Exodus 2:4

Exo 2:4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

Ver. 4. And his sister.] By a singular instinct of the Holy Spirit, as appears by the event. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." {Psa 37:23} "He keepeth the feet of his saints." {1Sa 2:9}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

his sister--Miriam would probably be a girl of ten or twelve years of age at the time.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(4) His sister.—Presumably Miriam, the only sister of Moses mentioned elsewhere (Exo_15:20-21; Num_26:59). To have taken the part which is assigned her in this chapter, she must have been a girl of some fourteen or fifteen years of age, and possessed of much quickness and intelligence.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. stood] took her stand (Exo_19:17).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And his sister stood afar off,.... This was Miriam, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it; who is supposed to be about ten or twelve years of age, others say seven: she was placed (e), as the word may be rendered, by her parents, or, "she placed herself" (f), by their instruction, at some distance from the place where the ark was, that she might not be observed and be thought to belong to it, and yet so near as to observe what became of it, which was the intent of her standing there, as follows:

to wit what would be done to him; to know, take notice, and observe, what should happen to it, if anyone took it up, and what they did with it, and where they carried it, for, "to wit" is an old English word, which signifies "to know", and is the sense of the Hebrew word to which it answers, see Co2 8:1.

(e) "collocata fuerat", Vatablus. (f) "Stiterat sese", Junius & Tremellius, "stitit sese", Piscator, Drusius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

His sister, Mary, who was born at the beginning of this persecution, and was therefore called bitterness. (Haydock) --- She was about 12 years old. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

His sister stood afar off, that she might not be thought to have laid the child there, or to be related to it. This she might very probably guess, both from the circumstances in which she found him, and from the singular fairness and beauty of the child, far differing from the Egyptian hue; and she might certainly know it by its circumcision.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. His sister — Probably Miriam, who is the only sister named in the history. Num_26:59. The mother has now exhausted all her skill; she can think of but one thing more — to station Miriam afar off. And now, if ever, JAHVEH-JIREH, “The Lord will provide.” Gen_22:14.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

His sister. There can be no reasonable doubt that this is the "Miriam" of the later narrative (Exo_15:20, Exo_15:21; Num_20:1) who seems to have been Moses" only sister. (Num_26:59) She was probably set to watch by her mother.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.