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Papyrus Harris I

BM 10053

About this book
Chapter 1

From the great administrative and historical papyrus compiled at the close of the reign of Ramses III, recording his campaigns and benefactions. Section 76:9-11: I destroyed the people of Seir, of the tribes of the Shasu (mhw.w shasu);⁠ I plundered their tents (ihr.w), their people, their possessions, their cattle likewise, without number. They were pinioned and brought as captives, tribute of Egypt.

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Compare Papyrus Harris I and Deuteronomy 33:2

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

A twelfth-century BCE Egyptian record describes Ramses III destroying the nomadic people of Seir, describing Seir as a known region of sheep herders. Deuteronomy describes God marching from the same region of Seir to reveal himself to Israel.

Passages

Papyrus Harris I

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · BM 10053
From the great administrative and historical papyrus compiled at the close of the reign of Ramses III, recording his campaigns and benefactions. Section 76:9-11: I destroyed the people of Seir, of the tribes of the Shasu (mhw.w shasu); I plundered their tents (ihr.w), their people, their possessions, their cattle likewise, without number. They were pinioned and brought as captives, tribute of Egypt.
1189–1153 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Papyrus Harris I

Deuteronomy 33:2

Hebrew Bible
1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. 2 He said: “The Lord came from Sinai and revealed himself to Israel from Seir. He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran, and came forth with ten thousand holy ones. With his right hand he gave a fiery law to them. 3 Surely he loves the people; all your holy ones are in your hand8. And they sit at your feet, each receiving your words.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

References

... Papyrus Harris I (Giveon Document 38; Ramses III, 1189-1153) 76:9-11: I destroyed the people of Seir, of the tribes of the Shasu (mhw.w shasu); I plundered their tents (ihr.w), their people, their possessions, their cattle likewise, without number. They were pinioned and brought as captives, tribute of Egypt. ... A Ramses II obelisk from Tanis includes the following inscription: “The fierce lion, full of rage who ... plundered the Shasu-land and seized the mountain of Seir by his mighty arm.” The section already cited from Papyrus Harris I (Ramses III, 1184-1153) identifies the families of the Shasu with the “people of Seir” (above). These two important references to Seir define Egyptian understanding of the Shasu people during the period beginning in the reign of Ramses II, after Egypt stepped away from its major conflicts in Syria. ...
Daniel E. Fleming, Yahweh Before Israel: Glimpses of History in a Divine Name (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021), 46, 54–56.

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Papyrus Harris I and Deuteronomy 33:2

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