29.09.2019

Who is Moses? The biblical story of Moses the story of the prophet Moses

Moses(Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה‏‎, Moshe, “taken (saved) from the water”; Arab. موسىٰ‎ Musa, other Greek Mωυσής, lat. Moyses) (XIII century BC), in the Pentateuch - Jewish prophet and legislator, founder of Judaism, organized the Exodus of the Jews from Ancient Egypt, united the Israelite tribes into a single people. He is the most important prophet in Judaism.

According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born at a time when his people were increasing in number and the Egyptian Pharaoh was concerned that the Israelites might help Egypt's enemies. When Pharaoh ordered the killing of all newborn boys, Moses' mother, Jochebed, hid him in a basket and floated it along the waters of the Nile. The basket was soon discovered by the pharaoh's daughter, who decided to adopt the child.

As Moses grew up, he saw the oppression of his people. He killed an Egyptian overseer who was cruelly punishing an Israelite and fled Egypt to the land of Midian. Here, from a burning but unburnt bush (the Burning Bush), God spoke to him, who commanded Moses to return back to Egypt and ask for the liberation of the Israelites. After the ten plagues, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt through the Red Sea, after which they stopped at Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. After forty years of wandering in the desert and the long-awaited arrival of the Israeli people in the land of Canaan, Moses died on the banks of the Jordan River.

The existence of Moses, as well as the reliability of his life story in the Bible, is a matter of debate among biblical scholars and historians. Biblical scholars usually date his life to the 16th-12th centuries. BC e., mainly associated with the pharaohs of the New Kingdom.

Name

According to the Bible, the meaning of the name Moses is associated with salvation from the waters of the Nile (“stretched out”). Pharaoh's daughter gave this name to Moses (Ex. 2:10). The play on words here may also be an allusion to the role of Moses in leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The ancient historian Josephus repeats the biblical interpretation, arguing that the name Moses consists of two words: “saved” and the Egyptian word “My”, meaning water. Semitologists deduce the origin of the name from the Egyptian root msy, meaning "son" or "to give birth to".

Biography

Bible story

The main source of information about Moses is the biblical narrative in Hebrew. The four books of the Pentateuch (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), which make up the epic of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, are dedicated to his life and work.

The Book of Exodus tells us that Moses' parents belonged to the tribe of Levi (Exodus 2:1). Moses was born in Egypt (Ex. 2:2) during the reign of Pharaoh, who “ didn't know Joseph"(Ex. 1:8), former first a nobleman under one of his predecessors. The ruler doubted the loyalty of the descendants of Joseph and his brothers to Egypt and turned the Jews into slaves.

But hard labor did not reduce the number of Jews, and Pharaoh ordered all newborn Jewish male babies to be drowned in the Nile. At that time, a son was born into Amram’s family (Ex. 2:2). Moses' mother Jochebed (Yochebed) managed to hide the baby in her home for three months (Ex. 2:3). No longer able to hide him, she put the baby in a reed basket, coated on the outside with asphalt and resin, and left him in the reed thickets on the banks of the Nile, where he was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, who came there for a swim (Ex. 2:5).

Paolo Veronese. Finding Moses. 2nd third of the 16th century. Art Gallery. Dresden

Realizing that in front of her was one “of the Hebrew children” (Exodus 2:6), she, however, took pity on the crying baby and, on the advice of Moses’ sister Miriam (Exodus 15:20), who was watching what was happening from afar, agreed to call the nurse - Israeli. Miriam called Jochebed, and Moses was given to his mother, who nursed him (Ex. 2:7-9). Pharaoh's daughter named the child Moses (“taken out of the water”) “because, she said, I took him out of the water” (Ex. 2:10). The Bible does not mention how long Moses lived with his natural father and mother, presumably he stayed with them for two or three years (The wife conceived and gave birth to a son, and seeing that he was very handsome, hid him for three months Ex. 2:2 ). The book of Exodus says that “the child grew up” with his parents, but what age he reached is unknown. “ And the child grew up, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she had him instead of a son."(Ex. 2:10). A mother hired by Pharaoh's daughter nursed her own son Moses. And when she was weaned, she gave it away. And Moses was like the son of Pharaoh's daughter (Ex. 2:10).

According to the New Testament book “The Acts of the Apostles,” when Moses was given to Pharaoh’s daughter, he was taught “all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22).

Moses grew up as the adopted son of Pharaoh. One day Moses came out of the royal chambers to the common people. He was deeply upset by the slavish position of his native people. Seeing an Egyptian beating a Jew, Moses killed the warrior and buried him in the sand, and the offended one the next day told all the Jews about this incident. Then Moses tried to reconcile the two Jews quarreling. But the Jew who offended another Jew said to Moses: “Who made you a leader and a judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Soon the Jews brought the information to the Egyptians. Pharaoh found out about this and sought to kill his adopted son. Moses, fearing for his life, fled from Egypt to the land of Midian. So the author of the Torah left the comfort of the royal house, his homeland, and wandered for some time.

Family

Moses, having fled from Egypt to the land of Midian, stopped with the priest Jethro (Raguel). He lived with Jethro, tended his cattle and married his daughter Zipporah. She bore him sons Girsama(Ex. 2:22; Ex. 18:3) and Eliezer. After the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, Moses gathered an army of thousands and destroyed the Midianites (his wife's people).

The book of Numbers mentions the reproaches of his sister Miriam and brother Aaron for the fact that his wife was an Ethiopian (Cushite) by nationality. According to biblical scholars, it could not be Zipporah, but another wife whom he took after the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

Revelation

While grazing cattle near Mount Horeb (Sinai), from the burning bush he received the call of God, who revealed to him his Name (Yahweh (Hebrew יהוה), “I am who is”) for the liberation of his people. Moses asked what he should do if the Israelites did not believe him. In response, God gave Moses the opportunity to perform signs: he turned Moses’ staff into a snake, and the snake into a staff again; then Moses put his hand into his bosom, and his hand became leprous as white as snow; according to the new command, he again put his hand in his bosom, took it out, and the hand was healthy.

Returning to the banks of the Nile, together with his brother Aaron (whom God chose as his assistant to serve as “his mouth” (Ex. 4:16), since Moses referred to his tongue-tiedness), he interceded with Pharaoh for the liberation of the children of Israel from Egypt. Moreover, at first Moses and Aaron, on behalf of Yahweh, asked Pharaoh to release the Jews into the desert for three days to make sacrifices.

The stubbornness of the pharaoh exposed the country to the horrors of the “Ten Plagues of Egypt”: the turning of the Nile waters into blood; toad invasion; midge invasion; invasion of dog flies; pestilence of livestock; disease in humans and livestock, expressed in inflammation with abscesses; hail and fire between hail; locust invasion; darkness; the death of the firstborn of Egyptian families and of all the firstborn of livestock. Finally, Pharaoh allowed them to leave for three days (Ex. 12:31), and the Jews, taking cattle and the remains of Jacob and Joseph the Beautiful, left Egypt for the desert of Sur.

Exodus

The passage of the Jews through the Red Sea. I.K. Aivazovsky. 1891

God showed the fugitives the way: he walked before them during the day in a pillar of cloud, and at night in a pillar of fire, illuminating the way (Ex. 13:21-22). The children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, which parted for them, but drowned Pharaoh's army, which was pursuing the Israelites. On the seashore, Moses and all the people, including his sister Miriam, solemnly sang a song of thanksgiving to God (Ex. 15:1-21).

Moses led his people to the Promised Land through the Sinai desert. First, they walked through the desert of Sur for three days and found no water except bitter water, but God sweetened this water by commanding Moses to throw the tree he indicated into it (Exodus 15:24-25). In the desert of Sin, God sent them many quails, and then (and throughout the next forty years of wandering) He sent them manna from heaven daily.

In Rephidim, Moses, at the command of God, brought water out of the rock of Mount Horeb by striking it with his rod. Here the Jews were attacked by the Amalekites, but were defeated by the prayer of Moses, who during the battle prayed on the mountain, raising his hands to God (Ex. 17:11-12).

In the third month after leaving Egypt, the Israelites approached Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses rules on how the Sons of Israel should live, and then Moses received from God the stone Tablets of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments, which became the basis of the Mosaic legislation (Torah). Thus a covenant was made between God and the chosen people. Here, on the mountain, he received instructions about the construction of the Tabernacle and the laws of worship.

Moses ascended Mount Sinai twice, remaining there for forty days. During his first absence, the people sinned by breaking the covenant they had just made: they made the Golden Calf, which the Jews began to worship as the God who led them out of Egypt. Moses, in anger, broke the Tablets and destroyed the calf (Seventeenth Tammuz). After this, again for forty days he returned to the mountain and prayed to God for the forgiveness of the people. From there he returned with his face illuminated by the light of God, and was forced to hide his face under a veil so that the people would not go blind. Six months later, the Tabernacle was built and consecrated.

Despite great difficulties, Moses remained a servant of God, continued to lead the people chosen by God, teach and instruct them. He announced the future of the tribes of Israel, but did not enter the promised land, like Aaron, because of the sin they committed at the waters of Meribah in Kadesh - God gave instructions to speak the words to the rock, but out of lack of faith they struck the rock twice.

At the end of the journey, the people again began to be faint-hearted and grumble. God sent as punishment poisonous snakes, and when the Jews repented, he commanded Moses to raise a copper serpent to heal them.

Death

Moses died just before entering the Promised Land. Before his death, the Lord called him to the Avarim ridge: “And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan.”(Deut. 34:1). There he died. “He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab opposite Bethpeor, and no one knows [the place of] his burial even to this day.”(Deut. 34:6).

At the direction of God, he appointed Joshua as his successor.

Moses lived 120 years. Of which he spent forty years wandering through the Sinai desert.

Antique tradition

Moses was mentioned by Greek and Latin authors.

According to the testimony of the Roman historian Josephus, the Egyptian historian Manetho (IV-III centuries BC) reported that the pharaoh ordered all lepers and patients with other diseases to be resettled in the quarries. The lepers elected as their leader the Heliopolitan priest Osarsiph (name in honor of the god Osiris), who after the expulsion changed his name to Moses. Osarsiph (Moses) established laws for the community of exiles and ordered them not to enter into communication with anyone except those bound to them by a single oath. He also led the war against the pharaoh. However, the settlers were defeated in the war, and the pharaoh's army pursued the defeated enemies to the borders of Syria. However, Josephus calls Manetho’s information “nonsensical and false.” According to Josephus, Moses was made commander of the Egyptian army against the Ethiopians who invaded Egypt as far as Memphis, and successfully defeated them.

According to Chaeremon, Moses' name was Tisithenes, and he was a contemporary of Joseph, whose name was Petesef. Tacitus calls him the lawgiver of the Jews. The source used by Pompey Trogus names Moses as the son of Joseph and the father of Arruaz, king of the Jews.

Egyptian sources

Ancient Egyptian written sources and archaeological finds do not contain any information about Moses.

Moses in Abrahamic religions

In Judaism

Moses (Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה‎, “Moshe”) is the main prophet in Judaism, who received the Torah from God on the top of Mount Sinai. He is considered the “father” of all subsequent prophets, since the level of his prophecy is the highest possible. So in the book of Deuteronomy it is said: “And Israel had no more a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deut. 34:10). It is also said about him: “If you have a prophet, then I, the Lord, reveal myself to him in a vision, and I speak to him in a dream. It is not so with My servant Moses, who is trusted throughout My house. I speak to him mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he sees the face of the Lord.” (Num. 12:6-8). However, in the Book of Exodus, Moses is forbidden to see the face of God: “And then He said, You cannot see My face, for man cannot see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20).

Based on the narrative of the Book of Exodus, Jews believe that the body of religious laws of Judaism (the Torah) was given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. However, when Moses, descending from the mountain, saw the Jews worshiping the golden calf, he broke the tablets in anger. After this, Moses returned to the top of the mountain and wrote the commandments with his own hand.

Kabbalah reveals the correspondence between Moses (Moshe) and the sephira netzach. And also that Moses is the circuit (gilgul) of Abel’s soul.

Jews usually refer to Moses as Moshe Rabbeinu, that is, “our teacher.”

In Christianity

Moses is the great prophet of Israel, according to legend, the author of the books of the Bible (the Pentateuch of Moses as part of the Old Testament). On Mount Sinai, he accepted the Ten Commandments from God.

In Christianity, Moses is considered one of the most important prototypes of Christ: just as through Moses the Old Testament was revealed to the world, so through Christ in the Sermon on the Mount - the New Testament.

According to the synoptic gospels, during the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the prophets Moses and Elijah were with Jesus.

The icon of Moses is included in the prophetic rank of the Russian iconostasis.

Philo of Alexandria and Gregory of Nyssa compiled detailed allegorical interpretations of the biography of the prophet.

In Islam

In the Muslim tradition, the name Moses sounds like Musa (Arabic: موسى‎). He is one of the greatest prophets, the interlocutor of Allah, to whom the Taurat (Torah) was revealed. Musa (Moses) is mentioned 136 times in the Quran. Sura 28 of the Koran tells about the birth and salvation of Musa from the waters of the Nile (Koran, 28: 3 - 45, etc.)

Musa is a prophet in Islam, one of the descendants of the prophet Yaqub. He was born and lived for some time in Egypt. At that time, Firaun (Pharaoh) ruled there, who was an unbeliever. Musa fled from the pharaoh to the prophet Shuaib, who at that time owned Madyan.

Historicity of Moses

The existence of Moses and his role in the early history of Israel is a matter of long-standing debate. The first doubts about the historicity of Moses and the reliability of his life story were expressed in modern times. In the modern era, a number of historians and biblical scholars have argued for considering Moses a legendary figure. They note that ancient Eastern (including ancient Egyptian) written sources and archaeological sites do not contain any information about Moses or the events of the exodus. Their opponents point to the lack of historical monuments and argue that the events of the exodus associated with Moses have minimal chance of being reflected in the monuments of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages. However, both of them recognize that the recording of the tales of Moses was preceded by a long oral tradition, which could modify, alter, distort or supplement the original traditions. These points of view are opposed by supporters of the school of “biblical minimalism”, who believe that the Old Testament was written by Jewish priests around the 4th-2nd centuries BC. e. and the vast majority of the events and figures in this part of the Bible are fictitious.

Proponents of the documentary hypothesis view the Pentateuch as the result of a compilation of several sources, four of which (the Yahwist, the Elohist, the Priestly Code, and the Deuteronomist) constitute the bulk of the text. They note that the figure of Moses and his role are different in each source. So in the Yahwist, Moses is the undisputed leader of the exodus. The priestly code tends to downplay the role of Moses and focuses on the role of Moses' brother Aaron, to whom the Jerusalem priests traced their ancestry. The Elohist, in contrast to Aaron, emphasizes the role of Joshua, who turned out to be faithful to the word of God more than Moses. Finally, the Deuteronomist emphasizes the role of Moses as prophet and lawgiver. From these observations it is concluded that the legends about Moses developed gradually and their versions differed in different traditions. These findings are disputed by critics of the documentary hypothesis.

Biblical scholars also note that in the texts about the exodus, which are considered earlier than the main body of the Pentateuch (early prophets, psalms, “song of the sea”), Moses is not mentioned. On this basis, it is suggested that in early oral traditions Moses was either not the hero of the exodus or had minor role. And only later did the compilers of written tradition build the entire story around the figure of Moses, from whom they traced their genealogy. Such conclusions are also disputed on the grounds that the purported references to the exodus are brief and Moses may have been omitted at the discretion of the authors.

Moses and Pharaoh: versions

Many attempts have been made to establish to what period of the history of Ancient Egypt the Bible refers to the events of the exodus of the Jews, and which pharaoh it refers to. There are several versions of when the exodus of the Jews supposedly occurred, and therefore when Moses lived. Most versions link the exodus to the pharaohs of the New Kingdom. This implies that the activity of Moses falls between the 16th and 12th centuries BC. e.

The Bible does not mention the pharaoh mentioned by name, although it often places a lot of emphasis on names. Thus, in Exodus the names of the two midwives whom Pharaoh called to him are mentioned, but not the name of Pharaoh (Ex. 1:15). According to Exodus, after Moses fled from Egypt to the land of Midian, Pharaoh died (“after a long time, the king of Egypt died”) (Exodus 2:23). Thus, at least two pharaohs appear in Exodus.

Various biblical scholars have attempted to identify the pharaoh of the Book of Exodus with the following pharaohs:

Ahmose I (1550-1525 BC)
Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC)
Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC)
Merneptah (1212-1202 BC)
Setnakht (1189-1186 BC)

Ahmose I was pointed to by those who believed that the Israelites abandoned Egypt after the expulsion of the Hyksos. Ahmose I successfully fought with the Hyksos and captured their capital, Avaris. Those who tried to establish the date of the exodus on the basis of biblical chronology came to the conclusion that the exodus occurred during the reign of Thutmose III. Ramesses II, who carried out extensive construction work involving a large number of people, was seen as an oppressor pharaoh. Under Merneptah, the son of Ramesses II, Egypt began to weaken, so Merneptah's reign was considered a more likely time for an exodus. The absence of a mummy of this pharaoh also gave rise to speculation until the time the mummy was discovered.

Moses and Akhenaten

In 1939, in his work “Moses and Monotheism,” Sigmund Freud linked the teachings of Moses with the religion that Pharaoh Akhenaten (reigned approximately 1351–1334 BC) propagated in Egypt during his reign. This religion involved the worship of only one deity - the disk of the sun, Aten. In the monotheism (or henotheism) of Akhenaten, Freud saw the origins of the monotheism of Judaism. Based on Manetho's information, Freud conjectures that after the failure of this religion in Egypt, one of Akhenaten's students (Osarsif) attempted to unite another people under its auspices, escaping with them from Egypt. This places the date of the Exodus immediately after the date of Akhenaten's death, that is, after 1358 BC. e.

Today, Freud's guess is of interest only to historians of psychoanalysis.

In art

art:

Moses (Michelangelo)
Moses (fountain in Bern)
Death and Testament of Moses

literature:

Poem by I. Y. Franko “Moses”
Sigmund Freud wrote the book “Moses and Monotheism” (S. Freud: This Man is Moses), dedicated to a psychoanalytic study of the life of Moses and his relationship with the people.

music:

opera by Gioachino Rossini;
opera by Arnold Schoenberg;
opera by Miroslav Skorik;
American Negro spiritual "Go Down Moses".

cinema:

Character on imdb.com
Cartoon "Prince of Egypt" (1998)
The film "The Ten Commandments" (1923) and its remake of the same name (1956)
Film "Moses" (1974)
Film "Prophet Moses: The Liberator Leader" (1995)
Film "Exodus: Kings and Gods" (2014)

Iconography

Iconographic originals give the following description of the appearance of the prophet Moses:

A great old man, 120 years old, of the Jewish type, well-behaved, meek. Bald, with a medium-sized beard in strands, very handsome, with a courageous and strong body. Wore a lower tunic of blue color, with a slit in the front and belted (cf. Ex. 39:12ff); on top is the ephod, that is, a long cloth with a slit in the middle for the head; there is a blanket on the head, boots on the feet. In his hands is a rod and two tablets with the 10 commandments.

In addition to the tablets, they also depicted a scroll with the inscription:

“Who am I, let me go to Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and let me bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.”(Ex. 3:11).
Sometimes another text is given: “Helper and protector be my salvation; This is my God and I will glorify Him, God of my Father and I will exalt Him.”(Ex. 15:1).

There is also a tradition of depicting the prophet while still quite young (“medieval”): these are icons depicting the prophet at the Burning Bush, cutting off the boots of his feet (Ex. 3:5), or receiving tablets from the Lord.

Who the prophet Moses is can be found out from the Bible. His life story is set out in the Old Testament. According to the Holy Scriptures, this is the central character of the events that determined the fate of the Jewish people as God's chosen people.

He is called the God-Seer because he communicated directly with God. It was to Moses, according to the biblical legend, that the Lord handed the tablets - stone slabs on which the Ten Commandments were carved, which later became the basis of Christian morality.

Prophet Moses the Seer of God - a short life

The biography of this extraordinary man, who lived several thousand years ago, is of great interest to this day both for professional researchers of biblical history and for ordinary people who become acquainted with the Holy Scriptures.

This is what the saint’s biography briefly retold looks like.

Birth of Moses

Having come to power in the prophet's homeland, Egypt, where Jews lived at that time, Pharaoh Ramses II, whom historians give an extremely harsh description, feared that in the event of war, foreigners would betray him and go over to the side of his opponents. Pharaoh began to pursue a policy of genocide, forcing the Israelis to do hard work, and also ordered the killing of all newborn boys in Jewish families.

This order came into force on the eve of the birth of Moses, who became the third child in the family of Amram and his wife Jochebed - the future prophet had a brother Aaron and a sister Miriam.

Childhood and youth

His parents managed to hide the fact of his birth. Realizing that it would be impossible to do this much longer, and in order to save the baby, the parents put the baby in a basket and hid it in the thickets of papyrus off the banks of the Nile. The Pharaoh's daughter, who came with her maids to the river bank, accidentally found the basket. Knowing about her father's order, the princess understood who the child was, but, struck by the beauty of the baby, she decided to take the child into her upbringing.

The baby did not want to take the breast of any nurse, then Mariam, Native sister Moses, came up and offered to find a wet nurse for the baby. She became the boy's own mother. The woman then brought the boy to the palace as the adopted son of the pharaoh's daughter. He lived there until he became an adult. However, the young man knew about his origins and never worshiped the Egyptian gods.

Escape to the Desert

Once he saw an Egyptian beating a Jew, and, defending his fellow tribesman, accidentally killed the attacker. Fleeing from persecution, the adopted son of the princess flees through the desert to the land of Midian, finds shelter in the house of the priest of this people and becomes the husband of his daughter.

How many years did the prophet need to mature physically and spiritually for the main feat of his life - leading the Jewish people out of Egyptian slavery? During the flight from Egypt, Moses turned forty, and he lived the same amount of time in Midian, so by the time of the exodus he was already 80.

Calling Moses by God

One day, when the saint was tending his father-in-law’s sheep near Mount Horeb, the Lord appeared in the form of a burning but not consumed thorn bush. When the shepherd tried to approach and take a closer look at this miracle, he heard the voice of God ordering him not to approach. The voice called on the saint to return to Egypt to lead the Jews out of captivity.

In order to strengthen the spirit of the prophet, God made the rod (shepherd's crook) in the prophet's hand turn into a snake. The Lord warned his chosen one to be prepared for difficulties, since the embittered Pharaoh would not agree to release the Jews. Since the prophet had a speech impediment, the Lord sent Brother Aaron with him.

Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh

Pharaoh was no longer the same ruler from whom the future prophet ran away forty years ago. In response to Moses' demand to give the Jews the opportunity to leave Egypt, Pharaoh only laughed and increased the labor obligation of his slaves.

But Moses did not leave the king alone, demanding freedom for his fellow tribesmen.

Having received another refusal, he threatened Pharaoh with terrible punishment from God. Pharaoh did not believe it, but the threat became a reality: the Lord, by the hand of Moses, began to send “plagues,” i.e., punishments, against the Egyptians.

Ten Plagues

First, as the legend says, the punishment became blood, when all the water in the Nile and other reservoirs turned into blood, “stank” (rotten), and it became impossible to drink. At the same time, in Jewish homes it remained clean and transparent. The Egyptians were forced to buy drinking water from their slaves.

But Pharaoh did not believe that this was God’s punishment, but attributed the damage to the water to witchcraft. He called for help from his sorcerers, who also managed to turn the clean water purchased from the Jews into blood.

Second The Egyptian execution was an invasion of toads (frogs) that came out of the water and filled the entire earth, crawling into the houses of the Egyptians. Toads were everywhere - on the floor and on the walls, in the bed and dishes. The witchcraft of the Egyptian priests, who tried to rid the country of toads, led to an even greater increase in their number.

Pharaoh began to ask Moses to pray for him before the Lord, so that He would return the frogs back to the rivers, promising to release the Jews. The request was fulfilled, but the ruler broke his word and did not release the prophet’s fellow tribesmen.

Third the execution was an invasion of midges that covered the surface of the earth, attacking people and livestock.

This time the Magi themselves, realizing their powerlessness, recognized this punishment as the finger of God and called on the ruler to agree to the demand of the leader of the Jews, but Pharaoh again refused.

Fourth was the punishment of “dog flies” - insects that combined the persistence of flies and the aggressiveness of dogs. It was a type of gadfly that pierced the skin of people and animals, leaving behind bleeding wounds. And no one could hide from them anywhere.

Only the area of Goshen, where the Israelis lived compactly, was free from dog flies. Thus, the Creator showed that all these disasters are not just an “ecological catastrophe”, but the Lord’s punishment, which is selective in nature.

Fifth the execution was a cattle pestilence that affected domestic animals throughout Egypt. Only the cattle in the Jewish barns survived.

Sixth plague“Moses and Aaron, taking a handful of soot in their hands, threw it in front of Pharaoh, after which the ruler himself and all his subjects, as well as their animals, were covered with sores and boils. Frightened, Pharaoh decided to let the Jews go, but again changed his mind.

Seventh the execution was a hail of fire, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Pharaoh again began to ask God for mercy for Egypt, again promising to let the Jews leave freely, and did not keep his word.

Eighth execution - the wind brought clouds of locusts from the desert, which destroyed all the green growth on the earth, not only cultivated plants, but also ordinary grass. The same story repeated itself - first the ruler calls on God's mercy, promising to fulfill the demands of Moses and Aaron, then forgets about his promises.

WITH ninth With the execution, darkness fell over the country, which neither candles nor torches could dispel. The darkness was so thick and dense that you could touch it with your hands.

Tenth and the last Egyptian execution was the death of the first-born in all Egyptian families, from the heir to the pharaoh's throne, to the first-born of the prisoner in prison. The firstborn of all the Egyptians' domestic animals also perished.

This happened over the course of just one night. And all the children and animals of the Israelites were alive and unharmed, since God, through the prophet, ordered the Jews to smear the doorposts of their houses with the blood of a sacrificial lamb so that the Angel - the executor of God's punishment - would not enter inside.

Establishment of Easter holiday

After the tenth plague, Pharaoh finally allowed the Jews, led by Moses and Aaron, to leave Egypt. In memory of this event, the Jews established a special holiday - Pesach, Exodus, or Jewish Passover, which became the prototype of the Christian one.

On Passover, every Jewish family has a meal at which lamb meat prepared in a special way is served, in memory of the sacrificial lamb whose blood was smeared on the doorposts of Jewish houses.

Exodus of Moses from Egypt. Crossing the Red Sea

After the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity, He ordered the Jews to go to the land of Canaan. The shortest way there lay through the territory occupied by the warlike tribe of the Philistines, but the Jews, weakened by captivity and hard work, could not overcome it.

The Slavic translation of the Bible says that the prophet led the people to the Red Sea, but which sea is meant is not immediately clear. The fact is that the Slavs called the Red Sea, which is a narrow bay of the Indian Ocean, Red Sea.

Having come to his senses after all the disasters he had experienced, the pharaoh, whose pride was wounded by the fact that he had to give in, equipped his war chariots and chased after those who had gone, wanting to take revenge for the humiliation. Finding themselves sandwiched between the ruler's army and the sea waters, the Jews prepared for death.

God did not leave them here either: He sent a wind that parted the waters, exposing the seabed in the narrowest place, and all the people, led by the prophet, walked along it to the other shore. The memory of this transition has been preserved to this day not only in Holy Scripture, but also in the legends and parables of the Israelis.

Seeing how easily Moses and his people crossed the deep sea, Pharaoh set off after him, hoping to also “slip through.” But the heavy chariots got stuck in the wet sea sand, and as soon as the last Israelite set foot on the opposite shore, the wind changed, the waters returned to their place, and Pharaoh’s army perished.

Miracles that Moses performs

In the desert, people did not have enough food, and in the evenings, during rest periods, they began to grumble, remembering that in Egypt they always had meat. Suddenly flocks of quails descended from the sky, covering the entire camp, and by morning dew fell. After the moisture evaporated, something resembling cereal remained on the ground, which the Israelis called manna.

The food tasted like wheat cake with honey. This miracle was repeated every morning throughout the journey.

Then the people began to suffer from thirst, and again reproaches fell on the leader - why did he take them out of Egypt, where there was always plenty of water. Then, with God's help, the prophet extracted water from the stone. At the same time, angry with the people and losing his temper, he transgressed the will of God for the only time in his entire life - instead of calling out to the rock, he hit it with his staff.

When a spring gushed out from there, people began to believe that it was not the Lord, but Moses himself who gave them water. This act of the prophet became the reason why the saint did not enter the promised land.

The next test was the battle with the Amalekites. The Israelites fought against them under the command of Joshua, and the prophet watched the progress of the battle, standing on a hill with a rod in his hands. When he raised his hands, the Israelis gained the upper hand, and when he lowered them, they retreated.

To ensure victory for the tribesmen in the battle, which lasted from dawn to sunset, Aaron and one of his assistants, Hor, supported the tired hands of the prophet. After the victory, God told the prophet to record this event in a book.

Sinai Covenant and 10 Commandments

Three months after the exodus from Egypt, the Jews approached Mount Sinai. God warned the saint that here He would come down to the people. In preparation for the meeting, Israelis must wash themselves, change into clean clothes and, while fasting, abstain from the marital bed.

On the appointed day, amid thunder and lightning, a dark cloud appeared over the top of the mountain and a rumble was heard, reminiscent of the sound of a trumpet. The whole mountain shook, and the people were very afraid - they realized that it was the voice of God speaking to Moses.

The Lord ordered the prophet to ascend the mountain. The leader of the Israelites began to rise, but the people remained below. When the prophet stood before the face of God, He handed him the tablets.

The Wrath of Moses

The leader was absent for 40 days, and everyone began to consider him dead. At the request of the people, Aaron created an idol - a golden calf, similar to the Egyptian idols, which people began to worship, thereby violating the main commandments of God.

The returning prophet in anger destroyed the idol and broke the tablets of the covenant. His despair knew no bounds - he understood that the Lord could turn away from the Israelis who had committed such grave sin as apostasy.

The prophet returned to Mount Sinai and began to pray to God for the forgiveness of his fellow tribesmen. If He does not want to forgive the Israelites, then the saint is ready to share responsibility with them - let Him cross out his name from His book.

Through the fervent prayer of Moses, which lasted 40 days, the Lord restored His covenant with the chosen people. He confirmed all his promises, and also ordered new tablets to be made and the 10 commandments written on them.

Having accomplished his feat of prayer, the prophet descended from Sinai. His face shone so brightly after communicating with the Lord that he had to cover it with a veil so as not to blind the Israelites.

Construction and dedication of the Tabernacle

Soon after receiving the tablets, the Lord gave the Jews instructions to build a Tabernacle - a camp church. The tablets were placed in the ark and brought into the Tabernacle.

The place where it was installed was covered with a cloud, which became a visible sign of God's presence. When the cloud rose up, it was a sign that it was time for the people to move on.

End of wandering. Death of Moses

Israelis continued to express outrage at the various reasons, saddening the prophet and provoking the wrath of God, who determined that the Jews would wander in the desert for 40 years until those who became troublemakers and did not believe in divine providence passed away.

Finally, this period ended - people approached the borders of the promised land. God took Moses to Mount Nebo and showed it to him. After this, Moses blessed his people by turning over the reins of government to Joshua. Soon after this he died.

Conclusion

Accurate information about how long Moses lived has not been preserved in history. Judging by the information given in the Holy Scriptures, the years of Moses' life are about 120 years.

The Moab Valley is mentioned as the place where he was buried, but his grave remains unknown. The Day of Remembrance of the Prophet Moses is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on September 17 according to the new style.

"The people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we." Much water has flowed under the Nile since Israel moved to Egypt. Joseph and all his brothers died long ago, and their descendants, who began to be called Jews or Israel, continued to live in Egypt.

Over time, there were so many Jews that it began to inspire fear in the Pharaoh. He said to his people: “Behold, the people of the Children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we are. Let’s outwit him so that he doesn’t multiply and it doesn’t happen that when war happens, he too will join our enemies and fight with us and rise from the country.” To ensure that more Jews died, Pharaoh ordered them to be sent to the most difficult jobs. When this did not work, he ordered all newborn Jewish boys to be killed.

Moses - "saved from the water." Once a boy was born into a family of descendants of Levi (one of Joseph’s brothers). The mother hid him for three months, and when he grew up and it became impossible to hide the baby, she put the child in a tarred basket and placed it in the reeds on the river bank. And the baby’s sister stood at a distance, as if hoping for some miracle.

Soon the pharaoh's daughter came to the river to swim. She noticed the basket and sent a slave to take it. Seeing the little boy, the princess immediately guessed where he was from and said: “This is one of the Jewish children.” She felt sorry for the baby, and she decided to take him for herself. The girl, the baby's sister, approached the Pharaoh's daughter and asked if she should call a nurse for the child. The princess agreed, and the girl brought my own mother baby, whom Pharaoh's daughter entrusted with feeding him.

It so happened that the boy doomed to death was saved, and his real mother nursed him, so that he never forgot what people he belonged to. When he grew up a little, his mother took him to the Pharaoh's daughter, and she raised him as her adopted son. He was named Moses [“saved from the water.” In fact, this name is most likely of Egyptian origin and simply means “son”, “child”], was brought up in royal luxury, learned all the Egyptian wisdom and showed himself to be a brave warrior.

Moses runs into the desert. But one day Moses decided to see how his own people lived, and saw that an Egyptian overseer was severely beating a Jew. Moses could not stand it and killed the Egyptian. Very soon Pharaoh found out about this and ordered the murderer to be executed, but he managed to escape from Egypt.

Along the caravan trail, Moses crossed the desert and ended up in the lands of the Midianite tribe. There the local priest liked him, and he married his daughter to him. So Moses remained to live in the desert.

After a long time, the old Pharaoh who ordered the execution of Moses died. The new one began to oppress the Jews even more. They moaned loudly and complained about the backbreaking work. Finally, God heard them and decided to save them from Egyptian slavery.

God said that He chose Moses to save the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Moses had to go to Pharaoh and demand that he release the Jews. Hearing this, Moses asked: “Behold, I will come to the children of Israel and say to them: “The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” And they will say to me: “What is His name? What should I tell them?” And then God revealed his name for the first time, saying that his name was Yahweh [“Existing One”, “He Who Is”]. God also said that in order to convince unbelievers, He gave Moses the ability to perform miracles. Immediately, by His order, Moses threw his rod (shepherd's stick) to the ground - and suddenly this rod turned into a snake. Moses caught the serpent by the tail - and again there was a stick in his hand.

Moses felt terrified - the task entrusted to him was very difficult - and he tried to refuse, saying that he could not speak well and therefore would not be able to convince either the Jews or the Pharaoh. God replied that he himself would teach him what to say. But Moses continued to deny: “Lord! Send someone else whom you can send.” God was angry, but restrained himself and said that Moses had a brother Aaron in Egypt, who, if necessary, would speak in his place, and God himself would teach both what to do.

Moses returned home, told his relatives that he had decided to visit his brothers in Egypt, and set off on the road.

"The God of your fathers has sent me to you." On the way, he met his brother Aaron, whom God ordered to go out into the desert to meet Moses, and they came together to Egypt. Moses was already 80 years old, no one remembered him. The daughter of the former pharaoh died long ago, foster mother Moses.

After this, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and addressed him with these words: “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let My people go, so that they may celebrate a feast for Me in the wilderness.” Pharaoh was surprised, but at first he was rather complacent and answered with restraint: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” Then Moses and Aaron began to threaten him, Pharaoh got angry and stopped the conversation: “Why are you, Moses and Aaron, distracting the people from their work? Go to your job."

Pharaoh then ordered his servants to give the Jews as much work as possible (they were making bricks to build new cities in Egypt), “so that they would work and not engage in empty talk.” So after turning to Pharaoh, the Jews began to live much worse than before, they were exhausted from hard work, they were beaten by Egyptian overseers.

"Ten Plagues of Egypt." Then God decided to show his power to the Egyptians. Moses warned that the God of the Jews could send the most terrible disasters to Egypt if Pharaoh did not allow the Jews to pray to God in the desert. Pharaoh refused. The Egyptian ruler was not frightened by the miracles that Moses performed before him, because the Egyptian magicians [wizards] were able to do approximately the same thing.

The passage of Jews across the sea. Moses dissects
sea with a staff. Medieval book miniature

Moses had to fulfill his threats, and ten disasters, the “ten plagues of Egypt”, fell one after another on Egypt: an invasion of toads, the appearance of a huge number of midges and poisonous flies, the death of livestock, diseases of people and animals, hail that destroyed crops, and locusts. Pharaoh began to hesitate and even promised several times to release the Jews for their holiday, but each time he refused his word, although the Egyptians themselves prayed: “Let these people go, let them serve the Lord, their God: don’t you still see that Is Egypt dying?

When locusts destroyed all the greenery in Egypt, and Moses brought thick darkness over the whole country for three days, Pharaoh proposed that the Jews go out into the desert for a short time, but leave all their livestock at home. Moses did not agree, and the annoyed Pharaoh threatened him with death if he dared to appear in the palace again.

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. But Moses did not flinch; he came to Pharaoh in last time and warned: “Thus says the Lord: At midnight I will pass through the middle of Egypt. And every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the bondwoman who is at the millstones. [grinds grain] and all the firstlings of livestock. But among all the children of Israel a dog will not lift his tongue against man or beast, so that you may know what difference the Lord makes between the Egyptians and the Israelites.” Having said this, the angry Moses left Pharaoh, and he did not dare to touch him.

Then Moses warned the Jews to slaughter a one-year-old lamb in each family and anoint the doorposts and lintel with its blood: by this blood God will distinguish the homes of the Jews and will not touch them. The lamb was to be roasted over a fire and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Jews must be ready to hit the road immediately [in memory of this event, God established the annual holiday of Easter].

At night, a terrible disaster befell Egypt: “At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in prison, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh arose at night, himself and all his servants, and all Egypt; and there was a great cry in the land of Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not a dead man.”

The shocked Pharaoh immediately summoned Moses and Aaron and ordered them, along with all their people, to go into the desert and perform worship so that God would take pity on the Egyptians.

Escape and salvation from the pharaoh. That same night, the entire Israeli people left Egypt forever. The Jews did not leave empty-handed: before fleeing, Moses ordered them to ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver items, as well as rich clothes. They also took with them the mummy of Joseph, which Moses searched for for three days while his fellow tribesmen collected property from the Egyptians. God himself led them, being in a pillar of cloud during the day and in a pillar of fire at night, so the fugitives walked day and night until they reached the seashore.

The persecutors of the Jews - the Egyptians - are drowning in
waves of the sea. Medieval engraving

Meanwhile, Pharaoh realized that the Jews had deceived him and rushed after them. Six hundred war chariots and selected Egyptian cavalry quickly overtook the fugitives. There seemed to be no escape. Jews - men, women, children, old people - crowded on the seashore, preparing for inevitable death. Only Moses was calm. At the command of Yahweh, he extended his hand to the sea, struck the water with his staff, and the sea parted, clearing the way. The Israelites walked along the bottom of the sea, and the waters of the sea stood like a wall to their right and left.

Seeing this, the Egyptians chased the Jews along the bottom of the sea. Pharaoh's chariots were already in the middle of the sea when the bottom suddenly became so viscous that they could hardly move. Meanwhile, the Israelis made it to the opposite bank. The Egyptian warriors realized that things were bad and decided to turn back, but it was too late: Moses again extended his hand to the sea, and it closed over Pharaoh’s army...

The Riddle of Moses.

The bottom of the Red Sea.

Pharaoh of the Exodus.

"I heard the murmuring of the children of Israel." The Jews celebrated their miraculous salvation and moved into the depths of the desert. They walked for a long time, the food captured from Egypt ran out, and the people began to murmur, saying to Moses and Aaron: “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full! For you brought us out into this desert to starve us to death.”

God heard the complaints of the Israelis, he was offended that meat and bread were more valuable to them than freedom, but he still took pity on them and said to Moses: “I heard the grumbling of the children of Israel; Tell them: in the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread, and you will know that I am the Lord your God.”

In the evening, a huge flock of quail birds sat down on the field near the tents, having become exhausted on the journey. Having caught them, the Jews ate plenty of meat and stored it for future use. And in the morning, when they woke up, they saw that the entire desert was covered with something white, like frost. We started looking: white coating turned out to be small grains, similar to hail or grass seeds. In response to the surprised exclamations, Moses said: “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.” The cereal, which was called manna, tasted like a cake with honey. Adults and children rushed to gather manna and bake bread. Since then, every morning they found manna from heaven and ate it.

Having received meat and bread from God, the Jews set off again. When they stopped again, it turned out that there was no water in that place. The people were again angry with Moses: “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our flocks with thirst?” Seeing that the crowd was ready to stone the author of their disasters, Moses, on the advice of God, hit the rock with his rod, and a powerful stream of water burst out of the stone...

Miracles of Moses.

The people of Israel encounter God. Finally, the Israelites came to Mount Sinai, where God himself was to appear to them. Moses first ascended the mountain, and God warned him that he would appear before the people on the third day.

And then this day came. In the morning, a thick cloud covered the mountain, lightning flashed above it and thunder roared. Moses led the people to the foot of the mountain and stepped beyond the line, which no one except him could cross under pain of death. Meanwhile, “Mount Sinai was all smoking because the Lord had descended on it in fire; and smoke rose from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook greatly. And the sound of the trumpet became stronger and stronger. Moses spoke, and God answered him.”

"Mountain of God".

Ten Commandments. At the top of the mountain, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments that the Jews were to keep. These are the commandments:

I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Mizraim [that's what the Jews called Egypt], from the House of Bondage. You must not have other gods before My Face.
You must not make for yourself any image of a deity.
You must not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
You must honor your father and your mother.
You shouldn't kill.
You shouldn't be promiscuous.
You shouldn't steal.
You must not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, nor his wife, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

Gustave Dore. Prophet Moses
descends from Mount Sinai.
1864-1866

The meaning of God's commandments.

In addition to the Ten Commandments, God dictated laws to Moses that outlined how the people of Israel should live.

Moses wrote down all the words of Yahweh and told them to the people. Then a sacrifice was made to God. Moses sprinkled the altar and all the people with sacrificial blood, saying: “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you...” And the people swore to sacredly observe the covenant with God.

"This is your God, O Israel." Moses again ascended the mountain and remained there for forty days and nights, talking with God. Meanwhile, the people were tired of the long wait, they came to Aaron and demanded: “Get up and make us a god who will go before us; for we do not know what happened to this man, to Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt.”

Aaron told everyone to bring him their gold earrings, and he cast them into an image of a golden calf. [those. bull Many ancient peoples imagined a deity in the form of a mighty bull]. The people, seeing the well-known figure of the Egyptian deity, joyfully exclaimed: “Behold your god, Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

And Moses received the tablets from God [stone slabs], on which Yahweh wrote his words with his own hand. God told Moses to quickly go to the camp where something was wrong.

The Wrath of Moses. Having descended from the mountain, Moses, accompanied by his assistant, young Joshua, headed towards the camp and soon heard a loud noise coming from there. Jesus, a born fighter, said, “There is a cry of war in the camp.” But Moses objected: “This is not the cry of those who overcome, nor the cry of those who are defeated; I hear the voice of those singing.”

Entering the camp and seeing the crowd dancing and singing around the golden calf, Moses (even though he was “the meekest of all” by character) became extremely angry. He threw the tablets to the ground, which shattered into pieces, threw the golden calf into the fire, ground its charred remains into powder, poured it into the water and demanded that all the Israelites drink it. Not content with this, Moses ordered the Levites, who alone of all the Israelites refused to worship the golden calf: “Put every man his sword on his thigh, go through the camp from gate to gate and back, and kill every man his brother, every man his friend, every man his neighbor. " The Levites carried out the terrible order and killed about three thousand people.

God was angry at the betrayal of his chosen people even more than Moses, and decided to destroy all the Israelites and create a new people from Moses alone. Moses had difficulty dissuading him from this intention and begged him to forgive the Jews this time.

Israel receives its shrine. God ordered Moses to make two stone tablets to replace the broken ones and dictated the words that Moses was to write on them. In addition, Yahweh wished to have his tent among the Israelites, but warned that he himself would not lead them to the promised land [sworn promise], since in anger he can, without wanting to, destroy a people who have already betrayed God once, despite the covenant that has just been concluded.

According to the instructions of Moses, received from God himself, the Israelites made a tabernacle - a large, richly decorated tent. Inside the tabernacle stood the Ark of the Covenant - a wooden chest lined with gold with images of cherubim on top. In the ark lay the tablets brought by Moses with the words of God. Other objects necessary for worship were also made from gold, of which the seven-branched candlestick stood out - a lamp in the shape of a plant with a stem and six branches, on which seven lamps were supposed to burn.

Priests dressed in rich clothes embroidered with gold and precious stones had to make sacrifices to God and generally serve him. Aaron and his sons became the first priests of Yahweh.

At first, God often appeared in the tabernacle and Moses went there to talk with him. If a cloud shrouded the tabernacle during the day, and at night the tent glowed from within, this was a sign of the presence of Yahweh.

The tabernacle was made dismountable, and the ark portable. If the cloud around the tabernacle disappeared, then it was time to move on. The people dismantled and arranged the panels of the tabernacle, inserted long poles into the golden rings attached to the corners of the ark of the covenant, and carried it on their shoulders.

On the threshold of the promised land. From the sacred Mount Sinai, the Jewish people moved to Canaan - the Promised Land, which God promised to give to the Jews, expelling other nations from there.

This country has changed a lot since the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Instead of the former pastures with sun-scorched grass, fields, gardens and vineyards were green everywhere. There lived in Canaan an agricultural population whose language was related to the Jews, but it was richer and more cultured than the fugitives from Egypt wandering in the desert. The Canaanites worshiped numerous gods and goddesses, whom they called Baals.

Yahweh was a jealous deity and demanded that the Jews worship only Him as the creator. God feared that the Israelites, once in Canaan, would forget him and begin to pray to the local Baals. Therefore, he demanded that in the future holy war for the “promised land” the Israelis killed everyone local residents, not sparing even small children. Only under this condition did he promise his people success and victory.

The Fears of the Israelites and the Wrath of God. When the column stretched across the desert approached Canaan, Moses selected twelve people, one from each tribe of Israel, that is, from each of the Israelite tribes. He sent them to inspect the land, to find out whether it was good, whether the people were strong on it, and what kind of cities there were, whether the people lived in tents or in fortifications.

Forty days later, Moses' messengers returned and reported that the land was rich and fertile. To prove their words, they brought unusually large figs [figs], pomegranate fruits and a bunch of grapes so large that two people could hardly hold it on a pole. They also reported that the people there were very strong and the cities were large and fortified. They were afraid to fight with the people of Canaan and spread a rumor that on the approaches to this land there were mighty fortresses in which giants lived. Ordinary people cannot cope with them.

Only two of the twelve ambassadors, Joshua and Caleb, argued that with the help of Yahweh it was still possible to conquer the country.

The doubting people did not believe either them or Moses, and decided to go back to Egypt. Moses had difficulty calming the people, but God decided to severely punish the Israelites for their fear and disbelief in His promise. Moses conveyed his words to the people: none of the Jews over twenty years old, except Joshua and Caleb, will go to Canaan. The Jews were doomed to wander in the desert for another forty years before their children would see the Promised Land again.

New wanderings. Some of the Jews, despite God’s prohibition, still tried to break into Canaan, but were defeated by local tribes and fled into the desert. Finding themselves in a waterless area, the people again rebelled against Moses and Aaron. Then they led the people to the rock, Moses struck it twice with his rod, and water flowed from the rock. The Israelites got drunk and watered their livestock.

But God was angry with Moses for his weak faith - after all, he struck the rock with his rod twice, and once was enough - and declared that neither he nor his brother Aaron would enter the Promised Land.

Some time later, Aaron died. His son Eleazar became the new high priest. The Israelites mourned Aaron for thirty days, and then set off again. Bypassing big cities, fighting with small tribes, the Jews reached the plains of Moab, south of Canaan. The Moabites were descendants of Lot, Abraham's nephew, and therefore a related people to the Israelites. But they were frightened when they saw numerous and warlike strangers, and Balak, king of the Moabites, decided to destroy the Jews.

Balaam and his donkey. In those days, in a city on the Euphrates there lived a famous prophet named Balaam. Balak sent his people to him with a request to come and curse the Israelites. At first Balaam refused, but the king of the Moabites sent rich gifts and eventually persuaded him. Balaam mounted a donkey and set off on the road.

But God was angry with him and sent an angel with a drawn sword. The angel stood on the road, Balaam did not notice him, but the donkey turned off the road into the field. Balaam began to beat her to force her to return. Three times the angel stood in front of the donkey, and three times Balaam beat her. And suddenly the animal spoke in a human voice: “What have I done to you that you are beating me for the third time?” Balaam was so angry that he was not even surprised. He answered the donkey: “Because you mock me; If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you now.” The conversation continued in the same spirit, when suddenly Balaam noticed an angel. The angel condemned him for torturing an innocent animal and allowed him to continue his journey only on the condition that among the Moabites Balaam would say only what God told him.

Balak greeted the prophet with honor, but how disappointed he was when, after the sacrifice, Balaam, instead of cursing the Israelites, suddenly blessed them! Twice more Balak tried to force Balaam to utter a curse, and again Balaam uttered words of blessing instead. Then the king realized that he was trying to argue with God himself, and released Balaam.

"I let you see her." The fortieth year of the Jews' wanderings in the desert was ending. Everyone who remembered Egyptian slavery died, a new generation of proud, freedom-loving, warlike people, hardened by the harsh climate and constant wars, grew up. With such a people it was possible to go to the conquest of Canaan.

But Moses was not destined to set foot on the promised land. The hour came and God said it was time for him to die. Moses blessed his people, commanded them to maintain an alliance with Yahweh, appointed Joshua over the Israelites in his place, and ascended Mount Nebo in the land of the Moabites. From the top of the mountain he saw the fast waters of the Jordan, the dull surface Dead Sea, the green valleys of Canaan, and far, far away, on the very horizon, a narrow azure strip Mediterranean Sea. God told him: “This is the land about which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not enter it.”

Thus Moses died at the age of one hundred and twenty years and was buried in the land of the Moabites. His grave was soon lost, but from generation to generation the Israelis passed on stories about their great leader.

The mysterious death of Moses.

Moses is the greatest Old Testament prophet, the founder of Judaism, who led the Jews from Egypt, where they were in slavery, accepted the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai and united the Israeli tribes into a single people.

In Christianity, Moses is considered one of the most important prototypes of Christ: just as through Moses the Old Testament was revealed to the world, so through Christ the New Testament was revealed.

The name "Moses" (in Hebrew - Mosheʁ) is believed to be of Egyptian origin and means "child". According to other instructions - “recovered or rescued from the water” (this name was given to him by the Egyptian princess who found him on the river bank).

The four books of the Pentateuch (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), which make up the epic of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, are dedicated to his life and work.

Birth of Moses

According to the biblical account, Moses was born in Egypt into a Jewish family during the time when the Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians, around 1570 BC (other estimates around 1250 BC). Moses' parents belonged to the tribe of Levi 1 (Ex. 2:1 ). His older sister was Miriam, and the older brother was Aaron(the first of the Jewish high priests, the ancestor of the priestly caste).

1 Levi - the third son of Jacob (Israel) from his wife Leah ( Gen.29:34 ). The descendants of the tribe of Levi are the Levites, who were responsible for the priesthood. Since of all the tribes of Israel the Levites were the only tribe not endowed with land, they were dependent on their fellows.

As you know, the Israelis moved to Egypt during the lifetime of Jacob-Israel himself. 2 (XVII century BC), fleeing hunger. They lived in the eastern Egyptian region of Goshen, bordering the Sinai Peninsula and watered by a tributary of the Nile River. Here they had extensive pastures for their herds and could roam freely around the country.

2 JacoborYakov (Israel) - the third of the biblical patriarchs, the youngest of the twin sons of the patriarch Isaac and Rebekah. From his sons came the 12 tribes of the people of Israel. In rabbinic literature, Jacob is seen as a symbol of the Jewish people.

Over time, the Israelites multiplied more and more, and the more they multiplied, the more hostile the Egyptians were towards them. Eventually there were so many Jews that it began to inspire fear in the new pharaoh. He said to his people: “Behold, the tribe of Israel is multiplying and can become stronger than us. If we have a war with another state, the Israelis can unite with our enemies.” To prevent the Israelite tribe from strengthening, it was decided to turn it into slavery. The pharaohs and their officials began to oppress the Israelites as strangers, and then began to treat them as a conquered tribe, like masters and slaves. The Egyptians began to force the Israelites to do the most difficult work for the benefit of the state: they were forced to dig the ground, build cities, palaces and monuments for kings, and prepare clay and bricks for these buildings. Special guards were appointed who strictly monitored the execution of all these forced labors.

But no matter how the Israelites were oppressed, they still continued to multiply. Then Pharaoh gave the order that all newborn Israeli boys should be drowned in the river, and only girls should be left alive. This order was carried out with merciless severity. The people of Israel were in danger of complete extermination.

During this time of trouble, a son was born to Amram and Jochebed, from the tribe of Levi. He was so beautiful that light emanated from him. The father of the holy prophet Amram had a vision that spoke of the great mission of this baby and of God's favor towards him. Moses' mother Jochebed managed to hide the baby in her home for three months. However, no longer able to hide him, she left the baby in a tarred reed basket in the thickets on the banks of the Nile.

Moses being lowered by his mother onto the waters of the Nile. A.V. Tyranov. 1839-42

At this time, Pharaoh's daughter went to the river to swim, accompanied by her servants. Seeing a basket among the reeds, she ordered it to be opened. A tiny boy lay in the basket and cried. Pharaoh's daughter said, "This must be one of the Hebrew children." She took pity on the crying baby and, on the advice of Moses’ sister Miriam, who approached her and was watching what was happening from afar, agreed to call the Israeli nurse. Miriam brought her mother Jochebed. Thus, Moses was given to his mother, who nursed him. When the boy grew up, he was brought to the daughter of Pharaoh, and she raised him with her as her son ( Exodus 2:10 ). Pharaoh's daughter gave him the name Moses, which means "taken out of the water."

Finding Moses. F. Goodall, 1862

There are suggestions that this good princess was Hatshepsut, daughter of Thothmes I, later the famous and only female pharaoh in the history of Egypt.

The childhood and youth of Moses. Flight into the desert.

Moses spent the first 40 years of his life in Egypt, raised in the palace as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Here he received an excellent education and was initiated into “all the wisdom of Egypt,” that is, into all the secrets of the religious and political worldview of Egypt. Tradition says that he served as commander of the Egyptian army and helped the pharaoh defeat the Ethiopians who attacked him.

Although Moses grew up free, he never forgot his Jewish roots. One day he wanted to see how his fellow tribesmen lived. Seeing an Egyptian overseer beating one of the Israelite slaves, Moses stood up for the defenseless and, in a fit of rage, accidentally killed the overseer. Pharaoh found out about this and wanted to punish Moses. The only way to escape was to escape. And Moses fled from Egypt to the Sinai desert, which is near the Red Sea, between Egypt and Canaan. He settled in the land of Midian (Ex. 2:15), located on the Sinai Peninsula, with the priest Jethro (another name is Raguel), where he became a shepherd. Moses soon married Jethro's daughter, Zipporah, and became a member of this peaceful shepherd family. So another 40 years passed.

Calling of Moses

One day Moses was tending a flock and went far into the desert. He approached Mount Horeb (Sinai), and here a wondrous vision appeared to him. He saw a thick thorn bush, which was engulfed in a bright flame and was burning, but still did not burn out.

The thorn bush or “Burning Bush” is a prototype of God-manhood and the Mother of God and symbolizes the contact of God with a created being

God said that He chose Moses to save the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Moses had to go to Pharaoh and demand that he release the Jews. As a sign that the time has come for a new, more complete Revelation, He proclaims His Name to Moses: "I Am Who I Am"(Ex.3:14) . He sends Moses to demand, on behalf of the God of Israel, to release the people from the “house of slavery.” But Moses is aware of his weakness: he is not ready for a feat, he is deprived of the gift of speech, he is sure that neither Pharaoh nor the people will believe him. Only after persistent repetition of the call and signs does he agree. God said that Moses in Egypt had a brother Aaron, who, if necessary, would speak in his place, and God himself would teach both what to do. To convince unbelievers, God gives Moses the ability to perform miracles. Immediately, by His order, Moses threw his rod (shepherd's stick) to the ground - and suddenly this rod turned into a snake. Moses caught the snake by the tail - and again there was a stick in his hand. Another miracle: when Moses put his hand in his bosom and took it out, it became white with leprosy like snow, when he put his hand in his bosom again and took it out, it became healthy. “If they don’t believe this miracle,- said the Lord, - then take water from the river and pour it on the dry land, and the water will become blood on the dry land.”

Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh

Obeying God, Moses set out on the road. On the way, he met his brother Aaron, whom God ordered to go out into the desert to meet Moses, and they came together to Egypt. Moses was already 80 years old, no one remembered him. The daughter of the former pharaoh, the adoptive mother of Moses, also died long ago.

First of all, Moses and Aaron came to the people of Israel. Aaron told his fellow tribesmen that God would lead the Jews out of slavery and give them a land flowing with milk and honey. However, they did not immediately believe him. They were afraid of Pharaoh's revenge, they were afraid of the path through the waterless desert. Moses performed several miracles, and the people of Israel believed in him and that the hour of liberation from slavery had come. Nevertheless, the murmur against the prophet, which began even before the exodus, then flared up repeatedly. Like Adam, who was free to submit to or reject the higher Will, the newly created people of God experienced temptations and failures.

After this, Moses and Aron appeared to Pharaoh and declared to him the will of the God of Israel, so that he would release the Jews into the desert to serve this God: “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may celebrate a feast for Me in the wilderness.” But Pharaoh answered angrily: “Who is the Lord that I should listen to him? I don’t know the Lord and I won’t let the Israelites go.”(Ex.5:1-2)

Then Moses announced to Pharaoh that if he did not release the Israelites, then God would send various “plagues” (misfortunes, disasters) to Egypt. The king did not listen - and the threats of the messenger of God came true.

Ten Plagues and the Establishment of Easter

Pharaoh's refusal to fulfill God's command entails 10 "plagues of Egypt" , a series of terrible natural disasters:

However, the executions only embitter the pharaoh even more.

Then the angry Moses came to Pharaoh for the last time and warned: “This is what the Lord says: At midnight I will pass through the middle of Egypt. And every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh...to the firstborn of the slave girl...and all the firstborn of livestock.” This was the last and most severe 10th plague (Exodus 11:1-10 – Exodus 12:1-36).

At night, Egypt suffered a terrible disaster. “And Pharaoh arose by night, he and all his servants, and all Egypt; and there was a great cry in the land of Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not a dead man.”

The shocked Pharaoh immediately summoned Moses and Aaron and ordered them, along with all their people, to go into the desert and perform worship so that God would take pity on the Egyptians.

Since then, Jews every year on the 14th day of the month of Nissan (the day falling on the full moon spring equinox) commit Easter holiday . The word "passover" means "to pass by," because the Angel who struck the firstborn passed by Jewish houses.

From now on, Easter will mark the liberation of the People of God and their unity in a sacred meal - a prototype of the Eucharistic Meal.

Exodus. Crossing the Red Sea.

That same night, the entire Israeli people left Egypt forever. The Bible indicates the number of those who left was “600 thousand Jews” (not counting women, children and livestock). The Jews did not leave empty-handed: before fleeing, Moses ordered them to ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver items, as well as rich clothes. They also took with them the mummy of Joseph, which Moses searched for for three days while his fellow tribesmen collected property from the Egyptians. God himself led them, being in a pillar of cloud during the day and in a pillar of fire at night, so the fugitives walked day and night until they reached the seashore.

Meanwhile, Pharaoh realized that the Jews had deceived him and rushed after them. Six hundred war chariots and selected Egyptian cavalry quickly overtook the fugitives. There seemed to be no escape. Jews - men, women, children, old people - crowded on the seashore, preparing for inevitable death. Only Moses was calm. At the command of God, he extended his hand to the sea, struck the water with his staff, and the sea parted, clearing the way. The Israelites walked along the bottom of the sea, and the waters of the sea stood like a wall to their right and left.

The passage through the Red (now Red) Sea, which took place in the face of the inevitable mortal danger, becomes the culmination of a saving miracle. The waters separated the rescued from the “house of slavery.” Therefore, the transition became a prototype of the sacrament of baptism. A new passage through water is also a path to freedom, but to freedom in Christ. On the seashore, Moses and all the people, including his sister Miriam, solemnly sang a song of thanksgiving to God. “I sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; he threw his horse and rider into the sea..." This solemn song of the Israelites to the Lord underlies the first of the nine sacred songs that make up the canon of songs sung daily Orthodox Church at the service.

According to biblical tradition, the Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years. And the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt took place, according to Egyptologists, around 1250 BC. However, according to the traditional point of view, the Exodus occurred in the 15th century. BC e., 480 years (~5 centuries) before the construction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem began (1 Kings 6:1). There is a significant number alternative theories chronology of the Exodus, consistent to varying degrees with both religious and modern archaeological points of view.

Miracles of Moses

Exodus of Jews from Egypt

The road to the Promised Land ran through the harsh and vast Arabian Desert. At first they walked for 3 days through the desert of Sur and found no water except bitter water (Merrah) (Ex. 15:22-26), but God sweetened this water by commanding Moses to throw a piece of some special tree into the water.

Soon, having reached the Sin desert, the people began to grumble from hunger, remembering Egypt, when they “sat by the cauldrons of meat and ate bread to their fill!” And God heard them and sent them from heaven manna from heaven (Ex. 16).

One morning, when they woke up, they saw that the entire desert was covered with something white, like frost. We began to look: the white coating turned out to be small grains, similar to hail or grass seeds. In response to the surprised exclamations, Moses said: “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.” Adults and children rushed to gather manna and bake bread. From then on, every morning for 40 years they found manna from heaven and ate it.

Manna from heaven

The collection of manna took place in the morning, since by noon it melted under the rays of the sun. “The manna was like coriander seed, the appearance of bdellium.”(Num. 11:7). According to Talmudic literature, when eating manna, young men felt the taste of bread, old people - the taste of honey, children - the taste of oil.

In Rephidim, Moses, at the command of God, brought water out of the rock of Mount Horeb, striking it with his rod.

Moses opens a spring in the rock

Here the Jews were attacked by a savage tribe of Amalekites, but were defeated by the prayer of Moses, who during the battle prayed on the mountain, raising his hands to God ( Ex.17).

Sinai Covenant and 10 Commandments

In the 3rd month after leaving Egypt, the Israelites approached Mount Sinai and camped opposite the mountain. Moses first ascended the mountain, and God warned him that he would appear before the people on the third day.

And then this day came. Terrible phenomena accompanied by a phenomenon in Sinai: a cloud, smoke, lightning, thunder, flame, earthquake, trumpet call. This communication lasted 40 days, and God gave Moses two tablets - stone tables on which the Law was written.

1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; Let you have no other gods before Me.

2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water below the earth; You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I am the Lord your God. God is jealous, punishing the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days thou shalt work, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor yours, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor the stranger who is in your gates; For in six days the Lord created heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day; Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.

5. Honor your father and your mother, (so that it may go well with you and) so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

6. Don't kill.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Don't steal.

9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor (any of his livestock), nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

The law that was given to ancient Israel by God had several purposes. First, he asserted public order and justice. Secondly, he singled out the Jewish people as a special religious community professing monotheism. Thirdly, he had to make an internal change in a person, morally improve a person, bring a person closer to God through instilling in a person the love of God. Finally, the law of the Old Testament prepared humanity for the adoption of the Christian faith in the future.

The Decalogue (ten commandments) formed the basis of the moral code of all cultural humanity.

In addition to the Ten Commandments, God dictated laws to Moses that outlined how the people of Israel should live. Thus the Children of Israel became a people - Jews .

The Wrath of Moses. Establishment of the tabernacle of the covenant.

Moses ascended Mount Sinai twice, remaining there for 40 days. During his first absence the people sinned terribly. The wait seemed too long to them and they demanded that Aaron make them a god who led them out of Egypt. Frightened by their unbridledness, he collected gold earrings and made a golden calf, in front of which the Jews began to serve and have fun.

Coming down from the mountain, Moses in anger broke the Tablets and destroyed the calf.

Moses breaks the tablets of the Law

Moses severely punished the people for their apostasy, killing about 3 thousand people, but asked God not to punish them. God had mercy and showed him His glory, showing him a chasm in which he could see God from behind, because it is impossible for man to see His face.

After that, again for 40 days, he returned to the mountain and prayed to God for the forgiveness of the people. Here, on the mountain, he received instructions about the construction of the Tabernacle, the laws of worship and the establishment of the priesthood. It is believed that the book of Exodus lists the commandments on the first broken tablets, and Deuteronomy lists what was written the second time. From there he returned with God's face illuminated by the light and was forced to hide his face under a veil so that the people would not go blind.

Six months later, the Tabernacle was built and consecrated - a large, richly decorated tent. Inside the tabernacle stood the Ark of the Covenant - a wooden chest lined with gold with images of cherubim on top. In the ark lay the tablets of the covenant brought by Moses, a golden container with manna, and Aaron’s rod that flourished.

To prevent disputes about who should have the right of the priesthood, God commanded that a staff be taken from each of the twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel and placed in the tabernacle, promising that the staff of the one He had chosen would blossom. The next day Moses found that Aaron's rod had produced flowers and brought almonds. Then Moses laid Aaron's rod before the ark of the covenant for safekeeping, as a testimony to future generations of the Divine election of Aaron and his descendants to the priesthood.

Moses' brother, Aaron, was ordained high priest, and other members of the tribe of Levi were ordained priests and "Levites" (in our language, deacons). From this time on, the Jews began to perform regular religious services and animal sacrifices.

End of wandering. Death of Moses.

For another 40 years Moses led his people to the promised land - Canaan. At the end of the journey, the people again began to be faint-hearted and grumble. As punishment, God sent poisonous snakes, and when they repented, he commanded Moses to erect a copper image of a serpent on a pole so that everyone who looked at it with faith would remain unharmed. The serpent lifted up in the desert, as St. Gregory of Nyssa - is the sign of the sacrament of the cross.

Despite great difficulties, the prophet Moses remained a faithful servant of the Lord God until the end of his life. He led, taught and mentored his people. He arranged their future, but did not enter the Promised Land because of the lack of faith shown by him and his brother Aaron at the waters of Meribah in Kadesh. Moses struck the rock twice with his rod, and water flowed from the stone, although once was enough - and God became angry and declared that neither he nor his brother Aaron would enter the Promised Land.

By nature, Moses was impatient and prone to anger, but through Divine education he became so humble that he became “the meekest of all people on earth.” In all his deeds and thoughts, he was guided by faith in the Almighty. In a sense, the fate of Moses is similar to the fate of the Old Testament itself, which through the desert of paganism brought the people of Israel to the New Testament and froze on its threshold. Moses died at the end of forty years of wandering on the top of Mount Nebo, from which he could see the promised land of Palestine from afar. God told him: “This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not enter it.”

He was 120 years old, but neither his vision was dull nor his strength exhausted. He spent 40 years in the palace of the Egyptian pharaoh, another 40 with flocks of sheep in the land of Midian, and the last 40 wandering at the head of the Israeli people in the Sinai desert. The Israelites commemorated the death of Moses with 30 days of mourning. His grave was hidden by God so that the Israeli people, who were inclined at that time towards paganism, would not make a cult out of it.

After Moses, the Jewish people, spiritually renewed in the desert, were led by his disciple Joshua who led the Jews to the Promised Land. For forty years of wandering, not a single person remained alive who came out of Egypt with Moses, and who doubted God and worshiped the golden calf at Horeb. Thus a truly new people was created, living according to the law, given by God in Sinai.

Moses was also the first inspired writer. According to legend, he is the author of the books of the Bible - the Pentateuch as part of the Old Testament. Psalm 89, “The Prayer of Moses, the Man of God,” is also attributed to Moses.

Svetlana Finogenova

One of the central events of the Old Testament is the story of Moses, the salvation of the Jewish people from the power of the Egyptian Pharaoh. Many skeptics are looking for historical evidence of the events that took place, since in the biblical account there were many miracles performed on the way to However, be that as it may, this story is quite entertaining and tells about the incredible liberation and resettlement of an entire people.

Background and birth of Moses

The birth of the future prophet was initially shrouded in mystery. Almost the only source of information about Moses was the biblical scriptures, since there is no direct historical evidence, there is only indirect evidence. In the year of the prophet’s birth, the ruling Pharaoh Ramses II ordered all newborn children to be drowned in the Nile, since, despite the hard work and oppression of the Jews, they continued to be fruitful and multiply. Pharaoh was afraid that one day they might side with his enemies.

That is why Moses’ mother hid him from everyone for the first three months. When this was no longer possible, she tarred the basket and placed her child there. Together with eldest daughter took her to the river and left Mariam to see what happened next.

God wanted Moses and Ramses to meet. History, as mentioned above, is silent about the details. The basket was picked up by the pharaoh's daughter and brought to the palace. According to another version (which some historians adhere to), Moses belonged to the royal family and was the son of that very daughter of Pharaoh.

Be that as it may, the future prophet ended up in the palace. Miriam, who had observed whoever lifted the basket, offered Moses' own mother as a nurse. So the son returned to the family for a while.

Life of a Prophet in the Palace

After Moses grew up a little and no longer needed a nurse, his mother took the future prophet to the palace. He lived there for quite a long time, and was also adopted by the pharaoh's daughter. Moses knew what kind of person he was, he knew that he was a Jew. And although I studied along with other children royal family, but did not absorb cruelty.

The story of Moses from the Bible shows that he did not worship the many gods of Egypt, but remained faithful to the beliefs of his ancestors.

Moses loved his people and suffered every time he saw their torment, when he saw how mercilessly every Israelite was exploited. One day something happened that forced the future prophet to flee Egypt. Moses witnessed the brutal beating of one of his people. In a fit of rage, the future prophet snatched the whip from the hands of the overseer and killed him. Since no one saw what he did (as Moses thought), the body was simply buried.

After some time, Moses realized that many already knew what he had done. Pharaoh orders the arrest and death of his daughter's son. History is silent about how Moses and Ramses treated each other. Why did they decide to try him for the murder of the overseer? You can take into account different versions of what happened, however, most likely, the decisive thing was that Moses was not an Egyptian. As a result of all this, the future prophet decides to flee Egypt.

Flight from Pharaoh and the further life of Moses

According to biblical data, the future prophet headed to the land of Midian. Further history Moses tells the story of his marriage to the daughter of the priest Jethro, Zipporah. Living this life, he became a shepherd and learned to live in the desert. He also had two sons.

Some sources claim that before marrying, Moses lived for some time with the Saracens and had a prominent position there. However, it should still be taken into account that the only source of the narrative about his life is the Bible, which, like any ancient scripture, over time acquired a certain allegorical touch.

Divine revelation and the appearance of the Lord to the prophet

Be that as it may, the biblical story about Moses tells that it was in the land of Midian, when he was tending flocks, that the Lord was revealed to him. The future prophet was eighty years old at this time. It was at this age that he encountered a thorn bush on his way, which blazed with flames but did not burn.

At this point, Moses was instructed that he must save the people of Israel from Egyptian power. The Lord commanded to return to Egypt and take his people to the promised land, freeing them from long-term slavery. However, the Almighty Father warned Moses about difficulties on his way. So that he had the opportunity to overcome them, he was given the ability to perform miracles. Because Moses was tongue-tied, God ordered his brother Aaron to help him.

Return of Moses to Egypt. Ten Plagues

His history as a herald of God's will began on the day he appeared before the Pharaoh who ruled Egypt at that time. This was a different ruler, not the one from whom Moses fled at one time. Of course, Pharaoh refused the demand to release the Israeli people, and even increased the labor obligation for his slaves.

Moses and Ramses, whose history is more obscure than researchers would like, clashed in a confrontation. The prophet did not accept the first defeat; he came to the ruler several more times and ultimately said that God’s punishment would fall on the Egyptian land. And so it happened. By the will of God, ten plagues occurred that fell on Egypt and its inhabitants. After each of them, the ruler called on his sorcerers, but they found Moses’ magic more skillful. After each misfortune, Pharaoh agreed to let the people of Israel go, but each time he changed his mind. Only after the tenth did Jewish slaves become free.

Of course, the story of Moses did not end there. The Prophet still had years of travel ahead of him, as well as confrontation with the unbelief of his fellow tribesmen, until they all reached the Promised Land.

The establishment of Passover and the exodus from Egypt

Before the last plague that befell the Egyptian people, Moses warned the people of Israel about it. This was the killing of the firstborn in every family. However, the forewarned Israelites anointed their door with the blood of a lamb no older than one year, and the punishment passed them by.

On the same night the celebration of the first Easter took place. The story of Moses in the Bible tells of the rituals that preceded it. The slaughtered lamb had to be roasted whole. Then eat while standing, with the whole family gathered. After this event, the people of Israel left the land of Egypt. Pharaoh, in fear, even asked to do this quickly, seeing what happened at night.

The fugitives came out at first dawn. The sign of God's will was a pillar, which was fiery at night and cloudy during the day. It is believed that this particular Easter eventually transformed into the one we know now. The liberation of the Jewish people from slavery symbolized exactly this.

Another miracle that happened almost immediately after leaving Egypt was the crossing of the Red Sea. At the command of the Lord, the waters parted and dry land formed, along which the Israelites crossed to the other side. The pharaoh who chased them also decided to follow along the bottom of the sea. However, Moses and his people were already on the other side, and the waters of the sea closed again. This is how Pharaoh died.

The covenants that Moses received on Mount Sinai

The next stop for the Jewish people was Mount Moses. The story from the Bible tells that on this path the fugitives saw many miracles (manna from heaven, springs of spring water appearing) and became stronger in their faith. Ultimately, after a three-month journey, the Israelites came to Mount Sinai.

Leaving the people at its foot, Moses himself climbed to the top for the instructions of the Lord. There a dialogue took place between the Father of All and his prophet. As a result of all this, the Ten Commandments were received, which became basic for the people of Israel, which became the basis of legislation. Commandments were also received that covered civil and religious life. All this was written down in the Book of the Covenant.

The Israelite People's Forty-Year Desert Journey

The Jewish people stood nearby for about a year. Then the Lord gave a sign that we needed to move on. The story of Moses as a prophet continued. He continued to bear the burden of mediating between his people and the Lord. For forty years they wandered through the desert, sometimes living for a long time in places where conditions were more favorable. The Israelites gradually became zealous fulfillers of the covenants that the Lord gave them.

Of course, there were outrages. Not everyone was comfortable with such long journeys. However, as the story of Moses from the Bible testifies, the people of Israel still reached the Promised Land. However, the prophet himself never reached it. Moses had a revelation that another leader would lead them further. He died at the age of 120, but no one ever found out where it happened, since his death was a secret.

Historical facts confirming biblical events

Moses, whose life story we know only from biblical accounts, is a significant figure. However, is there official data that confirms his existence as a historical figure? Some consider all this just a beautiful legend that was invented.

However, some historians are still inclined to believe that Moses is a historical figure. This is evidenced by some information contained in the biblical story (slaves in Egypt, the birth of Moses). Thus, we can say that this is far from a fictional story, and all these miracles actually happened in those distant times.

It should be noted that today this event has been depicted more than once in cinema, and cartoons have also been created. They tell about heroes such as Moses and Ramses, whose history is little described in the Bible. Particular attention in the cinema is paid to the miracles that happened during their journey. Be that as it may, all these films and cartoons educate and instill morality in the younger generation. They are also useful for adults, especially those who have lost faith in miracles.

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