Exodus 2:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then his sister said to Pharaoh 's daughter, "Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"

NIV: Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"

NASB: Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, 'Shall I go and call a woman for you who is nursing from the Hebrew women, so that she may nurse the child for you?'

CSB: Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, "Should I go and call a Hebrew woman who is nursing to nurse the boy for you?"

NLT: Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. 'Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?' she asked.

KJV: Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

NKJV: Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

Miriam, Moses' sister (Exodus 15:20; Numbers 26:59), now speaks to Pharaoh's daughter. It is uncertain whether Moses' mother sent her for this purpose: a young girl would be more readily received (Exodus 2:4). However, God used Miriam to offer a unique situation for both Pharaoh's daughter and Moses' mother. Miriam asks if she can get a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. This practice must have been common at this time. Unlike today when bottle-feeding an infant is a common practice, women in ancient times sometimes employed the use of other women—"wet nurses"—to provide milk for newborn children.

This proposed solution provided an easy way for Pharaoh's daughter to say yes to Miriam's request and raise Moses as her own son. Unknown to Pharaoh's daughter, the nurse would also be Moses' mother. The result would be Moses' rescue, his mother nursing him in his young age, and adoption into the wealthiest family in the nation. God perfectly orchestrated events to uniquely prepare Moses for his future role.

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 3:08:01 AM