Exodus 2

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 2 of 40

1 And a man from the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.

2 And the woman conceived and bore a son; and she saw him, that he was beautiful. And she concealed him three months.

3 And she was not able to hide him any longer, and she took a basket made of papyrus for him, and she daubed it with bitumen and with pitch. And she put the child in it, and placed it in the reeds by the lip of the Nile.

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Chapter Summary

1 Moses is born 3 and placed in a basket among the reeds by the lip of the Nile. 5 Discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, she adopts him. 11 He slays an Egyptian. 15 He flees into Midian.

Key Hebrew Words

תֵּבָה basket, ark H8392 · TWOT 2492
מָשָׁה draw out H4871 · TWOT 1253
צָפַן hide, conceal H6845 · TWOT 1953
גֵּר sojourner, alien H1616 · TWOT 330a
זָכַר remember H2142 · TWOT 551
בְּרִית covenant H1285 · TWOT 282a

People & Context

Moses

Levite child hidden, drawn from the Nile, who slays an Egyptian and flees to Midian

Pharaoh's Daughter

Egyptian princess who finds the infant in the reeds, adopts him, and names him Moses

Miriam

Moses' sister who watches from a distance and fetches a Hebrew nurse for him

Jochebed

daughter of Levi, Moses' mother, who hides him and is hired to nurse her own son

Reuel

priest of Midian (Jethro) who takes Moses in and gives him Zipporah

Zipporah

daughter of the priest of Midian, given to Moses as wife; bears Gershom

Timeline

Moses' Birth and Rescue

A Levite couple conceives and bears a beautiful son. After hiding him for three months, the mother places him in a papyrus basket coated with bitumen and pitch among the reeds of the Nile.

Exodus 2:1-3
Pharaoh's Daughter Finds Moses

Pharaoh's daughter finds the basket while bathing, has pity on the crying Hebrew boy. Moses' sister suggests a Hebrew nurse, bringing their mother to nurse him for wages.

Exodus 2:4-9
Moses' Adoption

The boy grows, is brought to Pharaoh's daughter, and becomes her son. She names him Moses, 'because I drew him out of the water.'

Exodus 2:10

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