Story · 17 · Moses and Joshua
Moses' basket echoes a Mesopotamian king
The legend of Sargon the Great tells of a baby set adrift in a basket of reeds sealed with bitumen, rescued from a river, and raised to become king. Moses' story follows the same pattern.
Foundling stories mark great leaders.
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Copies of the Sargon legend were found in Ashurbanipal's library. Moses is a common Egyptian name meaning 'child of,' as in Thutmose. The Bible gives it a Hebrew meaning instead, 'drawn out of the water,' without explaining how the princess knew Hebrew.
Bible reference: Exodus 2:1–10
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 272–273
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