What does Exodus 2:23 mean?

The end of chapter 2 looks back at the situation of the fellow Jews Moses has left in Egypt (Exodus 2:24–25). The "many days" described here is a period of some forty years (Acts 7:30; Exodus 7:7). During this time, the king of Egypt who sought to put Moses to death (Exodus 2:15) had died. The slavery the Hebrews experienced (Exodus 1:11–14) continued and seems to have gotten even worse. The Jews responded in two ways. First, they are said to have "groaned," implying an expression of pain in their slavery. They complained or made a plea and God heard them (Exodus 2:24). Later, God would tell Moses He has "heard the groaning of the people" (Exodus 6:5) and planned to honor His covenant to help.

Second, the Hebrews prayed, and God heard that prayer. This "crying out" is an ongoing call, and it also took place on specific occasions (Exodus 14:10). This pattern would be repeated in the book of Judges, where the people would "cry out" when in trouble and receive the help of the Lord (Judges 2:16–19; 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6–7).

The plight of the nation of Israel, and God's response, are important when interpreting the Bible's stance on slavery. Modern audiences typically think of the pre-Civil War United States when encountering the word "slavery." This evokes racial, inhuman, permanent, inherited, lifelong, brutal drudgery: a concept known as "chattel slavery." This is exactly what the people of Israel are experiencing under Egypt, and it's a practice God will fiercely judge in the coming chapters. Not all servitude mentioned in the Bible is the same, nor is it all morally equal.