Moses, Hebrew M�sheh 15th-13th century BC
Old Testament Hebrew prophet and lawgiver

Moses is the principal figure dominating the Old Testament books from Exodus to Deuteronomy. The sequence begins with his birth and ends with his death, and describes him as the leader of the Israelites in their Exodus from captivity in Egypt and as receiver of the Divine Law. He was the younger son of a Levite couple, and was hidden in a basket to avoid death at the hands of the Egyptians. He was discovered by a daughter of Pharaoh and raised as her son.

After killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, Moses fled to Midian, and there married Zipproah, the daughter of a Midianite priest. According to the biblical account, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush, and ordered him to lead his people out of Egypt. He returned to Egypt with his brother Aaron, and eventually persuaded Pharaoh to release the Hebrews by producing signs and visiting plagues on the country.

Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, pursued by Pharaoh's army, which was engulfed by the waters of the Red Sea after they had parted to allow the Hebrews through. After a long period in the wilderness, Moses took the people to Sinai, where he received the commandments from God in the mountain. On his return from the mountain, he interceded with God not to punish the Hebrews for adoring the golden calf. For 39 years Moses led his people in the wilderness, where they were fed with manna and quails. After failing to enter Canaan from the south, Moses settled the people in land north of Moab. After delivering a series of addresses, Moses died in the fortieth year after the Exodus, according to Deuteronomy (1.3).

In assessing the role of Moses in early biblical history, it should be noted that many of the stories told about him in the Pentateuch belong to a type that is also told elsewhere (for example, the threat to the child and its recovery). The pharaoh of the captivity is not named (he has commonly been identified with Rameses II), and Moses is never mentioned in any contemporary non-biblical sources, Egyptian or otherwise. He represents the ideal leader and wise judge of his people, but it is difficult to separate legend from history in the biblical accounts that have come down to us.

Bibliography: R de Vaux, The Early History of Israel (1978).