The Psychology Behind The Book of Exodus
An Allegory for Human Growth and Becoming
Perspectives and Interpretations of Exodus
The Book of Exodus is, perhaps, the central book of the Hebrew Bible. Its scripture recounts the saga of the Israelites’ escape from bondage in Egypt, their forty-year sojourn in the desert, and their eventual arrival in the land of Canaan, the land that their God, Yahweh, promised to them. On the surface, Exodus is a “Homeward Bound” sort of story, where the Hebrews, through the grace of God, were led by Moses, out of Egypt, through the perilous desert, and into the land of their forefather, Abraham.
Like most founding myths, the story of Exodus is subject to a great breadth of theories of its facticity from clerics, theologians, and biblical scholars to the layman. To many, it is the literal account of the Hebrew saga of liberation and return to the land of Canaan. To others, it is an example of mythicized history. In this case, religious beliefs, cultural norms, and archetypical psychological themes are heavily interwoven into the framework of recollected accounts, producing a final version more akin to a legend or folktale than a true work of posterity. Still others contend that it is a completely fictitious foundation myth conjured up centuries after the supposed events occurred. The point of this, some argue, would have been to consolidate royal authority through fabricated origin stories that reinforce national solidarity and cultural identity.
For anyone who has read Exodus, it is obvious that the book’s historical accuracy hinges upon the existence of the Hebrew God, Yahweh. However, this article is written from an atheistic standpoint that there is not enough evidence to justify belief in any god, let alone Yahweh. Furthermore, there is insufficient historical documentation and archeological evidence to back up the Biblical story of Exodus. Therefore, barring a divine revelation or a breakthrough in tangible proof, we must rule out the possibility of a literal interpretation of the Book of Exodus. Yet the “conspiracy theory” that suggests that the exodus saga was merely a big lie cobbled together by King David’s clerics to solidify legitimacy likewise lacks the proof required to bear the weight of its premises. The only data that points to this is the consensus among scholars that Exodus may have been penned as early as the 9th century BC, around the time of King David’s rule.[1] By itself, this evidence is highly circumstantial and fails to justify this speculation. At this point, it is simply far-fetched conjecture. Ultimately, the most likely scenario –based on what we know through archeology and written sources at the time—is that the story of Exodus is probably a mix of fact and fiction that evolved through centuries before it was ever written down. This is a very plausible theory, both because Biblical scholarship suggests that Exodus was written centuries after its events happened (the time of Moses itself is dated around the 13th century, BC), and that, like many myths, legends, and folktales, its saga underwent massive revisions over the course of hundreds of years of informal oral tradition. During this time, events could be altered at will, while storytellers integrated their religious and cultural worldviews into the center of the story.[2] That process was finally halted when Hebrew scholars recorded their contemporary account in the Torah. From there, through the belief in divine inspiration, the text became sacred and unalterable. Henceforth, revisions of the text were confined to reinterpretations of the text as it was written.
Exodus as an Allegory for Authentic Self-Creation
It is, in fact, this type of analysis that is the subject of this article. From our viewpoint, Exodus is the saga of transformation and self-actualization of the Hebrew people into the nation of Israel. Throughout the story, God can be interpreted as an externalization of the will of the Hebrew people. Such an externalization serves the purpose of raising the imperatives of an individual or group to sacred status, and therefore, a duty. Throughout the book, God demanded the Hebrews’ freedom from Egyptian bonds, followed by their adoption of his values and laws.
Through a process of liberating themselves from slavery in Egypt, their eventual embracement of new and distinct values in the desert, and final emergence as the newly established nation of Israel at the borders of Canaan, the Hebrew people completed a process of self-creation reminiscent of Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of “The Three Metamorphoses”, of which he wrote in his book, Thus Spake Zarathustra. These three stages begin with the camel, in which one takes on the burdens of the beliefs, values, and demands of his native culture. In the second stage, the agent transforms into a lion, who breaks free of these bonds and escapes into freedom. Finally, the agent, making use of its newly found independence, sets to work in the creation of its distinct values and beliefs. This last phase is termed “the child” since the agent now views the world with fresh eyes and exhibits the same unburdened creative energy and enthusiastic seriousness characteristic of pre-adolescent youth. It is only by reaching this phase that an agent, be it a group or individual, can possess the strength and determination to overcome the most intimidating obstacles for its own true sake. The Israelite task of conquering Canaan is one example of such a challenge.
This progressive change from an individual overburdened and downtrodden by one’s surroundings, toward the goal of self-actualization and the generation of the self, bears a striking resemblance to the story of Exodus. Whereas Nietzsche is generally describing the freedom and individuation of the self, the saga of Exodus places it on a national scale. In this sense, Exodus can be interpreted both as an allegory of individual growth, metaphorically represented by the Hebrew people, and as an example of how this process manifests on a grand scale.
The Overladen Camel
At the beginning of Exodus, the Hebrews had been living in Egypt since Joseph and his family arrived generations before. However, they remained a distinct ethnic minority despite their long tenure as an established and partially assimilated ethnicity in Egypt. At this point, the Hebrews may be interpreted in the first phase symbolized by the camel, where they had assimilated themselves in Egyptian society as far as they could bear. However, in a streak of xenophobic extremism, one Pharaoh marked them as a threat to his power and Egypt itself. His solution to this perceived danger was the ancient antecedent of Nazi Germany’s Final Solution. He resolved to enslave the Hebrews and eradicate them through overwork. He also commanded that all Hebrew mothers turn their male children over to authorities to be slaughtered. In this scenario, the Hebrew people, having coexisted with the rest of Egypt for four centuries, are faced with an existential that demands a sharp change of course.
We can also view this on an individual psychological level. All societies are composed of individuals, yet all individuals are their own agents, distinct from society itself. Yet all societies demand that individuals sacrifice a part of themselves to be one with the whole. Everyone to some degree, attempts to assimilate themselves into society by adopting its values, customs, and habits, hoping that such sacrifices remain bearable. In fact, it is common for us, at least in our youth and adolescent years, to willingly conform to our social milieu as much as possible.
However, our individuality groans under the yoke of this incessant social pressure, and eventually, many of us reach a point where we must choose between embarking on the hard path toward ideological freedom or losing ourselves in the mires of social expectations. For some, it is a matter of free choice; just as the camel willingly took on the weight of its society, it then freely chooses to shirk off that load, say the “sacred no”, and strike out into freedom as the lion. Interestingly, yet predictably, most individuals never invest themselves enough in their social ideologies to become camels, let alone take on the task of freedom embarked upon by the lion. For example, most people who identify as “Christians” today never invest themselves enough in their supposed beliefs to truly understand them. These multitudes have never taken on the full weight of their “faith”, and cling to it only insofar as it acts as a psychological salve. Yet if individuals fail to take on the full weight of their faith, warts, and all, how can they ever examine it closely enough to truly understand it? How can one ever turn a critical eye toward these “truths”, pull back the curtain, and discover that they are, in fact, illusions? Those who take social conventions and sacred values into full view discover that their true will is reflected in their attitude toward their surroundings. An accurate and objective view of these things lends to an accurate and objective understanding of the self. This understanding, in turn, acts as a map and compass toward the ultimate goal.
On the other hand, there are many people, such as the artistically inclined, who truly cannot bear the suffocating social limitations assigned to them. In fact, in American society today, such pressure is specifically tailored to crush the most unique individuals, smash their wills, and recast them into garden variety worker bees. For these people, society does not stop at compromising their individuality and their will; it moves to destroy them. It is an urgent task for such people to recognize the dangers presented by society and the opportunities for escape. In this respect, the eradication of the Hebrews is a greater and far more extreme manifestation of the same social antagonism that pressures certain individuals to surrender their individuality and abandon their wills –and their well-being—for the sake of psychological peace.
It may seem extreme to compare Egypt’s attempts at annihilating the Hebrews with the more subtle conflict between modern society and certain individuals, but this author believes that the high rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses in today’s society suggest the seriousness of societal pressure on its populace. Furthermore, it helps to repeat the point that this article interprets Exodus, and all of its events, as an allegory, rather than a historical fact. Because of this, it eludes charges of insensitivity and audacity that might arise if this author had made a similar analogy using real historical tragedies, such as the Holocaust.
The Rise of the Lion and the Fight for Freedom
The emergence of Moses as the leader of his people became the symbol of the break from the Egyptian civilization. According to the Bible, Moses himself was the adopted son of the Pharaoh himself, who lived as an Egyptian until he –soon after learning that he was a Hebrew— murdered an Egyptian slave driver, forcing him to flee into the wilderness as a fugitive. While hiding from the authorities, he encounters a burning bush that reveals the presence of God (the will of the Hebrews) and commands Moses to liberate his brethren. After some reluctance, he accepts the task and returns to Egypt and demands that the Pharoah free the Hebrews from bondage. The Pharoah’s refusal provokes God’s retaliation in the form of ten plagues that sweep through the land, until the ruler of Egypt finally caves and permits the Hebrews to leave.
Shortly after the Hebrews departed from Egypt, the Pharaoh had a change of heart. He resolved to seize the Hebrews and return them to Egypt by force. He and his military detachment finally caught up to the fleeing people at the bank of the Red Sea. Believing this to be the perfect opportunity to recapture the fleeing slaves, the Pharaoh charged. Yet God intervened and parted the Red Sea, allowing the Hebrews a clear strip of land to escape the pursuing Egyptians and escape Egypt for good. After the Hebrews reached the other end of the Red Sea, God reunited the sea, engulfing any Egyptians caught in the currents as they gave chase.
This marks the first part of Exodus and can be interpreted as an allegory for the process of liberation from ultimately unbearable social constraints. At this time, the Hebrews were battered, beaten, and bruised. They were, indeed, on the verge of annihilation. Their only alternative to extinction was to flee Egypt and cast off its yoke forever. This is first exemplified by Moses’ denunciation of his Egyptian identity and emergence as the leader of the Hebrews. His following rebellion, both commanded and supported acted out by God (the Hebrew will) signified the demands inherent in the task of liberating oneself. Hebrew liberation is finalized by the crossing of the Red Sea, from where they are confronted with the task of forging themselves in the hostile desert landscape.
The Arid Crucible and the Origin of a People
The journey out of bondage was no easy task, but the longest and hardest chapter of the Hebrews’ saga was still ahead of them. According to the Bible, the Hebrews spent forty brutal years wandering the desert, subsisting almost solely off “mana”, food that fell from the sky from God. They faced illness, grappled with their faith, and struggled against hostile peoples, such as the Amalekites. Yet, from this indispensable baptism of fire, rose the Israelite nation. This was the time, according to the Bible, when they solidified their commitment to their one God –their will and no one else’s. It was when the laws of Moses were first passed down, and when their unity as a chosen people of God was affirmed. Through the crucible of the desert, the Hebrews transitioned from a state of liberation to its final form as a distinct nation with its own laws, religion, and national identity. When they finally reached Canaan forty years later, they were the Israelite nation, filled with confidence, resolution of purpose, and pride. It was then that they finally possessed the conviction, discipline, and strength of will to storm the land of Canaan and carve out a homeland for themselves by any means necessary.
This last segment of the story illustrates how the Hebrews constructed their identity in the isolation of the desert over the lengthy span of roughly two generations. It can also be interpreted as the evolution of an individual from a liberated person to a self-actualized one. Like the Hebrews in the desert, those newly freed from the grip of their cultures may find themselves in a state of disorientation and unsure of how to proceed. Without fresh, real ideas to replace illusions of our past, one may feel hollow and lacking. Like the Hebrews’ decision to worship the golden calf, liberated people may feel tempted to return to their old ways, backsliding and rendering the process of liberation itself pointless. Yet, if one is sturdy and stays committed to their will, their “desert”, this symbol of hostility, isolation, and loneliness, can become a place of recovery, and more to the point, the crucible through which the will is actualized, and the true self is forged. The arid desert, though harsh, unforgiving, and rife with challenges, provided the Hebrews with exactly what they needed to become themselves. Many of us too, must brave the perils of the desert to reach our endpoint.
Conclusion
The story of Exodus, along with the other four books of Moses, continues to provide the foundation of the Jewish faith today. It is a foundation that has shaped their identities, and their sense of purpose It has preserved them through the rigors of time and an uncommonly brutal history. It holds them together; it has seen them through countless pogroms and the Holocaust. The process of individuation begun in the story of Exodus is a saga of becoming oneself. This interpretation draws upon a deep psychological need for a distinct identity and a true awareness, understanding, and expression of the self. This is not only a conduit toward creating and pursuing meaning for oneself, but also a source of strength that can help us navigate the tumultuous currents of life, by which so many others are swallowed by its currents.
[1] https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095804691#:~:text=Modern%20scholars%20assign%20the%20Book,bc.
[2] Ibid.