Proverb of the day: He whom you take to be Moses, turns out to be pharaoh

Ahram Online , Tuesday 16 Jun 2015

He whom you take to be Moses, turns out to be pharaoh

Baby clouded leopards
Baby clouded leopards, born early in March 2015 are presented by zoo keepers at the Olmense Zoo in Olmen, Belgium, April 16, 2015 (Photo: Reuters)

اللى تقول عليه موسى تلتقيه فرعون

Elli teqoul aleh mousa telteqih far’on

Translation: He whom you take to be Moses, turns out to be pharaoh.

Meaning: Appearances can be deceptive. A meek looking person, whom you think as trustworthy as Moses, may yet commit heinous acts, as those of pharaoh. The Judeo-Christian tradition concerning the Moses-Pharaoh confrontation, as unsympathetic as it is to Egyptian heritage, is unchallenged in Egypt’s folk culture.

Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha,

Translated by: Nabil Shawkat

 
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