Exodus 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
This seems like a contradiction because the children of Israel only lived in Egypt for about 3 generations. However, it is helpful to look at the original prophecy of the 400 Years prediction.
And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years. (KJV, Genesis 15:13)
It basically says that the seed (descendants) of Abraham would be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall server them and afflicted them 400 years.
If we call the year of Ishma’el’s birth “0,” as he is Abram’s first seed, we can then use various passages to calculate how many years from then until Israel entered the land of Canaan.
Birth of Isaac:
- Abraham is 100 (Gen 17:17; 21:5)
- Ishmael is 13 the year before Isaac’s birth (Gen 17:25)
Birth of Jacob:
- Isaac is 60 (Gen 25:26)
Birth of Joseph:
- Jacob is 91 – Jacob was 130 when entering Egypt (Gen 47:9)
- Joseph was 30 when entering Pharoahs service (Gen 41:46)
- 7 years of plenty (Gen 41:53,54)
- 2 years of famine when Jacob came to Egypt (Gen 45:6)
- Joseph was 39 (30+7+2) when Jacob entered Egypt
- Jacob was 91 at birth of Joseph (130-39)
- Birth of Levi: Jacob is 87
- Jacob is 91 at birth of Joseph who was born in the 14 year of service to Laban (Gen 30:25,26)
- Jacob is 77 when arrives at Labans (91-14)
- Jacob serves 7 years and recieves Leah (Gen 29:27) who bears Levi, her third son approximately 3 years after being with Jacob.
- Jacob is approximately 87 at birth of Levi (77+7+3).
- The Children of Israel enter the land of Egypt 17 years before the death of Jacob (Gen 47:28) and when Levi is 87 years old.
Birth of Kohath:
- Levi is ~35 – Levi was younger than 40 when Kohath was born as Levi was 43 when he went to Egypt with his 3 sons (Gen 46:8,11)
- if this is correct Kohath would be 8 when entering Egypt.
- Birth of Amram: Kohath is ~40 (an average generaton)
- Birth of Moses: Amram is ~40 (an average generaton)
- Israel leaves Egypt when Moses is 80 years old.
The children of Israel enter the land of Israel after the 40 years of wandering, which is 400 years after the birth of Ishmael.
These numbers are approximate calculations. The other 30 years can be time getting to the promise land and how much time that it should have taken to take the land. Instead, they are wandering in the wilderness for 40 Years. They still were journeying in a land that was not their own.
articlesforchristians 
Leave a comment