How does Moses come to live in Madian, and what happens while Israel cries out under its work?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

After Moses kills an Egyptian, the killing becomes known and Pharao seeks his life, so he flees to Madian. There he helps the priest’s daughters, stays with their father and marries Sephora. Later, God hears Israel’s groaning, remembers his covenant and looks upon the people.

Chapter breakdown

A man from Levi’s house takes a wife of his own kindred. She bears a son, sees that he is a good-looking child and hides him for three months. When she can hide him no longer, she coats a bulrush basket with slime and pitch, puts the infant inside and places it among the sedges at the river’s edge. His sister stands far off watching what will happen.

Pharao’s daughter comes down to wash in the river, while her maids walk along its edge. She sees the basket in the sedges and sends a maid for it. Opening it, she sees the crying infant, feels compassion and identifies him as a Hebrew baby. His sister asks whether she should call a Hebrew woman to nurse him. The daughter says to go, and the girl calls her mother. Pharao’s daughter tells the woman to take and nurse the child for her and promises wages. The woman takes and nurses him, then brings him to Pharao’s daughter when he has grown.

Pharao’s daughter adopts him as her son and names him Moses, saying she took him out of the water. Challoner explains that Moses, or Moyses, in the Egyptian tongue means one taken or saved out of the water.

When Moses is grown, he goes out to his brothers, sees their suffering and sees an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers. He looks this way and that, sees no one, kills the Egyptian and hides him in the sand. Challoner explains the killing as a particular inspiration from God and a prelude to delivering the people from oppression and bondage. Citing Saint Stephen in Acts 7:25, the note says Moses thought his brothers understood that God would save them through his hand. It expressly warns that such particular and extraordinary examples are not to be imitated.

The next day Moses sees two Hebrews quarrelling. He asks the one doing wrong why he strikes his neighbor. The man asks who appointed Moses prince and judge over them and whether he will kill him as he killed the Egyptian yesterday. Moses fears and asks how this became known. Pharao hears of it and seeks to kill Moses. Moses flees from him, lives in Madian and sits by a well. Challoner identifies Madian as a city and country of Arabia, named from Abraham’s son Madian by Cetura and peopled by his descendants.

The priest of Madian has seven daughters. They come to draw water, fill the troughs and intend to water their father’s flocks. Shepherds drive them away. Moses rises, defends the women and waters their sheep.

They return to their father Raguel, who asks why they are back sooner than usual. They answer that a man of Egypt rescued them from the shepherds, drew water with them and gave the sheep drink. Raguel asks where he is and why they let him go, and tells them to call him to eat bread. Challoner says Raguel has two names, also being called Jethro in the first verse of the following chapter.

Moses swears that he will live with Raguel and marries his daughter Sephora. She bears a son whom he names Gersam, saying he has been a stranger in a foreign country. She bears another, whom he names Eliezer, saying the God of his father, his helper, delivered him from Pharao’s hand. Challoner gives Gershom as another form of Gersam and explains it as a stranger there; Eliezer means the help of God.

After a long time, Egypt’s king dies. Israel’s children groan and cry because of their work, and their cry goes up to God. God hears their groaning and remembers the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord looks upon Israel’s children and knows them. Challoner explains “Knew them” as having regard for them and casting a merciful eye upon them.

The story inside

The chapter links several acts of care and danger without naming motives beyond those it gives. The child is hidden, watched by his sister, pitied by Pharao’s daughter and nursed by his mother before adoption. As an adult, Moses kills an Egyptian who is striking a Hebrew; the next day’s exchange reveals that the killing is known. Pharao’s attempt to kill him leads to flight. At the well in Madian, Moses helps the seven daughters, and their report leads their father to invite him to eat. His sworn stay, marriage and named sons follow. The final scene returns to Israel’s work and groaning: God hears and remembers his covenant. Challoner’s explanation of the killing remains a separate note with an express warning against imitation (Exodus 2:1–25).

Lessons worth keeping

1
The nursing arrangement follows specific steps. The sister offers to find a Hebrew nurse, Pharao’s daughter agrees, the girl calls her mother, and the daughter promises wages. The mother nurses and later delivers the child for adoption. The chapter records these actions without supplying a palace upbringing or anyone’s hidden knowledge (2:5–10).
2
The known killing explains the flight. The Hebrew man refers to it, Moses fears it has become known, and Pharao seeks to kill him. Challoner’s explanation calls the inspiration particular and the example extraordinary, and explicitly says it must not be imitated (2:12–15 and note).
3
The chapter’s closing verbs keep attention on the people. They cry because of their work; God hears, remembers the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, looks upon them and knows them. Challoner glosses this knowing as a merciful regard, while the narrative has not yet recorded their release (2:23–25).

Test your recall

How do the next-day accusation and Pharao’s response lead Moses to Madian, how does helping at the well lead to Raguel’s invitation, and what does God do when Israel cries out?

Show answer

The Hebrew’s accusation shows that Moses’s killing of the Egyptian is known. Pharao seeks to kill Moses, so Moses flees to Madian. He protects Raguel’s daughters and waters their sheep; when they tell their father, he invites Moses to eat. God hears Israel’s groaning, remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and looks upon the Israelites with mercy, as the note explains.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 6046–6064
Exodus Chapter 2 Moses is born and exposed on the bank of the river; where he is taken up by the daughter of Pharao, and adopted for her son. He killeth an Egyptian, and fleeth into Madian; where he marrieth a wife. 2:1. After this there went a man of the house of Levi; and took a wife of his own kindred. 2:2. And she conceived, and bore a son: and seeing him a goodly child, hid him three months. 2:3. And when she could hide him no longer, she took a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and pitch: and put the little babe therein, and laid him in the sedges by the river’s brink, 2:4. His sister standing afar off, and taking notice what would be done.
Lines 6065–6082
2:5. And behold the daughter of Pharao came down to wash herself in the river: and her maids walked by the river’s brink. And when she saw the basket in the sedges she sent one of her maids for it: and when it was brought, 2:6. She opened it, and seeing within it an infant crying, having compassion on it, she said: This is one of the babes of the Hebrews. 2:7. And the child’s sister said to her: Shall I go, and call to thee a Hebrew woman, to nurse the babe? 2:8. She answered: Go. The maid went and called her mother. 2:9. And Pharao’s daughter said to her: Take this child, and nurse him for me: I will give thee thy wages. The woman took and nursed the child: and when he was grown up, she delivered him to Pharao’s daughter.
Lines 6083–6088
2:10. And she adopted him for a son, and called him Moses, saying: Because I took him out of the water. Moses.... Or Moyses, in the Egyptian tongue, signifies one taken or saved out of the water.
Lines 6089–6101
2:11. In those days, after Moses was grown up, he went out to his brethren: and saw their affliction, and an Egyptian striking one of the Hebrews, his brethren. 2:12. And when he had looked about this way and that way, and saw no one there, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. He slew the Egyptian.... This he did by a particular inspiration of God; as a prelude to his delivering the people from their oppression and bondage. He thought, says St. Stephen, Acts 7.25, that his brethren understood that God by his hand would save them. But such particular and extraordinary examples are not to be imitated.
Lines 6102–6115
2:13. And going out the next day, he saw two Hebrews quarrelling: and he said to him that did the wrong: Why strikest thou thy neighbour? 2:14. But he answered: Who hath appointed thee prince and judge over us? wilt thou kill me, as thou didst yesterday kill the Egyptian? Moses feared, and said: How is this come to be known? 2:15. And Pharao heard of this word, and sought to kill Moses: but he fled from his sight, and abode in the land of Madian, and he sat down by a well. Madian.... A city and country of Arabia, which took its name from Madian the son of Abraham, by Cetura, and was peopled by his posterity.
Lines 6116–6122
2:16. And the priest of Madian had seven daughters, who came to draw water: and when the troughs were filled, desired to water their father’s flocks. 2:17. And the shepherds came and drove them away: and Moses arose, and defending the maids, watered their sheep.
Lines 6123–6134
2:18. And when they returned to Raguel their father, he said to them: Why are ye come sooner than usual? Raguel.... He had two names, being also called Jethro, as appears from the first verse of the following chapter. 2:19. They answered: A man of Egypt delivered us from the hands of the shepherds: and he drew water also with us, and gave the sheep to drink. 2:20. But he said: Where is he? why have you let the man go? call him that he may eat bread.
Lines 6135–6145
2:21. And Moses swore that he would dwell with him. And he took Sephora his daughter to wife: 2:22. And she bore him a son, whom he called Gersam, saying: I have been a stranger in a foreign country. And she bore another, whom he called Eliezer, saying: For the God of my father, my helper, hath delivered me out of the hand of Pharao. Gersam.... Or Gershom. This name signifies a stranger there: as Eliezer signifies the help of God.
Lines 6146–6159
2:23. Now after a long time the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel groaning, cried out because of the works: and their cry went up unto God from the works. 2:24. And he heard their groaning, and remembered the covenant which he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 2:25. And the Lord looked upon the children of Israel, and he knew them. Knew them.... That is, he had respect to them, he cast a merciful eye upon them.