| Key Places in Exodus (Ancient
& Modern maps)
1 Goshen
This area was given to Jacob and his family when they moved to Egypt (Genesis 47:5,6). It became the Hebrews' homeland for 400 years and remained separate from the main Egyptian centers, for Egyptian culture looked down upon shepherds and nomads. As the years passed, Jacob's family grew into a large nation (Exodus 1:7).
2,3 Pithom and Rameses
After 400 years, a pharoah came to the throne who had no respect for these descendants of Joseph and feared their large numbers. He forced them into slavery in order to oppress and subdue them. Out of their slave labor, the supply cities of Pithom and Rameses were built (Exodus 1:11).
4 Midian
Moses, an Egyptian prince who was born a Hebrew, killed an Egyptian and fled for his life to
Midian. Here he became a shepherd and married a woman named Zipporah. It was while he was here that God commissioned him for the job of leading the Hebrew people out of Egypt (Exodus 2:15-4:31).
5 Baal Zephon
Slavery was not to last because God planned to deliver his people. After choosing Moses and Aaron to be his spokesmen to Pharaoh, God worked a series of dramatic miracles in the land of Egypt to convince Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go (Exodus 5:1-12:33). When finally freed, the entire nation set out with the riches of Egypt (Exodus 12:34-36). One of their first stops was at Baal Zephon (Exodus 14:1), where Pharaoh, who had changed his mind, chased the Hebrews and trapped them against the Red Sea. But God parted the waters and led the people through the sea on dry land. When Pharaoh's army tried to pursue, the waters collapsed around them, and they were drowned (Exodus 14:5-31).
6 Marah
Moses now led the people southward. The long trek across the desert brought hot temperatures and parched throats for this mass of people. At
Marah, the water they found was bitter, but God sweetened it (Exodus 15:22-25).
7 Elim
As they continued their journey, the Hebrews (now called Israelites) came to
Elim, an oasis with 12 springs (Exodus 15:27).
8 Desert of Sin
Leaving Elim, the people headed into the Desert of Sin. Here the people became hungry, so God provided them with manna that came from heaven and covered the ground each morning (Exodus 16:1,13-15). The people ate this manna until they entered the promised land.
9 Rephidim
Moses led the people to Rephidim where they found no water. But God miraculously provided water from a rock (Exodus 17:1,5,6). Here the Israelites encountered their first test in battle: the Amalekites attacked and were defeated (Exodus 17:9-13). Moses' father-in-law,
Jethro, then arrived on the scene with some sound advice on delegating responsibilities (Exodus 18:1-27).
10 Mount Sinai
God had previously appeared to Moses on this mountain and commissioned him to lead Israel (Exodus 3:1,2). Now Moses returned with the people God had asked him to lead. For almost a year the people camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. During this time God gave them his Ten Commandments as well as other laws for right living. He also provided the blueprint for building the tabernacle (Exodus 19-40). God was forging a holy nation, prepared to live for and serve him alone.
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| Exodus, Book of
Exodus is the name given in the LXX. to the second book of the
Pentateuch (q.v.). It means "departure" or
"outgoing." This name was adopted in the Latin translation,
and thence passed into other languages. The Hebrews called it by the
first words, according to their custom, Ve-eleh shemoth (i.e., "and
these are the names"). It contains,
1. An account of the increase and growth of the Israelites in
Egypt #Ex 1:1ff.
2. Preparations for their departure out of Egypt #Ex
2:1-12:36
3. Their journeyings from Egypt to Sinai #Ex
12:37-19:2
4. The giving of the law and the establishment of the
institutions by which the organization of the people was completed,
the theocracy, "a kingdom of priest and an holy nation" #Ex
19:3-40:38
The time comprised in this book, from the death of Joseph to the
erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness, is about one hundred and
forty-five years, on the supposition that the four hundred and thirty
years #Ex 12:40 are to be computed from the
time of the promises made to Abraham #Ga 3:17
The authorship of this book, as well as of that of the other books of
the Pentateuch, is to be ascribed to Moses. The unanimous voice of
tradition and all internal evidences abundantly support this opinion.
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| Exodus
The great deliverance wrought for the children of Isreal when they
were brought out of the land of Egypt with "a mighty hand and with
an outstretched arm" #Ex 12:51 De 26:8 Ps
114:1ff. #Ps 136:1 about B.C. 1490
and four hundred and eighty years #1Ki 6:1
before the building of Solomon’s temple.
The time of their sojourning
in Egypt was, according to #Ex 12:40 the
space of four hundred and thirty years. In the
LXX., the words are,
"The sojourning of the children of Israel which they sojourned in
Egypt and in the land of Canaan was four hundred and thirty years;"
and the Samaritan version reads, "The sojourning of the children of
Israel and of their fathers which they sojourned in the land of Canaan
and in the land of Egypt was four hundred and thirty years." In #Ge
15:13-16 the period is prophetically given (in round numbers) as
four hundred years. This passage is quoted by Stephen in his defence
before the council #Ac 7:6 The chronology
of the "sojourning" is variously estimated. Those who adopt
the longer term reckon thus:
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From the descent of Jacob into Egypt to the death of Joseph
From the death of Joseph to the birth of Moses
From the birth of Moses to his flight into Midian
From the flight of Moses to his return into Egypt
From the return of Moses to the Exodus
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Years:
71
278
40
40
1
----
430 |
Others contend for the shorter period of two hundred
and fifteen years, holding that the period of four hundred and thirty
years comprehends the years from the entrance of Abraham into Canaan to the descent of Jacob into
Egypt. They reckon thus:
From Abraham’s arrival in Canaan to Isaac’s birth
From Isaac’s birth to that of his twin sons Esau and Jacob
From Jacob’s birth to the going down into Egypt
From Jacob’s going down into Egypt to the death of Joseph
From death of Joseph to the birth of Moses
From birth of Moses to the Exodus
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Years:
25
60
130 (215)
71
64
80
-------
In All
430 |
During the forty years of Moses’ sojourn in the land
of Midian, the Hebrews in Egypt were being gradually prepared for the
great national crisis which was approaching. The plagues that successively
fell upon the land loosened the bonds by which Pharaoh held them in
slavery, and at length he was eager that they should depart. But the
Hebrews must now also be ready to go. They were poor; for generations they
had laboured for the Egyptians without wages. They asked gifts from their
neighbours around them #Ex 12:35 and these
were readily bestowed. And then, as the first step towards their
independent national organization, they observed the feast of the
Passover, which was now instituted as a perpetual memorial. The blood of
the paschal lamb was duly sprinkled on the door-posts and lintels of all
their houses, and they were all within, waiting the next movement in the
working out of God’s plan. At length the last stroke fell on the land of
Egypt. "It came to pass, that at midnight Jehovah smote all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt." Pharaoh rose up in the night, and
called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise up, and get you
forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go,
serve Jehovah, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as
ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also." Thus was Pharaoh
(q.v.) completely humbled and broken down. These words he spoke to Moses
and Aaron "seem to gleam through the tears of the humbled king, as he
lamented his son snatched from him by so sudden a death, and tremble with
a sense of the helplessness which his proud soul at last felt when the
avenging hand of God had visited even his palace." The
terror-stricken Egyptians now urged the instant departure of the Hebrews.
In the midst of the Passover feast, before the dawn of the 15th day of the
month Abib (our April nearly), which was to be to them henceforth the
beginning of the year, as it was the commencement of a new epoch in their
history, every family, with all that appertained to it, was ready for the
march, which instantly began under the leadership of the heads of tribes
with their various sub-divisions. They moved onward, increasing as they
went forward from all the districts of Goshen, over the whole of which
they were scattered, to the common centre.
Three or four days perhaps
elapsed before the whole body of the people were assembled at Rameses, and
ready to set out under their leader Moses #Ex 12:37
Nu 33:3 This city was at that time the residence of the Egyptian
court, and here the interviews between Moses and Pharaoh had taken place.
From Rameses they journeyed to Succoth #Ex 12:37
identified with Tel-el-Maskhuta, about 12 miles west of Ismailia. Their third station was Etham (q.v.), #Ex
13:20 "in the edge of the wilderness," and was probably a
little to the west of the modern town of Ismailia, on the Suez Canal. Here
they were commanded "to turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between
Migdol and the sea," i.e., to change their route from east to due
south.
The Lord now assumed the direction of their march in the pillar of
cloud by day and of fire by night. They were then led along the west shore
of the Red Sea till they came to an extensive camping-ground "before
Pi-hahiroth," about 40 miles from Etham. This distance from Etham may
have taken three days to traverse, for the number of camping-places by no
means indicates the number of days spent on the journey: e.g., it took
fully a month to travel from Rameses to the wilderness of Sin #Ex
16:1 yet reference is made to only six camping-places during all
that time.
The exact spot of their encampment before they crossed the Red
Sea cannot be determined. It was probably somewhere near the present site
of Suez. Under the direction of God the children of Israel went
"forward" from the camp "before Pi-hahiroth," and the
sea opened a pathway for them, so that they crossed to the farther shore
in safety. The Egyptian host pursued after them, and, attempting to follow
through the sea, were overwhelmed in its returning waters, and thus the
whole military force of the Egyptians perished. They "sank as lead in
the mighty waters" #Ex 15:1-9 comp. #Ps
77:16-19
Having reached the eastern shore of the sea, perhaps a
little way to the north of ‘Ayun Musa ("the springs of
Moses"), there they encamped and rested probably for a day. Here
Miriam and the other women sang the triumphal song recorded in #Ex
15:1-21 From ‘Ayun Musa they went on for three days through a
part of the barren "wilderness of Shur" #Ex
15:22 called also the "wilderness of Etham" #Nu
33:8 comp. #Ex 13:20 without finding
water. On the last of these days they came to Marah (q.v.), where the
"bitter" water was by a miracle made drinkable.
Their next
camping-place was Elim (q.v.), where were twelve springs of water and a
grove of "threescore and ten" palm trees #Ex
15:27 After a time the children of Israel "took their journey
from Elim," and encamped by the Red Sea #Nu
33:10 and thence removed to the "wilderness of Sin" (to
be distinguished from the wilderness of Zin,) #Nu
20:1 where they again encamped. Here, probably the modern el-Markha,
the supply of bread they had brought with them out of Egypt failed. They
began to "murmur" for want of bread. God "heard their
murmurings" and gave them quails and manna, "bread from
heaven" #Ex 16:4-36 Moses directed that
an omer of manna should be put aside and preserved as a perpetual memorial
of God’s goodness.
They now turned inland, and after three encampments
came to the rich and fertile valley of Rephidim, in the Wady Feiran. Here
they found no water, and again murmured against Moses. Directed by God,
Moses procured a miraculous supply of water from the "rock in Horeb,"
one of the hills of the Sinai group #Ex 17:1-7
and shortly afterwards the children of Israel here fought their first
battle with the Amalekites, whom they smote with the edge of the sword.
From the eastern extremity of the Wady Feiran the line of march now
probably led through the Wady esh-Sheikh and the Wady Solaf, meeting in
the Wady er-Rahah, "the enclosed plain in front of the magnificient
cliffs of Ras Sufsafeh." Here they encamped for more than a year #Nu
1:1 #Nu 10:11 before Sinai (q.v.).
The
different encampments of the children of Israel, from the time of their
leaving Egypt till they reached the Promised Land, are mentioned in #Ex
12:37-19:25ff. #Nu 10:1ff. #Nu
33:1ff. #De 1:1ff. #De
2:1ff. #De 10:1ff. It is worthy of
notice that there are unmistakable evidences that the Egyptians had a
tradition of a great exodus from their country, which could be none other
than the exodus of the Hebrews.
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