Episode 14 Joseph in Egypt

The History of Ancient Egypt

Professor Robert Brier

Film Review

The Hyksos were significant for introducing Egypt to the horse and chariot, both a significant advantage in warfare. Brier believes there is fairly strong evidence there were descendants of Joseph and his brothers mentioned in Genesis chapters 37-50.

The Bible depicts Joseph, who is skilled in dream interpretation, telling his 11 brothers about his dream of  11 sheaves of wheat and 11 stars bowing down to him. In response, they tie him up and sell him to some Ishmaelites as a slave. They take him to Egypt and sell him to Potiphar. After Joseph rejects advances from Potiphar’s wife, she accuses him of attempted rape and he’s sent to jail along with the pharaoh’s cup bearer and his baker.

While there, Joseph explains dreams to both of them, in one case predicting the cup bearer’s release and in the other, the baker’s execution. When both dreams come true, pharaoh summons Joseph to interpret the pharaoh’s troubling dreams about seven lean cows devouring 7 fat cows and 7 thin ears of corn that devour 7 lean ears of corn.

Joseph explains the dream foretell 7 years of famine, which the pharaoh overcomes through 14 year of careful economic planning. As a consequence the pharaoh makes him vizier (prime minister) of Egypt. When  the famine comes, it hits the entire Middle East, and his brothers travel to Goshen (the region occupied by the Hyksos) seeking food. There Joseph is eventually reconciled with his father Jacob and his 11 brothers.

There’s no archeological evidence to confirm any of this, but but it’s consistent with 1) an an ancient Egyptian story “The Tale of Two Brothers” about a false rape accusation, 2) an ancient inscription near Awan about the failure of the Nile to rise for seven years, resulting in seven years of famine and 3) the appearance of the ancient Egyptian word “Abrek”* in the Genesis account.

*Genesis refers to people calling out “Abrek” to salute Joseph wherever he goes. It means “heart to you.”

The film can be viewed free with a library card on Kanopy.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/1492791/1492823