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| 1 And there goeth a man of the house of Levi, and he taketh the daughter of Levi, |
Went a man – Amram, which signifies "noble people." R2902:3
A daughter – Jochebed, which signifies "Jehovah is glorious." R2902:3
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| 2 and the woman conceiveth, and beareth a son, and she seeth him that he [is] fair, and she hideth him three months, |
Bare a son – Moses' humble birth, as one of an enslaved race, would naturally incline him to humility. R1651:3
That he was – As a natural result of favorable pre-natal influence. R1671:3
A goodly child – Like the Apostle Paul, Moses seems to have been chosen even before he was born. R1651:1, R1671:6
Stephen says he was "exceedingly fair." (Acts 7:20) Josephus says he was so h R3987:6
Beautiful. As careful breeding affects the lower animals, so also it is potent in respect to humanity. R5251:1
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| 3 and she hath not been able any more to hide him, and she taketh for him an ark of rushes, and daubeth it with bitumen and with pitch, and putteth the lad in it, and putteth [it] in the weeds by the edge of the River; |
Laid It in the flags – They probably knew of the custom of the Egyptian princess to resort to that spot, or they may have been guided by a dream. R5251:3
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| 4 and his sister stationeth herself afar off, to know what is done to him. |
And his sister – Miriam was born about nine years before Moses. R3987:6
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| 5 And a daughter of Pharaoh cometh down to bathe at the River, and her damsels are walking by the side of the River, and she seeth the ark in the midst of the weeds, and sendeth her handmaid, and she taketh it, |
Daughter of Pharaoh – Supposed to have been Neferari, the wife of Rameses II and daughter of the preceding monarch. R2903:1
A married woman, but childless. R3988:1
At the river – Probably Memphis, near the present site of Cairo, under the shadow of the pyramids. R3988:1
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| 6 and openeth, and seeth him the lad, and lo, a child weeping! and she hath pity on him, and saith, 'This is [one] of the Hebrews' children.' |
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| 7 And his sister saith unto the daughter of Pharaoh, 'Do I go when I have called for thee a suckling woman of the Hebrews, then she doth suckle the lad for thee;' |
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| 8 and the daughter of Pharaoh saith to her, 'Go;' and the virgin goeth, and calleth the mother of the lad, |
Pharaoh's daughter said – It is probable that the princess perceived the ruse and cooperated, believing that the little one might as well have its own mother as caretaker. R5251:4
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| 9 and the daughter of Pharaoh saith to her, 'Take this lad away, and suckle him for me, and I I give thy hire;' and the woman taketh the lad, and suckleth him. |
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| 10 And the lad groweth, and she bringeth him in to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he is to her for a son, and she calleth his name Moses, and saith, 'Because from the water I have drawn him.' |
She brought him – Probably when he was 7 or 12 years old, by which time the parents would have instructed the boy in respect to the Abrahamic promises. R2903:1
Became her son – God gave Moses just the kind of education he needed for his work-earliest years under training of godly parents, the remainder of the first 40 years under the most favorable education of his day, the 40 years of retirement for mellowing and refining his character. R1651:3
His name Moses – Supposedly derived from the Coptic, Mo (water) and uses (saved out of it). Some translate "born from the water." R5251:5, R3988:2
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| 11 And it cometh to pass, in those days, that Moses is grown, and he goeth out unto his brethren, and looketh on their burdens, and seeth a man, an Egyptian, smiting a man, a Hebrew, [one] of his brethren, |
When Moses was grown – Moses believed that the time had come for the deliverance. He was ready and anxious to begin that work. He knew not of his own unreadiness. F5252:3
He was 40 years old. R1651:6
That he went out – Typifying that Christ, "though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor." (2 Cor. 8:9). R4058:2
Typifying how Christ left the glory of the heavenly condition, took a bondsman's form as a man, and came to deliver his brethren from bondage. (Phil. 2:6-8 Diaglott) R4058:2
Unto his brethren – Refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. (Heb. 11:24) R2909:1
He would inspire his people with confidence in him by showing them that his sympathies were with them and that he could be relied upon as their leader. R5252:3
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| 12 and he turneth hither and thither, and seeth that there is no man, and smiteth the Egyptian, and hideth him in the sand. |
Slew the Egyptian – How many would be inclined to console themselves with the thought that they were not directly responsible for the injustices whose profits they enjoy. R2909:1
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| 13 And he goeth out on the second day, and lo, two men, Hebrews, striving! and he saith to the wrong-doer, 'Why dost thou smite thy neighbour ' |
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| 14 and he saith, 'Who set thee for a head and a judge over us to slay me art thou saying [it], as thou hast slain the Egyptian ' and Moses feareth, and saith, 'Surely the thing hath been known.' |
And he said – Typifying how Christ "came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:11) R4058:2, R2909:3
Who made thee – There was no such loyalty among his brethren as he had expected. R5252:4
They had not wished his services and had rather resented his interference. R5419:1
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| 15 And Pharaoh heareth of this thing, and seeketh to slay Moses, and Moses fleeth from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelleth in the land of Midian, and dwelleth by the well. |
Moses fled – Fearing for his life. It looked as though all his years of education and development had gone to waste. Moses was now thoroughly crestfallen, meek, tractable, teachable. R5252:4
But Moses, believing the promises, esteemed "the reproaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." (Heb. 11:26) R2909:2
Often spiritual Israelites find their efforts for good rejected and coveted opportunities for the Lord turned away; yet these very lessons fit us for future usefulness. R2909:5
The land of Midian – Typifying the far country, even heaven itself, to which our Jesus went after his rejection by his people. R4058:2
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| 16 And to a priest of Midian [are] seven daughters, and they come and draw, and fill the troughs, to water the flock of their father, |
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| 17 and the shepherds come and drive them away, and Moses ariseth, and saveth them, and watereth their flock. |
Moses stood up – Full of the instinct of justice R5252:4
Helped them – His natural nobleness and training made him chivalrous in the defense of women. R2909:3
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| 18 And they come in to Reuel their father, and he saith, 'Wherefore have ye hastened to come in to-day ' |
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| 19 and they say, 'A man, an Egyptian, hath delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also hath diligently drawn for us, and watereth the flock;' |
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| 20 and he saith unto his daughters, 'And where [is] he why [is] this ye left the man! call for him, and he doth eat bread.' |
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| 21 And Moses is willing to dwell with the man, and he giveth Zipporah his daughter to Moses, |
Content to dwell – A humble shepherd for 40 years, learning a most important lesson of meekness, of full submission to the divine will. A very severe lesson for one not yet understanding God's providences in his affairs. R5252:5, R1651:4, R2909:4
Zipporah his daughter – Typifying the Bride of Christ, chosen from among the Gentiles. R1651:6
Being an African, a black, the sons would, of course, be mulattoes. R2909:4
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| 22 and she beareth a son, and he calleth his name Gershom, for he said, 'A sojourner I have been in a strange land.' |
Bare him a son – Being mulatto, he would have less respect among the Israelites and there would be less tendency to establish a rulership in the family line. R2909:5
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| 23 And it cometh to pass during these many days, that the king of Egypt dieth, and the sons of Israel sigh because of the service, and cry, and their cry goeth up unto God, because of the service; |
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| 24 and God heareth their groaning, and God remembereth His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob; |
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| 25 and God seeth the sons of Israel, and God knoweth. |
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