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.
These books contain the following tropes:
- 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 Isrealites. Circumcision had nothing to do with it.
- 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.
- 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".
- 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.
- 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.