Why Did Pharaoh Fabricate History?

Orna asks: "Are the Israelites mentioned in ancient Egypt? Since it's known that Egyptians documented everything, surely they would have recorded millions of slaves escaping, right?"

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Hello Orna, and thank you for your question.

The Egyptians indeed wrote extensively on papyrus and documented their history, but contrary to popular belief, they were not faithful in their documentation, avoiding events that didn't flatter them or their kings. They obsessively concealed defeats and failures, to the point that they failed to document the 500-year rule of the "Hyksos." The Hyksos were a Semitic group that invaded and ruled Egypt for 500 years until the Egyptians regained control. Despite 500 years of Hyksos-era history in Egypt—monarchy, construction, politics, governance, laws, and religions—the Egyptians did not record the Hyksos' history, effectively erasing 500 years from Egyptian history. The remnants of their rule are indirect evidence (like buildings and pottery), but no direct records or hieroglyphs were left on their significant role in ancient Egyptian history. The only place in Egypt where the Hyksos are mentioned is almost accidentally—in the tomb of Beni Hassan. I can't tell you if the Egyptians destroyed evidence, but what is clear is that they did not want to document events of defeat and failure, not even large and important ones that lasted 500 years. All the more so, they would not document a nation of slaves that managed to humiliate and defeat them with signs and wonders from heaven.

However, few know that the Israelites are indeed mentioned in ancient Egypt over 3200 years ago. And it may be hard to believe, but Pharaoh lied, claiming he went to battle against them and eradicated them!

This is one of the most amazing findings from ancient Egypt, a famous stele called the "Israel Stele," where Pharaoh Merneptah recounts his campaigns in the land of Canaan, defeating various peoples and ultimately, eliminating the Israelites to the last one. He wrote: "Israel is laid waste—its seed is no more." (Is it really surprising that the first external record mentioning the Israelites describes their extermination?)

The stele proves that the Israelites were known in ancient Egypt over 3200 years ago, and had already settled in the land of Canaan. But why did Pharaoh—the ruler of the mighty Egyptian empire—find it necessary to lie about pursuing the Israelites in Canaan and destroying them completely? Especially since Pharaoh did not claim to wipe out any other nation. About other peoples mentioned on the stele, he only boasted of defeating and humiliating them, but regarding the Israelites, he enthusiastically proclaimed not a single one remained...! It seems Pharaoh had a very personal vendetta with the Israelites, had a deep hatred for them, and wished for their total destruction. It's interesting to note that, according to lineage, Pharaoh Merneptah was the son of Ramses II from the time of Egyptian slavery. In other words—the son wanting to protect his father's honor...

Wikipedia states: "Pharaoh Merneptah boasts of having exterminated Israel, yet from later inscriptions, we learn of an entity named Israel—among others on the Kurkh Monolith and the Mesha Stele, dated to 300 years later, during the time of Ahab and the House of Omri, in the 9th century BCE... Hence, it is evident that the claim 'Israel is laid waste, its seed is no more' is an exaggerated boast lacking any factual basis... Bloated boasting, sometimes even baseless, regarding King's military achievements, is not uncommon in ancient Egyptian texts. Therefore, it is possible that the stele's author lied to elevate the king's glory."

The fact that Pharaoh erected a stele full of lies about his great victories and lied about the extermination of the Israelites demonstrates once again that Egyptian documentation cannot be trusted. Furthermore, the exaggerated boasting about exterminating all of Israel suggests that the Egyptians erased any evidence of the Israelites that might have shamed them (or more correctly—simply did not document their disgrace).

Just as one cannot trust the antisemitic records of the Nazi empire, one also cannot trust the antisemitic records of ancient Egypt or Greece. Official historians like Manetho, Diodorus, Trogo, Apion, and Tacitus—all concocted blood libels and invented ugly lies against the Jewish people over 2000 years ago. If there is one common denominator to all these historical references, it is their hatred of the Jewish people. Despite all this, there is archaeological documentation of the Israelites in ancient Egypt, evidencing Pharaoh's wrath against our people over 3200 years ago, not by chance.

For more archaeological evidence, it is recommended to obtain Rabbi Zamir Cohen's book "Biblical Archaeology".