It was “promised” to Abraham in Genesis 17:8 as a reward for maintaining Lower Egypt as a buffer zone for “El/Eloi” (who was also known as Jah(Yah)-weh-Elohim: “Lord of the Illui”), hence it’s biblical name I-sira-El (“El’s shield”).
Egypt, however, traditionally belonged to El’s arch-rival Ra (later “Amun-Ra”: Unseen Ra), also known as “Baal” (Ba-El) in Canaan and “Marduk” in Babylon. But due to her strategic importance, control swung back and forth between the mighty rival clans of these gods as they wrestled for dominance. Last week we saw that Egypt was decidedly pro-Ra during the first half of the 20th Dynasty, and thus all its pharaohs were named “Rameses” (Ra-mose: “son of Ra”). El’s agents, however, infiltrated this Dynasty in the time of Rameses IX (Perez), Rameses X (Hezron) and Rameses XI (Ram), the acknowledged ancestors of Israel’s King David (see Ruth 4: 18-22). But, careful that they do not upset the indigenous Egyptians, these pharaohs maintained a token adoption of Ra as their god. OT compilers, however, did not claim Rameses I to VIII as it would have revealed that “Israel” was once “Egypt” itself! But using Ruth 4:18-22 as a guide, we easily saw that 21st Dynasty Pharaoh “Amin-adab” (who followed Ram/Rameses IX) is Amen-Nesban-ebjed; “Nashon” is Amen-em-nishu; “Salmon” is Siamun; “Boaz” is Bas-Osorkon; “Obed” is Amen-em-opet.
