The Birth of Moses

A man of the house of Levi married a daughter of Levi, and the woman subsequently conceived and bore a son. Upon seeing that the child was a goodly child, she hid him for a duration of three months. When she could no longer hide him, she took an ark made of bulrushes and daubed it with slime and pitch. She placed the child inside the ark and laid it in the flags by the brink of the river (Exodus 2:1-3).

The sister of the child stood afar off to witness what would be done to him. During this time, the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river, and her maidens walked along the river side. When she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. Upon opening the ark, she saw the child, and the text records that the babe wept. The daughter of Pharaoh had compassion on him and identified him as one of the Hebrews' children (Exodus 2:4-6).

The sister of the child then approached the daughter of Pharaoh and asked if she should go and call a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for her. The daughter of Pharaoh instructed her to go, and the maid went and called the child's mother. The daughter of Pharaoh told the woman to take the child away and nurse it for her, promising to give her wages. The woman took the child and nursed him (Exodus 2:7-9).

When the child grew, the mother brought him unto the daughter of Pharaoh, and he became her son. The daughter of Pharaoh called his name Moses, stating that she drew him out of the water. The text does not say how much time passed during his growth or provide the specific names of the mother, father, or sister in this passage (Exodus 2:10).