What authority did Moses have in Egypt?
Moses held authority as second in command in Egypt, subordinate only to Pharaoh. He was second unto Pharaoh, having all power and authority over the armies, civilian operations, road building, and bridges, effectively in charge of all such matters in the then-known world's greatest nation.
Les explains that Moses had become the second man in Egypt, which was the greatest nation in the then-known world. He was second unto Pharaoh and had all the power and authority over the armies, civilian operations, road building, and bridges. Moses was in charge of it all. Moses thought he could lead the children of Israel out, but God sent him to the back side of a desert to be a sheep herder—an abomination to Egyptians—to bring him down from his lofty position to nothing more than a lowly sheep herder who likely lost communication skills and saw no one for the most part. Out of that circumstance of being a nobody, God said, go to Pharaoh.