Moses

Etymology

The Hebrew explanation (Exodus 2:10) connects it to 'mashah' (to draw out) — 'I drew him out of the water.' But 'mose' is also an Egyptian suffix meaning 'born of' or 'child' (as in Thutmose, Rameses). Moses' name carries both his Hebrew identity and his Egyptian upbringing.

Who they were

Moses is the towering figure of the Old Testament — liberator, lawgiver, prophet, and the man who spoke with God 'face to face, as one speaks to a friend.' Born during Pharaoh's genocide of Hebrew boys, he was placed in a basket on the Nile and rescued by Pharaoh's daughter. Raised as Egyptian royalty, he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave and fled to Midian, where he spent forty years as a shepherd. At the burning bush, God called him to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses protested — 'Who am I?' 'What if they won't listen?' 'I am slow of speech' — and God answered every objection without removing the difficulty. The exodus that followed — the plagues, the Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea — became the defining event of Israel's history. At Sinai, Moses received the Law. He mediated between a holy God and a stubborn people for forty years in the wilderness. He interceded when God threatened to destroy Israel after the golden calf, offering himself in their place: 'If you will not forgive their sin, blot me out of the book you have written.' He was not allowed to enter the promised land — he struck the rock instead of speaking to it — and died on Mount Nebo, looking across the Jordan at a land he would never set foot in. God buried him, and 'no one knows where his grave is to this day.' Deuteronomy's epitaph is: 'Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.' He appeared with Elijah at the Transfiguration of Jesus, representing the Law alongside the Prophets. The entire Pentateuch — Genesis through Deuteronomy — is attributed to him. He is the most important human figure in the Hebrew Bible.

Family

Father

Amram

Mother

Jochebed

Spouse

Zipporah

Siblings

Aaron,Miriam

Children

Gershom,Eliezer

Character qualities

• Reluctant obedience
• Extraordinary meekness (Numbers 12:3)
• Fierce anger at injustice
• Tireless intercession
• Intimacy with God
• Failure at the end

Key verse

Deuteronomy 34:10

Where they appear

Themes

Variants & related forms

Moshe · Moisés · Moïse · Musa

Related names