Both of these suggested dates are based on the fact that these dynasties represent times of political turmoil in Egypt. Many scholars suggest that the poem originated in the 12th dynasty, and some suggest that it dates to the 6th dynasty. The only known copy of the Ipuwer Papyrus dates to the 13th century BC, but scholars agree that it is a copy of an earlier document. The similarities between the Ipuwer Papyrus and the biblical account of the plagues are striking, but the date of the papyrus must be established in order to determine whether or not it describes the biblical plagues. The following table lists parallels between the events described in the Ipuwer Papyrus and those described in the Bible. Servants are rebelling against their masters, and maidservants are wearing costly necklaces. There is famine in the land, and even high ranking officials have no food to eat. It states that people are thirsty because the river is blood and that, in a reversal of fortunes, the rich have become poor and the poor rich. The Ipuwer Papyrus describes Egypt as being in a state of complete chaos and destruction. Since the Ipuwer Papyrus is not complimentary toward The Lord of All, it seems unlikely that the term refers to the pharaoh.
Habermehl further argues that a scribe would hardly dare to write something that cast a poor light on the pharaoh lest he face the wrath of the pharaoh. However, not all biblical scholars agree that pharaoh died in the Red Sea ( Petrovich 2006, 10–12). Habermehl suggests that if Ipuwer wrote the poem shortly after the exodus, it cannot reference the pharaoh, since the pharaoh died in the Red Sea, and it is uncertain how long it took to enthrone his replacement. Since the Egyptians regarded pharaoh as a god, the poem could refer to him, but the title The Lord of All appears most often in reference to a deity. Scholars have debated whether this refers to the pharaoh or an Egyptian deity. In the poem, Ipuwer addresses The Lord of All. His title, “Overseer of Singers,” may suggest that this was the same poet scribe who wrote the Ipuwer Papyrus, but most scholars believe that the poem was copied from a much earlier document. In particular, a royal scribe named Ipuwer lived in Egypt’s 19th dynasty (1292–1189 BC). The Ipuwer Papyrus records a poetic conversation between an Egyptian named Ipuwer and someone named “The Lord of All.” The name Ipuwer appears in records throughout Egyptian history. This presents some problems with translating certain portions of the text, but the majority of the document is readable. The document has sustained some damage, and both the beginning and the end are missing as are some words throughout the text.
Papyrus is an ancient form of paper made from the inner pith of papyrus plants. While hieroglyphics are symbols engraved in stone, hieratic script appears on papyrus documents. Hieratic script is a form of ancient Egyptian writing related to hieroglyphics. The Ipuwer Papyrus, currently housed in the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Netherlands, is a 378 cm x 18 cm document written in hieratic script. In a 2018 research article, Anne Habermehl suggests that “this ancient document most likely describes Exodus conditions and that the Ipuwer Papyrus therefore offers strong extra-biblical evidence for a historical Exodus.” She goes on to propose that the Ipuwer Papyrus supports a divergence of the biblical timeline from that of the commonly accepted secular timeline by several hundred years.
The views expressed reflect those of the author mentioned, and not necessarily those of New Creation.
This is a summary of the research pertaining to The Ipuwer Papyrus and the Exodus by Anne Habermehl. Secular scholars who do not believe that the plagues were historical events cannot accept such an interpretation, and offer other explanations for the events described in the Ipuwer Papyrus. Biblical scholars have suggested that it describes the plagues preceding the Israelite exodus from Egypt. The Ipuwer Papyrus is an Egyptian manuscript written in poetic form describing a chaotic time in Egyptian history.
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