The Hebrew Exodus from and Jeremiah’s Eisodus into Egypt in the Light of Recent Archaeological and Geological Developments

Abstract

Egyptian texts mention two bodies of water on Egypt’s eastern frontier with Sinai, _š-ḥr_ and _p3 t̲wfy_, the latter of which is mentioned in connection with the Exodus (as יַם־סוּף – _yam suf_), while the former occurs in Jeremiah 2:18. Recent palaeoenvironmental work conducted by the North Sinai Archaeological Project, which was in the field from 1998 to 2008 and directed by the author, has shed new light on these bodies of water and the roles they played in the biblical events involving entering and departing Egypt. The 2019 publication of the geological data now allows one to offer some insights into these ancient lakes. Supplemented by new archaeological discoveries, elements of the routes of both journeys can be elucidated.