Exodus 2:17-20

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 2:16-22

Moses here gains a settlement in Midian, just as his father Jacob had gained one in Syria, Gen. 29:2 And both these instances should encourage us to trust Providence, and to follow it. Events that seem inconsiderable, and purely accidental, after wards appear to have been designed by the wisdom of God for very good purposes, and of great consequence to his people. A casual transient occurrence has sometimes occasioned the greatest and happiest turns of a man's life. Observe, I. Concerning the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 2:17

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 2:18

And when they came to Reuel their father ,.... Or Ragouel, as the Septuagint; and so Artapanus F19 Ut supra. (Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 434.) calls him. The Targum of Jonathan has it, their father's father; and so Aben Ezra says he was; and is the sense of others, induced thereto by Numbers 10:29 , but it does not follow from thence: he said: how is it that you are come so soon today ? it being not only sooner than they were wont to come, but perhaps their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 2:19

And they said, an Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds ,.... A man, who by his habit and by his speech appeared to them to be an Egyptian, and upon their inquiry he might tell them so, being born in Egypt, though of Hebrew parents: and also drew water enough for us ; or "in drawing drew" F20 דלה דלה "hauriendo bausit", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator. ; drew it readily, quickly and in abundance: and watered the flock ; by which means their business was done,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 2:20

And he said unto his daughters, and where is he ?.... By the account Reuel's daughters gave of Moses, of his courage and humanity, he was very desirous of seeing him: why is it that ye have left the man ? behind them at the well, and had not brought him along with them; he seemed to be displeased, and chides them, and tacitly suggests that they were rude and ungrateful not to ask a stranger, and one that had been so kind to them, to come with them and refresh himself: call him, that... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 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 labor, watered their own cattle. Moses resisted this insolence, and assisted them to water their flocks, in... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 2:18

Reuel, their father - In Numbers 10:29 ; this person is called Raguel, but the Hebrew is the same in both places. The reason of this difference is that the ע ain in רעואל is sometimes used merely as vowel, sometimes as g, ng , and gn , and this is occasioned by the difficulty of the sound, which scarcely any European organs can enunciate. As pronounced by the Arabs it strongly resembles the first effort made by the throat in gargling, or as Meninski says, Est vox vituli matrem... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 2:20

That he may eat bread - That he may be entertained, and receive refreshment to proceed on his journey. Bread, among the Hebrews, was used to signify all kinds of food commonly used for the support of man's life. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 2:18

Verse 18 18.And when they came to Reuel (31) I do not think any blame attaches to the daughters of Bethuel for not offering hospitality to Moses, because young women should be modest, and it would have been an act of too great forwardness to invite an unknown foreigner, without acquainting their father. But God inspires the heart of their father with gratitude, so that he desires him to be sent for. Moses, therefore, is brought from the well, and finds a home in which he may live comfortably,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 2:15-23

The long exile.Moses took with him into Midian all the best elements of his character; he left some of the faulty ones behind. He may be assumed to have left much of his self-confidence, and to have been cured in part of his natural rashness. His after growth in meekness would almost imply that he had come to see the need of curbing his hot passions, and had, like David, purposed in his heart that he would not transgress ( Psalms 17:3 ; Psalms 32:1 ). But he carried with him all his... read more

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