When the child had grown olderThis phrase indicates the passage of time from Moses' infancy to a point where he was weaned, which in ancient Egyptian and Hebrew culture could be around three years old. This period allowed Moses to bond with his biological family and learn about his Hebrew heritage, which would later influence his identity and mission.
she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter
Moses' mother, Jochebed, fulfilled her agreement with Pharaoh's daughter by bringing Moses to her. This act of faith and obedience highlights the providence of God in preserving Moses' life. Pharaoh's daughter, likely a member of the royal family, had the authority to adopt Moses, which would provide him with a unique position within Egyptian society.
and he became her son
Moses' adoption into the Egyptian royal family placed him in a position of privilege and education, preparing him for his future role as a leader. This adoption also fulfilled God's plan to raise a deliverer for Israel from within the house of their oppressors, showcasing God's sovereignty and wisdom.
She named him Moses
The name "Moses" is of Egyptian origin, possibly derived from the word "mose," meaning "son" or "born of." This name is significant as it reflects his dual identity as both a Hebrew and an Egyptian, which would play a crucial role in his life and mission.
and explained, “I drew him out of the water.”
This explanation connects Moses' name to the Hebrew verb "mashah," meaning "to draw out." This foreshadows Moses' future role in drawing the Israelites out of Egypt. The act of being drawn from the water also symbolizes salvation and deliverance, themes that are central to Moses' life and the Exodus narrative. Moses as a type of Christ can be seen here, as both were deliverers who brought their people from bondage to freedom.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
MosesThe central figure in this verse, Moses is a Hebrew child who is adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. His name, derived from the Hebrew "Mosheh," is linked to the verb "mashah," meaning "to draw out," reflecting his rescue from the Nile.
2.
Pharaoh’s DaughterAn unnamed Egyptian princess who adopts Moses. Her actions are pivotal in God's plan for the deliverance of Israel, showing compassion and defying her father's decree.
3.
The Nile RiverThe place where Moses was found and drawn out by Pharaoh's daughter. It symbolizes both danger and deliverance in Moses' early life.
4.
Moses' MotherThough not named in this verse, she plays a crucial role in Moses' early life by nursing him and eventually bringing him to Pharaoh's daughter.
5.
EgyptThe setting of this event, representing both the place of Moses' upbringing and the land of Israel's bondage.
Teaching Points
Divine ProvidenceGod's hand is evident in Moses' life from the beginning. Despite the perilous circumstances, God orchestrates events for His purposes. We can trust in God's sovereignty in our own lives.
Identity and PurposeMoses' dual identity as a Hebrew and an Egyptian prince foreshadows his role as a mediator between God and His people. Our identity in Christ calls us to a unique purpose.
Courage and CompassionPharaoh's daughter's actions demonstrate courage and compassion. We are called to act justly and show mercy, even when it goes against societal norms.
God's TimingMoses' upbringing in Pharaoh's court was part of God's preparation for his future leadership. We should be patient and trust God's timing in our preparation for His plans.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Exodus 2:10?
2.How does Exodus 2:10 illustrate God's providence in Moses' early life?
3.What significance does Pharaoh's daughter naming Moses have in God's plan?
4.How does Moses' upbringing connect to his future leadership in Exodus?
5.In what ways can we trust God's timing as seen in Exodus 2:10?
6.How can Moses' story inspire us to embrace God's purpose for our lives?
7.Why was Moses named by Pharaoh's daughter in Exodus 2:10?
8.How does Exodus 2:10 reflect God's providence in Moses' life?
9.What significance does Moses' Egyptian upbringing have in Exodus 2:10?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Exodus 2?
11.Why does Moses' Egyptian name ('drawn out') suggest a later Hebrew etymology rather than an authentic Egyptian origin?
12.What events occur in the biblical book of Exodus?
13.Exodus 2:15 – How realistically could Moses escape from Pharaoh’s reach and suddenly reappear in Midian without leaving any trace in Egyptian historical accounts?
14.What is the summary of the Exodus from Egypt?What Does Exodus 2:10 Mean
When the child had grown older• Moses’ mother followed Pharaoh’s daughter’s command to nurse him (Exodus 2:9), but only “until” he was old enough to be weaned.
• In Scripture, weaning often took several years (Genesis 21:8;1 Samuel 1:23–24), allowing formative time for a child’s earliest impressions of the true God.
• God’s providence shines: the boy is safe at home during his most impressionable stage, despite the royal edict of death (Exodus 1:22).
•Isaiah 49:15 reminds us that a mother’s compassion reflects God’s own faithfulness; here, that compassion is the very means God uses to keep Moses alive.
She brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter• The phrase shows straightforward obedience to an earlier agreement (Exodus 2:8–9).
•Acts 7:21 confirms this transfer: “Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.”
• The timing underscores divine timing—neither too soon to endanger him nor too late to miss God’s next step.
And he became her son• Adoption granted Moses full standing in Egypt’s royal household—education, privilege, and influence (Acts 7:22).
• YetHebrews 11:24 highlights the tension that would come: “By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.”
• God often positions His servants within worldly systems to accomplish His purposes (Joseph inGenesis 41:39–41; Daniel inDaniel 1:19–20), then later calls them to stand apart.
She named him Moses• Naming in the Bible signals authority and destiny (Genesis 17:5;Matthew 1:21).
• The princess, not the birth-mother, assigns the name, confirming legal adoption.
• The choice of name ties the boy’s story permanently to God’s act of rescue.
“I drew him out of the water”• The name’s explanation recalls the basket deliverance (Exodus 2:3–6) and keeps God’s saving act front and center.
•Psalm 18:16 and2 Samuel 22:17 echo the same imagery of God drawing His people “out of many waters,” foreshadowing Israel’s own deliverance through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22).
• Every mention of Moses’ name thereafter reminds Israel that their leader—and soon their nation—exists only because God rescues.
summaryExodus 2:10 shows God orchestrating every detail: a child nurtured by his own mother, legally adopted into Egypt’s palace, and forever marked by a name that proclaims divine rescue. The verse assures us that God’s sovereign care can overturn hostile decrees, shape identities, and set the stage for future deliverance.
(10)
The child grew.--Josephus regards these words as implying a growth that was strange and abnormal (
Ant. Jud.ii. 9, ? 6). But nothing more seems to be intended than nature's ordinary course. The child grew and reached the time when it was usual in Egypt that children should be weaned. We have no means of determining what this time was. It may have been the completion of the first year; but more probably it was the completion of the second (
2 Maccabees 7:27).
She brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter.--Jochebed carried out the terms of her engagement faithfully, and gave up her son to the princess at the time agreed upon.
He became her son.--Possibly by a formal act of adoption; but we have at present no evidence that adoption was an Egyptian custom. Perhaps the writer means simply that she brought him up as if he had been her son, gave him a son's education, and a son's privileges. (On the education of Moses, see Excursus II. at the end of this Book.)
She called his name Moses.--In Egyptian probably "Mesu," which is found as a name in the monuments of the nineteenth dynasty, and which is common as the latter half of a name--e.g.,Ra-mesu, Aah-mesu, Amen-mesu, &c. In ordinary use this word meant "born" and "son." (Comp. the Latinnatus.) It was, however, derived from an Egyptian verb, meaning "to produce," "to draw forth;" and the princess justified her imposition of the name by a reference to this etymology. Owing to the existence of a cognate verb in Hebrew, it was possible to transfer her explanation into the Hebrew language exactly and literally. The play upon words cannot be rendered in English.
EXCURSUS B: ON THE EDUCATION OF MOSES (Exodus 2:10)
Moses would be educated like the sons of princesses generally, not like those of priests, or of persons destined for the literary life. St. Stephen, when he says that Moses was "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," does not (probably) mean more than this. The question then is, In what did the education of princes and young nobles at the time of the exodus consist?
It would consist, in the first place, of orthography and grammar. Moses would be taught to speak the Egyptian language, and to write it, correctly. He would probably not be taught the hieroglyphic character, the knowledge of which was reserved to the priests, but would be familiarised with the ordinary cursive writing--the hieratic, as it was called in later times--which was the common character for books, and even for official documents, in his day. Care would be taken to instruct him in the graces of style, so far as they were understood at the time; and he would be especially practised in epistolary correspondence, which was regarded as one of the most necessary of all gentlemanlike accomplishments. Whether his attention would be turned to poetry, might perhaps be doubtful;[113] but he would certainly be taught a clear and perspicuous prose style, such as was required for official reports and other communications between members of the governing class.
[113] The poetry of Moses his "songs" (Exodus 15:1-19;Deuteronomy 32:1-43), his "blessing" (Deut. Xxxii), and his "prayer" (Ps. xc), indicate an actual study of Egyptian poetry, whether, it was a part of his education or not. . . .
Verse 10. -
The child grew. Compare
Genesis 21:8, where the full phrase is used - "The child grew,
and was weaned." Jocbebed had saved her son's life by a transfer of her mother's right in him to Pharaoh's daughter. She had received him back, merely as a hired nurse, to suckle him. When the time came, probably at the end of the second year, for him to be weaned, she was bound, whatever the sufferings of her heart may have been, to give him up - to restore him to her from whom she had received him, as a child put out to nurse. And we see that she made no attempt to escape her obligations. No sooner was the boy weaned, than "
she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter" - as it would seem, of her own accord.
And he became her son. There is no evidence that formal "adoption" was a custom of the Egyptians; and probably no more is here meant than that the princess took the child into her family, and brought him up as if he had been her son, giving him all the privileges of a son, together with such an education as a princess's son usually received. We obtain the best general idea of what such an education was from the words of St. Stephen (
Acts 7:21) - "Now Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." This "wisdom," though not perhaps very deep, was multiform and manifold. It included orthography, grammar, history, theology, medicine, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and engineering. Education began, as in most countries, with orthography and grammar. The hieroglyphical system was probably not taught, and the knowledge of it remained a special privilege of the priest-class: but the cursive character, known as the hieratic, was generally studied, and all tolerably educated persons could read it and write it. Style was cultivated, and though no great progress was made in the graces of finished composition, the power of expressing thought and relating facts in a simple and perspicuous prose was acquired by the greater number. Much attention was paid to letter-writing; and models of business and other letters were set before the pupil as patterns which he was to follow. By the more advanced, poetry was read, and poetic composition occasionally practised. Arithmetic and geometry, up to a certain point, were studied by all; and a plain morality was inculcated. But history, theology, astronomy, medicine, and engineering, were viewed as special studies, to be pursued by those intended for certain professions, rather than as included within the curriculum of an ordinary education; and it may well be doubted whether Moses' attention was much directed to any of them. He may indeed have been initiated into the mysteries, and in that case would have come to understand the esoteric meaning of the Egyptian myths, and of all that most revolts moderns in the Egyptian religion. But, on the whole, it is most probable that he was rather trained for active than for speculative life, and received the education which fitted men for the service of the State, not that which made them dreamers and theorists. His great praise is, that "he was mighty in words and deeds "(Acts,
1.s.c.); and he was certainly anything rather than a recluse student. We should do wrong to regard him as either a scientific man or a philosopher. His genius was practical; and his education was of a practical kind - such as fitted him to become the leader of his people in a great emergency, to deal on equal terms with a powerful monarch, and to guide to a happy conclusion the hazardous enterprise of a great national migration.
And she called his name Moses. The Egyptian form of the name was probably Mesu, which signifies "born, brought forth, child," and is derived from a root meaning "to produce," "draw forth." Egyptian has many roots common to it with Hebrew, whereof this is one. The princess's play upon words thus admitted of being literally rendered in the Hebrew - "he called his name Mosheh (drawn forth); because, she said, I drew him forth (
meshithi-hu) from the water." Mesu is found in the monuments as an Egyptian name under the nineteenth dynasty
CHAPTER 2:11-15
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
When the childהַיֶּ֗לֶד(hay·ye·leḏ)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3206:Something born, a lad, offspringgrew older,וַיִגְדַּ֣ל(wa·yiḡ·dal)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1431:To grow up, become greatshe brought himוַתְּבִאֵ֙הוּ֙(wat·tə·ḇi·’ê·hū)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 935:To come in, come, go in, goto Pharaoh’sפַּרְעֹ֔ה(par·‘ōh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6547:Pharaoh -- a title of Egypt kingsdaughter,לְבַת־(lə·ḇaṯ-)Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1323:A daughterand he becameוַֽיְהִי־(way·hî-)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961:To fall out, come to pass, become, beher son.לְבֵ֑ן(lə·ḇên)Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1121:A sonShe namedוַתִּקְרָ֤א(wat·tiq·rā)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7121:To call, proclaim, readhim Mosesמֹשֶׁ֔ה(mō·šeh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872:Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiverand explained,וַתֹּ֕אמֶר(wat·tō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, say“I drew him outמְשִׁיתִֽהוּ׃(mə·šî·ṯi·hū)Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4871:To pull outofמִן־(min-)Preposition
Strong's 4480:A part of, from, out ofthe water.”הַמַּ֖יִם(ham·ma·yim)Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325:Water, juice, urine, semen
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OT Law: Exodus 2:10 The child grew and she brought him (Exo. Ex) 
