Exodus 2:12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

Exodus 2:12 So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one [around], he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

12. he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand--This act of Moses may seem and indeed by some has been condemned as rash and unjustifiable--in plain terms, a deed of assassination. But we must not judge of his action in such a country and age by the standard of law and the notions of right which prevail in our Christian land; and, besides, not only is it not spoken of as a crime in Scripture or as distressing the perpetrator with remorse, but according to existing customs among nomadic tribes, he was bound to avenge the blood of a brother. The person he slew, however, being a government officer, he had rendered himself amenable to the laws of Egypt, and therefore he endeavored to screen himself from the consequences by concealment of the corpse.

JFB.

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Exodus 2 Images and Notes

Brief Summary: Moses is born to Levite parents, Moses is raised by the Pharaoh's daughter, Moses murders an Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew slave, Moses flees to Midian, Moses marries Zipporah, Israel cries to God from their bondage.

Outline
1 Moses is born
3 Moses is placed in an ark among the flags of the river
5 Moses is found, and brought up by Pharaoh's daughter
11 Moses Slays an Egyptian
13 Moses reproves a Hebrew
15 Moses flees into the Land of Midian
21 Moses marries Zipporah
22 Gershom is born
23 God hears the Israelites' cry

Drawing of the Land of Midian

The Daughter of Pharaoh?
ARCHAEOLOGY

Colossal seated statue of the queen of Egypt, Hatshepsut, quite possibly the most famous woman in Egyptian history. This statue reveals a very famous woman in ancient Egypt, and she is considered by many scholars to be the pharaohs daughter of the Bible. If the 1447 BC date is the correct date for the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, then Hatshepsut would be the Princess who discovered the infant Moses "by the rivers brink".

Ancient Customs
house of Levi
daughter of Levi
a goodly child
ark of bulrushes
slime and pitch
daughter of Pharaoh
the river
her maidens
priest of Midian
shepherds
Reuel
ARK USE OF BITUMEN
BATHING IN THE NILE
AN EXCEPTIONAL MARRIAGE CUSTOM

Quick Reference Map

Map of the Nile River and Egypt (Click to Enlarge)

Ancient Topics
Ark of Bulrushes
Pharaoh's daughter called his name Moses

Ancient People
Levi's daughter, Pharaoh's daughter, mother of Moses, sister, Moses, Pharaoh, seven daughters of priests, shepherds, Reuel, Zipporah, Gershom
priest of Midian

Geography
The Nile River
the land of Midian

Quick Reference Maps

The Exodus of the Hebrews

Mount Horeb

The Red Sea

The Old Testament

Exodus Resources

Moses and the Exodus
The Giving of the Law
The Tabernacle
The Wilderness Wanderings