In our quest to search for Moses in Egypt, we know that no images of Moses or inscriptions of the name of Moses have yet been found. However the Bible says that Moses spent forty years here, so what did he do, what did he learn and are there any clues that will help us to understand how this influenced him?

The Bible says that Moses was adopted into pharaoh's house and the Egyptian records show that this was not the great exception to the rule, but it was a normal practice for this period of Egyptian history. The Amarna letters tell us that children from other nations and kingdoms were often brought into pharaoh's house and given an Egyptian education. The Egyptians did this so that they could spread their influence amongst its smaller neighbours. Therefore the account of Moses being brought up in pharaoh's house fits in perfectly with the sources that we have from that time, but also there is something interesting about Moses' name. See Exodus 1:5-10 and Acts 7:23.

The Bible explains that the name Moses literally means 'drawn out' because pharaoh's daughter 'drew him out of the water.' We've always understood the name Moses from the Hebrew perspective, but the Bible tells us that pharaoh's daughter, an Egyptian, gave Moses his name and research into that name reveals something exciting - Moses shared an Egyptian royal name of the New Kingdom!

During the period of the Hebrews enslavement and the exodus, five pharaohs of Egypt appear who share a similar name with Moses. Pharaoh Ahmose, Thutmosis I, Thutmosis II, Thutmosis III and Thutmosis IV. When the name of Moses and the name of these pharaohs were translated in English, the spellings varied depending on the scholars, but the root meaning stayed the same. Just as these pharaohs were the children of their gods, so the name of Moses shows that he was a child of Egypt.

‘Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds’ Acts 7:22.

The lost years of Moses in Egypt are still a mystery, but a little knowledge of ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom can reveal a great deal about the life that he most probably would have lived. In the Tombs of the Nobles in Thebes, Egypt, the tomb of Sennefer reveals more about the world into which Moses was raised. Sennefer was the mayor of Thebes during the lifetime of Moses. He was rich, powerful and lacked nothing and images from his tomb shows the glory of Egypt during the time that the Bible places Moses in this country.

It is the Bible itself that tells us about the most important decision that Moses ever made. We know from the Bible that he was well educated and was mighty in words and deeds. Moses could have shared in the wealth of Egypt, but in the end he turned his back on the great treasures and fame of Egypt in order to serve his destiny. Moses chose to be a man of God and abandoned the life of ease and the treasures of Egypt, to suffer with his people in pursuit of the purposes of God. Hebrews 11:23-29.

‘Israel in Egypt - The Exodus Mystery DVD’
Enter ancient Egypt and search for the evidence for the Bible's exodus. Go.

‘The Exodus Evidence Book’
Experience a photographic search for the Bible’s exodus. 100+ colour photos. Go.