Exodus 2:16 introduces the setting where Moses, fleeing Egypt after killing a man, arrives in Midian and meets seven women drawing water for their father’s animals. The verse tells us that these women were the daughters of a priest, and that they worked to keep the family flock alive, which was ordinary daily labor. It is the opening scene of a story about a stranger finding a place to rest, and it is narrated by the author of Exodus, who describes Moses’ new surroundings for readers who would soon see Moses return to Egypt.
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
Exodus 2:16 (WEB)
What Exodus 2:16 Means
The verse begins with “Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters.” The word “now” signals a shift in the narrative, moving from Moses’ violent act and his flight to a quieter scene. The phrase “priest of Midian” identifies the father, whose name we learn in verse 18 as Reuel. Midianites were a people living in the desert region east of the Sinai peninsula, and their religious life was distinct from Israel’s, which makes this family a place of unexpected hospitality for Moses.
The phrase “They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock” describes hard, physical work. Drawing water from a well was heavy labor, and filling troughs for a whole flock took many trips. The verse does not promise that hard work will be rewarded in any particular way. It simply shows the daughters doing what needed doing, faithfully, in a place where they were vulnerable enough to be pushed aside by others, as verse 17 makes clear.
The Context of Exodus 2:16
Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses, and its audience is the people of Israel, who needed to remember how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Chapter 2 gives the backstory of Moses’ early life, his rescue as a baby, his upbringing in Pharaoh’s household, and his failed attempt to defend a fellow Hebrew. Verses 13 to 15 show Moses fleeing for his life after a confrontation, and so when verse 16 places him beside a well in Midian, the reader understands that he has arrived in a foreign land as a fugitive.
Reading verse 16 alongside verses 17 to 19 changes how the scene feels. Moses sees the daughters pushed away by shepherds, then steps in to help them water their flock. Their father asks why they came home so early, and they explain that an Egyptian rescued them. The well scene becomes a place where a displaced man meets people in need and acts with courage, which sets up the larger story of God preparing Moses for leadership through an unexpected path.
Key Phrases in Exodus 2:16
Genesis 24:17
The servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a drink, a little water from your pitcher.”
(WEB)
This verse describes a servant meeting Rebekah at a well, and like Exodus 2:16 it places a woman at a water source in a moment that shapes a larger story. The parallel shows how wells in the Bible are often places of meeting, testing, and God’s guidance in the lives of ordinary people.
Psalm 68:5
A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
(WEB)
This verse calls God a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows, which speaks to the kind of vulnerability the daughters faced at the well. Reading it beside Exodus 2:16 shows that God cares for those who lack protection and works through people like Moses to defend them.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 2:16
Lord, you see the people who work quietly at wells and fields, drawing water and carrying burdens that no one applauds. Thank you that you notice their labor and that you bring help when they are pushed aside. Give me the faithfulness of those daughters, and open my eyes to the strangers and the tired workers around me who need a steady hand. Keep me faithful in small tasks and trusting in your care when I feel displaced. Amen.
