a microcosm of the empire's tension. You have the legitimate daughter, Hatshepsut, the sickly biological son, Tutmos II, and the adopted Hebrew god king, Amun Mo. This isn't a story about awkward family dynamics. It's a story about a political chess match where a child is the most valuable piece on the board. The Levites have successfully placed one of their own at the very top of the Egyptian military hierarchy. The boy who was supposed to die at birth is now being trained to lead the armies of the men who were commanded to kill him. And the current of the Nile is still flowing, carrying the destiny of the 18th dynasty toward a confrontation that no one in the war room sees coming. The period of the negotiated nursing has finally come to an end. The child is now old enough for a formal integration into the royal household. This transition is incredibly dangerous for Queen Ahmose. She's bringing a child of the pestilence into a court obsessed with racial purity and dynastic legitimacy. It's a highstakes gamble. Securing this position requires more than a simple legal document. She needs a narrative so powerful that her rivals can't challenge it. They need a story they're forced to believe. In the ancient world, a claim of divine intervention served as the ultimate political trump card. Queen Ahmose understands this perfectly. She knows she must explain the child's birth through theology. She turns to a specific piece of statecraft known as divine birth propaganda. Historically, Egyptian royalty used this strategy to claim a child was conceived by the god Amun Ra himself. Queen Ahmose is uniquely positioned to make this claim because of her status. She holds the prestigious title of Nefaru, the god's wife of Amun. This political office identifies her as the only woman capable of interacting directly with the state god. It's much more than a religious honorific. It's a source of absolute authority. She claims the god found her sleeping in the beauty of her palace. According to her, the child is the literal seed of the god. This story solves two massive problems at once. First, it effectively erases the child's Hebrew origins. By replacing his genealogy with a divine one, she removes the stigma of his real birth. Second, it places him above every other child in the royal nursery. As the son of a god, he outranks the sons of secondary wives who only carry human blood. He becomes the ultimate heir to the throne. The child is formally presented to the court under the name Amun Mos. This name serves as a constant public reminder of his claimed origin. His name literally means born of Amun. To the public, this appears to be a miracle. To the inner circle of the court, it's a terrifyingly effective piece of psychological warfare. It's a move they can't counter. Even those who suspect the truth find it impossible to speak out. Challenging the child's origin would be a direct challenge to the queen's status. That's an act of high treason, probably punishable by death. The queen formalizes his status by placing his name inside of a cartou. This oval frame is reserved exclusively for the names of sovereigns and heirs. It's the ultimate Egyptian brand. This act of branding tells the entire empire that Amun Mo is the chosen successor. He's no longer a foundling from the river. He is designated the overseer of soldiers. As he enters the palace as a permanent resident, his education begins in earnest. He's placed under the toutelage of an elite official named Pahiri. Pahiri represents the new order of the empire. His family wealth comes from the administration of the very labor camps where Moses's biological family is still suffering. The irony is staggering. Pihiri and other tutors teach Amun Mos the art of administration and the science of the Niles hydraulics. He's learning the brutal logistics of military conquest. He's being shaped into a leader. He's learning how to rule the people he was born to serve. Growing up in this high pressure environment, he faces a natural rival in Tutmos II. Tutmos is the biological son of the pharaoh, but his mother was a commoner, a secondary wife. In the eyes of the law, Amun Mos(Moses) has now become the superior candidate. He possesses the divine birth claim and the full backing of the great royal wife. Historical records from this era describe Tutmos II as a weak and sickly individual. He's often overshadowed by the robust military trained aman mo in the history books. This tension in the royal nursery acts as a microcosm of the tension in the empire. The pure biological line is represented by a weak boy. The legal divine line is represented by a strong adopted Hebrew. It's a volatile mix. Watching all of this play out is the queen's biological daughter, Hatshepsut. Though she's young, she's already learning the mechanics of power. She sees how her mother manipulated the entire Egyptian priesthood to accept a Hebrew baby. She's learning that in a world of the 18th dynasty, reality is whatever the state propaganda says it is. Truth is merely a tool. Hatshepsut will eventually use these exact same tactics to claim the throne for herself later in history. She's the star pupil of her mother's political school. Meanwhile, Amun Mo is being groomed for a specific role in the Egyptian military hierarchy. He receives the title of great overseers of soldiers of the Lord of the two lands. This means he's much more than just a prince. He's a general in training. He's being prepared to lead the very armies that enforce the Amu purges in the Delta. The irony of his position is total. He's a Levite, a member of the tribe that will one day become the priests of the Exodus. Yet, he's currently a high priest of the Egyptian state god. He's being trained to preserve the very system designed to destroy his people. He's a weapon of the Egyptian state with a secret origin that's waiting to be triggered. The queen's maneuver has successfully corked the bottle of dynastic collapse. She's secured her father's legacy by adopting the very pestilence her father tried to wipe out. As Amun Mo grows in strength, the great fear of the Egyptian state is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. They've invited the leader of the next uprising to live in their own home, grooming him to be their next king. By any political metric, Moses has achieved the impossible. He's survived the reed basket in the Nile and the even more dangerous waters of the royal court. Thanks to calculated rebranding, he isn't just a Hebrew foundling anymore. He's a divine addition. To the public, he's a miracle child. To the inner circle of the palace, he's a high value strategic asset. But this is where the story takes a dark, jagged turn. This is where we stop looking at the prince and start looking at the propaganda machine. In the 18th dynasty, you didn't just go to school. You were indoctrinated into a worldview. A godling like Amun Mos. Moses couldn't be raised by commoners or soft-hearted academics. You needed a tutor who embodied the very soul of the new empire, the new kingdom that had just risen from a century of bloody civil war and ethnic cleansing. And that man was Pahiri. If you were looking for an architect of the Egyptian military-industrial complex in 1526, you'd find him in Pahhiri. ] And she called his name Moses: [ “Moses”, the Jewish Publication society (JPS) translation states, “Hebrew Moshesh from Egyptian for “born of”; here associated with mashah “drawn out”. The name clearly has predictive implications as it is Moses who draws Israel out of Egypt.” Clearly, this is from the Hebrew perspective. From the perspective of the daughter of Pharaoh, drawing him out of the water was symbolic to her of his birth to her, or a similitude of the birthing process, since he is an adopted son and not by natural child birth. ] and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. [ Moses in Hebrew means "to draw out". While enjoying the legal protection of an Egyptian. After the baby is weaned, his mother brings him to Pharaoh’s daughter and she adopts him as her own son. She names him after the event wherein she found him. Note the irony of the entire situation. Pharaoh commands all Hebrew male babies to be thrown into the Nile so as to avoid being militarily subverted, but it is his own daughter who rescues the one who ultimately confronts and humiliates Pharaoh. The downfall of Egypt can be traced back to Pharaoh’s own family. ]

11 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. [ Moses, aware of his Hebrew heritage, sees his brothers being oppressed and has sympathy on them. He witnesses a Hebrew being viciously beaten by his Egyptian taskmaster. ]

12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man [ Everett Fox states "Although some have interpreted this as ‘no man around to help,' the expression taken in context would seem to indicate that Moshe was afraid of being seen. This incident reveals Moshe's concern and early leanings toward being a liberator, but also demonstrates his youthful lack of forethought. In fact, it will take God, not Moshe's own actions, to set the liberation process in motion." ] , he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. [ Looks around to see if there is anyone else to intervene, and there is no one, so he kills the Egyptian and hides his body. ]

13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest [ At issue here is whether or not Moses is a murderer. The KJV “smiting” is the Hebrew “nachaw” and Strong’s has this entry: 05221 nakah {naw-kaw’} a primitive root; TWOT - 1364; v AV - smite 348, slay 92, kill 20, beat 9, slaughter 5, stricken 3, given 3, wounded 3, strike 2, stripes 2, misc 13; 500 1) to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill 1a) (Niphal) to be stricken or smitten 1b) (Pual) to be stricken or smitten 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to smite, strike, beat, scourge, clap, applaud, give a thrust 1c2) to smite, kill, slay (man or beast) 1c3) to smite, attack, attack and destroy, conquer, subjugate, ravage 1c4) to smite, chastise, send judgment upon, punish, destroy 1d) (Hophal) to be smitten 1d1) to receive a blow 1d2) to be wounded 1d3) to be beaten 1d4) to be (fatally) smitten, be killed, be slain 1d5) to be attacked and captured 1d6) to be smitten (with disease) 1d7) to be blighted (of plants) The Hebrew suggests the “smiting” here was not simply a couple of slaps across the face, but rather was a life-threatening beating and Moses stepped in and killed the would-be murderer. Thus, Moses would not be guilty of murder, but acting as a vigilante. ] thou thy fellow? [ The next day Moses sees two Hebrews fighting and he reprimands them for fighting amongst themselves. Even though Moses has been raised among Egyptians, he clearly has a strong sense of Hebrew identity and feels brotherhood with them, so much so that he insists they not fight among themselves. ]

14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? [ Who made you a prince, you are one of us, nothing more. As if they knew who he really was, and maybe they did. They know that Moses in not an Egyptian. ] intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. [ The one who is reprimanded for beating his fellow Hebrew questions Moses’ authority for censuring him, and then insinuates, or perhaps even threatens, blackmail for his killing the Egyptian the day before. Moses realizes word has spread concerning the events of the preceding day and is fearful. The lack of respect the censured Hebrew shows Moses indicates he either held no authority through his association with the Egyptians, or whatever authority he held was impeached by his killing the Egyptian. Either way, the Hebrew rejects his censure and threatens him with the knowledge of what Moses had done the day before. Whatever sense of brotherhood Moses felt was clearly not reciprocated by this individual, perhaps suggesting Moses was not considered a Hebrew among the Hebrews because of his association with the Egyptians, as v. 19 clearly suggests that in all outward appearance he was an Egyptian and not a Hebrew. Perhaps the Hebrews didn’t even know Moses was a Hebrew, but saw knew him only as an Egyptian, even though he protected a Hebrew from an Egyptian. ]

15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, [ That Moses, the same lad that had been growing up under his roof was really a Hebrew. He must have been made, he would have felt betrayed by his own daughter saving the Hebrew boy when everyone else killed their son's. How embarrassing for the Pharaoh. And Pharaoh's do not like to be embarrassed. ] he sought to slay Moses. [ The new Pharaoh, Tutmos II, who sees Moses as a political threat any way, because as Josephus suggests that the people called Moses General Moses and identified him as the military leader of Egypt that had the army on his side. Tutmos would have seen Moses as a serious threat to his leadership. The murder of an Egyptian taskmaster would be the perfect excuse the Pharaoh would need to rid himself of Moses without angering the loyal military. And so Moses runs. ] But Moses fled [ God knows his plan from beginning to end. If God was going to deliver his people from the pagan traditions then he would need a leader with knowledge beyond the traditions of the present fathers. So God takes Moses, the Prince of Egypt, the murderer, the confused Hebrew and get's him out of the land amnesia. God drags him out to the wilderness to tend sheep, but not just any wilderness. No it is the wilderness where a people who have kept the traditions of their father Abraham are dwelling. While Moses thinks he is running for his life, trying to find a place to hide. All while God is bringing him to a place where he will spend the next 40 years in preparation in the principles of the true God. ] from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: [ To a land that was where Midian one of the five sons of Abraham's wife Keturah whom he married after the death of Sarah(Gen 25:1). This land was where they chose to settle outside of the gifted lands given to Isaac, where Abraham while still alive gave other gifts to these sons born to Keturah (Gen 25:6). ] and he sat down by a well. [ News spreads to Pharaoh and he intends to have Moses put to death over the matter, but Moses flees to the land of Midian. ]

16 Now the priest of Midian [ Which would place them under the Abrahamic covenant. House of Israel but not from the birth right line through Joseph. ] had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. [ Being at the well (v. 15), Moses witnesses conflict between Shepherds and the daughters of Jethro over watering of flocks. Moses intercedes on behalf of the women, and assists them in watering their flock. ]

17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

18 And when they came to Reuel [ Jethro. ] their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? [ When the women return so quickly from their chores, their father questions them. ]

19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. [ They tell him concerning Moses’ actions, they do not know who Moses is at this point. He looks like an Egyptian. ]

20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? [ Where are you manners. Most likely that the girls are a little giddish with a boy around, he was most likely pretty cute as he had been taken care of in the kings home. So they were just being young girls romancing as girls a little over Moses, while being shy. ] why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. [ Jethro then insists they get Moses and bring him back so he may be thanked for his deeds. He took care of you so the least we can do is provide for him. ]

21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: [ Jethro. Jethro is the faithful outsider holding on to the keys of truth. He is just like Melchezedeck he is a spiritual bookend of the patriarchal age, priests of the true God who stand outside the official family tree. Jethro is the keeper of the faith in the desert. ] and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. [ Moses agrees to settle with Jethro’s family and he marries Jethro’s daughter Zipporah (which means bird). Pretty quick romance here. ]

22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: [ Means driven out or to dismiss. ] for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. [ v11-22 These verses portray the young man Moses as a zealot for justice, one who in his younger years will lash out with physical force at the unjust when needs be. These two accounts are undoubtably included in order to contrast his impassioned and somewhat reckless youth, with his later calling as a wise and much more deliberate prophet of God. But they do serve to show his strong sense of justice, and his willingness to apply it to all, Egyptian, Hebrew and Midianite alike. Another thing to be noticed is the two stories present Moses as a man in between two nations. When confronting the fighting Hebrews in v. 14, they question his authority as he is in fact just another Hebrew and has killed an Egyptian. Then in v. 19 they mistake him for a an Egyptian and not a Hebrew. So Moses is presented as neither, he is a misfit. A Hebrew raised as an Egyptian, rejected by his fellows who were in slavery as he was raised in privilege, but now on the run from Pharaoh he ends up dwelling in Midian being thought of as an Egyptian. Why would this be noteworthy? Consider the way Moses rails on Israel and Canaanite alike in his attacks on immorality. He is impartial to his audience, without the slightest hint of favoritism for the Hebrews. Would the events in his life shape his actions? His impartiality in judgment later in life, certainly would have been influenced by his detachment in his younger years. ]

23 ¶ And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried [ The “cry” here is the same kind of cry God hears in the sodom account, a cry of the innocent suffering injustice and oppression (cf. Gen. 18:22, also cp, Isa. 5:7). This kind of outcry raises the ire of an impassioned God, and results in Him taking action for His people, cf. 3:7 (or in the case of the Isaiah reference, He takes action against His people). ] , and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

24 And God heard [ Notice where God is and what he is foing for the children of Israel in these next two verses. Heard them, remembered his covenant with them,looked upon them and had respect for them. ] their groaning, 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 [ He acknowledged, he took notice. Concerned for them. Comes from the translation of the word yada which means to know. ] unto them.