Notes on Exodus 2

Blaine Robison, M.A.

Published 6 January 2024

Scripture Text: The Scripture text of this commentary is prepared by Blaine Robison based on the Westminster Leningrad Codex found at BibleHub.com. The essentially literal translation seeks to reflect the Hebraic character of the author and writing. Other Bible versions may be quoted. Click here for Abbreviations of Bible Versions.

Sources: Important Jewish sources include the following:

● LXX: The abbreviation "LXX" ("70") stands for the Septuagint, the Jewish translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, which was in use among Jews by the mid-2nd century B.C. Online.

● MT: The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Tanakh for Rabbinic Judaism. Work on developing a uniform Hebrew Bible began in the 2nd century under Rabbi Akiva, but completed by Jewish scholars known as the Masoretes between the 7th and 10th centuries A.D. The oldest extant manuscripts date from around the 9th century. Online.

● Talmud: Unless otherwise indicated references to the Talmud are from the Soncino Babylonian Talmud (1948); available online at Halakhah.com. The Jerusalem Talmud, identified with "TJ," may be found here. Click here for Talmud abbreviations.

Special Terms: In order to emphasize the Hebraic nature of Scripture I use the terms ADONAI (for 'LORD' when quoting a Tanakh source), Tanakh (Old Testament), Besekh (New Testament), Yeshua (Jesus) and Messiah (Christ).

Syntax: Unless otherwise noted the meaning of Hebrew words is from The New Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (1981). Parsing information for Hebrew verbs is taken from John Joseph Owens, Analytical Key to the Old Testament (1989). An explanation of Hebrew verbs and grammatical construction can be found at Hebrew4Christians.com.

Parashah Overview

Parashah Shemot ("these are the names"), Exodus 1:1−6:1, tells of the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, the birth, hiding and rescuing of the infant Moses, the actions of Moses resulting in his flight from Pharaoh, the sojourn of Moses in Midian, the calling of Moses at Mt. Horeb, and finally the return of Moses to Egypt and his meeting with the Israelite elders and Pharaoh.

Chapter Outline

Birth and Adoption of Moses, 2:1-10

Intervention of Moses and Flight to Midian, 2:11-15

Domestic Life in Midian, 2:16-22

Report of Israelites in Egypt, 2:23-25

23 Now it came to pass after those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry rose up to God, because of the bondage.

Now it came to pass: Heb. v'hayah, Qal consec. impf., "to become." The verb is used to introduce an important event that includes some dramatic action by God or an individual that impacts biblical history or serves God's sovereign planning. after those many days: The "many days" are the years between the birth of Moses and the birth of his children in Midian (Keil). The days of Moses' sojourn in exile had gained him a family. As Moses was now eighty years old (Ex 7:7), and only forty when he left Egypt (Acts 7:23). His life of 120 years can be easily divided into three 40-year periods, the first being his birth and early life in Egypt (Ex 2:11; Acts 7:23), the second his years in Midian (Ex 7:7; Acts 7:30), and the third from the Exodus from Egypt through the years spent in the wilderness until his death (Ex 16:35; Deut 34:7; Acts 7:36).

the king: Heb. melek. In the Tanakh the title "king" was not associated with the size of territory governed (often a city), but the authority wielded. The executive and judicial functions (and sometimes legislative) of government were vested in one person. of Egypt: Heb. Mitsrayim, a land in northeastern Africa, home to one of the earliest civilizations, and an important cultural and political influence on ancient Israel. See the map here. In contrast to the modern nation, ancient Egypt was confined to the Nile River valley, a long, narrow ribbon of fertile land (the "black land") surrounded by uninhabitable desert (the "red land").

Egypt proper, from the first cataract of the Nile to the Mediterranean, is some 750 miles long. The English word "Egypt" is derived from the Greek word Aiguptos via Middle French "Egypte" and Latin "Aegyptus." The Greek historian Herodotus (440 BC) provides perhaps the earliest secular account of ancient Egyptian culture (Histories, Book II). An Egyptian priest, Manetho of Sebennytus (285-246 BC), wrote a book Aegyptiaca in Greek to acquaint the Mediterranean world with the history and civilization of his country. The original work has perished, but fragments have been preserved and transmitted by other ancient authors. See the complete work here: Manetho.

Jewish knowledge of the kings of Egypt was dependent largely on the traditions by Manetho. Josephus offered a critique of Manetho's historical perspective of the time of Joseph (Contra Apion 1:15). Modern historians rely on archaeological evidence as well as ancient sources, but caution that many of the ancient king lists were written long after the reigns they report and are often damaged, inconsistent with one another and/or selective.

died: Heb. muth, Qal consec. impf. The LXX has Grk. teleutaō, to finish life, come to an end. The Pharaoh who had threatened the life of Moses was gone. the sons: Heb. ben, masc. pl., son, son of, , which is used in three distinctive ways: (1) to identify direct paternity; (2) to mean not the actual father but a more distant ancestor; or (3) to mean in a broader sense of having the characteristics of. CJB has "people." In context "sons" is preferred because they were the ones engaged in physical labor as required by Pharaoh. of Israel: Heb. Yishrael ("God strives"), the name God gave to Jacob (Gen 32:28; 35:10), while he was en route from Padam-Aram to Canaan. By this time, over 200 years after Jacob entered Egypt, his descendants numbered in the hundreds of thousands (cf. Ex 12:37). (See Josephus, Ant. II, 15:2.)

groaned: Heb. anach, Niphal consec. impf., may mean (1) to sigh as a token of grief; or (2) groan in physical distress. The second meaning is intended here. The Israelites had perhaps expected that a new king would initiate a new policy of tolerance toward them, but the new king decided to make the Israelites slaves of the government. because of the bondage: Heb. abodah, labor, service, principally resulting from labor in public works in building cities and great monuments.

and they cried out: Heb. za'aq, Qal consec. impf., to cry, cry out, to call. and their cry: Heb. shavah, a cry for help. rose up: Heb. alah, Qal consec. impf., to ascend, climb, go up. to God: Heb. Ha-Elohim, the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Creator and owner of all things (Gen 1:1). The definite article signifies "the One called." This divine name for God is not a philosophical construct for monotheism, the belief in one deity. It is a common idea in the world that all religions worship the same god under different names. That was certainly true of the pagan religions in ancient times. But, affirming monotheism does not equal believing in the God of the Bible.

Elohim is a Person and this Hebrew name signifies His sovereign governorship of the universe (Acts 17:24). Elohim is the only God there is (Deut 4:35, 39; 2Sam 7:22; 1Kgs 8:60; Isa 44:6; 45:21; 46:9; Mark 12:32). This statement, taken in connection with the two following verses, proves that the Israelites retained their faith in the God who created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1) and the God of their Fathers (Ex 3:13). The divine name occurs five times in three verses, making it a significant feature of the passage. When God first revealed Himself to Jacob He said, "I am YHVH, Elohim of Avraham and Elohim of Yitzhak" (Gen 28:13).

It's no accident that three times Scripture affirms "YHVH is Ha-Elohim," by Joshua (Josh 22:34), King Solomon (1Kgs 8:60) and Elijah (1Kgs 18:21). In addition, over 400 times the personal name YHVH is paired with Elohim, so that they are intimately bound together. Elohim can never be associated with the deities worshiped in other religions and cults. The truth is that the only people that believe in the true God are Jews and Christians. The gods of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, pantheism, and the numerous national folk religions and cults do not exist in reality.

The Scriptures clearly teach that the deities worshipped by the pagan nations or other religions are in fact demons (Lev 17:7; Deut 32:17; Jdg 2:12; 2Kgs 19:18; 23:8; 1Chr 5:25; 2Chr 11:15; Ps 96:5; 106:37; Isa 13:19-21; 1Tim 4:1; Rev 9:20; 16:14; 18:20). So, from the Bible’s perspective, a false god is a demon, and he who follows a false god engages in idolatry and participates in counterfeit worship.

because of the bondage: Heb. abodah. The repetition of the noun emphasizes the motivation behind crying out to God for help. "Exceeding bitter cries" always find their way to the ears of Elohim. The existing oppression was such that Israel cried to God as they had never cried before, and so moved Him to have compassion on them. The miraculous action, begun in Exodus 3, is the result of the cries and groans mentioned here.

The descendants of Jacob had lived as second class citizens for a hundred years, but now with this new king they were subjected to bondage in order to erect great monuments to the new ruler. They groaned because of the ordeal of hard physical labor and the burden it placed on families trying to just stay alive. Edersheim comments that centuries had passed without any communication or revelation from the God of their fathers, so it must therefore be considered a revival of religion when, under such circumstances, the people, instead of either despairing or plotting rebellion against Pharaoh, turned in earnest prayer to God (162).

The Israelites cried out to the only true God, not any of the false deities worshipped by the Egyptians. ADONAI and Moses will later credit this spirit of prayer as vital in bringing about their deliverance from Egypt (Ex 3:7; Num 20:16; Deut 26:7-8; cf. Ps 81:5-7). God answers prayer (cf. 1Sam 9:16; Jer 29:12; Neh 9:9; Ps 34:15; 106:44; 145:18-19). God has not changed. He hears us when we call out to Him. He remembers His covenantal promises. He sees what His people are suffering throughout the world and stands with them. The day of deliverance and justice is coming.

24 So God heard their groans, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

So God: Heb. Elohim. See the previous verse. heard: Heb. shama, Qal consec. impf., to hear. The verb indicates hearing audibly and giving attention with comprehension. their groans: Heb. neagah, m.pl., a groan, groaning, used here of response to oppression. The LXX has stenagmos, a groaning or sighing, especially brought on by circumstances creating great pressure (HELPS). The groaning resulted from the bad treatment of taskmasters. The Greek term occurs only twice in the Besekh, first of the groaning of the Israelites in Egypt (Acts 7:34) and then the groaning of the Holy Spirit as He intercedes for God's people (Rom 8:26).

In this setting the chosen people groaned because of the work burdens that were imposed on them. They groaned for the promised covenantal blessings. Their groans were loud in the ears of the righteous God, to whom vengeance belongs.

and God: Heb. Elohim. remembered: Heb. zakar, Qal consec. impf., to call something to mind that one has noted or thought about in the past; recollect, remember, recall, call to mind. The verb could be translated "kept remembering." The verb does not imply that God ever forgot His people. For God remembering means being faithful to keep His covenantal promises (e.g. Gen 9:14; Ex 2:24; Lev 26:42). His remembering is an important divine attribute and in Scripture His remembering is always directed toward either individuals whom He favored (Noah, Abraham, Rachel, Hannah) or to the people of Israel.

His covenant: Heb. b'rit, pact, compact, or covenant. In ancient Semitic culture the term b'rit was used in regard to human agreements (Gen 14:13; 1Sam 18:3; 2Sam 3:12), but the regular use of b'rit is in regard to a proclamation of favor declared by God to named individuals and their descendants. The covenant included immutable promises and an enduring sign of the covenant's validity. The divinely initiated covenant also incorporated obligations for the recipient to keep. For a detailed discussion of all these covenants see my web article The Everlasting Covenants.

The LXX uses diathēkē to translate b'rit, which refers to a declaration of God's will, an irrevocable disposition made by God of His own gracious choice to secure an inheritance to those He favored. The Jewish translators of the LXX might have chosen to use sunthēkē, which only means an agreement, but instead they chose uniformly to translate b'rit with diathēkē (DNTT 1:365). Important to note is that the divine b'rit refers to a declaration of God's will, not the result of an agreement between two parties. The divine covenant was "with" a beneficiary only in the sense of their being chosen by God.

Zodhiates explains that diathēkē was chosen because it had the meaning of will or testament (425). The first use of b'rit with the patriarchs is Genesis 15:18 and God offered His covenant after Abraham expressed concern about the lack of a son to pass on inheritance (Gen 15:2-3). In the third century B.C. diathēkē was the best Greek word available to express the Hebrew idea of a solemn and irrevocable disposition made by God Himself of His own gracious choice and meant to secure an inheritance to the one He favored.

The covenant mentioned here is the absolute will of God and cannot be contested (cf. Rom 9:1-5; 11:1-2). God did not remember the covenant because of the so-called "merits of the fathers" claimed by the Jewish Sages (Jerusalem Talmud, Ta'anit 1:1; Deut Rabbah 2:23), but because YHVH-Elohim swore an oath to confirm the decree (Gen 24:7; 26:3; Ex 6:8; 13:5; 32:13; Deut 6:10). The inheritance God originally promised to the patriarchs was the land bounded by the Nile River, the Euphrates River, the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea (Gen 15:18; 17:8; Ex 23:31; cf. 1Kgs 4:21). See a graphic of the promised territory here. So by God's will the land between the River and the Sea belongs to the Jewish people.

with Abraham: Heb. Abraham, the first Hebrew patriarch. He was the son of Terah, a descendant of Noah's son, Shem (Gen 11:27). He grew up in Ur of the Chaldees, a prominent Sumerian city. See the map here. He was known at the beginning as Abram ("father is exalted"), but his name was changed subsequently to Abraham ("father of a multitude") (Gen 17:5). God first spoke to Abraham when he was living in Ur (Acts 7:2-3; cf. Gen 15:7; Neh 9:7) and directed him to go to a land to be revealed later.

Abraham must have related this divine instruction to his father since Genesis records that Terah took his entire family from Ur, intending to go to Canaan (Gen 11:31). However, Terah stopped in Haran and settled there. Then God spoke to Abraham a second time and called him to leave Haran and migrate to Canaan, a land promised to Abraham's descendants (Gen 12:1-7). Suring his sojourn there God spoke to him several times, making important covenantal promises and giving lifestyle instructions for Abraham and his descendants (Gen 13:14; 15:1, 5, 18; 17:1-21; 18:13, 16, 20, 26-32; 22:1). For more information on the great patriarch see my article The Story of Abraham.

In the Genesis narrative God made immutable promises to Abram long before the term covenant is employed. When Abram was 75 years old God called Abram to leave Haran and made three promises (Gen 12:2-3): (1) God would make Abram into a great nation; (2) God would bless those who blessed Abram and curse those who cursed him; and (3) in Abram all the families of the earth would be blessed. A year later God added two promises (Gen 13:14-17): (1) all the land that Abram could see in all four directions and that he could walk through would belong to him and his seed forever, i.e., the land of Canaan; and (2) Abram's "seed" (descendants) would be as numerous as the dust of the earth.

When Abram was 84 years old (Ussher 25), he expressed his concern for an heir. and God, using the term "covenant," made three promises plus added a prophecy of the future (Gen 15:4-21). God promised Abram (1) an heir from his body; (2) descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; and (3) all the land between the Nile and the Euphrates, including the land of Canaan, for his descendants.

Then when Abram was 99 years old God met with him a fourth time (Gen 17:1-22) and reaffirmed His previous promise of land, but modified it as "the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession" (Gen 17:8 NASU). God also added expectations. The expectations were these: (1) walk in a blameless manner; (2) every male of the present and future generations would be circumcised; and (3) accept a name change for himself as Abraham and his wife as Sarah. God made the promise of an heir more specific by declaring that a son would be born of Sarah and he would be named Isaac. On this occasion God declared the covenant to be everlasting.

with Isaac: Heb. Yitschaq, (Grk. Isaak), Anglicized as "Isaac," the only son of Abraham by Sarah when Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety (Gen 21:1-6). Isaac was actually Abraham's second-born child, Ishmael being his first-born by Hagar, Abraham's concubine-wife. God made it clear to Abraham that being the child of promise the Messianic line would go through Isaac (Gen 21:12). Isaac became a child of sacrifice and a type of Yeshua when God commanded Abraham to take his son to the land of Moriah and present a burnt offering (Gen 22:1-14).

Through the matchmaking efforts of his father, Isaac married his cousin Rebekah (Gen 24:67), who bore him twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Gen 25:21-28). Some seventeen years after the death of Abraham (Ussher 29) God reiterated the covenant He made with Abraham with his son Isaac and promised that (1) the seed of Isaac would be multiplied as the stars; (2) the land of Canaan would belong to Isaac's seed; and (3) in Isaac's seed all the nations would be blessed (Gen 26:3-4). Isaac became quite prosperous and made his home in Beersheba (Gen 26:23-25). Isaac died at Mamre near Hebron at the age of 180 and was buried by his sons (Gen 35:27-29).

and with Jacob: Heb. Ya'akov (Grk. Iakōb), the son of the patriarch Isaac. The meaning of Jacob's name, "heel-catcher," had no pejorative connotation when first given by Isaac to his son. As indicated by Hosea 12:3, "heel-catcher" illustrated the strength and power he had with God. The story of Jacob is narrated in Genesis 25−50. He was the second born of the twin sons of Isaac by Rebekah, probably at Beer-Lachai-Roi in the Negev (cf. Gen 24:62; 25:11, 20, 26). Before Jacob's birth God informed Rebekah "There are two nations in your womb. From birth they will be two rival peoples. One of these peoples will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger" (Gen 25:23 CJB).

By this statement God decreed that Jacob, even though born second, would have all the rights of the firstborn: (1) superior rank in his family (Gen 49:3); (2) a double portion of the paternal inheritance (Deut 21:17); (3) the priestly office in the family (Num 8:17-19); and (4) the promise of the Seed in which all nations of the earth were to be blessed (Gen 22:18). Moses summarized the character of Esau and Jacob: "And the boys grew up, and Esau was a man, a skillful hunter, a man of the field, and Jacob was a complete man, dwelling in tents." (Gen 25:27 BR). From the time of his birth Jacob was a good man who lived as a shepherd, whereas his brother Esau became an enterprising hunter.

Jacob is described with the adjective tam, which means "perfect, complete, blameless, morally innocent, having integrity." This is the same word used to describe Job (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3) and Noah (Gen 6:9) and prescribed as God's expectation of Abraham (Gen 17:1). However, Bible scholars do not want to accord Jacob the same status as Noah and Job and inexplicably render tam in his case as "quiet," "peaceful," "plain," or "mild." (Check your own version.)

Esau, on the other hand, imitated Nimrod in being a big game hunter (Gen 10:9), and eventually became an immoral and godless man (Gen 28:8-9; Heb 12:16). Unfortunately common Christian interpretation of Jacob's story has conveniently ignored God's will and twisted the facts of the story in order to take up an offense for Esau. Christian commentators generally allege that Jacob and his mother conspired to deceive the aged patriarch with the view of stealing the birthright for Jacob. Bible publishers even title the relevant section as "The Stolen Blessing," which represents a monstrous lie and defamation.

Indeed, in contrast to God some Christians have loved Esau and hated Jacob (cf. Mal 1:2-3). Even in this modern time Palestinian terrorists gain more sympathy from many Americans than Israeli victims. The truth is Jacob couldn't steal what already belonged to him, but in fact Rebecca's planned deceit prevented Isaac from committing a monstrous fraud and rebellion against God. Isaac realized his error and gave a second blessing to Jacob that left no doubt as to his rights. (See my article Our Father Jacob in which I set the record straight.)

God continued the Abrahamic covenant with Isaac's son Jacob (Gen 28:10-22; 35:9-12), affirming the same promises. This verse emphasizes that YHVH-Elohim is the one who chose Isaac (not Ishmael, Gen. 17:18-21) and Jacob (not Esau, Gen 25:23) and made an everlasting covenant with them. God's covenant was not merely inherited by Isaac and Jacob, but God personally revealed Himself to Isaac and Jacob as He did to Abraham and entered into covenant with them.

YHVH-Elohim describes Himself repeatedly in the Bible as the God who is bound by everlasting covenant to Israel. He is the God who loves Israel (Deut 7:7-9; Hos 2:14-23; 11:1-4, 8; 14:4). YHVH-Elohim is the One who promised the land of Canaan to the descendants of Isaac and Jacob (Gen 12:7; 15:18; 17:8; 26:3-5; 28:10-15; 35:9-12; Ex 32:13), not any descendants of Ishmael and Esau. The so-called "Two State Solution" is an attack on God's covenantal promise to Israel.

The promise to "remember His holy covenant" offers a rebuttal to Christian Replacement Theology, which purports that God canceled His covenant with Israel. Yeshua did not abrogate the promises made to the patriarchs and to Israel since he did not come to abolish the Torah (Matt 5:17). Thus, all the covenantal promises God made are "YES" in Yeshua (2Cor 1:20).

25 And God looked upon the sons of Israel, and God knew them.

And God: Heb. Elohim. See verse 23 above. looked upon: Heb. ra'ah, Qal consec. impf., to perceive physically with the eyes, to see, to look upon. The LXX has epeidon, to look upon, behold, to regard favorably. the sons: pl. of Heb. ben; i.e., the descendants. of Israel: Heb. Yisrael. See verse 23 above. God looked upon the descendants of Jacob in Egypt with the same favor that He had given their forefathers. God fervently loved His chosen people (Deut 7:7-8).

and God: Heb. Elohim. knew them: Heb. yada, Qal consec. impf., to know. The verb emphasizes continual observing and taking note of. Keil comments that God's notice has all the energy of love and pity. God recognized them as the chosen seed of Abraham, and, therefore had a relationship with them. God also knew their sorrows and suffering and took notice of what was done to them (cf. Ex 3:7). God was invested in their survival and so He manifested His love towards them.

Works Cited

BDB: The New Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. London: Oxford University Press, 1907. Reprinted by Associated Publishers and Authors, Inc., 1981. Online at BibleHub.com.

DNTT: Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 3 Vols. Colin Brown, ed. Zondervan Publishing House, 1975.

Edersheim: Alfred Edersheim, Bible History Old Testament (1876-87). Hendrickson Publishers, 1995. Online.

Keil: C.F. Keil, The Pentateuch, Vol. 1 of Commentary on the Old Testament (1866-1891) by C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch. Hendrickson, 2006.

Ussher: Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656), The Annals of the World (1658). Master Books, 2003. Online. See the summary chart.

Zodhiates: Spiros Zodhiates (1922-2009), ed. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. AMG Publishers, 1992, 1993.