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'Prince
of Egypt' by Dreamworks - Released
in NZ Dec 26th 1998
Producer
Sandra Rabins
Before
the movie begins the audience is informed that the story has been taken from the
book of Exodus, and that some licence has been taken in expanding or adapting
the Biblical account to suit the taste of the producer and animators.
Without
intending to criticise the wonder, excitement and artistic achievement of the
movie, here are most of the clear discrepancies between the movie version of the
Moses story and the Biblical account :
The
Movie
Moses'
mother makes an ark of bulrushes, (papyrus), weaving them together plainly, as
they are, without any additional covering
The
Bible
Moses'
mother covers the woven bulrushes (papyrus) with "slime (asphalt) and with
pitch".
The
Movie
The
boy babies were killed by Pharaoh by his soldiers, who went at his bidding,
brandishing curved swords, and broke into the homes of Hebrew families
The
Bible
Pharaoh
told the Hebrew mid-wives to kill the male children at birth - but they
refused to. Eventually Pharaoh told "all his people . . . every son who is
born (to the Hebrews) you shall cast into the river . . ." - Ex.1:22
The
Movie
The
ark goes on a long journey, through several hazards such as being side-swiped by
a passing ship.
The
Bible
The
ark was hidden in the reeds, where it stayed "by the rivers' brink, with
Moses' sister nearby, keeping watch
The
Movie
When
Pharoah's daughter opened the lid of the ark, the baby was happy and peaceful
The
Bible
When
Pharoah's daughter opened the ark, the baby was crying
The
Movie
When
Pharoah's daughter had the baby in her hands, she turned and went back to the
palace with it.
The
Bible
When
Pharoah's daughter had the baby in her hands, Miriam came forward and offered to
supply a nurse to suckle it until it was weaned. The baby went to Jochebed,
Moses' mother for three months (Acts 7:20) before it was presented to Pharoah's
daughter
The
Movie
Moses
finds out that he is not an Egyptian through a chance encounter with his sister
Miriam, as he follows Zipporah (then an unknown Hebrew captive escaping the
city) into the Hebrew sector
The
Bible
Acts
7:23 says "But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit
his brethren . . ."
The
Movie
Moses
struck the slave-driver in anger, simply because of the injustice of the
situation
The
Bible
Moses
struck the Egyptian because he thought God was about to use him, at that moment,
to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage (Acts 7:25)
The
Movie
When
Moses struck a slave-driver, it was in the open, with thousands of people
watching. The body landed at the foot of a scaffold where all could see it
The
Bible
When
Moses struck a slave-driver, Moses thought he had not been seen, and so buried
the corpse
The
Movie
Moses
fled Egypt within an hour of killing the Egyptian
The
Bible
Moses
fled Egypt the following day, after trying to help in a dispute between two
Hebrew men
The
Movie
When
Moses arrived at the well, the three daughters of the priest of Midian (Reuel or
Jethro) were there, arguing with two men over the water
The
Bible
When
Moses arrived at the well, the seven daughters of the priest of Midian were
there by themselves, filling the water troughs for their sheep
The
Movie
Moses
helped the three girls by diverting the two men - he sent their camels running,
then he fell down the well and Zipporah arrived. She refused to help him out.
The
Bible
Soon
after Moses arrived at the well, some shepherds arrived and drove the girls away
from the troughs, but Moses drove the shepherds away and watered the flock for
the seven girls, then they went to their father, leaving him at the well. They
returned later to invite him home.
The
Movie
Moses
appears to be thirty to perhaps forty years old
The
Bible
Moses
was 40 years old when he left Egypt, and about 80 years Acts 7:23 older when he
returned.
The
Movie
When
Moses meets God at the burning bush, he climbs down a tunnel shaped from the
rock and finds the 'burning' tree in a cave
The
Bible
Moses
is with Jethro's flock in the desert when he sees a bush which is apparently
burning, so he "turns aside" to look at it
The
Movie
Moses
went to Egypt with Zipporah his wife sitting behind him on the same camel
The
Bible
Moses
went to Egypt with Aaron his brother as spokesman. His wife came with him, but
she and her two sons were "on a donkey" (Ex. 4:20)
The
Movie
Moses
went straight to Pharaoh to tell him to let the Hebrews go
The
Bible
Moses
and Aaron went to the elders of Israel first to tell them of God's intentions,
and to show them the two miraculous signs (Ex.4:30)
The
Movie
When
Moses first confronted Pharaoh, he showed him the staff which changed into a
snake. He cast the staff down to transform it, but to restore it to a staff he
stood the snake on its tail with the head at the top
The
Bible
To
change the snake back into a staff, Moses was told to take it by the tail, not
the head. (There was also no mention of the second sign - Moses was told to
place his hand inside his tunic and pull it out leprous, then to repeat action
this to restore it to health.)
The
Movie
When
Moses' first approach to Pharaoh fails, he is pushed and falls into a pool of
mud, and Aaron is there to add scorn to the humiliation
The
Bible
Moses
and Aaron returned from Pharaoh and were met by "the officers of the
children of Israel" who complained to them about the increase in the work
order.
The
Movie
Throughout
the entire movie, it is Moses alone who speaks to Pharaoh, and to whom God
speaks
The
Bible
God
repeatedly speaks to Moses and Aaron together (Ex. 6:13) and they work together
(Ex. 5:1, 8:12) "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron . . ." -
Ex.8:25. "And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said to them
. . ." - Ex. 9:27. "So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to
him . . ." - Ex. 10:3. "So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders
before Pharaoh . . ." - Ex. 11:10.
The
Movie
When
Moses, standing all by himself, stretched out the rod, various wonders occurred.
The
Bible
It
was Aaron who frequently stretched out the rod, as he stood beside Moses (Ex.
7:9, 19, 8:5, 16 - "For Aaron stretched out his hand with the rod and
struck the dust of the earth . . ." )
The
Movie
Moses
stands on the riverbank, while Pharaoh goes by in a boat. Moses is told there
and then to place the end of his staff in the river (which he does, gently) and
the plague of blood begins to spread from the end of the staff
The
Bible
God
explained to Moses and Aaron about the coming plague of blood long before they
arrived at the riverbank. Aaron was told to stretch his rod over the land
of Egypt. Moses actually struck the river.
The
Movie
Pharaoh
himself uttered some of the words of Scripture regarding the last plague
The
Bible
Moses
spoke the words regarding the last plague ("Then there shall be a great cry
throughout all the land of Egypt . .." - Ex. 11:6)
The
Movie
When
Israel is shown leaving Egypt, a few thousand people (including at least two
Egyptians), and two or three bullock-pulled carts, are pictured with him
The
Bible
600,000
men on foot ( Hebrew = geber = strong men, of military age) marched out
of Egypt. Add to this the women, the children, and the "mixed
multitude" and you have about 3,000,000 people. ("A mixed multitude
went up with them also, and flocks and herds - a great deal of livestock" -
Ex. 12:38)
The
Movie
Moses
walks into the sea and stands in the water. He bangs his staff down and the sea
suddenly erupts away from him and parts.
The
Bible
Moses
does not enter the water. He is told to stand still, and to stretch out his rod
over the sea. Nothing happens immediately. A strong east wind blows all night.
In the morning the sea is seen to be standing up, with a highway through the
middle.
The
Movie
The
Israelites cross the Red Sea through a narrow corridor, perhaps twenty abreast
at most, and perhaps 1 kilometre long
The
Bible
The
Israelites were all across by morning. In order for this to happen they would
have needed to be approximately a mile wide. A narrow corridor would not permit
three million people to pass through before the morning came
The
Movie
The
Israelites leave the drowned Egyptians behind and almost immediately the scene
of Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai with the two tables of commandments is
shown.
The
Bible
Long before the ten commandments were given, the people went through many experiences, such as the 3 days without water and the miracle at Marah, the arrival at Elim, the giving of manna, the water from the rock, the victory over the Amalekites, and finally, three months later they arrived at Sinai.