Etc.) - leader and legislator of the Jewish people, prophet and first sacred writer of everyday life. He was born in Egypt 1574 or 1576 years BC and was the son of Amram and Jochebed. When Moses was born, his mother, Jochebed, hid him for some time from the general beating of Jewish male infants by order of Pharaoh; but when it was no longer possible to hide it, she took him out to the river and placed him in a basket made of reeds and tarred with asphalt and resin near the bank of the Nile River in a reed, and Moses’ sister watched in the distance what would happen to him. Pharaoh's daughter, c. Egyptian, went out to the river to wash and here she saw a basket, heard the cry of a child, took pity on him and decided to save his life. Thus, taken from the water, he, at the suggestion of Moses' sister, was given to be raised by his mother. When the baby grew up, the mother introduced him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he was with her instead of a son, and while in royal palace, was taught all the Egyptian wisdom (,). According to Josephus, he was even made commander of the Egyptian army against the Ethiopians who invaded Egypt as far as Memphis, and successfully defeated them (Ancient Book II, Chapter 10). Despite, however, his advantageous position under Pharaoh, Moses, according to the word of the apostle, He wanted to suffer with the people of God better than to have temporary sinful pleasure, and he considered the reproach of Christ to be greater wealth for himself than the treasures of Egypt(). He was already 40 years old, and then one day it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. Then he saw their hard work and how much the Jews suffered from the Egyptians. It happened one day that he stood up for a Jew who was being beaten by an Egyptian and, in the heat of battle, killed him, and there was no one there except the offended Jew. The next day he saw two Jews quarreling among themselves and began to convince them, like brothers, to live in harmony. But the one who offended his neighbor pushed him away: who made you a leader and judge over us? he said. Don't you want to kill me too, like you killed the Egyptian yesterday?(). Hearing this, Moses, fearing that rumors of this might reach Pharaoh, fled to the land of Midian. In the house of the Midian priest Jethro, he married his daughter Zipporah and spent 40 years here. While tending his father-in-law's flock, he walked with the flock far into the desert and came to the mountain of God, Horeb (). He saw an extraordinary phenomenon here, namely: a thorn bush all in flames, burning and not being consumed. Approaching the bush, he heard the voice of the Lord from the middle of the bush, commanding him to take off his shoes from his feet, since the place on which he stood was holy ground. Moses hastily took off his shoes and covered his face in fear. Then he was given a command from God to go to Pharaoh to free the Israelites. Fearing his unworthiness and imagining various difficulties, Moses several times renounced this great embassy, but the Lord encouraged him with His presence and His help, revealing His name to him: Jehovah (Jehovah) and as proof of His power, He turned the rod that was in the hands of Moses into a serpent, and again turned the serpent into a rod; then Moses, at the command of God, put his hand in his bosom, and his hand turned white from leprosy like snow; according to the new command, he again put his hand in his bosom, took it out, and she was healthy. The Lord appointed his brother Aaron as an assistant to Moses. Then Moses unquestioningly obeyed the calling of the Lord. Together with his brother Aaron, he appeared before the face of Pharaoh, c. Egyptian, and on behalf of Jehovah they asked him to release the Jews from Egypt for three days to make sacrifices in the desert. Pharaoh, as the Lord predicted to Moses, refused them this. Then the Lord struck the Egyptians with terrible plagues, the last of which was the beating of all the firstborn of the Egyptians by an angel in one night. This terrible execution finally broke the Pharaoh’s stubbornness. He allowed the Jews to leave Egypt into the desert for three days to pray and take their livestock, both small and large. And the Egyptians urged the people to quickly send them out of that land; for, they said, we will all die. The Jews, having celebrated the Passover on the last night, at the command of God, left Egypt among 600,000 men with all their property, and, despite all the haste, they did not forget to take with them the bones of Joseph and some other patriarchs, as Joseph had bequeathed. God Himself showed them where to direct their path: He walked before them during the day in a pillar of cloud, and at night in a pillar of fire, illuminating their path (Ex. XIII, 21, 22). Pharaoh and the Egyptians soon repented that they had let the Jews go, and set off with their army to catch up with them and were already approaching their camp near the Red Sea. Then the Lord commanded Moses to take his rod and divide the sea so that the children of Israel could walk through the sea on dry land. Moses acted in accordance with the command of God, and the sea was divided, and a dry bottom was revealed. The children of Israel walked through the sea on dry ground, so that the waters became a wall to them on the right and on the left. The Egyptians followed them into the middle of the sea, but, dismayed by God, they began to flee back. Then Moses, when the Israelites had already reached the shore, again stretched out his hand to the sea, and the waters returned again to their place and covered Pharaoh with all his army and his chariots and horsemen; not a single one of them remained to speak in Egypt about this terrible death. On the seashore, Moses and all the people solemnly sang a song of thanksgiving to God: I sing to the Lord, for He was exalted on high, He cast horse and rider into the sea, and Mariam and all the women, striking the timbrels, sang: Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted (). Moses led the Jews to the Promised Land through the Arabian Desert. They walked through the desert of Sur for three days and found no water except bitter water (Merrah). God sweetened this water by commanding Moses to put the tree He indicated into it. In the desert of Sin, as a result of the people's grumbling about the lack of food and their demand for meat food, God sent them many quails and from that time and for the next forty years God sent them manna from heaven every day. In Rephidim, due to a lack of water and the murmuring of the people, Moses, at the command of God, brought water out of the rock of Mount Horeb, striking it with his rod. Here the Amalekites made an attack on the Jews, but were defeated by the prayer of Moses, who throughout the battle prayed on the mountain, raising his hands to God (). In the third month after the exodus from Egypt, the Jews finally approached the foot of Mount Sinai and camped opposite the mountain. On the third day, at the command of God, the people were placed by Moses near the mountain, at some distance from it, with a strict prohibition not to approach it closer than a certain line. On the morning of the third day there were thunderclaps, lightning began to flash, a strong trumpet sound was heard, Mount Sinai was all smoking, because the Lord descended on it in fire and smoke rose from it like smoke from a furnace. This was how the presence of God on Sinai was marked. And at that time the Lord spoke in the hearing of all the people the Ten Commandments of the Law of God. Then Moses ascended the mountain, received laws from the Lord regarding church and civil improvement, and when he came down from the mountain, he reported all this to the people and wrote everything in a book. Then, after sprinkling the people with blood and reading the book of the Covenant, Moses again, at the command of God, ascended the mountain, and spent forty days and forty nights there, and received detailed instructions from God about the construction of the Tabernacle and the altar and about everything related to worship, in conclusion two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments inscribed on them (). Upon returning from the mountain, Moses saw that the people, left to their own devices, had fallen into the terrible crime of idolatry before the golden calf, idolized in Egypt. In the heat of indignation, he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them, and burned the golden calf in the fire and scattered the ashes in the water, which he gave to drink. Moreover, by the command of Moses, three thousand people, the main culprits of the crime, fell by the sword of the sons of Levi that day. After this, Moses hurried back to the mountain to beg the Lord to forgive the people for their iniquity and again stayed there for forty days and forty nights, did not eat bread or drink water, and the Lord bowed to mercy. Excited by this mercy, Moses had the boldness to ask God to show him His glory in the highest way. And once again he was ordered to ascend the mountain with the prepared tablets, and he again spent 40 days there in fasting. At this time, the Lord descended in a cloud and passed before him with His glory. Moses fell to the ground in awe. The reflection of the glory of God was reflected on his face, and when he came down from the mountain, the people could not look at him; why he wore a veil over his face, which he took off when he appeared before the Lord. Six months after this, the Tabernacle was built and consecrated with all its accessories with sacred oil. Aaron and his sons were appointed to serve in the Tabernacle, and soon the entire tribe of Levi was separated to help them (,). Finally, on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, a cloud rose from the Tabernacle, and the Jews moved on their further journey, staying at Mount Sinai for about a year (). Their further wandering was accompanied by numerous temptations, grumbling, cowardice and the death of the people, but at the same time it represented a continuous series of miracles and mercy of the Lord towards His chosen people. So, for example, in the Paran desert the people grumbled about the lack of meat and fish: Now our soul is languishing; there is nothing, only manna in our eyes, they said reproachfully to Moses. As punishment for this, part of the camp was destroyed by fire sent from God. But this did little to enlighten the dissatisfied. Soon they began to neglect manna and demanded meat food for themselves. Then the Lord raised up a strong wind, which brought huge numbers of quails from the sea. The people rushed greedily to collect quails, collected them day and night and ate until they were satiated. But this whim and satiety was the cause of the death of many of them, and the place where many people died from a terrible plague was called the tombs of lust, or whim. In the next camp, Moses experienced trouble from his own relatives, Aaron and Miriam, but God exalted him as his faithful servant throughout His entire House (). Continuing their journey further, the Jews approached the Promised Land and could soon have taken possession of it if their unbelief and cowardice had not prevented this. In the desert of Paran, in Kadesh, the most outrageous murmur occurred when the Jews heard from 12 spies sent to inspect the Promised Land great power , the great growth of the inhabitants of that land and its fortified cities. With this indignation, they wanted to stone even Moses himself and Aaron with two of the spies and choose a new leader for themselves to return to Egypt. Then the Lord condemned them for this to a 40-year wandering, so that all of them had to die in the desert for over 20 years, except for Joshua and Caleb (). Then followed a new indignation of Korah, Dathan and Abiron against Moses and Aaron himself, punished by the Lord with terrible executions, and the priesthood was again confirmed for the house of Aaron (). The Jews wandered through the desert for more than thirty years, and almost all those who left Egypt died. With the onset of the fortieth year after leaving Egypt, they appear in Kadesh, in the desert of Sin on the border of the land of Idumea. Here, due to the lack of water, the people again grumbled against Moses and Aaron, who turned to the Lord in prayer. The Lord heeded the prayer and ordered Moses and Aaron to gather the community and, with a rod in their hands, command the rock to give water. Moses struck the rock twice with his rod, and a lot of water flowed out. But since in this case Moses, as if not trusting one of his words, struck with the rod and acted contrary to the will of God, then for this he and Aaron were condemned to die outside the Promised Land (). On the further journey, Aaron died near Mount Hor, having previously transferred the high priesthood to his son, Eleazar (). At the end of the journey, the people again began to be faint-hearted and grumble. As punishment for this, God sent poisonous snakes against him and, when they repented, he commanded Moses to erect a copper serpent on a tree to heal them (,). Approaching the borders of the Amorites, the Jews defeated Sihon, c. Amorite, and Og, c. Bashan, and, having occupied their lands, they set up their camp against Jericho. For the fornication with the daughters of Moab and the idolatry in which the Jews were involved by the Moabites and Midianites, 24,000 of them died, and others were hanged by the command of God. Finally, since Moses himself, like Aaron, was not worthy to enter the Promised Land, he asked the Lord to show him a worthy successor, which is why he was shown a successor in the person of Joshua, on whom he laid his hands before Eleazar the priest and in front of the whole community. own(). Thus, Moses conveyed to him his title in front of all Israel, made orders for the possession and division of the Promised Land, repeated to the people the laws given by God at different times, inspiring them to keep them sacred and touchingly reminding them of the many different benefits of God during their forty-year wandering. He wrote all his admonitions, the repeated law and his final orders in a book and gave it to the priests to keep at the Ark of the Covenant, making it a duty to read it to the people every seventh year on the Feast of Tabernacles. IN last time, being called before the Tabernacle, together with his successor, he received a revelation from God about the future ingratitude of the people and conveyed this to him in an accusatory and edifying song. Finally, he was called to Mount Nebo to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, having seen from afar the Promised Land shown to him by the Lord, and died on the mountain at the age of 120. His body was buried in a valley near Bethegor, but no one knows the place of his burial even to this day, says the writer of everyday life (). The people honored his death with thirty days of mourning. The Holy Church commemorates the prophet and seer of God Moses on the 4th day of September. In the book. Deuteronomy, after his death, speaks of him in a prophetic spirit (perhaps this is the word of Moses’ successor, Joshua): And Israel no longer had a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face (). St. Isaiah says that centuries later, the people of God, during the days of their tribulations, remembered with reverence before God the times of Moses, when the Lord saved Israel by his hand (Isa. LXIII, 11-13). As a leader, legislator and prophet, Moses lived in the memory of the people at all times. His memory in the most recent times was always blessed, never dying among the people of Israel (Sir. XLV, 1-6). In the New Testament, Moses, as the great lawgiver, and Elijah, as the representative of the prophets, appear conversing in glory with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration (,). The great name of Moses cannot lose its important and for all Christians, and for the entire enlightened world: he lives among us in his sacred books, he was the first Divinely inspired writer.
At first, the Jews lived well in Egypt. But the new pharaohs who ascended the Egyptian throne began to forget Joseph and his merits. They feared the multiplication of the Jewish people; they were afraid that the Jews would become stronger than the Egyptians and rebel against them. The pharaohs began to exhaust them with hard work. Finally, one of the pharaohs ordered to kill all boys born to Jews.
At a time when the Jews were still living well, they began to forget God and began to adopt pagan customs from the Egyptians. Now, when troubles began, they remembered God and turned to Him with a prayer for salvation. The merciful Lord heard them and sent them deliverance through the prophet and leader Moses.
Moses was born into a family descended from the tribe of Levi. The mother hid her son from the Egyptians for three months. But when it was impossible to hide it any longer, she took a reed basket, tarred it, put the baby in it and placed the basket in the reeds, near the river bank. And the baby’s sister, Mariam, began to observe from afar what would happen next.
The Pharaoh's daughter and her maids came to this place to bathe. Noticing the basket, she ordered it to be taken out. When she saw the crying baby, she felt sorry for him. She said, “This is from Jewish children.” Mariam approached her and asked: “Should I look for a nurse for him among the Jewish women?” The princess said: “Yes, go and look.” Mariam went and brought her mother. The princess said to her: “Take this baby and nurse him to me; I will give you payment." She agreed with great joy.
When the baby grew up, his mother brought him to the princess. The princess took him to her place, and she had him instead of a son. She gave him the name Moses, which means “taken out of the water.”
Moses grew up in the royal court and was taught all the wisdom of Egypt. But he knew that he was a Jew and loved his people. One day Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Jew. He stood up for the Jew and killed the Egyptian. Another time, Moses saw a Jew hitting another Jew. He wanted to stop him, but he boldly replied: “Don’t you want to kill me, just like you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid when he saw that his deed had become known. Then Moses fled from Egypt, from Pharaoh to another country, to Arabia, to the land of Midian. He settled with the priest Jethro, married his daughter Zipporah, and tended his flocks.
One day Moses went far with his flocks and was at Mount Horeb. There he saw a thorn bush that was engulfed in flames, burning and not being consumed. Moses decided to come closer and see why the bush did not burn. Then he heard a voice from the middle of the bush: “Moses! Moses! Don't come here; take off the shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
The Lord said to him: “I have seen the suffering of my people in Egypt and heard their cry, and I am going to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and bring them into the land of Canaan. Go to Pharaoh and bring My people out of Egypt.” At the same time, God gave Moses the power to perform miracles. And since Moses was tongue-tied, that is, he stuttered, the Lord gave him his brother Aaron to help him, who would speak in his place.
The bush that did not burn in the fire that Moses saw when God appeared to him was called the “burning bush.” It depicted the state of the chosen Jewish people, oppressed and not perishing. He was also a prototype of the Mother of God, Who was not burned by the fire of the Divinity of the Son of God when He descended through Her from Heaven to earth, having been born of Her.
NOTE: See Ref. 1; 2; 3; 4, 1-28.
Moses is the greatest Old Testament prophet, the founder of Judaism, who led the Jews from Egypt, where they were in slavery, accepted the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai and united the Israeli tribes into a single people.
In Christianity, Moses is considered one of the most important prototypes of Christ: just as through Moses the Old Testament was revealed to the world, so through Christ the New Testament was revealed.
The name "Moses" (in Hebrew Mosheʹ) is believed to be of Egyptian origin and means "child". According to other instructions - “recovered or rescued from the water” (this name was given to him by the Egyptian princess who found him on the river bank).
The four books of the Pentateuch (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), which make up the epic of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, are dedicated to his life and work.
Birth of Moses
According to the biblical account, Moses was born in Egypt into a Jewish family during the time when the Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians, around 1570 BC (other estimates around 1250 BC). Moses' parents belonged to the tribe of Levi 1 (Ex. 2:1). His older sister was Miriam and his older brother was Aaron (the first of the Jewish high priests, the ancestor of the priestly caste).
1 Levi- the third son of Jacob (Israel) from his wife Leah (Gen. 29:34). The descendants of the tribe of Levi are the Levites, who were responsible for the priesthood. Since of all the tribes of Israel the Levites were the only tribe not endowed with land, they were dependent on their fellows.
As you know, the Israelis moved to Egypt during the lifetime of Jacob-Israel 2 (XVII century BC), fleeing famine. They lived in the eastern Egyptian region of Goshen, bordering the Sinai Peninsula and watered by a tributary of the Nile River. Here they had extensive pastures for their herds and could roam freely around the country.
2 JacoborYakov (Israel) - the third of the biblical patriarchs, the youngest of the twin sons of the patriarch Isaac and Rebekah. From his sons came the 12 tribes of the people of Israel. In rabbinic literature, Jacob is seen as a symbol of the Jewish people.
Over time, the Israelites multiplied more and more, and the more they multiplied, the more hostile the Egyptians were towards them. Eventually there were so many Jews that it began to inspire fear in the new pharaoh. He told his people: “The Israeli tribe is multiplying and can become stronger than us. If we have a war with another state, the Israelis can unite with our enemies.” To prevent the Israelite tribe from strengthening, it was decided to turn it into slavery. The pharaohs and their officials began to oppress the Israelites as strangers, and then began to treat them as a conquered tribe, like masters and slaves. The Egyptians began to force the Israelites to do the most difficult work for the benefit of the state: they were forced to dig the ground, build cities, palaces and monuments for kings, and prepare clay and bricks for these buildings. Special guards were appointed who strictly monitored the execution of all these forced labors.
But no matter how the Israelites were oppressed, they still continued to multiply. Then Pharaoh gave the order that all newborn Israeli boys should be drowned in the river, and only girls should be left alive. This order was carried out with merciless severity. The people of Israel were in danger of complete extermination.
During this time of trouble, a son was born to Amram and Jochebed, from the tribe of Levi. He was so beautiful that light emanated from him. The father of the holy prophet Amram had a vision that spoke of the great mission of this baby and of God's favor towards him. Moses' mother Jochebed managed to hide the baby in her home for three months. However, no longer able to hide him, she left the baby in a tarred reed basket in the thickets on the banks of the Nile.
Moses being lowered by his mother onto the waters of the Nile. A.V. Tyranov. 1839-42
At this time, Pharaoh's daughter went to the river to swim, accompanied by her servants. Seeing a basket among the reeds, she ordered it to be opened. A tiny boy lay in the basket and cried. Pharaoh's daughter said, "This must be one of the Hebrew children." She took pity on the crying baby and, on the advice of Moses’ sister Miriam, who approached her and was watching what was happening from afar, agreed to call the Israeli nurse. Miriam brought her mother Jochebed. Thus, Moses was given to his mother, who nursed him. When the boy grew up, he was brought to Pharaoh's daughter, and she raised him as her son (Ex. 2:10). Pharaoh's daughter gave him the name Moses, which means "taken out of the water."
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There are suggestions that this good princess was Hatshepsut, daughter of Thothmes I, later the famous and only female pharaoh in the history of Egypt.
The childhood and youth of Moses. Flight into the desert.
Moses spent the first 40 years of his life in Egypt, raised in the palace as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Here he received an excellent education and was initiated into “all the wisdom of Egypt,” that is, into all the secrets of the religious and political worldview of Egypt. Tradition says that he served as commander of the Egyptian army and helped the pharaoh defeat the Ethiopians who attacked him.
Although Moses grew up free, he never forgot his Jewish roots. One day he wanted to see how his fellow tribesmen lived. Seeing an Egyptian overseer beating one of the Israelite slaves, Moses stood up for the defenseless and, in a fit of rage, accidentally killed the overseer. Pharaoh found out about this and wanted to punish Moses. The only way to escape was to escape. And Moses fled from Egypt to the Sinai desert, which is near the Red Sea, between Egypt and Canaan. He settled in the land of Midian (Ex. 2:15), located on the Sinai Peninsula, with the priest Jethro (another name is Raguel), where he became a shepherd. Moses soon married Jethro's daughter, Zipporah, and became a member of this peaceful shepherd family. So another 40 years passed.
Calling of Moses
One day Moses was tending a flock and went far into the desert. He approached Mount Horeb (Sinai), and here a wondrous vision appeared to him. He saw a thick thorn bush, which was engulfed in a bright flame and was burning, but still did not burn out.
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The thorn bush or “Burning Bush” is a prototype of God-manhood and the Mother of God and symbolizes the contact of God with a created being
God said He chose Moses to save the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Moses had to go to Pharaoh and demand that he release the Jews. As a sign that the time has come for a new, more complete Revelation, He proclaims His Name to Moses: "I Am Who I Am"(Ex.3:14) . He sends Moses to demand, on behalf of the God of Israel, to release the people from the “house of slavery.” But Moses is aware of his weakness: he is not ready for a feat, he is deprived of the gift of speech, he is sure that neither Pharaoh nor the people will believe him. Only after persistent repetition of the call and signs does he agree. God said that Moses in Egypt had a brother Aaron, who, if necessary, would speak in his place, and God himself would teach both what to do. To convince unbelievers, God gives Moses the ability to perform miracles. Immediately, by His order, Moses threw his rod (shepherd's stick) to the ground - and suddenly this rod turned into a snake. Moses caught the snake by the tail - and again there was a stick in his hand. Another miracle: when Moses put his hand in his bosom and took it out, it became white from leprosy like snow, when he put his hand in his bosom again and took it out, it became healthy. “If they don’t believe this miracle,- said the Lord, - then take water from the river and pour it on the dry land, and the water will become blood on the dry land.”
Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh
Obeying God, Moses set out on the road. On the way, he met his brother Aaron, whom God ordered to go out into the desert to meet Moses, and they came together to Egypt. Moses was already 80 years old, no one remembered him. The daughter of the former pharaoh, the adoptive mother of Moses, also died long ago.
First of all, Moses and Aaron came to the people of Israel. Aaron told his fellow tribesmen that God would lead the Jews out of slavery and give them a land flowing with milk and honey. However, they did not immediately believe him. They were afraid of Pharaoh's revenge, they were afraid of the path through the waterless desert. Moses performed several miracles, and the people of Israel believed in him and that the hour of liberation from slavery had come. Nevertheless, the murmur against the prophet, which began even before the exodus, then flared up repeatedly. Like Adam, who was free to submit to or reject the higher Will, the newly created people of God experienced temptations and failures.
After this, Moses and Aron appeared to Pharaoh and declared to him the will of the God of Israel, so that he would release the Jews into the desert to serve this God: “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may celebrate a feast for Me in the wilderness.” But Pharaoh answered angrily: “Who is the Lord that I should listen to him? I don’t know the Lord and I won’t let the Israelites go.”(Ex.5:1-2)
Then Moses announced to Pharaoh that if he did not release the Israelites, then God would send various “plagues” (misfortunes, disasters) to Egypt. The king did not listen - and the threats of the messenger of God came true.
Ten Plagues and the Establishment of Easter
Pharaoh's refusal to fulfill God's command entails 10 "plagues of Egypt" , a series of terrible natural disasters:
However, the executions only embitter the pharaoh even more.
Then the angry Moses came to Pharaoh for the last time and warned: “This is what the Lord says: At midnight I will pass through the middle of Egypt. And every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh...to the firstborn of the slave girl...and all the firstborn of livestock.” This was the last and most severe 10th plague (Exodus 11:1-10 - Exodus 12:1-36).
Then Moses warned the Jews to slaughter a one-year-old lamb in each family and anoint the doorposts and lintel with its blood: by this blood God will distinguish the homes of the Jews and will not touch them. The lamb was to be roasted over a fire and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Jews must be ready to hit the road immediately.
At night, Egypt suffered a terrible disaster. “And Pharaoh arose by night, he and all his servants, and all Egypt; and there was a great cry in the land of Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not a dead man.”
The shocked Pharaoh immediately summoned Moses and Aaron and ordered them, along with all their people, to go into the desert and perform worship so that God would take pity on the Egyptians.
Since then, Jews every year on the 14th day of the month of Nissan (the day falling on the full moon of the vernal equinox) Easter holiday . The word "passover" means "to pass by," because the angel who struck the firstborn passed by Jewish houses.
From now on, Easter will mark the liberation of the People of God and their unity in a sacred meal - a prototype of the Eucharistic Meal.
Exodus. Crossing the Red Sea.
That same night, the entire Israeli people left Egypt forever. The Bible indicates the number of those who left was “600 thousand Jews” (not counting women, children and livestock). The Jews did not leave empty-handed: before fleeing, Moses ordered them to ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver items, as well as rich clothes. They also took with them the mummy of Joseph, which Moses searched for for three days while his fellow tribesmen collected property from the Egyptians. God himself led them, being in a pillar of cloud during the day and in a pillar of fire at night, so the fugitives walked day and night until they reached the seashore.
Meanwhile, Pharaoh realized that the Jews had deceived him and rushed after them. Six hundred war chariots and selected Egyptian cavalry quickly overtook the fugitives. There seemed to be no escape. Jews - men, women, children, old people - crowded on the seashore, preparing for inevitable death. Only Moses was calm. At the command of God, he extended his hand to the sea, struck the water with his staff, and the sea parted, clearing the way. The Israelites walked along the bottom of the sea, and the waters of the sea stood like a wall to their right and left.
Seeing this, the Egyptians chased the Jews along the bottom of the sea. Pharaoh's chariots were already in the middle of the sea when the bottom suddenly became so viscous that they could hardly move. Meanwhile, the Israelis made it to the opposite bank. The Egyptian warriors realized that things were bad and decided to turn back, but it was too late: Moses again extended his hand to the sea, and it closed over Pharaoh’s army...
The crossing of the Red (now Red) Sea, accomplished in the face of imminent mortal danger, becomes the culmination of a saving miracle. The waters separated the rescued from the “house of slavery.” Therefore, the transition became a prototype of the sacrament of baptism. A new passage through water is also a path to freedom, but to freedom in Christ. On the seashore, Moses and all the people, including his sister Miriam, solemnly sang a song of thanksgiving to God. “I sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; he threw his horse and rider into the sea..." This solemn song of the Israelites to the Lord underlies the first of the nine sacred songs that make up the canon of songs sung daily Orthodox Church at the service.
According to biblical tradition, the Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years. And the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt took place, according to Egyptologists, around 1250 BC. However, according to the traditional point of view, the Exodus occurred in the 15th century. BC e., 480 years (~5 centuries) before the construction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem began (1 Kings 6:1). There are a significant number of alternative theories of the chronology of the Exodus, consistent to varying degrees with both religious and modern archaeological perspectives.
Miracles of Moses
The road to the Promised Land ran through the harsh and vast Arabian Desert. First, they walked for 3 days through the desert of Sur and found no water except bitter water (Merrah) (Exodus 15:22-26), but God sweetened this water by commanding Moses to throw a piece of some special tree into the water.
Soon, having reached the Sin desert, the people began to grumble from hunger, remembering Egypt, when they “sat by the cauldrons of meat and ate bread to their fill!” And God heard them and sent them from heaven manna from heaven (Ex. 16).
One morning, when they woke up, they saw that the entire desert was covered with something white, like frost. We started looking: white coating turned out to be small grains, similar to hail or grass seeds. In response to the surprised exclamations, Moses said: “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.” Adults and children rushed to gather manna and bake bread. From then on, every morning for 40 years they found manna from heaven and ate it.
Manna from heaven
The collection of manna took place in the morning, since by noon it melted under the rays of the sun. “The manna was like coriander seed, the appearance of bdellium.”(Num. 11:7). According to Talmudic literature, when eating manna, young men felt the taste of bread, old men - the taste of honey, children - the taste of oil.
In Rephidim, Moses, at the command of God, brought water out of the rock of Mount Horeb, striking it with his rod.
Here the Jews were attacked by a wild tribe of Amalekites, but were defeated by the prayer of Moses, who during the battle prayed on the mountain, raising his hands to God (Ex. 17).
Sinai Covenant and 10 Commandments
In the 3rd month after leaving Egypt, the Israelites approached Mount Sinai and camped opposite the mountain. Moses first ascended the mountain, and God warned him that he would appear before the people on the third day.
And then this day came. Terrible phenomena accompanied by a phenomenon in Sinai: a cloud, smoke, lightning, thunder, flame, earthquake, trumpet call. This communication lasted 40 days, and God gave Moses two tablets - stone tablets on which the Law was written.
1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; Let you have no other gods before Me.
2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water below the earth; You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I am the Lord your God. God is jealous, punishing the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days thou shalt work, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor yours, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor the stranger who is in your gates; For in six days the Lord created heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day; Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
5. Honor your father and your mother, (so that it may go well with you and) so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
6. Don't kill.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor (any of his livestock), nor anything that is thy neighbor's.
The law that was given to ancient Israel by God had several purposes. First, he asserted public order and justice. Secondly, he singled out the Jewish people as a special religious community professing monotheism. Thirdly, he had to make an internal change in a person, morally improve a person, bring a person closer to God through instilling in a person the love of God. Finally, the law of the Old Testament prepared humanity for the adoption of the Christian faith in the future.
The Decalogue (ten commandments) formed the basis of the moral code of all cultural humanity.
In addition to the Ten Commandments, God dictated laws to Moses that outlined how the people of Israel should live. Thus the Children of Israel became a people - Jews .
The Wrath of Moses. Establishment of the tabernacle of the covenant.
Moses ascended Mount Sinai twice, remaining there for 40 days. During his first absence the people sinned terribly. The wait seemed too long to them and they demanded that Aaron make them a god who led them out of Egypt. Frightened by their unbridledness, he collected gold earrings and made a golden calf, in front of which the Jews began to serve and have fun.
Coming down from the mountain, Moses in anger broke the Tablets and destroyed the calf.
Moses breaks the tablets of the Law
Moses severely punished the people for their apostasy, killing about 3 thousand people, but asked God not to punish them. God had mercy and showed him His glory, showing him a chasm in which he could see God from behind, because it is impossible for man to see His face.
After that, again for 40 days, he returned to the mountain and prayed to God for the forgiveness of the people. Here, on the mountain, he received instructions about the construction of the Tabernacle, the laws of worship and the establishment of the priesthood.It is believed that the book of Exodus lists the commandments on the first broken tablets, and Deuteronomy lists what was written the second time. From there he returned with God's face illuminated by the light and was forced to hide his face under a veil so that the people would not go blind.
Six months later, the Tabernacle was built and consecrated - a large, richly decorated tent. Inside the tabernacle stood the Ark of the Covenant - a wooden chest lined with gold with images of cherubim on top. In the ark lay the tablets of the covenant brought by Moses, a golden container with manna, and Aaron’s rod that flourished.
Tabernacle
To prevent disputes about who should have the right of the priesthood, God commanded that a staff be taken from each of the twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel and placed in the tabernacle, promising that the staff of the one He had chosen would blossom. The next day Moses found that Aaron's rod had produced flowers and brought almonds. Then Moses laid Aaron's rod before the ark of the covenant for safekeeping, as a testimony to future generations of the Divine election of Aaron and his descendants to the priesthood.
Moses' brother, Aaron, was ordained high priest, and other members of the tribe of Levi were ordained priests and "Levites" (in our opinion, deacons). From this time on, the Jews began to perform regular religious services and animal sacrifices.
End of wandering. Death of Moses.
For another 40 years Moses led his people to the promised land - Canaan. At the end of the journey, the people again began to be faint-hearted and grumble. As punishment, God sent poisonous snakes, and when they repented, he commanded Moses to erect a copper image of a serpent on a pole so that everyone who looked at it with faith would remain unharmed. The serpent lifted up in the desert, as St. Gregory of Nyssa - is the sign of the sacrament of the cross.
Despite great difficulties, the prophet Moses remained a faithful servant of the Lord God until the end of his life. He led, taught and mentored his people. He arranged their future, but did not enter the Promised Land because of the lack of faith shown by him and his brother Aaron at the waters of Meribah in Kadesh. Moses struck the rock twice with his rod, and water flowed out of the stone, although once was enough - and God became angry and declared that neither he nor his brother Aaron would enter the Promised Land.
By nature, Moses was impatient and prone to anger, but through Divine education he became so humble that he became “the meekest of all people on earth.” In all his deeds and thoughts, he was guided by faith in the Almighty. In a sense, the fate of Moses is similar to the fate of the Old Testament itself, which through the desert of paganism brought the people of Israel to the New Testament and froze on its threshold. Moses died at the end of forty years of wandering on the top of Mount Nebo, from which he could see the promised land from afar - Palestine. God told him: “This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not enter it.”
He was 120 years old, but neither his vision was dull nor his strength exhausted. He spent 40 years in the palace of the Egyptian pharaoh, another 40 with flocks of sheep in the land of Midian, and the last 40 wandering at the head of the Israeli people in the Sinai desert. The Israelites commemorated the death of Moses with 30 days of mourning. His grave was hidden by God so that the Israeli people, who were inclined at that time towards paganism, would not make a cult out of it.
After Moses, the Jewish people, spiritually renewed in the desert, were led by his disciple, who led the Jews to the Promised Land. For forty years of wandering, not a single person remained alive who came out of Egypt with Moses, and who doubted God and worshiped the golden calf at Horeb. In this way, a truly new people was created, living according to the law given by God at Sinai.
Moses was also the first inspired writer. According to legend, he is the author of the books of the Bible - the Pentateuch as part of the Old Testament. Psalm 89, “The Prayer of Moses, the Man of God,” is also attributed to Moses.
Svetlana Finogenova
One of the central events of the Old Testament is the story of Moses, the salvation of the Jewish people from the power of the Egyptian Pharaoh. Many skeptics are looking for historical evidence of the events that took place, since in the biblical account there were many miracles performed on the way to However, be that as it may, this story is quite entertaining and tells about the incredible liberation and resettlement of an entire people.
Background and birth of Moses
The birth of the future prophet was initially shrouded in mystery. Almost the only source of information about Moses was the biblical scriptures, since there is no direct historical evidence, there is only indirect evidence. In the year of the prophet’s birth, the ruling Pharaoh Ramses II ordered all newborn children to be drowned in the Nile, since, despite the hard work and oppression of the Jews, they continued to be fruitful and multiply. Pharaoh was afraid that one day they might side with his enemies.
That is why Moses’ mother hid him from everyone for the first three months. When this was no longer possible, she tarred the basket and placed her child there. Together with her eldest daughter, she took her to the river and left Mariam to see what happened next.
God wanted Moses and Ramses to meet. History, as mentioned above, is silent about the details. The basket was picked up by the pharaoh's daughter and brought to the palace. According to another version (which some historians adhere to), Moses belonged to the royal family and was the son of that very daughter of Pharaoh.
Be that as it may, the future prophet ended up in the palace. Miriam, who had observed whoever lifted the basket, offered Moses' own mother as a nurse. So the son returned to the family for a while.
Life of a Prophet in the Palace
After Moses grew up a little and no longer needed a nurse, his mother took the future prophet to the palace. He lived there for quite a long time, and was also adopted by the pharaoh's daughter. Moses knew what kind of person he was, he knew that he was a Jew. And although I studied the same as other children royal family, but did not absorb cruelty.
The story of Moses from the Bible shows that he did not worship the many gods of Egypt, but remained faithful to the beliefs of his ancestors.
Moses loved his people and suffered every time he saw their torment, when he saw how mercilessly every Israelite was exploited. One day something happened that forced the future prophet to flee Egypt. Moses witnessed the brutal beating of one of his people. In a fit of rage, the future prophet snatched the whip from the hands of the overseer and killed him. Since no one saw what he did (as Moses thought), the body was simply buried.
After some time, Moses realized that many already knew what he had done. Pharaoh orders the arrest and death of his daughter's son. History is silent about how Moses and Ramses treated each other. Why did they decide to try him for the murder of the overseer? You can take into account different versions of what happened, however, most likely, the decisive thing was that Moses was not an Egyptian. As a result of all this, the future prophet decides to flee Egypt.
Flight from Pharaoh and the further life of Moses
According to biblical data, the future prophet headed to the land of Midian. The further history of Moses tells of his marriage to the daughter of the priest Jethro, Zipporah. Living this life, he became a shepherd and learned to live in the desert. He also had two sons.
Some sources claim that before marrying, Moses lived for some time with the Saracens and had a prominent position there. However, it should still be taken into account that the only source of the narrative about his life is the Bible, which, like any ancient scripture, over time acquired a certain allegorical touch.
Divine revelation and the appearance of the Lord to the prophet
Be that as it may, the biblical story about Moses tells that it was in the land of Midian, when he was tending flocks, that the Lord was revealed to him. The future prophet was eighty years old at this time. It was at this age that he encountered a thorn bush on his way, which blazed with flames but did not burn.
At this point, Moses was instructed that he must save the people of Israel from Egyptian power. The Lord commanded to return to Egypt and take his people to the promised land, freeing them from long-term slavery. However, the Almighty Father warned Moses about difficulties on his way. So that he had the opportunity to overcome them, he was given the ability to perform miracles. Because Moses was tongue-tied, God ordered his brother Aaron to help him.
Return of Moses to Egypt. Ten Plagues
History as a herald God's will, began on the day when he appeared before the pharaoh who ruled Egypt at that time. This was a different ruler, not the one from whom Moses fled at one time. Of course, Pharaoh refused the demand to release the Israeli people, and even increased the labor obligation for his slaves.
Moses and Ramses, whose history is more obscure than researchers would like, clashed in a confrontation. The prophet did not accept the first defeat; he came to the ruler several more times and ultimately said that God’s punishment would fall on the Egyptian land. And so it happened. By the will of God, ten plagues occurred that fell on Egypt and its inhabitants. After each of them, the ruler called on his sorcerers, but they found Moses’ magic more skillful. After each misfortune, Pharaoh agreed to let the people of Israel go, but each time he changed his mind. Only after the tenth did Jewish slaves become free.
Of course, the story of Moses did not end there. The Prophet still had years of travel ahead of him, as well as confrontation with the unbelief of his fellow tribesmen, until they all reached the Promised Land.
The establishment of Passover and the exodus from Egypt
Before the last plague that befell the Egyptian people, Moses warned the people of Israel about it. This was the killing of the firstborn in every family. However, the forewarned Israelites anointed their door with the blood of a lamb no older than one year, and the punishment passed them by.
On the same night the celebration of the first Easter took place. The story of Moses in the Bible tells of the rituals that preceded it. The slaughtered lamb had to be roasted whole. Then eat while standing, with the whole family gathered. After this event, the people of Israel left the land of Egypt. Pharaoh, in fear, even asked to do this quickly, seeing what happened at night.
The fugitives came out at first dawn. The sign of God's will was a pillar, which was fiery at night and cloudy during the day. It is believed that this particular Easter eventually transformed into the one we know now. The liberation of the Jewish people from slavery symbolized exactly this.
Another miracle that happened almost immediately after leaving Egypt was the crossing of the Red Sea. At the command of the Lord, the waters parted and dry land formed, along which the Israelites crossed to the other side. The pharaoh who chased them also decided to follow along the bottom of the sea. However, Moses and his people were already on the other side, and the waters of the sea closed again. This is how Pharaoh died.
The covenants that Moses received on Mount Sinai
The next stop for the Jewish people was Mount Moses. The story from the Bible tells that on this path the fugitives saw many miracles (manna from heaven, springs of spring water appearing) and became stronger in their faith. Ultimately, after a three-month journey, the Israelites came to Mount Sinai.
Leaving the people at its foot, Moses himself climbed to the top for the instructions of the Lord. There a dialogue took place between the Father of All and his prophet. As a result of all this, the Ten Commandments were received, which became basic for the people of Israel, which became the basis of legislation. Commandments were also received that covered civil and religious life. All this was written down in the Book of the Covenant.
The Israelite People's Forty-Year Desert Journey
The Jewish people stood nearby for about a year. Then the Lord gave a sign that we needed to move on. The story of Moses as a prophet continued. He continued to bear the burden of mediating between his people and the Lord. For forty years they wandered through the desert, sometimes living for a long time in places where conditions were more favorable. The Israelites gradually became zealous fulfillers of the covenants that the Lord gave them.
Of course, there were outrages. Not everyone was comfortable with such long journeys. However, as the story of Moses from the Bible testifies, the people of Israel still reached the Promised Land. However, the prophet himself never reached it. Moses had a revelation that another leader would lead them further. He died at the age of 120, but no one ever found out where it happened, since his death was a secret.
Historical facts confirming biblical events
Moses, whose life story we know only from biblical accounts, is a significant figure. However, is there official data that confirms his existence as a historical figure? Some consider all this just a beautiful legend that was invented.
However, some historians are still inclined to believe that Moses is a historical figure. This is evidenced by some information contained in the biblical story (slaves in Egypt, the birth of Moses). Thus, we can say that this is far from a fictional story, and all these miracles actually happened in those distant times.
It should be noted that today this event has been depicted more than once in cinema, and cartoons have also been created. They tell about heroes such as Moses and Ramses, whose history is little described in the Bible. Special attention the cinema focuses on the miracles that happened during their journey. Be that as it may, all these films and cartoons educate and instill morality in the younger generation. They are also useful for adults, especially those who have lost faith in miracles.
After the death of Patriarch Joseph, the situation of the Jews changed dramatically. New king, who did not know Joseph, began to fear that the Jews, having become a numerous and strong people, would go over to the enemy’s side in the event of war. He appointed commanders over them to wear them out with hard work. Pharaoh also ordered the killing of newborn Israelite boys. The very existence of the chosen people is under threat. However, God's Providence did not allow this plan to be carried out. God saved the future leader of the people, Moses, from death. This greatest Old Testament prophet came from the tribe of Levi. His parents were Amram and Jochebed (Exodus 6:20). The future prophet was younger than his brother Aaron and sister Mariam. The baby was born when Pharaoh's order to drown newborn Jewish boys in the Nile was in force. The mother hid her child for three months, but then was forced to hide him in a basket in the reeds on the river bank. Pharaoh's daughter saw him and took him into her house.. Moses' sister, who was watching from afar, offered to bring a nurse. According to God's will, it was arranged so that his own mother became his nurse, raising him in her home. When the boy grew up, his mother brought him to the pharaoh's daughter. While living in the king's palace as an adopted son, Moses was taught all the wisdom of Egypt, and was mighty in words and deeds (Acts 7:22).
When should he turned forty years old, he went out to his brothers. Seeing that the Egyptian was beating the Jew, he, defending his brother, killed the Egyptian. Fearing persecution, Moses fled to the land of Midian and was received in the house of the local priest Raguel (aka Jethro), who married his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
Moses lived in the land of Midian Fourty years. Over these decades, he gained that inner maturity that made him capable of accomplishing a great feat - with God's help free the people from slavery. This event was perceived by Old Testament people as central in the history of the people. It is mentioned more than sixty times in the Holy Scriptures. In memory of this event, the main Old Testament holiday was established - Easter. The outcome has spiritual and educational significance. The Egyptian captivity is an Old Testament symbol of the slavish subordination of humanity to the devil until the redemptive feat of Jesus Christ. The Exodus from Egypt marks spiritual liberation through the New Testament Sacrament of Baptism.
The exodus was preceded by one of the most important events in the history of the chosen people. epiphanies. Moses tended his father-in-law's sheep in the desert. He reached Mount Horeb and saw that The thorn bush is engulfed in flames, but does not burn. Moses began to approach him. But God called to him from the midst of the bush: don't come here; take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. And he said: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.(Exodus 3:5-6).
Outer side visions - a burning but not consumed thorn bush - depicted the plight of the Jews in Egypt. Fire, as a destroying force, indicated the severity of suffering. Just as the bush burned and was not consumed, so the Jewish people were not destroyed, but were only purified in the crucible of disasters. This is a prototype of the Incarnation. The Holy Church adopted the symbol Burning Bush Mother of God. The miracle lies in the fact that this thorn bush, in which the Lord appeared to Moses, has survived to this day. It is located in the fence of the Sinai monastery of St. Catherine the Great Martyr.
The Lord who appeared to Moses said that scream the children of Israel suffering from the Egyptians reached Him.
God sends Moses on a great mission: bring my people the children of Israel out of Egypt(Exodus 3:10). Moses humbly speaks of his weakness. God responds to this hesitation with clear and overpowering words: I'll be with you(Exodus 3:12). Moses, having accepted high obedience from the Lord, asks the name of the Sender. God said to Moses: I Am That I Am (Exodus 3:14). In a word Existing in the Synodal Bible the sacred name of God is conveyed, inscribed in the Hebrew text with four consonants ( tetragram): YHWH. The above passage shows that the prohibition to pronounce this secret name appeared much later than the time of the Exodus (perhaps after the Babylonian captivity).
While reading aloud sacred texts in the tabernacle, temple, and later in synagogues, instead of the tetragram, another name of God was pronounced - Adonai. In Slavic and Russian texts the tetragram is conveyed by the name Lord. In biblical language Existing expresses personal beginning absolute self-sufficient being, on which the existence of the entire created world depends.
The Lord strengthened the spirit of Moses two miraculous actions. The rod turned into a snake, and Moses' hand, which was covered with leprosy, was healed. The miracle with the rod testified that the Lord was giving Moses the authority of the leader of the people. The sudden defeat of the hand of Moses by leprosy and its healing meant that God had endowed His chosen one with the power of miracles to fulfill his mission.
Moses said he was tongue-tied. The Lord strengthened him: I will be at your mouth and teach you what to say.(Exodus 4:12). God gives the future leader his elder brother as an assistant Aaron.
Coming to Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron, on behalf of the Lord, demanded that the people be released into the desert to celebrate the holiday. Pharaoh was a pagan. He declared that he did not know the Lord and that the people of Israel would not let them go. Pharaoh became bitter against the Jewish people. Jews did hard work at this time - they made bricks. Pharaoh ordered their work to be made more difficult. God again sends Moses and Aaron to declare His will to Pharaoh. At the same time, the Lord commanded to perform signs and wonders.
Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. The wise men and sorcerers of the king and the magicians of Egypt did the same with their spells: they threw down their wands, and they became snakes, but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
The next day the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to perform another miracle. When Pharaoh went to the river, Aaron struck the water with his rod in front of the king's face and water turned to blood. All the reservoirs in the country were filled with blood. Among the Egyptians, Nile was one of the gods of their pantheon. What happened with the water was supposed to enlighten them and show the power of the God of Israel. But this one first of the ten plagues of Egypt only hardened Pharaoh's heart even more.
Second execution took place seven days later. Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and went out frogs covered the ground. The disaster prompted Pharaoh to ask Moses to pray to the Lord to remove all the frogs. The Lord fulfilled the requests of His saint. Toads are extinct. As soon as the king felt relief, he again fell into bitterness.
Therefore I followed third plague. Aaron struck the ground with his rod, and they appeared midges and began to bite people and livestock. In the original Hebrew these insects are called kinnim, in Greek and Slavic texts - sketches. According to the 1st century Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria and Origen, these were mosquitoes - a common scourge of Egypt during the flood period. But this time all the dust of the earth became midges throughout the whole land of Egypt(Exodus 8:17). The Magi were unable to repeat this miracle. They told the king: this is the finger of God(Exodus 8:19). But he didn't listen to them. The Lord sends Moses to Pharaoh to tell him on behalf of the Lord to let the people go. If he does not comply, they will be sent throughout the country dog flies. It was fourth plague. Her tools were flies. They are named canine, apparently because they had a strong bite. Philo of Alexandria writes that they were distinguished by their fierceness and persistence. The fourth plague has two features. Firstly, The Lord performs a miracle without the mediation of Moses and Aaron. Secondly, the land of Goshen, in which the Jews lived, was freed from disaster so that Pharaoh could clearly see absolute power of God. The punishment worked. Pharaoh promised to release the Jews into the desert and make a sacrifice to the Lord God. He asked to pray for him and not to go far. Through the prayer of Moses, the Lord removed all the dog flies from Pharaoh and the people. Pharaoh did not let the Jews go into the desert.
followed fifth plague - pestilence which struck all the livestock of Egypt. The Jewish cattle are no longer in trouble. God also carried out this execution directly, and not through Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh's tenacity remained the same.
Sixth plague was accomplished by the Lord only through Moses (in the first three, Aaron was the mediator). Moses took a handful of ashes and threw them towards the sky. People and livestock were covered boils. This time the Lord Himself hardened Pharaoh's heart. He did this, apparently, in order to further reveal His all-conquering power to the king and all the Egyptians. God says to Pharaoh: I will send tomorrow, at this very time, a very strong hailstorm, the like of which has not been seen in Egypt since the day of its foundation until now.(Exodus 9:18). The sacred writer notes that those servants of Pharaoh who feared the words of the Lord hastily gathered their servants and flocks into houses. The hail was accompanied by thunder, which can be explained as voice of God from heaven. Psalm 77 gives additional details of this execution: they beat down their grapes with hail, and their sycamores with ice; gave up their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning(47-48). Blessed Theodoret explains: “The Lord brought upon them hail and thunder, showing that He is the Lord of all the elements." God carried out this execution through Moses. The land of Goshen was not damaged. It was seventh plague. Pharaoh repented: this time I have sinned; The Lord is righteous, but I and my people are guilty; pray to the Lord: let the thunders of God and the hail cease, and I will let you go and will no longer hold you back(Exodus 9:27-28). But the repentance was short-lived. Soon the pharaoh again fell into a state bitterness.
Eighth Plague was very scary. After Moses stretched out the rod over the land of Egypt, The Lord brought a wind from the east, which lasted day and night. Locusts attacked all the land of Egypt and ate all the grass and all the greenery on the trees.. Pharaoh repents again, but, apparently, as before, his repentance is superficial. The Lord hardens his heart.
Peculiarity ninth plague in that it was caused by the symbolic action of Moses stretching out his hands to heaven. Installed for three days thick darkness. By punishing the Egyptians with darkness, God showed the insignificance of their idol Ra, the sun god. Pharaoh yielded again.
Tenth Plague was the worst. The month of Abib has arrived. Before the exodus began, God commanded that Passover be celebrated. This holiday became the main one in the Old Testament sacred calendar.
The Lord told Moses and Aaron that every family on the tenth day of Abib (after the Babylonian captivity this month began to be called Nissan) took one lamb and kept him apart until the fourteenth day of this month, and then slaughtered him. When the lamb is slain, they shall take some of its blood and They will anoint it on both doorposts and on the lintel of the doors in the houses where they will eat it..
At midnight on the 15th of Aviva the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, as well as all the firstborn of livestock. The firstborn Jews were not harmed. Because the doorposts and lintels of their houses were anointed with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, The angel who smote the firstborn of Egypt, passed by. The holiday established in memory of this event was called Easter (Heb. Passover; from a verb meaning jump over something, pass by).
The blood of the lamb was a prototype of the atoning Blood of the Savior, the Blood of cleansing and reconciliation. Unleavened bread (unleavened bread), which Jews were supposed to eat on Easter days, also had a symbolic meaning: in Egypt, Jews were in danger of becoming infected with pagan wickedness. However, God brought the Jewish people out of the land of enslavement and made them a spiritually pure people, called to holiness: And you will be holy people to Me(Exodus 22, 31). He must reject the previous leaven of moral corruption and start a clean life. Unleavened bread that cooks quickly symbolized that speed, with which the Lord led His people out of the land of enslavement.
Easter meal expressed general unity of its participants with God and among themselves. The fact that the lamb was cooked whole, including the head, also had a symbolic meaning. The bone shouldn't have been crushed.
