Exodus 2:15
in Exodus 2When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Now 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.
KJV
Now 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.
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This verse in Exodus 2
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
No Egyptian king would have left; such an offence unpunished. But the position of Moses, as an adopted son of a princess, made it necessary even for a despotic sovereign to take unusual precautions. The land of Midian - The Midianites occupied an extensive district from the eastern coast of the Red Sea to the borders of Moab.
This site's exposition
and he sat down by a well
Moses leaves the court he was raised in and ends the verse sitting at a water hole in a foreign country. Genesis stages that scene twice, with Abraham's servant at Genesis 24:11 and with Jacob at Genesis 29:2, and the same shape runs a third time from here to verse 21. Hebrews 11:27 says he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king while verse 14 says Moses feared, and readers take the two either as different moments or as fear of a man set beside faith in God.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Moses went out from Egypt and was made a prophet and sent back to the people that he might free their souls from the land of affliction.
Thus did Moses flee from the face of Pharaoh, so that the royal palace would not defile him or royal power ensnare him. Indeed, he valued reproach for Christ as more precious than the riches of Egypt.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
If this be his forsaking of Egypt which the apostle refers to as done by faith ( Heb. xi. 27 ), it teaches us that when we are at any time in trouble and danger for doing our duty the grace of faith will be of good use to us in taking proper methods for our own preservation. Yet there it is said, He feared not the wrath of the king; here it is said he feared,
Hither he came, and sat down by a well; tired and thoughtful, waiting to see which way Providence would direct him. It was a great change with him, since he was but the other day at ease in Pharaoh's court.
Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The headquarters of Jethro are supposed to have been where Dahab-Madian now stands; and from Moses coming direct to that place, he may have travelled with a caravan of merchants. But another place is fixed by tradition in Wady Shuweib, or Jethro's valley, on the east of the mountain of Moses. sat down by a well--(See on Ge 29:3).
Pharaoh - sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh - How can this be reconciled with Heb 11:27: By faith he (Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king? Very easily. The apostle speaks not of this forsaking of Egypt, but of his and the Israelites’ final departure from it, and of the bold and courageous manner in which Moses treated Pharaoh and the Egyptians, disregarding his threatenings and the multitudes of them that pursued after the people whom, in the name and strength of God, he led in the face of their enemies out of Egypt. Dwelt in the land of Midian - A country generally supposed to have been in Arabia Petraea, on the eastern coast of the Red Sea, not far from Mount Sinai. This place is still called by the Arabs the land of Midian or the land of Jethro. Abul Farajius calls it the land of the Arabs. It is supposed that the Midianites derived their origin from Midian, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, thus: - Abraham, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan and Midian, Raguel, Jethro; see Gen 25:1. But Calmet contends that if Jethro had been of the family of Abraham, either by Jokshan, or Midian, Aaron and Miriam could not have reproached Moses with marrying a Cushite, Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel. He thinks therefore that the Midianites were of the progeny of Cush, the son of Ham; see Gen 10:6.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
WILT THOU SPEAK TO KILL ME? “From here we learn that Moses had killed the Egyptian by merely pronouncing the Tetragrammaton.” 84 The Tetragrammaton ( Shem Hamphorash or Shem Hamyuchad ) is the Proper Name of G-d.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע | vaiyishma' | and he heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| פַּרְעֹה֙ | paroh | Pharaoh | H6547 → | 274 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַדָּבָ֣ר | hadavar | the matter | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הַזֶּ֔ה | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| וַיְבַקֵּ֖שׁ | vayvakesh | and he sought | H1245 → | 225 times |
| לַהֲרֹ֣ג | laharog | to kill | H2026 → | 167 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֑ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| וַיִּבְרַ֤ח | vaiyivrach | and he fled | H1272 → | 63 times |
| מֹשֶׁה֙ | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| מִפְּנֵ֣י | mipenei | from before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| פַרְעֹ֔ה | faroh | Pharaoh | H6547 → | 274 times |
| וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב | vaiyeshev | and he dwelt | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בְּאֶֽרֶץ־ | beeretz- | in [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִדְיָ֖ן | midyan | Midian | H4080 → | 59 times |
| וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב | vaiyeshev | and he sat | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| עַֽל־ | ʾal- | at | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַבְּאֵֽר׃ | habeer | the well | H875 → |
וַיִּשְׁמַ֤עand he heard
vaiyishma'H8085 →1159 times
פַּרְעֹה֙Pharaoh
parohH6547 →274 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַדָּבָ֣רthe matter
hadavarH1697 →1440 times
הַזֶּ֔ה<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
וַיְבַקֵּ֖שׁand he sought
vayvakeshH1245 →225 times
לַהֲרֹ֣גto kill
laharogH2026 →167 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מֹשֶׁ֑הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
וַיִּבְרַ֤חand he fled
vaiyivrachH1272 →63 times
מֹשֶׁה֙Moses
moshehH4872 →765 times
מִפְּנֵ֣יfrom before
mipeneiH6440 →2123 times
פַרְעֹ֔הPharaoh
farohH6547 →274 times
וַיֵּ֥שֶׁבand he dwelt
vaiyeshevH3427 →1079 times
בְּאֶֽרֶץ־in [the] land of
beeretz-H776 →2504 times
מִדְיָ֖ןMidian
midyanH4080 →59 times
וַיֵּ֥שֶׁבand he sat
vaiyeshevH3427 →1079 times
עַֽל־at
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַבְּאֵֽר׃the well
habeerH875 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hebrews 11:27By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
- Hebrews 11:13
All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the…
- Exodus 2:14–15
But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done…
- Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.
- Exodus 14:10–13
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified and cried out to the LORD.
- 2 Corinthians 4:18
Through
Genesis 24:11As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 9:11
And as they were climbing the hill to the city, they met some young women coming out to draw water and asked, “Is the seer here?”
- 1 Samuel 9:11
Through
Genesis 29:2He looked and saw a well in the field, and near it lay three flocks of sheep, because the sheep were watered from this well. And a large stone covered the mouth of the…
it leads to
Where this verse is studied
About Exodus
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Interrogation of Job and David 4.4.14; Ambrose of Milan, FLIGHT FROM THE WORLD 4.4.18; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.