Exodus

Exodus 2:16–22

16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock.

18When the daughters returned to their father Reuel,f he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”

19“An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

20“So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.”

21Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,g saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”

Footnotes

  • f 2:18 Reuel was also called Jethro; see Exodus 3:1|EXO 3:1.
  • g 2:22 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for foreigner.

Read all of Exodus 2

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Exodus 2:16

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
Now the priestוּלְכֹהֵ֥ןū·lə·ḵō·hênConjunctive waw, Preposition-l; Noun - masculine singular constructH3548 priest
of Midianמִדְיָ֖ןmiḏ·yānNoun - proper - masculine singularH4080 Midjan
had sevenשֶׁ֣בַעše·ḇa‘Number - feminine singularH7651 seven
daughtersבָּנ֑וֹתbā·nō·wṯNoun - feminine pluralH1323 daughter
and they cameוַתָּבֹ֣אנָהwat·tā·ḇō·nāhConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine pluralH935 come in, come, go in, go
to draw waterוַתִּדְלֶ֗נָהwat·tiḏ·le·nāhConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine pluralH1802 draw
and fillוַתְּמַלֶּ֙אנָה֙wat·tə·mal·le·nāhConjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine pluralH4390 be full, fill
the troughsהָ֣רְהָטִ֔יםhā·rə·hā·ṭîmArticle; Noun - masculine pluralH7298 trough
to waterלְהַשְׁק֖וֹתlə·haš·qō·wṯPreposition-l; Verb - Hifil - Infinitive constructH8248 quaff, irrigate, furnish a potion to
their father’sאֲבִיהֶֽן׃’ă·ḇî·henNoun - masculine singular construct; third person feminine pluralH1 father
flockצֹ֥אןṣōnNoun - common singular constructH6629 small cattle, sheep and goats, flock, flocks

Exodus 2:17

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
And when some shepherdsהָרֹעִ֖יםhā·rō·‘îmArticle; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine pluralH7462 pasture, tend, graze
came alongוַיָּבֹ֥אוּway·yā·ḇō·’ūConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine pluralH935 come in, come, go in, go
and drove them awayוַיְגָרְשׁ֑וּםway·ḡā·rə·šūmConjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural; third person masculine pluralH1644 drive out, cast out
Mosesמֹשֶׁה֙mō·šehNoun - proper - masculine singularH4872 Moses
rose upוַיָּ֤קָםway·yā·qāmConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH6965 arise, stand up, stand
to help themוַיּ֣וֹשִׁעָ֔ןway·yō·wō·ši·‘ānConjunctive waw; Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular; third person feminine pluralH3467 deliver
and wateredוַיַּ֖שְׁקְway·yašqConjunctive waw; Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH8248 quaff, irrigate, furnish a potion to
their flockצֹאנָֽם׃ṣō·nāmNoun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine pluralH6629 small cattle, sheep and goats, flock, flocks

Exodus 2:18

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
Whenוַתָּבֹ֕אנָהwat·tā·ḇō·nāhConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine pluralH935 come in, come, go in, go
toאֶל־’el-PrepositionH413 motion to
their fatherאֲבִיהֶ֑ן’ă·ḇî·henNoun - masculine singular construct; third person feminine pluralH1 father
Reuelרְעוּאֵ֖לrə·‘ū·’êlNoun - proper - masculine singularH7467 Reuel
he asked themוַיֹּ֕אמֶרway·yō·merConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH559 utter, say
Whyמַדּ֛וּעַmad·dū·a‘InterrogativeH4069 wherefore?
have you returnedבֹּ֖אbōVerb - Qal - Infinitive constructH935 come in, come, go in, go
so earlyמִהַרְתֶּ֥ןmi·har·tenVerb - Piel - Perfect - second person feminine pluralH4116 hasten
todayהַיּֽוֹם׃hay·yō·wmArticle; Noun - masculine singularH3117 day

Exodus 2:19

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
An Egyptianמִצְרִ֔יmiṣ·rîNoun - proper - masculine singularH4713 Mitsrite
rescued usהִצִּילָ֖נוּhiṣ·ṣî·lā·nūVerb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular; first person common pluralH5337 strip, plunder
fromמִיַּ֣דmî·yaḏPreposition-m; Noun - feminine singular constructH3027 hand
the shepherdsהָרֹעִ֑יםhā·rō·‘îmArticle; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine pluralH7462 pasture, tend, graze
they repliedוַתֹּאמַ֕רְןָwat·tō·mar·nāConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine pluralH559 utter, say
He evenוְגַם־wə·ḡam-ConjunctionH1571 also, moreover, yea
drew waterדָּלֹ֤הdā·lōhVerb - Qal - Infinitive absoluteH1802 draw
for usלָ֔נוּlā·nūPreposition; first person common plural
and wateredוַיַּ֖שְׁקְway·yašqConjunctive waw; Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH8248 quaff, irrigate, furnish a potion to
the flockהַצֹּֽאן׃haṣ·ṣōnArticle; Noun - common singularH6629 small cattle, sheep and goats, flock, flocks

Exodus 2:20

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
So where is heוְאַיּ֑וֹwə·’ay·yōwConjunctive waw; Interrogative; third person masculine singularH335 where?
askedוַיֹּ֥אמֶרway·yō·merConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH559 utter, say
Whyלָ֤מָּהlām·māhPreposition-l; InterrogativeH4100 what? how? aught
did you leave the manהָאִ֔ישׁhā·’îšArticle; Noun - masculine singularH376 man
behindעֲזַבְתֶּ֣ן‘ă·zaḇ·tenVerb - Qal - Perfect - second person feminine pluralH5800 leave, forsake, loose
Inviteקִרְאֶ֥ןqir·’enVerb - Qal - Imperative - feminine pluralH7121 call, proclaim, read
himל֖וֹlōwPreposition; third person masculine singular
to have something to eatוְיֹ֥אכַלwə·yō·ḵalConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singularH398 eat

Exodus 2:21

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
Mosesמֹשֶׁ֖הmō·šehNoun - proper - masculine singularH4872 Moses
agreedוַיּ֥וֹאֶלway·yō·w·’elConjunctive waw; Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH2974 shew willingness, be pleased, determine, undertake
to stayלָשֶׁ֣בֶתlā·še·ḇeṯPreposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive constructH3427 sit, remain, dwell
withאֶת־’eṯ-PrepositionH854 with
the manהָאִ֑ישׁhā·’îšArticle; Noun - masculine singularH376 man
and he gaveוַיִּתֵּ֛ןway·yit·tênConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH5414 give, put, set
his daughterבִתּ֖וֹḇit·tōwNoun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine singularH1323 daughter
Zipporahצִפֹּרָ֥הṣip·pō·rāhNoun - proper - feminine singularH6855 Tsipporah
to Moses in marriageלְמֹשֶֽׁה׃lə·mō·šehPreposition-l; Noun - proper - masculine singularH4872 Moses

Exodus 2:22

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
And she gave birth toוַתֵּ֣לֶדwat·tê·leḏConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singularH3205 bear, bring forth, beget
a sonבֵּ֔ןbênNoun - masculine singularH1121 son
andוַיִּקְרָ֥אway·yiq·rāConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH7121 call, proclaim, read
Gershomגֵּרְשֹׁ֑םgê·rə·šōmNoun - proper - masculine singularH1647 Gereshom
sayingאָמַ֔ר’ā·marVerb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularH559 utter, say
I have becomeהָיִ֔יתִיhā·yî·ṯîVerb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singularH1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
a foreignerגֵּ֣רgêrNoun - masculine singularH1616 sojourner
in a foreignנָכְרִיָּֽה׃פnā·ḵə·rî·yāhAdjective - feminine singularH5237 foreign, alien
landבְּאֶ֖רֶץbə·’e·reṣPreposition-b; Noun - feminine singularH776 earth, land

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Exodus 2:16 Exodus 3:1 · Genesis 24:11 · 1 Samuel 9:11 · Genesis 24:14–20 · Genesis 29:6–10 · Genesis 41:45

Exodus 2:17 Genesis 29:10 · Genesis 21:25 · Exodus 2:12 · Genesis 26:15–22

Exodus 2:18 Exodus 3:1 · Exodus 4:18 · Numbers 10:29 · Exodus 18:1–12

Exodus 2:19 Genesis 29:10 · Genesis 50:11

Exodus 2:20 Genesis 31:54 · Genesis 43:25 · Hebrews 13:2 · Genesis 18:5 · Job 42:11 · 1 Timothy 5:10 · Job 31:32 · Genesis 19:2–3 · Genesis 24:31–33

Exodus 2:21 Genesis 31:38–40 · Hebrews 13:5 · James 1:10 · Exodus 18:2–6 · Hebrews 11:25 · Exodus 4:20–25 · Philippians 4:11–12 · Exodus 2:10 · 1 Timothy 6:6

Exodus 2:22 Acts 7:29 · Hebrews 11:13–14 · Exodus 22:21 · 1 Chronicles 29:15 · Psalm 39:12 · 1 Chronicles 16:20 · Psalm 119:19 · 1 Chronicles 23:14–17 · Exodus 18:3–4

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.