שמע ישראל יהוה אלהינו יהוה אחד
Hear intelligently with attention and interest, comprehend and obey, O Yisra'el, יהוה our 'Elohiym is יהוה alone!
–Dabariym [deuteronomy] 6:4 His Name Tanakh**
~ Killing god ~
~ א The Plagues: The gods of Failure ~
~ Preface ~
The gods of the ancient pagan world number in the millions (literally) and are varied by name, place and era. It is a matter of particular source as to which god had supremacy at any given time in any given country. Many cultures (the Mitsriy, or Egyptian, especially; emulated hundreds of years later by the Romans) had so many gods, large tomes were often needed in an attempt to keep them straight. The ancients had a god for virtually every natural phenomena one could imagine– weather, crops, life, death, resurrection, after-life, house-hold goods, war, animals, business, sex, planets, door-knobs (no kidding), medicine– the list is endless. The particular gods mentioned here are a more than adequate representation of the gods of Mitsrayim (Egypt) during the time of the exodus of the 'Ibriym (Hebrews) since these cultures usually had a large 'conglomeration' of gods on hand. Each of the plagues would necessarily affect several minor gods, as well as whichever 'big' god was in vogue at the time. While it is slightly possible the gods at this time went by some other moniker, the effect is still the same, considering the Mitsrayim (as did all 'nature' worshipers) seem to have traded gods and their attributes like baseball cards. "A rose by any other name is still a rose," and "A dead god..."
~ Subjugation ~
Killing god (or 'the gods') cannot be such an effortless thing to bring about, although mankind has been doing this for thousands of years. Virtually all, with very few exceptions, of the religions ever invented by mankind have had some form of god(s)-killing by man. The 'Ibriy (Hebrew) people, most particularly the Yehuwdiym (the Jews), have been accused of this for over 2,000 years. One might imagine that we (providing the course of the 'fast-track' to heaven as the 'new perfected Jew' as Ann Coulter would say) would receive some modicum of thanks for being the provender of such 'saving grace' by which untold millions and millions could be 'saved' for doing– essentially nothing. But, instead, my people, again most particularly the Yehuwdiym (the Jews), have been tortured, suffered forced conversion to xtianity, burned to death at the stake (often after the conversion) and burned to death while locked in our synagogues (women and children included) while the xtians danced around singing, forced to watch as our wives and daughters were raped before our eyes, banished by xtian countries to the original ghettos and then, later, expelled from those same countries completely, had our land, possessions, gold and silver robbed from us, forbidden to manufacture 'new' products, forced to wear colored-badges (the Nazis were by no means the first to do so), accused of using xtian children's blood in Matzo recipes– the list is not quite never-ending– all for the express belief of the xtian and messianity religionists that we killed their god. Our complete denial of such a horrible accusation, notwithstanding, begs the question: can mortal man even kill a god (if so, is it a smart thing to mess with that mortal and risk incurring his wrath)? Who is the original god killer? Myths abound, involving the likes of Gilgamesh (Nimrowd), Mithra, Tammuz, Osiris and a host of other gods, some of whom may or may not have (purportedly) returned from the dead (another subject entirely).
So, just who can kill a god? Was the man-god jezeus-shuwa, said to have been murdered, ostensibly, by every Yehuwdiy existing upon the earth, actually murdered by me because he was the supposed passed-over lamb, as xtians and messianics claim? Does the peçach ceremony, ordained and commanded by יהוה for my people as a remembrance ordinance forever (עולם 'Owlam; beyond the field of vision of time and space) of His having brought us out of Mitsrayim (Shemoth [exodus] 12:-27), point to a god of Greco-Roman origin or is there another, more adequate, explanation regarding the paschal lamb? What were the reasons for killing the gods of Mitsrayim (Egypt)?
Who then, in reality, can kill a god?
'Abraham is told by יהוה (Bere'shiyth 15:13-15) his seed will sojourn in land(s) not theirs for 400 years, which included Kena'an (Canaan), which wasn't "theirs" at the time. 'Abraham's son Yitschaq (Isaac) was sixty years old when Ya'aqob (Jacob) was born, and Ya'aqob was 130 years old when he went down to Mitsrayim (Egypt). This means that 190 of the 400 years elapsed before the Yisre'eliy (Israelites) arrived in Mitsrayim. So the Yisre'eliy were in Mitsrayim for a total of 210 years. It is interesting to note that when Ya'aqob first instructed his ten sons to "go down" to Mitsrayim, he said, "Go down ("רדו" - "redu," "go down") there and buy [food]," and that the numerical value of the 'Ibriy (Hebrew) letters of the word "רדו" is exactly 210.
It is impossible to say that [they spent 400 years] in Egypt alone, because Kehat [the grandfather of Moses] was of those who came with Jacob [to Egypt]. Go and figure all his years [133 years], all the years of his son Amram [137 years], and Moses' 80 years [at which age he led the Israelites out of Egypt]; you will not find them [to be] that many, and perforce, Kehat lived many of his years before he descended to Egypt, and many of Amram's years are included in the years of Kehat, and many of Moses' years are included in Amram's years. Hence, you will not find 400 years counting from their arrival in Egypt."
—From an article by: Chani Benjaminson
Having gone to Mitsrayim (Egypt), in the person of Yowçeph (joseph), a little more than 210 years previously, the 'Ibriy (Hebrew) people find themselves, as they most often do in all the lands 'of the nations', a subjugated, foully treated and despised underclass:
Shemoth [exodus] Chapter 1:
7. And the sons of Yisra'el, they did bear fruit and did roam, abounding and multiplying, and did become very exceedingly mighty; and the land was overflowing with them.
8. Now there arose a new king over Mitsrayim, who did not know Yowçeph.
9. And he said to his people, behold, the people of the sons of Yisra'el are many and more powerful than we:
10. Come, let us deal wisely with him, lest he increases, and it come to pass that, when there falls out any war, he also joins to them that hate us, and he fights against us, and he ascends out of the land.
11. Therefore they did set over him task sovrans to humiliate him with burdens. And he built for Par'oh store-cities, Pithom and Ra'amçeç.
12. But the more they afflicted him, the more he multiplied and the more he proliferated. And they were greatly irritated because of the sons of Yisra'el.
13. And the Mitsrayim made the sons of Yisra'el to serve with rigor and harshness:
14. And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, where they made them serve with rigor.
As if the harsh toiling conditions were not enough, Par'oh (pharaoh) spoke to the 'Ibriy mid-wives Shiphrah and Puw'ah saying: "When you do the office of a midwife to the 'Ibriy women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it is a son, then you will kill him " but the daughters may live. The mid-wives disobeyed the Mitsrayim king and aided the safe deliveries of all the 'Ibriym children male and female. Much has been written for centuries about the "lying Jew who claims he's performing subterfuge," yet יהוה Himself supported the mid-wives efforts, "dealing well with them," and making them households. This is not merely a gift of a bunch of rooms, but large and very blessed families. (Shemoth [exodus] 1:15-22).
Most of us have heard the story of Mosheh's being set adrift in a reed basket to be rescued by the daughter of Par'oh (pharaoh) and was then raised as her son in the palace. And how he killed the Mitsriy (Egyptian), argued with the two slaves and had to flee Mitsrayim (Egypt) to Midyan (Midian) to live with Re'uw'el (Yether; Jethro) and then he married Re'uw'el's daughter Tsipporah, who presented Mosheh with two sons: Gereshowm (refugee; driven from a possession) and later 'Eliy'ezer ('Elohiym, ('Elohiy) was my help). It was during this period of time that יהוה our 'Elohiy chose to take notice of the fledgling House of Yisra'el:
Shemoth [exodus] 2:
23. And it was in the course of those many days that the king of Mitsrayim died: and the sons of Yisra'el sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to 'Elohiym by reason of the bondage.
24. And 'Elohiym heard their groaning, and 'Elohiym remembered His covenant with 'Abraham, with Yitschaq, and with Ya'aqob.
25. And 'Elohiym saw the sons of Yisra'el, and 'Elohiym took knowledge of and noticed them.
And then He called...
~ The Call to Arms ~
As Mosheh tended the flock of Yether's sheep (1314 BCE) he noticed the strange and wondrous sight of a blazing bush– a flaming conflagration that did not destroy. Further, in Shemoth [exodus] chapter 3 Mosheh is called to attention by the ma'lak of יהוה who did appear first to gain Mosheh's attention as/in the fire that engulfs the bush and then he hears, with his own ears, the voice of יהוה 'Elohiynuw Himself. After waiting to see if Mosheh had the perception to turn aside from the daily hustle of life to investigate this incredible thing and therefore become the preferred means of Yisra'el's deliverance, יהוה calls to him (v4) "And when יהוה saw that he turned aside to see, 'Elohiym called to him out of the midst of the bush, saying: Mosheh, Mosheh. And he said: Here I am."
jezeus-shuwa While xtianity and the off-shoot messianity movement dearly love to pluck "fore-shadowy" events from our Tanakh to prove their false messiah position it seems only slightly odd that never– not one single time– is their sacrificial-human mentioned in this entire episode. Not from the call of Mosheh to return to Mitsrayim until the last Mitsriy (Egyptian) and their Par'oh (pharaoh) are drowned by the collapsing of the Çuwph Sea (mistranslated as: Red Sea). However the burning bush has been seen by the 'Ibriy (Hebrew) people as a fore-shadowing of יהוה's forever being the guardian of Yisra'el, His firstborn son. A partial glimpse of His promise that, whatever trials (and, sadly, whatever punishments we have so abundantly deserved) we face– we, the chosen firstborn-nation, the House of Yisra'el, will never be consumed (burned-up or eradicated– done away with), despite rumors to the contrary, entirely.
Va'iyqrah [leviticus] 27:
42. Then I will remember My covenant with Ya'aqob; and also My covenant with Yitschaq, and also My covenant with 'Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
and
44. And yet, despite, for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or be revolted by them, neither will I detest or reject them, to obliterate them utterly, and to break My covenant with them; for I am יהוה their 'Elohiym;
45. But I will remember, for their sakes, the covenant of their ancient ancestors, those whom I brought out of the land of Mitsrayim in the very eyes of the nations that I might be their 'Elohiym: I am יהוה!
46. These are the statutes and ordinances and laws, which יהוה made between Him and the sons of Yisra'el in Har Çiynay by Mosheh.
and
Yesha'yahuw [isaiah] 54:
7. For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies I will gather you.
8. In overflowing wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting loving kindness I will have mercy on you, says יהוה your Redeemer.
We learn several things concerning this incident: Choreb (Har Çiynay) is יהוה's Qodesh mountain. It, along with the surrounding territory, is regarded by יהוה as His land (Yesha'yahuw [isaiah] 14:25; Yechezqe'l [ezekiel] 36:5 and 38:16; Yow'el [joel] 1:6 and 3:2; Tehilliym [psalms] 74:2; 2 Dabariy haYowmiym [2 chronicles] 7:19 et al.). יהוה speaks audibly to Mosheh, just as He would, later, speak audibly to the entire Nation of Bayith Yisra'el, as He had also spoken audibly to each of the patriarchs before him. He has heard their cries, seen their torments (and seen the tormentors) and He has come down to deliver them.
Shemoth [exodus] 3:
5. And He said: Do not come near: put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is Qodesh ground.
6. Moreover He said: I am 'Elohiy of your fathers; 'Elohiy of 'Abraham, 'Elohiy of Yitschaq, and the 'Elohiy of Ya'aqob. And Mosheh hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon the 'Elohiym.
7. And יהוה said: See that I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Mitsrayim, and have heard their cry by reason of its task sovrans; for I know their sorrows;
8. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Mitsrayim, and to bring them up out of that land to a right land and large, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Kena'aniy, and the Chittiy, and the 'Emoriy, and the Perizziy, and the Chiuiy, and the Yebuwçiy.
9. And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Yisra'el has come to Me: also I have seen the oppressive harshness by which the Mitsrayim abuses them.
יהוה first tells Mosheh to introduce Himself as timeless, and what He chooses to be for Himself and then He tells him to remind Yisra'el that as He was with the three patriarchs, so also He will be with the House and release / free them from any attachment to Mitsrayim or any other foreign nations. Notably Yisra'el will be separate to and protected by יהוה even in times of punishment and when triumph or even our continued existence seems implausible! The House of Yisra'el is still here, much to the chagrin of just about all of the gowyiym nations and religionist-revisionists today!
He, again, promises Mosheh that Yisra'el will be led to freedom, reminding him once more Who He is and giving him a visible and knowable sign, saying in verse 12: "...when you have brought out the people out of Mitsrayim, you will serve 'Elohiym upon this mountain." A provable, unhidden and definitively 'out in the open' sign to Mosheh as well as to the three million men, women and children who stood, later, at the foot-of-the-mountain and audibly heard יהוה speak (on more than one occasion). Yisra'el received no 'hidden' signs– neither then nor later.
Shemoth [exodus] 3:
14. And 'Elohiym said to Mosheh: [אהיה אשר אהיה] 'Ehyeh 'Asher 'Ehyeh– "I Will Be As I Choose To Be": and He said: This you will say to the sons of Yisra'el, 'Ehyeh– "I Will Be" has sent me to you.
15. And 'Elohiym then further said as well to Mosheh: This you will say to the sons of Yisra'el, יהוה, 'Elohiy of your fathers, 'Elohiy of 'Abraham, 'Elohiy of Yitschaq, and the 'Elohiy of Ya'aqob, has sent me to you: this is My Name forever, and this is My appellation, designation and titled memorial to all generations.
16. Go, and gather the elders of Yisra'el together, and say to them: יהוה, the 'Elohiy of your fathers, the 'Elohiy of 'Abraham, of Yitschaq, and of Ya'aqob, has appeared to me, saying: I have surely visited you, and seen what is done to you in Mitsrayim:
17. And I have said: I will bring you up out of the affliction of Mitsrayim to the land of the Kena'aniy, and the Chittiy, and the 'Emoriy, and the Perizziy, and the Chiuiy, and the Yebuwçiy, to a land flowing with milk and honey.
18. And they will listen to your voice: and you will come, you and the elders of Yisra'el, to the king of Mitsrayim, and you will say to him: יהוה, 'Elohiy of the 'Ibriym (Hebrews), has met with us: and now let us go, we ask you, three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to יהוה our 'Elohiym.
19. And I, I know that the king of Mitsrayim will not acquiesce that you will go, no, but by a hand of violence.
20. And I will put out My hand, and strike Mitsrayim with all My wonders which I will do in the midst of it: and after that he will let you go.
21. And I will give this people preference in the sight of the Mitsrayim: and it will be that, when you walk out, you will not walk out empty.
In Shemoth [exodus] 3 (above) verse 14: Mosheh is told by יהוה what His essence is, "אהיה אשר אהיה 'Ehyeh 'Asher 'Ehyeh, His essence– that He is all He has chosen to be (basically righteousness), and in verse 15 He flat-out tells Mosheh to tell them His name! "יהוה, 'Elohiy of your fathers..." He has heard them, remembered them and will "save" them. No mention of any other 'third party' coming along either now or later. Further, He will make sure they do not "...walk out empty." Baruwk HaShem יהוה.
In the fourth chapter of Shemoth [exodus] (vs. 4-9) Mosheh does some 'beating around the bush' and attempts to be relieved of this heavy encumbrance. A lot of Mosheh bashing has occurred by 'churchianity' about the cowardly arguing he does with 'Elohiym and his 'lack of faith', but I put forward that it would be a difficult thing for anyone, much less one of as advanced an age as Mosheh was (roughly eighty-years old) to quite suddenly and without warning be in a face-off with the almighty 'Elohiym and to be told to return to a land from whence he once fled for his very life. Mosheh has always been an easy mark for the 'replacement' theorists of the Western Greco-Roman religionist clubs to go after, but taking into account the monumental task of leading more than a million nephesh out of Mitsrayim under the eyes of a king who, most assuredly, would be wroth in the very least as well as the daunting logistics of it all it seems to have turned out fairly well, all-in-all!
יהוה gives him two signs to take back with him that he will perform before the court of Par'oh (pharaoh); changing the staff to a cobra and back again and then changing his hand to a leprous state. It is my concerted opinion this second demonstration was purely for Mosheh's sake as he does not seem to have used it in Mitsrayim (in the court of Par'oh– he did show the 'Ibriy elders). A slight nudge by יהוה, if you will, showing, yet again, that He has things in absolute control and is more than able to manipulate the situation through His Qadash power. Even as Mosheh makes one more effort to beg-off from the assignment יהוה gives him the first actual affliction to be dealt to Mitsrayim:
Shemoth [exodus] 4:
9. And it will be, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither listen to your voice that you will take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which you take out of the river will become blood upon the dry land.
10. And Mosheh said to יהוה: Oh, sovran, I am not eloquent, neither since yesterday nor before You spoke of Yourself these three days to Your servant; for I am of difficult speech, and of difficult tongue.
11. And יהוה said to him: Who has made man's mouth? Who makes the speechless, or the deaf, or ones with open eyes, or the blind-one? Is it not I, יהוה?
12. Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you will speak.
13. He replied: O 'Adoniy send You, then, by the hand of him whom You will send.
14. And the anger of יהוה was kindled against Mosheh, and He said: Is there not 'Aharown, your brother, the Leuiyiy? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he comes out to meet you; and when he sees you, he will be joyful in his heart.
Mosheh gets reminded of Who יהוה actually is– the C R E A T O R! 'And besides, 'Aharown, your brother, the Leuiyiy is coming and at least one man will be glad to see you.'
~ Let It Be War! ~
Shemoth [exodus] 15:3 – יהוה is a warrior: יהוה is His Name.
Shemoth [exodus] 4:15 onward through the end of this passage has Mosheh receiving the promise of יהוה that He will be with both him and his brother, 'Aharown, speaking, as it were, through them to Par'oh (pharaoh); teaching them what they will do and say at all times. As a courtesy Mosheh requests of Yether, his father-in-Law, permission to go and after receiving such is told by יהוה a second time to leave Midyan (Midian) and return to Mitsrayim. Having "forgotten" to circumcise his own child, Mosheh was severly stricken by יהוה on the journey there (a stark reminder of the importance of circumcision in יהוה's mind to mark the everlasting covenant between Him and those who desire to be His) until Tsipporah takes action. (Shemoth [exodus] 4:20-27). He tells Mosheh what he will eventually say to Par'oh (pharaoh) and sends him on his way, back to the land of Yisra'el's oppression.
Shemoth [exodus] 4:
22. You will say to Par'oh: This is what יהוה says: Yisra'el is My son, My firstborn;
23. And I have said to you: Let My son go that he may serve Me; and you have refused to let him go: behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.
The verse above (among hundreds of others throughout the Tanakh) shows quite clearly, for those willing to think in a linear and honorable fashion, that יהוה, Himself, has obviously associated the 'Ibriym (Hebrews), the House of Yisra'el, children of Yisra'el– the Yisre'eliy (Israelite) nation as His firstborn son, even though xtianity and their messianity-brother movement have declared otherwise. Both alternative sects, in complete abrogation to יהוה's ways, openly state and in rebellion to יהוה, Himself, that His own testimonial is purely figurative and that He really intended the Greco-Roman (and their subjugated nations) to be His chosen-ones; a ludicrous pronouncement considering the fact not one single solitary 'Ibriy prophet indicated this in any manner whatsoever anywhere in either the Towrah or the Tanakh in general. יהוה, first speaks about His first-born and then about Par'oh's first-born– equating them equally in His thought processes. Rewriting the Towrah to suit the religionists lust-filled hope of removing / replacing Bayith Yisra'el from before the Face of יהוה, will not change His oath to us!
~ Shots Across the Bow ~
Mosheh and, his brother meet outside the borders of Mitsrayim after 'Elohiym tells 'Aharown: "Go into the wilderness to meet Mosheh. And he went, and met him in the mountain (Har Choreb, also Har Çiynay) of 'Elohiym, and kissed him." and after sending Tsipporah back to Yether in Midyan, they return to announce to Yisra'el's elders that the salvation of יהוה, Yisra'el's redeemer, was at hand. 'Aharown speaks to them as he had previously been instructed and Mosheh exhibits the signs of the leprous hand, the staff turning into a cobra and even displayed the water to blood sign, before their faces. The people believed hearing how יהוה had remembered the sons of Yisra'el, and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves to the ground. (see Shemoth [exodus] 4:27-31).
After spending time gaining the allegiance of the elders of the twelve tribes of the 'Ibriym (Hebrews) people both Mosheh And his brother make an appearance before Par'oh (pharaoh).
Shemoth [exodus] 5:
AFTERWARD Mosheh and 'Aharown came to Par'oh saying: Now יהוה 'Elohiy of Yisra'el says: Send away My people go that they may observe a feast to Me in the wilderness.
2. And Par'oh said: Who is יהוה that I should listen to His voice to let Yisra'el go? I do not know יהוה, and also I will not let Yisra'el go.
In Shemoth [exodus] 5:3-20 we see this first episode going very badly for the two leaders of the soon to be nation, as Par'oh (pharaoh) was decidedly unimpressed. He sent Mosheh and 'Aharown away while simultaneously ordering the work foremen to make the Yisre'eliy (Israelites) glean their own straw for the brick-making. He also insisted that all previous quotas be met without a drop in production. The sons of Yisra'el were deflated of their earlier exuberance and in verse 21 they proclaim "...יהוה look upon you, and judge, because you have made our very scent abhorrent in the eyes of Par'oh (pharaoh), and in the eyes of his servants, even to put a sword in their hand to kill us." The love of, and the aching tenderness in his heart for, the sons of Yisra'el is apparent in Mosheh as he returns to יהוה to chastise even Him, which is a risky endeavor at best.
The books of the Towrah and also within the Tanakh have examples of the righteous questioning 'Elohiym concerning His dealings with Men. Often overlooked is the opportunity given to all of us by our Creator to seek just recompense of the few righteous over the just punishment of the many miscreants or to question Him regarding a promise ('Abraham - Bere'shiyth [genesis] 18 Gid'own - Shaphatiym [judges] 6 – just to name a few).
Shemoth [exodus] 5:
22. And Mosheh returned to יהוה, saying: 'Adoniy, why have You dealt ill with this people? Why is it that You have sent me?
23. For since I came to Par'oh to speak in Your Name, he has done evil to this people; and You have not rescued Your people at all!
Oh my! Mosheh's heart is heavily burdened for those he loves– his people! Take notice of יהוה's reply. Does He curse and condemn Mosheh? Declare him to be an unrighteous servant and 'fire' him as the deliverer? No!
Shemoth [exodus] 6:
AND יהוה said to Mosheh: Now you will see what I will do to Par'oh, for by a violent hand he will let them go and by a violent hand he will drive them out of his land.
2. And 'Elohiym spoke to Mosheh: saying to him: I am יהוה!
3. I appeared to 'Abraham, to Yitschaq, and to Ya'aqob, as 'El Shadday; by My Name, יהוה, was I not known to them?
4. And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Kena'an, the land of their sojourning, where they sojourned.
5. And also I have heard the groaning of the sons of Yisra'el, whom the Mitsrayim keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant.
6. Therefore say to the sons of Yisra'el: I am יהוה, and I will snatch you away from all the work of the Mitsrayim, and I will rid them of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with insolent inflictions:
7. And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you an 'Elohiym; and you will know that I am יהוה, your 'Elohiy, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Mitsrayim.
8. And I will bring you in to the land which I lifted up My hand to give it to 'Abraham, Yitschaq, and Ya'aqob; and I will give it to you for a heritage. I am יהוה!
9. And Mosheh spoke to the sons of Yisra'el; but they did not listen to Mosheh for anguish of ruwach, and severe working conditions.
Like a whipped and abused puppy that must be gently patted and soothingly reassured יהוה speaks again to Mosheh concerning His promise, comfort and protection of Bayith Yisra'el and His land which, by the lifting of His Hand in both action and an oath (by His own name) to guarantees: (vs.8) "I will give it to you for a heritage."
"For anguish of their ruwach [spirit] and severe working conditions." The 'Ibriy [Hebrew] used here word for anguish is קצר ko'-tser and means 'shortness' or even a quickened impatience. How hard it can be under our own heavy burdens to wait patiently on His arrival with assistance, often resorting to seeking some other un-promised savior rather than Him. These people had little to no fortitude left after more than two hundred years of harsh working conditions, sub-standard housing and provisions (food, clothing, etc), the abuse of their women and children, the murder of thousands of innocent babies and even being guilty of having followed the gods of Mitsrayim (Egypt)– their self-esteem must have been virtually non-existent. But, יהוה had made more than one promise here: He reminded them of the promise to their patriarchs 'Abraham, Yitschaq, and Ya'aqob concerning His land, that these descendants would return there as one nation; a son of יהוה our 'Elohiy forever. In verse 5 above יהוה He again iterates He has heard the groans of the people and remembered His promise which was given hundreds of years before after declaring (verse 1) His intention to force Par'oh (pharaoh) to exhibit a violent hand to be rid of the 'Ibriy slaves.
Even as he (Mosheh) holds back יהוה tells him to (vs. 11) "Come speak to Par'oh, king of Mitsrayim that he sends out the sons of Yisra'el out of his land." And, Mosheh, backed thoroughly by the hand of יהוה 'Elohiym, walks brazenly before Par'oh (pharaoh) commanding, yet again, the release of the "treasured nation" (סגלה çeguwllah - shut up wealth; guarded treasure; see Shemoth [exodus] 19:5; Dabariym [deuteronomy] 7:6, 14:2, 26:18; Tehilliym [psalms] 135:4; Mal'akiy [malachi] 3:17, et al). As Par'oh watches, Mosheh instructs 'Aharown to throw down the staff and יהוה turns it to a cobra. After, muttering some incantations and with much beseeching the necromancers of Par'oh, likewise made stick-snakes.
In Shemoth [exodus] 7:1 יהוה tells Mosheh"...See, I have made you as 'Elohiym to Par'oh," meaning He made him powerful in front of Par'oh (Pharaoh) and he will not be persuaded in order to (vs. 3) "...increase My signs and My wonders in the land of Mitsrayim." יהוה reminds them of His power with every miraculous performance in constant reassurance to a wholly defeated and downtrodden people. It is often the case that יהוה performs His greatest feats for those who follow and obey Him when they are at their lowest point.
The uraeus is a spitting cobra (asp, serpent, or snake) depicted in an upright position and worn as a head ornament (sometimes with or without the crown) on the head of the Par'oh (pharaoh). This stylized form of the cobra is an emblem associated with the greatness the Par'oh, and the greatness of Mitsrayim [Egypt]; of Lower Egypt in particular. It was also closely tied the sun-worship (often shown on both sides of the 'solar disc' representing the "fiery eye of Re") and with many of the other Mitsriy (Egyptian) deities (Wadjet, the goddess of Lower Egypt; Bastet, Tefnut, Sakhmet, Meretseger, Hathor and Ernu-tet). The uraeus often appears as a symbol worn on the crown or headdress of royalty personages in general, but was most especially used to adorn Par'oh (pharaoh). The Mitsriy (Egyptian) believed that the cobra was symbolic of the supernatural value of Par'oh (pharaoh), endowing him with wisdom and power over life itself. This national belief in the divinity of a man (sound familiar?) enabled the priest-kings of Mitsrayim (Egypt) to rule their lands with very little overt force, in much the same way, did future religions rule through threats of ex-communication and 'going to hell'. It was also believed that the uraeus would spit fire at any approaching enemies and was therefore seen as a protective guardian of the land as well as protecting Par'oh (pharaoh) himself. By itself, this was not necessarily seen as killing the Par'oh-god-head proper, but was definitely an indication of Par'oh as a lesser being (than an actual god). To overcome the cobra, symbol of the power, strength and rulership of Mitsrayim worn by Par'oh, was to overcome the power of Par'oh himself.
Mosheh and 'Aharown's staff ate their cobras!
Shots fired.
~ The Ten Plagues ~
The ten plagues consisted of three sets of afflictions, each with three 'message' plagues and one final resistance breaker. The first set of three plagues were intended by יהוה to undoubtedly prove His existence to Par'oh (pharaoh), who had openly declared to Mosheh he had never heard of יהוה 'Elohiym (Bere'shiyth [genesis] 5:2). It was His intent to afflict the quasi-spiritual beliefs of the people of Mitsrayim. The second set of three plagues were intended strictly to prove His Qodesh intervention did indeed extend to the earthly affairs of Mankind, especially in regard to those He was particularly dedicated to, which included actual, barely endurable, punishments. And the final three afflictions were to show Par'oh that יהוה is the unequaled 'Elohiym of all the universe and all it contains. He, as the author of creation, is capable of manipulating the creation to suit His purposes and He does as He wills to those who oppress the lesser among us, especially His treasured nation, Yisra'el. The final tenth plague is a direct assault on the Mitsriy themselves. From the lowest butcher, baker and candlestick maker to the highest in the land, Par'oh himself, all the nation is affected in some way. From a collective guilt of fierce oppressive enslavement and murder (specifically see: Shemoth [exodus] 1:15-18) comes יהוה's retribution upon all of Mitsrayim.
~ Killing Hapi the Nile god of Mitsrayim - god(s) 1 ~
Hapi (also known as Hep; from the name of the River Nile itself, hep), is considered to be one of the very oldest of the gods of the Mitsriy (Egyptian) pantheon and was sometimes placed over the god Ra in ranking status and significance, although they were also viewed as equal in status in differing eras. The majority of the time, however, Ra seems to be the 'god of kings and king of gods,'
In Upper (southern) Mitsrayim (Egypt) he (Hapi) was called by the title of Hap-Reset, while Lower (northern) Mitsrayim referred to him as Hap-Mekht. He was frequently portrayed carrying offerings of food or pouring water from an amphora (a vase-shaped ceramic container with two handles and a long neck which was more narrow than its' body), but was sometimes (infrequently) depicted as an hippopotamus. In Lower Egypt, he was decorated with papyrus plants, and surrounded by frogs (an allusion to his association with the fertility goddess Heqt) which were commonly found in the smaller rivers and streams, while in Upper Egypt, his decorations were lotus flowers and crocodiles which were prevalent in the Nile proper.
Although he was a male god, usually depicted in a loin cloth and fake beard, he was often characterized with a 'big (pregnant) belly' to represent the fertility of the river Nile and having loosely hanging women's breasts to denote his power over fertility and was on occasion (very rarely) depicted as being green in color. Notwithstanding his symbolic appearance, he was gifted with two wives which in Upper Egypt was Nekhbet (in the form of a vulture), and in Lower Egypt was Wadjet (or Buto; in the form of a cobra).
He was the dual god of the Nile River of both Lower and Upper ancient Mitsrayim (Egypt), and his name means Running One, and which might possibly refer to the currents of the Nile. He was considered to be the 'Lord of the Fishes and Birds' and the 'Lord of the River Bringing in Vegetation', but Hapi's main attribute was the annual inundation (over-flowing of the banks) which deposited rich sediment on the land during this flooding period creating a lush, verdant and highly productive soil in the Mitsriy (Egyptian) fertile valley. This inundation was a yearly re-enactment of his resurrection, and so important was this idea of the great Nile as a provider-god to the national well-being of the Mitsriy that the Par'oh (pharaoh) styled himself as this river-god-man in conjunction with his supposed supremacy over all the other god's, not just of Mitsrayim, but of the surrounding nations as well.
It was the combined aspects of resurrection, mother-father fertility-god provider that made first his humiliating beating (failing to prevent 'Aharown from turning the water to blood in the first place) and then his eventual 'killing' (failing to cleanse the Nile so the people could drink thereof) a stern shock to Par'oh and his ministers, as well as the populace in general.
So, 'Aharown, (Shemoth [exodus] 7:19-20), did as instructed and took his staff, and lifted his hand against the waters of the Mitsriy (Egyptian people) and their lands in all directions– 'Aharown physically indicated the nation's lands in all directions. Then (vs. 20-22) in the sight of Par'oh and his court, he strikes the water with his staff causing blood-death to all of their waters and the life therein. All the Mitsriy (Egyptians) and Par'oh witnessed this phenomenon; they saw the fish die as the blood-curse flowed over the land, and the stench of the (once) sacred river overwhelmed them. And though they frantically dug new wells in search of fresh water they found none fit to drink (vs. 19).
When Par'oh's magicians performed their magic, why was his heart 'hardened' and not, instead, elated? One might think he would have been walking three feet above the ground in exultation. After all, when the court magi and priest's brought out their container of clean, cool, and clear water was this not proof that the 'god' of Mosheh and 'Aharown, this usurper יהוה had failed to turn all the waters of Mitsrayim to blood and was thus not as supreme as was intimated? From Par'oh's perspective יהוה was a failure– a loser in the face of Hapi. Yet, while his magic-makers did indeed have on hand and then use the last bit of pure water (hardly a victory if no one gets to drink it) to perform as 'Aharown did, they, nevertheless, were unable to reverse יהוה's action and all the waters of the land, except that which the 'Ibriy held in reserve, remained unfit for providing life to Man or beast. This was the means by which יהוה 'hardened' his heart. He still felt a little powerful himself, as the god-man of his nation since his magicians performed likewise, but knew what all must have been thinking, but were probably too afraid to say: "Our god was just slaughtered!"
Shemoth [exodus] 7: 25. And seven days were completed, after יהוה had struck the river.
~ Killing Heqt the Fertility god of Mitsrayim - god(s) 2 ~
Heqet (Heqt, Heket) considered a child of Ra (Re, Atum-Ra or Amon-Ra), was depicted as a frog, or (more often) as a woman with the head of a frog and was known as the goddess of childbirth and fertility in many Mitsrayim eras. Occasionally she would be portrayed as a frog on the end of a phallus to explicitly indicate her association with fertility. Frogs were the symbol of fruitfulness and new life in Mitsrayim, since millions of them appeared after the annual arrival (inundation) of the Nile god Hapi. The seasons' germination of the corn and grain crops furthered the fertility association.
As the wife of Khnum, the creator god, she gave the breath of life to the newly born infant (both animal and man) before placing them in their mother's womb. Pregnant women wore amulets, presenting her as a frog on a lotus petal, for protection against miscarriage or malformations and often carried ritual ivory knives and clappers inscribed with her name which were used to ward off evil and offer protection during childbirth. She was the protector of the dead (possibly just Par'oh and/or the wealthy elite) and her magic spell was intended to carry the deceased to the after-life.
Chapter eight of Shemoth [exodus] begins with the last of 'Aharown's physical involvement in the punishments of Mitsrayim. Mosheh again warns Par'oh that he must release the 'Ibriym (Hebrews) to go and serve יהוה or an invasion of frogs will go "... into your house, and into your bedroom, and upon your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and upon your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading-troughs:"
'Aharown once again stretches his hand over the waters of Mitsrayim (Egypt), and frogs swarmed over every place in the nation. Wherever a Mitsriy (Egyptian) turned or stepped, he found the slick cold-blooded bodies of frogs everywhere. During the infestation, so many upon so many, they were undoubtedly suffocating a great number of their own to death, causing an over-whelming foul odor even as they continued to submerge the land in salientia.
Many cultures of that area would cook large amounts of bread (and other foods) in an open pit where a fire would be burned down to coals. The bread was put into an earthen-ware pot, covered with the coals, and removed after baking. Imagine the disgust of the people across the nation as their pits were full of dead half-baked frogs, or hundreds of live frogs in pits whose fires had not been lighted. Hundreds, thousands, even millions of frogs were everywhere– in the streets and alley-ways, the shops and market places, communal baths. They filled peoples houses, the schools and their many temples and were squashed underfoot to become a nasty, smelly, gooey mess. Bedrooms were not immune and the frogs crawled and hopped over the sleeping (if they slept under these conditions) occupants leaving frog urine and fecal matter on, over, and around everything. Table-tops, counters, chairs, food containers– bowls, plates, etc. Their storage areas would likewise be deluged in frog (dead or alive) and frog 'leavings' as well. Even in the privy– one could not escape– as they 'did their business' while the Mitsriy did his or hers!
Again, the necromancers of Par'oh call up a smaller version of the same miracle: more frogs adding to the nation-wide repugnant mess. Can you comprehend the consternation he must have felt? The tug-of-war of his spirit? Here his occultist priests are able to do as Mosheh's god does, yet they can not make the amphibious pestilence go away; instead they bring more (what could they have been thinking here?). Now Par'oh becomes frightened and asks Mosheh to "entreat" for him from יהוה (the same יהוה he had once denied the existence of), that the frogs be taken away. A dual admission here, as Par'oh admits not only to the existence of Mosheh's 'Elohiym but that he (Par'oh) is indeed subject to Him– he and all his nation!
Shemoth [exodus] 8:
5. And Mosheh said to Par'oh: Shine and boast to me: what time will I entreat for you, and for your servants, and for your people that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, and remain in the river only?
6. And he said: Tomorrow. And he said: By your own word; that you may know that there is none such as יהוה 'Elohiym.
and
9. And יהוה did according to the word of Mosheh; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields.
10. And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank.
In verse five above, Mosheh obviously can not help 'needling' the god-man king. "Shine and boast..." (H6286 התפאר hit-paer or ath-phar to shine brightly; to boast and lift oneself up) or, be vaunted over me, he tells Par'oh, a not so subtle reminder that he, the Mitsriy king, considers himself to be a mighty god. High and powerful, yet neither he nor his magic-making priesthood can rid the land of the multiple gods of either of the two plagues, which must, of course, be done by the hand of the one true Creator יהוה 'Elohiym. Mosheh continues to needle Par'oh by telling him to name the day the miserable situation would end. This would, once more, be a lesson that יהוה was in control of the natural world and even time itself! If the Mitsriy king called for an end the next day and it took two more days to end this would disprove יהוה's involvement. A further jab by Mosheh comes when he tells Par'oh (end of verse five) the frogs will remain only in the river.
"...they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank," but as soon as the frogs disappear Par'oh once again proves his lack of high moral character and refuses to let the 'Ibriym (Hebrews) go.
~ Killing Geb god of the Earth (In, Over and Under) - god(s) 3 ~
Geb (Seb, Keb, Kebb or Gebb) was the Mitsriy god of the earth and was generally portrayed in the form of a man lying prone (personifying the earth) and, sometimes, was pictured with a patchy green complexion and vegetation growing from his ribs and is (only occasionally) said to have provided remedies against snakes and their bites. In much later eras he would also be depicted as a ram, a bull or a crocodile (as a reinvented Atum or Anum).
Geb was the ruling authority over tombs and seems to have assisted in the weighing of the heart ritual of the deceased in the Halls of Ma'at. The justified dead (sound familiar?) were given the 'word' of power (and the word was god) which allowed them to ascend to the sky, while those hearts weighed down by guilt were trapped in his body (the earth). He is said to have had an incestuous relationship with his sister and to have raped his own mother.
Geb was considered the third god-pharaoh and, subsequently, all Par'oh's were sometimes known as the "Heir of Geb" in their role of the god-king.
Shemoth [exodus] 8:
12. And יהוה said to Mosheh: Say to 'Aharown, Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the earth so it becomes lice throughout all the land of Mitsrayim.
13. And they did so; and 'Aharown stretched out his hand with his rod, and struck the dust of the earth, and there was lice upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Mitsrayim.
14. And the occultists attempted with their enchantments to bring out lice, but they could not: and there was lice upon man, and upon beast.
15. Then the occultists said to Par'oh: this is the finger of 'Elohiym: and Par'oh's heart remained strong, and he did not listen to them; as יהוה had spoken.
Lice all over the land, as thick as– well, dust. In their houses, on the patios, the markets, the government buildings, temples, store-rooms, chairs, couches, beds, on them, on their clothing, in their hair, covering their eyes, crawling through their nose hair, in their mouths and their ears and even infecting their pubic areas. No escape! So pervasive were these foul little distresses that all activity came to a grinding halt as man and woman alike tried vainly to slap, scratch and scrape away the nasty, biting tormentors. The priests and occultists, as before, tried to duplicate this, but this time they failed! After failing before to rid the land of bloody water and amphibians, now they could neither repeat nor rid themselves of יהוה's handiwork. Neither could they officiate in their own temples, being covered over with lice and blood (from the constant rubbing and slapping), having been defiled before their false gods– nasty, literally from head to toe. In what must have amounted to depression, shame and terror they tell Par'oh: "this is the finger of 'Elohiym."
But Par'oh was determined; although having previously acknowledged יהוה 'Elohiym, he must have held out hope for one of his gods to appear even slightly useful. But Geb, and any of the multitudinous other gods over the ground which he might turn to and plaintively beseech, had most assuredly failed him as well as all of Mitsrayim. Still, he made his heart strong.
~ Killing Sheb (god of beasts and security) - god(s) 4 ~
Shemoth [exodus] 8:
16. And יהוה said to Mosheh: Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Par'oh; lo, he comes out to the water; and say to him: Now יהוה says: Let my people go that they may serve Me.
17. But, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send mixed hordes of wild beasts upon you, and upon they servants, and upon your people, and into your houses: and the houses of the Mitsrayim will be full of mixed hordes of wild beasts, and also the ground on which they are.
18. And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell that no mixed hordes of wild beasts will be there; to the end you may know that I am יהוה in the midst of the earth.
19. And I will put a division between My people and your people: by tomorrow this sign will come about.
Shed, 'the rescuer' or 'the enchanter', was mainly from the New Kingdom era, although he is known from much earlier in the Mitsrayim pantheon. Shed was usually depicted as a young man with a shaved head. He sported the side-lock worn by young Mitsrayim royalty or the wealthy ruling classes, and wore a shortened skirt as well as a broad neck collar and with a quiver of arrows on his back he was believed to provide protection from dangerous animals and enemy attack as well as battle against diseases and magical hexes. He was a beast-master over all forms wild beasts of the desert and river. He was often carved on monuments grasping venomous serpents and other wild toxic (real or symbolic) animals riding while standing on the back of crocodiles. Shed was a protector of the Mitsrayim (Egyptians) both foreign and domestically .
Many translations wrongly have this section talking about flies. The word used in these verses is ערב aw-robe' and means "a mixture." It is preceded with the article-prefix ה hey or 'the' and making the phrase הערב: 'the mixture.' The actual 'Ibriy word for fly is זבוב zebuwb (Ba'al Zebuwb ring any bells?). There are several reasons (besides 'Ibriym [Hebrews] being able to speak 'Ibriy [Hebrew], that is, that clue us in to the fact that it was not insects. First, 'Aharown had already brought forth a rather nasty infestation, and anyone afflicted with head lice would probably attest to the fact that one hundred flies buzzing about the head is considerably preferable to even twenty-five head lice. My step-sister, many years ago when she was 13 or 14 years old picked up lice while on a school outing. They were nasty, itched terribly and difficult to get rid of, even with staunch chemicals. She cried for hours. The Mitsrayim were, quite literally plastered over with the nasty little buggers, by the 'dust of the earth' billions! Frankly, a swarm of flies might be a wee bit of a let down: "...gee willies, their god must be getting tired!" Secondly, 'Aharown struck the dust with his staff at which point יהוה made the dust itself– the protective mother-earth, afflict them everywhere they went, in everything they did and there was no escape or refuge for them. Here no such act on the part of either Mosheh or 'Aharown took place; no striking the ground, no flinging handfuls of dust. Next, remember that Par'oh, his ministers and his people had all gone a considerable amount of time without water, had a large amount of their food destroyed by frog 'mess' and all that went with it, and had just been horribly chewed-over by billions and billions of lice, yet Par'oh virtually gives in over...flies? Not hardly.
I believe the land of Goshen was subjected to the first three episodes along with each Mitsriy. Because they were told in advance (what do you think Mosheh did each time he left Par'oh) they were able to prepare. They drew water before the blood. They sealed buildings and food containers as best they could and covered themselves from head to toe in expectation of the frogs and then the lice infestation. They undoubtedly suffered some amount of discomfort, but not nearly what they Mitsrayim went through. In verses 18 and 19 יהוה makes it a point to tell Par'oh, and his court, that they, and all of Mitsrayim also, were to be singled out– alone. Good luck with that. "...by tomorrow this sign will come about." Another visible sign.
Shemoth [exodus] 8:
20. And יהוה did so; and there came grievous mixed hordes of wild beasts into the house of Par'oh, and into his servants' houses: and in all the land of Mitsrayim the land was corrupted by reason of the mixed hordes of wild beasts.
21. And Par'oh called for Mosheh and for 'Aharown, saying: Go you, and sacrifice to your 'Elohiy in the land.
22. And Mosheh said: It is not right to do that; for the disgust of the Mitsrayim of our sacrifice to יהוה our 'Elohiy. Lo, if we sacrifice a revulsion of the Mitsrayim before their eyes, and will they not stone us?
23. We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to יהוה our 'Elohiy, as he will command us.
24. And Par'oh said: I will let you go that you may sacrifice to יהוה your 'Elohiy in the wilderness; only you will not go very far away: entreat for me.
Picture all the different varieties of wild beasts of the land– still suffering from lingering thirst, overrun and irritated by frogs and their death-stench filling the nostrils like glue and greatly put upon by the lice as well! Lions and tigers and bears...Oh my! Roaming packs of raving dogs and wolves, rampaging rhinoceroses and hippopotami, wild cats (big and small) of all kinds, crocodiles, thousands of differing species of tyrannical birds of prey and more– all converging in frustrated hunger and thirst on every village, hamlet and city in the land! Oy vey! The terror was probably not quite palpable (but it would be soon). Unable to travel about and still reeling themselves from the previous afflictions by the hand of 'Elohiym, the Mitsrayim were discombobulated.
And, the god(s)? Nowhere to be found. No 'Elohiym to save other than יהוה (Yesha'yahuw 43:11; 44:6; 45:5-6 and 21, et al).
In the last verse of Shemoth [exodus] 8, "And Par'oh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go," we again see the stubbornness inherent in most of mankind– wanting what they want, even to the detriment of friends, family and, in his case, underling subjects. After all these horrid things have occurred, not just to himself, but to his people as well, he again reneges. He was a deeply shaken-up man, how could he not be? His gods, their gods, were taking a severe beating. יהוה has proven Himself superior. יהוה has proven Himself the only one true 'Elohiym. Yet, as is often the case, he must put on a 'front'. He must show himself, and his subjects, to still be in control.
~ Punish the god(s) and Punish the People - Mnevis (Mnewer) god(s) 5 ~
Shemoth [exodus] 9 begins with Mosheh telling Par'oh (Pharaoh) that יהוה is emphatically telling him Now you will let them go, if not His hand will be upon "...all of your livestock which are in the field: upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the cattle herds, and upon the flocks." But He will place a divider between the two groups, the 'Ibriym (Hebrews) in Goshen and the rest of Mitsrayim.
Shemoth [exodus] 9
5. And יהוה appointed a set time, saying: Tomorrow יהוה will do this thing in the land.
6. And יהוה kept the word on the next day; and all of the livestock of Mitsrayim died; but of the livestock of the sons of Yisra'el not even one died.
7. And Par'oh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the livestock of the Yisre'eliy dead. But the heart of Par'oh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.
Mnevis (Mnewer), while a god in his own right, was considered the life force (Ka) of the god Atum-Ra (Amun, Amon, Amon-Ra, Amon-Re, rarely Imenand) and was represented as being a living bull, thus depicted as a bull with a sun disc between his horns and sporting the uraeus. His form developed over time into the Apis (Aser-hapi or Osiris-Apis), which became Serapis even later. He was the force behind creation of all things and the protector, therefore, of man and beast (mainly livestock) as were many other gods. The Mitsrayim had an extensive list of gods, either represented by, or representing some form of livestock. This particular episode would not only strike at those many gods and show their impotence but would punish the Par'oh, his court ministers and all the people of the nation (save the 'Ibriym) as well. The Mitsrayim would not only lose a large food source, clothing source (wool, leather, etc), but would take a big financial loss also. Long respected for their fine horse trade the Mitsrayim watched without recourse as their beloved animals perished (all livestock in the field). The emotional, physical and financial loss to them was tremendous. A further insult to injury was the protection (a second time) of the 'Ibriym (Hebrews) in Goshen. By this time there was surely a grumbling among the ruling classes as well as the common people: "Where are the gods?" Still, by Shemoth [exodus] 9:7, after much misery and suffering, the god-man would not release יהוה's firstborn son: Yisra'el.
~ Punish the god(s) and Punish the People - Imhotep (Thoth) god(s) 6 ~
Imhotep was a man later revered as a god circa 2628 BCE (possibly sometime in 3000 BCE); he is was an architect (credited with designing, if not actually building, the Step Pyramid at Saqqara), poet, a priest, scribe, sage, astrologer, magician and healer. He is often regarded as Thoth, another god of medicine. As a religious advisor his wisdom is credited with ending a terrible famine that dominated seven years of Zoser's reign, and is in this respect, only very occasionally, related to Yowçeph (Joseph) although this is doubtful. He, along with Isis (who taught people the skills of reading and agriculture and was the goddess of medicine and wisdom and agriculture) and other gods would be called upon to push this episode off of the land. As is often the case in ancient 'animist' (belief in the existence of individual spirits that inhabit natural objects and phenomena i.e. nature worship) religions he was deified and combined with aspects of various other gods-goddesses over the centuries.
Shemoth [exodus] 9:8-11 has Mosheh using the dried powdered slag from the kiln-furnace, tossing it into the air in the presence of Par'oh, as יהוה commanded him to do.
Shemoth [exodus] 9:
10. And they took powder from the kiln-furnace, and stood before Par'oh; and Mosheh flung it up toward Heaven; and boils broke out with abscesses upon man and upon beast.
11. And the occultists could not stand before Mosheh because of the boils; for the boils were upon the occultists, and upon all the Mitsrayim.
This might possibly have been a relation to the bacterium Bacillus anthracis or cutaneous anthrax, which occurs in wild and domesticated hoofed animals, especially cattle, sheep, goats, camels and antelopes, as well as in men. The boil becomes covered by a black scab or abscess that could develop into a painful pustule (a purulent exudate – puss, sebum and blood drainage mixture) and if untreated the infection can spread to the lymph nodes and into the bloodstream and result in fatal toxemia (preeclampsia). This, in its severest onset, may cause extreme pain and may affect joints, specifically the knees, legs, and soles of the feet (see Dabariym [deuteronomy] 28:35). This affliction, in its severest form, could occasionally be fatal.
Up until this time the magi of Mitsrayim, stood with Par'oh (Pharaoh), meeting Mosheh and 'Aharown, but this was too painful and severe. No longer able to complain to the king, they were in no position to persuade him to let the son of יהוה leave the land of his oppression. The court-ministers and the priesthood were as beaten-up as was the general populace. Hunger was a new awareness for these people. They were covered in blood, frog-rot-fecal matter was in and on everything (the burning of millions of dead frogs could not be done overnight) and they horribly scarred by the lice infestation which also did not recede in one mere moment.
The wild-animal hoards caused the death of animals and people alike, for those foolish enough not to lock themselves indoors and they most likely killed each other fighting for the carcasses of their kills. This would, undoubtedly, cause the normal course of events in added infestations of slugs, (now they come in to play) flies and further diseases related to so much rotting flesh. It is truly difficult to fully realize the total extent of the damage to the land, the animals and the populace.
The land of Mitsrayim was, for all intensive purposes, in tatters. There were still, most likely, pools of blood– not yet seeped entirely away. Piles of rotting amphibians were still being burned (a slow task by a populace weakened by hunger and thirst). A large part of their food supply was ruined by frog infestation, much of their animal resources were destroyed, they were tired, dirty, and covered with sores from lice bites and this recent and so devastating disease! They were all, from Par'oh down to the lowliest street-sweeper, filthy, wearing torn, tattered, vomit stained and bloodied clothing and sickness above and beyond what יהוה had decreed was abounding as a secondary, even tertiary, result of their god-man's stubborn heart.
How demoralized they must have been at this middle stage of the game. A true testament to just how far the "unwashed" masses will allow a wicked and decadent leader to lead them (with, of course, their own ample culpability) with promises from false and non-existent gods and the promises of national-greatness, established on the graves of subjected peoples. Yet, still Par'oh had a strong heart. He wanted slaves to use and abuse and no, NO god was going to tell him anything. Evil can be so unpersuadable. Frankly, I would have moved.
~ Punish the god(s) and Punish the People - Horus (plus) god(s) 7 ~
Both Horus (the temporal {earthly} stand-in for Horus was Par'oh) a god and Nut (or Nuit) a goddess were rulers and protectors of the sky realm. Horus, often depicted as hawk-headed, had eye that were thought to be the sun and moon, enabling him to watch over all the earth (mainly Mitsrayim) and he sometime presided over war between men and the lesser gods. Nut is noted in the Egyptian 'Book of the Dead' as a mother-figure to the sun god Ra, giving birth to him on a daily basis. Shu was a wind god and Isis and Seth protected the crops. These gods were members of a pantheon of Mitsrayim gods that were often interchangeable by name, attribute and sex (males becoming females and vice versa) making a short synopsis here virtually impossible. In various forms and ranks, shifting often over the millennia, they ruled the universe (skies - heavens). Suffice it to say they formed a team (with a host of other gods) that should have prevented the next action from יהוה. They, supposedly, ruled the cosmos or at least ruled lesser (again, supposed) gods whose purview should have covered this and all of the recent past events. It obviously did not bode well for the outlook of the immediate future, either.
An utterly shaken, yet unrepentant Par'oh is told (in Shemoth [exodus] 9:13-15) by Mosheh that יהוה will strike specifically at Par'oh's heart. He could have sent enough disease and pestilence to eradicate all of Mitsrayim from off the planet. But He restricted His own mighty hand, in order that His Name might be declared, not just in the land of a thousand gods, but (vs. 14) "...that you will know that there is none like Me throughout the world."
Shemoth [exodus] 9:
15. For now I put out My hand, to strike you and your people with pestilence, and you have been cut off from the earth:
16. However, for this cause have I made you to stand and endure, to show you My strength, and that My Name may be declared throughout all the earth.
17. While still you elevate yourself and tread upon My people that you will not let them go!
After Mosheh left the court of Par'oh and warned the sons of Yisra'el not to venture past the dividing line between Goshen and Mitsrayim proper יהוה had Mosheh stretch out his hands toward the sky and hail and fire rained down. (vs. 22-25) And the next day, just as יהוה commanded Mosheh lifted his staff upward and brought down the next distress. The hail fell down, mixed with fire (both within the hail itself as well as without) and fire flowed downward. Fire and ice mixed together by the power of יהוה and fire defied gravity by flowing toward the earth, instead of rising in it's natural direction. The hail was so large it felled trees in the field. This hail had to have been boulder-sized; man and beast were killed instantly. Picture bits of burning fire-ice landing on the back of the neck and burning it's way into the body. Hundreds of them– peanut sized, golf-ball sized, cantaloupe sized, basketball sized– even boulder sized. Smiting and rending trees down the middle, causing fires all over the besieged nation. The flax and barley were destroyed but the wheat and the spelt were not touched (having not 'come in' yet). Buildings caught fire– those not made of brick and the doors, shutters and roof-tops of even the brick ones. The tarp covered market stalls were set ablaze and stables were not safe. Havoc reached massive proportions!
Shemoth [exodus] 9:
20. He that feared the word of יהוה among the servants of Par'oh made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses.
21. Whoever did not take the word of יהוה to his heart left his servants and his livestock in the field.
Notice in verse 20 that only Par'oh's servants brought their underlings and livestock inside! Par'oh (and, no doubt, many of the uncaring privileged elite class) left their Mitsrayim servants in the fields and in the towns, going about their business (which probably still involved wholesale clean-up). But the firstborn son of יהוה (vs. 26) suffered no such trauma, as they did not venture into the Mitsrayim fields to work, and were safely tucked into their Goshen ghetto. Again, death and destruction, on a much greater scale, was prevalent everywhere. In verse 27 Par'oh calls Mosheh and 'Aharown, saying: "...I have sinned this time: יהוה is righteous, and I and my people are morally wrong," because so many of the populace were not warned and death, more death, was all over the land. As יהוה predicted, and Mosheh surely expected by now Par'oh whined 'entreat, entreat' promising that (vs. 28) "...I will let you go, and you will not remain any longer," and, again (vs. 30), he went back on his word.
Shemoth [exodus] 9:
30. But as for you and your servants, I know that you are not yet afraid of יהוה 'Elohiym.
But, soon– very soon.
~ Punish the god(s) and Punish the People - Isis (Nepri, Seth) god(s) 8 ~
Isis, the Egyptian goddess of rebirth was characterized by the attributes of all the lesser goddesses (and some gods) that preceded her rise in stature, such as Ernutet, the goddess of childbirth and crops and Thermuthis, the goddess of child rearing, fertility and the harvest. She (Isis) eventually became the mother of gods, goddesses and humanity. She, a moon goddess, gave birth to Horus (a product of her union with her brother-god Osiris), the sun god and they created and sustained all life and were the saviors of their people. Isis taught the grinding of corn and bread making, spinning and cloth weaving and was the goddess of magic and (rarely) medicine. She became known as Panthea 'The All Goddess'. Nepri (Neper, Nepra), the 'Lord of the Risen Grain' was the god of corn, wheat and barley, and was, sometimes, of androgynous characteristic (the feminine form of his name is Nepit). Seth (Set, Sheth, Sutekh, Setan or Seteh) was a god of the desert, storms, and foreigners and (rarely) the god of crops. His main attribute seems to have been as the god of chaos.
Shemoth [exodus] 10:
AND יהוה said to Mosheh: Come to Par'oh: for I have made his heart heavy with stubbornness, and the heart of his servants that I may put My signs in his midst,
2. And that you may tell in the ears of your son, and of your son's son, what things I have wrought upon Mitsrayim, and My signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am יהוה!
This section of the story begins in Shemoth [exodus] chapter 10, with יהוה referring to the Peçach Seder commandment (definitively given later), whereby, יהוה commanded Bayith Yisra'el to teach their sons and daughters the miraculous "bringing up" from out of the land of Mitsrayim by His mighty and powerful hand. This story was commanded (not suggested not requested) for all our generations, for all time. No mention was made by יהוה of any other being. No man-god-human-sacrifice was mentioned, nor suggested as a future arrival. No other saving power besides יהוה was to be taught! Verse two ends with יהוה proclaiming "...that you may know (וידעתם and-you-know; from the 'Ibriy root word ידע yaw-dah' to know; to ascertain by seeing) that I am יהוה!" Take notice, that there is no mention of faith either. While an important aspect in our expectations of our Creator-provider 'Elohiym, faith takes a second-seat behind knowledge of יהוה 'Elohiym. The religionist movements of today (and throughout history) are replete with the need to have faith. Faith in the gods of sun, moon and stars. Faith in someone else's death for their crimes. Yet יהוה constantly and consistently tells us to know (Bere'shiyth [genesis] 15:13; Shemoth [exodus] 6:7, 7:5 and 17, 8:10 and 22; Va'iyqrah [leviticus] 23:43; Bemidbar [numbers] 16:5, 28, 30; Dabariym [deuteronomy] 4:35 and 39, 7:9; 9:3; Yahuw'sha 24:31; 2 Melekiym [2 kings] 19:19 – to point to a tiny few in number of verses).
Dabariym [deuteronomy] 4:
9. Only beware and hedge about, as with thorns, and guard and protect for yourself, and vehemently beware and hedge about, as with thorns, and guard and protect for your nephesh, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest you remove them from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children's children;
10. The day that you (Bayith Yisra'el) stood before the Face of יהוה your 'Elohiy in Choreb, when יהוה (Himself) said (audibly) to me: Assemble to Me the people, and I will make them hear My words that they will learn to fear Me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children (to know).
11. You came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire to the heart of Heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness (which, obviously, we saw, heard and even felt!).
12. And יהוה spoke to you (audibly) out of the midst of the fire: you heard the voice of words, but you saw no form; you only heard a voice.
So, we are to know– too bad Par'oh did not, unstill it was too late. Even as the eighth 'plague' transpired Mitsrayim was on it's last legs. Teetering on the edge of the abyss a stubborn and evil man hated the firstborn son of יהוה so much he pushed, prodded and pulled his nation, kicking and screaming, over the edge of the cliff.
Mosheh and 'Aharown report again to Par'oh (Shemoth [exodus] 10:3-6) telling him: יהוה the 'Elohiy of the 'Ibriym demands to know when you will humble yourself. Send out My people to worship Me! If not locusts will cover the land so thick in number you and you people will not be able to see the ground! Par'oh tells Mosheh that only the men will be allowed to go, but this is not the will of יהוה 'Elohiym. All of the 'Ibriym will go, all of the men, all the women and all of the children! The court ministers have had their fill of the whole affair, saying to Par'oh (vs. 7) "...Send out the men that they may serve יהוה their 'Elohiym: do you not know that Mitsrayim is destroyed?"
In verses 8-12 Par'oh tells Mosheh and 'Aharown that only the men will be allowed to go out. Realizing (vs. 10) that none of them intend to return he says "...for evil is before your faces!" But יהוה will not accept this and so:
"No one who has ever seen the locust at work accuses the Bible account of hyperbole. In 1926 and 1927, small swarms of the African migratory locusts were spotted in an area 50 by 120 miles on the plains of the river Niger near Timbuktu. The next year swarms invaded Senegal and Sierra Leone. By 1930 the whole of west Africa was flailing away at the pests with everything moveable. But the locusts didn't seem to notice; swarms reached Khartum, more than 2,000 miles to the east of Timbuktu, then turned south, spreading across Ethiopia, Kenya, the Belgian Congo, and in 1932, striking into the lush farm land of Angola and Rhodesia. Before the plague finally sputtered out fourteen years after it began, it affected five-million miles of Africa, an area nearly double the size of the United States." (Davis, pp. 128, 129) – From: Against The Gods of Egypt (PDF) © 2002 by David Padfield.
Shemoth [exodus] 10:14 and 15 describes, essentially the above quoted material. Picture it much worse. The locust-cloud arrived via an east wind and the sky was most likely darkened-black with the swarms flitting from place to place. The ground was black with the shadow of an innumerable horde of locusts covering, quite literally, everything. All of Mitsrayim was teeming over with the squirming hoppers– both dead and alive. Bug goop from the billions upon billions of crushed locusts was painted-over the roads, by-ways, stone dividing-walls, stairs, benches, chairs, tables, beds, on their clothing, in their hair and anyplace where Mitsriy men, women and children worked, walked, sat or lay down– everything! All surviving plants, from the previous hail-storm, were gobbled up– grass shoots, the now budding wheat and spelt along with whatever sundry kinds of crops might still be producing seedlings, flowers and whatever other types of plants some of the Mitsriy tried to protect from the hail.
Again, fields, gardens, houses, markets, public-buildings, their temples to the dead gods, even Par'oh's palace– all were infested, inside as well as outside. An extremely bloodied (literally) and battle-weary people were assaulted once more by the "Hand of יהוה," that they would know, first-hand, Who He was! It can only have been יהוה's intervention that prevented Par'oh from being killed in his sleep. Despots, tyrants and even many 'good' leaders have been murdered in their beds for far-less serious reasons, but יהוה was not finished with him or the Mitsriy people, yet. Oppress Bayith Yisra'el at your own peril– replacement/grafted-in theories, notwithstanding– יהוה 'Elohiym will remember.
Shemoth [exodus] 10:16 finds Par'oh again with 'entreat, entreats' disease declaring his sins against יהוה and Mosheh (could be read to imply the 'Ibriym in general). Even as יהוה sends a powerful west wind (more proof that He, and He alone, rules the universe; as He brought them in from one direction and takes them back out from the direction they arrived from) to carry the locust-swarm to the Çuwph Sea and he did not send out the sons of Yisra'el.
~ Punish the god(s) and Punish the People - Amon-Ra (Bastet) god(s) 9 ~
Amon-Ra (Atum, Amun, Amon and Ra or Re and various combinations i.e. Amun-Re; Ra was also combined with Horus as Ra-Horakhte) was one of the numerous gods either depicting the sun or protecting the actual sun-god. In his particular case he was the actual god, associated with the sun, heaven, kingship, power, light and the creation of the universe, who rode across the sky during the day shedding 'healing, fertile and blessed' light upon the land. One rival was Bastet ( Bast, Ubasti ) the goddess of the sun, cats (wild and domestic) and of the home she represented the warm, life giving power of the sun and, thus fertility. Their collective duties, besides the healing-fertility included driving off death (the night) or giving death a ride to the underworld (below the western skyline) and protection from various night dæmons.
This time, יהוה does not send Par'oh any announcement. Shemoth [exodus] 21 has Him telling Mosheh to stretch his hands toward the heavens and bring on the darkness. (vs. 22-23) And this darkness lasted a three-day time period and was so thick it was corporeal (touchable; in physical form). The Mitsriy could not walk through it, it was as palpable as mud and much more sinister. None could even move about. Flames of candles or lamps would not stay lit and were extinguished immediately with the on-set of this darkness. And "no man could see his brother" except for in the land of Goshen where the sun shone at it's appointed time, night fell as normal and fires, candles and oil lamps all burned as normal. The 'Ibriym (Hebrews) all moved about as they willed in the land of Goshen. How chilling it must have been to look towards Mitsrayim proper and see this heavy wall of dark stuff hanging over their enemies. Hearing the terrified wailing of a people experiencing something never experienced before– and which came suddenly and without warning. Calls to the various gods must have rang-out as they screamed in terrified vain for rescue. Weary, covered in filth, their bodies bitten by bugs, some wounded by the roving animals, hungry, thirsty, sick from the diseased flesh of rotting animals they must surely have eaten in desperation,– beaten down physically, mentally and emotionally and unable to move or escape this dark-covering must have driven many past the point of sheer raving madness.
Soon, very soon, the entire group of Bayith Yisra'el– the irreplaceable Firstborn Son of יהוה 'Elohiym, Creator of all the universe and all that it contains– soon would be leaving behind their oppression– slavery, rape of their wives and daughters, the murder of their sons, poverty and dearth of spirit. Soon! All of the women and all of their children would be leaving alongside the men. Soon! Leaving with all their possessions. Soon! Leaving with all of their livestock. Soon! Leaving with the spoils of the crumbling and rotting earthly kingdom of Mitsrayim. Soon!
Hear intelligently with attention and interest, comprehend and obey, O Yisra'el, יהוה our 'Elohiym is יהוה alone!
SOON!
~ To Be Continued in Part: ב Peçach: My Son vs. your son ~
The following sources were used in this article (not in any particular order):
His Name Tanakh; The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash Mesorah Publications, ltd; The Stone Edition Tanakh Mesorah Publications, ltd;
Archeology and the Bible - Rabbi Mordechi Becher; www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk; A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses - George Hart; www.goddessgift.com; www.egyptianmyths.net; www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/nut.html; www.egyptartsite.com; The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt - Richard H. Wilkinson; The House of Horus at Edfu - Barbara Watterson; www.angelfire.com/me3/egyptgoddess/Goddess.html; www.pantheon.org;
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