Exodus 2 Study Notes
General
According to Exodus 2:24-25, what did God do in response to Israel's groaning?
Answer: He heard them, remembered the covenant He had made with the patriarchs, saw them, and took notice
The chapter ends with four strong statements about God: He hears their groaning, He calls to mind His covenant with the three patriarchs, He sees the Israelites, and He takes notice of them (2:24-25). When the Bible says God remembered, it does not mean He had forgotten. It means He is about to act on a promise, as when God, remembering Noah, sent a wind to dry the flood (Genesis 8:1). The covenant, meaning God's binding promise, was to be God to Abraham and his descendants forever (Genesis 17:7), and God keeps that promise across countless generations (Psalm 105:8-10).
- Exodus 2:24-25 (BSB)“So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the Israelites and took notice.”God hears Israel's groaning, remembers His covenant with the patriarchs, sees the Israelites, and takes notice.
- Genesis 17:7 (BSB)“I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”God had established an everlasting covenant to be God to Abraham and his descendants.
- Psalm 105:8-10 (BSB)“He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations— the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:”God remembers His covenant forever, the oath made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- Genesis 8:1 (BSB)“But God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock that were with him in the ark. And God sent a wind over the earth, and the waters began to subside.”God remembering Noah likewise means God acting on his behalf, not recalling something forgotten.
Theological
What does Exodus 2:24-25 reveal as the basis of God's coming deliverance of Israel?
Answer: The covenant sworn to the patriarchs, which He now remembers and acts upon
Four verbs with God as subject close the chapter: God hears, remembers the patriarchal covenant, sees, and knows (2:24-25). Divine remembering is not the recovery of lost information but covenant action, as when God, remembering Noah, caused the flood to recede (Genesis 8:1). The ground of the exodus is therefore not Israel's merit but God's sworn, everlasting covenant to be God to Abraham and his seed (Genesis 17:7), a covenant He remembers forever (Psalm 105:8-10). Redemption flows from sovereign grace and covenant faithfulness.
- Exodus 2:24-25 (BSB)“So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the Israelites and took notice.”God hears Israel's groaning, remembers His covenant with the patriarchs, sees the Israelites, and takes notice.
- Genesis 17:7 (BSB)“I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”God had established an everlasting covenant to be God to Abraham and his descendants.
- Psalm 105:8-10 (BSB)“He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations— the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:”God remembers His covenant forever, the oath made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- Genesis 8:1 (BSB)“But God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock that were with him in the ark. And God sent a wind over the earth, and the waters began to subside.”God remembering Noah likewise means God acting on his behalf, not recalling something forgotten.
General
What happened to the Israelites' situation after many years passed and Egypt's king died (Exodus 2:23)?
Answer: They still groaned in bondage, and their plea for help rose up to God
Many years pass while Moses lives in Midian, and Egypt's king dies (2:23). But the change of kings brings no relief to Israel. The Israelites groan under their slavery and cry out, and their plea for rescue reaches God. Stephen says that forty years passed before God appeared to Moses at the bush (Acts 7:30). The Bible shows that God hears the cries of His people and rescues them (Psalm 34:17), and in the next chapter God tells Moses that He has heard His people's cry (Exodus 3:7).
- Exodus 2:23 (BSB)“After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.”The king of Egypt dies, the Israelites groan under their slavery, and their cry rises to God.
- Acts 7:30 (BSB)“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.”Stephen places the burning bush after forty years had passed in Midian, showing how long the wait was.
- Psalm 34:17 (BSB)“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles.”The LORD hears the cries of the righteous and delivers them, the pattern this verse sets in motion.
- Exodus 3:7 (BSB)“The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.”At the bush God declares that He has heard His people's cry because of their oppressors.
Theological
What does Exodus 2:23 record about Israel's condition after the death of Egypt's king?
Answer: Their bondage continued and their plea for rescue rose to God
After a long interval, Egypt's king dies (2:23); Stephen reckons Moses' stay in Midian before the bush at forty years (Acts 7:30). The succession brings no relief: Israel groans under its slavery, cries out, and its plea for help ascends to God. The verse sets up the great turning point of the chapter. Scripture repeatedly affirms that the LORD hears the cry of His afflicted people and delivers them (Psalm 34:17), and at the bush He will announce that He has indeed heard their cry (Exodus 3:7).
- Exodus 2:23 (BSB)“After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.”The king of Egypt dies, the Israelites groan under their slavery, and their cry rises to God.
- Acts 7:30 (BSB)“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.”Stephen places the burning bush after forty years had passed in Midian, showing how long the wait was.
- Psalm 34:17 (BSB)“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles.”The LORD hears the cries of the righteous and delivers them, the pattern this verse sets in motion.
- Exodus 3:7 (BSB)“The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.”At the bush God declares that He has heard His people's cry because of their oppressors.
General
What did Moses' mother do after he was born, according to Exodus 2:1-2?
Answer: Seeing how fine a baby he was, she kept him concealed for a quarter of a year
A man and a woman, both from the tribe of Levi, marry and have a son (2:1-2). Seeing that the baby is a fine, healthy child, his mother keeps him hidden for three months in defiance of Pharaoh's decree that Hebrew boys be thrown into the Nile. The New Testament explains what lay behind this courage: Moses' parents acted by faith and were not afraid of the king's order (Hebrews 11:23). Stephen adds that the child was beautiful in God's sight (Acts 7:20). The parents are not named here, but Exodus later identifies them as Amram and Jochebed (Exodus 6:20).
- Exodus 2:1-2 (BSB)“Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for three months.”A Levite couple has a son, and seeing that he is a fine child, his mother hides him for three months.
- Hebrews 11:23 (BSB)“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict.”Hebrews credits the hiding of Moses to his parents' faith, which freed them from fear of the king's edict.
- Acts 7:20 (BSB)“At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.”Stephen adds that the child was beautiful in God's sight and nurtured in his father's house for three months.
- Exodus 6:20 (BSB)“And Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.”The parents, unnamed here, are later identified as Amram and Jochebed, the parents of Aaron and Moses.
Theological
How does the New Testament interpret the conduct of Moses' parents recorded in Exodus 2:1-2?
Answer: As an act of faith that overcame fear of Pharaoh's edict
The narrative is spare: a Levite man marries a Levite woman, a son is born, his mother sees that he is a fine child, and she conceals him for the first three months of his life (2:1-2). Hebrews 11:23 supplies the theological interpretation, placing the act in its roll of faith: the parents hid him by faith and did not fear the king's edict. Stephen likewise says the child was beautiful before God (Acts 7:20), hinting at divine favor resting on him from birth. The anonymity of the parents here keeps the focus on the child; their names, Amram and Jochebed, appear only later (Exodus 6:20).
- Exodus 2:1-2 (BSB)“Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for three months.”A Levite couple has a son, and seeing that he is a fine child, his mother hides him for three months.
- Hebrews 11:23 (BSB)“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict.”Hebrews credits the hiding of Moses to his parents' faith, which freed them from fear of the king's edict.
- Acts 7:20 (BSB)“At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.”Stephen adds that the child was beautiful in God's sight and nurtured in his father's house for three months.
- Exodus 6:20 (BSB)“And Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.”The parents, unnamed here, are later identified as Amram and Jochebed, the parents of Aaron and Moses.
General
Why did Moses flee to Midian (Exodus 2:15)?
Answer: Pharaoh heard about the killing and tried to put Moses to death
When Pharaoh hears what Moses has done, he tries to have him killed, so Moses runs away from Pharaoh and settles in Midian, where he rests by a well (2:15). Stephen summarizes this period as Moses living as a foreigner in Midian (Acts 7:29). The danger was real, for God later tells Moses in Midian that the men who wanted to kill him have died (Exodus 4:19), and Moses names his second son in thanks that God rescued him from Pharaoh's sword (Exodus 18:4).
- Exodus 2:15 (BSB)“When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.”Pharaoh tries to kill Moses, who flees to Midian and sits down by a well.
- Acts 7:29 (BSB)“At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.”Stephen records that Moses fled to Midian, lived there as a foreigner, and had two sons.
- Exodus 4:19 (BSB)“Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead.””God later tells Moses in Midian that those who sought his life are dead, confirming the danger he fled.
- Exodus 18:4 (BSB)“The other son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.””Moses names his second son in thanks that God delivered him from Pharaoh's sword.
Theological
What prompts Moses' flight to Midian in Exodus 2:15?
Answer: Pharaoh's attempt to kill him after learning of the Egyptian's death
Pharaoh learns of the killing and seeks Moses' life, so Moses flees from him and settles in Midian, sitting down by a well (2:15). The well scene signals a turning point, as wells often do in the patriarchal narratives. Stephen records that Moses lived there as a sojourner (Acts 7:29). The threat was genuine: the LORD later tells Moses that all who sought his life are dead (Exodus 4:19), and Moses memorializes God's deliverance from Pharaoh's sword in the name of his son Eliezer (Exodus 18:4).
- Exodus 2:15 (BSB)“When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.”Pharaoh tries to kill Moses, who flees to Midian and sits down by a well.
- Acts 7:29 (BSB)“At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.”Stephen records that Moses fled to Midian, lived there as a foreigner, and had two sons.
- Exodus 4:19 (BSB)“Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead.””God later tells Moses in Midian that those who sought his life are dead, confirming the danger he fled.
- Exodus 18:4 (BSB)“The other son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.””Moses names his second son in thanks that God delivered him from Pharaoh's sword.
General
What happened at the well in Midian (Exodus 2:16-17)?
Answer: Shepherds drove away the priest's seven daughters, and Moses came to their defense and gave water to their sheep
Midian's priest has seven daughters who come to the well to give water to their father's sheep (2:16). Some shepherds arrive and chase them off, but Moses stands up, defends the women, and waters their flock himself (2:17). Even as a fugitive, Moses cannot stand by while the weak are bullied, echoing God's call to pursue justice and restrain oppressors (Isaiah 1:17). The scene closely resembles Jacob's arrival in distant Haran, when he watered Rachel's flock at a well (Genesis 29:10). Moses will go on to shepherd this same family's sheep (Exodus 3:1).
- Exodus 2:16-17 (BSB)“Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock.”Shepherds drive off the seven daughters of Midian's priest, and Moses rises to defend them and waters their flock.
- Genesis 29:10 (BSB)“As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, with Laban’s sheep, he went up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep.”Jacob waters Rachel's flock at a well upon arriving in a foreign land, a scene closely parallel to Moses' arrival.
- Isaiah 1:17 (BSB)“Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.””God calls His people to seek justice and correct the oppressor, as Moses does for the daughters.
- Exodus 3:1 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”Moses goes on to shepherd the flock of this same priest, now his father-in-law.
Theological
What does Moses do at the Midianite well in Exodus 2:16-17?
Answer: He defends the priest's daughters against the shepherds and waters their flock
At the well, the seven daughters of Midian's priest are drawing water for their father's flock when shepherds drive them away; Moses rises, rescues them, and waters their flock (2:16-17). His instinct for justice, earlier shown in Egypt, persists in exile, consistent with the divine call to restrain the oppressor (Isaiah 1:17). The scene follows the betrothal pattern of the patriarchs, closely paralleling Jacob watering Rachel's flock at a well (Genesis 29:10), and it introduces the household whose flock Moses will later tend (Exodus 3:1), where God will meet him.
- Exodus 2:16-17 (BSB)“Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock.”Shepherds drive off the seven daughters of Midian's priest, and Moses rises to defend them and waters their flock.
- Genesis 29:10 (BSB)“As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, with Laban’s sheep, he went up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep.”Jacob waters Rachel's flock at a well upon arriving in a foreign land, a scene closely parallel to Moses' arrival.
- Isaiah 1:17 (BSB)“Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.””God calls His people to seek justice and correct the oppressor, as Moses does for the daughters.
- Exodus 3:1 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”Moses goes on to shepherd the flock of this same priest, now his father-in-law.
General
Whom did Moses' sister bring to nurse the baby for Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus 2:7-9)?
Answer: The baby's own mother, who was then paid to nurse him
The sister boldly steps forward and asks Pharaoh's daughter whether she should find a Hebrew woman to nurse the infant (2:7). When the princess agrees, the girl fetches the child's own mother (2:8). Pharaoh's daughter then tells her to breastfeed the boy and promises to pay her for it, so the woman takes her own son and nurses him (2:9). A mother who could not legally keep her baby is now paid by Pharaoh's household to raise him. This shows God weaving every circumstance into good for His people (Romans 8:28), with His purpose prevailing over human plans (Proverbs 19:21).
- Exodus 2:7-9 (BSB)“Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” “Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him.”The sister offers to find a Hebrew nurse, calls the child's own mother, and Pharaoh's daughter pays her to nurse him.
- Romans 8:28 (BSB)“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, as He does in this reunion of mother and child.
- Proverbs 19:21 (BSB)“Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.”Human plans are many, but the LORD's purpose prevails, as Pharaoh's plan gives way to God's.
Theological
What providential reversal does Exodus 2:7-9 record?
Answer: The child's own mother is hired by Pharaoh's daughter to nurse him
The sister's quick offer to find a Hebrew nurse (2:7) leads to the child's own mother being summoned (2:8), and Pharaoh's daughter commissions her to nurse him for wages (2:9). The reversal is complete: the mother who faced losing her son to Pharaoh's decree now raises him under royal protection and at royal expense. The scene displays the providence by which God turns every circumstance to the good of His people (Romans 8:28) and by which His purpose stands over the many schemes of human hearts (Proverbs 19:21).
- Exodus 2:7-9 (BSB)“Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” “Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him.”The sister offers to find a Hebrew nurse, calls the child's own mother, and Pharaoh's daughter pays her to nurse him.
- Romans 8:28 (BSB)“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, as He does in this reunion of mother and child.
- Proverbs 19:21 (BSB)“Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.”Human plans are many, but the LORD's purpose prevails, as Pharaoh's plan gives way to God's.
General
What reason does Pharaoh's daughter give for naming the child Moses (Exodus 2:10)?
Answer: Because she had pulled him from the river
When the child is older, his mother brings him to the princess, who adopts him as her son (2:10). She gives him the name Moses and explains that she chose it because she pulled him from the water. The name sounds like the Hebrew verb meaning to draw out. Stephen adds that Moses was raised as her son and trained in all the learning of Egypt (Acts 7:21-22). There is a hint of Moses' future here: the one pulled from the river will one day lead God's people out through the water, and the Bible uses the same picture of God lifting His servant from the depths (Psalm 18:16).
- Exodus 2:10 (BSB)“When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and explained, “I drew him out of the water.””Once the child is older he is brought to Pharaoh's daughter, becomes her son, and is named Moses because she drew him out of the water.
- Acts 7:21-22 (BSB)“When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.”Stephen adds that Moses was raised as her son and educated in all the wisdom of Egypt.
- Psalm 18:16 (BSB)“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.”The psalm uses the same image of God drawing His servant out of deep waters.
Theological
What explanation of Moses' name is given in Exodus 2:10?
Answer: That Pharaoh's daughter pulled him from the river
Grown older, the child is handed over to the princess and becomes her son; she names him Moses, explaining the name by her having pulled him from the river (2:10). The name plays on a Hebrew verb for drawing out. Stephen supplements the account: raised as her son, Moses received the full learning of Egypt (Acts 7:21-22). The name anticipates his vocation, for the one drawn from the water will lead Israel through the sea, and the same rescue imagery is used of God pulling His servant up from the depths (Psalm 18:16).
- Exodus 2:10 (BSB)“When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and explained, “I drew him out of the water.””Once the child is older he is brought to Pharaoh's daughter, becomes her son, and is named Moses because she drew him out of the water.
- Acts 7:21-22 (BSB)“When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.”Stephen adds that Moses was raised as her son and educated in all the wisdom of Egypt.
- Psalm 18:16 (BSB)“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.”The psalm uses the same image of God drawing His servant out of deep waters.
General
What did Moses do when he witnessed an Egyptian striking a fellow Hebrew (Exodus 2:11-12)?
Answer: After checking that nobody was watching, he killed the Egyptian and buried the body
Now grown, Moses goes out to see his fellow Hebrews and watches their forced labor (2:11). Seeing an Egyptian striking a Hebrew man, he glances around, sees nobody, kills the Egyptian, and buries him in the sand (2:12). By going out to his people, Moses shows he sides with the Hebrews rather than with Egypt's privileged class, which Hebrews 11:24-26 praises as a choice of faith. Stephen says Moses was forty and expected his people to recognize God's rescue through him, though they failed to (Acts 7:23-25). The text itself does not state a verdict on the killing, but the secrecy and the fear that follow show Moses acting on his own before God had sent him.
- Exodus 2:11-12 (BSB)“One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.”Grown Moses sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, checks that no one is watching, kills the Egyptian, and hides the body.
- Hebrews 11:24-26 (BSB)“By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.”Hebrews says that Moses, when grown, chose to suffer with God's people rather than enjoy Egypt's privileges.
- Acts 7:23-25 (BSB)“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.”Stephen explains that Moses was forty, defended his fellow Israelite, and assumed his people would see God delivering them through him.
Theological
What does Moses do in Exodus 2:11-12 upon witnessing an Egyptian striking a Hebrew?
Answer: He kills the Egyptian after checking that no one is watching and hides the body
The grown Moses deliberately goes out to his brothers, sees their burdens, and witnesses an Egyptian striking a Hebrew (2:11). After looking both ways and finding no witnesses, he strikes the Egyptian dead and conceals him in the sand (2:12). The New Testament highlights the solidarity: by faith Moses declined the title of son of the princess and chose affliction with God's people (Hebrews 11:24-26). Stephen adds that at forty he acted in defense of his kinsman, supposing Israel would recognize God's deliverance through him, though they did not (Acts 7:23-25). The narrator does not pronounce on the act, but the furtive precautions and the ensuing fear mark it as a self-initiated attempt at deliverance ahead of God's commission.
- Exodus 2:11-12 (BSB)“One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.”Grown Moses sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, checks that no one is watching, kills the Egyptian, and hides the body.
- Hebrews 11:24-26 (BSB)“By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.”Hebrews says that Moses, when grown, chose to suffer with God's people rather than enjoy Egypt's privileges.
- Acts 7:23-25 (BSB)“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.”Stephen explains that Moses was forty, defended his fellow Israelite, and assumed his people would see God delivering them through him.
General
How did Pharaoh's daughter react when she opened the basket and found the crying baby (Exodus 2:5-6)?
Answer: She felt pity for him, even though she recognized him as a Hebrew child
Pharaoh's daughter comes down to the river to bathe with her attendants, spots the basket in the reeds, and has her servant fetch it (2:5). When she opens it and sees the baby crying, she feels sorry for him, even though she immediately recognizes him as one of the Hebrews' children (2:6). The very household that ordered the boys' death becomes the place of this boy's rescue. Scripture teaches that the LORD turns even a king's heart as He wishes (Proverbs 21:1), and here He moves the heart of the king's own daughter. Stephen notes that she went on to bring Moses up as her son (Acts 7:21).
- Exodus 2:5-6 (BSB)“Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. And when she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to retrieve it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.””Pharaoh's daughter finds the basket, sees the crying baby, pities him, and recognizes him as a Hebrew child.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs even a king's heart where He pleases, and here He moves the heart of Pharaoh's own daughter.
- Psalm 76:10 (BSB)“Even the wrath of man shall praise You; with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself.”Even human wrath ends up serving God's praise, as Pharaoh's cruelty ends with his own household sheltering Moses.
- Acts 7:21 (BSB)“When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.”Stephen notes that Pharaoh's daughter took the child and raised him as her own son.
Theological
What is the significance of the compassion shown by Pharaoh's daughter in Exodus 2:5-6?
Answer: God providentially uses a member of the oppressor's own house to preserve the future deliverer
The princess finds the basket while bathing, opens it, sees the weeping infant, and is moved to pity, knowing full well that he is a Hebrew child (2:5-6). The narrative says nothing of her religion or motives beyond compassion; its interest is providential irony. The house that decreed death for Hebrew sons becomes the sanctuary of the one Hebrew son who will overthrow its power. The LORD directs the hearts of the powerful as He wills (Proverbs 21:1), and even human wrath is made to serve His praise (Psalm 76:10). Stephen records that she adopted the child as her own (Acts 7:21).
- Exodus 2:5-6 (BSB)“Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. And when she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to retrieve it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.””Pharaoh's daughter finds the basket, sees the crying baby, pities him, and recognizes him as a Hebrew child.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs even a king's heart where He pleases, and here He moves the heart of Pharaoh's own daughter.
- Psalm 76:10 (BSB)“Even the wrath of man shall praise You; with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself.”Even human wrath ends up serving God's praise, as Pharaoh's cruelty ends with his own household sheltering Moses.
- Acts 7:21 (BSB)“When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.”Stephen notes that Pharaoh's daughter took the child and raised him as her own son.
General
How did the daughters describe the man who helped them at the well when they told their father (Exodus 2:18-20)?
Answer: As an Egyptian who rescued them from the shepherds and even watered the sheep for them
The daughters come home early, and their father, called Reuel here, asks why (2:18). They tell him an Egyptian saved them from the shepherds and even did the work of watering the flock for them (2:19). Raised in Pharaoh's household, Moses was evidently taken for an Egyptian. Reuel scolds them for leaving the man behind and tells them to invite him for a meal (2:20). The same priest of Midian is called Jethro in the next chapter (Exodus 3:1) and again later (Exodus 18:1), while Numbers also gives the name Reuel for the father of Moses' wife (Numbers 10:29).
- Exodus 2:18-20 (BSB)“When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” “So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.””The daughters tell their father Reuel that an Egyptian rescued them, and he has them invite the man to eat.
- Exodus 3:1 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”Moses' father-in-law, the priest of Midian, is called Jethro in the next chapter.
- Numbers 10:29 (BSB)“Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.””Numbers also calls Moses' father-in-law Reuel the Midianite.
- Exodus 18:1 (BSB)“Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about all that God had done for Moses and His people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.”The priest of Midian appears again as Jethro, hearing all that God had done for Israel.
Theological
What do Reuel's daughters call Moses when reporting his rescue in Exodus 2:18-20?
Answer: An Egyptian
Asked why they have returned early, the daughters report to Reuel that an Egyptian delivered them from the shepherds and even watered the flock (2:18-19). Raised in Pharaoh's court, Moses was evidently taken for an Egyptian. Reuel responds with the hospitality expected of the patriarchal world, rebuking his daughters for leaving the man and sending for him to share a meal (2:20). Midian's priest is named Reuel here and in Numbers 10:29, and Jethro in Exodus 3:1 and 18:1; Scripture applies both names to the man whose daughter Moses married.
- Exodus 2:18-20 (BSB)“When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” “So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.””The daughters tell their father Reuel that an Egyptian rescued them, and he has them invite the man to eat.
- Exodus 3:1 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”Moses' father-in-law, the priest of Midian, is called Jethro in the next chapter.
- Numbers 10:29 (BSB)“Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.””Numbers also calls Moses' father-in-law Reuel the Midianite.
- Exodus 18:1 (BSB)“Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about all that God had done for Moses and His people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.”The priest of Midian appears again as Jethro, hearing all that God had done for Israel.
General
True or False: Exodus 2:4 gives the name of the sister who watched over the baby Moses.
Answer: False
This is false. The verse only says that his sister stood some way off, watching to learn his fate (2:4); she is not named in this chapter. Scripture later identifies the one sister of Moses and Aaron as Miriam (Numbers 26:59), and Miriam appears by name in Exodus after the crossing of the sea, leading the women in praise (Exodus 15:20). For this reason she is commonly identified as the girl at the river, though Exodus 2 itself leaves her unnamed.
- Exodus 2:4 (BSB)“And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.”The baby's sister stands at a distance to see what will happen to him.
- Numbers 26:59 (BSB)“and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.”Scripture names Moses' only recorded sister as Miriam, the daughter of Amram and Jochebed.
- Exodus 15:20 (BSB)“Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.”Miriam, called Aaron's sister, appears by name later in Exodus leading the women in praise.
Theological
True or False: The sister who stands watch in Exodus 2:4 is named Miriam in that verse.
Answer: False
This is false. Exodus 2:4 refers to her only as his sister, who stationed herself some way off to learn what would become of him; the chapter never names her. The identification with Miriam rests on later texts: Numbers 26:59 names Miriam as the sister of Aaron and Moses, the only sister of Moses Scripture records, and Exodus 15:20 introduces her by name as Aaron's sister. The identification is natural, but it comes from the wider canon rather than from this verse.
- Exodus 2:4 (BSB)“And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.”The baby's sister stands at a distance to see what will happen to him.
- Numbers 26:59 (BSB)“and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.”Scripture names Moses' only recorded sister as Miriam, the daughter of Amram and Jochebed.
- Exodus 15:20 (BSB)“Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.”Miriam, called Aaron's sister, appears by name later in Exodus leading the women in praise.
General
What did Moses' mother do once concealing him was no longer possible (Exodus 2:3)?
Answer: She made a waterproofed papyrus basket and set him in it in the reeds at the Nile's edge
When she can no longer keep the baby hidden, his mother takes a basket made of papyrus, coats it with pitch and tar to keep out water, sets the child inside, and places it in the reeds at the edge of the Nile (2:3). The river that Pharaoh meant as a place of death becomes the place of the child's protection. The Hebrew word for this basket is the same word used for Noah's ark, the only other place it appears in the Bible. Just as God preserved Noah and his family in a sealed ark through the waters (Genesis 6:14; Hebrews 11:7), He preserves the future deliverer of Israel in a tiny ark on the Nile.
- Exodus 2:3 (BSB)“But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.”When she can no longer conceal him, the mother makes a waterproofed papyrus basket and places him among the reeds of the Nile.
- Genesis 6:14 (BSB)“Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out.”God instructs Noah to build an ark sealed with pitch; the Hebrew word for ark is the same one used for Moses' basket.
- Hebrews 11:7 (BSB)“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”Noah's ark is presented as the means God used to save his household, the pattern echoed in Moses' small ark.
Theological
What detail in Exodus 2:3 links Moses' rescue with an earlier act of divine preservation?
Answer: His mother places him in a pitch-sealed vessel called by the same Hebrew word as Noah's ark
Unable to conceal the child any longer, his mother prepares a papyrus basket, seals it with pitch and tar, and places him among the reeds at the Nile's edge (2:3). The term for the basket is the Hebrew word used elsewhere only for Noah's ark (Genesis 6:14), and both vessels are waterproofed with pitch. The verbal link presents Moses' rescue as a small-scale reprise of the flood narrative: God preserves through judgment-waters the one through whom He will save His people, as Noah's ark saved his household (Hebrews 11:7). Pharaoh's river of death becomes an instrument of preservation.
- Exodus 2:3 (BSB)“But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.”When she can no longer conceal him, the mother makes a waterproofed papyrus basket and places him among the reeds of the Nile.
- Genesis 6:14 (BSB)“Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out.”God instructs Noah to build an ark sealed with pitch; the Hebrew word for ark is the same one used for Moses' basket.
- Hebrews 11:7 (BSB)“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”Noah's ark is presented as the means God used to save his household, the pattern echoed in Moses' small ark.
General
How did the Hebrew man respond when Moses tried to stop him from hitting another Hebrew (Exodus 2:13-14)?
Answer: He challenged Moses' authority and asked whether Moses meant to kill him too, as he had the Egyptian
On the following day Moses sees two Hebrews fighting and asks the one at fault why he is hitting his fellow Hebrew (2:13). The man turns on Moses, questioning who gave him authority over them and asking whether he plans to kill him the way he killed the Egyptian (2:14). Moses becomes afraid, realizing that his deed is known. Stephen draws out the lesson: the Moses whom Israel rejected with that very question is the one God appointed as their leader and redeemer (Acts 7:35). The same pattern reaches its climax in Jesus, whose own people refused to receive Him (John 1:11; Acts 7:51-52).
- Exodus 2:13-14 (BSB)“The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?” But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.””Moses tries to stop two Hebrews fighting, is rebuffed, and realizes the killing is known.
- Acts 7:35 (BSB)“This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.”Stephen points out that the Moses rejected with this question is the very one God sent as ruler and redeemer.
- Acts 7:51-52 (BSB)“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—”Stephen's speech draws the pattern forward: Israel's fathers resisted God's messengers, and his hearers betrayed the Righteous One.
- John 1:11 (BSB)“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”Jesus likewise came to His own people and was not received, the pattern seen earlier in Moses' rejection.
Theological
How does Stephen in Acts 7 use the rejection of Moses recorded in Exodus 2:13-14?
Answer: As a pattern of Israel rejecting the deliverer God sends, climaxing in the rejection of Christ
When Moses tries to reconcile two quarreling Hebrews, the aggressor rejects him with a challenge to his authority and a pointed reference to the killing of the Egyptian, and Moses realizes the matter is known (2:13-14). Stephen makes this a paradigm: the Moses they rejected with those words is the very one God sent as ruler and redeemer (Acts 7:35), and the fathers' resistance to God's messengers culminates in the betrayal of Jesus, the Righteous One whom the prophets foretold (Acts 7:51-52). Moses thus foreshadows Christ, whose own people rejected Him (John 1:11), yet was God's appointed Deliverer all the same.
- Exodus 2:13-14 (BSB)“The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?” But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.””Moses tries to stop two Hebrews fighting, is rebuffed, and realizes the killing is known.
- Acts 7:35 (BSB)“This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.”Stephen points out that the Moses rejected with this question is the very one God sent as ruler and redeemer.
- Acts 7:51-52 (BSB)“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—”Stephen's speech draws the pattern forward: Israel's fathers resisted God's messengers, and his hearers betrayed the Righteous One.
- John 1:11 (BSB)“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”Jesus likewise came to His own people and was not received, the pattern seen earlier in Moses' rejection.
General
What does Moses say to explain the name of his son Gershom (Exodus 2:21-22)?
Answer: That he had become a foreigner living in a land not his own
Moses agrees to live with Reuel, who gives him his daughter Zipporah as a wife (2:21). When she bears a son, Moses names him Gershom, a name that sounds like the Hebrew for a sojourner there, and explains that he has become an outsider in a land not his own (2:22). The name expresses how Moses felt: an outsider living far from his own people. Exodus later repeats the same explanation (Exodus 18:3), and Stephen says Moses lived in Midian as an outsider and fathered two sons there (Acts 7:29). Like the patriarchs before him, Moses lives as a stranger on earth (Hebrews 11:13).
- Exodus 2:21-22 (BSB)“Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.””Moses settles with Reuel, marries Zipporah, and names his son Gershom, saying he has become a foreigner in a foreign land.
- Exodus 18:3 (BSB)“along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.””Exodus 18 repeats the meaning of Gershom's name when Moses' family rejoins him.
- Acts 7:29 (BSB)“At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.”Stephen records that Moses lived in Midian as a foreigner and had two sons there.
- Hebrews 11:13 (BSB)“All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”The patriarchs likewise confessed that they were strangers and exiles, the same outlook reflected in Gershom's name.
Theological
What does the name Gershom express, according to Exodus 2:21-22?
Answer: Moses' sense of being a sojourner far from home
Moses agrees to stay with Reuel and receives Zipporah as his wife (2:21). He names their son Gershom, explaining the name by his status as a sojourner in an alien land (2:22). The name, which plays on the Hebrew word for a resident alien, captures Moses' displacement as an exile living in Midian. The same explanation recurs in Exodus 18:3, while a second son, Eliezer, is later said to commemorate deliverance from Pharaoh's sword. Stephen notes the sojourn and the two sons (Acts 7:29), and Moses stands in line with the patriarchs, who confessed themselves sojourners and exiles in this world (Hebrews 11:13).
- Exodus 2:21-22 (BSB)“Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.””Moses settles with Reuel, marries Zipporah, and names his son Gershom, saying he has become a foreigner in a foreign land.
- Exodus 18:3 (BSB)“along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.””Exodus 18 repeats the meaning of Gershom's name when Moses' family rejoins him.
- Acts 7:29 (BSB)“At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.”Stephen records that Moses lived in Midian as a foreigner and had two sons there.
- Hebrews 11:13 (BSB)“All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”The patriarchs likewise confessed that they were strangers and exiles, the same outlook reflected in Gershom's name.