Exodus 2:20
in Exodus 2“So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
KJV
And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
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This verse in Exodus 2
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThat he may eat bread - That he may be entertained, and receive refreshment to proceed on his journey. Bread, among the Hebrews, was used to signify all kinds of food commonly used for the support of man’s life.
This site's exposition
when they came to Reuel their father
on Exodus 2:18-20
The daughters run home and tell their father, as Rebekah did at Genesis 24:28 and Rachel at Genesis 29:12, and the stranger is called in to eat bread. They report him as an Egyptian, which is what his dress and his speech made him to a Midianite eye. The priest is Reuel here and Jethro at Exodus 3:1 and 18:1, and Numbers 10:29 names Raguel as the father of Hobab, so some read Reuel as the clan head or grandfather while others read the two names as belonging to one man.
This site's exposition
Invite him to have something to eat
Reuel rebukes his daughters for leaving behind the man who helped them and tells them to invite him to a meal. Hospitality to a stranger was a duty in the ancient Near East, and this invitation leads to Moses settling in Midian and marrying in the next verse. The Hebrew says bread, which Adam Clarke notes stood for food of every kind.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Thus God will recompense the kindnesses which are at any time shown to his children; they shall in no wise lose their reward. Moses soon recommended himself to the esteem and good affection of this prince of Midian, who took him into his house, and, in process of time, married one of his daughters to him (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And he said unto his daughters, and where is he?....
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בְּנֹתָ֖יו | benotav | daughters his | H1323 → | 588 times |
| וְאַיּ֑וֹ | veaiyo | and where [is]? he | H335 → | |
| לָ֤מָּה | lamah | <to> why? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| זֶּה֙ | zeh | this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| עֲזַבְתֶּ֣ן | ʾazavten | have you left | H5800 → | 215 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאִ֔ישׁ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| קִרְאֶ֥ן | kiren | invite | H7121 → | 733 times |
| ל֖וֹ | lo | <to> <the> him | ||
| וְיֹ֥אכַל | veyokhal | so he may eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| לָֽחֶם׃ | lachem | food | H3899 → | 298 times |
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בְּנֹתָ֖יוdaughters his
benotavH1323 →588 times
וְאַיּ֑וֹand where [is]? he
veaiyoH335 →
לָ֤מָּה<to> why?
lamahH4100 →752 times
זֶּה֙this
zehH2088 →1180 times
עֲזַבְתֶּ֣ןhave you left
ʾazavtenH5800 →215 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָאִ֔ישׁthe man
haishH376 →1663 times
קִרְאֶ֥ןinvite
kirenH7121 →733 times
ל֖וֹ<to> <the> him
lo
וְיֹ֥אכַלso he may eat
veyokhalH398 →810 times
לָֽחֶם׃food
lachemH3899 →298 times
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 13:2Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
it leads to
- Matthew 25:35
For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 18:1
Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent.
- 1 Peter 4:9
Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
- Romans 12:13
Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.
- Matthew 25:43
I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
- Matthew 25:35
Through
Job 31:32but no stranger had to lodge on the street, for my door has been open to the traveler—
it leads to
- Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
- Genesis 19:2–3
and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we…
- Hebrews 13:2
Through
Genesis 31:54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.
it leads to
- Exodus 18:12
Then Moses’ father-in-law Jethro brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
- Exodus 18:12
Where this verse is studied
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.