A fragment of a victory stele found at Megiddo in an archaeological “destruction layer” corresponding to the late 10th century BC contains the cartouche of Pharaoh Shoshenq I (also known as Shishak). Pharaoh Shoshenq I campaigned against Israel and Judah ca. 925 BC, as recorded in 1 Kings 14 and in Egyptian records and a list of cities displayed at the Bubastite Portal in the Karnak Temple. Megiddo is specifically noted in the Egyptian documents, as are several other cities of Israel and Judah, including Taanach, Beth-Shean, Rehob, and Arad. Archaeological excavations also found that several cities were destroyed in the 10th century BC at the time of Jeroboam, Rehoboam, and Shoshana I.
What happened to the vast amount of treasure that Pharaoh Shishak took from Jerusalem recorded in 1 Kings 14:25-26? When Shoshenq I returned to Egypt after the conflict, he began significant temple building projects at Thebes, Karnak, and El-Hiba. His son, Osorkon I, came to power about two years after the end of the Israel and Judah campaign, and spent enormous amounts of gold and silver on the temples of Egypt.
If his father, Pharaoh Shoshenq I , had taken the treasure of Jerusalem back to Egypt, this would account for the ability to spend immense amounts of gold and silver on temples and improve the overall financial situation of Egypt.
Summary
The Bible’s claim that Pharaoh Shoshenq I campaigned against Israel and Judah at the time of Jeroboam and Rehoboam is strongly supported by:
- the text of the victory stele of Shoshana I at Megiddo;
- correspondence of the locations recorded on the Karnak campaign list, the destroyed cities in Israel and Judah to the account in 1 Kings;
- the immense wealth taken back to Egypt after the siege of Jerusalem; and
- the immense spending and prosperity during the reign of Osorkon I as a result of those campaigns.
Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem (1 Kings 14:25 NASB95).
