Book of Exodus

This page will also discuss Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua for convenience.

Exodus: 400 years after the Israelites' migration to Egypt at the end of Genesis, a new pharaoh subjects them to slavery and has all their newborn children killed. One baby escapes and is found by pharaoh's daughter and named Moses. As an adult, he kills an overseer for beating an Israelite and flees to the desert. He settles down into the life of a shepherd when he is called by God to liberate his brethren.

Leviticus: The guide book about how the Israelites are to properly worship God.

Numbers: The Israelites are on their way to The Promised Land. Moses, with God's help, guides his people to the land flowing with milk and honey while battling hostile nomadic peoples and internal dissension. It Gets Worse

Deuteronomy: Moses' last instructions to the new generation of Israelites about to enter Canaan.

Joshua: Moses and the previous generation of Israelites are dead and its up to Joshua to lead the new generation in conquering the Promised Land.

Joshua is followed by the Book of Judges.

"Is the Lord's arm too short?"
 * Ambiguously Jewish: In rabbinical tradition, Moses was never circumcised, hence why he wasn't allowed into the Promised Land. Freud theorized that Moses wasn't Jewish at all, but Egyptian royalty that for some reason threw in with their lot.
 * According to Exodus Moses was not allowed into the promised land because of his disobedience to God in his leadership of the Israelites. Circumcision had nothing to do with it. Also, he was ethnically Jewish to begin with, he was adopted into the Eqyptian royal court regardless.
 * Bittersweet Ending: The Israelites conquer Canaan but it's foretold the next generation will be unfaithful to God. Moses only sees a bit of the Promised Land and dies soon after.
 * Church Militant: Contrary to what you see in The Ten Commandments, the worshipers of the golden calf were not swallowed up by the earth. God had Moses command the Levite priests to slaughter them.
 * A priest named Phineas takes it very personally when the people of Moab tempt his people into defying God's will and decided to take out the leader of the problem with a Blade On A Stick. God makes a point of personally praising Phineas for this.
 * Deadpan Snarker: God gets a classic one when it's doubted even he can provide meat for the people of Israel out of thin air:


 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Pharaoh in sharp contrast to two Hebrew midwives identified by name.
 * Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Exodus describes an exodus. Deuteronomy means "second law".
 * Eye for An Eye: Many laws for restitution concerning personal injury specified this was an appropriate punishment, though payment was allowed as an alternative in some cases. Also, as opposed to The Code of Hammurabi, such punishments were equal without regard for any class or social standing, so a rich and poor man would lose an eye if they destroyed the eye of someone else in equal measure.
 * Foreshadowing: Deut. 17:14 was about how to choose a good Israelite king, centuries before anyone even thought this was a good idea.
 * Heroic Blue Screen of Death: After Joshua's failed attack on Ai.
 * Heel Face Revolving Door: Pharaoh.
 * Kill It with Water: Drowning Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea.
 * Loophole Abuse: Despite God making a lot of Rules Lawyer antics flat out impossible, Aaron still found a loophole around the law saying he could not publicly mourn his dead sons, refusing his portion of the sacrificial offerings that day. When Moses called him on not doing what God said, Aaron countered the sacrificial offering was for the priests, but never specified any penalty for opting out of eating their share, merely saying the priests could have it if it was available. It was Aaron's way of mourning in such a way he never broke any actual rules, and even Moses had to admit that was pretty clever.
 * Lyrical Dissonance: The song of Moses (Deut. 32:1-43) which was sung as the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land. In the passages beforehand, God had flat out told Moses that his people were going to mess up badly in the end, and gave the song to Moses as a reminder of what they needed to do once that day came to repent. Nevertheless, it's about as uplifting as a kick in the balls.
 * Moses in the Bulrushes - The Trope Namer.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Moses pretty much screwed himself out of the Promised Land by doing the right thing (providing the people with water from a rock when they were thirsty) while doing so the wrong way (taking credit for God's hand in the matter). God punished him by saying he would never enter the Promised Land, only being able to get a brief look at it before he died.
 * Viewers Are Goldfish: A justified example in-universe, as a lot of the material concerning the laws the Israelites had to follow is oft repeated because, s God and Moses accurately forsee, they will need constant reminders.