Difference between revisions of "Duration of the Egyptian Exile/2"
(Original Author: Yonatan Novetsky, Rabbi Hillel Novetsky) |
m (Text replacement - "Seforno" to "Sforno") |
||
(22 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
<page type="Approaches"> | <page type="Approaches"> | ||
<h1>The Duration of the Egyptian Exile</h1> | <h1>The Duration of the Egyptian Exile</h1> | ||
− | |||
<div class="overview"> | <div class="overview"> | ||
<h2>Overview</h2> | <h2>Overview</h2> | ||
− | + | <p>Faced with the apparent contradictions between the explicit verses which speak of 400 or 430 years and the upper limit of 350 years derived from Moshe’s genealogy, different commentators chose to take some verses at face value while reinterpreting others. This yields a full spectrum of approaches regarding the total number of years the Israelites spent in Egypt.</p> | |
− | + | <p>Shadal and the Hoil Moshe maintain that the Children of Israel were in Egypt for the full 430 years. They propose that Moshe's genealogy omits several generations and includes only the more prominent personalities. Others view Moshe's genealogy as a full listing and therefore suggest that the nation was in Egypt for much less than 430 years. To do so, they reread the verses which speak of 430 or 400, suggesting that this time span does not begin with the descent to Egypt but with some other event such as Avraham's journey to Israel, the Covenant of the Pieces, or the birth of Yitzchak. Depending on which of these approaches is chosen, the Children of Israel might have been in Egypt anywhere between 210 and 240 years. There is also a compromise approach which suggests that though the original plan was for a full 400 year exile in Egypt, Hashem changed his mind and shortened the stay.<fn>The analysis below will first categorize the approaches by how they attempt to resolve the primary contradiction between the total of 400-430 years and the small number of generations until Moshe. [The methods used are: adding generations, subtracting years from the Egypt portion, or postulating that the plan changed.] It will then discuss how they reconcile the secondary discrepancy between the 400 and 430 figures themselves.</fn></p></div> | |
− | + | <approaches> | |
− | |||
− | < | ||
− | + | <category>Full 430 Years | |
− | <category | ||
<p>The Israelites lived in Egypt for a full 430 years.</p> | <p>The Israelites lived in Egypt for a full 430 years.</p> | ||
− | <mekorot><multilink><aht | + | <mekorot><multilink><a href="Rashba367" data-aht="source">Rashba</a><a href="Rashba367" data-aht="source">New Responsa #367</a><a href="R. Shelomo b. Aderet (Rashba)" data-aht="parshan">About Rashba</a></multilink>,<fn>After first discussing the 210 year position found in Chazal, Rashba writes: "כל שכן לכשתלך אחר פשוטי הכתובים שהיתה עמידתם במצרים ת״ל שנה, כמו שכתוב ומושב בני ישראל אשר ישבו במצרים שלשים שנה וארבע מאות שנה". See also Scholion of Megillat Taanit regarding 25 Sivan and Bavli Sanhedrin 91a where Geviha b. Pesisa claims backpay for a full 430 years of slavery. In contrast, the parallel account in Bereshit Rabbah 61:7 speaks of 210 years. For more see <a href="Reparations and Despoiling Egypt" data-aht="page">Reparations and Despoiling Egypt</a>.</fn> <multilink><a href="Shadal6-20" data-aht="source">Shadal</a><a href="Shadal6-20" data-aht="source">Shemot 6:20</a><a href="R. Shemuel David Luzzatto (Shadal)" data-aht="parshan">About Shadal</a></multilink> agreeing with I.B. Koppe,<fn>Shadal also cites Isaak Markus Jost as maintaining this position. However, there is a fundamental difference between them regarding how to understand Shemot 6 – see below.</fn> <multilink><a href="HoilBereshit15-16" data-aht="source">Hoil Moshe</a><a href="HoilBereshit15-16" data-aht="source">Bereshit 15:16</a><a href="Hoil6-18" data-aht="source">Shemot 6:18</a><a href="HoilYehoshua7-1" data-aht="source">Yehoshua 7:1</a><a href="R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi (Hoil Moshe)" data-aht="parshan">About Hoil Moshe</a></multilink><fn>Two similar options are mentioned by the <multilink><a href="RambamTeiman3" data-aht="source">Rambam</a><a href="RambamTeiman3" data-aht="source">Iggeret Teiman Ch. 3</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Maimon (Rambam, Maimonides)" data-aht="parshan">About Rambam</a></multilink>, in the context of his discussion of the impossibility of predicting when the ultimate redemption will happen. Rambam notes that while the Israelites were in Egypt there were also conflicting predictions as to when the Exodus was supposed to occur and as to how to interpret the prophecy of Bereshit 15:13. According to the Rambam's reconstruction, two of the theories proposed at that time were that the 400 years should be counted either from the descent to Egypt or from the start of the slavery (which the Rambam places at 70 years after the descent). Since for the Rambam these possibilities were contemplated only while the Israelites were still in Egypt (and were proven false when the Exodus took place 400 years after the birth of Yitzchak), they could not have accounted for the later verses in Shemot 12:40-41 which mention the figure of 430 years.</fn></mekorot> |
− | < | + | <point><b>Crux of the position</b> – Shadal and the Hoil Moshe maintain that the Israelites were in Egypt for a full 430 years. To do so, they must posit that Moshe's genealogy in Shemot 6 omits several generations and includes only the more prominent personalities.</point> |
− | <point><b>430 years in Egypt</b> | + | <point><b>430 years in Egypt</b> – This position reads the verses in Shemot 12:40-41 literally, and thus maintains that the Israelites really were in Egypt for a full 430 years.</point> |
− | <point><b>Moshe's paternal lineage</b> | + | <point><b>Moshe's paternal lineage</b> – Shadal and the Hoil Moshe need to offer a novel interpretation of Shemot 6, maintaining that Moshe's genealogy omits several generations and includes only the more prominent personalities.<fn>Cf. Rashbam Shemot 6:18 who posits that the genealogies mention only characters who appear in stories in the Torah, and see also Rashba in the first part of his responsum: "יש לנו להשיב ולומר שלא כל התולדות אשר היו להם זכר הכתוב רק מקצת מהם או מקצת מן הנזכרים, ואף על פי שהיו להם או למקצתם בנים אחרים רבים מאלה, אלא שלא זכר כאן רק אותם שהיה הצורך מביא לזכרם, מפני שאלה היו ראשי בית אבות למשפחותיהם והאחרים בלבד יקראו על שמם".</fn> Thus it, too, covers a period of 430 years.<fn>While Shadal (and the Hoil Moshe) understand the numbers of the years recorded for Levi, Kehat, and Amram as the literal lengths of their lives, Jost (cited by Shadal) attempts to explain these numbers as the duration of the periods their families remained as a tribal unit before subdividing. This allows him to add all of these numbers together and arrive at a sum close to 430. Jost's reading, however, is a difficult if not impossible rendering of the verses.</fn></point> |
− | <point><b>Moshe's maternal lineage</b> | + | <point><b>Moshe's maternal lineage</b> – The Torah records that Yocheved was Levi's "daughter born to him in Egypt" ("‏בַּת־לֵוִי אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה אֹתָהּ לְלֵוִי בְּמִצְרָיִם") and Amram's aunt ("דֹּדָתוֹ"‎).<fn>See Shemot 2:1, 6:20, and Bemidbar 26:59.</fn> If so, Yocheved would need to have lived at least from the year of Levi's death until Moshe's birth, which would make her at least 256 years old when she gave birth to Moshe. Thus, in order to sustain his position, the Hoil Moshe is forced to interpret "בַּת־לֵוִי אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה אֹתָהּ לְלֵוִי" as "a woman born to the tribe of Levi," rather than as a biological daughter of Levi himself.<fn>The Hoil Moshe acknowledges the difficulty in his interpretation. The problem lies not so much in rendering "בַּת" as a descendant – see <a href="Dictionary:אַב" data-aht="page">אב</a> for similar cases, but rather in the "אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה אֹתָהּ לְלֵוִי בְּמִצְרָיִם" which appears to indicate that Yocheved was an actual child of Levi himself, born to him after his descent to Egypt.</fn> According to this, Yocheved could still be Amram's aunt, or, alternatively, "דֹּדָתוֹ" could be explained as a relative or cousin.<fn>As per the readings of the LXX, Peshitta, and Targum Yerushalmi (Neofiti) Shemot 6:20, and Demetrius (see discussion below for his reconstruction of Moshe's genealogy). [Cf. the similar case in Yirmeyahu 32:12, and see Radak there, and see R. Saadia's position in <a href="Cursing Canaan/2" data-aht="page">Cursing Canaan</a>.] This position is also found in Karaite commentaries – see the comments of Yefet b. Eli and an additional Karaite interpreter published by M. Zucker, על תרגום רס"ג לתורה (New York, 1959): 489,493. The Karaites are explicitly motivated by a desire to show that the laws of the Torah are immutable and that Amram did not violate the later recorded prohibition of marrying an aunt. For elaboration, see <a href="Avot and Mitzvot – Was Avraham the First Jew" data-aht="page">Avot and Mitzvot – Was Avraham the First Jew?</a>.</fn></point> |
− | <point><b>"וְדוֹר רְבִיעִי יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה"</b> (Bereshit 15:16) – The Hoil Moshe Bereshit 15:16 explains that "generation" here doesn’t mean a literal generation, but rather the lifespan of an important personality which can extend over several generations.</point> | + | <point><b>"וְדוֹר רְבִיעִי יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה"</b>(Bereshit 15:16) – The Hoil Moshe Bereshit 15:16 explains that "generation" here doesn’t mean a literal generation, but rather the lifespan of an important personality which can extend over several generations.</point> |
<point><b>400 in Bereshit vs. 430 in Shemot</b> – The Hoil Moshe Bereshit 15:16 suggests that 400 is merely used as a round number approximating the more precise tally of 430 years spent in Egypt.<fn>See below for the alternative that 30 years were added because of the Israelites' sins. An additional theoretical possibility might be that the Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years, but were only oppressed for 400 years, but this would need to maintain that the oppression began thirteen years after Yaakov's death (i.e. thirty years after he and his family descended to Egypt) and while Yosef was still alive.</fn> According to this approach, the prophecy in Bereshit 15 is intended only to be a general foretelling of the future (rather than a precise historical account), and thus both the exact duration and location of the exile are not provided.<fn>The verse uses the vaguers "בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם" rather than specifying Egypt.</fn></point> | <point><b>400 in Bereshit vs. 430 in Shemot</b> – The Hoil Moshe Bereshit 15:16 suggests that 400 is merely used as a round number approximating the more precise tally of 430 years spent in Egypt.<fn>See below for the alternative that 30 years were added because of the Israelites' sins. An additional theoretical possibility might be that the Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years, but were only oppressed for 400 years, but this would need to maintain that the oppression began thirteen years after Yaakov's death (i.e. thirty years after he and his family descended to Egypt) and while Yosef was still alive.</fn> According to this approach, the prophecy in Bereshit 15 is intended only to be a general foretelling of the future (rather than a precise historical account), and thus both the exact duration and location of the exile are not provided.<fn>The verse uses the vaguers "בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם" rather than specifying Egypt.</fn></point> | ||
<point><b>Number of Levites</b> – Shadal and the Hoil Moshe point out that in Shemot 6 only twenty Kehatite descendants are mentioned, while in the second year in the wilderness, Kehat's male descendants numbered 8,600 (see Bemidbar 3:28). As it is impossible that Kehat's descendants multiplied 430 fold in a mere two years, this demonstrates that Shemot 6 cannot be a complete genealogy.<fn>While Shadal and the Hoil Moshe want to prove from here that there were additional unmentioned generations, others might argue that there were only additional unmentioned descendants but not extra generations. Cf. Rashbam Shemot 6:18 and Rashba (New Responsa #367) cited in the note above.</fn></point> | <point><b>Number of Levites</b> – Shadal and the Hoil Moshe point out that in Shemot 6 only twenty Kehatite descendants are mentioned, while in the second year in the wilderness, Kehat's male descendants numbered 8,600 (see Bemidbar 3:28). As it is impossible that Kehat's descendants multiplied 430 fold in a mere two years, this demonstrates that Shemot 6 cannot be a complete genealogy.<fn>While Shadal and the Hoil Moshe want to prove from here that there were additional unmentioned generations, others might argue that there were only additional unmentioned descendants but not extra generations. Cf. Rashbam Shemot 6:18 and Rashba (New Responsa #367) cited in the note above.</fn></point> | ||
<point><b>Israelite population growth</b> – Shadal notes that having a full 430 years in Egypt also more easily explains the nation's growth to 600,000 men. See <a href="$">Fertility Rate</a> for other options.</point> | <point><b>Israelite population growth</b> – Shadal notes that having a full 430 years in Egypt also more easily explains the nation's growth to 600,000 men. See <a href="$">Fertility Rate</a> for other options.</point> | ||
<point><b>Biblical genealogies</b> – There are several other instances of characters from the generation of the Exodus whose lineages are traced back to their original tribes but only have a couple of names of ancestors listed in the interim.<fn>Besides the Levite family in Shemot 6 which includes Moshe and Aharon, Korach, Mishael and Eltzafan, see also Chur (Divrei HaYamim I 2:3-20), Nachshon (Rut 4:18-20), Datan and Aviram (Bemidbar 26:6-9), Zelaphchad (Bemidbar 26:28-33, 27:1), and Akhan (Yehoshua 7:18). However, see Yehoshua's genealogy (Divrei HaYamim 7:20-27) where nine generations are listed.</fn> As two or three generations cannot span 430 years, the Hoil Moshe<fn>See his commentaries on Shemot 6:18, Bemidbar 1:20, 16:1, 26:6.</fn> suggests that in all of these cases the ancestors named are not the character's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, but rather his household (בית אב‎), family (משפחה‎) and tribe (שבט‎).<fn>Cf. Yehoshua 7:14 where the population is organized by tribe, family, household, and individuals. The Hoil Moshe also cites the example of Mordechai's lineage in Esther 2:8, and the comments of the Talmud Bavli Megillah 12b.</fn></point> | <point><b>Biblical genealogies</b> – There are several other instances of characters from the generation of the Exodus whose lineages are traced back to their original tribes but only have a couple of names of ancestors listed in the interim.<fn>Besides the Levite family in Shemot 6 which includes Moshe and Aharon, Korach, Mishael and Eltzafan, see also Chur (Divrei HaYamim I 2:3-20), Nachshon (Rut 4:18-20), Datan and Aviram (Bemidbar 26:6-9), Zelaphchad (Bemidbar 26:28-33, 27:1), and Akhan (Yehoshua 7:18). However, see Yehoshua's genealogy (Divrei HaYamim 7:20-27) where nine generations are listed.</fn> As two or three generations cannot span 430 years, the Hoil Moshe<fn>See his commentaries on Shemot 6:18, Bemidbar 1:20, 16:1, 26:6.</fn> suggests that in all of these cases the ancestors named are not the character's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, but rather his household (בית אב‎), family (משפחה‎) and tribe (שבט‎).<fn>Cf. Yehoshua 7:14 where the population is organized by tribe, family, household, and individuals. The Hoil Moshe also cites the example of Mordechai's lineage in Esther 2:8, and the comments of the Talmud Bavli Megillah 12b.</fn></point> | ||
− | <point><b>Duration of the slavery</b> – Theoretically, this approach could posit that the Israelites were enslaved for over 300 years. However, the Hoil Moshe maintains that the harsh decrees spanned only the reign of the two kings mentioned in Sefer Shemot, or a period of about a hundred years.<fn>For more on the Hoil Moshe's historical reconstruction, see < | + | <point><b>Duration of the slavery</b> – Theoretically, this approach could posit that the Israelites were enslaved for over 300 years. However, the Hoil Moshe maintains that the harsh decrees spanned only the reign of the two kings mentioned in Sefer Shemot, or a period of about a hundred years.<fn>For more on the Hoil Moshe's historical reconstruction, see <a href="New King or Dynasty" data-aht="page">Melekh Chadash</a> and <a href="$">Egyptian Chronology</a>.</fn></point> |
</category> | </category> | ||
− | + | <category name="Plan Changed"> | |
− | + | Change in Plans | |
− | + | <p>The Israelites were supposed to be in Egypt for a full 400-430 years, but Hashem shortened their stay.</p> | |
− | + | <mekorot><multilink><a href="MekhiltaBo14" data-aht="source">Rabbi (Yehuda) in the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael</a><a href="MekhiltaBo14" data-aht="source">Bo 14</a><a href="Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael" data-aht="parshan">About the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="PesiktaDRKHaChodesh5-7" data-aht="source">Pesikta DeRav Kahana</a><a href="PesiktaDRKHaChodesh5-7" data-aht="source">HaChodesh 5:7</a><a href="Pesikta DeRav Kahana" data-aht="parshan">About Pesikta DeRav Kahana</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="TanchumaMasei7" data-aht="source">Tanchuma</a><a href="TanchumaMasei7" data-aht="source">Masei 7</a><a href="Tanchuma" data-aht="parshan">About the Tanchuma</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="PirkeiDRE47" data-aht="source">Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer</a><a href="PirkeiDRE47" data-aht="source">47</a><a href="Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer" data-aht="parshan">About Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer</a></multilink>.</mekorot> | |
− | < | + | <point><b>Crux of the position</b> – This approach resolves the discrepancy between four generations and 430/400 years by suggesting that there was a change in the Divine plan. Although Hashem originally decreed a longer exile in Egypt, He later shortened the stay to 210 years.</point> |
− | + | <point><b>400 year period</b> – Rabbi Yehuda in the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael notes that the figure of 400 years is inconsistent with the promise of a return of the fourth generation.<fn>Cf. Seder Olam Rabbah below which counts the 400 years from Yitzchak, but the four generations from those who descended to Egypt. Rabbi Yehuda's approach attempts to avoid this inconsistency.</fn> He thus suggests that the verses are presenting two possibilities, a fast track and a slow track. If Avraham's descendants repent, then already the fourth generation will be redeemed, but if not, there will be a full 400 years.<fn>Rabbi Yehuda's statement leaves ambiguous the questions of whether they repented, by how many years repentance could have shortened the 400 years, and from when the 400 was being counted. The simplest reading (which would correlate with the Pesikta and Tanchuma) is that the Israelites' prayers and repentance shortened the possible 400 years of slavery in Egypt to 210 years or four generations. However, it is also possible that Rabbi Yehuda thinks that the Israelites did not repent and thus spent a full 400 years in Egypt. See <a href="Religious Identity in Egypt" data-aht="page">Religious Identity in Egypt</a> for a discussion of the Israelites' conduct in Egypt. Or, alternatively, he may hold that the 400 years were counted from the birth of Yitzchak (like the preceding section of the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael) and since they did not repent they spent 210 years in Egypt (while had they repented it would have been even less than this).</fn> Similarly, the Pesikta and Tanchuma say that Hashem hastened the redemption by shortening the 400 year decree to 210 years.<fn>See <multilink><a href="Aggadah4-24" data-aht="source">Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a><a href="Aggadah4-24" data-aht="source">Shemot 4:24</a><a href="Midrash Aggadah (Buber)" data-aht="parshan">About Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a></multilink> which depicts Moshe as wondering if it is time for the redemption when 400 years had not yet passed (see <a href="Mystery at the Malon" data-aht="page">Mystery at the Malon</a>). In the Midrash, Hashem responds that Yosef had already prophesied that the duration of the exile would be shortened by the 190 years of the numerical value of the word "פקוד". [Note, though, that in almost all textual witnesses of Bereshit 50:24, the word is written without a "ו".]</fn></point> | |
− | + | <point><b>Hashem changing his mind</b> – Tanchuma brings this case as a proof for the principle that Hashem sometimes rescinds a negative decree but never retracts a positive decree. See, however, the exact opposite positions of Ramban and Abarbanel below, who suggest that Hashem lengthened the slavery because of the nation's bad deeds. For more, see <a href="PHI$">Change of Heart</a>.</point> | |
− | + | <point><b>430 year period</b> – The Midrashic motif of Hashem hastening the redemption would appear to be applicable only to the 400 year prophecy and not to the 430 figure which is part of an after the fact summation.<fn>This is why the earlier sources (Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Pesikta, and Tanchuma) utilize the motif only in connection with the 400 years.</fn> However, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer attempts to apply it to the 430 number as well. He suggests that Hashem doubled the 215 years spent in Egypt<fn>Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer gets to 215 by first taking the 400 from the birth of Yitzchak and subtracting the 190 years from his birth until the descent to Egypt. This leaves 210 years in Egypt (like Seder Olam Rabbah below). He then adds to this the five years in which Menashe and Ephraim were already alive before the rest of Yaakov's family came to Egypt. See below for the possible influence of the position of Demetrius-Josephus on Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, and see also <multilink><a href="MalbimShemot12-40" data-aht="source">Malbim</a><a href="MalbimShemot12-40" data-aht="source">Shemot 12:40</a><a href="R. Meir Leibush Weiser (Malbim)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Meir Leibush Weiser</a></multilink>'s discussion of this position.</fn> by counting both the days and nights, thus arriving at the 430 year total.</point> | |
− | + | <point><b>Only 210 years in Egypt</b> – According to Rabbi Yehuda in the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Hashem could have shortened the 400 year period by any amount, and there is no evidence for specifically a 210 year stint.<fn>Indeed, see the note above that from Rabbi Yehuda's words in the Mekhilta, it is not even clear that Hashem did abbreviate the period.</fn> However, the Pesikta and Tanchuma specify that Hashem reduced the decree to 210 years. They are likely influenced by the position of Seder Olam Rabbah below.<fn>See also <multilink><a href="RashiSHS2-10" data-aht="source">Rashi Shir HaShirim</a><a href="RashiSHS2-10" data-aht="source">Shir HaShirim 2:10-11</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About Rashi</a></multilink> who synthesizes the approach of the Mekhilta with that of Seder Olam Rabbah below. Rashi explains that Hashem didn't simply reduce the 400 year period, but rather changed its starting point by reinterpreting the verse to begin from the birth of Yitzchak (as per Seder Olam Rabbah).</fn></point> | |
<point><b>Israelite population growth</b> – The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael,<fn>Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Bo 12.</fn> Pesikta,<fn>Pesikta DeRav Kahana 11.</fn> and Tanchuma<fn>Tanchuma Shemot 5</fn> all explain that the growth was supernatural. See <a href="$">Fertility Rate</a> for more.</point> | <point><b>Israelite population growth</b> – The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael,<fn>Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Bo 12.</fn> Pesikta,<fn>Pesikta DeRav Kahana 11.</fn> and Tanchuma<fn>Tanchuma Shemot 5</fn> all explain that the growth was supernatural. See <a href="$">Fertility Rate</a> for more.</point> | ||
− | + | </category> | |
− | + | <category>Never 430 Years | |
− | + | <p>The Israelites were never supposed to be in Egypt for a full 400-430 years, and the verses which speak of a 400 or 430 year stay need to be reinterpreted as counting, not from the descent to Egypt, but rather from a different starting point.<fn>To some extent, the verse of Bereshit 15:13 poses less of a problem than the verses in Shemot 12:40-41, | |
− | |||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
<li>Ralbag says that "זַרְעֲךָ" refers to Yaakov and the 400 years are counted from his birth, as Yaakov spent much of his life wandering and was the first to dwell in Egypt on a permanent basis.<fn>It is not clear, though, why the count would start from Yaakov's birth rather than from his wanderings.</fn></li> | <li>Ralbag says that "זַרְעֲךָ" refers to Yaakov and the 400 years are counted from his birth, as Yaakov spent much of his life wandering and was the first to dwell in Egypt on a permanent basis.<fn>It is not clear, though, why the count would start from Yaakov's birth rather than from his wanderings.</fn></li> | ||
<li>Ralbag suggests that this verse is also slightly elliptical, and is saying that the bondage will last until the end of the 400 year period which began with the birth of Yaakov.<fn>See above that Ralbag and many other commentators read the verse in Shemot 12:40 similarly. Ralbag also suggests that Shofetim 3:30 should be interpreted in similar fashion. There too, he is motivated by chronological difficulties – see Ralbag Shofetim 11:31 (and 3:11, 5:31, 8:28) and <a href="$">Chronology of Shofetim</a>.</fn></li> | <li>Ralbag suggests that this verse is also slightly elliptical, and is saying that the bondage will last until the end of the 400 year period which began with the birth of Yaakov.<fn>See above that Ralbag and many other commentators read the verse in Shemot 12:40 similarly. Ralbag also suggests that Shofetim 3:30 should be interpreted in similar fashion. There too, he is motivated by chronological difficulties – see Ralbag Shofetim 11:31 (and 3:11, 5:31, 8:28) and <a href="$">Chronology of Shofetim</a>.</fn></li> | ||
− | <li>Ralbag says that ultimately Hashem shortened the 400 year decree by 45 years.<fn>See Ralbag Bereshit 15:16, Shemot 2:23-25, 3:8 and the positions of the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael and Tanchuma discussed above. | + | <li>Ralbag says that ultimately Hashem shortened the 400 year decree by 45 years.<fn>See Ralbag Bereshit 15:16, Shemot 2:23-25, 3:8 and the positions of the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael and Tanchuma discussed above. For discussion of the philosphical issue, see <a href="PHI$">Change of Heart</a>.</fn> This allows him to reconcile it with the 430 count which began 75 years earlier.<fn>Alternatively, Ralbag could have claimed that the 400 years ended only with the conquest of the land of Israel (as the verse in Bereshit 15:16 speaks of "יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה") which was completed only about 45 years after the Exodus (see Yehoshua 14:10, but see Ralbag Yehoshua 14:6).</fn></li> |
− | </ul> | + | </ul></point> |
− | + | <point><b>430 in Shemot vs. 400 in Bereshit</b> – Ralbag does not explain why the 400 years begins only with the birth of Yaakov, while the 430 years starts already at the Covenant of the Pieces.<fn>If one were to distinguish, a good argument could be made to do so in the opposite direction.</fn></point> | |
− | + | <point><b>"וְדוֹר רְבִיעִי יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה"</b>(Bereshit 15:16) and <b>Biblical genealogies</b> – Ralbag Shemot 2:1 suggests that Yocheved was born at the very end of Levi's life, which according to him was 87 years after the descent to Egypt<fn>Ralbag says that Levi was 50 when they came to Egypt, while other commentators assume that he was 43 (see Ramban Bereshit 46:15). This is consistent with his unique interpretation in his commentary to Bereshit 29:20 of when Yaakov's sons were born. See <a href="BRE$">Chronology of Bereshit 29-30</a>.</fn> and 138 years before the Exodus. This would make Yocheved only 58 when she gave birth to Moshe.</point> | |
− | + | </subopinion> | |
− | + | </opinion> | |
− | + | <opinion name="430 From Yitzchak"> | |
− | + | 430 Years From Yitzchak's Birth | |
− | + | <p>The 430 years are counted from the birth of Yitzchak, when Avraham was 100 years old.</p> | |
− | + | <mekorot><multilink><a href="Jubilees16" data-aht="source">Jubilees</a><a href="Jubilees16" data-aht="source">16:13</a><a href="Jubilees48" data-aht="source">48:1</a><a href="Jubilees" data-aht="parshan">About Jubilees</a></multilink>,<fn>Jubilees does not explicitly mention the 430 years. However, it dates the birth of Yitzchak to year 1980 from Creation and the Exodus to the 2410/2411th year, with a differential of 430 years between the events. Jubilees 44 places the descent to Egypt in the year 2172, and thus there were 238-240 years in Egypt. It should be noted, though, that there are some textual transmission issues which impact these dates.</fn> <multilink><a href="RChananel" data-aht="source">R. Chananel</a><a href="RChananel" data-aht="source">In R. Bachya Shemot 12:40</a><a href="R. Chananel b. Chushiel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Chananel b. Chushiel</a></multilink>,<fn>R. Chananel's position is unclear, as after first saying that the 430 years are counted from Yitzchak's birth (which would imply that 240 years were spent in Egypt), he proceeds to explain that they were in Egypt for only 210 years. Additionally, it is unclear how R. Chananel reconciles the 430 and 400 figures.</fn> an option mentioned by both <multilink><a href="Ramban12-40" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="Ramban12-40" data-aht="source">Shemot 12:40</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About Ramban</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RalbagMilotBereshit15-13" data-aht="source">Ralbag</a><a href="RalbagMilotBereshit15-13" data-aht="source">Milot Bereshit 15:13</a><a href="R. Levi b. Gershom (Ralbag, Gersonides)" data-aht="parshan">About Ralbag</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="AbarbanelBereshit15-12" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit15-12" data-aht="source">Bereshit 15:12-15</a><a href="Abarbanel12-21" data-aht="source">Shemot 12:21-41</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="KeliYekar12-40" data-aht="source">Keli Yekar</a><a href="KeliYekar12-40" data-aht="source">Shemot 12:40</a><a href="R. Shelomo Ephraim Luntschitz (Keli Yekar)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Ephraim Luntschitz</a></multilink></mekorot> | |
− | + | <point><b>Crux of the position</b> – This approach counts the 430 years from the birth of Yitzchak, according to which the actual stay in Egypt was 240 years. Abarbanel explains that the 400 years is either a round number or, like Ramban above, that 30 years were later added due to the nation's sins.</point> | |
− | + | <point><b>240 years in Egypt</b> – As Yitzchak was born 190 years before the descent to Egypt,<fn>Yitzchak was 60 years old when Yaakov was born, and Yaakov was 130 years old when he went down to Egypt.</fn> 240 years remain for the actual stay in Egypt.</point> | |
− | < | + | <point><b>430 year period</b> – "וּמוֹשַׁב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה" (Shemot 12:40) – Abarbanel reads this verse as if there was an extra word "עִם" preceding "אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם", meaning that the 430 years is a total for the entire Patriarchal period and not just the time in Egypt.</point> |
− | + | <point><b>400 year period</b> – "גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה" (Bereshit 15:13) – Abarbanel explains that the 400 figure is the sum total for all of the events described in the verse (including "גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם"), and does not refer exclusively to the slavery itself ("וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם")‎.<fn>See Seder Olam Rabbah and R. Saadia above who interpret similarly.</fn></point> | |
− | + | <point><b>430 in Shemot vs. 400 in Bereshit</b> – Abarbanel adopts Ramban's theory that the original 400 year decree was extended to 430 years because of the Children of Israel's sins. For the ramifications of this theory, see the links in the discussion of the Ramban above.<fn>The Keli Yekar gives a variation of this explanation. According to him, the additional 30 years were because some of the Israelites regarded Egypt as a "מושב" (a permanent dwelling, as per the language used in Shemot 12:40), instead of as being only "גרים" (the language of Bereshit 15:13).</fn> Abarbanel also suggests that the 400 years may simply be a round number.<fn>Cf. Hoil Moshe. This may also be how Jubilees understood – see Jubilees 14:13.</fn></point> | |
− | + | <point><b>Duration of the slavery</b> – According to Jubilees 46, the oppression began after the deaths of Yosef and all of his brothers, and thus lasted 147 years. Abarbanel opts for a lower figure of 86 years for the most severe stage of the oppression (וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם)‎.<fn>See Seder Olam Rabbah and other sources cited above.</fn></point> | |
− | + | </opinion> | |
− | + | </category> | |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
</approaches> | </approaches> | ||
− | + | </page> | |
− | |||
− | |||
</aht-xml> | </aht-xml> |
Latest revision as of 12:16, 28 January 2023
The Duration of the Egyptian Exile
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
Faced with the apparent contradictions between the explicit verses which speak of 400 or 430 years and the upper limit of 350 years derived from Moshe’s genealogy, different commentators chose to take some verses at face value while reinterpreting others. This yields a full spectrum of approaches regarding the total number of years the Israelites spent in Egypt.
Shadal and the Hoil Moshe maintain that the Children of Israel were in Egypt for the full 430 years. They propose that Moshe's genealogy omits several generations and includes only the more prominent personalities. Others view Moshe's genealogy as a full listing and therefore suggest that the nation was in Egypt for much less than 430 years. To do so, they reread the verses which speak of 430 or 400, suggesting that this time span does not begin with the descent to Egypt but with some other event such as Avraham's journey to Israel, the Covenant of the Pieces, or the birth of Yitzchak. Depending on which of these approaches is chosen, the Children of Israel might have been in Egypt anywhere between 210 and 240 years. There is also a compromise approach which suggests that though the original plan was for a full 400 year exile in Egypt, Hashem changed his mind and shortened the stay.1
Full 430 Years
The Israelites lived in Egypt for a full 430 years.
Change in Plans
The Israelites were supposed to be in Egypt for a full 400-430 years, but Hashem shortened their stay.
Never 430 Years
The Israelites were never supposed to be in Egypt for a full 400-430 years, and the verses which speak of a 400 or 430 year stay need to be reinterpreted as counting, not from the descent to Egypt, but rather from a different starting point.27 This option subdivides regarding the point from which the 430 years are counted:28
430 Years From Avraham's Aliyah
The 430 years are counted from the time when Avraham began his journey to the land of Israel. There are two variations of this possibility:
Departure at Age 70
The 430 year count begins when Avraham originally departed Ur Kasdim at the age of 70.29
- Reinterpreting two of its terms – R. Saadia adopts this method. Thus he suggests that "בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" can refer also to the Israelites' ancestors such as Avraham,34 and that "בְּמִצְרָיִם" encompasses not only Egypt proper, but all lands which were under Egyptian dominion.35 These broader definitions then allow him to explain that the 430 figure includes also the years from the time that the Patriarchs lived in Canaan and Charan (as those lands were then under Egyptian control).36
- Assuming that the verse is giving only the central facts and not the full details – R. Yosef Bekhor Shor thus explains that the verse mentions only the stay in Egypt because that was the main part of the exile.37
- Separating the 430 figure from the rest of the verse – R. Avraham b. HaRambam suggests that the verse is merely saying that the Israelites were in Egypt until the end of the 430 year Patriarchal era which began with Avraham.38
Arrival at Age 75
The 430 year count begins when Avraham arrived in the land of Canaan at age 75.45
430 Years From Covenant
The 430 years are counted from the Covenant of the Pieces (ברית בין הבתרים). This possibility further subdivides regarding when the Covenant took place:
Covenant at Age 70
The Covenant of the Pieces (ברית בין הבתרים) occurred when Avraham was 70 years old.56
- Reinterpreting "בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" to refer also to the Israelites' ancestors such as Avraham61 and "בְּמִצְרָיִם" to encompass not only Egypt proper, but all lands which were under Egyptian dominion62 – This appears to be the option adopted by the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael and Mekhilta DeRashbi.
- Reading the 430 year figure as describing the duration of the Patriarchal period, whose endpoint coincided with the Exodus – R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon,63 R. Yonah ibn Janach.64
- Assuming that the verse is giving only the central facts and not the full details – R. Yosef Bekhor Shor thus explains that the verse mentions only the stay in Egypt because that was the main part of the exile.65
- Achronology – As the events of Bereshit 12-14 and the first part of Bereshit 15 proceed sequentially from when Avraham was 75 years old, the story of the Covenant of the Pieces in Bereshit 15:7-21 cannot be in chronological order and is not a continuation of the first part of Bereshit 15.69
- Setting – Since according to Bereshit 12:4-5 Avraham arrived in Israel only after he was 75, one must posit either that the Covenant of the Pieces took place outside of Israel before Avraham came to Israel70 or that Avraham had made an earlier pilot trip to Israel before he was 70, left,71 and then returned at 75.72
Covenant at Age 80
The Covenant of the Pieces (ברית בין הבתרים) occurred when Avraham was 80 years old.
- In his Commentary on the Torah, Ramban suggests that the verse is an elliptical construction and should be read as if the word "עַד" precedes the 430 years. Thus, he interprets the 430 as referring to the aforementioned period specified to Avraham at the Covenant of the Pieces,83 rather than to the time spent in Egypt.84
- In his Critique of the Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot, Ramban posits that the verse is speaking generally about the majority of the 430 years, which was in fact spent in Egypt.85 Ramban also adds that the 430 year period began with Avraham's first exile from Canaan. Assuming that Ramban is referring to Avraham's descent to Egypt,86 the 430 years would then be bookended by two exiles to Egypt.
- Ramban explains that the verse is a מקרא מסורס and "אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה" is a dangling modifier which refers back to "גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם", rather than to the immediately preceding words of "וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם".87
- Ramban maintains that the 400 years incorporate the years of Avraham himself from the time of the Covenant,88 in spite of the fact that the verse specifies "זַרְעֲךָ".89
- Ramban must argue that "בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם" includes Canaan.90
- The verses in Bereshit should be understood as saying that following the 400 years, there will be an additional period of thirty years until the Amorites are fully deserving of punishment and the Israelites will return to the land.
- The verse in Bereshit describes the original plan which called for only 400 years of wandering and oppression. Ultimately, however, their exile was prolonged by thirty years as a penalty for bad behavior,91 and thus Shemot speaks of 430 years.92
Covenant at Age 85
The Covenant of the Pieces (ברית בין הבתרים) occurred when Avraham was 85 years old.
- Ralbag says that "זַרְעֲךָ" refers to Yaakov and the 400 years are counted from his birth, as Yaakov spent much of his life wandering and was the first to dwell in Egypt on a permanent basis.101
- Ralbag suggests that this verse is also slightly elliptical, and is saying that the bondage will last until the end of the 400 year period which began with the birth of Yaakov.102
- Ralbag says that ultimately Hashem shortened the 400 year decree by 45 years.103 This allows him to reconcile it with the 430 count which began 75 years earlier.104
430 Years From Yitzchak's Birth
The 430 years are counted from the birth of Yitzchak, when Avraham was 100 years old.