Section Three: From Moses to Joshua

The Exodus The story of the Exodus is a familiar one

- The new pharaohs wanted to keep

down the growing population of

Hebrews so they first forced them into

slave labor and then ordered their

male children to be drowned

- Moses escaped this plot and was

raised as an Egyptian in the family of

Pharaoh

- Moses killed an Egyptian to trying

to save the life of a Hebrew but was

forced to flee Egypt when word got out

- God chose Moses as the instrument

by which Pharaoh would release the

Hebrew people from slavery

- Pharaoh refused to release the

Hebrew people despite a series of

plagues

- Finally, after the Angel of Death killed

each first-born Egyptian male child

on the night of the Passover,

Pharaoh relented and the Exodus of

the Hebrews out of Egypt began3.1

When Did the Exodus Take Place?

There is no firm agreement about the exact dates of the Exodus. There are two extremes of estimates.

On one extreme, there is the estimate of James Ussher, the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland from 1625 to 1628. He was famous for calculating 4004 BCE as the date of the creation of the world. Bishop Ussher believed that his calculations were precise and biblically based and therefore his calculations should take precedence over any future archaeological discoveries. Bishop Ussher believed that the Exodus took place in 1491 BCE

On the other extreme is the estimate of a group of scholars (the Late Day camp) who noticed that Exodus 1:11 seemed to point out a flaw in such early dating. This passage mentioned two cities, Pi-thom and Pi-Rameses. Archaeology has proven that these cities did not exist until well after Ussher’s time frame for the Exodus. This dating suggests that the Exodus may have taken place two centuries after Ussher’s estimates (@1250 BCE). On the other hand, the Late Day camp estimate ignores 1 Kings 6 which states that the building of the Temple in Jerusalem (est. @ 980-950 BCE) took place 480 years after the Exodus. Like most archaeologists, this group believed archaeology always trumps scripture

There are, of course, a number of suggested dates between these extremes. There are also a number of critics today who claim that the Exodus never happened at all.

3.2

Ancient Trade Routes Through the Promised Land;

The Jezreel Valley and Har Megiddo

Sea Road

(Via Maris)Hill

Road

King’s

Highway

3.3

Where did the Exodus

Take Place?• No one is certain of the

exact route but some places were named;

a. Desert of Paranb. Kadeshc. Midiand. Moab

• What seems clear is that the Israelites avoided the usual routes between Egypt and Canaan

• By the time of the Exodus, The “Sea People” (the Philistines) likely had already arrived in the region and taken over the coastal plain and the trade route that passed through it

• The inland people were called “nephilim” (Num. 13:33 and Gen. 6:4) taken to mean giants

Moab

b

c

d

a

Note: If the Exodus took place somewhat earlier than

the late 1200s BCE, the coastal road was blocked as

well at that time by a number of regularly-spaced

Egyptian garrisons known to have been located along the coastal road through Canaan

3.4

Or Did the Exodus Take

A Different Route?

• Scholar Frank Moore Cross offers a reason why there was scant evidence of an Exodus in the eastern Sinai. He believed the Israelites didn’t pass that way

• Cross points out that when Moses fled from Egypt, he fled to Midian. Moses married the daughter of a priest of Midian. Moses lived in Midian for a long time and encountered the burning bush there. Midian also shows much evidence of developed civilization in the time frame of the Exodus

• Moore speculated that Jebel* al-Lawz in Saudi Arabia might be the location of the true Mt. Sinai and not Jebel al-Musa in the Sinai

* Sometimes spelled Jabel

3.5

Jebal al Lawz In Modern Day Saudi Arabia ?

These drawings,

found at the foot of

Jebal al Lawz are

suggestive of

Exodus 32

The location of Midian is not known

with any certainty but a number of

scholars (e.g. John Philby, James

Montgomery) agree that Midian is

located in Saudi Arabia along the

coast of the Gulf of Aqaba.

This split rock in the

area of Jebal al Lawz

is suggestive of

Exodus 17

This blackened top

of Jebal al Lawz is

suggestive of

Exodus 19

3.6

Another Candidate: Har Karkom

This drawing

resembles the two

tablets of the Law

An altar of twelve

standing stones

reminiscent of

Exodus 24:5-8

Did Moses mistake

this cave with a

naturally

luminescent

entrance for the

burning bush?

3.7

The Israelite Camp

There is a debate about the

location of the Tent of

Meeting, the Tabernacle

where the Ark of the

Covenant was kept.

According to Exodus 33:8

and Number 11:26, it

seemed to have been

located outside the camp.

However, according to

Numbers 2:2, it was located

in the middle of the camp,

as illustrated here.

E

W

S

1. The tribe of Joseph was split in two, Ephraim and Manasseh

* Exodus 33 places the Tabernacle (the Tent of Meeting) outside

the camp.

N

3.8

Did the Exodus Take Place At All? (at least in the

manner described in the Bible)

Some scholars have called into question the historicity of Moses and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. They note that;

• There seems to be no archaeological evidence of the passage of such a large group of people across the eastern Sinai even by Israeli archaeologists during the time that Israel controlled the land

• The story of Moses has elements in it similar to the Egyptian Tale of Sinuhe and the Akkadian tale of Sargon

• A theory called the Immigration Theory holds that there was no Moses nor was there was there a mass Exodus event. The Immigration Theory suggests that different groups of people in separate waves migrated from Egypt over time (perhaps to escape the invading Sea Peoples). Supporters of this theory see the ‘Children of Leah” representing one wave, the “concubine children” a second wave and the “Children of Rachel” a third wave

3.9

Moses, an

Improbable Prophet

Moses was an improbable person to have

played such an important role in the history of

the Jewish people. Consider these facts;

- Moses was a Hebrew (born to Amram of the

tribe of Levi. He had a brother Aaron and a

sister, Miriam) but;

- While it is commonly believed that Moses’ name

comes from a Hebrew root word משה“drawn” as in “drawn from the water”. Since

Pharaoh’s daughter named him, some scholars

hold that the name Moses was more

likely from an Egyptian root (mss) meaning

“child of” (Thutmosis = child of Thoth and

Rameses = child of Ra)

- Moses married two women, neither of whom was

of Hebrew ancestry (Numbers 12:1 and Exodus 2

and 3)

- Moses sons, Gershom and Eliezer, were not

kohanim as were Aaron’s sons, but simply

Levites (because their mother was a Midianite?)

- Exodus (4:24) mentions that God considered

killing Moses himself during the journey to

Egypt to confront Pharaoh

- Unlike Joseph, even Moses’ bones were not

allowed to enter the Promised Land3.10

A common speculation is that Moses

was an Egyptian priest of

Akhenaten who preached

monotheism to the Hebrews

Moses’ Other WifeThere is a passage in the Book of Numbers that

Bible readers have found puzzling. In Numbers

12:1-2, Miriam, Moses’ sister and Aaron his brother

complained that Moses was getting too much of the

glory that they felt should come to them as well.

They complained that Moses was known to have a

Cushite (Ethiopian) wife. Yet Exodus 2 tells us that

Moses married a Midianite woman, Zipporah,

daughter of Jethro/Reuel, a Midianite priest. Moses

seemed to have had two wives. Many readers may

have missed this passage in Numbers. Director

Cecil B. DeMille clearly did not miss it as shown by

this scene from The Ten Commandments

In Book II of Josephus’ work, Antiquities of the

Jews, Chapter 10 tells the story of how Moses, then

still a Prince of Egypt, led Egyptian troops in battle

against Ethiopian armies. Moses was so successful

that he laid siege to Saba, a royal Ethiopian city.

Tharbis was the daughter of the king of the

Ethiopians and was living in Saba during the attack.

She fell in love with Moses and Moses took her as

his wife in exchange for her surrender of the city.

What then happened to Tharbis is unknown.3.11

God Considers

Killing Moses

In Exodus 4:24, another unusual passage can be

found. God sends Moses to tell Pharaoh to set His

people free or suffer the death of the first born male

children of the Egyptians. Along the way.......

At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses

and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint

knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’

feet with it.“Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to

me,” she said. So the LORD let him alone. (At that

time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to

circumcision.)

The interpretation of this odd passage of Exodus is

the subject of much debate. One that I found

interesting is the idea that the Midianites used

circumcision as a rite of passage into adulthood. As

a result, Zipporah forbade Moses from circumcising

Gershom, Moses’ first born (and still a child).

Zipporah immediately understood what was going on

and performed the circumcision. She then touched

the foreskin to Moses because Moses himself was

not circumcised since that would have given away

the fact that he was a Hebrew child

3.12

Moses-Like Characters? Sargon

SargonSargon, strong king, king of Agade, am I. My mother was a high priestess, my father I do not know. My paternal kin inhabit the mountain region. My city (of birth) is Azupiranu, which lies on the bank of the Euphrates. My mother, a high priestess, conceived me, in secret she bore me. She placed me in a reed basket, with bitumen she caulked my hatch. She abandoned me to the river from which I could not escape. The river carried me along: to Aqqi, the water drawer (origin of Moses’ name?), it brought me. Aqqi, the water drawer, when immersing his bucket lifted me up. Aqqi, the water drawer, raised me as his adopted son. Aqqi, the water drawer, set me to his garden work. During my garden work, Istar loved me (so that) 55 years I ruled as king.

Points of Comparison

Born in secret Moses too was born in secret (but in a different context of secrecy)

Placed in a reed basket, covered with bitumen Moses was also placed in a reed basket covered with Bitumen

Set in a river Moses was set in a river (but not set into the current but left drifting among the reeds near the shore)

Recovered, adopted and led his peopleMoses was drawn from the water, adopted and led his people

3.13

Moses-Like Characters? Sinuhe

Sinuhe

Sinuhe was a Middle Kingdom Egyptian official who fled Egypt to Syria. As a guardian of

Pharaoh Amenemhet's harem, he went on an expedition to Libya. When he learned of the

Pharaoh's assassination he fled because he feared false accusations. Winds on the Nile blew

him northward and he wandered through Palestine and Lebanon. He finally settled in southern

Syria and married the oldest daughter of a chieftain in the region. Some years later, Pharaoh

Sesostris I welcomed Sinuhe back to Egypt. The king forgave him and granted him gifts. From

that point forward, Sinuhe remained in Egypt and was granted an honorable burial.

Points of Comparison

Was a member of the Royal Court of EgyptMoses was a member of the royal court

Was involved in a murder and had to fleeMoses was involved in a murder and had to flee

Married the eldest daughter of a foreignerMoses married the Midian (or was it Cushite?) woman Zipporah , the daughter of Jethro

Returned to EgyptMoses returned to Egypt (but wasn’t quite welcomed or honored!)

3.14

Joshua Enters the Promised Land

The Torah ends with the death of Moses and we transition to the Nevi’im, including

Deuteronomic History (explanation later), in the Book of Joshua.

Moses was only allowed to see the Promised Land, but not enter it The task of

conquering and then settling the Promised Land fell, not to Moses’ brother and not to

either of Moses’ sons but to Joshua. Joshua accomplished this task by waging three

campaigns against the tribes of peoples who lived there. Once the land was

conquered, Joshua then divided the conquered territories among the twelve tribes of

Israel. Archaeological remains of many (not all) cities in Canaan do show evidence of

major destruction. Yet.....(later slide).

An interesting phrase in Joshua (Josh.22:22) shows God being addressed by three of

his biblical names; El, Elohim and YHWH 3.15

Controversy Over the Capture of the Promised

Land by Joshua (I)

• Steles in Egypt and clay tables from Ugarit tell of invasions of “Peoples of the Sea” to both the north and the south of Israel

• The Egyptians were successful in defeating the invaders. Some scholars have suggested that the Exodus of the Hebrews (and others) from Egypt may have been an attempt to flee from these invasions

• Ugarit, north of the land of Canaan, wasn’t so lucky. It was burned to the ground sometime around 1190 BCE

• The “Sea People” who invaded from the north swept south along the coastal plain and established their pentapolis (Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and Gath) along that plane. Pottery excavated from these cities was much like the pottery made by the Mycenean Greeks with one exception. The clay used to make the pottery proved to be of local origin. So, were these Greek-speaking peoples?

3.16

Controversy Over the Exodus and the Capture of

the Promised Land (II)

Another group of scholars who question the historicity of the Exodus and the

conquest of the Promised Land by Joshua hold to a different theory. They

claim that there was neither an Exodus from Egypt nor a conquest of

Canaan, at least not from outside invaders.

These scholars believe that the Tribes of Israel represent a loose

confederation of city-states that rebelled against the ruling Canaanites while

the Canaanites were busy fighting off the Peoples of the Sea. They point to

the names of the some of the Tribes of Israel as evidence;

- Asher (from Assur, the god of Assyria or Assherah a Canaanite goddess?)

- Gad ( Gad was the name of a Canaanite God)

- Zebulon (meaning “of the princes”, an epithet of Baal Hadad)

- Dan (perhaps one of the first tribes of Sea Peoples pushed inland by

tribes arriving later. Dan is a root name often used to refer to Greeks.

Recall the famous line from the Aeneid “Timeo Danaos dona ferentes”)

Interestingly, Dan’s original allotment of land was the territory that became

settled by the Sea Peoples, later known as the Philistines. Dan was forced to

relocate to the northernmost part of the Promised Land3.17

One Thing Is Certain

In 1207 BCE, a stele was created

to honor the victories of the

Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah in

his campaign against a number of

peoples inhabiting the territory of

Canaan which began in 1212 BCE

Israel is mentioned on this stele

(see the insert). This is the

earliest mention of Israel found

outside of the Bible however the

determinative (unpronounced

marker before a word) used with

Israel indicates that Israel was

neither a country or a city-state at

this time but rather a people living

in the hill country of Canaan

Based on Judges 5:11, some

believe they called themselves

ח־יהו םע , people of YHWH3.18

• A man named Micah (not the prophet), a worshipper of Y*WH, stole 1,100 shekels from his mother but, when he confessed his sin to his mother, she blessed him and promised to use some of the silver to create an idol

• Micah then created a shrine for the idol complete with ephod (sacred clothing) and teraphim (hard to translate, likely means household gods). Ephod and teraphim seem to have been used in divination. Micah then hireda Levite, Jonathan, son of Gershon who was the son of Moses* to act as a priest to his shrine

• Some men from the tribe of Dan, unable to win over the land originally set aside for them by Joshua, passed by Micah’s shrine and asked the priest if they would be successful in winning over the new land to the North set aside for them. The Levite priest assured them that they would succeed

• They did succeed. They destroyed the major city of the land, Laish, rebuilt it and named it after their ancestor, Dan, the son of Jacob/Israel. They then returned to Micah’s shrine, took the idol, the ephod and teraphim and even the priest to the city of Dan where they re-built the shrine. Jonathan, was named the chief priest of the shrine. Judges claims that the shrine remained there all the time while the Ark of the Covenant remained at Shiloh (until shortly before the time of David) When Israel split into two kingdoms after the death of Solomon, Dan became an important center of worship in the Northern Kingdom

* This story can be found in Judges 17-18. Most manuscripts say Jonathan was the grandson of

Moses הםש , some say he was the grandson of Manasseh

Another Story With a Reference to Moses

3.19

• When the Israelites entered the Promised land, the region was divided up among the different clans. The tribe of Levi, was removed from landowning status for it was from this tribe that the priesthood of Israel was formed which served all the tribes

• Dan was first given land in an area that looked on Joppa, east of Benjamin. However, the Philistines resisted them there, blocking their efforts to capture the towns awarded to them in the original inheritance agreement.

• The descendants of Dan headed north to a city called Leshem or Laish. After capturing this city, they renamed it 'Dan' after their ancestor, and settled that region. This city proved to be the northernmost boundary of the land of Israel, stretching from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. More on this later.

• The bones of Joseph, carried out of Egypt, were buried with his ancestors at Hebron

The Tribes of Israel in the Promised Land

3.20

The Book of Judges

• The Book of Joshua is followed by the Book of Judges. The Hebrew

word for Judges is shophetim ששששפטיפטיפטיפטים ם ם ם

• While the Book of Joshua seems to show the conquest of the Promised

Land was swift and thorough, the Book of Judges takes a different slant

• When Joshua and his generation died, the Israelites began to worship the

gods of the peoples around them. One might ask, of course, what

peoples? Weren’t most of them conquered and destroyed?

• Chapter 3 of Judges (Jdg. 3:1-5) explains that God left a number of tribes

in the land to test Israel. Chapter 2 of Judges explains that God would

raise up a judge, a sort of military leader, to deal with these tribes

whenever the Israelites would revert to their evil ways

• A pattern emerged where the people of Israel would worship foreign gods

and would use these other peoples to punish the Israelites for their

unfaithfulness. God would relent and raise up a judge to rescue His

people. The judge would do his job and, while the judge lived, the people

would remain faithful. When the judge died, the pattern would repeat3.21

The Time of the Judges

• Judges tended to be strong military leaders who defeated the enemies of

Israel. Some biblical critics claim that the constant need for military

actions by the Judges cast some doubt on how effective Joshua was in

his campaigns of conquest in the Promised Land

• In any case, the role of the Judges in the early history of Israel seem to

have some influence on the expectations of the Jewish people concerning

the nature of the Messiah a millennium later

• There were seven major Judges (Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon,

Jephthah, Samson and Samuel)

• There were six minor Judges (Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon and Abdon)

• The terms major and minor referred to the amount of information about

the Judges provided in scripture

• Some scholars see these Judges as strong leaders who work to save their

people and, as such, are pre-cursors to later Jewish expectations of a

Messiah3.22

Interpreting Scripture

When reading scripture, it is important to remember some important things;

The Hebrew (and Christian) scriptures were written by believers and for believers. The Hebrew scriptures are a collection of books about a people and their encounter with God. Historical events act as a background against which this encounter takes place. They are not the main focus of the narrative

Archaeologists work hard to shed as much light as their craft will allow on these historical events but the Hebrew Scriptures, along with the works of Josephus, still provide the most amount of detail of what happened during the period of time between Abraham and Moses. In most cases, the farther back in history one goes, the fewer actual facts are available

Don’t disregard issues of funding, ego or stature within their field to explain why some archaeologists are prone to take a few facts and draw massive conclusions from them.

Facts are concrete things. Real facts, like the Merneptah Stele, are hard to dispute. The stories that scholars put forth to try to explain the facts are far less concrete and far more subjective. Key words to look for are “likely”, “probably”, and “almost certainly”. They really mean “We don’t know for sure.” Don’t accept anyone’s theory based mainly on their reputation. Be skeptical and go where the facts take you.

3.23