How Long Was Israel in Egypt?

[Giuliano]

Was Israel in Egypt for four hundred years? Some people say that, basing it on this verse:

Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that 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;

Notice that Egypt is not mentioned. Should we just assume that's what it means, or did the clock start ticking with the birth of Isaac?

 

[Jay Ross]

What is wrong in believing Exodus 12:40, it tells us that

Exodus 12:40-42: - 40 Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years — on that very same day — it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.​

Shalom

 

[Giuliano]

What is wrong in believing Exodus 12:40, it tells us that

Exodus 12:40-42: - 40 Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years — on that very same day — it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.​

Shalom

That does not say they sojourned in Egypt 430 years. It says of the children of Israel who had lived in Egypt that their total sojourning had been 430 years.

We are not told in Genesis 46 how old Kohath was when Israel moved to Egypt; nor are we are told how old he was when his son Amram was born, nor how old Amram was when Moses was born. We are told however how long they lived.

Exodus 6:18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.

Exodus 6:20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

We are also told Moses was 80 when he led Israel out of Egypt. Now it's clear that Kohath didn't spend all 133 years in Egypt; and it's clear too that some of Amram's 137 years overlapped with his father's 133 as would some of Moses' years overlapped with his father's. If you add 133, 137, and 80, you get 350 years, so the total time in Egypt must be less than that.

The question is how much less? Then another question is why one passage says 400 years while the other says 430.

 

[Joseph77]

Do not assume anything. Instead, find a true teacher who teaches the truth in line with all Scripture by God's Grace.

Should we just assume that's what it means, or did the clock start ticking with the birth of Isaac?

 

[Jay Ross]

That does not say they sojourned in Egypt 430 years. It says of the children of Israel who had lived in Egypt that their total sojourning had been 430 years.

It seems to me that you are assuming that Jacob's other descendants went down to Egypt before Jacob did. Only Joseph lived in Egypt for around 35 years before Joseph saw his brothers on their first journey down to Egypt to get Grain, when he was around 52 years of age. Joseph only lived for another 52 years before he died, and Levi survived him for another five years or so. All of Jacob's sons died around the same time period. This information was established from the stories lines in the Book of Genesis but the scriptures are relatively silent as to when Jacob's sons were born or how old hey were when they died.

Now whether or not the chronology of the descendants of Levi is complete in the scriptures is debatable and your argument is from the silence of the bible. Others claim that there were only 4 descendant generations born while they were down in Egypt, but the Chronology of the descendants also list up to 10 descendant generations being born in Egypt as well.

We must remember that only information relevant to the Salvation Covenant Story was recorded in the scriptures.

Sometimes it is just as important to for us to graciously accept what is recorded in the bible and not try to dot every "i" and cross every "t" so that we have something definitive to believe in. We must take the bible stories by Faith.

Shalom

 

[Giuliano]

It seems to me that you are assuming that Jacob's other descendants went down to Egypt before Jacob did. Only Joseph lived in Egypt for around 35 years before Joseph saw his brothers on their first journey down to Egypt to get Grain, when he was around 52 years of age. Joseph only lived for another 52 years before he died, and Levi survived him for another five years or so. All of Jacob's sons died around the same time period. This information was established from the stories lines in the Book of Genesis but the scriptures are relatively silent as to when Jacob's sons were born or how old hey were when they died.

Now whether or not the chronology of the descendants of Levi is complete in the scriptures is debatable and your argument is from the silence of the bible. Others claim that there were only 4 descendant generations born while they were down in Egypt, but the Chronology of the descendants also list up to 10 descendant generations being born in Egypt as well.

We must remember that only information relevant to the Salvation Covenant Story was recorded in the scriptures.

Sometimes it is just as important to for us to graciously accept what is recorded in the bible and not try to dot every "i" and cross every "t" so that we have something definitive to believe in. We must take the bible stories by Faith.

Shalom

I think there are clues in other passages that contain clues how many years were spent in Egypt. The clock would have started to tick on the four hundred years when Isaac was born; and Isaac was 60 when Jacob was born; and Jacob was 130 when he went down into Egypt.

Genesis 25:26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

Genesis 47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

That would be 190 years before they went into Egypt, leaving 210 to be spent in Egypt. Interestingly the word "go down" in Genesis 42:2 -- רדו -- equals 210.

The 430 years mentioned in Exodus 12:40 suggests that another 30 years needs to be added on if we count the years before Isaac was born.

 

[DNB]

What is wrong in believing Exodus 12:40, it tells us that

Exodus 12:40-42: - 40 Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years — on that very same day — it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.​

Shalom

Agreed!
Or the following, in my opinion. It's an approximation of course, but still underscoring the Exodus 12:40-42 account, which is simply a more accurate detailing.

Acts 7:6-7
7:6. "But God spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. 7. "'AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,' said God, 'AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.'