Moses

Moses was the leader who brought Israel out of Egypt and received the Law from God at Mount Sinai. He led the people through the wilderness for forty years and died in sight of the promised land.

Birth and early life

• Exodus 2:1-10
  ¹And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.Now a man of the house of Levi married a daughter of Levi, ²And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for three months. ³And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. ⁴And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. ⁵And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. And when she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to retrieve it. ⁶And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.” ⁷Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” ⁸And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother.“Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother. ⁹And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him. ¹⁰And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and explained, “I drew him out of the water.”
  Show context · Read Exodus 2 →
• Exodus 2:11-15
  ¹¹And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. ¹²And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. ¹³And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?” ¹⁴And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.” ¹⁵Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
  Show context · Read Exodus 2 →

Call at the burning bush

• Exodus 3:1-6
  ¹Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ²And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed. ³And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?” ⁴And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. ⁵And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
  Show context · Read Exodus 3 →
• Exodus 3:10-14
  ¹⁰Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.” ¹¹And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” ¹²And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.“I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.” ¹³And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?” ¹⁴And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
  Show context · Read Exodus 3 →
• Exodus 4:10-12
  ¹⁰And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.“Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.” ¹¹And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD? ¹²Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say.”
  Show context · Read Exodus 4 →

Out of Egypt

• Exodus 5:1
  And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
  Show context · Read Exodus 5 →
• Exodus 12:31
  And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said.Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.
  Show context · Read Exodus 12 →
• Exodus 14:21-22
  ²¹And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, ²²And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.
  Show context · Read Exodus 14 →
• Exodus 14:31
  And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.
  Show context · Read Exodus 14 →

The Law at Sinai

• Exodus 19:20
  And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the summit. So Moses went up,
  Show context · Read Exodus 19 →
• Exodus 20:1-3
  ¹And God spake all these words, saying,And God spoke all these words: ²I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ³Thou shalt have no other gods before me.You shall have no other gods before Me.
  Show context · Read Exodus 20 →
• Exodus 31:18
  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
  Show context · Read Exodus 31 →
• Exodus 34:29
  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was unaware that his face had become radiant from speaking with the LORD.
  Show context · Read Exodus 34 →

Wilderness and death

• Numbers 12:3
  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.
  Show context · Read Numbers 12 →
• Numbers 20:10-12
  ¹⁰And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” ¹¹And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink. ¹²And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
  Show context · Read Numbers 20 →
• Deuteronomy 34:1-7
  ¹And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, ²And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, ³And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar. ⁴And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.” ⁵So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said. ⁶And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth–peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the location of his grave. ⁷And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished.
  Show context · Read Deuteronomy 34 →
• Deuteronomy 34:10
  And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face—
  Show context · Read Deuteronomy 34 →

In the New Testament

• Matthew 17:1-3
  ¹And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ²And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.
  Show context · Read Matthew 17 →
• John 1:17
  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
  Show context · Read John 1 →
• Acts 7:20-22
  ²⁰In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months:At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house. ²¹And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. ²²And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
  Show context · Read Acts 7 →
• Hebrews 3:5
  And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later.
  Show context · Read Hebrews 3 →
• Hebrews 11:23-29
  ²³By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict. ²⁴By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. ²⁶Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward. ²⁷By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible. ²⁸Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch Israel’s own firstborn. ²⁹By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.
  Show context · Read Hebrews 11 →

See also

• Ten Commandments
• Covenant
• Leadership
• Joshua

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.