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Preface/Quotations

Dictionary of Terms

Charts, Outlines and Book Summary

Doctrines Covered or Alluded To

Chapters of the Bible Alluded To or Appropriately Exegeted with this Chapter

Many who read and study this chapter are 1^st or 2^nd generation students of R. B. Thieme, Jr., so that much of this vocabulary is second nature. One of Bob’s contributions to theology is a fresh vocabulary along with a number of concepts which are theologically new or reworked, yet still orthodox. Therefore, if you are unfamiliar with his work, the definitions below will help you to fully understand all that is being said. In addition to this, I will use a number of other more traditional technical theological terms which will be used and therefore defined as well.

Definition of Terms

Rebound (Restoration to fellowship with God)

In the New Testament, this is naming your sins to God, so that you are both restored to temporal fellowship with God and are then filled with the Spirit of God. In the Old Testament, naming your sins to God would result in a restoration of fellowship and, in some cases, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit once again (the Holy Spirit was not given to all Old Testament believers). The Doctrine of Rebound (HTML) (PDF).

Some of these definitions are taken from

http://gracebiblechurchwichita.org/?page_id=1556

http://www.bibledoctrinechurch.org/?subpages/GLOSSARY.shtml

http://rickhughesministries.org/content/Biblical-Terms.pdf

http://www.gbible.org/index.php?proc=d4d

http://www.wordoftruthministries.org/termsanddefs.htm

http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/topics.html

http://www.theopedia.com/

There are a number of ways of summing up the teachings of a particular book.

Exodus in a Nutshell

Main characters

God and Moses.

Secondary characters

Aaron, Pharaoh of Egypt, Miriam, children of Israel.

Primary Events

The 10 judgments of Egypt; the exodus out of Egypt; the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai; and the building of the Tent of Meeting out in the desert.

Purpose of Exodus

“God’s deliverance from bondage” and “God’s revelation of how to live once delivered” 

Key words

Pharaoh, Hardened, Law, Ordinances, Plague, Tent and Ark.

Major doctrines associated with the exodus

Substitutionary Atonement, Redemption, Propitiation, Reconciliation, God’s sovereignty and omnipotence.

Major doctrines associated with Mount Sinai

Revelation, Inspiration, Inerrancy, Canonicity.

Themes of Exodus

Deliverance and Obedience; hesitance on the part of Moses; and the disobedience of Gen X (those who left Egypt as adults).

Types in Exodus

Pharaoh              Satan

Israel                   Sinners

Moses                 Christ as Savior

Moses                 Christ as Lawgiver

Leaven                Sin

Lamb                   Substitute

Hyssop                Bitterness

Much of this was taken from Jeremy Thomas, pastor of the Fredericksburg Bible Church; (an rtf document, so it will open in Word or WP); accessed July 14, 2017. Also material from Spokane Bible Church; accessed March 21, 2018. Thomas’s words were used in most of this chart.

We need to know who the people are who populate this chapter.

The Principals of Book of Exodus

Characters

Biographical Material

Y^ehowah Elohim

Unlike the God we came to know at the end of Genesis, Who clearly worked behind the scenes, invisible to all, except in their thinking; this God will play a prominent and active role in the lives of Moses, Aaron and the children of Israel. He will call for the sending forth of His people into the desert, and when Pharaoh refuses, He will send judgments or plagues upon Egypt because of the negative volition of Pharaoh.

Moses

Moses was raised in the palace of Pharaoh, and, for 40 years, was being prepared to become a royal pharaoh. However, when he stepped out of the palace and went among his people, he ended up killing an Egyptian taskmaster; and had to flee Egypt. From age 40 to 80, Moses lived in the Midian outback, having become a part of the family of a priest, having married one of the man’s daughters. He had two sons at this time, but not the best marriage. God calls Moses at age 80 and he will represent God before Egypt and before his people, and lead them out of Israel.

Aaron

Aaron is Moses’ older brother (he is 7 years older); and he and Moses will meet in the desert prior to going into Egypt. Moses will complain, on many occasions, that he is not a natural spokesman, so God arranges for the two men to reunite in the desert, and for Aaron to temporarily become Moses’ spokesman.

Pharaoh of the Exodus

We know of two (or maybe three) pharaoh’s in the book of Exodus. The first one calls for the murder of all the male Hebrew children. It is in this time period that Moses is born and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter.

Moses will kill and Egyptian slave driver, and another pharaoh will issue a warrant for his arrest (it is not clear whether this is the same as the first pharaoh).

When Moses returns to Egypt, at age 80, there will be a different pharaoh in power, and it is he who plays the most prominent part in the first half of Exodus. Moses and Aaron will appeal to him, and he will refuse the commands of God over and over again.

The children of Israel

Most often referred to as the sons of Israel; these are all the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with the exception of some of the wives and a number of people who chose to associate themselves with the Hebrews (called the mixed multitude in the KJV).

These had become slaves to Egypt; and faced incredible oppression during the life of Moses.

At some point, it will become important to distinguish the generations of these people. Gen X are the people of Jacob, 20 and older when leaving Egypt (the adults). Their children I call the generation of promise, who grow from being children to adults in the desert-wilderness. After 40 years there, this generation of adults range in age from 20 to 60, their parents (Gen X) all having died the sin unto death in the desert. Although the Bible most often lumps these two disparate groups together, they are very different generations.

There are many other people who will populate the book of Exodus; but these are the most important.

It is important to understand what has gone before.

The Prequel to the Book of Exodus (by me and other commentators)

The book of Exodus begins with a wâw conjunction, which connects it to the previous book, which is Genesis.

Arno Gaebelein: [T]his second book of the Pentateuch is closely linked with Genesis. Without the events recorded in the final chapters of Genesis, the book of Exodus would have no meaning; without the continuation of the story of Israel in Egypt , the book of Genesis would be in an unfinished state. The promises given by God to the patriarchs which we find recorded in Genesis, make this book a necessity. For instance, we read in Gen. 15:13–14 : “And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward they shall come out with great substance. To Jacob the Lord said, I am God, the God of thy Father; fear not to go down to Egypt ; for I will there make a great nation of thee” (Gen. 46:3). The fulfillment of these predictions and promises, as well as others, are seen in the book of Exodus.

Dr. Peter Pett: It will be noted that Exodus demands, and depends on, a knowledge of Genesis. It is a knowledge of the experiences of the patriarchs, to say nothing of the earlier history, that illuminates and makes sense of Exodus.

In the book of Genesis, God specifically calls Abraham, and then his son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob. God promises to make their descendants like the sand on the shore and that He would give them the land of Canaan. With the book of Exodus, God begins to fulfill these promises.

God first led Abraham to the Land of Promise; and his son Isaac and his son Jacob both were raised in this land, but as strangers who owned nothing more than a plot of land where they could bury their people. Because of a series of events, the sons of Jacob were in Canaan during a great famine, with one of their own (Joseph) living in Egypt. Joseph, under orders from Pharaoh, calls for his family to move to Egypt in order to survive the famine (there are 5 years remaining). The sons of Jacob—every single person with his genes—will live in Egypt for the next 400 years. The Book of Exodus begins with listing these sons and the fact that they have been made slaves to the Egyptians.

The overall background:

The Background for Exodus

1.      We live in a fallen world, which is hip deep in the Angelic Conflict. Man was created in order to resolve the Angelic Conflict. God created angels with free will; about a third of the angels fell (chose against God). Those angels have been judged and God has set their sentence, but they have not yet been punished. Between their judgment and punishment, man was created.

2.      R. B. Thieme, Jr. suggests that Satan objected to their punishment of eternity under judgment, saying that a loving God would condemn His creatures to a lake of fire forever. I would suggest that there were a myriad of objections brought up, each one of them matching God’s actions in judgment with God’s essence and questioning God’s essence. For instance, is it just to condemn His creatures to an eternity of judgment when their wrongdoing only occurred over a relatively short period of time (even if that is billions of years)? Of course, there would be the objection, “You made me this way; I am not responsible for what I have done.” Satan, perhaps the most brilliant creature of all, no doubt formulated thousands, if not millions of objections.

3.      Man was created in order to resolve and answer those objections.

4.      Man was on earth for a considerable time where there were a dramatic number of changes.

         1)      Man was created sinless, but with the ability to sin against God.

         2)      Although the woman sinned against God because she was deceived, Adam sinned against God understanding what he was doing (which resulted in a different set of judgments for men and women).

         3)      God allowed actual interaction between the fallen angels and man—and nearly all mankind had been corrupted by these angels.

         4)      God cleansed the earth with the flood and man began again.

         5)      After the flood, seasons became a part of our lives, which suggests that the earth was tilted on its axis during the flood or at the beginning of the flood.

         6)      The descendants of Noah lived on the earth for nearly a thousand years.

5.      A new program by which God could interact with man was developing, known as the Jewish Age or the Age of Israel. In this Bible study, we are in phrase I of the Age of Israel, where the Hebrew people—a new race of people—have been brought into the world by God. God would communicate to the world through these people.

6.      The Jewish Age consists of 3 parts:

         1)      The patriarchal period (from Abraham to Moses).

         2)      Nation Israel (from Moses to Christ).

         3)      The Tribulation (7 years). The Tribulation is still to come.

7.      This new race of people, the Hebrew people, are all of those who are descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

8.      God used these 3 men to explain His redemptive plan for mankind; and He will use the Hebrew people as a whole to also explain His redemptive plan for mankind.

9.      Salvation was promised to mankind through Abraham’s son—referring to Jesus Christ (this promise is very similar to how the woman was promised salvation through her seed in Gen. 3:15).

10.    Through a series of incidents, the people of Israel (the other name for Jacob) were brought to into Egypt on friendly terms. Jacob’s son, Joseph, is the prime minister of Egypt and he saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Egyptians by preparing Egypt for the great 7-year famine.

11.    As we will study, after Joseph dies, the Hebrew people are enslaved by the Egyptians and this is the way that we find them in this book.

Some of this is from http://www.spokanebiblechurch.com/books/exodus accessed March 21, 2018.

Each book of the Bible has several purposes.

The Purpose of the Book of Exodus

1.      The Book of Exodus is the foundation of the Hebrew nation Israel.

2.      The Exodus is one of the most momentous events of the Old Testament (along with from creation of the earth and universe; the restoration of the earth; and the flood).

3.      From a national standpoint, the Exodus is the most momentous event in the history of nation Israel. It will be referred back to many times in the remainder of the Old Testament and in the New.

4.      The exodus and the eventual taking of the land of Canaan are unique events in human history in the founding of a nation. However, one cannot deny that there are parallels to early Israel and modern Israel.

5.      The exodus is also a great picture of redemption (purchase). God has purchased His people (with His blood) and He has delivered the sons of Israel (Jacob).

6.      This national redemption is a picture of spiritual redemption—where the Lord redeems (purchases) us and delivers us from oppression.

7.      In salvation, we are positionally redeemed from the world, the flesh (= the sin nature) and the devil, our 3 enemies.

8.      So the redemption of nation Israel is a picture or a type¹ of our redemption from sin and rebellion against God.

         1)      As an aside, a type does not know he/it is a type; the writers and readers of the Old Testament do not know that he or it is a type. They do not even know what a type is.

         2)      No one in Old Testament times read about the Exodus and thought to themselves, this is a redemption of the Hebrew people just as the sacrifice of the Messiah will redeem His people.

         3)      Today, we look back on the Exodus and give it additional meaning to it that it did not have to the author (Moses) while writing the book of Exodus; or to the participants of the exodus.

         4)      The Holy Spirit, the Divine Author of Scripture, knows the end from the beginning, so we are able to understand the meaning which He has placed in the Word before it was fully understood and appreciated.

         5)      This additional layer of meaning does not negate the historicity of the events recorded in this book; nor does it negate the meaning of this book to the people of Israel.

9.      To the Old Testament believer, the Exodus is God redeeming His people and bringing them out of slavery.

10.    To the New Testament believer, the Exodus is a picture of Jesus Christ redeeming His people and purchasing them from the slave market of sin.

11.    The book of Exodus is the 5^th most quoted book from the Old Testament. Psalms, Isaiah, Deuteronomy and Genesis are quoted more often. Moses is the most quoted author from the OT.

12.    The doctrines fundamental to the exodus itself are redemption, propitiation and reconciliation.

13.    The doctrines fundamental to the people at Mount Sinai are the Law, the justice of God, the priest nation concept, and inspiration and inerrancy of the Word of God.

As an aside, the book of Ruth also paints a picture of redemption, most fully understood in the Church Age.

¹  A type is a preordained representation wherein certain persons, events, and institutions of the O.T. stand for corresponding persons, events, and institutions of the N.T. Types are pictures or object lessons by which God has taught His redemptive plan. They are a shadow of things to come, not the image of those things (Col. 2:17 Heb. 8:5 10:1). The Mosaic system, for example, was a kind of kindergarten in which God's people were trained in divine things and taught to look forward to the realities of things yet to come.

Some of this information was inspired by Jeremy Thomas, from Fredericksburg Bible Church accessed April 11, 2018.

I have decided to place this in the Introduction, so that it is near the beginning of the book and easy to find.

A Summary of the Book of Exodus

The Book of Exodus is filled with marvelous events: we have the birth of Moses in the palace in midst of a time when Pharaoh was trying to kill all of the Hebrew male babies. We have God’s great calling of Moses in the desert-wilderness of Midian. Moses will go with Aaron, and stand before Pharaoh, and demand, “Send God’s people out!” In order for that to come to pass, God will bring 10 plagues upon Egypt. However, it will be that final plague which will change Pharaoh’s mind. God threatens the death of the firstborn unless a household is protected by the blood of the sacrificial lamb (obviously, a type, looking forward to the Lord Jesus Christ). This is the institution of the marvelous tradition of the Passover, something still practiced today in some Jewish families; and Christians observe the follow-on to that ceremony—the Eucharist.

Moses will then lead the people over the Sea of Reeds, where God blows back the waters of the sea to provide a pathway for all of the Jewish people to walk—which pathway will be the death of the Egyptians who pursue them with evil intent. All of this is celebrated with a song of Moses—a song which many see as the dividing point of the book of Exodus.

As the people march after Moses, they find that they lack food and water in the desert; and God marvelously provides for them manna from heaven and water from a rock (both of which are types). So the people become aware of God’s ability and willingness to provide for their basic needs, even in the desert-wilderness region.

Moses will then lead the people to Mount Sinai, and there God will first speak to all of the people, and then God will commune directly with Moses, who will bring God’s words down from the mountain to the people. God speaks the Ten Commandments aloud, to all the people, but, at their insistence, Moses takes notes on the additional portions of the law personally, and they will listen to him rather than God. Hearing God audibly frightened the people of Jacob.

Moses will bring the first set of laws back and he teaches them to the people. Then he returns to Mount Sinai and brings some people up the mountain with him. They will be allowed to see some limited manifestation of God; and then they will come down the mountain and Moses will go up to receive more laws.

It is not completely clear whether Exodus 21–40 is in strict chronological order. We have a reference to Moses going to the Tent of Meeting in Ex. 33, but it is actually built in Ex. 34–40. I will probably treat these chapters as if they are in chronological order; but it is clear at this point that at least one portion is not.

At this point, God gives him ceremonial laws or religious observances. There will be additional regulations involving the Sabbath and animal sacrifice. God will also give Moses the design for the building of the Tabernacle of God and all of its furniture.

However, when Moses comes down, after 40 days and nights on the mountain, he will find his people engaged in heathen idolatry, worshiping a golden calf which they make with their own hands. God is ready to strike all of this people down, but Moses stands in the gap—Moses pleads for the people. As a result, God begins to cull out the rebellious elements of the Jewish people. 3000 men will die.

The Tent of Meeting (the Tabernacle) is then built and the glory of God fills it. Because Moses broke the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on them, having returned to find the people engage in idol worship, Moses is to cut out similar stone tablets, and God would write the Ten Commandments on these new tablets.

At the end of this book, people bring supplies and raw materials to be used for the Tabernacle; and it is built, along with the furniture and priest garments.

Thomas provides a short, sleek outline:

Outline for the Book of Exodus (Jeremy Thomas)

I.       Israel's liberation chs. 1—18

A. Israel's affliction (Israel is Egypt's possession) 1:1—2:14

B. Deliverance 2:15—18:27

II.      Israel's adoption chs. 19—40

A. Covenant delivered 19:1—24:11

B. Sanctuary planned 24:12—31:18

C. Covenant broken ch. 32

D. Covenant renewed chs. 33—34

E. Sanctuary's construction 35:1—40:33

F. Covenant sealed (Israel is God's possession) 40:34-38

From Fredericksburg Bible Church accessed April 11, 2018.

Also a very brief view of the entire book.

The Narrative of Exodus (from the Spokane Bible Church)

1.      God prepared Moses for the leadership, formed the sons of Israel into a community, and Moses led them out of Egypt (1-12). The people repeatedly complain against God and Moses because they refuse to believe God’s word.

2.      At Sinai, God made them his kingdom of priest and his holy nation (19).

3.      God gave the Israeli people his law, called the Mosaic Law (20-34).

4.      While Moses was on Mount Sinai, Aaron failed as a leader and the people made the golden calf idol (32).

5.      Moses interceded for the people based upon God’s covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and God kept his word to bless Israel (32-34).The Israelites complete the tabernacle and God’s glory filled the tabernacle (35-40).

Palace Fort 18th Dynasty. Ruins of a large fortification were discovered in the 1990s at Ramesses on the south bank of the Pelusiac branch of the Nile River. It was active during the 18th Dynasty, ca. 1550-1300 BC.

From http://www.spokanebiblechurch.com/books/exodus accessed March 21, 2018.

I have decided to place this chart in the Introduction, so that it is near the beginning of the book and easy to find. You can refer back to this chart to see where we have been, to gain context, and to see where we are going.

Unfortunately, there are several chapters which are poorly divided.

Chapter by Chapter Descriptions for the Book of Exodus

Chapter

Brief Description

1

Exodus 1 bridges the gap between Genesis and Exodus, listing the sons of Jacob who entered into Egypt, followed by a later pharaoh who put all of the descendants of Jacob into slavery.

In the third section of Exodus 1, pharaoh orders that all of the male infants be killed, as the population of the Hebrew people is growing too quickly.

God blesses the midwives who spare the Hebrew males.

2

Moses is born and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses grows up in the palace, but as an adult, he ventures out among the Hebrew slaves and kills an Egyptian slavedriver. Because he is later recognized, Moses flees to Midian to escape punishment. In Midian, Moses becomes closely associated with a Midianite ranching family and he marries one of the man’s daughters. Meanwhile, in Egypt, the Israelites cry out because of their slavery and God hears them.

3

When Moses is out in the desert-wilderness of Midian, God (manifested as a burning bush) calls upon him to deliver the Jewish people. God carefully tells Moses what he is going to do, speaking first to the elders of Israel and eventually leading the sons of Israel out of Egypt to the Land of Promise. God also tells Moses how he will appeal to Pharaoh, and God indicates that Pharaoh is going to be negative towards this whole idea from the beginning.

4a

Moses complains to God that no one would listen to him, so God gives him two miracles to perform. Then God begins to tell Moses what he will do when those miracles are not considered. However, Moses complains that he is not a public speaker and would be unable to do what God is asking him to do. God tells Moses that he is going to meet his brother Aaron, and that Aaron would do the talking for him.

Moses tells his father-in-law that he is going to return to Egypt, but does not tell him about his encounter with God, instead saying that he is going to go see his family, to find out if they are still alive.

Along the way, God meets Moses and tells him that he must circumcise his sons before they proceed, which he does; and which greatly upsets his wife.

4b

In this half of the chapter, God tells Moses what the first and last signs (judgments, plagues) will be.

Moses meets Aaron and they go and speak to the elders of Israel, who believe what they say and therefore, they prostrate themselves before God.

5

Moses and Aaron go and speak directly to Pharaoh, and ask that they be able to lead the Hebrews a 3-day journey into the desert-wilderness to worship their God. Pharaoh says no and increases the workload of the Hebrew slaves, requiring them to find the straw on their own in order to make bricks (something which they did not have to do before). The Israelite foremen appeal to Pharaoh, who accuses them of being lazy and sends them out with no relief, requiring of them an impossible workload. These foremen complain to Moses and Aaron; and Moses then complains to God.

6a

God tells Moses that Pharaoh will eventually cooperate, but it will be under strong compulsion. God tells Moses of the promises which He has made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and that He will now begin to fulfill those promises. Moses, armed with this information, speaks to the sons of Israel, but they do not buy into it this time. Moses again complains to God, telling God that he is not a persuasive speaker—in fact, he is unable to even convince his own people of that.

6b

In the middle of Exodus 6, we have a genealogy of Reuben, Simeon and Levi; with the Levi genealogy leading to Moses.

6c

At the end of Exodus 6, we return to Moses making the point to God that he is unable to convince his own people, so how can he speak before Pharaoh? This appears to be the same conversation that Moses was having with God prior to the genealogy insertion.

Exodus 5–7 are somewhat confusing chapters, chronologically speaking. I believe what happened was, Moses, a few years after this all occurred, was recording the events of Ex. 5–6a, and he had to stop and attended so some crisis. Then he returned to write 6b, but was distracted again; and then he returned to write Ex. 6c–15 in almost one sitting.

My point being, whereas most of Exodus is a chronological narrative, that is not the case for these 3 chapters.

7a

God, answers Moses’ complaint from the previous chapter, saying that He has sent for Aaron to speak on behalf of Moses. He also warns that He will strengthen Pharaoh’s heart and also provide more signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. God promises that, in the end, He would bring all of the people out of Egypt.

Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh and this appears to be the same as the appearance in Ex. 5. They show the miracle of the staff being turned into a serpent; but Pharaoh’s magicians, wise men and sorcerers, were able to do the same thing. Despite the fact that Aaron’s serpent swallows up the serpents of the magicians, Pharaoh’s heart remains strong against God, and he would not listen to them, as God had warned would happen.

7b

God speaks to Moses about the first sign/plague, where Moses and Aaron are to station themselves to meet Pharaoh at the Nile River, and Aaron would raise the staff over all the waters and they would become blood (or something which resembled blood); and all of the waters in Egypt turned to blood, even standing water in open containers. The fish in these waters died and the water stank.

Magicians were able to duplicate this act in some way (on a much smaller scale) and Pharaoh remains obstinate. The Egyptians were able to dig shallow wells in order to find water to drink.

8

7 days later, God gives new instructions to Moses, that Aaron stretch out his staff over the waters, and from them would come billions of frogs, which would invade the land of Egypt everywhere. Moses and Aaron did this, and, even though the Magicians duplicate their sign on a small scale, Pharaoh asked that they speak to their God to remove the frogs, which had infested everywhere. Pharaoh agreed to send God’s people forth. A day later, all of the frogs died and only remained in the Nile. The dead frogs produced an horrendous odor. Pharaoh, after the frogs had died, strengthened his heart against God and refused to let God’s people go.

The 3^rd plague is gnats and it appeared that the very dust of Egypt was turned into gnats, which landed on people and on animals. The magicians could not even imitate this sign. They testified to Pharaoh that this was the finger of God. Pharaoh remained stubborn.

God then sends Moses and Aaron to stand before Pharaoh when he went to the water the next day, and to promise swarms of insects which would affect the Egyptians only (Plague #4). Pharaoh gave in (again), and promised to send the people out and even bargained with Moses as to how far they could go.

By the time that the swarming insects were removed, Pharaoh again had strengthened his heart against God.

9

Plagues 5 (killing of the Egyptian cattle), 6 (the boils); and 7 (hail) are found in Exodus 9. Pharaoh’s heart was strengthened against God after plagues 5 and 6.

For the 7^th plague, there was a warning to the Egyptians that God would send hail upon the land, and that it would kill the cattle which remained out in the field and all their vegetation. Pharaoh relents again. However, when Moses appeals to God to stop the extreme weather, Pharaoh hardens his heart against God once again.

10

Plagues 8 (locusts) and 9 (darkness).

With the threat of the plague of the locusts, even Pharaoh’s officials argued that he should send the Israelites into the desert-wilderness to worship their God. Pharaoh was about to give in, but he would only allow the men to go and worship God, as he believes Moses to have an evil plan in mind. Because of this, God sends the locusts, who were so thick that it was like darkness over the land. Pharaoh gave in, called Moses and Aaron to implore God to remove the locusts, but, after God does, God also strengthens Pharaoh’s heart and he relents again.

The plague of darkness followed, where there were 3 days of darkness, where no one could see anyone else. Pharaoh agrees that all of Israel may go and worship their God, but their flocks must remain behind. God strengthens Pharaoh’s heart (or, resolve), and he refuses; and warns Moses, “If you see my face again, you will die!”

11

The final plague (#10), the death of the firstborn, part I. Pharaoh is warned, and God makes his heart strong, to refuse to let the sons of Jacob go.

12

The final plague, the death of the firstborn, part II.

The Passover is instituted. Blood from a lamb would be applied to top and sides of the front door; and the Angel of God would pass over that house with the blood and pass over it (He would not take their firstborn).

God also institutes the celebration of the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, which would be continued throughout Israel’s history.

At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn, from the least to the greatest; and this included the firstborn of all livestock. Pharaoh rises up and sends all of the Israelites and their flocks and cattle out of Egypt.

After 430 years, the Lord brings the sons of Israel out of Egypt.

More regulations regarding the observation of the Passover are given.

13

In the first half of the chapter, Moses tells the people about the consecration of the firstborn and the regulations for the Festival of the Unleavened Bread.

At the end of the chapter, God is guiding the sons of Israel through the desert.

14

God brings the Israelites to the Sea of Reeds and warns Moses that He has made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn.

Meantime, Pharaoh decides that he has made a horrible mistake to let the Israelites go and he organizes his people to pursue the Hebrew people. As they approach the Hebrew people, the Hebrew people call out to God, not for deliverance, but to complain that He brought them out to the desert to die.

Moses upbraids the Hebrews, tells them to move forward toward the Sea of Reeds, where they will cross on dry land, between the waters.

The Egyptians follow after the Hebrews, and God allows the waters to come together, and they drown the Egyptians.

15a

Exodus 15 is a Song of Moses, celebrating the power of God over Egypt; and how this would concern other peoples who might be antagonistic toward the Hebrews.

There is also a short song by Miriam.

15b

After 3 days in the desert-wilderness, the Hebrew people had not come across any water. They came to the waters of Marah, which were bitter. A log was thrown into the waters to make the waters sweet. The people went further and came upon Elim, where there were 12 springs of water and palm trees.

16

The people grumble about their lack of food and God gives them manna from heaven.

17

God provides the children of Israel water from a rock (first instance of this).

The Amalekites come out to fight against the Israelites. In this battle, when Moses raises his arms, the battle goes in favor of the Israelites; when he lowers them, the battle goes against them.

18

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, comes to visit him in the desert-wilderness. He brings along with him Moses’ wife and their two children (they apparently returned to Midian at some point).

Jethro rejoices when he hears all that God did on behalf of Israel.

Jethro suggests that Moses delegate some of his responsibilities to lower-level judges.

19

The sons of Israel come to Mount Sinai and Moses calls for the people to cleanse themselves and to separate themselves from Mount Sinai. They were not to even touch it.

God makes himself visibly and audibly known on Mount Sinai.

20

God speaks the Ten Commandments to all the people of Israel; and it really shakes them up. They ask Moses to speak to God directly and then to tell them what God says. They do not want to hear God speaking directly to them.

The people pull back away from the mountain, and Moses goes towards the mountain to the thick darkness where God is. God speaks to Moses about idols and altars (which appears to continue into Exodus 21–23 for other topics).

Apart from the Ten Commandments, most of the moral laws are given in Exodus 21–23.

21

God gives laws about slavery, personal injury and homicide. These laws include actions by animals (the guilty party is the owner of the animal).

22

Laws on theft and a set of general property rights and laws. This chapter includes a wide variety of laws on illicit sexual activity, worship of another God, mistreatment of widows and orphans, loan conditions and restrictions, and consecration of the firstborn.

23

Laws on giving truthful testimony, the keeping of the Sabbath and Sabbatical years; and the three major festivals are described.

God promises to help the Israelites enter into the land of Canaan to take it.

24

God tells Moses that he may bring certain other people up the mountain with him next time.

Moses brings these laws, which he has written down, to the people. Animal sacrifices are offered and he reads the laws to the people.

Moses, Aaron and many other people go up Mount Sinai and God allowed them to see the Manifestation of Himself.

Moses then goes up by himself and remains at the top of the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.

The ceremonial laws specifically related to the Tabernacle and to the priesthood are given in Exodus 25–30. In total, there are only 10 chapters in Exodus specifically given over to the delineation of the laws of God. Much of this is ceremonial.

25

God describes the ceremonial things which are to be made/built. A description of the sacred furniture is given: the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat, the Table of Showbread, and the Golden Lampstand.

26

God describes how the Tabernacle is to be designed, as well as the Holy of Holies. Where the furniture is to be placed is also described.

27

The Altar, the Courtyard area, and the oil for the Lamp are described.

28

A description of the priest’s clothing, including the Ephod and the Breastpiece, is given.

29

The consecration of the priests is described.

30

A description of the Altar of Incense.

God speaks of the redemption price which must be paid for each person.

God then describes the Bronze Basin, the anointing oil, and the incense, all which will become a part of the rituals to be practiced by the Hebrews.

31

God tells Moses about specific craftsmen whom He has chosen to build these things.

God speaks to Moses about the Sabbath again.

When God was finished speaking to Moses, He gives him the two tablets of the Law, written by the finger of God.

32

While Moses is receiving the law from God, Aaron, down below, encouraged by the people, makes a golden calf for the people to worship. They celebrate heathen religious worship.

Meanwhile, on Mount Sinai, God warns Moses that the people are involved in idol worship and that He speaks of consuming them. Moses intercedes for the people, reminding God of the promises which He had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Moses comes down the mountain with Joshua, they can hear the celebration of the people. Moses is quite angry and he breaks the tablets of the Law, and first goes to Aaron, who lies about how it happened.

The Levites were called upon to destroy the wicked among them, and 3000 people were killed that day.

Moses goes back up the mountain and intercedes again for the people.

33

God instructs the people (through Moses) to leave Mount Sinai and to go towards the Land of Promise.

God demonstrates His Presence at the Tent of Meeting. This is the Tabernacle which will be built in chapters 35–40.

God allows Moses to see His Glory, but while Moses is in a crevice in the rock.

34

Moses cuts out the tablets of stone upon which God would write the Law a second time.

God describes His Essence/Personage.

God repeats His covenant promises to give Israel the land of Canaan, warning them to destroy all the vestiges of the heathen religion of the Canaanites.

35

The people bring offerings and materials for the building of the Tabernacle.

The craftsmen to build the Tabernacle and its furniture are drafted into service.

36

The head craftsmen are named again. While they were building the Tabernacle, the people continued to bring things to be used until they had brought too much.

The building of the Tabernacle is described.

37

Bezalel builds the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat, the Table of Showbread, the Golden Lampstand and the Altar of Incense. This is the furniture for the inside of the Tabernacle.

38

Bezalel then builds the Altar for Burnt Offerings and the Bronze Basin. He also builds the courtyard of the Tabernacle. All of this is related to the outside of the Tabernacle.

Then there is a record of all the materials used in the building of these things.

39

The priestly garments, the Ephod and the Breastplate are made; along with the robe of the Ephod and other priestly garments.

All that has made is brought to Moses for an inspection of the finished work.

40

God gives Moses instructions for setting up the Tent of Meeting, and the arrangement of the sacred furniture. Many things, including the priests, will require consecration prior to beginning their service. Moses obeys God’s instructions.

The Glory of God fills up the Tabernacle. The nature of God’s Presence with regard to the Tent of Meeting guided the Israelites in their movement toward the land of Canaan.

The book of Exodus begins with the descendants of Jacob in Egypt, who have been made slaves; and ends with the building of the Tabernacle (the Tent of Meeting); where God’s Shekinah Glory fills the Tabernacle.

I don’t know what to do when trying to compare these final chapters in the Greek and Hebrew. These chapters do not even come close to correlating.

Comparing Exodus 36-39 Greek and Hebrew

Exodus

Hebrew Text

Greek Text

36:1

The final thing said by Moses; belongs with Exodus 35.

Same.

36:2–7

Moses calls for a halt to the giving from the people. They have too much raw material.

Same.

36:8a

Building the Tabernacle; which is the Title of this section

36:8b–13

Construction of the curtains for the Tabernacle.

37:1–18 (They do not appear to really match up to the passage here.)

36:14–19

Construction of the curtains that go over the Tabernacle.

36:20–34

Construction of the boards and bars of the Tabernacle.

36:35–38

Pillars and hangings.

37:1–9

The Ark of the Tabernacle, including the Mercy Seat and the cherubim.

38:1–11

37:10–16

Constructing the Table of Showbread.

37:17–24

Constructing the Golden Lampstand.

37:12–17

37:25–29

Constructing the Altar of Incense and the oil and incense.

38:25 (making the oil and incense)

38:1–7

Making the Altar of Burnt Offering

38:22–24

38:8

Making the Bronze Laver.

38:26–27

38:9–20

Constructing the courtyard for the Tabernacle.

38:12–21 (the posts, chapiters, courtyard)

38:21–23

The people involved in the construction of the Tabernacle and the furniture.

37:19–21

38:24–31

A summary of the raw materials used on the Tabernacle and the furniture.

39:1–2

v. 3 is the population

39:4–10 (how the gold and silver is used)

39:1

The priestly garments.

36:8

39:2–7

Making the Ephod.

36:9–14

39:8–21

Making the breastplate.

36:15–29

39:22–31

Making the clothing for the priests and High Priest.

36:30–37

39:32–43

The work is completed and the finished products are brought to Moses.

39:13–23

In the LXX, there is the golden plate in Exodus 36:38.

In the LXX, there is the use of the excess materials in Exodus 39:11–15.

Although I just glanced at the different sections, the Greek did not appear to synch up with the Hebrew, even at matching up these sections. I will probably give that a try, nevertheless.

There are several important questions about the book of Exodus.

Fundamental Questions About the book of Exodus

1.      How long were the sons of Israel in Egypt? The two primary views are 215 years and 430 years.

2.      How many people exactly moved with Jacob to Egypt?

3.      What about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart? Is God able to turn a person’s positive volition into negative volition in order to make a point?

4.      

I cannot guarantee to answer any of these questions satisfactorily. I will make every effort to do so, and to expose you to other explanations as well.

As I begin or proceed through a book or a chapter, various questions occur to me.

Fundamental Questions for the Book of Exodus

[Just because these questions occur to me, this does not mean that I will be able to successfully answer them]

What did it mean for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart? Did God actually change his volition?

Were the plagues upon Israel miracles or natural occurrences or a combination of the two?

What did God mean in Ex. 6:2–3: And God spoke to Moses, and said to him, I am YHWH: and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name YHWH I wasn't known to them.

Why were all of the plagues necessary? Was there not a way to remove Israel from Egypt miraculously?

This doctrine is found twice in this chapter.

The Internal Historicity of Exodus (Dr. Peter Pett)

That the Exodus happened we can be in no doubt. Its centrality in Israel’s future faith confirms it. This is demonstrated by its regular representation in the Psalms as something to be sung about and seen as central to their worship, especially as related to the Reed Sea deliverance and Mount Sinai. And no nation of antiquity would have invented a story so demeaning to itself. When nations invented stories it was in order to glorify themselves not in order to demean themselves.

The book reveals a nation of slaves (in the ancient sense of the term), and a man trained up in Egypt in administration and leadership, gaining knowledge of the wilderness in exile, who tackles the mighty Egyptian king face to face and outfaces him, leads a conglomerate people made up of many nations, but whose core is the Israelites, out of Egypt and through the wilderness, and establishes a basis of nationhood for them in the Covenant of the Ten Commandments, the Book of the Covenant and the laws that follow.

He could not do this without appealing to their general and religious background and there can be no doubt that he would call on their ancient records as the basis for their faith. It was therefore extremely likely, even from a human point of view, that he would take those records and incorporate them in some kind of continual narrative (if that had not already been done) so that the large number of foreign elements within the group could be made familiar with the background and ethos of this people with whom they had joined themselves in the Exodus. They needed to be established in the traditions of Israel. As also did Israel itself need to be reminded of its own traditions. This was the final origin of the Book of Genesis which was based on those ancient records (apart possibly from a few later scribal amendments which were a quite normal procedure). Exodus continues the story.

Dr. Peter Pett; Commentary Series on the Bible; from e-sword, Exodus Book Commentary.

Shmoop tends to be rather flippant in his approach.

Shmoop Introduction to the Book of Exodus

In A Nutshell

___________________________________________________________________________________

Before you see Exodus: Gods and Kings, make sure you know the real story. Then you'll be able to tell Ridley Scott what's what, and you'll finally have something worthwhile to say in all those Christian Bale fan letters you keep writing.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Meet the Bible's freedom-fighting, plague-inducing, show-stopping revolutionaries: Moses, his brother Aaron, and of course, God. This is the A-Team that's ready to set the Israelites free from the bonds of slavery in Egypt and high tail it for the desert. On the road, it'll rain fire, bread, and commandments. Buckle up: this is going to be a crazy ride.

Traditionally, Exodus was thought to have been written by Moses himself, but nowadays folks think it's an amalgamation of texts—like almost everything else in the Bible—put together between 400 and 600 BCE. Whatever you believe, Exodus is a pivotal moment; it's about a community trying to redefine itself as the ancient world underwent huge changes.

Around this time, the Greeks were peaking and the Romans were getting started. Yep, the Greeks were doing their Zeus while Exodus was being ready. It's easy to forget that this stuff was around together—not exactly melting pot, but still pretty cool to think about.

Written in Hebrew, Exodus is a combination of national narrative—the stories that help identify a country—and straight-up law. And freedom moments are huge for any culture, right? Think about July 4th for Americans or Bastille Day for the French. The day your people went from slavery or oppression to freedom is the day that your culture became, well, your culture. For The Israelites, being freed from Egypt and taking on the covenant with God is huge politically, socially, economically, and religiously. It's the perfect storm of big moments, and we're here to take you through it all.

Before we start, a quick note about the historical Exodus. Archaeologically, there is no evidence for a mass migration of people on the scale the Bible describes. For us (and for you), this is nearly irrelevant; no matter what actually happened, the stories in this book have had a crazy amount of social impact on Western culture. Like it or not, the stories—not the historicity—are what wield the power.

You can find shmillions of historical explanations for the Exodus, the Plagues, and all that jazz. That stuff is all pretty fascinating, and in some cases essential to good, old-fashioned academic work. But here, we focus on the stories. That's what we do best.

WHY SHOULD I CARE?

The Ten Commandments. Shmoop out.

Not really, but let's face it: so many of our ideas about morals and laws come from this text.

The Exodus story shapes the entire rest of the Bible. Because it's such a pivotal moment in Israelite culture, the story, the rules, and the aura reverberate throughout the rest of the book. It's the point at which God and the Israelites—the two biggest characters of the Hebrew Bible—get to know each other.

But what about Genesis? Isn't that the biggest, most defining book? Nope. We're sticking to our guns and going with Exodus. Take a minute to think about what a book like Genesis does; it's a collection of stories, myths, and legends, right? But Exodus takes those themes and vaults them onto a much larger stage. God doesn't help out one family—he helps out a nation. The Ten Commandments don't apply to just Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob—they apply to all the Israelites. We're going from family-centered to nation-centered, just like that.

And the rest of the Hebrew Bible will be concerned with this issue: how to get God to participate in Israelite life. This is the crash course on what God is like in the "flesh," what his rules are, and how he acts in public places. The whole Hebrew Bible is concerned with God's relationship with the Israelites, and it all starts right here.

From https://www.shmoop.com/exodus/ accessed April 29, 2019.

In retrospect, I believe the Pett stated all that we really need to know.

Commentators Who Believe in Mosaic Authorship

Dr. Peter Pett: There is a continuous testimony throughout history that the book was mainly the work of Moses. No one will deny that other Old Testament books assert the essential Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch demonstrating the strong tradition supporting the claim (see for example Joshua 8:31–32; Joshua 23:6; 1Kings 2:3; 2Kings 14:6; 2Kings 23:25; 2Chron. 23:18; 2Chron. 25:4; 2Chron. 34:14; 2Chron. 35:12; Ezra 3:2; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 8:1; Neh. 8:14; Neh. 13:1; Dan. 9:11; Dan. 9:13; Mal. 4:4). And this list only includes actual references to his writing. To list all the reference referring to God’s command given through Moses would require a number of pages. Very important among the above is Joshua 8:31–32 which testifies to the fact that what Joshua had written on the stones came from the written law of Moses. Accepting that Joshua did write on those stones (and we have no reason for doubting it) this takes the testimony back to eyewitnesses. Through all this period there is no hint that it was written by anyone else.

Pett continues: More importantly Jesus Christ Himself saw the Pentateuch as the writings of Moses (John 5:46–47), as without error (Matt. 5:17–18), and indicated Moses’ connection with Deuteronomy (Matt. 19:7–8; Mark 10:3–5). See also Peter (Acts 3:22), Stephen (Acts 7:37–38), Paul (Rom. 10:19; 1Cor. 9:9), and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 10:28).

Pett continues: Thus the weight of all the earliest evidence, and of the Scriptural evidence, is that Moses was its source. His ‘authorship’ is therefore something that has to be disproved for those disinclined to accept it, rather than something that has to be proved.

Pett continues: Of course when we speak of Mosaic authorship we must understand what is being claimed. It is not necessarily believed that Moses wrote every word of the book in his own hand, for it would be quite in accordance with the day for him to use a scribe. Mosaic authorship instead is intended to indicate that Moses is the source of the information in it, although the actual recording would have been done by the scribe that he chose, with the finalising possibly done after his death when there was no longer the living voice. This was possibly done by Joshua, although it may have been Eliezer or some other godly scribe unknown to us who was Moses’ confidant. But that Moses insisted on putting things in writing comes out throughout the Pentateuch (Ex. 17:14; Ex. 24:4–8; Ex. 34:27; Num. 33:1–2; Deut. 31:9; Deut. 31:22) and the number of times that we are told ‘Yahweh said to Moses’ (or the equivalent) are legion. And we must remember that Israel’s most sacred relic was the Ark of the Book (Testimony).

Dr. Thomas Constable: Moses, who lived from about 1525 to 1405 B.C., wrote Exodus (Ex. 17:14; Ex. 24:4; Ex. 34:4; Ex. 34:27–29). He could have written it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit any time after the events recorded (after about 1444 B.C.). He may have written it during the year the Israelites camped at the base of Mt. Sinai. He may have done so during the 38–year period of wandering in the wilderness following the Israelites' failure to enter the land from Kadesh Barnea (cf. Numbers 13–14; ca. 1443–1405 B.C.). On the other hand he may have written it on the plains of Moab just before his death (cf. Ex. 16:35)...These dates tie in with the date of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, which will be discussed in the exposition of chapter 12 below. Some of what Moses wrote down was done (the words of God) occurred immediately after God spoke to him.

Arno Gaebelein: The school of the destructive Bible criticism claims that Exodus is of a composite origin. The same confusing nonsense of a “Jehovist-Elohist-Priestly” narrative with a number of redactors, with which they dissect Genesis, has been applied to Exodus. Canon Driver, an ardent disciple of the fathers of higher criticism, makes the following statement: “The two main sources used in Exodus are those now generally known as ‘Jehovist-Elohist,’ the chief component parts of which date probably from the seventh or eighth century before Christ, and the ‘Priestly’ which is generally considered to have been written during or shortly after the Babylonian captivity.” According to these statements Moses had nothing whatever to do with the composition of this book. We do not care to invite our readers to a closer inspection of this higher critical dissecting room, nor do we wish to burden our pages with the infidel assertions of these so-called “learned men.” It is a hopeless labyrinth of theories and contradictions, which lead gradually but surely into the outer darkness. Yet these pernicious inventions are taught in many colleges and seminaries of the different evangelical denominations.

Rabbi Dr. Benno Jacob of Goettingen , Germany: All these and similar analyses of the sources of Exodus and the conclusions based thereon are entirely wrong.... The theory that the book of Exodus was compiled from previous works is not sufficiently supported; and the attempt to analyze it into its component parts is a hopeless one, for all the elements of the book are closely welded together into one harmonious whole.

Arno Gaebelein continues: Every intelligent reader of Exodus makes this discovery. The impression is at once created that only one person wrote this book, and that this person was intimately acquainted with the history of the period which Exodus treats. That the author was Moses is indisputable.

Barnes: The narrative is closely connected with that of Genesis, and shows not only that it was written by the same author, but that it formed part of one general plan. Still it is a distinct section. The first events which it relates are separated from the last chapter in Genesis by a considerable interval, and it presents the people of Israel under totally different circumstances. Its termination is marked with equal distinctness, winding up with the completion of the tabernacle. Although I certainly agree that Exodus is a continuation of Genesis; I also believe that Genesis had about 10 authors, each of which picked up the narrative where the previous one left off, generally beginning with the wâw consecutive.

Barnes continues: The Book of Exodus could not have been written by any man who had not passed many years in Egypt, and who did not also have a thorough knowledge, such as could only be acquired by personal observation, of the Sinaitic Peninsula.

Barnes continues: No Jewish writer, who had lived in Palestine alone, could have imagined a narrative so Egyptian in its marks. All evidence tends to prove that the history was written by someone who was well conversant with Egypt; and we shall look in vain for anyone, other than Moses himself, who possessed this qualification for writing the history of the emancipation of the Israelites under divine guidance.

Barnes continues: Modern travelers point out the following coincidences between the narrative and their own experiences. Absence of water where no sources now exist, abundance of water where fountains are still found, and indications of a far more copious supply in former ages; tracts, occupying the same time in the journey, in which food would not be found; and, in some districts, a natural production similar to manna, most abundant in rainy seasons (such as several notices show the season of the Exodus to have been), but not sufficient for nourishment, nor fit for large consumption, without such modifications in character and quantity as are attributed in the narrative to a divine intervention.

Barnes continues: The late explorations of the Peninsula of Sinai have thrown much light upon the fact that the route taken by the Israelites was probably determined by conditions agreeing with incidental notices in the history; and when we come to the chapters in which the central event in the history of Israel, the delivery of God’s law, is recorded, we find localities and scenery which travelers concur in declaring to be such as fully correspond to the exigencies of the narrative, and which in some accounts (remarkable at once for scientific accuracy and graphic power) are described in terms which show that they correspond, so far as mere outward accessories can correspond, to the grandeur of the manifestation.

Wenstrom: Liberal scholarship rejects Mosaic authorship. John Hannah writes, “Liberal scholars approach the book in one of three ways. First, scholars after Julius Wellhausen attempt to isolate the literary origins of the book, assuming three sources over a lengthy time span. This is commonly known as the documentary approach or JEDP theory (but there would be no ‘D’ source in Ex.). (Cf. ‘The Authorship of Gen.’ in the Introduction to Gen.) Second, the form-critical approach attempts to discover in the text small literary units through an understanding of the history behind the forms. In this way these scholars attempt to determine the date of the original writing of the book. Third, the traditionalist-critical school argues for a long, oral transmission of the accounts, though the exact recovery of the accounts is unlikely. These three approaches are similar in their basic assumptions: Moses probably did not write the book, the exact nature of the events is difficult to determine, and the date of compilation is late.” (Walvoord and Zuck; The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, pages 102-103; Victor Books, SP Publications, 1985).

Wenstrom continues: To reject Mosaic authorship for the book of Exodus is to deny the inspiration of the Bible since both the Old and New Testaments confirm Mosaic authorship. First of all, the book of Exodus explicitly states that Moses wrote the book of Exodus since God commanded Moses to write the events of Joshua’s military campaign against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:14). Exodus 24:4 also states that Moses wrote down everything the Lord communicated to him on Mount Sinai. This was called the “book of the covenant” (24:7). The Lord told Moses to “write down these words” in Exodus 34:27 and it is recorded in 34:28 that Moses “wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant.” 

Individual portions of this will be referenced in specific chapters, where they are pertinent.

Internal Evidences of Mosaic Authorship of Exodus (from Whedon)

1. REFERENCES TO GEOGRAPHY. — Every day reveals more and more clearly the accuracy of the knowledge which the author of Exodus possessed concerning the geography of Egypt, the Red Sea coast, and the Desert of Sinai. The Egypt of Exodus is the Nile-land of history and of the monuments. Every intelligent traveller, whatever his religious belief, regards the Book of Exodus as the indispensable guidebook in the wilderness of Sinai. The history of the book is indissolubly bound to its geography; and although many of the sites which it mentions are still unidentified, yet in the desert mounds and ruins, springs, palm clusters and wadies, and in the floating Bedouin traditions, every traveller is seeking after the Bible names, and finding fresh proofs of the geographical accuracy of Exodus.

2. REFERENCES TO CLIMATOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY. — The Nile is Egypt’s rain, and Moses describes the inhabitants as wholly dependent upon the river for drink, keeping its water in reservoirs and cisterns, and sorely distressed when it was tainted. (See notes on the first plague, chap. 7.) The narrative of the plagues shows a minute acquaintance with the climate, insects, reptiles, domestic animals, and cultivated grains, peculiar to Egypt.

So the account of the tabernacle shows acquaintance with the productions of the Desert. The boards of the sanctuary are made not of cedar or cypress, as they would have been in Palestine, but of the desert shittah, or acacia, and it was covered with the skins of the tachash, the seal or the halicore of the Red Sea. Mr. Holland measured acacia trees in the Desert nine feet in circumference, and the Bedouins make sandals of the skin of the halicore.

It has been strongly objected, by Colenso and others, that the Desert of Sinai never could have sustained two millions of people, with their cattle, for forty years. But this is also the precise statement of our narrative; which accordingly relates the specially providential or miraculous provisions of the manna, the quails, and the water from the rock of Horeb. It is particularly and repeatedly declared that ordinary natural means were not sufficient to sustain them. It is not specially stated that pasturage was providentially or supernaturally provided for the cattle, but we are at liberty to suppose this, if needful, for the greater miracle of the manna includes lesser ones like this. Colenso’s difficulties arise wholly from attempting to account for what is avowedly supernatural upon natural causes, and of course he finds these difficulties insuperable.

Yet it is most probable that there was not any thing supernatural in providing pasturage for the cattle of Israel. The monuments and the most recent explorations of travellers show conclusively that the Desert did once sustain a great population. Long before the time of Moses there were permanent Egyptian settlements in this desert, around the copper, iron, and turqouise mines of Maghara and Sarabit-el-Khadim, where troops, officered by men of high rank, were garrisoned, and who have left their record in the beautiful bas-reliefs of Wady Maghara. These inscriptions boast of Egyptian victories over the warriors of the Peninsula, showing that they were then formidable enough in numbers and in valour to contest the supremacy of these deserts and mountains. Rich veins of iron, copper, and turquoise are now found in that vicinity; and ancient slag heaps, as well as remnants of smelting furnaces, are met with in many parts of the Peninsula. (Palmer’s Desert of the Exodus, chaps. 2:10.)

Palmer, of the “Sinai Survey Expedition,” describes extensive and massive foundations and walls of ruined cities — deep, finely constructed wells — walled fields — and traces of terraced gardens — where now are arid wastes. Hundreds of monastic gardens and orchards were once scattered through the Sinai mountains. The causes of these great changes have also been largely, if not wholly, discovered. The reckless destruction of the forest has diminished the rainfall, and the contemptuous neglect of all cultivation on the part of the inhabitants has left the soil to be stripped from the hillsides and carried down the rocky wadies by the torrents which are produced by every shower, which else might be clothing these barren valleys with blooming gardens. The rich black soil, palm groves, and tamarisk thickets of Wady Feiran, and the convent gardens and orchards around Jebel Musa, show what cultivation might accomplish here. The wretched misgovernment of centuries, which has not only neglected but wasted the natural resources, even levying upon the country a tribute of charcoal which annually diminishes the scanty stock of timber, and the total neglect of irrigation and agriculture, have been steadily deteriorating the country for more than two thousand years. The same causes have operated in this desert which have changed Palestine from a “land of milk and honey” to the bare and barren country which the Christian traveller visits to-day. See note on Exo_15:22.

In reading the narrative of the desert sojourn we are not to consider the people of Israel as constantly in motion. The greater part of the forty years they spent at fertile halting places in the desert wadies, where they scattered over several square miles for pasturage; and when they moved to another camping place it is probable that the cattle carried the water for their own use in leathern bottles or sacks, as Baker tells us that the cattle in the Abyssinian deserts do to-day. Holland, who has four times visited the Peninsula, and wandered over it for months on foot, sees no difficulty in finding pasturage for the flocks of the Israelites, and says that “it is wonderful how apparent difficulties melt away as one’s acquaintance with the country increases.” — SMITH’S Dict., Am. Ed., (Appendix.)

3. REFERENCES TO LANGUAGE. — Egyptian scholars have shown that the author of Exodus was acquainted with the Egyptian language, from his peculiar use of words. In a brief paragraph we can instance but a few among a multitude of examples which may be gathered from consulting Birch’s Egyptian Lexicon, in the last volume of “Egypt’s Place in Universal History,” by Baron Bunsen. Canon Cook calls attention to the most noticeable fact, that in that portion of Exodus which treats especially of Egyptian affairs words are constantly used which are either of Egyptian origin or are common to Hebrew and Egyptian.

There is a series of examples in the description of the “ark of bulrushes,” (Exo_2:3,) which will illustrate this argument.

 תבה (tbh,) “ark,” Egyptian, teb, Septuagint, thibe, is a common Egyptian word meaning “chest,” “coffer,” or “cradle.” This word occurs twenty-seven times in the books of Moses, and nowhere else. It has no Shemitic root or equivalent.

 גמא, “bulrush,” papyrus, is, according to Brugsch, the Egyptian kam, and it is significant that it is used by Isaiah to describe “the habitation of dragons,” lairs of the crocodiles of the Nile, (Isa_35:7,) and the vessels of the Upper-Nile Ethiopian ambassadors, (Isa_18:2,) while it nowhere else occurs, except in one passage of Job.

 חמר (chmr,) verb and noun, meaning daub, slime, has the same letters, although reversed, as the Egyptian word of the same meaning, mrch.

 זפת (zft,) “pitch,” is the common Egyptian sft.

 סופ (suph,) “flags,” is the hieroglyphic tufi, the Coptic and modern Egyptian zufi.

 יאר (ior,) “river,” is the Egyptian ior or aur, as read on the Rosetta stone; and “by the river’s brink,” or “lip,” is the exact Egyptian idiom as given in the famous “Funeral Ritual.” In a papyrus of the nineteenth dynasty we read, “I sat down upon the lip of the river.” All these Egyptian words and idioms occurring in this single verse, which describes the exposure of the infant Moses in the Nile, convey an irresistible impression that they were written by one born and bred in Egypt.

A long list of similar words could easily be furnished, and we instance especially the proper names Moses, Pharaoh, Pithom, and Rameses, on which see the notes; and the common nouns sare missim, “taskmasters,” lords of tribute; seneh, “bramble,” Egyptian, sheno; tebhen, “straw,” Egyptian, tebu; kin, “fly” or mosquito, Egyptian, ken, which means “plague;” pasach, “passover,” Egyptian, pesht.

Besides words of this character, which are virtually identical in the two languages, the author also uses many words which are not Shemitic in origin and can be traced to Egyptian roots. This verbal usage clearly shows the Egyptian training of the author of Exodus, and it is a usage which would not occur in the work of a writer trained in Palestine.

4. REFERENCES TO ART. — The building of the treasure cities, the work among bricks, and the gathering of straw and stubble for this work, all receive abundant illustration from the Egyptian monuments. (See on Exodus v, and illustrations there from Wilkinson.) The temples, tombs, and palaces of Egypt have never been elsewhere equaled in vastness and massiveness, and immense multitudes of slaves were employed, as shown in the mural pictures, for transporting the granite, basalt, and sandstone from the distant quarries; in the manufacture of bricks, both sun-dried and kiln-burnt, which are as enduring as the stone; in cutting the canals and building the dykes which covered the land like a net-work; and in rearing these colossal monuments to the pride and power of the Pharaohs.

The architecture and furniture of the tabernacle are precisely what might have been expected from artists who had been trained in the Egyptian cities. As shown above, the materials were such as would have been used in the desert, and not after the settlement in Palestine. The arts of carving, of embroidery, of overlaying with gold, of the ornamentation of capitals, hangings and walls, with the representations of fruits and flowers, and with symbolic forms setting forth spiritual truths, were precisely the arts in which the Egyptians were most famous, as is abundantly illustrated in their palaces, tombs, and temples. Moreover, these were arts to which the Israelites never gave special attention after their settlement in Canaan, so that Solomon was obliged to send to Tyre for workmen to build and ornament his palace and temple. Alone among the famous nations of antiquity the Hebrews have left us hardly a trace of their architecture, and not a vestige of their painting or sculpture. Thus this sanctuary tent was not only just adapted to the nomad life of the desert sojourn, but we cannot well conceive of its origin under any other circumstances than those related in the book of Exodus.

5. REFERENCES TO CONTEMPORARY HISTORY. — The exact epoch of the exode of Israel is as yet one of the unsettled questions, although more light daily gathers about it. The general harmony of this narrative with the history, religion, government, and manners of ancient Egypt is universally recognised, as is shown in the notes where occasion offers. But a closer harmony with any special period of Egyptian history we do not believe can as yet be found, although the time when this will be possible cannot be far distant. See Introduction to the History of the Plagues, chap. vii, and Concluding Note 1 to chap. 1. It will be seen that we have not entangled our exegesis with the historical theories of Poole, Wilkinson, Lepsius, or Ewald, (though inclining most to the last,) for the time to write dogmatically upon this subject has not yet come.

6. REFERENCES TO MOSES HIMSELF. — The references to the great founder and lawgiver of Israel are worthy of a separate and careful study. They are such as could have been made by no man except Moses himself. Let the reader peruse the book, imagining it to be the work of a contemporary, such as Joshua or Eleazer, or of a Jew of a later age, such as Samuel, or a Levite of the times of the Kings, and this conviction will be felt at once. Moses, the founder and the father of the nation, the lawgiver and deliverer of Israel, was beloved and venerated by every Hebrew above all other human beings, as the greatest man of all time. What Israelite of that or of any age would have set down thus plainly and nakedly the failures, weaknesses, and sins of Moses? Who of his followers would thus have painted his stammering speech, his halting faith, his hasty wrath, the rebukes and punishments which fell upon him from Heaven? What scribe of the time of the Judges or Kings would thus have hidden Moses in his work — overshadowed him with the Sinai cloud? Not thus do men write of their heroes, unless, indeed, they are lifted up by inspiration above human prejudices; but inspired men do not forge history and law, and this work is simply a forgery if it is not the work of Moses. It is clear that the author of Exodus did not know of the personal and historic greatness of Moses.

Only Moses, and the Moses here described as the slowly-fitted instrument of Jehovah, could thus have written of the lawgiver, founder, and father of Israel.

The theory of Ewald, Knobel, and others, that this body of history and law grew gradually from various documents in a later age, contradicts fundamental laws of human nature. Especially is it difficult to see how it can be held by men possessing the moral sense. It assumes that men who above all others worshipped, loved and trusted a God whom they believed to be holy, had yet no sense of truthfulness. It makes this book a solecism in literature and in history.

Our comment assumes the existence and influence of the supernatural. Not the unnatural, nor the contra-natural, but the supernatural, is assumed in the fact of revelation. Denial of this has logically led many able and learned writers to manifold theories and artifices of interpretation, some absurd and some dishonest, in order to bring all the phenomena of the Scriptures within the range of natural law. It is well for the reader to see that these manifold questions of interpretation are all virtually settled before the commentator begins his work, by the settlement of the previous question, whether the Creator of Nature is yet its Lord, using its laws to reveal himself in truths undiscoverable by Reason, but clear and convincing to Faith. So overwhelming is the evidence of the authenticity of this narrative that no objection worth attention would now arise from any quarter if the book did not contain accounts of supernatural events. In fact, all the real objections made to its authenticity and genuineness are found, when reduced to their lowest terms, to be a simple denial of the supernatural. While the critical keenness and learning of eminent Rationalists have done the truth great service by their attestation to the substantial verity of the narrative in Exodus, they have done no less a service by attesting as constantly, in the criticism of its details, to the fact that these are phenomena of history that cannot be accounted for on merely natural causes.

Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments; Editor: Daniel D. Whedon, D.D. L.L.D.; Ⓟ1874–1909; from E-sword; Exodus Book Commentary.

The Cambridge Bible does not believe in Mosaic authorship. They believe that many hands developed this text before it was presented as a finished product and then accepted into the canon of Scripture.

The Cambridge Bible Gives Their Take on the Authorship of Exodus

The Book of Exodus, like the other books of the Hexateuch, is of composite origin, and reached its present form by a series of stages, being built up gradually on the basis of excerpts from pre–existing documents or sources. The principal grounds on which this conclusion of modern criticism respecting the sources and structure of the Hexateuch rests, are stated in the General Introduction to the Pentateuch in the present series: here, therefore, the conclusion will be taken for granted; and all that will be attempted will be to explain, as far as may be necessary or possible, the details of the composition of the book, and to give an outline of the narrative contained in each of the sources. The two oldest sources of which Exodus is composed are those now commonly known as ‘J’ and ‘E’—the former, called ‘J’ on account of its author’s almost exclusive use of the sacred name Jehovah, written probably in Judah in the 9th cent b.c., and the latter, called ‘E’ on account of the preference, frequently shewn in Genesis and Numbers not less than in Exodus, for Elohim (‘God’), written probably a little later in the Northern Kingdom. The principal materials out of which these two narratives were constructed were partly oral tradition, and partly (esp. in chs. 20–23, Ex. 34:10–28) written laws. Excerpts from these two sources were combined together, so as to form a single continuous narrative (JE), by a compiler, or redactor (RJE), who sometimes at the same time made slight additions of his own, usually of a hortatory or didactic character, and who lived probably in the early part of the 7th cent. b.c. The parts derived from J and E are in tone and point of view (as in the other books of the Hexateuch) akin to the writings of the great prophets: the additions which seem to be due to the compiler approximate in both style and character to Deuteronomy (7th cent b.c.). The other source used in Exodus is the one which, from the priestly interests conspicuous in it, is commonly denoted by ‘P’: this is evidently the work of a priestly school, whose chief interest it was to trace to their origin, and embrace in a framework of history, the ceremonial institutions of the people. Exodus 1–24 contains only a few fragmentary excerpts from P; but the fact that chs. 25–31:18a and 35–40 belong to it—to say nothing of nearly the whole of Leviticus—is sufficient to substantiate what has been just said. There are reasons for thinking (pp. 328 f., 378) that what has here been denoted by P, though it all bears the same priestly stamp, is not throughout the work of the same hand, but that parts of it (e.g. most of chs. 30–31, 35–40) are of later origin than the rest. It is probable that P was written, partly during the Babylonian exile, partly during the century that followed the return to Judah. The materials upon which it was based were partly, it seems, historical traditions current in priestly circles, partly the knowledge of pre–exilic Temple usage possessed at the time, the whole of the latter being arranged, developed, and systematised so as to form an ideal picture of the theocracy, as it was supposed to have existed in the Mosaic age. A second compiler or redactor (RP), living in the 5th or 4th cent. b.c., taking P as the framework of his narrative, inserted into it large portions of JE, and so, except perhaps for a very few still later additions (e.g. Ex. 38:21–31), produced Exodus—not of course as an isolated book, but as a part of the Hexateuch—in its present shape.

The discourses of Deuteronomy must have been united to JE, before the latter was combined with P. The compilation of the entire Hexateuch will thus have been effected in three main stages: first, J and E were combined by a compiler, RJE; secondly, the discourses of Deuteronomy were combined with the whole thus formed by a second compiler, RD; and thirdly, P was combined with JED, or the whole formed by JE and D, by a third compiler, Rp. The sources, and gradual formation, of the Hexateuch may be exhibited approximately by the diagram on p. xiii (cf. Bennett, Exodus, in the Century Bible, p. 18).

The reader who desires to view the Hexateuch in its historical perspective, should thus think of it as a series of strata: the oldest and lowest stratum consisting of JE—for J and E, as they are very similar in character and tone, may, for many practical purposes, be grouped together as a single stratum—expanded here and there by additions made by RJE; the second stratum consisting of the discourses of Deuteronomy, written in the 7th cent b.c., and combined with JE not long afterwards; and the third and latest stratum consisting of P. And when a verse or passage of the Hexateuch is quoted or referred to, he should cultivate and strengthen his historical sense by thinking of it not as a part of the Hexateuch generally, but as a part of the particular stratum to which it belongs.

I included all of this, undiluted with commentary. Most people, simply be reading this, can see what a very confused approach this is. Originally, it was thought that no one actually was writing anything in the time of Moses, so some explanation had to be developed to explain where the book of Exodus (and the other books) came from. The premise or reason for this weird approach was later shown to be false, but this sort of explanation for the authorship of Exodus still remains.

There is more to this work and discussion, where these various authors, editors and influences are further defined and portions of the book of Exodus specified; but my hopes are, simply by reading the text on your own, you can see that this is not really a viable option for the authorship of this book.

Sometimes scholars become too brilliant for their own good, devising weird ideas and theories and then using very complex, yet false ways of propping up their work. A good example of this is Keynesian Theories of Economics (where a nation taxes itself out of debt).

On the other hand, setting this approach by the Cambridge Bible aside, portions of their commentary are quite helpful and enlightening.

It was difficult to find much text in the very extensive introduction to the book of Exodus by the Cambridge Bible. So much of it was given over to commentary which included identifying and commenting on the various “authors” for this book (J, E, or P). In most cases, it was not worth the effort.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges; 1882-1921; by Cambridge University Press; General Editor J. J. S. Perowne, from e-sword, Exodus Book Commentary (Sources and Literary Structure of the Book of Exodus).

This appears to be the ultimate list of proofs.

Evidence that Moses is the Author of Exodus (College Press Bible Study)

I.       Testimony in the book itself.

         1.      Ex. 17:8–16 (the story of the attack by Amalek) is said to have been written by Moses. See Ex. 17:14.

         2.      Ex. 20:22 to Ex. 23:32 (the book of covenant ordinances) is said to have been written by Moses. See Ex. 24:4.

         3.      Ex. 34:10–26 (the ordinances of the renewed covenant) was written by Moses. See Ex. 34:27.

         4.      Num. 33:2 says that “Moses wrote their (Israel’s) going out according to their journeys by the commandment of Jehovah.” While this may apply primarily to the brief record in Numbers 33, it may also apply to the record of their journey in Exodus 12–19.

         5.      From these passages, which are the only ones specifically ascribed to Moses in the book, we can project (extrapolate) Mosaic authorship to the entire book, because the book is a unit and tells a continuous story.

II.      Testimony in other parts of the Old Testament.

         1.      Joshua 8:31—“As it is written in the book of the law of Moses,” (referring to Ex. 20:25).

         2.      Joshua 8:32—“He wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses.”

         3.      Joshua 23:6—“Do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses.”

         4.      Judges 3:4—“which he commanded their father by (Heb., by the hand of) Moses.”

         5.      1Kings 2:3—“Keep his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses.”

         6.      1Kings 8:56—“which he promised by (Heb., by the hand of) Moses.”

         7.      2Chron. 25:4—“As it is written in the law in the books of Moses.”

         8.      2Chron. 35:6—“According to the word of the Lord by (Heb., by the hand of) Moses” (concerning the

         9.      Ezra 6:18—“As it is written in the book of Moses.”

         10.    Neh. 10:29—“which was given by Moses” (Heb., by the hand of Moses).

         11.    Mal. 4:4—“Remember ye the law of Moses my servant.”

III.     Testimony of the New Testament.

         1.      Mark 7:10—“Moses said, Honor thy father and mother.”

         2.      Mark 12:26—“Have ye not read in the book of Moses?” (referring to Ex. 3:6)

         3.      Luke 24:44—“All things . . . which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me.” (By these expressions Jesus referred to the entire Old Testament.)

         4.      John 1:17—“The law was given through Moses.”

         5.      John 5:46–47—“For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me (Jesus); for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?”

         6.      Compare also these passages, which attribute other parts of the Pentateuch to Moses: Matt. 8:4; Matt. 19:7; Matt. 22:24; Mark 1:44; Luke 2:22; Luke 16:29; Luke 20:28; John 7:19; Acts 3:22; Acts 26:22; Rom. 10:5; Rom. 10:19; 1Cor. 9:9.

IV.     Testimony of ancient Jewish writers.

         1.      From the Jewish Talmudic tract Baba Bathra, 14b–15a:

“Who wrote the Scriptures?—Moses wrote his own book and the portion of Balaam and Job. Joshua wrote the book which bears his name and [the last] eight verses of the Pentateuch.” (The Talmud was put into writing in the second and third centuries after Christ.)

         2.      From the Jewish Talmudic tract Aboth (Fathers), chap. I:

“MISHNAH: 1. Moses received the Torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua.” The commentary (Gemara) on the term “Torah” says, “Scripture and its complementary Oral Instruction, with special reference to the latter.”

         3.      Josephus, Against Apion, 1, 8.

(Of our books) “five belong to Moses, which contain his laws and the traditions of the origin of mankind till his death.” (Josephus wrote about 80 A.D.)

The view that Moses was author of Exodus was the unanimous view of Bible writers and the ancient Jews. So strong and consistent was this testimony that even those who do not accept Moses as the author of the whole book will credit him as being the author of parts.

College Press Bible Study: There were very few men living in ancient times who had the knowledge, the training, the literary skill, the time, and the motivation to write such a marvelous book as Exodus. As a participant and eye-witness of the events, Moses had the necessary knowledge. Having been educated in all the wisdom of Egypt, he had adequate training and literary skill. Because he was with Israel for forty years during the wilderness wanderings, he had abundant time to write. Being a man fully dedicated to God and to the people of God, he had the motivation necessary for the big task of writing this book and also the other books of the Pentateuch. Most important of all, the Spirit of God motivated him and assisted him. How many other men of ancient times (or modern either!) possessed this combination of qualities needed by any author of a book like Exodus?

The College Press Bible Study Textbook Series; (a compilation of many commentaries); from e-sword; Exodus Book Commentary (Introductory Section IV).

There are a considerable number of people who do not believe that Moses is the author of Exodus.

Critical Theories about the Authorship of Exodus (College Press Bible Study)

The term “critical” has unfortunately come to have a bad connotation to many people. The term is derived from the Greek word meaning “to judge.” All students of the Bible must form some judgments concerning the Biblical text; so in a way all Bible students are “critics.” However, so many Biblical “critics” have expressed skeptical, negative, views about the Bible, that the very expression “Bible critic” has become synonymous to many with “destructive critic.”

1.      Martin Noth expresses the view of the majority of Old Testament “critics” in the following statement:

The intensive work on the Pentateuch which has been carried on by scholars for many generations has shown that the completed Pentateuch. as it now stands in the Old Testament, cannot be explained as the work of one “author” and that the attribution of the Pentateuch to Moses as author, of which we find traces only after the Old Testament period, does not hold true.[Martin Noth, Exodus (Phila.: Westminster, 1962), p. 12.]

2.      Those who reject the Mosaic authorship of Exodus and the rest of the Pentateuch maintain that at first the stories and other parts of these books were stories about real or imaginary people and events, which were transmitted orally over a long period.[Roy L. Honeycutt, Jr., Exodus, in Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 (Nashville: Broadman, 1969), p. 308. (This particular edition of the Broadman Bible Commentary was withdrawn from publication and sale by the Southern Baptist Convention because of the “liberalism” expressed by certain of its authors.)]

3.      These oral (word-of-mouth) traditions were “shaped by usage in worship centers throughout the era of conquest and settlement.”[Honeycutt, ibid.]

Supposedly the oral traditions clustered themselves into collections of traditions at different places—Shechem, Jerusalem, Hebron Gilgal, or other places, so that in time different sections of what we now have in Exodus were chiefly known primarily in specific areas. Thus (according to the theory) there developed a body of traditions at one place about the exodus event; at another place a group of traditions about the wilderness wanderings; at yet another area a collection of traditions about the Sinai events. The sections about the covenant (Exodus 20-23) and the tabernacle (25-31, 35-40) were also independently circulated.[Ibid., pp. 309–311]

4.      The first “author” who wrote some of the traditions down is commonly called “J.” “The ‘Jahwist,’ i.e. the author of this particular narrative stratum in the Pentateuch, is probably to be dated in the time of David or Solomon.”[Noth, op. cit., p. 14.] He is thought to have lived in the southern kingdom (Judah). Sections of Exodus attributed to J include Ex. 1:8–12; Ex. 4:1–16; and many others.

5.      The next “author” is called “E,” (because he used the Hebrews name ‘elohim for God, rather than Jehovah). He is usually placed after J in time, and located in the northern kingdom. “The question whether J or E is the earlier is disputed; E is usually taken to be the less ancient, but this cannot be proved for certain.”[Noth, op. cit., p. 15.]

6.      Some time near the fall of the northern kingdom the writings of J and E were combined into a single work, often called JEHOVAH.

7.      Skeptical critics assume that the book of Deuteronomy was written during the latter years of the kingdom of Judah. It is often associated with the reformation of Josiah in 621 B.C., although many now date it back to the time of Hezekiah (about 700 B.C.) The “Deuteronomistic” writers supposedly also added many moralistic insertions into other books (Judges, Kings, Exodus, etc.). The initial “D” is often applied to the Deuteronomistic author(s).

8.      During or after the Babylonian exile (586–536 B.C.) priestly writers added a great amount of written material to the JE and D material that came to them. The priestly writers specialized in ceremonial and ritualistic writings, in statistics, genealogies, and introductory expressions (“these are the generations of . . .”). Most of the book of Leviticus is attributed to P, as is the material about the tabernacle and related matters in Exodus. The priestly writers supposedly rewrote much of the history which they found in JE to promote their own priestly privileges and position.[See Noth, op. cit., p. 16.]

9.      Some time after the Babylonian captivity JE, D, and P were combined into what we now know as the Pentateuch, or Torah. This leaves Moses out of the picture.

10.    These separate “sources” only exist in the minds of the critics who believe in them. The oldest Bible manuscripts we have betray no trace of J, E, D, or P.

11.    No two critics who dissect the Old Testament into these sources come up with quite the same analysis. They have broad agreement, but when it comes to assigning particular passages to particular sources, every critic has his own analysis.[For examples of way that Exodus is divided up verse by verse (or in larger units) and attributed to J, E, or P, see S. R. Driver, An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament (New York: Meridian, 1958), pp. 22–42; and W. O. E. Oesterly and Theodore H. Robinson, An Introduction to the Books of the Old Testament (New York: Meridian, 1958), pp. 36–37.]

12.    We do not accept the “source” theories about the origin of the Pentateuch. In our commentary we frequently refer to the critics’ views of various passages. When these views are weighed, they are found to be unproven speculations based upon an unwillingness to accept the supernatural inspiration of the Bible.

For further study of the critical theories, see Edward J. Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963); or Gleason L. Archer, Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Chicago, Moody, 1964); or Merrill F. Unger, Introductory Guide to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1951).

If you desire to check some books favoring the source (documentary) analysis of the Old Testament, see James King West, Introduction to the Old Testament (New York: Macmillan, 1971), Martin Noth, Exodus (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1962); S. R. Driver, An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament (New York: Meridian, reprinted 1958).

Even though my mind is made up here; and even though it is clear to me that the concept of inspiration of Scripture requires that we accept Moses as the author; there is nothing wrong with considering other options, as they often lead us back to the inescapable conclusion that Moses is the actual author.

The College Press Bible Study Textbook Series; (a compilation of many commentaries); from e-sword; Exodus Book Commentary (Introductory Section IV).

Wenstrom provides a good summary of what we do not believe.

Liberal Rejection of Mosaic Authorship (by William Wenstrom)

Liberal scholarship rejects Mosaic authorship. John Hannah writes, “Liberal scholars approach the book in one of three ways.

First, scholars after Julius Wellhausen attempt to isolate the literary origins of the book, assuming three sources over a lengthy time span. This is commonly known as the documentary approach or JEDP theory (but there would be no ‘D’ source in Exodus). (Cf. ‘The Authorship of Gen.’ in the Introduction to Gen.)

Second, the form-critical approach attempts to discover in the text small literary units through an understanding of the history behind the forms. In this way these scholars attempt to determine the date of the original writing of the book.

Third, the traditionalist critical school argues for a long, oral transmission of the accounts, though the exact recovery of the accounts is unlikely.

These three approaches are similar in their basic assumptions: Moses probably did not write the book, the exact nature of the events is difficult to determine, and the date of compilation is late.” (Walvoord and Zuck; The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, pages 102-103; Victor Books, SP Publications, 1985) To reject Mosaic authorship for the book of Exodus is to deny the inspiration of the Bible since both the Old and New Testaments confirm Mosaic authorship.

There is probably no book in the Bible with a greater affirmation of authorship. Moses is said to have written the material down in the Pentateuch; later Old Testament authors speak of him as the author of the last 4 books of the Pentateuch (including Joshua). Jesus personally confirms Moses’ authorship on several occasions; and writers of the New Testament do as well.

From Wenstrom.org; accessed March 21, 2018 (slightly edited).

This comes from Apologetics Press, and looks at Moses from the standpoint of the medical and scientific information found in the books which he wrote. The author, like most theologians, believes that Moses wrote the book of Genesis.

Moses, the Author of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (Kyle Butt)

Scientific Foreknowledge and Medical Acumen of the Bible

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

While it is the case that the Bible does not present itself as a scientific or medical textbook, it is only reasonable that if God truly did inspire the books that compose the Bible, they would be completely accurate in every scientific or medical detail found among their pages. Furthermore, if the omniscient Ruler of the Universe actually did inspire these books, scientific and medical errors that fill the pages of other ancient, non-inspired texts should be entirely absent from the biblical record. Is the Bible infallible when it speaks about scientific fields of discipline, or does it contain the errors that one would expect to find in the writings of fallible men in ancient times?

That the first five books of the Old Testament are a product of Moses is a matter of historical record (Lyons and Staff, 2003). Furthermore, the story of Moses’ education among the Egyptian culture was well understood. In fact, even those Jews who did not convert to Christianity were so familiar with the historic fact that Moses was educated in “all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22), that Stephen’s statement to that effect went completely undisputed. Moses had been trained under the most advanced Egyptian educational system of his day. With such training, it would have been only natural for Moses to include some of the Egyptian “wisdom” in his writings if he were composing the Pentateuch by using his own prowess and mental faculties.

A look into the medical practices from ancient Egypt and those found in the Pentateuch, however, reveals that Moses did not necessarily rely on “wisdom” of the Egyptians (which, in many cases, consisted of life-threatening malpractice). While some medical practices in the Pentateuch are similar to those found in ancient Egyptian documents, the Pentateuch exhibits a conspicuous absence of those harmful malpractices that plague the writings of the Egyptians. Moses penned the most advanced, flawless medical prescriptions that had ever been recorded. Furthermore, every statement that pertained to the health and medical well-being of the Israelite nation recorded by Moses could theoretically still be implemented and be completely in accord with every fact modern medicine has learned in regard to germ spreading, epidemic disease control, communal sanitation, and a host of other medical and scientific discoveries.

It is the case that the ancient Egyptians were renowned in the ancient world for their progress in the field of medicine. Dr. Massengill noted that “Egypt was the medical center of the ancient world” (1943, p. 13). During the days of in the Medo-Persian Empire, the ancient historian Herodotus recorded that it was king Darius’ practice “to keep in attendance certain Egyptian doctors, who had a reputation for the highest eminence in their profession” (3.129). Thus, while the medical practices of the Bible could be equally compared to those of other ancient cultures and found to be flawlessly superior, comparing them to that of the eminent Egyptian culture should suffice to manifest the Bible’s supernatural superiority in the field.

This articles continues from this point forward, of the scientific evidence for the writings of Moses being divinely inspired, covering topics like prescriptions in the Pentateuch; germs, labor fever, and Biblical sanitation; laws of food consumption; and quarantine.

From http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=2024 accessed December 19, 2020.

The Title of Exodus (Various Commentators)

Arno Gaebelein: The word “exodus” means “way out” or “going forth.” The book has been given this Greek name because it relates to the history of the deliverance of the children of Israel from the house of bondage and how they were led forth by the power of God.

Barnes: The name “Exodus” (ἔξοδος exodos), i. e. “the going forth,” assigned to it by the Alexandrian Jews, applies rather to the former portion than to the whole book.

The Cambridge Bible: The Book of Exodus derives its name through the Vulg. Exodus from the LXX. ?ξοδος, i.e. the Outgoing or Departure (cf. Heb. 11:22), viz. of the children of Israel from Egypt. By the Jews, in accordance with their practice of calling the books of the Pentateuch after one or more of their opening words, it is known as וְאֵלֶּה שְמוֹת.

Clarke: The name by which this book is generally distinguished is borrowed from the Septuagint, in which it is called εξοδος, Exodus, the going out or departure; and by the Codex Alexandrinus, εξοδος αιγιπτου, the departure from Egypt, because the departure of the Israelites from Egypt is the most remarkable fact mentioned in the whole book.

College Press Bible Study: In the Hebrew Bible it is called Shemoth, meaning names. This is taken from the opening words of the book, We’elleh shemoth, which mean “These are the names.”

College Press Bible Study: In the Greek Bible (Septuagint, or LXX) it is called Exodos, meaning “going out” or “departure.” This word actually appears in the Greek of Exodus 19:1 : “In the third month of the departure (Gr., exodos) of the sons of Israel . . . .” This name applies more accurately to the first half of the book than to the second half.

College Press Bible Study: The Latin Bible used the title Exodus, a slightly-changed form of the Greek title. In our English Bibles we have used the Latin title.

Dr. Thomas Constable: The Hebrew title of this book (we'elleh shemot) originated from the ancient practice of naming a Bible book after its first word or words. "Now these are the names of" is the translation of the first two Hebrew words.

Dr. Thomas Constable continues: The English title "Exodus" is a transliteration of the Greek word exodos from the Septuagint translation meaning "exit," "way out," or "departure." The Septuagint translators gave the book this title because of the major event in it, namely, the Israelites' departure from Egypt.

Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge: The title of this Book is derived from the Septuagint; in which it is called ΕΞΟΔΟΣ, “Exodus;” or, as it is in the Codex Alexandrinus, ΕΞΟΔΟΣ Αιγυπτου, “the Exodus or departure from Egypt;” but it is called in Hebrew Bibles שמות ואלה, Weelleh Shemoth, “these are the names,” or merely, שמות , Shemoth, “names,” from the words with which it commences.

Moses (by Wenstrom)

The Old Testament tells us that Moses was 80 just prior to the Exodus (Exodus 7:7) and was 120 at his death (Deuteronomy 34:7). His death was in 1406 B.C. because it was at the very end of the wilderness period. Therefore, his birth date was 1526 B.C. His birth was in the very year of thedeath of Amenhotep I.

Like Abraham, Moses was a man of great faith and this he declared openly several times in his life. In fact, Moses is listed in God’s Hall of Fame of Faith Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:24–29 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. (NASB95)

The life of Moses is divided into three equal portions of forty years each (Acts 7:23,30,36): (1) Life in Egypt: Moses’ birth, adoption into the home of Pharaoh, and the avenging of his countrymen. (2) Exile in Midian (Arabia): Middle years of Moses' life where he was married, call by God to service, and culminating in his return to Egypt as a prophet of God. (3) In the Wilderness as Leader of Israel: Leader of the nation of Israel involving his leading the Exodus, the journey to Sinai, receiving the Law at Sinai culminating in his death. Stephen gives a brief summary of Moses’ life in Act 7.

Moses was a genius in several areas: (1) Music: Ex.15; Deut. 32 (2) Literary: Wrote the Pentateuch (3) Administrative: Led 2 million Jews for 40 years (4) Military: He delivered the Egyptian 18th Dynasty from the famous Ethiopian invasion after 3 regular armies had been wiped out.(Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews Chapter 10, paragraph 1) (5) Architectural: Hebuilt the “treasure” cities of Egypt.

No other Old Testament figure can compare with Moses. He is called in Scripture the “servant of the Lord” (Nm. 12:7-8; Deut. 34:5; Josh. 1:1) and he alone spoke “face to face” with the Lord. Therefore, he is the first and greatest of the prophets because of this fact (Ex. 33:7-23; Nm. .12:7-8; Deut. 34:5; Josh. 1:1). Moses was the great lawgiver and in fact, the Jews called the Law given to them by God as “the law of Moses” (1 K. 2:3; Neh. 8:1; Mal. 4:4). He was a man zealous for the Lord (Nm. 16-17) and was described as the “meekest man on earth” (Nm. 12:3). He interceded on Israel’s behalf when it sins, and on more than one occasion risking his own election for the sake of the people (Ex. 32:32; Nm. 11:10-15).

Moses was born during eighteenth dynasty of Egypt during the reign of Amenhotep I. Amosis found the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. He expelled the Hyksos, whose name according to recent scholarship means, “rulers of foreign lands,” rather than “shepherd kings.” The Hyksos were not Egyptian and their traditions, customs and lifestyle were as different from those of the Egyptians as their names. The Hyksos domination of Egypt falls in the period between the death of Joseph and the birth of Moses.

Joseph did not live during the reign of the Hyksos kings but rather during the reign of Egyptian kings. This is indicated by the fact that Joseph shaved himself before presenting himself to Sesostris II following his release from prison. If Joseph shaved his beard before appearing before a Hyksos king, it would have been an insult. The Egyptians shaved themselves and did not have beards. Also indicating that Joseph did not live during the reign of Hyksos kings is that Genesis 43:32 tells us that Joseph segregated his brothers apart from the Egyptians because “Egyptians did not eat with Hebrews.” Joseph’s imprisonment occurred during the 12^th Dynasty of Egypt during the reign of Sesostris II (1897-1878 B.C.).

Following Joseph’s death, the Hebrew-Hyksos relationship was amicable because they honored the memory of Joseph who was of course, a Hebrew. Amosis defeated the Hyksos and his successor Amenhotep I did not sympathize with Joseph’s countrymen the Hebrews since his predecessor had just defeated the Hyksos. Amenhotep I instituted repressive policies against the Hebrews out of fear that they would overrun the country because the population of the Hebrews had exploded while in Egypt. He instituted slave labor among the Hebrews to accomplish his building projects and eventually resorted to genocide requiring the slaughter of all newly born Hebrew males (Exodus 1:15-16), of which Moses was one.

Short Summaries of the Book of Exodus (Various Commentators)

Wenstrom: Exodus describes not only God’s great deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt but also God establishing a covenant with them at Sinai. He not only gives them a law to follow but also institutes a sacrificial system, which not only provided a means to enter His presence but also taught Israel about His character and nature.

Wenstrom continues: This book records the nation building a tabernacle in obedience to God’s instructions, which was designed as a place for Israel to meet God and to demonstrate that He was present with the nation. Lastly, Exodus describes the great failure of Israel despite the great privilege that God had given the nation. The nation learns not only of God’s holiness but also His love and grace in the face of such failure.

The Cambridge Bible: Exodus is a striking and fascinating book. It sets before us, as the Hebrews of later ages told it, and in the vivid, picturesque style which their best historians could always command, the story of the deliverance from Egypt: it exhibits some of their most characteristic laws and institutions, ceremonial observances, and religious ideals, in different stages of their growth; the writers in it, one and all, are manifestly men filled and moved by the Spirit of God; and it possesses a deep and abiding spiritual value.

Durham: With Yahweh's Presence promised, then demonstrated, then given to Israel in theophany at Sinai, the first half of Exodus ends. The second half of the book is preoccupied with response to that Presence, in life, in covenant, in worship, and even in disobedience. The largest part of that second half has to do with the communication to Israel of the reality of that Presence, through a series of set-apart places, set-apart objects and set-apart acts, all of them intimately connected, in one way or another, with Yahweh's Presence.

Dr. Peter Pett: The Book of Exodus contains the remarkable story of how God raised up a man, Moses, and used him to deliver His people out of slavery in Egypt and how they began the journey that took them to the land promised by Him to their ancestors. It then reveals how God made a unique covenant with them at Sinai, and established them as His chosen people, with His earthly Dwellingplace among them.

Keil and Delitzsch: this book, which may be divided accordingly into two distinct parts. In the first part, Exodus 1–15:21, we have seven sections, describing (1) the preparation for the saving work of God, through the multiplication of Israel into a great people and their oppression in Egypt (Exodus 1), and through the birth and preservation of their liberator (Exodus 2); (2) the call and training of Moses to be the deliverer and leader of Israel (Exodus 3 and 4); (3) the mission of Moses to Pharaoh (Exodus 5-7:7); (4) the negotiations between Moses and Pharaoh concerning the emancipation of Israel, which were carried on both in words and deeds or miraculous signs (Exodus 7:8-11); (5) the consecration of Israel as the covenant nation through the institution of the feast of Passover; (6) the exodus of Israel effected through the slaying of the first-born of the Egyptians (Exodus 12-13:16); and (7) the passage of Israel through the Red Sea, and destruction of Pharaoh and his host, with Israel's song of triumph at its deliverance (Exodus 13:17-15:21).

Keil and Delitzsch continue: In the second part, Exodus 15:22-40:38, we have also seven sections, describing the adoption of Israel as the people of God; viz., (1) the march of Israel from the Red Sea to the mountain of God (Exodus 15:22-17:7); (2) the attitude of the heathen towards Israel, as seen in the hostility of Amalek, and the friendly visit of Jethro the Midianite at Horeb (Exodus 17:8-18:27); (3) the establishment of the covenant at Sinai through the election of Israel as the people of Jehovah's possession, the promulgation of the fundamental law and of the fundamental ordinances of the Israelitish commonwealth, and the solemn conclusion of the covenant itself (Exodus 19-24:11); (4) the divine directions with regard to the erection and arrangement of the dwelling-place of Jehovah in Israel (Exodus 24:12-31:18); (5) the rebellion of the Israelites and their renewed acceptance on the part of God (Exodus 32-34); (6) the building of the tabernacle and preparation of holy things for the worship of God (Exodus 35-39); and (7) the setting up of the tabernacle and its solemn consecration (Exodus 40).

Keil and Delitzsch continue: These different sections are not marked off, it is true, like the ten parts of Genesis, by special headings, because the account simply follows the historical succession of the events described; but they may be distinguished with perfect ease, through the internal grouping and arrangement of the historical materials. The song of Moses at the Red Sea (15:1-21) formed most unmistakeably the close of the first stage of the history, which commenced with the call of Moses, and for which the way was prepared, not only by the enslaving of Israel on the part of the Pharaohs, in the hope of destroying its national and religious independence, but also by the rescue and education of Moses, and by his eventful life.

Dr. Peter Pett: Genesis has explained the origin of the people who went down into Egypt, and the promises that they had received from God. Exodus continues the story. Genesis begins with one man. Exodus begins with seventy men, a number signifying divine perfection intensified. But while Exodus 1 covers centuries of history during which Israel develop and then face oppression, and Exodus 2 the life of Moses up to the burning bush, (said to be ‘eighty years’ - 7:7), the remainder of Exodus covers the two years that complete and follow Moses life in Midian during which he inflicts under God’s hand the ten plagues on Egypt, leads the people out to safety, establishes the covenant of Mount Sinai and erects the Dwellingplace of Yahweh.

The Scofield Bible:        1.      Israel in Egypt (Exodus 1 - 15.).

2.From the Red Sea to Sinai (Exodus 16 - 18.).

3.Israel at Sinai (Exodus 19 - 40.).

Whedon: The Book of Exodus is a record of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, of their journey to Sinai, and of the covenant and legislation given at that sacred mountain.

Exodus by Location

Chapters

Location

Exodus 1:1–12:36

Egypt

Midian

Exodus 12:37–18:27

On route to Sinai

Exodus 19–40

Sinai

Hamilton; from Dr. John Constable The Expository Notes of Dr. Constable; ©2012; from e-sword, Gen. 11:27-50:26 (slightly edited).

God’s Man

Plagues

Pathway

Covenant

Tabernacle Instructions

Golden Calf

Tabernacle Construction

– 1 –

Need for God’s man

– 7 –

The conflict begins! Plague 1

– 13 –

Demands and direction for the redeemed

– 19 –

Preparations to receive God’s covenant

– 25 –

Tabernacle Instructions (Ark, table, lampstand)

– 32 –

Rupture of covenant

– 35 –

Offerings and workmen

– 2 – Preparation of God’s man

– 8 –

Plagues 2, 3 & 4

– 14 –

Baptized unto Moses

– 20 –

The Ten Command-ments

– 26 –

Enclosures (curtains, boards, bars, veil, screen)

– 33 –

God and Israel at odds

– 36 –

Things enclosed

– 3 –

Call of God’s man

– 9 –

Plagues 5, 6 & 7

– 15 –

From song to bitterness

– 21 –

God’s covenant ordinances

– 27 –

Altar and court

– 34 –

Renewal of covenant

– 37 –

Inside furniture

– 4 –

Hesitancy of God’s man

– 10 –

Plagues 8 & 9

– 16 –

Bread from heaven

– 22 –

God’s covenant ordinances

– 28 & 29 –

Priest’s garments and consecration

– 38 –

Outside furniture; total cost

– 5 –

Resistence to God’s man

– 11 –

The last warning!

– 17 –

Two tests: water and war

– 23 –

God’s covenant ordinances

– 30 –

Incense, etc.

– 39 –

Priests’ garments, finished work presented

– 6 –

Strengthening of God’s man

– 12 –

Plague 10 over and out

– 18 –

Jethro and judges

– 24 –

Covenant ratified