Exodus 2:4
in Exodus 2And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
KJV
And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
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This verse in Exodus 2
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
And his sister stood afar off
on Exodus 2:4-6
The sister posts herself downstream to see what will be done, and the chapter leaves her unnamed, though Exodus 15:20 and Numbers 26:59 give her as Miriam. Pharaoh's daughter identifies the child correctly the moment she opens the ark, saying that this is one of the Hebrews' children, and she keeps him. The decree of Exodus 1:22 is broken inside Pharaoh's own house by Pharaoh's own daughter.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. 7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
And his sister stood afar off,....
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתֵּתַצַּ֥ב | vatetatzav | and she stood | H3320 → | 48 times |
| אֲחֹת֖וֹ | ʾachoto | sister his | H269 → | 114 times |
| מֵרָחֹ֑ק | merachok | from a distance | H7350 → | 84 times |
| לְדֵעָ֕ה | ledeah | to know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| יֵּעָשֶׂ֖ה | yeaseh | will it be done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| לֽוֹ׃ | lo | to <the> him |
וַתֵּתַצַּ֥בand she stood
vatetatzavH3320 →48 times
אֲחֹת֖וֹsister his
ʾachotoH269 →114 times
מֵרָחֹ֑קfrom a distance
merachokH7350 →84 times
לְדֵעָ֕הto know
ledeahH3045 →945 times
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
יֵּעָשֶׂ֖הwill it be done
yeasehH6213 →2628 times
לֽוֹ׃to <the> him
lo
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
Exodus 15:20Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.
it leads to
- Psalms 150:4
Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute.
- 1 Samuel 18:6
As the troops were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs, and…
- Psalms 68:25
The singers lead the way, the musicians follow after, among the maidens playing tambourines.
- Psalms 149:3
Let them praise His name with dancing, and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.
- Judges 11:34
And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her.
- Psalms 150:4
Through
Micah 6:4For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent Moses before you, as well as Aaron and Miriam.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 7:8
But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand…
- Exodus 12:51
And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.
- Deuteronomy 7:8
Through
Numbers 26:59and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.
it leads to
- Exodus 6:20
And Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.
- Exodus 6:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
About Exodus

This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
