ARASHAT: "Shemot" (names) EXODUS 1:1-6:1
We enter into a new era, Jacob/Israel and Joseph are now in the past, yet their legacy continues, in “Am Yisrael” (The People of Israel).
”70 souls” entered Mitzraim (Egypt). It is interesting that the Hebrew word “Nefesh” is used for “souls” yet the word is in the singular, but why? Is there symbolism here? If we are to read this in English, we would read; “70 soul entered Egypt”.
One could say that the word “Nefesh” (Soul) could refer to the whole “Family” of Israel as ONE (Echad) family unit, as we are ONE with Elohim, then all of Israel was ONE as well.
As we know, the "Hyksos kings" were ruling when Joseph came to Egypt. The "Hyksos" were known by the Egyptian title "Heka Khasut" or "foreign rulers of the hill country." They ruled between 1630 and 1530 BCE, during the time of Joseph. It is believed that they came from Western Asia, others think they were Semites or Hittites
hundreds of years later, we have a few million Hebrews. There is a list at the beginning of Exodus of the “B'nei Israel” (the sons of Israel) and they had their children, and their children had children, etc. They remained in the area of “Goshen” along the Nile Delta, farming, and raising cattle, and probably a few became merchants adapting to life in Egypt. They got used to seeing Egyptian deities and probably understood spoken Egyptian. Who knows if many became “Egyptianized” did they bow down to the deities? Let's hope not.
How much did they retain about Adonai? El Shaddai? We don't know, but I am sure that the story of Joseph and how he brought his family to Egypt from Canaan was passed down from family to family. The story of the famine, and how Yosef preserved life in midst of the famine. So “B'nei Israel” multiplied, and the land was filled with the "children of Israel”, and now the Egyptians start to get nervous. In verse 8, problems start;
” And there arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph”
This new king had overthrown the Hyksos rulers, and did not personally know Yosef nor knew of his accomplishments to save Egypt. Some tradition says that in part, the Hebrews had become “Egyptianized” and failed to keep the memory of Yosef alive and what he did.
There are a few ideas of who it might have been. Some believe it might have been “Pharaoh Ahmose or Rameses II" A little on Egyptian words and etymology, the Egyptian word “meses” or “mose” means “born of” so the name “Moshe” or “Moses” is similar to “meses” (born of) or (Taken from).
Since Moses was “Taken from the water, or from the river (The Nile). We ask what might have been the Egyptian name Moses used? The Egyptian word for “river” is “iteru” so, his name might have been “Iterumose” or “Iterumeses” (given ancient Egyptian entomology) There were many “Rameses” it means “Born of the god RA” “Ahmose” probably (born of “Ah”) “Thutmose” (born of the god Thut) and so on. So many pharaohs took on those names.
Also, the title “Pharaoh” is exactly that, a title, not a name. It comes from two Egyptian words; “per” and “o” “Per” = house, and “O” = great. So the title “pharaoh” means “of the Great House” It would be like saying; “I am going to Washington D.C. to see the White House” What you are saying is that you are going to see the president, who “lives” in the White House.
The pharaoh of verse 8 is paranoid and thinks that the Israelites will join up with a foreign enemy to overthrow Egypt again, like in the times of the Hyksos. Now slavery starts and the Hebrews (the Egyptian word is “Hapiru”) are made slaves, and the time of Hebrew prosperity and freedom is over.
Yet Elohim hears the cries of his people, and has selected the tribe of Levi, through a couple; Amran and Jochebed, to bring into the world, “Moshe” who would be a sort of “Mashiach” (like Yosef) to lead Israel OUT of Egypt, in God's appointed time. YHVH has a time for ALL THINGS, we cannot rush God's clock, it ticks slowly for us, yet it ticks out second by second and includes us all in the plan of things.
The throne of Egyptian changes, and the pharaohs continue to be paranoid, one develops a plan to “curb” the birth rate by killing the baby boys, according to the historian 'Ted Stewart' in his book “solving the Exodus Mystery” the pharaoh who ordered the death of the male infants was “Sesostris III” we see that Moshe is adopted by the daughter of this pharaoh.
Moshe grows up in the palace and is raised as a “prince of Egypt” and at the same time, “retaining (inside) his Hebrew identity”. We remember that he kills an Egyptian in defending one of his own. The Pharaoh that sought his death was “Amenemhet III”. Moshe fled and spent 40 years in Midian, upon returning, he faced the Pharaoh “Amenemhet IV” who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus, who pursued the Israelites through the Red Sea, (and didn't quite make it, receiving a very fatal water baptism). (T. Stewart, Solving the Exodus Mystery, www.biblediscoveries.com).
When Moshe fled, there is an interesting verse, 2:15, it says that “Moshe fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian (which is now Saudi Arabia). “And he sat down by a well.”
We can read scripture from a literal standpoint. Yes, Moshe fled and probably went East then South to get to the land of Midian. If he took that direct route (no one knows for sure) it would have been a 250-mile hike. We don’t know how many supplies he took with him, how much water, etc, since he was on the run from Pharoah. But he arrived might thirsty.
A well was a meeting point in those days, so he knew that people would be coming to get water. Sure enough, came Yitro’s daughters to get water and he was there to help and defend the damsels. Yet we need also to look at this from a derashic and symbolic standpoint. Moshe has made contact with the “well”. A water well represents life. Moshe hangs on to life. One of Yeshua’s titles is “The Living Water”. We might look at that well symbolically as “Yeshua, the Well of Living Water (Yeshua, HaBeer Mayim Chayim)
We enter into a new era, Jacob/Israel and Joseph are now in the past, yet their legacy continues, in “Am Yisrael” (The People of Israel).
”70 souls” entered Mitzraim (Egypt). It is interesting that the Hebrew word “Nefesh” is used for “souls” yet the word is in the singular, but why? Is there symbolism here? If we are to read this in English, we would read; “70 soul entered Egypt”.
One could say that the word “Nefesh” (Soul) could refer to the whole “Family” of Israel as ONE (Echad) family unit, as we are ONE with Elohim, then all of Israel was ONE as well.
As we know, the "Hyksos kings" were ruling when Joseph came to Egypt. The "Hyksos" were known by the Egyptian title "Heka Khasut" or "foreign rulers of the hill country." They ruled between 1630 and 1530 BCE, during the time of Joseph. It is believed that they came from Western Asia, others think they were Semites or Hittites
hundreds of years later, we have a few million Hebrews. There is a list at the beginning of Exodus of the “B'nei Israel” (the sons of Israel) and they had their children, and their children had children, etc. They remained in the area of “Goshen” along the Nile Delta, farming, and raising cattle, and probably a few became merchants adapting to life in Egypt. They got used to seeing Egyptian deities and probably understood spoken Egyptian. Who knows if many became “Egyptianized” did they bow down to the deities? Let's hope not.
How much did they retain about Adonai? El Shaddai? We don't know, but I am sure that the story of Joseph and how he brought his family to Egypt from Canaan was passed down from family to family. The story of the famine, and how Yosef preserved life in midst of the famine. So “B'nei Israel” multiplied, and the land was filled with the "children of Israel”, and now the Egyptians start to get nervous. In verse 8, problems start;
” And there arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph”
This new king had overthrown the Hyksos rulers, and did not personally know Yosef nor knew of his accomplishments to save Egypt. Some tradition says that in part, the Hebrews had become “Egyptianized” and failed to keep the memory of Yosef alive and what he did.
There are a few ideas of who it might have been. Some believe it might have been “Pharaoh Ahmose or Rameses II" A little on Egyptian words and etymology, the Egyptian word “meses” or “mose” means “born of” so the name “Moshe” or “Moses” is similar to “meses” (born of) or (Taken from).
Since Moses was “Taken from the water, or from the river (The Nile). We ask what might have been the Egyptian name Moses used? The Egyptian word for “river” is “iteru” so, his name might have been “Iterumose” or “Iterumeses” (given ancient Egyptian entomology) There were many “Rameses” it means “Born of the god RA” “Ahmose” probably (born of “Ah”) “Thutmose” (born of the god Thut) and so on. So many pharaohs took on those names.
Also, the title “Pharaoh” is exactly that, a title, not a name. It comes from two Egyptian words; “per” and “o” “Per” = house, and “O” = great. So the title “pharaoh” means “of the Great House” It would be like saying; “I am going to Washington D.C. to see the White House” What you are saying is that you are going to see the president, who “lives” in the White House.
The pharaoh of verse 8 is paranoid and thinks that the Israelites will join up with a foreign enemy to overthrow Egypt again, like in the times of the Hyksos. Now slavery starts and the Hebrews (the Egyptian word is “Hapiru”) are made slaves, and the time of Hebrew prosperity and freedom is over.
Yet Elohim hears the cries of his people, and has selected the tribe of Levi, through a couple; Amran and Jochebed, to bring into the world, “Moshe” who would be a sort of “Mashiach” (like Yosef) to lead Israel OUT of Egypt, in God's appointed time. YHVH has a time for ALL THINGS, we cannot rush God's clock, it ticks slowly for us, yet it ticks out second by second and includes us all in the plan of things.
The throne of Egyptian changes, and the pharaohs continue to be paranoid, one develops a plan to “curb” the birth rate by killing the baby boys, according to the historian 'Ted Stewart' in his book “solving the Exodus Mystery” the pharaoh who ordered the death of the male infants was “Sesostris III” we see that Moshe is adopted by the daughter of this pharaoh.
Moshe grows up in the palace and is raised as a “prince of Egypt” and at the same time, “retaining (inside) his Hebrew identity”. We remember that he kills an Egyptian in defending one of his own. The Pharaoh that sought his death was “Amenemhet III”. Moshe fled and spent 40 years in Midian, upon returning, he faced the Pharaoh “Amenemhet IV” who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus, who pursued the Israelites through the Red Sea, (and didn't quite make it, receiving a very fatal water baptism). (T. Stewart, Solving the Exodus Mystery, www.biblediscoveries.com).
When Moshe fled, there is an interesting verse, 2:15, it says that “Moshe fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian (which is now Saudi Arabia). “And he sat down by a well.”
We can read scripture from a literal standpoint. Yes, Moshe fled and probably went East then South to get to the land of Midian. If he took that direct route (no one knows for sure) it would have been a 250-mile hike. We don’t know how many supplies he took with him, how much water, etc, since he was on the run from Pharoah. But he arrived might thirsty.
A well was a meeting point in those days, so he knew that people would be coming to get water. Sure enough, came Yitro’s daughters to get water and he was there to help and defend the damsels. Yet we need also to look at this from a derashic and symbolic standpoint. Moshe has made contact with the “well”. A water well represents life. Moshe hangs on to life. One of Yeshua’s titles is “The Living Water”. We might look at that well symbolically as “Yeshua, the Well of Living Water (Yeshua, HaBeer Mayim Chayim)
-
1
- Show all
