Moses is a prince of Egypt, having grown up there in the years since Pharaoh’s sister found him floating in the Nile as a baby. He is strong, wise and beloved. The Egyptian people chant his name as he returns from conquest. The beautiful Princess Nefretiri has fallen madly in love with him. Even Pharaoh Sethi cherishes Moses as an adopted son.
It seems the only person in Egypt who does not love Moses is his brother in the family he’s been adopted into, Prince Rameses. Perhaps the Hebrew slaves, as well, but they certainly find Moses’ magnanimous rule to be preferable to Rameses cruelty.
Many see Moses as destined for greatness. Sethi sees it, too. So much, in fact, that he seems poised to appoint Moses to succeed him as ruler of Egypt—passing over Rameses, his biological son.
Just when Moses’ ascension seems all but certain, a shocking secret comes to light: He is not an Egyptian. It was not the Nile god who delivered him to his adoptive mother, as it was said, but the humble basket of an Israelite woman.
He is a Hebrew, a son of slaves.
This revelation leads Moses to a fateful choice: Should he keep his secret and remain a prince of Egypt? Or pursue his heritage as a Hebrew, even if it turns his entire world upside down?
Some might think that an easy choice, but not Moses. Especially since he’s beginning to feel a mysterious calling, leading him back to his people. Joshua, a Hebrew slave, would say that Moses’ calling is coming from their God.
Moses prefers a more direct line of communication. He wants to hear God speak. Little does he know, he will get his wish. From a burning bush, no less. But Moses gets more than he bargained for. God has chosen Moses as his instrument to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt. Through Moses, God will work wondrous deeds, give hope to the Hebrews and bring a mighty empire to its knees.
Turns out, Moses is destined for greatness … but greatness that only God could have seen coming.
Moses is a just and merciful leader, even when still in the service of the pharaoh. When he is given charge of the Hebrew slaves, he gives them more food to eat and even a day of rest. Instead of destroying an Ethiopian city, as he was tasked to do, he makes peace with them. He heroically saves a slave woman from being crushed by a massive stone during the construction of the pharaoh’s treasure city.
When Moses learns of his Hebrew heritage, he goes undercover to experience their suffering. He gets a firsthand look at the Egyptian taskmasters’ cruelty and tries to help his brethren. After Moses is banished from Egypt, he meets the daughters of Jethro, whom he defends from some rowdy Amalakites. Jethro welcomes Moses into his home and offers him great hospitality.
Joshua defends and helps organize his people, displaying a quality of character that leads to him being named as Moses’ successor. When Sethi’s sister, Bithiah, finds Moses in the Nile, she adopts him as her own despite knowing his heritage. She and Moses’ biological mother, Yochabel, love their son dearly. Sethi also loves Moses as a son.
The Ten Commandments is primarily based on the Exodus account, but it does take plenty of creative liberties with the story, pulling from extrabiblical sources such as Philo, Josephus and the Midrash to flesh out Moses’ experience as a prince of Egypt.
God becomes a real presence as the film progresses, performing mighty works to rescue and shepherd the Israelites. In contrast, the gods of Egypt are portrayed as lifeless and impotent in the face of the Hebrew God. God speaks to Moses in a burning bush.
We see a few of the biblical plagues depicted, including turning the waters of the Nile to blood and the death of the Egyptians’ firstborn sons. God leads and protects His people with a pillar of fire and parts the Red Sea. We see the supernatural creation of the Ten Commandments as well as the punishment of the Israelites for worshiping the golden calf.
Moses is referred to as the “chosen one” and a prophetic deliverer, whose birth was foretold by a star. Jethro and his family are descendants of Hagar and Ishmael. Mount Sinai is called “[God’s] temple,” and we see fire and clouds top the mountain. At one point, Joshua says that Moses is “more than a man” because “he has seen God.”
Israelites reference God as “the God of Abraham” or “He who has no name.” Egyptians make mention of their gods. Moses is called “son of the Nile god.” Egyptian officials refer to the pharaoh as a “divine one.” People praise God. When Rameses is utterly defeated, he admits that Moses’ God “is God.”
Moses and Nefretiri have a passionate relationship and profess their love for each other. They kiss deeply a few times. After Moses is banished and Rameses ascends to the throne, he marries Nefretiri—when she tells Rameses that she could never love him, he seems unbothered and says, “Does that matter?”
Baka, an Egyptian slave master, lusts after a Hebrew woman named Lilia and tries to force himself on her. Dathan, a Hebrew slave, betrays his people in exchange for power and to force Lilia to marry him. (She does, but only as a means to protect her true love, Joshua.)
After Moses has been with Jethro for a time, the older man offers him one of his daughters in marriage. All of his daughters are infatuated with Moses, but Moses chooses to wed Sephora, the oldest and wisest daughter. They discover a love that extends beyond physical beauty—indeed, later when Moses is reunited with Nefretiri and she tries to seduce him, Moses rebuffs her and remarks on the “beauty of spirit” of his wife.
When the Israelites fall into sin worshiping the golden calf, they break out into a suggestive revelry. Scantily clad women dance in a throne room. Others wash in the Nile, and we see bare legs and some cleavage. Many men go shirtless, whether they are slaves or Egyptians. A man says he prefers the gratitude of a prince to the favor of God.
The violence in The Ten Commandments is mostly implied rather than seen, with many instances occurring just offscreen, as you might see in a play. For example, after Pharaoh issues the command to kill the newborns of the Israelites, we see one soldier cleaning blood off his blade after the dead has been done. Nefretiri murders a maidservant when the woman reveals Moses’ heritage, apparently throwing her from a balcony. Moses kills Baka with a headlock. An Egyptian guard throws a cleaver at a Hebrew slave, killing him.
After nine plagues have been unleashed against Egypt, Rameses decides to kill the firstborn sons of Israel. God turns that against him, instead taking the lives of the Egyptians’ firstborn sons. We hear Egyptian men and women scream in anguish at the resulting Passover. Later, the parted Red Sea rushes in on Pharaoh’s army, wiping them out. God opens the earth to swallow up a group of idolatrous Israelites.
Moses fights off a band of Amalakites to defend Jethro’s daughters. Slaves are whipped. One man punches another. Fickle people call for the stoning of Moses on more than one occasion. A woman is almost crushed by a giant stone. People are threatened with death.
One use of “h—.” A man is said to have “a rat’s ears” and “a ferret’s nose.” There are some other insulting comparisons, such as calling someone a “lying adder” or an “old frog.”
During a wild revel, a woman pours wine into a man’s mouth. Wine is mentioned elsewhere.
In an odd moment, Sephora, herself a faithful woman, seems to regret that Moses found his calling from God. Moses’ brother Aaron and other Israelites carry the bones of Joseph as they leave Egypt. Rameses is cruel and puts incredible burdens on the Hebrew slaves. He plots against Moses and tries to drive a wedge between him and Pharaoh Sethi.
It’s said that Dathan would sell his own mother if he thought he could gain something by it—and we do indeed see him sell out his own people to curry favor with the Egyptians. Later, it is Dathan who stirs up the Israelites against Moses in the wilderness.
While I’ve referenced the scene of Israelites disobedience and revelry above, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it again. In some ways, it’s the most disturbing scene in the film; watching God’s people devolve into debauchery so quickly is unsettling.
At a whopping runtime of three hours and 40 minutes, The Ten Commandments is a true biblical epic in the style of Old Hollywood. Under Cecil B. DeMille’s direction, the film is an impressive production: full of lavish sets, a sweeping scope and plenty of melodrama.
Charlton Heston’s Moses cuts a traditionally heroic figure, someone whom you could easily see people wanting to follow. But as the story progresses, just as in the biblical account, the film reveals that God is the true hero. Sure, He chooses to work through Moses (as well as Aaron and others), but The Ten Commandments clearly shows us the meaning of the mightiness of God over the power of man. Early in the film, Moses wonders why the God of the Hebrews is silent while His people suffer. By the end of the film, God has spoken, loud and clear.
While some may be uncomfortable with the creative liberties and reliance on extrabiblical sources used here—particularly in the early parts of the film—I found a lot to like. And when the movie does lean into the Exodus account, it remains pretty faithful to Scripture.
All in all, The Ten Commandments is a grand epic that is worth the watch. And maybe it will even encourage families to dive into the Bible and read the Exodus account together.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
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