[Avodah] Paro / Melech Mitzrayim

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Jan 21, 2018 at 11:20:47AM -0500, Sholom Simon via Avodah wrote:
: Sometime we read "Paro," sometimes we read "Melech Mitzrayim", and
: sometimes (e.g., the end of the first aliyah in Beshalach) we read
: "Paro Melech Mitzrayim."

: Is there a rhyme or reason for the various usages?

I noticed it's Melekh Mitzrayim who needs to entice the masses to back
his plan "hava nischakma lo".

Whereas it's Par'oh who hides his trips to the men's room.

I think the Torah uses one to refer to the king of Mitzrayim when he's
acting like a melekh, and the other when he's acting like the son of Ra
who could just declare things as a moshel.

Etymologically, Par'oh means "house + big", and refers to the current
holder of the dynasty more than the person in-and-of itself. And the
whole "son of Ra" thing is a claim about the origins of the royal house,
not the individual.

But I didn't ever chase down every usage to check this idea.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Man is a drop of intellect drowning in a sea
micha at aishdas.org        of instincts.
http://www.aishdas.org                         - Rav Yisrael Salanter
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