The Two Egypts

Well Sandra is very very stressed about her physiology test next week... (and highly irritable.)

What else... I am reading voraciously at the moment. I just finished Paul Johnson's History of the Jews and now I am reading Life after Death by Alan F. Segal.

Very good book. Very academic too.

I am currently only on the first chapter where he is describing ancient Egypt's funereal cult and the geography, politics and sociology of the era.

I in fact learnt some more about Hebrew this morning which is appropriate to Nisan and Pesach. Which happens at the upcoming full moon.

Anyways...

When Egypt is referred to in the Bible, the Hebrew word is Mitzrayim.

The word Mitzrayim in Hebrew is in a special form of the plural - a form which indicates "Two".

Its the form of a noun I would use if I want to buy two pairs of shoes etc.

So if we were to translate the word literally the Bible would always refer to the two Egypts and not to a singular Egypt. Therefore at the Pesach table I will be recounting the story of how "...We were slaves in the two Egypts but now we are free men...".

That seems strange.... Does it not???

Well, actually - it makes perfect sense.

Because Egypt was actually split into two seperate kingdoms seperated geographically by huge waterfalls. The climate and society of the two kingdoms were different and in fact they spoke such different dialects of Egyptian that people from the two different kingdoms of Egypt could not understand each other. These two kingdoms were united under the pharoah - but nevertheless they were two seperate distinct entities.

There were in fact two Egypts hence the form of the Hebrew word for Egypt - Mitzrayim.

I find that very interesting!

later...