A Problematic Poet

The secular world often seeks to dismiss the Bible and its claims, portraying many of its accounts as fictional stories—such as the Exodus. Secularists frequently argue that if this significant event truly occurred, there should be evidence outside of Scripture to support it, and that no such evidence exists. Today, however, I would like to share the Ipuwer Papyrus, a document that appears to stand in direct contrast to that claim.

The Ipuwer Papyrus appears to be an eyewitness account from an Egyptian poet named Ipuwer, who records a series of catastrophes and societal upheaval in Egypt. The papyrus itself dates from around 1100–1300 BC, but linguistic scholars believe it is a copy of an older document originating between 1400–1500 BC. If we consider the earlier proposed date for the Exodus 1446 BC, the timing aligns remarkably well. Here are three brief quotes from the papyrus alongside parallel passages from Scripture.

1. “There’s blood everywhere . . . lo the river is blood.”

·         Exodus 7:20–21 “. . .  all the water in the Nile turned into blood . . . there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.”

2. “The land is without light.”

·         Exodus 10:22–23 “. . . there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days . . .”

3. “Gold and Lapis Lazuli, Silver and Malachite, Carnelian and      Bronze . . .  are fastened on the neck of female slaves.”

·         Exodus 12:35–36 “. . .  they (Israelites) had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry . . . thus they plundered the Egyptians.”

Within the document there are more parallels than the few noted above, such as trees being stripped and broken, no grain left, dead people everywhere, etc. This account is problematic for the secular community and strongly testifies to the historical reality of God’s judgment upon Egypt and His mighty deliverance of His people. Praise be to God, who calls us to trust His promises by faith, yet graciously provides us with testimony that our faith is not blind.

Keanan Fischer