Charles River Editors - The Ancient Israelites and Egypt: The History of the Egyptian Enslavement of the Jews, the Exodus, and Relations With Israel

"Crossing of the Red Sea", Nicholas Poussin

The Israelites in Egypt

And the Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. Exodus 14

The story of the Ancient Israelites in Egypt is one of the most famous stories in the world, and one of the most contentious from a historical standpoint. Today, most people know about the relationship between the ancient Israelites and the Egyptians from the Old Testament book of Exodus, and the numerous feature films that often depict the dealings between the two peoples in contentious ways. The deadly plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, the arduous 40 years the Israelites spent in the desert, and the Ten Commandments all make the Exodus unforgettable, but theyve also left generations of scholars wondering just how accurate the Scripture is, with some seeking to prove the historicity of the account and others trying to tie it to the Babylonian exile of the Israelites in the 7 th century BCE.

It is true that the Egyptians and Israelites had, at times, a difficult relationship that stemmed from Egypts status as an imperial power and the Israelites as a conquered people, but their shared history began long before the Biblical Exodus, and continued long after both peoples were no longer relevant as ancient powers. Indeed, a closer examination of the Israelites ties to Egypt reveals that there is more to the story than just the book of Exodus, and that the fortunes and miseries of the Israelites were often inextricably intertwined with that of their Egyptian neighbors.

The story of the Israelites in Egypt begins in the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis, when the Israelites were known as Hebrews, and ends after Egypt passed under foreign rule and the Israelites became known by their more modern appellation: Jews. The Old Testament provides the backbone of the ancient sources for the story of Israelite-Egyptian relations, but archaeological evidence from Egypt and the Levant, along with textual sources from Egypt and Mesopotamia, also provide a fuller picture of the two peoples geopolitical interactions. A study of the sources reveals that ancient Israelite-Egyptian relations were truly complex, and that the events of the Exodus were merely just a few in a series that ebbed and flowed, according to the desires and abilities of either people. Both the Israelites and Egyptians used their relationship with the other in order to obtain wider geopolitical objectives in the ever changing world of the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age Near East.

The Ancient Israelites in Egypt: The History of the Egyptian Enslavement of the Jews and the Exodus to the Promised Land looks at the historical record behind some of the worlds most famous events. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Israelites in Egypt like never before.