Moses being lowered by his mother into the waters of the Nile. Alexey Tyranov, c. 1839. Wikimedia
The Birth of Moses: Between Bible and Midrash
The details of Moses birth story do not entirely cohere. By examining the midrash, and sifting through layers of the Torah text itself, we uncover a series of problems and solutions in the story which help to elucidate the way the text and its traditions evolved over time.
Published: December 19, 2013
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Last Updated: September 7, 2026
Interestingly, the authors find a place for Miriam elsewhere, as a child who prophesies the birth of her brother (Moses) and its import. The Miriam as a prophet predicting Moses theme appears in Rabbinic literature as well (see: Seder Olam Rabbah 3, b. Megillah 14a, and Exodus Rabbah 1:22.) For more on Pseudo-Philo and its relationship to other Jewish works, see Louis H. Feldman’s massive prolegomenon to the reprint of The Biblical Antiquities of Philo, trans. M. A. James (New York: Ktav, 1971). A study demonstrating the close relationship between Pseudo-Philo and Rabbinic literature was presented at the Society of Biblical Literature Meeting in Baltimore (2014) by Zev Farber. It will be published in a forthcoming volume.
Joan Goodnick Westenholz, “Review of The Sargon Legend: A Study of the Akkadian Text and the Tale of the Hero Who Was Exposed at Birth by Brian Lewis,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 43 (1984).
