How old was Moses when his mother returned him to Pharaoh's daughter in Egypt? Please I will like to know more about it. How long was he weaned?
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Does your question relate to Exodus 2:7-10, where Moses' sister gets permission from Pharaoh's daughter to get a Hebrew woman to nurse baby Moses?– LesleySep 8, 2019 at 9:40
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There was a French Benedictine monk at Sainte-Marie Abbey, Paris. He was a biblical exegetist and actually wrote a great book on the subject of Moses. If any book contain such plausible information as what you are seeking, it would be found there. He name was something like Dom de Moreleon? I am sure I am misspelling his last name. But that where you will find such information– Ken Graham ♦Sep 8, 2019 at 15:29
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@Kris - both answers to the question in the link you provide are inconclusive. Back then, babies were weaned for much longer than they are now. There does not appear to be any agreement between Jewish and Egyptian sources. Nobody knows how old Moses was by the time he had been weaned and taken to Pharaoh's household.– LesleySep 9, 2019 at 7:57
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@Lesley the question is a duplicate regardless if the answers are conclusive or not– User 14Sep 9, 2019 at 11:50
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@Kris - Okay, but does that mean this question is invalid or should be removed? What is the point of an old question without any satisfactory answer? Why can't people ask similar questions NOW? Are we now all supposed to rush off and answer years' old questions regardless of whether anyone will ever look at them? Please help me to understand, Kris. I'm confused as to why 3 people think this question is a duplicate and should be closed down. I disagree, most strongly, on the basis there is room for fresh discussion and sharing of information.– LesleySep 9, 2019 at 17:42
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1 Answer
Moses was born 1526 B.C. His mother was Jochebed, his father was Amram (Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59) and his sister was Miriam (Exodus 15:20-21). Hebrews 11:23 confirms that Moses was hidden for three months by his parents. After Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the baby Moses hidden in a basket by the place where she came to bathe, Miriam persuades her to allow her to find a nurse for the baby (Exodus 2:9). Miriam brings baby Moses back home so her mother can nurse him. After a period of time, Moses had been weaned and was then handed over to Pharaoh’s daughter. How long was that period of time? The Bible does not say. However, there are other sources of information that may give us a clue.
In the ancient world, children were nursed for three or four years before being weaned. (Breast-feeding Practices in Ancient Israel,” 61–83; Stuart, Hosea-Jonah, 32; some of the key evidence comes from 2 Macc 7:27 and 1 Sam 1:23, as well as from the Egyptian “Instructions of Ani” (ANET, 420) (p.10) Source: https://www.wenstrom.org/downloads/written/exposition/exodus/exodus_2.pdf
The exact length of time it took before Moses was weaned is not important. However, the article quoted above provides some interesting information on dates and the characters involved.
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Thanks for the answer. However, I think Jochebed & Amran were not parents to Moses, which explains why they are not named in Ex 2:1-2. See my answer to a diff question here: christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/46323/… The article you refer to says only Moses Jewishness stood in his way. This is extremely unlikely - hatshepsut intended himto be her son and would certainly have told noone he was Jewish. When Thutmose II died (murdered by Hat.?) Thut III was under 10 yrs old, Moses was 22, and Oct 3, 2019 at 9:28
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Moses was (close to) 22 yrs old and his claim to the throne was far better than Thutmose III, being the (adopted) son of Hatshepsut the Royal Wife. There is no evidence as far as I know that Thutmose II made Thutmose III a coregent or heir apparent. Such a suggestion fails to appreciate the position of Hatshepsut, who Thutmose II had to marry to cement his right to the throne. In truth, Moses certainly was next in line to be Pharaoh after Thutmose II death, and the only thing that stopped this happening was his own refusal (Hebrews 11:24-26). Oct 3, 2019 at 9:37