A) THE MONTH OF ABIB.

B) THE TIMELINE OF JACOB.

C) THE CALL OF ABRAHAM.

D) PROBLEM TEXTS.

 

 

A) THE MONTH OF ABIB

 

 

The month Abib is to be considered as the commencement of the year (see Exo. 12:1-2).  The Passover was instituted then, and the lamb, or kid, was to be used on this occasion and was to be taken from the flock on the “tenth day of the month.”  Each family was to provide one (see Exo. 12:3-4).

 

We need to look into this.  The lamb, or kid, was to be a “male of the first year,” “without blemish,” Exodus 12:5.  It was to be killed, or sacrificed, on the fourteenth day (see Exo. 12:6), and the blood was to be sprinkled on the side posts and lintels of the doors of their homes (Exo. 12:7).  The flesh was to be prepared by roasting; and not to be eaten either sodden or raw (Exo. 12:8-9).  No part of it was to be left until the morning (see Exo. 12:10).  The people were to then eat it with their loins girded, ready to be on the move, etcetera, as a people prepared for a journey (see Exo. 12:11).  Thus, we have the exit day and month for leaving Egypt established, i.e., the “15th day of the first month, Abib.”

 

That establishes when they left Egypt.  Establishing the beginning date when Jacob took his family down into Egypt, is another matter.

 

 

B) THE TIMELINE OF JACOB

 

 

Jacob was 130 years old when he went down into Egypt (see Gen. 47:9), and his son Joseph was 39 years of age.  This is clear from the fact that Joseph was 30 when he entered the service of Pharaoh (see Gen. 41:46), and seven (7) plentiful years had already passed (see Gen. 41:54), and two (2) lean years had also passed (see Gen. 45:6) when Joseph sent for Jacob his father.  These Nine (9) years must be added to Joseph’s age of 30 years mentioned in Genesis 41:46, making Joseph 39 years old.  Jacob was consequently 91 years old when Joseph was born (taking 39 from 130).

 

Now, (see my Excel Spread Sheet or Bible Study:  CHRONOLOGICAL CHART) I have made up a Chronological chart (based upon the “years lived” of Bible characters), with Jacob dying in the year B.C. 1700, Jacob living 147 years (Gen. 47:28), which is very important in order to keep the Chronological chart going if we are to get to our time table.  We will come back to this.

 

I know that you must be thinking of Exodus 12:40 and 12:41, where it talks about the “sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was “four hundred and thirty years.”  However, the statement in First Kings 6:1, about the 480 years is even more helpful.

 

 

C) THE CALL OF ABRAHAM

 

 

The interval between the call of Abram, at age 75 (Gen. 12:4), and the Exodus, was 430 years (see Exo. 12:40-41referred to above).  The Exodus to Solomon was 480 years (see 1Ki. 6:1 also referred to above).  Solomon reigned 40 years (see 1Ki. 11:42), but “began to build the house of the Lord” “in the fourth year,” First Kings 6:1, of his reign.  Thus, 36 years (40 minus 4), plus all the reigns of the kings of Judah, ending with the FIRST exile, is approximately 420 years (must see my Excel Spreadsheet Chart).

 

Two years must be added to Nebuchadnezzar’s 9th year (approximately, see 2Ki. 25:1-2) to reach back to “the first company of exiles” (see PK:607).  Since all Astronomers agree that “Nebuchadnezzar’s 37th regnal year” is fixed, beyond doubt, at B.C. 568/567, we add the 2 years and his 37th regnal year to find the first exile date of B.C. 607/606(606 minus 39 equals 567).

 

With the help of my chronological chart, I come up with THE EXODUS as being B.C. 1519, and Jacob dying in B.C. 1700.  Keep in mind that you do not have to agree with me about our time period being B.C. 1700, only that the Bible years, mentioned in First Kings 6:1, equals 480 years, and Exodus 12:40-41 equals 430 years.  You can then date them as you like.

 

Now Jacob lived 147 years (remember?), so we must add (because we are in B.C. dating) 17 years to B.C. 1700,because Jacob was 130 years old [130 plus 17 equals his death at 147] when he went to Egypt (see Gen. 47:9) in order for us to arrive at his entering date into Egypt as being B.C. 1717.  To the “exact day” I cannot get to, because we are not given the day and month, as in other places, of when Jacob went down into Egypt (see Genesis, Chapter 46 if you can find it).  But this leaves us to subtract 1519 from 1717 and then we can come up with “198 years in Egypt.”

 

 

D) PROBLEM TEXTS

 

 

Problem Texts, or more substantial, you decide (see my Bible Study or Spread Sheet:  “CHRONOLOGICAL CHART”)

 

Genesis 15:13 & Acts 7:6 = “four hundred years.”  Exodus 12:40 and Galatians 3:17 state this period as being 430 years.  Many Bible writers round off their numbers (compare Num. 1:46 & Exo. 38:26 to Num. 11:21 & Exo. 12:37).  That the actual time spent in captivity was only 215 years is shown Biblically.  Also, that the 430-year figure is correct (let’s see below).

 

Abraham was 75 years old when he received the promise (Gen. 12:1-4).  It was 25 years later when Isaac was born, making Abraham 100 years old (Gen. 21:5).  Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob was born (Gen. 25:26).  And Jacobwas 130 years old when he and his family entered Egypt (Gen. 47:1-9).  Therefore, adding it up from the time Abraham received the promise, until Jacob entered Egypt, is 25 + 60 + 130 = 215 years.  Now, how many years were they in Egypt?

 

Levi was born when Jacob was 67 years old (see my Chronological Chart; Gen. 29:34), and Kohath was born when Levi was 63 years old.  That means that Kohath was born the year Jacob was 130 years old and entered Egypt.  Isn’t that interesting:  born on the way to Egypt?  Amram was born when Kohath was 66 years old, and Moses was born when Amram was 69 years old.  And Moses was 80 years old (Exo. 7:7) when he led the Israelites out of Egypt.  Therefore, from the birth of Kohath, when Israel entered Egypt, until the time they left Egypt, was 66 + 69 + 80 = 215 years.  Thus, added together (215 + 215) equals the 430 years of the statements made in Exodus & Galatians.

 

However, if we consider that our Lord is speaking to Abram right now (Gen. 15:13), at that time, then it would be 400 years from then until the Exodus.  Matching with Stephen’s dissertation in Acts 7:6.

 

This study is based upon the supposition that the “four hundred and thirty years” (Exo. 12:40) are to be computed, starting from the time of the promises made to Abraham (Gal. 3:17).  If we consider that Israel was not considered to be a “Nation” until they left Egypt and encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai, then the 430 years makes perfect sense.  Thus, the Jews, Abraham being the father of them, were in Egypt as long as they could not worship God freely as a Nation.  The setting up as that Nation is another chapter in the Hebrew history Book, The Holy Bible.

 

Another statement is given in Genesis 15:16, that “in the fourth generation [from when they first entered into Egypt] they shall come hither again [back into the land of Canaan].”  If we consider that Judah is the “generation” that went down into Egypt, then we follow his linage.  Judah birthed Pharez, Pharez had Hezron, Hezron had Jerahmeel, and Jerahmeel had Ram (Amram), who was the father of Moses.

 

Also, if we go to Exodus 2:1, we find that the “daughter of Levi,” not literally Levi’s daughter, but maybe his grand-daughter, or great-grand-daughter, was married to Amram, her name being Jochebed.  Now Levi was the brother of Judah, and therefore, that would put Moses as the fourth generation from Judah if as supposed, Jochebed is Levi’sgrand-daughter.  How the line of Judah gets into the line of Levi we are not told.  This also plays out, in Exodus 6:16 & 20, in that Amram took (Kohath’s) “his father’s sister to wife.”  That would make Jochebed Levi’s daughter.  Remember, these people were still living for over one hundred years.

 

Therefore, going back to the Genesis 15:16 statement of the “fourth generation,” we have Levi, Kohath, Amram, then Moses.

 

“The covenant made with Abraham four hundred and thirty years before the Law was spoken on Sinai was a covenant confirmed by God in Christ.”  2ST:444.  Notice, the 430 years is always to be calculated from the time of Abraham to Mount Sinai; not from when Jacob entered into Egypt, then to Mount Sinai.

 

Therefore, the starting of the 430-year period (400) is when God told Abraham in Genesis 15:13, that his posterity would be afflicted (not for that long; but when it would end) and the ending is when they leave Egypt.  Thus, with this explanation, and the other explanations above, there is NO WAY they were in Egypt for 430 years as most Bible commentators suggest and fail to do the calculations.

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