3. The exodus of Israel out of Egypt 12:37-42

 

12:37-39 The record of Israel's sojourn in the wilderness really begins here.

Rameses is probably the same city as Raamses, also called Avaris (v. 37; cf. 1:11). It was the city from which the Israelites left Egypt, and it lay somewhere east of the Nile delta in the land of Goshen.

Archaeologists have not identified Succoth certainly either. However from the context it seems that Succoth was only a few miles from Rameses. It may have been a district rather than a town.²²¹Perhaps Cassuto was right when he wrote the following.

"Succoth was a border town named in Egyptian Tkw. Here the name appears in a Hebrew or Hebraized form. Apparently it was situated at the tellcalled by the Egyptians today Tell el-Maskhuta."²²²

Many commentators conclude that since there were about 600,000 Israelite males the total number of Israelites must have been about two million. Though the Hebrew word translated "thousand"(eleph) can also mean "clan"or "military unit,"most translators have preferred "thousand"(cf. Exod. 38:26; Num. 1:45-47).²²³

Moses referred to the "mixed multitude"often in the account of the wilderness wanderings that follows. This group probably included Egyptian pagans and God-fearers (v. 38; cf. 9:20) and an assortment of other people including other enslaved Semites. For one reason or another these people took this opportunity to leave or escape from Egypt with the Israelites. This group proved to be a source of trouble in Israel and led the Israelites in complaining and opposing Moses (e.g., Num. 11:4).

12:40-42 The text is very clear that Israel was in Egypt 430 years "to the very day"(v. 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 probably represents the time from God's last reconfirmation of the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob at Beer-sheba (1875 B.C.; Gen. 46:2-4) to the giving of the Mosaic Law at Sinai (1446 B.C.; Exod. 19). Genesis 15:13, 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.).²²⁴

Scholars have debated hotly and still argue about the date of the Exodus. Many conservatives hold a date very close to 1446 B.C. 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.²²⁵Most liberals and many evangelicals hold to a date for the Exodus about 1280 B.C.²²⁶This opinion rests on the belief that the existence of the city of Raamses (1:11; et al.) presupposes the existence of Pharaoh Ramses II (ca. 1300-1234 B.C.).²²⁷Also followers of this view point to supposed similarities between the times of Pharaoh Ramses II and the Exodus period. A mediating view has also been popularized that places the Exodus about 1470 B.C.²²⁸