SUMMARY: The accidental discovery of a 5,000 year old Canaanite city is overturning scholarly consensus about the political landscape of pre-conquest Canaan. The existence of this kind of metropolis supports the Bible’s assertions about the kinds of threats awaiting Israel in the Promised Land after coming out of Egypt in the Exodus.
“For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.” – Deuteronomy 11:22-23 (ESV)
The Exodus and Israel’s Redemption
The biblical account of the Exodus provides the most dramatic story of redemption in the Old Testament. Yet the validity of this story has been challenged by many scholars, due in part to the lack of evidence for a large population in Canaan that can be thought of as greater and mightier than the Israelites, as Moses emphasized in the Book of Deuteronomy. However, spectacular new finds being excavated in northern Israel are providing archaeological evidence to the Bible’s claims.
Part of the explanation of the exodus is given early in Genesis. In advance, at the time of God’s reaffirmation of His covenant with Abram, He explained that Abram’s descendants would be enslaved by a foreign nation in a land that was not theirs for 400 years (Gen 15:13). He then tells Abram that He would “judge” the oppressing nation at the time of Israel’s deliverance. Additionally, He provides the reason for the centuries-long delay.
In part, it was because the Amorites who were then occupying Canaan, the Promised Land where the Hebrews were to live, were not yet ready to be judged (Gen 15:16). That is, God was going to graciously delay executing judgement against the Canaanites until a time when justice required the appropriate sentence. This was to happen because “the iniquity of the Amorite [was] not yet complete” (Gen. 15:16 ESV). When justice was ready, the Israelites were going to be the means by which they would be judged, just as other nations would later be used as a means of judgement against Israel (Jer 18:6-10). First, however, the issue of Egypt had to be addressed.
“If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.” – Jeremiah 18:7-10 (ESV)
When the time came for Israel to be redeemed out of slavery, it was concurrent with the moment of judgment for his Egyptian oppressors. Ten great plagues were meted out against Egypt culminating with the Passover. This moment of celebration for the Hebrews was the last of 10 judgments (plagues) for Egypt, and was the immediate cause of the exodus. The events were so intertwined that the Passover meal was eaten with unleavened bread in view of the urgency of the moment.
“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.” – Exodus 12:7-8 (ESV)
After centuries of grace, justice was meted out against Egypt due to their treatment of Israel including oppression, institutionalized infanticide, restriction of religious liberty, and failure to release them from bondage (Ex. 7:16, 17; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3, 7-11). At the same time, the judgement happened in a way so as to clarify that the religious system of the Egyptians was also in view. The text says the following:
“In this manner you shall eat it [the passover]: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.” – Exodus 12:11-12 (ESV)
This means that judgement was directly aimed at the Egyptian gods, including Pharaoh himself who was imagined to be deity in this system. The conclusion of the 10 plagues, punctuated with the Passover, followed by the Exodus event and Red Sea crossing, marked the birth of national Israel. Even today, Passover is celebrated in Jewish tradition as a symbol of freedom from oppression and a metaphor for redemption. For Christians, it points to the personal and spiritual liberation accomplished by the ultimate Passover, who is Christ Jesus.
“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” – 1 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)
Passover: More than a Metaphor?
But is the Passover more than a metaphor? Did the Exodus really happen, and did the Israelites wander in the wilderness for forty years? Were there really “nations greater and mightier” than Israel already existing in Canaan (Deut 4:38; 7:7; 9:1; 11:23)? Many scholars say, “No.” Arguments against an actual Exodus and the biblical narrative are heavily tied to a lack of material evidence that would support Israel’s time in Egypt, subsequent wilderness wanderings, and presence of older established nations in the area of Canaan.
Explanation for the lack of material evidence from the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings seems simple. Nomads on the move do not make buildings of brick and stone. Nor do they haul around much heavy pottery. Yet these are the kinds of things archaeologists rely on to track populations that lived thousands of years ago. The use of perishable skins and other parts of animals for shelters, drinking flasks and other cultural material makes ancient nomadic populations nearly invisible to archaeologists.
As far as Egyptian references are concerned, any omissions seem consistent with both natural desire and the historic practice of recording successes while avoiding references to defeat. It could be argued, though, that a more serious problem is related to the lack of clear evidence for large established cities in the land that the Israelites were supposed to possess – Canaan.
Prof. Israel Finkelstein, a senior researcher at the Department of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, has stated, “there is no archaeological evidence of the story itself, in either Egypt or Sinai, and what has been perceived as historical evidence from Egyptian sources can be interpreted differently. Moreover, the Biblical story does not demonstrate awareness of the political situation in Canaan during the Late Bronze Age – a powerful Egyptian administration that could have handled an invasion of groups from the desert.”
(“Exodus: History and myth, then and now,” Tel Aviv University, April 4, 2017.)
Moreover, scholars have argued that such a lack of evidence at major sites has provided a dramatically revised portrait of the origin of ancient Israel. That portrait, however, is about to be revised yet again. It seems that no evidence existed, until it started showing up.
Paradigm Shift: New Discovery at En Esur Changes Everything
A new discovery has been made in Northern Israel and according to excavation director Yitzhak Paz, “The study of this site will change forever what we know about the emergence [and] rise of urbanization in the land of Israel and in the whole region.” Further, he explained “And it means that what we know now will change what is written today in the traditional books when people read about the archaeology of Israel.” Here is what we know about this new discovery.
As reported at The Friends of Israel Antiquities Authority, just over two and a half years ago, while preparing to construct a highway interchange to provide access to the town of Harish near Haifa, the National Transport Infrastructure Company, Ltd. conducted a standard excavation in advance of construction. When they did, they unexpectedly unearthed a major Bronze Age settlement at a site called En Esur. Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) archaeologist and excavation co-director Dina Shalem stated, “Even in our wildest imaginings, we didn’t believe we would find a city from this time in history.”
Being dubbed “The New York of the Early Bronze Age,” an ancient city has been discovered in Northern Israel where none was supposed to be. Co-director Dr. Yitzhak Paz added, “There is no doubt that this site dramatically changes what we know about the character of the period and beginning of urbanization in Israel,” he said in a press release from the IAA.
Researchers have dated the city to around 3,000 BC and have discovered that it rests on top of a former city they believe is even older, a suggested 2,000 years older. The directors stated, “This is the Early Bronze Age New York of our region; a cosmopolitan and planned city where thousands of inhabitants lived.” The city spans over 160 acres with the capacity to accommodate approximately 6,000 people. Including the out-lying areas, it stretches to around 700 acres, said co-director, Dr. Yitzhak Paz. (See evidence of an ancient thinker figurine from Canaan.)
This ancient New York is more than 10 times the size of Jericho and is the largest city from this period in the southern Levant. Clearly visible are well planned public amenities including streets, public spaces, residential areas and a fortification wall. According to reports, the city was undoubtedly the result of organizational planning with a clear social hierarchy and governance. (For another example of a biblical kingdom with previously unappreciated levels of development, see Evidence of Ancient Kingdom of Edom.)
Notable public spaces include a cemetery and a remarkably large building consistent with a temple. The size leads the directors to speculate that it could have possibly been two stories. Analysis of the building contents have revealed burned animal bones consistent with ritual sacrifices and a wash basin in the courtyard, speculated to have been connected to ritual purification. Additionally, figurines, seal impressions, flint tools, pottery fragments and other personal items have been recovered. Especially interesting is the presence of tools traceable to Egypt and items from other remote locations, which give clear evidence of established trade with outside cultures. All in all, fragments including pottery fragments number in the millions of pieces.
Conclusion: Evidence Consistent with Biblical Account
Despite previous paradigms, land surveys, and scholarly consensus, an ancient and well-established city existed in Northern Israel around the time of the establishment of the first Egyptian Kingdom. Furthermore, the newly discovered city is the largest known city to date from this period anywhere in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, or Syria. Scholarly consensus is already in transition as this new discovery is reshaping everything that was believed about the ancient urbanization process in the land of Israel. The find is consistent with the biblical account, but the degree to which updated theories will align with the biblical narrative is something to be watched with anticipation.
Taken along with the confirmation of the Ancient Edomite Kingdom, new discoveries are beginning to provide a clearer picture of the political situation in Canaan at the time of the Exodus. Assertions that the biblical portrayal of pre-conquest Canaan reflects ignorance of the actual political situation are beginning to melt away. Indisputable evidence of an enormously strong and mighty people existing in northern Israel at the time of the conquest will now change the way that history books are written. These are tantalizing insights, and the emerging picture is one sure to make us all Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Photo credit: Israeli Antiquities Authority
NOTE: Not every view expressed by scholars contributing Thinker articles necessarily reflects the views of Patterns of Evidence. We include perspectives from various sides of debates on biblical matters so that readers can become familiar with the different arguments involved. – Keep Thinking!
