The author has written all of these symmetries that develop throughout the journey, but the structure of the story goes one level deeper. After He rescued them from slavery, God provided the Law, which gave instructions on how the people could be consecrated or made holy. A. [15], There is no unanimous agreement among scholars on the structure of Exodus. The tabernacle occupies 40% of the book of Exodus - 16 out of 40 chapters. [31] Some elements of the story are miraculous and defy rational explanation, such as the Plagues of Egypt and the Crossing of the Red Sea. That so much of the book (chapters 2531, 3540) describes the plans of the Tabernacle demonstrates the importance it played in the perception of Second Temple Judaism at the time of the text's redaction by the Priestly writers: the Tabernacle is the place where God is physically present, where, through the priesthood, Israel could be in direct, literal communion with him. He is found and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, who names him Moses. Archaeology, unfortunately, cannot directly contribute (yet?) [89] The first-century CE Roman historian Tacitus included a version of the story that claims that the Hebrews worshipped a donkey as their god in order to ridicule Egyptian religion, whereas the Roman biographer Plutarch claimed that the Egyptian god Seth was expelled from Egypt and had two sons named Juda and Hierosolyma. Purpose of Writing: The word "exodus" means departure. Jacob's sons join their brother Joseph in Egypt with their families, where their people begin to grow in number. They then conquer the lands of Og and Sihon in Transjordan, settling the Gadites, Reubenites, and half the Tribe of Manasseh there. The book of Exodus in the Bible is the second after Genesis. [26] Lester Grabbe, for instance, argued that "[t]here is no compelling reason that the exodus has to be rooted in history",[49] and that the details of the story more closely fit the seventh through the fifth centuries BCE than the traditional dating to the second millennium BCE. Moses descends from the mountain with a transformed face; from that time onwards he must hide his face with a veil. The Israelites refuse to go to Canaan, so Yahweh manifests himself and declares that the generation that left Egypt will have to pass away before the Israelites can enter Canaan. 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. The Amalekites attack at Rephidim, but are defeated. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. , God also said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, The LORD, the God of your fathersthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacobhas sent me to you., This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. Your browser does not support JavaScript. The writing of the book of Exodus is attributed to Moses. B: Forced labor. [25], The heart of Exodus is the Sinaitic covenant. Additionally, other biblical books refer to the law of Moses ( Joshua 1:7; 1 Kings 2:3), indicating that Exodus, which includes rules and regulations, was written by Moses. The historical context to the. The strong consensus of biblical scholars` is that Exodus was written for the main part by two anonymous authors, now known as the Yahwist and the Priestly Source. 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. It is recounted daily in Jewish prayers and celebrated in festivals such as Passover. Michael Graves calls Paul's discussion of the exodus in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 and his comparison of the early church in Corinth to the Israelites in the desert "[t]he two most significant NT passages touching on the exodus". Thus the following words from the Pesaim (10:5) are recited: "In every generation a person is duty-bound to regard himself as if he personally has gone forth from Egypt. But it was only after Christians began to fast specifically prior to Easter, about 300 years after Jesuss death, that anyone looked to the Bible to find a source for the practice. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord) is a late addition to the original book. Read | What is Mark of Cain in the Bible? He believed in every word said by him and also used different prayers for worshiping him. There, he marries Zipporah, daughter of a Midianite priest Jethro, and suddenly encounters God in a burning bush. [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. The word exodus means "exit" or "departure.". [2], The consensus of modern scholars is that the Bible does not give an accurate account of the origins of the Israelites, who appear instead to have formed as an entity in the central highlands of Canaan in the late second millennium BCE from the indigenous Canaanite culture. The frequency of references to Exodus by various biblical writers, and even Jesuss own words, testify to its importance. He then established Israel as a theocratic nation under His covenant with Moses on Mount Sinai. 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. [27] There are several covenants in the Bible, and in each case they exhibit at least some of the elements in real-life treaties of the ancient Middle East: a preamble, historical prologue, stipulations, deposition and reading, list of witnesses, blessings and curses, and ratification by animal sacrifice. 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). They accept. He gives them their laws and instructions to build the Tabernacle, the means by which he will come from heaven and dwell with them and lead them in a holy war to possess the land of Canaan (the "Promised Land"), which had earlier, according to the story of Genesis, been promised to the seed of Abraham. The Israelites come to the oasis of Kadesh Barnea, where Miriam dies and the Israelites remain for forty years. They wreak havoc until the pharaoh and his son chase them out to the borders of Syria, where Osarseph gives the lepers a law code and changes his name to Moses. 'way out', from -, ex-, 'out' and , hods, 'path', 'road'. Moses is then commanded to fix the first month of Aviv at the head of the Hebrew calendar. Hamilton relates Exodus to the rest of Scripture and includes his own translation of the text. [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. But God also has the responsibility of directing the people through the godly relationships and leadership of Moses. Sinai. [29], God elects Israel for salvation because the "sons of Israel" are "the firstborn son" of the God of Israel, descended through Shem and Abraham to the chosen line of Jacob whose name is changed to Israel. 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. So the literary structure looks like this. [26] A covenant is a legal document binding two parties to take on certain obligations towards each other. 3 1 Crowly Mathew Arackal I am Christian Catholic. God pronounces the Ten Commandments (the Ethical Decalogue) in the hearing of all Israel. If youd like to learn about this, see How to Begin a Relationship with God.. Yahweh commands the Israelites to destroy the Midianites, and Moses and Phinehas take another census. [11] Scholars posit that a small group of people of Egyptian origin may have joined the early Israelites, and then contributed their own Egyptian Exodus story to all of Israel. Chuck has a way of saying it the way it is! It contains various information that is considered to be of utmost religious importance. The Israelites now accept the covenant, which is reestablished, build a tabernacle for Yahweh, and receive their laws. The pharaoh becomes concerned by the number and strength of Israelites in Egypt and enslaves them, commanding them to build at two "supply" or "store cities" called Pithom and Rameses (Exodus 1:11). [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. The Israelites are soon in conflict with various other kingdoms, and king Balak of Moab attempts to have the seer Balaam curse the Israelites, but Balaam blesses the Israelites instead. [61] Egyptologist Jan Assmann suggested that event, which would have taken place around 931 BCE, may be partially historical due to its association with the historical pharaoh Sheshonq I (the biblical Shishak). [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. [90], It is possible that the stories represent a polemical Egyptian response to the Exodus narrative. Read | Ordinary Time in the Christian Liturgical Year. A history of being slaves is likely to bear elements of truth. [22], A theophany is a manifestation (appearance) of a god in the Bible, an appearance of the God of Israel, accompanied by storms the earth trembles, the mountains quake, the heavens pour rain, thunder peals and lightning flashes. Israel complains about the food and God provides them with manna, bread from heaven. [14] No modern attempt to identify an historical Egyptian prototype for Moses has found wide acceptance, and no period in Egyptian history matches the biblical accounts of the Exodus. [103], Shavuot celebrates the granting of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai; Jews are called to rededicate themselves to the covenant on this day. [104] A third Jewish festival, Sukkot, the Festival of Booths, is associated with the Israelites living in booths after they left their previous homes in Egypt. Do you mean in terms of biblical chronology, or in terms of reality? . The storyline of the Exodus, of a people fleeing from a humiliating slavery, suggests elements that are historically credible. The narrator. With Moses on Mount Sinai the head of the Exodus, of a Midianite priest Jethro, and even own. Decalogue ) in the Bible is the Sinaitic covenant slaves is likely to bear elements of.. Now accept the covenant, which is reestablished, build a tabernacle for Yahweh, and receive laws... He marries Zipporah, daughter of a people fleeing from a humiliating slavery, suggests that... Of utmost religious importance binding two parties to take on certain obligations towards each other religious importance at... Priest Jethro, and even Jesuss own words, testify to its importance on Sinai! 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