The Bible says in Exodus 12:40
that “the time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years.”
Seems clear then, right? Maybe
not as clear as you would think. Scholars debate between 430 and 215 years
because there is no other source given throughout any portion of Scripture
which supports the 430 years. So then, what’s going on? Is there a problem with
God’s Word? A contradiction?
First and foremost, there is
nothing wrong with God’s Word. It is perfect. That is the standpoint we must
always begin our study with. If at first, we do not understand something, then
the issue does not lie with God or His Word, but with us. We must work to gain
the correct understanding. [Yes, studying the Bible takes work. A lot of it.]
1. The Septuagint Translation
When the Hebrew Bible was
translated into the Greek language as a part of Alexander the Great’s conquest
to enculturate the entire world, which began in the third century B.C., the
scribes translated this verse with the added phrase, “…and in the land of
Canaan.” This means that the verse actually reads that “the time that the
people of Israel lived in Egypt and the
land of Canaan was 430 years.”
Was this an added phrase? No.
This was part of the original document which Moses himself penned. The problem
is that, to my knowledge, we do not have any earlier manuscripts than somewhere
between the second and third century B.C. Thus, somewhere in the copying
process [remember that there was no printing press at this time] this phrase
was dropped out for some reason from the Hebrew manuscripts. However, by God’s sovereign
hand over the transmission of His Word, He preserved this wonderful phrase in
the Greek Septuagint. The Greek Septuagint is also the manuscript that many Old Testament quotations in the New are taken from. I believe that says something
to its credibility.
2. The Genesis 15 Promise
God informs Abraham of future
events, specifically dealing with his offspring. The promise is that they will
be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be afflicted [enslaved and mistreated]
400 years. Some say that God is simply rounding down. However, the problem is that
there is no place in God’s Word when He is ever seen rounding a number.
The reason God says 400 here
opposed to 430 is because neither number deals with their allotted time in
Egypt. 430 years is the amount of time from the promise to the Law (Gal. 3:16-18)
which I will touch on in a minute. The 400 years is when the clock begins to
tick at the moment Abraham’s offspring, Isaac, first begins to suffer
mistreatment from “another people” (Gen. 21:8-10). Galatians 4:29 says “at that
time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born
according to the Spirit….”
3. Canaan Belonged to Egypt
The reason the promise in Genesis
15:13 does not distinguish a difference in the land that is not their own
between Canaan and Egypt is because during this time Egypt was the dominant
world power and Canaan was under their rule. Thus, both Canaan and Egypt are
controlled by Egypt. Also, the land of Canaan will not belong to Israel until
the book of Joshua, at which point, Egyptian rule has left Canaan to rebuild
Egypt because of what God did to them throughout the plagues.
4. The Fourth Generation
Genesis 15:14-16 is when God is
specifically referring to Israel being enslaved under Egyptian rule. What we
cannot miss is the fact that God promised to rescue them and bring them out of
Egypt in the fourth generation. This is obviously not the fourth generation
from Abraham since they did not go into Egypt until Joseph, which was the
fourth generation from Abraham. God is referring to the point in which they
enter the land of Egypt to the fourth generation having lived there (Ex.
6:14-26).
Scholars have often wondered why
the 430 years will not fit into Exodus chapter six. The reason is because God
never intended it to. The genealogical timeline makes perfect sense when
allowing the text to speak for itself. The four generations were Levi, Kohath,
Amram, and finally Moses.
5. The Law and the Promise
In Galatians 3:16-18 the Apostle
Paul tells us that the Law came 430 years after the promise in Genesis 15. How
could this be if Israel did not enter into Egypt for another 215 years and then
spent another 430 years there? Some say that the promise was transferred and
restated to Jacob upon entering the land. This, however, will make no sense as
we get into Acts 13.
6. Paul’s History Lesson
Acts 13:16-20. For the sake of
length, I will not quote this passage. The Apostle Paul, writer of half of the
New Testament said that God made Israel great during their stay in Egypt and
then He put up with them for 40 years in the desert because of their
disobedience. The people then entered the land and took over seven nations.
Paul says this all took about 450 years.
If Israel was only in Egypt for
215 years, then this makes sense because 400 years (from the time Isaac was
mistreated to the giving of the Law) plus 40 years (disobedience in the wilderness)
plus 10 years (to take control of the land) equals 450 years. However, if you
believe Israel was in Egypt specifically 430 years then you have a problem
because you still need to add up a 40 year wilderness wandering and 10 year
conquest which would then equal 480 years.
Conclusion
To conclude, if you hold to the
idea that Israel was in Egypt 430 years then you need to try and explain away
key portions of Scripture. However, if you believe that they were only in Egypt
specifically 215 years then you can fully believe every word of the Bible
literally without having to stretch Scripture to compensate for supposed gaps.
Additional readings are listed below. If you read any, please read both "The Four Generations in Egypt" and "Levi to Moses." Those are the clearest and most informative.
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