Moses' flight to Midian is a pivotal event in the life of Moses, marking a transition from his life in Egypt to his role as the leader of the Israelites. This event is recorded in the Book of Exodus, specifically in Exodus 2:11-22.

Background

Moses was born during a time when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Pharaoh had decreed that all Hebrew male infants be killed, but Moses was saved by his mother, Jochebed, who placed him in a basket on the Nile River. He was discovered and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, growing up in the Egyptian royal household (Exodus 2:1-10).

The Incident in Egypt

As an adult, Moses became aware of the suffering of his people, the Hebrews. One day, he witnessed an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. In a moment of anger and a sense of justice, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand (Exodus 2:11-12: "One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.").

The next day, Moses attempted to mediate a dispute between two Hebrews, but one of them challenged him, questioning his authority and revealing that his act of killing the Egyptian was known (Exodus 2:13-14: "The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, 'Why are you striking your fellow Hebrew?' But the man replied, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?' Then Moses was afraid and thought, 'What I did must have become known.'").

Flight to Midian

Realizing that his actions were no longer a secret and fearing for his life, Moses fled from Egypt to the land of Midian. Pharaoh sought to kill him for the murder of the Egyptian (Exodus 2:15: "When Pharaoh heard about this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.").

Life in Midian

In Midian, Moses encountered the seven daughters of Reuel (also known as Jethro), the priest of Midian, at a well. He defended them from shepherds who were harassing them and helped water their flock. In gratitude, Reuel invited Moses to stay with his family, and eventually, Moses married Zipporah, one of Reuel's daughters. They had a son named Gershom, which means "a foreigner there," reflecting Moses' status as a sojourner in a foreign land (Exodus 2:16-22: "Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. She gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, 'I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.'").

Significance

Moses' flight to Midian was a period of preparation and transformation. During his time in Midian, Moses lived as a shepherd, which would later parallel his role as the shepherd of Israel. This period of exile also allowed Moses to develop a deeper understanding of humility and leadership, qualities essential for his future mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush, which occurred in Midian, would set the stage for his return to Egypt and the subsequent liberation of the Israelites.