The Pharaoh of the Exodus is the pharaoh (king) who ruled over ancient Egypt at the time of the Exodus story in the Bible. More precisely, it is the question of who this pharaoh might have been. The story of the enslavement of the Children of Israel in Egypt, the plagues by which the Jewish God forces their release, and their subsequent escape from a pursuing army at the Crossing of the Red Sea, is told in the opening chapters of the Book of Exodus. The pharaoh of the story is not named - he is referred to simply as "pharaoh" - and the question of his identity has been the subject of much speculation among those who believe the Exodus to be a real event. Candidates put forward for the role include: