Christian Standard Bible
Exodus 2:22
22She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, “I have been a resident alien in a foreign land.”
Exodus 2:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
- New International Version (NIV)Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”
Context of Exodus 2:22
20“So where is he?” he asked his daughters. “Why then did you leave the man behind? Invite him to eat dinner.” 21Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, “I have been a resident alien in a foreign land.” 23After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, they cried out, and their cry for help because of the difficult labor ascended to God. 24God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
Read all of Exodus 2Exodus 2:22 word by word
וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֔ן וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ גֵּרְשֹׁ֑ם כִּ֣י אָמַ֔ר גֵּ֣ר הָיִ֔יתִי בְּאֶ֖רֶץ נָכְרִיָּֽה׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And she bareיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
- a sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- and he calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
- his nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- Gershomגֵּרְשֹׁםgêreshôm · GershomH1647
- for he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- I have been a strangerגֵּרgêr gêyr · sojournerH1616
- in a strangeנׇכְרִיnokrîy · foreignH5237
- landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for Exodus 2:22
- 1 Chronicles 23:14As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
- Exodus 2:10When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
- Exodus 18:3along with her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (because Moses had said, “I have been a resident alien in a foreign land”)
- Exodus 22:21“You must not exploit a resident alien or oppress him, since you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.
- 1 Chronicles 16:20wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another,
- 1 Chronicles 29:15For we are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
- Psalms 39:12“Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help; do not be silent at my tears. For I am here with you as an alien, a temporary resident like all my ancestors.
- Psalms 119:19I am a resident alien on earth; do not hide your commands from me.
- Acts 7:29“When he heard this, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
- Hebrews 11:13These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.
Commentaries on Exodus 2:22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Called his name Gershom - Literally, a stranger; the reason of which Moses immediately adds, for I have been an Alien in a strange land. The Vulgate, the Septuagint, as it stands in the Complutensian Polyglot, and in several MSS., the Syriac, the Coptic, and the Arabic, add the following words to this verse: And the name of the second he called Eliezer, for the God of my father has been my help, and delivered me from the hand of Pharaoh. These words are…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22Gershom - The first syllable “Ger” is common to Hebrew and Egyptian, and means “sojourner.” The second syllable “Shom” answers exactly to the Coptic “Shemmo,” which means “a foreign or strange land.”Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 Moses found shelter in Midian. He was ready to help Reuel's daughters to water their flocks, although bred in learning and at court. Moses loved to be doing justice, and to act in defence of such as he saw injured, which every man ought to do, as far as it is in his power. He loved to be doing good; wherever the providence of God casts us, we should desire and try to be useful; and when we cannot do the good we would, we must be ready to do…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-25This passage shows the concern Moses felt for the oppressed. It describes his move to a new land (2:18–22). He married, had a child, and lived there for 40 years (Acts 7:30). From a human perspective, rescuing the Israelites through Moses seemed impossible. But what God's perspective is what matters. The end of this section tells us that God had not forgotten his people (Exodus 2:23–25). He was only waiting for the right time to act (2:25).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-2216-22. the priest of Midian--or, "prince of Midian." As the officers were usually conjoined, he was the ruler also of the people called Cushites or Ethiopians, and like many other chiefs of pastoral people in that early age, he still retained the faith and worship of the true God. seven daughters--were shepherdesses to whom Moses was favorably introduced by an act of courtesy and courage in protecting them from the rude shepherds of some neighboring tribe…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 2:22
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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