moses

moses — noun

1. In the Jewish and Christian Bible, Moses is the Hebrew prophet chosen by God to

1.nounB1
Definition

In the Jewish and Christian Bible, Moses is the Hebrew prophet chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. He is also known for receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and guiding the people through the wilderness for forty years toward the Promised Land.

Example

At the museum, the guide showed Jiwoo a painting of Moses and the burning bush.

Moses + the burning bush — common biblical reference pattern

In her world religions class, Yael learned that Muslims also respect Moses as a prophet.

Usage Note

Moses is a proper noun — the name of one specific person in the religious texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is not used in the plural form and does not take an article (a/an) unless referring to a depiction or statue (e.g., 'a famous statue of Moses').

Common Mistakes

The museum has statues of several Moseses.
The museum has a statue of Moses.
Moses is a proper noun and is not used in the plural form.
Moses led his people across the desert for fourty years.
Moses led his people across the desert for forty years.
The number forty is often misspelled in this context.

Word family

Etymology

HebrewEnglish

Moses comes from the Hebrew name מֹשֶׁה (Moshe). In the biblical story, this name is connected to the Hebrew verb mashah, meaning 'to draw out,' because the baby Moses was drawn from the Nile River by Pharaoh's daughter.