After fleeing for his life from Egypt, Moses finds sanctuary, marries, and begins to build a family in Midian. Yet, the birth of his firstborn son reveals the deep complexity of his inner world. Despite the physical safety and tranquility he has secured, Moses remains profoundly connected to his suffering brethren, viewing his new home merely as a temporary and foreign exile. The narrative notes the birth of the child without mentioning the preceding pregnancy, a subtle indication that his wife Zipporah was very young, making her pregnancy outwardly unnoticeable [העמק דבר, חזקוני]. It is Moses himself who names the child [אבן עזרא הקצר], using the opportunity to express his profound sense of displacement.
The primary approach among commentators is that the chosen name reflects Moses's sentiment of living in a distant land far from his true home, capturing the essence of being a stranger in that place [רשב״ם, ספורנו, בכור שור, ביאור שטיינזלץ, צאינה וראינה]. However, some point out that a similar name already existed within the tribe of Levi, rooted in the concept of expulsion. Moses may have selected this familiar name because its sound perfectly captured his reality as a refugee forced into exile against his will, rather than a wanderer who relocated by choice [קאסוטו]. Another perspective connects the name to a sense of desolation, highlighting that Moses felt entirely alone and bewildered, unsure of where to turn [הכתב והקבלה, רש״ר הירש]. Because of the deep conceptual link between this name and the experience of being a foreigner, Jewish legal authorities carefully distinguish it from similar-sounding names rooted in divorce or expulsion, ensuring precise spelling in formal legal documents [תורה תמימה, פרדס יוסף].
Curiously, Moses describes his alienation as a past experience, noting that he had been a stranger, even though he was still actively living in Midian. Several explanations account for this phrasing. It may reflect the narrative being recorded from a later historical perspective [אור החיים]. Alternatively, it demonstrates Moses's sensitivity and politeness toward his Midianite hosts; not wanting to insult them to their faces by declaring he still felt alienated among them, he chose to speak in the past tense [רש״ר הירש]. Others suggest the past tense implies a forced transformation, meaning he was compelled to become a foreigner [הכתב והקבלה]. Another approach ties this phrasing to traditions suggesting Moses ruled in the land of Cush for many years before arriving in Midian—though some commentators strongly reject these accounts as apocryphal [אבן עזרא, אבי עזר]. According to this tradition, even while living as a king in Cush, he felt like an outsider because his brothers were groaning under the weight of Egyptian slavery [ביאור יש״ר]. Ultimately, his self-identification as a stranger in a foreign land highlights his immense moral stature. Even after finding a wife, a family, and a peaceful haven far from his pursuers, he refused to let personal comfort erase the memory of his people's suffering [מלבי״ם, חתם סופר]. In a broader spiritual sense, this mindset characterizes the righteous, who constantly view themselves as temporary residents in this world without any permanent earthly settlement [אור החיים].
One might wonder why Moses did not name his firstborn in gratitude for the miracle of his survival and escape from Pharaoh, a choice he later made for his second son. Commentators explain that as long as the king of Egypt was alive and Moses remained a wanted man, he was still in grave danger. A person does not formally celebrate a miraculous rescue until the threat has completely passed. Only later, upon learning that those seeking his life had died and receiving God's promise that He would be with Him, could Moses publicly acknowledge his deliverance [העמק דבר, חזקוני]. Furthermore, during his early days in Midian, Moses was afraid to openly reveal his status as a fugitive, fearing his father-in-law might cast him out. Only after he had firmly established himself did he feel secure enough to broadcast the story of his salvation through the naming of his second son [חזקוני, אלשיך].
Beyond the immediate historical context, the naming of the firstborn carried a profound spiritual strategy. According to certain traditions, Jethro had stipulated that Moses's first son be dedicated to idolatry. Facing this condition, Moses acted with a specific spiritual intention. Similar to Abraham, who fathered Ishmael, and Isaac, who fathered Esau, Moses aimed to concentrate all the spiritual impurity into his firstborn. By channeling this negative energy away from his future lineage, he sought to ensure that the rest of his offspring would remain entirely pure and holy. Ultimately, this spiritual foresight bore fruit, as Moses's grandson eventually returned to God in complete repentance [אלשיך].