Merneptah Stele: Proving Israel’s 3,200-Year Existence

Armstrong institute ^ | October 26th 2018 | Warren Reinsch

[Cronos]

The Merneptah Stele (or Israel Stele) is an engraved stone slab which describes Pharaoh Merneptah’s military victories in 1207 b.c.e. The stele itself is dated to the year 1205 b.c.e. Renowned British archaeologist Flinders Petrie discovered this two-meter-tall, inscribed granite monument in 1896 at Thebes. It contains the earliest undisputed extra-biblical reference to Israel to date.

Israel is mentioned by name in three different 9th century b.c.e. artifacts: the Mesha Stele, Tel Dan Stele and the Kurkh Monoliths, but the 9th century is still 400 years after the dating of the Merneptah Stele.

The mention of Israel in this 3,200-year-old document suggests, at the time of its inscription, the nation of Israel was an established power and not a nomadic people who had just recently entered the land of Canaan. Before the discovery of the stele, many dated the Exodus much later, but now they are forced to reconcile with the fact that Israel was already an established power in Canaan in 1207 b.c.

Merneptah was the 13th son of Ramesses ii. Although his life was overshadowed by his father, many Egyptologists suggest that Merneptah was both a co-ruler and the real power behind the throne in the last few years of Ramesses’s life.

His military campaigns are recorded on three separate ancient inscriptions, with the Victory Stele of Merneptah as one of them.

With 25 readable lines written in hieroglyphics, the inscription recounts Merneptah’s conquests of the land of Canaan. Part of the inscription reads:

Canaan is captive with all woe. Ashkelon is conquered, Gezer seized, Yanoam made nonexistent; Israel is laid waste, bare of seed,

Israel, then, must have been a people strong enough for Merneptah to mention them in boasting of his victory. If Israel was some small nomadic tribe just beginning to settle in Canaan, Merneptah wouldn’t have had anything to boast about. Alternatively, if Israel had been established for 200 years, built its own structures and had a stronger military, then his victory would be worth mentioning.

Note, the word used here for Israel is referring to the people, not the land. It also implies that Israel did not have a king, which would mean they were still in the time of the judges when Merneptah invaded!

This suggests the Exodus occurred even earlier than the 13th century b.c.e., something that is confirmed in the Bible (see 1 Kings 6:1).

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TOPICS: Catholic; History; Orthodox Christian
KEYWORDS: 19thdynasty; bc; epigraphyandlanguage; merneptah; merneptahstele; newkingdom

[Cronos]

While Asqaluni, Gezer and Yanoam are given the determinative for a city – a throw stick plus three mountains – the hieroglyphs that refer to Israel instead employ the throw stick (the determinative for "foreign") plus a sitting man and woman (the determinative for "people") over three vertical lines (a plural marker):

According to The Oxford History of the Biblical World, this "foreign people ... sign is typically used by the Egyptians to signify nomadic groups or peoples, without a fixed city-state home, thus implying a seminomadic or rural status for 'Israel' at that time"

[Red Badger]

PinGGG!.............

[Poison Pill]

A reference to Israel is an interpolation.

[SunkenCiv]

The rest of the Merneptah keyword, sorted:

• Here's Just Some Of The Historical Evidence For The Biblical Exodus [04/22/2024]
• Joseph and The Exodus [02/17/2019]
• Three Skeletons And A Fiery Destruction [Tel Gezer] [03/13/2018]
• 'Solomon's Palace' discovered in Israel, . . . (truncated) [09/04/2016]
• Tel Gezer Water System Built by Canaanites? [11/23/2015]
• Ruins of ancient Egyptian temple unearthed under modern Cairo [10/06/2015]
• Paid sick days and physicians at work: Ancient Egyptians had state-supported health care [02/22/2015]
• Ancient City Discovered Beneath Biblical-Era Ruins in Israel [11/18/2013]
• The Future of Israel's Past [08/07/2013]
• Israel in Canaan (Long) Before Pharaoh Merenptah? A Fresh Look at Berlin Statue Pedestal Relief... [12/07/2010]
• Pharaoh Seti I's Tomb Bigger Than Thought [04/17/2008]
• Pharaohs and Kings - A Test of Time [07/31/2002]
• Deconstructing the Walls of Jerico [06/22/2002]

[montag813]

And Gaza and Egypt were once Christian...until they weren't.

68 churches were in Gaza, and 8 synagogues. Now there are 3 and zero, respectively. Funny how we can't talk about those colonizers and enslavers, only White folx.

They're gonna need archeologists to prove Europe was once Christian 1,000 years from now.

[ckilmer]

There is a guy whose YouTube channel reads something like “blk shp”. He combines archeology, deep textual research and histotical documents of all the civilizations in the Middle East to interpret schripture. The last YouTube I saw of his made the case that the book of job is about a king who was in the line of Esau about four generations down. His story occurs at the same time as the Hebrews were in Egypt. It was both true and allegorical to the Hebrews while they were in captivity. I don’t know if it’s true but it makes for story telling that is both riveting and satisfying

[SunkenCiv]

https://www.youtube.com/@blkshpbible/videos

[sauropod]

.

[Jan_Sobieski]

When Israel controlled Gaza, churches were doing well with a Christian population of 5000. Once the Bush Administration forced Israel to hand it over to the Islamic savages, the population declined drastically. It’s population is down to around 500 today

[montag813]

When Israel controlled Gaza, churches were doing well with a Christian population of 5000. Once the Bush Administration forced Israel to hand it over to the Islamic savages, the population declined drastically. It’s population is down to around 500 today

Correct. Some 15 churches somehow survived for centuries after the Arab invaders came in, before Israel departed Gaza in 2005. Then Hamas destroyed 12 of them in just 16 years.

[ckilmer]

yeah that’s the guy.

this is the youtube I was referring to.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81367638607?pwd=Acdxlsh4BO7584lRJow5oUN4BRiy5c.1

I don’t know if these others are true but they sound very plausible and they are satisfying and great story telling.

as well this is interesting. He makes the case that hunter gatherers/nomads/uncivized people got God right. that civilization messed it up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp7qMJcknzw

here’s a story of the ephramite betrayal in egypt
]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkEwiHNK_Ok&t=1026s

here’s a fascinating take on the bones of ezekial. this is a followup of the ephramite betrayal in egypt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkEwiHNK_Ok&t=1026s

here is a detailed case for the discovery of Joseph’s tomb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTAUsgwMAZ0&t=88s

who adopted moses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6ukcWVPphQ&t=248s

who were the raphiam? why does the bible warn against these giant spirit king. (my theory is that they were actually steppe people like the yamnaya because there are so many similarities in their descriptions.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgNWOQI8-2k&t=2004s