In the Book of Exodus, Moses was placed beside the Nile in a basket.
Exodus says that Moses's mother placed him in a basket made of papyrus and coated it with tar and pitch so it would float. She set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile, Egypt's great river. Moses's sister remained nearby to see what would happen.
Pharaoh's daughter came to the river to bathe and discovered the basket. After recognizing that the baby was a Hebrew child, she took him and arranged for him to be cared for. The river therefore becomes the setting for Moses's rescue and his entry into the royal household.
The Nile is central to ancient Egyptian geography, agriculture, transport, and religious life. This episode should not be confused with the later crossing of the sea during the Israelites' escape. Exodus places Moses's infancy beside the Nile, while the departure story involves a separate body of water.