^2:1¹ A man from the household² of Levi married³ a woman who was a descendant of Levi.⁴^2:2The woman became pregnant⁵ and gave birth to a son. When⁶ she saw that⁷ he was a healthy⁸ child, she hid him for three months.

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Footnotes

1 The chapter records the exceptional survival of Moses under the decree of death by Pharaoh (vv. 1–10), the flight of Moses from Pharaoh after killing the Egyptian (vv. 11–15), the marriage of Moses (vv. 16–22), and finally a note about the Lord’s hearing the sighing of the people in bondage (vv. 23–25). The first part is the birth. The Bible has several stories about miraculous or special births and deliverances of those destined to lead Israel. Their impact is essentially to authenticate the individual’s ministry. If the person’s beginning was providentially provided and protected by the Lord, then the mission must be of divine origin too. In this chapter the plot works around the decree for the death of the children—a decree undone by the women. The second part of the chapter records Moses’ flight and marriage. Having introduced the deliverer Moses in such an auspicious way, the chapter then records how this deliverer acted presumptuously and had to flee for his life. Any deliverance God desired had to be supernatural, as the chapter’s final note about answering prayer shows.
2 Heb “house.” In other words, the tribe of Levi.
3 Heb “went and took”; “went and married.”
4 Heb “a daughter of Levi.” The word “daughter” is used in the sense of “descendant” and connects the new account with Pharaoh’s command in 1:22. The words “a woman who was” are added for clarity in English. The first part of this section is the account of hiding the infant (vv. 1–4). The marriage, the birth, the hiding of the child, and the positioning of Miriam, are all faith operations that ignore the decree of Pharaoh or work around it to preserve the life of the child.
5 Or “conceived” (, , , , ).
6 A preterite form with the vav consecutive can be subordinated to a following clause. What she saw stands as a reason for what she did: “when she saw … she hid him three months.”
7 After verbs of perceiving or seeing there are frequently two objects, the formal accusative (“she saw him”) and then a noun clause that explains what it was about the child that she perceived (“that he was healthy”). See §117.h.
8 Or “fine” (טוֹב, tov). The construction is parallel to phrases in the creation narrative (“and God saw that it was good,” Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 17, 21, 25, 31). B. Jacob says, “She looked upon her child with a joy similar to that of God upon His creation (Gen 1:4ff.)” (Exodus, 25).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Now a man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.

NLTNew Living Translation

About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And a man from the family of Levi went, and he took a descendent of Levi. And the woman conceived, and she gave birth to a son, and she saw him, that he was a fine baby, and she hid him three months.

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

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