Exodus 2:22

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“Then where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave him there? Invite him to come and eat with us.” 21Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled there with him. In time, Reuel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” 23Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. 24God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Exodus 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 included with the tribe of Levi.
• Exodus 2:10Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.”
• Exodus 18:3(Moses’ first son was named Gershom, for Moses had said when the boy was born, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”
• Exodus 22:21“You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
• 1 Chronicles 16:20They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
• 1 Chronicles 29:15We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
• Psalms 39:12Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest— a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me.
• Psalms 119:19I am only a foreigner in the land. Don’t hide your commands from me!
• Acts 7:29When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born.
• Hebrews 11:13All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on 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

• Gershom
• Jethro
• Moses
• Zipporah

In the dictionaries

• Gershom
• Herself
• Son
• Soon
• Exodus, the Book of
• Genesis
• Leviticus
• Moses
• Proselyte
• Zipporah

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