Daniel P. Barron

1 And a man from the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi. 2 And the woman conceived and bore a son ⁱ and saw him, that he was good, ⁱⁱ so she hid him three months. 3 When she was no longer able to hide him, she took for him a papyrus ⁱⁱⁱ ark and covered it with asphalt and pitch, and set the boy in it, and set it in the reeds upon the edge ^iv of the river. 4 And his sister stood afar off to know what would be done to him. ^v

5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her girls ^vi walked along the side ^vii of the river. And she saw the ark in the midst of the reeds, and sent her maiden and she took it. 6 And she opened it, and saw him, the boy. And behold the lad cried, and she had compassion ^viii upon him and said, “This is from the children of the Hebrews.”

7 And his sister said ^ix to the daughter of Pharaoh, “Shall I go and call a nursing woman for you from the Hebrew women so she can nurse the boy for you?” 8 And the daughter of Pharaoh said to her, “Go.” So the young woman went, and called the boy’s mother. 9 And the daughter of Pharaoh said to her, “Take this boy away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him. 10 And the boy grew and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, ^x and said, “Because I drew him from the water.”

11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses had grown, he went out to his brethren, and looked upon their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man from his brothers. 12 And he turned this way and that way ^xi and saw that there was no one, so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ^xii 13 And he went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrew men were fighting. And he said to the guilty one, “Why are you striking your companion?” 14 And he said, “Who appointed you a prince and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” So Moses feared and said, “Surely the matter is known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. So Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian; and sat down by a well.

16 Now the priest of Midian ^xiii had seven daughters. And they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 And shepherds came and drove them away. But Moses stood up and delivered them, and watered their flock.

18 And they came to Reuel ^xiv their father and he said, “Why did you hasten to come today?” 19 And they said, “An Egyptian man delivered us from the hands of the shepherds, and also, drawing water, he drew for us and watered the flock.” 20 And he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is this you have left the man? Call him, and let him eat bread.” 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Zipporah ^xv his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom, ^xvi for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

23 And it came to pass, in those many days, ^xvii the king of Egypt died, and the sons of Israel groaned from the labor, ^xviii and they cried out, and their cry for help went up to the Gods from the labor. 24 And Gods, he heard their groaning, and Gods, he remembered His covenant with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 And Gods, he saw the sons of Israel, and Gods, he acknowledged ^xix them.

Exodus 1 - Exodus 3

Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf. ^xx

1. Moses was born in 1062 AF, 2718 SC, 1540 BCL (Exodus 7:7; 12:40; see footnote for Genesis 47:9). ^
2. Acts 7:20 records that Moses was “well pleasing to God” (NKJV) as an infant. The KJV for Acts 7:20 says he was “exceedingly fair.” The NAS says he was “lovely in the sight of God.” The NIV says he was “no ordinary child.” The Greek is αστειος τω θεω (asteios to theo). The KJV and NIV completely leave out the word “God” (theo) in Acts 7:20. The Greek word αστειος (asteios) is used one other place in the NT, and there (Hebrews 11:23, αστειον, asteion) it is translated, “beautiful” (NKJV, NAS), “proper” (KJV), “no ordinary” (NIV, “no ordinary child”). ^
3. גֹּמֶא (gome') - used also in Job 8:11; Isaiah 18:2; and 35:7. ^
4. שְׂפַת (sephat) - more literally, “lip.” ^
5. Some serious trust in God is displayed here for the life of their child! ^
6. נַעֲרֹתֶיהָ (na`aroteyhâ) - this is the common word for young girl. Maiden (אֲמָתָהּ, 'amâtâh) is used later in the verse. ^
7. יַד (yad) - more literally, “hand.” ^
8. תַּחְמֹל (tachmol) - The compassion here includes the idea of sparing the child’s life (Exodus 1:16, 22), which is how this word can be used. For example, this word is used in 1 Samuel 15:3, 9, and 15 where God told Saul not to spare any of the Amalekites or anything they owned, but in disobedience to this, Saul spared Agag (1 Samuel 15:9) and some of the animals (1 Samuel 15:15). ^
9. She obviously was not too far off (Exodus 2:4). ^
10. מֹשֶׁה (mosheh) - This is the only man in Scripture with this name. It appears to mean “drawn out one” (from מָשָׁה, mashah). The English spelling (Moses) appears to come from the LXX, μωυσης (mousas). ^
11. וַיִּפֶן כֹּה וָכּה (vayyiphen koh vâkhoh) - more literally, “And he turned here and here.” ^
12. Scripture never condemns Moses for this, and never calls it murder. Acts 7:24-25 indicates it was actually godly what Moses did. He delivered the oppressed (Job 29:17; Psalm 94:16). ^
13. Exodus 18:1, 9-24 appears to indicate this priest was a priest of Yehvah. ^
14. רְעוּאֵל (re`u'êl) - He is mentioned by this name here and in Numbers 10:29. Elsewhere he has the name Jethro (יּתְרוֹ [yitro]) in Exodus 3:1; 4:18a (יֶתֶר [yeter]); 4:18b; 18:1-2, 5-6, 9-10, and 12. ^
15. צִפֹּרָה (tsipporâh) – "Zipporah" – found also only in Exodus 4:25; 18:2. This appears to be a female form for "bird," yet the word for bird, צִפֹּר (tsippor) is feminine (e.g. Deuteronomy 14:11). Moses also married an Ethopian woman (Numbers 12:1) and a Kenite (Judges 1:16; 4:11). The Hebrew word for "Kenite" (קיִנִי [qêyniy]) is from the name "Cain" (קַיִן [qayin]), the same name as the "Cain" of Genesis 4. ^
16. גֵּרְשֹׁם (gêreshom) - This name appears to mean “sojourner there.” It is found for this man also in Exodus 18:3; 1 Chronicles 23:15-16; 26:24; and Judges 18:30. There is also a son of Levi with this name in 1 Chronicles 6:16, 17, 20, 43, 62, 71 (Hebrew, 1 Chronicles 6:1-2, 5, 28, 47, 56); and 15:7, who is also called גֵּרְשׁוֹן (gêreshon), e.g. Exodus 6:16-17; Numbers 3:17-18, 21, 25; 4:22). There is also a son of Phinehas by the name of Gershom in Ezra 8:2. ^
17. Somewhere within forty years (Acts 7:30). ^
18. הָעֲבֹדָה (hâ`avodâh) - KJV, NKJV, and NAS translate this word “bondage.” This word is used for simple general work (labor, e.g. Psalm 104:23), the work or service of God (e.g. Joshua 22:27), or the work of a slave (as here). The NIV translates this “slavery.” LXX uses the plural form of the word for works or tasks, εργων (ergon). In the Hebrew this word is in the singular form. ^
19. יֵּדַע (yyêda`) - or “knew them.” ^
20. Mirrored here. ^