2. Exodus - Old Testament
In Exodus, Asimov applies his analytical mind to biblical scholarship, offering fascinating historical context for familiar stories. His exploration of Moses' origin, Egyptian bondage, and the exodus, the moving away.
Chapter 2 of Exodus begins with a summary of the names of the heads of families who entered Egypt. The book of Exodus is named as such because it deals with the departure of the Israelites from Egypt.
The chapter introduces the concept of the "Pharaoh of the Oppression". It was not necessarily Ahmose but most likely a pharaoh of that period who was responsible for the enslavement of the Israelites. The pharaohs made the lives of the Israelites bitter with hard bondage.
Moses' Birth and Early Life
- A son was born to a woman of the tribe of Levi. To save him from the Pharaoh’s command that all male Hebrew babies be drowned, his mother placed him in a small boat of bulrushes, daubed with pitch, and set him afloat on the Nile.
- The daughter of Pharaoh discovered the baby and took him to be raised as her own. The daughter of Pharaoh calls him Moses because she drew him out of the water.
- The name "Moses" is derived from the Hebrew word "Mosheh" and is similar to the Hebrew word "mashah," meaning "to draw out".
- There are no Biblical details concerning Moses’ youth.
Moses Flees to Midian
- As a grown man, Moses sympathised with the Israelites. In a fit of anger, he killed an Egyptian overseer and fled Egypt to avoid being punished by the Pharaoh.
- Moses fled to the land of Midian, located in northwestern Arabia.
Moses and the Burning Bush
- While in Midian, Moses encountered a burning bush on Mount Horeb. From the burning bush, God revealed his personal name, YHWH, and commanded Moses to return to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery.
- The phrase "I AM THAT I AM" is a respectful awe of the name of the Lord, in a future or present tense. The name given for God is YHWH. In later history, the Jews became reluctant to say the name of God out of respect.
- The name Horeb is used to refer to the mountain, and in other places it is called Sinai.
The chapter also includes a description of the Red Sea. The term "Red Sea" is of Greek origin, but in Exodus times it was known as "yam suph," which translates to "sea of reeds".
Also mentioned is the idea that the plagues of Egypt would have been very dramatic. According to the Biblical record, the plagues are not noted in other historical records. The tenth plague, the killing of the first-born, was the final and most crucial. In commemoration of the escape from Egypt, a ceremonial meal is eaten, called "passover".
