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)
The mother, facing an impossible choice, doesn't just put her child in a basket; she crafts it from papyrus, a material Egyptians used for boats, and seals it with bitumen and pitch, effectively building a tiny, unsinkable vessel. This wasn't just a hiding place, but a deliberate, faith-filled launch into the unknown, entrusting him to the river's currents and God's providence.
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)
Facing the king's brutal decree to kill all newborn Israelite boys, Moses' mother, for three months, kept him hidden. When she could no longer conceal him, likely due to his crying or increased searches, she constructed a waterproof basket and entrusted him to the Nile's reeds, placing him where Pharaoh's daughter might find him. This desperate act, though seemingly a surrender to peril, was a faith-filled step, setting in motion God's plan to rescue Moses and His people.
When fear grips your heart, what actions reveal a glimmer of hope?
Faced with an impossible situation—a baby boy in a land demanding his death—Moses' parents resort to a desperate measure: a makeshift ark.
Where do you place your trust when safety seems out of reach?
The placement of Moses among the 'reeds by the river bank' wasn't accidental. It was a calculated risk, a deliberate step into the currents of God's providence.
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What does the 'waterproofing' of Moses' ark tell us about God's care?
The detailed description of the ark—its construction and sealing—reveals more than just a mother's efforts; it points to a divine assurance.
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.
The desperate act of placing an infant Moses in the Nile highlights the extreme oppression under Pharaoh and the parents' reliance on God's providence amidst terrifying circumstances.
c. 1550-1450 BC
Israelites Enslaved in Egypt
Following a period of prosperity, the Israelites became enslaved under a new Egyptian dynasty, forced into hard labor building store cities like Pithom and Raamses.
c. 1450-1440 BC— this verse
Pharaoh's Infanticide Decree
In an attempt to control the growing Israelite population, Pharaoh commanded Hebrew midwives to kill every male infant at birth. When this failed, he issued a decree for all newborn Israelite males to be thrown into the Nile River.
c. 1440 BC
Moses Born and Hidden
Miriam and Aaron's younger brother, Moses, is born. His mother, Jochebed, hides him for three months before placing him in a basket on the Nile to save him.
c. 1440 BC
Moses Adopted by Pharaoh's Daughter
Pharaoh's daughter discovers Moses in the basket and takes him in, adopting him as her own son and naming him Moses, meaning 'drawn out of the water'.
c. 1400 BC
Moses Flees to Midian
After killing an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating an Israelite, Moses flees Egypt and settles in Midian, marrying Zipporah and becoming a shepherd.
c. 1360 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
After 40 years in the wilderness, Moses, guided by God, leads the Israelites out of Egypt, a pivotal event marking their liberation from slavery.
This passage directly references the faith of Moses' parents in hiding him, highlighting that their actions, including placing him in the ark, were acts of faith in God's providence.
Isaiah 18:2This verse describes messengers sent from a land of 'tall reed and marsh' and mentions 'vessels of bulrushes,' directly connecting the material used for Moses' ark to its common use in Egypt for watercraft.
Luke 1:36Although about John the Baptist, this passage shows God's providential care over a child destined for a special purpose, mirroring how God intervened to save Moses for Israel's deliverance.
Genesis 6:14This verse describes Noah building an ark with 'pitch inside and outside,' a similar construction technique used by Moses' mother to waterproof the basket for the baby.
Romans 8:28This verse assures believers that God works all things for good, which is a powerful reflection of Jochebed's act of faith, trusting that God could bring good out of a desperate situation, ultimately leading to Moses' salvation and Israel's deliverance.
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…
The mother, facing an impossible choice, doesn't just put her child in a basket; she crafts it from papyrus, a material Egyptians used for boats, and seals it with bitumen and pitch, effectively building a tiny, unsinkable vessel. This wasn't just a hiding place, but a deliberate, faith-filled launch into the unknown, entrusting him to the river's currents and God's providence.
Facing the king's brutal decree to kill all newborn Israelite boys, Moses' mother, for three months, kept him hidden. When she could no longer conceal him, likely due to his crying or increased searches, she constructed a waterproof basket and entrusted him to the Nile's reeds, placing him where Pharaoh's daughter might find him. This desperate act, though seemingly a surrender to peril, was a faith-filled step, setting in motion God's plan to rescue Moses and His people.
Facing the king's brutal decree to kill all newborn Israelite boys, Moses' mother, for three months, kept him hidden. When she could no longer conceal him, likely due to his crying or increased searches, she constructed a waterproof basket and entrusted him to the Nile's reeds, placing him where Pharaoh's daughter might find him. This desperate act, though seemingly a surrender to peril, was a faith-filled step, setting in motion God's plan to rescue Moses and His people.
"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." — The mother, facing an impossible choice, doesn't just put her child in a basket; she crafts it from papyrus, a material Egyptians used for boats, and seals it with bitumen and pitch, effectively buil…
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Last reviewed October 2026