Acts 7:20

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father's house.

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
"At this time, a boy named Moses was born. But this wasn't no ordinary kiddo. His momma raised him for about three months and then she had to throw him away.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father's home.

Legacy Standard Bible
It was at this time that Moses was born, and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father's home.

Bible in Basic English
At which time Moses came to birth, and he was very beautiful; and he was kept for three months in his father's house:

Darby Translation
In which time Moses was born, and was exceedingly lovely, who was nourished three months in the house of his father.

New King James Version
At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months.

Christian Standard Bible®
At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God's sight. He was cared for in his father's home three months,

World English Bible
At that time Moses was born, and was exceedingly handsome. He was nourished three months in his father's house.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding beautiful, who was nursed three months in his father's house.

Weymouth's New Testament
At this time Moses was born--a wonderfully beautiful child; and for three months he was cared for in his father's house.

King James Version (1611)
In which time Moses was borne, and was exceeding faire, and nourished vp in his fathers house three moneths:

Literal Translation
In which time Moses was born and was beautiful to God; who was reared three months in his father's house.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
At the same tyme was Moses borne, and was a proper childe before God, and was norished thre monethes in his fathers house.

Mace New Testament (1729)
in which time Moses was born, who was exceeding fair, and nourished in his father's house three months:

THE MESSAGE
"In just such a time Moses was born, a most beautiful baby. He was hidden at home for three months. When he could be hidden no longer, he was put outside—and immediately rescued by Pharaoh's daughter, who mothered him as her own son. Moses was educated in the best schools in Egypt. He was equally impressive as a thinker and an athlete.

Amplified Bible
"It was at this [critical] time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and for three months he was nourished in his father's house.

American Standard Version
At which season Moses was born, and was exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father's house:

Revised Standard Version
At this time Moses was born, and was beautiful before God. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
The same tyme was Moses borne and was a proper childe in ye sight of God which was norisshed vp in his fathers housse thre monethes.

Update Bible Version
At which season Moses was born, and was exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father's house.

Webster's Bible Translation
In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished in his father's house three months:

Young's Literal Translation
in which time Moses was born, and he was fair to God, and he was brought up three months in the house of his father;

New Century Version
At this time Moses was born, and he was very beautiful. For three months Moses was cared for in his father's house.

New English Translation
At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. For three months he was brought up in his father's house,

Contemporary English Version
During this time Moses was born. He was a very beautiful child, and for three months his parents took care of him in their home.

Complete Jewish Bible
"It was then that Moshe was born, and he was beautiful in God's sight. For three months he was reared in his father's house;

English Standard Version
At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God's sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house,

Geneva Bible (1587)
The same time was Moses borne, and was acceptable vnto God, which was nourished vp in his fathers house three moneths.

George Lamsa Translation
During that very period Moses was born, and he was favored before God, so that for three months he was nourished in his father''s house.

Hebrew Names Version
At that time Moshe was born, and was exceedingly handsome. He was nourished three months in his father's house.

International Standard Version
"At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house.Exodus 2:2; Hebrews 11:23;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
In that time Musha was born, and was beloved of Aloha, and was brought up three months in the house of his father.

Murdock Translation
At that time was Moses born; and he was lovely to God: and he was nursed three months in his father's house.

New Living Translation
"At that time Moses was born—a beautiful child in God's eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months.

New Life Bible
"At that time Moses was born. He was beautiful in God's sight. He was fed in his father's house for three months.

English Revised Version
At which season Moses was born, and was exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father's house:

New Revised Standard
At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful before God. For three months he was brought up in his father's house;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In which season, Moses, was born, and was exceeding goodly, - who was nourished up three months in the house of his father;

Douay-Rheims Bible
At the same time was Moses born: and he was acceptable to God. Who was nourished three months in his father’s house.

King James Version
In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:

Lexham English Bible
At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. He was brought up for three months in his father's house,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The same tyme was Moyses borne, and was acceptable vnto God, and norished vp in his fathers house three monethes.

Easy-to-Read Version
"This was the time when Moses was born. He was a very beautiful child, and for three months his parents took care of him at home.

New American Standard Bible
"At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful to God. He was nurtured for three months in his father's home.

Good News Translation
It was at this time that Moses was born, a very beautiful child. He was cared for at home for three months,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In the same tyme Moyses was borun, and he was louyd of God; and he was norischid thre monethis in the hous of his fadir.

Contextual Overview

¹⁷As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number. ¹⁸Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt. ¹⁹He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die. ²⁰At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father's house.²¹When he was set outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. ²²So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. ²³When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. ²⁴And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. ²⁵He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not. ²⁶The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating one another?'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Moses: Exodus 2:2-10

and was: 1 Samuel 16:12, Hebrews 11:23

exceeding fair: or, fair to God

Reciprocal: Genesis 39:6 - a goodly person Deuteronomy 31:2 - I am an Esther 4:14 - whether Job 42:15 - no Ecclesiastes 3:2 - time to be born Daniel 1:4 - in whom

Cross-References

Psalms 104:6
You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.

Jeremiah 3:23
Surely deception comes from the hills, commotion from the mountains, but surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In which time Moses was born,.... The word Moses, is differently written in the New Testament; sometimes Moses, as here, sometimes Mo-yses, as in Acts 7:35 sometimes Mo-yseus, as in

Acts 15:1 and sometimes Moseus, as in Romans 5:14. He had his name from the Hebrew word, משה, which signifies "to draw", Psalms 18:16 according to the reason of it given by Pharaoh's daughter,

she called his name Moses; and she said, because I drew him out of the water, Exodus 2:10 Though Josephus i, Philo k, and others l, make it to be an Egyptian name; the former of which serves, that the Egyptians call water "Mo", and "yses", such who are saved from water; wherefore compounding the name of both, they gave it to him: though according to Aben Ezra m, his name in the Egyptian language was Monios; his words are these,

"the name of Moses is interpreted out of the Egyptian language into the Hebrew language, for his name in the Egyptian language was Monios; and so it is written in a book of agriculture, translated out of the Egyptian language into the Arabic, and also in the books of some Greek writers.''

Moses had many names, as a Jewish chronologer observes n;

"Pharaoh's daughter called his name Moses; his father called him Chabar, or Heber; his mother called him Jekuthiel; and his sister called him Jether (perhaps Jared, since this was one of his names); and his brethren called him Abizanoah; and Kohath called him Abi Socos; and the Israelites called him Shemaiah ben Nathaneel, and sometimes Tobiah, sometimes Shemaiah, and sometimes Sopher; but the Egyptians called him Monios.''

For "Mo", in the Egyptian language, signifies "water", and "Ni" is "out"; and so both together signify, "out of the water", which agrees with the Hebrew etymology of his name. Now he was born at the time that orders were given by Pharaoh to cast all the male children of the Israelites into the rivers, to drown them; Moses was born, whose parents were Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi; he was born, according to the Jews o, on the seventh day of Adar, or February:

and was exceeding fair; or "fair to God"; divinely fair and beautiful; and so Pharaoh's daughter, acccording to Josephus, said to her father, that she had brought up a child that was μορφη θειον p "in form divine": and so the Jews say q, that his form was as an angel of God; or he was fair in the sight of God, as the Ethiopic version; the Syriac version renders it, "he was dear to God"; and the Vulgate Latin version, grateful to God; was well-pleasing to him, in whom he delighted, having designed to do great things by him: or "fair by God": he had a peculiar beauty put upon him by God; partly to engage his parents the more to seek the preservation of him; and partly to engage the affection of Pharaoh's daughter to him, when she should see him. Justin the historian r makes mention of his extraordinary beauty, for which he was praised; but very wrongly makes him to be the son of Joseph; and the account Josephus gives of it, is very remarkable s;

"as to beauty, says he, no man could be so out of love with it, as to see the goodly form of Moses, and not be amazed; it happened to many who met him, as he was carried along the way, that they would turn back at the sight of the child, and neglect their business, to indulge themselves with the sight of him; for such was the loveliness of the child, that it detained those that saw him.''

The Arabic version renders it, he "was consecrated by a vow to God"; but of this we have no account: the Jews say t, that

"the Spirit of God came upon Miriam, and she prophesied; saying, behold a son shall be born to my father and to my mother at this time, who shall save Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians--and it is further said, that at the time of his birth, the whole house was filled with a great light, as the light of the sun and moon;''

upon which they had raised expectations of him: though this phrase, "fair to God", may be only an Hebraism, just as Niniveh is said to be a city "great to God", i.e. exceeding great, Jonah 3:3 it being usual with the Jews to join the word God to an adjective, to express the superlative degree; and so it is rightly rendered here, "exceeding fair: and nourished up in his father's house three months"; so long he was hid by his mother there, which was a great instance of her faith; see Exodus 2:2. The reason why he was kept no longer there was, because as the Jews say u, the three months after Jochebed was delivered of a son, the thing was known in the house of Pharaoh, wherefore she could hide him no longer.

i Antiqu. l. 2. c. 9, sect. 6. k De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 605. l Clement. Alexandrin. Stromat, l. 1. p. 343. m Comment. in Exod. ii. 10. n Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 5. 2. Vid. Targum in 1 Chron. iv. 18 Vajikra Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 146. 3. o T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 38. 1. Shemot Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 91. 2. Targum Jon in Deut. xxxiii. 5. p Antiqu. l. 2. c. 9. sect. 7. q Pirke Eliezer, c. 48. r L. 36. c. 2. s Antiqu. l. 2. c. 9. sect. 6. Vid. Shemot Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 91. 3. t Heb. Chronicon Mosis, fol. 3. 1. Jarchi in Exod. ii. 2. Shemot Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 91. 1. u Ib. col. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In which time ... - During this period of oppression. See Exodus 2:2, etc.

Was exceeding fair - Greek: “was fair to God”; properly rendered, “was very handsome.” The word “God” in the Greek here in accordance with the Hebrew usage, by which anything that is “very handsome, lofty, or grand” is thus designated. Thus, Psalms 36:7, “mountains of God,” mean lofty mountains; Psalms 80:11, “cedars of God,” mean lofty, beautiful cedars. Thus, Nineveh is called “a great city to God” (Jonah 3:3, Greek), meaning a very great city. The expression here simply means that Moses was “very fair,” or handsome. Compare Hebrews 11:23, where he is called “a proper child”; that is, a “handsome child.” It would seem from this that Moses was preserved by his mother on account of his “beauty”; and this is hinted at in Exodus 2:2. And it would also seem from this that Pharaoh had succeeded by his oppressions in what he had attempted; and that it was not unusual for parents among the Jews to expose their children, or to put them to death.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 7:20. Moses - was exceeding fair — αστειος τω θεω, Was fair to God, i.e. was divinely beautiful. Exodus 2:2.