Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Exodus 2 Bible study: Drawn out of the water
The basket Moses was laid in has the same Hebrew name as Noah's ship, and the Hebrew Bible uses that word for nothing else. His own mother was paid to nurse him. His first try at rescuing his people ended in flight, yet Stephen says God later sent that refused man "as both a ruler and a deliverer" (Acts 7:35).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Moses' own mother was paid by Pharaoh's daughter to nurse him.”
Is that in Exodus 2, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
A basket in the river
Pharaoh had commanded, "You shall cast every son who is born into the river" (1:22). A Levite woman bears a son and hides him three months (2:1-2). When she can no longer hide him, she takes a papyrus basket, coats it "with tar and with pitch", puts the child in it, "and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank" (2:3). The word for the basket, tevah, is the word Genesis uses for Noah's ship (Genesis 6:14); the Hebrew Bible uses it for nothing else.
Where it leads to Jesus
The reproach of Christ
Exodus 2:11leads toHebrews 11:24-26
Grown up in Pharaoh's house, Moses "went out to his brothers and saw their burdens" (2:11). Hebrews says, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill treatment with God’s people than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt" (Hebrews 11:24-26).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Exodus 2
That was a taste
The rest of Exodus 2 is waiting in Favor
- Five women and a baby
- The rescuer nobody asked for
- Heard, remembered, saw, knew
- Met at a well
- A foreigner in a foreign land
- The covenant God remembered
- 10 questions as you read
- 9 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Exodus 2 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
תֵּבָהtevahsay tay-VAH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "ark (prop. chest, box)"; Strong's: "a box". The Hebrew Bible uses it 28 times: 26 times in Genesis 6–9 for Noah's ship, which the WEB calls "a ship" (Genesis 6:14), and twice here for Moses' basket (2:3, 5). The Hebrew words for the coatings differ. Noah's ship was sealed "with pitch" (Genesis 6:14), in Hebrew kopher; Moses' basket was coated "with tar and with pitch" (2:3), in Hebrew chemar and zefet.
For your group
Exodus 2 Bible study questions
- 1A mother, a sister and Pharaoh's daughter each took one small, risky step, and a child lived (2:2-9). Where could a small step of courage matter for someone near you this week?
- 2Moses stepped in to put a wrong right, and it ended with him running (2:11-15). When have you tried to put something right and had it go differently than you hoped? What did you learn?
- 3The chapter ends with God hearing, remembering, seeing and understanding (2:23-25). What would change this week if you believed God sees what you are carrying right now?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Exodus 2 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Exodus 2 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Exodus 2 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Exodus 2
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home