Pillow's Stuff

 

Merneptah as the Pharaoh of Moses and biblical chronology based on it.

So I wanted to do a biblical chronology based on the Merneptah's Stele and Merneptah himself as the Pharaoh of the exodus and here it is. The evidence for Merneptah being the Pharaoh of the exodus are numerous.

First is his stele itself, He claims that he destroyed "Israel's seed" which sounds so similar to the bible/quran (Exodus 1:15-22) and (Quran 40:25) stories of the pharaoh killing young Israelite male children because he was scared and wanted to prevent the prophecy of Moses.

Second thing is that Dr Maurice Bucaille who examined the bodies of Pharaoh Rameses II and Merneptah claimed to have found traces of salt on the skin and within the mummified tissues. He argued that these were not from the natron used in mummification, but were residue from seawater.

He also claims that he performed X-rays and noted multiple fractures and "internal trauma," which he interpreted as the result of a sudden, high-pressure impact—like being hit by a massive wall of water (the returning Red Sea).

He also argued that while the Bible says Pharaoh was "overthrown" in the sea, the Quran (Surah Yunus 10:92) specifically says: "So today We will save you in body that you may be to those who succeed you a sign."

Third is the Bible (Exodus 1:11) says the Israelites built the store-cities of Pithom and Raamses If the Israelites were building a city named after Ramesses so the Exodus must have happened either during the end of Ramesses II's long 66-year reign or during the reign of his immediate successor—Merneptah.

So if 1203 BC the day where Merneptah died and is the day of the exodus and the Israelites leaving Egypt and an explanation for why no records of such incident is recorded is because the Ancient Egyptians were a proud people who will never record something like that or admit defeat. With that out of the way then we could also get the year the Israelites are done with their 40 year wander and started conquering Canaan which was in 1163 BC, That period was also the period of the Bronze Age Collapse in which major civilizations were destroyed like the great Hittite empire and those who survived were weakened greatly.

The bible itself give hints of that collapse (Exodus 33:2) which says "I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites." That also explains why there is very little archaeological evidence as most of the region was abandoned.

We could also guess the year the Israelites arrive in Egypt, The bible mentions that they stayed for 430 years (Exodus 12:40-42) so we could add that to the year of the exodus / the day Merneptah died. We get 1633 BC with Merneferre Ay being the pharaoh of Joseph.

That Pharaoh is interesting because he is considered the last king of the Middle Kingdom and after him the Hyksos ruled the land. And his captial was at Avaris the later Hyksos capital. Also while Ay reigned for over 23 years, the number of artifacts (scarabs and small seals) is tiny compared to earlier kings. It is concluded that the economy was so shattered by environmental crises and internal strife that the state could no longer support its usual bureaucracy or construction projects and that by the end of Ay's reign "the administration [of the Egyptian state] seems to have completely collapsed".

Also the 12th and 13th dynasties whom he was part of was plagued by famines and unpredictable floods which the bible mentions "Genesis 41:56-57". We can also know when Abraham left Ur to settle in Canaan and when he was born by adding the age of Abraham when he had Isaac which is 100 years "Genesis 21:5" plus the age of Isaac when he had Jacob which is 60 years "(Genesis 21:5)" plus Jacob's age when he arrived in Egypt which is 130 years "(Genesis 47:9)" to a total of 290 years.

Making 1848 BC the year Abraham leaves Ur and 1923 BC the year he was born. That places Abraham's youth shortly after the final collapse of the Ur III Empire (c. 2004 BC). This fits the biblical description of a family leaving a "Ur of the Chaldeans" that was in transition or turmoil. Most historians view the term "Chaldeans" in Genesis as an editorial update made by much later scribes so it is still historically accurate.

Timeline

1923 BC - Abraham was Born in Ur.

1848 BC - Abraham leaves Ur and immigrate into Canaan. (Senusret III or Amenemhat III is the pharaoh of the exodus).

1633 BC - Israelites arrive in Egypt (Masoritic) So Merneferre Ay is the pharoah of Joseph and Egypt had serious problems at that time like famine and severe ecological distress, including failing Nile floods.

1203 BC - Merneptah's Death (Had salt on his body and he claims that he destroyed Israel's "seed" on his stele) and the year of the Exodus.

1200 - 1150 BC - Sea People and The Bronze Age Collapse which had major civilizations disappear as said in Exodus 33:2 that god will send angels to drive out Hittites and other groups.

1163 BC - The Israelites stopped wandering and started conquering Canaan.

Sources:-

The Old Testament.

The Quran.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele.

The Bible, The Qur'an and Science: The Holy Scriptures Examined in the Light of Modern Knowledge - Dr Maurice Bucaille.

The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, c.1800–1550 BC, Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications, vol. 20. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 1997.