THE PHARAOH OF EXODUS

It was Moses, not Jeremiah, who mentioned the pharaoh of Israelite exodus.

"Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, 

Pithom

and Raamses.

 

And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in 

brick,

and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour." -Exodus 1:11,14

 

 Moses relates his time during the reign of a pharaoh who built Pithom as store-city, which according to Encyclopaedia Britannica was founded by king Rameses II the Great (1279-1213 BCE). The basis that the Pithom was founded by Rameses is the pharaoh's positive declaration: " I built Pithom..." in an inscription discovered in 1883 by Edouard Nashville 13 kilometers (8 miles) from the east of Tell el-Retabeh. 

Moses added information about this city when he reported that there were shortages of straw to make bricks and that Hebrews were the laborers in this project (Exo. 5:7-20).

The scientists of Polish-Slovac Archaeological Mission in cooperation with Slovac Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, and Aigyptos Foundation confirmed the two claims of Moses: Pithom built by the pharaoh who built Raamses city and shortages of straw (ingredient to make bricks stronger). They discovered there a cartouche of king Rameses II and two inscriptions bearing the city's name "Pithom" or temple of Atum. This was the first fortress in Tell el-Retabeh, and in Septuagint it is known as "πόλεις ὀχυραί" (poleis ochurai: "fortified city"). This city, with its 6-meter thick wall, was having walls made of mud-bricks with straw. Scientists discovered that the construction workers were not Egyptians but Semitic, particularly the descendants of Hyksos, and found out that some of the bricks were having fewer straw, showing us that there were shortages of straw in the vicinity.

These accuracies of Moses are rejected by atheists on the ground that, based on their feelings, Pithom of the Bible is not the Pithom built by king Rameses II in the 13th century BCE but the Pithom in Tell el-Maskhutah built around 7th century BCE. 

 Israel Finkelstein, well known archaeologist minimalist,  believes the Exodus account was modeled after pharaoh Necho II in the late-7th century BCE. 

This erroneous asserted belief is corrected by the fact that Rameses II built Pithom in Tell el-Retabeh in Wadi Tumilat and the city was abandoned till another pharaoh (likely Necho II) rebuilt another Pithom to Tell el-Maskhutah and transfered the materials of Rameses' Pithom to that new location.

Nevertheless, king Rameses II was the founder of Pithom. There was no Pithom store-city in 1446 BCE, neither there was Pithom built with bricks made of straw and mud in 1450 BCE near Succoth or Avaris. 

Atheists and their adherents rejected the claim of Moses that the pharaoh who built Pithom was the same pharaoh who built the city Raamses. They rejected Pithom of Rameses as the biblical Pithom. And worst, they even rejected Pithom, because there was no Pithom city in 1446 BCE.

Moses seems to clarify too that the pharaoh during his time was nearer to the time of the death of Joseph, the son of Jacob (Israel).

"And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were 70 heads: for Joseph was in Egypt already. And

Joseph died,

and all his brothers, and all that generation. Now there arose up 

a new king over Egypt,

who did not know Joseph." -Exodus 1:5-6,8

Joseph (1486-1376 BCE) died few decades before Rameses II was born in 1303 BCE. Rameses II's father claimed to have started a new dynasty of the kingdom, and Manetho thought that indeed Seti founded a dynasty. And in Exodus 1:8 such new kingdom is likely implied. New dynasty was founded by king Rameses I, the father of Seti and the grandfather of Rameses II. Both of these kings were involved in developing Qantir, 2 kilometers distant from Avaris. Seti I built a palace in Qantir, and after his death his successor made that area the capital of Egypt and renamed it " Per-Ramesesu, Aa-nakhtu" ("Domain of Rameses, Great in Victory"), which was named by Moses as "Raamses" and described as a treasure city.

The city became known with the name "Rameses," and in Merneptah's reign (1211 BCE) the name "Rameses" was popularly used for a region in the eastern part of Delta Nile, Egypt. Moses too, rode on that popularity that he even used the toponym "Rameses" when he identified the location of Goshen in relation to the transfer of Jacob to Egypt during Joseph's time at Heliopolis.

The toponym "Rameses" was very popular that even Moses used it when he wrote the original of the book of "Genesis." 

"And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the 

land of Rameses,

as Pharaoh had commanded." -Genesis 47:11 

Many doubters and unbelievers claim that it was not Moses who mentioned "Rameses" but some latter scribes. This doubtful teaching is corrected when the Bible has positively identified that it was Moses who wrote the exodus mentioning "Rameses."

Numbers 33:2-8

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

And they took their exodus from 

Rameses

on the 15th day of the 1st month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, who YHWH had smitten among them: upon their gods also YHWH executed judgments. 

And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and camped at 

Succoth.

 

And they left Succoth, and encamped at Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness. And they removed from 

Etham,

and turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is on front of 

Baalzephon:

and they camped on front of 

Migdol.

 

And they departed from before 

Pihahiroth,

and passed through the midst of 

ha-yam

[the sea]

into the wilderness, and went 3 days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and camped at Marah." -Numbers 33:2-8

Anti-Moses and anti-Bible thinkers rejected almost all of the toponyms here on the ground that most of them were not in existence in 1446 BCE. 

Moses named the 13th century BCE toponyms, and because of this the anti-Moses writers are accusing the book of Exodus, Numbers and of Deuteronomy with anachronism with regards to the name place "Rameses."

Migdol in this passage is what the Migdol of king Seti I (1290-1279 BCE) refered to, as the description is identical to what Papyrus Anastasi V, sheet 9, 20.1- 20.6 has been describing, whereas "wilderness of Etham" is also called in Exodus 15:22  "wilderness of Shur" (which is going to Negeb, south of Judah).

Baalzephon was a place mentioned in Papyrus Sallier around 1225 BCE when Rameses II was the pharaoh. 

Pihahiroth, on the other hand, is mentioned too by the scribe of king Merneptah in circa 1211 BCE in Papyrus Anastasi III, 2:8-3:3. The toponym is likely an Hebrized form of "pr hwt-hrt," apparently from 

"pr hwt-w'rt"

 ("precinct of Avaris").

 The Hebrized form appears to mean "mouth of the canal [of Avaris]."

Succoth was Egyptianized into "Tjeku," and was also described as a place of foreigners. The toponym "Succoth" is Hebrew, and this may mean that the foreigners living there were Hebrews, known to the time of king Rameses II as "Apiru" ("Hapiru," or "Habiru"). 

Ha-yam ["the sea"] in the midst of which Israelites had walked dryshod is clearly identified by Moses with the name "yam suph," known in Papyrus Anastasi III, 2:8-3:3 as "pe yam" ("the sea") and "tufy" ("reeds"). Moses borrowed the Egyptian toponym "Tufy" and made it "Suf" or "Suph," meaning "reeds" or water plants. In Exodus 2:3 suph is mentioned located "by the edge of the Nile river [ha-y'or]." 

"So Moses brought Israel from the 

yam suph

[sea of reeds],

and they went out into the

wilderness of Shur;

and they went 3 days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah." -Exodus 15:22-23

Yam Suph or Reeds' Sea is in Egypt, particularly near the Precinct of Avaris in Rameses, before going to the high way of the wilderness of Shur. This same place is clearly located in Rameses in Egypt by the Papyrus Anastasi III.

Therefore, the sea where Israel passed on dryshod in its midst is in Egypt, not in the Gulf of Aqaba, nor in Saudi Arabia.

Pihahiroth, the neighborhood of that yam suph, was in Egypt.

Migdol of Seti was in Egypt.

Etham was in Egypt.

Succoth was in Egypt. 

Baalzephon was in Egypt.

And therefore, yam suph (Reeds' Sea) is in Egypt, not in Saudi Arabia nor in Aqaba.

If we will use the toponym "Baalzephon" as a guide to determine the timeline of exodus, then the departure of Israel from Rameses was near 1225 BCE, the time when Papyrus Sallier IV, 1:6 was written. And to be exact, the firstborn son of the pharaoh that died near 1225 BCE was no other but the crown prince Ramesses B junior, who died in 1228 BCE, when Moses was 80 years old (Exo. 7:7). 

HOW TO DETERMINE THE EXODUS' PHARAOH

The pharaoh was easily determined, because the report of Moses about "giants" (to be specific, Joshua's report: giant Sheshai of Arba) is confirmed by king Rameses II and Egyptian army scribe Hori (fl. 1207-1160? BCE); the report of Moses about being recognized on fronts of the pharaoh's servants is verified by king Rameses II in the document now known "Stele of Mose." Even the major arrangements of Moses' YHWH's tabernacle is resembling of what king Rameses II's camp had been built. Moses gives the period that exodus had taken place and it was when they "found no water" at Marah, and king Rameses II partly corroborated it that during the Late Bronze Age Collapse, famine was hitting Hittite land and its king, Tudhaliya IV, was obligated to build 10 dams for water supply and that Rameses II's successor (Merneptah) anticipating, had been preparing for the drought when he made several wells named "Wells of Mer-neptah," which Joshua called "Well of Mei-Nephtoah." (Josh.15:9, 18:15).

 Joshua's report about Kishon of Jabin is in the Karnak Topographical List 23.21 of king Rameses II. 

1) Giants:

Numbers 13:22,26-28,33

"And they ascended by Negeb, and came unto Hebron [Arba]; where Ahiman

Sheshai,

and Talmai, the sons of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built 7 years before Zoan in Egypt.) 

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 

And there we saw the giants,... who come of the Nefilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." -Numbers 13:22,26-28,33

 

"And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron -now the name of Hebron before was city of Arba - and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai." -Judges 1:10

"Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and 

taller than we;

the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there." -Deuteronomy 1:28

 

According to Joshua 15:14, Sheshai were the sons or descendants of Anak. Egyptian Execration Texts between 1800 and 1630 BCE mention ly-Anaq ('people of Anak'), whose leader was Abi-Yamimu ("Father Emim"), whose descendants (Emim) were allies to Abraham (Genesis 14:5,12). Among the descendants of these Anakim where the giant Sheshai of Arba, known giant "Shasu" to king Rameses II. Rameses' army scribe Hori reported that the height of Shasu living in Hebron, north of Derbi or south east of Joffa, was between 7 or 9 feet. It was king Rameses II who also reported a tribe called "sh-sw w-r-b-r" ("Shasu of Arbar").

King Rameses II confirmed the existence of giant Shasu and even depicted them on his Kadesh Battle inscription.

2) Moses on front of the servants of pharaoh in Rameses.

"Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, 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. 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 11:2-6

King Rameses II confirmed the biblical claim that Moses became famous on the sight of the pharaoh's servants after receiving silver and precious gifts from the palace. Rameses II even identified Moses as "beloved of Atum." 

Atum was an Egyptianized "Amutu" ("Adamu," that is, "Adam"), the patriarch of Moses who was deified by the Egyptians around 2400 BCE.

The pharaoh even depicted Moses as a too much old great soldier. According to Exodus 7:7, Moses was 80 years old when he met the pharaoh. King Rameses held an especial day to give Moses silver and gifts from the palace, and acknowledgement as a great soldier, and given permission to have dominion over a certain group of people, as the compensation to his loyalty and favorable speech or talks about the pharaoh. This event took place in Pi-Rameses, or the city Raamses. The pharaoh, in effect, is trying to ask favor from the army, that they should imitate Moses for being loyal.

"Look, the soldier Moses has done what I as his Majesty asks favor for... How excellent is what he has done for me, very great!" king Rameses II told to the army. And the good thing which Moses has done, according to the pharaoh, has caused him to be pleased.

The army celebrated Moses.

According to Moses, the firstborn son was sitting on the throne of the pharaoh. The occasion that the firstborn son could sit upon his father's throne is when the pharaoh has reached heb sed (jubilee festival), that is, when the pharaoh was in or more than 30 years in service and when busy performing the function as a ritually god of Egypt. King Rameses II was serious in his stand to be recognized as one of the Egyptian gods, and in fact he made it very conspicuous, and one of these was to let his crown prince, firstborn son Ramesses B junior, sit on his throne in his behalf. Needless to say, prince Rameses B junior was the de facto pharaoh (the acting king of Egypt) under the sight of his father (the real pharaoh). 

Unfortunately, this firstborn son sitting upon his throne died in 1229 BCE. He was the crown prince when king Rameses the Great became an Egyptian god in around 1250 BCE and when departure of Israel from Rameses took place in 1228 BCE. No firstborn son succeeded king Rameses II, because all of his firstborn sons died one by one before he died, and Rameses made the largest tomb in Egypt to bury them there. It was his 13th son, Merneptah, who successfully succeeded on his throne.

Because of the untoward incident, the death of the firstborn son, the pharaoh of Rameses city let Israel wonder going to wilderness of Makhtesh Ramon, near Kharu (Horite state of Seir). 

The Stele of Mose, that king Rameses was commissioned to be erected, was tried to be erased, and the report about Mohy (the soldier behind the successes of king Seti I) was deliberately erased by king Rameses II.

Ipuwer, an Egyptian 19th dynasty scribe, wrote during the reign of king Rameses II (c.1229 BCE), that Egypt was devastated by plagues, and he said there is blood everywhere, that the river is blood, every man is thirsting for water (Israelites complained the same problem to Moses), trees are felled, branches are stripped, grain is lacking in all sides, birds find neither fruits nor herbs, groaning is throughout the land, mingled with laments, many were buried in river, stream became graveyard, everywhere is him who put his brother on the ground, all is ruin, the land was without light, and gold, silver lapis lazuli, malachite, carnelian and bronze were necklaced by the female slaves. All of these are also reported by Moses before they leave Rameses in 1229 BCE, after the death of the firstborn son sitting on the throne of the pharaoh. 

According to the New Testament, the promise of God to Abraham was confirmed after 430 years. It was around 1659 BCE when Abram lived in Egypt, and till the last day of Israel in Egypt in 1228 BCE, there was a space of 430 years.

Exodus 12:40-41 was understood by ancient Hebrews, including apostle Paul, as:

"Now the sojourning of all armies of YHWH, who dwelt in Egypt, 30 years and 400 years. 

And it came to pass at the end of the 430 years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the

children of Israel 

went out from the earth of Egypt." -Exodus 12:37,40-41

Ancient Hebrews understood it to mean, from the time of Abram's living in Egypt till the time of departure of Israel is 430 years. For them, it was Israel that left Egypt in the last day of that 430 years. 

Apostle Paul makes it simple this way:

"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made... 

 ... that the covenant, that was confirmed ... 430 years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 

... God gave it to Abraham by promise." -Galatians 3:16-18

New Testament connected this "430 years" to the covenant of God to Abram which was fulfilled during the time of exodus of Israel from Rameses.

"And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about 600 elef foot-persons, beside children. 

Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, 30 years and 400 years. 

And it came to pass at the end of the 430 years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the

  צִבְא֥וֹת   [siboth]

armies

of YHWH went out from the earth of Egypt." -Exodus 12:37,40-41

 

Modern readers, particularly those anti-Bible, connected that 430 years not to the covenant to Abraham but to the arrival of Jacob in Egypt, and in this the error comes in.

Why error?

Because the Bible clearly says "430 years" is connected to Abraham. Second, the fulfilment happened when Israel left Rameses.

Because of this intricate calculation, many modern readers have their 

EPIC FAIL,

particularly in coercing Amenhotep II as the pharaoh of EXODUS by believing that exodus occurred in 1446 BCE, while Amenhotep II took the throne in 1450 or 1454 BCE (High Chronology) or 1426 BCE (Low Chronology), which means Amenhotep II was not one of the Egyptian gods being referred to by Moses to be affected by the death of the firstborn son in Numbers 33:2-5, because to be ritually become a state god, the pharaoh must at least have served 30 years on throne. Another thing, there was no pharaoh's firstborn son died in 1446 BCE.

Complicating these fails is the historical fact that Amenhotep II did not free but he captured 101,000 captives in his Year 9 in the 3rd military campaign (around 1418 BCE) from Syria-Palestine to Egypt, opposite to the claim that he had freed Hebrews from Egypt to Syria-Palestine in 1446 BCE. And his vizier Rekhmire proves that indeed Semitic men were enslaved in Egypt to make bricks. Amenhotep II became a state god if he celebrated his first heb sed (jubilee festival) in circa 1396 BCE so that his title "Amenhotep II, the god who ruled in Heliopolis" is too far late from the believed 1446 BCE Exodus. Moses clearly reported that the death of the pharaoh's firstborn son was a judgement against all Egyptian gods, the most affected was the pharaoh himself -implying that the king was one of the Egyptian gods - which does not fit with Amenhotep II who might have reached that status only in around 1420 or 1396 BCE, twenty six or 50 years late after the assumed 1446 BCE Exodus. But Amenhotep II did not celebrate his heb sed because he reigned only 26 years. Also, it is a fact that Amenhotep II was not the founder or builder of Avaris, but Moses clearly identified that a pharaoh built store-cities Pithom and Raamses. Besides, Avaris was not built during Amenhotep II's reign, rather Semitic people who lived there (in Stratum d/1 in Area F/I to Stratum c in Area H/I-VI) abandoned it as pottery could give date during his reign.

 

Additional to this epic fail, is when modern readers use the estimation of deacon Stephen as an exact counting.

Stephen rough estimate of the period of the judges is 450 years (Acts 7:20); he also estimated that Moses was full 40 years old when he visited his countrymen (Acts 7:23), although the book of Exodus does not give such age. 

Estimate is used to estimate and not to give exact date.

For example, in Exodus 12:37 it is estimated that there was 

around

600 elef

who initiated exodus. When Moses took the first census, the exact number is 598 elef.

The 600 is used because it was then a military unit. But Moses was careful in saying "about," to mean not exactly.

When the eyewitness talked about their exodus, he is very specific to tell that it was the departure from Rameses. And modern writers rejected this eyewitness' report, and coerce to connect 1Kings 6:1, which does not speak about departure "from Rameses."

An eyewitness' testimony:

Numbers 33:2-5

"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 children 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. 

And the children of Israel removed 

from Rameses,

and pitched in Succoth." - 

Numbers 33:2-5

Not an eyewitness (but six hundred years later after the exodus):

"And it came to pass in the 480th year after the sons of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the 4th year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of YHWH." -1Kings 6:1

This passage has no error. The error is when modern readers are trying to connect it to the departure of Israel from Rameses. And worst, anti-Bible thinkers rejected the report of Moses about the Exodus of Israel from Rameses.

If it has nothing to do with the departure of the children of Israel from Rameses, then to where it is connected?

The biblical answer is in the following passage:

Genesis 45:17,21,24-25

"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; And the 

children of Israel did so: ...

 

So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: ...

And they went up 

out of Egypt,

and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father" -Genesis 45:17,21,24-25 (KJV)

If it's not having connection with the Israelite exodus from Rameses, then it is connected to the going out from Egypt of the children of Israel (Jacob) in 1449 BCE, during the Year 2 of a famine (Gen. 45:6,11).

In the scientific studies on the quantity of pollens in the southern Levant, we can notice the lesser number of pollen in around 1450, 1550's, 1660's, and fewest in 1859 BCE. These scientific findings are supported by the Bible as biblical report (Gen. 26:1,6) says there were famines during the days of Abraham (1660's BCE) and of Isaac (1550's BCE). 

Both science and the Bible are accurate in this respect. This only means that indeed there was famine in 1449 BCE, when the sons of Israel went up out of Egypt to Canaan to take their father Jacob. In the 480th year, king Solomon built the temple of YHWH in Jerusalem.

Needless to say, the Bible is accurate, and Moses has an accurate eyewitness account, that exodus happened when Israel left Rameses in 1228 BCE.

Manetho, the source of modern dynastic system determination and a Greek-speaking Egyptian priest, clearly named 

Rhampses (Rameses II),

Sethos (Seti),

Amenephthis (Merneptah), and

Rameses (Ramesses III)

as the pharaohs during the time of Moses, and Rhampses, according to him, has reigned 66 years. He published it in an official Egyptian History (Aegyptiaca) around 3rd century BCE, now preserved in Josephus' Against Apion 1.26. 

Both Moses (in the Bible) and Manetho are mentioning Rameses. Modern readers rejected their reports. And these rejecting Moses' report are anti-Moses writers. At one hand they claim as defenders of Moses, but on the other side they are claiming "Rameses" in Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers is not written by Moses but by latter or "future" scribes. When asked who were those "future" scribes, they could not name them, neither there is a biblical support that other scribes were the originators of the toponym "Rameses." Some are even boldly claiming that Moses did not write the original or 1st edition of the book of "Genesis."

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." - 1Thessalonians 5:21

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but 

δοκιμάζετε

[dokimazete]

test

the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." -1John 4:1

 

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and 

be ready always

to give an answer

to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 

Having a good conscience..." -1Peter 3:15-16

NOTES:

* Jeremiah: the book of "Kings" is believed to be have written by Jeremiah or most likely by Ezra. The writer was around 700 years distant from Moses' exodus.

*Pithom: from the Egyptian word "pr jtm" or "per-Atum," meaning "house of Atum," the city was intended to be the place of worship for Atum, a possibly Egyptianized  "Amutu," which is the Babylonian of "Adamu," the patriarch of king Hammurabi, Assyrians and Hebrews. King Rameses II might have considered that the foreigners in Succoth were descended or created by god Atum (Adam). The pharaoh boastfully announced: "I built Pithom in the east."

After him, his son and successor Merneptah, named it or another one as "Pithom of Merneptah." Then, during the time of pharaoh Necho II, another Pithom was built, but this time at 13 kilometers away from the original Pithom. The stretch of valley hence was known with "Tum" or "Atum," that ancient Arabians might have feminized the area's name as "Tumilat."

There was no Pithom in 1446 BCE or older.

*pharaoh founder of new dynasty was nearer to the death year of Joseph.

Moses knew that the pharaoh during his time was nearer to the death-year of Joseph because Moses was in the 4th generation from the dwelling of Jacob (Israel) in Egypt.

El Shaddai promised to Abram that his seed would be afflicted by Egypt within 400 hundred years, but in the 4th generation his descendants would come back to Canaan (Gen. 15:13-16).

Moses named who were those in the 4 generations.

1) Levi (1494-1356 BCE),

2) Kohath,

3) Amram,

4) Moses (1309-1189 BCE).

Levi was the brother of Joseph.

And this indeed shows that Joseph is near to the pharaoh during Moses' days.

* pharaoh built Pithom and Raamses:

It is clear in the Bible that what the pharaoh built was treasure-city "Raamses," for obvious reason that Avaris was founded by Amenemhat I (1991-1962 BCE) when there was not a single Israelite in existence, and later it was usurped by the Hyksos. The Hyksos who re-founded Avaris was not an Egyptian pharaoh, and therefore Moses is accurate in giving Rameses to be in his timeline, and modern writers are wrong in giving Avaris as the founded city of the Egyptian pharaoh during Moses' days. Besides, Avaris is 2 kilometers distant from Raamses.

And if Pihahiroth is an Hebrized form of "pr hwt-w'rt" ("house of Avaris"), then Moses is in effect distinguishing "Rameses" from "Avaris," that is, giving "Rameses" as a region where "Pihahiroth" belongs.

* visa:

Men passing in or out to the wall to go to Migdol of Seti near the wilderness of Shur must have authorization we called today visa. Their number and their belongings and the dates and hour of their arrival and/or departure were recorded by the guards and being sent to the officials. Moses reflected that practice when he wrote their journey from Rameses to wilderness of Shur. Since he had been given gifts (probably including gold scarab of king Seti I as visa in a wider area abroad, and several scarabs of Thutmose released in 1228 BCE as a visa to an area in Syria-Palestine), Moses could easily transfer the 598 elef, besides families and ereb rabh (mixed multitude or Arab general) to traverse the drying canals of Pelusic river branch to meet their relatives in Succoth and Etham, and then back to Pihahiroth. There were guards in Migdol that any time could receive order from pharaoh if they would be allowed or not to pass to go in the highway of Horus (going to Gerar of the Philistines) or the high way of Shur (going to Negeb). 

Here is an actual example of a letter of Kakemwer, chief of bowmen of Tjeku (Succoth) when passing in the area.

The letter is popular with the title:

PURSUIT OF RUNAWAY SLAVES

"The Bowman Chief of Succoth, Kakemwar, to the Bowman Chief Ani & the Bowman Chief Bakenptah,  L.p.h.!

In the favor of Amen-Ra, king of gods, and the ka (soul) of the king of Upper & Lower Egypt: Userkheperure Setepenra, l.p.h. - our good lord..."

Another matter to wit: I was sent forth from the broad-halls of the palace - l.p.h.! - in the 3rd month of the 3rd season, day 9, at the time of evening,

following after these two slaves 

 Now when I reached the enclosure-wall of Succoth on the 3rd month of the 3rd season, day 10, they told me they were saying to the south that they had passed by on day 10 in the 3rd month of 3rd season. Now when I reached 

Etham  

[the fortress]

they told me that the scout had come from the desert saying that they had passed the walled place north of the 

Migdol

 of Seti Mer-ne-Ptah, l.p.h.! ...

 When my letter reaches you, write to me about all that has transpired to them.

Who found their tracks? Which watch found their tracks? What people went after them? Write to me about all that has happened to them and how many people you sent out after them.

(May your health) be good!"

- Papyrus Anastasi 5, 19.2-20.6

(cf. James N. Pritchard, ANET, Princeton, 1969, p. 259)

Two slaves who runaway from royal residence in Pi-Rameses to Shur wilderness via walled place, north of Migdol which  mirrors or gives insight how Moses or Israel could escape from Egypt to Kenite land.

 

The letter is written during the time of king Seti I (1290-1279 BCE) using hieratic script.

This letter gives us insight that Moses knew what he is talking about in the escape of Israel  during the time of Rameses; when they went to Succoth and then near to Migdol and walled place before passing into the wilderness. 

We cannot fully know for now why there was an intricate passage because only those who lived that era could know. The writer of the original exodus of Israel must have lived that time to know those intricate passages. 

*Hebrews: during the early days of Moses, his countrymen were known "Hebrews" in Egypt (Exo. 1:15,16,19, 2:6,7,11,13, 5:3, 7:16, 9:1,13, 10:3, 21:2, Deut. 15:12). It is reported in the Bible that Hebrews were descended from Eber.

The territory of Eber (fl. 1962-1865 BCE) was located from the other side of the Gihon (Gozan) river, west of Peleg (Paliga); hence his name. 

Hurrians & Semitic under the name 

"Hapiri"

split during Peleg's time. The Sumerian term SA.GAZ was used as their logogram. 

Terah ruled in Urkesh in the west river of Peleg's territory, and among his subjects were 

Habiru 

(Archives Royales de Mari 100:22f). Urkash-dim (people of Urkesh) got mad against Terah for surrendering to Zimri-Lim, and threatened his life, resulting to his departure toward Mari, but found his haven in Haran. Consequently, Ariukki became king of Urkesh. 

After the disappearance of Zimri-Lim (1665 BCE), and with the permission of king Hammurabi to the people living in the region belonging to Mari to emancipate the country, Abram left Haran and went to Shekhem (Shamkhuna).

 The attack of king Ariukki (Arioch) - as an ally of Amarpel and Kedor-la-Omar - in Sodom coerced Abram to have confederation with the Amorite Habiru and enabled to rescue Lot. Joseph, his great-grandson, mentioned that Amorite Hebrews had had land in the same region (Genesis 40:15).

 

Abram was an Hebrew of priestly lineage, and later Israelites distinguished themselves from other foreign races using the designation "Hebrews," used as alternative for Habiru.

Egypt and later Ugaritans used the root "apar" (dusty, dirty) to call Hapiri, 'Apiru and Apirim, respectively. Setnakhte used a synonymous term "sty.w" (dirty) for the troops of Yar-Su (Yah-Mesu). Moses called Hebrews as "mixed multitude" (Exodus 12:38).

There in Egypt descendants of Hyksos' related Semitic shepherds intermarried with Egyptians, Apiru, & all other ethnic people.

 

Apiru was the 4th populous distinct group of people in Canaan, and 3600 of them were captured together with the 36300 Kharu (Horites of Seir), 15070 Neges, 15000 Shasu; and Amenhotep II (1426-1400 BCE) boasted of transporting of all those 89,000 to Egypt, whereas Amenhotep III (1390-1351 BCE) records that his temple was filled with male and female slaves, children of the chiefs of foreign lands of the captivity.

Simultaneous building projects of Rameses II (1279-1213 BCE) required a lot of workers from north to south.

 Amenmonē was reminded to 

"Give food rations to the soldiers and the Apiru-laborers who are drawing water from the well of Pre of Rameses II, l.p.h., south of Ai-gy-ptos" 

(Leiden Papyrus 349), and 

"Give food rations to the people of the army and to the 'Apiru who are dragging stones for the great pylon [temple gate of Rameses the Great" (Leiden Papyrus 348).

Therefore, Apiru (Hapiru, Habiru) were slave workers of king Rameses II to build his projects in the Delta.

And Moses reported that Hebrews

"... built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses." - Exodus 1:11 

*Stele of Mose:

///One of the most intriguing Egyptian

steles in the RPM belonged to a

man named Moses (Fig. 1), who

lived under the rule of Pharaoh

Ramses I| (1279-1213 BC),). It

came to Hildesheim as part of a

group of 66 stelae by the museum

co-founder Wilhelm Pelizaeus. He

acquired them in Cairo between

1905 and 1911 and gave them to

the museum. The bundle of steles

has become known under the name

"Horbeit steles' because it was

originally assumed, probably based

on information from a dealer, that

they had been discovered near the

modern town of Horbeit. However,

doubts about such an origin soon

arose, since there were no larger

structures from the Ramesside

period and an erection of such

steles without a temple from this

period would have made little sense.

Today we assume that the steles

were erected in front of a large

temple in Pi-Ramesse

(Ramsesstadt), the residence of the

Ramesside rulers. RPM and its

partners researched...

Dr. Regine Schultz, Executive Director of the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum Hildesheim, and the city museum in the Knochenhauer-Amstshaus///