Reliable information from that era is relatively scarce and subject to interpretation. This is especially true of records of events unflattering to a Pharaoh. Archaeologists note how Egyptian records often overlap, contain contradictory dates, and leave out major historical events. Ancient Egyptian history is notoriously erratic and unreliable. Simply estimating the date of Israel’s release is easier said than done, and, even then, comparing it to the reigns of Egyptian rulers is not enough. History and archaeology offer a dizzying combination of clues, possibilities, and problems. Identifying the Egyptian head of state who interacted with Moses is more than challenging. Obscurity would be an ironic judgment on a such a ruler (see Psalm 83:3–4 Proverbs 10:7). The anonymity might even be deliberate: Egyptian monarchs were famously invested in how they would be remembered. Ultimately, his exact identity is irrelevant. The Bible itself gives no name for this Pharaoh. Films such as The Ten Commandments, The Prince of Egypt, and Exodus: Gods and Kings have all made that assumption regarding the biblical book of Exodus. Most people associate the Egyptian ruler forced to free enslaved Israelites with the name Ramses, also spelled Ramesses or Rameses.
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