MOSES

Moses

— drawn (or Egypt. mesu, "son;" hence Rameses, royal son). On the invitation of Pharaoh
(Gen 45:17-25), Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. This immigration took place
probably about 350 years before the birth of Moses. Some centuries before Joseph, Egypt had
been conquered by a pastoral Semitic race from Asia, the Hyksos, who brought into cruel
subjection the native Egyptians, who were an African race. Jacob and his retinue were
accustomed to a shepherd's life, and on their arrival in Egypt were received with favour by
the king, who assigned them the "best of the land", the land of Goshen, to dwell in. The
Hyksos or "shepherd" king who thus showed favour to Joseph and his family was in all
probability the Pharaoh Apopi (or Apopis).

Thus favoured, the Israelites began to "multiply exceedingly" (Gen 47:27), and extended to
the west and south. At length the supremacy of the Hyksos came to an end. The descendants
of Jacob were allowed to retain their possession of Goshen undisturbed, but after the death of
Joseph their position was not so favourable. The Egyptians began to despise them, and the
period of their "affliction" (Gen 15:13) commenced. They were sorely oppressed. They
continued, however, to increase in numbers, and "the land was filled with them" (Ex 1:7).
The native Egyptians regarded them with suspicion, so that they felt all the hardship of a
struggle for existence.

In process of time "a king [probably Seti I.] arose who knew not Joseph" (Ex 1:8). (See
PHARAOH.) The circumstances of the country were such that this king thought it necessary
to weaken his Israelite subjects by oppressing them, and by degrees reducing their number.
They were accordingly made public slaves, and were employed in connection with his
numerous buildings, especially in the erection of store-cities, temples, and palaces. The
children of Israel were made to serve with rigour. Their lives were made bitter with hard
bondage, and "all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour" (Ex
1:13,14). But this cruel oppression had not the result expected of reducing their number. On
the contrary, "the more the Egyptians afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew" (Ex
1:12).

The king next tried, through a compact secretly made with the guild of midwives, to bring
about the destruction of all the Hebrew male children that might be born. But the king's wish
was not rigorously enforced; the male children were spared by the midwives, so that "the
people multiplied" more than ever. Thus baffled, the king issued a public proclamation
calling on the people to put to death all the Hebrew male children by casting them into the
river (Ex 1:22). But neither by this edict was the king's purpose effected.

One of the Hebrew households into which this cruel edict of the king brought great alarm was
that of Amram, of the family of the Kohathites (Ex 6:16-20), who with his wife Jochebed and
two children, Miriam, a girl of perhaps fifteen years of age, and Aaron, a boy of three years,
resided in or near Memphis, the capital city of that time. In this quiet home a male child was
born (1571 BC). His mother concealed him in the house for three months from the knowledge
of the civic authorities. But when the task of concealment became difficult, Jochebed
contrived to bring her child under the notice of the daughter of the king by constructing for
him an ark of bulrushes, which she laid among the flags which grew on the edge of the river
at the spot where the princess was wont to come down and bathe. Her plan was successful.
The king's daughter "saw the child; and behold the child wept." The princess (see
PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER [1]) sent Miriam, who was standing by, to fetch a nurse. She
went and brought the mother of the child, to whom the princess said, "Take this child away,
and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages." Thus Jochebed's child, whom the
princess called "Moses", i.e., "Saved from the water" (Ex 2:10), was ultimately restored to
her.

As soon as the natural time for weaning the child had come, he was transferred from the
humble abode of his father to the royal palace, where he was brought up as the adopted son of
the princess, his mother probably accompanying him and caring still for him. He grew up
amid all the grandeur and excitement of the Egyptian court, maintaining, however, probably a
constant fellowship with his mother, which was of the highest importance as to his religious
belief and his interest in his "brethren." His education would doubtless be carefully attended
to, and he would enjoy all the advantages of training both as to his body and his mind. He at
length became "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts 7:22). Egypt had then two
chief seats of learning, or universities, at one of which, probably that of Heliopolis, his
education was completed. Moses, being now about twenty years of age, spent over twenty
more before he came into prominence in Bible history. These twenty years were probably
spent in military service. There is a tradition recorded by Josephus that he took a lead in the
war which was then waged between Egypt and Ethiopia, in which he gained renown as a
skilful general, and became "mighty in deeds" (Acts 7:22).

After the termination of the war in Ethiopia, Moses returned to the Egyptian court, where he
might reasonably have expected to be loaded with honours and enriched with wealth. But
"beneath the smooth current of his life hitherto, a life of alternate luxury at the court and
comparative hardness in the camp and in the discharge of his military duties, there had lurked
from childhood to youth, and from youth to manhood, a secret discontent, perhaps a secret
ambition. Moses, amid all his Egyptian surroundings, had never forgotten, had never wished
to forget, that he was a Hebrew." He now resolved to make himself acquainted with the
condition of his countrymen, and "went out unto his brethren, and looked upon their burdens"
(Ex 2:11). This tour of inspection revealed to him the cruel oppression and bondage under
which they everywhere groaned, and could not fail to press on him the serious consideration
of his duty regarding them. The time had arrived for his making common cause with them,
that he might thereby help to break their yoke of bondage. He made his choice accordingly
(Heb 11:25-27), assured that God would bless his resolution for the welfare of his people. He
now left the palace of the king and took up his abode, probably in his father's house, as one of
the Hebrew people who had for forty years been suffering cruel wrong at the hands of the
Egyptians.

He could not remain indifferent to the state of things around him, and going out one day
among the people, his indignation was roused against an Egyptian who was maltreating a
Hebrew. He rashly lifted up his hand and slew the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand.
Next day he went out again and found two Hebrews striving together. He speedily found that
the deed of the previous day was known. It reached the ears of Pharaoh (the "great Rameses,"
Rameses II.), who "sought to slay Moses" (Ex 2:15). Moved by fear, Moses fled from Egypt,
and betook himself to the land of Midian, the southern part of the peninsula of Sinai,
probably by much the same route as that by which, forty years afterwards, he led the
Israelites to Sinai. He was providentially led to find a new home with the family of Reuel,
where he remained for forty years (Acts 7:30), under training unconsciously for his great
life's work.

Suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush (Ex 3), and
commissioned him to go down to Egypt and "bring forth the children of Israel" out of
bondage. He was at first unwilling to go, but at length he was obedient to the heavenly vision,
and left the land of Midian (4:18-26). On the way he was met by Aaron (q.v.) and the elders
of Israel (27-31). He and Aaron had a hard task before them; but the Lord was with them (ch.
7-12), and the ransomed host went forth in triumph. (See EXODUS.) After an eventful
journey to and fro in the wilderness, we see them at length encamped in the plains of Moab,
ready to cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land. There Moses addressed the assembled
elders (Deut 1:1-4; 5:1-26:19; 27:11-30:20), and gives the people his last counsels, and then
rehearses the great song (Deut 32), clothing in fitting words the deep emotions of his heart at
such a time, and in review of such a marvellous history as that in which he had acted so
conspicious a part. Then, after blessing the tribes (33), he ascends to "the mountain of Nebo
(q.v.), to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho" (34:1), and from thence he surveys
the land. "Jehovah shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land
of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and
the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar" (Deut 34:2-3), the
magnificient inheritance of the tribes of whom he had been so long the leader; and there he
died, being one hundred and twenty years old, according to the word of the Lord, and was
buried by the Lord "in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor" (34:6). The
people mourned for him during thirty days.

Thus died "Moses the man of God" (Deut 33:1; Josh 14:6). He was distinguished for his
meekness and patience and firmness, and "he endured as seeing him who is invisible." "There
arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all
the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and
to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror
which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel" (Deut 34:10-12).

The name of Moses occurs frequently in the Psalms and Prophets as the chief of the prophets.

In the New Testament he is referred to as the representative of the law and as a type of Christ
(John 1:17; 2 Cor 3:13-18; Heb 3:5,6). Moses is the only character in the Old Testament to
whom Christ likens himself (John 5:46; comp. Deut 18:15,18,19; Acts 7:37). In Heb 3 this
likeness to Moses is set forth in various particulars.
In Jude 9 mention is made of a contention between Michael and the devil about the body of
Moses. This dispute is supposed to have had reference to the concealment of the body of
Moses so as to prevent idolatry.

(from Easton's Bible Dictionary, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright ©
2003 Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)