Scarabs In Egypt

The Hebrews moved to Mitsrayim (Egypt) because of the patriarch Joseph. Seventy souls came to Goshen in the middle delta of Mitsrayim. Which is known to have been occupied by the famous pharaoh Rameses II. No Egyptian etymology for the name "Goshen" (Ḳosem) has been found, which seems to be of Semitic origin. While there they became a nation within a nation, multiplying increasingly. After Joseph had died in Mitsrayim, a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph, rose and was intimidated by the Hebrews because of their vast numbers in the land of Goshen. So the Egyptians decided to afflict the Hebrews, forcing them to construct storage cities Pithom and Raamses. The site of Pithom, is to the east of the Wady Tumilat, south-west of Ismailia. Raameses

was built practically on the same site as the ancient city of Avaris (modern Tell el-Dab’a). While surviving under these severe conditions, the people cried out to Yahweh, the God of Joseph. Egyptians were polytheistic, the worship of many deities, in there religious beliefs. Egyptians elected Pharaohs as the appointed sovereign. These hereditary rulers were believed to be "the sons of Ra”. Ra was the most common name of the sun god of Ancient Mitsrayim. Ra was often thought to be the King of the Gods and thus the patron of the pharaoh and one of the central gods of the Egyptian pantheon. On their heads Pharaoh wore the falcon, symbol of Horus and from the forehead rose a serpent, symbol of wisdom and life, and communicating diviner to the crown. The Pharaoh was chief-priest of the faith, and led armies and hosted ceremonies that celebrated the festivals of their deities. Yahweh planned to reveal Himself to the Egyptians by the plagues and to judge the land of Mitsrayim and their false gods. "But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Mitsrayim and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Mitsrayim by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Mitsrayim and bring out the children of Israel from among them". Since the Hebrews were crying out to the Lord, he rose up Mosheh (Moses). When Mosheh was born, during a time when Pharaoh declared that all male Hebrew infants were to be drowned at birth, his mother hid him and then put him into an ark and set him afloat down the Nile River. Downstream, Pharaoh’s daughter found pity on Mosheh, had compassion for him, and adopt him as her own son in the royal court. In his early adult life, he was infuriated when he witnessed an Egyptian overseer beating a Hebrew so much that he killed the overseer. The next day, two Hebrews were fighting, he tries to make peace between them but one of the Hebrews took offense and said: "Do you plan to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Mosheh immediately knew there was witnesses to the overseer’s murder, even though his high status would be enough to protect him from punishment, the fact that he killed an Egyptian appointed by Pharaoh, he knew he would be outcasted and treated severely. Of course, Pharaoh orders Mosheh to be executed, and he flees to Midian.
Mosheh feared for his life and felt he could escape to peace but soon finds himself in yet another altercation. The seven daughters of the Midianite priest Yithro (Jethro) are being harassed by the Midianite shepherds, so Mosheh rises to their defense. It’s no wonder Yahweh chose Mosheh, due to his passion for fighting against injustice. Mosheh marries one of Yithro's daughters Tsipporah,, and takes the role of shepherd for his Yithro's flock. During a time Mosheh, had gone with his flock of sheep up to Mount Horeb, and a messenger of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush that is burning but is not consumed. The symbolism behind this miracle is compelling. A time in the world where nature itself is worshiped, Yahweh shows that He rules over it. Even though Mosheh had hesitation, Yahweh commands Mosheh that he be chosen to lead the Hebrews out of the land of Mitsrayim, along with his brother Aharon, and make a strong demand of Pharaoh: "Let my people go." The journey had started to free the Hebrews from the hands of the hard hearted Pharaoh.
The plagues afflicted against the Egyptians, were not just against Pharaoh, but even more so "against all the gods of Mitsrayim" (Exo. 12:12). Every one of the plagues was to convey a strong declaration of ridicule to the gods of Mitsrayim. When Mosheh came to speak to Pharaoh he carried the rod which became a snake. The Pharaoh’s magicians' turned their rods into snakes, but rod of Mosheh, Yahweh commanded, ate theirs.
First Plague: Water Turned To Blood
The Nile River was the center of Mitsrayim’s trade, commerce, and crops. The longest river in the world, spread throughout Mitsrayim territory and beyond. Hapi revered by Egyptians as the "spirit of the Nile" and its "powerful essence." Hapi was the deity of the annual Nile floods. descriptions of Hapi are described as the "lord of the fishes and birds and marshes." The deity Khnum was the guardian of all water, he was recognized as the source of the Nile River, and ensured that a precious black silt would deposit onto the river banks to make the land fertile.. Khnum also referred as a protective deity of the dead. One of the most famous deity of Mitsrayim was Osiris, the god of the underworld; Egyptians believed that the Nile River was his bloodstream. It made better sense that the first of the plagues would be directed against the Nile River itself, the precious idol of worship in Mitsrayim and the center of commerce and trade. The first plague was to turn the Nile River into blood. Not only did the fish in the river die, but from the stench itself the Egyptians were not able to use the water any longer. Everything the Egyptians had for water sources were contaminated. Crocodiles were forced to desert the Nile River. Imaging the Egyptian worshippers of Hapi, their god of the Nile River who was said to manifest in the crocodiles now deserted the entire river.
Second Plague: Frogs
The Egyptian goddess Heqt was believed to be the wife of a great god of Egyptian beliefs. Considered the goddess of birth, she is depicted with a frog head and body and believed to manifest through frogs. Amulets and scarabs bearing the image of Heqt were worn for protection by Egyptian women to protect them during childbirth. Heqt was believed to aid women during childbirth. Now we see the irony in the statement that Yahweh commanded the frogs invade to Pharaoh's bedroom and even jumped on his bed. Frogs were so sacred in Mitsrayim, that even the accidental death of a frog was more often than not, punishable by death. Imagine the thought of Heqt for the Egyptian people, with massive heaps of gathered dead, decaying bodies of frogs. Notice how the Pharaoh ask Mosheh to entreat with Yahweh on his behalf to take away the frogs, this is the first acknowledgement from Pharaoh that he recognized Yahweh as being the cause of the plagues.
Third Plague: Lice
Egyptians worshipped Ged the deity of earth. Geb was the third divine pharaoh, he advocated Horus' right to the throne succeeding the death of Osiris. Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was the living image of Horus, so Pharaoh was sometimes referred to as the "Heir of Geb”. Egyptians made offers to Geb for the bounty of soil in the land, yet from "the dust of the earth" is where this plague was commanded. This plague was dreadful to the priests of Mitsrayim, no lice was permitted on their bodies, they were required to shave their hair off every day, and wear a single tunic. Egyptian magicians were unable to duplicate this plague, they told Pharaoh it is the finger of Yahweh, and backed down.
Fourth Plague: Swarms
Scholars believe that the translators of the bible may have added the phrase “of flies” into the biblical passage.

More appropriate is a swarm of scarab beetles, an insect that feeds on the dung of the fields. The plague of swarms of scarabs, with mandibles that could saw through wood worse than termites. Khepri was associated with rebirth, renewal, and resurrection, according to Egyptian beliefs, usually depicted as a scarab beetle but occasionally found depicted as a man with the head of a scarab beetle. The scarab amulet was one of the most popular symbols in ancient Mitsrayim and scarabs were inscribed for all purposes. Imagine something Egyptians held so sacred now just destroyed the land of Mitsrayim. This plague was the first, that Yahweh made a distinction between His people and the Egyptians. As he commands the swarms away from Goshen, where His people lived, only to be amongst the

Egyptians.
Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased
Cattle were sacred and greatly valued in the land of Mitsrayim. Apis was a protector of the dead, and linked to the Pharaoh. The Apis bull was believed by Egyptians to be a manifestation of Pharaoh, symbolizing strength and fertility, qualities suitable for kingship. Hathor is one of the most famous goddesses, depicted as cow-headed. As "the Mother of Mothers" she was the goddess of women, fertility, children and childbirth. According to Egyptian beliefs Hathor was originally an embodiment of the Milky Way, which associated the milk that flowed from the udders of a heavenly cow. We can see how Yahweh continues to ridicule Egyptian deities to prove to the hard hearted Pharaoh, He is the Most High God. In this plague of killing of all the livestock in the land of Mitsrayim, we wonder what could have the Egyptians been thinking at this point.
Sixth Plague: Boils
Egyptians looked for aid from their Medicine god Imhotep, not actually a deity, but an immortalized man. Imhotep was also a priest, writer, a doctor and a founder of the Egyptian studies of astronomy and architecture. The Egyptian magicians couldn’t rid themselves of this plague. This sixth plague was an inflamed, painful boils that affected the knees, legs, and soles of the feet of not only the magicians but all the Egyptians. Here the Egyptians stand here directly affected on their individual bodies and their deities can not rescue them.
Seventh Plague: Hail
The Cairo region normally receives two inches of rain per year, the sky, to Egyptians, the realm of Nut. Nut was the goddess of the sky and the heavens, she also played a role in the rebirth of the sun, she is revered as a mother-like protector of the dead. Egyptians may have felt she was responsible for not stopping this plague because she was supposed to protect the land from destructions which came down from heaven. Exodus 9:31 mentions that the flax and barley were hit. Destruction of the flax was detrimental because it was commonly used to wrap mummies and to make clothes. Pharaoh still refuses to give credit to Yahweh for being the most high God.
Eighth Plague: Locusts
Nepri, the corn deity, “Lord of the Risen Grain”, aided Mitsrayim’s cultivation of the land for wealth. Renenutet to Egyptians was a goddess of great power and could grant great abundance to crops and livestock. When Pharaoh refused yet again to release the people of Yahweh, "Mosheh stretched out his rod over the land of Mitsrayim, and Yahweh brought an east wind on the land all that day and all the night. And when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts… For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or herb of the field throughout all the land of Mitsrayim” (Ex. 10:13-15) As this point Pharaoh is pleading with Mosheh and Aharon, asking Yahweh for forgives of his sins. When the locust were gone, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the Hebrews leave.
Ninth Plague: Darkness
Egyptians revered the sun deity Amon-Ra as one of the greatest blessings to all of Mitsrayim. Amun and Ra were originally two separate deities. Ra was a sun god and Amun meaning “hidden” merged with Ra to be the all powerful Amun-Ra. Horus another Egyptian deity the god of light who presided over the life-giving power of the sun. Yet any Egyptian deity is no match for Yahweh and he shows us that in this plague of darkness. This plague of darkness was an important insult to Egyptian theology and complete culture. A "thick darkness in all the land of Mitsrayim" for three days. Pharaoh pleads and Mosheh runs out of patience and makes it clear the next time they meet if he hasn't agreed to free the Hebrews then the punishment will be the most severe.
Tenth Plague: Death Of The Firstborn
This tenth and final plague was most devastating that all other plagues put together. This plague was also very carefully orchestrated and was targeted only towards Egyptian’s firstborn males, both human and animals. This final plague came with no warning to Pharaoh and with chance for forgiveness. The goddess Isis, was revered by the Egyptians as the goddess of medicine and wisdom, a protector of children. So where was Isis in this plague, when the Angel of Death was summoned by Yahweh, and directed against "all of the gods of Mitsrayim" and proved the inferiority of the gods of Mitzrayim. Following the demise of Pharaoh Thutmose III, his son, Amenhotep II, took over rulership for at least twenty-six years. This Pharaoh, according to the early date of the exodus, is speculated to have been the Pharaoh of the exodus and possibly the one who lost his firstborn son in the final judgment of Yahweh.
Final Thoughts
When we look at the promise Yahweh gave to Abraham, we see the fact Yahweh never breaks a promise.

The use of Mosheh was perfectly orchestrated based on the previous behavior of Mosheh fighting against injustice. Throughout the plagues Egyptians did turn there beliefs away from there traditional beliefs to worship Yahweh along with the Hebrews. Which proves first reason for the final plague was that the Egyptians may know that Yahweh is the supreme God. To set a reminder to Hebrews who have my converted to Egyptian beliefs. So we ask ourselves why wouldn't Pharaoh believe in Yahweh? Let us remember in Mitsrayim, Pharaoh was worshipped as a god. If he would have believed Yahweh was greater, he would lose his "divinity." Why did Yahweh hardened his heart continuously. Had Yahweh allowed Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go after the first plague, the Egyptians and their gods were have felt a some of superiority to Yahweh and missed out on the purpose to exult Yahweh as the most high

God.