Moses and the Gods of Egypt: Studies in Exodus

by John James Davis

The purpose of this volume is to take a fresh look at the text of Exodus in the light of recent archaeological and historical studies. Special consideration is given to the first twelve chapters of the book in the light of Egyptian religious and political customs. Where appropriate, reference is made to the Hebrew text. The documentation and bibliography are designed to aid the serious Bible student in studying certain problems in greater depth. It is the author’s desire that this volume will not only be intellectually informative but also spiritually stimulating, thus leading the reader to greater Christian growth and maturity. Author Davis was Executive Vice President of Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana. This is the fourth volume to be issued in the Old Testament Studies series.

Genres: Faith, Church History, Religion, Theology

331 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1971

About the author

John James Davis, Th.D., D.D.,

American theologian, archaeologist, and Christian educator. He was the President and Professor Emeritus at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana.

A keen outdoorsman, he fishes and promotes wild game dinners

He wrote a weekly column called "Outdoor Scene" for the Warsaw, Indiana Times Union newspaper for 31 years, and has written several humour books about fishing.

Reviews

[Jason Keel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Moses and the Gods of Egypt" is an excellent resource for understanding the book of Exodus. When I was given this book by a friend and retired pastor who was cleaning out his library I thought it would just be about Moses' encounter with the Egyptian gods, but it is so much more than that. Davis does a thorough job of recounting the story of the Ten Plagues from the first few chapters of the book all the while giving insights into which gods were basically defeated by Yahweh in each plague (and I use they word "gods" intentionally because with each plague He humiliated numerous Egyptian deities and spirits.).

But Davis didn't stop there. The rest of the book is an in depth, very readable commentary and historical and theological analysis of the remainder or Exodus. This book would be good for anyone who is familiar with Exodus in helping not only understanding, but in teaching and preaching as well. I would encourage everyone who to read the biblical book alongside this awesome resource.

[Allan Nemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at a used book store. The book was originally published in 1971 although my book is the 2nd edition. What makes this interesting to me is the author is not only an accomplished theologian but an experienced archeologist. So the section on the Israelites in Egypt was very interesting. Because the book is old some of the info might be out of date. But still quite an interesting read.

[Charity U · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I have appreciated a number of Davis's works now (particularly including Paradise to Prison: Studies in Genesis) and this one is no exception.

[Zacarias Rivera, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-documented study on Exodus. I found it very helpful in my study of book. I highly recommend it.

[Ben Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent study of the ten plagues and their relationship to the gods of Egypt. The second half of the book is less satisfying.

[Josh Hopping · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally written in 1971 and recently re-printed for the fifth time in 2006, Moses and the Gods of Egypt by John J. Davis is defiantly a classic textbook on the book of Exodus.

A quick look online shows that Davis has a multitude of accreditations covering forty-plus years has an archaeologist, professor and theologian. Shoot, he was even on the Old Testament translation team for the New International Version (NIV) Bible as well as a contributor too the study editions of the NIV, New American Standard Bible and the Christian Life Edition of the New King James Version of the Bible.

With such a background you can guess that this book follows the basic evangelical theology and interpretation of Exodus - not that there is anything wrong with this view. It is just an observation for those of you who have studied that part of the Bible in college, Bible studies, church training schools, etc.

The really jewel of the book (and the reason I bought it) is Davis handling of the Ten Plagues.

More than anyone else I have read or heard about he brings out the religious and political customs of ancient Egypt and shows how the plagues were a direct battle against the gods of Egypt. Yet he does not stop there – he also brings to light what the average Egyptian on the street would have thought or felt during this time – which is something we often forget about.

Definitely a good reference book to have on the bookshelf.

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, conservative commentary on the Old Testament book of Exodus, the second book in the Bible. In addition to illuminating the text with only a moderate amount of technical language, the author also doesn't shy away from explaining hard passages and defending favorite targets of critics, such as miracles (the crossing of the Red Sea, etc.). Highly recommended.

[Marian Weaver · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't bother finishing this book. I have little time for religious polemic thinly disguised as history and archaeology - and even less time for books that ignore blatant facts in favour of dogma.

ZERO out of five stars.