He looked this way and that ¹  and saw that no one was there, ²  and then he attacked ³  the Egyptian and concealed the body ⁴  in the sand.

biblegateway Exo 2:12

So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

Looking all around and seeing no one, he struck the Egyptian dead and hid him in the sand.

He looked all around, and when he didn’t see anyone, he beat the Egyptian to death and hid the body in the sand.

biblegateway Exo 2:12

Glancing this way and that and seeing no-one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

bibleoremus Exo 2:12

He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

he looked this way and that, and, seeing no one about, he struck the Egyptian down and hid his body in the sand.

biblegateway Exo 2:12

So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that [there was] no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

biblegateway Exo 2:12

He looked this way and that ¹  and saw that no one was there, ²  and then he attacked ³  the Egyptian and concealed the body ⁴  in the sand.

¹ tn The text literally says, “and he turned thus and thus” (וַיִּפֶן כֹּה וָכֹה, vayyifen koh vakhoh). It may indicate that he turned his gaze in all directions to ascertain that no one would observe what he did. Or, as B. Jacob argues, it may mean that he saw that there was no one to do justice and so he did it himself (Exodus, 37-38, citing Isa 59:15-16).

² tn Heb “he saw that there was no man.”

³ sn The verb וַיַּךְ (vayyakh) is from the root נָכָה (nakhah, “to smite, attack”) which is used in v. 11. This new attack is fatal. The repetition of the verb, especially in Exodus, anticipates the idea of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” The problem is, however, that Moses was not authorized to take this matter into his own hands in this way. The question the next day was appropriate: “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?” The answer? No one – yet.

⁴ tn Heb “him”; for stylistic reasons the referent has been specified as “the body.”