Joseph’s actions in Egypt hundreds of years prior to the exodus elevated him to a lofty and prestigious position in the Egyptian government. This was due to Joseph’s God-given wisdom that he utilized to prevent the Egyptian people from being destroyed by famine. The Egyptians at the time were greatly pleased with Joseph’s actions and they gladly received his family when they arrived. Yet, as the pages of history continued to turn, the once positive view the Egyptians had of the Israelites became soiled. Shortly after the time of Joseph, a group of Semitic people known as the Hyksos began to migrate into Lower Egypt from Canaan. The primary cause for this movement was persistent famine and general economic distress (Holman 796). Once the Hyksos settled into the region and became the majority, they established their own government and ousted the Egyptians from the area (Walton 166). The Egyptians and the Hyksos would eventually fight against each other with the Egyptians expelling the Hyksos from power approximately 100 years after their ascension to power (Holman 798).
As a result of these historical events, the Egyptians became suspicious of any Semitic people within their territories. The Israelites, themselves Semitic, were now looked …show more content…
The Hyksos overtook Lower Egypt through peace because they held the majority, not because of force (Walton 166). Since Semitic people were common to find in the area, they had no trouble establishing their own rule. Moreover, God had multiplied the Israelites to an alarming degree during and after the Hyksos (cf. Ex. 1:7). In the mind of the Egyptians, the Israelites and the Hyksos were indistinguishable to them; they were wondering whether or not the Israelites would try to do the same thing that the Hyksos had done previously. This possibility is what caused Pharaoh to enslave them before they had an opportunity to attempt the same stunt (cf. Ex.