Did Moshe (Moses) Float Down the River?
Growing up we all learn the miraculous story of how Moshe (Moses) came to be in the land of Egypt. Hollywood has done an incredible job of twisting this account in Sh’mot (Exodus) 2 by making us believe Moshe didn’t know who he was when we can clearly see that he was raised by a Hebrew woman; his own mother in fact, and in Sh’mot 2:11, Moshe goes to visit his “kinsmen” and ends up defending a Hebrew, “one of his brothers”.
One day, when Moshe was a grown man, he went out to visit his kinsmen; and he watched them struggling at forced labor. He saw an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. ~ Sh’mot (Exodus) 2:11
We certainly could go into a teaching of how Moshe was raised in Pharaoh’s home; like Yosef, and spent trail periods in his life equalling 40 years each trail: 40 years as an Egyptian, 40 years learning to be a shepherd in Midyan, and 40 years wandering the desert with the people of Isra’el, but we’ll save that for another teaching. What we’ll focus on is the detail that I, for many years, completely overlooked until this revelation came from reading this week’s parasha (Sh’mot/Exodus 1-6:1). In the following scene taken from the animated movie “The Prince of Egypt”, we see the dramatization of baby Moshe (Moses) as he’s put in the basket and pushed down the river. The scene starts at 3:22.
Very dramatic indeed. We first see the ark hold the baby afloat through leaping fish, a crocodile and hippo toss the baby in the water in an epic water battle, the basket is pulled up by fishermen’s nets, collides with the ores of boats until finally floating safely to Pharaoh’s daughter’s private bathing area. I recall this being the major theme growing up when I heard the bible stories. Moshes (Moses) was placed in the basket and sent a drift. Yet this doesn’t appear to be the case in scripture.
When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket, coated it with clay and tar, put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the riverbank. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. ~ Sh’mot (Exodus) 2:3
Just after this verse it goes into Pharaoh’s daughter finding the baby. Notice that the baby’s sister “stood at a distance to see what would happen to him”. Now, many of us who are parents would never leave a baby unattended, let alone send that baby down a dangerous river filled with predators as seen in the depiction above: Nile crocodile, hippos, boats, etc. In addition, the baby was only three months old (Sh’mot/Exodus 2:2) and he would have surely become hungry, fussy, and would have started crying (something to get attention) within a short time period. Generally a baby is fed every 2-4 hours. Again, we must note that Moshe’s sister “stood at a distance to see what would happen to him”. Not followed at a distance as the basket traveled, but stood.
We must also note the location which the ark (note that Moshe, who brought the Words of YHVH, is protected in an ark or basket) was placed; the riverbank. The Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon for this word (“bank” in the NASB) is 8193.
8193 saphah saw-faw’ or (in dual and plural) sepheth {sef-eth’}; probably from 5595 or 8192 through the idea of termination (Compare 5490); the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.):–band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, ((sea-))shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.
I submit to you that Moshe’s mother knew exactly where to place her child so that someone, a person able to care for the baby; a noble person perhaps, would find the baby and look after him.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river while her maids-in-attendance walked along the riverside. Spotting the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave-girl to get it. She opened it and looked inside, and there in front of her was a crying baby boy! Moved with pity, she said, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children.” At this point, his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Would you like me to go and find you one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter answered, “Yes, go.” So the girl went and called the baby’s own mother. Pharaoh’s daughter told her, “Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will pay you for doing it.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. ~ Sh’mot (Exodus) 2:5
Pharaoh’s daughter outright says, “this must be one the Hebrews’ children”! Why would she, Pharaoh’s daughter, break her father’s command to but the baby to death (Sh’mot/Exodus 1:22)? She was movoed with pity, but why would that stop her from breaking the law of the land? Then we continuing reading as Moshe’s sister springs up at the very moment she plucks Moshe out of the river to ask, “would you like me to find someone to take care of the baby”, and then went and got her own mother to look after and raise the baby. This was the plan all along! Moshe’s mother “conspired”, if I may use term that loosely, to have Pharaoh’s daughter (or someone in the house of Pharaoh) find the baby and at that moment, his sister; standing at a distance watching, would pop up and take him back home; safe from Pharaoh’s death sentence.
Of course we can conclude that this was all YHVH’s devine plan set in motion by Moshe’s mother, sister, and Pharaoh’s daughter. That is not the point. The point is to simply clear up what Hollywood has sold us for many years and is now teaching our children the same twisted lie. It’s been said that the Adversary (HaSatan) will tell us a thousand truths in order for us to believe one lie. We must be the teachers of our children and show them how our wonderful Creator has a plan for salvation. As the Torah tells us:
Sh’ma, Yisra’el! YHVH Eloheinu, YHVH echad [Hear, Isra’el! YHVH our God, YHVH is one]; and you are to love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; and you are to teach them carefully to your children. ~ D’varim (Deuteronomy) 6:4-7
We hope this teaching has blessed you and that you have found new revelation in YHVH’s Word.
Shalom.
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Sonya Appel
