* Other derivations are from the Egyptian royal name Amosis by way of contraction, favoured by Renan (Hist. i. 160); and as act. ptep.=‘ saviour,’ favoured by Seinecke (Gesch. i. 78). The
inting ree the latter view, but not the usage. Se¢ also
esenius, Thes. 8.0.
MOSES
MOSES 433
square brackets[]. In the main, the analysis of B. W. Bacon in his Triple Tradition of the Exodus has been followed here, as in the articles on Exopus and NUMBERS (wh. see). As in art. Exopus, corresponding features are marked with the same letter in the different documents. The eneral features of the character and work of loses will be seen to be the same in all the docu- ments, and are epitomized at the beginning of vii. The chief difference is in the relation of Moses and Aaron (see ii.-iv. (a)).
ii. The Narrative in J.—(a) It is doubtful whether J, at any rate in its earliest form, men- tioned Aaron. Dillmann, indeed, regards the prominent position given to Aaron as a mark of J ; and the analysis as given by Bacon, and in the articles AARON, Exopus, finds Aaron in this source. But Wellhausen and Stade (i. 127) hold that J does not mention Aaron. If this is so, Moses stands alone in J, and some of the passages mentioning Aaron, given here as J, must be referred to other sources, while in other passages the references to Aaron are due to one of the editors (Holzinger,
Hex. Σ 76). (Ὁ) ra ie nothing as to the parentage of Moses. Even if ‘Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother?’ in
Ex 44 is J, ‘ Levite’ here is probably a title and not a gentilic name. The absence of any informa- tion on this subject may be original ; or J’s state- ment may have been omitted because of its identity with that of E; or suppressed because it contra- dicted E.
(c) In J, as we have it, Moses first appears as a fugitive in Midian. As Jacob (Gn 297° J) met Rachel at the well, helped her to water her sheep, and was received as a gér into her family; so Moses met the seven daughters of the priest of Midian, helped them to water their sheep, in spite of the shepherds, and became a gér in the priest’s family. He married Zipporah, one of the seven daughters, and had one son, Gershom, Ex 2-22,
(d) After a time the king of Egypt, from whom Moses had fled,* died ; J” told Moses to return to Eg yp for all the men who sought his life were dead ; Moses set out with his wife and son.t (e) At a caravanserai on the way, J” sought to kill Moses because he was uncircumcised. Zipporah averted His wrath by cireumcising their son,} Ex Dea 419. 20a. 24-26. g
(f) On the way, or even after Moses reached Goshen, the ae of J” appeared to him in a bush which burned without being consumed, and J” || said that He had seen the oppression of His { ue and had come down to deliver them, and bring them to Canaan. Moses was to repeat this to the elders of Israel ; and was to go with them to request Pharaoh that Israel might go three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to J”. Moses feared ey would not believe that J” had ap- peared to him. Whereupon J” gave him three signs to convince them: a turned into a serpent, and back again into a rod; his hand made leprous, and then restored as his other flesh ; water poured on the ground and turned into blood. At J”s command, ΠΕ now performed the first two signs in His presence. Then Moses objected that he was not eloquent; and J” answered, ‘I
* Probably stated in an omitted portion of J, unless Ex 211-14 belong to J ; ef. iii. (0).
t+ MT, sons; but in J Moses has only one son, so that the plural is R (cf. Ex 2%),
t An ancient account of the origin of circumcision ; cf., how- ever, Circumcision in vol. i. p. 4438 and Jos 5.
§ Bacon's analysis, followed here, requires the transposition of the journey from Midian before the Theophany in the Burning Bush ; the account of the latter in J gives no direction to leave Midian, and takes for granted that Moses is on his way to Egypt, é.¢. implies what is given in these verses, Of. Exopus in vol. i, 807.
i Here, as elsewhere, ‘Angel of J"’ and ‘J”’ are inter- changeable.
will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say’ (Ex 3245-7. 8a. 16.17.18 41-12) [Moses still begged J” to send some other messenger, und J” in anger gave him Aaron as a spokesman to the people, Ex 41% 14a. 15. 16), *
(h) Moses [with Aaron] delivered Js message to the Israelite elders, and showed them the signs. The Israelites believed. Moses [and Aaron] re- quested Pharaoh to let the Israelites go into the wilderness to sacrifice; Pharaoh refused, and increased their taskwork, whereupon they turned upon Moses [aud Aaron] and reproached them ; Moses, in turn, appealed to J”, Ex 4%! 5%: 5-28,
(i) At the command of J”, Moses inflicted upon the Egyptians seven plagues—the turning of the Nile into Blood; Frogs; Gnats (EV ‘lice’); Mur- rain; Hail; Locusts; the Death of the Firstborn (for the last see next persereph. As regards the first six—in each case Moses + asked permission for Israel to go to sacrifice to or serve J’, threatening the plague as the penalty of refusal ; after Pharaoh’s refusal—implied, not stated—the plague happened —nothing is said of any utterance or action of Moses or J” as the immediate cause of the plague, except that J” brings the locusts with an east wind, and removes them by a west wind. In the case of the Frogs, Gnats, Hail, and Locusts, Pharaoh sent for Moses [and Aaron] and begged for his intercession to remove the plagues, promising, after an attempt to obtain better terms, to grant Moses’ request. After the cessation of each plague, he hardened his heart and withdrew his promise. In the case of the Locusts, however, Pharaoh was induced by his servants to make concessions on the mere threat, before the plague was actually inflicted ; he offered to let the men go, without the women and