Identity of the Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus
The identity of the Pharaoh in the biblical book of Exodus is not explicitly stated by name within the text itself. Instead, "Pharaoh" functions as a title for the Egyptian ruler, rather than a personal name [10, 11]. This practice is consistent throughout the biblical narrative, where various Egyptian kings are referred to simply as "Pharaoh" [5]. For instance, the Bible mentions a Pharaoh during Abraham's time (Genesis 12:15), another during the United Monarchy (1 Kings 3:1) [6], and several during the Divided Monarchy (2 Kings 18:21, Jeremiah 25:19, 1 Chronicles 4:18) [3, 7, 8]. The Pharaoh central to the Exodus narrative is first mentioned in Exodus 1:11 and Exodus 3:10 [1, 2].
The term "Pharaoh" itself is derived from an Egyptian word meaning "the great house," akin to "the Sublime Porte," which later became a title for the king [5]. This title emphasizes the king's authority and position, as seen in Genesis 41:44, where Pharaoh declares, "I am Pharaoh... thou, the next to me, shalt rule over all my people" [15].
In the Exodus account, this unnamed Pharaoh is depicted as a powerful monarch who initially enslaves the Israelites and later refuses to let them leave Egypt despite divine commands delivered by Moses and Aaron [9, 14]. His resistance leads to a series of ten plagues, through which God demonstrates his power and sovereignty [12]. Pharaoh's defiance is highlighted in his question, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, to let Israel go?" [16]. This query underscores his ignorance of Yahweh and his belief in his own supreme authority, leading to a divine demonstration of power intended to make both Pharaoh and the Egyptians "know that I am Yahweh" [4, 12, 17].
While the biblical text does not provide a personal name for the Exodus Pharaoh, historical and archaeological scholarship has proposed several candidates based on different chronologies for the Exodus event. However, no definitive consensus has been reached among scholars. The absence of a specific name in the biblical text may serve to emphasize the theological message of God's power over any human ruler, rather than focusing on the individual identity of the oppressor.
Later biblical texts do occasionally provide specific names for Egyptian rulers, such as "Pharaoh Hophra" in Jeremiah 44:30 [13]. This distinction suggests that when a specific name was relevant to the narrative or historical context, it was included. The consistent use of "Pharaoh" as a title in the Exodus narrative, therefore, highlights the role of the office rather than the person, making the conflict a confrontation between the God of Israel and the institution of Egyptian imperial power.
Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR “Biblical proper name: [email protected]=H6547I — Pharaoh living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness (refs: #A Pharaoh of Egypt living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.1.11; <br>ref)”
- STEPBible TIPNR “Biblical proper name: [email protected]=H6547J — Pharaoh living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness (refs: #A Pharaoh of Egypt living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.3.10; <br>ref)”
- STEPBible TIPNR “Biblical proper name: [email protected]=H6547L — Pharaoh living at the time of Divided Monarchy (refs: #A Pharaoh of Egypt living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.18.21; <br>only r)”
- Exodus “Exodus 14:18 (LEB) — And the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I display my glory through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his charioteers.””
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Pharaoh — the common title of the native kings of Egypt in the Bible, corresponding to P-ra or Ph-ra "the sun," of the hieroglyphics. Brugsch, Ebers and other modern Egyptologists define it to mean 'the great house," which would correspond to our "the Sublime Porte." As several kings are mentioned only by the title "Pharaoh" in the Bible, it is important to endeavor to discriminate them: + The Pharaoh of Abraham . (Genesis 12:15)--At the time at which the patriarch went into Egypt, it is generally held that the country, or at least lower Egypt, was ruled by the Shephe”
- STEPBible TIPNR “Biblical proper name: [email protected]=H6547K — Pharaoh living at the time of United Monarchy (refs: #A Pharaoh of Egypt living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.3.1; <br>only refe)”
- STEPBible TIPNR “Biblical proper name: [email protected]=H6547M — Pharaoh living at the time of Divided Monarchy (refs: #A Pharaoh of Egypt living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.4.18; <br>only ref)”
- STEPBible TIPNR “Biblical proper name: [email protected]=H6547N — Pharaoh living at the time of Divided Monarchy (refs: #A Pharaoh of Egypt living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at Jer.25.19; <br>only re)”
- Exodus “Exodus 3:11 (Geneva1599) — But Moses said vnto God, Who am I, that I should go vnto Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 12:15: 12:15 Pharaoh was a title, not a personal name (37:36; Exod 1:15).”
- Exodus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Exodus 1:15: 1:15 Pharaoh is a title for the Egyptian ruler, not a personal name. • The origins of the word Hebrew are unclear. As used by the Egyptians and Philistines in reference to the Israelites, it was apparently a derogatory term for a despised underclass. • Whatever the number of Hebrew people (see study note on 12:37), there were clearly more than two midwives for the whole nation. Probably the two named here, Shiphrah and Puah, are representatives of the whole group. The differences between Pharaoh and the midwives are dramatic. He had great political and military po”
- Exodus (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Exodus 14:18: Shall know that I am the Lord - Pharaoh had just recovered from the consternation and confusion with which the late plagues had overwhelmed him, and now he is emboldened to pursue after Israel; and God is determined to make his overthrow so signal by such an exertion of omnipotence, that he shall get himself honor by this miraculous act, and that the Egyptians shall know, i.e., acknowledge, that he is Jehovah, the omnipotent, self-existing, eternal God.”
- Jeremiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Jeremiah 44:30: Thus saith the Lord, behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt,.... Pharaoh was a common name of the kings of Egypt, who usually had some surname, by which they were distinguished; and the surname of the then present king of Egypt was Hophra; whom the Septuagint and others call Vaphres; and, Herodotus (l) Apries. The Targum renders it Pharaoh the broken; and the Syriac version Pharaoh the lame: now it is here predicted as a sign of the destruction of the Jews in Egypt, which should follow after, that God would deliver this king into the hand of his enemies,”
- Exodus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Exodus 3:11: And Moses said unto God, who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh,.... A private person, an exile in a foreign country, a poor shepherd, unknown to Pharaoh, and had no interest in him; and he a great king, and possessed of numerous forces to defend his country, and prevent the Israelites' departure out of it: time was when he was known to a Pharaoh, dwelt in his court, and made a figure there, and had great interest and authority there, being the adopted son of the king's daughter; but now it was otherwise with him: and that I should bring forth the children of Israe”
- Genesis (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 41:44: "I am Pharaoh," he said to him, "and without thee shall no man lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt;" i.e., I am the actual king, and thou, the next to me, shalt rule over all my people.”
- Exodus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Exodus 5:2: And Pharaoh said, who is the Lord,.... Jehovah, they made mention of, which, whether he took it for the name of a deity, or of a king, whose ambassadors they declared themselves to be, was a name he had never heard of before; and this being expressed and pronounced, shows that this name is not ineffable, or unlawful to be pronounced, as say the Jews: that I should obey his voice, to let Israel go? he knew of no superior monarch to him, whose orders he was obliged to obey in any respect, and particularly in this, the dismission of the people of Israel out of his land,”
- Exodus (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Exodus 5:2: And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord--rather "Jehovah." Lord was a common name applied to objects of worship; but Jehovah was a name he had never heard of. Pharaoh estimated the character and power of this God by the abject and miserable condition of the worshippers and concluded that He held as low a rank among the gods as His people did in the nation. To demonstrate the supremacy of the true God over all the gods of Egypt, was the design of the plagues. I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go--As his honor and interest were both involved he d”