Bible Characters
Moses: From the Nile Basket to Mount Sinai (+Quiz)
A basket on the Nile, a burning bush, ten plagues, a sea that parted, and the tablets of the covenant.
No figure looms larger in the Torah than Moses - the leader, the prophet, and the one who received the Torah: "never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses." His story, stretching from the Book of Exodus to the end of Deuteronomy, sits at the very heart of the Five Books of Moses - and it is among the most frequently asked topics in Bible quizzes.
▶ Play now: the Moses quiz — 50 questions per level
The Basket on the Nile
When Pharaoh decreed that every baby boy be drowned, Jochebed placed her infant in a papyrus basket at the edge of the Nile. Pharaoh's daughter found him, took pity on him, and named him Moses - "because I drew him out of the water." His sister Miriam made sure that Jochebed, his own mother, would nurse him. And so a Hebrew boy grew up in Pharaoh's palace.
The Burning Bush
After killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, Moses fled to Midian and tended the flocks of Jethro. There, at Mount Horeb, he saw a bush burning with fire yet not consumed. From within the bush God called to him and sent him to Pharaoh: "Let My people go." Moses tried to refuse - "Who am I?" - but he was sent, with his brother Aaron as his spokesman.
The Ten Plagues and the Exodus
In the face of Pharaoh's refusal, God brought ten plagues upon Egypt - from blood to the death of the firstborn. On the night of the Exodus the Israelites were commanded to offer the Passover sacrifice and place its blood on the doorposts, and then they were driven out of Egypt in haste. This is the Exodus, the founding event of the people of Israel, which every generation is commanded to remember.
The Parting of the Red Sea
Pharaoh pursued the people all the way to the sea. Moses raised his staff, an east wind split the waters, and Israel crossed on dry land through the midst of the sea - while the pursuing Egyptians drowned. On the far shore Moses and the Israelites sang the "Song of the Sea": "I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously."
The Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai
In the third month after the Exodus they arrived at Mount Sinai. Amid thunder and lightning God descended upon the mountain and gave the Ten Commandments and the Torah. Moses ascended the mountain for forty days and came down with the tablets of the covenant - but when he saw the people sinning with the golden calf, he shattered the tablets. He then ascended a second time and brought down a new set.
Forty Years in the Wilderness
Moses led the people for forty years in the wilderness - manna, water from the rock, wars, and the building of the Tabernacle. Because of the sin at the waters of Meribah, it was decreed that he would not enter the land. He saw it from the top of Mount Nebo, blessed the tribes, and died there - "and no one knows his burial place." Moses was "the humblest of all men."
Play the Moses quiz
Bible Quiz now has a dedicated Moses quiz — real questions from the bank across five difficulty levels, 50 questions per level, from the easy questions up to the "Super-Rabbi" level with exact verses and numbers. You can also reach it from the character area or the game screen, via the "by hero" button.
FAQ
Who brought the Israelites out of Egypt?
Moses, together with his brother Aaron, sent by God - after the ten plagues.
How long was Moses on Mount Sinai?
Forty days and forty nights, during which he received the Torah and the tablets of the covenant.
Why did Moses not enter the Land of Israel?
Because of the sin at the waters of Meribah, it was decreed that he would see the land from Mount Nebo but not enter it.
What was Moses's most defining trait?
Humility - the Torah testifies: "Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth."