How long were the Israelites slaves in Egypt?

[NathanH83]

400 years of slavery?

 

[Fritz Kobus]

In the back of my mind that 400 years number seems to sit. I don't know if it was 400 years of slavery or 400 years in Egypt with part of that time in slavery. They were for a while free people in Egypt.

 

[NathanH83]

In the back of my mind that 400 years number seems to sit. I don't know if it was 400 years of slavery or 400 years in Egypt with part of that time in slavery. They were for a while free people in Egypt.

It says 430 years in Egypt. But I don’t understand how to get 400 years of slavery out of that.

 

[Fritz Kobus]

I think this may be a can of worms as far as a definitive answer. There seems to be enough research that a theology student could do a PhD dissertation on it. Here is one page that looks like too much for me to wade through right now.

How Many Years Were the Israelites in Egypt? - TheTorah.com

Exodus 12:40 declares that the Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years, yet evidence from other biblical texts suggests a much shorter sojourn in Egypt. To solve this problem, the Septuagint and the Samaritan Pentateuch clarify that it includes time when Israel lived in Canaan. But how do we...

www.thetorah.com

I rather appreciate the research and conclusions of Creation Ministries International on most things (COVID excepted):

How long were the Israelites in Egypt?

The Israelites were in Egypt for several centuries, genealogy helps resolve the question of how long.

creation.com

Frankly, I don't think you are going to get a definitive answer that can be dogmatically adhered to this side of eternity, and maybe not there either (do we reallly need to know, so long as we are in Heaven?).

 

[Awaiting Transport]

We DO know from Genesis accounts that the Pharaoh made Joseph the #2 man and Israel (Jacob & 11 other sons) moved to Egypt. Certainly, they were highly regarded for some years. After they died, and particularly Joseph, how much longer after that was the offspring of Joseph and family remained well regarded in Egypt? At what point did Pharaoh 'turn' on them and make them slaves? What was their 'situation' then that they'd accept becoming dependent of Pharaoh and be slaves? Perhaps someone who has thoroughly studied Egyptian history could find out, or might know. So it's all speculation as far as I know.

 

[TonyC7]

Scripture says they were slaves for 400 years. Genesis 15 I believe.

 

[NathanH83]

Scripture says they were slaves for 400 years. Genesis 15 I believe.

400 years of slavery isn’t possible.

 

[NathanH83]

I think this may be a can of worms as far as a definitive answer. There seems to be enough research that a theology student could do a PhD dissertation on it. Here is one page that looks like too much for me to wade through right now.

How Many Years Were the Israelites in Egypt? - TheTorah.com

Exodus 12:40 declares that the Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years, yet evidence from other biblical texts suggests a much shorter sojourn in Egypt. To solve this problem, the Septuagint and the Samaritan Pentateuch clarify that it includes time when Israel lived in Canaan. But how do we...

www.thetorah.com

I rather appreciate the research and conclusions of Creation Ministries International on most things (COVID excepted):

How long were the Israelites in Egypt?

The Israelites were in Egypt for several centuries, genealogy helps resolve the question of how long.

creation.com

Frankly, I don't think you are going to get a definitive answer that can be dogmatically adhered to this side of eternity, and maybe not there either (do we reallly need to know, so long as we are in Heaven?).

What do you think about this?

 

[Spindle4]

400 years of slavery?

When is our assignment on this due?

 

[Spindle4]

It says 430 years in Egypt. But I don’t understand how to get 400 years of slavery out of that.

Sometimes people don't realise they are enslaved. Beholding to Egypt for anything is a metaphor of spiritual bondage.

Hope I get a good grade on this . . .

Gen 15:13-14 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. (14) And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

Quote from Believer's Bible Commentary on Genesis 15:13-14

Verses 13 and 14 pose a chronological problem. They predict that Abram's people would be in harsh servitude in a foreign land for 400 years, and that they would leave at the end of that time, carrying great wealth with them. In Act_7:6 this figure of 400 years is repeated.
In Exo_12:40-41 we read that the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, were sojourners for 430 years, to the very day.
Then in Gal_3:17 Paul says that the period from the confirming of the Abrahamic Covenant until the giving of the Law was 430 years.
How can these figures be reconciled?
The 400 years mentioned in Gen_15:13-14 and in Act_7:6 refer to the time of Israel's harsh affliction in Egypt. Jacob and his family were not in bondage when they first came to Egypt. On the contrary, they were treated quite royally.
The 430 years in Exo_12:40-41 refer to the total time the people of Israel spent in Egypt—to the very day. This is an exact figure.
The 430 years in Gal_3:17 cover approximately the same period as Exo_12:40-41. They are reckoned from the time that God confirmed the Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob, just as Jacob was preparing to enter Egypt (Gen_46:14), and they extend to the giving of the Law, about three months after the Exodus.