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BSD

We know Moses was raised in Pharaoh's kingdom. From Exodus 7:7 we know Moshe was around 80 when he lead the Jewish people out of Egypt. But how old was Pharaoh during all of this?

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    The pharaoh he grew up with is not the one he had the showdown with. Which are you asking about? – Monica Cellio Jul 9 '14 at 11:51
  • With multiple pharaohs and no exact birth dates (or other dates for that matter) it is probably impossible to know. – LazerA Jul 9 '14 at 12:25
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    According to this link Pharaoh was 40 when he made his birthday party and Yosef was released from prison. If Vayokom Melech Chodosh means that he made new laws, and it was the same Pharaoh then Pharaoh would be 259 years old at the time the Jews exited Egypt. Since Yosef was 30 when he went in front of Pharaoh, and Yaakov arrived 9 years later when Yosef was 39 and the Jews remained in Egypt for 210 years. – Gershon Gold Jul 9 '14 at 16:59
  • @MonicaCellio I thought that was a macklokes and only whether it was the same pharaoh from Yosef to Moshe – armoose Jul 10 '14 at 3:13
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    @armoose SH'mot 2:23 says explicitly that the pharaoh died (and God heard the Israelites' cries, and soon thereafter we have the burning bush). Whether the pharaoh of Yosef's time is the same one as in Moshe's youth is a separate question; maybe that's controversial, but it doesn't seem to be tied to your question, which asks about two points in Moshe's life (right?). – Monica Cellio Jul 10 '14 at 3:17
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Partial answer:

Rashi to Shemos 1:8 cites a dispute as to whether the Paroh who initiated the decree of slavery was the same Paroh as previously or not. He further writes on 2:23 that when it says Paroh died then it doesn't mean literally.

If we assume according to the opinion that Paroh died in 1:8, then the new king reigned for at least 113 years (as per the calculations I cite here) until Bnei Yisrael left Mitzraim.

If we assume according to the opinion that Paroh did not die in 1:8, then: the Bnei Yisrael were in Mitzraim for 210 (as per the tradition I cite here), preceded by nine years that Yosef was on the throne, preceded by Yosef's first meeting with Paroh. As such, he would have been on the throne for at least 219 years.

I say this is a partial answer, because while this does not tell us exactly how old Paroh was, it gives us a lower bound. Obviously these numbers are only according to Rashi’s understanding of the Pesukim.

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  • Which one are you referring to? Obviously this answer only goes according to Rashi. @רבות – DonielF Jan 20 at 16:05
  • sorry, I missed your comment on that passuk originally. My bad. – רבות מחשבות Jan 20 at 16:10
  • I believe this is actually dealt with in Sefer HaYashar. The Pharaoh who ruled prior to the plagues reigned for 94 years. There is only a single Pharaoh in the Hall of Kings in Egypt listed that lived that long. I believe he is also mentioned in the Ipuwer papyrus. His son, who was a dwarf, was the one present at the splitting of the Red Sea. This was also dealt with in a video documentary by Jim Long of Lightcatcher Studios, who also worked with Vendyl Jones and his archeological dig at the Cave of the Column. – Yaacov Deane Jun 19 at 19:18

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