Growing up in the 70s, when you watched TV, you watched whatever the networks were playing. There was no Netflix, no streaming, not even TiVo. The story of Moses and the Exodus in the 1956 movie "The Ten Commandments" was on every Easter Sunday, which was ironic since it had nothing (unless you look for symbolism) to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. My family watched it every single Easter.
In the movie, before Moses is sent down the Nile in a basket, his mother, Jochebed, covers him with a Hebrew blanket. He is rescued by Pharaoh’s sister. A snitching servant, Memnet, threatens to present Pharoah the blanket proving that adult Moses is actually a Hebrew and is promptly tossed off the balcony by Nefertiti. But Nefertiti fails to hide the blanket, Moses discovers it, forcing her to explain where it came from. This makes for great drama, but the only part that is biblical is that Moses was put in the Nile by his mother to save him from Pharoah's order to execute all baby boys, and that he is a Hebrew. No blanket, the basket rescuer was actually Pharoah's daughter (not his sister) and there was no Memnet murder.
So if there was no reported blanket, how did Moses actually find out he was a Hebrew? Did he ever think he was an Egyptian prince?
We know that when Pharoah's daughter found Moses she recognized he was a Hebrew boy, but we don't know exactly why. Exodus 2:6 When she opened it (basket with baby Moses), she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children." Was there a Levite blanket as depicted in the movie? Was it his features or skin tone? Or did she just assume because she knew of the "kill the Hebrew boy babies" decree by her father Pharoah? The bible does not say how she knew, but she definitely knew.
Pharoah's daughter's suspicion might have been confirmed when Moses' sister, Miriam, who had been watching the basket at a distance (Exodus 2:4) approached her and offered a solution that would benefit all women involved. Exodus 2:7-10 Then his sister (Miriam) said to Pharoah's daughter, "Shall I go and call a woman for you who is nursing from the Hebrew woman, so that she may nurse the child for you." Pharoah's daughter said to her, "Go ahead." So the girl went and called the child's mother (also, her mother, Jochebed). Then Pharoah's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharoah's daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses and said "Because I drew him out of the water."
A few more questions here...Why was Moses safe with Jochebed to nurse and be paid, when he wasn't safe before which is why she sent him down the Nile? Did Pharoah ever question his daughter as to where this baby (or maybe a toddler if not introduced until after being weaned) came from? Or did Pharoah know Moses was a Hebrew, and it wasn’t an issue until Moses killed an Egyptian? Moses wrote Exodus, so he evidently didn't feel like these were necessary details since the next time we hear about Moses is when he is an adult.
Exodus 2:11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out into his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren. Not to get too much into the weeds (or reeds), but the two different English translations for "brethren" were actually from two different Hebrew words. "He went out into his brethren" could be referring to his Egyptian brothers who had the burden of overseeing the work. The Hebrew word for "brethren" used the second time, "and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren", is definitely referring to a Hebrew brother, but did Moses know it at the time? Moses was maybe driven to stand up for injustice, no family ties involved, as he did for the Midianite shepherdesses just 5 verses later. Exodus 2:16-17 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.
In the burning bush incident, God did tell Moses He was Moses' God, the God of the Hebrews. Exodus 3:6 And He said, "I am the God of your father - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." So if Moses did not know it yet, now it was perfectly clear that he was a Hebrew. And a hesitating Moses who didn't think he was up for administering the plagues was about ready to meet his Hebrew brother (specifically a Levite)Aaron, who would serve as his spokesperson to Pharoah. Exodus 4: 14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, "Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be overjoyed."
All we can say for certain is that before He began his mission to bring the Hebrews out of Egypt, he knew he was Hebrew. Exodus 3:10 And now come, and I will send you to Pharoah, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."
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