ISRAEL, CIRCUMCISED FIGHTERS, TARGETED BY PHARAOH
A pharaoh in 1207 BCE reported an incident of 1208 BCE when he encountered the tribe he identified "wandering many rebellious men and women Israel." He was almost in a merge of comparing Israel to "Libyans" except that he distinguished the latter as a state of many Libyan men & women.
This means Tehenu Libyans has there city-state, whereas Israel is wandering tribe from the border of Egypt proper. In 1209 BCE the pharaoh fought Libyans, Issacharites (Shakares), Asherites (Akwesha), and Tursha (Atlantis fighters) and enabled to defeat them. This incident was taken advantage by Deborah, who tried to gather enough number to fight against Sisera, the general of king Jabin of Hazor. She might have received a warning from Issacharites (Shakarus) that impending attack might be followed after Canaanites were defeated in Gezer in 1209 BCE. The difficult to fight was King Jabin, and even king Rameses the Great (1279-1213 BCE) recognized how valuable the Kishon of Jabin. Since Kishon river was serving as a "wall" between south and north, Deborah asked Barak ben Abinoam to gather 10,000 Naphtalites and Zebulunites to Kedesh, just east of Pe-Kanah (Phoenicia). Danites (Denyen) and Asherites were busy with their overseas' matter (most likely with Moses), and did not send their fighters to Deborah. Besides Hazor was infested with many Kushite Kenites, as the son of Hobab brother-in-law of Moses lived in Kedesh as early as 1227 BCE. Even Egyptian scribe Hori (fl. 1207-1160 BCE) was describing how noticeable were the Kenites (fighters of Ken).
During the days of Jael a Kenite woman (fl. 1227 - 1209 BCE), there was a volcanic eruption, melting Sinai "mountains" and making the highways unoccupied and ceasing villages of Israelites. The remaining population of Israel that time, as reported by Deborah, was 40,000. Within this period, the sons of Jair (fl. 1191-1169 BCE) were training to be governors of YHWH. And when Canaanite rulers tried to loot them, they fought, and they defeated them (Judges 5:4-11).
And likely under Ehud in 1209 BCE they even burned Gezer, a land of Kharu which was assigned to be the lot of Moses' family.
When king Merneptah discovered the restlessness of roaming Israel in those lands, he made a surprise attack by starting the fight in Ugarit, Syria, which was under the Hittite dominion, pharaoh's ally. And the he boastfully, officially reported:
" Tribe Israel of many wandering rebellious men and women is desolated, his
seed no longer exists;
Kharu (Syrian) is become a widow because of Egypt.
All lands united are in peace themselves.
Anyone who was restless, he subdued by the King of Upper and Lower Egypt,..." - Merneptah Stele, lines 27-29 (Cairo no. 34025)
The pharaoh here is reporting that the tribe Israel has no "seed."
King Rameses III identified what this "seed" refers to when he said:
"Those who reached my boundary, their
seed
is no more,..."
(cf. J.H. Breasted. 1906, iv, sections 65-66, Extracts from Medinet Habu inscription)
The "seed" refers to those who disturbed the boundary of the pharaoh.
Why king Merneptah was thinking of being sure that there was no "seed" of Israel?
The reason was because he was targeting circumcised fighters since 1209 BCE, and in fact the pharaoh reported in his bulletin that he had killed
" 2201 circumcised Asherites (Akwesha), "
besides of 222 Issacharites (Shakares).
King Merneptah made a special distinguishing to easily determine the number of circumcised and uncircumcised enemies. He ordered his soldiers to have ocular inspection one by one on the genitals of their enemies. If the enemies are uncircumcised, they have to cut their penises; and if circumcised, they have to cut their hands.
Even king Rameses III retaimed that cutting off of the hands of enemies, and made an inventory.
To be specific, the servants of king Merneptah made a tally:
"From the heaps, [Egyptians] brought to the pharaoh the penises of the 6,111 men. And from circumcised slain, they carried the hands of 2,370 men"
and even reported that they
" have cut off the penises of 6 Libyan princes."
(Egyptian inscription: KR 4.7-9, or line 46)
In this situation, Israel had to stop circumcising Hebrew babies, which is also mentioned by general Joshua.
" Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them
they had not circumcised.
For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were
men of war,
which came out of Egypt, were consumed, ... " - Joshua 5:5-6 (KJV)
Since there had no circumcised Hebrew baby, the pharaoh has boastfully reported on his document (Merneptah Stele, line 27) that
the tribe Israel
has "no seed."
And Moses became contented in saying that their God YHWH
"will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your
seed,
to love YHWH your God with all your heart,..." (Deuteronomy 30:6)
Two opposite parties (pharaoh and Joshua & Moses) are describing the same thing about circumcision. And this is the hard evidence that the report about certain events of Moses and Joshua are historically true.
And it was king Merneptah who became interested to determine the number of killed circumcised enemies, that he even allowed updating report of the inventory, giving the reason why the two bulletins (Athribis stela and Karnak inscription) of the same invent have different figures of slain circumcised enemies.
It was only on March 28th, 1189 BCE when Joshua resumed the circumcision rite.
Joshua 5:4,7,9
" And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.
And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the
reproach of Egypt
from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. " - Joshua 5:4,7,9 (KJV)
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