What was Moses' Ethnicity?

What was Moses’ Ethnicity?

Moses parts the Red Sea

While reading the book of Acts some questions came to me about the ethnicity of Moses. Prior to my first encounter with the book of Acts I pictured Moses as a man of European descent. However, after my research I discovered that Moses was actually a Hebrew born into the tribe of Levi (Exodus 2:1-3). The Bible is probably the best place to look for information about the great Moses.

The book of Exodus tells us that prior to Moses’ birth the Egyptians decided to implement their own form of eugenics. Pharaoh is depicted as ordering Hebrew males to be killed at birth (Exodus). Pharaoh’s efforts lead us directly to the account of Moses, who is depicted inaccurately by Hollywood and television programming. 

From my interpretation Moses was born a Hebrew- Israelite. I came to that conclusion after reading (Exodus 2:1-3). The book of Acts also gives us some valuable insight about Moses' life. According to Acts (7:23) Moses lived in the House with Pharaoh for 40 long years. Forty years is a long time for an individual to live in a area that his ancestors where being enslaved.

How could Moses spend time at the house of Pharaoh and not be identified as an outcast?  

The Book of Acts portrays Moses as a man that lived with Pharaoh since an infant.  The Old Testament tells us that Moses actually passed for Pharaoh’s grandson (Exodus 2:6, 10). As I read more I realized that all this happened around the same time that Pharaoh was giving orders for all Hebrew males to be killed. The website http://www.bible-knowledge.com/story-of-moses/  gives us even more details of Moses life. Before Moses was born, the children of Israel were living in slavery in Egypt. The Pharaoh was afraid of the numbers and might of the growing Israelites during this time, so he had all of them put under extreme bondage and slavery so they could not rebel against him. We can assume that the only way Moses could have passed for Pharaoh’s grandson is if resembled him in someway. So how does Moses fit in with the Pharaoh?  The website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses says that as a child Moses was  adopted as a foundling from the Nile river and grew up with the Egyptian royal family. From this statement I think we can assume that Moses was a man of a darker skin tone and probably resembled the Egyptians. (Ex 2:5, 7, 9, 10; Acts7:21; Heb)



What distinguished Hebrews from Egyptians? And why can we conclude Moses was brown-skinned?

From this blog we understand that Moses was Hebrew and Pharaoh was an Egyptian. So why can we assume that Moses and Pharaoh had similar features? The website http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture4b.html tells us that the Hebrews first appeared in Mesopotamia; which would be present day Iraq.The Hebrews migrated from Mesopotamia to Canaan and then into Egypt. During this time the Hebrew were claiming to be descendants of Abraham who called themselves Israelites (solders of God). The Hebrew Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptian pharaohs until Moses came to lead. On the other hand, when the Egyptians first appeared they were in Egypt. Egypt is present day Africa,were the ethnicity is predominantly brown-skinned people. This is the place Moses migrated to while his forefathers were enslaved. However, he was able to live here during a time of Egyptian rule. How was Moses able to withstand this form of enslavement?  He had to look similar to Pharaoh and his people in order to live their under such conditions.Furthermore, the only thing that distinguishes Hebrews from Egyptians is there birth place. In my opinion, Moses was Hebrew and so was Pharaoh's family. They divided up into different sects because of the misuse of power. The Egyptian rulers wanted unanimous control over all the people in this area. So they created a divide between themselves and the other Hebrews.

Map of Mesopotamia and Egypt 

In the book of Exodus we find out Moses Ethnicity through a story he experienced with the Lord.

Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh(Exodus 4:6-7). So what color was his before he was given leprous?Moses' hands changed from its original color to white. This allows us to assume that his hands were probably brown before he put them into his cloak. That indicates that Moses was a brown-skinned Hebrew man that was able to pass as an Egyptian.

Other evidence to know.

If the Israelites were truly how television shows them then Moses wouldn't have been able to (secretly) survive amongst Pharaoh and the brown-skinned Egyptians for forty years.We also understand that Moses was chosen by God to be the leader of many. According to the Bible Moses murdered an Egyptian after he observed him harming a Hebrew. As a result, Moses grew afraid and fled from Egypt. Moses ran away because he thought Pharaoh might find out and kill him (Exodus 2:12-15). Furthermore the bible tells us that Moses fled to Midian where he ended up saving seven daughters. When the daughters returned home they told their father that an Egyptian saved them (Exodus 2:16-19). What makes this scripture fascinating is the way the girls described the person that saved them (Moses). Notice they said “an Egyptian delivered us out of the land of Sheppard’s.  This alludes to Moses being brown-skinned, because the description we have of the Egyptians is similar to Moses.

Why does Moses’ ethnicity matter?

In my opinion, the reason Moses’ ethnicity matters is because of the people who attempts to find themselves in the Bible. It is important for the people who read the bible and see themselves as the characters. For example, there are people from totally different cultures that claim to be the real Jews. From my perspective, these different sects of people want to be labeled Jewish because of the promises the Bible has made for them. In the Bible the Jews are depicted as God chosen people (Exodus 19:5). That scripture alone conveys the message that one ethnicity is superior to the other. It also makes people believe that they could possibly benefit from being Jewish. This is the same dilemma that arises when it comes to Moses’ identity. People are curious about their ancestral history, and it gives them hope to know that Moses was in their family tree.

In contrast, I know there are devote Christians that would say we all came from one race. That same Christian would point to the book of  Genesis and claim that we are all made from Adam and Eve. This may be true, but I would combat that answer with a critical question. If we are all made from two people then why are there so many different blood types?

I am a firm believer that everything that happens in life matters. I don't think that there is anything that is insignificant. To discover if Moses is the primal ancestor of any of the people still here on Earth we would have to know his ethnicity.

Conclusion:

Moses is a great leader and religious figure. There have been many speculations to what his ethnicity truly is. Moses is similar to the Egyptians. He has all the characteristics of a king. I think it is safe to conclude that Moses is a brown-skinned Hebrew Israelite. He should be presented as that in all biblical films. If people  take the Bible literally then ethnicity matters. It matters because God conveys the message that the Jewish (Hebrew) people are chosen and divine. Therefore, Moses' ethnicity is important to know and understand.