For centuries, it was commonly believed that all Egyptian rulers were referred to as "Pharaohs," but modern scholarship has shown this to be inaccurate. The title "Pharaoh" only became associated with Egyptian rulers during the New Kingdom period (around 1550-1070 BCE). Before this, the term "Pharaoh" referred to the royal palace or the "Great House" (Per Aa) rather than the ruler himself. It was only during the New Kingdom, in the 18th Dynasty, that the term evolved into a designation for the Egyptian king himself. Prior to this, Egyptian rulers were simply referred to as "kings," as noted by Egyptologists and historians. This distinction is supported by modern research into Egyptian linguistics and royal titles. Example from historical texts: "From the Twelfth Dynasty onward, the word 'Pharaoh' appeared in reference to the palace in wish formulas but not for the ruler. During the era of the New Kingdom, the title 'Pharaoh' began to be used for the king". However, the Quran made no such mistake. In Surah Yusuf (12:54), the ruler of Egypt during the time of Joseph is correctly referred to as "the king":

In contrast, the Quran correctly refers to the ruler of Egypt during the time of Moses as Pharaoh:

This aligns perfectly with the historical timeline. No rulers in Egypt during the time of Joseph were called Pharaohs—only kings—and the term Pharaoh became the title for Egyptian rulers later, in the New Kingdom, which is when Moses' story takes place. How could an unlettered man 1400 years ago have known this historical detail? The Quran accurately reflects the distinction between the ruler at the time of Joseph (referred to as the king) and the ruler at the time of Moses (referred to as Pharaoh), long before these historical distinctions were clearly understood or uncovered by modern archaeology.