Egypt. This topic has been in many of my posts. It played key roles in my Out of Egypt and Passover to Pentecost series. So, this is not really a new study as I have been laboring on this topic a long time and with this series I cannot see me exiting the subject of Egypt soon.

Egypt is one of the three major oppressors of Israel (Assyria and Babylon), and one of two of the longtime antagonists of Jacob and his children (Edom/Esau is the other). So, in reading/studying the Prophet Isaiah it was not surprising to find all of these players in that Book, but there are several massa and amar (God said or oracles) that Isaiah records that are surprising as to how Egypt and Assyria will act in God’s story. (I wanted to write Godstory instead of history. Well, I guess I did.)  

My study starts in Genesis 10:6 and instantly becomes a HOT mess; this is because of the name Egypt or Mitsrayim. 10:6 is a list of the children of Ham, Noah’s son. All of these children are associated with the Levant and Africa. The names Egypt or Mitsrayim are used in various places and translations, but both are the lands along the Nile River or Ham’s son. Explore these Bible Hub references.

• Genesis 10:6 Hebrew Text Analysis
• Strong’s Hebrew: 2526. חָם (Cham) — Ham  May come from the word hot.
• Strong’s Hebrew: 4714. מִצְרָ֫יִם (Mitsrayim) — Egypt

All sorts of thoughts have flooded my brain because of Genesis 10 and the Tower of Babel. Archeology, history, and shared human experiences are not being ignored, but they are not my main subject in this post. I will put this down as an example, pyramids and ziggurats share a common shape, but academics do not like to state they may have a common origin. I have watched shows where the shared shape is mentioned and marveled at, but no one has said the Tower of Babel and a shared human activity. Why would they make a statement that points to the Bible.

God directs Terah (from Shem) to go to Canaan (from Ham), we are not told why he was to go but Terah never made it. Abram (Terah’s son) does go and the Godstory gets a new chapter entitled FAITH. So, in Genesis 12 we see a famine and Abram and company going to Egypt (from Ham). Egypt now is a place of refuge and this repeats with Joseph/Jacob and Jesus. The refuge changes into a place of problems and slavery.

With all of that in mind it is interesting that Jehovah warns Jacob’s children to NOT go back to Egypt for help. Israel responds to that degree with marriages, treaties, trade, looking to Egypt for military assistance, and running away from Babylon.    

In general, most references from Joshua to David, are references to what had happened and how God had done great things for Israel. From Solomon to Isaiah is a different story, and then comes the time of Babylon and bad things happened as the people thought Egypt would help them. Two very telling verses for the time from Joshua to David are: Joshua 24:14 and 1 Samuel 8:8; both paint the picture of the People forsaking God and worshipping and serving other gods.

Much has been and could be said about Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to Egypt. In God’s story it is a reset in the action to bring salvation to the world, and the Gentiles into the Family, and compares with Abraham and Issac, and then Moses/Joshua and the taking of the Promise Land.

Egypt had history before Abram and stayed a world power right into the time of Rome. The Bible does not record much of that history because it is a different story. One thing they were good at was fighting; they had major conflicts with the Hittites, the Sea People, Assyria, and then Babylon at the time of Josiah. Trade was another thing that Egypt did and it had an effect on the world around it.