Moses' early life
Moses is one of the most important figures in the Abrahamic religions. He was born during the period when the Israelites (the descendants of Jacob, who God had renamed Israel) were living in slavery in Egypt. This was roughly 400 years after the time of Abraham. At this time, the Israelites were facing increasing oppression in Egypt.
According to the book of Exodus, Pharaoh had ordered that all Israelite baby boys be killed to control the Israelite population. To protect him, Moses’ mother placed him in a reed basket and hid him among the bulrushes of the River Nile. He was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him and raised him as part of the Egyptian royal household.
As a young man, Moses witnessed an Egyptian soldier beating an Israelite slave. In anger, he killed the Egyptian and buried the body. When this murder became known, Moses fled east into the land of Midian, where he lived as a shepherd and married Zipporah, the daughter of a Midianite priest.
The Burning Bush
While tending sheep on Mount Horeb (also known as Mount Sinai), Moses encountered a bush that was on fire but was not being consumed by the flames. This event is described as a theophany – a visible manifestation of God to a human being.
From within the bush, God (Yahweh) spoke to Moses, saying,
“I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3)
God called him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery. God revealed His divine name as "I AM WHO I AM" (Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh).
This is a key theological moment in Judaism, which shows that: (i) God is eternal (he has no beginning or end); (i) God is self-existant (he does not rely on anything else); (iii) God is beyond human words and description.
The Ten Plagues
Moses returned to Egypt with his brother Aaron, and demanded that Pharaoh release the Israelites. When Pharaoh refused, God sent a series of ten plagues, each one demonstrating His power and challenging Egyptian gods and authority.
The plagues included:
Water turning to blood
Frogs
Gnats
Flies
Death of livestock
Boils
Hail
Locusts
Darkness
Death of the firstborn
The tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, convinced Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. The Israelites were instructed to mark their doorframes with the blood of a lamb so that the Angel of Death would “pass over” their homes. This event is commemorated each year in the Jewish festival of Pesach (Passover).
The Parting of the Red Sea
After releasing the Israelites, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to capture them. As the Israelites reached the Red Sea, God parted the waters, allowing them to cross on dry land. When the Egyptian army followed, the waters closed back over them, destroying Pharaoh’s forces.
This moment is remembered as a key act of divine salvation and marks the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery.
Exodus
The journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land is called the Exodus, from the Greek word meaning “departure.” It is a foundational event in Jewish history, symbolising freedom, covenant, and identity. The Israelites travelled through the Sinai desert for forty years, during which God provided them with food (manna and quail) and water.
The Ten Commandments
During the journey to the Prmised Land, Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. These form part of the 613 commands (mitzvot) that form the Torah - the Jewish law. Obedience to these laws forms an important part of the Mosaic covenant.
📚 Key Terms:
Known as the father of the Jewish people. God made a covenant with him, promising him land and descendants.
Known as the founding father of Judaism
A binding promise/agreement; God's agreement to look after his chosen people.
Mitzvot (singular is ‘mitzvah’) are the 613 Jewish commandments/rules found in the Tenakh.
The person through whom God set the Israelites free from slavery in Egypt, gave the Ten Commandments and made a covenant with Israel.
Festival that celebrates the Jewish Exodus from Egypt, often called Passover.
The mountain where Moses received the Law and where the covenant between God and Israel was made.
Source of authority; religious and moral rules that were given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.
This is how Jesus is described in John’s Gospel.
The God of Israel.
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Level: GCSE