Exodus Chapter 2 Summary - Key Points & Themes

Read Exodus Chapter 2 Summary

A Levite woman hides her son for three months, then places him in a basket among the reeds where Pharaoh's daughter discovers and adopts him, naming him Moses. Moses grows up in Pharaoh's court but identifies with his Hebrew brethren, killing an Egyptian taskmaster and fleeing to Midian after the deed becomes known. In Midian, Moses marries Zipporah, daughter of Reuel the priest, and God hears the groaning of Israel and remembers His covenant.

Original

Characters in This Chapter

Moses

Deliverer of Israel, mediator of the covenant, lawgiver, and prophet who spoke with God face to face

Aaron

Moses' brother, spokesman before Pharaoh, and first high priest of Israel

Pharaoh (of Exodus)

King of Egypt who oppressed Israel and hardened his heart against God, ultimately destroyed at the Red Sea

Miriam

Sister of Moses and Aaron, prophetess who led Israel in worship after the Red Sea crossing

Jethro

Moses' father-in-law, priest of Midian who advised Moses on leadership and organization

Joshua

Moses' assistant and military leader who fought the Amalekites and accompanied Moses on Sinai

Zipporah

Wife of Moses

Abraham

Father of Many Nations

Isaac

Son of Abraham

Jacob

Father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel

Places in This Chapter

Egypt

Land of Israel's slavery and the setting for God's dramatic acts of judgment and redemption through the plagues

Red Sea

Site of Israel's miraculous deliverance where God parted the waters and destroyed Pharaoh's pursuing army

Mount Sinai

The mountain of God where the covenant was established, the Law given, and God's glory descended in fire and cloud

The Wilderness

The desert region where God tested and provided for Israel, teaching them dependence on him through manna, water, and guidance

Midian

Midian was a region in northwestern Arabia, east of the Gulf of Aqaba. Moses fled here after killing an Egyptian and spent 40 years as a shepherd, marrying Zipporah. God appeared to him in the burning bush here, calling him to deliver Israel from Egypt.

Position in Book

Israel in EgyptChapters 1-2

Israel's oppression under Pharaoh and the birth and early life of Moses, who is preserved by God's providence and raised in Pharaoh's court.

The Call of MosesChapters 3-4

The Plagues and PassoverChapters 5-12

The Exodus and Red SeaChapters 13-15

Journey to SinaiChapters 16-18

The Covenant at SinaiChapters 19-24

Instructions for the TabernacleChapters 25-31

The Golden CalfChapters 32-34

Construction of the TabernacleChapters 35-40

Bible Bites

The first person 'filled with the Spirit' was an artist

The very first person the Bible describes as 'filled with the Spirit of God' isn't a prophet or a king, it's Bezalel, a craftsman gifted for artistic design, gold-work and carving to build the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:1-5). Creativity itself is treated as a divine gift.

Exodus 31:1-5