Exodus 2:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: God saw the people of Israel — and God knew.

NIV: So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

NASB: And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

CSB: and God saw the Israelites; and God knew.

NLT: He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.

KJV: And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

NKJV: And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

The final verse of the chapter notes two important truths. This is part of a temporary shift away from the story of Moses, looking back on the Hebrews still enslaved in Egypt (Exodus 2:23–24). First, God recognized Israel's difficult situation and cared deeply about the way they were treated. These words prepare readers for the upcoming calling of Moses to bring the Jewish people out of slavery (Exodus 3:10).

Second, God "knew" all about their situation. The Hebrew usage of "to know" generally referred to more than intellectual awareness of something; it also included an intimate understanding and even involvement. For example, Adam's sexual intimacy with Eve (Genesis 4:1) was described as Adam "knowing" his wife. Personal participation was part of this experience.

In addition, the concluding words of this chapter that "God knew" remind readers God is fully aware of the pain we endure in this life. Even when we suffer, God has a plan at work. Romans 8:28 expresses this truth well: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." God's plan and promise would unfold through the life of Moses as the leader of God's people from slavery to freedom.

The next passage will return to Moses, and his dramatic call by God through the miracle of the burning bush.

Exodus 2:23–25 briefly looks away from Moses and back to the people of Israel. Prior to Moses' birth, the king of Egypt began brutally enslaving the Jewish people. Most of chapter 2 was used to describe Moses' adoption by the Egyptian princess, his murder of an Egyptian bully, and his escape to Midian, where he settles and builds a family. In the meantime, Israel's oppression becomes continually worse. The Hebrews cry out to God for rescue; He has not forgotten His promises to them. The following words of Scripture reveal God's appointment of Moses to return and free Israel, through the miraculous appearance of a 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.