Lives of Scripture
Egypt
The great river-valley civilization to Canaan's southwest, Egypt appears across the whole span of Scripture: Abraham took refuge there in a famine (Genesis 12:10), Joseph rose from slave to vizier there and later settled his family in Goshen (Genesis 37-50), and their descendants were later enslaved there for centuries until the exodus under Moses (Exodus 1-14) — the founding redemption narrative the rest of the Old Testament keeps returning to. Solomon married a pharaoh's daughter; later kings sought (and were warned against) Egyptian military alliances; and in the New Testament, Joseph and Mary fled there with the infant Jesus to escape Herod, so that Matthew could say "Out of Egypt I called My Son" (Matthew 2:13-15, quoting Hosea 11:1).
References: Genesis 12:10; Genesis 37-50; Exodus 1-14; Matthew 2:13-15
People connected to Egypt
- Aaron (M) — sent back here to be Moses's spokesman before Pharaoh
Exodus 4:27-31
- Abraham (M) — went down to this land in a famine and passed Sarah off as his sister
Genesis 12:10-13
- Asenath (F) — the Egyptian priest's daughter given to Joseph as his wife here
Genesis 41:45
- Hagar (F) — an Egyptian, Sarah's servant and the mother of Ishmael
Genesis 16:1
- Israel (M) — came down here with his household and died here after seeing Joseph again
Genesis 46:5-7; Genesis 49:33
- Jehoahaz (M) — Judah's king, deposed by Neco and taken to die in this land
2 Kings 23:33-34
- Jeremiah (M) — carried down into this land by the fleeing remnant against his word
Jeremiah 43:6-7
- Jochebed (F) — hid her son Moses here for three months, then set him afloat on the Nile
Exodus 2:1-3
- Joseph (M) — sold here as a slave, then raised to govern the land and save it from famine
Genesis 41:39-43
- Miriam (F) — watched over the infant Moses here, and led Israel's song after the sea
Exodus 2:4-8; Exodus 15:20
- Moses (M) — born here under Pharaoh's death decree, and later led Israel out
Exodus 2:1-10; Exodus 12:31
- Pharaoh (M) — a king of this land whose hardened heart brought on the ten plagues
Exodus 7:13; Exodus 12:29
- Pharaoh Neco (M) — its king, who killed Josiah and made Judah a tribute-paying vassal
2 Kings 23:29; 2 Kings 23:34
- Potiphar (M) — the officer of this land who bought Joseph and then had him jailed
Genesis 39:1; Genesis 39:20
- Puah (F) — a midwife here who feared God and spared the Hebrew baby boys
Exodus 1:15-17
- Shiphrah (F) — a midwife here who feared God and spared the Hebrew baby boys
Exodus 1:15-17
- Shishak (M) — its king, who plundered the temple in Jerusalem in Rehoboam's reign
1 Kings 14:25-26
Also named in Scripture at Egypt: Azariah (M), Baruch (M), Benjamin (M), Elnathan (M), Ephraim (M), Hadad (M), Jambres (M), Jannes (M), Jeroboam (M), Johanan (M), Joseph (M), Judah (M), Machir (M), Manasseh (M), Pharaoh (M), Pharaoh (M), Pharaoh (M), Pharaoh (M), Sarah (F), Simeon (M), Zipporah (F).