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Battle of Kadesh Inscriptions

Poem and Bulletin of Ramses II

About this book

The Relief Inscriptions

Chapter 3

(The council of war) The arrival of the scout of Pharaoh, L. P. H., bringing the two scouts of the vanquished chief of Kheta into the presence of Pharaoh, L. P. H. They are beating them, to make them tell where the wretched chief of Kheta is. (Over the horses) Great first span of his majesty: “Victory-in-Thebes,” of the great stable: “Usermare-Setepnere-Beloved-of-Amon.” (The camp, over a prince in a chariot) Fan-bearer on the king’s right hand, ..., king’s-scribe, army commander ... his majesty the ... Son his right hand .... (The camp, over an official in a chariot) Arrival of the ... of Pharaoh, L. P. H., at ... the mother of the royal children, together with the ... of the divine mother ... fleeing to the west [side] of the camp⁠ ... before the foe. (The camp, at the top) The first division of Amon (named): “He-Gives-Victory-to-Usermare-Setepnere (Ramses II)-Given-Life,” with which Pharaoh is engaged in making camp.⁠ (Before a horseman) The scout of the army of Pharaoh, L. P. H., going to hasten the division of Ptah, saying: “March on! Pharaoh, L. P. H., your lord, stands ....” (The battle, over the king’s horses and chariot) The Good God, mighty in valor, great in victory, crushing all countries, King of Upper and Lower Egypt: Usermare-Setepnere; Son of Re; Ramses-Meriamon. The stand which his majesty made while he was camping on the northwest of Kadesh. He charged into the midst of the foe belonging to the vanquished chief of Kheta, while he was alone by himself, and no other with him. He found surrounding him 2,500 horse in four bodies on his every side. He slaughtered them, making (them) heaps beneath his horses. He slew all the chiefs of all the countries, the allies of the vanquished chief of Kheta, together with his own great chiefs, his infantry and his chariotry. He overthrew them prostrate upon their faces, and hurled them down, one upon another into the waters of the Orontes. His majesty was behind them like a fierce-eyed lion ... in their place. Lo, the vanquished chief of Kheta stood extending backward his arms in praise of the Good God. (Among the fleeing enemy) Tergen .... Tergenenes, charioteer of the vanquished chief of Kheta. The great horse of his majesty: “Victory-in-Thebes;” of the great stable: “Usermare-Setepnere-Beloved-of-Amon.” Kemeth, chief of the Warriors. ...es, charioteer of the vanquished chief of Kheta. Tergetetethes, chief of the archers of the Thebes. Kherpesar, scribe of the vanquished chief of Kheta. Egem, chief of the archers of the vanquished chief of Kheta. Teyeder, chief of the bodyguard of the vanquished chief of Kheta. Peyes, charioteer of the vanquished chief of Kheta. Gerbetes, chariot-warrior of the vanquished chief of Kheta. Semretes. Peyes, charioteer of the vanquished chief of Kheta. Teder, chief of the warriors. Methrem. Rebesnen, chief of the archers of Enenes. Septher, brother of the vanquished chief of Kheta. Thewethes, chief of the country of Tenes. Rebeyer. The wretched chief of Aleppo turned upside down by his soldiers, after his majesty hurled him into the water. Warriors, who are in front of the [commander], 8,000. Town of Kadesh. (By the king of Kheta) The vanquished, wretched chief of Kheta, standing before his infantry and chariotry with his face turned round, and his heart afraid. He went not forth to battle, for fear of his majesty, after he saw his majesty prevailing [against the vanquished chief] of Kheta and all the chiefs of all the countries [who] were with him. His majesty ... he overthrew them .... [The vanquished chief of Kheta] said: “He is like Sutekh, great in might; Baal is in his limbs.” (The defense of the camp, in front of the troops) The arrival of the recruits of Pharaoh, L. P. H., from the land of Amor. They found that the force of the vanquished chief of Kheta had surrounded the camp of his majesty on its western side. His majesty had been camping alone, no army with him, [awaiting the] arrival of his [officers] and his army and the division with which Pharaoh, L. P. H., was, had not finished setting up the camp. Now the division of Re and the division of Ptah were on the march; they had not (yet) arrived, and their officers were in the [forest] of Bewey. Then the recruits cut off the foe belonging to the vanquished chief of Kheta, while they (the foe) were entering into the camp, and Pharaoh’s officers slew them; they left not a single survivor among them. Their hearts were filled with the mighty valor of Pharaoh, their good lord; he was behind them like a steward of ..., like a wall of iron, forever and ever. (After the battle, officers bringing captives before the king) Bringing in prisoners before his majesty, being those which [he] brought off in the victory of his sword in this wretched land of Kheta, when his majesty caused to be [announced to] his infantry and his chariotry, saying: “[Behold, these are] the prisoners of my own capture, while I was alone, no infantry being with me, nor any prince with me, nor any chariotry.” (Beside a group of prisoners) List of those countries which his majesty slew, while alone by himself: Corpses, horses, and chariots, bows, swords, all the weapons of warfare. (Beside another group of prisoners) Receiving the prisoners which his majesty brought off, in the victory of his sword in this wretched land of Kheta and this wretched land [of] Naharin, together with the chiefs of all countries who came with the vanquished chief of Kheta, as living captives. (Over fleeing chariots) Warriors of ... the chariots of the camp of the vanquished chief of Kheta. (Abu Simbel, behind the chariot) The Good God, who fought for his army, whose sword repulsed the Nine Bows; king, mighty in victory, who has not his like; charging into the multitudes of every country, making them prostrate bodies. His face is fierce-eyed before the chief of Kheta, and the countries of Naharin .... (Abu Simbel, over the horses) Great first span of his majesty (named): “Mut-is-Satisfied,” of the great stable: “Usermare-Setepnere-Beloved-of-Amon.” (Karnak, presentation of captives to Amon) List of the chiefs of Kheta, which his majesty, L. P. H., brought as living captives to the house of his father, Amon: Derden, Pedes, Kele[kesh] .... ... [behind his majesty, by the] ... scribe, commander in chief of the army, Amenhirkhepeshef. ... [behind] his majesty, by the king’s-son, Khamwese. ... behind his majesty, by the king’s-son, Meriamon. ... behind his majesty, by the king’s-son, Seti. Captives from the northern countries, who came to overthrow his majesty, whom his majesty slew, and whose subjects he brought as living captives, to fill the storehouse of his father, Amon.

Texts in conversation

Compare Battle of Kadesh Inscriptions 3:5 and Numbers 2:2

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

The carvings of Ramses II's battle at Kadesh show his army camped in a walled rectangle, with four divisions around the royal tent in the center. Numbers 2 lays out Israel's camp the same way, with the tribes in four groups around the tent of meeting.

Passages

Battle of Kadesh Inscriptions 3:5

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Poem and Bulletin of Ramses II
(The camp, over a prince in a chariot) Fan-bearer on the king’s right hand, ..., king’s-scribe, army commander ... his majesty the ... Son his right hand .... (The camp, over an official in a chariot) Arrival of the ... of Pharaoh, L. P. H., at ... the mother of the royal children, together with the ... of the divine mother ... fleeing to the west [side] of the camp ... before the foe. (The camp, at the top) The first division of Amon (named): “He-Gives-Victory-to-Usermare-Setepnere (Ramses II)-Given-Life,” with which Pharaoh is engaged in making camp.
1274 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Battle of Kadesh Inscriptions

Numbers 2:2

Hebrew Bible
1 The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron: 2 “Every one of the Israelites must camp under his standard with the emblems of his family; they must camp at some distance around the tent of meeting. 3 “Now those who will be camping on the east, toward the sunrise, are the divisions of the camp of Judah under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Numbers

References

“... Surprisingly, one of the most remarkable parallels to the Tabernacle and its court has been largely ignored: the military camp of Rameses II at Qedesh. The four reliefs and corresponding written sources of the battle of Qedesh portray a 2:1 rectangular camp, the entrance of which is in the middle of the short wall (Plates 10, 47, 48). [...] Directly in the camp's middle lies the entrance to a 3:1 long-room tent, composed of a 2:1 reception tent leading to the square throne tent of the pharaoh (Plate 49). Furthermore, we learn from the Abu Simbel relief that the height of Rameses's tent corresponds to its width. All of this matches the description of the Tabernacle and its camp in Exodus 25-27 (Figure 5). Moreover, Rameses's tent is oriented eastward. The pharaoh's golden throne is flanked by falcon wings, just as the ark is flanked by winged cherubim. The campaigning Egyptian army is divided into four units, as Israel encamps and marches by four standards according to Numbers 2. In sum, the military tent and camp of Rameses II at Qedesh constitute the best parallel to the Tabernacle known to date. The significance of the parallel is great. Here is a tent shrine for the living Egyptian god from the same time and area in which the events in P purport to take place. The rectangular shape shared by Rameses's camp and the Tabernacle is extraordinary; most military camps are elliptical. ...”
Michael M. Homan, To Your Tents, O Israel!: The Terminology, Function, Form, and Symbolism of Tents in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East, CHANE 12 (Leiden: Brill, 2002), 111–114.

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Battle of Kadesh Inscriptions 3:5 and Numbers 2:2

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