Who led the Israelites out of Egypt?

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt in the biblical account of the Exodus.

According to the Book of Exodus, Pharaoh enslaved the Israelites and ordered the killing of Hebrew boys. Moses was placed in a basket on the Nile, found by Pharaoh’s daughter, and raised in the Egyptian court. After fleeing Egypt as an adult, he encountered God in the burning-bush episode and was commanded to return and demand the Israelites’ release.

Moses confronted Pharaoh, and the story describes a series of ten plagues before Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go. When the Egyptian army pursued them, Moses led the people through the sea. He later brought them to Mount Sinai, where he received the Ten Commandments and helped establish the covenant and laws of Israel.

Aaron, Moses’ brother, served as his spokesman and religious assistant, which is why the two are sometimes mixed up. Joshua succeeded Moses as leader and guided the Israelites into Canaan; Samuel lived much later, during the period of Israel’s judges and early monarchy.