Exodus 2:6-10

Exodus 2:6-10

[6] And when she had opened  it, she 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 Pharaoh's  daughter,  and call  to thee a nurse  of the Hebrew  women,  that she may nurse  the child  for thee? [8] And Pharaoh's  daughter  said  And the maid  and called  the child's  mother.  [9] And Pharaoh's  daughter  said  this child  and nurse  it for me, and I will give  thee thy wages.  And the woman  took  the child,  and nursed  it. [10] And the child  grew,  and she brought  him unto Pharaoh's  daughter,  and he became her son.  And she called  his name  Moses:  and she said,  Because I drew  him out of the water. 

What does Exodus 2:6-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

As the adopted son of Pharaoh"s daughter, Moses enjoyed the highest privileges in his education. In commenting on Moses" training Stephen said that he became, "a man of power in words and deeds" ( Acts 7:21-22). Josephus wrote that Moses was a general in the Egyptian army that defeated the Ethiopians and that he married the daughter of the king of Ethiopia. [1] We cannot prove the accuracy of this statement, but it suggests that Moses may have risen high in Egyptian society before he fled Egypt.
Moses" name was probably Egyptian, but it became a popular Hebrew name. It relates obviously to the names of other great Egyptians of that period (e.g, Ahmose, Thutmose, et al.). The "mose" part of the name means "one born of," and "mo" means "water."
"The phrase "drew him out" ( Exodus 2:10) is a Hebrew pun on the name, emphasizing the baby"s rescue from the waters of the Nile." [2]
This name became even more appropriate as Moses" great life work of drawing the Israelites out of Egypt took shape. Ancient Near Easterners regarded the waters of the sea as a very hostile enemy because they could not control them. The Egypt of Moses" day was such a hostile foe for the Israelites. In this sense Moses" name proved prophetic. Moses" name may have been longer and may have had some connection with the name of an Egyptian god, as the other "mose" compound names referred to above did. If this was the case, "in refusing to "be called the son of Pharaoh"s daughter" Moses was actually refusing reference to an Egyptian deity." [3]
The fact that Moses later chose to identify with the Israelites rather than the Egyptians is remarkable in view of his Egyptian privileges and background. His parents must have had a strong influence on him beginning very early in his life (cf. Joseph). We should never underestimate the power of parental influence even early in life. Note too that the faith of a child can grow stronger when tested by an ungodly environment.