Exodus 2:10
When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Pharaoh's daughter named Moses "because she drew him out of the water." While this sounds like a simple explanation, the text subtly highlights that the act of drawing him out is what birthed his identity in her eyes, eclipsing any previous name or lineage. This shows how a single, decisive moment of rescue and adoption can fundamentally redefine a person's place and purpose.
The narrative has just detailed how Moses' mother hid him in a basket on the Nile to save him from Pharaoh's decree to kill newborn Israelite boys. Pharaoh's daughter found him, had compassion, and, with Moses' own sister arranging it, hired his mother to nurse him. This verse concludes Moses' infancy and the initial rescue, marking his transition into the Egyptian royal household.
Imagine the immense courage it took for Moses' mother to first hide him, and then entrust him to the very princess who represented the oppressive regime. This verse marks a dramatic shift in Moses' life.
A Mother's Sacrifice and God's Providence
Moses' birth was an act of defiance, hidden by his parents against Pharaoh's cruel decree. After three months, his mother, Jochebed, made a courageous choice. She crafted a waterproof basket and placed him in the Nile, a place of both danger and unexpected salvation.
This wasn't a passive act of giving up; it was an active placement of faith. She knew the risks, but she also entrusted him to God's unseen hand, hoping for a miracle.
When Pharaoh's daughter found him, she showed immediate compassion, a stark contrast to her father's tyranny. She didn't just save the baby; she took him as her own son, even hiring his own mother as his nurse. This allowed Jochebed to remain connected to her child while ensuring his safety and access to a royal upbringing.
The name Moses carries the weight of his rescue, but it also points to a future mission. Why was this particular name so significant?
A Name Reflecting Divine Action
Pharaoh's daughter names the child Moses, stating, "Because I drew him out of the water." This explanation is deeply significant.
Understand the original words
Mosheh · Hebrew Proper Noun
The name given to the deliverer of Israel, meaning 'drawn out.' It signifies both his miraculous preservation by God and his future role as the one who would lead God's people out of the 'water' of Egyptian bondage.
Moses's adoption and naming by Pharaoh's daughter highlight a divine plan weaving through seemingly oppressive circumstances. His Egyptian name, 'Moses,' meaning 'drawn out,' ironically echoes his rescue from the Nile, foreshadowing his role in drawing his people out of bondage.
c. 1500-1300 BC
Israelite Population Grows in Egypt
The Israelite population significantly increased in the land of Goshen, leading to growing apprehension among the Egyptians. This demographic shift would eventually trigger oppressive measures.
Unknown date during the oppressive period
Pharaoh's Infanticide Decree
In an effort to control the burgeoning Israelite population, Pharaoh issued a brutal decree to kill all newborn Hebrew boys. This act of genocide set the stage for Moses's dramatic rescue.
c. 1450 BC
Birth of Moses
Moses was born into a Levite family during the height of the oppression. His parents, Amram and Jochebed, hid him for three months to protect him from Pharaoh's decree.
c. 1450 BC
Moses Set Adrift in the Nile
When hiding Moses was no longer possible, his mother placed him in a basket (ark) among the reeds of the Nile River. His sister Miriam watched from a distance as the basket was found.
This passage directly connects Moses' identity to his choice, highlighting that he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing instead to identify with his people and their suffering.
Acts 7:21This verse describes Pharaoh's daughter finding Moses and raising him, echoing the narrative in Exodus and emphasizing his upbringing in Egyptian wisdom, which prepared him for his future role.
Genesis 16:11Similar to Moses' naming, Hagar's son Ishmael is named by an angel with a meaning directly tied to God hearing his affliction ('God hears'), demonstrating a pattern of divinely significant naming.
Isaiah 19:25This prophecy speaks of a future where Egypt, Assyria, and Israel will be a blessing in the midst of the earth, hinting at a reconciliation and shared purpose that Moses' unique upbringing in Egypt foreshadows.
calvinExodus 2:1-10: "And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi."
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.
Quumque aperuisset, vidit ipsum infantulum: et ecce, puer flebat: et miserta illius dixit, Hic ex pueris Hebraeorum est.
Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nu…
bensonExodus 2:10: "And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water."
Exodus 2:10 . And he became her son — The tradition of the Jews is, that Pharaoh’s daughter had no child of her own, and that she was the only child of her father, so that when he was adopted for her son, he stood fair for the crown: however, it is certain he stood fair for the best preferments of the court in du…
Pharaoh's daughter named Moses "because she drew him out of the water." While this sounds like a simple explanation, the text subtly highlights that the act of drawing him out is what birthed his identity in her eyes, eclipsing any previous name or lineage. This shows how a single, decisive moment of rescue and adoption can fundamentally redefine a person's place and purpose.
The narrative has just detailed how Moses' mother hid him in a basket on the Nile to save him from Pharaoh's decree to kill newborn Israelite boys. Pharaoh's daughter found him, had compassion, and, with Moses' own sister arranging it, hired his mother to nurse him. This verse concludes Moses' infancy and the initial rescue, marking his transition into the Egyptian royal household.
The narrative has just detailed how Moses' mother hid him in a basket on the Nile to save him from Pharaoh's decree to kill newborn Israelite boys. Pharaoh's daughter found him, had compassion, and, with Moses' own sister arranging it, hired his mother to nurse him. This verse concludes Moses' infancy and the initial rescue, marking his transition into the Egyptian royal household.
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c. 1450 BC— this verse
Pharaoh's Daughter Adopts Moses
Pharaoh's daughter discovered the infant Moses in the basket and, moved by compassion, decided to adopt him. She hired Moses's own mother, Jochebed, as his nurse, allowing him to remain with his family during his early years.
c. 1450-1410 BC
Moses's Education in Egypt
Raised as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, Moses received a comprehensive education in Egyptian learning and culture. This prepared him for future leadership, even as he maintained his Hebrew identity.
"When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”" — Pharaoh's daughter named Moses "because she drew him out of the water." While this sounds like a simple explanation, the text subtly highlights that the act of drawing him out is what birthed his i…
