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400 Years
Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign country. They will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years.
Genesis 15:13
Last week we left off at the birth of Abram, later to be known as Abraham – two thousand and eight years from creation, or rather, the year 2009 AM (Anno Mundi). This week we pick up where we left off, but you should know up-front that we’re quickly going to get a little mired in yet another controversial issue pertaining to dating the biblical timeline.
First, let’s tackle the low-hanging fruit:
Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Genesis 21:5
So continuing our simple count, 2008 + 100 = 2108.
When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, there were twins in her womb. The first came out reddish all over, like a hairy garment, so they named him Esau. When his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
Genesis 25:24 – 26
2108 + 60 = 2168.
Now this is where we hit a bit of a “speed bump”. Following this we find a lack of continued genealogical information by which to continue the count. The good news is that while we may not have information as convenient as the dating of the patriarchs by which to count, we are not without the means to continue our journey… but here’s where we have to slow down and carefully consider the information provided to us on the matter.
The events we’re going to use in order to advance our burgeoning timeline are none other than the “Sojourn” as prophesied in Genesis 15, the Exodus from Egypt and the Conquest of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Beginning with the sojourn, we immediately arrive at a pivotal question; when does the Sojourn begin? The answer to this will have a dramatic impact on every single calculation which follows.
Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign country. They will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years. But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. Afterward they will come out with many possessions. But as for you, you will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.”
Genesis 15:13 – 16
Already, within this singular passage we have a number of indicators that can help to clarify matters, but we must be diligent if we are to ascertain the truth of the matter. First, it is stated that “your descendants will be strangers in a foreign country” and we certainly know that Israel will spend no small amount of time in Egypt. The text further states that they “will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years“… full stop. We need to ask a serious question here with regards to the phrasing used; why the double statement? Why the need to prophesy to Abraham that his descendants will be “enslaved and oppressed“?
Here’s the thing, regardless of what modern society thinks or believes, the two are not necessarily synonymous. The mention of slavery often invokes mental images of forced labor and brutal torture – things that most assuredly have occurred throughout mankinds’ dark and violent history – but that isn’t the whole of the issue. We could conduct an entire study on the term “slave” in the bible and the different meanings inferred (one of which we could translate as “employee“) but that’s not our point in this article. Suffice it to say that this double-statement is pointing to two distinct criteria.
Although it is not my intention to belabor the point, I am a fan of looking to multiple translations for clarity. We must remember that much of our text is two translations removed from English, and that Ancient Hebrew was a very complex and nuanced language. To simply take a single translation and dissect a passage with such far-reaching ramifications would not qualify as due diligence – after all, everything that comes after is affected by the manner in which we treat this issue. You’ll see why as we move forward.
Personally, I have been a long-time fan of the Complete Jewish Bible. While it may not be a “perfect” translation (are any of them?), the “Old Testament” portion represents a long-standing Rabbinic translation that had become public domain. I frequently find that the manner in which things are worded provides additional perspective:
Adonai said to Avram, “Know this for certain: your descendants will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs. They will be slaves and held in oppression there four hundred years. But I will also judge that nation, the one that makes them slaves. Afterwards, they will leave with many possessions. As for you, you will join your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. Only in the fourth generation will your descendants come back here, because only then will the Emori be ripe for punishment.
Genesis 15:13 – 16 CJB
Here, we see a subtle change in wording that further illustrates my point; they will be slaves and held in oppression… The point here is that one can be oppressed without being enslaved. Likewise, depending on the meaning inferred by the use of the term “slave” – Biblically speaking – one could be a slave without being oppressed, rare though that may be among human beings. (See Romans 1:1).
Adding to this, there is some debate among scholars, and no shortage of criticism from antagonists concerning the apparent discrepancy in timing between what is stated here and what is stated later in the book of Exodus:
Now the length of time the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, on the very day, all the regiments of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt
Exodus 12:40 – 41
So which is it? 400, or 430? It’s both actually. Recall that the entire population of Hebrews will arrive in Egypt as honored guests, personally invited by Pharaoh himself. The oppression and slavery will come only when a new Pharaoh arises who did not know Joseph. We’ll dig deeper into this at a later point, but understand that there’s a passage of time here that does not mark the 400 years explicitly prophesied by God himself, thus the 430 (and for the more scripturally astute, the 450 years spoken of elsewhere).
When we rightly calculate the timing of these events, we see that the information we’re provided is specific, detailed and accurate. We know, that from Abraham forward, Israel has a long history with Egypt and much of this constitutes time in which they are most assuredly not enslaved… yet. It’s noteworthy however, that even during these periods, Abraham and his descendants are not often treated well.
Apologies. There is so much history here, and it is all so much more pertinent that I’d given any of it credit for throughout my life, that it’s far too easy for me to get on an a tangent and go chasing down a proverbial “rabbit trail”. Know for certain however, that if you are inclined to do the same, these are not vain pursuits and often lead to further revelation.
Back on track – the thing we need to know for purposes of our study, is exactly when do we begin the 400 year count? When does this Sojourn actually begin? Answering this, as I’ve stated, will affect every single calculation which follows. To answer that, we need to take a look at two more passages of scripture:
So Abram left, just as the Lord had told him to do, and Lot went with him. (Now Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.) And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they left for the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
Genesis 12:4 – 5
There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay for a while because the famine was severe.
Genesis 12:10
Now, a quick disclaimer… while it’s clear that there is a passage of time between these two verses (see Genesis 12:8 – 9), we do not have a means of ascertaining the specific length of time that transpired here. We can however look at the geography traversed and see that this wouldn’t have required decades to transpire… given that Haran lies around 400 miles from Egypt, we could calculate that, walking at a pace of roughly 1.5 miles per hour, 8 hours per day, one could make this trip in just over 33 days.
Is that what happened? Well, no.
We know that “Abram continually journeyed by stages down to the Negev.” (Gen 12:8) and that indicates that this was not a straight-line, non-stop voyage. He did have his family, servants and flocks to mind, as well as those of his nephew, Lot who traveled with him. My point is this – the last concrete piece of information we have concerning timing is the age of Abraham stated in Genesis 12:4. We know that this could have been accomplished within a year, but do not know if it was, or if it took longer – not with any degree of certainty. For this reason, we will continue our count from Abraham’s age of 75 forward.
Does this introduce a degree of uncertainty? Yes, actually it does – though once again, we’re talking years, not decades. Personally, I don’t think there’s much of a lapse here as I don’t see it in the text. Abraham, even at his advanced age, with the help of his servants, his nephew and his nephew’s servants could have made the journey into Canaan, experienced drought, and moved Southward to Egypt all in the course of a single year…
Okay – lots of qualifying there, but necessary. Still with me?
The point in all of this is to show you that the Bible does not tell you to begin counting the 400 years from the moment of Israel’s enslavement, nor does it state to count the 430 years from the entry of Joseph (or Isaac) into Egypt… though that is what is commonly done. It does not tell you that Israel would be enslaved for 400 years, but that they would be sojourners and would be oppressed and would be enslaved during that time. Nowhere in the text does it indicate that these are simultaneous events – that is something we’d presumed, but this presumption is factually inaccurate and mathematically inconsistent.
This singular calculation, or miscalculation as the case may be has resulted in more antagonism of the Biblical narrative than almost any other. The roots of this lie in archaeological study which has rightfully indicated that many of the events related in scripture could not have happened within the time-frame put forward by mainstream Christian Theology… and they’re right! It isn’t the Bible that’s incorrect however, it’s the manner in which we’ve interpreted and calculated the timing of it all. Kathleen Kenyon leaps to mind.
Obviously, I am contending that we must begin counting the period of the Sojourn from a different starting point and I have spent so much time examining the events surrounding Abraham’s entry into Egypt because I contend that this marks the start of the 430 year count. Some may immediately protest this as the word the Lord delivered to Abram concerned his offspring and admittedly, Abram had no offspring at this particular juncture… Isaac wouldn’t be born to Sarah for another 25 years ~ but then, that would still leave another 5 years prior to counting the actual 400 year period spoken by God.
For those following the mathematics here, Abraham was born 2008 years from creation, or rather in the year 2009 AM. Adding 75 years to this, we arrive at 2083 years from creation, or the year 2084 AM marking the first record of his entry into Egypt. It is this date, that will become pivotal to our continued calculations.
We’ll stop for now and pick up next week. Know that although it may not seem we’ve covered much ground, we actually have. The simple fact is that undoing fallacy is a tedious, arduous task – but once again, if we are to be earnest students of scripture and truly desire the truth, then such efforts are not wasted and are certainly not superfluous.
Lots to think on.
Until next time,
שלום עליכם – Shalom Aleichem – Peace Be Upon You