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 34  Exodus - an Authentic Record of Events

The comments in the Ipuwer papyrus, in this next category, point to a disaster that struck Egypt and which removed the ability of authorities to maintain public order. The book of Exodus points to what occurred after Israel crossed through the Red Sea out of Egypt.

5. Breakdown of Law and Order

Section V - “the roads are watched; men sit in the bushes until the benighted traveler comes in order to plunder his burden, and what is upon him is taken away. He is belabored with blows of a stick and murdered.” [Egyptians are more vulnerable to highway robbery due to breakdown of law and order]

Section VI “Would that I had raised my voice at that moment, that it might have saved me from the pain in which I am. [An advisor to the Pharaoh at the Red Sea wished he had said, “Don’t send troops - Exodus 14:27 - into the seabed to pursue the Israelites,” to prevent God’s final blow on Egypt by the destruction of Pharaoh’s army?].... Indeed, the private council-chamber, its writings are taken away and the mysteries which were [in it] are laid bare... Indeed, public offices are opened and their inventories are taken away; the serf has become an owner of serfs... Indeed, [scribes] are killed and their writings are taken away. Woe is me because of the misery of this time!... Indeed, the writings of the scribes of the cadaster [property registry] are destroyed, and the corn of Egypt is common property [instead of the former system on which the Egyptian economy depended, that of storage and redistribution of surplus grain].... Indeed, the great council-chamber is a popular resort, and poor men come and go to the Great Mansions.” [The former government has fled the government buildings, now put to common use by the ordinary people?]

The Egyptian army destroyed in the returning waters of the Red Sea

Exodus 14:27 “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.”

Not only was Pharaoh’s army required to ward off foreign incursion into Egypt, but also to preserve internal law and order. The loss of the army in the Red Sea would first be noticed locally, with there being no more troopers seen conducting road patrols. This provided the opportunity for highway robbers to commit their crimes as noted in Section V, ambushing unwary travelers, killing them and taking away their cargo, all without law enforcement to protect the wayfarer or even witness the criminal action.

If the first speaker in Section VI was an advisor to the pharaoh of the exodus, he would indeed feel sorry that he had not spoken up against sending the chariots and troops into the Red Sea, such was the dreadful mess the country was then in as a result. Now even the ordinary people felt free to come and go in places where they had been banned by the authorities. The former restraint was gone, so government documents were taken away, including important registries.

There are many other statements relevant to this category in Sections I, II, IV, VII and X.