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Exodus, Book ofAid to Bible Understanding
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Scripture Records, by George Rawlinson, pp. 290, 291.
The account of Pharaoh’s daughter bathing in the Nile has been disputed (Ex. 2:5), but Herodotus says (as ancient monuments also show) that in ancient Egypt the women were under no restraint. Also, the Egyptians believed a sovereign virtue existed in the Nile waters. Pharaoh at times evidently went out to the river for purposes of worship. It was here that he was met at least twice by Moses during the ten plagues.—Ex. 7:15; 8:20.
As to absence of Egyptian monumental evidence of the Israelites’ sojourn in Egypt, this is not surprising, in view of the fact that a study of the monuments there reveals that the Egyptians did not record matters uncomplimentary to themselves. However, an even more powerful testimony than stone monumental evidence is the living monument of the observance of the Passover by the Jews, who have commemorated the Exodus in this way throughout their entire history.
There is strong ground for accepting the historical accuracy and the general narrative as given in Exodus. Jesus and the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures quote or refer to Exodus more than forty times. The integrity of the writer Moses attests to the book’s authenticity. He points out with the greatest candor his own weaknesses, his hesitancy and his mistakes, not attributing anything of the miracles, leadership and organization to his own prowess, though he was acknowledged as great by the Egyptians and, in the main, much respected by Israel.—Ex. 11:3; 3:10-12; 4:10-16.
The plagues are Egyptian in setting, supporting their historicity. Locust swarms are common in Egypt, one Egyptologist telling of being in a “regular snow-drift of locusts” for six days. He also saw a fearful hailstorm and mentions an extraordinary cattle murrain “which carried off 40,000 head of cattle.” Of course, this does not detract from the miraculous nature of the plagues, highly intensified calamities that came on time and as previously announced, that stopped at Moses’ word and that, in the last seven, did not afflict the Israelites. Moreover, they appeared in a logical and meaningful order.
Joseph P. Free, a professor of archaeology who traveled in Egypt, says that he found straw in many of the bricks there. John Wilson, Egyptologist of the University of Chicago, says that, in Egyptian brick-making, straw was used as much as it was left out.—Ex. 5:7, 10-13, 16.
The divine hand is revealed in Israel’s sojourn in Egypt and their Exodus. A better place could hardly be found for Israel’s rapid growth to a mighty nation. Had they remained in Canaan they would have been subjected to much warfare with the Canaanite inhabitants, while in the territory of the first world power during the time of its zenith they were protected by its might. They lived in the best part of the land, contributing to health and fertility, as well as to intellectual growth to some extent.
But Egypt was not adequate for moral and spiritual discipline and advancement in theocratic principles, and certainly not for their being made a nation under theocratic rule and of exclusive devotion to Jehovah, with a sacrificing and teaching priesthood. Furthermore, God’s promise to give Abraham’s seed the land of Canaan had to be fulfilled and God’s time had come for it. Israel was to be constituted a great nation, with Jehovah as its sovereign King. The book of Exodus relates Jehovah’s accomplishment of this purpose.—Ex. 15:13-21.
OUTLINE OF CONTENTS
I. Israel’s rapid growth brings fear to Egypt’s ruler (chap. 1)
A. Pharaoh decrees death of male babies
B. Decree resisted by Hebrews; their multiplication continues
II. Jehovah delivers Israel by the hand of Moses (chaps. 2-15)
A. Moses adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, taught by own mother (2:1-10)
B. Kills Egyptian persecutor, flees to Midian, marries, becomes shepherd (2:11–3:1)
C. Commissioned at burning bush as deliverer (3:2–4:17)
D. Returns to Egypt with Aaron, appears before Pharaoh; nine plagues on Egypt (4:18–11:10)
E. Passover instituted; tenth plague (12:1-29)
F. Exodus of Israel through Red Sea; Pharaoh’s army destroyed (12:30–15:27)
III. Jehovah organizes Israel as a theocratic nation, gives them the Law (chaps. 16-40)
A. The miraculous manna; sabbath day observance instituted (16:1-36)
B. Water supplied from rock; administration of assistants set up at Jethro’s suggestion (17:1–18:27)
C. Moses goes up into Mount Sinai as Jehovah manifests glory to Israel (19:1-25)
D. The Ten Commandments and other laws (20:1–23:33)
E. The Law covenant made over the blood of animals; Moses in the mountain forty days and nights (24:1-18)
F. Instructions on building the tabernacle and its furniture, and on making garments for the priests, installing priesthood, and so forth (25:1–31:18)
G. The people worship a golden calf during Moses’ absence; he breaks stone tablets given him by Jehovah; Levites side with Jehovah, kill about 3,000 men (32:1-35)
H. Moses goes into mountain with two more stone tablets; Jehovah writes Ten Commandments on them (33:1–34:28; compare Deuteronomy 10:1-5)
I. Moses’ face shines; veils face (34:29-35)
J. Construction of tabernacle and furniture by selected workmen; priests’ garments made; all from material contributed by the people (35:1–39:43)
K. Tabernacle set up on Nisan 1, 1512 B.C.E.; Jehovah manifests approval (40:1-38)
See the book “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” pp. 19-25.
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ExorcismAid to Bible Understanding
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EXORCISM
See SPIRITISM.
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ExpanseAid to Bible Understanding
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EXPANSE
(Heb., ra·qiʹaʽ, extended surface, expanse).
Concerning the second creative period or “day” Genesis 1:6-8 states: “And God went on to say: ‘Let an expanse come to be in between the waters and let a dividing occur between the waters and the waters.’ Then God proceeded to make the expanse and to make a division between the waters that should be beneath the expanse and the waters that should be above the expanse. And it came to be so. And God began to call the expanse Heaven.” Later the record speaks of luminaries appearing in “the expanse of the heavens,” and still later of flying creatures flying over the earth “upon the face of the expanse of the heavens.”—Gen. 1:14, 15, 17, 20.
The Greek Septuagint Version used the word ste·reʹo·ma (meaning “a firm and solid structure”) to translate the Hebrew ra·qiʹaʽ, and the Latin Vulgate used the Latin term firmamentum, which also conveys the idea of something solid and firm. The King James Version, the Revised Standard Version and many others follow suit in translating ra·qiʹaʽ by the word “firmament.” However, in its marginal reading the King James Version gives the alternate reading “expansion,” and the American Standard Version gives “expanse” in its footnote. Other translations support such rendering: “expanse” (Ro; Fn; Yg; An; NW); “expansión” (VM [Spanish]); “étendue [extent or expanse]” (Segond; Ostervald [French]).
Some endeavor to show that the ancient Hebrew concept of the universe included the idea of a solid
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