lpetrich

One argument I've seen for the lack of mention of the Exodus in Egyptian records was that their chroniclers would not record defeats -- only victories.

Although bragging about military victories was common for ancient Middle Eastern chroniclers to do, I recall something about how one could infer a pattern of defeats in cases where the "victories" happened closer and closer to home.

Does anyone have any examples of that sort of inference?

Short of that, the closest example I know of is Sennacherib's chroniclers' account of his siege of Jerusalem -- his chroniclers bragged about all the loot that his troops brought home, and how his troops kept King Hezekiah holed up like a caged bird -- even though the usual goal is to conquer a city. However, the Bible tells us that Sennacherib's armies were struck down by an angel, making Sennacherib decide to retreat. Did his armies suffer a plague? Nevertheless, both chroniclers agree about the failure of that siege.

And in the case of the Exodus, one could look for evidence of big populations of Israelites in Egypt in the appropriate time frame; none has ever been found. Also, one can imagine a Baghdad-Bob prettification of the Exodus itself as a triumphant expulsion of troublesome slaves.

I mentioned the case of Baghdad Bob because he was a recent case of a chronicler proclaiming great victories in the face of clear defeats.