- Series:History, Transcript English
Exodus 3:7
“And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;”
The Bible tells us that at the beginning of the Israelites’ 430-year stay in Egypt, they were well respected for Joseph’s sake. Later, when the Egyptian leadership forgot how Joseph saved Egypt, it began making their lives difficult.
One of the most enlightening archaeological finds from the period of Israel’s captivity is a settlement called The Village of the Place of Truth. Excavators at the city have found homes, letters, notes, court records, work diaries and wills dating from this period. The village was home to those who built the royal tombs. While there is no evidence that the Israelites ever lived in the village, what has been found has revealed much about life in Egypt when Israel was there. We learn that Egypt had a tradition in which every citizen put in at least one year of service to the government. Those out of favor could be forced into years or even a lifetime of forced labor. However, it was considered an honor to work on the royal tombs, and it seems unlikely that the Israelites had much to do with them. The Bible tells us that the Israelites did, however, make bricks. That could include the very bricks that built the Village of the Place of Truth. Finally we learn that pigs were a staple among such workers, which certainly would be repugnant to the Israelites.
Archaeologists have concluded that the biblical record of Israel’s stay in Egypt has too many accurate details about Egypt to be nothing more than a legend.
Prayer:
I thank You, Lord, for knowing my sorrows and bringing me salvation. Amen.
Notes:
Biblical Archaeology Review, 1/2/99, pp. 36 45, “Pharaoh’s Workers.” Photo: Ruins of Deir el-Medina (Village of the Place of Truth). Courtesy of Steve Cameron. (CC-BY 3.0)
