Transcript THE EXODUS AND CONQUEST OF JERICHO-B Sinaitic Inscriptions in Wadee El-Mukattab, Sinai Following Inscription shot in 1857 by Francis Frith (1822-1898) BOOK TITLE: Sinai,

THE EXODUS AND CONQUEST
OF JERICHO-B
Sinaitic Inscriptions in Wadee El-Mukattab, Sinai
Following Inscription shot in 1857 by Francis Frith
(1822-1898)
BOOK TITLE: Sinai, Palestine, The Nile. ca. 1863
"He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he
led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them,
and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the
waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them
left."
Psalm 106 verses 9-11 (c. 1023 B.C.)
Sinai Inscriptions
http://www.bibleprobe.com/inscript-lg.htm
• Inscriptions BEGIN:
"The wind blowing, the sea dividing into
parts, they pass over"
"The Hebrews flee through the sea; the sea
is turned into dry land."
"The waters permitted and dismissed to
flow, burst rushing unawares upon the
astonished men, congregated from quarters
banded together to slay treacherously being
lifted up with pride."
"The leader divideth asunder the sea, its
waves roaring. The people enter, and pass
through the midst of the waters."
• "Moses causeth the people to
haste like a fleet-winged sheostrich crying aloud; the cloud
shining bright,
a mighty army propelled into the
Red sea is gathered into one;
they go jumping and skipping.
Journeying through the open
channel,
taking flight from the face of the
enemy.
The surge of the sea is divided."
"The people flee, the tribes descend into the deep.
The people enter the waters.
The people enter and penetrate through the midst.
The people are filled with stupor and perturbation.
Jehovah is the keeper and companion."
"Their enemies weep for the dead, the virgins are
wailing.
The sea flowing down overwhelmed them.
The waters were let loose to flow again."
The people depart fugitive.
A mighty army is submerged in the deep sea,
the only way of escape for the congregated
people."
Inscriptions END
The below ancient Sinai inscription records Miriam's rebellion against Moses.
Moses recorded the rebellion as such:
"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman
whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said,
"Hath the Lord indeed spoken only to Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us?"
And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men
which were upon the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:1-3)
"Miriam, Prophetess of lying lips and deceitful tongue.
She causes the tribes to conspire against the pillar and
prince of the people.
Convoked for tumult, perverted, full of strife,
the people revile the meek and generous man.
The lead with reproaches the blessed one of God."
The ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus
wrote an extraordinary ancient report about the
tribes in Egypt and the miraculous drying up of the
Red Sea: "it is an ancient report among the
Ichtheophagi, who inhabit the shores of the Red
Sea, that by a mighty reflux of the sea which
happened in former days, the whole gulf became
dry land, and appeared green all over; and that the
water overflowed the opposite shore, and that all
the ground continued bare to the very lowest depth
of the gulf, until the water, by an extraordinary high
tide, returned to its former channel." (Diodorus
Siculus, Library of History, lib. iii., c. ¢o). The
parallels between Diodorus' report and the Exodus
account of the Red Sea crossing are fascinating.
Ichtheophagi People
Pausanias was a Greek traveller and geographer of the
2nd century A.D., locates them on the western coast of
the Red Sea
Herodotus (484 BC–ca.425 BC) in book iii. c. 19 refers
to Ichthyophagi in Egypt.
Nearchus mentions such a race as inhabiting the barren shores of the Mekran on
the Arabian Sea
Nearchus (360 - 300 BC) was one of the officers in the army of Alexander the Great
• Josephus in Josephus Against
Apion. I, 26, 27, 32 mentions two
Egyptian priest-scholars: Manetho
and Cheremon who in their
histories of Egypt specifically
named Joseph and Moses as
leaders of the Jewish race.
Josephus states that Manetho and
Cheremon stated that the Jews
rejected Egypt’s customs and
gods. They noted that the Jews
practiced animal sacrifices which
they witnessed on the first
Passover.
• These historians also confirmed that
the Israelites migrated to "southern
Syria" which was the Egyptian name
for Palestine. They also mentioned
that Israel’s exodus occurred during
the reign of Amenophis who was the
son of Rameses and the father of
Sethos who reigned toward the close
of the 18th dynasty which places the
Israelites exodus between 1500 and
1400 BC. This confirms the Old
Testament’s chronology for the
exodus occurring in 1460 BC.
In 1761 a German explorer Barthold Niebuhr
found an extensive ruined cemetery grave site
of Jews which was discovered with
inscriptions confirming they died as a result
of Yehovah’s supernatural plague mentioned
in Numbers 11:34-35.
(33) While the flesh was yet between their
teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of YHWH
was kindled against the people, and YHWH
smote the people with a very great plague.
(34) And the name of that place was called
Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried
the people that lusted.
-The apostates smitten with disease by God, by means of
feathered fowls.
-Smitten by God with disease in the sandy plain, (when)
exceeding the bounds of moderation.
-Sickening, smitten by God with disease; their marrows
corrupted by God by means of the feathered fowls.
-The people, given over to destruction, cry aloud.
-God pours down deep sleep, messenger of death, upon
the pilgrims.
-The tomb is the end of life to the sick, smitten with
disease by God."
Jehovah’s
supernatural plague
mentioned in
Numbers 11:34-35.
??
• Herodotus, an ancient Grecian historian,
discusses the Exodus
Herodotus, dubbed the Father of History,
was a Greek historian who wrote the book,
Polymnia. In section c.89 he wrote the
following:
"This people (the Israelites), by their
own account, inhabited the coasts of
the Red Sea, but migrated thence to the
maritime parts of Syria, all which
district, as far as Egypt, is denominated
Palestine."
• Strabo, was a Pagan historian as well as a
geographer, who was born in 54 BC. He also
referenced the exodus account under the
direction and leadership of Moses. "Among
many things believed respecting the temple
and inhabitants of Jerusalem, the report
most credited is that the Egyptians were the
ancestors of the present Jews. An Egyptian
priest named Moses, who possessed a
portion of the country called lower Egypt,
being dissatisfied with the institutions there,
left it and came to Judea with a large body
of people who worshipped the Divinity."
(Strabo,Geography, lib. xvi., c.2).
Proof Outside of the Bible
• "Israel is desolated, his seed is not;
Palestine is become a widow for Egypt."
- Stele of Merneptah
• This is a poetic eulogy to pharaoh Merneptah, who ruled Egypt after
Rameses the Great, between 1212-1202 BC.
There is a short section at the end of the poem describing a campaign
to Canaan by Merneptah in the first few years of his reign around 1210
BC. One line mentions Israel: "Israel is laid waste, its seed is not."
This is the earliest mention of Israel outside the Bible, and the only
mention of Israel in Egyptian records.
It was discovered in 1896 in Merneptah's mortuary temple in Thebes,
by Flinders Petrie.
The Stela of Merneptah – Thebes, Egypt
c. 1210 BC - Poetic Eulogy to Pharaoh Merneptah
Balaam the Moabite
Numbers 22: 1-8
(1) And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in the plains of
Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. (2) And Balak the son of
Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. (3) And Moab
was sore afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab
was overcome with dread because of the children of Israel. (4)
And Moab said unto the elders of Midian: 'Now will this multitude
lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of
the field.' -- And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that
time. -- (5) And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor,
to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his
people, to call him, saying: 'Behold, there is a people come out
from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they
abide over against me. (6) Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse
me this people; for they are too mighty for me; peradventure I
shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them
out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed,
and he whom thou cursest is cursed.' (7) And the elders of Moab
and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in
their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spoke unto him the
words of Balak. (8) And he said unto them: 'Lodge here this night,
and I will bring you back word, as YHWH may speak unto me'; and
the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.
MOAB AND BAALAM
The date was March
17, 1967, a Friday. A
Dutch expedition led
by Professor Henk J.
Franken of the
University of Leiden
was excavating a
mound named Tell
Deir Alla in the
middle Jordan
Valley, east of the
river, in Jordan and
the excavation
uncovered and
ancient temple and
within it were
fragments of ancient
tablets.
River Jabbok
These tablets
confirmed the
existence of a Moabite
cursing prophet
named Balaam son of
Beor and the writings
stated he was a
prophet of the night.
The Balaam Inscription
There was a prophet
He was a Moabite
His Name was Baalam
He was the son of Be’or
He was a prophet of the night
Numbers 22
Balak Sends for Balaam
1.Then the sons of Israel
journeyed, and camped in the
plains of Moab beyond the Jordan
opposite Jericho.
Jordan River Valley
JORDAN RIVER
When the Israelites crossed over from Acacia to Jericho, they
passed by a small area which was later called "Bethabara."
Bethabara is near the Jericho site which the Israelites destroyed
by bringing the walls down by blowing trumpets as God
commanded. What is interesting about this site is that when the
Israelites crossed over the Jordan river, the water separated just as
the waters of the Red Sea separated before. A man from each tribe
was to put a stone in the Middle of the crossing site and also put a
large stone at the bank of the riverbed so when the water was
closed again, those stones could be seen by people many years
later. When John the Baptizer was preaching, he was at this very
site (John 1:28). John was preaching to the Jews and was scolding
them because they depended simply on their lineage for their
salvation. John then told the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew
3:9 and Luke 3:8) "Do not begin to say to yourselves "We have
Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up
children to Abraham from these very stones." It may be possible
that these were the very stones laid down by the Israelites
centuries before when they crossed over the Jordan River.
There is an Egyptian letter called
Papyrus Anastasi I (13th century
B.C.) describes fierce warriors in
Canaan that are seven to nine feet
tall. Two female skeletons about
seven feet tall from the twelfth
century B.C. have been found at
Tell es-Sa'ideyeh in Transjordan."
Jericho
The city was strongly fortified (Joshua 2:5,
7, 15, 6:5, 20).
The attack occurred just after harvest time
in the spring (Joshua 2:6, 3:15, 5:10).
The inhabitants had no opportunity to flee
with their foodstuffs (Joshua 6:1).
The siege was short (Joshua 6:5).
The walls were leveled, possibly by an
earthquake (Joshua 6:20).
The city was not plundered (Joshua 6:1718).
The city was burned (Joshua 6:24).{24}
Scarab evidence is another area of methodology which helps to
place the date of the destruction of City IV. Using scarabs to date
archaeological finds is done by determining which king is on the
scarab, and trying to place that king in history. In this way,
archaeologists can determine at least a rough date for a particular
strata.
(To use a modern example, if in the year 2997 an archaeologist
unearthed a coin in my home dated 1850, the assumption that the
house was built then would be erroneous. If however, that same
archaeologist found numerous coins from the 1990’s, the
assumption that the house stood near the end of the 20th century
would be much safer.)
Garstang and Wood cite the fact that both in tombs and in the city,
a continuous series of scarabs have been discovered covering the
reigns of the Pharaohs from Thothmes III to Amenhetep III, whose
reign ended around 1385 B.C.. No scarab evidence of the next
Pharaoh, Ahkenaton, is found in City IV, and thus it is likely that
inhabitation of the city ended before his reign began around 1385
B.C.
SCARABS
Deuteronomy 27:1-9
"And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people,
saying: 'Keep all the commandment which I command you
this day. And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over
the Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,
that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them
with plaster... And it shall be when ye are passed over the
Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command
you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with
plaster. And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy
God, an altar of stones; thou shalt lift up no iron tool upon
them. Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of
unhewn stones; and thou shalt offer burnt-offerings thereon
unto the Lord thy God... And thou shalt write upon the stones
all the words of this law very plainly.' And Moses and the
priests the Levites spoke unto all Israel, saying: 'Keep
silence, and hear, 0 Israel; this day thou art become a people
unto the Lord thy God...' " (Deuteronomy 27: 1-9).
Joshua 8:30-32
The Book of Joshua describes the performance of
this commandment: "Then Joshua built an altar
unto the Lord, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal, as
Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the
children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the
law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon
which no man had lifted up any iron; and they
offered thereon burnt-offerings unto the Lord, and
sacrificed peace-offerings. And he wrote there
upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses,
which he wrote before the children of Israel"
(Joshua 8:30-32).
Professor A. Zartel states: “When we excavated the isolated structure in the
center of the walled area which encompassed approximately one acre, it
became clear that we were dealing with a far more elaborate complex than
we had imagined at the outset. A large elevated structure, measuring 29.5 by
23 feet, rose in the center. It was built as a frame structure with walls about 5
feet thick, made of large rough, unhewn stones. Inside the frame two thick
walls were built facing each other and leaving an open space between them
The empty space itself was filled by the builders with four deliberately laid
strata of fill. The lowest stratum contained a considerable quantity of ashes,
above it was a stratum of dirt and stones, then another thick layer,
approximately three feet deep, containing a large quantity of black ashes. In
these ashes were hundreds of animal bones, some of which had been
burned in a hearth. Many potsherds, belonging to the same period of the
Israelite settlement, were found there as well. All this formed a filled platform
which came to a height of about 10 feet above rock. A sort of terrace about a
yard lower than the structure was built adjacent to it, surrounding the high
platform on three sides. Only the southeastern edge of the platform
remained exposed. It is interesting that the corners of the platform point due
north, south, east and west.
A ramp of unhewn stones, 4 feet wide by 23 feet long, rises to the top of the
platform from the southwest. The gentle incline, easily climbed and the
presence of the ramp itself accord with the explicit scriptural injunction:
"Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be
not uncovered thereon" (Exodus 2:23).
942 bones were examined, representing 50-100 specimens. These were attributed to four kinds of animals:
goats, sheep, cattle, and fallow deer. The latter is a light-spotted animal which inhabited the woodlands of our
country in antiquity. “Examination of the sex and age of the animals revealed that all those that could be
diagnosed were young males, approximately one year old. This correlates remarkably with the laws of
sacrifice in the book of Leviticus: And the Lord called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the tent of
meeting, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When any man of you bringeth an
offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd or of the flock. If his
offering be a burnt-offering of the herd, he shall offer it a male without blemish" (Leviticus 1:1-3).” A great
part of the bones, as we mentioned, had been burned over a fire and were cut near the joints. Being
scorched in this way attests that the flesh was not intended for eating but was burned over an open fire
(i.e. not in an oven). Thus the high correlation with the biblical laws of sacrifice, together with the great
architectural resemblance to Israelite altars, confirmed the view that we were dealing with a cultic site and
altar from the beginning of the Israelite settlement.
Alter, ledge measurements agree with ancient Jewish writings.
Adjacent to the northern side of the ramp is another small, narrow wall, somewhat lower
than the one beside it. It turns out that this smaller ramp, which greatly intrigued us since
we could find no constructional logic for it, was intended as a means of ascent for the
priests to reach another part of the altar, the surround or ledge. This is none other than
the above-mentioned terrace adjacent to the altar, which was reached by climbing the
smaller ramp adjacent to the larger one.
All this became clear to us only after reading the extremely precise mishnaic
descriptions of the Second Temple in Jerusalem: "The altar was thirty-two [cubits]
by thirty-two [cubits]. It rose up one cubit and receded one cubit; this was the
base. [Thus] we find left [a square space of] thirty by thirty. [The next part built up on
the base] rose up five [cubits] and receded one cubit; this was the surround. Thus
we are left with twenty-eight by twenty-eight... And there was a ramp at the south
of the altar, thirty-two cubits by sixteen cubits in width..." (Middot 3:1-3).
About the smaller ramp the Mishnah writes: "How was this performed? The priest
went up the ramp and passed around the ledge, and came to the southern
corner..." (Zevahim 5:3).
OTHER COURTS REVEAL THAT THERE WERE
ANIMALS USED AS FOOD. ONLY AT THE ALTER
WERE THE ANIMAL BONES FOUND TO BE BURNED
IN A DIFFERENT MANNER.
We called these courts the Maimuna area, for here the
big feasts were held, as we read explicitly in Scriptures:
"And thou shalt sacrifice peace- offerings, and shalt
eat there; and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy
God" (Deuteronomy 27:7).
The altar on Mt. 'Ebal is not only the most ancient and
complete altar, but also the prototype of the Israelite
burnt offering altar of the First and Second Temple
periods. The Mesopotamian architectural influence
on the structure of the altar is also very interesting,
both in its stepped construction and in the orientation
of its corners to the north, south, east, and west.
These two mountains overlook the ancient city of Shechem, where
Joseph’s bones were buried (see Joshua 24:32). Looking westward. On
the left is Mount Gerizim, and on the right, Mount Ebal. Pictured here is
modern Nablus. The ancient city of Shechem was situated between these
two mountains in the valley below.
Mount Ebal
&
Mount Gerizim
• Temple of Baal Berith
• This fortified temple dates to the time of the judges and has
walls 17 feet thick.
• The excavators identified this building with the Temple of Baal
Berith mentioned in Judges 9. From this building funds were
taken to finance Abimelech's kingship and here the citizens of
the city took refuge against Abimelech's attack.
Significant Events:
Abraham camped at Shechem (Gen. 12:6-7).
Jacob camped here and bought a parcel of ground
(Gen. 33:18-20).
Mount Gerizim was the mount of blessing, while
Mount Ebal was the mount of cursing (Deut. 27-28).
At Mount Ebal, Joshua erected a monument bearing
the law of Moses and then read the law to the
Israelites (Josh. 8:30-35).
The bones of Joseph are buried in Shechem
(Josh. 24:32).
Jacob's sons were tending the
sheep here before Joseph finds
them in Dothan.
The city is set aside as a Levitical
city and a city of refuge.
Fragment of the book of Joshua found at
the Dead Sea Scrolls
Fragment of BOOK OF JUDGES
Interesting Facts
1. The name "Palestine" comes from the word
"Philistine“.
2. If a thief was caught breaking into someone's
home at night and was killed, the killer was
considered innocent. If a thief broke into
someone's home during the Day and was killed,
the person who killed the thief was considered a
Murderer (Exodus 22: 2-3)
3. In the Old Law, if a runaway slave from other
countries came to Israel and asked for
protection, the runaway slave was not to be
returned to the owners. Instead, the runaway was
to be given a choice of which town they wanted
to live in and the Israelites were not to be cruel to
them (Deuteronomy 23: 15-16).
Messianic Lineage at one time was
mostly Gentile (3/4)
Rahab and her family were joined with the
Israelites. Rahab married a man named
Salmon. Salmon and Rahab had a son
named Boaz. Boaz married another
Gentile woman. That would mean that
their son would have a 1/4 Jewish
bloodline. Boaz and Ruth's son's name
was Obed. Obed was King David's
grandfather. The promise of the Messiah
being of the Jewish lineage was hanging
by a thread.
Many people know that Jesus summarized the
entire law of Moses by saying that "You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and
mind, and love your neighbor as yourself"
(Matthew 22:37-40). What many people do not
know is that Jesus was simply quoting the Old
Testament.
Deuteronomy 6:5 - and you shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your might.
Leviticus 19:18 - Thou shalt not take vengeance,
nor bear any grudge against the children of thy
people; but thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself: I am Jehovah.