EMAIL: mike@geocreationism.com
Introduction
The King's Calendar provides convincing evidence that the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt occurred in 1449 BC. A combination of scientific, historical, and biblical evidence suggest a Flood date of April 20, 2807 BC. With plausible dates for the Flood and the Exodus, what happened in between? And what does the scripture say?
The Short Version
Most people believe the duration from the Flood to the Exodus was 427 years (Genesis 11) plus 430 years (Exodus 12:41, Galatians 3:17), totaling 857 years. The duration suggested above however is 1358 years.
As shown in How Long Did the Israelites Live in Egypt?, the time from God's promise to Abram until the Exodus could not be 430 years. The 430 years started when Jacob entered Egypt, 214 years after God's promise. The 400 years of Genesis 15:13 starts at the end of the 430. The total duration is 1,471 years. If these were 336-day lunar years (i.e., twelve 28-day months), converted from what scribes believed were 364-day solar years (i.e., 52 seven-day weeks), then correcting for that equals 1,358 years.
Historical Breakdown
Table 1 shows the breakdown from the Flood to the date when Solomon's Temple was started, after converting all durations by a factor of 1.083:
| Biblical Event | Year |
|---|---|
| Flood Begins | 2807 BC |
| Covenant with Abram | 2413 BC |
| Jacob's Family Moves to Egypt | 2215 BC |
| Joseph Dies | 2282 BC |
| 400-year Slavery Begins | 1818 BC (400 yrs) |
| Slavery Ends - Desert Sojourn Begins | 1449 BC (40 yrs) |
| Entry into Canaan | 1412 BC (479 yrs) |
| Foundation is begun for Solomon's Temple | 970 BC |
Flood Begins April 20, 2807 BC
There is scientific evidence for a meteor strike and tsunami around Madagascar on May 10, 2807 BC. The magnitude of the resulting Burckle crater suggests 600-ft high waves, that would have likely reached as inland as the Persian Gulf. Refinement of the comet's timeframe was based on 175 flood myths from around the world, of which over a dozen mention a complete solar eclipse, which was on May 10, 2807 BC. We can confirm this by studying the Sumerian flood myth, which dates to around 2600 BC, 200 years after complete historical silence between 2900 BC and 2800 BC. According to the Sumerian myth, there were fires from the gods (the comet), followed by sudden darkness (the eclipse), followed by 7 days and nights of torrential rain. As for Noah's actual experience note Genesis 7:11, which says the flood began on the 17th day of Iyar. This falls on April 20, 2807 BC; the rains ended the morning of May 31, fully 3 weeks after the eclipse witnessed in Sumer.1 It means that Noah would not have seen it, explaining why Moses did not record it.
Covenant with Abram - 2413 BC
Genesis provides enough information to compute how many years it was from the flood to God's promise to Abram:
Genesis 11:10 - Shem 98 in 2807 BC, and 100 when Arphaxad was born -- 2 years
Genesis 11:12 - Arphaxad was 35 when Shelah was born -- 35 years
Genesis 11:14 - Shelah was 30 when Eber was born -- 30 years
Genesis 11:16 - Eber was 34 when Peleg was born -- 34 years
Genesis 11:18 - Peleg was 30 when Reu was born -- 30 years
Genesis 11:20 - Reu was 32 when Serug was born -- 32 years
Genesis 11:22 - Serug was 30 when Nahor was born -- 30 years
Genesis 11:24 - Nahor was 29 when Terah was born -- 29 years
Genesis 11:32 - Terah died at 205 years of age -- 205 years
Genesis 12:4 - Abram was 75 years old at this time
Genesis 15 - It was during this year when God made His promise to Abram.
The total duration adds up to 427 years, which converts to 394.3 (427/1.083) years, bringing us to to the year 2413 BC.
Jacob's Family Moves to Egypt - 2215 BC
Genesis 12:4 - Abram was 75 years old in 2413 BC
Genesis 21:5 - Abram (now Abraham) was 100 years old when Isaac was born -- 25 years after the promise
Genesis 25:26 - Isaac was 60 when Jacob was born -- plus 60 years = 85
Genesis 47:28 - Jacob died at 147, 17 years after moving to Egypt -- plus 130 years = 215
The total time adds up to 215 years. This 215th year was also the 1st year living in Egypt, for a total of 214 years, which converts to 198 years, bringing us to the year 2215 BC.
Slavery Begins After Israel Lives in Egypt 430 years - 1818 BC
As described in Dating the Flood - How Long Did the Israelites Live in Egypt?, there are many reasons why the 400 years of slavery could not be contained within the 430 years of sojourning in Egypt; they are most likely sequential. With that in mind, note the following passage:
Genesis 12
40 Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years..
41 And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years,
even the selfsame day it came to pass,
that all the hosts of the LORD went from the land of Egypt.
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.2
Most people believe verse 41 refers to the Exodus, and that the Israelites are the LORD's divisions. However, the word for divisions implies a military army, ready for battle. Furthermore, the timing of this event falls somewhere before the Exodus, suggesting the LORD's divisions refer to His angelic army. This makes it logical to place this exit (i.e., the end of the 430 years) at the beginning of Israel's slavery, as opposed to its end.3 Converting the 430 years to solar years gives us 397 years before Israel's enslavement, bringing the departure of God's divisions and the beginning of Israel's slavery to the 1818 BC.
Israelites Led out of Slavery after 400 years - 1449 BC
When the Israelites were led out of Egypt, they were directed in verse 42 above to keep vigil, just they had been done over the 400 years preceding (verse 41). Then, just as the LORD waited 400 years to lead Israel out of Egypt, Israel would wait 40 before entering Canaan. This occurred 400 (lunar) years after 1818. Converted to solar years, this works out to 1449 BC.
1. Read The Epic of Gilgamesh and Dating the Flood - What did Moses Know? for more detail.
2. "Pentateuch & Haftorahs - Hebrew Text, English Translation, & Commentary", 2nd Edition, Edited by Dr. J. H. Hertz, Soncino Press, 1981.
3. Read Dating the Flood - How Long Did the Israelites Live in Egypt? for more detail.