Pyramids have captivated the human imagination for centuries, with the Great Pyramid of Giza being one of the most well-known and studied structures in history. As these ancient monuments hold a significant place in human history, some people wonder if they are mentioned in the Bible, the sacred text of Christianity and Judaism, which is what we will discuss in this article.

Biblical References to Egypt

The Bible does contain numerous references to Egypt. Egypt is one of the most frequently mentioned countries in the Bible, and its influence on biblical history is clear. Several pivotal events, such as the enslavement of the Israelites and the Exodus led by Moses, occur in this historical context. However, when it comes to explicit mentions of the pyramids, the Bible is silent.

The absence of any mention of pyramids is not necessarily surprising. The pyramids, primarily those at Giza, were already ancient by the time most of the events recorded in the Old Testament took place. They were not active centers of political or religious activity during the periods most relevant to the Israelites’ history.

In the book of Exodus, for instance, the Israelites are said to have built “store cities, Pithom and Raamses” for Pharaoh (Exodus 1:11).

While these are not explicitly identified as pyramids, this passage does indicate the forced labor that the Israelites were subjected to, which may have involved tasks similar to those performed by the laborers who built the pyramids.

Biblical References

According to the Bible, the children of Israel settled down in Egypt at some point between approximately 1660 to 1145 B.C.

And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord. – Kings 6:1, The Bible

At some point after the time of Joseph, the Pharaoh of Egypt became increasingly concerned about the activity near his region and decided to force the Israelites under his rule.

Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. – Exodus 1:8, The Bible

The Bible later mentions that the Egyptians forced them to make bricks from mud and straw.

Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. – Exodus 5:7, The Bible

And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were demanded, “Why have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore?” – Exodus 5:14, The Bible

Although we know that pyramids were being built during this time, historians are unsure whether or not these bricks were used in the process.

Of course, all of this would have ended after the Exodus.

The word the Israelites would have likely used is “migdol”, which was a word used to describe any large tower or monolith, such as the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:4, but there is no evidence that they used this word in relation the Egyptian pyramids.

You can find the word ‘pyramids’ mentioned in the Apocrypha, in Maccabees 13:28 to 13:38, but it isn’t in relation to the iconic Egyptian pyramids.