Basic HTML Version
EGYPT
•
and
ISRAEL
•
•
In
HISTORY
own through th e
ages Egypt a nd
Israel have had a
checkered histo ry of
periods of
el
ose eco–
==-'------'=.~nomic,
cu ltural and
military ties as well as occasional
bitter confrontations. In light of the
sudden thawing of relations be–
tween these two nations, a brief
overview of the histo ri cal inter–
action of these t\vo ancient lands
provides an interesting backdrop to
current Mideast peace e tforts.
The earliest biblical record of an
Egyptian-Hebrew encounter is
found in Genesis 12 (verses 10-20).
invo lving Abraham's soj ourn in
Egypt. The next time the two na–
tions a re mentioned toge ther. Abra–
ham's great g randson Joseph (who
was sold into slavery by his jealous
brothers) had worked his way to the
top of the Egyptian governmental
hierarchy with the help of God, who
gavc him the proph e ti c inter–
pretation of Pharaoh's dream of
seven years' plenty foll owed by
seven years of famine.
Joseph's family subsequently set–
tled in Egypt and over the centuries
grew into a populous na tion which
was ñnally forced into slavery by a
pharaoh who " knew no t Joseph."
The harsh and pitiless treatment of
the Hebrew slaves at the hands of
their Egyptian overlo rds set the
stage for the Exodus and the devas–
ta tion of Egypt by divine plague.
The next account of lsraeli -Egyp–
tian contact occurs during the time
of Solomon, an age of unprcce–
dented world peace and intcr–
national cooperation. Here we havc
recorded the absolute zenith of posi–
tive relations between the two na–
tions. We read of an "affinity with
Pharaoh king of Egypt" in 1
:4~~-~~
Kings 3: l. and of a statc
marriage betwee n
Solomon and Ph a–
raoh's daughter a l
THE EMPIRE
under
David and Solomon ca.
1000-925 B.
C.
Israel at
her zenith enjoyed many
cultural, economic and
military ties with Egypt and
other neighborlng nations.
However, soon after Solomon
died in 931 B.
C.
the empire dis–
solved into two distinct factions- the
northern nation of Israel and the
southern nation of Judah. 11/ustration
pictures Joseph and his brothers
in Egypt.
this tim e. Aft e r
Solomon dicd and
Israel split into the
n o rth e rn a nd
sou th e rn kin g–
doms, the Egypt–
Israei/Judah rela–
tionship steadily
deteriorated into a
series of military
confticts. Fo llowing
the demise of th e Ju–
d ea n monarchy. th e
a rca of present-day Israel
a nd Egypt was conqu crcd
and absorbed in turn by Babylon.
Persia. the Greco-Macedonian cm–
pire of Alexander. the Greck Pto–
lemies, Roman forces. and th c
Byzantine empire.
8
Maps used wlth permlsslon ol Macmillan Publishlng Co.• lnc. lrom the Macmillan Bible Atlas by Yohanan Ah8roni
&
Micnael
Avi·Yonah. Copyright @ t964. 1966, 1968 by Carta, Jerusalem