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Read Exodus Chapter 2

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1And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.

2And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

3And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.

4And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

5And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

6And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.

7Then 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?

8And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.

9And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

10And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

11And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

12And 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.

13And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?

14And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.

15Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

17And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

18And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

19And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

20And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

21And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

22And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

23And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

24And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

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Explanation

Exodus 2

In short

This chapter tells how Moses was born to Hebrew slaves, hidden as a baby, rescued by Pharaoh's daughter, and grew up in the Egyptian court. As an adult, Moses kills an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave, then flees to Midian where he marries and settles. The chapter ends with God noticing the suffering of the Hebrew people and remembering his promise to their ancestors.

What the text says

A Levite man and woman have a son (verses 1-2). The mother hides the child for three months, then places him in a basket among the river reeds (verse 3). The baby's sister watches from a distance (verse 4). Pharaoh's daughter comes to wash at the river, finds the basket, and sees the weeping baby (verses 5-6). The sister offers to bring a Hebrew nurse, and Pharaoh's daughter agrees, not knowing the nurse is the child's own mother (verses 7-9). The boy grows up as Pharaoh's daughter's son and is named Moses, meaning "drawn out of the water" (verse 10).

As an adult, Moses sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, kills the Egyptian, and hides the body (verses 11-12). When Moses tries to stop two Hebrew men from fighting, one challenges him, saying people know he killed the Egyptian (verses 13-14). Pharaoh learns of this and seeks to kill Moses, so Moses flees to Midian (verse 15). There he helps the daughters of a priest named Reuel at a well (verses 16-17). Reuel invites Moses to stay, and Moses marries Reuel's daughter Zipporah (verses 18-21). She bears a son named Gershom (verse 22).

The chapter ends with the king of Egypt dying and the Hebrew people crying out under their bondage (verse 23). God hears their groaning and remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (verse 24), and looks upon the children of Israel with favor (verse 25).

Takeaways

  • Moses is preserved from death as an infant through human care and unexpected kindness, eventually living among Egypt's rulers.
  • Moses identifies with his own enslaved people and must flee Egypt after acting against their oppressor.
  • God's attention turns toward the suffering of the Hebrew slaves and his ancient promises to their ancestors.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.