Exodus 12:40-42

The text is very clear that Israel was in Egypt 430 years "to the very day" (Exodus 12:41). This probably refers to the time between when Jacob entered Egypt with his family (1876 B.C.) to the day of the Exodus (1446 B.C.). Galatians 3:17 also refers to 430 years. This figure, however, probably represents the time from God’s last reconfirmation of the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob at Beer-sheba (1875 B.C.; Genesis 46:2-4) to the giving of the Mosaic Law at Sinai (1446 B.C.; Exodus 19). Genesis 15:13; Genesis 15:16 and Acts 7:6 give the time of the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt as 400 years (1846-1446 B.C.). The "about 450 years" spoken of in Acts 13:19 includes the 400 year sojourn in Egypt, the 40 years of wilderness wanderings, and the seven year conquest of the land (1875-1395 B.C.). [Note: Harold W. Hoehner, "The Duration of the Egyptian Bondage," Bibliotheca Sacra 126:504 (October-December 1969):306-16, presented three other ways to reconcile these references.]

Scholars have debated hotly and still argue about the date of the Exodus. Many conservatives hold a date very close to 1446 B.C. [Note: See, for example, Wolf, pp. 141-48.] Their preference for this date rests first on 1 Kings 6:1 that states that the Exodus took place 480 years before the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. That year was quite certainly 967 B.C. Second, this view harmonizes with Judges 11:26 that says 300 years elapsed between Israel’s entrance into Canaan and the commencement of Jephthah’s rule as a judge. [Note: See Ronald Youngblood, "A New Look at an Old Problem: The Date of the Exodus," Christianity Today 26:20 (Dec. 17, 1982):58, 60; Charles Dyer, "The Date of the Exodus Reexamined," Bibliotheca Sacra 140:559 (July-September 1983):225-43; Archer, "Old Testament History . . .," pp. 106-9; and Bruce K. Waltke, "Palestinian Artifactual Evidence Supporting the Early Date of the Exodus," Bibliotheca Sacra 129:513 (January-March 1973):33-47.] Most liberals and many evangelicals hold to a date for the Exodus about 1290 B.C. [Note: E.g., Kenneth Kitchen, Ancient Orient and Old Testament, pp. 73-75; Durham, p. xxvi; and James K. Hoffmeier, "What Is the Biblical Date for the Exodus? A Response to Bryant Wood," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50:2 (June 2007):225-47. For refutation of the late date theory, see Bryant G. Wood, "The Rise and Fall of the 13th-Century Exodus-Conquest Theory," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48:3 (September 2005):475-89; and idem, "The Biblical Date for the Exodus is 1446 BC: A Response to James Hoffmeier," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50:2 (June 2007):249-58.] This opinion rests on the belief that the existence of the city of Raamses (Exodus 1:11; et al.) presupposes the existence of Pharaoh Ramses II (ca. 1300-1234 B.C.). [Note: See my comments on 1:11 above.] Also followers of this view point to supposed similarities between the times of Pharaoh Ramses II and the Exodus period. Another reason for dating the Exodus to the thirteenth century is the archaeological remains in Palestine that have been attributed to the conquest. However, there is good reason to identify these ruins with destruction that took place during the Judges Period of Israel’s history. [Note: Longman and Dillard, pp. 65-66.] Another view has also been popularized that places the Exodus about 1470 B.C. [Note: See John J. Bimson, Redating the Exodus and the Conquest; and idem, "Redating the Exodus," Biblical Archaeology Review 13:5 (September-October 1986):40-53, 66-68.]