Ancient Near Eastern Index – Parashat Bo/0

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Ancient Near Eastern Index – Parashat Bo

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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.


"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.

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: 


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.