When Moses the prophet was born. Brief biography of the Old Testament prophet Moses

To the question of how many years Moses led the Jews in the desert, today, probably, everyone will be able to answer man of culture no matter what place religion occupies in his life. But here are the details of the life of this man, in whose historicity followers believe three main religions of the world - Christianity, Islam and Judaism - are not known to everyone. We will try to fill this gap.

Books about the life of the prophet Moses

The story of Moses covers the period from the 16th to the 12th centuries BC. e. He lived one hundred and twenty years, and one should not be surprised at such amazing longevity - in biblical times this was by no means a rare occurrence. We learn about the amazing events of that time from four books of the Old Testament, called "Exodus", "Leviticus", "Numbers" and "Deuteronomy". Together they make up the epic of the exodus of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. Their authorship, according to Hebrew tradition, is attributed to Moses himself.

Slavery of the children of Israel

According to these ancient texts, Moses - the prophet and leader of the Jewish people - was born in Egypt, in difficult times for his brothers. Having settled on the banks of the Nile in the years when, thanks to their compatriot Joseph, the mind managed to win the favor of the former pharaoh, these people fell into cruel disgrace under his successor, and from full-fledged citizens turned into slaves.

In relation to them, the Egyptian ruler pursued a policy that today we would rightfully call genocide. It was pointless to fight, and the only way of salvation was to go to the boundless expanses of the Sinai desert, beyond which the Jews dreamed of the land promised by God, "flowing with milk and honey." At this difficult moment, the Lord sent Moses, a prophet who delivered his long-suffering people from slavery.

adopted son of the pharaoh

The newborn son, who became the first-born in the family of Amram and his wife Yocheved, was doomed to death from the moment of birth, since the pharaoh ordered the destruction of all Jewish male babies. To save the child's life, the mother resorted to a trick - knowing that the pharaoh's daughter had a good heart, she managed to throw her child to her.

Putting it in a basket smeared with pitch, the unfortunate mother let it into the waters of the Nile, where the princess used to bathe. She was not mistaken in her hopes, and since then the boy grew up and was brought up in the palace chambers as the adopted son of the pharaoh.

The story of Moses, rising before us from the pages of the Old Testament, creates the image of a young man who remained faithful to his people, despite all the vicissitudes of his fate. Having once interceded for his fellow tribesman, and, unfortunately, having caused the death of his Egyptian offender, he was forced to flee to the land of Mediam, where he pastured the cattle of a local priest, whose daughter he took as his wife.

Chosen One of God and Savior of the Jewish People

There, in the wild and desert expanses, God's revelation was given to the exile, in which the Almighty informed Moses of his highest destiny - to become the deliverer of the Jewish people from slavery, the only person capable of leading him out of Egyptian captivity.

Returning to the banks of the Nile and embarking on his mission, Moses faced the stubbornness of the pharaoh, who did not want to deprive his country of such a large number of slaves. But, being the executor of the Lord's will, the chosen one of God always remained under His protection. By great and terrible miracles, known today as the Ten Plagues of Egypt, God forced the wicked Pharaoh to allow the Jews to leave the country.

He did not leave his messiah even at the critical moment, when the Pharaoh's army, sent after the Jews, began to overtake them off the coast of the Red Sea. By the will of God, at the wave of the rod of Moses, the waters parted, letting the fugitives through to the opposite side, and then closed, swallowing up their pursuers. When the danger had passed, the grateful people sang a song of praise to God the Redeemer. From this episode began his many years of wandering.

What desert did Moses lead the Jews through?

The path of the Jews to the Promised Land ran through the expanses of the Sinai desert scorched by the sun. It is hard to even imagine what incredible hardships this people faced, who were once nomadic, but over the years of their stay in Egypt, who had lost the habit of living among wildlife. The Holy Scripture, testifying to how many years Moses led the Jews in the desert, fully tells about the suffering they experienced.

But, the pledge of the salvation of the chosen people was the word of God given once to Moses. Throughout the forty years of wandering, the Lord was inseparably among them. During the day He walked in front of the procession in a pillar of cloud, and when night fell on the desert, He was transformed into a fire that illuminated their path. By this visible evidence of His presence, the Lord strengthened the strength and spirit of His people.

Miracles in the Desert

But besides moral support, He gave them practical help, working miracles through His servant Moses. This is exactly what happened when, by the will of God, the prophet delivered his fellow tribesmen from the pangs of thirst, turning the bitter dead water into clean and drinkable. The same thing happened when they ran out of food, and the Lord sent them countless flocks of quails. In addition, for how many years Moses led the Jews in the wilderness, for so many years He cast down sweet manna on them from heaven, which became their daily food. She even acquired the character of a popular expression - "manna from heaven", used in cases where it is about some kind of unexpectedly sent good luck.

Undoubted evidence of God's patronage of the people brought out of Egypt are the miracles of Moses in the wilderness, and, in particular, performed by him at one of their camps, called Rephidim. At first, according to the Bible, Moses delivered the tribesmen from thirst for the second time, this time, with a blow of a rod, vomiting water from a rock. And soon, raising his hands to God, he fervently asked Him for victory over the treacherous Amalekites who had attacked their camp.

Moses on the sacred mountain

But the culmination of everything was the events associated with the ascent of Moses to Mount Sinai. He brought his people to its foot at the end of the third month of the journey. Rising to the top and standing among the clouds that surrounded him, the prophet spoke with God for forty days, listened to His instructions and received as a gift stone tablets with the Ten Commandments carved on them, the immutable law of the life of His chosen people.

Below, however, he was bitterly disappointed. At the time when Moses was talking with the Lord on Mount Sinai, his compatriots, exhausted by the forty days of waiting, demanded that his brother Aaron, who was acting as high priest, finally show them true God who brought them out of Egypt. Fearing the unbridled temper of his compatriots, Aaron was forced to cast an idol in the form of a calf from the golden jewelry collected among Jewish women and point to him as the universal savior.

Moses' wrath and God's mercy

Descending from the mountain, Moses witnessed a wild festival of idol worship. Having broken in anger the tablets given to him by God, and crushing the figure of a calf with a hammer, he severely punished the instigators of the madness that was happening in his absence, and fell before the Lord, praying for His forgiveness.

Ascending by His grace to the spiritual weakness of the people, who had barely emerged from slavery, the Lord granted them forgiveness, and Moses, who again ascended to the top, commanded to carve new tablets from stone and inscribe the former commandments on them. In addition, the prophet received from God an extensive code of laws, which forever went down in history as Old Testament. "The Commandments of Moses" is another frequently used term, it is nothing more than a literal retelling of God's words heard by him at the top of Sinai.

Rays of holiness that caused misunderstanding

Having ascended Mount Sinai for the second time, Moses also stayed on its top for forty days, not eating food, and not closing his eyes. The Bible tells that when he finally appeared before his compatriots, rays of Divine Glory emanated from his forehead, the sight of which made even the most notorious skeptics believe.

By the way, with the mention of these rays in the text, there is a misconception that has existed for many centuries. The fact is that the original Bible was written in the Hebrew language - Aramite. In it, the words "rays" and "horns" sound the same - "karnaym" (קרנים), which caused confusion when translating the text into Greek language. As a result, Michelangelo created his famous sculpture of Moses not with rays, but with horns on his head. The same ambiguous decoration is found on many other images of Moses.

The answer to this question, as well as to many others related to the life of Moses, who became the will of God the greatest prophet and leader of Israel, we find on the pages of the Old Testament. The reason for this is the lack of faith of the people, expressed in the apostasy from the true God, and the worship of the Golden Calf. When, after forty years of travel, the Jews finally reached the borders of the Promised Land, not a single participant of those shameful events remained alive among them. They were already a completely different people, living in God's Laws received at Mount Sinai, and forever shaken off the bonds of slavery.

The Lord is omnipotent and in the twinkling of an eye could transfer His chosen ones to the land promised by Him to the forefather Abraham, but in this case people would enter into it, remaining slaves until the end of their days, and a slave cannot be betrayed by soul and is only able to obey under fear retribution. When a real or imaginary feeling of impunity arises, he easily betrays the one whom he worshiped yesterday. Having passed long haul struggle for survival, and repeatedly convinced of their own impotence to win the world without the help of his Creator, the Jews could no longer imagine themselves without God. This is why Moses led the Jews in the wilderness for 40 years.

The sin of the prophet Moses

Moses himself was not destined to enter the Promised Land. Together with his brother the high priest Aaron, he angered the Lord. This unfortunate incident took place in Kadesh, where the Jews had taken the road of wanderings. Experiencing pangs of thirst, they once again grumbled. To give them drink, the Lord, wishing to repeat the miracle He once performed, commanded Moses to order the rock to flow with life-giving moisture.

But this time, His faithful servant so far doubted the omnipotence of God and, without limiting himself to words, hit the rock twice with his staff. Water, of course, flowed, and quenched the thirst of the afflicted. But the lack of faith shown that day by Moses and his brother Aaron brought the wrath of God on them, as a result of which the Promised Land was closed to them forever, and the Jewish people entered it without their leader.

Moses' walk in the wilderness ended at the very border of the land, to which he had been striving for forty years. The Lord brought him to the top of the Avarim mountain range and from there showed him the whole country that He had prepared for his people. Having surveyed it from end to end, Moses died. The Lord hid from posterity the burial place of one of His greatest prophets, making it unknown to this day.

The image of Moses in the main religions of the world

In modern Judaism, Moses is revered as the father of all subsequent prophets, since the level of his prophecies is considered to be the highest. The laws he received on the top of Mount Sinai formed the basis of the Torah - Divine revelation that regulates the life of a religious Jew. Since ancient times, it has become a tradition to add the word "teacher" to the name of Moses. Moses is also considered the greatest prophet and interlocutor of Allah himself among Muslims. In Islam, his name is pronounced Musa.

In Christian culture, the biblical Moses gained fame as the greatest of the prophets. He is credited with the authorship of the first five books of the Old Testament. They are called so - "The Pentateuch of Moses." In addition, it is generally accepted that he is the main herald of Christ.

This point of view is based on the fact that just as through Moses the Lord revealed the Old Testament to the world, also through His only begotten Son Jesus, and His Sermon on the Mount, He sent down to people New Testament. How high the authority of the prophet Moses in Christianity can be judged by the fact that, according to the Gospel, it was he who was with the prophet Elijah on Mount Tabor at the moment of the famous Transfiguration of the Lord.

The great Christian theologians of the past - Gregory of Nyssa and Philo of Alexandria - paid great attention to this biblical character in their work. They compiled the so-called allegorical interpretation of his life, in which each individual episode was considered in the context of a common higher destiny.

Return to the spiritual roots of the people

In former years, far gone from us, when sacred history taught in all educational institutions pre-revolutionary Russia, the "biography" of Moses from the Bible was familiar to every person from childhood. The years of national atheism, which resulted in the trampling of national culture, introduced a significant gap in this area of ​​knowledge.

Only in recent decades, thanks to the extensive work launched by the church on the basis of each particular parish, the picture began to change for the better. Today people are beginning to understand that between the religious obscurantism with which they were frightened long years, and the equal sign cannot be the primordial spiritual roots. Therefore, not knowing how many years Moses led the Jews in the wilderness is an unfortunate gap in their education.

Who is the prophet Moses, you can find out from the Bible. His biography is set forth in the Old Testament. According to the Holy Scriptures, this is the central protagonist 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 over the tablets - stone slabs on which the ten commandments were carved, which later became the basis of Christian morality.

Prophet Moses the God-seer - a short life

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

This is what a brief retold biography of the saint looks like.

Birth of Moses

Having come to power in the homeland of the prophet, in Egypt, where Jews lived at that time, Pharaoh Ramses II, whom historians give an extremely harsh description of, was afraid that in the event of war, foreigners would betray him and go over to the side of opponents. Pharaoh began to pursue a policy of genocide, forcing the Israelites to 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

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

The baby did not want to take the breast of any nurse, then Mariam, Native sister Moses, came up and offered to find a nurse for the baby. She was the boy's 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 origin, and never worshiped the Egyptian gods.

Escape to the desert

Once he saw an Egyptian beating a Jew, and while defending his fellow tribesman, he 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 it take the prophet 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 in Midian for the same amount, so by the time of the exodus he was already 80.

Calling Moses by God

Once, when the saint was tending his father-in-law's sheep not far from Mount Horeb, the Lord appeared in the form of a burning but not burning 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 staff) in the prophet's hand turn into a snake. The Lord warned his chosen one to be ready for difficulties, since the embittered pharaoh would not agree to let the Jews go free. Since the prophet had a speech impediment, the Lord sends brother Aaron with him.

Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh

The pharaoh was no longer the ruler from whom the future prophet fled forty years ago. In response to Moses' demand to give the Jews the opportunity to leave Egypt, the pharaoh only laughed, but increased the labor service of his slaves.

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

Having received another refusal, he threatened the pharaoh with terrible punishments of God. Pharaoh did not believe, but the threat became a reality: the Lord, by the hand of Moses, began to send “executions”, that is, punishments, to the Egyptians.

Ten plagues

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

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

Second The Egyptian execution was an invasion of toads (frogs), which came out of the water and filled the whole earth with themselves, crawling into the houses of the Egyptians. Toads were everywhere - on the floor and on the walls, in bed and dishes. The sorcery 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 violated given word and did not let the people of the prophet go.

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 impotence, recognized this punishment by the finger of God and urged the ruler to agree with the demand of the leader of the Jews, but the 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 kind of gadfly that dug into 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 Israelites lived compactly, was free from flies. So the Creator showed that all these disasters are not just an “environmental catastrophe”, but the judgment of the Lord, which is selective.

Fifth the plague was the death of cattle, which struck domestic animals throughout Egypt. Only the cattle in the stables of the Jews survived.

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

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

Pharaoh again began to ask for mercy from the Lord for Egypt, again promising to allow the Jews to 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 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 requirements of Moses and Aaron, then he forgets about his promises.

WITH ninth A 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 firstborn in all Egyptian families, from the heir to the Pharaonic throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in prison. The first-born of all the domestic animals of the Egyptians also perished.

It happened within 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 the sacrificial lamb so that the Angel, the executor of God's punishment, would not enter inside.

Establishment of Easter

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

On the day of Passover, every Jewish family arranges a meal at which specially prepared lamb meat 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 militant 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 the Red Sea, which is a narrow bay of the Indian Ocean.

Coming to his senses after all the disasters experienced, the pharaoh, whose pride was hurt by the fact that he had to yield, equipped war chariots and chased the departed, wanting to avenge the humiliation. Caught between the army of the ruler and sea ​​waters 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 side. 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 Israelites.

Seeing what a deep sea Moses and his people crossed with ease, Pharaoh set off after him, hoping to “slip through” as well. But the heavy chariots got bogged down in the damp 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 the Pharaoh's army perished.

Miracles Performed by Moses

In the desert, people did not have enough food, and in the evenings, during halts, 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 had evaporated, what was left on the ground was something resembling a grain, which the Israelites called manna.

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

Then the people began to suffer from thirst, and reproaches fell again on the leader - why he brought them out of Egypt, where there was always plenty of water. Then, with God's help, the prophet drew water from the stone. At the same time, having become angry with the people and losing his temper, he violated the will of God for the only time in his entire life - instead of appealing to the rock, he struck it with a staff.

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

The next test was the battle with the Amalekites. The Israelites fought them under the command of Joshua, and the prophet watched the progress of the battle, standing on a hill with a staff in his hands. When he raised his hands, the Israelites took over, 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 descend to the people. In preparation for the meeting, the Israelites should wash themselves, change into clean clothes and, while fasting, abstain from the marital bed.

On the appointed day, with thunder and lightning, a dark cloud appeared over the top of the mountain and a roar was heard, reminiscent of the sound of a trumpet. The whole mountain shook, and the people were very frightened - they realized that this was the voice of God, who spoke to Moses.

The Lord ordered the prophet to go up 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.

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 Egyptian idols, which people began to worship, thereby violating the main commandments of God.

The returned 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 Israelites who had committed such a 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 the responsibility with them - let Him cross out his name from His book.

According to 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 to make new tablets and write 10 commandments on them.

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

Construction and Consecration of the Tabernacle

Soon after receiving the tablets, the Lord gave the Jews the command 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

The Israelites continued from time to time to express indignation for various reasons, saddening the prophet and causing the wrath of God, who determined the Jews to wander in the desert for 40 years, until those who became troublemakers and did not believe in divine providence passed away.

Finally, this period is over - people have come to the borders of the promised land. God took Moses to Mount Nebo and showed it to him. After this, Moses blessed his people by handing over the reins of government to Joshua. Shortly thereafter, 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 Valley of Moab is mentioned as the place where he was buried, but his grave remains unknown. Memorial Day of the Prophet Moses is celebrated Orthodox Church September 17, new style.

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Biblical scholars usually date his life to the 15th-13th centuries. BC e., mainly connecting with the pharaohs of the XVIII and XIX dynasties: Akhenaten, Ramesses II, Merneptah.

Name

Moses - "drawn or saved from the water", according to other indications, it is of Egyptian origin and means "child".

Biography

bible story

The main source of information about Moses is the biblical narrative on. Four books are devoted to his life and work (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), which make up the epic.

Birth and childhood

The book of Exodus tells that the parents of Moses belonged to the tribe (Ex. 2:1). Moses was born in Egypt (Ex. 2:2) in the reign of Pharaoh, who “did not know Joseph” (Ex. 1:8), former first nobles under his predecessor. The ruler doubted the loyalty to Egypt of the descendants of Joseph and his brothers and turned the Jews into slaves.

Frederick Goodall (1822–1904), Public Domain

But hard labor did not reduce the number of Jews, and the pharaoh ordered all newborn Jewish male babies to be drowned in the Nile. At that time, the son Moses was born in the family of Amram. Moses' mother Jochebed (Yocheved) managed to hide the baby at home for three months. No longer able to hide him, she left the baby in a basket of reeds and pitched with asphalt and pitch in the reed beds on the banks of the Nile, where he was found by the daughter of the pharaoh, who came there to bathe.

Realizing that in front of her was one “of the Jewish children” (Ex. 2:6), she, however, took pity on the crying baby and, on the advice of Moses’ sister Miriam (Ex. 15:20), who was observing what was happening from afar, agreed to call the nurse - Israeli. Miriam called Jochebed, and Moses was given to his mother, who nursed him.

"And the baby grew up, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he was with her instead of a son" (Ex. 2:10).

court career

Moses grew up as an adopted son in the family of the pharaoh, that is, in the capital (probably Avaris).

One day Moses wanted to see how the Jews lived. From which it follows that for all the time of growing up, he did not go beyond the market from the palace. He was deeply upset by the slavish condition of his people: once, in a fit of rage, he killed an Egyptian overseer who was cruel to Israeli slaves, and tried to reconcile the Jews quarreling among themselves. Pharaoh found out about this and Moses, fearing punishment, fled from Egypt to the land.

Family

Moses, having fled from Egypt to the land of Midian, stopped at the priest Jethro (Raguel). He lived with him and was engaged in animal husbandry.

There he married Jethro's daughter Zipporah. She bore him sons Girsam (Ex. 2:22; Ex. 18:3) and Eliezer. (Much later, Moses raised an army of thousands and destroyed the Midianites, his wife's people.)

Ciro Ferri (1634–1689), Public Domain

Probably had another wife after the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. In the book of Numbers, it is mentioned that he was reproached by his sister Miriam and brother Aaron, that his wife is an Ethiopian by nationality. But whether Zipporah was black or whether Moses had two wives has been a matter of debate since the time the Bible was written.

Revelation

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The stubbornness of the pharaoh subjected the country to the horrors of the Ten Plagues of Egypt: the turning of the waters of the Nile into blood; toad invasion; the invasion of midges; the invasion of dog flies; sea ​​of ​​cattle; disease in humans and livestock, expressed in inflammations with abscesses; hail and fire between hail; locust invasion; darkness; the death of the firstborn in the families of the Egyptians, and of all the firstborn of the cattle. Finally, the pharaoh allowed them to leave for three days, and the Jews, taking the cattle and the relics of Joseph the Beautiful and some other patriarchs, left Egypt for the Shur desert and began.

Exodus

God showed them the way: before them he walked in a pillar of cloud during the day, and at night in a pillar of fire, illuminating the way (Ex. 13:21-22). The sons of Israel set off, miraculously crossed over, which parted before them, but drowned the pursuit. On the seashore, Moses and all the people, including his sister Miriam, solemnly sang a song of thanksgiving to God.

He led his people to the promised desert through the Sinai desert. At first, for 3 days they walked through the desert of Shur and did not find water except bitter (Merah), but God sweetened this water by commanding Moses to put the tree he indicated into it. In the wilderness of Sin, God sent them many quails, and then (and for the next 40 years of wandering) sent them daily from heaven.

Francesco Bacchiacca (1494–1557), Public Domain

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

John Everett Millais (1829–1896), Public Domain

In the third month after leaving Egypt, the Israelites approached Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses the rules on how the Sons of Israel should live, and then Moses received stone s from God, which became the basis of Moses' legislation (Torah). So the Sons of Israel became a real people -. Here, on the mountain, he received instructions about the construction of the Tabernacle and the laws of worship.

José de Ribera (1591–1652), GNU 1.2

Here he lived for the next 40 years. Moses climbed Mount Sinai twice, staying there for 40 days.

During his first absence, the people sinned terribly: they made a golden calf, in front of which the Jews began to serve and have fun. Moses in anger broke the Tablets and destroyed the calf (Seventeenth Tamuz). After that, again for 40 days, he returned to the mountain and prayed to God for the forgiveness of the people. From there he returned with God's face shone with the light and was forced to hide his face under a veil so that the people would not be blinded. Six months later, the Tabernacle was built and consecrated.

Rembrandt (1606–1669), Public Domain

At the end of the wandering, the people again became cowardly and grumbled. As a punishment, God sent poisonous snakes, and when the Jews repented, he commanded Moses to raise up for their healing.

Benjamin West (1738–1820), Public Domain

Despite great difficulties, Moses remained a servant of God, continued to lead the people chosen by God, to teach and instruct them. He announced the future, but he did not enter the Promised Land, like Aaron, because of the sin they committed at the waters of Meribah in Kadesh - God allowed them to hit the rock with a rod and carve out a source, and due to lack of faith they hit not 1 time, but 2 .

Death

Moses died just before entering the Promised Land. The Lord before his death called him to the ridge of Avarim:

“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, even to Dan.” (Deut. 34:1). There he died. “He was buried in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth Pegor, and no one knows his burial even to this day.” - Deut. 34:6

He appointed Joshua as his successor at the direction of God.

Moses lived 120 years. Of which he spent 40 years wandering in the Sinai desert.

ancient tradition

The mention of Moses by Greek and Latin authors does not indicate their familiarity with the Bible. According to Manetho, he was originally called Osarsif of Heliopolis. According to Chaeremon, his name was Tisifen, he was a contemporary of Joseph, whose name was Petesef. Tacitus calls him the legislator of the Jews. The source used by Pompey Trogus calls Moses the son of Joseph and the father of Arruas, the king of the Jews.

According to evidence, he was made in command of the Egyptian army against the Ethiopians who invaded Egypt as far as Memphis, and successfully defeated them (Ancient book II, ch. 10).

Egyptian sources

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

Moses as author

Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah was given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai, after which, having gone down and seeing how the Jews worship the golden calf, he broke the tablets in anger. After that, Moses returned to the top of the mountain and wrote the commandments himself. However, scientists believe that this written monument was written in the 5th century BC. BC e., based on several earlier monuments.

According to the Reform Documentary Hypothesis, the Pentateuch has several authors, whom they distinguish on certain grounds.

Photo gallery

Years of life: 13th century BC e.

Helpful information

Moses
Hebrew משֶׁה‎
translit. Moshe
lit. "taken (saved) from the water"
Arab. موسىٰ‎‎‎
translit. Musa
other Greek Mωυσής
lat. Moyses

Moses in world religions

In Judaism

Moses is the main prophet in Judaism, who received the Torah from God on the top of Mount Sinai. It is considered the “father” (main) of all subsequent prophets, since the level of his prophecy is the highest possible, as it is said: “If you have a prophet, then I, the Lord, reveal myself to him in a vision, I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moshe, he is entrusted in all My house. Mouth to mouth I speak with him, and clearly, and not in riddles, and he sees the face of the Lord. (Num. 12:6-8).

In Christianity

Moses is the great prophet of Israel, according to legend, the author of the books of the Bible (the Pentateuch of Moses in the Old Testament). On Mount Sinai, he received 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.

During the Transfiguration, 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 life of the prophet.

In Islam

In Muslim tradition, the name Moses sounds like Musa.

He is one of the greatest prophets, the interlocutor of Allah, to whom Taurat (Torah) was revealed.

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

Moses and the Pharaoh of the Exodus: Versions

There are several versions as to when Moses actually lived and when he performed these very important deeds for the Jewish people.

The hypothesis of the complete mythical nature of Moses and the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt is currently not supported by most scientists and historians, although: “there is no evidence of the historicity of the figure of Moses”

Moses and Merneptah

The troubled years of Merneptah's reign are much more suited to the situation described in the Exodus. It is doubtful that a pharaoh like Ramesses II would let the Israelites get away. The weakening of the empire began only under his son Merneptah.

• Characteristically, the Bible speaks of the "persecuting pharaoh" as having reigned "for a long time." And as you know, the reign of Ramses II was one of the longest in the history of Egypt (65 years). The Exodus, according to the Bible, occurs precisely with the son of this long-lived pharaoh.
• The Bible tells: “a new king arose in Egypt who did not know Joseph,” and ordered the Jews to build for the Egyptians the cities of Pithom, Raamses (1278 BC, the new capital of Egypt, replacing Avaris, the capital of Egypt located 1 km from it XV Hyksos dynasty), and the Septuagint adds a third city - Heliopolis. The name of the city Raamses is logical if Ramesses II ruled before that and the city glorified the long time of his reign. Moses lived in the royal palace (in the capital Avaris), near the construction site, where he killed the overseer. From this city (Ex. 12:37) the Jews went east to Succoth. The number of departed Jews indicated in the Bible - “600 thousand men”, not counting women and children (Exodus 12:37), exceeded the population of Avaris by three times, which makes us pay attention to the Ipuver Papyrus, which describes civil war Egyptians with "Asiatics" (Hyksos) and presumably "ten plagues of Egypt".

What is he talking about? There may be two answers. Firstly, the persecution of Israel could have been part of Merneptah's punitive campaign against the Asians: "The children of Israel went out armed from the land of Mizraim (Egypt)" (Ex. 13:18). Perhaps there was an armed clash at the seashore, in which special circumstances helped Israel escape from the chase. The claim that Israel has been defeated can easily be interpreted as the usual exaggeration of victory hymns. The same can be said about the song of Moses.

The second explanation can be found in the book. 1 Chronicles. It says that at the beginning of Israel's stay in Egypt, the Ephraimites made a campaign in Palestine and, despite a number of failures, founded several cities there. In Gen. 34 says that the Israelites conquered the city, which later, when they invaded, took it peacefully and made it their center. The fact that some part of Israel remained in Canaan after Jacob's migration to Egypt is confirmed by the mention in the military annals Thutmose III(1502-1448) the Palestinian locality of Jacobel.

The Bible tells that the new pharaoh was afraid that the Jews would not enter into an alliance with his opponents. It is likely that this refers to the tribesmen from Canaan, who in the year of the Exodus were defeated by Merneptah. After the conquest of Canaan, both streams of Israelites merged into one, and since the "Mosaic core of the nation" was distinguished by greater spiritual strength, it suppressed the more primitive Israelites of Canaan. The antagonism of Israel and Judah may be an echo of this original duality of the people.

The above conclusions were reached shortly after the discovery of the Merneptah Stele. And now this point of view is gradually affirmed.

There are suggestions that the good princess was Termutis, daughter of Ramesses II.

Osarsif

Osarsif is the supposed name of Moses in ancient Egyptian sources. Mentioned by the Hellenistic historian Manetho in the lost work "History of Egypt", which is quoted by Josephus Flavius ​​in the polemical essay "Against Apion".

Moses and Akhenaten

There is a version according to which Moses inherited the idea of ​​monotheism from the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep IV Akhenaten (ruled approximately 1351-1334 BC, XVIII dynasty), known for his religious reforms and attempts to convert Egypt to monotheism. Moses probably lived after Akhenaten.

There is an opposite point of view, which is that, on the contrary, Pharaoh Akhenaten borrowed the idea of ​​monotheism from the Jews who settled in Egypt, who, thanks to Joseph, occupied a very high position in the state. The enmity of the Egyptians against the Jews, which led to the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, began, in fact, with failed attempt plant monotheism in Egypt.

Moses, Thutmose II and Senmut

There is also an amateur hypothesis that the adoptive princess was Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmose I (XVIII dynasty), later known as the female pharaoh. Moses was Pharaoh Thutmose II and/or Senmut, the architect and possible lover of Hatshepsut. The author of the hypothesis explains the absence of a mummy in the tomb of Thutmose II, the difference between the images in it and the typical Egyptian ones, and the presence on the statue of Thutmose II of not Egyptian, but Jewish anthropological signs. He suggests, referring to great ambiguities in the royal genealogy of the era of Thutmose-Amenhotep, that the pharaohs had double names, that is, the same pharaoh could bear the name "Amenhotep" and the title "Thutmose", and, therefore, the pharaoh who ruled when Moses grew up was Ahmose I, and the pharaoh who ruled after the Exodus was Amenhotep III, whose firstborn (who died during the “ten plagues of Egypt”) was Tutankhamun.

In art

art:

• Moses (Michelangelo)
• Moses (fountain in Bern)

literature:

• Poem by I. Ya. Franko "Moses"
• Sigmund Freud wrote the book "Moses and Monotheism" (S. Freud: This Man Moses), dedicated to psychoanalytic research life path Moses and his relationship with the people.

• Gioacchino Rossini, opera
• Arnold Schoenberg, opera
• Miroslav Skorik, opera
• Negro song "Go Down Moses"

cinema:

• Character on imdb.com
• Cartoon Prince of Egypt
• The film "The Prophet Moses: The Leader-Liberator"

icon painting

The icon-painting originals give the following description of the appearance of the prophet Moses: “The great old man, 120 years old, of the Jewish type, well-behaved, meek. Bald, with medium size beard strands, very handsome, body courageous and strong. Wore the bottom chiton of blue color, with a slit in front and belted (cf.: Ex. 39:12 et seq.); on top - an ephod, that is, a long canvas with a slit in the middle for the head; on the head - a veil, on the legs - boots. In his hands is a rod and two tablets with 10 commandments.

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

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

There is also a tradition to depict the prophet still quite young (“medieval”): these are icons depicting the prophet under the Burning Bush, digging his boots from his feet (Ex. 3:5), or receiving tablets from the Lord.

After the death of Patriarch Joseph, the position of the Jews changed dramatically. The new king, who did not know Joseph, began to fear that the Jews, having become a numerous and strong people, would go over to the side of the enemy in the event of war. He placed leaders over them to wear them out with hard work. Pharaoh also ordered the death of newborn Israelite boys. The very existence of the chosen people is at stake.. However, the Providence of God did not allow this plan to be carried out. God saved from death and the future leader of the people - Moses. This greatest Old Testament prophet came from the tribe of Levi. His parents were Amram and Jochebed (Ex 6:20). The future prophet was younger than his brother Aaron and sister Miriam. The baby was born when the pharaoh's order was in force to drown newborn Jewish boys in the Nile. The mother hid her child for three months, but then she was forced to hide it in a basket in the reeds on the river bank. The pharaoh's daughter saw him and took him into her house. Watching from afar, Moses' sister offered to bring a wet nurse. According to God's providence, it was so arranged that his own mother became the breadwinner for him, raising him in her house. When the boy grew up, his mother brought him to the pharaoh's daughter. While living in the royal palace as an adopted son, Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in word and deed (Acts 7:22).

When he forty years old he went out to his brothers. Seeing that an Egyptian was beating a Jew, he, protecting his brother, killed the Egyptian. Fearing persecution, Moses fled to the land of Midian and was received in the house of the local priest Raguel (aka Jethro), who married his daughter Zippora to Moses.

Moses lived in Midian Fourty years. During these decades, he gained that inner maturity that made him capable of accomplishing a great feat - with the help of God, free the people from slavery. This event was perceived by the Old Testament people as central to the history of the people. It is mentioned more than sixty times in Holy Scripture. In memory of this event, the main Old Testament holiday was established - Easter. The Exodus has a spiritual and representative significance. The Egyptian captivity is an Old Testament symbol of the slavish submission of mankind to the devil until the redemptive feat of Jesus Christ. Exodus from Egypt heralds spiritual liberation through the New Testament sacrament of baptism.

The Exodus was preceded by one of the most important events in the history of the Chosen People. epiphany. Moses was tending his father-in-law's sheep in the desert. He went to Mount Horeb and saw that the thorn bush is engulfed in flames, but does not burn out. Moses began to approach him. But God called to him from the midst of the bush: don't come here; put off thy sandals from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. And he said: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob(Ex 3:5-6).

The outer side of the vision - a burning, but not burning thorn bush - depicted plight of the Jews in Egypt. Fire, as a destructive force, indicated the severity of suffering. As the bush burned and did not burn out, so the Jewish people were not destroyed, but only cleansed in the crucible of disasters. This is a prototype of the Incarnation. The Holy Church adopted the symbol of the Burning Bush Mother of God . The miracle lies in the fact that this thorn bush, in which the Lord appeared to Moses, has survived to this day. It is located in the fence of the Sinai monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine.

The Lord appeared to Moses and said, scream the sons of Israel suffering at the hands of the Egyptians came to him.

God sends Moses on a great mission: bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt(Ex 3:10). Moses humbly speaks of his weakness. To this indecision, God answers with clear and full of all-conquering power words: I will be with you(Ex 3:12). Moses, having received high obedience from the Lord, asks for the name of the One who sent it. God said to Moses: I am the Existing (Ex 3:14). Word Existing in the Synodal Bible, the hidden name of God is transmitted, inscribed in the Hebrew text with four consonants ( tetragram): YHWH. The place cited shows that the prohibition to pronounce this secret name appeared much later than the time of the exodus (perhaps after the Babylonian captivity).

During the reading aloud of sacred texts in the tabernacle, the temple, and later in the synagogues, instead of the tetragram, another name of God was pronounced - Adonai. In Slavic and Russian texts, the tetragram is given by the name Lord. in biblical language Existing expresses the personal principle of absolute self-sufficient being, on which the existence of the entire created world depends.

The Lord strengthened the spirit of Moses two miraculous acts. The rod turned into a snake, and Moses' hand, covered with leprosy, was healed. The miracle with the rod testified that the Lord gave Moses the authority of the leader of the people. The sudden defeat of Moses' hand with leprosy and its healing meant that God endowed His chosen one with the power of miracles to fulfill his mission.

Moses said he was tongue-tied. The Lord strengthened him: I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say(Ex 4:12). God gives the future leader as an assistant to his older brother Aaron.

Having come to Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron, on behalf of the Lord, demanded that the people be released into the wilderness to celebrate the holiday. The pharaoh was a pagan. He declared that he did not know the Lord and the people of Israel would not let him go. Pharaoh was hardened against the Jewish people. Jews performed at this time hard work- made bricks. Pharaoh ordered that their work be made heavier. God again sends Moses and Aaron to declare His will to Pharaoh. At the same time, the Lord commanded to perform signs and wonders.

Aaron threw his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. The wise men and sorcerers of the king and the magi of Egypt did the same with their charms: they threw down their wands, and they became snakes, but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

The next day, the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to perform another miracle. When the pharaoh was going to the river, Aaron struck the water with his rod in front of the king's face and water turned to blood. All reservoirs in the country were filled with blood. The Egyptians Nile was one of the gods of their pantheon. What happened to the water was to enlighten them and show the power of the God of Israel. But this first of the ten plagues of Egypt only hardened Pharaoh's heart even more.

Second execution took place seven days later. Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and went out frogs and covered the ground. The disaster prompted Pharaoh to ask Moses to pray to the Lord to remove all the frogs. The Lord fulfilled the petitions of His saint. The toads are dead. As soon as the king felt relieved, he again fell into bitterness.

Therefore followed third execution. Aaron struck the ground with his rod, and there appeared midges and began to bite people and livestock. In the Hebrew original, these insects are named kinnim, in Greek and Slavic texts - sketches. According to the Jewish philosopher of the 1st century Philo of Alexandria and Origen, these were mosquitoes - a common scourge of Egypt during the flood period. But this time all the dust of the earth became midges throughout all the land of Egypt(Ex 8:17). The Magi could not repeat this miracle. They said to the king: this is the finger of God(Ex 8:19). But he didn't listen to them. The Lord sends Moses to Pharaoh to speak on behalf of the Lord to let the people go. If he does not comply, they will be sent to the whole country dog flies. It was fourth plague. Her tools were flies. They are named canine, apparently because they had a strong bite. Philo of Alexandria writes that they were distinguished by their ferocity and persistence. The fourth plague has two features. Firstly, The Lord works a miracle without the mediation of Moses and Aaron. Secondly, the land of Goshen, where the Jews lived, was freed from disaster so that Pharaoh could clearly see absolute power God's. The punishment worked. Pharaoh promised to let the Jews go into the desert and offer a sacrifice to the Lord God. He asked to pray for him and not to go far. Through the prayer of Moses, the Lord removed all the flies from Pharaoh and the people. Pharaoh did not let the Jews go into the desert.

Followed fifth plague - pestilence which struck all the cattle of Egypt. The Jewish cattle, however, the calamity has passed. This execution was also carried out by God directly, and not through Moses and Aaron. The stubbornness of the pharaoh remained the same.

Sixth execution was accomplished by the Lord only through Moses (when the first three were accomplished, Aaron was the mediator). Moses took a full handful of ashes and threw them into the sky. People and cattle covered abscesses. This time, the Lord Himself hardened Pharaoh's heart. He did this, apparently, in order to further reveal to the king and all the Egyptians His all-conquering power. God says to Pharaoh: I will send tomorrow, at this very time, a very strong hail, which has not been in Egypt since the day it was founded until now.(Ex 9:18). The holy writer notes that those servants of Pharaoh who were afraid of the words of the Lord, hastily gathered their servants and flocks into their houses. The hail was accompanied by thunder, which can be explained as the voice of God from heaven. Psalm 77 gives further details of this execution: They crushed their grapes with hail, and their sycamores with ice; gave up their livestock to hail and their flocks to lightning(47-48). Blessed Theodoret explains: “The Lord brought upon them hail and thunder, showing by the fact that He is the Lord of all the elements. This execution was carried out by God through Moses. The land of Goshen was not affected. It was seventh plague. Pharaoh repented: this time I sinned; The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are guilty; pray to the Lord: let the thunders of God and hail cease, and I will let you go and hold you no longer(Ex 9:27-28). But repentance was short-lived. Soon the pharaoh again fell into a state bitterness.

Eighth plague was very scary. After Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, The Lord brought a wind from the east lasting day and night. The locusts attacked all the land of Egypt and ate all the grass and all the greenery on the trees.. Pharaoh repents again, but, apparently, as before, his repentance is superficial. The Lord hardens his heart.

Peculiarity ninth plague in that it was caused by the symbolic action of Moses, who stretched out his hands to heaven. Installed for three days thick darkness. Having punished the Egyptians with darkness, God showed the insignificance of their idol Ra, the god of the sun. Pharaoh gave in again.

Tenth plague was the scariest. The month of Aviv has arrived. Before the start of the exodus, God commanded to celebrate Easter. This holiday became the main one in the Old Testament sacred calendar.

The Lord told Moses and Aaron that every family on the tenth day of Abib (after the Babylonian captivity, this month became known as Nissan) took one lamb and kept him separate until the fourteenth day of that month, and then stabbed him to death. When the lamb is slain, let them take from its blood and they will anoint on both the doorposts and on the crossbar of the doors in the houses where they will eat it.

At midnight on the 15th of Abib, the Lord struck in the land of Egypt all the firstborn as well as all original livestock. The first-born Jews were not harmed. Because the doorposts and lintels of their houses were anointed with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, The angel who slew the firstborn of Egypt, passed by. Established in memory of this event, the holiday was called Easter (Heb. passover; from a verb meaning jump over something).

The blood of the lamb was a type of the atoning blood of the Savior, the blood of cleansing and reconciliation. Unleavened bread (unleavened bread), which the Jews were supposed to eat on Easter days, also had a symbolic meaning: in Egypt, the Jews were in danger of becoming infected with pagan wickedness. However, God brought the Jewish people out of the country of enslavement, made them spiritually pure people, called to holiness: And you will be holy to me(Ex 22:31). He must reject the former leaven of moral corruption and begin clean life . Unleavened bread that cooks quickly symbolized that speed with which the Lord brought His people out of the land of slavery.

Easter meal expressed common unity of its participants with God and among themselves. It also had a symbolic meaning that the lamb was cooked whole, with the head. Bone shouldn't have broken.