The Prince Of Egypt Moses Review
Pharaoh’s daughter (named Bithiah in some traditions) discovers the baby while bathing. Recognizing him as a Hebrew child, she takes pity. The baby’s sister, Miriam, offers to find a Hebrew wet nurse—their own mother. Thus Moses is raised in the palace as an Egyptian prince, unaware of his true heritage.
The story of Moses as “The Prince of Egypt” is one of the most powerful narratives ever told—a sweeping epic of identity, exile, faith, and freedom. It exists in two monumental forms: the ancient Book of Exodus and DreamWorks Animation’s 1998 masterpiece, The Prince of Egypt . Both tell the same core story, but the film adds psychological depth and visual splendor to the man who would become a liberator. Part I: The Biblical Foundation Birth and Abandonment In the 13th century BCE, the enslaved Israelites groan under Pharaoh Seti I. Fearing their growing numbers, Pharaoh decrees that every newborn Hebrew boy must be drowned in the Nile. Yocheved, a Levite woman, hides her infant son for three months. When she can hide him no longer, she places him in a papyrus basket and sets him afloat on the river. the prince of egypt moses
Pharaoh changes his mind and pursues them with chariots. At the Red Sea, Moses stretches out his staff; God parts the waters. The Israelites cross on dry ground, but the Egyptian army drowns when Moses raises his hand again. Moses then leads the people to Mount Sinai, where he receives the Torah—including the Ten Commandments—and guides them for forty years in the wilderness. He dies within sight of the Promised Land at age 120, having never entered. Part II: DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt (1998) The animated film reimagines Moses as a conflicted, deeply human hero. Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells, with music by Hans Zimmer and songs by Stephen Schwartz, it became a landmark in animation. Thus Moses is raised in the palace as
Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh, whose heart is hardened. Through ten plagues—water turned to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock death, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn—God breaks Egypt’s power. The Israelites mark their doorposts with lamb’s blood, and the angel of death “passes over” them (Passover). Pharaoh finally relents. Moses leads six hundred thousand men plus women and children out of Egypt. Both tell the same core story, but the
Unlike typical heroes, Moses never seeks power. He stutters (traditionally interpreted as a speech impediment). He begs God to send someone else. His greatness lies in obedience and humility. “I am slow of speech and tongue,” he says. God replies: “Who gave human beings their mouths? … Now go; I will help you speak.”