Evidence for Moses and the Exodus in the Old Testament
by Owen Borville
March 15, 2021
Bible, Archaeology, History
Skeptics of the Bible and even some religious scholars claim that there is no evidence for Moses and the Exodus outside the scriptures of the Bible Old Testament Book of Exodus.
However, there is evidence upon closer examination from culture and cultural artifacts in the region.
Skeptics claim that there is no evidence on the Exodus route that the Israelites were in the wilderness of Sinai between Egypt and Canaan in the 13th century B.C.
However, the land in reference, the Sinai peninsula, is vast and has not been fully investigated over the years to look for evidence for the Exodus that took place over 3,200 years ago.
Over such a long period of time, many artifacts from the Exodus have likely been buried in sand.
The Song of Miriam (Exodus 15), the oldest scriptural text in the Bible, is the first mention of the Exodus event in the Bible.
Scholars believe that people were travelling between Canaan and Egypt through the Sinai for centuries before the Exodus event was believed to have occurred.
Abraham earlier went to Egypt with Sarah because of a famine in Canaan and returned, as recorded in the Book of Genesis 12:10.
Later Abraham's great grandson Joseph, son of Jacob, was taken to Egypt, described in Genesis 37-50 and the Israelite population in Egypt grew.
Egyptian Names: Moses, Phinehas, Hophni, Merari, Pashhur, and Hur are members of the Levite tribe of Israel and had Egyptian names, or were derived from Egyptian names, giving evidence of their birth and presence in Egypt. The other tribes of Israel did not have Egyptian names.
The Book of Exodus describes the name of Moses meaning "drawn out of water" given to him by Pharaoh's daughter after she drew him out of the Nile river. (Exodus 2:10).
The Tabernacle design of the Israelites described in the Book of Exodus 25-40, the moveable shrine to Yahweh as the Israelites travelled throughout the Sinai wilderness, resembled a similar feature of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II battle tent.
Circumcision was also an Egyptian practice, as accounted by Herodotus. God commanded Abraham to circumcise males in Genesis 17.
Moses' splashing blood ritual on his followers (Exodus 24:8) had an origin in the region not from Canaan.
Exodus scripture teachings commanded Israelites not to mistreat aliens or foreigners, because Israelites were aliens in a foreign land (Egypt).
Interestingly, the Song of Miriam does not mention Israel as a united nation, while the Song of Deborah (Judges 5) does not mention the Levite tribe while mentioning the other tribes of Israel.
Therefore, scholars believe that the Levite tribe was still in Egypt and came later to unite in the promised land in Canaan to form the nation of Israel with all tribes united.
The Israelite tribes in Canaan began to unite under Deborah the judge and were eventually united fully under King David.
Joseph's brothers went back to Canaan and there were Israelites living in Canaan when the Levite Israelites were still in Egypt.
The Exodus allowed these Egyptian Israelites to come to Canaan and unite with their Israelite ancestral brothers into one nation.
Also, the Levites worshiped God under the name Yahweh, while the Israelites in Canaan worshipped God under the name El.
When the Levites or Egyptian Israelites united with their ancestral brethren in Canaan, they decided to believe in one God, or monotheism, and use the name Yahweh.
The Levites also convinced their Israelite Canaan brethren to accept the Exodus account and the Torah.
The two names for God gives evidence that there were two groups of Israelites, the ones in Canaan who never left and the ones who were in Egypt, the descendants of Joseph, who came to Canaan after the Exodus.
The prophet Hosea accounted, "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt." Hosea 11:1.
by Owen Borville
March 15, 2021
Bible, Archaeology, History
Skeptics of the Bible and even some religious scholars claim that there is no evidence for Moses and the Exodus outside the scriptures of the Bible Old Testament Book of Exodus.
However, there is evidence upon closer examination from culture and cultural artifacts in the region.
Skeptics claim that there is no evidence on the Exodus route that the Israelites were in the wilderness of Sinai between Egypt and Canaan in the 13th century B.C.
However, the land in reference, the Sinai peninsula, is vast and has not been fully investigated over the years to look for evidence for the Exodus that took place over 3,200 years ago.
Over such a long period of time, many artifacts from the Exodus have likely been buried in sand.
The Song of Miriam (Exodus 15), the oldest scriptural text in the Bible, is the first mention of the Exodus event in the Bible.
Scholars believe that people were travelling between Canaan and Egypt through the Sinai for centuries before the Exodus event was believed to have occurred.
Abraham earlier went to Egypt with Sarah because of a famine in Canaan and returned, as recorded in the Book of Genesis 12:10.
Later Abraham's great grandson Joseph, son of Jacob, was taken to Egypt, described in Genesis 37-50 and the Israelite population in Egypt grew.
Egyptian Names: Moses, Phinehas, Hophni, Merari, Pashhur, and Hur are members of the Levite tribe of Israel and had Egyptian names, or were derived from Egyptian names, giving evidence of their birth and presence in Egypt. The other tribes of Israel did not have Egyptian names.
The Book of Exodus describes the name of Moses meaning "drawn out of water" given to him by Pharaoh's daughter after she drew him out of the Nile river. (Exodus 2:10).
The Tabernacle design of the Israelites described in the Book of Exodus 25-40, the moveable shrine to Yahweh as the Israelites travelled throughout the Sinai wilderness, resembled a similar feature of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II battle tent.
Circumcision was also an Egyptian practice, as accounted by Herodotus. God commanded Abraham to circumcise males in Genesis 17.
Moses' splashing blood ritual on his followers (Exodus 24:8) had an origin in the region not from Canaan.
Exodus scripture teachings commanded Israelites not to mistreat aliens or foreigners, because Israelites were aliens in a foreign land (Egypt).
Interestingly, the Song of Miriam does not mention Israel as a united nation, while the Song of Deborah (Judges 5) does not mention the Levite tribe while mentioning the other tribes of Israel.
Therefore, scholars believe that the Levite tribe was still in Egypt and came later to unite in the promised land in Canaan to form the nation of Israel with all tribes united.
The Israelite tribes in Canaan began to unite under Deborah the judge and were eventually united fully under King David.
Joseph's brothers went back to Canaan and there were Israelites living in Canaan when the Levite Israelites were still in Egypt.
The Exodus allowed these Egyptian Israelites to come to Canaan and unite with their Israelite ancestral brothers into one nation.
Also, the Levites worshiped God under the name Yahweh, while the Israelites in Canaan worshipped God under the name El.
When the Levites or Egyptian Israelites united with their ancestral brethren in Canaan, they decided to believe in one God, or monotheism, and use the name Yahweh.
The Levites also convinced their Israelite Canaan brethren to accept the Exodus account and the Torah.
The two names for God gives evidence that there were two groups of Israelites, the ones in Canaan who never left and the ones who were in Egypt, the descendants of Joseph, who came to Canaan after the Exodus.
The prophet Hosea accounted, "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt." Hosea 11:1.
