The Exodus in ancient Egypt refers to a time when the Israelites were led out of Egypt by Moses. The Israelites had been in Egypt for hundreds of years, and eventually became so numerous that the Pharaoh decided he couldn’t trust them. He didn’t want to take the chance that they could oust him from his position, so he turned them all into slaves.
What was the Exodus?
The Israelites lived as slaves in Egypt for 400 years until the time God inflicted the ten plagues upon Egypt, in an effort to convince the Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves. Some accounts place the number of Israelites in the Exodus at 500,000, while others place the number at 2.5 million. Whether or not the Exodus from ancient Egypt ever truly happened is questioned by scholars, but remains a popular theory today.
The Route of the Exodus
Map of possible Exodus Routes
Located on the Eastern Delta of the Nile, the land of Goshen is where the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians. It was from here that the Exodus started. After the ten plagues ravaged Egypt, the Pharaoh (the specific pharaoh remains a question), allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt. The Israelite men, women and children crossed into the Egyptian wilderness where they eventually approached the Red Sea.
Back in Egypt, the Pharaoh decided he didn’t want to let the Israelite slaves go because of the humiliation it caused his throne. He ordered his armies to slaughter them and with nowhere to run but the Red Sea, they called to Moses for help. When Moses raised his staff, The Red Sea parted and the Israelite slaves were able to cross through the sea on dry land. According to the legend, when the Pharaoh’s men went after the Israelites across the parted Red Sea, the waters closed back up and drowned them all.
Pharaoh’s army engulfed by the Red Sea, oil on canvas, by Frederick Arthur Bridgman
Once the Israelites reached the other side of the Red Sea intact, they entered into the Sinai Wilderness. Here, they were tested by God for 40 years after which Moses led them to Mount Sinai. It was on Mount Sinai where Moses was given the Ten Commandments by God.
Date and Chronology of the Exodus
There is some speculation as to the exact date the Exodus took place. The date is believed to be around 1313 B.C. But before that time, leading up to the Exodus, the Jews lived as slaves in Egypt for over 400 years since 1850 B.C. or so. Moses, who saved the Israelites and led them out of Egypt at 80 years old, was born in 1393 B.C.
Moses
Moses was born in Egypt and was among those ordered to be killed, as he was a first-born Hebrew son. At three months old, he was set in a basket on the Nile River to escape the Pharaoh’s decree. He was saved by the Pharaoh’s daughter and raised in the palace. At 20 years old, Moses saw an Egyptian killing an Israelite and killed the Egyptian. The crime forced him to flee to the town of Midian where he married and had two sons. When he was 80 years old, God revealed himself to Moses in a burning bush. He instructed Moses to save the children of Israel. He died on Mount Nebo at the age of 120 years.
