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.
could not.
Exodus 1:22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
Matthew 2:13,16 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him…
Acts 7:19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.
an ark.
Isaiah 18:2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!
bulrushes.
with slime.
Genesis 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
Genesis 14:10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
she got him a papyrus basket
The use of a papyrus basket is significant. Papyrus was a common material in Egypt, used for making boats, baskets, and writing material. The Hebrew word for "basket" here is "tevah," the same word used for Noah's ark (Genesis 6:14). This parallel suggests a theme of salvation and deliverance, as both Noah and Moses were preserved through water.
and coated it with tar and pitch
The waterproofing of the basket with tar and pitch ensured its buoyancy and protection against the waters of the Nile. This mirrors the construction of Noah's ark, which was also coated with pitch (Genesis 6:14). The use of these materials signifies God's provision and care in ensuring the safety of His chosen deliverer.
Then she placed the child in the basket
Jochebed's act of placing Moses in the basket was an act of faith, entrusting her child to God's providence. This moment foreshadows the future deliverance of Israel through Moses, as well as the ultimate deliverance through Jesus Christ, who was also placed in a humble setting at birth (Luke 2:7).
and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile
The Nile River was central to Egyptian life and culture, often associated with fertility and sustenance. By setting the basket among the reeds, Jochebed strategically placed Moses in a location where he might be discovered by someone who could protect him. This act of faith and hope is reminiscent of God's providential care, as seen in the story of Joseph, who was also placed in a foreign environment for a greater purpose (Genesis 50:20).
• The decree of Exodus 1:22 pressed every Hebrew family into a crisis, yet Jochebed held out as long as possible (cf. Hebrews 11:23; Acts 7:20).
• Three months of concealment testify to both parental courage and God’s providence (Psalm 27:1).
• Her limit came at the precise moment God had ordained—He never allows a trial to outgrow His rescue (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• Papyrus reeds, plentiful along the Nile, provided a lightweight yet sturdy material, ideal for floating.
• The word “basket” recalls a vessel of deliverance, echoing God’s earlier preservation of Noah in an ark (Genesis 6:14); both accounts reveal a God who rescues through prepared means.
• By tangible action, Jochebed united faith with works (James 2:22).
• The waterproofing mirrors Noah’s pitch-covered ark (Genesis 6:14), underscoring a pattern: God shields His people from judgmental waters.
• Tar and pitch represent thorough preparation—faith does not neglect practical details (Proverbs 21:31).
• The sealing also hints at the future Passover blood that will protect Israel from death (Exodus 12:13).
• Letting go cost a mother’s heart; still, she entrusted Moses to the Lord who “carries the lambs in His arms” (Isaiah 40:11).
• Her surrender models Psalm 55:22: “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you.”
• The moment foreshadows Israel’s later trust when stepping between walls of water at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22).
• The reeds offered concealment, yet the location aligned Moses with Egypt’s royal domain, setting the stage for divine reversal (Romans 8:28).
• God’s sovereignty over the Nile—Egypt’s life-source—anticipates the plagues that will later strike that very river (Exodus 7:17-18).
• Jochebed’s careful placement shows wisdom: she did not abandon the child to currents but positioned him where Pharaoh’s daughter would come (Exodus 2:5).
Every phrase of Exodus 2:3 showcases a seamless blend of parental love, diligent preparation, and unwavering trust in a sovereign God. Jochebed reached her human limit, crafted an ark of rescue, sealed it securely, surrendered her son into God’s keeping, and strategically positioned him for deliverance. In doing so, she became an instrument through which the Lord preserved the deliverer of Israel—proof that even when circumstances press hard, faith coupled with obedient action invites God’s saving power into the story.
(3) An ark of bulrushes.--Literally, a chest of the papyrus plant. The words used are both of Egyptian origin. Teb, teba, or tebat, is a "box" or chest in Egyptian, and is well Hebraised by tebah, or, as it is here vocalised, teybah. The papyrus plant was in Egyptian kam, as in modern Coptic, whence probably the Hebrew gome. It was a material frequently used by the Egyptians for boats and even larger vessels (Isaiah 18:2; Theophrast. Hist. Plant, iv. 8, ?4; P1in. H. N. 13:11).Slime and pitoh.--By "slime" seems to be meant bitumen, or mineral pitch, as in Gen. ad. 3; by "pitch" (zaphath), the ordinary vegetable pitch of commerce. Mineral pitch, though not a product of Egypt, was imported into the country from Mesopotamia, and was largely used for embalming (Brugsch, History of Egypt, vol. i. p. 361).
In the flags.--A rank aquatic vegetation abounds on the Lower Nile, and in all the back-waters and marshy tracts connected with it. Jochebed placed her child "in the flags," that the ark might not float away down the river, and so be lost to her sight. The word used for "flag"--suph--seems to be a Hebraised form of tufi, a common Egyptian word, having this sense.
Verse 3. - She took for him an ark of bulrushes. The words translated "ark" and "bulrushes" are both of Egyptian origin, the former corresponding to the ordinary word for "chest," which is feb, teba, or tebat, and the latter corresponding to the Egyptian kam, which is the same in Coptic, and designates the papyrus plant. This is a strong-growing rush, with a triangular stem, which attains the height of from 10 to 15 feet. The Egyptian paper was made from its pith. The rush itself was used for various purposes - among others for boat-building (Plin. 'H. N.' 6:22; 7:16; Theophrast, 4:9; Pint. 'De Isid. et Osir.' § 18, etc.), as appears from the monuments. It would be a very good material for the sort of purpose to which Jochebed applied it. She daubed it with slime and with pitch. The word translated "slime" is the same as that used in Genesis 11:3, which is generally thought to mean "mineral pitch" or "bitumen." According to Strabo and Dioderus, that material was largely used by the Egyptians for the embalming of corpses, and was imported into Egypt from Palestine. Boats are sometimes covered with it externally at the present day (Ker Porter, Travels, vol. 2. p. 260; Layard,'Nineveh and its Remains,' pt. 2. ch. 5.); but Jochebed seems to have used vegetable pitch- the ordinary pitch of commerce - for the purpose. Here again the Hebrew word is taken from the Egyptian. She laid it in the flags. "Suph," the word translated "flags," is a modification of the Egyptian tuff, which has that meaning. Water-plants of all kinds abound in the backwaters of the Nile. and the marshy tracts communicating with it. The object of placing the ark in a thicket of reeds probably was, that it might not float away out of sight. The river's brink. Literally, the lip of the river - an Egyptian idiom.