Shasu is an Egyptian term for nomads who appeared in the Levant from the 15th Century BC all the way to the Third Intermediate Period. The name evolved from a transliteration of the Egyptian word "Š³sw", meaning "moving on foot", into the term for Bedouin-type wanderers. The term first originated in a 15th Century list of peoples in the Transjordan, with one of the Shasu described as "Yhw in the land of the Shasu". Thus, a scholar- Donald Redford - implies that from this evidence the people that would eventually be the "Israel" in the Merneptah Stele and later form the Kingdom of Israel were originally a Shasu tribe. As a result of this, some have used Redford's work to verify the Exodus, but since no extra-Biblical data exists regarding an Exodus at all, this link remains sketchy. However, Redford's work does shine new possibilities regarding the origins of Israel in history.

References

Donald Redford, "Egypt, Caanan and Israel In Ancient Times".