Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 01/09/2004 00:12, Walter R. Mattfeld wrote:

> Any "additional insights" on the below excerpt about _Machir and the Exodus_
> would be appreciated (the url for the article follows the excerpt)
>
> Regards, Walter
> Walter Reinhold Warttig Mattfeld y de la Torre, M.A. Ed.
>
> mattfeld12 AT charter.net
>
>
>
> "The biblical chronology itself is problematic. The pentateuchal texts do
> not agree with one another as to how long the sojourn in Egypt lasted.
> Various biblically preserved traditions mention four generations (Genesis
> 15:16), 400 years (Genesis 15:13) and 430 years (Exodus 12:40-41). The
> first-century C.E. Jewish historian Flavius Josephus records a tradition of
> 215 years,* and an ancient rabbinic source gives 210 years.* ...

There should be a mention also of the textual variants in Exodus 
12:40-41 which we discussed here not long ago. LXX and the Samaritan 
Pentateuch both make 430 years the period of sojourn in Canaan and Egypt 
i.e. the time from Abraham to the Exodus. This combination of evidence, 
with confirmation from Josephus and the Rabbinic source, create a rather 
good chance that this was the original text.

In fact 1 Chronicles 7:23-27 gives good evidence for the length of this 
period because it lists ten generations from Ephraim to Joshua, which 
fits well with 215 years. But this is only one of a number of 
genealogies which bridge this gap and whose lengths are rather variable. 
For example, in 6:1-3 and Exodus 6:16-20 we appear to have 
Levi-Kohath-Amram-Moses. Kohath is named as one of those who went into 
Egypt (Gen 46:11). Could his grandson have led the Egyptians out? 
Certainly not 430 years later. Possibly 215 years later, which was 
traditionally 80 years after Moses was born, for it is conceivable that 
he was born more than 135 years later than his grandfather in what was 
clearly a long-lived family - Levi lived 137 years, Kohath 133 years and 
Amram 137 years according to Exodus (which actually makes Moses' death 
at 120 the earliest of any of his ancestors right back to Adam, 
according to Genesis). Alternatively, we have to accept that generations 
have been left out of some genealogies.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/