P1056:1, 96:3.4
Moses endeavored to negotiate diplomatically for the freedom of his fellow Semites.
He and his brother entered into a compact with the king of Egypt whereby they
were granted permission peaceably to leave the valley of the Nile for the Arabian
Desert. They were to receive a modest payment of
money and goods in token of their long service in Egypt. The Hebrews for their
part entered into an agreement to maintain friendly relations with the Pharaohs
and not to join in any alliance against Egypt. But the king later saw fit to
repudiate this treaty, giving as his reason the excuse that his spies had discovered
disloyalty among the Bedouin slaves. He claimed they sought freedom for the
purpose of going into the desert to organize the nomads against Egypt.