Moses and the Exodus
God sets his people free
This story includes slavery, plagues, the death of Egypt's firstborn sons, and an army drowning. It is told plainly, without graphic detail.
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Moses: An Israelite raised in Pharaoh's palace. Now he is a shepherd in the desert, far from Egypt.
- The LORD: God. When you see LORD in capital letters, it stands for God's personal name in Hebrew.
- Aaron: Moses's older brother. He speaks for Moses.
- Pharaoh: The king of Egypt. He rules over the Israelites as slaves.
- The Israelites: Also called the Hebrews. The family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They have been slaves in Egypt for many years.
Setting
- A mountain in the desert called Horeb. Then the land of Egypt. Then the edge of the sea.
When
- More than 3,000 years ago.
Before the Story
God's people came to Egypt as guests. Jacob's family moved there during a famine, a time when there was not enough food, when his son Joseph was a leader in Egypt (Genesis 46).
Then they became slaves. A new king came to power. He did not know about Joseph. He forced the Israelites to build his cities (1:8-11).
Pharaoh tried to kill their baby boys. He ordered every Hebrew baby boy thrown into the Nile River (1:22).
One baby was saved. His mother hid him in a basket in the reeds. Pharaoh's own daughter found him and raised him. She named him Moses (2:1-10).
Moses ran away. As a grown man, he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Then he ran away to the land of Midian, so Pharaoh could not kill him. He became a shepherd there (2:11-15).
Here's what you know that the slaves don't: God has already heard them. "God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant" (2:24). A covenant is a lasting promise God made.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A bush on fire | 3:1-6 | God speaks to Moses from a burning bush |
| 2. "I have heard them" | 3:7-12 | God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh |
| 3. God's name | 3:13-15 | God tells Moses his name |
| 4. Moses makes excuses | 4:1-31 | Moses says no. God gives him help |
| 5. Pharaoh says no | 5:1-23 | Pharaoh makes the slaves work harder |
| 6. God promises again | 6:1-9 | God says he will rescue them |
| 7. Nine plagues | 7:14-10:29 | Disasters hit Egypt. Pharaoh still says no |
| 8. The Passover lamb | 11:1-12:28 | God tells each family to mark their door |
| 9. Midnight | 12:29-32 | The last plague. Pharaoh lets them go |
| 10. Leaving Egypt | 12:33-13:22 | God leads them with cloud and fire |
| 11. Trapped at the sea | 14:1-14 | Pharaoh's army chases them |
| 12. A path through the water | 14:15-31 | God opens the sea |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 12A Bush on Fire
Moses was taking care of his father-in-law's sheep. He led them far into the desert, to Horeb, the mountain of God.
There he saw a bush on fire. But the bush did not burn up.
Moses went closer to look. Then God called to him from the bush, "Moses, Moses!" (3:4).
"Here I am," Moses answered (3:4).
God told him not to come closer. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground" (3:5). Holy means set apart for God.
God said he was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses hid his face. He was afraid to look at God.
Scene 2 of 12"I Have Heard Them"
God said, "I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out" (3:7). Affliction means suffering.
God said he had come down to rescue them. He would bring them to a good land of their own.
Then God said, "Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt" (3:10).
Moses asked, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (3:11).
God did not tell Moses how great he was. God said, "I will surely be with you" (3:12).
Scene 3 of 12God's Name
Moses asked another question. What if the people asked for God's name? What should he say?
God said, "I AM WHO I AM" (3:14). He told Moses to say, "I AM has sent me to you" (3:14).
God's name, the LORD, comes from the Hebrew words for "I AM." Many readers understand it to mean that God simply is. No one made him. He was always there, and he always will be.
Scene 4 of 12Moses Makes Excuses
Moses had more excuses. What if the people did not believe him?
God gave him three signs to show. His shepherd's staff turned into a snake, and back again. His hand turned white with a skin disease, and then it was healed. And water from the Nile would turn into blood.
Moses tried again. "I am slow of speech and tongue" (4:10). Moses did not think he spoke well.
God answered, "Who gave man his mouth?" (4:11). God said he would help Moses speak and teach him what to say.
Then Moses said what he really wanted. "Please, Lord, send someone else" (4:13).
God was angry. But he did not give up on Moses. He sent help instead: Aaron, Moses's brother. Aaron was a good speaker, and he was already on his way.
So Moses went. Aaron told the Israelite leaders everything God had said. The people believed, and they worshiped God.
Scene 5 of 12Pharaoh Says No
Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They told him the LORD said, "Let My people go" (5:1).
Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go?" (5:2). He said no.
That same day, Pharaoh made the slaves' work even harder. They made bricks from mud and straw. Now they had to find their own straw, and still make just as many bricks.
The Israelite leaders were angry at Moses. They said he had made everything worse.
Moses brought his complaint to God. "Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me?" (5:22).
Scene 6 of 12God Promises Again
God answered, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh" (6:1).
God gave Moses a promise for the people. "I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God" (6:7).
Moses told the people. But they did not listen. They were too crushed by their hard work and pain.
Halfway thereThis is a good place for a break. Your spot is saved on this device.
Scene 7 of 12Nine Plagues
Moses and Aaron went back to Pharaoh again and again. Again and again, God sent a plague. A plague is a disaster that hurts a whole land.
The Nile River turned to blood. Then frogs covered the land. Then came gnats, tiny biting bugs.
Pharaoh's own magicians told him, "This is the finger of God" (8:19). He still would not listen.
Next came swarms of flies. Then the Egyptians' animals died. Then painful sores broke out on people and animals.
Then hail beat down the crops. Then locusts, a kind of grasshopper, ate every green plant that was left.
Then total darkness covered Egypt for three days. But the Israelites had light where they lived.
Pharaoh's heart stayed hard. Some verses say Pharaoh hardened his heart. Others say the LORD hardened it. Sometimes Pharaoh promised to let the people go. When the plague stopped, he changed his mind.
Scene 8 of 12The Passover Lamb
God said one more plague was coming. At midnight, the firstborn son, the oldest son, in every Egyptian family would die.
God told every Israelite family to choose a lamb. They were to kill it and put some of its blood on the sides and top of their doorframe.
They were to eat the lamb with flat bread made without yeast, and bitter herbs. They were to eat dressed and ready to travel, with sandals on their feet.
God said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (12:13). That is why this night is called the Passover.
God told them to remember this night every year. When their children asked what it meant, they would tell the story.
Scene 9 of 12Midnight
At midnight, the LORD struck down every firstborn son in Egypt. It happened from Pharaoh's palace to the prison cells.
There was loud crying all over Egypt. There was no house without someone dead.
That night, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. He told them to get up and leave, and to go worship the LORD.
Scene 10 of 12Leaving Egypt
The Egyptians hurried the Israelites out. They were afraid they would all die.
So the Israelites left Egypt. There were about 600,000 men, plus women and children. People from other nations went with them too.
They had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
God did not take them on the short road. He led them the long way, through the desert, toward the Red Sea.
God went ahead of them. In the daytime, he was in a tall column of cloud. At night, he was in a column of fire that gave them light. It never left them.
Scene 11 of 12Trapped at the Sea
God told the Israelites to turn back and camp by the sea. God said Pharaoh would chase them. Then the Egyptians would know that he is the LORD.
Back in Egypt, Pharaoh changed his mind again. "What have we done?" Pharaoh and his officials said (14:5). They had let their slaves go. Pharaoh took all his chariots, which are war wagons pulled by horses, and his army. He chased them.
The Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptian army coming. The sea was in front of them. The army was behind them. They were terrified.
They blamed Moses. They said it would have been better to stay slaves in Egypt than to die in the desert.
Moses said, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD's salvation" (14:13). Salvation means rescue.
"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" (14:14).
Scene 12 of 12A Path Through the Water
God told Moses to tell the people to move forward. Then he told Moses to lift his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea.
The column of cloud moved behind the Israelites. It stood between them and the Egyptians all night.
Moses stretched out his hand. All night, God pushed the sea back with a strong east wind. The water split apart. The sea floor became dry land.
The Israelites walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground. There was a wall of water on their right and on their left.
The Egyptian army followed them into the sea. But God threw them into confusion. Their chariot wheels wobbled. The Egyptians cried out that the LORD was fighting for Israel.
Moses stretched out his hand again. At sunrise, the water flowed back. It covered the whole army. Not one soldier survived.
That day the LORD saved Israel. The people saw his great power. They feared the LORD, and they believed in him and in his servant Moses.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Holy ground" (3:5) | God was there, so the place was special. Taking off your sandals showed respect. |
| "I have heard them crying out" (3:7) | God noticed the slaves' pain. He did not stay far away. |
| "I will surely be with you" (3:12) | Moses asked, "Who am I?" God answered with who he is. God's presence was the answer. |
| "I AM WHO I AM" (3:14) | God depends on no one. He always was and always will be. |
| "Let My people go" (5:1) | God claims the slaves as his own people. Pharaoh does not own them. |
| "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (12:13) | The lamb's blood marked the homes God protected. The Israelites were not saved because they were better. They were saved by the blood God provided. |
| "The LORD will fight for you" (14:14) | The people could not save themselves. God did it for them. |
Back Then
"Pharaoh" was a title, like "king." The Bible doesn't give this Pharaoh's name. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Bricks were made of mud mixed with straw. The straw helped hold the bricks together. Making them was hard, hot work. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Jewish families still celebrate Passover every year. They eat a special meal and tell the story to their children, just as God said (12:26-27).
Literal Reader Alert
Did God make Pharaoh say no? The Bible says it both ways. Some verses say Pharaoh hardened his own heart (8:15, 8:32). Other verses say God hardened it (9:12, 10:20). One way to understand it: Pharaoh chose no again and again. God then made that choice firm, as his judgment on Pharaoh. God said this would happen even before the plagues began (4:21). Pharaoh was still responsible for what he did. It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries.
Did Moses have a disability? The Bible doesn't say exactly. Moses said he was "slow of speech and tongue" (4:10). Some readers think he stuttered. Others think he meant he was not a good speaker. God answered, "Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" (4:11). God is saying that no body is outside his care. He made Moses, and he chose Moses just as he was. God did not take away Moses's hard time speaking. He gave him a helper, Aaron. The Bible never says Moses's speech was a punishment. Jesus also said a man's blindness was not caused by sin (John 9:3).
Why did the firstborn sons of Egypt die? This is one of the hardest parts of the Bible. It's okay to feel sad or upset about it. The Bible does not hide the pain. It says there was loud crying, and "no house without someone dead" (12:30). The firstborn sons were young and old, and firstborn animals died too (12:29). Before the plagues began, God told Pharaoh, "Israel is My firstborn son" (4:22). He warned Pharaoh to let his son go (4:23). Pharaoh refused again and again. The Bible does not say the people who died were worse than anyone else. The Israelites were not spared because they were better. They were spared because of the lamb's blood that God told them to use (12:13). Christians trust that God is good and fair, even when we don't understand. You can bring your questions to God, and to a parent or pastor. At the Passover meal, many Jewish families spill a drop of wine for each plague. Many explain this as a way to remember that the Egyptians suffered too.
Was it really the Red Sea? The Hebrew words are often translated "Sea of Reeds." Nobody knows exactly where the crossing happened.
How did the sea split? The Bible says God used "a strong east wind" all night (14:21). It also says it was God's great power (14:31). God can work through wind and water.
Did Israel celebrate that the Egyptians drowned? Israel praised God for saving them (Exodus 15). An old Jewish teaching says God stopped the angels from singing that night, because the Egyptians were his creatures too. The Bible shows God rescuing his people. It does not ask us to enjoy anyone's death.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Moses | Afraid | He was near God and hid his face (3:6) |
| Moses | Not good enough | He asked, "Who am I?" and "Send someone else" (3:11, 4:13) |
| The Israelites | Crushed | They were too worn down to listen (6:9) |
| Pharaoh | Proud | He would not humble himself before God (10:3) |
| The Egyptians | Heartbroken | Someone had died in every house (12:30) |
| The Israelites | Terrified | An army was behind them and the sea in front (14:10) |
| The Israelites | Filled with awe and trust | They saw God save them (14:31) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Where are you in this story today? Tap one.
Making excuses, like Moses
Moses said, "Send someone else." God didn't pick someone else. He sent help, and he promised to be with him.
Too worn out to listen
The slaves could not even hear good news. God rescued them anyway. He hears you when you can't find the words.
Trapped at the sea
Sometimes there is no way forward that you can see. Moses said the LORD would fight for them. Then God told them to move forward. Being still means trusting God. It does not mean doing nothing.
Stubborn, like Pharaoh
If you notice your heart getting hard, that noticing is a gift. You can ask God to make it soft again.
You Might Have Heard
"Moses was a great hero who rescued his people."
What's true: Moses was brave in the end. He went back to Pharaoh again and again.
What the story is mainly about: God is the rescuer. Moses made excuses. The people could not even listen. Pharaoh was strong. God heard, God came down, and God fought for them.
Where Jesus is: Jesus died at Passover time. Luke tells us that the night before, Jesus ate the Passover meal with his friends (Luke 22:15). At that meal he gave them bread and said, "This is My body, given for you" (Luke 22:19). Christians remember this in the Lord's Supper. Paul says, "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7). This does not take Passover away from Jewish people. God gave it to them, and they still keep it. Christians also hear God's name from the bush when Jesus says, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58).
Good News
God heard slaves who could barely pray. He came down to rescue people who could not save themselves. He brought them through the water to be his own people.
Paul says the Israelites were "baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Corinthians 10:2). In Baptism, God brings you through the water too, and claims you as his own.
You don't have to be brave enough. The LORD fights for you.
Big Idea
God heard his people crying, came down to rescue them, and fought for them when they could not save themselves.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In his service for Baptism (1523, revised 1526), Luther wrote a prayer called the Flood Prayer. It remembers Noah and the flood. It also remembers how God led Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground, while Pharaoh's army drowned. Luther said these were pictures of Baptism. Lutheran baptism services today still thank God for bringing Israel through the sea.
In the Large Catechism (1529), Luther explains the First Commandment. He says your god is whatever you trust most and run to when you are in trouble. Pharaoh said, "I do not know the LORD" (5:2). The Israelites learned to fear the LORD and believe in him (14:31). Luther's Small Catechism says we should fear, love, and trust God above all things.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Exodus 12:1-14 every year on Maundy Thursday, the night Christians remember the Last Supper. It reads Exodus 14:10-31 every year at the Easter Vigil, the night service before Easter morning. It reads Exodus 3:1-15 on the Third Sunday in Lent in Year C.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.
How did that feel?