The story that never happened – but shaped the identity of an entire people and religions. Articles published on the Hidan website over the years
The seminal story that became a unifying myth
The Exodus is much more than a biblical story. It is seen as a moral, theological, and social foundation – a starting point through which a dramatic transition took place from anarchy to the city of God, from exile to destiny. It is not only a national narrative, but In the moral infrastructure of Jewish consciousness. Over the years, the "Exodus from Egypt" became a universal image of liberation from slavery, which was also assimilated into Christian and Islamic culture.
But the more one examines the historical data, the more it becomes clear that this is an event that has no evidentiary basis. There is no mention in ancient Egyptian writings of Moses, the enslavement of the Hebrews, the plagues of Egypt, or the crossing of the Red Sea. Many scholars, including those surveyed on the website Hayadan, point out that there is no archaeological evidence for the existence of the people of Israel as a cohesive group in Egypt – let alone for a mass exodus from there.
???? We did not leave Egypt – Yigal Ben-Nun, April 2024
Priestly creation or folk myth?
The articles published on the site demonstrate how the story of the Exodus appears more like a later editing of diverse materials than a unified historical story. A later editor combined various traditions – some from the Kingdom of Judah, others from the Kingdom of Israel – some written in a priestly style, and others in the vernacular. These narratives were combined into a single plot, with many internal contradictions. For example: different versions of the number of years in the wilderness, the laws given at Mount Sinai, and even the question of whether the Israelites were slaves or settlers at all.
This process of myth-forming, composed of a variety of voices and cultural interests, likely reflected the desire of the priests in the Temple in Jerusalem to establish their spiritual rule, while constructing a formative past in the form of an "act of God." Myth did not record the past – it created it..
Unbelievable numbers
How can one believe that over two million people walked in the desert for 40 years, without any archaeological finds remaining? A poignant article published on the website presents the absurd numbers that appear in the Bible – 600,000 men, not including women and children. Beyond the extreme logistical difficulty (supplying water, food, camps) – the ground findings also show that there was no such massive presence in the Sinai Desert at that time.
This is one of the strongest arguments in the collapse of the assumption that this is a historical story. Not only are these numbers illogical – they also completely contradict what we know about the Egyptian and Canaanite population at that time.
???? The Unbelievable Numbers – Avi Blizovsky, April 2009
External or local origin?
The story of the Exodus from Egypt is seen as a description of the “allochthonic” – external – origin of the Israelites. However, in other parts of the Bible there are hints of an “autochthonous” – internal origin – according to which the Israelites are the result of a cultural development within Canaan and not immigrants. The tension between these two traditions expresses a deep theological debate, and the fact that both were included in the biblical texts indicates an ancient internal debate: Should we see ourselves as natives or immigrants? “conquerors” or “chosen”?
The version that prevails, probably due to priestly control of the temple and the text, is that of the Exodus – which ties the identity of the people to miraculous redemption, not to geographical roots. It is not just a story, but a moral framework that affirms the authority of religious leaders as the exclusive mediators of truth.
???? Allochthonous Tradition – Yigal Ben-Nun, April 2024
The Reverse Story: When the Egyptians Blamed the Jews
In one of the most fascinating historical twists, Egyptian writers of the Hellenistic period turned the story of the Exodus on its head. In writings written in the third century BCE, likely by Alexandrian scholars, the writers argued that the Jews were not victims—but aggressors. They portrayed them as disease-carrying, socially dangerous, driven out of Egypt for the sake of the country’s cleansing.
These writings became, as claimed in an interview published on the website, an ideological basis for future anti-Semitism. They branded the Jews as a wandering, unfaithful people, and for the first time as collective sinners. The meaning is clear: the Exodus became an arena for a struggle not only over memory – but over The image of the entire Jewish people In the eyes of the world.
???? The place and time where anti-Semitism was born – interview on the website, April 2024
And what did they find anyway? – Between significant and absent
The question "What did archaeology find anyway?" is not just technical - it deals with the essence: Should we allow that there is a realistic kernel behind the myth, or is it a fiction that is nourished by cultural and symbolic influences? The answer that emerges from findings collected over decades of research is not unequivocal, but the clear tendency is to separate the main A true and proven Egyptian. a story About A mass exile that is not supported at all .
At many sites in the land of Canaan – Megiddo, Tel Gezer, Tel Lachish, Tel Afek, Beit Shean and others – archaeological layers from the Late Bronze Age have been uncovered that indicate an official Egyptian presence. Statues, seals, Egyptian-style pottery, and even affixes containing symbols similar to those of the Egyptian religion have been found. These reflect Egyptian control or dominance, but there is no hint of a story about slavery, rebellion, or the exodus from Egypt.
One of the most notable discoveries is The Canaanite tomb in the Jezreel Valley from the 14th century BCE containing Egyptian grave goods This finding reinforces the assumption of trade ties and high status between local elites and Egypt.
Another important finding is Address: Marnpatah Dated to 1207 BCE. This is the earliest Egyptian inscription to mention “Israel,” but there is a connection to a text group residing in Canaan—not a people who had just fled Egypt. The name appears as a reference to the Egyptian army, further illuminating the story of Israel’s liberation during the “Wildlife”?
Beyond that, The papyri are found on Elephantine Island. In southern Egypt – rare evidence of an active Jewish community from the 5th century BCE – a Jewish group is described with its own house of worship, the custom of offering sacrifices and celebrating Passover. Those who claim that the myth was only constructed in later centuries are, as a unified tool in shaping a national identity in situations of fracture.
In addition, Egyptian symbols permeated early Jewish culture in a fascinating way: the structure of the Tabernacle and the Ark is reminiscent of a distinctly Egyptian aesthetic. Images such as the cherubim, the golden calf, the laws of impurity and purity, and the veneration of the Tablets of the Covenant are reminiscent of Egyptian religious motifs. This reinforces the assumption that early Judaism was Deep Egyptian cultural consciousness –– But again, not from the trauma of slavery, but from prolonged and thoughtful contact.
???? Egyptian discovery in the Galilee – Avi Blizovsky, April 2014
More of the topic in Hayadan:
3 תגובות
Shallow article that relies on a dubious historian Ben-Nun. Go out and study the inscriptions of the Egyptian pharaohs. Did you know that one of the Hyksos kings was Jacob? Did you know that in the past, eastern Jordan was inhabited by tribes who worshiped the god "Yahweh". The whole false theory that the Hebrews originated from Canaanites promotes political views.
An interesting article, but one gets the feeling that it was written by an LLM, and I would recommend being careful of that. Every writing style is a signature that the reader is looking for.
The truth is that only one person left Egypt and arrived in Canaan only due to a navigational error.