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Mosesמשה
1391 BCE – 1271 BCE · Egypt/Sinaibiblical
Description
In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the Exodus from Egypt. He is considered the most important prophet in Judaism and Samaritanism, and one of the most important prophets in Christianity, Islam, the Baháʼí Faith, and other Abrahamic religions. According to the Abrahamic scriptures, God dictated the Mosaic Law to Moses, which he wrote down and which formed part of the Torah.
Facts
| Born | Goshen, Lower Egypt, Ancient Egypt |
| Died | Mount Nebo, Moab, Transjordan (aged 120 in Jewish traditions) |
| Spouse | Zipporah, unnamed Kushite woman |
| Children | Gershom Eliezer |
| Parents | Amram (father) Jochebed (mother) Pharaoh's daughter (adoptive mother) |
| Known for | The Mosaic covenant and law under the Torah for Judaism Major prophet in Christianity, Islam, Druze Faith, Rastafari, and Samaritanism Manifestation of God in Bahá'í Faith |
| Relatives | Levi (great-grandfather) Miriam (sister) Aaron (brother) Elisheba (sister-in-law) Nadab (nephew) Abihu (nephew) Eleazer (nephew) Ithamar (nephew) Jethro (father-in-law) |
Life & work in brief
Summarised by section — one row per topic, for fast reading.
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Etymology of name | The Egyptian root msy ('child of') or mose has been considered as a possible etymology, arguably an abbreviation of a theophoric name with the god's name omitted. |
| Biblical narrative | The Israelites had settled in the Land of Goshen in the time of Joseph and Jacob, but a new Pharaoh arose who oppressed the children of Israel. |
| Historicity | Scholars hold different opinions on the historicity of Moses. |
| Hellenistic literature | Non-biblical writings about Jews, with references to the role of Moses, first appear at the beginning of the Hellenistic period, from 323 BCE to about 146 BCE. |
| Abrahamic religions | Most of what is known about Moses from the Bible comes from the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. |
| Legacy in politics and law | In a metaphorical sense in the Christian tradition, a "Moses" has been referred to as the leader who delivers the people from a terrible situation. |
| Cultural portrayals and references | Moses often appears in Christian art, and the Pope's private chapel, the Sistine Chapel, has a large sequence of six frescos of the life of Moses on the southern wall, opposite a set with the Life of Christ. |
| Criticism of Moses | In the late eighteenth century, the deist Thomas Paine commented at length on Moses' Laws in The Age of Reason (1794, 1795, and 1807). |
Prophecies
Key prophetic utterances and visions attributed to Moses, with sources.
| Prophecy / vision | Source |
|---|---|
| A prophet like you I will raise; to him you shall listen | Deut 18:15 |
| YHWH our God, YHWH is one | Deut 6:4 |
| Blessings for obedience; curses, exile and dispersion for idolatry | Deut 28 |
| Song of witness against Israel's future apostasy | Deut 32 |