How Long Did Israel Sojourn in Egypt?

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Every fall semester, I teach an entry level seminary class on the Pentateuch (the picture above is taken from Accordance‘s Pentateuch sites map). Because the theology of the Pentateuch is so rudimentary for properly understanding the rest of the canon, this is a seminal class. One of the issues that I minimally treat is the length of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt; however, this is an important issue and needs more attention.

To overcome the brevity of my classroom presentation, I cite a few other sources in my Pentateuch syllabus. One of the sources is Jack Riggs’ 1971 article ???The Length of Israel???s Sojourn in Egypt??? (Grace Theological Journal 12 [Spring 1971]: 18???35). Riggs thoroughly presents three views about the duration of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt: a sojourn of 215 years, another of 400 years and one of 430 years. Though other biblical texts enter into the discussion, three key biblical texts provide the matrix for some exegetical and theological intrigue among conservative biblical scholars about the duration of Israel’s stay in Egypt: Genesis 15:13-16, Exodus 12:40-41 and Galatians 3:15???17.

I was taught the 430 year view when I did my MDiv work at Temple Baptist Theological Seminary in the early 1970s and my subsequent post-graduate work at Grace Theological Seminary. Since I first started teaching the Pentateuch about thirty years ago, I have advocated this view. Though I have periodically looked at the other opposing views, I have not been persuaded of their overall biblical consistency. Because this subject is a part of the Bible’s historiography, it is an important part of Pentateuchal studies.

A few weeks back my interest was aroused when I read Fred Butler‘s post “The Length of Israel’s Sojourn in Egypt.” What prompted his post was two prior blog entries by Turretinfan, a member of the theologically-solid Alpha & Omega blog team. Turretinfan makes a reasonable case for the 215 year view. You should read each of these posts to understand the series of posts at Hip and Thigh: “How then Four Hundred, Thirty Years?” and “From Seventy to More than a Million?.” For me what makes this series of blog entries an interesting read is that each blogger’s examines the key biblical texts. It is great to see these texts discussed from two different, yet theologically conservative positions.

Having read the various posts, I am still convinced of the 430 year view. However, the exchange is a profitable read because both bloggers make a commendable case for their view and they disagree with each other in a reasonable manner. To read a thorough justification for the 430 year view, you need to read Fred’s four subsequent posts: “A Response to Moi, ” “Returning to Egypt [I],” “Returning to Egypt [II]” and “Returning to Egypt [III].” I have profited by reading this series of posts and it should fill in some details that I omitted in my Pentateuch class.

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