Usshers chronology places the date of Exodus in April of 1491 BC. His dates were published in the King James Authorized Bible as early as 1701 AD and are the ones used on the Bible History Timeline above.
Thiele, a modern Biblical chronologist, calculates it to 1446 BC – a date often used by modern Evangelicals.
Josephus relates it to the expulsion of the Hyskos from Egypt circa 1552 BC
The Septuagint, on which the Catholic Bible is based, makes it 1512 BC
That gives a hundred year range of dates. That’s not bad when you consider how hard it is to date ancient history. For instance Egyptologists suggest a 2300 year range of dates (from 2450 BC to 5004 BC) when trying to date the first Egyptian King, Menes.
The original inspired Bible text does not include dates – these have been added by man- although it does include the number of years between events. However, not all events are linked so that dates have to be calculated using historical events mentioned in the Bible that have secular dates associated with them. How the dates of Bible events are calculated is another question.
Related article:
The Three Bible Timelines: Why and How They Differ
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Hello
Concerning the Exodus, Jewish tradition places it in 1312 BC, but my belief (based on calculation explained in the specific page below) is that it was in 1308 BC. Not a big margin though. From my study, it places the Exodus in the last year of reign of Pharaoh Horemheb. With his death ended the 18th Dynasty of Egypt too.
I am not familiar with the Usshers and Thiele computations. If there is a web site describing them, I would be happy to look into it.
Kind regards
Albert
Hi Albert
Here’s information on Bishop Ussher, the seventeenth century historian whose date calculations were included in the King James Authorized version of the Bible. His calculations are generally considered to be the most accurate for Christian historians.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher_chronology
Thanks for commenting and sharing your work
Hello Margaret
I found another source, from Jewish literature, that proposes a date for the Exodus: it is the Book of the Jubilees, which clearly states that it took place at the end of 49 jubilees since Creation + the 2nd year from it: this makes 49*50 +1 = year 2451 AM (or 1309 BCE). This is an attractive explanation due to the significance of the cycle of jubilees because it sets the Exodus within the 50th Jubilee as a matter of fact. For more details, see my web site at http://www.seder-olam.info/seder-olam-g31-hasmonean1.html#book_of_jubilees
This is very close to the traditional Jewish figure of 2448 AM but this figure falls before the 50th Jubilee: less attractive than the previous one.
My own estimate is 2454 AM (or 1306 BCE) for the reasons I explain in http://www.seder-olam.info/seder-olam-g21-exodus.html#the_exodus ; the interest is that this estimate also falls in the 50th Jubilee, along with the 40 years in the desert and the main conquest of Canaan: an eventful Jubilee in fact.
Yet, readers must understand that the exact date of the Exodus will always be shrouded with some uncertainty. The fact, for Jewish tradition, is that it doesn’t matter too much, if the correct figure is a few years different: the Torah (the Jewish Bible) is not a history book ! So events are only important for the relations they have one to another: for example, it is more important to know when a man has a son or heir, or how old was he when a given circumstance occurred to him, or how long did he live compared to stating his year of birth or year of death. Yet, with some patience and some calculation, we can reconstruct a pretty good idea of the Biblical chronology. All the Jewish chroniclers give the Exodus within a small number of years bracket, which indicate that this event happened at a time when the 18th dynasty of Egypt collapsed.
I cannot say much of the Christian chronologies (such as Ussher) but know that some of them got the start of AM wrong due to a mistake with one of the early Biblical character. Also, you stated that The Septuagint gives the date of 1512 BC for the Exodus… It is not the original Septuagint, which was a mere translation in Greek of the Jewish Torah by Jewish scholars: so there was no date stated in the original Septuagint, dating some 350 years before Christ. But, what happened is that Constantine ordered to re-write this text and fixed it as the only official version of the “Old Testament”: all original versions of the Septuagint must have been destroyed at that time. Only remain the versions post 300 CE (the oldest ones being the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, both being among the copies that Constantine ordered, as far as I know).
Many thanks
Albert
however, the Hebrew dates for creation are off by some 245 years. Your calculations and certain others, which place the Exodus around 1250 BC are naturally off. I have never been able to understand according to the Biblical facts of the genealogies how Hebrew historians could miss the years by so far
If you use 1550 and realize that Santorini volcano exploded with a 200ft plus or minus tsunami you can reconcile the exodus with the scientific record.
The problem with the so-called Santorini Scientific explanation for the Exodus is that it implies that the Santorini event surrounding All of Moses biblical actions around this view, such as the plagues, the rivers turning blood red etc., means that Moses would have had to have Prior knowledge about the pending Santorini event before hand, so that he could effectively use ithis to his advantage in convincing the Egyptians to let his people go free. Furthermore, Moses would have had to have a great understanding of what events were likely to occur around the So-called Sientific Santorini event in order to perform the apparent miraculous tasks commanded of him by God.
Given this fact therefore, The so-called Scientific Santorini explanation could not have occured at the time of Moses.
Paul November 2019
Where is your proof that the “original inspired Bible text does not include dates – these have been added by man?”
When did the Exodus end?
Hi, you asked: “when did the Exodus end…”
Well if you read the Bible correctly and not fall into the issue of making assumption about the exodus as many do, you will find that the Exodus ended after Moses was taken by God to mount Nebo so he could view the Land of Canaan (the Land of Promise) where he consequently dies ( 2438 years after the death of Adam). This was as a result of his apparent disobedience to God which was sadly caused by the murmurings of the people he had saved from the Egyptians in the year (*2398 AA) when Moses was Eighty years old. this period brought about the end of Israels 40 year wanderings in the Negev desert etc., thus the Israelites settled along the Arnon River for approximately 390 years after the Exodus. * please note that the dates I have given are calculated According to the forward progression of chronology after Adam and not according to the dating system of The Julian or Gregorian calendars fo the so called periods BC and BCE which is a backward progression system full of errors historically as archeologists today are finding that they have to push back the dates futher back in time when finding newer evidence that contradicts faculties BC mindset for a shorter creation theory.
I hope this explanation helps you to get a more accurate biblical view of things.
Paul
Like Dwight said, can AA be trusted?
I use the Genesis 3 celestial sign of 3973 BC, which is prophetically linked to the Revelation 12:1 celestial sign of 2017. Genesis 3 is a poor translation into English, which has influenced the masses to miss what the Almighty is saying to us.
The Almighty wrote out the play in the stars from an earth perspective, before He created humans, because Eden was His original Holy Habitation. The serpent is a reference to Draco, not a snake. The antichrist azazel was the chief angel over the garden of Eden prior to being kicked out for deceiving Adam and Eve. The prophecy of Genesis 3 should read like this in English:
cursed are you more than all BEASTS,
and more than any living creature on earth;
into the belly you shall go, and ashes you shall eat all the days of your existence;
and I will put enmity between you and the woman (Virgo), and of your sowing and of her Seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall overwhelm the hind portion of His Body.
This understanding clearly points to a prophetic connection to Revelation 12, which is a timeline of the “hind portion of His Body,” in which the antichrist/beasts overcome the 144,000 (2 witnesses) and the NEW believers they win to the Messiah during the 1st half of the week of wrath.
This understanding puts the start of the Jubilee count at 3980 BC, which is when the Almighty took a caveman from earth and transformed him into Adam, and then brought him into Eden. Adam and Eve were in Eden for 1 week and 1 month before they were deceived by azazel on the “17th day of the 2nd month,” which would be in 3973 BC, which equals the celestial sign of Genesis 3.
The book of Jubilees tells us that Moses received the instructions on Sinai on the 49th Jubilee and 1 week and 2 years.
49×50+9 = 2459 yrs
3980 BC-2459 yrs = 1521 BC at Mt Sinai
1521 BC-40 yrs = 1481 BC cross over
Give or take of course, but this understanding puts us TODAY at the 6000th year since the Jubilee count began. The Almighty tells us in Genesis 6:3 that He will only strive with flesh for 120 Jubilees aka 6000 years. The age of flesh is about to end, since “flesh and blood can NOT inherit the Kingdom.”
The FINAL GENERATION is not a slogan, it is LITERAL. When you take Zephaniah 1, 1 For 15:50, and Revelation 19:21, it is simple to see that the world is completely annihilated, and NO flesh survives. The only way to survive is to be in New Jerusalem with the Messiah.
JP, found your post in a random search trying to validate a theory. I’d like to discuss with you further more of what you wrote. Specifically the 3973 date and viewing Gen 3 as a sky prophecy. Would love to hear more details about your theory – wijitmaker at gmail dot com – Thanks!
An Exodus date of ca. 1446 BC seems to work out just fine when one adds ca. 966 BC (temple started) + 480 years. This was too easy. But getting more exact, what does one do adding 966 BC to:
+ 86y (kings Saul, David, 4 yrs Solomon) *
+ 430y (judges/foreign kings) 450-20 =Samson lived during time of Philistines
+ 17y? (generation of elders judged-estimate)
+ 28y (Joshua judged, etc.)
+ 40y (in wilderness)
+ 1y (in Wilderness of Sinai & Paran after the Exodus)
= Exodus ca. 1568 BC
Then there’s the problem that one cannot stretch the generations Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and David over 528 years and still have these persons born in the correct places if one uses ca. 1568 BC for the Exodus (One can barely stretch them using the 1446 BC date.) 1446 BC doesn’t work with years of the judges, etc.. Anywhere around 1568 BC doesn’t work with David and his ancestors. Help!
Linda,
Recommend using the Septuagint timeline as discussed in the link below. Setterfield has a discussion about the differences you have noted and cites Luke as implying 573 years in the following link:
http://www.setterfield.org/scriptchron.htm#tabletwo
Setterfield states: “There we find that the 573 years is made up of 40 wilderness years (Acts 13:18); 450 years under the Judges (Acts 13:20); 40 years under Saul (Acts 13:21); 40 years under David (l Kings 2:11); and 3 years under Solomon before the Temple construction commenced (1 Kings 6:1). This totals 573 years, or 93 years longer then stated in l Kings 6:1.” He cites the omission principle as a plausible explanation.
Linda, you are on the right track. 1568BC will work. you doubt because you are assuming David’s chronology is complete. Very often the bible abridges chronologies in lists of names. it only needs be complete when years are listed, such as the chronogenealogies in Gen.5&11. it is a long discussion and i have published a quote book on the suject, citing the best arguments i cound find over the last 24 years on the subject: From Creation to Christ; Understanding the Bible’s Chronology by Wayne M Myhre, if you wish a copy, see Lulu Press or myself. Also a paper just on the exodus is on Academia.com (Who is the Pharaoh of the Exodus).waykoala7@gmail.com
That’s September,1512BC. You’ll know it
I believe that Tutmosis3, who Moses disposessed was the last Pharaoh to seek the life of Moses and that he died on the day that God addressed Moses from the bush that was not consumed. His son Amenemhet, by his great wife, was Tutmoses heir and the crown prince who aged 17 years would have become the childless Pharaoh of the plagues. He died in the Red Sea after a devastating reign of approx 7 weeks, without memorial. He was followed by his older low born half brother Amenhotep whose firstborn son died at passover. There is evidence that Amenemhet was alive and expected to succeed his father and there is no evidence to support the suggestion that his death preceded that of his father by a few weeks.
Besides the fact that We have Thutmos 3 mummy and the pharoah of the exodus died in the Red Sea, another early piece of evidence that Israel was settled in the land early is the Berlin Pedestal.
ABR states, “The Berlin Pedestal is an Egyptian inscription housed in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin that almost certainly refers to Israel as a nation in Canaan. The inscription has three name rings, two of which clearly read “Ashkelon” and “Canaan,” and the third of which has been reconstructed to read “Ishrael.”
In a recent reexamination of the inscription, Peter van der Veen, Christoffer Theis, and Manfred Gorg noted that the names “Ashkelon” and “Canaan” largely were written consonantally and better reflect examples from the reigns of Tuthmosis III and Amenhotep II (15th century BC) than those from the times of Rameses II and Merneptah (13th century BC). If they were already settled in Canaan in the reigns of these kings, we should be looking for an earlier Pharaoh.21a
the catholic bible is based on masoritic text brother. just look at the genealogies, all from the MT. only thing catholics took from LXX was a couple of lines and the apocrypha. jerome went full MT where he could.
Lev#25 is related to the Holy Land. Which means counting starts, when Israel (Joshua) entered the Holy Land. It was for Judah to count the years and to make sure the Sabbath years and the Jubilee were kept in the Holy Land. As Judah and Israel did not do that, they were called the harlot sisters in Jeremiah.
Jesus did not sin. As he had the “last supper” (Passover) 2 days earlier than Judah, it shows how wrong their calendar is. The feasts are Holy to God so it makes sense why Revelations speaks of the “synagogue of Satan”. What if Jesus asked Israel and Judah, to return the Holy Land to the original owner, on the 30th Jubilee? Would it not make sense that, 40 Jubilee later (on the 70th Jubilee) He could come back to “take” it? To receive the deed of ownership (the scroll) from His father and with that all the authority, to take what is rightfully His. IMHO that makes a lot of sense, in context of the whole Bible. In that context was Exodus in 1468 BC, which matches the rain of Thutmose III.