Below is a brief survey of where the popular notion—that Moshe’s true identity was concealed from him or from the Egyptians—seems to arise, alongside what the plain text (peshat) of Shemoth/Exodus actually suggests. You will find that many midrashic and later interpretive traditions fill in gaps that the Torah itself leaves unaddressed.
1. What the Torah (Shemoth 2) Actually Says
a) Moshe’s Birth and Rescue
• In Shemoth 2:1–10, Pharaoh’s daughter finds a Hebrew baby (clearly identified as such in 2:6: “This is one of the children of the Hebrews”) and decides to adopt him.
• She knows he is a Hebrew child; the text nowhere says that this fact was kept secret from Pharaoh or from anyone else in the palace.
b) Moshe’s Awareness of His Heritage
• In Shemoth 2:11, once Moshe grows up, the verse says: “He went out to his brothers and saw their burdens.” This is our first explicit indicator that Moshe identifies with the Hebrews as “his brothers,” suggesting he already knows he is a Hebrew. The text does not present any dramatic “discovery” scene of his identity, nor does it depict him learning it in secret.
c) Reaction of the Egyptians
• The Torah does not explicitly record how Pharaoh or the Egyptian populace felt about Moshe being Hebrew. The narrative moves quickly to Moshe killing the Egyptian taskmaster (2:12), escaping to Midian, and so on.
• Thus, on the level of plain sense (peshat), nothing in the text demands that his identity was hidden. Pharaoh’s daughter openly recognized him as Hebrew; presumably, others in Pharaoh’s court could have known as well.
In other words, if you only rely on the verses themselves, it is quite possible that it was never a secret at all.
2. Where Does the “Secret Identity” Tradition Come From?
Although the written Torah does not state that Moshe’s heritage was hidden from him or from the royal court, various Midrashim and later interpreters fill in details that the Torah’s brevity leaves out. Here are a few examples of sources or interpretive moves that have led to the popular notion:
1. Midrashic Amplifications (e.g., Shemot Rabbah)
• In Shemot Rabbah (particularly the opening chapters on Exodus 1–2), the Sages weave many elaborate narratives around Pharaoh’s daughter’s rescue of Moshe, Pharaoh’s astrologers’ suspicions, etc. While there is no single Midrash Rabbah passage explicitly saying “no one ever knew he was Hebrew,” some midrashic storytelling embellishes how Pharaoh’s daughter tried to outwit Pharaoh’s decree.
• Over time, these expansions can easily lead an audience to imagine that Moshe’s ethnicity was disguised or that he himself might not have been fully aware in his early years.
2. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews
• Flavius Josephus (1st century C.E.) offers a retelling in Antiquities of the Jews (Book II, ch. 9–10) where Pharaoh’s daughter (named Thermuthis by Josephus) adopts the boy, nurses fears about how Pharaoh might react, and claims Moshe as her own. While Josephus does not explicitly say that Moshe himself was kept in the dark, his narrative heightens the idea that this was done in a clandestine way—again, contributing to a “secret identity” motif.
3. Later Agadic and Popular Works
• Some later Jewish storytellers and commentators, drawing on midrashic hints, depict Moshe’s upbringing as that of an Egyptian prince who either does not learn or does not fully appreciate that he is Hebrew until a revelatory moment.
• In modern times, popular films (e.g., The Ten Commandments, The Prince of Egypt) strongly dramatize the idea that Moshe’s identity was hidden from him. These artistic retellings, in turn, have reinforced a general impression that this is “what the Torah says,” when in fact it is largely midrashic or cinematic embellishment.
4. Logical/Contextual Reasoning About Pharaoh’s Edict
• Some commentaries reason that because Pharaoh issued a decree to kill all Hebrew male infants (Shemoth 1:22), Pharaoh’s daughter must have pretended Moshe was her natural-born son—otherwise, how could she openly rear a Hebrew boy under the same roof as Pharaoh?
• While such a scenario is possible, it remains an inference rather than an explicit statement in the text. The Torah never says Pharaoh’s daughter deceived her father or the court, only that she saved him and named him “Moshe” because she drew him from the water (2:10).
3. Is It Equally Possible It Was Never a Secret?
Yes—strictly following the Torah’s words, a plain reading supports the view that Moshe’s Hebrew identity was never hidden:
• Pharaoh’s daughter immediately recognizes him as a Hebrew infant (2:6).
• Moshe, as an adult, knows these laboring Hebrews are “his brothers” (2:11).
• The text does not describe anyone discovering with shock that Moshe is Hebrew; the only shock is that he kills an Egyptian (2:12), leading Pharaoh to seek his life (2:15).
There is no textual barrier to imagining that the whole palace knew he was a Hebrew child rescued by the princess—yet tolerated his presence for reasons not spelled out in the text.
4. Conclusion
• Sources Behind the “Secret Origin” Narrative:
Midrashic expansions, Josephus’s retelling, and later popular depictions (especially in film) have shaped the widespread notion that Moshe’s background was concealed from him, from Pharaoh, or both. In rabbinic literature, various details are filled in to explain how a Hebrew child could have survived inside Pharaoh’s palace in spite of the decree.
• Plain Sense of the Torah:
If one confines oneself solely to the verses in Shemoth/Exodus, there is no indication that Moshe’s identity was unknown, hidden, or a surprise to him or Pharaoh’s household. Indeed, the simplest reading is that Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him with full awareness he was Hebrew—and Moshe himself grew up knowing exactly who he was.
Hence, while the “secret identity” motif is deeply rooted in midrashic and popular tradition, it is not the only possible understanding—nor the most direct reading—of the Torah’s own words.