The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews tells us, But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:34 NIV). Pharaoh, Pharaohs daughter, Jethro, and Joshua were also some of the characters of the book. (2015). Book of Exodus is a detailed description of the call of God for the people of Israel for getting up and leaving their position of slavery in Egypt. After Moses prays for deliverance, Yahweh has him create the brazen serpent, and the Israelites who look at it are cured. I am slow of speech and tongue., The LORD said to him, Who gave man his mouth? [1] Some of the traditions contributing to this narrative are older, since allusions to the story are made by 8th-century BCE prophets such as Amos and Hosea. There is evidence cited which states that "Moses usual procedure was to record events soon after they occurred in the form of historical annals." (The Open Bible:80) The key people in the lesson is Moses and Aaron. It is mentioned in this book that God rescues and then delivered his people while guiding them into the unfamiliar desert. God commands Moses to construct two new tablets. [17] After each plague Pharaoh allows the Israelites to worship Yahweh to remove the plague, then refuses to free them. Many early American settlers interpreted their flight from Europe to a new life in America as a new exodus. The Israelites now accept the covenant, which is reestablished, build a tabernacle for Yahweh, and receive their laws. Yahweh commands the Israelites to destroy the Midianites, and Moses and Phinehas take another census. The overall theme of Exodus is redemptionhow God delivered the Israelites and made them His special people. [21] The laws are set out in a number of codes:[22], There are two main positions on the historicity of the Exodus in modern scholarship. Exodus: Fact or fiction? Moses is then commanded to fix the first month of Aviv at the head of the Hebrew calendar. He intended to live among the Israelites and manifest His shekinah glory (Exodus 40:3435)another proof that they were indeed His people. Traditionally ascribed to Moses himself, modern scholars see its initial composition as a product of the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE), based on earlier written sources and oral traditions, with final revisions in the Persian post-exilic period (5th century BCE). [23] The theophany in Exodus begins "the third day" from their arrival at Sinai in chapter 19: Yahweh and the people meet at the mountain, God appears in the storm and converses with Moses, giving him the Ten Commandments while the people listen. African Americans suffering under slavery and racial oppression interpreted their situation in terms of the Exodus, making it a catalyst for social change. Yahweh tells Moses to summon Joshua, whom Yahweh commissions to lead the conquest of Canaan. [72] Joel S. Baden noted that "[t]he seams [between the Exodus and Wilderness traditions] still show: in the narrative of Israel's rescue from Egypt there is little hint that they will be brought anywhere other than Canaan yet they find themselves heading first, unexpectedly, and in no obvious geographical order, to an obscure mountain. God calls Moses up the mountain again, where he remains for forty days and forty nights, after which he returns, bearing the set of stone tablets. Sinai, God leads his people in a pillar of fire and cloud that illumines their way. 6. [13] Some scholars such as Benjamin J. Noonan have pointed out that the presence of Egyptian cognates in the Exodus and wilderness traditions entered Hebrew during the Late Bronze Age, precisely when we would expect them to have been borrowed if the events of these narratives really occurred, challenging the assumption of a post-exilic tradition. [94] The Exodus is invoked daily in Jewish prayers and celebrated each year during the Jewish holidays of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. [7] Instead, they argue how modern archaeology suggests continuity between Canaanite and Israelite settlements, indicating a heavily Canaanite origin for Israel, with little suggestion that a group of foreigners from Egypt comprised early Israel. Moses did not write any of the Torah: It is very easy to confirm and to understand why the overwhelming majority of Biblical scholars today have determined that the "Books of Moses," the . One strong possibility is that it is a diptych (i.e., divided into two parts), with the division between parts 1 and 2 at the crossing of the Red Sea or at the beginning of the theophany (appearance of God) in chapter 19. By this, he set a pattern and a path for others to follow. For example, the text reads: Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said, (Exodus 24:4 NIV). [26] The biblical Exodus narrative is best understood as a founding myth of the Jewish people, providing an ideological foundation for their culture and institutions, not an accurate depiction of the history of the Israelites. [83] These tales often include elements of the Hyksos period and most are extremely anti-Jewish. 1:11), as well as stating that 600,000 Israelite men were involved (Exodus 12:37). [48], Many other scholars reject this view, and instead see the biblical exodus traditions as the invention of the exilic and post-exilic Jewish community, with little to no historical basis. Moses reunites with his brother Aaron and, returning to Egypt, convenes the Israelite elders, preparing them to go into the wilderness to worship God in a spring festival. Sinai. The Israelites then journey with the prophet Moses to Mount Sinai, where Yahweh gives the 10 commandments and they enter into a covenant with Yahweh, who promises to make them a "holy nation, and a kingdom of priests" on condition of their faithfulness. Updated: May 22nd, 2020. Exodus is the second book of the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses ), and it's where we find the stories of the Ten Plagues, the first Passover, the parting of the Red Sea, and the Ten Commandments. One Hebrew child, however, is rescued by being placed in a basket on the Nile. This theory is supported by a number of factors. Jacob's sons join their brother Joseph in Egypt with their families, where their people begin to grow in number. Exodus is a fiction book. The Mosaic Covenant, unveiled initially through the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), provides the foundation for the beliefs and practices of Judaism, from common eating practices to complex worship regulations. He is found and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, who names him Moses. The majority of modern scholars date the composition of the Torah to the Middle Persian Period (5th century BCE). It records miracles that are performed by God than any other book which is present in the old testament. The people gather at the foot of the mountain, and with thunder and lightning, fire and clouds of smoke, the sound of trumpets, and the trembling of the mountain, God appears on the peak, and the people see the cloud and hear the voice (or possibly sound) of God. Many characters are mentioned in the Second book of the Bible. [44] It is also possible that oppressive Egyptian rule of Canaan during the late second millennium BCE may have aided the adoption of the story of a small group of Egyptian refugees by the native Canaanites among the Israelites. [21], Biblical scholars describe the Bible's theologically-motivated history writing as "salvation history", meaning a history of God's saving actions that give identity to Israel the promise of offspring and land to the ancestors, the Exodus from Egypt (in which God saves Israel from slavery), the wilderness wandering, the revelation at Sinai, and the hope for the future life in the promised land. Moses uses his staff to part the Red Sea, and the Israelites cross on dry ground, but the sea closes down on the pursuing Egyptians, drowning them all. [64], Some of the earliest evidence for Judahite traditions of the exodus is found in Psalm 78, which portrays the Exodus as beginning a history culminating in the building of the temple at Jerusalem. These sources are now known as the Yahwist and the Priestly Source. Moses eventually kills an Egyptian he sees beating a Hebrew slave, and is forced to flee to Midian, marrying Tzipporah, a daughter of the Midianite priest Jethro. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. [77] Many theories have been advanced to explain the composition of the first five books of the Bible, but two have been especially influential. [105] It is celebrated by building a sukkah, a temporary shelter also called a booth or tabernacle, in which the rituals of Sukkot are performed, recalling the impermanence of the Israelites' homes during the desert wanderings. Though the children of Israel were enslaved in a foreign land, God miraculously and dramatically delivered them to freedom. [100] In the Hagaddah of the Seder it is written that every generation is obliged to remind and identify itself in terms of the Exodus. God was also concerned about the suffering of the people and finally rescued them. And lastly, in the holy of holies you have Gods glory cloud resting on the mountain as well as inside the holy of holies. There, he marries Zipporah, daughter of a Midianite priest Jethro, and suddenly encounters God in a burning bush. See full answer below. Date of Writing: The Book of Exodus was written between 1440 and 1400 B.C. God asks whether they will agree to be his people. It was written by Moses for the welfare of the people of this particular country so that they can enjoy the divinity and the power of God. Read | 100+ Names of Animals in the Bible, A to Z, And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 'way out', from -, ex-, 'out' and , hods, 'path', 'road'. [19], The climax of the Exodus is the covenant (binding legal agreement) between God and the Israelites mediated by Moses at Sinai: Yahweh will protect the Israelites as his chosen people for all time, and the Israelites will keep Yahweh's laws and worship only him. The book tells the story of the creation of the world and early human history. Most scholars agree that the Exodus stories were written centuries after the apparent setting of the stories. So now, go. Moses descends from the mountain with a transformed face; from that time onwards he must hide his face with a veil. The book of Exodus provides an account of Israel's departure from bondage in Egypt and their preparation to inherit the promised land as the Lord's covenant people. [c] The pharaoh also orders the slaughter at birth of all male Hebrew children. Levy, Thomas E., Thomas Schneider, William H.C. Propp. [95] The fringes worn at the corners of traditional Jewish prayer shawls are described as a physical reminder of the obligation to observe the laws given at the climax of Exodus: "Look at it and recall all the commandments of the Lord" (Numbers). Exodus is the second book. [34] The earliest surviving historical mention of the Israelites, the Egyptian Merneptah Stele (c. 1207 BCE), appears to place them in or around Canaan and gives no indication of any exodus. Through the Law, God says that all of life relates to God. The Hebrew people lived in the lands outside of the promised land for forty years. D. Specifications for the Tabernacle, Exodus 25-31, and its construction, Exodus 35-40 Victor Hamilton, a highly regarded Old Testament scholar with over 30 years' experience in the classroom, offers a comprehensive exegesis of the book of Exodus. Moses and Aaron then go to the pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites go into the desert for a religious festival, but the pharaoh refuses and commands the Israelites to make bricks without straw and increases their workload. SPECIAL TOPIC: HEBREW POETRY. This particular book is considered to be having tremendous spiritual significance among the people. Chuck has a way of saying it the way it is! However, in Moses's absence the Israelites sin against Yahweh by creating the idol of a golden calf, and as retaliation Yahweh has the Levites kill three thousand people (Exodus 32:28), and Yahweh sends a plague on the Israelites. Various verses from the Bible which contains the mention of the Second book of the Bible are given below along with the exact stanza: The LORD said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. After He rescued them from slavery, God provided the Law, which gave instructions on how the people could be consecrated or made holy. Some Israelites begin having sexual relations with Moabite women and worshipping Moabite gods, so Yahweh orders Moses to impale the idolators and sends a plague, but the full extent of Yahweh's wrath is averted when Phinehas impales an Israelite and a Midianite woman having intercourse (Numbers 25:7-9). [84] The earliest non-biblical account is that of Hecataeus of Abdera (c. 320 BCE), as preserved in the first century CE Jewish historian Josephus in his work Against Apion and in a variant version by the first-century BCE Greek historian Diodorus. "[73] In addition, there is widespread agreement that the revelation of the law in Deuteronomy was originally separate from the Exodus:[74] the original version of Deuteronomy is generally dated to the 7th century BCE. Are you truly redeemed? When the Lord called him for giving the opportunity, he replied to him by saying that he is not worth having that particular opportunity. From that time God dwells in the Tabernacle and orders the travels of the Hebrews. Jewish and Christian tradition viewed Moses as the author of Exodus and the entire Torah, but by the end of the 19th century the increasing awareness of discrepancies, inconsistencies, repetitions and other features of the Pentateuch had led scholars to abandon this idea. Many conversations, events, and geographical details could be known only by an eyewitness or participant. But not only did Moses spend a lot of time talking about the tabernacle, he designed the book to be a literary tabernacle. The exact date when this book was written is not confirmed, but various pieces of evidence have been found in the history which hint that this particular book was written somewhere between the period was the great Moses from the Bible was alive. The theophany is therefore a public experience of divine law. Book of Exodus is a detailed description of the call of God for the people of Israel for getting up and leaving their position of slavery in Egypt. God established his system of laws and also gave instruction in worship and established his people as a nation of Israel. But to understand the symbolism of why the author structured the book into three sections, we have to review some of the details of the book of Exodus. All these are gathered together into one harmonious architecture, adorning the interior of Gods home. [59] Stephen Russell dated this tradition to "the eighth century BCE or earlier", and argued that it preserves a genuine Exodus tradition from the Northern Kingdom, but in a Judahite recension. [24], The second half of Exodus marks the point at which, and describes the process through which, God's theophany becomes a permanent presence for Israel via the Tabernacle. . Based on the traditional date for the death of Moses, that would . It outlines the events that occurred as the Israelites were in the process of leaving Egypt for Canaan under strict protection of God. Both include a nearly identical dedication formula ("These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt", Exodus 32:8). It records miracles that are performed by God than any other book which is present in the old testament. 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