In Search of the Pharaoh Who Defied Moses Bringing About the Exodus; Thutmose III ?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                     

I'm excited about Thutmose III because our Pesach story of Moses and the Exodus tells us a little, but not the name of the pharaoh that Moses spoke with.  We know that his son was killed in the 10th plague of the 1st-born that died.  Thutmose's date seems to fit Moses's time period though off a little due to differences in calendars and dating the birth of Moses who in Jewish methodo pharaology of dating, lived from 1391 to 1271 BCE, 120 years.   

  For example:  Generally, non-Jewish scholars see Moses as a legendary figure, whilst retaining the possibility that Moses or a Moses-like figure existed in the 13th century BCE.   Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BCE;Jerome suggested 1592 BCE, and James Ussher suggested 1571 BCE as his birth year. 1592-1391= a difference of about 201 years using Jerome.  

Thutmose III was the son of Thutmose II by a secondary wife, Iset (or Aset).  Thutmose II was the son of Thutmose I and a minor wife, Mutnofret. He was, therefore, a lesser son of Thutmose I and chose to marry his fully royal half-sister, Hatshepsut, in order to secure his kingship.

Thutmose III was born in 1481 BCE according to non-Jewish Calendar, a difference of 280 years with our Jewish calendar d: 1425 BCE at 56.  Moses met him again when he returned to Egypt at his age of about 80-81.  Moses was born in 1391 BCE according to my Jewish calendar, so this would have been in about 1310 BCE. This should conclude that Thutmose and Moses story did happen during the same period.  

(The length of Thutmose III's reign is known to the day thanks to information found in the tomb of the military commander Amenemheb-Mahu. Amenemheb-Mahu records Thutmose III's death to his master's 54th regnal year, on the 30th day of the third month of Peret. The day of Thutmose III's accession is known to be I Shemu day four, and astronomical observations can be used to establish the exact dates of the beginning and end of the king's reign (assuming the low chronology) from 28 April 1479 BC to 11 March 1425 BC respectively.)

Depiction of Syrians bringing presents to Tuthmosis III, in the tomb of Rekhmire, circa 1400 BC (actual painting and interpretational drawing). They are labeled "Chiefs of Retjenu".

Thutmose III  sometimes called Thutmose the Great, was the sixth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty.  Officially, Thutmose III ruled Egypt for almost 54 years and his reign is usually dated from 28 April 1479 BC to 11 March 1425 BC, from the age of two and until his death at age fifty-six.

  His father's great royal wife was Queen Hatshepsut. Her daughter, Neferure, was Thutmose's half-sister. 

During the first 22 years of his reign, Thutmose III was coregent with his stepmother and aunt, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharaoh. While he was shown first on surviving monuments, both were assigned the usual royal names and insignia and neither is given any obvious seniority over the other. Thutmose served as the head of Hatshepsut's armies.                               

Coffin of Amenemhat (late New Kingdom to early 3rd intermediate period)

 During the final two years of his reign, he appointed his son and successor, Amenhotep II, as his junior co-regent. His firstborn son and heir to the throne, Amenemhat, had predeceased Thutmose III !!!  Do I have to look further?   Note the distinction made between "his son" and "his first-born son."

             More About Thutmose III

Becoming the sole ruling pharaoh of the kingdom after Hatshepsut's death, he conducted no fewer than 17 campaigns from Syria to Upper Nubia, expanding Egypt's empire to its largest extent.

When Thutmose III died, he was buried in the Valley of the Kings, as were the rest of the kings from this period in Egypt. He is regarded, along with Ramesses II, as one of the two most powerful and celebrated rulers of the New Kingdom Period of Ancient Egypt, itself considered the height of Egyptian power.       

                                    

Thutmose III was the son of Thutmose II by a secondary wife, Iset (or Aset). So Thutmose III was definitely not a 1st son to Thutmose II.  

When Thutmose II died, Thutmose III was too young to rule. Hatshepsut became his regent, soon his co-regent, and shortly thereafter declared herself to be the pharaoh while never denying kingship to Thutmose III. Thutmosis III had little power over the empire while Hatshepsut exercised the formal titulary of kingship. Her rule was quite prosperous and marked by great advancements. When Thutmose III reached a suitable age and demonstrated the capability, she appointed him to head her armies. 

           Neferure, Thutmose's half-sister (possible wife)

Some Egyptologists speculate that Thutmose married his half-sister, Neferure, but there is no conclusive evidence for this marriage. It has been suggested that Neferure, may have been the mother of Thutmose's firstborn son, Amenemhat. 

 Amenemhat: deceased 1st son

 The name of Amenemhat was mentioned on an inscription in the Karnak Temple in the 24th year, shortly after the death of Hatshepsut and the subsequent ascension of his father to pharaoh. He was appointed as Overseer of cattle– quite an unusual title for a prince – in that year.

Amenemhat predeceased his father, who ruled for more than thirty years after Hatshepsut died, so the next pharaoh was his half-brother Amenhotep II.    

                                Alternatively, the Great Royal Wife Satiah is believed to have been the mother of Amenemhat. Amenemhat predeceased his father.  Satiah (also, Sitiah, Sitioh; “Daughter of the Moon”) was an ancient Egyptian queen, the Great Royal Wife of Thutmose III.  Satiah was the daughter of the royal nurse Ipu. It is possible that her father was the important official Ahmose Pen-Nekhebet. No children of Satiah are known, though there is a possibility that Prince Amenemhat – Thutmose's eldest son, who died in the 35th year of his father's reign – was her son. Satiah died during her husband's 24 years reign and Thutmose's next Great Royal Wife was Merytre-Hatshepsut who became the Great Royal Wife. She was the mother of several of his children, including the future king Amenhotep II and another son, Menkheperre, and at least four daughters: Nebetiunet, Meryetamun (C), Meryetamun (D) and Iset. Several other wives of Thutmose are attested to by surviving records. He is known to have at least three foreign wives, Menwi, Merti, and Menhet, who were buried together. At least one other wife, Nebtu, is known from a pillar in Thutmose's tomb. 

Note on date differences:  The Jewish calendar is based on a lunar calendar system. The first day of the week in the Jewish calendar is on Yom Rishon which is Sunday in the Gregorian calendar. The last day of the week on the Jewish calendar is the Yom Shabbat or Sabbath Day is on Saturday. The Jewish calendar’s first month is Nissan which begins in either March or April. The Jewish calendar only has 354 days but adds an additional month seven times in 19 years to keep in sync with the solar year.

The Jewish calendar also dictates the age of the earth since its creation according to the Bible in the Book of Genesis. As of the Jewish calendar today, it is year 5783 since the creation of the earth. The Jewish holidays also follow the Jewish calendar only since using the Gregorian calendar would result to a different date every year. The Three Pilgrimage Festivals (Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot) begins in the first month of the Jewish calendar until the third month. The Jewish calendar also remained the same since the Old Testament.

This pharaoh, Tutmoses III,  could have been the grandfather or father of the pharaoh Moses went to school with, a good reason why Moses thought he could gain an audience with him.  

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thutmose_III