Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-01-17
WHY PHARAOH
HARDENED HIS HEART.
Curious Discovery of the Reason
for PharaOh'S Oppression of the
Children of Israel.

goest TO return into Egypt. see that thou do
all those wonders before Pharaoh which have
put in thine hand: but will harden his heart
that ne shall not let the people go.-Exodus
w., 81.
1t was toothache that made Pharaoh
treat Moses and the Children of Israel
in cruel ndirrational manner; a course
of conduct that brought upon the land
of Egypt the ten plaques, concluding
with the loss of the first born and
Pharaoh's own son, as related in the
Book of Exodus in the Bible.
1t has remained for modern Science.
carefully examining the mummy head
Of Pharaoh, to reveal to us, after
thousands of years, the exact means
employed by the Lord to harden his
heart" T" His real name was Menephtah
III. A German savant has just made
the discovery concerning his teeth. His
mummy was recently found in the tombs
of the kings at Thebes, and now lies in
the great Egyptian Museum atCairo.
1t has been ascertained that Meneph-
tab was sixty years old when he died
in l2l5 B. c., standing about feet 81
inches tall and quite stout. He was
very bald, having only few gray hairs
left on his head. But most interesting
of all is the condition of his teeth. They
are full of cavities, in which exposed
nerves must have throbbed, throwing
Egypt's ruler into savage temper-just
the frame of mind in which despot
would order his slaves to make bricks
without straw or to build a pyramid.
1t is proved, also, from the examina-
tion of this Pharaoh's body, that in life
he must have suffered from the gout.
for his blood vessels and ribs show un-
doubted signs of chalky degeneration.
Here, then, is very reasonable ex-
PLANTATION of what has never been un-
derstood before-the irritable nature
and fickleness of mind which character
lied that Pharaoh who ruled over Egypt
when the Israelites marched out after
the plaques had been inflicted upon the
luckless people and their king.
If you have eyer had the toothacne
you can imagine the condition of Pha-
raoh's mind, especially as he also suf-
fered from gout. 1t is not surprising
that when Moses and Aaron went before
him to ask him to let the people of
Israel go out to sacrifice he was very
short and sharp with these intercessors
for his slaves. His physical condition
explains much of those chapters (vii.-
XIII of Exodus in which the changeable
monarch offers to let the people of
Israel go. and then changes his mind
and refuses to allow them to leave.
That Menephtah was the Pharaoh of
the Exodus has long been accepted by
scholars as proved, because the date of
his reign agrees with the date of the
Exodus, and because other events re-
corded in Egyptian history indicate that
there was conflict with the Israelites
at this time. The fact that his mummy
has been discovered, although all his
chariots were overwhelmed in the Red
Sea, has been explained very sensibly.
AT no place does the Book of Exodus
say that Pharaoh himself was drowned
in the sea, but it does say: .'Pharaoh's
chariots and his host has he cast into the
sea-"
This Menephtah is identified even
more directly and specifically by an in
scription discovered by Professor Film
ders-Petrie.
This great stele inscribed with a poem
in praise of MeRephtah, the great con-
queror, is the only place in all Egypt in
which the name Israel has been found.
A part of the poem runs.
'"rhe kings are overthrown, saving
'Salami
"Not one holds up his head among the
nine nations of the bow.
WASTED is Tehenu.
''The Hittite land is pacifed.
"Plundered is Canaan, with every evil.
Carried off is Askalon.
''Seized upon is Gezer.
.Yenoam is made as thing not
existing.
'Israel is desolated; her seed is not.
Palestine has become defenceless
widow for Egypt.
"All lands are united; ;they are pacifed.
every one that is turbulent is bound
by King Menephtah.
This song Of triumph is the last that