Once again, this Biblical journey meets the calendar in curious ways. This week, in Jewish homes worldwide, Passover is celebrated with a rich mythic menu of symbols and dishes, stories and traditions. Central to the narrative is the bad guy: Pharaoh, King of Egypt who refused, until the bitter end, to let the people go. Way back, when we read through the Exodus story in the Book of Names, we explored the lack of historical evidence supporting any proof that this dramatic escape from slavery into Sinai ever happened, despite some possible scenarios on a smaller scale. But what is evident is that while the people of Israel are busy forging an evolving story of becoming and belonging, the vast empire of Egypt goes on with its own magnificent, complex and continued history of reigning in its own lands as well as establishing power in the greater region. And so in today’s chapter the Pharaoh travels north, with an army to show the Kings of Israel and Judah, busy squabbling, who’s really the boss. This Pharaoh's name as it appears in the Bible is Shishak, sometimes known as Sousakim, and he’s usually identified with Shoshenq I, founder of the 22nd Dynasty of Egypt in the 10th century BCE.
Shishak shows up in Jerusalem just after the kingdom splits in two. Solomon’s son Rehoboam is on the throne of Judah, while Jeroboam rules Northern Israel. The Bible is very cryptic when it comes to this historical moment but other sources have much more to say about who Jeroboam is - and why the King of Egypt is involved in this crisis. One of the richest and surprising sources of information on this moment is the Septuagint, the classical Greek translation of Scriptures. The Septuagint rarely deviates so dramatically from the Hebrew original but in this case the translation adds a lot of detail, including the fact that Shishak was related by marriage to Jeroboam. The wife of Jeroboam is unnamed in the Biblical text but according to the Septuagint, she was an Egyptian princess:
“Sousakim gave Jeroboam Ano, the eldest sister of Thekemina his wife, to him as wife; she was great among the king's daughters... “
The King of the North’s tie to the King of Egypt may explain whey Jeroboam fled to Egypt initially and returned to Israel to claim the court once Solomon died - backed by Egypt. This may explain why Shishak storms Judah and Jerusalem, five years after Rehoboam is crowned and the kingdom splits:
וַיְהִ֛י בַּשָּׁנָ֥ה הַחֲמִישִׁ֖ית לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֑ם עָלָ֛ה שִׁישַׁ֥ק מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֖יִם עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃
In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt marched against Jerusalem
The story does not tell us much except the Shishak looted Jerusalem and emptied Solomon’s temple and palace of all its gold. This may have included the removal of the original ark of the covenant that is then displaced, again, and taken to Tanis in Egypt. (For those of you who remember Spielberg’s action-adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark - Shishak is mentioned by name as the pharaoh who hid it in the Well of Souls in Tanis. )
But archeology challenges Shishak’s conquest of Jerusalem. Shishak’s triumph over the region is found in Megido - one of the cities built by Solomon in the Northern territories. The impressive victory stone plaque found there boasts his battles, confirms the Egyptian campaign throughout the land and is one of the prominent extra-biblical proofs that at least some of what’s described in these pages has some historical merit. But it does not mention Jerusalem. Shishak’s name is also carved in stone at the famous temple of Karnak - where his victorious travels through the Middle East list every city and ruler he conquered. Jerusalem is not mentioned there either. Scholars suggest that the name may simply be missing since some of the carved names have been lost over time but others offer other suggestions.
Yigal Lavin suggests in “Did Pharaoh Sheshonq Attack Jerusalem?” that it is possible that Jerusalem is not listed precisely because it was not actually conquered by Shishak.before the city fell, King Rehoboam saved the city by paying tribute to the Egyptian pharaoh. Thus, the treasures reportedly taken by Shishak were not spoils of war but rather a bribe.
Some scholars claim that although the loot mentioned here is a lot of gold - what’s really at stake at this early Iron Age battle is actually copper - crucial for the metal industry.
Bible History Daily suggests that “With the rise of the 22nd Dynasty under Shishak, Egypt was finally able to affect the situation. It is possible that Shishak’s campaign was aimed at creating a monopoly on the Levantine copper mines and pushing out competition for this scarce and important resource. If this is correct, Shishak’s assault on Judah and the surrounding region may have been an attempt to reassert dominance over the Levantine kingdoms and to regain control of the copper trade.”
The Egyptian war on Judah and Israel does not capture the spotlight of this chapter despite its potential impact. It is seen as an additional - almost marginal - layer of concern as the two kingdoms begin the long battle for supremacy and local rule.
The Queen of the North, perhaps an Egyptian princess, is the main story in this chapter, as she tries to save their ill son, Aviah, from death, only to be rebuked by Ahija of Shiloh, the old prophet who was the first to tell her husband that one day he’ll rule the north. But now he’s changed his tune - because of Jeroboam’s religious reforms that betray the original Davidic contract - the prince will die and all who belong to the loins of Jeroboam will also meet a terrible death. The Queen and King bury their son shortly after. After 22 years on the throne, the first king of the north is also dead, and Nadav, their son, takes over the throne. Across the border, Rehoboam also dies some time later and his son Abiyam is crowned.
The wars continue between the two kingdoms and other global and regional forces are about to intervene.
3,000 years and more later, names like Pharaoh still familiar to our modern Western ears keep evoking images of both grandeur and loathing, curiosity and fear. Myth or metaphor, history in full or fragmented, we are still invited to go within in order to explore the ways with which we each can rise up to every challenge, with our eye on liberation and dignity for ourselves - and for all.
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