ACQUAINTANCE WITH EGYPT

Our proposition is, that the Pentateuch was written by a man who had a minute and familiar acquaintance with Egyptian affairs, and for people who had a minute and familiar acquaintance with Egyptian affairs. The establishment of this proposition will be a virtual refutation of the hypothesis of the critics concerning the origin of the Pentateuch. For a minute and familiar acquaintance with Egyptian affairs presupposes a long residence in Egypt. Moses and the Israelites had a long residence in Egypt, and before they left it had acquired a thorough knowledge of its affairs. Even the analysts have not had the hardihood as yet to deny the story of the exodus altogether. Moses and the Israelites then meet the requirements of our proposition. But if that proposition be true, — and we intend to demonstrate its truth, — the Pentateuch could have originated only in the Mosaic age. There is no evidence that E, D, J, P, and R, the supposed authors of the Pentateuch, ever lived in Egypt. Indeed, there is no evidence but an hypothesis that they ever lived at all, and there is not even an hypothesis that they ever lived in Egypt; nor is there any reason to believe that the Israelites, after the Mosaic age, were at any time minutely acquainted with Egyptian affairs.

Even on the theory of supernatural and plenary inspiration, it is not probable that any one not well acquainted with Egypt would be selected by divine wisdom to write the Pentateuch. God utilizes human knowledge and talents as far as possible. Christ's disciples, those conversant with his acts and sayings, were employed to write the Gospels. Luke, the companion of Paul, was employed to write the Acts of the Apostles. The most thoroughgoing doctrine of divine inspiration, then, would incline us to expect that the Pentateuch would prove to be written by a man who spent some time in Egypt and had an extensive and accurate knowledge of it, and not by a man, or (if the reader insists on a plurality of authors) by men, who lived at a distance from it and never saw it.

The point to be proved is, that the author of the Pentateuch possessed a minute and familiar acquaintance with Egyptian affairs, and that he assumes the same minute and familiar acquaintance on the part of those for whom it was more immediately written. We proceed to state, in proof and illustration of this proposition, a few of the many facts that might be presented for this purpose. A volume would not exhaust this subject.

1. The allusion to the Egyptian custom of shaving. "Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh."¹

Nearly all the races and tribes with whom the ancient Hebrews came in contact let their hair and beard grow;² but the Egyptians were an exception in this respect. Herodotus states that they were accustomed to let their hair grow only in time of mourning.³ Wilkinson says that "foreigners who were taken to Egypt as slaves, having beards on their arrival, were compelled, on entering the service of Egyptian masters, to have their beards and heads shaved," and that "to be unshaven was regarded as the mark of a low condition, or of a slovenly person."4

Now it is to be observed that Joseph, though he was called hastily to appear before the Egyptian king, was allowed time to shave himself. No explanation is made, just as if none were needed; and there was none needed if the account was written by Moses, or in the Mosaic age, for he and the contemporary Israelites were well acquainted with the Egyptian customs and ideas, which made it necessary that Joseph should appear shaven before Pharaoh.

2. The account of the storm of hail and thunder.⁵

It was the hail, not the thunder, that constituted the plague. "And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field."⁶ From this declaration, and from the whole passage,⁷ it is evident that the hail did all the damage. But though this fact is emphasized, yet Pharaoh evidently was much more alarmed by the thunder than by the hail. He exclaimed, "Entreat the Lord (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail." The reply of Moses was, "As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail."⁸ It is quite evident that it was the thunder, though harmless, that Pharaoh especially feared. He mentions in his entreaty the mighty thunderings first. Why was this? Why was Pharaoh more concerned about the harmless thunder than about the destructive hail? To those well acquainted with Egypt no explanation is needed. The fact that rain and thunder are almost unknown in Egypt makes the whole matter plain. Pharaoh had never heard thunder, at least very loud thunder, before, and it was very natural, therefore, that he should be frightened more by it than by the flashing lightning and crushing hail. But the historian says nothing about the absence of thunder and hail from Egypt, or their infrequency, taking it for granted that his readers will understand all these matters. He assumes that his readers, like himself, were familiar with the climatic peculiarities of the country of the Nile.

3. Deuteronomy 11:10, 11:"For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: but the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven."

Here the Israelites are addressed as being familiar with the facts referred to; namely, that Egypt was a level plain, not watered by showers from heaven, but irrigated by artificial means. These facts are mentioned, not as being strange or new, but as well known, and as illustrations to show what kind of a country Canaan was. To the Israelites Egypt is the well-known, familiar country while Canaan is terra incognita. This is applicable to the Israelites in the time of Moses, but at no subsequent time. It may be objected that the above passage purports to be part of an oral address of Moses to the people, and therefore forms no part of the Pentateuchal history. To this it may be replied, first, that one thing in dispute is whether Moses and the historian are the same person; and, second, that the point which we have quoted this passage to prove is clearly presented in many passages which purport to have been written by the author as historian, of which we proceed to give further illustrations.

4. Embalming.

This process of embalming is referred to without explanation, as a custom well known both to the author and also his readers. "And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel."⁹ The accuracy of the author in his account of the embalming and funeral of Jacob is very remarkable, and will be mentioned hereafter. At present we only call attention to the fact that the embalming of Jacob and afterward that of Joseph¹⁰ are mentioned as things well known. No description or explanation is given. It was to the Hebrews in general a foreign custom. Jacob and Joseph appear to have been the only Hebrews that ever were embalmed in the Egyptian manner, yet it is referred to as if it were just as well understood as burial itself. In striking contrast with this is the account of the funeral of King Asa: "And they buried him in his own sepulchers, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art; and the)' made a very great burning for him."¹¹ The burial of Asa was in some respects unusual, and hence there is a description of it. The author tells what the embalming in his case was. But it is not so in the account of the embalming of Jacob and Joseph. All that the author deems necessary to say in their case is that they were embalmed. Undoubtedly, the reason for his not giving either explanation or description is that he thought none was needed. These facts point to the time of the exodus. To the Israelites who had lived in Eg3'pt the process of embalming was entirely familiar; but this cannot be said of the Israelites at any subsequent period.

5. The diseases prevalent in Egypt are alluded to in the Pentateuch as being well known to the Israelites. "And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee."¹² "The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed."¹³ "Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee."¹⁴ "If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee."¹⁵

In all these passages the Israelites are addressed as being well acquainted with the nature and virulence of the diseases which prevailed in Egypt. They are not informed as for the first time of these diseases, but are simply reminded of what they knew well already.

6. The process of brick-making is referred to in the same way.

The use of straw in making brick, unusual in other countries, is mentioned, but not explained. The writer presumes on the knowledge of his readers.¹⁶

7. Cities and places in Egypt are referred to as well known. As a general thing, cities and places are mentioned without

any indication of their geographical position, and without any mark of identification, the author evidently assuming that none was needed. Where the land of Goshen was we are not informed, except that it seems to be identified with the land of Rameses. It is a matter of inference that it was in the eastern part of Egypt, as indicated in the account of the journey of Jacob and his family.¹⁷ The writer evidently took it for granted that his readers needed no information in regard to Goshen. The residence of the Egyptian king is never once mentioned. What the capital city of Egypt was is nowhere stated. The city of On is mentioned, but no information is given concerning it. The river is mentioned repeatedly, but no name given. Pithom and Rameses are mentioned, but no further information given concerning them than that they were treasure cities, built by the Hebrews. Everywhere the writer assumes that his readers knew all about the geography of Egypt. But as soon as he begins to speak of towns and places but a little distance from Egypt and Goshen, he particularizes, describes, and identifies. The first record of the march out of Egypt is as follows: "And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth."¹⁸ Succoth is another name for Pithom,¹⁹ a fact for the knowledge of which we are indebted to antiquarians and excavators. But the writer assumes that those for whom he especially wrote needed no information concerning the identity and the geographical position of these cities. The second record of the march is as follows: "And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness."²⁰ Here the author gives information about the position of the last-named place. In the third record of the march the geography of the places mentioned is indicated with much particularity: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea."²¹ This particularization begins just as soon as the Israelites are out of the land of Egypt. It is very noticeable in the references to places in Palestine as well before as after the exodus. "And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sicheni, unto the plain of Moreh."²² "And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east."²³ "And he went on his journey's from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai.''²⁴ "Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron."²⁵ " Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan."²⁶ " And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre."²⁷ "And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arba, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned."²⁸ "And they [the spies] ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)"²⁹

A comparison of the way in which places in Egypt are referred to in the Pentateuch with the way in which places in Palestine are described and identified, certainly indicates that the former were well known, the latter unknown — at least not so well known. In regard to the latter the author assumes that his readers need information, and he embraces every opportunity^ to give it to them. These facts are explained by the supposition that the Pentateuch was written in the Mosaic age for people who had lived in Egypt, were interested in Palestine, and yet were ignorant of its geography. These facts are accounted for in no other way. But how could a writer who had never been in Palestine be so well acquainted with its geography? To say nothing about supernatural inspiration, Moses had abundant opportunity of acquiring such information at the court of Pharaoh. There was a long war between Egypt and Canaan immediately preceding the exodus and during the reign of Rameses II., the Pharaoh of the oppression.³⁰ Reports of military men and travelers brought information to the Egyptian court concerning cities and places in Palestine.³¹ From the Karnak inscriptions, the Tel-el- Amarna tablets, and other sources of information, it is in evidence that in the age preceding the exodus the cities and towns of Palestine were well known to the ruling class in Egypt. Jerusalem, Hebron, Salem, Gibeon, and nearly all the geographical names with which we are so familiar are mentioned in the lately exhumed Egyptian monuments.³² Palestine was indeed an Egyptian province, governed by the deputies of Pharaoh.³³ Now, Moses, brought up in the court of Pharaoh and associating with the ruling class, would of course acquire the current information concerning the topography of Palestine. All these facts point to the author of the Pentateuch as one familiar with the topography of Egypt, knowing, indeed, the topography of Palestine, but not so familiar with it, and writing for people who knew all about Egypt, but who needed instruction concerning places in Palestine. But for preconceived views and theories these considerations would doubtless lead to the conclusion that the Pentateuch was written in the Mosaic age and by Moses himself.

1) Gen. 41:14.

2) Sayce's Races of the Old Testament.

3) 2:36.

4) Ancient Egyptians, Vol. II., pp. 326, 327.

5) Ex. 9:18-26.

6) Ex. 9:25.

7) Ex. 9:19, 22.

8) Ex. 9:28, 29.

9) Gen. 50:2.

10) Gen. 50:26.

11) II. Chr. 10:14.

12) Deut. 7:15.

13) Deut. 2S:27.

14) Deut. 28:60.

15) Ex. 15:26.

16) Ex. 5:6-19.

17) Gen. 46:28, 29; 47:11.

18) Ex. 12:37.

19) Sayce, Fresh Light from the Monuments, p. 60.

20) Ex. 13:20.

21) Ex. 14:2.

22) Gen. 12:6.

23) Gen. 12:8.

24) Gen. 13:3.

25) Gen. 13:18.

26) Gen. 23:2.

27) Gen. 23:17.

28) Gen. 35:27.

29) Num. 13:22.

30) Sayce's The Hittites, pp. 24-39.

31) Sayce's Fresh Light from the Monuments, pp. 57, 58.

32) Brugsch-Bey, Egypt Under the Pharaohs, ch. 13; Sayce, Fresh Light from the Monuments, ch. 3.

33) Sayce, Races of the Old Testament, pp. 101, 102.