Mysterious ancient papyrus ‘confirms’ Bible story of the 10 plagues

An ancient Egyptian manuscript may prove the biblical 10 plagues described in the Book of Exodus.

Known as the Ipuwer Papyrus, the document takes the form of a poetic lament attributed to a scribe named Ipuwer. 

It recounts widespread catastrophes and societal upheaval in ancient Egypt, describing famine, mass death and environmental disasters. 

According to Exodus, God sent a series of devastating afflictions, including turning the Nile to blood, swarms of locusts and three days of darkness, to convince the Pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery.

The Ipuwer Papyrus appears to describe many of these same events, as one line reads, ‘There’s blood everywhere…Lo, the River is blood,’ mirroring the Nile turning to blood in the Bible.

‘Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, he lifted the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood,’ reads Exodus 7:20.

The papyrus also describes environmental devastation: ‘Lo, trees are felled, branches stripped,’ likely reflecting the hailstorm that destroyed crops, and ‘Lo, grain is lacking on all sides,’ illustrating widespread famine. 

While the Ipuwer Papyrus, now housed in the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities, was discovered in the early 19th century, it has resurfaced on social media, where users are amazed that they have never heard about the manuscript and believe it proves the Bible to be true. 

The Bible recounts that God sent ten plagues upon Egypt to persuade Pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery. 

The first plague turned the Nile to blood, killing fish and poisoning the water.

Following this, Egypt was struck by swarms of frogs, lice and flies, along with deadly livestock disease and painful boils. 

A severe hailstorm, locust swarms, three days of thick darkness and finally the death of every firstborn son forced Pharaoh to release the Israelites. 

Against this biblical backdrop, the Ipuwer Papyrus offers a strikingly similar account of calamities in Egypt.

Estimates place the Ipuwer Papyrus between 1550 and 1290 BC. However, some scholars suggest it may align with the biblical timeline of the Exodus around 1440 BC. 

Biblical historian Michael Lane said in a recent study: ‘No conclusive evidence exists to pinpoint the exact date of its composition, but because of its written style, it appears to have been written by an eyewitness. A large number of scholars place it around the time of the biblical date of 1440BC.’ 

Despite the intriguing parallels, scholars caution against interpreting the papyrus as direct proof of the Exodus. 

The text is poetic and fragmentary, and it does not explicitly mention Moses or the Israelites. 

Some have suggested that it may instead reflect broader natural disasters and social turmoil that Egypt experienced independently of the biblical narrative. 

The manuscript vividly portrays societal collapse, with lines such as ‘Groaning is throughout the land, mingled with laments,’ mirroring the mourning described in Exodus 12:30, when ‘there was not a house where there was not one dead.’ 

One passage reads: ‘Birds find neither fruits nor herbs,’ which is reminiscent of the biblical plague of locusts, which ‘covered all the ground until it was black…nothing green remained on trees or plants in all the land of Egypt’ (Exodus 10:15). 

The text also echoes the biblical plagues’ attacks on Egypt’s gods, with the river of blood, frogs, and darkness recalling Hapi, Heqet, and Ra. 

It references slavery and wealth, noting precious metals and stones fastened on female slaves, reflecting the Israelites’ bondage and the transfer of treasures described in Exodus. 

Another passage, ‘Lo, many dead are buried in the river, the stream is the grave, the tomb became a stream,’ aligns with biblical descriptions of mass burials (Numbers 33:4). The devastation is summarized simply yet powerfully: ‘All is ruin.’

Together, these passages suggest a society under environmental, social, and spiritual crisis, echoing the layered calamities of the biblical narrative.