Last week we described the story told by Eldad the Danite, about the
Tribe of Dan invading Egypt. A most unlikely story on its face. Further
it supposedly took place at the time of Jeroboam which under
conventional chronology was at the end of the 21st Dynasty of Egypt.
There are no records in Egypt to confirm Eldad's account.
If we survey the history of Egypt, we can find a record of an
invasion by a people with a name very similar to the Tribe of Dan. They
were called by the Egyptians the Denyen, Denen or Danu. Can it only be a
coincidence that this invasion took place during the 8th year of the
reign of Ramesses III, EXACTLY at the time it would be expected under
the revised chronology?
The description of the invasion can be found inscribed on the walls
of the mortuary temple at Medinet Habu, on the outer wall of the second
Pylon.
Medinet Habu is located across the Nile from Luxor.
We quote from the inscription.
" As for the foreign countries, they made a (conspiracy) in their
isles (rww). (Removed) and scattered in the fray were the lands at one
time. No land could stand before their arms, from Hatti, Kode,
Carcamesh, Yereth and Yeres on, (but they were) cut off at one time. A
camp (was set up) in one place in Amor. They desolated its people and
its land was like that which had never come into being. They were
coming, while the flame was prepared before them, forward towards Egypt.
Their confederation was the PELESET, TJEKKER, DENYE(n) and the
WESHESH, lands united............"
On the face of it this inscription causes a problem in that the
Peleset are identified as the Philistines, but who were the Tjekker and
the Weshesh. What was the Tribe of Dan doing teaming up with the
Philistines?
We need to go back in time to how the land of Canaan was divided up
amongst the tribes of the Children of Israel. Four tribes were allotted
land by the Sea, the half tribe of Manasseh, Judah, Asher and Dan. The
latter two were well known for their sea-faring ways as evidenced in the
Book of Judges in the "Song of Deborah".
"And Dan, why did he abide with the ships? Asher sat still at the
coast of the sea Settling down by his landings" (Judges 5:17)
It would therefore be interesting to look at the coast of Israel
shown in the map last week and compare it to the inscriptions of the
Egyptians.
The Egyptians have the land invaded by the Peleset, Danu, Tjekker and
the Weshesh.
The Coast has the Philistines, The half Tribe of Manasseh, Asher and
Dan.
Two out of four so far....can we identify Asher and Manasseh with
Weshesh and Tjekker?
Stay Tuned.
Any Questions?
Michael S. Sanders
Irvine
Wednesday, June 17, 1998

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Are these the
earliest known pictures of the Children of Israel?
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