What is the Book of Exodus all about?

Moses is famous for the scene where the sea breaks.

The scene is depicted in the Old Testament "Book of Exodus".

Why did Moses have to flee Egypt?

Some of you may be wondering so.

This article will provide a synopsis of Moses' life as depicted in the Book of Exodus.

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Moses is swept away by the Nile River

The story begins with the birth of Moses.

Moses was born from the parents who were from the tribe of Levi, the Israelites (also called Hebrews here).

Father: Amram
Mother: Jochebed

Moses also had an older brother and an older sister.

At the time of Moses' birth, the Pharaoh (king) of Egypt thought

There are too many Hebrews these days. We can't have any more Hebrews, so let's kill the Hebrew boys who will be born in the future.

And just like that

Kill all Hebrew boys!

The order to kill Hebrew boys was issued.

Moses should have been killed as well, but he was raised in hiding.

However, it reached its limit and Moses was swept into the Nile River.

Moses was placed in a basket and floated down the river.

What is that?

It was the Pharaoh's princess who saved Moses.

A boy is coming from the river.

The princess pulled Moses out of the river.

She named the boy "Moses" (Hebrew for "lift up").

And thanks to the resourcefulness of Moses' sister, his own mother, Jochebed, was able to be hired by the princess as a nanny.

Moses Kills a Man

Growing up, Moses one day saw an Egyptian mistreating a Hebrew.

What are you doing!

Moses managed to help the Hebrews.

Then Moses accidentally killed the Egyptian.

Catch that murderer!

This murder was discovered by Pharaoh, and Moses, whose life was threatened, fled to the land of Midian (Arabian Peninsula).

There he married a shepherdess named Tzipora, and Moses himself lived there as a shepherd.

Moses is spoken to by God

One day, Moses, who was living peacefully as a shepherd, had an experience in which God spoke to him from inside the "burning bush".

Moses, you have a mission. You are to lead the Hebrew people to the Promised Land.

Oh, my God!

Don't worry, you can do it! I will give you three signs in case you are ever doubted as a prophet.

And God gave Moses the following three signs.

A stick turns into a snake.
Hands turn white like snow due to leprosy.
The waters of the Nile will turn to blood.

Thank you, God. I will do my best to fulfill my mission!

Well, I look forward to working with you!

Thus, Moses was handed down a mission from God to lead the Israelites.

Moses uses "A stick turns into a snake"

After receiving the mission from God, Moses and his brother Aaron immediately went to see Pharaoh and asked for permission for the Hebrews to leave Egypt.

I have been entrusted by God. I am a prophet. And here is the proof! My stick has turned into a snake.

Moses immediately demonstrated "The stick turned into a snake" given to him by God.

But Pharaoh was not surprised.

Even our sorcerers can do that!

What!

In the end, Pharaoh did not allow the Hebrews to leave Egypt.

The Ten Plagues happen to Egypt

When the sign "The stick turned into a snake" failed, Moses next used "The waters of the Nile will turn to blood".

This triggered the "Ten Plagues", which are said to be God's acts against Egypt.

The "Ten Plagues" are the following ten.

Turning the waters of the Nile into blood
Releasing frogs
Release the gnats
Sends forth flies
Spreads pestilence among livestock
causes boils
Sends hail
releases a large number of grasshoppers
Cover Egypt with darkness
Killing all the firstborn sons

The last "kill all the firstborn" was the indiscriminate murder of all Egyptian firstborns, including the Pharaoh's sons.

Due to these calamities,

It can't be helped, the Hebrews can leave Egypt.

The Hebrews were allowed to leave Egypt by Pharaoh.

Festival celebrating the exodus from Egypt

On the night of their departure from Egypt, the Hebrew people ate lamb and yeastless bread (called seedless bread) as God had instructed.

God then commemorated this event.

As we will do in the future.

God commanded them to do so in the future.

This became "Passover," which is still celebrated by Jews today.

Please refer to the following article for a summary of Jewish festivals including Passover.

What are the three major festivals of Judaism?

Please take a look.

Christians also consider this event as a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ's death on the cross.

Now, when the Hebrews, including Moses, left Egypt, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent an army of chariots and cavalry.

Hey, Mr. Moses, enemy soldiers are on their way! This is not what we heard!

Let's run away!

However, as Moses and his men advanced to shake off their pursuers, a hopeless scene unfolded before their eyes.

The sea...

There was only the vastness of the sea spread out before their eyes.

Moses performs a miracle by splitting the sea

The people were in a desperate state of being driven into the sea.

If we had to do this, we would have been better off as slaves in Egypt.

Some of them even complained.

At that moment, Moses raised his stick.

Then the waters of the sea split wide open.

Hey, what's going on! The water is breaking! With this, we might be able to cross the sea!

The people rushed across the sea.

However, the soldiers of Pharaoh who followed them could not cross the sea and were swallowed up by the sea.

Moses Receives the Ten Commandment

The people who were able to safely throw off their pursuers continued to walk through the wilderness.

As they approached Mount Sinai, God appeared to Moses on the mountain and gave him the Ten Commandments.

The story of Moses in "Book of Exodus" ends when he receives these Ten Commandments.

Moses' final days are depicted in the Old Testament "Book of Deuteronomy", but in the end, Moses was unable to enter the Promised Land and died at the age of 120.

To learn more about Moses,

Please take a look here.

After the death of Moses, his follower Joshua, son of Nun, succeeded him and led the people.

The "Book of Joshua" is a book that describes Joshua,

Is "Joshua" cruel? A brief summary of the synopsis!

If you would like to read it, please take a look here.

In addition to this story, there is also an article on the Old Testament called "The Pentateuch of Moses (Torah)", which is a collection of stories about Moses.

What are the Five Books of Moses (Torah)?

Please take a look at this page if you would like to know more!

Explore the captivating world of the Old Testament with our guide!

Discover the major themes and features, from the creation of the world to the Babylonian exile.

Whether you're a scholar, student, or simply curious, our guide offers valuable insights into the historical and cultural context of this ancient religious text.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to delve deeper into one of the world's most important religious texts - click now to read!