Uploaded December 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Joseph Smith made many claims about Egypt in the Book of Abraham. Lets see how they hold up against Egyptian history.
The Book of Abraham was supposedly written by Abraham himself while living in Egypt. The fact that the Book of Abraham contains the word Egypt is an anachronism. Ancient Egypt was not called Egypt by the Egyptians. Ancient Egyptians called their country Kemet. Kemet means "black land" which is a reference to the color of the soil after the Nile river flooded. The name Egypt comes from the Greek language and so it did not exist in the time of Abraham.
Joseph Smith also claimed that the Ancient Egyptians were descendants of Caanan who was cursed with black skin. The LDS Church now claims that there is no such thing as a curse of black skin but the Book of Abraham 1: 21-27 and Moses 7: 8 makes it clear that Joseph Smith taught that black skin was a curse from God.
The problem is worsened by the fact that Ancient Egyptians were not even black. Recent DNA tests on Egyptian mummies show that they were white Europeans.
☆Mummy DNA - nature.com/news/mummy-dna-unravels-ancient-egyptians-ancestry-1.22069
cnn.com/2017/06/22/health/ancient-egypt-mummy-dna-genome-heritage/index.html
★Book of Abraham - lds.org/scriptures/pgp/abr/1?lang=eng
☆Genesis 9 - biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+9&version=KJV
★Moses 7 - lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/7?lang=eng
☆Curse of Ham (Wikipedia) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Ham
★The Book of Abraham
Translated from the Papyrus, by Joseph Smith
A Translation of some ancient Records that have fallen into our hands from the catacombs of Egypt. The writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus.
Chapter 1
Abraham seeks the blessings of the patriarchal order—He is persecuted by false priests in Chaldea—Jehovah saves him—The origins and government of Egypt are reviewed.
verses 21 to 27
21 Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth.
22 From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land.
23 The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden;
24 When this woman discovered the land it was under water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the land.
25 Now the first government of Egypt was established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham, and it was after the manner of the government of Ham, which was patriarchal.
26 Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, but cursed him as pertaining to the Priesthood.
27 Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of Priesthood, notwithstanding the Pharaohs would fain claim it from Noah, through Ham, therefore my father was led away by their idolatry;
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☆Moses 7:8
8 For behold, the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all people.
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★Genesis 9: 20-27
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
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☆Genesis 9: 30 (Joseph Smith Translation)
Note: *Verse 30 was changed to say that Canaan had a veil of darkness placed on him*
Gen 9: 30 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant, and a veil of darkness shall cover him, that he shall be known among all men.
Joseph Smith made many claims about Egypt in the Book of Abraham. Lets see how they hold up against Egyptian history.
The Book of Abraham was supposedly written by Abraham himself while living in Egypt. The fact that the Book of Abraham contains the word Egypt is an anachronism. Ancient Egypt was not called Egypt by the Egyptians. Ancient Egyptians called their country Kemet. Kemet means "black land" which is a reference to the color of the soil after the Nile river flooded. The name Egypt comes from the Greek language and so it did not exist in the time of Abraham.
Joseph Smith also claimed that the Ancient Egyptians were descendants of Caanan who was cursed with black skin. The LDS Church now claims that there is no such thing as a curse of black skin but the Book of Abraham 1: 21-27 and Moses 7: 8 makes it clear that Joseph Smith taught that black skin was a curse from God.
The problem is worsened by the fact that Ancient Egyptians were not even black. Recent DNA tests on Egyptian mummies show that they were white Europeans.
☆Mummy DNA - nature.com/news/mummy-dna-unravels-ancient-egyptians-ancestry-1.22069
cnn.com/2017/06/22/health/ancient-egypt-mummy-dna-genome-heritage/index.html
★Book of Abraham - lds.org/scriptures/pgp/abr/1?lang=eng
☆Genesis 9 - biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+9&version=KJV
★Moses 7 - lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/7?lang=eng
☆Curse of Ham (Wikipedia) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Ham
★The Book of Abraham
Translated from the Papyrus, by Joseph Smith
A Translation of some ancient Records that have fallen into our hands from the catacombs of Egypt. The writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus.
Chapter 1
Abraham seeks the blessings of the patriarchal order—He is persecuted by false priests in Chaldea—Jehovah saves him—The origins and government of Egypt are reviewed.
verses 21 to 27
21 Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth.
22 From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land.
23 The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden;
24 When this woman discovered the land it was under water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the land.
25 Now the first government of Egypt was established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham, and it was after the manner of the government of Ham, which was patriarchal.
26 Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, but cursed him as pertaining to the Priesthood.
27 Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of Priesthood, notwithstanding the Pharaohs would fain claim it from Noah, through Ham, therefore my father was led away by their idolatry;
-------------------------------
☆Moses 7:8
8 For behold, the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all people.
----------------------------------------------
★Genesis 9: 20-27
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
-----------------------------------------------------
☆Genesis 9: 30 (Joseph Smith Translation)
Note: *Verse 30 was changed to say that Canaan had a veil of darkness placed on him*
Gen 9: 30 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant, and a veil of darkness shall cover him, that he shall be known among all men.
