biblical chronology – our times are in his hands · 2017-03-29 · biblical chronology – our...

Biblical chronology – our times are in His hands.

Introduction

We live in days when little attention is paid to accuracy in Biblical exposition. The creation

ministries have done a tremendous job in recent years in reversing this trend by demanding that Genesis

be taken at face value. However, in the matter of Biblical chronology there appears to be variance in the

ways in which times and dates recorded in Scripture are treated. Three pieces of evidence offering dates

that are often confused as being identical in nature will be shown to yield precise information that will aid

in the construction of a Biblical time line. The main event for our consideration is the Exodus of the

children of Israel. The three main Scriptures that have a bearing upon this event are Exodus 12v40-41,

Galatians 3v16-17, and Genesis 15v13-14.

The 430 years of Exodus 12v40-41 & Galatians 3v16-17

These three Scriptures when viewed together will help in an overall understanding of the

chronology of the Bible. It is important to remember that all Scripture is profitable and if we take one in

isolation we may be lead in error. In Exodus 12v40-41 we read:

Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirtyyears. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day itcame to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12v40-41,AKJV)

The words of verse 41 (“even the selfsame day”) are highly significant and give the impression that God’s

timing of events are exact. The Exodus is a very important event not only because of the following history

of Israel as a nation, but also because of its significance with respect to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He alone, the Saviour of men, died the same day of the same month that the children of Israel left Egypt.

The timing of God is exact, and I believe that His word testifies to this accuracy, giving us detailed

information of a precise nature. If we work hard in searching the Scriptures we will be blessed with

fruitful results, but a flippant and cursory glance yields only confusion.

Now the first impression gathered from Exodus 12v40 is that the Israelites dwelt in Egypt for 430

years. Indeed most modern translations have interpreted the Hebrew text in this way:

Now the length of time the Israelites people lived in Egypt was 430 years. (NIV)

Author: Dr. Mike Viccary April 2017 1 of 29

This article is provided free of charge. If you have found it useful please pass it on to others whom you thinkmay benefit. If you would like to make any comments (critical or otherwise) these would be gratefully received.If you would like to support this work please pray for it. Any donations would be most welcome and all will beacknowledged. To make comments or to find out how you can make donations send an email to Mike Viccaryat: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. (NASB)

The time that the people of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. (RSV)

If this first impression is right, then this would fix the date of the Exodus in the year 2728 AC (i.e. 2298

AC + 430 years = 2728 AC). Since the Exodus occurred in the year 1446 BC1 this would make the date of

creation 4174 BC.2 Unfortunately this first impression runs up against some serious Biblical problems.

The first of these occurs in Galatians 3v16,17 where we read:

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds”meaning many people but “and to your seed” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean isthis: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously establishedby God and thus do away with the promise. (Galatians 3v16,17, NIV)

Here Paul explains to the Galatians that God’s promise made to Abraham has not been abrogated or

nullified by the law given to Moses just after the Exodus 430 years later. The 430 years of Exodus 12v40

therefore, are interpreted by Paul as being the time span from the receiving of the promise by Abraham,

until the giving of the law to Moses, and not the period covering the descent of Jacob and his family into

Egypt and their descendants subsequent return in the Exodus.

Exactly when Abraham received the promise or the covenant that begins the 430 year countdown

to the Exodus is not an easy thing to determine. Stephen answering his accusers in Acts chapter 7 tells us

that Abraham received the promises whilst he was still in Mesopotamia:

… The God of glory appeared unto our Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dweltin Charran, and said unto him, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come intothe land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt inCharran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein yenow dwell. (Acts 7v2b-4, AKJV)

Stephen’s reporting of God’s words to Abraham seems to be very much like those found in Genesis

12v1b:

Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that Iwill shew thee. (Genesis 12v1b, AKJV)

1 Solomon’s temple began in 966 BC which was 480 years after the Exodus (see 1Kings 6v1). See also the tables in the appendix at the end of this work.2 J. C. Whitcomb uses this date in his chronological charts and W. L. Seaver accepts this date in an article onchronology.



Clearly Stephen has interpreted Genesis 12v1-3 as an event that occurred not only prior to Abraham’s

leaving Haran (called Charran in the AKJV) when he was 75 years old (see Genesis 12v4) but also before

he even reached Haran from Chaldea. This interpretation, which we must accept since Stephen’s words

are recorded as Holy Scripture and are therefore divinely inspired, is also one supported by the AKJV

rendering of the first few words of Genesis 12v1 which read:

Now the Lord had said unto Abram … (Genesis 12v1a, AKJV)

The use of the past tense here is not followed in modern translations such as the NASB and the RSV:

Now the Lord said to Abram … (Genesis 12v1a, NASB & RSV)

but is followed by the NIV:

The Lord had said to Abram … (Genesis 12v1a, NIV)

Thus the revelation to Abraham recorded in Genesis 12v1-3 probably occurred some time before his

seventy fifth birthday, whilst he was still in Mesopotamia. It is not possible to say exactly how much time

passed by between Abraham’s reception of the promise of God in Mesopotamia and his reaching Canaan

when he was seventy five years old. Certainly nothing in Genesis chapters 11 or 12 give any indication of

the time period, but it surely cannot have been too many years since it is difficult to imagine Abraham’s

reluctance to follow the Lord in obedience on this matter. So Abraham received the promise of God

recorded in Genesis 12v1-3 some time before he was 75. Returning to the passage in Galatians mentioned

earlier, the interesting thing to note here in this connection, is that Paul talks about the promise given to

Abraham and his seed. The first mention of the word “seed” in Genesis chapter 12 occurs at verse 7 at

which point, Abraham has already entered Canaan. From the end of verse 5 we read:

… and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place ofSichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. (Genesis 12v5b,6,AKJV)

Immediately after this the Lord appeared to Abraham and said:

Unto thy seed will I give this land. (Genesis 12v7b, AKJV)

Abraham worshipped God, and then continued on his journey. It is to these words of God that Paul refers

to in his letter to the Galatians, (Galatians 3v16,17). Paul points out to the Galatian Christians that God’s



promise to Abraham concerned his seed (in the singular) and not to his seeds (in the plural). The apostle

then makes the point that the law, which was given 430 years later, does not nullify the promise given to

Abraham. Paul, therefore, reckons the 430 year time period to begin at Genesis 12v7 when Abraham was

75 years old. If this is true, (and I believe that it is), then the real date for creation comes out as 3959 BC.

The discrepancy with the figure accepted by others noted above (4174 BC) is simply due to the matter of

the 215 years for the stay in Egypt rather than 430 years.

Now it may be thought that the 430 year time period could have begun either when Abraham first

received the promise from God in Mesopotamia (as recorded in Genesis 12v1-3) or, when the covenant

was formally sealed when Abraham was 85 years old in Genesis chapter 15 (Genesis 16v3,16).

Concerning the first of these two options, this would be some time before Abraham was 75 years old. The

main argument against this view is that the promise contained in Genesis 12v1-3 does not contain the

word “seed.” Paul’s argument in Galatians hinges particularly on this word, which occurs for the first

time in Genesis 12v7, at a time when Abraham was 75 years old and travelling within Canaan. With

regard to the second option, namely, dating the 430 year timespan from the formalising of the covenant in

Genesis chapter 15, I would like to make just one point. It seems to me that the covenant of Genesis

chapter 15 is not a new covenant, but a restatement of the covenant already given to the patriarch in

chapter 12. The beginning of Genesis 15v18 gives the impression that God is making a new agreement:

In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying … (Genesis 15v18a, AKJV)

Abraham was 85 years old at this time (Genesis 16v3,16) but it is interesting to note that when God

addresses Abraham in this verse, He does so in the past tense:

Unto thy seed have I given this land … (Genesis 15v18b, AKJV)

Compare this with Genesis 12v7:

Unto thy seed will I give this land. (Genesis 12v7b, AKJV)

Clearly the formal covenant of Genesis chapter 15 is a restatement of the promise made in Genesis 12v7.

This idea is strengthened and enlarged when it is realized that God formalized the covenant with

Abraham, (Genesis 15v9f) in response to Abraham’s question recorded in Genesis 15v8, which was really

a request for a sign or a token from the Lord. Chapter 15 opens with an encouragement to Abraham,

almost as though the patriarch was afraid and at a low point in his life (cf. Genesis 15v1,2,3). The

covenant of Genesis 15v9f was made by God alone as a sign to Abraham to encourage him, but it was no



new agreement. It is for this reason that Genesis 15 cannot be used as the starting point for the 430 year

period to the Exodus. Even though the word “seed” is used throughout Genesis chapter 15, it makes much

more sense to assume that Paul was referring to the first occurrence of this word, which, as we have seen,

can be found at Genesis 12v7. We can confidently conclude, therefore, that the 430 year time period

mentioned in Galatians chapter 3v17 must begin from Genesis 12v7 when Abraham was 75 years old.

That this 430 years is identical to the 430 years mentioned in Exodus 12v40 cannot be a matter of dispute.

It is certain that Paul’s use of the figure 430 is derived from Exodus 12v40, since there is no other

mention of the same time-span.

As we have already said, the words of Exodus 12v40 seem to give the distinct impression that the

Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years. That this cannot be so, however, we have shown from Paul’s

understanding in Galatians chapter 3, since this time period began when Abraham was 75 years old, 215

years before Jacob descended into Egypt. How then, we may ask, are we to understand the words

recorded in Exodus 12v40? Matthew Henry’s comments on this verse are helpful:

… it was just 430 years from the promise made to Abraham (as the apostle explains it, Galatians3v17) at his first coming into Canaan, during all which time the children of Israel, that is, theHebrews, the distinguished chosen seed, were sojourners in a land that was not theirs, eitherCanaan or Egypt.3

Here, Matthew Henry has interpreted the phrase “the children of Israel” to mean the descendants of the

line of promise, or, as he puts it, “the distinguished chosen seed,” rather than the literal children of Israel,

(i.e. Jacob), that went down with him into Egypt in Genesis chapter 46. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the

Alexandrine copy of the LXX have a slightly different reading at Exodus 12v40 that favours the view

explained by Paul in Galatians. According to Torrey, the Samaritan Pentateuch, for example, reads:

Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, and of their fathers in the land of Canaan and in theland of Egypt, was 430 years.4

Of course it could be cogently argued that the Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX are inferior versions of

the Scriptures compared to the Masoretic text. The words underlined in the quote above may well have

been an addition made by the writers of the Samaritan Pentateuch and LXX versions to put the record

straight, as it were. However, since we believe that Paul wrote his epistle to the Galatians under the

inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we must take what is written there as truth. If we take the Masoretic text as

the original record, it still poses no real threat to the above idea based on Paul’s words in Galatians. This

3 Matthew Henry. Commentary on the Whole Bible. (In six volumes). Macdonald Publishing Company. Mclean,Virginia. USA. Vol. 1. P323.4 R. A. Torrey. The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. P46.



is because Exodus 12v40 does not necessarily imply that the children of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430

years. The phrase “who dwelt in Egypt” in the AKJV rendering has been separated from the main

sentence by commas. It appears almost as a parenthetical statement, as though it were simply a reminder

that “the children of Israel” had lately been living in Egypt. The most important part of the verse seems to

be the timing: “Now the sojourning of the Children of Israel … was 430 years.” Indeed the word

“sojourning” really means “the time of residing” according to Davidson’s Lexicon, so that we could

render the verse, (cf. the NASB margin):

Now the time of the children of Israel (who were living in Egypt at that time) was 430 years.

The Holy Spirit is signifying that the time is up. The time of the “sojourning” of the children of Israel

(chosen seed) is now completed, and God is going to deliver them as He had promised.

Now many people have assumed that because the Israelites never achieved great projects like the

Egyptians in their pyramid building and so on, they were therefore not interested in the accurate recording

of dates or times, and were never really interested in numbers. The Egyptians (and many other ancient

civilisations for that matter) were very competent mathematicians, surveyors, craftsmen, and astronomers,

capable of achievements comparable to, if not better than, modern standards. They were not brute

ignorant savages, that had recently emerged from caves. But since the Hebrews have never achieved the

same things that other nations did, it is always assumed that they were slapdash in recording numbers.

Morris, commenting on Genesis chapter 15, where God formalises the covenant with Abraham, seems to

give this impression:

God said they would be in an alien land 400 years, a round number which was later seen to beexactly 430 years (Exodus 12v40). This was indicated to be equivalent to “four generations”,perhaps since men were still living to be one hundred years of age and older as a general rule atthat time.5

Alan Cole in his Tyndale commentary on Exodus also suggests that the three expressions: “430 years”,

“400 years,” and “four generations” were rough estimates of the same time period. Commenting on

Exodus 12v41 Cole says:

The length of Israel’s stay in Egypt has already been discussed; possibilities range from 430 years(as here) through 400 years (Genesis 15v13) to 215 years (LXX and Syriac, which make the 430years cover the patriarchal as well as the Egyptian period). The “four generations” of Genesis15v16 is probably only a rough equivalent of 400 years. Again, the exact length of the stay is

5 Henry M. Morris. The Genesis Record. (A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings). BakerBook Hose. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. 1976. P327.



immaterial: what is important is that God delivered Israel at the end of it. That the above figuresall remain open possibilities shows how little stress Israel laid on the actual number.6

Yet throughout Scripture the Holy Spirit has taken great care in recording dates and times of events. One

wonders why He bothered if none of these numbers have any real meaning. I believe that the three

phrases of time noted above all refer to different things. I have shown how the 430 year period covers the

time between Abraham’s entrance into Canaan, and the nation of Israel’s departure from Egypt. As the

Holy Spirit records:

And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it cameto pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12v41, AKJV)

There seems to be nothing slapdash here. In the NASB and NIV translations the words emphasised in the

above quote read: “to the very day.” God’s timing is exact, and He has given us the information to check

it out. I hope now to show that the 400 year period and the four generations mentioned in Genesis 15

mean just exactly what they say.

The 400 years of oppression (Genesis 15)

All of these events were controlled by God and happened in His perfect timing, just as He had

planned. Now after Abraham had prepared the animals for the covenant, God caused him to fall into a

deep sleep attended by horror and darkness (Genesis 15v12). Whilst he was in this sleep God spoke to

him saying:

Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall servethem; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation whom they shall serve,will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. (Genesis 15v13,14, AKJV)

This is not all that the Lord said to Abraham at this time, but we shall look at those comments later. For

now we need to determine how the 400 year period mentioned above fits into our chronology.

Now the first thing that strikes me in verse 13 quoted from the AKJV is the switch from singular

(thy seed, a stranger) to plural (theirs, them etc.). A literal rendering of the Hebrew reads thus:

… a stranger, he will be, your seed in a land not to them and they shall work them and utterlyafflict them for 400 years.

6 R. Alan. Cole. Exodus. (An introduction and commentary). Tyndale Old Testament commentaries. Inter-VarsityPress. Leicester. 1973. P113.



Although the AKJV version is faithful to the original translation, modern versions ignore the fact that the

word “stranger,” the verb “to be,” and the word “seed” are all in the singular, supplying them as plurals

instead:

Know for certain that your descendantswill be strangers in a country not theirown … (Genesis 15v13, NIV)

Know of a surety that your descendantswill be sojourners in a land that is nottheirs … (Genesis 15v13, RSV)

Know for certain that your descendantswill be strangers in a land that is nottheirs … (Genesis 15v13, NASB)

I believe that with the use of the singular and

plural in verse 13, a double statement is intended

here. Modern translations give the impression that

only Abraham’s later descendants are meant here,

referring exclusively to those in Egypt. I suggest,

however, that the Lord intends us to understand

that the 400 year period began with the oppression

experienced by Abraham’s seed Isaac. Thus the

Lord is speaking not only about what will happen

to Abraham’s seed (his descendant Isaac) but also

about what will befall the many descendants that

would come later through Isaac and his son Jacob.

Abraham’s seed (his descendants) will be

strangers and will be oppressed for 400 years. This will start from Isaac (his first descendant) and will

continue right on through until 400 years have passed. Thus both Abraham’s “seed” (Isaac) and his

“seeds” (later descendants through Isaac and Jacob) will be strangers and will be oppressed for a total

time of 400 years. At the end of this time period Abraham’s descendants would no longer be strangers or

oppressed. This would obviously coincide with the end of the 430 year mentioned in Exodus 12v40,41.

Considering the beginning of the 400 year period this is not so easy to determine. It could not

have begun at the time of Isaac’s birth (when Abraham was 100 years old – Genesis 21v5) since this

would only be 25 year after Abraham received the promise of Genesis 12v7 that Paul refers to in

Galatians 3v16,17. If this were the case then the 400 year period would finish five years before the



Exodus. This is obviously wrong because Abraham’s descendants were still strangers and being brutally

treated right up to their departure from Egypt which is recorded in Exodus chapter 12. The 400 year

period must, therefore, begin 30 years after the events recorded in Genesis 12v4-9. This means that the

400 years of oppression began when Isaac was five years old. Is there any justification for this in

Scripture? A look at Genesis 21v8,9 I believe will provide some support for our ideas here. In Genesis

21v8 we are told that on the day that Isaac was weaned, Abraham threw him a great party. Now usually a

child is weaned when he (or she) is 2 or 3 years old. There is nothing sacrosanct about the ages 2 or 3 and

it is not uncommon for children to be weaned at much later ages. I suspect that Isaac was weaned when he

was five years old and that is why Abraham made such a great feast. At last his only son was growing

independent of his mother! Now there is nothing within Scripture that tells us that Isaac was five years

old when he was weaned. I am just suggesting this so that the 400 and 430 year periods can fit together. If

we assume that Isaac was actually two years old when he was weaned (a more usual age for weaning

perhaps) then our chronology would require that the 430 year period should begin when Abraham was 72

years old. He would still have been in Mesopotamia at this time, so that the 430 year period would begin

when Abraham first received his call (acts 7v2; Genesis 12v1-3). This seems plausible, but does not

square exactly with Galatians 3v16,17 which seems to require the 430 year period to have begun from

Genesis 12v7 when Abraham was 75 years old. Now if my supposition concerning Isaac’s age when he

was weaned is accepted then the chronology as shown in figure 1 would be the result. I must stress,

however, that fixing on the weaning of Isaac as the beginning of the 400 years of oppression is not an

arbitrary choice of mine. For whilst Abraham’s great feast was in progress we read in Genesis 21v9 that:

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.(Genesis 21v9, AKJV)

It was at this time, then, that Ishmael (the son of Hagar the Egyptian by Abraham) began to mock

Abraham’s seed. This event recorded in Genesis 21v9 begins the 400 years of oppression fro Abraham’s

descendants. It is usually assumed that only the Israelites in Egypt (i.e. the descendants of Jacob) suffered

the oppression prophesied in Genesis 15. But that this oppression also extended to the immediate

descendants of Abraham (i.e. Isaac and Jacob) whilst they were in Canaan will become clear a little later.

It is interesting to note here that Ishmael’s name is not actually mentioned in the verse. Instead the

Holy Spirit calls him “the son of Hagar the Egyptian” emphasising the nation that would later enslave the

offspring of Jacob. Furthermore, the Hebrew word translated “mocking” which is related to the meaning

of Isaac’s name uses the intensive active form of the verb. It suggests that Ishmael was openly and utterly

mocking Isaac, not just laughing to himself like Sarah did and was exposed by the Lord (Genesis 18v12-



15). Indeed Paul in the New Testament interprets this mocking of Isaac by Ishmael as a persecution of

Abraham’s seed:

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born afterthe flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it s now. (Galatians 4v28,29,AKJV)

Thus the oppression of Abraham’s seed had begun at the time of Isaac’s weaning when he was five years

old. Four hundred years later, exactly 430 years after Abraham had entered the land of Canaan and was

given the promise concerning his seed (Genesis 12v7), the oppression would heighten as the Lord set

about his deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

The fourth generation (Genesis 15v6)

Having worked out how the 400 and 430 year periods should be understood, we need to consider

the phrase “in the fourth generation” which is found in Genesis 15v16. Abraham is promised that the

oppression will last for 400 years, and then he is told that “in the fourth generation” the children of Israel

will return to the land of Canaan. Now many commentators make the tragic mistake of not rightly

dividing the word of truth (2Timothy 3v15). They assume that the 400 years and the phrase “fourth

generation” refer to the same time period. Indeed they generally confuse the issue further by assuming

that the 400 years is actually a rounded down figure for the 430 years of Exodus 12v40,41. Yet I believe

that there is a very real difference between 400 years, 430 years and “fourth generation.” Derek Kidner

commenting on Genesis 15 makes the following assessment of these three figures:

There is no conflict between the round figure four hundred years (v13) and the fourth generation(v16) since generation (dor) could mean “lifetime”. In the patriarchal context a century is aconservative equivalent of this. Exodus 12v40 makes the period 430 years.7

Yet I can find no excuse for such a flippant and unbelieving treatment of Scripture. To excuse the human

writers of not being clear, or not being interested in exact figures, when Moses expressly intended us to

understand that the 430 years was an exact time period (Exodus 12v40,41), is nothing less than shameful.

Furthermore, let us remember that it was the Lord Himself who told Abraham that his seed would be

oppressed for 400 years (Genesis 15v13f). Are we to believe that the Lord just rounded the 430 years

down to 400 years because He was not interested in communicating precisely to Abraham what He

intended to do? What about the seventy years of Israel’s captivity or the times revealed to Daniel? Are

7 Derek Kidner. Genesis. (An introduction and commentary). Tyndale Old Testament commentaries. Inter-VarsityPress. Leicester. 1967. P125.



these just the slapdash approximations of a God who isn’t careful about what He’s communicating? I say

not! I believe that God is very careful, and that these figures mean precisely what they say! Let us take

Scripture at face value and let it guide us towards the truth. We must be conformed to the truth revealed

by God rather than conforming the truth to our way of thinking. Following this line of reasoning surely

requires us to understand the three time periods as being different from one another. They all terminate at

the same point (i.e. at the Exodus) but all begin at completely different times.

Now the length of a generation has been estimated variously at 30, 40 and even 100 years long.

But this is sheer nonsense! A generation will vary depending on the age of the father at the birth of his

first child. In Genesis chapter 11 a generation is approximately 30 years.8 Psalm 95v10 has been taken by

Cole as implying that a generation lasts 40 years. This verse talks about God’s detestation of the children

of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. Since God intended for none of the old generation to enter Canaan

except Joshua and Caleb, the forty years of wandering is taken as the length of a generation. To suggest,

however, that a generation could last for a hundred years so that the four generations could then

approximate to the 400 years of Genesis 15 seems to me to be highly fanciful. Apart from Abraham and

the pre-flood patriarchs, most parents had their first child when they were between thirty and forty years

old. At the best, therefore, four generations could be stretched to something just over 160 years. Now

since the length of a generation is not precise, however, we should not look for exact figures. A more

hopeful line of thought is to consider what the phrase “in the fourth generation” could really be referring

to.

Now according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the Hebrew word “dôr” (1755) (translated

“generation” in Genesis 15v16) means “an age,” or a “a revolution of time.” It comes from the Hebrew

word “dûr” (1752) which means “to gyrate” or “to move in a circle.” What I believe is in view here is the

cyclic nature of time connected with the cycle of life from a person’s own birth to the birth of their first

offspring. M. F. Unger states that the radical meaning of the word “generation” is: “the production of

offspring” so that the word “generation” may be taken to mean “from the birth of the father to the birth of

his son” in terms of time.9 Clearly, therefore, the phrase “fourth generation” in Genesis 15v16 should be

taken as referring to a genealogy of some description.

Now there are those who would suggest that the word “generation” has quite a broad meaning, not

necessarily implying that a literal father-son relationship is required. Thus, for example, they conjecture

that the genealogical lists of Genesis may have omitted certain names. When, however, it comes to

stipulating a specific generation, such as Enoch being the seventh from Adam (Jude v14) or as in Genesis

15v16 “the fourth generation,” then surely there can be no omissions? What sense would it make to

8 See my work on Genesis 1 to 11.9 M. F. Unger. Bible Dictionary. Paperback edition 1983. Published by the Moody press. Chicago, Illinois, USA. 1857. P396.



mention the seventh generation from Adam, if the genealogical table to which you are referred is missing

several names? It would be utterly futile and completely pointless to say “in the fourth generation,” if a

literal father – son relationship was not meant. When a number precedes the word “generation,” then, it

must surely imply that a literal father – son relationship is meant, (see, for example, Deuteronomy 5v9;

23v2,3,18; 2Kings 10v30; 15v12). This can be clearly demonstrated, for instance, in the line of the kings

of Israel from Jehu to Zachariah (see figure 2). In 2Kings 10v30 the Lord promised Jehu that because he

had obeyed Him concerning the house of Ahaz, then his children to the fourth generation would sit on the

throne of Israel. If you follow the succession of kings in Israel from Jehu, (see figure 2), the fifth king

named is “Shallum,” who was not descended from Jehu. 2Kings 15v8 tells us that Zachariah ascended to

the throne, but survived for only six months, being killed by his successor Shallum. 2Kings 15v12

reminds the reader about the promise given to Jehu back in 2 Kings 10v30:

This was the word of the Lord which he spake unto Jehu, saying, “thy sons shall sit on the throneof Israel unto the fourth generation”. And so it came to pass. (2Kings 15v12, AKJV)

Thus the fourth generation in 2Kings 10v30 means precisely what it says, four generations, clearly

implying a strict and literal father-son relationship. Surely, then, the similar phrase, “in the fourth

generation” found in Genesis 15v16 means just the same?

Having determined that the phrase, “the fourth generation” means, “great-great-grandson”, (see

figure 2), we can now apply this line of reasoning to Genesis 15v16. We now need to ask who the great-

great-grandfather and the great-great-grandson are. In Genesis 15v16, however, all we are told is that the

Exodus would occur in the fourth generation. We are not told from whom these four generations would

come. The fourth generation from Abraham takes us up to the sons of Israel, (Jacob), who were the ones

who descended into Egypt 215 years before the Exodus. It cannot, therefore, be commenced from

Abraham himself. From whom then, are we to start counting? I suggest that we should start counting

from Jacob, (later named Israel), precisely because he and his family went down to Egypt from where the

Exodus took place. Thus four generations would live in Egypt. The Lord is indicating to Abraham in

Genesis 15v16 that as his descendants go down into Egypt they would return “in the fourth generation”

from those who went down in the first place. We should start our counting, therefore, from Jacob, who

turns out to be the great-great-grandfather we have been looking for. We need now to consider the

identity of the great-great-grandson.

Since the central human figure in the story of the Exodus is Moses, we shall now consider

his ancestral lineage. Exodus 6v16-20 and Numbers 26v57-59 both record the genealogical descent from

Levi to Moses, which information is reproduced in figure 3. Levi, of course, was Jacob’s third son by his

first wife, Leah, (see Genesis 29v34). Now some commentators reject this genealogy, saying that there



must have been some omissions.10 The main reason for their objections to the completeness of these

records, lies in the fact that they have misinterpreted the 430 year time-span of Exodus 12v40,41,

assuming that it began with Jacob’s descent into Egypt in the ear 2298 AC.

Since four generations couldn’t possibly span 430 years during this time of earth history, the genealogical

lists of Exodus 6v16-20 and Numbers 26v57-59 are assumed to be missing several names. Rosevear, for

example, places Joseph’s eleven descendants to Joshua alongside Levi’s four generations to Eleazar, and

concludes that there must therefore be missing generations. As explained earlier, however, Galatians

3v16,17 makes it clear that the 430 year period began from Genesis 12v7 when Abraham was 75 years

old (2083 AC). As Jacob went down to Egypt in the year 2298 AC or 215 years after the promise was

10 David T. Rosevear. The genealogies in Scripture. Chapter 3 of “Concepts in Creationism.” Edited by E. H. Andrews,W. Gitt and W. J. Ouweneel. Evangelical Press. Welwyn, Hertfordshire. 1986. P70.



given to Abraham, then the Exodus must have occurred another 215 years later, 430 years after Genesis

12v7. Thus the time that the Israelites actually spent in Egypt from the time Jacob went down, to the

Exodus itself, was 215 years. Four generations could easily span this period of time. The phrase “in the

fourth generation” of Genesis 15v16 clearly requires that Jacob is the starting point, as we have seen,

whilst Moses, Jacob’s great-great-grandson, would be the fourth generation (see figure 3). All that I have

said, to this point, assumes that the genealogical lists of Exodus 6v16-20 and Numbers 26v57-59 are

complete. As I have already noted, some commentators feel free to conjecture that there are missing

generations. I feel, however, that a correct understanding of the 430 and 400 year periods of Exodus

12v40,41 and Genesis 15v16 remove all obstacles to accepting the genealogical lists of Exodus 6v16-20

and Numbers 26v57-59 as being intact. In case the reader may still be unsure of the completeness of these

records, let me assure him (or her) that the Scriptures themselves testify to a literal father-son relationship

in the genealogy of Levi to Moses shown in figure 3. Let me make it quite clear at this point, that in some

genealogical lists names are missing (cf. The family history of Ezra in 1Chronicles and Ezra 7). When,

however, clear statements of reference are made within a list, such as the age of a father at his son’s birth,

or the length of the life of the father, or the relationship of a wife to ancestors or descendants, then a strict

and literal father-son relationship may well be meant.

Now with regard to the genealogy of Levi, there are sound Scriptural reasons for suggesting that

only four generations existed between Jacob and Moses. In Exodus 6v16f, Gershon, Kohath and Merari

are listed as Levi’s three sons. This is confirmed in Genesis 46v11, where we are told about those who

descended into Egypt. Since the Genesis text tells us the exact number of Jacob’s offspring who went

with Jacob into Egypt, and, since that number tallies with the number of names listed in Genesis 46, we

conclude, therefore, that Gershon, Kohath and Merari were Levi’s actual sons, and not grandsons or what-

have-you. So much for the first generation after Levi, the second from Jacob. Now in Exodus 6v18 we

read:



And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel … (Exodus 6v18a, AKJV)

Here, it might be thought that generations could be missing between Kohath and those names as his sons

(Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel). Now in Exodus 6v20 we are told that:

… Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses …(Exodus 6v20a, AKJV)

Here we can be certain that Amram married Jochebed, who was Amram’s father’s sister, (i.e. his aunt).

Also, we can be sure that Amram and Jochebed were the actual parents of Aaron and Moses, since the

text tells us that Amram’s wife Jochebed “bare him Aaron and Moses,” clearly implying that she actually

gave birth to Aaron and Moses. We are thus certain that Kohath was the real son of Levi, and that Moses

was the real son of Amram (see figure 3), but there may be some doubt about the relationship between

Kohath and Amram. At this point we need to turn to Numbers 26v57-59. Starting from the end of verse

58 we read:

And Kohath begat Amram. And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi,whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt; and she bare unto Amram, Aaron and Moses, andMiriam their sister. (Numbers 26v58b-59, AKJV)

This passage reveals further information as to the identity of Amram’s wife Jochebed. Remember that

Jochebed was Amram’s aunt, (as stated in Exodus 6v20a). Here in Numbers we are told that she was “the

daughter of Levi,” born to him whilst they were in Egypt. She was, therefore, an actual daughter of Levi,

just as Kohath was an actual son of Levi. Thus whilst Exodus 6v20 tells us that Jochebed was Amram’s

aunt, so Numbers 26v59 informs us that she was Levi’s daughter. Thus Amram’s aunt was Levi’s

daughter, making Levi the grandfather of Amram. Thus Amram must be the third generation from Jacob,

or the second from Levi. Furthermore, since Moses was the real son of Amram, he must be the great-

grandson of Levi, and, therefore, the great-great-grandson of Jacob. That is, the fourth generation from

Jacob. The Scriptures clearly testify, therefore, that there were four generations from Jacob to Moses. As

Jacob descended into Egypt, so the fourth generation from him returned as promised in Genesis 15v16.

How wonderful is our God, and how clear are His words! There is no need to make the three time periods

(430 years, 400 years and four generations) approximate to the same thing, for each has its own sphere of

reference.

On top of all this, the genealogy of Exodus 6v16-20 gives us the lifespans of these important

people. This information is, seemingly, only given in genealogies that have a strict and literal father-son

relationship, as found in Genesis chapter 5 for example, and serves to enhance the claim that Exodus



6v16-20 contains a strict father-son genealogy. Now Levi was the third son of Jacob’s (Genesis 29v34),

born probably ten years after Jacob went to live with Laban in the year 2249 AC. Jacob spent twenty

years with Laban (Genesis 31v38) leaving at the age of 91 when Joseph was born (Genesis 30v25; 41v46;

45v6,11; 47v9,28). He served Laban for seven years and was married to Leah, but was also given Rachel

as a wife. The first three sons all came from Leah, probably in their first, second and third years of

marriage. Thus Levi, the third son was probably born ten years after Jacob settled with Laban. Levi lived

for 137 years according to Exodus 6v16, dying probably in the year 2386 AC. Jochebed, born in Egypt,

must have been born somewhere between 2298 AC (date of entry into Egypt) and 2386 AC (date of death

of Levi). Since the Exodus occurred in the year 2513 AC when Moses was 80 years old, Moses was born

in the year 2433 AC and died 120 years later in the year 2553 AC. Between the death of Levi (2386 AC)

and the birth of Moses (2433 AC) lies only 47 years, which is ample time to fit in both Kohath and

Amram (see table below).

NAME11 BORNYears after creation

(AC).

DIEDYears after creation

(AC).

AGE AT DEATH AGE AT BIRTHOF SON

JACOB 2168 2315 147 ~79

LEVI ~2249 ~2386 137 ?

KOHATH ~229712 ~243013 133 ?

AMRAM ~236514 ~250215 137 ?

MOSES 2433 2553 120 ?

All of the above information, including the date of the Exodus, the date Abraham received the promise,

the date of the descent of Jacob an his family into Egypt, and the dates of Levi and his generations, has

been collected together in figure 4.

11 From NASB.12 Born pre – 2298 (cf. Genesis 46v8-10; 47v9).13 Died pre – 2431 (i.e. 2298+133).14 Born between ~2330 and 2400, say between 32 years after Kohath, and 33 years before the birth of Moses (assuming a generation here lasts approximately 30 years – see Genesis 11v10f).15 Died between 2467 and 2537 (i.e. average of 2330+137 and 2400+137).


Biblical chronology – our times are in His hands



Sojourning

When God told Abraham in Genesis 15v13 that his seed would be “a stranger in a land that is not

theirs,” and that they should be oppressed for 400 years, most commentators have taken this to mean the

length of time that the Israelites actually spent in Egypt. We have shown clearly how this cannot be so

from Scripture, and that in actual fact the Israelites spent only 215 years in Egypt, (see figure 4). The

oppression of the Israelites in Egypt is well known and understood from a reading of Exodus chapter one

onwards, but how true is it that Abraham’s seed suffered oppression and estrangement for the 185 years

prior to Jacob’s descent into Egypt? An examination of the second part of Genesis (chapters 12 to 50)

will, I believe, reveal the extent of this persecution.

First of all, with regard to the concept that Abram and his seed were strangers in a land that was

not theirs, the Genesis text bears abundant witness. There are a sufficient number of references from

Genesis 15v13 onwards concerning the alien state of Abraham and his descendants to show beyond doubt

the truthful outworking of the prophecy in Genesis 15v13. These are detailed in the table on the next

page.

Abraham (Genesis 17v8; 23v4), Isaac (Genesis 35v27; 37v1), and Jacob (Genesis 28v4; 36v7)

were all strangers in Canaan. They lived amongst other nations (Genesis 10v15-20; 12v6; 13v7; 14v1;

15v19-21; 19v9; 20v15; 23v3; 24v3,4; 34v2,30). From the time of the giving of the covenant of promise

in Genesis 12v4f until Jacob descended into Egypt (2083 AC to 2298 AC) Abraham and his descendants

were strangers in a land (Canaan) not theirs.

We have a firm testimony that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were strangers in Canaan from that great

king of Israel, David. When he brought back the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, he praised God and

reminded his hearers of the covenant and God’s dealings with those involved, (see 1Chronicles 16v8-22

and Psalm 105v1-15). Taking a look at the passage in 1Chronicles we note that in verse 12 David sought

to remind his audience about God’s works and the judgements of His mouth. In verse 13 he talks about

the “seed of Israel” and the “children of Jacob” reminding us of the covenant of Genesis 12v4f. Verse 4

focuses on God the Lord and His judgements extending throughout all the earth, whilst in verse 15 the

king of Israel implores the people to be “mindful always of his covenant.” Verse 16 specifies that it was a

covenant made with Abraham (harking back to Genesis 12v4f again). This covenant was also given into

Isaac, confirmed to Jacob, and then also to the nation Israel (verse 17). The covenant, originally given to

Abraham, is explicitly stated in verse 18:

… Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance. (1Chronicles 16v18,AKJV)



Reference16

Englishword

Strong’sHebrewcode17

Text

15v13 stranger 1616“Thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs.”[spoken to Abram]

17v8 stranger 4033 “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, theland wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan.”[spoken to Abram]

19v9 sojourn 1481“… This one fellow came in to sojourn …”[evil men speaking to Lot]

20v1 sojourned 1481“Abraham … sojourned in Gerar.”[Narrative]

21v23 sojourned 1481“… to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.”[Abimelech speaks to Abraham]

21v34 sojourned 1481“Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.”[Narrative]

23v4 stranger 1616 “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you …”[Abraham seeking to buy a burial place for Sarah inHebron]23v4 sojourner 8453

26v3 sojourn 1481“Sojourn in this land …”[The Lord speaks to Isaac in Gerar]

28v4 stranger 4033 “… that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art astranger …”[Isaac blesses Jacob]

32v4 sojourned 1481“… I have sojourned with Laban …”[Jacob speaks to his servant]

35v27 sojourned 1481“… Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.”[Jacob comes to Isaac in Hebron]

36v7 strangers 4033“… the land wherein they were strangers …”[Concerning Esau and Jacob in Canaan]

37v1 stranger 4033 “… the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the landof Canaan.”[Jacob lived in Canaan]

47v4 sojourn 1481“For to sojourn in the land are we come.”[Jacob and his family speaking to pharaohoah in Egypt]

Exodus 2v22 stranger 1616“I have been a stranger in a strange land.”[Moses speaking – c.f. Exodus 18v3]

Once again we are directed back to Genesis 12v4f. Then in verse 19 David reminds us that they

were but few in number and “strangers” (Strong’s code 1481 – see table footnotes) in the land of Canaan.

16 AKJV. From Genesis unless otherwise stated.17 Meaning of Hebrew words, (after Strong) as follows:

1481 – “to turn side from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e. sojourn (as a guest); also to shrink,fear (as in a strange place); also to gather for hostility (as afraid.”1616 – “from 1481 …. A guest; by implication a foreigner.”4033 – “from 1481 in the sense of lodging; a temporary abode; by extension a permanent residence.”8453 – “from 3427; a dweller … especially (as distinguished from a native citizen and a temporary inmate or mere lodger) resident alien.”



This word “stranger” is a translation of the same Hebrew word that is found translated throughout

Genesis as “sojourn” (see table). The next verse (v20) tells us that the patriarchs went from one nation to

another. As they moved about in the land of Canaan they encountered different nations descended from

Canaan the son of Ham (Genesis 10v15-20). The last two verses relevant to our discussion here (v21,22)

imply that God had His hand upon them in a miraculous way. They refer to the occasions when Abraham

and Isaac went down to live amongst the Egyptians (see Genesis 12v17; 20v3,7; 26v11). We also read

that the Philistines envied Isaac and caused him no end of trouble with wells (Genesis 26v14,17).

Furthermore, the nations were terrified of Jacob and his sons, few though they were, because God had His

hand upon them (Genesis 35v5). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all their families were strangers and aliens in

the land of Canaan. Genesis 15v13, therefore, refers not only to the captivity in Egypt after Jacob

descended there when he was 130 years old, but also to the time before this, when the patriarchs, living in

tents, were strangers in the promised land of Canaan.

Psalm 105v1-15 is a repeat of 1Chronicles 16v8-22, but Psalm 105v16f carries the story of Israel

forward from the captivity of Joseph in Egypt (v16-22), and includes: the descent of Jacob into Egypt

(v23), the story of Moses and the plagues (v26-36), the Exodus (v37), the wilderness wanderings (v39),

the miraculous provisions (v40,41), and finishes up with the entry into Canaan (v42-45), as a fulfilment

of the covenant promised to Abraham. In Psalm 105v23 we read:

Israel also came into Egypt: and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. (Psalm 105v23, AKJV)

Here the Psalmist points to the sojourning of Jacob and his seed in Egypt, the land of Ham. The same

Hebrew word is used here for “sojourned” that David used for “strangers” in 1Chronicles 16v19 (cf.

Psalm 105v12). It is interesting that in this Psalm we are told that Jacob “sojourned in the land of Ham,”

for both Canaan and Egypt fit that description. Clearly, though, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the nation of

Israel all sojourned, and were all strangers, in lands not their own, whether it was Canaan or Egypt.

A further indication of the fact that the patriarchs considered themselves strangers in Canaan, can

be gleaned from the naming of Levi’s first son. Now Moses, Levi’s great-great-grandson, named his first

child (which he had whilst living in Midian – see Exodus 2v15), “Gershom,” which means “a stranger

there,” “expulsion,” “to drive away,” or “an exile” (Exodus 2v22). He gave him this name because he was

a stranger in that country of Midian. This fact is repeated later on after the Exodus when Moses was re-

united with his family (Exodus 18v1-2). I mention Moses first because Scripture is pointed in its teaching

that “Gershom” means “stranger.” Moses was a stranger in Midian, and his first son’s name reflects his

feelings of alienation. The Holy Spirit in writing Holy Scripture has emphasised this fact twice so that we



take notice of it. Gershom means stranger. Now Levi’s first son was named “Gershon.” Although it is

spelt slightly differently, it has exactly the same meaning as “Gershom,” that is, “stranger.” Levi, who had

his first son Gershon whilst he was still in Canaan, probably called him by that name for the same reason

that Moses called his son “Gershom.” Levi knew and understood that he also was a stranger and a

foreigner in Canaan.

That the patriarchs from Abraham to the children of Israel were all strangers in Canaan is also

demonstrated in the New Testament. As the writer of the letter to the Hebrews puts it, Abraham:

… sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaacand Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. (Hebrews 11v9, AKJV)

They dwelt not in cities made of stone, mud, or bricks, but lived in tents because they were looking for a

city with foundations made and built by God (Hebrews 11v10). All of the patriarchs dwelt in tents

(Genesis 12v8; 13v3,4,12,18; 18v1,2,6,9,`0; 24v67; 25v27; 26v17,25; 31v25,33,34; 33v18,19; 35v21)

being only sojourners in the land of promise. Later on their descendants would inherit the land and dwell

in houses left by the terrified Canaanites (Deuteronomy 6v10,11).

Although the oppression of Abraham’s seed was most probably the severest whilst they were in

Egypt when the Pharaoh who reigned had forgotten about Joseph, it began from the time when Isaac was

weaned (Genesis 21v9) and continued until the Exodus (Exodus 12v40,41). The Philistines, for example,

were very jealous of Isaac’s property and stopped up his wells having already despoiled those that

Abraham had dug (Genesis 26v14f). Isaac records that Abimelech hated him (Genesis 26v27). We read

that Esau hated his brother Jacob and wanted to kill him (Genesis 27v41) whilst the foreign wives of Esau

were a grave problem to his parents (Genesis 26v34,35; 27v46). Indeed in Genesis 27v9 we find Esau

actually wanted to hurt his father by taking more foreign wives. Further on in Genesis we hear how

Jacob’s daughter Dinah was raped by an Hivite called Shechem (Genesis 34v2). The sons of Jacob sought

revenge for their sister by hatching a deceitful plot (Genesis 34v13). Simeon and Levi killed the rapist

Shechem and his father, together with all the males of Shechem city (Genesis 34v25,26). But Jacob

scolded his sons for seeking this revenge:

Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanitesand the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me,and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. (Genesis 34v30, AKJV)

And, but for God’s intervention in placing terror on the surrounding cities (Genesis 35v5), maybe they

would have destroyed him and his sons (1Chronicles 16v21,22; Psalm 105v14,15). These men of God



were not only strangers in a land they did not possess, but were also afflicted and hated by all the nations

of that land, although wonderfully preserved by the Lord.

The miracle of multiplication

When Jacob and his sons arrived in Egypt there were at least 80 people in his family.18 Two

hundred and fifteen years later when Moses led the children of Israel out of that land, there were 600,000

fighting men (Numbers 1v46). If we include women and children then somewhere in the region of two

million people accompanied him on the adventure of a lifetime.

It may be thought, at this point, that an expansion like this through just four generations would be

impossible. Now although we have shown that there were only four generations from Jacob to Moses

through Levi (a case built up from Scripture alone), it is not necessarily the case that only four

generations elapsed from Jacob to other contemporaries of Moses through the other eleven sons of Jacob.

Indeed Jacob to Joshua, son of Nun, through Ephraim is eleven generations (or twelve if you read

1Chronicles 7v25 slightly differently). Thus it is perfectly possible for Jacob’s sons to have expanded to

such a large company of people if many more generations can be included in the lineages of Jacob’s other

sons. We should never forget that God, who is sovereign over all, has promised this increase throughout

Genesis (we shall look at this aspect a little later) but first of all I want to show how Jacob’s family could

have grown to such a multitude.

The formula for calculating population growth from a single human pair is as follows:

P = 2(C (n-x+1) )(C x – 1) ……. Equation (1) C – 1

Where:

18 Genesis 46v26 states that 66 offspring left with Jacob for Egypt. This excludes any of the wives o Jacob’s sons,(Genesis 46 focuses only on the children of Israel by his four wives). However totalling up the names of the offspring who arementioned in Genesis 46 makes 67. Now Genesis 46v15 states that 33 sons and daughters came from Leah, whilst only 31sons or grandsons and 1 daughter are actually named. Thus, presumably, there was also another daughter not named in thetext. It could be, therefore, that this un-named daughter of Leah, or perhaps Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman (Genesis46v10) either died or remained behind. Adding Joseph and his two sons, who were already in Egypt, and Jacob himself makesthe total 70. Adding twelve wives, one for each of the ten sons of Jacob and two for Simeon (see Genesis 46v10) makes 82.Adding the wives of pharaohez and Beriah, and including Jacob’s three living wives (Rachel had died in Canaan – Genesis35v19), and Joseph’s wife Asenath brings the total to 88. Acts 7v14, however, tells us that 75 people went down to Egypt withJacob. This figure is 9 more than the 66 stated in Genesis 46v26. Remember, however, that Genesis 46v26 only lists theoffspring that went with Jacob, whereas Acts 7v14 tells us all of those who went with Jacob. There is, therefore, nodisagreement between the Genesis account and the record of Stephen in Acts. Thus 75 people travelled with Jacob to Egyptmeeting up with Joseph, his wife, and their two sons. This brings the total number of the family of Jacob in Egypt to 80. Thedisagreement between this figure and the figure of 88 arrived at above may be explained by assuming thae of the wives haddied (Leah, Zilpah and Bilhaha for example may not have been alive at this time).



C = half the number of children in a family, (the formula is built up by assuming that the firsthuman pair in the chain had 2C children, made up of an equal number of boys and girls).

n = total time number of years per generation the number of generations.

x = average lifespan number of years per generation the number of generations alive.

It seems obvious to start our calculations with Jacob. This, however, will pose a number of problems.

First there is the difficulty of the starting date, and secondly there is the complication that he had four

wives and not one. To make things easier, therefore, we will assume that Jacob had only one wife. To

arrive at the best starting date we need to do some heavy Biblical detective work!

Now Jacob was born in the year 2168 AC (1791 BC). He married Leah and Rachel, the daughters

of Laban (Genesis 29v21-30) although we are not told exactly when this was. We can gain some

indicators, however, from the comments he made to Laban when he departed for Canaan. In Genesis

31v38 we read that Jacob had been with Laban for twenty years. He had served the first seven of those

years to gain his wife Rachel (Genesis 29v21). Laban tricked him by giving him Leah (Genesis 29v23)

but he received his beloved Rachel after one week (Genesis 29v27), although he had to serve Laban for

another seven years. Immediately after his marriages, Jacob’s wives and concubines (Zilpah and Bilhah)

start to produce a family (Genesis 29v31f). Thus Jacob was married thirteen years before he departed

from Laban’s home for Canaan. At the time he set out for Canaan, he had eleven sons and one daughter

(cf. Genesis 29v31 – 30v24). His last son Benjamin was born outside Bethel on the way to Ephrath

(Genesis 35v16) with tragic consequences. Now the youngest son born to Jacob whilst he was with Laban

(Joseph) becomes the most important character in the last few chapters of Genesis. He was taken to Egypt

when he was 17 years old having been sold by his own brothers to Midianite traders (Genesis 37v2,28).

After some time the Pharaoh had a dream warning him that seven years of plenty would be followed by

seven years of famine (Genesis 41v1f). Under God’s sovereign guidance Joseph interpreted the dream

(Genesis 41v25f) and as a result Pharaoh gave him the job of organising the food supplies. Joseph was 30

years old at this time (Genesis 41v46). Thus when the seven years of famine began Joseph would have

been 37 years old. The famine seems to have been very strong affecting not only Egypt but many other

regions as well (Genesis 41v56,57). It was not long before Jacob sent his sons down to Egypt to buy food

(Genesis 42v3). The next few chapters of Genesis tell the story of how Jacob’s sons meet up with Joseph

the keeper of Egypt’s supplies. At first they were unaware that it was their younger brother who had risen

to such prominence in Egypt, but eventually Joseph reveals to his brothers who he is (Genesis 45v3). At

this point he tells his brothers that there are still five years of famine left (Genesis45v6,11) and he

suggests that they all come with their father to stay in Egypt (Genesis 45v9,10). Joseph is now 39 years



old (30+7+2). Thus Jacob and his family descend into Egypt (Genesis 46v1f) and on meeting up with

Pharaoh we find that Jacob is 130 years old (Genesis 47v9). Thus whilst Joseph is 39, Jacob is 130. This

means that Joseph was born when Jacob was 91 (130 – 39). Since Joseph was born at the end of Jacob’s

twenty years with Laban when he was 91, and since Jacob got married thirteen years before that, he must

therefore have been 78 when he married his wives. This would be the year 2246 AC (1713 BC). Our

starting point, therefore, is the year 2246 AC whilst the end date is, of course, 2513 AC the date of the

Exodus.

What we want to calculate from the formula above is the average number of children per family

given certain constraints. The time span from Jacob’s marriage to the departure from Egypt is 267 years

(2513 – 2246). If we assume that a generation lasts 30 years, then n = 8.9. The average lifespan can be

calculated from the known ages of Jacob, Joseph, Levi, Kohath, Amram and Moses (see table below).

NAME AGE at death Average age at death

JACOB 147

130.7

JOSEPH 110LEVI 137

KOHATH 133AMRAM 137MOSES 120

The average age turns out to be 130.7 years, making x = 4.36. Using these figures in the formula above

(Equation (1)) the value for C for a population of two million after 267 years turns out to be 4.6. Thus

each family must have had an average of 9.2 children. This may seem high in our modern day and age but

not so long ago families of this size were quite normal in the UK.

The length of time between Jacob’s marriage and his descent into Egypt was 52 years (2298 AC –

2246 AC). In this time-span Jacob increased to 80 people. However, using the same information and

assuming a value of 4.6 for C, the population would turn out to be 36 people. Since Jacob actually had

fourteen children (i.e. twelve sons and two daughters) the value of C should be set at 7. Under these

constraints the value for P turns out to be 68 which is not too far removed from the value of 80

determined above. These calculations are, of course, only approximate, but they serve to show how

quickly a family can turn into a huge nation. Morris has also shown how the family of Jacob could be

transformed into a company of people in excess of two million by assuming that an annual growth rate of

just 5% had occurred over the 215 years of Egyptian captivity.19 He concludes by saying:

19 Henry M. Morris. The Genesis Record. (A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings).Baker Book Hose. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. 1976. P642,643.



That such an increase is not unreasonable under favourable conditions is evident by consideringwhat could have happened merely during the seventeen years Jacob lived in Egypt. An increase of5% per year for seventeen years would increase the clan from on hundred people to 220. Thiscould easily have been accomplished by each of the fifty-one grandsons who entered Egyptmarrying and having an average of two children during the period.20

It should be borne in mind, of course, that Scripture gives us plenty of reasons for accepting the

miraculous multiplication of Jacob and his family in the space of 215 years to a company of about two

million people. We read the following in Genesis 47v27 for example:

And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein,and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. (Genesis 47v27, AKJV)

This would have been the beginning of the fulfilment of the prophecy given to Abraham (Genesis 17v2;

22v17), Isaac (Genesis 26v4,24), and Jacob (Genesis 28v3; 35v11), whilst they were still in the land of

Canaan. Now it is also true that God promised Ishmael a great increase (Genesis 16v10; 17v20) but the

increase promised through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob seems to be much greater. We get an indication of

the extent of the expansion in the first chapter of the book of Exodus. Thus in Exodus 1v7 we read:

… the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxedexceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. (Exodus 1v7, AKJV)

The writer of this passage seems to have run out of superlatives to express how immense the population

growth of Israel was. The terms “fruitful” and “multiplied” are also found in Genesis 1v22,28 where we

find God instructing the sea creatures to fill the seas and man to fill the earth. The phrase “increased

abundantly” is an English translation of a Hebrew word that literally means “to swarm” or “to abound.”

This word is also found in Genesis 1v20,21 but translated there as “bring (or brought) forth abundantly.”

Israel became so numerous that they became a mighty nation and filled the land where they were held

captive. This can be seen as nothing less than one of God’s mighty and wondrous miracles.

Now the new king of Egypt got so frightened at their rapid expansion (becoming more and

mightier than the Egyptians – see Exodus 1v9), that he afflicted them severely to subdue them (Exodus

1v11), and even tried to kill their offspring (Exodus 1v15-22). But the more Pharaoh sought to subdue

them the more the Lord increased them (Exodus 1v20). Just prior to the conquest of Canaan Moses spoke

to all Israel preparing them for their task ahead. He also noted God’s miraculous increase of the nation,

pointing back to the promise God gave Abraham:

20 Henry M. Morris. The Genesis Record. (A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings). BakerBook Hose. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. 1976. P642,643.



The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven formultitude. (Deuteronomy 1v10, AKJV)

Compare this with Genesis 13v16; 15v5; 17v2; 22v17; 26v4; 28v14; 32v12; 35v11; 48v4. Clearly Moses

saw the fulfilment of God’s word to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that Israel would be a mighty nation and a

company of people as numerous as the stars of heaven. They would shortly enter and posses the land, but

it would not be until the time of David that the fulfilment of Genesis 15v18f concerning the extent of

possession of the land would become a reality some four centuries in the future. Matthew Henry

commenting on Exodus 1v7 had this to say:

This wonderful increase was the fulfilment of the promise long before made unto the fathers.From the call of Abraham, when God first told him he would make of him a great nation, to thedeliverance of his seed out of Egypt, it was 430 years, during the first 215 years of which theywere increased but to seventy, but in the latter half, those seventy multiplied to 600,000 fightingmen.21

Thus the increase of Jacob’s family was not due to an ordinary growth in the population as may have

occurred in other nations of that time, but was miraculously guided by the sovereign Lord who had

promised to increase the nation super-abundantly. How great is the Lord God Almighty!

REFERENCESCOLE, R. Alan. 1973. “Exodus.” (An Introduction and Commentary). Tyndale Old TestamentCommentaries. Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester.DAVIDSON, Benjamin. 1981. “The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon.” Hendrickson Publishers.Peabody, Massachussets, USA.HENRY, Matthew. “Commentary on the Whole Bible.” (In six volumes). Macdonald PublishingCompany. Mclean, Virginia. USA.KIDNER, Derek. 1967 “Genesis.” An introduction and commentary. Tyndale Old TestamentCommentaries. IVP. Leicester, UK.MORRIS, Henry M. 1976. “The Genesis Record” (A scientific and devotional commentary on the bookof beginnings). Baker Book House. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USASEAVER, William, L. 1985. “A Statistical Analysis of the Post-Flood Gap Possibility.” Article in theCreation Research Society Quarterly. Vol. 22. No. 1. June 1985. Pp39-47.STRONG, James. “Strong’s exhaustive concordance of the Bible.” World Wide Publishers. Iowa Falls,Iowa, USA.TORREY, R. A. “The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.”UNGER, Merril F. 1983. Paperback edition. Moody Press. Chicago, USA.

21 Matthew Henry. Commentary on the Whole Bible. (In six volumes). Macdonald Publishing Company. Mclean,Virginia. USA. Vol 1. P271.



APPENDIX TABLE A: The Genesis timetable.

The information in this table has been collected solely from the Scriptures (mainly Genesis). It has

been assumed throughout that the Scriptures give reliable and accurate information on the basis that the

Scriptures are God’s revealed and preserved word. Since God cannot lie, and, more importantly, since He

is willing to reveal the things we need to know, it is assumed that the dates are accurate.

NAME22

BORNYearsaftercreation(AC)

DIEDYearsaftercreation(AC)

AGE ATDEATH

AGE ATBIRTHOFFIRSTSON

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES23

ADAM 0 930 930 130 5v1-32SETH 130 1042 912 105 5v1-32ENOS 235 1140 905 90 5v1-32

CAINAN 325 1235 910 70 5v1-32MAHALALEEL 395 1290 895 65 5v1-32

JARED 460 1422 962 162 5v1-32ENOCH 622 98724 365 65 5v1-32

METHUSELAH 687 1656 969 187 5v1-32LAMECH 874 1651 777 182 5v1-32

NOAH 1056 2006 950 502 5v1-32; 7v6,11; 9v28,29; 10v21

SHEM 1558 2158 600 100 11v10-32ARPHAXAD 1658 2096 438 35 11v10-32

SALAH 1693 2126 433 30 11v10-32EBER 1723 2187 464 34 11v10-32

PELEG 1757 1996 239 30 11v10-32REU 1787 2026 239 32 11v10-32

SERUG 1819 2049 230 30 11v10-32NAHOR 1849 1997 148 29 11v10-32TERAH 1878 2083 205 130 11v10-32; 12v4

ABRAM 2008 2183 175 100 11v26,32; 12v4; 21v5; 25v7; 25v26;35v28; Acts 7v4ISAAC 2108 2288 180 60

JACOB 2168 2315 147 ~79 25v26; 41v46; 45v6,11; 47v9,28;50v26JOSEPH 2259 2369 110 ?

MOSES 2433 2553 120 ?Genesis 12v7; Exodus 7v7;12v40,41; Deuteronomy 34v7;Galatians 3v16,17

22 All information taken from AKJV in Genesis.23 All references are from Genesis unless otherwise stated.24 Did not die but was taken up into heaven (5v24).



APPENDIX TABLE B: Absolute dates for the patriarchs

Assuming that the date of creation is 3959 BC we can assign BC dates to the patriarchs:

NAMEBORN DIED

AC BC AC BC

ADAM 0 3959 930 3029SETH 130 3829 1042 2917ENOS 235 3724 1140 2819

CAINAN 325 3634 1235 2724MAHALALEEL 395 3564 1290 2669

JARED 460 3499 1422 2537ENOCH 622 3337 987 2972

METHUSELAH 687 3272 1656 2303LAMECH 874 3085 1651 2308

NOAH 1056 2903 2006 1953

SHEM 1558 2401 2158 1801ARPHAXAD 1658 2301 2096 1863

SALAH 1693 2266 2126 1833EBER 1723 2236 2187 1772

PELEG 1757 2202 1996 1963REU 1787 2172 2026 1933

SERUG 1819 2140 2049 1910NAHOR 1849 2110 1997 1962TERAH 1878 2081 2083 1876

ABRAM 2008 1951 2183 1776ISAAC 2108 1851 2288 1671JACOB 2168 1791 2315 1644

JOSEPH 2259 1700 2369 1590MOSES 2433 1526 2553 1406



APPENDIX TABLE C: Absolute dates for major events in world history from Genesis.

EVENTDATE

AC BC

CREATION 0 3959FLOOD 1656 2303

DIVISION OF EARTH (PELEG) 1757 2202ABRAM RECIEVES COVENANT IN CANNAN 2083 1876

ISAAC BORN (ABRAHAM 100 YEARS OLD) 2108 1851ISAAC WEANED (400 YEARS OPPRESSION BEGINS) 2113 1846

JACOB DESCENDS INTO EGYPT 2298 1661MOSES LEADS THE EXODUS 2513 1446

SOLOMON BUILDS THE TEMPLE 2993 966


biblical chronology – our times are in his hands · 2017-03-29 · biblical chronology – our...

Documents