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'Prince of Egypt' the Movie and the Bible compared

By Richard Gunther

  

'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.

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