Moses Timeline

Moses Timeline in Biblical History

1525 to 1508 BC Pharaoh Thutmose I (most probably) ordered the killing of all newborn Hebrew boys. – Exodus 1:1-22
1525 BC Moses is born. Moses’ mother, Jocheved, and his sister, Miriam, weave a basket made of bulrushes and place Moses in it, then hide the basket in the Nile River. The Pharaoh’s daughter, possibly, Hatshepsut, finds the basket and lifts Moses out of the water. – Exodus 2:3-10, Numbers 26:59
1485 BC Moses sees an Egyptian slavemaster beating a Hebrew man, and so he kills the Egyptian and buries his body in the sand. Fearing punishment for his deed, Moses escapes to Midian. He lives for forty years as a shepherd in the Sinai Peninsula. – Exodus 2:11-22
Moses witnesses a bush that is burning but is not being consumed by the fire. He hears the voice of God from the flaming bush, telling him to go back to Egypt and lead his fellow Hebrews out of slavery. The Lord told him to perform miracles in Egypt. – Exodus 3:1-3
1445 BC Moses meets his brother, Aaron, on his way back to Egypt. Once in Egypt, Aaron throws his staff in front of the Pharaoh and it turns into a snake. The Hebrew slaves agree among themselves to follow Moses to freedom. – Exodus 7:8-13
The Pharaoh disallows his slaves to march out of Egypt and towards their freedom. God lets ten plagues descend on Egypt, killing firstborn sons. The Pharaoh finally relents and lets go of his slaves. – Exodus 7:14-12:30
Moses leads the Hebrews towards the Red Sea. The Pharaoh changes his mind and lets loose an army to chase the fleeing slaves. Moses parts the Red Sea which lets his people pass to the other shore, then God lets the sea engulf the pursuing army. – Exodus 14:1-31
Moses’ sister, Miriam, writes and sings a victory song about the Hebrews’ escape from Egypt and the death of the pursuing army. – Exodus 15;1-21
God instructs Moses to hit a rock and witness how water would pour forth, quenching the thirst of the Hebrews while they were at Rephidim. – Exodus 17:1-7
1425 BC Moses spends forty days at the top of Mount Sinai, communing with God and receiving the Ten Commandments, which he later brought down on stone tablets to his people. – Exodus 19:1-25
Moses breaks the stone tablets in rage upon finding out his people were worshiping a golden calf. – Exodus 32:1-35
Moses receives the Ten Commandments anew at the top of Mount Sinai and takes them to his people. – Exodus 34:1-35
Moses receives instructions from God on how to construct the Ark of the Covenant while at the top of Mount Sinai. – Exodus 25:10-22 and 37:1-9
Moses was pleased when he saw that the Tabernacle was completed according to God’s instructions. – Exodus 39:32-43
Moses sends twelve spies to explore and observe the terrain of Canaan, but only two spies bring back good reports about the land’s fertility. Discouraged, Moses’ people did not set foot in Canaan, resulting in another 40 years of wandering. – Numbers 13:1-33
The Israelites continue wandering for 40 more years because of their disbelief in God. – Numbers 14:33-34
Moses was instructed by God to speak to a rock, but Moses struck it, making water gush forth and quenching the thirst of the complaining Israelites in Kadesh. – Numbers 20:1-13
God punishes the Israelites for complaining about the bread and the long wandering by sending poisonous snakes to bite them. He later orders Moses to make a bronze snake coiled on a pole and tell people that if they had been bitten by a snake to just look at the bronze snake and they will be healed. – Numbers 21:4-9
The Lord tells Moses to designate six towns for his people so that anyone who accidentally kills a person would have a place of refuge before he goes under trial. These six towns are Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan. – Numbers 35:1-34, Deuteronomy 4:41-43
1405 BC Moses gives his blessings to his people through three sermons. In these sermons, he reminded them of all the things God had done for them, the things that they have to do to receive blessings from God. For his third sermon, Moses gives his prophecy for the 12 tribes. – Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43, Deuteronomy 4:44-11:32, Deuteronomy 12:1-33:29
Moses accomplishes his mission of freeing his people from slavery. He stands atop Mount Nebo and sees the Promised Land. – Deuteronomy 32:49–52
Moses grants Joshua leadership over the Israelites, as commanded by God. – Numbers 27:15–23, Deuteronomy 34:9
Moses dies at 120 years old on Mount Nebo in Moab. – Deuteronomy 34:1-12