Exodus 2:1-10 - The Birth of Moses

Traditionally considered as having been written by Moses, the book of Exodus is the most action-packed portion of the Old Testament. The story of Moses surpasses even Creation and the events in the Garden of Eden for its ability to hold a reader's attention. It is no wonder that the Exodus story was told in one of the biggest Hollywood epics of all time in "The Ten Commandments."

While today's scholarship almost universally points away from Mosaic authorship, the excitement and action of the book of Exodus still capture the attention of millions of readers. The story of Moses starts off with a bang, with the new-born Moses hidden from an order to kill all male babies, only to see him adopted into the royal family. It is a fitting beginning to an extraordinary life.

No matter who wrote the book of Exodus, even if it was Moses himself, it must be kept in mind that the story of the events of his birth were not recorded for many, many years after the fact - possibly even centuries after the fact. As is the case of all great men, no one realized Moses would be a great man until much later, at which point his own personal back-story came to be a subject of interest to the ancient Israelites and, later, to the Christian community.

I: Theological Presuppositions

At first reading, the story of the birth of Moses and his subsequent adoption by the Egyptian princess seems fairly straight-forward. A child was born, he was left to be found by another mother and, in an extreme stroke of luck, he is found and taken in by the princess. This, however, is the Bible and "luck" is not a factor in these stories.

Several points in the text are worthy of note or raise questions. They include, in order of the text:

1) The parents of Moses are from the tribe of Levi.

2) Why was the child hid? Was he hid only because he was, as the NIV Bible reads, a "fine child?" The KJV reads that the child was "goodly." The Message version reads that Moses' mother "saw there was something special about him."

3) Why was the child given away? (To answer this, we must include the last half of Exodus 1 in our study.)

4) There may be some similarities between the basket Moses was in and the ark that was built by Noah.

5) Moses' sister plays a special role.

6) What was the status of pharaoh's daughter? Was she married/single/childless, that she took in a strange child of another race? She must have had a strong influence on the pharaoh, to be able to convince him to take in the child.

Looking at the Exodus 2:1-10 text only, we learn that Moses is a healthy child, a Hebrew Levite. He has a sister. He is given the advantage of being raised in the royal palace. His earliest years are spent at the home of his wet nurse, who is actually his birth mother, so he is raised in a manner that he learns the customs of both the Hebrew and the Egyptians.

There is an underlying hint in the text that this is a special boy singled out for something - this is particularly apparent in The Message translation.

At first blush, it does not appear that there is any deep theological meaning to be found in this story about the birth of Moses, beyond the idea that Moses is "special." It is however necessary to review the story told in Exodus 1 to set the stage for what happens in Exodus 2:1-10. While Exodus 1 and pharaoh's edict to kill all the Hebrew male babies does not change the meaning of Exodus 2:1-10, it provides a richness that greatly enhances the readers' appreciation for the actions of Moses' mother, sister and pharaoh's daughter in the text. The story of the birth of Moses cannot be completely understood without reading and understanding the events of Exodus 1.

II: Literary Criticism

This text is a self-contained unit. Chapter 1 of Exodus provides the background of what was happening in Egypt among the Hebrews at the time leading up to his birth. After verse 10, Moses is grown up and the text moves on to his adventures as a young man and then beyond.

The text under review introduces at least one key word which must be understood as we begin this study of Moses: Levite. According to The New Catholic Encyclopedia, a Levite is described as a "subordinate minister appointed in the Mosaic Law for the service of the Tabernacle and of the Temple." This raises an interesting paradox. Moses' father holds a position created by Mosaic Law. How could Moses father's role be defined by a law to be given by his not-yet-born son? Setting aside this paradox, we can understand that Moses was born into a priestly family.

Another word of note is the word used to describe the basket in which baby Moses is placed. The KJV Study Bible notes that the word used to describe the basket is the same word used for the ark built by Noah. In both instances, the ark was ordered to be sealed with pitch.

Twice in the text we are given an indication that Moses was a handsome/beautiful child. First, his mother sees that he is goodly and then the pharaoh's daughter looks at him and immediately has compassion, which at least implies that the child was pleasing to look at. Given the ancient Hebrew understanding that physical beauty was a sign of pleasure from God, it would be important for the writer to cast Moses as being handsome from the beginning.

The unnamed daughter of pharaoh goes to the river to wash herself. The text points out that she was there to be cleaned, rather than just for a pleasant stroll along the river or some other purpose. The author specifically tells us here that pharaoh's daughter was cleansed before she took in Moses. The idea of ritual cleanliness was an important one to the ancient Hebrews. Moses is therefore not defiled in any way because he is taken in by a "clean" Egyptian.

The text tells us that Moses is not merely a name, but also offers a description of the person. In the KJV, Moses is defined as "I drew him out of the water." Various translations offer similar words, all focusing on the idea of Moses as "drawn out" or "pulled out." This is a signal to the reader that Moses is now selected by the pharaoh's daughter - and, more importantly, by God - for a special reason. We know now that Moses was selected essentially from the very beginning of his life, before he could even walk or talk. Given this selection by God, the events of Exodus 3 and following should come as no surprise to Moses - or to the reader.

Clearly from the events of this chapter, as well as Moses' name itself, we are led to believe that Moses has a great protector. Though not mentioned specifically, it is clear here that the Lord is looking out for Moses and has destined him for great things. This text marks the second time that God has served as the special protector of a man floating in a boat. Moses is now the successor to the covenant God made with Noah after The Flood. This bond between Moses and Noah is strengthened by the fact that they are both brought to deliverance on an ark. They both afterwards receive a set of laws or rules from God that the people are expected to follow.

III: Form Criticism

The text in Exodus 2:1-10, is a narrative story that appears to come from a single source. Beyond the use of the name Moses and the words "Levite" and "ark," see above, there are no unusual words or phrases in the various English translations of this text.

It is clear from the text that the author came from a setting in which the family was important. The text makes several points as to Moses background and his family. As mentioned above, it is pointed out that both of his parents are from the tribe of Levi. Not directly stated, but clearly present are the ideas that his family has both courage and quick-thinking wits. His mother takes the daring risk of hiding her child from danger and then makes the successful attempt to save him by floating him down the river. In addition, the child's sister, who we can assume is the same sister, Miriam, who is later identified in the Moses story, is shown to have the presence of mind to approach pharaoh's daughter and to arrange for Moses' own birth mother to provide infant care to the child. This shows that the family of Moses is a group of smart go-getters from an early age. The mother is also crafty. In the last verse of Exodus 1, pharaoh orders that all male Hebrew children be cast into the river. This is exactly what Moses' mother does with the baby - though she provides him with a small boat as well.

It is somewhat surprising here that Moses' father doesn't play a larger role. It is impossible to determine from this short passage why the author focuses on the role played by the mother and sister, while giving little attention to any possible actions of the father. Is this because it was common knowledge at the time that there was an issue with Moses father? Did he die early or commit some type of unacceptable sin, or was this simply an effort to raise up the role of motherhood/womanhood within the community? The story of the birth of Moses is inadequate by itself to provide any larger answer about the absence of his father.

There is a sense of action in the telling of this story. There are no long asides that offer background description. Each of the 12 sentences directly advances the story. Is this an effort by the author to foreshadow that Moses will be a man of action, that he was destined from day one to be the deliverer? It seems that this would be the case, given what we know of the activities of Moses throughout the book of Exodus.

The telling of the story of the birth of Moses has a "rags-to-riches" quality about it that would have been right at home in 21^st century and particularly in 20^th century America. We recognize the elements of the story of the bright boy, born to adversity who rises to the top despite all obstacles. The reader/listener can not help but cheer and root for the underdog as he later sticks it to the man and becomes the new champion. While in modern times, this is labeled as something of the "all-American" classic tale; it is clear from this reading that this rags-to-riches idea has been around longer than America - longer by several centuries in fact.

There is an interesting parallel between the story of the birth of Moses and a 7^th century BC story about the birth of the king Sargon[1] in Akkad, a kingdom that existed around the 24^th century BC in an area that included the Euphrates River in what is now modern-day Iraq. Sargon was born the son of a high priestess, but to a father of modest means. His mother cast him off in a small raft/boat in the Euphrates, where he was discovered and adopted by a member of the royal family. He went on to become a mighty warrior who was able to expand his kingdom by military conquest. Sargon's story may very well have been the first rags-to-riches story, quite possibly prompting later story tellers, including the Exodus Redactor, to adopt this motif and use it as part of his larger story. In the comic books of 20^th century America, it was not uncommon for a hero to appear in a comic for several episodes, sometimes even years before the authors realized they had a hit on their hands and the audience was hungry for a fleshing in of the hero's history. It is conceivable that the Redactor, holding a story about the Greatest Hero in Jewish History in his hands, needed a story to account for the beginnings of Moses and turned to the Sargon story for help. For reasons outlined below, I choose to reject this theory and argue that the birth of Moses happened as told in Exodus.

IV: Historical Criticism

There are several historical questions to be answered in this text, the first and foremost is did any of this happen or is it merely fiction created for a purpose, a co-opting of the Sargon story? Based on ancient histories, I believe we can safely make the argument that there was indeed a man named Moses. There are references to him by the ancient historians Josephus (1^st Century A.D.); Tacitus (100 A.D.); Strabo (24 A.D.); and Artapanus of Alexandria (2^nd Century B.C.). While only Josephus directly discusses the birth of Moses, they do all relate to some aspect of his life.[2]

While not directly related to the story of the birth of Moses, there has been significant scholarly research and debate over the years over the possible historical and scientific evidence for the biblical 10 plagues delivered against the Egyptian pharaoh and his people. It is also a generally recognized fact that many of the wonders of ancient Egypt were built with slave labor, which lends credence to the idea of the Jews being slaves in Egypt at one point.

It is my belief that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that a man named Moses did indeed live and that he led an uprising of slaves in ancient Egypt after a confrontation with pharaoh.

Establishing that Moses and his people existed, we next must wonder under which pharaoh he was born and if the events of Exodus 2:1-10 actually took place. A quick review of historical sources did not provide any record of an ancient pharaoh calling for the killing of all the male children of a group of slaves. There are, however, numerous records of various other kings of antiquity ordering large-scale slaughters of the children of an enslaved or "lesser" people. If this was a periodic practice in ancient times, that would argue for the probability that a pharaoh ordered such a killing as a control measure against an enslaved people.

The question of who the pharaoh is in the story is more challenging. It is troubling that the author of the text did not include his name. This omission would argue against direct authorship of the piece by the historical Moses, as it would seem likely that he would include the name of his chief adversary. A later writer would likely find this as a less crucial detail. Popular culture has portrayed the pharaoh as Ramses II and there are arguments to support this reasoning. Given that the author was writing a story about the relationship of God and the Hebrew people, it is not too surprising that the name of the Egyptian pharaoh was not included. There are also pieces of evidence that point to other pharaohs as Moses' adversary. For the purposes of the Moses birth story, it does not matter who the specific pharaoh is.

Of more importance is the account of the adoption of Moses by the pharaoh. Is this likely? Could this have happened as presented? Given the account of Saragon above, we know that the basis for the idea of common-to-royal adoption does exist and existed long before the Moses story was ever written down.

More importantly, the historian Josephus provides an account that roughly parallels the biblical account of the birth of Moses. The Josephus text reads:

"Pharaoh's daughter, Thermuthis, was walking along the river bank. Seeing a basket floating by, she called to her swimmers to retrieve it for her. When her servants came back with the basket, she was overjoyed to see the beautiful little infant inside . . . Thermuthis gave him the name Moses, which in Egyptian means saved from the water" . . . Having no children of her own, she adopted him as her own son."[3]

The Qu'ran also provides essentially the same story of the birth and adoption of Moses, though the Qu'ran is more blatant in pointing out who gets the credit for the rescue of the baby:

"So we restored him to his mother that her eyes might be refreshed and that she might not grieve and that she might know that the promise of Allah is true but most of them do not know." (Sura 28: 13)[4]

That the Josephus account and the Qu'ran so closely match the biblical account provides a high degree of confidence that the story of the birth of Moses happened as recorded in Exodus.

As this passage is purported to have taken place in Egypt, it is worthwhile to consider an Egyptian perspective on the text. Two sources were considered for this, one ancient and one modern. Copticchurch.net, the official web site for the Coptic Church in North America, focuses primarily on New Testament writings, but it does offer this pro-Moses commentary:

"Their first leader, Moses, the great prophet and his brother Aaron the first chief-priest appeared in Egypt to grant them (the Israelite slaves) freedom. St. Stephen says, "And Moses was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds" (Acts 7:22)."[5]

Cyril of Alexandria, a pope of Alexandria who lived circa 378-444 A.D., wrote a rebuttal to a commentary by Julian, who suggested that the entire collection of Scriptures were a fantastic story and nothing more. According to a 2007 translation, Cyril offered these comments:

"It is necessary, I believe, to present afresh, by extracting them from the works of the Greeks, the various doctrines which they have judged good to profess about the creation of the world, and to oppose the cosmogony of Moses to them: the readers will thus see the verbose subtlety and drivel of these thinkers, as well as the pure source of truth which is in the writings of Moses."[6]

By endorsing Moses as the "clear source of truth," Cyril made clear that the Coptic Christians revered not only the law handed down from Moses, but thought highly of the man as well. As did most of the early church fathers, Cyril also argues in favor of Mosaic authorship.

V: Source Criticism

For most of the Christian period, it was universally accepted that the book of Exodus, indeed the entire first five books of the Bible - save for a couple of verses tacked on to the end of Deuteronomy that reports the death of Moses - were written by Moses himself. In the late 1800s, German theologian Julius Wellhausen first put forward the scholarly argument that Moses was not the author of the Pentateuch. Wellhausen's theory, later expanded upon by many others, called for multiple sources to have been used to put together the first five books, including Exodus.

Most scholarly sources today suggest that the Yawhist source, known as "J" was used to provide most of the narrative in Exodus, with some supplement by the "E" source.[7] Under this theory, a Redactor, operating perhaps 600 years later, around the time of the Babylonian exile, re-wrote the Pentateuch using the various sources. It is unclear if this Redactor, who was possibly the Biblical prophet Ezra[8], knew if the various sources came from a source other than Moses himself. To this date, the authors of the J, E, and other sources are not known and it is therefore possible that Moses wrote or passed along the narrative that became one of these sources. That Moses was the original source for the J or E source would also harmonize the fact that in later years, Jesus would comment about the writing of Moses in reference to the earlier Scriptures.

It appears from a reading of the text of Exodus 2:1-10 in several English translations that it is derived from a single source. There are no repetitious segments or contradictions within the text. Looking at the Bible as a whole, there is no other account of the birth of Moses, with which to compare this account, though there is a genealogy list which includes Moses, Aaron and his parents in Exodus 6:20 and there is mention of the bravery of Moses' parents in Hebrews 11 (see below).

The idea of assigning overall authorship of the Pentateuch to Ezra, using the J, E, P, and D sources makes sense. Ezra clearly had skills as a scribe, providing lengthy lists of groups, people and events in the book that bears his name. Ezra also wrote about the time of the return from the Babylonian exile of the people and it would make sense that he would seek to tap into the story of the exodus from Egypt as a way to give hope to the people of Israel. Ezra stressed the importance of Torah in the book of Ezra, and what better way to re-iterate Torah than to re-tell the story of Moses and how Torah was first delivered to the people.

Assuming Ezra wrote the Pentateuch, using a source that came from Moses and/or others, what was his goal in relating the story of the birth of Moses as he did? Why bother to include the story of Moses' birth at all? Clearly, the story of Moses birth shows the intervention of God in the life of this one child - making him handsome, rescuing him from infanticide, adopting him into royalty. If God can do all this in the life of one person, he can do it in the life of anyone. The author of the story uses this account to show how God cares for individuals, as well as the people as a nation, which is seen in other parts of the story. If the story of Moses' birth is not included, we would not be aware that God was at work in the life of Moses long before even Moses himself was aware of the fact.

VI: Tradition criticism.

Moses has been held up as a hero of the faith for thousands of years. Clearly, by the time of Jesus and the writing of the New Testament several centuries later, the faith as defined by Moses had become the cornerstone of Jewish life. Jesus refers to the teachings of Moses repeatedly and the book of Hebrews offers an early commentary on the events that take place in the Pentateuch and elsewhere in the Bible.

One must wonder why the author(s) of Exodus choose to name Moses' parents, Amram and Jochebed, in a later reference, Exodus 6:20; his sister, Miriam in 15:20; and to mention that there is also a brother, Aaron, who we first meet in 4:14 and discover he is in fact the eldest brother in 7:70. Using modern storytelling techniques, all of these people would generally be named upon their first reference. This peculiarity suggests that the Moses birth story came either from a separate source than the others or was added to the text at a different time.

Most of the early "heroes" of the bible have birth or early childhood stories included in the text. The one notable exception to this rule is Abram, for whom we are provided only the sketchiest details. (The biblical story of Noah's origins is also slim, but even he has a bit more information provided than Abram.) The author/Redactor may have seen a lack of early origin story as an issue for Moses. Abram was not yet a Jew when he was born and in his early life, so what he did before his first interaction with God may not have been seen as an issue. By the time Moses came along, we have elaborate stories about Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and how events unfolded for them as young boys. It may have been seen as imperative then that the great deliverer of Torah have an equally impressive story, with clear implications of divine intervention.

The early theologian Origen offered an allegorical take on the Exodus 2:1-10 text that is reminiscent of the story of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. In Origen's story, the pharaoh represents the devil, the Nile River represents baptism, the Hebrew children represent different aspects of human character, some of which the devil is trying to snuff out, only to see it redeemed (by the pharaoh's daughter) and saved through baptism.

The modern exegete is faced with the challenge of weighing the similarities between the story of Moses and the much earlier story of Sargon and his royal adoption and the resulting suggestion that perhaps the Moses story is a mere borrowing of an available and convenient hero saga against the Josephus account which supports the Biblical version; as well as the suggestion of a revered church father such as Origen that the whole story of the birth of Moses is to be treated as allegory vs. the commentary of no less a source than the biblical book of Hebrews, which clearly indicates that the events of Exodus 2 are to be taken as historical fact.

Given these challenges, it is appropriate to ask what would happen to the Moses story if the account of his birth and life as a young man, which follows over the next few verses, was not included? How would the Bible stand without Exodus 2:1-10 in particular and without all of chapter 2 in general? If the story of Moses were to start at Exodus 3:1, Moses would have a similar initial introduction to the reader to that of Abram. Why then include these stories about Moses? The most logical explanation is that the stories of Moses earliest years are true and seen as being of value by the redactor for the various reasons explained both above and below.

VII: Theological expansion

As is the case with so much of the Bible, the story of the birth of Moses presents both a challenge and a blessing. Once the story of Moses is identified as a rags-to-riches story, will the casual reader automatically discount it? Is it a story that sounds as if it must be too good to be true? In addition, the story of Moses has been given the Hollywood treatment, both in the famed movie "The Ten Commandments" and, in more recent years, in an animated 1998 offering, "The Prince of Egypt." Hollywood is well known for embellishing stories, so even biblically-accurate portrayals on the big screen are likely viewed with some degree of skepticism by those familiar with the film industry.

The story is also a blessing, however. As stated above, this story provides several clear themes: the importance of family, the value of heritage and, most important and most clearly, the fact that God is involved even in the life of a baby. As Christian teachers and preachers, we can draw from this story to teach many lessons.

Most notably, the story of the birth of Moses must be considered in the fuller context of the situation described in Exodus 1. Just at the height of troubles for his people, when things could not get any worse for the people of Yahweh, God sent them deliverance. In this instance, they were given a deliverer, Moses. God used Moses to rescue His people from bondage and send them to the Promised Land. This scenario is repeated in the New Testament when the Palestinians were under oppression from both the Roman and the Hebrew rulership (Herod), and at the same time were drawing little comfort from their own religion, which had become too legalistic. Into that dire set of circumstance was born another deliverer.

The larger message of the birth of Moses is that in times of trouble, we should count on and rely on God and He will deliver. Few people probably would have envisioned that a boy adopted into the Egyptian royal family could possibly emerge as the deliverer of the Jews, but God, in His time and His way, determined that this was the best course of action.

Beyond the stories of Moses and Jesus, the Bible is filled with incidents when God provided a deliverance, either in the form of a person or some kind of event. The key requirement, in each of these cases, is that it requires a person to have faith and that the faithful are ready to act. In the birth story of Moses, his mother represents the act of faith by placing her child in the river, not knowing what will happen. Hebrews 11:23 honors Moses' parents for their faith in hiding the child. Miriam represents the act of being ready to respond to the movements of God. When God intervened and brought the baby Moses to the attention of the pharaoh's daughter, Miriam had to be ready to do the work God required of her. Miriam's role here reminds one of the words of the great 17^th century poet John Milton: "They also serve who only stand and wait."

It seems unlikely that either Moses' mother or sister fully understood the ramifications of their actions in this story. How amazing it must have been, particularly for Miriam, to be able to watch events unfold over the ensuing decades.

VIII: Transformation

Despite decades of effort in America, today's society is highly stratified and the divide between the haves and the have-nots continues to widen. While there continues to be divides along racial lines, increasingly there is a growing gap along economic lines. The church has been an imperfect agent in the fight for social justice in this and other countries in recent times. Still, like the religion of the ancient Israelites, straining under the heavy yoke of pharaoh, the Christian church has provided hope and refuge for those who need it the most. To varying extents, the church has voice against social injustice and been, despite its own foibles, an agent of change.

Even as Christians, however, it is very easy to throw up one's hands and wonder what difference one person can make in the face of these challenges. How does one person help families who struggled to pay the rent when gasoline cost $1.75 per gallon and are now saddled with even more costs? It is easy to give up and wonder why God doesn't do something.

The story of Moses tells us that God has done something.

Jesus was divine and was able to heal the sick, feed the masses, even raise the dead. None of us have these powers. Moses, however, was just a man. More than being just a man, he came from a family of slaves and was technically an orphan. We learn later in Moses' story that he is not an eloquent speaker, at least according to his own judgment. It would seem like these challenges alone would be enough to prompt Moses to say "What can I do?" and to quietly enjoy his good life as an Egyptian prince, perhaps slipping a little gold to his Hebrew family now and again and calling it good.

Yet Moses, despite his own imperfections, was able to stand up to the most powerful nation on Earth and to change it radically. Clearly, this was not easy for Moses, but as God proved that day when a tiny ark floated on the Nile River, God was looking out for Moses.

Moses was born for a purpose. At the time of his birth, it doesn't appear that anyone in his immediate circle had any idea of what that purpose was, they simply saw him as a special child. I believe that each one of us has been born for a special purpose. What can one person do to fight the problems of our times? This was the question that Moses pushed back at God: what can one person do? Moses didn't realize, as we often don't realize that God was already actively involved in the life of Moses and had been since his birth. The question should not have been what can one person do, but what can one person do when the Great Yahweh is his Lord and Protector? The same is true for those of us who would seek to do God's work in our own lifetimes. What can one man do to fight homelessness in the face of rising gasoline prices that are causing grocery bills and rents and bus passes to skyrocket in price? Not much perhaps. But what can that same man do when the Great Yahweh is on his side? He can part the sea, if that is what is needed.

The Moses story was a story about hope given to a troubled people. One can debate if that story was delivered to people enslaved in Egypt or if it was actually directed at people in exile in Babylon. The hope is the same, the hope for a Promised Land, for a salvation, a place and time in which things will be better. This same hope has been a source of strength for people throughout the past 3,000 years and more.

The book of Exodus is indeed exciting - not because of the action that fills most every page, but because of the hope that God gives to us through the life and deeds of a man named Moses.

[1] Harmon, Nolan B. The Interpreter's Bible.

[2] Josephus, Flavius. The Complete Works.

[3] Josephus, Flavius. The Complete Works.

[4] Online Quran: www.muslimaccess.com

[5] www.copticchurch.net

[6] Cyril of Alexandria, Against Julian.

[7] Keck, Leander E. The New Intrepreters Bible

[8] Boadt, Lawrence. Reading The Old Testament

Bibliography

Barker, Kenneth, general editor. "King James Version Study Bible." Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 2002.

Boadt, Lawrence. "Reading The Old Testament." Paulist Press, New York. 1984.

Calvin, John. "Calvin's Commentaries: Exodus-Deuteronomy." Baker Books, Dartmouth, Mass. 1563. (1974 reprinting.)

"Copticchurch.net." Published by St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, Jersey City, NJ, for the Coptic Church in North America. 2008

Cyril of Alexandria, "Against Julian. Book 2." Translated by Roger Pearse. Ipswich, UK, 2006.

Harmon, Nolan B., editor, "The Interpreter's Bible Volume I." Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tenn. 1954

Harris, Stephen L. "Understanding the Bible." McGraw Hill. New York. 2002

Josephus, Flavius. "Complete Works." Translated by William Whiston. Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. 1973.

Keck, Leander E., editor, "The New Interpreter's Bible Volume I." Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tenn. 1994

Milton, John. "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent." Circa 1655.

"The New Catholic Encyclopedia." McGraw-Hill. New York. 1967

Exodus 2:1-10

1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

5 Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.

7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"

8 "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

­­‑- New International Version