The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume] (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1939-1992, 1940-04-19
The Escape From Egypt

the occurrence of swarms of flies
which spread the germs of this
disease.
The description of the seventh
plague, ga very grievOus hail"
EXODUS 8, 18), is perfectly suited
to Egyptian local conditions. In
Egypt, where rain is very rare a
hail storm would be regarded as
a supernatural phenomenon. The
reason of this plague can be fixed,
approximately, from its effects on
the crops. "And the flax and the
barley was smitten; for the barley
was in the ear, and the flax was
boiled. But the wheat and the speIt
were not smitten; for they were
not grown up" EXODUS 9, lf).
This state of vegetation prevails
in Egypt in January.
The eighth plague, 'locusts"
EXODUS 10, 12ff), were, as in
f act they still are, a dreaded
plague in the Near East. The To-
Gusts were brought on by an EAST
wind" EXODUS 10, 81 and carried
away by a 'West wind EXODUS
10, 1917, which fits exactly the geo.
graphic requirements. Locust
swarms occur in Egypt usually in
F'ebruary-so the eighth plague
is perfectly timed in accordance
with the previous plaques.
The min t h plague, darkness"
EXODUS 10, 22ff), is another phe-
nOmenOn which may be observed
frequently in Egypt. 1t is induced
by the scOrching sandstOrms which
blow over the country and which
carry so much sand and dust that
it turns dark in day time. This
Egyptian alf-darknesS has been
compared to dense London fog.
The tenth plague, the death of
all the first born, including the
heir to Pharaoh's throne EXODUS
IL, 39ff), does not fall in the do
main of the possibility of archeao-
logical proof. However, it is signi-
ficant that Amenhotep II, tn
Pharaoh of the Exodus, was not
succeeded by his first born son,
which cound only have been the
case if some untimely end had be-
fallen the heir to the throne.
An inscription has been found
in which AmenhOtep's successor,
ThutmOsis Nv, recorded how he
cleaned away from the feet of the
Sphinx tn g accumulated desert
sand in gratitude for dream he
had one day when he had fallen
asleep near the Sphinx. In this
dream it was prOphesied to him
that he would rule as PhraaOh.
From Thutmosis' inscription it
is clear that he had no reasonable
expectations to become Pharaoh
Amenhotep's successor.
AS to the Exodus proper, the
most important and most perplex-
ing problem is its date. In the alb
sence of direct evidence bearing
on this aIl-impOrtant event, many
different exodus periods and dates
have been suggested by the schO-
lars. Out of the mass of different
hypothesis, there are two opinions
deserving consideration. One as
signs the exodus of the middle of
the 18th century (B. G. E.), while
the other claims for it a date in
the last quarter of the 18th CEN
fury (B.C.E.). There is a differ
ence of about two hundred years
in the dating of the exodus by the
two major schools of archaeology;
in the light of recent evidence,
however, the earlier date seems
much more likely than the later
date.
The early date of the exodus,
some time in the middle of the 10Th
century (B.C.E.), conforms with
Biblical chronology. According TO
the narrative in the First BOOK
of Kings &c, u, Solomon started TO
build the Temple 48O years after
-, .,ol7,,c ond in the fourth year