The Story of the Exodus

Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, has finally agreed to allow the Israelite slaves to leave
Egypt peacefully, after a series of "plagues" is visited upon the Egyptians by God,
working through Moses and Aaron. God instructs Moses to lead them out, not "by way
of the land of the Philistines", but by the Red Sea wilderness. Guided by a pillar of cloud
by day and a pillar of fire by night, they travel from Succoth to Etham, "on the edge of
the wilderness," where they make their encampment.

But it is not God's intention that the Israelites should leave Egypt without hindrance: "I
will become glorified through Pharaoh and his entire army ... and Egypt shall know that I
am the LORD." God therefore has Moses turn the Israelites back again and camp "in
front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon." There they
see the Egyptians and become frightened, but God commands Moses: "Raise your
staff; stretch your hand over the sea and split it. The Children of Israel will come into the
Sea on dry ground. I am even now strengthening the heart of Egypt, and they will come
after them..." The angel of God and the pillar of cloud moves between the Israelites and
the Egyptians, separating them, and "neither one approached the other all night long."
God sends "a strong east wind all night," and next morning the Israelites enter the sea
"on dry ground, and the water was like a wall to them on their right and on their left."
The Egyptians follow, but God clogs the wheels of their chariots (or removes their
chariot-wheels), and "Egypt said, 'I will flee from before Israel, for the LORD is fighting
with Egypt on their behalf.'" Then God commands Moses to stretch out his rod again,
and "The waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen of Pharaoh's
entire army, who were coming after them in the Sea; not one of them remained."
Chapter 14 concludes: "On that day, the LORD saved Israel from the hand of Egypt,
and Israel saw Egypt dead upon the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the
LORD had used against Egypt, and the people feared the LORD; they had faith in the
LORD and in His servant Moses."

Verses 1-18 of chapter 15 constitute the "Song of the Sea", described as the song of
rejoicing sung by Moses and the people of Israel. Being poetic rather than descriptive it
lacks a plot, but some key elements can be picked out: "The LORD... has become my
salvation; ... The LORD is a man of war; ... Pharaoh's chariots and his army He cast into
the sea; and his select officers are drowned in the Red Sea ... At the blast of Your
nostrils the waters piled up, ... The peoples have heard, they tremble; ... Now are the
chiefs of Edom confounded; the leaders of Moab, ... all the inhabitants of Canaan have
melted away ... they are as still as stone, till Your people, LORD, pass by, ... You will
bring them in, and plant them on the mountain of Your heritage, ... The LORD will reign
for ever and ever."

The Biblical Evidence for the Early Date of the Exodus

It is stated in 1 Kings 6:1 that the exodus preceded the time when Solomon
began to build the Temple (ca. 966 B.C.) by 480 years. The 480 years added to 966
B.C. yields a date of 1446 B.C. for the exodus. Jephthah's statement in Judges 11:26

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that Israel had possessed the land of Canaan by his time for a period of 300 years.
Jephthah's own date is ca. 1100 B.C. That means that Israel was in the land since ca.
1400 B.C. and adding 40 years for the wilderness wandering yields an exodus date of
ca. 1440 B.C. The apostle Paul stated in Acts 13:19-20 that time from the exodus to
Samuel the prophet was 450 years. David, who was anointed King of Israel by Samuel,
captured Jerusalem ca. 995 B.C.1 Adding 450 years to ca. 995 B.C. yields a date for the
Exodus at ca. 1445 B.C. Also, an analysis of the length of the Judges Period requires a
total time much longer than possible with the Late Date. Subtracting the 40 year
wilderness journey, approximately 20 years for Joshua's conquest, and another
approximate 20 years for Samuel's leadership prior to Saul amounts to roughly 80
years. Therefore, enough time must be allowed for these 80 years in addition to the
Judges Period. The Late Date allows for less than 150 years, while the Early Date
allows for just over 300 years. It is not possible to compress the Judges Period to 150
years without seriously reworking its historical structure. There is no way to reconcile all
of this biblical data with the later date of ca. 1290 B.C. without denying the original
accuracy and inerrancy of the Bible.

Bruce Waltke's Defense of the Early Date

Bruce Waltke examined the Palestinian artifactual evidence to determine whether the
Exodus of Israel from Egypt occurred at ca. 1440 B.C. or ca. 1290 B.C. 2

Waltke's premise is the Old Testament textual evidence (1 Kings 6:1; Judges 11:26)
regarding the date of the Exodus which yields a mid-fifteenth century B.C. date. With
this thought in place, he examined the Palestinian artifactual evidence to determine if it
actually supports the biblical testimony. Waltke examined the tells that were occupied by
the Israelites without burning and those that were burned (Ai, Jericho, and Hazor).
Regarding the tells that were not burned, the artifactual evidence demonstrates that the
sharpest change in the material culture occurs at the transition from Late Bronze I to
Late Bronze IIA (ca. 1400 B.C.). With regard to the cities burned on their tells, the
ancient site of Ai has not been conclusively located. So Waltke focused his attention on
Jericho and Hazor. Jericho displays a "streak" of burnt debris that dates between 1400
and 1350 B.C. and also the evidence shows that the city was not occupied during the
mid-thirteenth century B.C., thereby precluding the late date of ca. 1290 B.C. The
evidence from Hazor allows for and the correlating OT textual data demonstrates that
Joshua's destruction of the city occurred at ca. 1400 B.C. Waltke's conclusion is that
there is no convincing support from the Palestinian artifactual evidence for a Conquest
in the mid-thirteenth century. On the other hand, the evidence from Jericho and Hazor
decisively refutes the late date theory. The literary account of the Conquest coincides
with the Palestinian artifactual evidence pointing to the Israelite conquest occurring at
ca. 1400 B.C. Waltke, therefore, concluded that the Bible can be trusted and that there
1
Gleason Archer suggested that the 450 years run to ca. 995 based on Deuteronomy 12:10, "which states that the
choice of a holy city for Jehovah's sanctuary will be revealed after 'He giveth you rest from all your enemies'--
including apparently, the Jebusites in Jerusalem," Gleason L. Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 239.
2
Bruce K. Waltke, "Palestinian Artifactual Evidence Supporting the Early Date of the Exodus," Bibliotheca Sacra
129 (January-March 1972): 33-47.

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is no reason to use alternative methods of interpretation of the numbers regarding the
history of Israel presented in the Bible than the normal literal, historical-grammatical
approach.

The Stations of the Exodus

Biblical
Station Description Modern Location
Reference

the Rameses district was of

Ex. 12:37; Nu. pi-Rameses: i.e.
Ra'amses the highest quality land in
33:3,5 Qantir
Egypt (Ge. 47:11)

Ex. 12:37,
An Egyptian city near the
Sukkoth 13:20; Nu. Tel Dar'ala
border
33:5-6

Ex. 13:20; Nu. "on the edge of the

Etham Ismailia?
33:6-8 wilderness"

lit. Mouth of the Gorges, Prob. a channel

Ex. 14:2-3; Nu. "between Migdol and the opening into one of
Pi-Hahiroth
33:7-8 sea, opposite Ba'al-Zephon" the Bitter Lakes or the
(possibly "the Bay of Hiroth") Mediterranean

30 kilometres north of
Ex. 15:23; Nu.
Marah lit. 'bitterness' As Suways (the Port
33:8-9
of Suez)?

Ex. 15:27,
Had 12 wells and 70 palm
Eilim 16:1; Nu. 33:9- ?
trees
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near Gulf of Suez or

By the Red Sea Nu. 33:10-11 --
Gulf of Aqaba

God supplies quail and

Ex. 16:1, 17:1;
Sin Wilderness manna, "Between Elim and ?
Nu. 33:11-12
Sinai"

Dophkah Nu. 33:12-13 -- --

Alush Nu. 33:13-14 -- --

Ex. 17:1, 19:2;

Rephidim -- ?
Nu. 33:14-15

Sinai Wilderness Ex. 19:1-2; Nu. - - ?

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 10:12, 33:15-
16

Kibroth- Nu. 11:35, lit. Graves of Longing or

--
Hattaavah 33:16-17 Graves of Lust

Nu. 11:35,
Hazeroth 12:16, 33:17- -- --
18

Rithmah Nu. 33:18-19 -- --

Rimmon-Perez Nu. 33:19-20 -- --

Libnah Nu. 33:20-21 -- --

Rissah Nu. 33:21-22 -- --

Kehelathah Nu. 33:22-23 -- --

Mount Shapher Nu. 33:23-24 -- --

Haradah Nu. 33:24-25 -- --

Makheloth Nu. 33:25-26 -- --

Tahath Nu. 33:26-27 -- --

Tarah Nu. 33:27-28 -- --

Mithcah Nu. 33:28-29 -- --

Hashmonah Nu. 33:29-30 -- --

Moseroth Nu. 33:30-31 -- --

Bene-Jaakan Nu. 33:31-32 -- --

Hor Haggidgad Nu. 33:32-33 -- --

Jotbathah Nu. 33:33-34 -- --

Abronah Nu. 33:34-35 -- --

Near northern tip of

Ezion-Geber Nu. 33:35-36 --
Gulf of Aqaba

Nu. 20:1,22, Located in the Wilderness of probably Ain el

Kadesh
33:36-37 Zin; Miriam's burial place Qadeis

Mount Hor Nu. 20:22, On the Edomite border; --

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 21:4, 33:37-41 Aaron's burial place

Zalmonah Nu. 33:41-42 -- --

Punon Nu. 33:42-43 -- --

Nu. 21:10-11,
Oboth -- --
33:43-44

Nu. 21:11,
Abarim Ruins -- --
33:44-45

Dibon Gad Nu. 33:45-46 -- --

Almon
Nu. 33:46-47 -- --
Diblathaim

Abarim Israelites encamped beneath

Nu. 33:13-14 --
Mountains Mount Nebo

Israelites encamped on the

Nu. 22:1, Jordan River from Beith Occupied most of the
Moab Plains
33:48-50 Hayishimoth to Aveil Trans-Jordan region
Hashittim