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Monday, August 4th, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
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Easy-to-Read Version

Exodus 2:22

Zipporah became pregnant and had a son. Moses named him Gershom because Moses was a stranger in a land that was not his own.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Gershom;   Jethro;   Moses;   Zipporah;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gershom;   Pharaoh;   Zipporah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Widow;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gershom;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Naming;   Zipporah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Gershom;   Moses;   Zipporah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gershom ;   Midian, Midianites ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ger'shom;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Exodus, the Book of;   Gershom;   Moses;   Proselyte;   Zipporah;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Eldad ben Mahli Ha-Dani;   Eliezer;   Gershom;   Midrashim, Smaller;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
King James Version
And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
Lexham English Bible
And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom because he said, "I am an alien in a foreign land."
New Century Version
Zipporah gave birth to a son. Moses named him Gershom, because Moses was a stranger in a land that was not his own.
New English Translation
When she bore a son, Moses named him Gershom, for he said, "I have become a resident foreigner in a foreign land."
Amplified Bible
She gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom (stranger); for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."
New American Standard Bible
Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And she bare a sonne, whose name he called Gershom: for he said, I haue bene a stranger in a strange lande.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
Contemporary English Version
And when she had a son, Moses said, "I will name him Gershom, since I am a foreigner in this country."
Complete Jewish Bible
She gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom [foreigner there], for he said, "I have been a foreigner in a foreign land."
Darby Translation
And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.
English Standard Version
She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
George Lamsa Translation
And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershon; for Moses said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. And she bore again, the second son to Moses, and he called his name Eleazar, saying, For the God of my fathers has helped me and has delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.
Good News Translation
who bore him a son. Moses said to himself, "I am a foreigner in this land, and so I name him Gershom."
Christian Standard Bible®
She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, “I have been a resident alien in a foreign land.”
Literal Translation
And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have become an alien in a foreign land.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
which bare him a sonne, and he called him Gerson, for he sayde: I am become a straunger in a straunge lande.
American Standard Version
And she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.
Bible in Basic English
And she gave birth to a son, to whom he gave the name Gershom: for he said, I have been living in a strange land.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Which bare him a sonne, and he called his name Gershom: For he saide, I haue ben a straunger in a straunge land.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said: 'I have been a stranger in a strange land.'
King James Version (1611)
And she bare him a sonne, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I haue bene a stranger in a strange land.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the woman conceived and bore a son, and Moses called his name Gersam, saying, I am a sojourner in a strange land.
English Revised Version
And she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a sojourner in a strange land.
Berean Standard Bible
And she gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, "I have become a stranger in a strange land."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And sche childide a sone to hym, whom he clepide Gersan, and seide, Y was a comelyng in an alyen lond. Forsothe sche childide an othir sone, whom he clepide Eliezer, and seide, For God of my fadir is myn helpere, and delyuerede me fro the hond of Farao.
Young's Literal Translation
and she beareth a son, and he calleth his name Gershom, for he said, `A sojourner I have been in a strange land.'
Update Bible Version
And she bore a son, and he named him Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.
Webster's Bible Translation
And she bore [him] a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
World English Bible
She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
New King James Version
And she bore him a son, and he called his name Gershom; [fn] for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."
New Living Translation
Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained, "I have been a foreigner in a foreign land."
New Life Bible
She gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Gershom. For he said, "I have been a stranger in a strange land."
New Revised Standard
She bore a son, and he named him Gershom; for he said, "I have been an alien residing in a foreign land."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom, - for he said, A, sojourner, I am, in a strange land.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And she bore him a son, whom he called Gersam, saying: I have been a stranger in a foreign country. And she bore another, whom he called Eliezer, saying: For the God of my father, my helper, hath delivered me out of the hand of Pharao.
Revised Standard Version
She bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."

Contextual Overview

16 There was a priest there who had seven daughters. These girls came to that well to get water for their father's sheep. They were trying to fill the water trough with water. 17 But there were some shepherds there who chased the girls away and would not let them get water. So Moses helped the girls and gave water to their animals. 18 Then they went back to their father, Reuel. He asked them, "Why have you come home early today?" 19 The girls answered, "The shepherds chased us away, but an Egyptian rescued us. He got water for us and gave it to our animals." 20 So Reuel said to his daughters, "Where is this man? Why did you leave him? Go invite him to eat with us." 21 Moses was happy to stay with that man. Reuel let Moses marry his daughter, Zipporah. 22 Zipporah became pregnant and had a son. Moses named him Gershom because Moses was a stranger in a land that was not his own.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Gershom: i.e. a stranger here, 1 Chronicles 23:14-17

for he said: Exodus 2:10, Exodus 18:3, Exodus 22:21, 1 Chronicles 16:20, 1 Chronicles 29:15, Psalms 39:12, Psalms 119:19, Acts 7:29, Hebrews 11:13, Hebrews 11:14

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 1:20 - when the time was come about 1 Chronicles 6:43 - Gershom 1 Chronicles 6:62 - Gershom 1 Chronicles 23:15 - Gershom

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in the East, in a place named Eden. He put the man he made in that garden.
Genesis 2:9
Then the Lord God caused all the beautiful trees that were good for food to grow in the garden. In the middle of the garden, he put the tree of life and the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil.
Genesis 2:19
The Lord God used dust from the ground and made every animal in the fields and every bird in the air. He brought all these animals to the man, and the man gave them all a name.
Psalms 127:1

A song from Solomon for going up to the Temple.

If it is not the Lord who builds a house, the builders are wasting their time. If it is not the Lord who watches over the city, the guards are wasting their time.
Proverbs 18:22
If you find a wife, you have found something good. She shows that the Lord is happy with you.
Proverbs 19:14
People receive houses and money from their parents, but a good wife is a gift from the Lord .
1 Timothy 2:13
because Adam was made first. Eve was made later.
Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by everyone. And every marriage should be kept pure between husband and wife. God will judge guilty those who commit sexual sins and adultery.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom,.... Which signifies a "desolate stranger"; partly on his own account, he being in a foreign country, a stranger and sojourner; but not by way of complaint, but rather of thankfulness to God for providing so well for him in it; and partly on his son's account, that when he came to years of maturity and knowledge, he might learn, and in which Moses no doubt instructed him, that he was not to look upon Midian as his proper country, but that he was to be heir of the land of Canaan, and which he might be reminded of by his name:

for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land; so Midian was to him, who was born in Egypt, and being an Hebrew, was entitled to the land of Canaan; this looks as if he had been at this time some years in Midian.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Gershom - The first syllable “Ger” is common to Hebrew and Egyptian, and means “sojourner.” The second syllable “Shom” answers exactly to the Coptic “Shemmo,” which means “a foreign or strange land.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 2:22. Called his name Gershom — Literally, a stranger; the reason of which Moses immediately adds, for I have been an ALIEN in a strange land.

The Vulgate, the Septuagint, as it stands in the Complutensian Polyglot, and in several MSS., the Syriac, the Coptic, and the Arabic, add the following words to this verse: And the name of the second he called Eliezer, for the God of my father has been my help, and delivered me from the hand of Pharaoh. These words are found in Exodus 18:4, but they are certainly necessary here, for it is very likely that these two sons were born within a short space of each other; for in Exodus 4:20, it is said, Moses took his wife and his SONS, by which it is plain that he had both Gershom and Eliezer at that time. Houbigant introduces this addition in his Latin version, and contends that this is its most proper place. Notwithstanding the authority of the above versions, the clause is found in no copy, printed or MS., of the Hebrew text.


 
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