Moses
traditional dates c. 1526–1406 BC · Hebrew prophet and lawgiver who, according to the Bible, led Israel out of Egypt and received the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.
Everything known of Moses comes from the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. They tell that he was born in Egypt to Hebrew parents of the tribe of Levi at a time when Pharaoh had ordered Hebrew baby boys killed. His mother hid him in a basket among the reeds of the Nile, where Pharaoh's daughter found him and raised him as her own son. As a man he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew and fled to Midian, where he married Zipporah and kept sheep. At a burning bush on Mount Horeb God called him to return and lead his people out of slavery. After the plagues on Egypt and the crossing of the sea, Moses led Israel to Mount Sinai, where he received the Ten Commandments and the laws of the covenant. He led the people for forty years in the wilderness and died on Mount Nebo, within sight of the promised land. Traditional dates based on 1 Kings 6:1 place the Exodus about 1446 BC; many historians prefer the thirteenth century BC, and there is no record of Moses outside the Bible.
Faith: Considered the most important prophet in Judaism and an important prophet in Christianity and Islam. Source: Wikipedia
See also: Hammurabi · Solon · History of Law timeline
Key dates
- c. 1526 BC (traditional) Born in Egypt, according to the early-Exodus chronology
- c. 1446 BC (traditional) Leads Israel out of Egypt; receives the law at Sinai
- c. 1406 BC (traditional) Dies on Mount Nebo at the age of 120 (Deuteronomy 34:7)
Read about them
Grades 3–5
- The Bible · In the library
Grades 9–12
- The Code of Hammurabi · In the library
More lives
Augustus · Julius Caesar · Cicero · Hammurabi · Kautilya (Chanakya) · Pericles
Notes: All dates are traditional, derived from 1 Kings 6:1 and Exodus 7:7 and Deuteronomy 34:7 (an early-Exodus chronology); many scholars date the Exodus to the 13th century BC. No source outside the Bible mentions Moses.