מֹשֶׁה

From the study of Exodus 2:10

Range of meaning

A personal name. In Hebrew the vowel pattern (mo-sheh) is that of an active participle of the verb mashah, so it means 'one who draws out.' The passive 'one drawn out' would be mashui. In Egyptian, a very similar element ms / msi means 'born (of)' or 'child' and appears in royal and private names: Ahmose ('the moon god is born'), Thutmose ('Thoth is born'), Ramesses (Ra-mes-su, 'Ra bore him'). On its own, 'Mose' is attested as an Egyptian personal name.

Against the English

English 'Moses' comes from the Greek Mōusēs through the Latin Moyses/Moses. It carries no meaning for an English reader, so the pun is lost entirely. Footnotes and popular sources usually gloss it as 'drawn out,' which follows the princess's explanation but not the grammatical form of the name.

How it drifted

Popular glosses blend the explanation ('I drew him') with the name ('drawer-out'). The result is the passive 'drawn out,' which matches neither exactly.

Used elsewhere in the period

Josephus (Antiquities 2.228) and Philo (Life of Moses 1.17) both explain the name from the Egyptian word for water (mō / mōu) plus a word for 'saved.' That shows that Jews of the Greek-speaking world already thought the name was Egyptian. Modern Egyptologists (e.g., J. G. Griffiths, JNES 1953) connect it to ms/msi. The Hebrew text deliberately ties it to the rare verb mashah, used elsewhere only of God drawing the psalmist 'out of many waters' (2 Sam 22:17; Ps 18:16). Isaiah 63:11 seems to play on the name when it recalls God as the one 'who brought them up out of the sea' with 'Moses his people.'

From the study of Exodus 3:4

Range of meaning

The name Moses said twice in direct address. Saying a name twice is rare and marks the most solemn moments when God calls someone. 'Abraham, Abraham' (Gen 22:11), 'Jacob, Jacob' (Gen 46:2), 'Samuel, Samuel' (1 Sam 3:10). The pattern continues in Greek: 'Martha, Martha' (Luke 10:41), 'Simon, Simon' (Luke 22:31), 'Saul, Saul' (Acts 9:4).

Against the English

English versions all keep the repetition. WEB and BSB add exclamation marks, which convey urgency but can make it sound like shouting. The Hebrew has both urgency and closeness.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Masoretes, the medieval scribes who added vowel and reading marks to the Hebrew text, placed a small vertical stroke (paseq, a pause) between the doubled names for Abraham, Jacob and Samuel. They placed none between 'Moses Moses.' The midrash collection Exodus Rabbah (2:6) comments on this difference and reads the unbroken call as a sign of God's continuous speech with Moses. That is an interpretation of a reading mark, not part of the original wording. On the meaning of the repetition, Sarna and others note that it expresses urgency and affection.

From the study of Micah 6:4

Range of meaning

The three children of Amram (Num 26:59; 1 Chr 6:3 [Heb 5:29]). Moses: the lawgiver and prophet. Aaron: the priest. Miriam: called "the prophetess" (Exod 15:20), who led the women's victory song at the sea (Exod 15:20–21), challenged Moses' unique authority (Num 12), and died at Kadesh (Num 20:1).

Against the English

English versions agree. The only differences are whether "as well as" (BSB) or "also" (NIV) sets Aaron and Miriam slightly apart from Moses. The Hebrew simply lists the three.

Used elsewhere in the period

Miriam appears nowhere else in the prophetic books. Ancient Jewish interpretation noticed the triad: the Aramaic Targum of this verse expands it to "three prophets: Moses to teach the tradition of judgments, Aaron to make atonement for the people, and Miriam to instruct the women" (Targum Jonathan, tr. Cathcart & Gordon). Later rabbinic tradition credited the wilderness gifts to the three (well for Miriam, cloud for Aaron, manna for Moses; b. Ta'anit 9a).