Topical Bible: Government: Mosaic: Among the Egyptians

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The governance system of ancient Egypt, as encountered by the Israelites during their sojourn and subsequent exodus, provides a backdrop for understanding the Mosaic government established by God through Moses. The Egyptian government was a centralized autocracy, with the Pharaoh at its apex, considered both a king and a deity. This theocratic monarchy wielded absolute power over the land and its people, a stark contrast to the covenantal and theocratic system later instituted by Moses under divine guidance.

Pharaoh's Role and Authority

In Egypt, the Pharaoh was seen as the earthly embodiment of the gods, particularly associated with the sun god Ra. This divine kingship granted the Pharaoh supreme authority, both religious and political. The Pharaoh's decrees were considered law, and his word was final. This is evident in the biblical narrative of Joseph, who, after interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, was elevated to a position of power second only to Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:40-41: "You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.").

Bureaucratic Structure

The Egyptian government was supported by a complex bureaucracy. High officials, often drawn from the nobility, managed various aspects of governance, including agriculture, labor, and the treasury. This bureaucratic system was essential for maintaining the vast infrastructure projects, such as the construction of temples and pyramids, and for managing the annual inundation of the Nile, which was crucial for agriculture.

Slavery and Labor

The Israelites' experience in Egypt was marked by their enslavement, a critical aspect of the Egyptian economy and labor system. The Bible recounts the harsh conditions under which the Israelites labored, building store cities for Pharaoh (Exodus 1:11: "So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh."). This oppressive system of forced labor highlights the absolute control Pharaoh exerted over his subjects, contrasting with the Mosaic law's emphasis on justice and the humane treatment of servants.

Religious Influence

Religion permeated every aspect of Egyptian governance. The Pharaoh, as a god-king, was the chief priest and intermediary between the gods and the people. This religious authority was used to legitimize his rule and maintain social order. The plagues that God sent upon Egypt, as described in the book of Exodus, were direct challenges to this religious-political system, demonstrating the supremacy of the God of Israel over the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12: "On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.").

Contrast with Mosaic Government

The Mosaic government, established after the Exodus, was fundamentally different from the Egyptian model. It was a theocracy based on a covenant between God and His people, with laws given directly by God through Moses. Unlike the centralized autocracy of Egypt, the Mosaic system included a decentralized tribal structure with judges and elders, emphasizing justice, mercy, and the rule of law as outlined in the Torah.

The experience of the Israelites in Egypt, under a government that combined absolute political and religious authority, served as a backdrop for the laws and governance system that God would establish through Moses. This new system was designed to reflect God's holiness and justice, setting His people apart from the nations around them.

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Genesis 50:7
And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
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Genesis 41:37,38
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
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Exodus 10:1,7
And the LORD said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these my signs before him:
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Exodus 12:30
And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
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Exodus 14:5
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
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Library

Book 3 Footnotes
... take notice here, that the very Mosaic Petalon, or ... the return of the kingly government,
the restoration ... in imitation of somewhat like them among the Egyptians ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 3 footnotes.htm

Chapter xlvii
... The resources of the government apparently could carry the ... ordinance which prevailed
till the Mosaic age""unto ... had once divided the land among all Egyptians ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xlvii.htm

The Old Testament and Comparative Religion
... may be said that during the pre-Mosaic period the ... wish to give his land good government,
let him ... certain requirements among the Babylonians, among the Egyptians ...
/.../eiselen/the christian view of the old testament/chapter v the old testament.htm

The Close of the Theban Empire
... coloured background, constitute an immense mosaic-work of ... with little power of
self-government, and thus ... relationship, which was as binding among the Egyptians ...
/.../chapter iiithe close of the.htm

The Memphite Empire
... and the hollows thus made are filled in with a mosaic of tinted ... good old times; but
his fame, however great it may have been among the Egyptians, has been ...
/.../chapter iithe memphite empire.htm

The Pentateuch.
... thousand years God had administered the government of the ... contains the establishment
of the Mosaic economy with ... a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." Chap ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xix the pentateuch.htm

The Close of the Theban Empire --(Continued)
... Death required, in fact, far more attendants among the ancient Egyptians than with
us. ... leather, which gave the whole an appearance of brilliant mosaic-work ...
/.../chapter ithe close of the.htm

The Israelites
... into a strange country, where the government and civilisation ... First at Sinai, among
the mountains of Seir and ... the modern 'Ain Qadis, the Mosaic legislation was ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter i the israelites.htm

The Meaning
... to call both, as well the Mosaic tutorship as ... of the mighty, he is a Judge among
gods." Psalm ... of the Dragon, rebelling against Christian government, was fully ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the meaning 3.htm

Origen Against Celsus
... desire to cast discredit upon the Mosaic account ... spirit that Celsus imagines our
Lord's pre-eminence among? ... imagining that the Jews are Egyptians by descent ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen against celsus/