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Let My People Go! – The History and Historicity of the Biblical Account of the Exodus

Khalid Elhassan May 31, 2025 17 min

7. A Compelling Perspective

Exodus - In the Old Testament's Book of Genesis, a divine pillar of fire guided the Israelites at night when they left Egypt — In the Old Testament’s Book of Genesis, a divine pillar of fire guided the Israelites at night when they left Egypt. Imgur

The Hyksos Expulsion Theory offers a compelling lens through which to view the Exodus, not as a literal historical account, but as a story rooted in transformed memories of real events. The Israelites were not the Hyksos, and the biblical story does not exactly mirror Egyptian history.

However, the expulsion of the Hyksos may have left a trace in regional memory, that later influenced the formation of the Exodus narrative. As such, the theory does not “prove” the Exodus happened. However, it helps explain how stories of past migrations, conflicts, and displacements, could evolve into one of the most powerful liberation narratives in human history.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.