Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 2:15
Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
15. Midian ] The most important of a group of tribes (Gen 25:1-4), in N.W. Arabia, and E. of Canaan ( ib. v. 6; cf. Num 22:4), which the Hebrews reckoned to their own race, through Abraham’s second wife eurah, and so a step further removed than the Ishmaelites. The proper home of the Midianites appears to have been on the E. side of the Gulf of ‘Akaba, where Ptolemy (vi. 7. 2) and the Arabic geographers (cf. EB. iii. 3081) mention a place , Madyan, almost exactly opposite the S. extremity of the Sin. Peninsula; but nomad branches of the tribe wandered northward along the margin of the desert, whence they made forays into Edom, for instance (Gen 36:35), and even Canaan (Judges 6-8). From Exo 3:1 (cf. Exo 18:1; Exo 18:5; Exo 18:27) it appears that ‘the land of Midian’ was not far from Sinai: if, therefore, ‘Sinai’ has been rightly located by tradition (see p. 189 ff.), there must have been a Midianite settlement in some part of what is now called the ‘Sinaitic’ Peninsula, probably in its S.E. Others, however, regard ‘the land of Midian’ as denoting more naturally the proper home of the tribe, and consider the passage to support the view that ‘Sinai’ was on the E. of the Gulf of ‘Aaba (cf. p. 189 f.).
In the S. or SE. of the Peninsula, Moses would be beyond Egyptian jurisdiction. It is true, in Wdy Maghrah, and Wdy Sarbu el-Khadim, there were mines for turquoise and copper, worked by the Egyptians, and protected by military guards, which are mentioned frequently, at intervals, from the 3rd to the 20th dynasty (see full descriptions, with numerous photographs, in Petrie’s Researches in Sinai, 1906): but (see the Map) these were in the NW. of the Peninsula, and not necessarily on the route to the S. or SE. Sayce’s statement ( HCM. 265 f.) that in the days of the Exodus the Sin. Peninsula was ‘an Egyptian province’ seems to be an exaggeration of the facts; for even the mining districts were not occupied by them permanently (see Petrie, p. 206).
by the well ] the well of the district to which he came.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
15 22. Moses’ flight to Midian; and his marriage there to a daughter of the priest of Midian.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
No Egyptian king would have left; such an offence unpunished. But the position of Moses, as an adopted son of a princess, made it necessary even for a despotic sovereign to take unusual precautions.
The land of Midian – The Midianites occupied an extensive district from the eastern coast of the Red Sea to the borders of Moab.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Exo 2:15
He sat down by a well
The meditations of a perplexed soul
I.
They occurred at an important crisis in the life of Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh.
1. Moses had vacated a good home.
2. Moses had incurred the anger of Pharaoh.
II. They afford an opportunity for determining on a new course of life,
III. They are soon interrupted by a call to new activities (Exo 2:17).
IV. They were indulged in a very favourable place. The well in olden time, a fine scene for rest and contemplation. Christ, when He was tired, sat on a well. His rest was broken by the advent of a woman, whom He ultimately led to Himself in contrition of heart. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Moses flight
1. Criminations of Gods servants are soon carried to the ears of persecutors.
2. Persecutors ears are open to receive all reports against Gods people.
3. Fame of any evil against Gods servants stirs up violent men to pursue them.
4. The death of Gods instruments for His Churchs good is the aim of bloody enemies.
5. God provides Midian to save what Egypt would destroy.
6. God is pleased to change court enjoyments for a poor well, to refresh His weary saints (Exo 2:15). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 15. Pharaoh – sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh] How can this be reconciled with Heb 11:27: By faith he (Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king? Very easily. The apostle speaks not of this forsaking of Egypt, but of his and the Israelites’ final departure from it, and of the bold and courageous manner in which Moses treated Pharaoh and the Egyptians, disregarding his threatenings and the multitudes of them that pursued after the people whom, in the name and strength of God, he led in the face of their enemies out of Egypt.
Dwelt in the land of Midian] A country generally supposed to have been in Arabia Petraea, on the eastern coast of the Red Sea, not far from Mount Sinai. This place is still called by the Arabs the land of Midian or the land of Jethro. Abul Farajius calls it the land of the Arabs. It is supposed that the Midianites derived their origin from Midian, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, thus: – Abraham, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan and Midian, Raguel, Jethro; see Ge 25:1. But Calmet contends that if Jethro had been of the family of Abraham, either by Jokshan, or Midian, Aaron and Miriam could not have reproached Moses with marrying a Cushite, Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel. He thinks therefore that the Midianites were of the progeny of Cush, the son of Ham; see Ge 10:6.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He sought to slay Moses; not out of zeal to punish a murderer, but to secure himself from so dangerous a person, probably supposing that this was the man foretold to be the scourge of Egypt, and the deliverer of Israel.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. Moses fled from the face ofPharaohHis flight took place in the second year of Thothmes I.
dwelt in the land ofMidiansituated on the eastern shore of the gulf of the Red Seaand occupied by the posterity of Midian the son of Cush. Theterritory extended northward to the top of the gulf and westward faracross the desert of Sinai. And from their position near the sea,they early combined trading with pastoral pursuits (Ge37:28). The headquarters of Jethro are supposed to have beenwhere Dahab-Madian now stands; and from Moses coming direct to thatplace, he may have travelled with a caravan of merchants. But anotherplace is fixed by tradition in Wady Shuweib, or Jethro’s valley, onthe east of the mountain of Moses.
sat down by a well(Seeon Ge 29:3).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses,…. Both for his killing the Egyptian, which by the laws of Egypt i was death, whether bond or free; and for his taking part with the Hebrews against the Egyptians, and knowing him to be a wise and valiant man, might fear he would put himself at the head of the Hebrews, and cause a revolt of them; and if there was anything in his dream, or if he had such an one, and had the interpretation of it given by his magicians, that an Hebrew child should be born, by whom Egypt would be destroyed, [See comments on Ex 1:15], he might call it to mind, and be affected with it, and fear the time was coming on, and Moses was the person by whom it should be done; and he might be stirred up by his courtiers to take this step, who doubtless envied the growing interest of Moses in his court:
but Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh; not through want of courage, but through prudence, to avoid danger, and preserve his life for future usefulness; and no doubt under a divine impulse, and by the direction of divine Providence, the time for him to be the deliverer of Israel not being yet come:
and dwelt in the land of Midian: a country so called from Midian, one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah, Ge 25:2. Jerom k calls it a city, and says it was on the other side of Arabia, to the south, in the desert of the Saracens, to the east of the Red sea, from whence the country was called Midian; and Philo l says, that Moses went into neighbouring Arabia; and which is confirmed by Artapanus m the Heathen historian, who says, that from Memphis, crossing the river Nile, he went into Arabia; and this country was sometimes called Cush or Ethiopia; hence Moses’s wife is called an Ethiopian woman,
Nu 12:1
and he sat down by a well; weary, thoughtful, and pensive. It may be observed, that it was usual with persons in such like circumstances, being strangers and not knowing well to whom to apply for assistance or direction, to place themselves at a well of water, to which there was frequent resort, both for the use of families and of flocks; see Ge 24:11. This well is now called, as some say, Eyoun el Kaseb, fourteen hours and a half from Magare Chouaib, or “the grot of Jethro” n; but if this was so far from Jethro’s house, his daughters had a long way to go with their flock: but some other travellers o speak of a very neat and pleasant village, called Hattin, where they were shown the grave of Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law; and in the neighbourhood of that place is a cistern, now called Omar, and is said to be the watering place where Moses met with the daughters of the priest of Midian. A late learned man p thinks, that Sharma, which is about a day and a half’s journey southeast from Mount Sinai, is the place where Jethro lived. The Arabic geographer q says, at the shore of the Red sea lies the city Madian, greater than Tabuc, and in it is a well, out of which Moses watered the flocks of Scioaib, that is, Raguel.
i Diodor. Sicul. Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 70. k De locis Heb. fol. 93. A. B. l De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 609. m Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 27. p. 433. n See a Journey from Grand Cairo to Mecca, in Ray’s Travels, vol. 2. p. 468. o Egmont and Heyman’s Travels, vol. 2. p. 29. p See the Origin of Hieroglyphics, at the end of a Journal from Cairo, to Mount Sinai, p. 55. Ed. 2. q Climat. 3. par. 5.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
15. Now when Pharaoh heard. Moses acknowledges his fear, though it was not sufficient to withdraw him from the work to which he was called. We said before, that his zeal was mingled with infirmity, but yet prevailed; so that he performed the duty entrusted to him manfully, yet at the same time timidly. But this is another proof of his firmness, that he is not ashamed of what he had done, so as to endeavor to appease the king, but he betakes himself to exile; nor is he so alarmed in this critical time as to sink down in helplessness or despair, but he departs into the land of Midian, and prefers wandering in the Desert, to a reconciliation with the enemies of the chosen people. But although God appears by this circuitous course to decline from his purpose of delivering them, yet he marvelously carries on His work. We have already sufficiently perceived that Moses was certainly not yet ripe for the arduous contests which awaited him; that, having been brought up delicately and luxuriously in the Court, he was not yet accustomed to the great and continual anxieties of which the sequel of the history will shew him the conqueror. Therefore God in a manner withdrew him, that he might gradually render him fit and equal to undertake so difficult a task. For the experience of forty years in such a laborious and ascetic mode of life, did not a little avail to prepare him for enduring any hardships; so that the Desert may well be called the school in which he was taught, until he was invited to his more difficult charge. As to his “sitting down by a well,” I interpret it, that he sat down there to rest from his fatigue about sunset, that he might ask for hospitality from the people, who he hoped would come at eventide to draw water. From this unprosperous beginning he might conjecture what an uncomfortable reception he had to expect.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Exo. 2:15
THE MEDITATIONS OF A PERPLEXED SOUL
And he sat down by a well. This calls to our mind a New Testament scene. These meditations
I. They occurred at an important crisis in the life of Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh.
1. Moses had vacated a good home. He had left the wealthluxury of an Egyptian palacethe kindness of a royal mother who was deeply interested in him. He knew not where he was goingwhat he was to do for a daily livelihoodhow his future was to be spent. All before him was mysteryhe might well be perplexed.
2. Moses had incurred the anger of Pharaoh. This might well fill him with terrorhe knew the influence and cruelty of that monarchhis hatred was to be feared. Had Moses been permitted a faint insight into his future relations with the Egyptian court, probably his meditations, near this well, would have been more prolonged than they were. There are times when all young men have to spend an hour in contemplation, especially when they are going, alone and unbefriended, into an unknown future of grave importance, not merely to themselves, but also to others. The past sweeps before them like a dream. The future is all mist. They must think for themselvesthey must obtain the Divine guidance. The temporary rest by the well marks a crisis in their history.
II. They afford an opportunity for determining on a new course of life. Moses is thinking about the future. He would naturally ask himself, What am I to do? Return to Egypt is impossible.Heaven would, no doubt, influence his thought on this occasion. But a thoughtful spirit will not be long without employmentwill not be long without a home. God will send the daughters of the priest of Midian to its aid. Providence has unnumbered agencies for the guidance and help of perplexed souls.
III. They are soon interrupted by a call to new activities. (Exo. 2:17.) The daughters of the priest of Midian were attacked by hostile shepherds. Moses sees this. Will he interpose? Has he not had enough of meddling with the feuds of others? Is he not now a wanderer for so doing? But he cannot remain the quiet spectator of injury. The same spirit and impulse that made him kill the Egyptian shows itself again in his defence of these women. He could not but defend the weak. He is not to be daunted by failure. He is successful now. Good men may be dispirited sometimes. They may need times of thought. But it is not their destiny to rest long by the wells of life: theirs is the conflict with oppression and evil. There is work in Midian as well as in Egypt, for them.
IV. They were indulged in a very favourable place. The well in olden time, a fine scene for rest and contemplation. Christ, when he was tired, sat on a well. His rest was broken by the advent of a woman whom he ultimately led to himself in contrition of heart.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSE
Exo. 2:15. Criminations of Gods servants are soon carried to the ears of persecutors. An evil report often awakens the anger of men.
It is well sometimes to exchange the excitement of a royal court for quiet thought by the well.
God is in the solicitude of those whom he intends for great service.
God provides a Midian to save what Egypt would destroy.
Never take the responsibility of communicating evil news to a tyrant.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Exo. 2:15. Revenge commonly hurts both the offerer and the sufferer; as we see in a foolish bee, which in her anger envenometh the flesh and loseth her sting, and so lives a drone ever after [Bishop Hall].
Wax, when it is laid in cold places, becomes so hard and stiff that it will break rather than bow; but being laid in the sun, becomes soft and pliable, fit for any impression. So, when we neglect the duty of meditation on good things, our hearts, being changed from God, wax hard and obdurate; but when, by meditation, we draw nigh unto Him, the beams of His favour, shining upon our hearts do make them soft and flexible and fit for any holy impression that He may please to stamp upon them [Downhams Guide to Godliness].
Moses gave up the palace to share the fortunes of Israel:Mrs. Hannah More, says her biographer, after pointing out to us some of the many beautiful objects to be seen from the room in which we were sitting, conducted us into an adjoining spartment, which was her sleeping room; and pointing to an arm-chair, That chair, said she, I call my home. Here, looking out of window, is what I call my moral prospect. You see yonder distant hill which limits the prospect in that direction. You see this tree before my window directly in range of the hill. The tree, you observe, from being near, appears higher than the hill which is distant, though the hill actually is much higher than the tree. Now this tree represents to my mind the objects of time; that hill, the objects of eternity. The former, like the tree, from being reviewed near at hand, appears great. The latter, like the distant hill, appears small[Trench].
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(15) When Pharaoh heard . . . he sought to slay Moses.Naturally. The administration of justice was one of the chief duties of the royal office; and the crime committed by Moses was one to be punished by death. There was nothing to reduce it from murder to manslaughter. And the motives which extenuate it in the eyes of modernspatriotic zeal and hatred of oppressionwould not have commanded the sympathies of a Pharaoh.
Moses fled.Or, had fled. Moses would fly as soon as he found his act was known. He fled at the saying of the Israelite (Act. 7:29). When Pharaoh sought for him, he was gone.
Dwelt in the land of Midiani.e., Was led to make Midian his home, under circumstances about to be related. The Midian of this book seems to be the south-eastern portion of the Sinaitic peninsula, not the opposite Arabian coast, where were the main settlements of the nation.
Sat down by a well.Rather, the well. There must have been one principal well in these parts, copious, and so generally resorted to. Moses fixed his temporary-abode in its neighbourhood.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. And he sat down by a well The (well-known) well (of that place) . Midian was the country of the wandering descendants of Abraham’s son Midian, in the peninsula of Sinai, and reaching around the Arabian Gulf into the desert beyond . Knobel locates “the well” at Sherm, on the Arabian Gulf, northeast of Ras Mohammed . Here was once a sanctuary, and an hereditary priest and priestess, possibly successors of Jethro, and here are now deep, copious, and very ancient wells .
The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews says (Heb 11:27) that Moses left Egypt “by faith,” and “not fearing the wrath of the king,” yet our narrative says that he feared and fled . How is this? Simply that he feared and evaded by flight the immediate and transitory consequences of his rash act, but feared not the grand result of the conflict on which he had staked all . He was ready to measure strength with Pharaoh when the time should come, “for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible . ” The general who falls back in order to advance does not fear . (It is surprising that Alford should find difficulty here.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Moses Falls Among Friends in Midian ( Exo 2:15-20 ).
Moses’ position was precarious. But God had not forsaken him. And he would soon raise him to a position where he could prepare for his (as yet unknown to Moses) future.
a Moses sits down by a well (Exo 2:15 c).
b The seven daughters of the priest of Midian come and draw water at the well, drawing water and filling the troughs to water their father’s flock (Exo 2:1 a).
c Shepherds come and drive them away (Exo 2:17 a).
c Moses stands up and helps them against the shepherds and waters their flock (Exo 2:17 b).
b The daughters return home and when questioned explain about the Egyptian who helped them against the shepherds and drew water and watered the flock (Exo 2:18-19).
a Their father tells them to call Moses that he might receive hospitality (Exo 2:20).
We note in the parallels how in ‘a’ Moses comes to the well for refreshment and in the parallel receives abundant hospitality. In ‘b’ the daughters come to water their flock and in the parallel explain how their flock was watered. In ‘c’ shepherds came to drive them away and in the parallel Moses drives the shepherds away.
Exo 2:15 c
“And he sat down by a well.”
For a while Moses made his home there in the Sinai peninsula as a solitary, living as he could, although we do not know whether it was for but a few days, or whether it was for longer. But then something happened which was to change his fortunes yet again. He sat down by a spring, no doubt because he was thirsty, and possibly because he hoped to meet people who might be willing to help him and provide him with work and food. The needs of the desert produce their own friendships, and a well was the place to meet people (compare John 4).
Exo 2:16
‘And the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away. But Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.’
When the seven daughters of the priest of Midian arrived at the well they went through the same routine as they did every day. They tried to water their sheep before others arrived. But once they had filled the stone troughs male shepherds arrived and forced them to give way. And the young women had to stand by. They could do nothing about it. They had to watch in frustration while the water they had drawn was being utilised by others. It was not the first time. They thought that it was to be just another day of submissive waiting. But then to their surprise the young Egyptian who was standing by, well armed and clearly capable of looking after himself, stood up and defended them and enabled them to water their flocks straightaway, assisting them in their task.
Moses was a young man at the height of his manhood, and would feel no fear in dealing with bullies, any more than he had when dealing with the taskmaster. He had not yet learned what it was to be afraid of men. And the shepherds would see by his clothes that he was an influential Egyptian, possibly even a prince. They would recognise that to offend him might bring the wrath of Egypt on their heads. And besides he might have soldiers nearby. They would be very hesitant in their dealings with him.
“The priest of Midian.” We do not know what this entailed. As priest he may have been like Samuel, the priest of a central sanctuary, or he may just have been priest of his own family group or clan. In view of the mention of the title the former is more probable. The aim is to show that they were related to an important man.
“Seven daughters.” In the fact that there were seven the writer no doubt had in mind God’s perfect provision for Moses through their good offices, and that they provided a suitable God-given source for a future wife of Moses.
Exo 2:18-20
‘And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come back so soon today?” And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the shepherds, and moreover he actually drew water for us and watered the flock.” And he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you left the man? Call him so that he may eat food with us.”
The daughters returned to their camp where their ‘father’ Reuel (also named Jethro – Exo 3:1; Exo 4:18) was waiting, and they were so early that it caused their father to comment. But when he heard the reason for their early return he was concerned that they had not extended to the Egyptian the courtesy that was due to him. So he told them to fetch Moses so that they could extend hospitality to him in recognition of his help and friendship.
Again we find a man with a dual name. This appears to have been fairly commonplace at the time, occurring when men had had a special experience of God or had been given leadership. ‘Reuel’ means ‘a friend of God.’ And that was what he proved to be that day. This may have been the name given to him when he became ‘the priest of Midian’, used here rather than his personal name Jethro because Moses was being officially welcomed. (But some see the name Jethro as meaning ‘pre-eminence’. Thus the converse may apply) He had a son called Hobab (Num 10:29) who is elsewhere called an ‘in-law’ of Moses and a Kenite (Jdg 4:11 see also Jdg 1:16). Reuel and Jethro are significantly never specifically called Kenites, so Hobab’s connection with the Kenites may have been through marriage or assimilation.
(On the other hand it may be that Reuel was only their ‘father’ in the sense that he was the head of the family tribe (compare Gen 29:5 where Nahor is head of the family tribe, not Laban’s father), with Jethro his son, ‘the priest of Midian’, as their actual father, who was later renamed Hobab, possibly when he finally joined up with the children of Israel (Num 10:29-32). If so this would help to explain why Reuel’s name is not given in Exo 2:16).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Exo 2:15. He sought to slay Moses Both as guilty of homicide, and as presuming to be the avenger and deliverer of his people. Moses, however, escaped from his wrath, and fled into the land of Midian, which was in Arabia Petrea, whose metropolis was called Petra, not far from mount Horeb. It is generally agreed, that this people drew their origin from Midian, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, from whom they were called Midianites.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
How the Lord graciously over-rules events! Moses’ flight from Egypt is the first step in the design of Israel’s deliverance from it. Midian was in peace at that time with Israel, for Israel was not yet formed into a nation. And the Midianites after the flesh were of the seed of Abraham. Gen 25:2 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 2:15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
Ver. 15. But Moses fled. ] God, by forty years’ exile, fitted Moses for further light and advancement. Much he had learned in Egypt, Act 7:22 but more in Midian. Mr Ascham was a good schoolmaster to Queen Elizabeth, but affliction was a better. Men commonly beat and bruise their links before they light them, to make them burn the brighter. Moses had neither been so illuminate a doctor, nor so excellent a ruler, if not first humbled, as here.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the face of. Figure of speech Pleonasm (App-6).
a well. Hebrew. beer. See note on. Gen 21:19. The well, i.e. of Jethro.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
fled: Exo 4:19, Gen 28:6, Gen 28:7, 1Ki 19:1-3, 1Ki 19:13, 1Ki 19:14, Pro 22:3, Jer 26:21-23, Mat 10:23, Act 7:29, Heb 11:27
Midian: Gen 25:2, Gen 25:4
sat down: Gen 24:11, Gen 29:2, Joh 4:6
Reciprocal: Gen 12:15 – princes Gen 16:6 – fled Gen 21:25 – reproved Gen 29:9 – Rachel Gen 35:1 – when thou Exo 18:4 – delivered 1Ki 11:18 – Midian 1Ki 19:3 – he arose 1Ch 1:32 – Midian
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 2:15. Moses fled from Pharaoh God ordered this for wise ends. Things were not yet ripe for Israels deliverance. The measure of Egypts iniquity was not yet full; the Hebrews were not sufficiently humbled, nor were they yet increased to such a multitude as God designed: Moses is to be further fitted for the service, and therefore is directed to withdraw for the present, till the time to favour Israel, even the set time, come. God guided Moses to Midian, because the Midianites were of the seed of Abraham, and retained the worship of the true God; so that he might have not only a safe, but a comfortable settlement among them; and through this country he was afterward to lead Israel, which that he might do the better, he now had opportunity of acquainting himself with it. Hither he came, and sat down by a well Tired and thoughtful, waiting to see what way Providence would direct him. It was a great change with him, since he was but the other day at ease in Pharaohs court.