2001 Translation

You’ve probably heard that the Israelites spent 215 years in Egypt. It’s in countless Bible commentaries and study guides. But what if that’s completely wrong? What if the real story is twice as long?

Most Bible chronologies claim the Israelites’ Egyptian sojourn lasted just over two centuries. But there’s a problem: that interpretation makes the biblical account physically impossible! How could 75 people grow into millions in just 215 years?

Overview

The Israelites spent 400 years in Egypt, not the commonly claimed 215 years. The confusion comes from misinterpreting and mistranslating Galatians 3:17, which actually refers to a 430-year period that includes 30 years in Canaan before Egypt.

This longer timeline:

• Makes the population growth mathematically possible,
• Matches the ‘four generations’ prophecy,
• Aligns with Egyptian records about the Hyksos,
• Shows the Israelites weren’t enslaved the entire time,
• Fits perfectly with biblical chronology.

The Traditional Problem

Here’s what most people think they know about Israel’s time in Egypt:

• It lasted 215 years.
• The period started with Abraham’s promise.
• Galatians 3:17 confirms this timeline.
• The 430 years includes time in Canaan.

But these assumptions come from misunderstanding a single verse. When we examine the evidence carefully, a very different picture emerges.

Understanding Galatians 3:17

According to the New Living Translation, Paul wrote this at Galatians 3:17:

‘This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses.’

This common translation suggests there were 430 years between God’s agreement with Abraham and the giving of the Mosic Law to Moses.

Nope! That’s not right!

Let’s look at what Paul actually wrote. Here’s the key phrase in Greek:

‘Touto de lego; diatheken prokekyromenen hypo tau Theou, ho meta tetrakosia kai triakonta ete gogonos nomos ouk akuroi, eis to katargesai ten epangelian.’

Literally:

‘The moreover I-say covenant having-been-confirmed-beforehand by the God the afterward four-hundred and thirty years having come the-Law not does-annul so-as the to nullify the promise.’

Yes, Paul isn’t counting from the promise given to Abraham — he’s counting from when that promise was confirmed! Now, when did that happen? It was confirmed to Jacob (Israel) after he returned to the Promised Land and was given the name IsraEl by the God’s messenger (see Genesis 32:24-30).

We can conclude this is what Paul meant because we can look at the scripture he was quoting, Exodus 12:40-41:

‘…it had been 430 years that the children of IsraEl lived in the land of CanaAn and in the land of Egypt, …’

Yet, there is more.

The Biblical Evidence

The Bible actually tells us this three times. Here are the other two verses:

Genesis 15:13

‘…your offspring will have to live as aliens in a foreign land where they’ll be slaves who are treated badly and humbled for 400 years.’

Acts 7:6

‘…his descendants would also have to live in a foreign land where they’d be oppressed and serve as slaves for 400 years.’

The Physical Evidence

Let’s talk numbers. When Jacob’s family entered Egypt, they numbered just 75 people (Genesis 46:26-27). By the time of the Exodus, there were over 618,000 men in their army alone (Numbers 1:45). Assuming a normal population distribution (50/50 male-female, plus children and elderly), that means there were probably at least 1.5 million Israelites in Egypt.

Is it physically possible for 75 people to become 1.5 million in just 215 years? No! But over 400 years? Yes, absolutely!

If we take the greatest annual growth rate of any population in recorded history (3.5% per year), after 215 years, the population would only be 118,000. However, after 400 years, the population would be almost 54 million!

Now, obviously, there were not 54 million Israelites in Egypt, so their growth rate was certainly lower than 3.5% per year. But the point is that 215 years is simply not enough time to produce 618,000 soldiers. Some argue that some Egyptians were counted as Israelites, but that would mean the Israelites were vastly outnumbered by Egyptians, by about 6 to 1! There is no evidence for anything so extreme.

The Four Generations

Here’s something interesting: God specifically told Abraham that his people would return ‘in the fourth generation’ (Genesis 15:16). And that’s exactly what happened!

Let’s look at Moses’s family line:

• Levi (lived about 100 years after entering Egypt)
• Kohath
• Amram (died at 132 years)
• Moses

Each of these generations lasted over 100 years. Impossible? Well, today, yes it would be impossible, but not back then! Remember that Abraham fathered Isaac at the age of 100, and Isaac lived to be 180!

Archaeological Support

Remember the Hyksos people? We talked about this ‘mysterious’ group in our article on the identity of Pharaoh in Exodus. They were a Semitic people who lived in Egypt until around 1550 BC when they suddenly disappeared (yes, we argue that they were the Israelites).

Well, their dynasty lists show about 18 kings — and guess how long that would average out to with typical reign lengths of about 22 years each?

That’s right — almost 400 years!

Even more interesting: neither Joseph nor his sons appear in these king lists. This suggests the Hyksos period (which historians recognize) started after Joseph’s promotion to be Egypt’s vizier.

The Real Chronology

Let’s break down the actual timeline:

Common Misconceptions

Why do so many other people use different dates? It often comes down to trying to make biblical chronology fit with:

• Preconceived notions about Egyptian history.
• End-time prophecy theories.
• The ‘6,000 year’ theory of human history.
• Misunderstandings of Paul’s writings.

But when we let the Bible speak for itself, the timeline becomes clear!

The Implications

Getting this chronology right matters for several reasons:

• It validates the Bible’s internal consistency.
• It aligns with archaeological evidence.
• It explains population growth realistically.
• It matches the ‘four generations’ prophecy.
• It connects with Egyptian historical records.

When we understand the true timeline, suddenly many pieces of the biblical narrative fall perfectly into place!

Modern Significance

Why does this matter to us today? Because it challenges some popular but problematic teachings:

End-Time Predictions

Many groups have tried to predict Jesus’s return based on a theory that human history would last exactly 6,000 years. This theory depends partly on the shorter Egyptian chronology. But as we’ve seen, that chronology is likely wrong!

Creation ‘Days’

Some teach that God’s creative ‘days’ must be exactly 7,000 years each. But if mankind has been here for over 7,500 years (as the Septuagint chronology shows), this theory falls apart.

Historical Reliability

Most importantly, this timeline shows us that the Bible’s chronology is reliable when properly understood. We don’t need to view secular Egyptian history as an enemy — the biblical account matches it and it makes perfect sense!

Slaves for 400 Years?

None of this means that the Israelites were slaves for the entire 400 years. Evidently, the slavery came towards the end of the 400 years. This actually makes perfect sense when we look at the biblical account:

The Early Years

When Jacob’s family first arrived, they were honored guests! Remember what Pharaoh said to Joseph?

‘{Look!} the whole land of Egypt is before you… So, choose the very best land as a place for your father and brothers to settle!’ (Genesis 47:6)

The Israelites initially prospered in Egypt. They:

• Owned property,
• Raised livestock,
• Grew in numbers and wealth,
• Had their own governance structure,
• Maintained their cultural identity.

The Change

Everything changed when ‘a new king became the ruler over Egypt who didn’t know JoSeph’ (Exodus 1:8). This pharaoh saw the Israelites’ growing numbers as a threat:

‘{Look!} The children of IsraEl have [grown tremendously] and they’re now more powerful than we are!

‘So, let’s be crafty in the ways that we deal with them, because if they continue to grow, and then we find ourselves at war, they could side with our enemies! (Exodus 1:9-10)

This matches perfectly with archaeological evidence showing the Hyksos (whom we believe were the Israelites) growing increasingly powerful in the eastern Delta region.

The Oppression

Now, since Moses was 80 years old when he spoke to Pharaoh, and they left Egypt in 1555 BC, then we can count back 80 years to his birth in 1635 BC. The narrative seems to imply that the enslavement began not long before his birth; so, in that case, the Israelites probably experienced:

• 320 years of prosperity in Egypt (1955-1635 BC).
• 80 years of increasing oppression in Egypt (1635-1555 BC).

This timing would explain why:

• The population could grow so large during the good years.
• The Israelites maintained their distinct identity.
• Moses could be raised in Pharaoh’s court despite the oppression.
• The slavery is described as a relatively recent development.

So it seems that when God made his prophecy to Abraham that ‘your offspring will have to live as aliens in a foreign land where they’ll be slaves who are treated badly and humbled for 400 years’ (Genesis 15:13), it evidently meant that slavery and bad treatment would only occur toward the end of that period.

To our modern English ears, it sounds like Yahweh said that they would be slaves for the full 400 years, yet that’s not what happened, but its also probably not what he meant.

In our language, we are very precise in the way we speak. That’s not normal! In many languages, words are more vague and much is implied. For example, in Hebrew, ‘three days’ could mean 72 hours, but more commonly just means part of three days. Things are assumed and implied from context.

Well, apparently, the word ‘eventually’ was implied here, along with some parentheses, and if we insert these into the translation, then it suddenly makes sense to our modern ears:

‘…your offspring will have to live as aliens in a foreign land ( where they’ll [eventually] be slaves who are treated badly and humbled ) for 400 years’ (Genesis 15:13)

Putting It All Together

When we examine all the evidence, a clear picture emerges:

• The biblical 400-year timeline makes perfect mathematical sense.
• It aligns with Egyptian historical records about the Hyksos.
• It explains how Israel grew from a family to a nation.
• It shows how they maintained their identity despite centuries in Egypt.
• It reconciles the periods of prosperity and oppression.

Most importantly, it reminds us that God’s word is reliable. Apparent ‘contradictions’ in biblical chronology often disappear when we keep an open mind and dig a little deeper.

Biblical Chronology

• Bible Chronology Based on the Septuagint
• Who Was Pharaoh in Exodus?
• How Long Were the Israelites in Egypt?
• How Long Was the Babylonian Exile?
• When Bible Chronology Goes Wrong

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