Difference between revisions of "Moses"
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Shortly after the giving of the Ten Commandments, the incident of the [[Golden Calf]] occured. Moses then smashed the tablets and, aided by the [[Levites]] slaughtered those who had worshipped the calf. Moses then convinced God not to destroy the people and to give another set of commandments. As a result of these events, the Israelites spent forty years in the desert and had to wait a generation before entering Israel. Moses himself was not allowed to enter Israel for other reasons. | Shortly after the giving of the Ten Commandments, the incident of the [[Golden Calf]] occured. Moses then smashed the tablets and, aided by the [[Levites]] slaughtered those who had worshipped the calf. Moses then convinced God not to destroy the people and to give another set of commandments. As a result of these events, the Israelites spent forty years in the desert and had to wait a generation before entering Israel. Moses himself was not allowed to enter Israel for other reasons. | ||
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Revision as of 11:26, March 11, 2007
Moses (Hebrew מֹשֶׁה) was, according to an account in the Biblical book of Exodus, the leader of the Israelites who led them out of Egypt to Israel as God commanded. Moses is viewed as the greatest prophet of Judaism and as a major prophet in Christianity and Islam.
Childhood
Moses was the son of Amram of the tribe of Levi and his wife Jochebed. After the reigning pharaod had ordered all the Hebrew male babies to be drowned in the Nile, Jochebed gave birth to Moses and kept him concealed. After a few months it was no longer practical to conceal Moses and so set him adrift in a small ark on the Nile. While Miriam, Moses's sister watched from afar, one of the pharaoh's daughter's came to the river and seeing the child took him from the river and brought him to be raised in the pharoah's house.
Life
Adolescence and Flight
At some point, Moses learned that he was an Israelite. Later, when defending an Israelite slave, Moses killed an Egyptian and was forced to flee Egypt to Midian, where he met and later married Zipporah. Later, God appeared to Moses in a bush that burned but was not consumed and commanded Moses to return to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery.
Exodus
Moses confronted Pharaoh and demanded that he release the Israelite slaves. Pharaoh refused and, consequently, God brought about Ten Plagues on the Egyptians. Finally, Pharaoh let the Israelites go. However, shortly thereafter, Pharaoh changed his mind and chased the Israelites to the sea. In the ensuing confrontation, God split the sea and the Israelites walked through on dry land. After they had crossed, the Egyptian army attempted to follow but were drowned in the returning waters.
Sinai
After these events, Moses brought the Israelites to Mount Sinai where they experienced a national theophany--where God spoke to the entire nation. God then gave his commandments to the Israelites, along with 10 of them written out on stone tablets.
Later events and death
Shortly after the giving of the Ten Commandments, the incident of the Golden Calf occured. Moses then smashed the tablets and, aided by the Levites slaughtered those who had worshipped the calf. Moses then convinced God not to destroy the people and to give another set of commandments. As a result of these events, the Israelites spent forty years in the desert and had to wait a generation before entering Israel. Moses himself was not allowed to enter Israel for other reasons.