Why did Pharaoh Seti enslave the Hebrews?

Answer 1

The motives are stated in detail in the first chapter of Exodus. The Jews were "becoming too populous" and the Pharaoh saw them as a threat.

The Bible explains this in Exodus 1:8-10

Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. He said to his people, "the Israelites have become too numerous for us. We must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, may join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country."

So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.

Answer 2

Who says it was Pharaoh Seti? The Pharaoh who enslaved the Israelites, and the Pharaoh of the Exodus, have not yet been positively identified.

Without naming the Pharaoh, the Torah states that Pharaoh claimed that the high Israelite birth-rate could pose a potential threat (Exodus ch.1).

On a spiritual level, the Egyptian slavery was brought about by God. It taught us the importance of loving the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19), it showed us the power of God when He redeemed us (Exodus 10:2) as well as His personal concern for us (Exodus 2:24); and it served as the "iron furnace" (Deuteronomy 4:20) which smelted us (the Israelites) into a nation and separated the dross.

See also:

Jewish history timeline

The Exodus

Answer 3

Pharaoh Seti I ruled Egypt from about 1290 to 1279 BCE, whereas the Bible suggests that the Exodus from Egypt had already taken place in 1440 BCE. The Israelite settlements in the Canaanite interior began to appear around 1250 BCE and Pharaoh Merneptah erected a stele around 1208 BCE, claiming that the Israelites were among the rebel people he had defeated.

The Israelite archaeologist Israel Finkelstein says that over 90 per cent of scholars say that there was no Exodus from Egypt as described in the Bible, in which case there was no captivity of the Hebrew nation in Egypt.

Answer 4

The Torah states that Pharaoh claimed that the high Israelite birth-rate could pose a potential threat (Exodus ch.1).On a spiritual level, the Egyptian slavery was brought about by God (see Genesis ch.15). It taught us the importance of loving the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19), it showed us the power of God when He redeemed us (Exodus 10:2) as well as His personal concern for us (Exodus 2:24); and it served as the "iron furnace" (Deuteronomy 4:20) which smelted us (the Israelites) into a nation and separated the dross.

See also:

Jewish history timeline

Answer 5

because pharaoh didn't want the hebrews to take over Egypt

Answer 6

The reason is given in Exodus ch.1. Pharaoh was taken aback by the high Jewish Birth Rate and feared its potential consequences.

Answer 7

The Pharaoh must have realised that the Jews were getting larger in number, so soon they would outnumber the Egyptians. So they were enslaved.

Answer 8

They were growing massively in the area and the pharaoh at the time did not know about Joseph so they enslaved them and drowned the babies that were born

Answer 9

Because they were becoming too strong, too numerous.

Answer 10

Exodus ch.1: because they were appalled at the Israelites' high birth rate. This caused alarm because they could plausibly rise up and take over the country.