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Chronology 316: Timeline of Biblical World History biblestudying.net Brian K. McPherson and Scott McPherson Copyright 2012 Period Two: From the Birth of Isaac to the Exodus In this section of our study we will present the scriptural data that is relevant to calculating the amount of time from the birth of Isaac to the Israelite Exodus from Egypt. Although it is necessary to do some cross-referencing and comparison of scriptural texts, our discussion of this time period will be simpler than our examination of factors related to the prior period. We will start with Genesis 15:13-16. In Genesis 15:13-16, God tells Abraham that his descendents will be servants in a land that is not their own (Egypt) for 400 years and that they will come out in the fourth generation. 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; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. This passage provides the basic data to begin our understanding of the duration of time from Isaac’s birth to the Exodus. From this passage we learn several things. In verse 13, God refers to Abraham’s seed and then describes a period of 400 years. From this we may conclude that the 400 years mentioned here would begin with the first generation of Abraham’s descendants (or seed.) Therefore, Genesis 15 seems use the birth of Isaac to mark the beginning of a 400-year period that will end with Abraham’s descendents leaving Egypt after four generations of bondage and servitude. We should take into account that Exodus 12:40-41 states that the children of Israel (Abraham’s descendants) sojourned for 430 years. Exodus 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 41 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. Page 1 of 30 Chronology 316: Timeline of Biblical World History biblestudying.net There are several reasons why this may seem to contradict what we just read in Genesis 15. First, Genesis 15 mentions a period of 400 years that concludes with Abraham’s descendants leaving Egypt. Exodus 12 refers to a period of 430 years ending at the same event. And, according to Acts 7:6 and Genesis 15:13-16, both periods deal with the time of Israel’s sojourning. These amounts (400 and 430) are obviously not equivalent to one another. Second, Genesis 15:13-16 (and Acts 7:6) seem to indicate that the entire period from the birth of Isaac to the Exodus would only be 400 years. Additionally, Genesis 46 (verses 5-28, 31) and Genesis 47 (verses 1, 5, 27-29) indicate that the descendants of Israel didn’t go to Egypt until the time of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson. If the 430 years starts at the time of Jacob’s entrance into Egypt then these passages seem to conflict with one another. For, 430 years starting when Jacob was 130 years old is much longer than 400 years starting with Isaac’s birth 190 years earlier. (Isaac was 60 when Jacob was born – Genesis 25:26. Jacob was 130 when he and his family went to Egypt – Genesis 47:8-9. Therefore, Isaac was born 190 years before Jacob and his family went to Egypt.) Since both amounts end at the same time, this seems like a potential discrepancy. This conflict is not really a difficult one and the resolution is, in fact, well known. In Galatians 3:16-17, Paul explains that the covenant that God gave to Abraham came 430 years before the Law that Moses gave during the Exodus. Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 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. It is worth noting that Paul uses the same amount of time as Exodus 12 (430 years.) However, the important thing is that Paul indicates that the 430 years spans from the time Abraham received the promise until the Exodus when Moses gave the Law to Israel. Therefore, according to Paul, there were 430 years between the time Abraham received the promise and the Exodus. Genesis 11:31-12:4 provide an indication of when Abraham first received the promise to inherit Canaan Land. Genesis 11:31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram Page 2 of 30 Chronology 316: Timeline of Biblical World History biblestudying.net departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. As we can see from the context of this passage, Abraham had already received the promise from God prior to the death of his father Terah. After Terah’s death (in chapter 11:32,) chapter 12:1 immediately informs us that God had already given Abraham this promise. Now we know that Abraham was around 75 years old when Terah died in Haran (verse 4). We may therefore presume that he was at least a few years younger when he first received this promise from God. In Acts 7, Stephen indicates that this chronology is sound by informing us that God appeared to Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia, that is before Terah and the entire household even moved to Haran (Charran). Acts 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. 6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. Abraham left Haran (after Terah’s death) when he was the son of 75 years old, but he had first received the promise from God while Terah and his household were still living in Ur in the land of the Chaldeans before they had even moved to Haran. If we pull the information in these passages together (Genesis 11, Genesis 15, Exodus 12, and Galatians 3) we can see that all of these texts can be easily reconciled. Abraham received the promise (to inherit Canaan Land) at around the age of 70 years old (five years before Terah’s death.) Thirty years later Isaac was born when Abraham was the son of 100 years old. Isaac’s birth marks the first generation of Abraham’s descendants. According to Genesis 15:13-16, there would be 400 years from the birth of Isaac to the Exodus in the fourth generation. Because of this Paul can say in Galatians 3:17 that the Law (given during the Exodus) came 430 years after Abraham received the promise from God (at age 70.) In Acts 7:6-10, Stephen, likewise, references Genesis 5:13’s mention of 400 years and then immediately speaks of God’s covenant with Abraham and the birth of Isaac. Acts 7:6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.
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