ISRAEL IN EGYPT

 

ISRAEL IN EGYPT
PRIMARY SOURCES

BRIAN EDRIC COLLESS PhD ThD

https://cryptcracker.blogspot.com/2025/05/israel-in-egypt.html

ISRAEL IN GOSHEN
https://sites.google.com/view/collesseum/gebel-tingar-statue
 
Artefacts and inscriptions (Egyptian and West Semitic) from Egypt and Sinai.

 

 

  

Cylinder Seal of Yosep from Avaris (Goshen)

 

Michael Shelomo Bar-Ron

https://www.academia.edu/35532146/The_Seal_of_Joseph_in_His_Palace_at_Tell_Ed_Daba_Re_edited_
This interpretation of the Avaris  seal is cogent, and superior to the view that finds West Semitic deities, rather than Yosep son of Ya`qob  and his brothers, symbolized in accordance with the characteristics attributed to them and their tribes in the Blessing of Ya`qob (Genesis 49:1-27) and Blessing of Moshe (Deuteronomy 33:1-25)
When this was first brought to my notice many years ago, I jumped to the conclusion that the Bull was the chief god El, and  the armed man was the weather-god Ba`al-Hadad. I now accept the view that these symbols represent Yosep and his brothers, the sons of Ya`qob, and this interpretation is supported by the discovery of nine Ya`qob-Har seals at the same site, in the palace of Avaris, and twelve tombs in the palace garden, one of which is a pyramid, presumably for Yosep.
    Here is my interpretation, based on the Bar-Ron identifications of the characters.

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   YOSEP (Joseph)  The top line starts on the right with Yosep as a powerful bull (as in Deuteronomy 33:13-17),  with "horns of the wild ox", pushing the peoples, as depicted here. The two horns could represent his sons and successors, namely EPRAYIM (Ephraim) and MENASSHE (Manasseh), who were granted a special place in the family by Ya`qob (Gen 48:18-20), and they would each have their own tribe; they are indeed associated with Yosep and his bull-horns in the Mosaic Blessing (Deut 33:17). The two objects with hatching may signify the two sons.
   BINYAMIN (Benjamin) Next along the upper line is Binyamin, as an armed man wielding his weapons; this should not be YHWH the warrior (Exodus  15;3. "The LORD is a man of war" ) but Binyamin, "a ravenous wolf" who "divides the spoil" (Gen 49:27), and this detail would indicate a military connection for him; and so he is possibly the General BIBI, commander of "Asiatic" troops, attested in the Egyptian inscriptions in the Wadi el-Hol (Darnell et alii 2005:88-89, :102-105); and also  the PPY, overseer of the MSh` ("expeditionary force") on Sinai 85, in year 4 of the reign of Amenemhat III, in association with a governor of Lower Egypt named H.ori (possibly Yosep, also known as H.oremh.at). The two mounds or mountains below the strider are possibly Gerizim and Ebal, the twin peaks that embrace the city of Shekem (Shechem, Nablus), and notice the city wall below them.  The noun shekem means "shoulder" and in the brief Mosaic blessing on Binyamin there is a mysterious mention of dwelling "between his shoulders" (Deut 33:12).

   ASHER Third in the uppermost line is Asher, seen as an olive branch, in line with the promise that his bread would be "fat", presumably dipped in olive oil (Gen 49:20), and this blessed one, and the favoured among his brothers, dips his foot in olive oil (Deut 33:24).
    These three brothers (Yosep, Binyamin, Asher) are at the top because they are the favoured ones in the family of Ya`qob, I suggest; and two more brothers have a high (tough lower) position in the scenery.
   NAPTALI (Naphtali) is presumed to be the animal below the olive branch of Asher; the image is damaged, but it looks like a diving dolphin. The blessing (Gen 49:21) runs enigmatically: “Naptali is a hind let loose, he gives beautiful utterances”. Bar-Ron suggests that this is a deer or an antelope. The other characterization of him states that he is “satisfied with favour, and full of the blessing of the LORD” (Deut 33:23), and this might explain his relatively high position in the complex.
   GAD is deemed to go with the final symbol in the upper realm: its form is incomplete, because of the damage that stretches in both directions over the ship. Bar-Ron proposes an inverted mushroom, representing good fortune descending from Heaven, in line with the name Gad given to him at birth, Gad, "fortune" (Gen 30:10-11). Searching for clues in the two blessings, and presuming that this is a human head with the mushroom hair-style of the Western Semites, we find the blessing of Moshe (Deut 33: 20-22) connects Gad with heads (qodqod, re'shith, ro'sh) and describes him as one who administers law and justice.
   ZEBULUN (Zebulon) and YISSAKHAR (Issachar) are linked in the blessing of Moshe (Deut 33: 18-19) as receiving “the affluence of the seas”; and  Zebulun is said to dwell “by the shore of the sea”, and be “a haven for ships” (Gen 49:13). Accordingly they would be the two heads in the boat.    
   DAN is the long snake that seems to be following the ship; in the song of Deborah (Judges 5:17) Dan is connected with ships, and Asher with the coast of the sea; Zebulun and Naptali appear in the next verse (18).  Dan is also portrayed as “a serpent in the way”, and “a viper  by the path” (Gen 49:17); he is also “a lion’s whelp” (Deut 33:22), and it is noticeable that the lion in this group has his right forearm reaching out to the snake.   

    Returning now to the column where Yosep the bull is dominant, we see that Yosep is above the unstable Reuben, the vulture Lewi, the lion Yehuda, and the wall Shim`on.
   RE’UBEN (Reuben) is symbolized by turbulent waters, beneath the feet of Yosep. He was the eldest son with inheritance privilege, and this is acknowledged at the outset in his father’s blessings (Gen 49:3-4): “You are my first-born, my might, the first-fruits of my strength, pre-eminent in pride and strength”; but he was “unstable as water”, depicted here by rolling waves, and he “would not have pre-eminence”,  because he defiled his father’s bed; this refers to his sexual relations with his father’s concubine Bilhah (Gen 35:22), Rahel’s maid, who gave birth to Dan and Naptali (35:25) .
   LEWI (Levi) has a tiny symbol, a bird with its tail on the left, hovering over the lion; in Yemeni tradition Lewi was symbolized by a high-flying vulture (Bar-Ron, n. 19,  learned this from  Yehoshua Sofer Ma`atuf Doh.); this symbol might signify that his tribe would not have their own territory in the promised land, but would be in a position of overseeing society. In the blessings (Gen 49:5-7, Deut 33:8-11) Lewi and his descendants are assigned the sacerdotal and educational roles in Israel, but also the task of striking down rebels (Dt 33:11), as they did at the time of the idolatrous apostasy in the wilderness period (Exodus 32:25-28); and so the sword is a feature of his image (Gen 49:5).
   SHIM`ON (Simeon) is not mentioned in the Deuteronomy blessing, and he is associated together with Lewi in the paternal benediction on the twelve sons (Gen 49:5-7); he is castigated for his violence with his sword, alluding to the slaying of the men of Shekem by Shim`on and Lewi (Gen 34:25); and so he is represented by a city wall, in accordance with a tradition (Bamidbar Rabbah, 2:7) that the flag of Shim`on depicted the wall of Shekem. Note that he is in the lowest position of all on the seal.
   YEHUDA (Judah) is the recipient of lion imagery in the blessing of Ya`qob (Gen 49:9) and he is obviously the prominent lion in the picture; he is highly praised, and a glorious and victorious future is predicted for him (Gen 49:8-12, Deut 33:7), but at this time he was subordinate to his younger brother Yosep, who was the governor of the land, and his brothers bowed down to him (Gen 42:6).

 

            Sinai Inscription 72 (Amenemhet II)

   This document (Sinai 72, a large rectangular stela, from a temple in Sinai) depicts a man named `Ankhib presenting cones of turquoise to King Amenemhet II (alias Nubkaure`), presumably samples of what his expedition to Sinai would have extracted from a mine.
   The name `Ankhib occurs three times, detectable by the highlighted `ankh symbol. 
   The inscriptions say: "... treasurer of the god (the King), overseer of ... , governor of Lower Egypt, `Ankhib, who made this monument .... he offers loaves of turquoise to the majesty of this god". The title "Governor of Lower Egypt" would suit Yosep (Joseph), resident in the palace at Avaris in Goshen. This `Ankhib is also mentioned in Sinai inscription 71 (another large slab of stone, see below), and again he is designated as "Governor (the one in charge of) Lower Egypt".
   Significantly, the Blessing of Moshe (Deut 33:13-16) links Yosep to “precious things” from “ancient mountains” and “primordial hills” and “the earth”.

 

Sinai Inscription 71 (Amenemhet II)

   A man named Sebekdidi emerges from the wreckage of the writing on this damaged document; in the far left vertical column the name is rendered by two crocodiles (Sbk, the crocodile god) and two forearms (didi); he is portrayed as a beloved servant of his lord, who had something to do with boats (as did Mentjuhotep, overseer of ships, in 47 below, and `Ankhib was “overseer of …” in 72 above). `Ankhib is in the two adjacent horizontal texts. As will be seen in this collection of sources, Yosep adopted names with `Ankh ("life"), Sobek (crocodile), Montu (Mentju, war-god), and H.ar (Horus). It is recorded (Genesis 41:45) that the King gave Yosep the name S.PNT-P`NH., and the word `ankh is visible in that sequence. 
   Egyptian kings reigned under five official names, and an important functionary such as Yosep may have done likewise, as Governor of Lower Egypt.
   The date on 71 is damaged, but might be year 11 or 24 of this ruler's reign; in this regard, Sinai 47 and 48 are concerned with the establishing of a new mine (A), and year 24 of Amenemhet II is the date given on 47.  In this case the main person is a Mentjuhotep, the dignitary who opened up the gallery (turquoise mine A), "true royal acquaintance", "his beloved", "the god's treasurer, overseer of the transport ships, Mentjuhotep, born of Sit-Hor"; this certainly sounds like the presumed Yosep in 71-72, but `Ankhib was "conceived of Sit-Khentekhtay" (S3t-Khnt(y)-ht(y), Khnty being a crocodile deity), and the name of the parent of Sebekdidi is lost ("...'s son"); mothers of notable personages may have been accorded additional Egyptian names, but the Semitic name of Yosep's mother was Rah.el, "ewe" (Genesis 35:24).
    Support for the supposition that Yosep was involved in the activity at Mine A comes from inscriptions added to the two Mentjuhotep texts, but deliberately obliterated with a hammer (but Tallet has restored some of it): the name H.arwerre` is there, arguably another one of the aliases used by Yosep, early in the reign of Amenemhat III (Sinai 88-90).
     In the Sinai documents there are two other depictions of a royal official presenting turquoise to a king (a single large cone in each case):
    116, Amenemhet III (no date) Sobekhotep, treasurer;
    112, Amenemhet III (no date) Sinofret, treasurer, governor.
    Both could be Yosep, or else one of his sons.
   However, there  exists a stela of Mentjuhotep, which depicts him with various symbols, including `ankh and 'ib (heart):

 

         Stela of Mentuhotep with Sat-Hathor

Mieroop, A History of Ancient Egypt (2011) p. 139, Figure 1.1, in Berlin, Aegyptisches Museum

Notice the `Ankh beside his face, and the heart (‘ib), giving his alias `Ankhib; and also the bovine horned head (as on the seal of Yosep)
   Is the deceased female between his legs his wife or his mother ? She is named as Sat-Hathor (daughter of the goddess Hathor), and designated as foreign, and the term "Syrian" is more applicable to Yosep's mother Rahel, than to his wife Asnat, daughter of a Heliopolitan priest (Genesis 41:45). In Sinai 47 and 48, Mentuhotep was conceived by Sat-Hor (daughter of Horus), and these two Egyptian names may have been accorded posthumously to Rahel by Ya`qob. Other items in the text await clarification. The bovine head and perhaps the heart are part of the sacrificial offering; compare the details on the Wood Stela of Mentuhotep (see below).



    Graffito of Mentuhotep from Lower Nubia
From Nubia (Sudan) in the far south, a graffito with his name written in Egyptian characters, and his social position in West Semitic letters, and I would read these as W (Waw, nail) R (head) G (throwstick) Sh (sun-disc with serpent) N (snake) P (mouth) Q (Qaw, line-cord, wound on stick) D (door). The resulting WR GShN also appears on the Gebel Tingar statue, as “(Foreign) Prince of Goshen”; if the Waw is not there, R (logogram) produces "Head of Goshen", which is equivalent to `Ankhib's status as "Governor (the one in charge) of Lower Egypt".
   The remaining PQD (root pqd, “supervise” or “assign” or “deposit”) would be a noun, “supervisor”, and its derivative word piqadon occurs in Genesis 41:36 with the meaning "storage”, and referring to the food that would be kept in store against famine, under the supervision of Yosep.

Stela of Mentuhotep Granary Overseer from Abydos
http://www.joanannlansberry.com/fotoart/sandiego/stela2-sd.jpg

Statue of Mentuhotep Granary Overseer from Abydos
http://www.joanannlansberry.com/fotoart/sandiego/men2htp-sd.jpg
The stela and the statue were found lying in sand at the Abydos cemeteries, and donated to the San Diego Museum by Henri Frankfort. The granary connection could indicate that this was Yosep, who gathered up grain for seven years, preparing for the years of famine (Genesis 41:46-49).
      The storing of grain on a large scale is the outstanding feature of Yosep’s official role as vizier: he gathered grain without number, like the sand of the sea, (Genesis 41:47-49).
   Examples of ancient grain silos are reported here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM_EfqaTPds
  

Wood Stela of Mentuhotep from Thebes
https://www.academia.edu/44882243/An_Offering_to_Mentuhotep_Son_of_Mentuhotep_Ankhu_Found_at_Thebes_MMA_26_3_316

Pictured as Fig. 4 on p, 40
Mentuhotep has a bow in one hand, and three arrows in the other. His wife is named as Netiunu, woman of On (Heliopolis, as in Genesis 41:45).
His young daughter (pictured behind her mother) also has the name Netiunu. The small kilted person in the centre is attending to the sacrifice: on the table, four jars of beer with black stoppers, one of them making a libation; the food offerings above them are bread (two round white loaves), meat (various cuts, the head of a cow); above the officiant's head, a bunch of green onions, a vase with green liquid pouring from its mouth, a censer in the form of an extended arm
and hand holding a bowl  with incense burning in it.

Stele of Reniseneb, NY MET Museum 10
Ankhu seated next to his wife Senet (Asenat) in the Stele of Reniseneb.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545503

Mentuhotep was everywhere, and it is said of Yosep that "he went throughout all the land of Egypt" (Genesis 41:46). Are there clues that would permit us to place these documents in chronological order, beginning with year 24 of the reign of Amenemhet II (Sinai 47)?

 

   Yosep dwelt in Egypt, with his father’s family, and he lived  a hundred and ten years. He saw Epraim’s children of the third generation, and also the children of Menassshe’s son Makir (Gen 50:22-23).

More Sinai inscriptions are available to illustrate this statement.