Ancient Egyptian desert inscriptions may reveal oldest known reference to Moses

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Historians have long debated the historical existence of Moses, citing a lack of archaeological evidence to support the biblical account. A recent reinterpretation of two ancient inscriptions at Serabit el-Khadim, an Egyptian turquoise mine in the Sinai Peninsula, suggests they could be direct references to Moses.

Written in Proto-Sinaitic script — one of the earliest alphabetic writing systems — these inscriptions date to around 1800 BCE during the reign of Pharaoh Amenemhat III. Although they’ve been studied for decades, their meanings remain contested.

Some inscriptions from the site appear to reference deities like “El,” a name for God in the Hebrew Bible, and Ba’alat, a Semitic goddess. In some cases, Ba’alat’s name is scratched out, suggesting internal conflict or religious transition among the workers. 

Michael S. Bar-Ron has reanalyzed two specific inscriptions using 3D scans and high-res photography. He claims they read “This is Moses” and “A saying of Moses,” arguing they could have been authored by the biblical Moses himself.

If correct, these inscriptions would be the earliest and only surviving writings attributed to a major biblical figure.

However, scholars remain skeptical. Many question the accuracy of Bar-Ron’s translation, calling it problematic and misleading. Experts like Egyptologist Thomas Schneider warn that misidentifying letters can distort ancient history, and even if the readings are correct, it’s unclear whether they refer to the Moses of biblical tradition.

Finally, several academics point out that Moses was likely a common Egyptian name at the time, appearing in other New Kingdom documents and legal texts. Therefore, even if the name does appear in the inscriptions, it doesn’t confirm the identity or existence of the biblical Moses. The debate, while intriguing, remains far from settled.

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/ancient-egypt-inscription-bible-moses-serabit-el-khadim

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I mean it would be no surprise. Most of the Bible/Talmud/Quran is based on real history. Many historians argue it's likely that Moses was a real Israelite leader who led the Jews out of Egypt in some kind of revolt, it's just the Red Sea and Ten Commandments stuff that's debated.

[PornoDanceFight 2,477]

There is no archaeological evidence of enslaved Hebrew peoples in Egypt, nor is there evidence to suggest a massive slave revolt or exodus had taken place. While Egypt was a nexus point for the Mediterranean and Middle East, there is no direct evidence for the Biblical story of Exodus. I would treat this with the biggest grain of salt one could find.

[Scri 990]

1 hour ago, FfFfFfFF said:

Finally, several academics point out that Moses was likely a common Egyptian name at the time, appearing in other New Kingdom documents and legal texts. 

Yeah, iirc it's the "ms" glyph, which is part of Ramses's name (the name of many Pharaohs). It was usually written with the three-fox skins tied at one end (and eventually other phonetic reinforcement), and it's related to the meaning of "create/produce/bring life". In the Pharaoh's name is "born from Ra (the god)".

53 minutes ago, ****oDanceFight said:

There is no archaeological evidence of enslaved Hebrew peoples in Egypt, nor is there evidence to suggest a massive slave revolt or exodus had taken place. While Egypt was a nexus point for the Mediterranean and Middle East, there is no direct evidence for the Biblical story of Exodus. I would treat this with the biggest grain of salt one could find.

Yeah, it's just like an old poem, like Homer's. And it's made by so many versions, contradicting themselves, just like any other human's work... I still remember some fun in Biblical hebrew classes

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1 hour ago, FfFfFfFF said:

Michael S. Bar-Ron 

 

Ancient history is suddenly my favorite subject. 

@InTheCloset

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I dont think anyone is denying some Abrahamic religions have genuine ties to real history...its the filler stories that start bringing up divine creatures and miracles with zero evidence or science to back it lol

[Emvee 8,862]

Semitic people could very well have been in Egypt but A) there’s no archaeological evidence that there was a significant population of them B) no recorded Egyptian evidence of any taxation, building projects, or military campaigns related to hebrews or Israelites and C) Hebrew chroniclers constantly revised their own history for political and theological reasons. This isn’t unique in the ancient world, but Israelites did this extremely well. It’s why their religion has endured for so long while many others have gone extinct. There’s benefit to overstating migration out of or “escaping” Egypt. 

[InTheCloset 21,886]

6 hours ago, A Fried Egg said:

Ancient history is suddenly my favorite subject. 

@InTheCloset

I bet he likes to get nasty and eats you so well you faint

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45 minutes ago, InTheCloset said:

I bet he likes to get nasty and eats you so well you faint

and to explore all the hidden caverns of the human body... err.. I mean in the different archaeological sites! 

[InTheCloset 21,886]

1 hour ago, princedeeblebleble said:

and to explore all the hidden caverns of the human body... err.. I mean in the different archaeological sites! 

with his hammer

[Bronco 27,700]

There's 2 very different conversations in this thread