=7. The singular remark= made by the writer of Genesis concerning the shepherds, 46:34, has been thoroughly attested by the history of the incursion of the Shepherd Kings, who oppressed the land, seized upon the government in the Delta, and drove the native kings up the Nile to Thebes, occupying and ruling the land for about 500 years. It was at the close of their rule that Joseph is supposed to have entered Egypt. =8. The keeping of the birthday= of Pharaoh as stated in Gen. 40:20 is fully attested in the history of the early Egyptian periods. An inscription of the era of the Exodus tells us that the birthday of Rameses II. “caused joy in heaven.”[60] Great gatherings and feasts were had, and the king dispensed his favors as he saw fit.[61] =9. The name for the Nile= used in the Hebrew is the Egyptian name for that river found in the papyri, and translated in our English version as “the river.” It is not the word the Hebrews used for a river, and its use proves that the writer was familiar with Egyptian usage. =10. The statement as to the offices= of chief butler and chief baker, as appointed to the Pharaoh, is remarkably attested by the Egyptian records, which show that these two were very high and important offices, “for both had the responsible duty of protecting the king’s life from poison.”[62] =11. A most remarkable illustration= of the accuracy of Joseph’s history, as narrated in Genesis, is seen in the statement that he was required to change his clothes and be shaven before going into the presence of the king. Among the kindred of Joseph shaving was never practised, except as a disgrace. But with the Egyptian the law of cleanliness required shaving, not only of the chin, but of the hair also. Not only every priest, but the king himself, was shaven, and the appearance of great heads of hair, and even of beard, in some pictures is due to the wigs and artificial beards worn by priests and laymen alike to cover the bald head. All foreigners were known by being unshorn. The accuracy of Scripture in its references to the land of Egypt in ancient times has been proved only since the discovery of the meaning of the hieroglyphics, as Greek historians knew little of Egypt in its ancient history, and their accounts were erroneous, as is frequently apparent in Herodotus.[63] PERIOD III. THE THEOCRACY TO THE JUDGES. CHAPTER I. THE ISRAELITES IN EGYPT.