Exodus 2:6

Exodus 2:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
• English Standard Version (ESV)When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

Context of Exodus 2:6

4His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him. 5Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself by the Nile, while her attendants were walking alongside the river, and she saw the basket among the reeds. She sent one of her attendants, took it, opened it, and saw the child – a boy, crying! – and she felt compassion for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get a nursing woman for you from the Hebrews, so that she may nurse the child for you?” 8Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes, do so.” So the young girl went and got the child’s mother.

Exodus 2:6 word by word

וַתִּפְתַּח֙ וַתִּרְאֵ֣הוּ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד וְהִנֵּה־נַ֖עַר בֹּכֶ֑ה וַתַּחְמֹ֣ל עָלָ֔יו וַתֹּ֕אמֶר מִיַּלְדֵ֥י הָֽעִבְרִ֖ים זֶֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And when she had openedפָּתַחpâthach · to openH6605
• she sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the childיֶ֫לֶדyeled · youthH3206
• and, behold, the babeנַ֫עַרna‛ar · youthH5288
• weptבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
• And she had compassionחָמַלchâmal · to spareH2550
• on him, and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• of the Hebrews’עִבְרִי‛ibrîy · HebrewH5680

Cross-references for Exodus 2:6

• 1 Kings 8:50Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them.
• Nehemiah 1:11Please, O Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man.” Now I was cupbearer for the king.
• Psalms 106:46He caused all their conquerors to have pity on them.
• Proverbs 21:1The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants.
• Acts 7:21and when he had been abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.
• 1 Peter 3:8Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble.

Commentaries on Exodus 2:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6She had compassion on him - The sight of a beautiful babe in distress could not fail to make the impression here mentioned; see Clarke on Exodus 2:2; (note). It has already been conjectured that the cruel edict of the Egyptian king did not continue long in force; see Exodus 1:22. And it will not appear unreasonable to suppose that the circumstance related here might have brought about its abolition. The daughter of Pharaoh, struck with the distressed…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6She had compassion on him - The Egyptians regarded such tenderness as a condition of acceptance on the day of reckoning. In the presence of the Lord of truth each spirit had to answer, “I have not afflicted any man, I have not made any man weep, I have not withheld milk from the mouths of sucklings” (Funeral Ritual‘). There was special ground for mentioning the feeling, since it led the princess to save and adopt the child in spite of her father‘s…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-10Verses 5-10 Come, see the place where that great man, Moses, lay, when he was a little child; it was in a bulrush basket by the river's side. Had he been left there long, he must have perished. But Providence brings Pharaoh's daughter to the place where this poor forlorn infant lay, and inclines her heart to pity it, which she dares do, when none else durst. God's care of us in our infancy ought to be often mentioned by us to his praise. Pharaoh cruelly…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-6The Egyptians believed that the Nile River was a goddess. They thought she gave life and healing. In this way, the Nile was similar to how some people in modern India view the Ganges River. When Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe in the river, she was doing more than washing herself. She was likely taking part in her morning religious practice. When she found the baby floating on the river, she may have seen this as a sign from the Nile goddess. In her…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-96-9. when she had opened it, she saw the child--The narrative is picturesque. No tale of romance ever described a plot more skilfully laid or more full of interest in the development. The expedient of the ark, the slime and pitch, the choice of the time and place, the appeal to the sensibilities of the female breast, the stationing of the sister as a watch of the proceedings, her timely suggestion of a nurse, and the engagement of the mother herself--all…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 2:6

• Adoption
• Hebrew
• Jochebed
• Kindness
• Miriam
• Moses

In the dictionaries

• Herself
• Miriam
• Son
• Soon
• Babe
• Compassion
• Exodus, the Book of
• Genesis
• Hebrew; Hebrewess
• Leviticus

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