Exodus 2:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

NIV: They answered, 'An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.'

NASB: They said, 'An Egyptian saved us from the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew water for us and watered the flock.'

CSB: They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock."

NLT: An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,' they answered. 'And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks.'

KJV: And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

NKJV: And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”

It's worth noting that the daughters of Reuel refer to Moses as "an Egyptian." Moses, in fact, is a Hebrew (Exodus 2:1–10). This perception makes sense, however, since Moses would have dressed and probably spoken like an Egyptian from the perspective of these seven women. Even more interestingly, Moses "delivered" them from mistreatment and helped water their sheep. This act would foreshadow the role of Moses with the Jewish people. Moses would help deliver the Jews from mistreatment in Egypt. This deliverance would then lead to shepherding; first, Moses as a shepherd in Midian, and later as the leader of the nation of Israel.

Another unique aspect of this verse is the connection of the term "drew water" with the naming of Moses in Exodus 2:10. The Hebrew Mosheh sounds like the Hebrew word for "drew out," and Moses was "drawn out" of the water of the Nile River. Now Moses draws out water for sheep in an act of justice for others. Decades later, Moses will once again be involved in a miraculous act involving water as he parts the Red Sea so the Jewish people can escape from their enemies (Exodus 14).

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.