Blog Post #4: Liberation Thematic Study Exodus 6:1-12

Historical-Cultural Context:

Egyptian Deities, Cosmic Geography and the Mighty Hand of God

Yahweh, in Exodus 6:1-12 speaks of His mighty hand and mighty acts of judgment. This is a succinct summary of His intention to bring the plagues upon Egypt. In order to understand the impact these plagues had on both the Israelites and Egyptians, it is important to explore the historical-cultural context of the plagues.

As has already been discussed in previous blog posts, both the Ancient Egyptians and Israelites saw the power of the divine in nature:

“...there is basis for describing both nations as interpreting their physical surroundings through a spiritual lens. The Egyptians directly see their deities in the physical matter of the cosmos; the Israelites see their Deity as controlling the physical matters of the cosmos.” (Swales, 8^th October 2009)

As detailed in the aforementioned blogs, John Walton describes how the ancient Egyptians held to a cosmic geography that was vastly different from our current ‘Western’ understanding. Naydler, in Temple of the Cosmos expands on this, explaining that gods were not distant entities to the Egyptians but were part of the rich experience of the daily experience of the nature (174). The celestial bodies were, for example, “all... gods or expressions of gods to them...all [aspects of nature] were capable of mediating a divine presence.” (133) It is into this context that Yahweh’s mighty hand intervenes through His control of natural phenomena. The events of the plagues and the impact on physical matter would have spoken loudly into the spiritual consciousness of the Egyptians. When they saw the terrible effects the plagues had on the nature around them, they would have clearly linked this to the divine, and through Moses to Yahweh. Yahweh was showing his control over nature and his superiority over the gods that the Egyptians, and perhaps the Israelites, considered to be powerful within nature (Bible Knowledge Commentary, 120).

Although there is contention as to whether the individual plagues were aimed at specific Egyptian deities (as suggested in the Bible Knowledge Commentary, 120), it seems clear that they were a judgment on Egyptian deities as seen through their control/existence in nature. This is also seen in the biblical text itself in passages such as 12:12 and 18:11. Egyptologist Hoffmeier argues that the plagues were seen as undermining the control of Pharaoh (Livingston, para 5). The Egyptians saw Pharaoh himself as god of all Egypt (para 13) or son of god and thus the plagues highlight the impotency of Pharaoh to maintain order. For the Israelites, who lived under the oppression of this master, this would have spoken volumes. The God that promised to be their own God was far greater than Pharaoh. Pharaoh was not to be feared anymore, as he clearly had been prior to Exodus 6. The Israelites had not even listened to Moses because of their cruel bondage (6:9) and even Moses himself felt inadequate to face the Egyptian leader (6:12). Pharaoh had previously asked Moses contemptuously, “Who is the LORD that I should obey Him...I do not know the LORD...” (5:2). Yahweh’s power over nature recounted in the following chapters reveal His superiority and character to all of those that previously doubted.

Primary sources add further weight to the case the ancient audience would have seen the plagues as a declaration that Yahweh’s power was greater than that of Pharaoh and the Egyptian deities. Archaeological evidence, for example, shows bulls to be considered sacred amongst the ancient Egyptians (Livingston, para 34). The Hymn to Amon praises the Bull of Heliopolus (who is some ways is synonymous with Pharoah):

“Praise be to thee, Amunre, Lord of Karnak, who presideth in Thebes. Bull of his Mother, the first on his field! ... Greatest of heaven, eldest of earth, lord of what existeth, who abideth in all things. Unique in his nature among the gods, goodly bull of the Nine Gods, chiefest of all gods...” (Emran qtd in Livingston, para 35)

Thus the plague against livestock (9:1-7) would have not only impacted livelihoods and food supply, but would have (especially after Pharoah’s investigations proved that Israel’s livestock were still alive and well) indicated powerfully that the God of the Israelites was indeed a force to be reckoned with.

This exploration can be repeated with the other plagues, but this perhaps would labour the point a little too much. Suffice to say, the plagues would have been seen as a spiritual battle between deities in which Yahweh was most certainly victorious. This may seem obvious and a little needless to stress. However, in discussing what form the liberation of the Israelites truly took, it is imperative to note. The battleground for liberation was, as detailed in the biblical text, arguably not social, political or economic but rather spiritual. Yes, especially in the eyes of the ancient audience, the lack of dichotomy meant that these divides were not clearly seen. Yet it could be suggested that the foundation, or the central point, of this liberation event was spiritual and divine. This gives much food for thought for liberationists.