The Exodus & the Ten Commandments / Covenant (Moses, Pharaoh, etc.)

Basic Info

Book of Exodus

At the end of the Book of Genesis, Joseph brought his 11 brothers and their father, Jacob, to live in Egypt during a famine. The Book of Exodus picks up the story two or three hundred years later. By this point, the Twelve Tribes of Israel were so populous that Pharaoh got nervous and ordered that all male babies born to Hebrew speaking women be killed. That way the next generation of Israelite women would have to marry Egyptian men, eliminating an Israelite identity. Pharaoh was also afraid of the Israelites’ partnering with Egypt’s enemies, so they weren’t allowed to go to Canaan (the Promised Land). On top of this, the Israelites were subjected to cruel forced labor. They complained to God. God heard them because Pharaoh’s actions interfered with the Covenant with Abraham wherein God promised the land of Canaan and descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Moses was one of the Hebrew babies that were supposed to be killed, but his mother floated him down the Nile in a basket. Pharaoh’s daughter rescued him and raised him in the palace. When he was grown, he fled Egypt because he killed an Egyptian who was beating one of his relatives. Yet God called him (from a Burning Bush) to lead the people to freedom from Pharaoh’s cruelty. Moses had some exchanges with Pharaoh, and God sent Ten Plagues, but the last one passed over (Passover) the Israelites. Moses then led them out of Egypt, crossing the Red Sea where God parted the waters for them to walk.

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years on their way to the Promised Land. They suffered snakes in camp, food shortages, and thirst. But they also experienced Moses’ driving the snakes away, miraculous food from Heaven (manna & quails), and miraculous springs emerging from a rock that Moses struck.

God called Moses to Mount Sinai to make a covenant with him wherein the people’s responsibility was to abide by the Ten Commandments. After the Israelites got used to self-governance, they entered the Promised Land but without Moses; he was denied this because of a lapse of faith when he struck the rock twice looking for water.

The Burning Bush, the Plagues and Red Sea, and the Ten Commandments are common enough scenes in the art tradition to have sections of their own (see the links below), but for other Moses stories (Baby Moses, the events in the Wilderness, and the Israelites’ entry into the Promised Land) this set of guidelines should help.

What to Look For

• Moses’ physical appearance and attitude (radiant, horns [a mistranslation of rays of light coming from his head], powerful, confident, insecure, etc.)
• The relationship between Moses and God (balking, awed, fearful, stubborn, open, showing favor, frustrated, etc.)
• The relationship between Moses and Pharaoh (equals, respectful, contentious, etc.)
• The relationship between Moses and Aaron (fellowship, competition, etc.)
• The relationship between Moses and the Israelites (grumbling, trusting, scorning, etc.)

Questions to Focus a General Interpretation

To what extent does the artwork indicate that Moses was special in some way? Does it account in any way for Moses being a flawed, reluctant human being? Does it account for God’s choosing Moses to do the job anyway?

Does the artwork make clear that any miraculous event depicted is God’s work, or does the artwork imply that Moses might be this powerful himself?

Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation

Does the artwork’s depiction of Moses’ faulty humanity being used effectively by God call you to see your own life any differently?

Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation

Consider any possible (metaphorical) parallels between life in the artist’s day and life for the Israelites in Egypt or in the wilderness. Does the artwork draw attention to any of these parallels?

To what extent were miracles expected or hoped for in the artist’s time and place? How might this have influenced the artwork?

Deeper dives into some of these subtopics are available at these links:

• Moses at the Burning Bush
• The Plagues, the Passover, & the Parting of the Red Sea
• The Ten Commandments and the Golden Calf

A Reflection on an Artwork Depicting Moses Presenting the Tablets of the Law