The narrative recorded in the book of Exodus is a complex account describing multiple miracles that occur in relatively quick succession and which lead, eventually, to: the liberation of the enslaved Israelites; their escape from Egypt and ultimately, their accession as a powerful nation. This account is a core narrative in the sacred texts of three of the world’s major religions. It is not, however, supported by archeological evidence nor by other contemporary sources.
That is not to say, however, that it is entirely fictitious. Rather, some scholars have suggested that this narrative appears to have been assembled by combining and restructuring discrete accounts of a variety of separate events and that it needs to be viewed as having been produced as a composite work restructured to serve the social/political/religious purposes of the period in which the Israelites were enslaved in Babylon and shortly thereafter.
If that interpretation is correct, is it useful to try to recover historical information from the text and if so, what information can be gleaned from this account?