Moses (Bible)

765: this is the number of times the first name Moses appears in the Old Testament. It appears more than 79 times in the New Testament. Moses is therefore undoubtedly a major biblical figure. The writing of the first 5 books of the Bible called "the Pentateuch" is attributed to him. The story of his life is told mainly in the book of Exodus. Read on to find out who he was who brought the Jewish people up out of slavery in Egypt and received the tablets of law, upon which were written the 10 commandments, on Mount Sinai.

Who is Moses in the Bible?

The Birth of Moses

Because of his growing fear of the Jewish people, the king of Egypt gave an order to the midwives: “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” (Exodus 1:16). It is in this context that Moses was born, but his mother, when she saw him, decided to hide him for 3 months and then leave him in a basket on the edge of the Nile. It was collected by the daughter of the Pharaoh who gave him the name Moses which means “saved from water.”

Moses, the most patient man

One character trait of Moses thoroughly described in the Holy Scriptures is his patience. Indeed, it is said of him that he was a very patient man (Numbers 12:3). This patience was indispensable when, in the desert he faced the whispers, criticism and complaints of the Israelites. Responding, Moses always kept his calm and interceded on their behalf so that the Lord would give them grace. However, at the end of his life, he lacked patience the cost was that he was not able to enter Canaan.

Highlights of the Life of Moses

The Burning Bush

"There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.’ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.” (Exodus 3:2-4)

Moses and Aaron

“Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, ‘What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.” (Exodus 4:14-15)

Moses and Pharaoh

“Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.” (Exodus 7:7)

Moses’s staff

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. (Exodus 7:10)

Crossing the Red Sea

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. (Exodus 14:21-22)

The Bronze Snake

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.” (Exodus 21:8-9)

The Manna

“The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.” (Exodus 16:35)

The Ten Commandments

Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water.  And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 34:28)

Joshua, servant of Moses

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” (Joshua 1:1-3)

The Promised Land

"Then I will bring you into the earth, which I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with my hand. I'll give it to you for you to own. I am the Lord”. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’ ” (Exodus 6:8)