And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
Parallel translations
- WEB He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
- BSB After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
- NKJV So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
- NASB So he looked this way and that, and when he saw that there was no one around, he struck and killed the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand.
- NLT After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Seeing no one watching, Moses kills the Egyptian and hides the body. His zeal for justice takes a hasty, sinful form.
Overview
Moses' impulse to defend his people is right, but acting in secret violence and by his own hand is presumptuous and premature. The deliverance must come God's way and in God's time, not by self-appointed force. The episode shows even a chosen leader's need to learn dependence on God rather than the strength of the flesh.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Acts 7:24–26And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 2:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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