Exodus 2 · Verse 13

Exodus 2:13

And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?

Exodus 2:13, King James Version

Exodus 2:13 in other translations

BSB	The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?”
WEB	He went out the second day, and behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow?”
ASV	And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
YLT	And he goeth out on the second day, and lo, two men, Hebrews, striving! and he saith to the wrong-doer, ‘Why dost thou smite thy neighbour?'
DARBY	And he went out on the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarrelling; and he said to him that was in the wrong, Why art thou smiting thy neighbour?
BBE	And he went out the day after and saw two of the Hebrews fighting: and he said to him who was in the wrong, Why are you fighting your brother?
Webster	And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Why smitest thou thy fellow?

What does Exodus 2:13 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 2:13-14

13-14. two men of the Hebrews strove together--His benevolent mediation in this strife, though made in the kindest and mildest manner, was resented, and the taunt of the aggressor showing that Moses' conduct on the preceding day had become generally known, he determined to consult his safety by immediate flight (He 11:27). These two incidents prove that neither were the Israelites yet ready to go out of Egypt, nor Moses prepared to be their leader (Jas 1:20). It was by the staff and not the sword--by the meekness, and not the wrath of Moses that God was to accomplish that great work of deliverance. Both he and the people of Israel were for forty years more to be cast into the furnace of affliction, yet it was therein that He had chosen them (Is 48:10).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 13 Two men of the Hebrews strove together - How strange that in the very place where they were suffering a heavy persecution because they were Hebrews, the very persons themselves who suffered it should be found persecuting each other! It has been often seen that in those times in which the ungodly oppressed the Church of Christ, its own members have been separated from each other by disputes concerning comparatively unessential points of doctrine and discipline, in consequence of which both they and the truth have become an easy prey to those whose desire was to waste the heritage of the Lord. The Targum of Jonathan says that the two persons who strove were Dathan and Abiram.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 2:11-15

Moses boldly owned the cause of God's people. It is plain from He 11. that this was done in faith, with the full purpose of leaving the honours, wealth, and pleasures of his rank among the Egyptians. By the grace of God he was a partaker of faith in Christ, which overcomes the world. He was willing, not only to risk all, but to suffer for his sake; being assured that Israel were the people of God. By special warrant…

Read the full comment on Exodus 2:11-15 →

Exodus 2:13 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֵּצֵא֙vai.ye.Tze'and he went outH3318

בַּיּ֣וֹםbai.Yomon the dayH3117

הַשֵּׁנִ֔יha.she.Ni<the> secondH8145

וְהִנֵּ֛הve.hi.Nehand there!H2009

שְׁנֵֽי\־she.nei-twoH8147

אֲנָשִׁ֥ים'a.na.ShimmenH582

עִבְרִ֖ים'iv.RimHebrewH5680

נִצִּ֑יםni.Tzim[were] struggling togetherH5327

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙vai.Yo.merand he saidH559

לָֽרָשָׁ֔עla.ra.Sha'to the guilty [one]H7563

לָ֥מָּהLa.mah<to> why?H4100

תַכֶּ֖הta.Kehare you strikingH5221

רֵעֶֽךָ\׃re.'E.khacompanion yourH7453

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 2:13

Acts 7:26-28
And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
1 Corinthians 6:7-8
Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

and he said.
Ac 7:26; 1Co 6:7,8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Exodus 2:12
And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
Exodus 2:13
And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
Exodus 2:14
And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.

Read all of Exodus 2

Exodus 2:13 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y salió al día siguiente, y viendo á dos Hebreos que reñían, dijo al que hacía la injuria: ¿Por qué hieres á tu prójimo?
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et il sortit le second jour; et voici, deux hommes hébreux se querellaient. Et il dit au coupable: Pourquoi frappes-tu ton compagnon?
German Elberfelder 1871	Und er ging am zweiten Tage aus, und siehe, zwei hebräische Männer zankten sich. Da sprach er zu dem Schuldigen: Warum schlägst du deinen Nächsten?
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et egressus die altero conspexit duos Hebræos rixantes: dixitque ei qui faciebat injuriam: Quare percutis proximum tuum?