© Charles Chandler

 

Balaam is mentioned in the Chronicles of Moses, where he seizes a city, later to be ousted by Moses once on the Exodus.¹ The present thesis identifies Moses with Ramose, and the king of Ethiopia in the story with Tutankhamun, whose wife Ankhesenamun (as Aksah) married Moses (as Otni'el) after Tut died.² Balaam held the city for 9 years, matching Tut's tenure of 1332~1323 bce. The "Exodus" that occurred in that range would have been the exile of the Atenist high priests when Tut abandoned Amarna in 1329 bce, including Moses, who contended for the city, ultimately prevailing in 1323 bce when Tut died, suggesting that Tut had sponsored Balaam's claim to the city. From this we get that Balaam was powerful enough to compete directly with a former vizier to the pharaoh. The most powerful person in Canaan in 1329 bce would have been Isaac, son of Amenhotep III by Sarah, and Isaac's heir apparent at the time would have been Esau, who would have been 18 years old in 1332 bce, being born in 1350 bce, same as Jacob. This puts Esau on the short list of people powerful enough to be the "Balaam" mentioned in the Chronicles. The city in question can be read from the Deuteronomic History, in that Otni'el was given Aksah for capturing Kiriath Sepher (near Hebron).^3,4 The picture that emerges is rather simple. In 1332 bce, Isaac son of Sarah & Amenhotep III would have been the senior Egyptian vassal in Canaan, with his twin 18-year old sons Esau & Jacob coming of age. Jacob was sent back to Mitanni to find a wife, while Esau, the heir apparent of the Covenant, was made lord of Hebron, to begin honing his political skills. In 1329 bce Tut abandoned Amarna, exiling the Atenist high priests, while standing by grants already made to the Patriarchs, including the claim to Hebron. But when Tut died in 1323 bce, the new pharaoh Ay arranged for Aksah to be taken in by Moses, and with Hebron as a dowry, at Esau's expense.