One of the most puzzling enigmas in all of scripture are related to the length of time that the Israelites remained in Egypt; was it 400 years as it says in the book of Genesis or was it 430 years as it says in the book of Exodus?
Let’s first consider the account in the book of Exodus. I believe that there were 430 years that elapsed from the time that Israel and his sons moved to the land of Goshen in Egypt until the Exodus from Egypt as it is written in Exodus 12:40-41:
“Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.”
If you read this verse and take it as it is written, the only conclusion you could arrive at is that Jacob’s descendants, the children of Israel (remember, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel) lived in Egypt for 430 years. According to the book of Genesis Jacob and his family did not live in Egypt until Pharaoh allowed him to live in the land of Goshen, very near the end of Jacob’s life (Genesis 47:1):
“Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.”
The conventional biblical chronologists simply ignore this verse and assert that the “children of Israel” does not refer to Jacob’s children but the 430 year “clock” starts in the life of Abraham when he is in Egypt. This is based on the following scripture, Galatians 3:16-18 (King James Version):
“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.”
The promises made to Abraham were also confirmed to Isaac and Jacob (his seed) through the covenant that God makes with them in the book of Genesis. Therefore the final promise, or covenant, is made to Jacob and then 430 years later the law is established after the Israelites leave Egypt. Therefore this scripture does not contradict Exodus12:40-41 that I mentioned previously. If the conventional biblical chronologists make this leap in logic then, according to them, the Israelites only lived about 200 years in Egypt after Jacob. This is only possible if they ignore Exodus 12:40-41.
Now let’s consider the 400 year period mentioned in the book of Genesis. Some critics of the Bible point out that God had told Abraham that his descendants would experience 400 years of affliction “in a land… not theirs” (Gen. 15:13). They claim that this is an example of a contradiction in the Bible since 400 years is certainly not 430 years. Let’s take a closer look at the entire verse (Gen. 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”. This translation (The King James Version) I believe is in error and it would be better understood as the following: “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years” (New American Standard Version). The King James Version would leave you to believe the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites in Egypt for four hundred years. The New American Standard Version is broader in interpretation and allows the Israelites to be oppressed (not necessarily by just Egyptians) for four hundred years in a land not theirs (not necessarily just Egypt). I believe the Israelites were oppressed by the Egyptians in Egypt and God in the Wilderness for a total of 400 years. The Israelites were oppressed by God? The word “oppressed” is also used in Psalm 119:75 to describe how David was oppressed by God. This Hebrew word is translated as afflicted in this verse (Psalm 119:75):
“I know, O Lord, that thy judgements are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted (oppressed) me.”
God oppressed them for forty years in the Wilderness in response to their sinful behavior. I will prove this next.
The 400 years and the 430 years are two different events. I believe that the 430 years was the time period from when Israel (Jacob) moved to Goshen in Egypt until the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt into the wilderness, while the 400 year period of affliction was measured from when Joseph died until the Israelites left the wilderness and entered Canaan. The period of affliction in Egypt occurs very soon after the death of Joseph (Exodus 1:8):
“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.”
(Exodus 1:14): “And they (the Egyptians) made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.”
I believe the period of affliction included the oppression by the Egyptians for 360 years and the affliction by God for 40 years in the wilderness. Since Joseph was about 38 years old when Israel was 130 years old, and since we know that the period of affliction began after Joseph was dead (he died at 110 years old), there remained only 358 years for the period of affliction if it ended at the beginning of the Exodus. However, if the period of affliction ended when the Israelites entered Canaan, then Joseph would have been 38 years old when Israel was 130 years old, a plausible scenario.
