Exodus 2:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews ' children."

NIV: She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.

NASB: When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, 'This is one of the Hebrews’ children.'

CSB: opened it, and saw him, the child—and there he was, a little boy, crying. She felt sorry for him and said, "This is one of the Hebrew boys."

NLT: When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. 'This must be one of the Hebrew children,' she said.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

Pharaoh's daughter opens a basket she saw among reeds on the riverbank (Exodus 2:2–5) and finds Moses crying. Unlike her father, who had ordered infanticide (Exodus 1:22), this woman has a compassionate heart. She takes pity on this seemingly abandoned child. This verse also makes it clear that she realized Moses was a Jewish male. This would have been clear for three reasons. First, the baby was found on the Nile River. Second, the child would have a Jewish complexion, a look distinct from the Egyptians.

Third, and most importantly, Moses would have been circumcised. This Jewish practice began with Abraham and was performed on Jewish males on the eighth day after their birth in generations to follow (Genesis 17:12). Though hidden as a young child, Moses' parents would have obeyed the practice of circumcision. This is also made clear in Exodus 4:24–26 where the son of Moses required circumcision before Moses could return to Egypt. If Moses had not already been circumcised, it would have been noted at this time.

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.

Accessed 11/23/2024 3:17:12 AM