Final answer:
The story of Moses's birth is recorded in the Book of Exodus, where his mother hides him in a basket on the Nile to save him from the Pharaoh's decree to kill Hebrew male infants. He is found and adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter, and as an adult, leads the Exodus, the Hebrews' escape from Egypt, which is commemorated during Passover.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Birth and Early Life of Moses in the Bible
The story of Moses's birth and upbringing is a pivotal narrative in the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible. As depicted in various artistic representations, such as the 1904 painting "The Finding of Moses" by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, the account begins in ancient Egypt, around 1800 BCE, when the Hebrews suffer increasing oppression, culminating in the Pharaoh's command to kill all male Hebrew infants. To save her son, Moses's mother places him in a basket to float down the Nile River, where he is discovered by the Pharaoh's daughter. She names him Moses and raises him as part of the Egyptian royalty.
This story resonated with early Christians as well as Jews, offering an example of divine intervention and salvation. The adult Moses would eventually identify with his Hebrew roots and lead his people out of Egypt and into freedom, an event known as the Exodus. Moses's life story, replete with divine interactions such as the encounter with the burning bush and receiving the Ten Commandments, becomes foundational for both the Jewish and Christian traditions. The Passover holiday commemorates the epic narrative of the Israelites' liberation from slavery, including the final plague, where the Angel of Death 'passed over' the houses of the Jews who had marked their doorways with a red mark, following Moses's instruction.
The broader narrative encompasses Moses's life and leadership, including the story of the golden calf, where Moses returns from Mount Sinai to find his people worshiping a pagan idol, a grave offense that leads him to shatter the stone tablets inscribed with the commandments in anger.