From our lesson of The Mothers of Moses: Jochebed and Pharaoh’s Daughter, (Exodus 2:1-10; Hebrews 11:23), here are some important points. The points do not directly answer the questions on pages 53-54 of the text, but may help you in our discussion at the Saturday Bible Study 06/07/2014.
1. The birth mother of Moses was Jochebed, his Father was Amram. Moses’ brother was Aaron (Exodus 6:20) and their sister (Exodus 2:4) was Miriam (Exodus 15:20).
2. The name for Pharaoh’s Daughter is not given in Scripture. The NIV Study Bible footnote for Exodus 2:5 identifies her as “Perhaps the famous 18th-dynasty princess who later became Queen Hatshepsut”(1), and Josephus in Book II, chapter IV,#5 identifies her as Thermuthis (3). For this lesson we’ll stick with name not known.
3. The new king declared that there were too many Israelites in Egypt (Exodus 1:8-10), so he oppressed them with forced labor (Exodus 1:11) and gave orders for every Israelite boy born to the thrown into the Nile (Exodus 1:22).
4. The number of Israelites had grown from 70 (Genesis 46:26-27)(Genesis 46:8-25) to 600,000 men (Exodus 12:37). The count of seventy in Genesis didn’t include the mothers of Jacob’s sons. The count in Exodus didn’t include the women and children.
5. Upon the birth of a son, Jochebed hid him for three months then put him into a floating basket among the reeds of the Nile river. (Exodus 2:1-4)
6. Mariam, the boy’s sister, kept watch to see what would happen to him (Exodus 2:5).
7. Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby and observed he was Hebrew (Exodus 2:5-6).
8. The sister (Miriam) offered to find a Hebrew woman to take care of the baby (Exodus 2:7).
9. Mariam got Jochebed and brought her to Pharaoh’s Daughter who arranged for the care of the baby until the child grew older (Exodus 2:8-9). When he was old enough, the boy was returned to Pharaoh’s daughter and she named him Moses (Exodus 2:10).
10. In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews gives examples of faith by using Moses’ parents putting him into the basket on the Nile river (Hebrews 11:23) and much of his life (Hebrews 22:24-29). Also, Luke uses the story of Stephen’s defense to the Sanhedrin, which was centered around constant rejection of Moses, as an example of the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ ( Acts 7:1-53).
1. The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 1995.
2. Jean E Syswerda, Women of the Bible, Zondervan, 1999.
3. Whiston, William (translator), The Works of Josephus, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, 1985
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