Exodus 2:16-17
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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The verse highlights that Moses, a prince of Egypt and heir to its power, stepped in to help these young women. This action wasn't just about simple kindness; it reveals his inherent character of justice and his quickness to defend the vulnerable, even when he was a fugitive himself.
After fleeing Egypt for killing an Egyptian oppressor, Moses finds himself in Midian where he encounters seven daughters drawing water for their father’s flock. This scene mirrors earlier biblical accounts of women at wells, highlighting Moses's newfound role as a protector and his eventual integration into this pastoral community, which offers him refuge and a new life.
Moses, a fugitive from Egypt, finds himself in Midian. He’s likely exhausted, alone, and uncertain. But at a simple well, he encounters an unexpected scene that changes his life.
A Chance Encounter, A Divine Plan
Exodus 2:16 introduces us to the daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian. They are performing a humble, yet essential, task: drawing water for their father's sheep. This scene might seem ordinary, but it's a pivotal moment orchestrated by God.
Who exactly was this 'priest of Midian'? The title carries more weight than just a local leader; it hints at a spiritual significance that would impact Moses and, eventually, all of Israel.
A Worshipper of the True God
The identity of the "priest of Midian" is significant. While sometimes translated as 'prince' or 'chieftain,' the original Hebrew word, cohen, strongly points to a priestly role.
Understand the original words
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.
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.
This encounter at the well wasn't just a fortunate meeting; it was a divinely orchestrated moment. For 40 years, Moses lived in exile, a prince of Egypt now a humble shepherd. This act of courage and kindness, intervening for Jethro's daughters, demonstrates that even in obscurity, God was preparing him for his monumental task.
c. 1526 BC
Moses Flees Egypt
After striking and killing an Egyptian overseer who was brutalizing an Israelite, Moses flees Egypt to escape Pharaoh's wrath.
c. 1525 BC
Moses arrives in Midian
Moses arrives in the land of Midian, a tribal region east of the Gulf of Aqaba, and settles near a well.
c. 1525 BC— this verse
Moses meets Jethro's daughters
While Moses is resting by a well, he intervenes when local shepherds try to drive away the seven daughters of Jethro, the local priest, from watering their father's flock.
c. 1525 BC
Moses marries Zipporah
Grateful for Moses' help, Jethro invites him to stay and eventually gives him his daughter Zipporah as his wife.
This passage describes a similar scene at a well where Abraham's servant, en route to find a wife for Isaac, encounters Rebekah drawing water for her family's flock, highlighting the significance of wells in ancient life and the role of women in pastoral care.
Genesis 29:1-10This narrative parallels Exodus 2:16 as Jacob arrives at a well in Haran and encounters shepherds rolling away a stone to water their flocks, eventually meeting Rachel who also waters her father's sheep.
Judges 11:30-31Jephthah, another Israelite leader who experienced exile and hardship, makes a vow to God after a victory, reflecting a pattern of individuals finding themselves in challenging circumstances before a divine appointment.
Matthew 5:38-42Jesus' teaching on turning the other cheek and going the extra mile contrasts with Moses' direct intervention but underscores the principle of responding to mistreatment with grace and unexpected kindness, which Moses demonstrated to the daughters.
clarkeExodus 2:16: "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 priest of Midian - Or prince, or both; for the original כהן cohen has both meanings. See it explained at large at Genesis 15:18 (note). The transaction here very nearly resembles that mentioned Genesis 29 (note) concerning Jacob and Rachel.
calvinExodus 2:16-22: "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock."
- Now the priest of Midian. The profane would attribute this meeting to good fortune, whereas God affords us in it a striking picture of his providence, in thus with an outstretched hand directing the steps of his servant. Those damsels were in the habit of coming daily to the well; and Moses sat down to ask for hospitality at the waterside, whith…
The verse highlights that Moses, a prince of Egypt and heir to its power, stepped in to help these young women. This action wasn't just about simple kindness; it reveals his inherent character of justice and his quickness to defend the vulnerable, even when he was a fugitive himself.
After fleeing Egypt for killing an Egyptian oppressor, Moses finds himself in Midian where he encounters seven daughters drawing water for their father’s flock. This scene mirrors earlier biblical accounts of women at wells, highlighting Moses's newfound role as a protector and his eventual integration into this pastoral community, which offers him refuge and a new life.
After fleeing Egypt for killing an Egyptian oppressor, Moses finds himself in Midian where he encounters seven daughters drawing water for their father’s flock. This scene mirrors earlier biblical accounts of women at wells, highlighting Moses's newfound role as a protector and his eventual integration into this pastoral community, which offers him refuge and a new life.
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The daughters of the priest are depicted drawing water. This wasn't just a chore; it was a respected role that Moses's intervention highlights, showing a different side of life in Midian.
Dignity in Humble Service
The image of Jethro's seven daughters diligently drawing water for their father's flock (Exodus 2:16) might seem lowly, but it carries significant cultural and spiritual weight.
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. 1525 BC - c. 1486 BC
Moses' Exile in Midian
Moses spends approximately 40 years as a shepherd in Midian, far from his former life in Egypt and his people.
"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." — The verse highlights that Moses, a prince of Egypt and heir to its power, stepped in to help these young women. This action wasn't just about simple kindness; it reveals his inherent character of jus…
