Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Jack:

Looking at Exodus 1:8 we find that there is a new king 
who did not know Joseph. He said unto his people 
(notice, not necessarily Egyptian) Notice that the people, 
Israel, is more numerous and powerful than we are (right 
off the start, which would fit the Hyksos, a people who 
were outnumbered by the peoples that they enslaved). 
Then when the comment about war (not necessarily 
against foreign invaders) the fear was that Israel would 
join to the king's many haters (which included Egyptians). 
The fear was also that Israel would ascend from the land 
(which would make them invaders into the Hyksos 
homeland which, as I understand it, was in Canaan).

Taking Israel's position in the context of Joseph, we find 
that they had a privileged position under the Egyptian 
pharaohs. After the famine when all the Egyptian property 
was concentrated in pharaoh's hands, thanks to Joseph, 
Joseph's family was appointed caretakers of pharaoh's 
livestock. This was a job the Egyptians did not want, and 
were all to happy to unload to a foreign people, especially 
one that was beholden to pharaoh. In other words, Israel 
had a special charter under pharaoh, they were privileged 
therefore had a vested interest in the maintenance of the 
status quo. That automatically put them under suspicion 
when the Hyksos invaded and opposed those who had 
appointed Israel to their position.

The difference was that Israel was invited in and were 
given a special position under pharaoh, while the Hyksos 
were conquering invaders. Not a good starting point for 
them to be allies.

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: tladatsi AT charter.net
> 
> Harold,
> 
> The relation between the Hyksos, Isrealites, and Egyptians
> has of course been one of interest to many writers, myself
> included.  However, I dont think we can find relavent
> information on this relationship in this particular story.
> 
> You are correct that as the rulers of Egypt, the Hyksos
> would have been perceived in some way as being *Egyptian*,
> particularly to outsiders.  However, the thrust of the
> story goes the other direction.  The *Egyptians* and their
> king, fear the Isrealites as possible allies of outside
> invaders.  This is an unlikely attitude for the Hyksos
> rulers of Egypt who were themselves outside invaders and
> would have viewed the Israelites as *natural* allies
> against the sullen, resentfull, conquered Egyptians.
> 
> It is an appropriate attitude for much later Egyptian
> rulers however.  After the conquest of Judea by Babylon,
> many Judeans fled to Egypt.  There they found work as
> solders for the Egyptian kings.  When the Medes and
> Persians overthrew the Babylonians and showed favor to the
> Judeans, the Egyptian king might legitimately have been
> concerned that his solders might support a Persian invasion
> of Egypt.
> 
> 
> Jack Tladatsi

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