What is the meaning of Exodus 2:6? When she opened it • Pharaoh’s daughter lifts the lid of the papyrus basket, taking the first conscious step in a rescue God arranged long before. • The simple verb “opened” recalls other pivotal openings that change history—Noah opening the ark to a new world (Genesis 8:13), and later Josiah opening the rediscovered Law (2 Kings 22:10)—moments when God unveils His purposes. • Acts 7:21 echoes this scene, confirming its literal reality: “Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.” she saw the child • Her gaze falls on a helpless baby, and the narrative slows to let us feel the significance of that moment. • Psalm 139:16 reminds us that every child is already seen by God; here, He ensures the child is also seen by the one who can protect him. • God often works through what we notice (1 Samuel 16:7), steering hearts toward His plan of deliverance. and behold, the little boy was crying • The cry is more than infant discomfort; it becomes the catalyst for mercy. • God frequently responds to and uses human cries—Hagar’s son Ishmael (Genesis 21:16-17) and Israel’s slavery groans (Exodus 3:7). • The word “behold” draws us in, as though we, too, must pause and hear that urgent sound. So she had compassion on him • Compassion bridges social, cultural, and political divides. Pharaoh’s daughter feels what God feels; Psalm 103:13 says, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” • Her pity overrides the royal decree (Exodus 1:22) and previews the mercy God will extend to the entire nation. • Luke 10:33 shows the same dynamic: compassion compels action, even when the cost is high. and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.” • She recognizes the ethnic identity immediately—perhaps by the circumcision or simply by knowing Hebrew babies were being cast into the Nile (Exodus 1:16). • Acknowledging him as “Hebrew” makes her decision dangerous, yet she proceeds. Hebrews 11:24-25 later celebrates Moses for rejecting Egyptian privilege; that journey starts with her brave acknowledgment. • Acts 7:19 recalls Pharaoh’s policy of genocide, underscoring how her words set up a personal stand against state-sponsored evil. summary Exodus 2:6 presents a chain of divinely orchestrated moments: an opening, a seeing, a cry, a surge of compassion, and a bold declaration. Each link reveals God’s meticulous care for one life and, through that life, for an entire people. The verse teaches that God hears the smallest cry, moves unlikely hearts to mercy, and faithfully preserves His promises—turning a river meant for death into the cradle of Israel’s deliverer. |
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