The Meaning of Exodus 2:3 Explained

Exodus 2:3

KJV: And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.

YLT: and she hath not been able any more to hide him, and she taketh for him an ark of rushes, and daubeth it with bitumen and with pitch, and putteth the lad in it, and putteth it in the weeds by the edge of the River;

Darby: And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of reeds, and plastered it with resin and with pitch, and put the child in it, and laid it in the sedge on the bank of the river.

ASV: And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river's brink.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when she could  not longer  hide  him, she took  for him an ark  of bulrushes,  and daubed  it with slime  and with pitch,  and put  the child  therein; and she laid  [it] in the flags  by the river's  brink. 

What does Exodus 2:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 2:1-10 - Moses Preserved By Pharaoh's Daughter
When matters had reached their worst in respect to Israel's condition, God was preparing a deliverer. The child was more than ordinarily beautiful, Acts 7:20. His parents hid him by faith, Hebrews 11:23. Perhaps they had received a special revelation of his great future, on the strength of which they became strong to resist the royal command. They launched the ark, not on the Nile only, but on God's Providence. He would be captain, steersman, and convoy of the tiny bark. Miriam stood to watch. There was no fear of fatal consequences, only the quiet expectancy that God would do something worthy of Himself. They reckoned on God's faithfulness, and they were amply rewarded, when the daughter of their greatest foe became the babe's patroness. See Psalms 76:10. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 2

1  Moses is born, and placed in a basket in the reeds of Nile
5  He is found, and brought up by Pharaoh's daughter;
7  who employs his mother to nurse him
11  He kills an Egyptian
13  He reproves a Hebrew
15  He flees into Midian, and marries Zipporah
22  Gershom is born
23  God respects the Israelites' cry

What do the individual words in Exodus 2:3 mean?

But when no she could longer hide him then she took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with asphalt and pitch and put in it - the child and laid [it] in the reeds by bank of the Nile
וְלֹא־ יָכְלָ֣ה עוֹד֮ הַצְּפִינוֹ֒ וַתִּֽקַּֽח־ לוֹ֙ תֵּ֣בַת גֹּ֔מֶא וַתַּחְמְרָ֥ה בַחֵמָ֖ר וּבַזָּ֑פֶת וַתָּ֤שֶׂם בָּהּ֙ אֶת־ הַיֶּ֔לֶד וַתָּ֥שֶׂם בַּסּ֖וּף עַל־ שְׂפַ֥ת הַיְאֹֽר

וְלֹא־  But  when  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָכְלָ֣ה  she  could 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
עוֹד֮  longer 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
הַצְּפִינוֹ֒  hide  him 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: צָפַן 
Sense: to hide, treasure, treasure or store up.
וַתִּֽקַּֽח־  then  she  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
לוֹ֙  for  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
תֵּ֣בַת  an  ark 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תֵּבָה  
Sense: ark.
גֹּ֔מֶא  of  bulrushes 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּמֶא  
Sense: rush, reed, papyrus.
וַתַּחְמְרָ֥ה  and  daubed  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: חָמַר 
Sense: to boil, foam, foam up, ferment.
בַחֵמָ֖ר  with  asphalt 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵמָר  
Sense: slime, pitch, asphalt, bitumen.
וּבַזָּ֑פֶת  and  pitch 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: זֶפֶת  
Sense: pitch, tar, asphalt.
וַתָּ֤שֶׂם  and  put 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
בָּהּ֙  in  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַיֶּ֔לֶד  the  child 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יֶלֶד  
Sense: child, son, boy, offspring, youth.
וַתָּ֥שֶׂם  and  laid  [it] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
בַּסּ֖וּף  in  the  reeds 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: סוּף  
Sense: reed, rush, water plant.
שְׂפַ֥ת  bank 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שָׂפָה  
Sense: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding.
הַיְאֹֽר  of  the  Nile 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְאֹר  
Sense: river, stream, canal, Nile, Nile-canal.