Exodus 2 Footnotes

2:10 Is it reasonable to suppose that Pharaoh, who had ordered the death of all male Hebrew children, would permit Moses to live (1:16)? Yes. Ancient parallels exist in which governments raised and educated select young males of hostile cultures. Daniel and several other young Israelites were raised and educated in Babylon so they could serve as government officials (Dn 1). Similarly, Moses’s life was apparently spared by Pharaoh in order to prepare him as an administrator over Egypt’s Hebrew slaves (see 2:11; Ac 7:22).

2:10 Why would an Egyptian princess have given Moses a Hebrew name? Because the name she chose was both an Egyptian and a Hebrew word. In Egyptian the root word means “born” and was commonly used as an element in personal names (e.g., Pharaohs Ahmose, Thutmose). In Hebrew it means “to draw out [of water].” This bilingual wordplay fit Moses in both ways, especially since she “drew him out” of the Nile.

2:14 This verse has been taken by some as contrary to Heb 11:27, which states that Moses was not afraid of the king’s anger. Note, however, that this verse only states that Moses was afraid, not that he feared Pharaoh’s wrath. What then might Moses have feared? Perhaps it was the loss of support from his fellow Israelites, since they were willing to betray him. Or perhaps he feared that he had lost his opportunity to be the deliverer of his people.