Exodus 2:10 - 14

ByAJWS Staff

AJWS On1Foot

שמות ב:י-יד

וַיִגְדַּל הַיֶּלֶד וַתְּבִאֵהוּ לְבַת־פַּרְעֹה וַיְהִי־לָהּ לְבֵן וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמֹו מֹשֶׁה וַתֹּאמֶר כִּי מִן־הַמַּיִם מְשִׁיתִהוּ׃ וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיִּגְדַּל מֹשֶׁה וַיֵּצֵא אֶל־אֶחָיו וַיַּרְא בְּסִבְלֹתָם וַיַּרְא אִישׁ מִצְרִי מַכֶּה אִישׁ־עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָיו׃ וַיִּפֶן כֹּה וָכֹה וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ וַיַּךְ אֶת־הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּטְמְנֵהוּ בַּחֹול׃ וַיֵּצֵא בַּיֹּום הַשֵּׁנִי וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵי־אֲנָשִׁים עִבְרִים נִצִּים וַיֹּאמֶר לָרָשָׁע לָמָּה תַכֶּה רֵעֶךָ׃ וַיֹּאמֶר מִי שָׂמְךָ לְאִישׁ שַׂר וְשֹׁפֵט עָלֵינוּ הַלְהָרְגֵנִי אַתָּה אֹמֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָרַגְתָּ אֶת־הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּירָא מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמַר אָכֵן נֹודַע הַדָּבָר׃

Exodus.2.10-14

The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.” Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” But he said, “Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.”

Suggested Discussion Questions:

1. What does this passage tell us about the early years of Moses's life?

2. What is the difference between how Moses intervene's in the episode with the Egyptian and the Hebrew and the scene with the two Hebrews?

3. Look at the Hebrew text, there are different words used for Moses seeing events and people unfold around him - וְהִנֵּה וַיַּרְא , וַיִּפֶן - what might these tell us about the different ways Moses is faced with and responds to different situations?

4. Some commentators understand Moses killing the Egyptian as a righteous act as he is awakening to the injustice of slavery around him, others explain that this is Moses violently reaction to something that is wrong before he further develops a more suitable response with Hashem's guidance - how do you understand this act by Moses?

5. A few times in this passage we have the Hebrew וַיִגְדַּל (and he grew) before a description of a formative event in Moses's life. If you were writing part of your life story what events or development would follow וַיִגְדַּל for you?

Time Period: Biblical (early ancestors to 165 BCE)