To what extent is the Moses story modelled on other biblical stories?

Abstract

This essay reviews the evidence for the Moses story having been modelled on four other biblical stories. It is well known that the Moses story shares elements with the stories of Jeroboam, Elijah and Jacob. Few, however, have noted that the Moses story also appears to share elements with the story of King Joash of Judah. This essay presents an overview of the many elements which the Moses story shares with these four stories. It shows that most episodes in the life of Moses appear to have a parallel in the stories of these other biblical figures. After listing the many similarities, it presents a review of the evidence for direct dependence of the Moses story on the stories of the four other biblical figures.