3,813 related texts · Page 13 of 80
When Pharaoh shall speak unto you (Exod. 7:9). Scripture says elsewhere: A fool spendeth all his spirit; but a wise man stilleth it within him (Prov. 29:11). That is, the fool says...
It tells us, plainly and powerfully, that "Abram was very glorious by reason of possessions in sheep, and cattle, and asses, and horses, and camels, and menservants, and maidservan...
Our story comes from the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church but not by most of mainstream Judaism. Think of it as a kind of ...
We’re opening the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text considered canonical by some, like the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but apocryphal by others. It's like a behind-the-scenes loo...
Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the land, is understandably worried. He needs a solution, and fast. The text says, "let Pharaoh appoint overseers in all the land of Egypt, and le...
The story of Joseph, as told in the Book of Jubilees, gives us a glimpse. We all know the broad strokes: sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, falsely accused, imprisoned... J...
It comes from the Book of Jubilees, specifically chapter 46. The Book of Jubilees, for those who aren't familiar, is an ancient Jewish text that retells the stories of Genesis and ...
The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating Jewish text from around the 2nd century BCE, gives us a peek behind that curtain. It’s like a director's cut of the Torah, filling in details an...
That’s exactly what happens to Pharaoh in Chapter 48 of the Book of Jasher. The story opens with a looming crisis: a famine. "In those days, after the death of Isaac, the Lord comm...
The Book of Jasher, a fascinating and controversial text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), offers a compelling narrative. Chapter 65 plunges us rig...
It's considered by many to be part of the Apocrypha, a collection of writings of uncertain origin, that elaborates on stories from the Bible and fills in gaps. Think of it as histo...
We all know about the Exodus, the parting of the Red Sea, and even receiving the Ten Commandments. But what about the nitty-gritty details of setting up their new life, their new r...
Consider Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt. It’s a story we all know, but have you ever thought about the smell of the story? Normally, the Ishmaelite traders, the ones who bought...
But let's rewind to the very beginning of his Egyptian adventure. The Torah tells us Joseph's brothers sold him to a caravan heading to Egypt. But what happened when he actually go...
That’s kind of where we find Mirod, Pharaoh’s chief butler, in this story from Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg). Pharaoh, is in a right state. He's had these terrifying dreams (we'll...
Ancient kings did too. And sometimes, they needed a little help deciphering them. Take Pharaoh, for example. He was troubled by dreams, unsettling visions that seemed to hold the f...
We all know the story: Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, rises through the ranks thanks to his ability to interpret dreams. But the encounter with Pharaoh, as reto...
to a powerful story from the life of Joseph, a figure revered across traditions. We all know the story: Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt, faces incredible trials. But he also pos...
That’s kind of what happened when Joseph and his brothers finally made peace in Egypt. Remember the story? Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, rises to power in Egyp...
When Joseph, after years of hardship, finally rose to power in Egypt, his first thought was for his family. Famine gripped the land, and he knew his brothers and father were strugg...
And someone was ready to stoke those embers. The son of Pharaoh, consumed by his own wicked ambitions, wasn't about to let things lie. He'd already failed to turn Simon and Levi ag...
The story of Joseph, his coffin, and Moses is one such tale. It's a powerful reminder that even in the chaos of escape and liberation, honoring a pledge matters deeply. Imagine the...
Pharaoh, wasn't just a generic bad guy. According to tradition, he had a dream. A rather unsettling one. In this dream, all of Egypt was balanced on scales, and a single, solitary ...
But he's cunning. He doesn't just decree slavery outright. Instead, as we read in Legends of the Jews, he starts with a seemingly generous offer. For a whole month, Egyptians and I...
We all know the big picture – the enslavement, the plagues, the Exodus. But what about the countless untold stories of courage, faith, and divine intervention that kept hope alive ...
Pharaoh's daughter, a pivotal figure in the Moses narrative, wasn't just a passive observer. She took matters into her own hands. The text tells us that she reached out for the ark...
It's easy to think of Moses as a lone figure, leading his people to freedom. But according to tradition, his birth was intertwined with the fate of an entire generation. The text "...
The stakes were unbelievably high. Pharaoh, consumed by his fears of a Hebrew savior, wasn't just passively waiting for something to happen. He was actively trying to prevent it. A...
That righteous anger, that impulse to act – it's a deeply human experience, and it’s one that Moses himself knew well. The story goes that one day, long after he'd left the shelter...
We often think of Moses as this larger-than-life figure, the lawgiver, the prophet who spoke to God face-to-face. But before all that, he was a man, a man deeply moved by the suffe...
They were enslaved, toiling under Pharaoh’s harsh rule. They’d hoped things would get better when he died, maybe his son would be more merciful. But nope. The new Pharaoh? Even wor...
It’s a question that echoes through the ages, and Jewish tradition offers a fascinating glimpse into the answer through the story of Moses. We often think of Moses as this towering...
Our ancestor Moses knew that feeling all too well. Imagine this: God Himself appears to you, commissioning you to lead an entire nation out of slavery. Sounds pretty epic. But Mose...
We all know about Aaron's rod turning into a serpent. But the why behind that miracle is According to Legends of the Jews, that amazing collection of rabbinic stories compiled by L...
We all know the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and the Israelites, but the ancient texts hint at a deeper, more magical struggle. : Pharaoh's magicians were a crucial part of the drama. ...
Jewish tradition wrestles with these questions constantly, and the story of the Exodus is a prime example. : Pharaoh. He was the mastermind behind the oppression of the Israelites....
You offer a compromise, they seem to agree, and then, bam! Back to square one. That's Pharaoh in a nutshell. We're diving back into the Exodus story, specifically that tense back-a...
The ancient stories wrestle with these questions, too. Take the story of Pharaoh and the plagues in Egypt. We all know the story: Moses demands freedom for the Israelites, Pharaoh ...
We pick up the story with Moses, right after he convinces Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. He steps just outside the city walls, raising his hands to Adonai (the Lord). Now, why o...
Pharaoh, true to Moses's prediction, immediately reneged on his promise to let the Israelites go. And what did Moses do? He didn't waste a second. He promptly announced the eighth ...
This month, Nisan, will be the month of your freedom!" But instead of jubilation, he's met with doubt. "How can this be?" they ask, according to Legends of the Jews. "Egypt is over...
After all those plagues, after unimaginable suffering, the Egyptians were done. They weren't just letting the Israelites go; they were practically shoving them out the door! Can yo...
Imagine, you're finally free. Free from centuries of enslavement, free from back-breaking labor, free from the sting of the whip. But where do you go? The Israelites, fresh from th...
That’s kind of what the Israelites were facing as they fled Egypt. Pharaoh, that stubborn ruler, wasn't about to let them go easily. After the plagues, after the death of the first...
According to Legends of the Jews, by Louis Ginzberg, Moses, overwhelmed, turned to God in desperation. "O Lord of the world!" he cried, comparing himself to a careless shepherd who...
It wasn't just any ordinary stick. Oh no, this was the rod! The story goes that this rod was no mere piece of wood. It was created at the very beginning of the world itself! Imagin...
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous escape from Egypt, faced just such a dilemma. Imagine the scene: the Red Sea has just crashed back down, swallowing Pharaoh's army whole...
Here he was, fresh from witnessing the most incredible miracles, leading his people out of slavery, and what did he get in return? Gripes, complaints, and a profound lack of faith....
