Did You Know?

 What evidence exists outside the Bible that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt? 

 The Bible reports that after the Midianites took Joseph to Egypt, the patriarch Jacob and his family moved from Canaan to Egypt. They settled in the region of Egypt called Goshen, in the Nile Delta. (Genesis 47:1, 6) The Israelites "kept on multiplying and growing mightier."  So the Egyptians grew fearful of the Israelites and forced them into slavery. - EXODUS 2:7-14. 

Some modern critics have mocked the Bible account, calling it a myth. Still, evidence does exist that Semites lived as slaves in ancient Egypt.

For instance, archaeologists have unearthed ancient settlements in northern Egypt. Dr. John Bimson reports that there is evidence of 20 or more Semitic settlements in that area of northern Egypt. Moreover, Egyptologist James K. Hoffmeier says:  "For a period roughly from 1800 to 1540 B.C., Egypt was an attractive place for the Semitic-speaking people of western Asia to migrate."  He adds: "This span of time coincides with the traditional 'Patriarch Period' and therefore fits the period, and circumstances describe in Genesis." 

Next time: Did You Know?/What evidence outside the Bible that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt? - Conclusion

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