Thutmose III’s Reliefs at Karnak, 1479-1425 BCE

 

Pharaoh Thutmose III of Egypt was famous for his many successful military campaigns and is sometimes called “Napoleon of Ancient Egypt.” In addition to his victories against the Mittanian Empire, he launched campaigns into Syria and Palestine every summer for 18 years.

 

At Karnak, Thutmose III lists the names Jacob-El, Joseph-El and Levi-El as places or ethnic groups over which he claims dominion. These three names refer either to people or places in Canaan, and they each bear a remarkable resemblance to the respective patriarchal names of Jacob, Joseph and Levi in Genesis. The divine element El in the names parallels the common Hebrew word for God l). It is therefore quite likely that the appearance of Jacob-El, Joseph-El and Levi-El actually refer to early communities of tribal groups ancestral to the Israelites.

Thutmose III Relief at Karnak

Thutmose III Relief at Karnak, By Olaf Tausch – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9870462

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