When I think of the name Moshe, I’m struck by the ambiguity of its origins. According to the Torah, Pharaoh’s daughter named him Moshe “because I drew him out of the water” – a play on the Hebrew root “masha,” meaning “to draw out.” But this explanation raises a question: Why would an Egyptian princess, especially during a time when Hebrew babies were being killed, choose a name based on a Hebrew verb that might reveal his identity?
Some scholars suggest she wouldn’t have, and argue that Moshe was originally an Egyptian name, common in royal circles (possibly appearing in names like Rameses). According to this view, he would likely have had a separate Hebrew name given by his birth family, even if it isn’t preserved in the biblical text. Other Hebrews from that period, such as Pinchas, are also claimed to have Egyptian names.
Others argue the opposite: Moshe was a Hebrew name from the start, but he also bore an Egyptian name. A key piece of evidence supporting the Hebrew origin is the pun itself. The wordplay in Exodus works only in Hebrew, not in Egyptian. The same is true in Isaiah 63:11-12, where the Hebrew verb “masha” is followed immediately by a reference to Moshe, reinforcing the connection between the name and the verb.
The ambiguity of his name reflects the ambiguity of his early life – a Hebrew child raised in an Egyptian world. His identity, expressed through a name that could have either origin, captures that tension.
