400 Years or 430 Years?
Genesis 15 explained and fulfilled
Welcome to our latest newsletter! Today, we will be discussing a fascinating topic that has puzzled some laymen for decades: This passage raises an intriguing issue concerning the varying numbers of years that the Israelites were believed to have spent in Egypt, as recorded in the Hebrew Masoretic version and the Greek Septuagint.
The Masoretic version specifies that the Israelites would be enslaved and oppressed for "four hundred years," while the Septuagint version states "four hundred and thirty years." This small difference of thirty years has been a subject of much debate and interest among biblical scholars.
In this article post we will go on a journey to explore the possible reasons for this difference, while taking into account the linguistic and historical contexts of the two versions. I hope to provide you with a deeper understanding of this intriguing issue and how it speaks to ancient fulfillment and not our own times.
So in most bibles, the translations are based on the Hebrew Masoretic text, the Old Testament speaks of the israelites dwelling in Egypt 400 years. However, other times the text will say that the time was 430 years.
Lastly, the Septuagint comes along and complicates this subject more by stating the Israelites will stay in Egypt and Canaan 430 years.
So why is this so? And are these times even correct?
Genesis 15
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance
GREEK O.T. Exodus 12:40 - And the sojourning of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Chanaan, was four hundred and thirty years. (Breton Septuagint )
The reason why the Septuagint has the word "Canaan", is the same reason why the other ancient bibles such as the Samaritan Pentateuch also has the same rendering. It's because those ancient versions included the time that Abraham Isaac and jacob(THE FATHERS) were in Canaan.
Specifically Abraham. So 215 years counts for Canaan and 215 counts for Egypt.
Obviously, 215+215=430
Observe: The clearest chronological statement was made by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:16-17, saying that the 430 years began with the divine covenant given to Abraham. The biblical chronology of the lives of the Hebrew patriarchs permits a straight forward calculation of 215 years in Canaan.
The historian Josephus(30-100AD) agreed with this in his work Antiquities of the Jews II. xv. 2.
The Samaritan Midrash of Memar Marqah (160BC-4th century AD) also split the 430 years between Canaan and Egypt.
There are several ancient versions of Exodus 12:40 that also include the phrase “and their fathers,” giving more evidence that some of the 430 years each applied to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob(THE FATHERS) in Canaan.
Such works include:
The Alexandrian Septuagint 250 BC (rf. Clarke 1832)
The Samaritan Pentateuch 610-122 BC
The Syro-Hexapla, syriac old testament 617 AD
The Eusebius-Chronicon, 4TH century AD
The Armenian(5th century AD),
Bohairic(4th centuryAD),
and Ethiopic Bibles(330-650AD
The addition of these phrases renders Exodus 12:40 as:
"Now the sojourning of the children of Israel AND THEIR FATHERS, who dwelt in Egypt and Canaan, was four hundred AND THIRTY YEARS."
Also, Eliezer, an 8th -century AD rabbinical scholar, whose work is known as Pirke Rabbi, speculated that the 400 years prophesied to Abraham began when Isaac was born, and that the Israelites were in Egypt for 210 years (rf. Heinemann 1971).
So it is clear that the jews themselves all throughout ancient history have traditions and versions in ancient texts that attest to the splitting of the 430 years between canaan and egypt from the added phrase "and the fathers" found in earlier works. In terms of prophecy, a brief look at a few scriptures alone show this as being fulfilled. And the disciples speak of it as having already come to pass.
In the very next book of the bible, Exodus, it counts the years as completed and fulfilled.
Exo 12:40-41 LEB 40 And the period of dwelling of the Israelites that they dwelled in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on this exact day, all of Yahweh’s divisions went out from the land of Egypt.
Notice it says that israel went out from Egypt. This also literally fulfills Genesis 15:14. There is no going out of egypt without first being there 430 years.
Stephen in acts 7:6 speaks of the 430 years as a part of Israel's history of ALL that God had done in their midst in TIMES PAST.
Paul in Galatians 3:17 speaks of the 420 years a already past as well.
Gal 3:17 LEB Now I am saying this: the law, that came after four hundred and thirty years, does not revoke a covenant previously ratified by God, in order to nullify the promise.
So both the old and new testament speaks of the 430 years as fulfilled.
The KJV is from the old testament Masoretic Hebrew from 1000 AD. Long after the Septuagint and other ancient sources. The Jewish masorete family is responsible for the missing of cannaan from the text. Therefore the later text cannot be correct when compared to all the earlier texts regarding the issue. This ends any false notions that Genesis 15 is an unfulfilled prophecy.
I truly hope that our newsletter on Genesis 15:13 has raised your interest and given you a better understanding of this intriguing and complex subject.
The phrase "and their fathers," which was found in earlier versions of the Old Testament and in Jewish literature, has been determined to be the cause of the 430-year sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt(and Canaan) after extensive research and analysis. This minor but crucial detail has provided us with new insight into the biblical story and a clearer understanding of the experiences and history of the Israelites.
I hope this helps. Together lets keep exploring the vast and varied insights of ancient times.
Till next time