A dramatic reversal of fate unfolds as a mother, who only moments prior was forced to abandon her infant to the river, receives him back into her arms with royal approval, complete safety, and the promise of a wage. When Pharaoh's daughter instructs the woman to take the child, the primary approach among commentators is that she is simply telling her to lead or bring the baby back to her own home [אבן עזרא, שד״ל, העמק דבר, חזקוני, ביאור יש״ר, שטיינזלץ]. However, some detect a note of urgency in her instruction, as though the princess is urging the woman to remove the child immediately from the dangerous environment of the riverbank [רש״ר הירש]. A deeper, Midrashic perspective suggests a hidden layer in the princess's command, reading her words as a subconscious declaration: "Here, take what is yours." According to this view, Pharaoh's daughter unknowingly prophesies, literally handing the mother back her very own son [רש״י, תורה תמימה, שפתי חכמים, דברי דוד]. This interpretation is supported by the specific phrasing that follows, which hints at more than just a simple instruction to transport the baby [דברי דוד, אוהב גר].
The princess makes it clear that the child is to be nursed specifically for her, establishing her absolute ownership. She expects the wet-nurse to care for the infant as though he were the princess's own son [ביאור יש״ר, קאסוטו, פרדס יוסף]. This royal directive also implies that the child must be fed generously and abundantly, fitting for a prince, rather than sparingly [הכתב והקבלה]. From this demand of exclusivity, commentators derive a practical law: a wet-nurse hired to feed another woman's child may not nurse an additional infant alongside him [רבנו בחיי, תורה תמימה, פרדס יוסף]. On a spiritual level, this dedicated, exclusive nourishment serves a higher purpose. It ensures the child is kept free from spiritual impurity, preparing him for his future destiny of receiving the Torah [שפתי כהן].
By promising to pay the woman's wages personally, Pharaoh's daughter acts with true royal dignity, offering generous compensation rather than forcing a subject into unpaid labor [העמק דבר]. She emphasizes her own ability to provide a fitting reward [הכתב והקבלה]. Yet, commentators view this payment as a profound expression of God's providence over the righteous. Not only do the righteous miraculously recover what they have lost, but God also ensures they are financially rewarded in the process, a pattern seen with other righteous figures in history [רבנו בחיי, הדר זקנים, תורה תמימה]. This mirrors God's broader interaction with the world: when a person fulfills a Commandment, they do not merely gain the merit of the act itself, but God grants them an additional reward for their effort [שפתי כהן].
The mother's response is immediate. While Pharaoh's daughter might have expected the woman to take the baby home and nurse him in secret [אלשיך], or perhaps to heal him first, assuming the cold river water was the reason he refused to nurse from the Egyptian women, the mother acts differently. She chooses to nurse the child right then and there, in front of the princess, proving that the infant is perfectly healthy and that his earlier refusal was solely an unwillingness to nurse from Egyptian women [חומת אנך]. This final act of taking the child forms a joyful closing of a circle. The same mother who previously took the basket in terror to hide it in the river now takes her son back with overwhelming joy, completely secure and free from any fear for his life [קאסוטו].