And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
Miriam stood there because her parents clung to a slender hope even in despair. They did not simply abandon the child to die, but stationed her to watch and act as circumstances allowed, perhaps to retrieve him if some merciful passer-by did not. God's providence, not their foresight, brought Pharaoh's daughter to that very spot.
AI summary
This child was born at the very hour Pharaoh's cruelty reached its peak to murder Hebrew infants. What begins as the parents' deepest fear becomes their greatest joy. God prepares the deliverer in the shadow of the oppressor's rage.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 2:1-4
Miriam, likely a girl of ten or twelve years, was placed or stationed by her parents at a distance, near enough to observe what would become of her brother, yet far enough not to draw suspicion to the basket. She was their eye upon him.
AI summary