Who Was Moses in the Bible? The Prophet Who Led Israel Out of Egypt

Moses was the Hebrew prophet God used to bring the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, give them the law at Mount Sinai, and lead them through the wilderness for forty years (Exodus 3:10; 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 29:5). Born to Levite parents and raised in Pharaoh's household, he served alongside his brother Aaron and his sister Miriam (Exodus 2:1-10; Micah 6:4). He died at 120 on Mount Nebo, within sight of the promised land (Deuteronomy 34:1-7). Traditional authorship credits him with the first five books of the Bible.

Moses Quick Facts

Category	Details
Name meaning	Pharaoh's daughter named him Moses, saying she drew him out of the water (Exodus 2:10)
Testament	Old Testament, with frequent New Testament references
Key books	Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Time period	About 1526-1406 BC, with the exodus around 1446 BC (traditional dating based on 1 Kings 6:1)
Family	Parents Amram and Jochebed; wife Zipporah; sons Gershom and Eliezer (Exodus 6:20; 18:2-4)
Known for	The burning bush, the ten plagues, the Red Sea crossing, the Ten Commandments

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Birth and Early Life in Egypt

The Israelites had settled in Egypt in the days of Joseph. Later, a new king who did not know about Joseph enslaved them and ordered every Hebrew baby boy thrown into the Nile (Exodus 1:8-11, 1:22).

A Levite woman hid her son for three months, then placed him in a papyrus basket among the reeds by the river while his sister watched (Exodus 2:1-4). Pharaoh's daughter found him and felt sorry for him. His sister offered to find a Hebrew nurse, and the baby's own mother was paid to nurse him (Exodus 2:5-9). When he was older, he became the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and she named him Moses (Exodus 2:10).

Flight to Midian

When Moses was grown, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. He killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (Exodus 2:11-12). When the matter became known, Pharaoh tried to kill him, and Moses fled to Midian (Exodus 2:15). Stephen gives his age at that time as forty (Acts 7:23).

In Midian he defended the daughters of a priest named Reuel, also called Jethro, at a well. He married Zipporah and named his son Gershom, saying he had become a foreigner in a foreign land (Exodus 2:16-22; 3:1).

Who Was Moses in the Bible? The Call at the Burning Bush

About forty years later, Moses was tending Jethro's flock near Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames from within a bush that did not burn up (Exodus 3:1-2; Acts 7:30). God told him to take off his sandals because he stood on holy ground, and identified Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:5-6).

God said He had seen His people's misery and was sending Moses to Pharaoh to bring them out (Exodus 3:7-10). Moses raised one objection after another:

• Who was he to go to Pharaoh? God promised to be with him (Exodus 3:11-12).
• What name should he give? God revealed His name as "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:13-14).
• What if they did not believe him? God gave him signs with his staff and his hand (Exodus 4:1-9).
• He was not eloquent. God said He had made the human mouth (Exodus 4:10-12).

When Moses asked God to send someone else, the Lord became angry, but He appointed Aaron to speak for him (Exodus 4:13-16).

The Plagues and the Exodus

Pharaoh refused to let Israel go and made their labor harder, ordering them to gather their own straw for bricks (Exodus 5:1-9). God then sent ten plagues on Egypt: blood, frogs, gnats, flies, the death of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the death of the firstborn (Exodus 7:14-12:30).

Before the final plague, God instituted the Passover. Each household was to kill a lamb and put its blood on the doorframe, and the Lord would pass over those homes (Exodus 12:1-13). After the firstborn of Egypt died, Pharaoh sent Israel away. About six hundred thousand men on foot left, besides women and children (Exodus 12:31, 12:37). Moses took Joseph's bones with him, as Joseph had requested (Exodus 13:19).

Crossing the Red Sea

Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them. Moses stretched out his hand, the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind, and Israel crossed on dry ground. When the Egyptians followed, the waters returned and covered them (Exodus 14:21-28). Moses and Israel sang a song of praise, and Miriam led the women with timbrels (Exodus 15:1-21).

In the Wilderness

In the desert, God provided manna each morning and quail in the evening (Exodus 16:13-15). The Israelites ate manna for forty years (Exodus 16:35). At Horeb, God told Moses to strike a rock, and water came out for the people (Exodus 17:6).

When the Amalekites attacked, Joshua led the fighting while Moses held up his hands on a hill. Aaron and Hur held his hands steady until sunset, and Israel won (Exodus 17:8-13).

The Law at Mount Sinai

In the third month after leaving Egypt, Israel camped at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-2). God spoke the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and gave Moses further laws, and Moses stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights (Exodus 24:18).

While he was gone, the people persuaded Aaron to make a golden calf (Exodus 32:1-4). When Moses came down and saw them dancing, he threw down the stone tablets and broke them (Exodus 32:19). He then pleaded with God for the people (Exodus 32:11-14, 32:31-32). God gave the commandments again on new tablets (Exodus 34:1, 34:28). When Moses came down, his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord, and he covered it with a veil (Exodus 34:29-35).

Forty Years and the Waters of Meribah

When Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, the text describes him as more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth, and God said He spoke with Moses face to face (Numbers 12:1-8).

Moses sent twelve men to explore Canaan. Ten gave a fearful report, but Joshua and Caleb urged the people to trust the Lord (Numbers 13:31-33; 14:6-9). Because the people refused to enter, God said that generation would wander forty years and die in the wilderness (Numbers 14:29-34).

Near the end of the journey, the people again had no water. God told Moses to speak to the rock. Instead, Moses spoke harshly to the people and struck the rock twice. Water came out, but God said that because Moses and Aaron did not trust Him enough to honor Him as holy, they would not bring the community into the land (Numbers 20:7-12).

Later, when venomous snakes struck the people, God told Moses to make a bronze snake on a pole, and those who looked at it lived (Numbers 21:8-9). Jesus referred to this event when speaking of His own death (John 3:14-15).

Final Words and Death

East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses gave the speeches recorded in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 1:1-5). He told Israel that God would raise up a prophet like him from among them (Deuteronomy 18:15), a promise Peter applied to Jesus (Acts 3:22-23). He commissioned Joshua to lead the people into the land (Deuteronomy 31:7-8).

Moses climbed Mount Nebo, and God showed him the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deuteronomy 34:1-4). He died there at 120, his eyes not weak and his strength not gone, and God buried him in Moab. No one knows where his grave is (Deuteronomy 34:5-7). Israel mourned him thirty days (Deuteronomy 34:8). Deuteronomy closes with this assessment:

"Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face..." (Deuteronomy 34:10)

Moses in the New Testament

Moses appeared with Elijah, talking with Jesus, at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-3). John writes that the law was given through Moses, while grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Hebrews says Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house, and Christ as the Son over it (Hebrews 3:5-6). Hebrews also describes the choice Moses made:

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin." (Hebrews 11:24-25)

Lessons From Moses' Life

• God equips those He calls. Moses felt unqualified, and God answered each objection (Exodus 3:11-4:12).
• Leaders intercede. Moses repeatedly pleaded for the people after they sinned (Exodus 32:11-14; Numbers 14:13-19).
• Obedience in details matters. Striking the rock instead of speaking to it cost Moses entry into the land (Numbers 20:12).

Where Moses Appears in the Bible

• Exodus through Deuteronomy: His life from birth to death
• Psalm 90: A prayer attributed to Moses in its heading
• Joshua 1:1-9: Joshua succeeds him
• Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36: The Transfiguration
• Acts 7:20-44: Stephen summarizes his life
• Hebrews 3:1-6; 11:23-29: His faithfulness and faith

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy follow Genesis as the first five books of the Bible in order, together called the Pentateuch or the Law. Jesus referred to the Law of Moses as part of Scripture (Luke 24:44).

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Moses in the Bible?

Moses was the prophet God used to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt and to give them the law at Mount Sinai (Exodus 3:10; 20:1-17). He led the people through the wilderness for forty years and died on Mount Nebo at 120 (Deuteronomy 34:1-7).

Why was Moses not allowed to enter the promised land?

At Meribah, God told Moses to speak to a rock, but Moses struck it twice. God said Moses and Aaron had not trusted Him enough to honor Him as holy, so they would not lead the people into the land (Numbers 20:7-12).

How old was Moses when he died?

Moses was 120 years old when he died, and his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone (Deuteronomy 34:7).

Did Moses write the first five books of the Bible?

Jewish and Christian tradition credits Moses with Genesis through Deuteronomy, and Scripture refers to the Law of Moses (Joshua 8:31; Luke 24:44). The account of his death in Deuteronomy 34 was likely added by another writer, traditionally Joshua.

Where is Moses buried?

God buried Moses in a valley in Moab, opposite Beth Peor, and the Bible says that to this day no one knows where his grave is (Deuteronomy 34:6).