Introduction

Biblically, it is unclear how long the Israelites were in Egypt. On one hand, Genesis 15:13 appears to foretell a period of slavery that would last 400 years. On the other hand, Exodus 12:41 records the Israelites living in Egypt for 430 years, as Paul appears to confirm in Gal. 3:17.

When did the 430 years begin? When did it end? Galatians 3 says it began after God spoke His promise to Abraham and his seed; it ended when God introduced the Law to the Israelites. Unfortunately, this answer is not as clear as it first seems.

Problems With Overlapping the Periods

If the Israelites were slaves for 430 years, then what did God mean by 400? At the time Abram was living in Canaan, which was a province or principality of Egypt. Scripture then records 215 years until Jacob would move his family from Canaan to Egypt proper. For this reason, some break up the 430 years into two parts... 215 years in Canaan, and then 215 years in Egypt itself. The slavery itself then began some time in the second 215-year period, and ended when all 430 years were over.

The problem with breaking the 430 years up into two periods is that Joseph was still alive 73 years into the second 215 years, leaving fewer than 142 years to be slaves. In fact, depending upon the translation, the pharaoh who enslaved Israel may not have even been born until after Joseph died, leaving even fewer years of enslavement. Also consider that Moses was in 80 years old when he led the Isrealites out of Egypt, leaving about 60 years for Jacob to be forgotten, the Israelites to be enslaved and grow more numerous, and pharaoh to to begin killing the male first born out of fear. It just isn't long enough, and it does not jive with Egyptian history.

When Did the 430 Years Begin?

Paul wrote in Galatians 3:16-17...

16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,”

meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later,

does not set aside the covenant previously established by God

and thus do away with the promise. - NIV

Though God's promise was to Abraham, God in fact repeated His promise to Isaac, and later to Jacob. The last time God repeated this promise before the Israelites' slavery began was in Genesis 46. God said...

3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.

4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

The repetition of God's promise to Isaac and Jacob was a foretelling of the promise's fulfillment in Christ, suggesting that the 430 years began when Jacob moved to Egypt in Genesis 46:3-4 above, durign 215th year after God's promise. Therefore, Abraham and his descendents lived in Canaan for 214 years before starting their 430 years living in Egypt. But, when did the 400 years begin, relative to the 430?

Do the 400 years overlap the 430?

Genesis 15:12-13

12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.

13 Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants

will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. - NIV

Strangers? At the beginning of the 430 years, they were not strangers, for Joseph was ruler under Pharaoh. In fact, Joseph would live another 73 years, leaving 357 years for Egypt's monarchy to forget Joseph, enslave Israel, and free them. This is 43 years short of the 400 in Genesis 12:13.

Exodus 12:40-42

Exodus 12:40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. - NIV

In Hebrew the word is sojourn, which is a long term, but temporary, settlement. However, now we know that the "sojourn" ended at least 43 years before the enslavement ended, suggesting they be viewed as separate periods. In that light, verse 41 takes on an entirely new meaning...

Exodus 12:41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt.

The Hebrew word for divisions is tsaba, which is a mass of persons organized for war. This can be a literal war, implying a military campaign fought by soldiers, or a figurative war fought by worshippers under hardship. Traditionally, the Israelites are cast as the LORD's divisions, but as we saw above, they would remain slaves another 43 years or more. This leaves the other interpretation: a military army... God's angels? It paints a grave picture, suggesting Israelites lived in peace for 430 years, followed by a loss of angelic protection that led to 400 years of slavery.

The Vigil

If the 400 years began as the 430 years ended, then Exodus 12:42 is attempting to tell us something about that night. Unfortunately, traditional translations are not entirely clear...

Exodus 12:42 Because the LORD kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt,

on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the LORD for the generations to come. - NIV

Now compare to the King James Version...

Exodus 12:42 It is a night to be much observed

unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt:

this is that night of the LORD to be observed

of all the children of Israel in their generations - KJV

It seems that a vigil was kept on the night God's divisions withdrew from Israel, and that it's connected to the passover celebration of today. However, who kept the vigil, and when? Perhaps a more literal rendering, as given by Chief Rabbi Dr. J. H. Hertz may resolve this...

Exodus 12:42 It was a night of watching

unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt;

this same night is a night of watching unto the LORD

for all the children of Israel throughout their generations

It seems that the LORD's divisions left Egypt on the same night of the year on which Israel would be freed 400 years later. In the meantime, this would be a night of watching for the Israelites as they waited for God to free them. When He did, this changed from a night of looking to the LORD for what He would do, to looking to Him for what He did do. Today, this celebration is called Passover.

When Was the Law Introduced?

Much of our confusion is from Galations 3:16-17. Paul appears to say that the Exodus occurred at the end of the sojourn. But then why did he suggest that being freed from slavery and being given the Law would counter God's promise to Abraham? On the other hand, if Paul was talking of the day on which enslavement began, then his meaning becomes more clear. By withdrawing His divisions and allowing the Israelites to be enslaved, it would in fact seem as if God's promise had been withdrawn, and replaced with something else... enslavement under law. However, as Paul goes on to explain, "18 if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise."

So then, why enslave the Israelites? Why put them under Egyptian law, then free them just put them under Mosaic law? "19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The Law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator." In other words, the Egyptian law came when God's divisions withdrew, and was administered through slave masters; Mosaic law came when God's Angels helped lead the Israelites to Mount Sinai, and was administered through priests, judges, and kings. It was not the 10 Commandments per se that Paul was writing of, but the idea of being enslaved under law, whether it be Egyptian or Mosaic.

"21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law." In other words, the Mosaic Law is just as enslaving as the Egyptian law was. People just don't think of it that way. However, Paul did. "23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed." As he elaborates in Galatians 4...

1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.

2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.

3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world.

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Conclusion

Most people believe that 430 years passed from God's promise to Abram until the Exodus. As we have however, this duration was much longer, consisting of three consecutive periods: 1) After Abram received the promise of God, his family lived in Canaan for 215 years. 2) Jacob moved the family to Egypt where they sojourned for 430 peaceful years. 3) A Pharoah who did not know Joseph enslaved the Israelites for 400 years.

While not entirely consistent with modern translations of the scripture, it is not inconsistent with more literal renderings. Furthermore, the numbers work out more logically. For more information on how to interpret this total duration, and to see how it perfectly fits within the known history of Egypt, I suggest you read the following GeoCreationism articles: Timeline from the Flood to the Exodus, Lining up Egyptian History with the Exodus.