Coinciding Migrations to Egypt Or the Same? Jacob And The Hyskos

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                  

                                                 Here Come the Hyksos To Avaris 

Jacob is often associated with the Hyksos (an Egyptian term meaning "rulers of foreign lands"). The Hyksos were a Semitic and West Asiatic group who gradually migrated from Canaan into the Nile Delta during the Middle Kingdom, eventually establishing their own dynasty as pharaohs.  Was this a larger group that Abram and his family band joined to migrate into Egypt? Abram and his descendants (including Jacob and Joseph) migrated from Canaan to Egypt during times of severe famine.  

Before Jacob (also called Israel) ever left Canaan for Egypt, God spoke to him in a vision at Beersheba. God told him not to be afraid to go down to Egypt because He would make Jacob’s descendants into a great nation there. 

Archaeological findings at the Hyksos capital of Avaris show that a massive Semitic population had settled in the region long before they took control.

While the name "Avaris" does not appear explicitly in the biblical text, biblical scholars and archaeologists connect it to the ancient city of Rameses (or Raamses) and the region of Goshen. Avaris (now known as Tell el-Dab'a) was the ancient capital of the Hyksos and serves as a major focal point in the debate surrounding the Israelites' time in Egypt.

"Tucked beneath the layers of Nile Delta soil lies a city long forgotten by many, yet central to the biblical story of Joseph and the Israelites in Egypt—Avaris, the ancient capital of the eastern Delta. This city, once teeming with Semitic life and bustling trade, holds the key to understanding where Jacob and his family settled when they entered Egypt, as described in Genesis.   

   Jacob and His Family  of Leah with all the children, mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun and a daughter, Dinah  on left;   and her sister, Rachel, mother of Joseph now in Egypt with Jacob in center with her 2nd child-Benjamin;  and the sisters' handmaidens-Zilpah from Leah, mother of Gad and Asher; and Bilhah from Rachel, mother of Dan and Naphtali. Jacob's family make up the 70 who descended to Egypt.  According to the Bible, the "70 souls" are Jacob's direct blood descendants, Joseph, and Joseph's two sons. This group specifically excludes the wives of Jacob and his sons.

The Math: 66 direct blood descendants + Jacob himself + Joseph + Joseph’s two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) = 70 people.

Leah's Descendants (33): Her six sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun), their children, and her daughter Dinah.

Zilpah's Descendants (16): Leah's handmaid Zilpah, her two sons (Gad and Asher), and her grandchildren.

Rachel's Descendants (14): Rachel, her two sons (Joseph and Benjamin), and Joseph's two sons born in Egypt.

Bilhah's Descendants (7): Rachel's handmaid Bilhah, and her two sons (Dan and Naphtali) along with their children.

 The reality of the events are described in Genesis and Exodus. We Jews have been educated in the fact that we built storage cities, not the pyramids.   Thanks in part to the tireless work of archaeologists like Manfred Bietak, filmmakers like Tim Mahoney, and interpreters of biblical history like Nate Loper, the true story of Avaris is finally being unearthed—both literally and figuratively.  Avaris, located at the modern site of Tell el-Dab‘a in Egypt’s eastern Nile Delta, became the capital of the Hyksos rulers during the Second Intermediate Period. But before the Hyksos dynasty rose to power, this site was already home to a large Semitic population—shepherds and settlers who had come from Canaan, just as Genesis 47 describes.  In the Bible, the specific region of Egypt designated for Jacob and his family to live is the Land of Goshen. This territory was chosen for its excellent pastures to accommodate their livestock, and it offered the family separation from Egyptian societal and religious practices.  Then, did Jacob's family of 70 come before the migration of the Hyksos?  Seems like it.  In biblical tradition and scholarly chronology, Jacob and his family of 70 migrated to Egypt in 1876 BCE. The Egyptian priest wrote about Hyksos in 3rd century BCE which would be in 300-301 BCE.  Then Josephus in 1st century  CE spread the rumors and people ate it up.   

The relocation and settlement of Jacob’s family in Goshen are primarily covered in Genesis 46 and Genesis 47:

The earliest we know about the Hyksos was from:  The migration and rise of the Hyksos were primarily described by the Greco-Egyptian priest Manetho in the 3rd century BCE. Writing his history of Egypt (Aegyptiaca) in Koine Greek, he portrayed them as violent invaders from the Levant. This account survives today because it was quoted by the 1st century CE Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in his work Contra Apionem. Manetho of 3rd century BCE described the Hyksos as "invaders of an obscure race" who conquered the Nile Delta without a fight and later fled to Judea and founded Jerusalem . Flavius Josephus later preserved these writings, and actively argued that the Hyksos were, in fact, the biblical Israelites.

It couldn't be our family of 70 which includes many children. That would go against all the principles and morality of Jacob.   They were not violent invaders that may have acted like Genghis Khan did with his invasions much later on.  This is how anti-Semitism spreads, saying things about Abram, Jacob and Moses that are not true at all.