Who was Moses in the Bible?
BREAKDOWN
Moses was arguably the most significant prophet and leader in the Hebrew Bible, serving as the intermediary through whom God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and established His covenant with them at Mount Sinai. Born during a period of intense Egyptian oppression, when Pharaoh ordered the killing of all male Hebrew infants, Moses was miraculously preserved when his mother placed him in a basket on the Nile River, where he was discovered and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. Raised in the Egyptian royal court, he later fled to Midian after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. It was in Midian, while tending sheep, that God appeared to him in a burning bush, commissioning him to return to Egypt and demand Pharaoh release the Israelites. This divine encounter, described in Exodus 3:1-10, marked the beginning of his prophetic ministry. Moses then led the Israelites through the ten plagues inflicted upon Egypt, the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, and the subsequent wilderness journey. His most profound act was receiving the Law, or Torah, from God on Mount Sinai, which included the Ten Commandments, as recorded in Exodus 20. This event solidified the identity of Israel as God's chosen people, bound by a unique covenant. Throughout forty years of wilderness wandering, Moses continually interceded for the rebellious Israelites, provided spiritual and civil leadership, and guided them to the borders of the Promised Land, Canaan. Though he longed to enter, he was permitted only to view it from Mount Nebo before his death, as described in Deuteronomy 34:1-5, due to an act of disobedience at Meribah. His life and work laid the theological and legal foundations for Judaism and profoundly influenced Christianity.
KEY TERMS
prophet
An individual chosen by God to speak His messages to humanity.
Law
The divine instruction and commandments, also known as the Torah, given by God to Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai.
Exodus
The foundational event in Israelite history where God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
Mount Sinai
The mountain where God revealed Himself to Moses and delivered the Ten Commandments and the Law to the Israelites.
Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which God promised to Abraham and his descendants, eventually settled by the Israelites.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Exodus 3:1-10
Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to God’s mountain, Horeb. The angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire from the middle of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. Moses said, “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.” He said, “Don’t come closer. Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.” Moreover he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
Exodus 20
God spoke all these words, saying, “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. In it you shall not do any work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Deuteronomy 34:1-5
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is over against Jericho. Yahweh showed him all the land of Gilead, to Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, to the hinder sea, and the South, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, to Zoar. Yahweh said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” So Moses the servant of Yahweh died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Yahweh. He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth Peor; but no man knows of his tomb to this day.
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
מֹשֶׁה
Moses
DefinitionTo draw out (from water)
תּוֹרָה
Torah
DefinitionInstruction, teaching, law
נָבִיא
Prophet
DefinitionOne who speaks on behalf of God
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The story of Moses is set against the backdrop of the Late Bronze Age (approximately 1550-1200 BCE), a period marked by the dominance of the Egyptian New Kingdom. Archaeological evidence from this era, such as the Merneptah Stele (c. 1208 BCE) which mentions 'Israel' as a people group in Canaan, suggests an Israelite presence in the region by the late 13th century BCE. While the precise dating of the Exodus remains a subject of scholarly debate (with proposals ranging from the 15th to the 13th century BCE), the biblical narrative aligns with known Egyptian practices of monumental building projects using forced labor and a hierarchical social structure. The wilderness wanderings reflect the semi-nomadic lifestyle prevalent in the Transjordan and Sinai regions, characterized by dependence on water sources, tribal organization, and interactions with various local groups. The giving of the Law at Sinai is presented as a foundational legal and religious event, establishing a distinct identity for a people emerging from servitude.
THEOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Moses's life profoundly illustrates God's sovereign plan, redemptive power, and covenant faithfulness. He serves as a pivotal figure in salvation history, mediating God's deliverance from physical bondage in Egypt and spiritual bondage through the giving of the Law. Theologically, Moses is a type of Christ, foreshadowing the ultimate mediator between God and humanity. Just as Moses led Israel out of slavery, Jesus leads humanity out of sin. Both delivered a covenant: Moses, the Old Covenant of Law, and Jesus, the New Covenant of Grace (Hebrews 8:6). Moses’s obedience, despite his personal shortcomings and the people's rebellion, highlights the theme of God using imperfect instruments for His perfect purposes. His ministry reveals the holiness of God, the need for atonement, and the divine provision for a chosen people.
COMMENTARY SYNTHESIS
Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) (Jewish)
Rashi often emphasizes the humility of Moses, particularly in his initial reluctance to accept God's call at the burning bush. He sees Moses's questioning of his own ability as a testament to his piety and genuine concern for the welfare of his people, rather than a lack of faith, highlighting his unique relationship with God.
Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon) (Jewish)
In 'The Guide for the Perplexed', Maimonides extols Moses as the greatest of all prophets, emphasizing the unique clarity of his prophecy, which was not through riddles or dreams, but 'face to face'. He views Moses as the ultimate lawgiver, whose Torah is the perfect, eternal divine instruction for human conduct and the foundation of all true religion.
Matthew Henry (Christian)
Henry consistently highlights Moses's role as a faithful servant and a type of Christ. He emphasizes the providential hand of God in Moses's preservation and calling, noting that God prepares His instruments long before their appointed task. He sees the Exodus as a grand demonstration of God's power and faithfulness to His covenant promises.
John Calvin (Christian)
Calvin stresses Moses's unwavering faithfulness as a steward of God's household (Hebrews 3:5), contrasting it with the superior Sonship of Christ. He views the Law given through Moses not as a means to salvation, but as a mirror reflecting humanity's sin and a guide leading people to Christ, who alone can fulfill its righteous demands.
Augustine of Hippo (Christian)
Augustine interprets Moses's leadership and the giving of the Old Law as preparatory for the coming of Christ and the New Covenant. He argues that the Old Testament, received through Moses, contains types and shadows that find their fulfillment in Christ, emphasizing the continuity and progression of God's redemptive plan throughout history.