Newbold College

Department of Theological Studies

IS IT POSSIBLE TO DATE THE EXODUS?

 Essay

Presented in the Fulfilment

 of the Requirements of the Course

BIST 210 Foundations of Biblical Studies

By

 Allan Falk

November 2004

CHAPTER I

 INTRODUCTION

         The date of the exodus is important,[1] because it is the central event in Israel’s history and relates to 1/3 of the stories in the Old Testament.  The purpose of this study is therefore to clarify, if it is possible to date the exodus. Today when some scholars doubt that there is any connection in between Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament,[2] this becomes a very significant study.

        This being a short essay, the topics discussed will be limited to two: 1) The archaeological findings in Jericho. 2) The 480 years from 1 King 6. 1[3] 

          The main opinions, concerning the dating of the exodus will be mentioned. Then the differences in interpreting the findings in Jericho will be portrayed, and some interesting parallels in between the archaeological findings in MBA Jericho and the Bible narrative will be mentioned. Concerning 1 King 6. 1 different opinions will be discussed, and finally a conclusion will be drawn.

        The basic assumption for this study is that the Bible is God’s true word.       

CHAPTER II

         From the nineteen eighties a 13th century date has been favoured by many scholars,[4] another century suggested by some scholars has been the 15th century.[5]

The difference in between the two main streams is roughly 150 to 200 years.

W.F. Albright sets the date at 1290 B.C.[6], and some scholars[7] in favour of the 15th century, gives a date approximately in between 1446[8] and 1470 B.C. The support for a 13th century date, comes mainly from the archaeology and history of ancient Egypt, where the exodus most fit in between the time when the Egyptians after having conquered The Hyksos in Egypt, is supposed to have followed them and destroyed their stronghold in Jericho,[9] and the time when the Israelites according to the Israel stele found in Egypt in 1895 already dwelled in Palestine.[10] The support for an exodus in the 15th century, is mainly found in the Old Testament, but is according to Bimsons suggestions also supported by archaeology and history.[11]

 Jericho discussed:

        According to Joshua chapter 6 Jericho was the first town Israel conquered when they entered Canaan, that is way Jericho becomes very interesting when it comes to the dating of the exodus. If the archaeological findings can prove that Jericho was destroyed by an invading enemy, when it happened and who exactly did it, then it could bring us close to an exact date.

        It should be fairly easy to detect a complete destruction, like the one portrayed in Joshua, but findings reveal, that the town has most probably been destroyed three times or more.

It was destroyed by the end of the EBA,[12] then by the end of the MBA and again during the LBA.[13]Most modern scholars including Kathleen Kenyon,[14] have the opinion that the LBA destruction should be attributed to Joshua and the Israelites. However others including Bimson[15] think that it is the MBA destruction which is correct.

        The next challenge arises when the date for these destructions is to be set. Excavations on site have been made by several different specialists. First John Garstang in 1930,[16] then Kathleen Kenyon in 1950[17] and recently Wood in 1990.[18] Their dating of the destruction of the MBA Jericho is varying from 1550 to 1385 B.C.

        One of the problems which arise when scholars try to interpret archaeological findings, is that they always have an opinion before they start digging.

Garstang probably wanted a result close to 1400 B.C. because it would fit the 480 years in 1 King 6. 1 well.[19] Kathleen may have looked for a result around 1550 B.C. because it would fit the theory, that the Egyptians drew the Hyksos out of Jericho at that time.[20]

        There is also some uncertainty connected to the two groups of people, the Hebrews and the

Hyksos. Some scholars thing that they are the same people.[21]

        Finally it should be mentioned, that over the years, there have been some dispute about the exact time periods for the different Bronze ages,[22] which is also adding to the perplexity of this study.

        After having viewed this range of different problems arising, concerning the process of dating Joshua’s conquest of Jericho, some very interesting findings connected to the conquest of the MBA Jericho[23] should be drawn to the reader’s attention. 1) The MBA Jericho was populous and heavily fortified,[24] which fits the description given in Joshua very well. 2) A portion of the wall survived, which fits the story about Rahab’s household, whom Joshua saved.[25] 3) According to Kenyon all the MAB buildings were violently destroyed by fire, which is also the picture we are given by Joshua 6. 24.[26] 

4) Archaeological findings have revealed that shortly before the MBA city of Jericho was destroyed, there had been several multiple burials, which most likely tells the story of a plaque.[27] It is very tempting to conclude, that it was the same plaque which terrorised the Israelites just across the Jordan River, where they were encamped.[28] Lastly it should be mentioned, that Jericho lies on a volcanic rift, so both in Ancient and modern times, there have been earthquake shocks in the region, [29]which the archaeological findings have also revealed.

 1 King 6. 1 handled

        1 King 6. 1 tells us, that from the exodus to the foundation of Salomon’s Temple there was 480 years.[30] 966 B.C. being a widely accepted date for the fourth year of Salomon’s reign, it is fairly easy to calculate the date for the exodus, 1446 B.C., but for several reasons it is not all that simple. 1) The Septuagint is having 440 not 480,[31] so even if most scholars[32] might believe that the 480 is the original, it gives some uncertainty.

2) If you go through the Biblical narratives, and calculate all the different periods from the exodus to the foundation of Salomon’s Temple, you most probably reach the amount of 553 years plus three unknown periods,[33] which is likely to be around 600. 3) 480 years being a round figure, many scholars have come up with the idea, that it might not be an exact figure. [34]Maybe it is an expression for 12 generations, 12 x 40 being 480.

        This situation has tempted many scholars to either shorten or lengthen the 480 years, so that they could fit their preferred date for the exodus. This paper will now try to show why it might be easier to lengthen the 480 years a little bit, than to shorten them. 1) The first reason has already been mentioned, by totalling of the periods reaching 553 plus. 2) Looking at 1 Chr 6. 33-37 it seems that we have about 20 generations in between the exodus and the building of Salomon’s Temple.[35] Even if we reduce a generation from 40 to 25 years, twenty generations still adds up to 500 years. 3) Jdg 11. 26 tells us that by the time of Jephthah Israel had dwelt in Heshbon for three hundred years.[36] Three hundred also being a round figure, some might be tempted to think it is a late insertion, but calculating the periods in between, at least Bimson is of the view that the figure is fairly reliable.[37] Is that the case, this is again a stumbling block for reducing the period, which is  necessary to fit a 13th century date.

        Finally the writer wants to draw attention to the fact, that some Bible scholars make the whole issue more complex by interpreting the Old Testament in a way, where they believe that there was seventy sabbatical years during the period of the judges, and seventy during the period of Kings. If that is correct, it gives us a date around 1550 B.C.[38]This theory is probably not supported by many.

Conclusion

        I therefore conclude that for the time being it is not possible to give a precise date for the exodus. The different information we can get from the Bible needs to be interpreted before it is useful, and the majority of scholars trying to do so, have not been able to agree. On the archaeological side nothing have been found, which can give us the exact date. What have been found have been interpreted in very different ways.

        According to the opinion of the most accepted scholars, the exodus took place some where in between the 13th and the 16th century. However because of the difficulties arising in connection with the 480 years, the writer of this essay suggests that the exodus took place somewhere in between 1440 and 1560 B.C.  

          To reach a precise dating, it might be necessary to do more archaeological findings, which can be interpreted with more certainty.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bimson, J., Redating the Exodus and Conquest, (Sheffild: The Almond Press, 1981).

Bratcher, Dennis, The Historical Study of Scripture, (www.cresourcei.org/exodusdate.html).

Currid, John D., Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament,(MI: Baker Books, 1997).

Doig, Old testament Chronology, (www.doig.net/OT_Chronology.htm)

Kitchen, K.A., Exodus, The, inThe Anchor Bible Dictonary II, (NY: Doubleday) pp. 702-703.

LaSor, William Sanford, David Allan Hubbard and Frederic Wm. Bush, Old Testament Survey,

         (MI: William B. Berdmans Publishing, 1996).

Meyers, Stephen C. Dr., The Date of the Exodus According to Ancient Writers,

        (www.bibleandscience.com/archaeology/exodusdate.htm).

Perry, Steve, The Dating of the Exodus, (www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_exodus_date.html).

William, Shea, Exodus, Date of The, in The International standard Bible encydopaedia:II,

        (William B. Berdmans: 1982) pp. 230-238.

Exodus, in Seventh Day Adventist Bible Dictonary IIX, (Review and Herald: 1960) pp. 331-332.

The Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version

[1] Bimson, J., Redating the Exodus and Conquest, (Sheffield: The Almond Press, 1981) p. 12.

[2]Currid, John D., Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament,(MI: Baker Books, 1997) p. 23.

[3] To make a really good study, the history of Ancient Egypt should be included.

[4] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 17.

[5] One of the well known is Bimson J.

[6] William, Shea, Exodus, Date of The, in The International standard Bible encydopaedia:II,

        (William B. Berdmans: 1982) p. 232.

[7] Bimson is one of them.

[8] 1446 is called the lazy mans solution.

[9] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 124. (Bimson is not sure, there have been any Hyksos in Jericho)

[10] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 14.

[11] William, Shea, Exodus, Date of The,  p. 238.

[12] Early Bronze Age ended just before the 2nd millennium B.C.

[13] Late Bronze Age begins around 1400B.C.

[14] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 111.

[15] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 135.

[16] Garstangs date was 1400 to 1385 B.C.

[17] Kenyons date was 1550 B.C.

[18] Woods tested with carbon 14, his firs tresult was 1410 B.C. his last result was 1550 B.C.

[19] 1 Kings 6:1

    And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.

[20] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 107.  

[21] Meyers, Stephen C. Dr., The Date of the Exodus According to Ancient Writers,

(www.bibleandscience.com/archaeology/exodusdate.htm) p. 3.

        (Dr. Stephen C. Meyers support that idea)

[22] In 1971 D. A. Courvill wanted to change all archaeological periods in Palestine with over 6 centuries.

[23] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 120.  (Kenyon gives a date around 1580 to 1550 B.C.)

[24] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 120.  

[25] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 121. (Jos 6. 22 and Jos 2. 15)

[26]Joshua 6:24

    Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord's house.

[27] Bimson,  Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 122.

[28] Numbers 25:9

    And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

[29] The rift follows the Jordan valley, goes through Arabah, the Read Sea and continues into central Africa.

[30] 1 Kings 6:1

    And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.

[31] LXE 1 Kings 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and fortieth year after the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, in the fourth year and second month of the reign of king Solomon over Israel, that the king commanded that they should take great and costly stones for the foundation of the house, and hewn stones.

[32] Bimson, Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 74.

[33] Kitchen, K.A., Exodus, The, inThe Anchor Bible Dictonary II, (NY: Doubleday) p. 702.

[34] Bratcher, Dennis, The Historical Study of Scripture, (www.cresourcei.org/exodusdate.html) p. 4.

[35] 1 Chron. 6:33-37

    And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel, [34] The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, [35] The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, [36] The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, [37] The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,

[36] Judges 11:26

    While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?

[37] Bimson, Redating the Exodus and Conquest, p. 86.

[38] Doig, Old testament Chronology, (www.doig.net/OT_Chronology.htm) p. 5.

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