Exodus - an Authentic Record of Events

The Bible is the inspired word of God. This page is a continuation in a series of articles about the Bible as God’s word.

Part 32  Exodus - an Authentic Record of Events

Last time we saw comments in the Ipuwer papyrus that tied in with the tenth plague of Exodus 12, in which at least 16 per cent of the population in Egypt died in one night, most of them being the family favorites, the firstborns. The next category of comments relate to what closely followed the death of the firstborn.

4. Slaves plunder rich Egyptian masters

SECTION I [. .] “The door [keepers] say: “Let us go and plunder.”... Indeed, the plunderer [. . .] everywhere, and the servant takes what he finds.”

Section III “silver and turquoise, carnelian and amethyst, Ibhet-stone and [. . .] are strung on the necks of maidservants...noblewomen. Their bodies are in sad plight by reason of their rags...None shall indeed sail northward to Byblos [Byblos: This city on the Lebanese coast supplied cedar wood to the Egyptians] today; what shall we do for cedar trees for our mummies, and with the produce of which priests are buried and with the oil of which [chiefs] are embalmed as far as Keftiu?” [ancient Egyptian name for Crete]

The Israelite slaves ask for valuable items from the rich masters, and receive them

Exodus 11:1 “And the Lord said unto Moses... 2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver and jewels of gold. 3 And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.”

Exodus 12:35-36 “Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favourably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.”

It may be helpful to consider that the book of Exodus is recounting the events and commentary which relate exclusively to the declared purpose of God in the book of Genesis, and its outworking with the nation of Israel. But also - to bear in mind that, if Ipuwer was indeed referring to events connected with the Exodus, this inscription would also necessarily include matters unrelated to those affairs. That is to say, we would expect the Egyptian memory of events, to include matters not directly related to the Exodus narrative.

For example, Exodus is only interested in what was happening to the nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham and Isaac through Jacob. But Exodus 12:38 refers to “a mixed multitude” (NIV, “many other people”) and Numbers 11:4 NKJV “a mixed multitude” (other versions, “the rabble”) who included, comments Pentateuch and Haftorahs, “slaves and prisoners of war, who took advantage of the panic to escape from Egypt.”

With so many Israelite slaves it would be impossible that word would not reach the ears of other slaves that the Israelites, acting on Moses’ instruction from Yahweh, were asking and receiving great quantities of valuables from the wealthy Egyptians. By the time the Israelites were assembling for their march out of Egypt towards their freedom, it would not be a stretch to expect many of the other slaves to want to leave Egypt in hope of a better life elsewhere.