The Torah tells us that Moses was born, hidden, found by Pharaoh's daughter, and eventually fled to Midian. Targum Jonathan fills in the gaps with miracles, secret identities, and a ten-year imprisonment the Bible never mentions.
Moses' mother Jochebed gets an astonishing backstory. Amram had divorced her "on account of the decree of Pharaoh"—he refused to bring children into a world where they would be killed. But he returned to her, and "she was the daughter of a hundred and thirty years when he returned to her; but a miracle was wrought in her, and she returned unto youth." Her body reversed its aging entirely. The Targum then explains the timeline: Moses was born "at the end of six months," and Jochebed hid him for three months, "which made the number nine"—a full-term pregnancy compressed into six months, then concealed for three.
When Pharaoh's daughter comes to the river, the Targum provides a reason not found in the Torah. "The Word of the Lord sent forth a burning sore and inflammation of the flesh upon the land of Egypt." She came to the Nile to find relief from a plague. When her handmaids touched the ark containing baby Moses, "they were immediately healed of the burning and inflammation." The child was already performing miracles.
Moses' killing of the Egyptian taskmaster receives a remarkable justification. Before striking, Moses "considered in the wisdom of his mind, and understood that in no generation would there arise a proselyte from that Egyptian man, and that none of his children's children would ever be converted." He looked into the future—every future generation—and saw no righteous descendant. Only then did he act. The Targum also names the two quarreling Hebrews: Dathan and Abiram, the same troublemakers who would later rebel against Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 16).
The Midian section is where the Targum diverges most dramatically from the Torah. When Moses arrives at Reuel's house—here identified as Jethro's father, the girls' grandfather rather than their father—things take a dark turn. "When Reuel knew that Moses had fled from before Pharaoh he cast him into a pit." Moses was imprisoned for ten years. Zipporah, Reuel's granddaughter, "maintained him with food, secretly, for the time of ten years; and at the end of ten years brought him out of the pit."
What follows is one of the most mystical passages in all of Targum Jonathan. Moses entered Reuel's chamber, "gave thanks and prayed before the Lord, who by him would work miracles and mighty acts. And there was shown to him the Rod which was created between the evenings"—that is, at twilight on the sixth day of Creation, one of the miraculous objects God prepared before the first Sabbath. On this Rod "was engraven and set forth the Great and Glorious Name"—the Shem HaMeforash, the Ineffable Name of God. This was the rod "with which he was to do the wonders in Egypt, and to divide the Sea of Reeds, and to bring forth water from the rock." The Rod was fixed immovably in the chamber. Moses "stretched forth his hand at once and took it"—effortlessly, where presumably others had failed.
The chapter's final verses contain a horrifying detail. The Torah says Pharaoh died and the Israelites cried out. The Targum says "the king of Egypt was struck with disease, and he commanded to kill the firstborn of the sons of Israel, that he might bathe himself in their blood." He was murdering children as medicine. And God's response came because "the repentance was revealed before Him which they exercised in concealment, so as that no man knew that of his companion"—each Israelite repented secretly, privately, not knowing their neighbor was doing the same.
And Amram, a man of the tribe of Levi, went and returned to live in marriage with Jokeved his wife, whom he had put away on account of the decree of Pharoh. And she was the daughter of a hundred and thirty years when he returned to her; but a miracle was wrought in her, and she returned unto youth as she was, when in her minority she was called the daughter of Levi.
And the woman conceived and bare a son at the end of six months; and she saw him to be a child of steadfastness, (or, of steadfast life,) and hid him three months, which made the number nine.
But she could conceal him no longer, for the Mizraee had become aware of him. And she took an ark of papyrus, (tunes,) and coated it with bitumen and pitch, and placed the child within it, and laid him among the reeds on the bank of the river.
And Miriam his sister stood at a distance to take knowledge of what would be done to him.
And the Word of the Lord sent forth a burning sore and inflammation of the flesh upon the land of Mizraim; and the daughter of Pharoh came down to refresh herself at the river. And her handmaids, walking upon the bank of the river, saw the ark among the reeds, and put forth the arm and took it, and were immediately healed of the burning and inflammation.
And she opened, and saw the child, and, behold, the babe wept; and she had compassion upon him, and said, This is one of the children of the Jehudaee.
And his sister said to Pharoh's daughter, May I go and call for thee a nursing woman from the Jehudesses, to suckle the babe for thee?
And Pharoh's daughter said, Go; and the damsel went and called the child's mother.
And the daughter of Pharoh said, Take this child and suckle it for me, and I will give thee thy wages And the woman took the child and suckled him.
And the child grew, and was brought to Pharoh's daughter, and he was beloved by her as a son; and she called his name Mosheh, Because, said she, I drew him out of the water of the river.
And in those days when Mosheh was grown up, he went forth to his brethren, and saw the anguish of their souls, and the greatness of their toil. And he saw a Mizraite man strike a Jewish man of his brethren;
and Mosheh turned, and considered in the wisdom of his mind, and understood that in no generation would there arise a proselyte from that Mizraite man, and that none of his children's children would ever be converted; and he smote the Mizraite, and buried him in the sand.
And he went out the second day, and looked; and, behold, Dathan and Abiram, men of the Jehudaee contended; and seeing Dathan put forth his hand against Abiram to smite him, he said to him, Wherefore dost thou smite thy companion?
And Dathan said to him, Who is he who hath appointed thee a chief man and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill me, said he, as thou didst the Mizraite? And Mosheh was afraid, and said, Verily, the thing has become known.
And Pharoh heard this thing, and sought to kill Mosheh; and Mosheh escaped before Pharoh, to dwell in the land of Midian. And he sat by a well.
And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew, and filled the watering-troughs, to give drink to the flocks of their father.
But the shepherds came and drave them away. And Mosheh arose in the power of his might, and rescued them, and gave the flocks drink.
And they came to Reuel, their grandfather, who said to them, How is it that you are come (so) early today?
And they replied, A Mizraite man not only delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, but also himself drawing drew and watered the flock.
And he said to his son's daughters, And where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him, and let him eat bread.
But when Reuel knew that Mosheh had fled from before Pharoh he cast him into a pit; but Zipporah, the daughter of his son, maintained him with food, secretly, for the time of ten years; and at the end of ten years brought him out of the pit. And Mosheh went into the bedchamber of Reuel, and gave thanks and prayed before the Lord, who by him would work miracles and mighty acts. And there was shown to him the Rod which was created between the evenings, and on which was engraven and set forth the Great and Glorious Name, with which he was to do the wonders in Mizraim, and to divide the sea of Suph, and to bring, forth water from the rock. And it was infixed in the midst of the chamber, and he stretched forth his hand at once and took it. Then, behold, Mosheh was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave Zipporah, the daughter of his son, to Mosheh.
And she bare him a male child, and he called his name Gershom, Because, said he, a sojourner have I been in a strange land which is not mine.
And it was after many of those days that the king of Mizraim was struck (with disease), and he commanded to kill the firstborn of the sons of Israel, that he might bathe himself in their blood. And the sons of Israel groaned with the labour that was hard upon them; and they cried, and their cry ascended to the high heavens of the Lord. And He spake in His Word to deliver them from the travail.
And their cry was heard before the Lord, and before the Lord was the covenant remembered which He had covenanted with Abraham, with Izhak, and with Jakob.
And the Lord looked upon the affliction of the bondage of the sons of Israel; and the repentance was revealed before Him which they exercised in concealment, so as that no man knew that of his companion.
