Where did it all go?
Well, according to the Legends of the Jews, that treasure didn't just vanish into thin air. It embarked on a wild, centuries-long journey! Ginzberg, compiling centuries of tradition, tells us that the Israelites carried it with them, "leaving Egypt like a net without fish."
But they didn't get to keep it for long. The story continues that they held onto this vast hoard until the time of Rehoboam, son of Solomon. Disaster struck when the Egyptian king Shishak came and relieved him of it. Imagine that – one minute you’re a king with unimaginable wealth, the next, it’s all gone back to Egypt!
But, hold on, the treasure’s adventures were far from over. Shishak, in turn, lost it to Zerah, the king of Ethiopia! It's like some ancient game of hot potato, but with literal mountains of gold and jewels.
And guess what? It came back into Jewish hands! King Asa conquered Zerah and reclaimed the riches. You’d think they’d learn to hold on tight this time, right? Nope. Asa, in a moment of political maneuvering, surrendered it to the Aramean king Ben-hadad, hoping to break an alliance against him. (Ah, the things we do for political gain!)
Now, the Ammonites get their hands on it, only to lose it in their war with the Jews under Jehoshaphat. Back and forth it went! It stayed with the Jews for a bit longer this time, until King Ahaz, in a desperate move, sent it to Sennacherib as tribute money. Can you imagine how conflicted he must have felt?
Hezekiah, Ahaz’s son, managed to win it back again! But, alas, Zedekiah, the last king of Judah before the Babylonian exile, lost it to the Chaldeans. This time, there was no swift return.
From the Chaldeans, this legendary wealth passed to Persia, then to the Greeks, and finally… to the Romans. And according to the Legends of the Jews, "with the last it remained for all time."
So, the next time you see a Roman coin or a depiction of Roman opulence, you might just be looking at a distant echo of the wealth that once flowed out of Egypt with the Israelites. A fascinating, if somewhat bittersweet, thought, isn't it? It makes you wonder – is any treasure truly ours to keep? And what does it mean to hold onto something so fleeting, knowing its journey might just be beginning?