Exodus 2:3
When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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It's easy to overlook that the "ark" wasn't a sturdy boat but a basket meticulously crafted from papyrus reeds and sealed with bitumen and pitch. This detail highlights the immense faith and ingenuity of Moses' mother, not just in hoping for his rescue, but in actively building a watertight sanctuary against overwhelming odds.
Fearing discovery after three months, Moses' mother makes a desperate plan to save her son from Pharaoh's decree. She constructs a waterproof basket from papyrus reeds and places the baby in it among the reeds by the river bank, entrusting him to God's providence and the hope that a compassionate soul will find him. This act, while seemingly one of abandonment, sets the stage for God's remarkable intervention through Pharaoh's own daughter.
When hiding your child becomes impossible, what do you do? Jochebed's desperate act was anything but accidental.
The pressure was immense. Pharaoh's decree was brutal, and hiding a growing baby for three months was becoming incredibly risky. Jochebed's neighbors, whether Egyptians or fellow Hebrews, could have reported her.
Yet, in this moment of extreme danger, her action reveals a deep well of faith. She didn't just abandon her child; she prepared an 'ark' – a basket – and entrusted him to the river. This wasn't a passive surrender to fate. It was an active step of faith, believing God would intervene. As the Apostle Paul notes, this act was rooted in faith (Hebrews 11:23), showing that even in the face of overwhelming odds, faith trusts God's providence.
A basket made of reeds, sealed with pitch, placed among the river's flags. How could such ordinary details point to extraordinary divine intervention?
The details of the ark are fascinating! It was constructed from bulrushes, a readily available material on the Nile, and waterproofed with bitumen and pitch. This wasn't a divine, miraculous ark appearing out of nowhere, but a carefully crafted vessel made from earthly resources.
Jochebed's intention was likely to keep Moses safe from drowning and visible to potential rescuers, perhaps even planning to retrieve him herself. However, the placement among the flags by the riverbank was crucial. It wasn't left to drift aimlessly. This strategic placement, coupled with the robust construction, ensured the ark would be found and, more importantly, that it would be found by the right person – Pharaoh's daughter, who was accustomed to visiting that very spot.
This highlights a profound truth: God often works through ordinary means and human actions. The creation of the ark, its sealing, and its placement were Jochebed's part. But God orchestrated the circumstances – ensuring the king's daughter would be there, that she would see it, and that her heart would be moved with compassion. His providence is woven into the fabric of our everyday actions and the resources available to us.
Understand the original words
tebah · Hebrew Noun
A vessel or container made of organic materials, often used to protect or carry. In a biblical context, it can symbolize salvation, deliverance, or a vessel of God's providence.
gome · Hebrew Noun
Aquatic plants used for weaving baskets or mats. Symbolically, they represent the place of danger or exposure where God's providence is tested.
This event plunges us directly into the oppressive atmosphere of Egypt's rule. Pharaoh's cruel decree hangs heavy, forcing Moses' parents into desperate measures. The careful crafting of the basket and its placement are acts of faith, a fragile hope entrusted to the river and divine providence, setting the stage for Moses' extraordinary destiny.
c. 1526 BC— this verse
Birth of Moses
The pharaoh of Egypt decrees that all newborn Hebrew boys must be thrown into the Nile River to suppress the growing Israelite population.
c. 1526 BC
Moses is hidden
Moses' mother, Jochebed, hides him for three months. When she can no longer conceal him, she places him in a basket made of papyrus reeds, sealed with bitumen and pitch, among the reeds by the river bank.
c. 1526 BC
Discovery by Pharaoh's daughter
Pharaoh's daughter finds Moses while bathing in the Nile and takes him in, despite knowing he is a Hebrew child.
c. 1526 BC
Miriam's intervention
Moses' sister, Miriam, cleverly offers to find a Hebrew nurse for the baby, leading to Moses being cared for by his own mother.
This passage directly references the parents of Moses hiding him for three months, highlighting their act of faith in defiance of the king's decree, which parallels the desperate faith shown by his mother in Exodus 2:3.
Genesis 3:15This verse speaks of the 'seed of the woman' crushing the serpent's head, a foundational promise of redemption that underpins the hope that would have motivated Jochebed to protect her son, the future deliverer.
1 Samuel 1:20Hannah's prayer and subsequent dedication of her son Samuel to God's service after hiding him for a time mirrors Jochebed's hidden protection of Moses and her eventual yielding of him to a divine purpose.
Luke 1:41-44The joyous leap of John the Baptist in Elizabeth's womb at Mary's greeting echoes the sense of divine purpose and anticipation for a promised child, much like the hope surrounding Moses's miraculous preservation.
Isaiah 18:2This prophecy speaks of messengers sent in 'swift boats upon the sea,' referring to vessels made of reeds, which directly relates to the material and construction of the ark used to save Moses, indicating a pattern of divine care through specific means.
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…
gillExodus 2:3: "And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink."
And when she could no longer hide him,.... Because of her neighbours, who might hear the crying of the child, or because of the diligent search made by Pharaoh's officers, which some think was made every three months: the Jews (a) have a notion that his mother was delivered of him at six…
It's easy to overlook that the "ark" wasn't a sturdy boat but a basket meticulously crafted from papyrus reeds and sealed with bitumen and pitch. This detail highlights the immense faith and ingenuity of Moses' mother, not just in hoping for his rescue, but in actively building a watertight sanctuary against overwhelming odds.
Fearing discovery after three months, Moses' mother makes a desperate plan to save her son from Pharaoh's decree. She constructs a waterproof basket from papyrus reeds and places the baby in it among the reeds by the river bank, entrusting him to God's providence and the hope that a compassionate soul will find him. This act, while seemingly one of abandonment, sets the stage for God's remarkable intervention through Pharaoh's own daughter.
Fearing discovery after three months, Moses' mother makes a desperate plan to save her son from Pharaoh's decree. She constructs a waterproof basket from papyrus reeds and places the baby in it among the reeds by the river bank, entrusting him to God's providence and the hope that a compassionate soul will find him. This act, while seemingly one of abandonment, sets the stage for God's remarkable intervention through Pharaoh's own daughter.
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c. 1526 BC
Moses raised as an Egyptian prince
Moses is brought up in Pharaoh's household and becomes the adopted son of the princess, receiving an Egyptian education.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
Approximately 80 years later, Moses, now a grown man, leads the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, fulfilling his destined role.
"When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank." — It's easy to overlook that the "ark" wasn't a sturdy boat but a basket meticulously crafted from papyrus reeds and sealed with bitumen and pitch. This detail highlights the immense faith and ingenuit…
