FIRSTBORN SONS OF RAMESES II DIED EARLIER

FIRSTBORN SONS OF RAMESES II DIED ALL, BUT MERNEPTAH SUCCESSFULLY SUCCEEDED ON THE THRONE

It was the 13th son, Merneptah, who succeeded king Rameses the Great in 1213 BCE. 

The reason?

All firstborn sons of Rameses died even before he did.

 In fact even the elder brothers of Merneptah died earlier, too.

There was a mysterious cause why the target of death were the firsborn sons. And this happened in the years of Late Bronze Age. And during that time, since the death of Prince Ramesses B in 1229 BCE till 1213 BCE Rameses the Great did no harm against Israel either by physical or writing. 

Among hundred children of king Rameses from many wives, it was Merneptah who managed to survive. 

Merneptah's name in Egyptian means "Beloved of Ptah." 

His name can be Akkadianized into

 " -nap-ta-a, " 

as the name "Ptah" in Akkadian is "up-ta-ah." 

Joshua borrowed the name in a hypocoristic form "Nephtoah" to mean

 'he opened [water system]' 

in a phrase 

"mayan mei Nephtoah" 

("spring/well of Water of Neptoah "). 

The verb form in Hebrew is " patah" ("to open"), which is exactly the meaning of the Egyptian god's name 

"p t h " ("opener ").

Needless to say, Joshua had undoubtedly borrowed this name 

"Nephtoah "

 from the name

 "[Mer-] neptah."

The name of Merneptah was popularized among tribes of Shasu of Edom and associated it with a Wadi Tumilat's lake that likely turned into "pools."

 

" And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the 

well of water of Nephtoah: " - Joshua 18:15

"Well of Merneptah" was a common term used by the Egyptians and likely by tribes of Shasu and Edomites in 1210-1203 BCE that even Joshua used it for certain pool or source of water in Lifta (31° 47' 43" N  31° 11' 47" E).

An example of its usage in ancient Egyptian literature is a report of his officer in his Year 8 saying:

"For the satisfaction of the great my lord, to wit:

We have finished passing the tribes of Shasu of Edom through the 

Fortress Merneptah

 in Succoth, to the 

pools of Pithom Merneptah

 in Succoth, in order to refresh them and their cattle by the goodness of the Pharaoh's soul... on 18th June 1206 BCE..." 

- Scribe Inana, Papyrus Anastasi 6.51-61

This letter suggests that there were other "wells of Merneptah " other than that of Succoth.

Prince Ramesses B, the firstborn son of Rameses the Great, died in 1229 BCE while sitting on the throne of his father. The firstborn was the 'acting' pharaoh as his father was performing the ritual function of an Egyptian god. He was the eldest brother of Merneptah. 

The Bible reported that the death of all firstborn sons was a judgement of Moses' God to the Egyptian gods. One of these gods was Rameses the Great himself.

"And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the 

firstborn of Pharaoh

 that sitteth upon his throne, 

even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. 

And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. " - Exodus 11:5-6 (KJV)

The other Rameses' firstborn sons died earlier, too, and many of them were buried in a single huge 67-chamber mausoleum in Tomb KV 5 (25° 44' 26.2' N 32° 36' 07.1" E). This tomb has at least approximately 130 chambers. 

" And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of YHWH: and these are their journeys according to their goings out. 

And they departed from 

Rameses 

on Abib 15; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians buried all 

firstborn,

 who YHWH had smitten among them: upon their 

gods 

also YHWH executed judgments. " - Numbers 33:2-4 

That news about the pandemic that killed Egyptians became know to Midianites and Philistines.

Jethro Reuel, the Kushite priest of Midianites, describes the Pharaoh as one of the Egyptian gods who was punished for the death of all firstborn sons (Exodus 18:10-11).

 And probably out of fear that was why king Rameses did not choose his successor until his advance age had compelled him to do so.

It was only in 1224 BCE in the regnal Year 55 & 

80th birthday of Rameses II 

probably after making sure that no curse could kill the heir when 

Merneptah was proclaimed the  

"Crown Prince."

This apparently when Kushmeshusha (Yah-Moses) successfully entered Alashiya, Cyprus.

By August of 1213 BCE Merneptah succeeded his father. 

He became careful to make his face familiar to enemies and rejected the request of king Ammurapi to send his sculptor to Ugarit (Kir), Syria, as the predecessor Niqmaddu (r. c. 1222 - c. 1215 BCE) was in good relationship with Kushmeshusha (Yar-Mesu). Although during the time of Ammurapi (1213 BCE) Moses was gone out from Caphtor/Cyprus probably for Ahhiyawa.

Musaeos (Moses) was in Athens in around 1211 BCE and fighting there probably with Tursha. He was a hierophant and prophet (cf. Plato, Protagoras). A hill in Athens was named after him and a statue was dedicated to him in Mouseion Hill (cf. Paisanias 25.8). After the Trojan War (1197-1187 BCE), many were searching for Musaeus (cf. Virgil, The Aeneid 6.667). 

The pharaoh tightened the security monitoring in the gates of Egypt, particularly in Sile and Wadi Tumilat, letting pass only certain tribes of Shasu of Edom. This treatment yielded favor, for ruler of Edom in the future would reject Israel's request to pass in Edom's road.

Famine became severe in 1211-1210 BCE coercing Israel to cause disturbances in many countries in Canaan to plunder. 

By 1208 BCE Merneptah destroyed food sources of Israel and killed many, by targeting circumcised persons. In effect Hebrews stopped circumcising babies, and the pharaoh officially reported that there is no seed of Israel. 

In 1208 BCE a year after destroying Libyans, king Merneptah reported that...

"Not one is raising his head among the Nine Archers. 

Libyan Tehenu land has come to ruin.

Hittite territory is pacified;

Canaan has been plundered into every sort of work:

Foreign Ashkelon city-state has been overcome;

Gezer city-state has been captured;

Yano'am city-state is annihilated. 

Wandering many men & women tribe 

Israel 

is laid waste, he has no seed now;

Syrian Kharu is become a widow because of Egypt. 

All lands have united themselves in peace. 

Merneptah L.P.A. is subduing those roaming disturbingly. "

 - Egyptian inscription: Merenptah Stele, lines 26-29 (Cairo no. 34025)

After his fight against 

Libyans, 

Asherites (Akwesh), 

Issacharites (Shakarus), 

Tursha (Tw-re-sha), 

Rakkath (Rw-kw/Lukka), 

Sardinians (Sherden), 

and Northerners (Syria-Palestine),

Merneptah made a surprise attack in Ugarit, a Hittite territory. He left his sword there (which archaeologist found out), and the main target of his fury could be the male and female Israelites that roaming and causing disturbances in Canaan, Ashkelon, Gezer, Yano'am (Janoah),

and Kharu. 

This incident coincided with the military activities of prophetess Deborah, who likely had believed that the Hebrews absorbed the power of sun during the solar eclipse of 16May 1208 BCE. 

While king Merneptah (Nephtoah) is saying the that reason why there was no disturbance is because he had subdued those wandering Israelite men and women; Deborah, on the other hand, is saying it's because the enemies were perished. 

"So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the

 sun 

when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. " - Judges 5:31 (KJV)

According to the claim of the pharaoh, there was now no "seed" of Israel, and this "seed" refers to those circumcised men who trespassed Merneptah's country. 

" Those who reached my boundary, their 

seed 

is no longer existing."

 - Egyptian inscription: from Medinet Habu of Rameses III (read also J.H.Breasted 1906, iv, section 65-66).