Moses was a very well known military strategist and disciplinary leader mentioned in three extant contemporary-documents from the time of king Rameses II (1279-1213) to Rameses III (1186-1155 BCE). Egyptian army scribe Hori (fl. 1207- c.1160 BCE) describes Mose as having a high moral to judge pertaining to logistics, itinerary, and distribution of foods, who could punish unrighteous Maher. Hori is also likely describing Mose as an example of a leader who knew how to pass through the dangerous areas from Egypt to Syria and who knew how to traverse Jordan river, and hence the person to be sought about righteous judging for another improperly functioning Maher. This Mose was considered representative of the pharaoh as far as Hori could suggest, and as king Rameses II himself depicted Mose with the rod of the pharaoh. In fact Mose's name could be treated as pharaoh's name. He could be the same person known as "Mohy," the military officer behind the successes of king Seti I when Rameses was still a prince. The name of this "Mohy" was deliberately erased by king Rameses II probably after the death of Crown Prince Ramesses junior in 1228 BCE.
Before that death of the firstborn son, king Rameses the Great was asking the Egyptian army to imitate Mose for doing favor for him.
Mose was a good Maher in logistics, planning, liquidation of goods & kinds, and was a strict disciplinary leader, and had ability to send destroyer on law-breakers, one of which was Amenope being complained in the following passage:
"Long is the march before us!" But I say: "What it means, that there is no bread at all? Our night-quarters are far off! What means, good sir, this scourging of us? Nay, but thou art a clever scribe! Approach to give the food!
An hour becomes a day without the scribe from the Ruler. (What means) thy being brought to punish us? This is not good; let
Mose
hear (of it), and
he will send to destroy thee!" -Hori (fl. 1207-1160 BCE), Papyrus Anastasi I, 18.2
The Bible claims that Moses became famous in the eyes of the servants of pharaoh.
"Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of
silver,
and jewels of gold.
And YHWH gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very
great
in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people." -Exodus 11:2-3
King Rameses II himself made mentioned that very term "man Mose" who is great on front of the sight of the pharaoh's servants, confirming the biblical report. Anti-Bible readers rejected it.
The status of this Mose was almost considered next to pharaoh Rameses II, and in fact scribe Hori is using his name as a substitute for the pharaoh's name with regards to judging the matter of traversing perilous areas going to Syria during the pharaoh's reign. The pharaoh gave him the rod belonging to the king of Egypt and proud to announce that he gave him silver and treasure of the palace, and the Stele of Mose was erected next to the statue of king Rameses II. This incident took place in 1228 BCE as Moses noted us of the day before the death of the pharaoh's firstborn son. For several instances, Moses gave favor to the pharaoh, particularly about the ruakh kadim (east wind/khamsin) and hit of debris of superbolide that darkened Egypt for 3 days and frightened Egyptians, and most importantly his service from the battle of Kadesh and succeeding fights. And to please Mose, king Rameses erected in Pi-Rameses a stela to commerate him for being a great and famous military officer of the Egyptian army. This stela may indicate that the pharaoh was also complementing the army and, in effect, to discourage them about the possible mutiny, as Moses was asking permission to have 3 days travel to wilderness (Makhtesh Ramon). But still, 598 elef of the army escaped with Moses from Rameses.
"And the descendants of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about 600 elef footpersons, beside children." -Exodus 12:37
To his culprits, Moses announced a prophecy that every firstborn son would die, including the pharaoh's firstborn son.
"And Moses said, Thus says YHWH, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the
pharaoh's firstborn sitting upon his throne,
even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of animals. 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 11:4-6
Moses was very specific about the Crown Prince of Rameses. He, being the direct eyewitness, explicitly said that the firstborn son was sitting on the throne of the pharaoh.
"from the Pharaoh's bekor [firstborn son]
הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב
(hayōšêḇ) sitting
עַל
('al-) upon
כִּסְא֔וֹ
(kis’ōw) his throne
עַ֚ד
('ad) even to
בְּכ֣וֹר
(bekor) firstborn
הַשִּׁפְחָ֔ה
(hasiphah) of the maidservant
אֲשֶׁ֖ר
('ă·šer) who is
אַחַ֣ר
(’aḥar) behind
הָרֵחָ֑יִם
(hārêḥāyim) the handmill... " - Exodus 11:5
The description "firstborn son sitting on the throne of pharaoh" was a position or title given to the crown prince whose father has reached the heb sed (jubilee) festival. Heb sed was a jubilee for a pharaoh who reached 30th year in reigning, and tradition had had that the pharaoh would ritually transform as one of the Egyptian gods, and after that first jubilee celebration he was to celebrate another heb sed festival every 3rd year. During that time, the pharaoh could let his crown prince to sit on his throne on his behalf (i.e. to function as the acting pharaoh) while he was acting as an Egyptian god, and this connotes that the king of Rameses was more than 30 years reigning when his firstborn son died sitting on his throne: needless to say, the pharaoh was one of the Egyptian gods. In fact, Rameses B junior was the firstborn son Crown Prince when king Rameses the Great became an Egyptian god (or had celebrated heb sed festival). Moses further corroborates it when he reported that the death of the firstborn of Rameses was a judgment of YHWH against the Egyptian gods. Even Reuel Jethro, the Kenite priest of Midian (north Makhtesh Ramon), knew that pharaoh was considered as one of the Egyptian gods (Exo. 18:10-11).
"And Moses wrote their journeys by the commandment of YHWH: and these are their journeys according to their goings out.
And they departed from
Rameses
on the 15th day of the 1st month; on the day after the Passover the descendants of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which YHWH had smitten among them: upon their
gods
also YHWH executed judgments." - Numbers 33:2-4
Moses was very clear and specific. And history and archaeological findings support his report.
No firstborn son of king Rameses the Great had succeeded on the throne because all those firstborn sons died before Rameses died. And for all his children, king Rameses II built the largest tomb in Egypt and there he buried crown prince Ramesses B junior in his regnal Year 52 in 1228 BCE.
The prophecy came true as the firstborn son sitting on the throne would be died. It was the 13th son, prince Merneptah, who succeeded on the throne of Rameses.
BIBLICAL NAMES CONTEMPORARY OF KING RAMESES II
"Qishon of Jabin" was contemporary of king Rameses II (1279-1213 BCE), and in fact he officially listed it in his Karnak Great Temple of Amun, List 23, no. 21. This Jabin was also a contemporary of prophetess Deborah and of Joshua (1248-1138 BCE).
In 1208 BCE, during the very well known simultaneous attacks of Sea Peoples, Deborah led the alliance in Kedumim against Sisera, the general of king Jabin in Kishon, and defeated him by Jael, the wife of Heber of the children of Hobab the son of Kenite Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses.
" ... Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose army was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth Goyim.
... he had 900 chariots of iron; and 20 years he mightily oppressed the descendants of Israel.
And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
And she sent and called Barak ben-Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali ... 'And I will draw unto you to the
river Kishon
Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.'
Now Heber, who was of the children of Hobab of Kenite, the father in law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh [in Galilee]." - Judges 4:2-4,6-7,11
"Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.
So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the descendants of Israel." - Judges 4:17,22-23
Hence, king Rameses III (1186-1155 BCE) replaced the name "Qishon of Jabin" by the name "Band of Deborah" in Medinet Habu Great Temple, List 27, no. 85. The two official records, of king Rameses II and III, suggest that the Alliance of Jabin was defeated by the troops of Deborah. This is reported in the Bible in details (above).
Deborah was a well known prophetess as no less than king Rameses III immortalizes her name in the Topographic List.
Deborah existed when Asher and Dan were busy in sailing activities, and when the reigning "king of Egypt" was a woman, who she made mentioned in this way:
"בִּפְרֹ֤עַ
(bi-proah) when pharaohed (when reigning)
פְּרָעוֹת֙
(peraoth) female pharaoh
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
(be-yisrael) to Israel
בְּהִתְנַדֵּ֖ב
(behitnadeb) volunteered
עָ֑ם
('am) the people..." -Judges 5:2
Deborah is recalling here that there were Israelite people who willingly offered themselves when a female pharaoh was reigning. This pharaoh was of big help to the Asherite and Danite sailors: she was no less than Queen Tausert in 1190 BCE, when, according to king Rameses III (1186-1155), that pharaoh conspired with Yar-su (Moses).
It was only during the time of Joshua that Israelites had completely defeated king Jabin when Joshua killed that king (Joshua 11:1,10-13). This only means that the event of Deborah came first before Joshua completely destroyed king Jabin.
"And the hand of the descendants of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan." - Judges 4:24
This hardly confirmed that Egyptian records are accurate to what Moses, Joshua, and the Judges have revealed to us: that the destruction of king Jabin was after Deborah.
CHUSHAN-RISHATHAIM
Chushan-rishathaim was also a contemporary of king Rameses II (1279-1213), and the root of his name was last mentioned by king Rameses III (1186-1155 BCE). The writer of the book of Judges has derogatorily called him "Chushan-rishathaim" to mean "a man of Kush, who has twofold crimes" or in short: 'Kushite the twice [or the second] criminal,' expectedly as Kashites (Kushites) prior to him was known to Jerusalemites as criminals (as what we can glimpse to the report of Abdikheba in Amarna record). His original name was likely "qusanurama" or "chusan-ra-im" mentioned by king Rameses II fifth from "Qishon of Jabin" and by king Rameses III in the List 27, no. 89. His name suggests that he was from Kush, known to Armarna record as a place near Naharin/Mitanni. The Bible called him the king of Aram Naharim. During king Rameses II's time, this " q-s-n-r-m" (Chushan-ra-im) was not a state, city, town or permanently inhabited, and it was only during the time of king Rameses III (1186-1155 BCE) when they had had that designation, which corroborates the Bible that he made subduing other people near his region. When the founder of this Chushan-ra-im subdued Kenites and/or Hebrews in Sidon and nearby, the indication suggests that Moses (1309-1189 BCE) was no longer living that time; and it was during the time of Othniel (1185 BCE), the nephew of Caleb (fl. 1267-1184 BCE), the contemporary of Joshua.
THE FOUR DIVISIONS
Moses divided the troops into 4 divisions:
1) Hornet division, which the troops of Moxos (Moses) in Kue (Cilicia) called "Surai," code for military sailor Asherim (Asherites) and Danuniyim (Danites), (cf.Cinekoy inscription, sections 6 & 7) This Luwian translation "Surai" could be the code of "Sir-ila-a-a" (Assyrian for "Israel," the "Y-sir-i-ar" of Merneptah's report) and partly derived from "sir'ah" (hornet), which Manetho understood as "leprous." Herodotus transliterated it into "Suria-" (Surias), which the Greeks called "Syria." In Cinekoy inscription, Surai is identified "Asherim" (Asher) united with Hiyawa (Danuniyim) whose founder was Muksus (Moxos/Moses).
According to Deborah (1208 BCE), Asher and Dan were busy in sailing activities, that is, in Syria-Cyprus-Tyre-Ekron activities. Herodotus confirmed that the ancestors of Phoenicians (that is, the Asherites) & of Israelites were sailing with wares for Assyria, Egypt, and Palestine, and revealed a more ancient history that their forefathers came from the sea that connects India and Persian Gulf, needless to say the Habiru who settled by king Akhenaten in Kush (Makhtesh Ramon) and who might have business travels to India.
2) troops in Kadesbarneah whose leader was Miriam, eldest sister of Moses (Deut. 33:2,5 & 32:10,15, Num. 20:1,14).
3) Division of Hormah, whose leader was apparently Joshua and/or Aaron (Num. 21:1-3). Hormah was part of Seir during Moses' days (Deut. 1:44), and it was the tribe of Judah under the troops of Caleb who destroyed its fighters to inhabit the area (Judges 1:17, Num.21:3).
4) The 4th Division, whose leader was Zimri Ben Salu (Numbers 23:10).
The 4th Division was misled by Balaam son of Beor, who made compromised to allure them by Moabitish women and by oracle he uttered in favor of Israel (Numbers 31:16).
His headquarters was in Deir 'Alla, where Queen Tausert or her representative had visited when she became the pharaoh in 1190 BCE. Whether these two, pharaoh Tausert and Balaam, had personally met each other, we don't know. But we know archaeologically that they both knew the same room in the headquarters in Deir 'Alla.
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd division attended the mourn for Aaron on July 27, 1190 BCE, while the 4th division was enticed by the women of Moab and joined in the feast of Baal-Peor after the heliacal rising of star Sirius on July 17 was seen. It was too late when Moses, Joshua, and Phinehas discovered the misery of the 4th division after a plague had killed many of that division. To stop its spread, Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron killed those infected and Zimri Ben Salu together with princess Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, the president of the confederacy of Moabite Midianites (Numbers 25:14-18). Since then, joining the worship services of other gods was pronounced a capital offense.
COMPROMISE OF BALAAM SON OF BEOR
To save his life, Balaam made an astute compromise. He did not make favorable oracle for Balak Ben Zippor, but uttered inference of Moabite Midianites' destruction and as well as blur oracle for the destruction of Hebrews on the hands of Midianitish women. He alluded the appearance of star Sirius (on July 17, 1190 BCE) inferring it to be the sign of destruction of Moabites and attack of Israelite military back up from Kition, Cyprus to Negev, particularly in Seir.
In the Bible, Balaam is depicted as a seer who had a conversation with his domesticated animal. Secular history gives the possible reason why he was talking to animals. In his oracle found at his headquarters in Deir 'Alla (Succoth-Jordan), it is made mentioned that his gods are Shaddayin and ilihin, somewhat he compromised to be the biblical Shaddai and elohim. His followers copied a report about him, and during king Jehoshaphat's time has written the following oracle:
"ORACLE OF BALAAM, son of Beor, the man who was a seer of elohim (gods). Look! Gods came and spoke to him one night as follows:
They told Bala'am son of Beor, thus: '
Let someone make an [observation] hereafter, so that what you have heard may be seen!'
And Bala'am rose in the morning [kept unmoved his] right hand and he could not eat , and he wept aloud. Then his people came in to him and asked....
"Do you fast? Do you weep?
And he said to them, 'Sit down! I shall inform you what the
Shaddayin
have done. Now come, see the deeds of the
elohim [gods]!
[I saw in the vision that] the gods have gathered and the Shaddayin have taken their places in.the assembly and said to Shgyr, thus: 'Sew the skies shut with your thick cloud! There let there be darkened and no perpetual shining and no radiance! For you will put a seal upon the thick cloud of darkness and you will not remove it forever! For the swift has
reproached the eagle,
the voice of vultures resounds. The storm has the young of the NHS-bird and ripped up the chicks of the heron. The swallow has belittled the dove, and the sparrow, and the staff. Instead of ewes the stick is driven along. Hares have eaten.
Freemen have drunk wine,
and hyenas have listened to instructiom. The whelps of the
fox laughs at wise men,
and the poor woman has mixed myrrh, and as what priestess to one who wears a girdle of threads. The esteemed esteems and the esteemed is esteemed, and everyone has seen those things that decree offspring and young, as to the leopard. The piglet has chased the young... " -Bala'am son of Beor, Deir Alla Inscription
This oldest West Semitic book extant today was found in Balaam's 1190 BCE's headquarters. It is clear here that Balaam was in a habit of anthropomorphing animals and of ascribing that certain god had talked to him.
The claim of the Bible that he came from Aram is partly corroborated by archaeological finding when he is told to be the
"bar" (son)
of Beor.
"Bar " is an Aramaic word for "son." Aramaic was the Semitic language of the Arameans in ancient region of Aram (Syria). This may indicate that Balaam was a son of an Aramean. And biblical Balaam corroborated it in this passage:
" And he took up his people, and said, Balak the king of Moab has brought me from
Aram,
out of the mountains of the east, saying , Come, curse for me Jacob, and come, defy Israel." -Numbers 23:7
It was Bentisina (c.1250 BCE) of Amurru, neighborhood of Aram, who popularized the practice of cursing an enemy to be defeated. Moses also asked Israel to do the same thing if they would be in Mt. Ebal, and the curses were for the law-breakers or those who would not follow the law that Moses had given to the people.
PETHOR
There were two Pethor those days: one was the Pethor of Aram, and the other one was the Pethor near Carchemish. Egyptians distinguished them as:
1] "pe-t-rw" (Pethoru)
a locality mentioned by king Thutmose III (1479-1425 BCE) in Topographic Asiatic List I, no. 154 located near "i-m-r-s-k " (Damascus, no.156); and
2] "p-d-ry" (Pedori, no. 280),
a state near "k-r-k-m-sh" (Carchemish, no. 270) and known to 1100 BCE Assyrians as "Pitru."
Moses specifically named "Pethowrah" (Pethor), not "Pedor."
This "pe-t-rw" became established "pw-t3-r" (Pethor) in king Rameses III's (Medinet Habu Great Temple) Asiatic List 27, no.3.
Moses added a corroboration by clearly saying "Pethor of Aram Naharim" or "Pethor of Aram-of-the-Twin-River" (Deut. 23:4). Moses was referring to the established "Pethor" mentioned too by king Rameses III (1186-1155 BCE).
This Balaam could be the brother of Bela, first named king of Edom & who had probably allied to king Merneptah (1206 BCE) against Israel (Genesis 36:32).
According to Moses (Num.24:17 & 33:38), before or few days after the (heliacal) rising of the star (Sirius on July 17, 1190 BCE), Balak ben-Zippor convened the
"śā·rê"
or elders
of Midian (Makhtesh Ramon) & Moab and asked them to hire Balaam to curse the 4th division (Num.23:10) of Israel sending
"... messengers therefore unto Balaam son of Beor to
פְּ֠תוֹרָה
[Petowrah],
which is by the river of the land of the bene-Ammu, to call him, saying, Look, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the
en
[fountain/face]
of the earth, and they're settling next to me" -Numbers 22:5
"And he took up his parable, ... Balaam the son of Beor... the man whose eyes are open has said:
He has said, which heard the words of
el [God],
and knew the knowledge of the
elyon [most High],
who saw the vision of the
Shaddai,
falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
'I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a
Star
out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the descendants of Sheth.
And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.
Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remains of the city.
Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God does this!
And ships shall come from the coast of Khittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever." -Numbers 24:15-18, 19,22-24
In this passage, Balaam son of Beor is revealing a military secret and indirectly suggesting that a certain scepter, referring to Moses, would destroy the descendant of Sheth (Shutu in very ancient Egyptian record) and would possess Seir-Edom. This materialized when 10,000s Kodesh (both mean "saints" and men of Kadesh-Barneah) joined with them in Seir. In Egyptian records, these Seirites were known "Kharu" (fighters of Horite state). And Moses became known as a Kharu GREAT chief in an official document (Papyrus Harris I, 75.3-6).
For heads of the people around Mediterranean, Moses was indeed the great king.
"And he said, YHWH came from Sinai, and rose up from
Seir
unto them; He shined forth from Mt. Paran, and He came with 10,000s of Kodesh [saints/Kadesh fighters]: from His right hand went a fiery law for them.
Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. And he was
king
in Jeshurun, when the
heads of the people
and the tribes of Israel were gathered together." -Deuteronomy 33:2,4-5
Several years after Moses' death, when Israel left Seir, king Rameses III attacked Seir to destroy the clans of Shasu, the relatives of Edomites.
"I destroyed the Seirites, the clans of the Shasu: I pillaged tents with their people, their property, and their livestock likewise without limit" - Rameses III, Papyrus Harris I, 76:9-11
During the days of Moses, Egyptians (particularly the faction that was against pharaoh Tausert) could hardly defeat Moses' troops.
Balaam gave also the direction of Israelite back up: they would come from Kition, Cyprus by ships, indicating that the other troops of Moses would be Caphtorim (anti-Egyptian & anti-Hittite Cypriotic fighters) and their targets were the Eber in Syria and the Asshurites that captured Kenites (the relatives of Moses' father-in-law).
Prophet Amos informs us that YHWH had freed Philistines from Caphtor, and these Caphtorim (ancestors of the Philistines) were allowed by Moses to dwell in Gaza until the time of Joshua. As a matter of biblical fact, Ekron - the land allotted for the tribe of Dan (Joshua 19:40, 43) - was allowed to be the dwelling place of one of the 5 seren (lords) of the Philistines (Joshua 13:2-3). This clearly means that during Moses' days, Danites and Philistines were dwelling in the same areas. The good thing is that archaeological findings support this fact by their remains in Laish (Tell Dan), Ekron, Enkomi, Kition, and Kwe (Cilicia). Not only the Bible and archaeology, even official documents of king Rameses III (1186-1155) confirmed this association of Denyen (Danites) and Philistines (Papyrus Harris I, 76.6-9). These particular Philistines freed from Caphtor were called Caphtorim by Moses.
Prophet Jeremiah describes Caphtor as an island near Tyre and Sidon.
"Because of the day that comes to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains: for YHWH will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the island of Caphtor." -Jeremiah 47:4
In biblical history, during exodus of Israel, these Philistines were freed by YHWH from Caphtor.
"Are ye not as children of the
כֻשִׁיִּ֨ים
[Kushiyim]
Kushites
unto Me, O descendants of Israel? says YHWH. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the
אֲרָם
[Aram]
Syrians
from Kir?" -Amos 9:7
These Philistines from Caphtor were known Caphtorim (Caphtorites) to Moses. In his time, Moses commanded Israel not to harm them, nor possess their land.
"And when you come nigh over against the descendants of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give you of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the descendants of Lot for a possession.
And the Avims who dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Gaza, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead." -Deuteronomy 2:19,23
Hellenized Jews in the 3rd century BCE, translated the term "Philistim" into two ways:
One is Φυλιστιειμ (Philistiim) from the books of Genesis to Joshua; the other, ἀλλόφυλοι (allophiloi) from the book of the Judges and the rest of the Hebrew Bible. The Greek term "allophiloi" ("foreigners", "strangers") could be their rendition of the Egyptian word "khasut," which was very frequent to be used for foreign kings, particularly those of Aamu, Shasu, and Minoan and Mycenaean origins (as far as the time of Abraham) whose descendants later became a major army of the confederation of Asherim-Philistim (Asherites-Philistines) combined by the Greeks as Syria-Palestine. The designation "khasut" ("foreigners") was to distinguish them from Israelite fighters (designated as "Asherim" or "Surai"). In Exodus 13:17 Moses knew that Israel would go back to Egypt if they would have engaged in the war perpetuated by the Philistines. The passage is giving us idea that during exodus, Philistines were ready to have war with Egypt and to take land in it. The Philistines involved in this matter were the Caphtorim, so called because they came from Caphtor (Enkomi), Cyprus. Their ancestors might have served in Minoan island and originated from Sardinia, Greece, and Spain.
Archaeologist found the evidence of Minoans in Egypt, Galilee, and Syria dated around 1550 BCE.
The intention of Caphtorim to settle in Egypt was hindered by king Rameses II when he captured them together with the men of Alashiya.
Rameses II's enemies became freed people of YHWH. The latter happened when Kush-Meshusha (Yah-Moses) was the leader in Alashiya, Cyprus and when ships of Alashiya were fighting many times the Hittite leader Suppilliuma II (r.1207- c. 1190 BCE).
"The ships of Alašiya met me in the sea three times for battle, and I smote them; and I seized the ships and set fire to them in the sea. But when I arrived on dry land(?), the enemies from Alašiya came in multitude against me for battle. I [fought] them...", -Suppiluliuma ll, KBo XI 38 (trans. Güterbock 1967:78)
Very obvious that the Hittite king did not expect that there were fighters of Alashiya (that is, of Kush-Meshusha) enough to cause him to escape. This simply means these warriors were a secret group that enabled to cut off the connection of Hittite and Egyptian administration to Alashiya, Lydia, Cilicia, Lebanon, and Yenoam, and at the same time Hittites, Cypriotes, Lydians, Kweans (Cilicians), and Syria-Palestines were beginning to be converted into the confederation of the Asherim-Peleset (Asher-Philistines) to fight Egyptian and Egyptian-sympathetic fighters.
Sooner, Queen Tausert when became "king of Egypt" conspired with Yar-su (Moses). She was the female "king of Egypt," although in certain document a masculine pronoun was also used for her. Deborah might have referring to her in the term "pharaoht."
After the visitation of "pharaoht" Tausert, either personally or by a representative, in 1190 BCE in Deir 'Alla, Moses ordered to execute Balaam as 24 eleph died in a plague in the case of Baal Peor after the seer of Pethor deceived the 4th division, of Zimri Ben Sallu (Numbers 25:1-18 and 31:6-16, Joshua 13:21-24).
There in Deir 'Alla, a troop of men left tablets with Hebrew-Mycenaean-like writings, telling some events that had happened after 1190 BCE.
The tablet inscription #1441, if correctly transliterated, is reporting:
'zwt (many mighty)
pt'm (of Pitom)
mk (smiter)
were smiting Jabbok & making damming of the river.
The damming up of Jordan River was a phenomenon known for many centuries, and it was usually occurring after an earthquake that can cause erosion, barring the river with soil.
An example of this was the incident that took place on December 8th, AD 1267 when a high mound overlooking the stream collapsed in and dammed it up so that no flow of water for 16 hours in the south of Jordan river. The water spread itself over the valley. Similar phenomenon happened in
AD 1160,
1534,
1834,
1906 and on
July 11,1927 (22h).
On 14th January, 1546 AD, Jordan river stopped running for 2 days by the same reason.
This could be why the river had dammed up on a particular area near Deir 'Alla, & why Jordan river stopped running when Israelites passed on the river near Adam.
Salma (great-great-grandfather of David) together with another man were sent to spy Jericho.
"And the men [of Jericho] pursued after them the way to
Jordan unto the fords:
and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and ... the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them" -Joshua 2:7,22-23
In Joshua 3:5 - on March 28, 1189 BCE - it is clear that Joshua knew how to stop the Jordan river to flow. That is one of the questions of the Egyptian military scribe, Hori:
"The stream of Jordan, how is it crossed?...
Thou makest the name of every Maher, officers of the land of Egypt." - Papyrus Anastasi I, 23.1
Hori (fl. 1230- c.1160 BCE) suggests that there was a Maher who knew how to cross the Jordan river. And he specifically mentions the name "Mose" as the best Maher.
Needless to say, Moses knew how to traverse Jordan river, and he might have taught that to Joshua.
By an earthquake, the river of Jordan in the city of Adam would stop flowing - as landslide could hinder the water and alter its direction. And the Ark of the Covenant had the means to cause earthquake, probably by arresting lightning (arrow of YHWH) and shooting it to the aimed ground, like the ground of Jordan river.
Joshua divided the people into two groups:
(1) the 12 men and priests to lead and carry the Ark of the Covenant and
(2) the 40 elef to pass on dried Jordan river.
Jordan river stopped running when its flow in the city of Adam was hindered by a heap.
"Behold, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into Jordan.
Now therefore take you 12 men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of YHWH, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant before the people;
And as they that bore the Ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the Ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest,)
That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the
city Adam,
that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
And the priests that bare the Ark of the covenant of YHWH stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan." -Joshua 3:11-17
It is reported by the tablet left in the headquarters of Balaam that mighty men of Pithom were making damming of the river and smiting Jabbok.
Pithom was the store-city of king Rameses II where Semitic people were the workers and lived until they abandoned it in around 1228 BCE. This corroborates the report of Moses.
"Therefore they did set over them forced-labormasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built store-cities Pithom and Raamses for Pharaoh." -Exodus 1:11
During exodus, this Pithom was known "Per-Etham" ("Precinct of Atum"), one of the stations of Israel.
"And the descendants of Israel removed from Rameses, and camped in Succoth.
And they departed from Succoth, and camped at
Etham,
which is in the edge of the wilderness. And they left Etham, and turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is on front of Baalzephon: and they camped before Migdol." -Numbers 33:5-7
These fighters from Pithom during the 13th century BCE could be the same fighters who destroyed Jabbok and made damming of Jordan river in the 12th century BCE. They destroyed the headquarters of Balaam son of Beor. In archaeology, semi-nomadic people inhabited the area after then, and the Bible identified them descendants of Israel.
Balaam indirectly misled Israelite 4th division to attend the feast of elohim and worship those gods by Moabite women.
DESTROY COW IDOL
The first to do the offense of serving other god was Aaron himself. But this was prior to the law of capital punishment for idolatry.
As far as history is concerned, worshipping cow or ox, particularly their idols or images, was a known practice in Egypt. Thutmose had his shrine for this idol, and Israel migrated to Egypt might have learned the practice. The very name of Moses' mother's name was a combined Egyptian-Hebrew words for "Thoth's servant." Aaron's name itself is Egyptian for "Great is Ra." And there is a hint that his job before exodus was related to moulding idols.
On July 25, 1228 BCE Aaron made a golden calf as elohim (gods), which the Philistines understood as their Gods (cf. 1Samuel 4:7-8).
"And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him,
'Up, make us elohim [gods], which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.'
And Aaron said unto them, 'Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.'
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said,
'These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.'
And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar on front of it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, 'Tomorrow is a feast to Yah-weh.' " -Exodus 32:1-5
"And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, 'There is a noise of war in the camp.'
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the descendants of Israel drink of it." -Exodus 32:17,19-20
This was the start of abhorrence of Moses' followers to the idol of cow, ox or calf, and this is clearly shown in what they did on the cow goddess idols of king Rameses when they encamped at Athika (Timna Valley), Edom in 1190 BCE.
Cartouche of king Seti I (1290-1279 BCE) was found in Hathor's temple in Copper region in Athika (Timna Valley). Strong earthquake destroyed it (c.1227 BCE) which compelled Rameses II to renovate and enlarge it. Pharaoh Tausert (1190 BCE) visited the area personally or more likely by a representative.
Scientists have discovered - after Neutron Activation Analysis (Gunneweg, 1990 AD) - that 75% of pottery (Negbite, Midianite, faience wares) analyzed from Timna Valley was imported from Edom proper. Around 10% could have come from Arabia (likely Qurayyah). Before and after king Rameses II's reign there was no Midianite pottery in the site. Hathor shrine there was desecrated by the Midianites who were related to the Edomites. 'Kenite Kushite Midianites' could be one of the relatives of the "Shasu tribes of Edom." There was a portion of Midianites that became enemy of Moses (because of the case of Baal Peor), and this could be the tribes of Edom that became an ally of king Merneptah (1206 BCE). The portion of Midianites that became an ally of Moses was the Seirites (Kharu of Horite state), suggesting that the Kenite Kushite father-in-law of Moses was from this tribe. This clans of Seir became an enemy of king Rameses III.
The location of these Kenite Kushites?
According to king Saul:
"... the Kenites ... showed kindness to all the descendants of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites." -1Samuel 15:6
These Kenites were living in the south of Judah, particularly south of Arad (1Samuel 27:10).
"And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of Thamarim [Palm Trees] with the descendants of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people." -Judges 1:16
The wife of Moses was a Kushite woman.
"And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of
הַכֻּשִׁ֖ית
[ha-kushith]
woman whom he had married: for he had married a
כֻשִׁ֖ית
[kushith]
Kushitish woman." -Numbers 12:1
Kush was south of Arad, specifically in a part of Makhtesh Ramon called "Kushan" by prophet Habakkuk. During the time of Abraham it was called Midian. The Midianites that were allied to Moses were Kushites of Kenite, the father-in-law of Moses. Their title Kenite could be meant "smitter" as they were the smitters of the copper from Athika, Phunon, and other parts of Syria-Palestine. Their leader in 1190 BCE to journey in Athika, Edom was Moses, the man who taught them to destroy cow idols.
"it would be unreasonable to doubt that Midianites actually worked and worshipped in Timna. There was no Midianite pottery in the earliest, initial phase of the temple and it seems plausible to assume that at the very beginning of Egyptian copper mining in Timna the Midianites were not yet working there.. Perhaps this fact explains the differences between Sites 30 & 34, located opposite the temple in Nahal Nehushtan and defended by a strong wall, and the other site of Timna which had no defensive wall.
Whereas at Site 30 no Midianite ware was found... and very little Midianite pottery was located at Site 34,...
"...The votive
copper snake
of Timna is only a part of the Midianite cult represented in the temple... The last phase of the Hathor Temple of Timna, which seems to have been a tent shrine, was a Midianite place of worship and this suggests a possible connection not only of the Midianite cult of the copper snake, found in this shrine, with the Nehushtan of the Exodus, but also with the actual tent-shrine of Israel's desert wanderings, the 'tent of meeting,' the Tabernacle... it seems relevant to recall also the obvious anti-Hathor practice of the builders of the tented shrine at Timna, ... the defacing of Hathor and the destruction of the Egyptian monuments..."-Timna, Beno Rothenberg, 1969 AD
The troop of Mesu (Moses) desecrated the temple of Hathor there by using it as a tent-dwelling area and dismantled idols there, and "king" Tausert consented this. Ancient Egyptian history-writer, Manetho, likely after Miriam was infected of leprous skin disease, called Israel as a leprous people, and claimed that they desecrated the gods of Egyptians.
"...for the leprous people, and the multitude that was with them, although they might formerly have been angry at the king,... they were come out of the mines,..." - Manetho (c. 240 BCE), Aegyptiaca (Against Apion 1.29)
That "king" Tausert consented such a desecration is glimpsed from the report of Bakenkhonsu, the priest of Amun during the reign of Setnakhte (1190-1186 BCE).
Bakenkhonsu said that he ...
"...had seen the images of the highly praises and the images of the ancestors, the images of the noble kings, have fallen into a state of destruction in the court of the gates of the court of the temple, by the hands of poor people fell on their front,"
and even Manetho is of the same story to tell us.
EVIDENCE OF MOSES' REPORT
"When YHWH your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mt. Gerizim the blessings, and on Mt. Ebal the curses." -Deuteronomy 11:29
Is there any evidence of proclaimed curses on Mt. Ebal?
Yes, in fact, a direct evidence. It is written during the days of Moses (1308-1189 BCE) and it's directly addressed to the people of YHW (Yahweh) on Mt. Ebal.
The curses are written on a lead tablet.
From the 2x2 cm folded-lead "curse tablet," Prof. Gershon Galil & Pieter Gert van der Veen deciphered the text by high-tech scans carried out in Prague at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, recovering from inside & outside 40 letters of archaic proto-Canaanite script, with some letters coming from hieroglyphs which epigraphically dated around 1150 BCE & older.
The text reads:
“Cursed, cursed, cursed – cursed by the God YHW.
You will die cursed.
Cursed you will surely die.
Cursed by YHW – cursed, cursed, cursed.”
This gives credence that the altar found by Prof. Zertal in 1982 was build by the people of YHW, the God of Hebrews during the time of biblical Joshua (1248-1138 BCE). And that the biblical report that Moses (1309-1189 BCE) ordered them to utter curses did happen.
The said lead tablet could be a personal property of Moses himself as the writer of the curse was very strict in following God Yahweh. The tablet is dated during Late Bronze Age between 1400 & 1150 BCE, coinciding with the timeline of biblical Moses (1309-1189 BCE).
Additional support to this timeline is the sinking of lead (Pb) alluded by Moses to have taken place in Mediterranean Sea likely before Israel's exodus (1228 BCE).
"You did blow with Your wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters." -Exodus 15:10
The actual sank lead ingots were recovered from a shipwreck off the Caesarea shore in AD 1980's by Prof. Ehud Galili of the Zinman Iinstitute of Archaeology, University of Haifa. These lead ingots have Cypro-Minoan markings dated to 1200-1100 BCE. They originated from southwestern Sardinia (known "Tarshish" in the Bible).
Writing letters on lead was not unsual that time as evidenced by lead ingots discovered from the shore of Dor and Asher taken from shipwrecks sunk between 13th and 12th century BCE.
Even Job (fl.1228 -1223 BCE), before became the second king of Edom, knew the usage of lead for writing report.
"Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!" -Job 19:23-24
Job has also reported about the removal of mountain in Negev (south Judah) by the earthquake, the shake of which destroyed the Hathor shrine of Seti I during the time of king Rameses II (c.1227 BCE).
"Which removes the mountains, and they know not: which overturns them in his anger, Which shakes the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble." -Job 9:5-6
"And surely the mountain falling comes to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place." -Job 14:18
If Job was "Jobab Ben Zerah," then he succeeded Bela Ben Beor, who could be the brother of Balaam (Gen. 36:33, cf. Num.31:8) .
Bela Ben Beor was the first named king of Edom and might be the ally of pharaoh Merneptah in 1206 BCE and the one who rejected Moses for the passage of Israel in Edom's highway. Prior to Moses, there is no mention of a king of Edom, and this gives weight that Bela was the Edomites' king encountered by Moses.
Zerah, the father of Jobab, could be the 2nd duke of Edom and the son of Reuel, the son of Esau (Edom) and Basemath (Genesis. 36:13, 17).
Esau (1578-1450? BCE)
Reuel
Zerah (duke)
Jobab (king)
These 4 generations from Esau, the brother of Jacob, is in synchronous with the timeline of the four generations from Levi (the son of Jacob) to Moses.
Jacob (1578-1432 BCE)
Levi (c.1493-1356)
Kohath
Amram
Moses (1309-1189)
This line up may suggest that Jobab was contemporary of Moses, hence was given a chance to still live after directing the fell of superbolide to bandits near his region (as the troop of Moses was involved in using falling debris from heaven as missiles).
"...The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and has burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them... " -Job 1:16
The wind of the splash of this superbolide had immediately killed all his sons & daughters, and the dust of this fire from heaven scorched Job's skin from head to toe.
Court record about the conversations of Job with his friends likely written on rocks and lead had probably survived till the time of king David and was used to report the case of Job.
Job was probably elected as the "king" of Edom after Bela Ben Beor.
If Bela was the king of Edom during Moses' time, then there was a reason for him to be an antagonist of Israel because Edomites that time were allied to king Merneptah.
"And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom,... ...we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:
Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country:...
And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me,...
...And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand." - Numbers 20:14,16-18,20
That Edom was an ally of Merneptah is known by the fact that its tribes were allowed to enter the pharaoh's pools in 1206 BCE in Pithom in Succoth (Wadi Tumilat).
Scribe Inena, wrote in 1206 BCE informing his boss, treasury scribe Kagabu:
"...that we have just let the Shasu tribes of Edom pass the Etham [Fortress] Merneptah in Succoth, to the pools of Pithom of Mer-neptah in Succoth, in order to revive themselves and revive their flocks by the grace of Pharaoh, ... in Regnal Year 8, third epagomenal day, the birthday of god Seth. I have sent them in a copy of report to where my boss is, together with the other names of days on which the Fortress of Merneptah, in Tjeku, was passed ..." -Papyrus Anastasi VI, lines 4.11-5.2 or 6.51–61, COS 3.5
This is the first time in ancient Egyptian history that "Edom" is named and it is mentioned as having tribes, particularly from the Shasu people (Papyrus Anastasi 6.55).
Edom being an ally of king Merneptah could hardly tolerate Israel to enter its highway.
Merneptah officially describes Israel as a wandering men and women, who were against Egypt. In fact, the pharaoh had an intention to annihilate this vagabond Israel; he does not describe "Israel" as a state or a permanently inhabited country. He mentions it with the pronoun
"f"
(that is, "his" or "he" in English), similar to the way Moses or Balaam describes the people of Israel (Exo. 4:22, Num. 23:10). The people or tribe is personified as one man.
Corroborating it is the mentioning of the name "Israel" together with the chariots belonged to Mitanni (Naharim) and found in the kiln of an Ugarit palace courtyard in Syria in AD 1955. If this Israel, referring to the personified tribe, was a fighter to destroy Emar or to fight Egyptian-sympathetic Ugarit and Aram-Naharim region, then that is historically and biblically accurate, because Balaam is telling us that Israel was doing valiantly with its back up ships from Kition, Cyprus before and after 1190 BCE to afflict Eber in Syria.
EVIDENCE OF ISRAEL (COMPOSED OF MANY MEN AND WOMEN) WANDERING NEAR SEIR GOING TO CANAAN
A year after the fight to Libyans, officers from Syria-Palestine reported to king Merneptah:
"The princes are prostrate,
Peace!
Not one of the Nine Bows raises his head. Thehenu (enemy Libyan foreign land) is seized.
Hatti (enemy foreign land [north of Syria]) is satisfied.
Canaan (enemy foreign land) is plundered with all woe.
Carried off is Ashkelon (enemy foreign land);
Gezer (enemy foreign land) is captured. Yenoam (enemy foreign land) exists no more;
Israel (enemy [wandering] many men & women]) is almost annihilated, he has no seed;
Kharu (Horite enemy foreign state) became widow again & again because of Egypt." - Merneptah Stele, lines 26-27
In this document (JE 31408), still extant in our time, Merneptah does not identify Israel as a foreign land, rather it may mean that these men and women of Israel were belonged to Egypt. The hieroglyphic sign used by the Egyptians to themselves does also not have the 3-mountains sign (symbol for foreign land/state) similar to what depicts Israel in the stele. If this is the accurate reading, then we can understand Merneptah's report as: vagabond Israel (which is a noticeable tribe of many men and women) was belonging to Egypt but it deflected and now wandering in Seir going to Canaan. The only difference is the bend rod, the symbol for enemy. Merneptah considered Israel as an enemy, and in fact he claimed that he devastated it and annihilated its seed (offspring). To say that it has no seed or child, the pharaoh must have received an accurate report that circumcised Hebrew babies ceased to exist. Merneptah targeted the circumcised Akwesha (Asherites), the major players of sailor fighters. Even Deborah (1208 BCE) suggests that Asher did not contribute auxillary army in her battle against Jabin's general (Sisera) because of being busy in sailing abroad.
The official report of Merneptah in 1208 BCE is the direct evidence of the vagabond near Kharu (Horite state in Seir) going to Canaan. He reacted to the report that there were roaming peoples causing disturbances or troubles in Yenoam (where the family of Heber of the children of Hobab the son of Kenite Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, lived when Deborah led the war against the plundering Midianites in Canaan). Merneptah plundered these disturbing men in Canaan with all woe.
His description for Yenoam and Israel about their condition is almost identical, except that the former is described to be annihilated with all its military fighters, whereas Israel is described of having an annihilated offspring. He used another terminology for Kharu (Horite state in Seir) to mean the same thing: men of Horite state were all killed. There is a possibility that Israelites themselves were the military fighters in Yenoam and Kharu (Horite state in Seir) that the pharaoh must have them completely destroyed. Canaan, Ashkelon, and Gezer were attacked because of resistance in them, and no need of intention of annihilating them.
FAMINE
There was a hot temperature that era that's why Edomites need to travel far away, as distant as Wadi Tumilat in Egypt for water to refresh themselves and their animals. Merneptah built many water supplies and he made them for his messengers.
"Wells are open for the messengers' use," he proudly reported in 1208 BCE Stela.
This implies that there were Shasu tribes of Edom who could be functioning as messengers to king Merneptah.
Around 1210 BCE was probably the hottest or disastrous year of famine, and this was marked by historical Israelites as the year zero of Jubilee.
King Merneptah sent foods to king Tudhaliya IV to the north of Syria, for the Hittites there were dying because of the famine, and proudly said:
"whom I caused to take grain in ships to keep alive the land of Kheta" (KRI IV 5.3).
Hittite king Tudhaliya IV (1237-1209 BCE) built more than 10 dams, but these were not enough to sustain water for the production of grain in ancient Turkey.
There was "a severe famine" wrote Ugarit king Ammurapi (c.1214- c.1190 BCE). (RS 18.147, KTU 2.46, PRU 5.61).
According to Moses manna melted at daytime, suggesting that the heat index on the surrounding was more than 45° C (Exodus 16:21).
In Lydia there was a famine of more than 18 years.
One of the effects of this phenomenon was the drying of the seashores, and Sonkhi, the priest of the Egyptian goddess Neith, once said, that "Talsa" (Tursha) - rendered "Atlas" by Solon - in around 1211 or 1210 BCE was easily navigable. That ocean was known as part of Wed-Wer (Great Green). Solon (c.630- c.560 BCE) called it ocean of Atlas. Sherden could easily traverse it from Sardinia to Santorini and nearby shores during their fight (1278 BCE) against Rameses II, as if its land was connected to the land of the northern land of Nile Delta.
VOLCANIC ACTIVITIES UNDER THE MEDITERRANEAN
According to Merneptah there was a cloud covering the sky and hindering the sun. Moses corroborates it by saying that a pillar of cloud and pillar of fire was present during their exodus. Scribe Ipuwer exclaimed that a fire mounted up on high and hit them (Ipuwer 7:1). Volcano or volcanoes in Sinai (Makhtesh Ramon) erupted fire and melted its earth (Numbers 14:14, 26:10, Judges 5:4-5). Balaam son of Beor in an oracle (Deir 'Alla inscription) said "For you will put a seal upon the thick cloud of darkness and you will not remove it forever!" This inscription was copied down to the time of king Jehoshaphat and was found in Balaam's 1190 BCE headquarters.
Anticipating its effect, the pharaoh built many water supplies and called them after his own name, one of which was called
"Well of Mei-Nephtoah"
("Well of Waters of Nephtoah")
by Joshua. The word after the term "mayan" (Well) could be a name of its builder, which in Hebrew is "Me-neptoah," an exact rendering of the Egyptian word "Mer-neptah."
"And the south quarter was from the end of City of Jearim [Forests], and the border went out on the west, and went out to the
מַעְיַ֖ן(mayan)
מֵ֥י (me)
נֶפְתּֽוֹחַ(Neptowah)" -Joshua 18:15
Amenomopet, an official of king Merneptah, in 1211 BCE called those water supplies as "Well of Mer-neptah" (Papyrus Anastasi 3).
Joshua (1248-1138 BCE) was contemporary of Merneptah (Nephtoah).
If Moses was contemporary of Rameses, then Joshua was contemporary of Nephtoah (Merneptah).
And there are archaeological evidence to prove that their timeline coincided with that of Rameses (1279-1213) and Merneptah (1213-1203 BCE).
The best example is the Joshua's altar in Mt. Ebal. This altar was built by people who did not eat pork, did not worship idols, and whose God was YHW, and who was involved in cursing the disobedient to God YHW. From that altar was found a clay jar made in around 1250 BCE and Thutmose III commemorative scarabs released by king Rameses II between 1245 & 1220 BCE. Joshua's altar was built around 1200 BCE and, when Joshua died, it was buried around 1140 or 1138 BCE.
It was Moses who taught Joshua where to locate the site and also probably the person who put a mark (circular shrine) to precisely identified the spot. If Moses' troop was indeed the builder of the circular shrine there, then there is a high probability that the clay jar found in it was Moses'.
"Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in Mt. Ebal, and you shall plaister them with
plaister.
And there shall you build an altar unto YHWH thy God, an altar of stones: you shall not lift up any iron tool upon them.
You shall build the altar of YHWH thy God of whole stones: and you shall offer burnt offerings thereon unto YHWH thy God:
And you shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and rejoice before YHWH thy God.
And Moses charged the people that day, saying,
'These shall stand upon Mt. Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin:
And these shall stand upon Mt. Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.' " -Deuteronomy 27:4-7,11-13
The plaster was found in the rectangular altar above the circular shrine. This simply means that the rectangular altar is Joshua's altar, whereas the circular shrine beneath it served as a landmark sign. After its building, Joshua expanded the book of Deuteronomy when he copied the Book of the Law of Moses. He could be the writer of what we called today "Deuteronomy," which probably expanded by prophet Isaiah.
"Then Joshua built an altar unto YHWH God of Israel in Mt. Ebal,
As Moses the servant of YHWH commanded the descendants of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, an
altar of whole stones,
over which no man has lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto YHWH, and sacrificed peace offerings.
And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the Law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the descendants of Israel." -Joshua 8:30-32
The details of the altar mentioned by Moses are verified by the Joshua's altar found by an atheist archaeologist in Mt. Ebal in AD 1982. It's very an awkward thing that an atheist would encounter such Joshua's altar.
NOTES
Merneptah Stele
* " [line 26] sr.w (princes)
phd (prostrate)
hrfd (made)
srm (Peace)
bn (not)
w'ty (raises)
hr (one)
f3 (of his)
typ (head)
m (of the)
psdt (Nine Bows)
hfy n (captured is the)
Thnw (Thehenu)
Ht3 (Hatti)
htp (is satisfied)
h3k (plundered)
p3w (is the)
k3n'n' (Canaan)
bint (with evil)
nb (all).
[line 27] inu (carried off)
yshk3rn (Ashkelon)
mh m (seized namely)
K3d3r (Gezer).
ynw'm (Yenoam)
m33 (is seen)
tm (not)
dmd (totally)
wn (exist).
ysry3l (Israel)
fk.t (desolate)
bn (not)
prt (seed/offspring)
f (of his),
h3r (Kharu)
hpr (became)
h3rt (widow)
ws di (many times)
ini ([by] Egypt). " -Merneptah Stele, lines 26-27
*The Egyptian (hieroglyphic) pronoun "f" is used here to mean "his" (or "of him"). An example of using this pronoun is found in the title of Rameses II's Queen, Sitre:
" hmt-niswt-wrt meryt.f,"
literally "Wife of King [the] Great, beloved of him,"
that is "Great King 's Wife, his beloved."
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