From ChatGPT on 7/25/2025.
Critical Bible scholars widely acknowledge that the name “Moses” (Hebrew: Mosheh, מֹשֶׁה) is likely of Egyptian origin and is related to the Egyptian word “ms” or “mes,” meaning “child of” or “born of,” commonly used as a suffix in Egyptian theophoric names.
- Egyptian Etymology: “ms” / “msi” = “child of”
In Egyptian, the verb ms(i) means “to give birth,” and the noun form or name element “ms” or “mose” means “child” or “born of.” It appears in many Egyptian names:
- Thutmose (Thoth-mose) = “child of Thoth”
- Ramesses (Ra-mses) = “child of Ra”
In these cases, the deity’s name precedes the -ms suffix.
James K. Hoffmeier (Egyptologist and biblical scholar) notes that the name Moses is undoubtedly Egyptian, derived from ms or mose, meaning ‘born of’ or ‘child.’ It is usually preceded by the name of a deity, but in the Hebrew tradition the divine element is omitted.
(Source: Israel in Egypt: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition, Hoffmeier, 1997, p. 140)
- Moses in the Hebrew Bible: Folk Etymology
In Exodus 2:10, the name Moses is linked to the Hebrew verb mashah (מָשָׁה), meaning “to draw out”:
“She named him Moses, ‘Because,’ she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’” (Exodus 2:10, NRSV)
This is widely recognized by scholars as a folk etymology—a Hebrew reinterpretation of a name that likely originated in Egyptian.
William Propp comments that the Hebrew folk etymology from mashah (‘to draw out’) is clever, but almost certainly secondary to the Egyptian source.
(Source: Exodus 1–18: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Yale Bible, Propp, 1999, pp. 165–167)
- Scholarly Consensus and Implications
Most critical scholars agree that:
- The name Moses originally comes from Egyptian royal or priestly naming conventions.
- It indicates Egyptian cultural influence on the narrative and supports the Exodus tradition’s Egyptian setting.
- The absence of a divine name (e.g., “Ra” or “Thoth”) in Moses might mean:
- The name was truncated or adapted for Hebrew-speaking audiences.
- It was given by Egyptian royalty (Pharaoh’s daughter) but preserved without the full theophoric element.
John Van Seters affirms that the Egyptian origin of the name Moses is well established and points to the antiquity of the tradition, even though the biblical author attempts to provide a Hebrew derivation.
(Source: Moses: The Revelation and the Covenant, Van Seters, 2004, p. 54)
- Some Scholars’ Alternative Theories
Some scholars note that if Moses had originally been named with a theophoric element (like Thutmose), then the deity’s name might have been dropped due to Israelite religious concerns, or it was never preserved in the oral tradition.
Others, like Richard Elliott Friedman, suggest that the Egyptian context of Moses’ name supports the historicity of at least some core Exodus traditions. He writes that the Egyptian name of Moses is one of the clues pointing to a historical kernel behind the Exodus story, involving people who had lived in Egypt.
(Source: The Exodus: How It Happened and Why It Matters, Friedman, 2017)
- Summary Comparison
- Egyptian: ms / msi = “born of” or “child of”
Examples: Ramesses (“child of Ra”), Thutmose (“child of Thoth”) - Hebrew: mashah = “to draw out” (Exodus 2:10), a later Hebrew folk etymology
- Key Sources:
- James K. Hoffmeier, Israel in Egypt (1997), p. 140
- William Propp, Anchor Yale Bible: Exodus 1–18 (1999), pp. 165–167
- John Van Seters, Moses: The Revelation and the Covenant (2004), p. 54
- Richard Elliott Friedman, The Exodus (2017)
- Kenneth Kitchen, On the Reliability of the Old Testament (2003), supports similar views on Egyptian origin of the name
More Than One Moses? By Dr. Nicholas Schaser. Extracted from his email.
When Pharaoh’s daughter finds a Hebrew baby in the river, she names him “Moses (משה; mosheh) because, she said, ‘I drew him out (משיתהו; meshitihu) of the water.’”
But did you know there’s another reason why she made this choice? In Egyptian, “Moses” means “child of” and formed pharaonic names like Thutmose (Thot + moses), a child “born of” the Egyptian god Thoth.
When Pharaoh’s daughter names the Hebrew baby “child of,” it leaves the reader asking, “A child of whom?” Along with being the child of his earthly parents, Moses is a child of God whose clash with Pharaoh highlights his relationship with his heavenly Father.
On the other hand, the name “Rameses” (Ra + moses) means “child of Ra,” the Egyptian sun god. Thus, when Moses confronts Pharaoh, we have a showdown between Rameses the “child of Ra” and Moses the “child of Israel’s God”: the Moses of Ra vs. the Moses of the Lord.
As the leader of Israel, Moses represents the people whom God calls “my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22). The God of Israel uses Moses as a “son” who defeats the son of Ra and, in turn, brings divine “judgment on all the gods of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12; Num 33:4).
Kind regards,
Dr. Nicholas Schaser
Chief Editor of the Israel Bible Weekly
