Exodus 2:25

And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:23-25 The Israelites' bondage in Egypt continued, though the murdering of their infants did not continue. Sometimes the Lord suffers the rod of the wicked to lie very long and very heavy on the lot of the righteous. At last they began to think of God under their troubles. It is a sign that the Lord is coming towards us with deliverance, when he inclines and enables us to cry to him for it. God heard their groaning; he made it to appear that he took notice of their complaints. He remembered his covenant, of which he is ever mindful. He considered this, and not any merit of theirs. He looked upon the children of Israel. Moses looked upon them, and pitied them; but now God looked upon them, and helped them. He had respect unto them. His eyes are now fixed upon Israel, to show himself in their behalf. God is ever thus, a very present help in trouble. Take courage then, ye who, conscious of guilt and thraldom, are looking to Him for deliverance. God in Christ Jesus is also looking upon you. A call of love is joined with a promise of the Redeemer. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, Mt 11:28.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Remembered - This means that God was moved by their prayers to give effect to the covenant, of which an essential condition was the faith and contrition involved in the act of supplication. The whole history of Israel is foreshadowed in these words: God heard, remembered, looked upon, and knew them. It evidently indicates the beginning of a crisis marked by a personal intervention of God.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

23. the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage—The language seems to imply that the Israelites had experienced a partial relaxation, probably through the influence of Moses' royal patroness; but in the reign of her father's successor the persecution was renewed with increased severity.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Heb. Knew them, so as to pity and help them; as words of knowledge are oft used, as Psalm 1:6 31:7. He who seemed to have rejected them, now owned them for his people, and came for their rescue.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And God looked upon the children of Israel,.... With an eye of pity and compassion, and saw all the hardships they laboured under, and all the injuries that were done unto them:

and God had respect unto them; had a favourable regard to them; or "knew" (b) not only them, the Israelites, and loved them, and approved of them, and owned them as his own, all which words of knowledge sometimes signify; but he knew their sorrows and sufferings, and took notice of what was done to them secretly; see Exodus 3:7.

(b) "et eognovit", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Geneva Study Bible

And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had {i} respect unto them.

(i) He judges their causes or acknowledged them as his own.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

25. saw] viz. with attention and sympathy.

took knowledge of them] lit. knew (them), i.e. noticed, regarded them: ‘know,’ as Genesis 18:21 (RV.), Amos 3:2, Psalm 1:6; Psalm 37:18 al.

Exodus 2:25

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"God heard their crying, and remembered His covenant with the fathers: "and God saw the children of Israel, and God noticed them." "This seeing and noticing had regard to the innermost nature of Israel, namely, as the chosen seed of Abraham" (Baumgarten). God's notice has all the energy of love and pity. Lyra has aptly explained ויּדע thus: "ad modum cognoscentis se habuit, ostendendo dilectionem circa eos;" and Luther has paraphrased it correctly: "He accepted them."