The birth narrative of Moses (Exod 2:1–10) recounts a critically important event that serves to introduce the story of God’s great deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Due to several ambiguities, however, numerous questions arise out of this narrative. Why is his mother not named here in Exodus 2? What is the significance of putting the baby in a papyrus “ark”? Why exactly does this woman place her son in the reeds of the Nile River? What does she hope will happen? Who is the Daughter of Pharaoh? Why is she here in Lower Egypt near the Hebrews? Why does she come down to the Nile River to “bathe”? Why would she defy her father’s decree and keep this child? What are the implications of being adopted by the Daughter of Pharaoh? Is it significant that Moses was nursed by his Hebrew mother? What kind of education would Moses have received as an adopted member of the royal family? Will this education be important to Moses’ future role as leader of Israel and servant of the LORD? Finally, how do we see the hand of God at work behind the scenes in this story?
This paper will combine a close narrative reading of Exodus 2:1–10 with research into Egyptian culture and customs of the early New Kingdom period to try and answer these questions, seeking to expand our understanding of the birth and upbringing of one of the most important individuals in the entire Bible. This will include a brief explanation for the time period chosen (early date of the Exodus); a discussion on the Egyptian occupation and reconstruction of the city of Avaris; an exploration into what the banks of the Nile River looked like and what kind of traffic (by foot and by boat) could be expected along this stretch of the River; a discussion of Pharaoh’s family at this time and their extensive involvement in temple activities; an explanation of the Hebrew term translated in English as “to bathe,” concluding that the Daughter of Pharaoh is probably participating in some type of religious ritual cleansing; an exploration of Egyptian adoption and wet-nursing practices; and a discussion of Egyptian education provided for members of the royal family at this time.
The implications derived from a close narrative reading will be interwoven with helpful historical background details and with the presupposition that God is at work to deliver the Israelites. This powerful opening story is about a small, vulnerable baby boy, whose very life hung in the balance, and who—humanly speaking—should not have even survived. Yet God chose this small baby and orchestrated events so that he could indeed survive in the most ironic of ways and then be given the best education in the world, all preparing him to serve God, deliver Israel, and to transmit God’s powerful word to the Israelites and, indeed, to God’s people throughout all time.