BO OK 0 2 O F 6 6

THE BOOK
OF EXODUS
 WHO IS THE AUTHOR?
The book of Exodus—along with the rest of
the Pentateuch—is traditionally attributed to
Moses. This classical perspective, supported by
biblical and extrabiblical testimony, prevailed until
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Around that
time, scholars began to insist that the first five books of the
Bible were actually composed over a span of several centuries by various
“redactors” who integrated assorted source materials into a coherent
anthology.1 Over time, however, the relevance of this modern hypothesis
declined as the soundness of its methods was questioned.2

Twenty-first century scholars tend to focus on the final form of the Torah
and less on its historical development.3 Most evangelical scholars today
recognize that the Pentateuch contains both pre-Mosaic sources and
post-Mosaic glosses and elaborations.4 Even so, one can still confidently
affirm—and with intellectual integrity—the “essential,” or “substantial,” Mosaic
authorship of Exodus and the Pentateuch as a whole.

One major compositional issue arises when considering the book of Exodus:
the relationship between narrative and law.5 Within the broader narrative of
Exodus is both the Decalogue (Ex 20:1–17) and the Book of the Covenant (Ex
20:22–23:19). Today, most scholars believe that these legal sections were
composed independently and added to the narrative by editors at a later
date.6 Examples from Hittite sources and other ancient literature, however,
suggest that law and history are not mutually exclusive.7 This lends support
to the traditional idea of Mosaic authorship. We should also note that Exodus
itself testifies to Mosaic writing activity in three different chapters: 17:14; 24:4;
and 34:4, 27–29.

1 ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2008), 39.

2 Tremper Longman III and Raymond B. Dillard, An Introduction to the Old Testament
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 48.

3 Ibid., 51.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid., 65.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
3
WHEN AND WHERE DID
THE AUTHOR WRITE?
Moses was born and raised in Egypt. He fled his place
of birth and lived in the desert of Midian for 40 years
after killing an Egyptian slave-driver. When called by
God to liberate his people, Moses returned to Egypt and
freed the Israelites from slavery. Moses faithfully led the
Hebrew people in the wilderness for forty years, but he
was ultimately prohibited from entering the Promised
Land. Moses could have written the book of Exodus at
several stages of his life, but the Decalogue and the
Book of the Covenant appear to have been written in the
Desert of Sinai, near the foot of the mountain
(Ex 24:3–4).

The central chronological concern of most scholars

today is not when the book of Exodus was written
but when the actual event of the exodus took place.
Evangelical scholars invoke 1 Kings 6:1 and Judges 11:26
to calculate an “early date” for the exodus: sometime
in the fifteenth century BC.8 Others cite the listing of
a city named Raamses in Exodus 1:11 to infer a “late
date” for the exodus event: sometime in the thirteenth
century, during the reign of Raamses II in Egypt.9 Some
of the arguments for a late date still treat the biblical text
with integrity and respect,10 though most conservative
scholars remain committed to an early date.

WHO WAS THE ORIGINAL

AUDIENCE?
The Israelites would have been the intended audience
for Moses as he composed the book of Exodus—
specifically, the subsequent generations of Hebrew
people. This is not to say, however, that the book was
written only for a Jewish audience. The covenant that
God made with Abraham, which was beginning to be
fulfilled through the event of the exodus, was for all
people and all nations (Gen 22:18).

8 Ibid., 66.
9 ESV Study Bible, 140.
10 Longman III, Introduction to the Old Testament, 69.
WHY DID THE AUTHOR WRITE?
The book of Exodus was written for the purpose of
remembrance. In writing this book, Moses is inviting
successive generations of the people of God to recall
their identity—to remember who they are, where they
came from, and why they were called. Throughout
the history of the Hebrew people, the event of the
exodus would stand as a constant reminder of God’s
faithfulness to his promises. This iconic event was to
become the bedrock of Hebrew faith and devotion.
For future generations of Israelites, the book of
Exodus would function as a call to repentance in
periods of backsliding, an encouragement in good
times and bad, a reason to trust in God in the midst
of struggles, and a consummate source of hope
throughout life’s journey. It highlights the attributes of
both God (sovereignty, providence, justice, patience,
compassion, love) and Moses (faithfulness, fortitude,
leadership, courage), motivating its readers to live
accordingly.
WHERE DID THE AUDIENCE LIVE?
Within the boundaries of Old Testament history, the
generations of Israelites that succeeded Moses lived
throughout the ancient Near East, but predominately
in the Land of Canaan, or the Land of Israel. In the time
of Joshua (the era immediately following Moses), the
Hebrew people were a traveling and warring community
without a home—worshiping in a mobile tabernacle
that had to be continually packed up, transported, and
unpacked. In the time of David, the Israelites possessed
a great and prosperous kingdom. During the periods
of exile, God’s chosen people were prisoners of war
in foreign lands. In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah,
the Israelites were citizens of an emerging settlement,
rebuilding the decimated city of Jerusalem.

GENRE
W HAT T YPE OF B O O K IS
T HI S?
Though the genre of law features
strongly in Exodus, the book’s
chief genre is theological history,
as the main function of the
narrative is to reveal the nature
and character of God through his
presence and activity in space-
time. This particular theological
history follows the framework of
an epic.11
11 ESV Study Bible, 143.
Common features of this
biblical genre include:
• Origin stories
• Genealogies
• People in crisis
• Good versus evil
• Redemptive events
• Biographies
• Hero stories
THEMATIC
LANGUAGE
W H AT WO RDS D O E S T H E
AU T H O R RE GU LA RLY U SE I N
T H I S BO O K?
• Egypt (122 occurrences)
• Pharaoh (98 occurrences)
• Moses (293 occurrences)
• Land (116 occurrences)
• Wilderness (27 occurrences)
• Covenant (13 occurrences)
• Law (19 occurrences)
• Sacrifice (20 occurrences)
• Tabernacle (58 occurrences)

5
KEY VERSES
WHAT A R E SOM E K EY V ERS ES IN TH IS L E T T E R?
3:14 (ESV): God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”
And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I
am has sent me to you.’”
6:7–8 (ESV): I will take you as my own people,
and I will be your God. Then you will know that
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out
from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will
bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand
to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will
give it to you as a possession.
I am the Lord.
18:20 (ESV): …and you shall warn them about
the statutes and the laws, and make them
know the way in which they must walk and
what they must do.
34:6–7 (ESV): …The Lord, the Lord, a God
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, but who
will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers on the children and the
children’s children, to the third and the fourth
generation.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The
Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by
Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used
by permission. All rights reserved.
ILLUSTRATION
W H AT ’ S AN I LLU ST RAT I O N T H AT W I L L
H E LP C O N GRE GAN TS U N D E RSTA N D THE
C O N T E XT A N D ME SSAGE O F T H E BOOK?
Like the event of the exodus for the
Israelites, the signing of the Declaration of
Independence commemorated the birth
of a nation for the American people. On
this monumental day in American history,
the thirteen colonies announced that they
were no longer subject to the control of
the British monarchy. The Fourth of July, or
Independence Day, is directly tied to the
national identity of the American people.
Similar to the exodus, it represents liberation
from foreign rule and freedom from bondage.
OVERVIEW
W H AT ’ S A SU C C I N C T OVE RV I E W O F THE
BO O K T H AT CAN BE U SE D BY A PASTOR
D U RI N G T H E I N T RO D U C T I O N O F T H EIR
ME SSAGE ?
Today’s passage is found in the book of Exodus.
Exodus was most likely written by Moses, the hero of
this historical and theological epic. Moses composed
Exodus primarily for the future generations of
Israelites that would fight for, obtain, relinquish, and
finally return to the Promised Land. He wrote the
book of Exodus as a remembrance. The purpose of
this book is to remind the people of Israel who they
are and who their God is—that they might recall their
identity and divine mandate and be reminded of the
power and faithfulness of their God.
7