What does Exodus 2:15 mean?
Moses has attempted to break up a fight between two Hebrews, and learned that his own murder of a violent Egyptian was not a secret (Exodus 2:11–12). Soon afterwards, Pharaoh hears of the crime Moses had committed and seeks to have him killed. Moses chose to flee to save his own life. As a result, the location of the narrative shifts from Egypt to the land of Midian. Midian is a name first mentioned in Genesis 25:2 as the son of Abraham and his wife Keturah. Midian had five sons who lived east of where Abraham lived (Genesis 25:4–6). The Midianites lived near the Moabites (Genesis 36:35) and were involved in buying Joseph and selling him into Egyptian slavery (Genesis 37:28–36). Their land was in the northwest Arabian Peninsula.Moses is specifically said to have rested by a well. This would be a natural stopping point due to the need for water in a desert area. However, in this context, the well serves as a setting connecting Moses with his future wife, Zipporah, and her father. This man is Reuel, also named Jethro, and a priest of Midian. Through this family, Moses would have children, including his firstborn son Gershom, mentioned in Exodus 2:22, who would become the leader of the Gershomites.