Exodus 2:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."

NIV: Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become a foreigner in a foreign land."

NASB: Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, 'I have been a stranger in a foreign land.'

CSB: She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, "I have been a resident alien in a foreign land."

NLT: Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained, 'I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.'

KJV: And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

NKJV: And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”

After being exiled from Egypt (Exodus 2:14–15) and rescuing seven sisters from harassment (Exodus 2:16–17), Moses marries one of the women (Exodus 2:20–21). Their first recorded son was named Gershom. This was chosen because Moses considered himself an immigrant or sojourner in a foreign land. The name Gershom sounds like the Hebrew word gur that means "to sojourn." The Hebrew ending of Gershom, shom, is the same as the Hebrew shom, an adverb meaning "there." Moses was a "sojourner, there" in the land of Midian. Interestingly, the name Gershon / Gershom had already been used in the family of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:1, 16).

It is notable that Moses refers to Midian as a foreign location. He felt away from home and could only seek to be "content" in his new home with Zipporah and Gershom (Exodus 2:21). He would later have a second son named Eliezer (Exodus 18:3–4). Eliezer's birth is not described in detail in Scripture. This is expected, as the firstborn son received prominent status in ancient culture. Eliezer was certainly born to Moses and Zipporah during their forty years together in Midian. Both sons were considered part of Moses' family and named among the Levites (1 Chronicles 23:14–17).

Exodus 2:11–22 describes how Moses went from his position as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess to being an exiled shepherd living in Midian. As an adult, Moses defends a fellow Jew by killing an Egyptian aggressor. Moses' attempt to hide the act fails and he is forced to flee Egypt. In Midian, Moses heroically defends a group of shepherd girls and is welcomed into their family. This establishes the backdrop of Moses' life for one of God's most dramatic encounters with man: the burning bush.

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.