THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE 

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The Bible contains some prophetic & historical records regarding the time between the covenant with Abraham and the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Some of these seem to some to be confusing or contradictory. They are not. But there is good reason for the obscurity in some people's minds. It is our hope here to try to clarify the matter as much as we can.

 

The items we will deal with are (1) the 430 years of "sojourning" of "the children of Israel" as mentioned in Exodus 1:40, (2) the 400 years of "affliction" of Abraham's seed as mentioned in Genesis 15:13, 14, (3) the actual amount of time that the children of

Israel were in Egypt, and, finally, (4) the approximate amount of time that they were in slavery while in Egypt.

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Problems exist in translation. Problems exist in the lack of specific statements in Scripture on some items. Problems exist in definitions which becloud the issue. With the Lord's help, much of these difficulties can be eliminated. In the end, we will chart the conclusions for those who learn better by pictures than by words.

 

SOME ADEQUATE TRANSLATIONS OF KEY VERSES

Because some translations are quite poor, we need to work from a translation which comes as close as possible to the Hebrew text. We offer here (from the KJV) two texts which the KJV presents well -- even though REASONING on them will be required.

 

GENESIS 15:13, 14:

Abraham...thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also, that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great abundance. 

 

EXODUS 12:40:

Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

 

Other translations variously corrupt these two texts. See the NAS for two fine examples of HOW these verses SHOULD NOT be translated! There is sufficient difficulty in seeing what these verses say when rightly translated. Poor translations make the task nearly impossible!

 

Some Definitions:

affliction -- This word in our Genesis text refers to persecutions of any sort. We use "afflict" to mean something unpleasant inflicted upon a person or group. The first manifestation of it for Abraham's seed was Ishmael's mocking of Isaac in Genesis 16:12; 21:9.

 

sojourning -- This word means TEMPORARINESS. Normally, the word mean traveling (which IS a temporariness) with prolonged or short visits or residencies in places other than your home. In our Exodus text, it refers to such temporary wanderings and "homes" in the lives of Abraham's descendants UNTIL the PERMANENCE of the Law Covenant -- a relationship with God that made them "at home" wherever they might be.

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serve -- This word in our Genesis text means SLAVERY.

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APPLYING THE ABOVE

 

With these definitions and with the basically good KJV translations, a careful examination of the two texts is in order.

 

 

GENESIS 15:13, 14:

Abraham...thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also, that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great abundance.

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There are FIVE POINTS in this verse -- NOT in chronological order! 

 

(1) POINT #1: "Abraham's seed will be a stranger in a land that is not theirs." The statement STANDS ALONE. It simply prophecies that the seed will at some time live in Egypt. It doesn't say, nor does it imply, more!

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(2) POINT #2: "...and shall serve them." Likewise here; this little phrase simply says that the seed will be slaves in Egypt. It doesn't say how long; nor does it say that it is during ALL the time they are strangers in Egypt.

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(3) POINT #3: "...they shall afflict them four hundred years." Here most people do not read carefully. It does not say they are in Egypt 400 years. It says that Egyptians ("they") will afflict the seed (on and off) over a period of four hundred years. Affliction began at the weaning celebration for Isaac at the hand of Ishmael (an Egyptian from his mother's side -- Genesis 16:1, 12). And that afflicting of the seed was not over until 400 years later when the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt during the Passover.

 

(4) POINT #4: "...that nation [Egypt], whom they will serve [under whom Israel will have a period of enslavement] will I judge." God caused a judgment upon Egypt (as demonstrated in the 10 plagues) which virtually ended the might of that nation.

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(5) POINT #5: "...and afterward shall they [the seed] come out [the Exodus] with great abundance." The people of Egypt loaded the exiting Jews with great treasures because they were so glad to see them go. Egypt was virtually impoverished while Israel had

(among other things) gold enough for the tabernacle and the golden calf.

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The chronological wealth of the above passage is that it gives us the number of years from Ishmael's mocking of Isaac to the Exodus and the giving of the Law Covenant.

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EXODUS 12:40

Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, [See #4 below] was four hundred and thirty years.

 

This text makes only one point. But that is all we need. When we read it with care, we have one more chronological anchor. Here are the words which need care as we

consider this text:

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(1) While the Genesis text dealt with the "seed" of Abraham, we must remember that the literal seed of Abraham became (through Jacob) the "children of Israel." But the "sojourning" of the "children of Israel" covers MANY GENERATIONS -- even before they were born! The sojourning of the group (the "seed") ENDS AFTER the dwelling in Egypt. But it HAD NOT BEGUN there. It began with the Covenant with Abraham which PROMISED him and his seed, YET IN HIM, some sort of PERMANENCE -- NOT a sojourning. THAT PERMANENCE first occurs with their being accepted into the Law Covenant at the Exodus. The fact that they yet wandered in

the wilderness for 40 years after that IS NOT A FACTOR. Their PERMANENCE (the end of their "sojourning") is dated at the giving of the Law -- the giving of stability (or "at-home-ness") due to their relationship with the Lord.

 

(2) It is not often considered, but the innocent-looking phrase, "who dwelt in Egypt" is laden with interpretive information for us. We might even ask WHY it is there! It just seems intruded into the sentence! But IT IS DEFINING FOR US the meaning of

"sojourning." The text, to some, erroneously seems to imply that Israel in Egypt was the "sojourning." But THEIR SOJOURNING was not confined to their time in Egypt. They were "dwelling" there. However, they didn't dwell there for 430 years! They only

dwelt there for 215 years (as we shall soon see). But we just mentioned (#1 above) that the 40-year Wilderness experience -- a true traveling, and a true temporariness of 40 years -- is NOT a sojourning. But the time of their dwelling in Egypt WAS a part of their

sojourning. "Dwelling" could be thought of as permanence, hence, not sojourning. But not so. They were "sojourning" WHILE they were "dwelling." This helps us realize that the "sojourning" of 430 years is a reference to the seed's non-permanence UNTIL the

Law. The phrase also subtly is a suggestion that the sojourning ENDS after their dwelling in Egypt.

 

The Law gave them STABILITY and PERMANENCE in their relationship to the Lord.​ They were no longer sojourning even when wandering in the Wilderness. "Sojourning" is the period of no permanent contract with the Lord. They sojourned while dwelling; but they DID NOT sojourn while they were WANDERING or dwelling in the Wilderness!

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(3) Hence, this verse clearly states 430 years from the Covenant to the Law. Galatians 3:17 CONFIRMS this interpretation.

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(4) It is of great interest to note that the evidence shows that all of the pre-Masoretic Hebrew texts read "who dwelt in Canaan and in Egypt." THIS, of course, solves the wording problem completely! The time of Abraham and his seed's (even while yet in him) "sojourning" is dated from his entrance into Canaan at the beginning of the covenant with him. THAT event to the Exodus was 430 years.

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RECTIFYING THE 400 AND THE 430

What is the difference between the 430 years of Galatians 3:17 and Exodus

12:40, and the 400 years of Genesis 15:13?

With the above definitions and texts there is absolutely NO CONFLICT between the two testimonies. The "affliction" from Egyptians (starting with Ishmael's mocking of Isaac) was permitted to continue (off and on) until 400 years elapsed. The "sojourning" (temporariness) of Abraham's seed (yet IN him) began with the Covenant and concluded 430 years later at the Exodus and WITH the giving of the Law. Both periods end at the Exodus.

 

The 30-year difference will tell us the date of Ishmael's mocking at Isaac's weaning

celebration -- to be discussed below.

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Some Pertinent Texts:

Genesis 15:13, 14 - Egyptians "afflict" Abraham's seed 400 years (See also Acts 7:6)

Genesis 16:16 -   Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born

Genesis 17:25 -  Ismael was 13 and Abraham was 99 when both were circumcised

Genesis 21:5 -  Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born (25 years after the Covenant)

Genesis 21:8 -  There was a feast for Isaac's weaning

Genesis 21:9 - Ishmael mocked Isaac at the feast (Genesis 16:12)

Exodus 12:40 - Abraham's seed's sojourning was 430 years

Galatians 3:17 - The Law came 430 years after the Covenant

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Some Dates According to Our Calendar

2045 BC -- The Abrahamic Covenant 

2034 BC -- The birth of Ishmael 

2020 BC -- The birth of Isaac 

2015 BC -- The weaning of Isaac 

1830 BC -- Israel entered Egypt 

? BC -- (No earlier than 1759 BC -- Joseph's death) -- Israel became slaves of Egyptians

1615 BC -- The Exodus  & Giving of the Law 

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Some periods of and points in time:

Abraham was 75 when the Covenant was made (Genesis 12:4)

Isaac's birth to the Exodus = 405 years (Genesis 21:5; Exodus 12:40 minus the 25 years since the Covenant was made)

Ishmael was 14 when Isaac was born (Genesis 16:16; Genesis 21:5)

Ishmael was 19 when Isaac was weaned and Ishmael was expelled (See next item)

Israel were slaves in Egypt for no more than 144 years (and almost certainly less).

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How do we know when Isaac was weaned?

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"Great Truths are proven by deduction." -- (Source unknown)

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"The Lord wishes us to learn, not as children, certain fixed rules, but as

philosophers, the fixed principles which can be applied." -- (C.T. Russell)

 

The very texts which seemed to have a contradiction (Genesis 15 & Exodus 12) are the key to the answer of this question. Here is how:

 

Abraham was 75 years old when he received the Covenant of Promise. He was 100 years at the birth of Isaac. (Those two dates are 2045 BC and 2020 BC.) The 400 years of affliction begin when Ishmael mocks Isaac at the weaning. Since the 400 years AND the

430 years BOTH END at the Exodus, the 400 years begins 30 years after the Abrahamic Covenant -- thus in 2015 BC. Isaac was weaned in 2015 BC. This is quite late (5 years old!), but it is Scripturally thus established.

 

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How do we know there were 215 years of DWELLING in Egypt?

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We need only three steps to determine this.

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25 YEARS is the period from the Covenant with Abraham to the birth of Isaac. (Genesis 12:4 and 21:5)

60 YEARS is the period from Issac's birth to Jacob's birth. (Genesis 25:26)

130 YEARS is the period from Jacob's birth to the entering of Egypt. (Genesis 47:8, 9)

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215 YEARS of the 430 years of the "sojourning" of Abraham's seed (which became the "children of Israel") had expired when they entered Egypt. It was 215 more years before the Exodus, (for a total of 430 years). Thus they dwelt in Egypt 215 years.

 

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How do we know how many years of Egyptian SLAVERY there were?

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While this question has no direct answer, deductions from available texts allow us to make certain determinations.

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We know that there was no slavery during the life of Joseph. Exodus 1:8 and following shows us how and when it came into being. It was instituted by a new Pharaoh "who knew not Joseph." Considering Joseph's fame in Egypt, it is almost certain that this means that this Pharaoh arose some time after Joseph's death (in 1759 BC -- 64 years before Moses' birth) when such a memory of fame might actually be dulled. This is strongly hinted at in Exodus 1:6 where Joseph's death is followed by the point that Jospeh's brothers and "all that generation" died before this new Pharaoh even came on the scene. Apparently we are well past a generation before the enslaving Pharaoh came around. And, since we have only a 64-year period between Joseph's death and Moses' birth, the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM period of slavery could be only 144 years (64 + 80). But the Exodus 1:6 text tells us that 144 years is far too many.

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Therefore, we have the FINAL years of slavery DURING MOSES' first 80 years PLUS some of the years AFTER Joseph's generation's death added for the total of years of slavery. We cannot determine how many of those 64 years are applicable.

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However, we DO know that this Pharaoh slew the new-born sons in Moses' day because he feared the number of the Hebrews. But they were already in slavery when Moses was born.

 

There is a rabbinic tradition that Moses' sister (who was born 6 years before Moses) was named "Miriam" (pain) because of the pain of the slavery then prevalent. If this be true, we could add 6 years to the Moses slavery period for a total of 86 years of slavery. But it

is likely that slavery came before Miriam's birth, and many rabbis do not accept this explanation. At this point we are left without much which is definitive as to a date for the beginning of the Hebrew slavery. Most Jewish commentators suggest a period of about 110 years

of servitude. At 110 years, it would have begun 34 years after Joseph's death. This seems quite reasonable -- although perhaps too early for Joseph to have become "unknown." Until some other strong clue arises, we should feel fairly comfortable withthis 110-year estimate for the period of bondage.

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CHART

On the next page is a chart which represents visually the points of this entire discussion.

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