Exodus Analytical Essay
This event, whether I am looking at it through a literal, historical biblical interpretation or a contemporary mythological and poetic interpretation, I believe the mere concept of this miraculous happening, found in Exodus, can teach us great lessons about our humanity. John Collins, author of A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, reminds us that a careful examination of the exodus account raises questions and is debatable. The geographical location, the record keeping of the Egyptians and the common genre of the stories in Exodus provide for scholarly debate.
Collins presents Exodus with two primary themes: the revelations of YHWH and the liberation of Egypt for Israelite tradition (Collins 63). Exodus illustrated as a sign of YHWH’s …show more content…
• No biblical account of the name of pharaoh (Collins 70).
The exodus stories are miraculous and considered a characteristic of common folklore. Collins highlights some historical points that parallel their context and theme, such as, Moses’ name and the career of Jeroboam.
Collins explores the greatest story of the exodus with an in-depth exploration of the crossing of the Red Sea. He immediately highlights that the Hebrew word sup actually means reed, and not red. This prompts some scholars to suggest the location of the exodus was actually in a reedy marsh or lake rather than a great sea (Collins 70). With “the Sea of Reeds” as a possibility for crossing a body of water, whether or not the sea divides, seems more reasonable.
Collins explains Exodus 15 as a piece of the oldest poetry in the Bible and presents it as a hymn giving praise to YHWH, and not a historical account. Therefore, in these verses several of the accounts describe a metaphorical example. The imagery of the Pharaoh and his army "sinking to the depths," describes a possible metaphor pointing to the utter destruction of Pharaoh and his army, rather than their literal sinking (Collins 70). Other uses of this theme in Hebrew poetry provide a metaphor for a situation of distress. This analogy metaphorically suggests that the Pharaoh and his army
Collins presents Exodus with two primary themes: the revelations of YHWH and the liberation of Egypt for Israelite tradition (Collins 63). Exodus illustrated as a sign of YHWH’s …show more content…
• No biblical account of the name of pharaoh (Collins 70).
The exodus stories are miraculous and considered a characteristic of common folklore. Collins highlights some historical points that parallel their context and theme, such as, Moses’ name and the career of Jeroboam.
Collins explores the greatest story of the exodus with an in-depth exploration of the crossing of the Red Sea. He immediately highlights that the Hebrew word sup actually means reed, and not red. This prompts some scholars to suggest the location of the exodus was actually in a reedy marsh or lake rather than a great sea (Collins 70). With “the Sea of Reeds” as a possibility for crossing a body of water, whether or not the sea divides, seems more reasonable.
Collins explains Exodus 15 as a piece of the oldest poetry in the Bible and presents it as a hymn giving praise to YHWH, and not a historical account. Therefore, in these verses several of the accounts describe a metaphorical example. The imagery of the Pharaoh and his army "sinking to the depths," describes a possible metaphor pointing to the utter destruction of Pharaoh and his army, rather than their literal sinking (Collins 70). Other uses of this theme in Hebrew poetry provide a metaphor for a situation of distress. This analogy metaphorically suggests that the Pharaoh and his army