Exodus 2:11-15 meaning

In Exodus 2:11-15, Moses identifies with his Hebrew brethren, kills an Egyptian oppressor, is rejected by his own people, and flees from Pharaoh to Midian.

Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren (v 11).

This incident in Moses's life occurs in those days, meaning the days of bondage and oppressive labor imposed on the Hebrews, during the time when Moses had grown up. Acts 7:23 states that Moses was about 40 years old at this time, so there is about a 40-year gap between verses 10 and 11.

Moses had grown up as an Egyptian, being part of the Egyptian royal family, receiving an Egyptian education, and enjoying all of the benefits of the Egyptian way of life. He must have, however, been aware of his Hebrew heritage because he went out to his brethren. Because he was Egyptian royalty, he had access to the Hebrew camp and looked on their hard labors.

During his inspection, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. The Hebrew word that is translated as beating is a form of נָכָה (H5221 — pronounced: “naw-kaw”). “Nawkaw” can refer to killing, but it can also mean "striking" with no intent of causing death.

The double use of brethren stresses that Moses identified with the Hebrews and not the Egyptians at this point. Brethren is a brotherhood. It is a shared identity. Even though he had Egyptian citizenship Moses was Hebrew by birth (Exodus 2:1-10). At least in his heart, Moses identified with the Hebrews as a Hebrew. Even though Moses may have had royal privilege, he identified with slaves.

As a royal son choosing to identify with the lowly slaves marked for extermination, Moses prefigures Christ—who was a royal Son of Heaven who identified with lowly sinners who were dead in their trespasses and separated from God (Luke 1:32-33, John 3:13, 6:38, Ephesians 2:1, Hebrews 2:17, 4:15). In exchanging his royal privileges to identify with his enslaved brethren, Moses foreshadowed Jesus:

“who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”
(Philippians 2:6-7)

Moses looked on and saw their hard labors.

Moses could have embraced Egypt and forsaken Israel. He could have ignored or pretended to not see the injustice and bondage of his people. But he didn’t. Moses choose to look on and see the suffering of his brethren. Moses identified with his enslaved brethren rather than his Egyptian upbringing.

The Book of Hebrews praises Moses for doing this:

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.”
(Hebrews 11:23-27)

Moses’s faith here is commendable. He chose God’s people over Egypt’s treasures, and he refused to live comfortably while his brethren suffered. But we should be careful to not let our “faith” or demands for justice to move ahead of God.

We are to abide in God and follow Him (Luke 9:23, John 15:4). God leads us. We do not lead Him (Matthew 16:21-23). When we get ahead of God and act in our human strength rather than waiting on His wisdom, timing, guidance, and power, we are acting self-righteously.

Self-righteousness is following our own ideas about justice rather than walking in obedience to God and deferring to His justice in His time.

The self-righteous do not follow God’s will. The self-righteous follow their own will. Self-righteousness typically produces the wrath of man. And the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20).

We can be religiously self-righteous, politically self-righteous, socially self-righteous, but being self-righteous in any form means being full of oneself. And the world is lousy with leaders, politicians, influencers, and religious busybodies who are full of themselves and empty of Jesus.

Not getting ahead of God should not be mistaken for a call to inaction. As followers of Christ, we must be engaged in the world. We are called to do justice and to love mercy (Micah 6:8). To serve people in their hour of need. Pure and undefiled religion is to visit widows and the orphans in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world (James 1:27). God gave us opportunities and talents, not so we would bury them (Matthew 25:17-18, 24-28), but to use them to serve people and advance His kingdom. But we must do so with humility and faith in God.

Moses was standing at a dangerous crossroad where a righteous concern can become self-righteousness. He had chosen the right people—his Hebrew brethren. He saw a real problem—their hard labors and an Egyptian beating one of his brethren. But the question before him was whether he would respond in God’s way or in his own strength.

So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (v 12).

The phrase he looked this way and that could be seen either as checking to make sure that he would not be seen, or to see if there was anyone else who could do something about the situation.

It could even describe how Moses was looking for God to intervene and stop this injustice. As Moses looked on their hard labors and saw the Egyptian beating his Hebrew brethren, his heart may have cried out: “How long, O Lord? How long will Your people suffer. How long will their oppressors go unchallenged? When will you intervene? And if you won’t answer me and intervene in the way I demand, God, then I will.”

Then, when he saw there was no one around, at least he perceived such, Moses decided to intervene. He struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

The Hebrew word that is translated as struck down is the same word that is translated as beating in the previous verse. It is “nawkaw.” This time “nawkaw” results in death. It could be that Moses intended to give the Egyptian "a dose of his own medicine" so to speak, not to kill him. In any case, he struck the Egyptian in such a way as to cause his death, intentionally or unintentionally. Here Moses became (at least in his own mind) the deliverer he was meant to be.

Moses had struck a blow for the Hebrews, but he did so in self-righteous anger.

In his own mind, Moses was acting as a deliverer, but he was not acting in God’s power. Moses was acting in his own strength when he struck down the Egyptian. Moses was not yet the deliverer God would use. Apart from God, Moses could not deliverer his brethren. Only the LORD could do that. In time, the LORD would use a much humbler version of Moses to deliver his brethren, but Moses was not yet that humble leader.

After killing the Egyptian, Moses immediately recognized his limitations. He hid the body of the Egyptian in the sand to cover up what he had done. Moses hid him in the sand because he feared that it would become known and Moses would be killed.

It is interesting that in Numbers 20:11, the same word “nawkaw” is used when Moses strikes the rock in anger. In both Exodus 2:12 and Numbers 20:11, Moses acts in self-righteousness instead trusting in the power of God.

He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” (v 13).

Moses went out the next day, maybe to look for another opportunity to act as deliverer. But on this day, he experienced a different situation.

The word behold indicates that Moses saw something he did not expect to see. On this day, Moses saw two Hebrews fighting each other.

Moses again decided to intervene. He may have thought this was an opportunity to rally the Hebrews to himself as their leader who would deliver them. Moses verbally intervenes instead of physically intervening. He struck and killed the Egyptian, but among his own brethren Moses tries to use words to stop things.

Moses said to the aggressor: “Why are you striking your companion?”

The Hebrew word for striking here is once again “nawkaw,” the same Hebrew word as struck down in verse 12 and beating in verse 11.

Notice how Moses' confrontation is verbal instead of physical as with the Egyptian. This is another indication that Moses identifies with the Hebrews and that he was thinking of himself as their deliverer and not executioner. Moses had delivered a Hebrew from mistreatment by an Egyptian the day before, and now he is delivering a Hebrew "brother" from mistreatment from another Hebrew "brother."

But instead of receiving praise as a peacemaker, and his Hebrew brethren rallying to himself as their beloved deliverer, Moses gets a stern confrontation.

But he said, “Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” (v 14a).

Notice there are two questions here. The first one questions Moses' authority over them, and the second one seeks to strike fear in Moses.

The first question challenges Moses’s authority: “What right do you have to judge us?

Moses was an Egyptian and possibly even a prince of Egypt—for a Hebrew slave to defy Moses like this was a real insult. It was tantamount to saying: “You may look Egyptian and live in a fancy palace and think you are important, but you are fake and I reject your self-imagined authority.”

Additionally, the Hebrews already had taskmasters (Exodus 1:11), and Moses (probably adorned as Egyptian royalty) did not look like a taskmaster. The first question shows that Moses was out of place and not welcome there.

The second question reveals to Moses that his murder of the Egyptian was indeed known to many. It was intended to strike fear into Moses: “Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? Yeah, I know about that and so does everybody else. You’re about to be in big trouble. What are you going to do now, Moses?”

These two questions unnerved Moses and deflated his sense of self-importance.

Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.” (v 14b).

How could Moses deliver his brethren if they were rejecting him? And once his murdering of the Egyptian was known, Egypt would reject him too. Moses feared for his life and abandoned his self-righteous and foolish quest to liberate his brethren by himself.

Moses apparently reasoned that if this Hebrew knew what he did, it stood to reason that it was reported to the Egyptian authorities, even Pharaoh himself. Because of this, Moses was afraid and said, "Surely the matter has become known." It was as Moses suspected.

When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. (v 15).

Knowing his life was in danger (he knew what Pharaoh would do, being raised in the royal household), Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh.

Having now exited Egypt, Moses settled in the land of Midian. The founder of the Midianites was one of the sons of Keturah (a wife of Abraham) named Midian. In Genesis, it is said that Abraham sent his sons and their families (besides Isaac), "to the land of the east" (Genesis 25:1-6). As result, the Midianites lived in southeastern Sinai and northwestern Arabia on both sides of the Gulf of Aqaba. To get here from Egypt, Moses would have had to travel a long way — a 300-400 mile journey eastward. Depending on the route Moses took, his pace, and any delays he might if encountered it may have taken him anywhere from two weeks to two months.

The phrase he sat down by a well sets the stage for the next section of Exodus 2. The Hebrew word for sat can also be translated "dwelled," meaning that Moses could have made this place by the well his home instead of just a temporary stop on this journey.

Moses's method of delivering the Hebrews obviously was not successful. Moses still needed to learn how to become the deliverer God wanted him to be.

There are two lessons from Moses’s failed attempt to deliver his brethren.

The first lesson is that it is deeply ironic that the first recorded action of Moses, the man who would later say of God in Deuteronomy: “Vengeance is Mine” (Deuteronomy 32:35), was to murder someone in an act of vengeance.

Moses had yet to receive God’s Law and understand his heart when he killed the Egyptian.

He did not yet know that vengeance belongs to God and that the LORD gives his sword to the state to deter evildoing (Romans 13:1-4), and/or that it is not up to us to personally prosecute every personal injustice we suffer.

In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul elaborates upon and quotes Moses’s statement from Deuteronomy 32:35, which says: “Vengeance is Mine”.

“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
(Romans 12:17-19)

What does it mean to “leave room for the wrath of God” (Romans 12:19)?

It means that because God is perfectly just, He does not need us to intervene on His behalf. He will make all things right. When we are offended or persecuted, we should never pay back evil for evil. Our sense of justice is often off, and it is never perfect. When we impose our sense of justice upon others, we are not leaving room for the wrath of God. We should leave room for God’s wrath, because God is a perfect judge and He will set things right.

And if we want to take this a step further, we should be quick to forgive those who offend us, because God will use our own standard of offense to measure us (Matthew 7:1-2). Because God uses our own standards of judgment of others to measure us, leaving room for God’s wrath is really leaving room for God’s mercy for us and for those who sin against us. Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy (Matthew 5:7).

Another practical way we leave room for the wrath of God is by letting the governing authorities administer justice rather than taking matters into our hands. God has made the governing authorities His avengers who bear his sword against evildoers (Romans 13:3-5).

The second application that we should take from Moses’s initial failure is to operate in God’s will and power and not our own.

Moses could not be the deliverer God called him to be in his own steam. Moses was only able to deliver Israel when he operated in the power and authority of the LORD.

We cannot do the supernatural things God calls us to do in our own strength. Jesus told His disciples that He is the Vine and we are the branches and that apart from Him we can do nothing (of value). But with Him we will produce much fruit (John 15:1-5).

If anyone could have operated in His own strength, it would have been Jesus, but He emptied Himself of divine privilege (Philippians 2:5-8) and accomplished everything He did through faith, obeying His Father’s will instead of His own (Matthew 26:39), operating in the power of the Spirit instead of Himself (Luke 4:14). Jesus overcame every temptation, endured suffering, rejection, agony, and death not in His own divine strength, but in His Father’s. We have the same Spirit and power in us to overcome our trials and do God’s will in our lives by the faith that Jesus had. But unlike Jesus, and like Moses’s first attempt in Egypt, we often foolishly try to do things in our own power.