Exodus 2:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

When he inquired about the remarkable swiftness of their return, they quickly attributed it to the aid of Moses. For when Christ had provided assistance to the Gentile communities in the world, those who found salvation in Him, being quietly protected by His presence, recognized His power to both offer protection and effortlessly rescue those who attempted to cause harm.

When the father inquired of his daughters about their swift return (Exodus 2:18), they recounted the genuine and caring deed performed by Moses.

The young women refer to Moses as an Egyptian, possibly because he identified himself as such or due to the attire and overall appearance he embraced that suggested a connection to the Egyptians.

A notable aspect of this narrative is that the Midianites, being related to the Hebrews, likely retained a sense of that kinship and were familiar with Hebrew attire. They could distinguish the Hebrew dialect from the other Semitic languages, which they likely spoke themselves. When the Midianite women encountered Moses, they did not identify him as a Hebrew; instead, they referred to him as an Egyptian. This is likely due to his clothing and the language he spoke, reflective of the culture in which he was raised.