Exodus 2:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh 's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, "Because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."

NIV: When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

NASB: And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, 'Because I drew him out of the water.'

CSB: When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, "Because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."

NLT: Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, 'I lifted him out of the water.'

KJV: And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

NKJV: And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Pharaoh's daughter officially took over care for Moses when he was done nursing (Exodus 2:9). It would have been extremely difficult for Moses' mother to give her son away. However, this option was far better than the alternative of losing him to an early death (Exodus 1:22).

Of great importance in this verse is the origin of Moses' name. Whether or not Moses' biological mother named him, Scripture gives the baby no name until now. Instead, Pharaoh's daughter chooses a name that matches his story. She names him Moses because she "drew him out of the water." The Hebrew word "Moses" sounds like the word for "draw out." Moses is Mosheh while "draw out" is meshitihu from the root word mashah. This word play may not be exact, however, as Pharaoh's daughter likely spoke Egyptian rather than Hebrew. She might have been thinking of something more traditionally Egyptian, or it might have been a pun on a Hebrew word she knew. The significance for Jewish readers was that the name Moses sounded like the word "draw out;" this connected with his providential escape from an early death.

Exodus 2:1–10 describes the birth and early life of Moses. His mother defies the order to kill Hebrew boys and hides her son. Once he becomes too old to conceal, she places him in a basket on the Nile. Apparently, this was a deliberate attempt to have Moses adopted, as Moses' older sister is stationed nearby, watching. Pharaoh's daughter finds the baby and hires Moses' own mother to be his wet nurse. Once weaned, Moses is sent back to the Egyptian princess, gaining the benefits of a royal education and upbringing.

Amid an order from Pharaoh to murder newborn Hebrew boys, Moses' mother places him in a basket along the side of the river, staging her daughter there to observe. The Egyptian king's daughter sees the baby and has pity. Thanks to the presence of Moses' sister, the princess pays Moses' own mother to wean him. After this, he is raised in the home of Egypt's royal family. As an adult, Moses unsuccessfully attempts to hide his murder of an abusive Egyptian and flees to Midian as an exile. As Moses builds a family abroad, Israel cries out to God for rescue from the brutality of Egyptian slavery.

Exodus chapter 2 introduces the character of Moses, after describing the plight of Israel under Egyptian slavery. This passage provides a few interesting ironies. Primarily, the Egyptian king attempts to oppress Israel through infanticide; this very command leads to his own daughter adopting a Hebrew boy—Moses. Because of the intervention of the boy's sister, his own mother is paid to nurse and wean him. Then the Egyptian woman provides the Hebrew boy with support and education, essentially raising the future liberator of the very people her father seeks to control. After chapter 2 establishes Moses' exile from Egypt, chapter 3 will begin narrating his call to lead the nation of Israel out of captivity under the Pharaoh.

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.