Texts in Conversation
Genesis describes light brought into existence and declared to be good, a phrase that is repeated in Exodus at the birth of Moses, who is similarly declared to be good at birth. This reuse of creation language helps to emphasize the importance of his birth.
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Genesis 1:4
Hebrew Bible
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was hovering11 over the surface of the water. 3 God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light! 4 God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. 6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.”
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Exodus 2:2
Hebrew Bible
1 A man from the household of Levi married a woman who was a descendant of Levi. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a good child8, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. 4 His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In Jewish lore, Moses’ nativity is said to have filled his house with light. Such a tradition likely derives from the language of his birth in Exodus. When Moses’ mother conceived and bore a son, we are told that “she saw him that he was good” (Exodus 2:2), words that follow the creation account closely, when “God saw the light that it was good” (Genesis 1:4). Later on in his life, Moses’ face would indeed radiate light, shining with the reflected glory of God (Exodus 34:29-35). Legends about his birth were one way the ancient rabbis sought to express the greatness of the historical figure of Moses, a standing that has even led some scholars to view the Pentateuch as something of a biography of Moses ..."
Morales, L. Michael
Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption
(p. 111) IVP Academic, 2020
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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