Last updated: February 2, 2026
Moses did not write the first five books of the Bible.
This page examines internal inconsistencies and historical anachronisms within the Torah that scholars cite when discussing Mosaic authorship.
Moses describes his own death in detail:
"So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his entire land, and in all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel."
The phrase "to this day" suggests the text was written long after Moses' time:
"He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day."
Compares Moses to later prophets who came after him:
"Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,"
Moses praises his own humility:
Scholars note a tension in self-description here:
"(Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth.)"
The text also contains this description of Moses:
"Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his entire land, and in all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel."
Moses consistently refers to himself in third person:
"The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was a man of great importance in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's officials and in the sight of the people."
"(Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth.)"
"Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan,"
"And Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them; thus they did."
"Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh."
"So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord had commanded; Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake."
"Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice; for they will say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you.'""
The text references people, places, and things from centuries after Moses:
The city Dan was not named until centuries after Moses (Judges 18:29):
"When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan."
Written when Israel already had kings, not during Moses' time:
"These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites."
"At that time the Canaanites were in the land" suggests they were no longer there when this was written:
"Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land."
The Philistines did not arrive in Canaan until after 1200 BCE, centuries after Abraham and Moses:
"And Abraham resided as an alien for a long time in the land of the Philistines... Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines... When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah... He had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. (Now the Philistines had stopped up and filled with earth all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.)"
The Arameans did not emerge as a distinct people until after 1100 BCE:
"Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: 'My father was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small company and lived there as an alien, and there he became a large, mighty, and populous nation.'"
Camels were not domesticated until after 1100 BCE, well after Abraham's time:
"Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, having all sorts of gifts from his master with him. He set out and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor."
The Torah contains different accounts of certain events:
"Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day...And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky." So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of every kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."
Genesis 2 presents a different sequence, with humans created before plants and animals:
"Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being...Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name."
"And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come to you, to keep them alive."
Seven pairs of clean animals:
"Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive on the face of all the earth."
"To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord."
Exodus presents a different account, stating that the divine name YHWH was revealed to Moses:
"God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but by my name 'The Lord' I did not make myself known to them.""
"For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it."
Because of slavery in Egypt:
"Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day."