#book of Exodus

[lionofchaeronea]

The Finding of Moses, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1904

[illustratus]

Moses on Mount Sinai by Jean-Léon Gérôme

[artandthebible]

The Finding of Moses

Artist: Paolo Veronese (Venetian, 1528-1588)

Date: c. 1581-1582

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, United States

Description

The subject is taken from Exodus 2:3–10. According to the biblical account, the infant Moses was placed by his mother in a basket and hidden beside the river to escape the edict of the king of Egypt that all the male offspring of the Israelites should be slain at birth. The basket was discovered by the king’s daughter when she came to the river to bathe with her maidservants. Seeing the princess take pity on the child, Moses’s sister Miriam, who had been keeping watch from a distance, approached and offered to find a nurse for him; in this way, Moses was saved and brought up by his own mother.

Veronese imagined the event in contemporary terms and showed the princess wearing a magnificent robe of gold and silver brocade and copious jewelry, surrounded by a courtly entourage that includes a dwarf. In the immediate foreground, an African servant holds the now-empty basket. The kneeling woman holding the baby is presumably Miriam, and the older woman preparing to wrap him in a cloth is his mother. In the left middle ground, two other servants, apparently unaware of the remarkable discovery, have undressed to their shifts and are preparing to bathe in the river. Although in Christian tradition Moses was often interpreted as a prototype for Christ, Veronese did not seem to be concerned here with the possible theological, political, or moral implications of the story, but treated it, as observed by Kurt Badt, simply as a poetic idyll.

[thatshowthingstarted]

Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE !

A marble tablet inscribed with nine of the Ten Commandments, said to be the oldest intact version of its kind in stone, is set to go under the hammer next month in a single-lot sale at Sotheby’s in New York. 

According to the auction house, the Commandments were inscribed into the tablet in Paleo-Hebrew script in the Late Roman-Byzantine Era (c. 300–800 CE).

The slab was unearthed in 1913 during railway excavations near what was once known as Iamnia during the Roman-Byzantine period (the modern city of Yavneh in Israel and Jabneh to Palestinians, who were forced out following the 1948 Nakba).

The object was being used as a paving stone at the threshold of a local residence for 30 years before its significance was recognized, Sotheby’s said.

There are 20 lines of text incised into the tablet, but only nine of the Ten Commandments are featured as found in the Book of Exodus, with the omission of “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.”

The original site of the tablet was most likely destroyed between 400–600 CE during the Roman invasions, or by the Crusaders in the 11th century.

The tablet also includes an additional directive to conduct worship on the holy site of Mount Gerizim, sacred to the Samaritans.

White marble tablet, approximately 24 ⅞ x 22 ⅛ x 2 ⅜ inches (632 x 562 x 62 mm), weighing approximately 115 pounds (52 kg), neatly chisel-inscribed with the Mosaic Ten Commandments in their Israelite Samaritan version, 20 lines in a Paleo-Hebrew script, each line containing between eleven and fifteen characters, with margins of about 10 cm on either side; the letters have a width of between one and 2 cm and words are separated from one another with one or two dots; a few letters are confused for each other (especially ה and א) and a few characters on the right side of the first two lines are effaced and re-inscribed.

Courtesy: Sotheby's

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Burning Bush

1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.”

4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses.” And he said, “Here am I.”

5 And He said, “Draw not nigh hither. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

8 And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey, unto the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites, and the Amorites and the Perizzites, and the Hivites and the Jebusites.

9 Now therefore behold, the cry of the children of Israel hath come unto Me, and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

11 And Moses said unto God, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 And He said, “Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.”

13 And Moses said unto God, “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, ‘The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you,’ and they shall say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say unto them?”

14 And God said unto Moses, “I Am That I Am.” And He said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, ‘I Am hath sent me unto you.’”

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you.’ This is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.

16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob appeared unto me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen that which is done to you in Egypt;

17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites, and the Amorites and the Perizzites, and the Hivites and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

18 And they shall hearken to thy voice; and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us; and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 And I will stretch out My hand and smite Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst thereof; and after that he will let you go.

21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty,

22 but every woman shall borrow of her neighbor and of her that sojourneth in her house jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment; and ye shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters, and ye shall despoil the Egyptians.” — Exodus 3 | 21st Century King James Version (KJV21) The Holy Bible; 21st Century King James Version Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc. Cross References: Genesis 11:5; Genesis 14:13; Genesis 15:13-14; Genesis 15:19; Genesis 16:11; Genesis 21:17; Genesis 24:12; Genesis 24:53; Genesis 28:13; Genesis 28:16; Genesis 31:3; Genesis 39:21; Genesis 48:15; Exodus 2:23; Exodus 4:1; Exodus 4:5; Exodus 4:12; Exodus 5:2; Exodus 6:12; Exodus 7:4; Exodus 7:16; Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; John 8:24; John 8:58; Acts 3:13; Acts 7:6-7; Acts 7:30-31; Acts 7:33; Acts 7:36; Hebrews 11:16

What Was the Burning Bush?

Key Passages in Exodus 3

1. Moses keeps Jethro's flock. 2. God appears to him in a burning bush. 9. He sends him to deliver Israel. 13. The name of God. 15. His message to Israel, and Pharaoh, whose opposition is foretold. 20. He is assured of Israel's deliverance.

[thomastanker02]

Some notes I wrote while reading the book of Exodus:

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so the Israelites could bear witness to his miracles, and thus, strengthen their faith in him.

Pharaoh’s pride led to the destruction of others. Moses’ humility led to blessings for others.

God called for all the first borns of Israel to be sanctified (set apart, or to be holy). Jesus is sanctified, and is he first born of many brothers and sisters in Christ.

God bless, Jesus loves you ✝️❤️

[i-lick-your-gun]

The other day I was talking to my Christian grandmother, and I brought up the story where Jesus curses a fig tree because it had no fruit. She told me that was a metaphor for how he wants all people to be productive pr we will be cursed for all eternity. Well I just agreed with her to end the conversation because no way that's right.

But that got me thinking.

Do you want to say that is a metaphor? It is stated in the same tone as everything else, as it is cold, hard fact. So we may apply metaphors to other parts of the bible.

Moses splitting the water is a metaphor for his desire to get his people out of Egypt. Jesus rising from the dead is a metaphor for how his ideas lived on even after his death. David vs Goliath is a metaphor for how brain will triumph over brawn. Samson is a metaphor for how confidence will do wonders for your health.

Just about every miracle and good story from the bible can be chalked up to a metaphor, if you want to look at it that way. I know I'll get a lot of hate for this, but it's my hot take.

Tl;dr: The bible may or may not be nothing but metaphors and figurative conparisons.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[rollerska8er]

do you ever think about how, until Hitler came along, the go-to "most evil guy in history" was Pharaoh from the book of exodus

people would say "hey man. you're acting like a real pharaoh right now. knock it off"

the confederates compared lincoln to pharaoh, while the union (more accurately) compared slavers to pharaoh

if you wanted to call someone "literally hitler", pharaoh was the one to beat

[alethianightsong]

The Prince of Egypt ends on a high note but if you've read Exodus, you'll know that IMMEDIATELY after coming down the mountain, Moses sees the Hebrews worshipping a golden calf created by his brother. This pisses off Moses so he destroys the tablets and has to go back for new ones. Then God says "Nah, you guys aren't going home just yet. I sentence ALL of you to wandering in the desert for 40 years." So everyone we've just met is either dead or really old by the time they reach the Promised Land. The little kids who were frolicking and laughing on their journey will be gray-haired and worn. Kinda sad really

[mythsnmischief]

The Story Behind The Prince of Egypt

Today’s topic dives into “The Prince of Egypt,” DreamWorks’ acclaimed animated film about Moses leading the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, based on the Biblical Book of Exodus. It’s a classic tale of freedom!

Let’s Begin

Today’s topic is a little different from my last tale. Previously we discussed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a story centred around a beautiful princess chased from her home by a foul stepmother. Snow White is a classic fairytale pulling on so many of the tropes that we see time and time again in our stories. But today we are looking into something that is fiction to some, fact to…

[lionofchaeronea]

The Seventh Plague, John Martin, 1823

[illustratus]

The Destruction of Pharaoh's Army by Philip James de Loutherbourg

[artandthebible]

The Israelites Gathering Manna in the Desert

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)

Date: c. 1626-1627

Medium: Oil on Wood

Collection: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, United States

The Israelites Gathering Manna in the Desert

During the forty years between the time the Israelites left Egypt and entered the Promised Land, they faced harsh conditions, including a scarcity of food. To alleviate this problem, God miraculously provided the Israelites with “bread from heaven,” called “manna.” The manna appeared each morning, and the Israelites were given specific instructions on gathering it (see Exodus chapter 16). What was manna? Interestingly, the Israelites asked the very same question: “When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat’” (Exodus 16:15). The Hebrew word translated “manna” literally means “what is it?”

The Bible nowhere discusses the chemical composition of manna. All we are told is that “it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31). Numbers 11:7 states that manna’s appearance was like “bdellium” or “resin.” Psalm 78:24 refers to manna as “grain from heaven,” and the next verse calls it “bread of angels.” So, manna seems to have been literal bread that God caused to miraculously appear each morning during the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings. The miracle of manna ceased shortly after the Israelites entered the Promised Land (Joshua 5:12).

[dogmalilith]

The shape of the Vav is a straight line that represents a person standing upright. It represents balance, consistency, and the middle path. Because it means "hook" and "and," it represents the power that links all souls together and the force of connection between the Divine "sparks" that permeate reality.

Other important sixes in Judaism include the six days of creation, the six dimensions of the physical world, the six orders of the Misha, the six points on a Jewish star, and the six cubit size of the Tablets of the covenant.

#MyJewishLearning

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Manna and Quail from Heaven

On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions. Then on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the LORD’s glory, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. For who are we that you should grumble against us?”

And Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation of Israel, ‘Come before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling.’ ”

And as Aaron was speaking to the whole congregation of Israel, they looked toward the desert, and there in a cloud the glory of the LORD appeared.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer for each person in your tent.’ ”

So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less. When they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall. Each one gathered as much as he needed to eat.

Then Moses said to them, “No one may keep any of it until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Every morning each one gathered as much as was needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

The Sabbath Observed (Genesis 2:1–3; Hebrews 4:1–11)

On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much food—two omers per person —and all the leaders of the congregation came and reported this to Moses. He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Then set aside whatever remains and keep it until morning.’ ”

So they set it aside until morning as Moses had commanded, and it did not smell or contain any maggots. “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you will not find anything in the field. For six days you may gather, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be there.”

Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find anything. Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and instructions? Understand that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day He will give you bread for two days. On the seventh day, everyone must stay where he is; no one may leave his place.”

So the people rested on the seventh day.

The Jar of Manna

Now the house of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Keep an omer of manna for the generations to come, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ”

So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with an omer of manna. Then place it before the LORD to be preserved for the generations to come.” And Aaron placed it in front of the Testimony, to be preserved just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land where they could settle; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. (Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.) — Exodus 16 | Berean Standard Bible (BSB) The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God’s Word has been dedicated to the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 2:3; Exodus 5:21; Exodus 6:7; Exodus 12:6; Exodus 12:10; Exodus 12:51; Exodus 13:21; Exodus 17:3; Exodus 20:9-10; Exodus 25:16; Exodus 34:31; Numbers 11:4; Numbers 11:7; Numbers 11:9; Numbers 16:16; Numbers 28:5; Deuteronomy 8:3; 2 Kings 17:14; Luke 10:16; John 6:31; John 11:4; John 11:40; Acts 7:36; Romans 13:2; 1 Corinthians 10:3; 1 Corinthians 10:10; 2 Corinthians 8:15; Hebrews 9:4; Revelation 2:17

Exodus 16 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (concise)

Key Passages in Exodus 16

1. The Israelites come to Sin, and murmur for want of bread 4. God promises them bread and meat from heaven, and they are rebuked 13. Quail and manna are sent 16. The ordering of manna 25. It was not to be found on the Sabbath 32. An omer of it is preserved