Becoming Israelite: Joshua 5:2–9 as the Final Stage of Shedding Egyptian Mores

Abstract

The exodus event demonstrates a culture and religious shift from an Egyptian context to that of national Israel. Scholars have underplayed the influence of Egypt on Israel during the exodus while overplaying the influence of Canaan. To be sure, Canaanite mores influence the practices of the Israelites. However, the generation that left Egypt (according to the Biblical account) would have been assimilated to Egyptian mores. Thus, the present article seeks to establish the exodus event as the means by which Israel sheds its former Egyptian mores and becomes “national Israel”.

Keywords

• circumcision
• Hebrew Bible
• Egypt
• Israel
• culture
• historical criticism