JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (ANS) -- The Israeli newspaper, Arutz Sheva reports an article in Al-Ahram -- a major Egyptian newspaper -- which states archaeologists in that country have discovered coins mentioning Jewish patriarch Joseph who served as Treasury minister for an ancient pharaoh.

The Giza Pyramids

They were part of a cache of artifacts stored in the vaults of the Museum of Egypt. It was initially thought they were charms but a more thorough investigation concluded they were coins from the time of the pharaohs.

The find is significant as many liberals dispute coin usage in ancient Egypt recorded in Genesis 47:14, 15. But coins have been found at numerous sites around Egypt dating to the pharaohs. While most have images of pharaohs engraved on them, one from this set is unique.

According to Al-Ahram, “Joseph's name appears twice on the coin, written in hieroglyphics: once the original name, Joseph, and once his Egyptian name, Saba Sabani, which was given to him by Pharaoh when he became treasurer. There is also an image of Joseph, who was part of Egyptian administration at that time.”

There is even a coin with an image of a cow with hieroglyphics suggesting a connection to Joseph's dream of seven cows and seven stalks of grain.

The dramatic climb of a Hebrew slave to second in command in Egypt has Liberals treating it as little more than Jewish folklore. While these coins validate this incredible account, questions are raised on why any Egyptian Pharaoh would honor a Hebrew slave with such a powerful display. To fully grasp what happened here, we must first decipher a strange passage in the book of Genesis.

The mystery of the Egyptian guard

Many are familiar with the story of Joseph who as the youngest and favored son of Judah boasted of his special status. In a jealous rage, the brothers sold Joseph into slavery to a passing band of Ishmaelites, who in turn sold him to Potiphar, the captain of the guard in the Egyptian Pharaoh's court (Genesis 37). And thus begins our mystery:

1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and how the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. 5It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; thus the LORD'S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. (Genesis 39: 1-5 NASV)

Three times in these five verses Potiphar is described as Egyptian – “an Egyptian officer” (v 1), “the Egyptian” (v. 2) and “the Egyptian's house” (v. 5).

Why did Moses go to such lengths to describe Potiphar's heritage? Anyone reading this passage would instinctively presume Potiphar was Egyptian without mentioning it once.

Enter the Hyksos

Around 1750 BC, a group known as the Hyksos -- taking advantage of political upheaval in Egypt -- invaded the Nile delta. Archaeological records show the Hyksos had a significant advantage over the Egyptians incorporating such military innovations as composite bow and horse and chariot.

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, quoting an ancient Egyptian Mantheos, describes the invasion:

“By main force they easily seized it without striking a blow; and having overpowered the rulers of the land, they burned our cities ruthlessly, razed to the ground the temples of gods... Finally, they appointed a king one of their number who name was Salitis.”

But what makes it interesting is the Hyksos were Semitic making them cousins of Judah and his family. (Some suspect they were descendants of Esau -- Edomites). They spoke a similar language to the Hebrews. There would be differences of course (words and accents), like we see between those living in Scotland/England, US, Canada and Australia. During World War II, English pilot John Rodger bailed out over England. Captured by a farmer, Rodger was held at gunpoint and thrown in jail because he was suspected of being German due to his thick Scottish accent.

The passage in Genesis suggests Hyksos were ruling Egypt in Potiphar's day and that's why it was so unusual to have an Egyptian guard.

The Hyksos occupation

The Hyksos never fully conquered Egypt. They occupied the northern half of the Nile delta setting up their capital in Avaris where many Egyptians still remained. Meanwhile, the Egyptian government consolidated in the south.

The Giza Sphinx

The Hyksos adopted the Egyptian governing style and even incorporated the Pharaoh title. They allowed Egyptian to remain the language of the nation and culturally integrated many Egyptian customs and gods.

Most Egyptians adapted to the Hyksos, similar to Germany's occupation of France in World War II where the majority accepted occupation and went on with their lives. But beneath the outward veneer there remained a hostility towards the occupiers.

However, a number of French went the next step and collaborated with the Germans. The Nazi Gestapo boasted each morning the postal bin of their Paris HQ was full of letters from individuals accusing fellow citizens of resistance to the Germans.

In his book, "Postwar: A history of Europe since 1945," Tony Jude describes the German occupation of France:

“The Nazi administered France with just 1,500 of their own people. So confident were they of the reliability of the French police and militia, that they assigned (in addition to their administrative staff) a mere 6,000 German and military police to ensure the compliance of a nation of 35 million.”

Similarly, Hyksos had Egyptians providing police protection. Potiphar's connections to the Egyptian community was invaluable for rooting out potential threats.

With the Hyksos occupation as a backdrop, a number of verses now make sense.

Potiphar's wife

In Genesis 39:12, we read a surprising statement by Potiphar's wife who accused Joseph of sexual assault after he rejected her advances. Insulted, she calls her Egyptian household together and says: “See, he [Potiphar] has brought in a Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed.”

How could a slave in any fashion mock his Egyptian master? It happened because of Joseph's association with Egypt's occupying masters, making this slave a constant reminder of Egypt's servitude. It also demonstrates how closely Potiphar's wife linked Hebrews and Hyksos. It is equally apparent Potiphar's collaboration with the Hyksos was not viewed positively by his own family.

Joseph's acceptance

The Hyksos connection explains how under God's anointing Joseph easily ascended to second in command in the Egyptian government. There would have been minimal language differences and an inherent level of trust.

Because of Joseph's favorable service and the fact he was kin, Pharaoh allowed Joseph's family to settle in prime land around Goshen. We now understand why coins forged in Joseph's honor included both his Hebrew and Egyptian name.

The party doesn't last forever

Finally around 1560 BC, the Egyptians -- under Amhose I – mustered a military (which now included chariots Exodus 14:23) powerful enough to drive the Hyksos out of their territory.

This governmental change is specifically noted in Exodus 1:8:

“Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (NASV)

The Hebrew word for “new” hadash means new or fresh and referred to something completely different. The same word is used in Deuteronomy 32:17, to describe the new gods Israel was worshiping – ones not previously worship. Old Testament commentators Keil and Delitzsch describe the change this way, “Is a king who follows different principles of government from his predecessors.”

Moses then explains the difference – the “new” king “did not know Joseph” – there was no family connection with the New Egyptian pharaoh as there was with the old Hyksos regime.

This new king is probably Amhose I, who having driven out the Hyksos, takes a very adversarial approach to the Israelites.

“Come let us deal wisely with them [the Israelites] or else they will multiply and in the even of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.” (v 9 NASV)

Amhose was nervous about the growing Jewish population. He was concerned if the Hyksos launched a counterattack, the Jews would ally with Egypt's dreaded foe. Over the next few decades, Amhose, and the pharaoh(s) that followed, put the Hebrew under intense pressure and they began to call out to Jehovah for a deliverer.

There had to be more than one Pharaoh to cover the time period between the Hyksos defeat and the Jewish exodus, which included persecution of the Jews and Moses' eventual birth, murder of the Egyptian guard, exile, and return.

The Pharaoh of the Exodus

So who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus? One possibility is Amhose's son, Amenhotep

I. In his article, Amenhotep, the Second King of Egypt's 18th dynasty, Jimmy Dunn writes similar to his father, Amenhotep was very active building temples along the Nile, including finishing off many projects initiated by his father. This lines up with the Biblical narrative that says Jacob's heirs supplied building materials for at least two pharaohs (Exodus 1:11 and then again after Moses' return from exile Exodus 5:6-11).

2. Dunn adds this interesting note, “Some information appears to indicate that Amenhotep I's son died in infancy, while other resources tell us he died childless.” This lines up with the Biblical record of the killing of the firstborn (Exodus 11).

God's purpose for governments

Daniel 2:21 reads God “removes kings and establishes kings.”

We see God's stamp during this period of Egyptian history. God raised up the Hyksos to overthrow the Egyptian government preparing a safe haven for the Israelite to prosper and grow. But just as clearly, Jacob's heirs had become too comfortable in their adopted land and may never have left and the Egyptians were allowed to regain control. The resulting persecution pressured the Israelites to leave and ultimately fulfill their destiny in the Promised Land.

Dean Smith works in the communications industry. You can visit his website at www.opentheword.org