TO THE
VERY DAY
“At the
end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of
the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” (Ex 12:41).
Miraculous events in scripture often coincided with the time of
the daily temple offerings (the 3rd and 9th hour of the day). Significant events also aligned with the
anniversary of festival days. No greater
example is given in scripture than the crucifixion of Jesus, which began at the
time of the morning offering (Mark
15:25), concluded at the time of the evening offering (Mark 15:34), and occurred on the Feast of Passover, (Matt 26:2). Passover originated 1300 years prior to
the crucifixion when the LORD redeemed Israel from the bondage of Egypt. Even the date of Passover was not arbitrary,
but fell on the anniversary of another day that occurred exactly 430 years
earlier, in the words of Moses, “At the
end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of
the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” (Ex 12:41). The passage begs
the question, to what “very day” 430
years earlier is Moses referring?
The generally accepted duration for Israel’s sojourn in the land
of Egypt is four hundred years, in accordance with the words foretold by the
LORD to Abraham “Your descendants will be
strangers in a land…will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years,”
(Gen 15:13). Stephen recounted the same promise in Acts, stating
that the offspring of Abraham would be enslaved and afflicted for “four hundred years,” (Acts 7:6). However, when Israel left Egypt, Moses appeared
to speak of a slightly longer duration, “At
the end of four hundred and thirty years.” Paul used the same timeframe of Moses in his
letter to the Galatians “the law, which
was four hundred and thirty years later,” (Gal 3:16-17). Whether four
hundred or four hundred and thirty years, both durations appear to be much
longer than could be accomplished by the recorded genealogies.
Based on scripture, only four generations passed during Israel’s
stay in Egypt, as foretold by the LORD, “in
the fourth generation they will return,” (Gen 15:16). This understanding
is supported by the reconstruction of Moses' lineage: Levy to Kohath (Ex 6:16), Kohath to Amram (Ex
6:18), and then Amram to Moses (Ex
6:20). The cumulative sum of all the
years in Egypt of Moses’ lineage did not exceed 350 years. This total is derived by adding the entire
length of Kohath’s life (133 years-Ex
6:18) to Amram’s life (137 years-Ex
6:20), to the age of Moses at the time of the Exodus (80 years old). However, scripture indicates that Kohath was
already alive when Israel entered Egypt, (Gen
46:11). Further, the lives of Kohath,
Amram, and Moses overlapped, and some deduction must be taken for the common
years. The more likely duration that Israel
sojourned in Egypt was closer to 200-250 years.
So now we have three additional questions: (1) What was the actual
duration that Israel sojourned in Egypt? (2) To what does the 400-year duration
refer? and (3) To what does the 430-year duration refer?
The Rabbis understood this paradox in timing and formulated an
understanding based on the original promise of the LORD to Abraham, “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,” (Gen 15:13, KJV). The Rabbis
reasoned that the “seed” was Isaac
and the timing of the four hundred years began with the birth of the seed (Isaac)
and not the entry of Israel into the land of Egypt. After all, Abraham was already a sojourner
and stranger in the land (Gen 23:4),
making Isaac a stranger in the land at the time of his birth. Further, the promise to Abraham was given
thirty years prior to the birth of Isaac, explaining the thirty year difference
between the 400-year and 430-year durations.
Therefore, the promise came 430 years before the Exodus and there were
400 years from the birth of Isaac to the Exodus. Apparently, this was the commonly accepted
interpretation of the Rabbis by the first century, as reflected in the words of
Paul who directly connected the promise of the “seed” given to Abraham to the beginning of the 430 year period.
“Now to Abraham and his
Seed were the promises made. He does
not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is
Christ. And this I say, that the law,
which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant
that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of
no effect,” (Gal 3:16-17)
According to Paul, four hundred and thirty years passed between
the “promises made” about the seed
(Isaac, or in Paul's midrash, Christ), until the “law”, which came on
Pentecost, fifty days after the Exodus. We
know from scripture that Isaac was sixty years old when Rachel bore Jacob (Gen 25:26) and that Jacob was 130
years old when he entered Egypt (Gen
47:9). Therefore, the time that
Israel sojourned in Egypt was closer to 210 years (400-190). Subtracting Moses’ age of eighty years when
he led the people out of Egypt, leaves approximately 130 years between the time
Moses’ grandfather (Kohath) entered the land of Egypt and Moses’ birth. This shorter duration becomes much more feasible
for the biblical genealogies.
Drawing on the interpretation of Paul and the Rabbis, the “very day” that occurred 430 years prior
to the Exodus was the promise of the “seed”
(Gen 15:13), given to Abraham. The original promise is recorded in the 15th
chapter of Genesis, “One who will come
forth from your own body, he shall be your heir…Now look toward the heavens,
and count the stars…so shall your descendants be,” (Gen 15:4-5). The promise
was confirm by a covenant that began with Abraham who prepared an animal blood path
as commanded by the LORD, (Gen 15:9-10).
The actions of Abraham were followed
by the LORD at the beginning of the next day, “Now it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark,
that behold, there was a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between
those pieces. On the same day the
LORD made a covenant with Abram,” (Gen
15:17-18).
Since the Exodus occurred on the day of Unleavened Bread (Ex 12:17), “the very same day” 430 years earlier when the covenant was
confirmed must have also been on the day of Unleavened Bread. The prior day when Abraham prepared the
animals would have been on the future day of Passover. The day of Passover became the same day that
Jesus was crucified on a cross 1700 years later. Therefore, the crucifixion not only occurs on
the same day as the Passover, but on the same day that the original promise of the seed was
given by the LORD to Abraham, (Gen 15:13, KJV).
There is one more thread in the story of miraculous events that
occurred on the day of the Feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread. We are told in scripture that the birth of
Isaac occurred, “At the appointed time
(moed)…at this time next year…Sarah will have a son,” (Gen 18:14). One year later,
“Sarah conceived and bore a son to
Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time (moed) of which God had
spoken,” (Gen 21:2). The phrase “appointed time” is understood as one of the “appointed times of the LORD” (Lev
23:2), i.e., one of the festival days, but the specific festival day is not
identified. Since the covenant originated
on Passover, the sages postulated that the birth of Isaac also occurred on
Passover.
“Sarah was visited on Rosh Hashanah and Isaac was born seven
months later on the night of Passover…The four barren ones were visited on Rosh
Hashanah: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.” (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 17) [1]
The Rabbis found support for their position in the story of Lot,
which immediately followed the visitation of Abraham. When the angels came to Lot, he washed their
feet and served them, “unleavened bread,”
(Gen 19:3). This is the first reference to “unleavened bread” in scripture, and the
only “appointed time” where unleavened
bread is mandated is the Feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread. According to the Talmud, “On Passover Isaac
was born.” (Rosh HaShana 11a).
Jesus referred to the Passover crucifixion in uniquely personal
terms as “My appointed time,” (Matt 26:18). If Moses, Paul, and the Rabbis are
correct, the crucifixion not only coincided with the Passover Exodus, but with the
original promise of the “seed” given to Abraham and the birth of Isaac. Believers long for a future “appointed
time” (Matt 8:29), when Jesus Christ will return, a time “which
the Father has fixed by His own authority,” (Acts 1:7)(Dan 8:19).
Scott
