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The Fifth Plague of Egypt by J. M. W. Turner (1800) Indianapolis Museum of Art  (Public Domain)

Unpacking the Ten Plagues of Egypt: A Scientific Explanation

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Could there be a scientific explanation and a sequence of natural disasters that caused the 10 Plagues of Egypt? Of all the characters in the Old Testament, Moses stands out, as a leader, as a lawgiver and as a prophet. It was Moses who was given the Ten Commandments and it was Moses who wrote the first five books of the Bible. Moses is the most important prophet in Judaism and features highly in Christianity. He is revered in Islam as one of the greatest men of all time and it was to Moses that Allah revealed the Torah; it is also believed that Moses foretold the coming of the prophet Mohammed. It was Moses who led the people of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt.

Moses lifts up the brass serpent, curing the Israelites from poisonous snake bites in a painting by Benjamin West (Public Domain)

Moses lifts up the brass serpent, curing the Israelites from poisonous snake bites in a painting by Benjamin West (Public Domain)

The Policy of the Pharaoh

The book of Exodus tells us that there was a new king ruling Egypt who didn’t know Joseph. Concerned by the number of ‘sons of Israel’ in Egypt, the new pharaoh had the Israelites build ‘store cities’ at Pithom and Raamses in the eastern part of the Nile Delta. In an effort to control the growing population the pharaoh ordered all new-born male children to be put to death, but the Hebrew midwives, fearing God more than the pharaoh, refused. Exodus then tells us that the pharaoh ordered all the male children to be thrown into the river. The Bible suggests that it was the possibility of the thousands of Israelites, living and working in the Delta, joining up with a potential enemy against Egypt, that made the pharaoh press-gang them into forced labor, but the Judaic texts say it was a warning from the pharaoh’s soothsayers that prompted the action. It was here, in the land of Goshen, in the Delta, that Moses was born.

“And there goeth a man of the house of Levi, and he taketh the daughter of Levi, and the woman conceiveth, and beareth a son” ( Youngs Literal Translation).

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Ted Loukes is an independent researcher in the field of ancient civilizations. His book Moses and Akhenaten: Brothers in Alms grew from a single page blog post to a two and a half year project that incorporated several field trips to Egypt herself. This passion led to the forming of GnT Tours, specializing in small private tours in Luxor focusing on the archaeology and Egyptology of the Tombs & Temples of Ancient Egypt.

Top Image: The Fifth Plague of Egypt by J. M. W. Turner (1800) Indianapolis Museum of Art  (Public Domain)

By Ted Loukes

 

Comments

Thank you for your comments. I am not sure what your point is. The article is about giving a possible, credible, scientific explanation of the Plagues, if they happened.  

Easily explainable African cattle are known to be susceptible to naturally occurring anthrax....the Flys and Frogs follow.
The Red Nile is metaphoric as ALL WATER IS RED since its resonate wave length is NEAR INFA RED
The RED SEA parting is METAPHORIC and never happened
The entire series of tales was created by Scribe Priests during the Babylonian Captivity to their Persian Overseers - under archaic Persian laws People of a DISTINCT ORIGIN that is a nation- not just desert tribes - were allowed RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS time off work and FEAST DAYS more time off work and those involved in Priestly duties were allowed to Carry them out.
THUS the Nation of Israel was created NOT by an act of god and Moses leading people to the promised land- in reality they were just Bonded workers paid in grain salt and free housing...when the Egyptian government collapsed they moved to the Scrub Hills east of Gaza and became the Bandits of the Hills of Judea robbing merchant caravans.
The Persian Babylonian empire Swept all of that aside and they were enslaved..... but a few educated Scribes got together and created an ORIGIN TALE for the persians which was good enough to gain them NATION STATUS as an original people....feast days holy days and after 400 years released.
Unless you consider the Peizio electric effect of the North african rift zone going through the Jordan Valley the GOD OF ISRAEL.

Judgealan

Ted

Ted Loukes’ fascination with Ancient Egypt began in 1972 with a visit to the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition, held at the British Museum. His book Moses and Akhenaten: Brothers in Alms grew from a single page blog post to a two and a... Read More

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