Exodus 2:15-17
When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Moses doesn't just arrive in Midian; he "sat down by a well," a seemingly simple act that signals a profound shift from the royal court to a place of waiting and vulnerability. This quiet moment by the well highlights how God often places those He intends to use in periods of unexpected stillness, preparing them in humble obscurity before their grand unveiling.
Just moments after Moses bravely intervened by killing an Egyptian taskmaster who was brutalizing an Israelite, Pharaoh learned of the incident and immediately sought to have Moses executed. Fearing for his life, Moses fled from Egypt, settling in the land of Midian, where he found himself by a well, a weary stranger at a turning point in his life.
Why did God allow Moses to kill an Egyptian and then flee? It wasn't a mistake, but a crucial part of His perfect plan.
Moses' actions seemed like a disaster, a sudden end to his potential leadership. But the text reveals God's sovereign hand at work.
The Set Time Was Not Yet
Pharaoh’s anger and Moses’ flight were not an accident. God had a specific time for Israel's deliverance, and that time had not yet arrived. Egypt’s sin wasn't complete, and Israel wasn't yet ready for the monumental task of freedom.
Moses' Hidden Preparation
Exile wasn't a punishment, but a divine redirection. God sent Moses to Midian to equip him. This period would teach him humility, patience, and leadership skills essential for guiding a nation through the wilderness. It was a necessary, albeit difficult, apprenticeship.
Imagine going from the comfort of a royal court to sitting exhausted by a well in a foreign land. What does this drastic change tell us about God's faithfulness?
Moses experienced a dizzying fall from grace. One moment he was living in Pharaoh's palace, the next he was a fugitive in exile.
A Stark Contrast
The comfort and privilege Moses knew in Pharaoh's court were starkly contrasted with his new reality. He was 'tired and thoughtful,' a far cry from his previous status.
Faith in Action (and Fear)
While the Bible later calls Moses 'faith,' this flight also reveals his human fear and perhaps a moment of doubt. However, even in his fear, he was following God’s subtle guidance. As one commentator notes, his flight wasn't out of cowardice, but prudence, preserving him for future service.
A New Beginning by the Well
The well in Midian becomes a symbol of a new beginning. It's where he rests, reflects, and where God will orchestrate his next steps, including meeting his future wife and father-in-law.
Understand the original words
Paroh · Hebrew Noun
The monarch of Egypt, representing worldly power, pride, and opposition to the redemptive purposes of God for His people.
be’er · Hebrew Noun
A place of refuge and water in the wilderness, often serving as a site for divine encounter, marriage, and significant life transitions in the biblical narrative.
kōhēn · Hebrew Noun
An individual who serves as a mediator between God and the people, often performing sacrifices, interceding, and teaching the law in ancient Near Eastern and biblical contexts.
šāqâ · Hebrew Verb
To provide for the survival of living creatures by providing hydration, often used metaphorically for spiritual sustenance or God’s provision.
Moses's hasty act of violence, while driven by a righteous desire to help his people, tragically cut short his initial leadership potential. This flight to Midian and subsequent 40 years of exile were divinely ordained, a necessary period of humbling and preparation before God could use him to deliver Israel.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Moses Kills an Egyptian Overseer
Moses, angered by the brutal treatment of a Hebrew slave, kills an Egyptian overseer. This act reveals his solidarity with his oppressed people but also forces him to flee Egypt.
c. 1446 BC
Moses Flees to Midian
Fearing Pharaoh's wrath, Moses escapes Egypt and travels to the land of Midian, a region inhabited by descendants of Abraham, settling by a well.
c. 1446 BC - c. 1406 BC
Moses' 40 Years in Midian
Moses lives as a shepherd in Midian for forty years, marrying Zipporah and raising a family, a period of reflection and preparation for his future role.
c. 1406 BC
The Burning Bush Encounter
God appears to Moses in a burning bush near Mount Sinai, commissioning him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery.
This passage beautifully contrasts Pharaoh's wrath and pursuit of Moses with Moses's faithful choice to abandon Egypt's treasures, highlighting his focus on God's promises rather than worldly status, even in his flight.
Acts 7:23-29Stephen's speech recounts Moses's flight to Midian after killing the Egyptian, emphasizing that Moses initially tried to intervene on behalf of his people, a foreshadowing of his later role as deliverer, and noting God's subsequent calling to him in Midian.
Genesis 24:11-13This passage describes Rebekah arriving at a well in the evening and drawing water, mirroring Moses's own act of sitting by a well in Midian; both scenes depict significant encounters and divine appointments that occur at places of daily life and need.
Exodus 3:1-4This passage shows Moses forty years later, still tending sheep in the wilderness near Mount Horeb, which directly follows his time in Midian; it depicts God's direct call to Moses at this well-adjacent location, initiating the very mission Pharaoh tried to thwart.
bensonExodus 2:15: "Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well."
Exodus 2:15 . Moses fled from Pharaoh — God ordered this for wise ends. Things were not yet ripe for Israel’s deliverance. The measure of Egypt’s iniquity was not yet full; the Hebrews were not sufficiently humbled, nor were they yet increased to such a multitude as God designed: Moses is to be further fitted for the serv…
calvinExodus 2:11-15: "And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren."
Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
Pharao etiam audito hoc sermone, quaerebat interficere Mosen. Et fugiens Moses a facie Pharaonis mansit in Madian, seditque…
Moses doesn't just arrive in Midian; he "sat down by a well," a seemingly simple act that signals a profound shift from the royal court to a place of waiting and vulnerability. This quiet moment by the well highlights how God often places those He intends to use in periods of unexpected stillness, preparing them in humble obscurity before their grand unveiling.
Just moments after Moses bravely intervened by killing an Egyptian taskmaster who was brutalizing an Israelite, Pharaoh learned of the incident and immediately sought to have Moses executed. Fearing for his life, Moses fled from Egypt, settling in the land of Midian, where he found himself by a well, a weary stranger at a turning point in his life.
Just moments after Moses bravely intervened by killing an Egyptian taskmaster who was brutalizing an Israelite, Pharaoh learned of the incident and immediately sought to have Moses executed. Fearing for his life, Moses fled from Egypt, settling in the land of Midian, where he found himself by a well, a weary stranger at a turning point in his life.
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ṣō’n · Hebrew Noun
A group of animals under the care of a shepherd; in the Bible, it is frequently used as a metaphor for God’s people under His divine care and leadership.
rō‘eh · Hebrew Noun
A person who tends, feeds, and guards sheep; biblically, it is a primary metaphor for leadership, characterizing one who protects, guides, and sacrifices for those in their care.
yāša‘ · Hebrew Verb
To rescue, liberate, or bring into a state of safety; it denotes a powerful intervention to pull someone out of danger or oppression.
c. 1406 BC
Moses and Aaron Confront Pharaoh
Moses, now an elderly man, returns to Egypt with his brother Aaron and confronts Pharaoh, demanding the release of the Israelites.
"When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs t…" — Moses doesn't just arrive in Midian; he "sat down by a well," a seemingly simple act that signals a profound shift from the royal court to a place of waiting and vulnerability. This quiet moment by t…
