Ancient Near Eastern Index – Parashat Bo/0

Ancient Near Eastern Index – Parashat Bo

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Overview

Knowledge of the history, law, cultic practices and realia of the Ancient Near East can often shed much light on Tanakh. This index contains a list of links to articles which touch on the connections between Tanakh and ancient cultures.

The Plagues and Egyptian Deities

Both Shemot 12:12 and Bemidbar 33:4 explicitly state that the Plague of the Firstborn executed a "judgment against the [Egyptian] gods". Both Midrashim and scholars have suggested that the other plagues as well might have targeted what were believed to be Egyptian deities.

Primary Sources

• See Shemot Rabbah 9:9, Tanchuma Vaera 13, and Midrash Aggadah (Buber) Shemot 7:15 that the Nile was viewed as a deity and was thus struck first with the plague of blood.

Articles

• See Z. Zevit, "Three Ways to Look at the Ten Plagues: Were They Natural Disasters, a Demonstration of the Impotence of the Egyptian Gods, or an Undoing of Creation?" BR 6 (1990): 16-23, who notes many correlations between the plagues and the Egyptian pantheon. For example, Heqet, the Egyptian goddess of childbirth (depicted as a frog), might have been mocked through the Plague of צְפַרְדֵּעַ‎. The Plague of דֶּבֶר might have been directed at Hathor or Apis, both represented as bovines, while the Plagues of Hail and Locust could have been targeting a number of gods: Seth, the storm god, Isis, the goddess who grinds and spins flax, or Min, the protector of crops. Finally, Darkness was an attack on the sun gods, such as Amon-Re, or Horus.
• See “And Upon All the Gods Of Egypt I Will Execute Judgment”: The Egyptian Deity in the Ten Plagues, by Ira Friedman, for analysis of the meaning and symbolism of the ten plagues against the context of Egyptian religious beliefs.

Terms and Names

• See Egyptian Background and the Exodus Narrative for explanation of the possible Egyptian etymology of the names Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam. See there also for discussion of the significance of the term "יד חזקה" in light of the fact that Parohs often bragged about their "strong arm" and the term "כבד לב" in light of the Egyptian belied that hearts were weighed to see if they were too heavy t pass into the afterlife.
  See The Egyptian Derivation of the Name Moses, by J. Gwyn Grifiths, for analysis of suggestions about the Egyptian root of the name Moshe and the weaknesses of various theories.

"הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם"

The calendar developed in ancient Egypt was among the earliest in history, and was used for thousands of years.  In contrast to the Torah’s calendar, the Egyptian calendar was solar and its seasons were based on the annual stages of the Nile.  The Torah’s introduction of a new calendrical system represented a break from Egyptian culture and its focus on the Nile.

• See The Origin of the Ancient Egyptian Calendar, by H.E. Winlock, for background on the features and development of the Egyptian calendar.  

Maztah vs. Leavened Bread

• Ancient Egypt developed the art of bread making, and it has been suggested that the significance of matzah is to be understood as a symbolic break from Egyptian culture. See, for example, A New Look at Hametz, Matza, and Everything In Between by Dr. Tova Dickstein. 
• For articles on the development and characteristics of bread making in ancient Egypt, see: A New Look at Old Bread: Ancient Egyptian Baking and Their Staff of Life: Initial Investigations on Ancient Egyptian Bread Baking by Dr. Delwen Samuel.

The Pesach Sacrifice

Commentators have asserted that the paschal sacrifice symbolized a rejection of Egyptian worship of sheep.¹ 

• See Dr. Rivka Ulmer’s The Egyptian Gods in Midrashic Texts for an overview of the Sages' references to and understanding of Egyptian religion.
• Two Egyptian gods were associated with rams: Khnum and Amun.  For information about these gods, see: Khnum and Amun.  For an image of Khnum, see here and for an image of Amun, see here.

¹ See, for example, Shemot Rabbah 16:2, Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Bo Pischa 5, and Moreh Nevukhim 3:46.  For extensive analysis of this reading of the Pesach sacrifice, see Purpose of the Pesach.