Pharaoh

The word pharaoh means “grand house” or “palace”. From the 15th century BC onwards it became the name of the king of Egypt.

In the stories about Abraham, Joseph and Moses, the pharaohs play an especially important role. But in the biblical stories they rarely have a name. This makes it difficult to connect the Bible accounts with extra-biblical accounts.
The pharaohs were also important at the time of the kings. Solomon, for instance, married the daughter of a pharaoh, and Israel was often attacked by pharaohs.

The Egyptian monarchy was a divine institution, and the pharaoh was regarded as a deity. This connection is primarily made in inscriptions. Here, for instance, the pharaoh is given the title “son of Re” (Re or Ra was the sun god) or is called “Horus”, like the god Horus.