Exodus 2:17

_NOW THE PRIEST OF MIDIAN HAD SEVEN DAUGHTERS: AND THEY CAME AND DREW WATER, AND FILLED THE TROUGHS TO WATER THEIR FATHER'S FLOCK._ Now the priest of Midian - as the offices were usually conjoined, he was the ruler also of the people called Cushites or Ethiopians, and, like many other chiefs of pastoral people in that early age, he still retained the faith and worship of the true God. SEVEN DAUGHTERS - were shepherdesses, to whom Moses was favourably introduced by an act of courtesy and courage in protecting them from the rude shepherds of some neighbouring tribe at the well. Verse 18. REUEL THEIR FATHER - or Raguel (Numbers 10:29) [Septuagint, Ragoueel, in both places]. This is supposed to be his proper name, while Jethro (Exodus 3:1) was a title of official dignity

16-22 Moses found shelter in Midian. He was ready to help Reuel's daughters to water their flocks, although bred in learning and at court. Moses loved to be doing justice, and to act in defence of such as he saw injured, which every man ought to do, as far as it is in his power. He loved to be doing good; wherever the providence of God casts us, we should desire and try to be useful; and when we cannot do the good we would, we must be ready to do the good we can. Moses commended himself to the prince of Midian; who married one of his daughters to Moses, by whom he had a son, called Gershom, "a stranger there," that he might keep in remembrance the land in which he had been a stranger....

Verse Exodus 2:17. _THE SHEPHERDS - DROVE THEM_] The verb יגרשים _yegareshum,_ being in the _masculine_ gender, seems to imply that the shepherds drove away the _flocks_ of Reuel's daughters, and not the _daughters_ themselves. The fact seems to be, that, as the daughters of Reuel filled the troughs and brought their flocks to drink, the shepherds drove those away, and, profiting by the young women's labour, watered their own cattle. Moses resisted this insolence, and assisted them to water their flocks, in consequence of which they were enabled to return much sooner than they were wont to do, Exodus 2:18....

EXPOSITION. Exodus 2:16-2 LIFE OF MOSES IN MIDIAN Fugitives from Egypt generally took the northern route from Pelusium or Migdol to Gaza, and so to Syria, or the regions beyond. But in this quarter they were liable to be arrested and sent back to the Egyptian monarch. Rameses II: put a special clause to this effect into his treaty with the contemporary Hittite king. It was, perhaps, the fear of extradition which made Moses turn his steps southeastward, and proceed along the route, or at any rate in the direction, which he afterwards took with his nation. Though Egypt had possessions in the Sinaitic peninsula, it was not difficult to avoid them; and before Sinai was reached the fugitive would be in complete safety, for the Egyptians seem never to have penetrated to the southern or eastern parts of the great triangle. "The well," by

AND THE SHEPHERDS CAME AND DROVE THEM AWAY,.... The daughters of the priest of Midian, and their flock likewise; these were shepherds of some neighbouring princes or great men, who were so rude and slothful, and to save themselves a little trouble of drawing water, brought up their flocks to drink of the water those virgins had drawn, and to do this forced them and their flocks away: BUT MOSES STOOD UP AND HELPED THEM, AND WATERED THEIR FLOCK; moved to see such rude and uncivil treatment of the weaker sex, rose up from the ground on which he sat, and took their parts, and obliged the shepherds to give way, and brought up their flock to the troughs, and drew water for them, and gave them it; either he did this alone, or together with the servants that waited upon the priest's daughters, perhaps alone; and if it be considered that shepherds being usually not of a very martial spirit, and...

2. MOSES THE CHOSEN DELIVERER CHAPTER 2 Moses: His Birth, Education, Choice, and Exile _ 1. His birth and concealment (Exodus 2:1)_ 2. His rescue and education (Exodus 2:5) 3. His choice and failure (Exodus 2:11) 4. His exile (Exodus 2:15) 5. His marriage (Exodus 2:21) 6. The answered cry (Exodus 2:23) The history of the chosen deliverer, recorded by himself under the guidance of the Spirit, follows the dark picture of Israel

EXODUS 2:11 J. MOSES'S FLIGHT TO MIDIAN. Here is interposed an incident from J, who uses the same word grow (contrast Exodus 2:10) of Moses reaching man's estate, interpreted in Acts 7:23 as 40 years of age (_cf._ 42 years in Jubilees). The Egyptian slain by Moses may have been some bully of a gangmaster (_cf. Exodus 3:7_). The well-intentioned but unjustifiable assumption of the authority to punish committed Moses to the career of a patriot (_cf._ Hebrews 11:24). But the incident was distorted by rumour, and not only aroused the king's anger, but set h

DROVE THEM AWAY. Probably the only well (Exodus 2:15); hence cause of contention. Compare Genesis 21:25; Genesis 26:15; Genesis 26:18; Genesis 26:20; Genesis 26:21; Genesis 26:22. HELPED. Compare Genesis 29:10....

SHEPHERDS CAME AND DROVE THEM— i.e. _The flocks,_ away; for the original word is masculine. _But Moses stood up and helped them;_ chastising the rudeness of the shepherds, not by force, as we may imagine, since he was alone against many; but by that authority and pre-eminence, which education, wisdom, and address give the civilized over the clownish and illiberal....

THE TEXT OF EXODUS TRANSLATION 2 And there went a man of the house of Le-vi, and took to wife a daughter of Le-vi. (2) And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. (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 she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river's brink. (4) And his sister stood afar off, _to_ know what would be done to him. (5) And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river-side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it. (6) And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews-' children. (7) Then said his sister to Pha-raoh's daughter, Shall I...