However, if Rameses II was the builder in Ex. 1:11 has led many scholars to believe that Rameses II (1279-1213 BC) was the Pharaoh of the exodus. The reference to the Hebrews building the city Rameses in Ex. The Latter Around 1225 BC View of the Exodus The point of this article is not to definitively identify the pharaohs but to show how the dates of the Bible do work well with the Egyptian history of those dates. Therefore, be aware that the dates given in this article may not match those found in other sources. However, it must be understood that one of the difficulties in identifying the pharaohs of the exodus is that not only is the Bible vague on these pharaohs, but modern historians cannot agree on the dates and reigns of the Pharaohs and have repeatedly changed their dating system.
Though one cannot be absolutely sure of the date of the exodus of the Israelites, the 1446 BC date of the exodus seems to be the most likely option, considering the biblical and archeological evidence and the fact that there is very little evidence that supports the other view-even though secularists and Hollywood stick to it (as seen in the movies The Ten Commandments and The Prince of Egypt). The New Kingdom pharaohs are probably the most well known among all the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, including Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh Rameses the Great Tutankamun, the boy king the so-called “heretic” Pharaoh, Akhenaten and the subsequent short-lived Amarna period. This kingdom lasted during the 18 th–20 th dynasties. The New Kingdom that Ahmose inaugurated was the period of greatest imperial might in Egypt’s long history.
The Theban conquerors had thus established the 18 th dynasty, creating a great empire under a succession of powerful rulers. The Egyptian army pushed beyond the traditional frontiers of Egypt into Syria-Palestine and brought Nubia (Kush) under control. With the expulsion of the Hyksos at the end of the Second Intermediate Period, the Theban Prince Ahmose I now reigned supreme. Thus Ahmose I was the first ruler of the 18 th dynasty and established the New Kingdom as a military empire. New Kingdom: 1570-1070 BCĪhmose I, the brother of Kamose, led a successful revolt against the Hyksos and drove them completely out of Egypt. The last two rulers of this native Egyptian dynasty in Thebes, Seqenenre Tao and his son Kamose, started rebelling against the Hyksos. These Theban kings managed to more or less continue with the culture that had prevailed during the Middle Kingdom period. While the Hyksos kings (14 th-16 th dynasties) controlled the northern part of the country, “native Egyptian” rulers were establishing the 17 th dynasty in Thebes in the south. With the Nubians south of Egypt growing in power, the southern, “native Egyptians” were a conquered people. The Hyksos finally sacked Memphis around 1720, controlling the Northern part of Egypt (and influencing southern Egypt as well). Egyptian records tell of a great invasion of peoples through the Eastern Delta, although in reality these Semitic immigrants had been steadily entering the country for some time and gradually gaining increasing authority in the region. Second Intermediate Period: 1782-1570 BCĪs a result of Egypt’s decline, a Semitic people called the Hyksos (“rulers of foreign lands”), originating from the northern part of Mesopotamia, invaded Egypt and established themselves as the 14 th ruling dynasty. Due to this decline, the state system collapsed, and Egypt entered a dark period of chaos and disruption once again. The 13 th dynasty was marked by a significant decline in military power and in large-scale monumental building projects. The 11 th and 12 th were the main ruling dynasties of the Middle Kingdom. Trade agriculture and writing were revitalized during this period. The kings of the 11 th dynasty restored power back to the monarchy, although the local governors still maintained significant power as well.
As a result, the government fell into chaos, and the country splintered into a dozen chiefdoms.
DAKES BIBLE COMMENTARY SERIES
However, the Nile began a series of insufficient flooding, which led to widespread hunger and death. It was during the Old Kingdom (2650-2134 BC) that the land of Egypt was unified under a central monarchy and became a wealthy and powerful kingdom. The following paragraphs on the Egyptian history of this time period will lay a foundation for and help to clarify the two different views of the Exodus. This view is based on dates given in different places in the Bible the archeology of Egypt and Canaan support it as well. Though one cannot be completely sure of the date, most biblical scholars hold to the 1446 view. There are two major views for the date of the exodus the early date of 1446 BC and the late date of around 1225 BC.