In addition to the enslavement, Pharaoh issues an imperial edict that all newborn Hebrew boys are to be killed. this.form.className += ' mimi_submitting';

var _this = this;
The name “ Hatshepsut” means “foremost of noblewomen.” She married her half-brother, Thutmose II, who ruled Egypt for about 10 years and died without a successor. By sheer determination he fought his way out, but in the light of his purpose the battle was an utter failure. if (field.className.indexOf('invalid') === -1) field.className += ' invalid'; The first is “Thermuthis,” described by Josephus but found nowhere in Scripture. Moses was saved by a miracle and was the adopted son of the daughter of Pharaoh, Hatshepsut. this.textFieldError(input); }

When this failed, he suggested that they make offerings to Yahweh at the edge of the Egyptian border. (The biblical narrative skips from Bithiah naming Moses as a toddler to “One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people . top.location.href = this.formUrl('html'); updateSubmitButtonText: function(text) { Scripture gives us no information about Moses’s upbringing and very little about his adoptive mother, so questions are unavoidable. After the death of Hatshepsut’s father, she assumed Egypt’s throne as a female Pharaoh dressed in male king’s garb—for twenty years. To fight the evils of empire, but secretly from within. return name.replace(/\s?mimi_invalid/, ''); }, },

} var dropdowns = field.querySelectorAll('.mimi_html_dropdown'); } As an expedient attempt to restore order, he offered to let the Hebrews sacrifice in Goshen. field.className = field.className.replace(/ invalid/g, ''); According to the early dating theory, it was Thutmoses II’s rebellious daughter, Hatshepsut, that rescued Moses. document.body.appendChild(script); if (this.isValid || !invalidFields) { } I doubt either of us do it perfectly, and Lord knows we need help from our sisters to deepen our understanding. if (_this.validEmail.test(this.value)) _this.validate(); } else {

During these months Moses used the plagues of the frogs, gnats, mosquitoes, cattle murrain, boils, hail, locusts, and thick darkness to increase the pressure on Ramses. I love Nikondeha’s speculative retelling of the Exodus story. selected = false;

I am slow of speech and of tongue.” (The Greek orator Demosthenes was said to have treated his speech impediment by talking with pebbles in his mouth.) The epigraph of the poem is the epitaph of Pharaoh’s daughter, Bithiah. }); var _this = this;

She hires Jochebed as a wet-nurse (it’s unclear whether she knows Jochebed is Moses’s birth mother) and, once the child is weaned two to three years later, receives him into the palace.

Josephus said “Thermuthis,” so he must be right—not necessarily. That’s right…I said the STARTING point of my research! } } Privacy Policy | Site design by Jones House CreativePhotography by Emily Angle | Original artwork by Leah Fitts. for (var prop in source) { Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Required fields are marked *.

for (var i = 0; i < elements.length; ++i) { She was “the first to die” because she “died” decades before the plagues swept through. Oh, and by the way, Mered ALSO had a Judean wife (who also bore him three sons. . } ( Log Out /  Her stepson’s actions do suggest, though, that the Queen’s conversion was considered a betrayal to her family name and to the Egyptian empire as a whole. if (this.isValid) { It is what I aim to do with my own son. Your email address will not be published. Did Pharaoh know Moses was Hebrew but overlook it to indulge his daughter, or did Bithiah have to hide Moses from him and others at court? Was she married, and did she have any other children? The Hebrews were not the only disgruntled slaves, and, if he agreed to let them go, then other groups would want the same privilege. } else { .

. this.form.className = this.setFormClassName(); I agree with Mary, this has really wet my appetite to go on the next journey with you! . } else { She describes Bithiah’s thoughts after saying goodbye to Jochebed for the last time, once Moses is weaned: She knew relaying his full identity to him was her responsibility now. [purchase Defiant] [purchase Before Our Eyes: New and Selected Poems], […] Bithiah’s Defiance: Kelley Nikondeha and poet Eleanor Wilner imagine Pharaoh’s daughter […]. Nikondeha imagines that during Moses’s breastfeeding years Bithiah developed a relationship with Jochebed, which was doubtless fraught at first, but Jochebed eventually opened up, and Bithiah learned to listen.

for (var i = 0; i < fields.length; ++i) { Welcome to the woes of biblical novel-writing! Anyway, if all firstborns, regardless of gender and without exception, were struck by the plague, Bithiah, if she was Pharaoh’s firstborn and wasn’t already deceased, would have fallen. }; Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The mummy of Seti I - NMEC This pharaoh is very cruel and, according to the Bible, it was prophesied at his time that someone would be born and take his throne. var dropdown = dropdowns[i]; Moses, however, insisted on a three-day journey into the wilderness. if (field.className.indexOf('invalid') === -1) { The Bible leaves room for multiple interpretations, and stories have developed in different directions to try to fill in the gaps. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. She died to the expectations she had had for her life and, if we assume she left Egypt with Moses and the rest, forsook all the comforts and privileges that came with being a pharaoh’s daughter. Keep reading…. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. delete window[this.callbackName]; input.placeholder = '';

The following sections describe my efforts to create a mural with historically accurate brush-strokes on the unalterable canvas of God’s Truth: Among those who embrace to Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt, two common dates for the exodus emerged: Traditional theories lean toward 1250 BCE (Before Common Era—a scientific term used when intellectuals balk at the phrase, “Before Christ”), but more recent findings draw scholars to the date ca. Change ). } else { this.isValid = false; Now that I settled the date of the Exodus in my spirit, I began scouring the various opinions of which pharaoh actually reigned during the murderous edict and which one hardened his heart during the plagues. Biblical scholars debate the reality of Joseph’s authority and the authenticity of Israel’s exodus. I don’t claim to have bested the scholars. I doubt you’ll be surprised by the pharaoh that hardened his heart against the plagues, but I can’t wait to tell you which pharaoh might have been the one to order the male Hebrew babies’ deaths! In this verse she is called a Judahite (i.e., a Jew), which Megillah 13a says is because she repudiated the gods of her people—that when “she came down to bathe at the river” (Exodus 2:5), it was to cleanse herself of idolatry; essentially, to perform a ritual conversion to Judaism, as her loyalties will bear out. ( Log Out /  One of Mered’s wives gave birth to Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah… (His Judean wife gave birth to Jered…Heber…and Jekuthiel) These were the children of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered had married.” 1 Chronicles 4:17-18, Scripture not only confirms that Mered married Bithiah, Pharaoh’s daughter, but also reveals they had three sons together. The name Miriam, which Moses’ sister bore, is here a man’s name. }

Yet Ramses, like all the pharaohs, claimed to be divine; therefore, the defeat had to be interpreted as a marvellous victory in which he alone subdued the Hittites. window[this.callbackName] = function(response) { } else if(result.single_opt_in || !result.confirmation_html) { return name += ' mimi_invalid'; ( Log Out /  Concorde flights between England and the United States took a full day. this.removeTextFieldError(email); Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account.

(Yes, there are Bible scholars who believe the Exodus never really happened.).