King James Version

What Does Exodus 2:3 Mean?

“And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.”

Context

And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.

And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.

And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

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Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **An ark of bulrushes.**—Literally, *a chest of the papyrus plant. *The words used are both of Egyptian origin. *Teb, teba, *or *tebat, *is a “box” or chest in Egyptian, and is well Hebraised by *tebah, *or, as it is here vocalised, *têybah. *The papyrus plant was in Egyptian *kam, *as in modern Coptic, whence probably the Hebrew *gôme. *It was a material frequently used by the Egyptians for boats and even larger vessels (Isaiah 18:2; Theophrast. *Hist. Plant, iv.* 8, §4; P1in. H. N. 13:11). **Slime and pitoh.**—By “slime” seems to be meant bitumen, or mineral pitch, as in Gen. ad. 3; by “pitch” (*zaphath*)*, *the ordinary vegetable pitch of commerce. Mineral pitch, though not a product of Egypt, was imported into the country from Mesopotamia, and was largely used for embalming (Brugsch, *History of Egypt, *vol. i. p. 361). **In the flags.**—A rank aquatic vegetation abounds on the Lower Nile, and in all the back-waters and marshy tracts connected with it. Jochebed placed her child “in the flags,” that the ark might not float away down the river, and so be lost to her sight. The word used for “flag”—*suph*—seems to be a Hebraised form of *tufi, *a common Egyptian word, having this sense.

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Exodus. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Exodus 2:3 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.