One of the most debated questions among Bible believers and skeptics alike is whether the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built before or after Noah’s Flood. At the heart of this discussion lies a tension between secular Egyptian chronology and Biblical timelines. But what if the conflict isn’t with the Bible, but with a corrupted version of it?
The Apparent Problem
According to mainstream Egyptologists, the Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed around 2550 B.C. But many Creation scientists—basing their dates on the Hebrew Masoretic text—place the global flood at approximately 2350 B.C. That’s a 200-year gap suggesting that the pyramids were built before the Flood.
And yet, the pyramids show no significant signs of water damage. How could they have survived such a cataclysm without any indication of having been submerged?
Even more problematic, the Biblical timeline shows that Egypt as a nation didn’t exist until after the Tower of Babel—long after the Flood.
The Realignment Begins: Sedimentary Layers and Mizraim
Creation scientists point out that the Great Pyramids sit atop sedimentary rock layers filled with fossils—layers they believe were laid down during the Flood. This would mean the pyramids must have been built after the Flood, not before.
Furthermore, the Bible states that Egypt (Hebrew: “Mizraim”) was a grandson of Noah, born after the Flood. So logically, Egyptian civilization could not have existed before the waters receded.
The Case for Revising Egyptian Chronology
An award-winning documentary, Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus, explores the idea that traditional Egyptian timelines are off by about 200 years. Scholars like David Rohl and John Bimson propose shifting Egypt’s timeline forward. When this correction is made, Egyptian history aligns much better with the Biblical account of the Exodus.
But even this adjustment doesn’t solve everything. The Step Pyramid of Saqqara predates the Great Pyramid by about 100 years, placing it around 2450 B.C.—still 100 years before the Flood, if you follow the Masoretic-based timeline.
The Root of the Problem: The Masoretic Text
The real issue may not be in Egyptology—but in the version of the Bible timeline most Creation scientists use.
The Masoretic text, a Hebrew manuscript copied in the 11th century A.D., underpins most modern Bibles. But it’s not the oldest witness of Scripture. The Greek Septuagint (translated around 250 B.C.), the Samaritan Pentateuch, and the writings of Flavius Josephus all rely on older copies of the Hebrew text that differ in key ways.
The Genealogy Distortion
In Genesis 11, the Masoretic text claims the early post-Flood patriarchs had children in their 30s. But the Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch say they were in their 130s—a 100-year difference per generation. Multiply this across six generations, and you gain 600 years of history. Add another 50 years due to a discrepancy with Nahor’s age, and you recover 650 years lost in the Masoretic timeline.
This dramatically shifts the Flood back from 2350 B.C. to approximately 3000 B.C.
The Genealogy Restored
When you restore these 650 years, the Flood now occurs long before the pyramids. The Step Pyramid, built around 2450 B.C., is no longer a problem—it was constructed about 550 years after the Flood. The sedimentary layers under the pyramids now make sense.
Moreover, this gives sufficient time between the Flood and the Tower of Babel for the Earth to repopulate. With a realistic population growth rate of 3.2%, the population could have grown to 2.3 million in 400 years—more than enough to build a city and a tower.
Confirming the Timeline through Scripture
The phrase "the earth was divided in the days of Peleg" (Genesis 10:25) points to the Tower of Babel. Peleg's father, Eber (or Heber), was alive during Babel and gave his family the Hebrew language. This places Babel about 400 years after the Flood, with 150 more years available before the construction of Egypt’s first pyramid. The revised timeline holds up.
Did Shem Know Abraham?
Some argue that Shem was Melchizedek, the mysterious priest who met Abraham. But if the Flood occurred at 2350 B.C., then Shem would have lived long enough to meet Abraham.
However, with the revised timeline based on the Septuagint and other sources, Shem would have died about 500 years before Abraham was born—making the Shem-Melchizedek connection impossible.
Why would Jewish scribes drop these extra years? One theory is that it was a theological response to discredit the Book of Hebrews, which claims that Jesus is our High Priest—not after the Levitical line, but after the order of Melchizedek.
By collapsing the timeline, they could overlap Shem’s and Abraham’s lifespans and claim that Melchizedek was Shem, thereby denying Jesus’s unique priesthood.
The Witnesses: Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Josephus
The Bible says every matter should be established by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). In this case, we have three:
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Greek Septuagint – Translated from older Hebrew around 250 B.C.
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Samaritan Pentateuch – Also from ancient Hebrew sources.
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Flavius Josephus – A first-century Jewish historian who preserved the longer genealogies.
When these three sources agree, and the Masoretic stands alone, we must consider that the Masoretic text may be the corrupted one.
Jesus and the Apostles Agreed with the Greek
In Acts 7:14, Stephen says Jacob and his family who entered Egypt numbered 75, not 70 as in the Masoretic. The Septuagint says 75, and so do the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Jesus Himself, in Luke 4, quotes from Isaiah 61 and includes the phrase, “recovery of sight to the blind.” That phrase exists in the Septuagint—but not in the Masoretic.
Clearly, Jesus and His disciples were quoting from the older Hebrew preserved in the Greek Septuagint, not the later Masoretic text.
Conclusion: Back to the Original Timeline
When we correct the corrupted timeline introduced by the Masoretic text, everything makes sense:
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The Flood occurred around 3000 B.C.
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The Tower of Babel happened 400 years later.
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The pyramids were built 150 years after that.
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Shem died long before Abraham was born.
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Egyptian civilization began after Babel, not before.
And most importantly, the Biblical timeline is vindicated—not disproven.
Shalom Shalom