Old Testament · character
Moses
The liberator who led an enslaved people out, and the mediator of the Law.
Moses led Israel out of slavery in Egypt and, at Mount Sinai, mediated between God and the people to receive the Law. He is the greatest leader of the Old Testament.
Timeline at a glance
- BirthA Hebrew baby set adrift on the Nile (Exodus 2)
- The CallThe burning bush (Exodus 3)
- The ExodusThe ten plagues and the Red Sea (Exodus 7–14)
- Mount SinaiThe Ten Commandments and the covenant (Exodus 19–20)
From Abandoned Baby to Fugitive
Born under an order to kill Hebrew baby boys, he was set adrift on the Nile and adopted by an Egyptian princess. But after killing an Egyptian who was abusing his own people, he fled to the wilderness of Midian and spent forty years there.
The Burning Bush
In the wilderness, God appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush and called him. To Moses, who declined five times saying "Who am I?", God promised, "I will surely be with you."
Deliverance and the Law
Through ten plagues and the Passover, he led the people out and parted the Red Sea. At Mount Sinai he received the Ten Commandments and the Law, mediating between God and the people. Yet he himself never entered the promised land, ending his life on Mount Nebo.
Related verses
- Exodus 3:14God reveals himself as "I AM WHO I AM."
- Exodus 14:14Before the Red Sea — "The Lord will fight for you."