Exodus 2:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

NIV: Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

NASB: So he looked this way and that, and when he saw that there was no one around, he struck and killed the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand.

CSB: Looking all around and seeing no one, he struck the Egyptian dead and hid him in the sand.

NLT: After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.

KJV: And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

NKJV: So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

The phrase, "He looked this way and that," is the modern equivalent of the literal wording "he turned thus and thus." The idea is that Moses looked around to make sure no one would witness what he was about to do. Since no one was seen to stop him or witness the event, Moses felt he could stop unjust violence against his fellow Hebrew, using violence of his own. Suggestions that this was an accident, as suggested in some fictional portrayals, are not supported by the Bible.

Some believe Moses killed the man with his bare hands, though this is uncertain. The text only says "he struck down the Egyptian," and no weapon is mentioned, but the phrasing suggests he used some kind of instrument. Samson "struck down" 1,000 men with a donkey jawbone (Judges 15:16), David "struck down" animals with a sling (1 Samuel 17:36), and the Israelites struck down enemies with swords (1 Samuel 11:11). Moses may have used his hands or any kind of weapon. However, Exodus later shows God had His own plan that involved striking down the Egyptians in judgment (Exodus 12:29). Moses hides the man's body "in the sand," indicating a quick and quiet burial to avoid being caught.

Exodus 2:11–22 describes how Moses went from the adopted son of an Egyptian princess to an exiled shepherd living in Midian. As an adult, Moses defends a fellow Jew by killing an Egyptian aggressor. Moses is shocked to find that his attempt to hide the act failed, 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 winds up paying 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 an abandoned Hebrew boy—Moses. She provides him 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.