Exodus 2:19 records the daughters of Reuel, the priest of Midian, explaining to their father why they came home so early from the well. The plain meaning is that an Egyptian stranger had rescued them from hostile shepherds and then drew water for them and their flock. The words are spoken by the daughters, who are reporting the day’s events to their father Reuel, whom the Hebrew text also calls Jethro.
They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.”
Exodus 2:19 (WEB)
What Exodus 2:19 Means
The daughters begin with the phrase “an Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds.” Their word for delivered carries the sense of rescuing someone from a grip or a threat. The shepherds had pushed them away from the water, and a man they did not know stepped in. The daughters do not name him, which tells you that to them he was simply the man who helped, identified by his nationality rather than his name.
The second phrase, “moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock,” shows that his help went beyond one act of defense. He did the work of the day for them, so that they could take their animals home. The verse does not promise that every stranger will act kindly or that every hardship will be lifted. It records one ordinary afternoon in which an outsider showed generosity, and it leaves the wider meaning to the reader’s reflection on the chapter as a whole.
The Context of Exodus 2:19
Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses and tells the story of Israel’s descent into slavery in Egypt and their deliverance under God. Chapter 2 begins Moses’ story. Having fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, Moses arrives in Midian, where he defends the seven daughters of the priest Reuel. The verse you are reading is the daughters’ report of that encounter, so it sits at a hinge point in the narrative: the man who fled Egypt as a fugitive is now the one doing the rescuing.
Verse 22 supplies the next clue. Moses names his son Gershom, saying he has lived as a foreigner in a foreign land. The helper whom the daughters describe as “an Egyptian” is himself a displaced person, far from home. Read in that setting, the daughters’ words carry a quiet irony and a deeper point: God is working through a man who is himself an outsider, preparing him for the larger task of leading Israel out of Egypt.
Key Phrases in Exodus 2:19
Leviticus 19:34
The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
(WEB)
This verse commands Israel to treat the foreigner living among them as one of their own and to love them as themselves. It widens the lens of Exodus 2:19 by showing that the kindness Moses showed to a stranger is written into Israel’s law. Moses’ act becomes an example of a principle God wanted his people to live by.
Hebrews 13:2
Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.
(WEB)
This New Testament verse encourages believers to show hospitality to strangers, noting that some have welcomed angels without knowing it. It connects the Exodus scene to a wider call to open-handed care for those we do not yet know well. Moses’ willingness to help a group of unfamiliar women points toward the generous welcome that Hebrews describes.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 2:19
Lord, you see the people who are pushed to the edge of the well and the ones who are left waiting while others take their turn. Give me eyes to notice them and a willing heart to step in, even when it costs me time or comfort. Remind me that you once brought a stranger into your work to rescue and to serve, and let me trust that you can use my small acts of help in the same way. Shape my life so that I welcome outsiders as you have welcomed me. Amen.
