Exodus 2:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.

NIV: and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.

NASB: And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.

CSB: The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.

NLT: The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months.

KJV: And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

NKJV: So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.

Moses was not the first child of this couple (Exodus 2:1). However, his birth is described in customary order. His mother conceived and gave birth to a son. The problem, however, is that Pharaoh had just announced all newborn sons must be thrown into the Nile River (Exodus 1:22). According to the law, and the surrounding culture, their son was supposed to die. However, his mother saw he was "a fine child." The idea of a "good" or "fine" child is the same adjective "good" from the Hebrew tov found in the creation account (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). This general term describes Moses as a healthy, happy child, without providing significant details.

Rather than obey Pharaoh, his mother preserves Moses' life. Like the midwives in Exodus chapter 1, Jochebed chooses to disobey an evil decree to save her child. Hiding a newborn son for three months would have been extremely difficult for the mother and her family. Even more difficult, she would soon have to make a tough decision regarding her son's future, leaving his young life in God's hands. God would clearly reward her efforts with a miraculous turn of events in the following verses (Exodus 2:3–10).

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 winds up hiring 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 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.