Bible Fact · Deuteronomy 7:6 — 'For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession.'
The Merneptah Stele
The Fact
The Merneptah Stele, also called the Israel Stele, is a granite slab over 10 feet tall discovered in Thebes, Egypt in 1896. It was carved around 1208 BC to celebrate the military victories of Pharaoh Merneptah, son of Ramesses II. Among the conquered peoples listed is 'Israel,' written with a determinative sign indicating a people group rather than a city or land. The line reads: 'Israel is laid waste and his seed is not.' This boastful proclamation of Israel's destruction is ironic — Israel survived while the Egyptian empire declined. The stele predates all other non-biblical references to Israel by centuries. It confirms that by the late Bronze Age, a recognizable group called Israel was present in Canaan. While Merneptah claimed to have wiped them out, history tells a different story. The stele is now in the Cairo Museum.
Context
The stele was carved around the time of the Exodus or the period of the Judges. It proves Israel existed as a recognizable people in Canaan during the late Bronze Age.
Significance
The Merneptah Stele is the oldest known extrabiblical reference to Israel, placing the Israelites firmly in Canaan over 3,200 years ago.
Reflection
Pharaoh declared Israel finished, but God's people endured. What does Israel's survival across millennia say about the faithfulness of God?