Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Exodus 12:40
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, etc.] The Septuagint version adds, “and in the land of Canaan”; and the Samaritan version is, “the sojourning of the children of Israel, and of their fathers, in the land of Canaan, and in the land of Egypt.” Agreeably to which are both the Talmuds: in one f380 of them the words are, “in Egypt and in all lands,” and in the other f381, “in Egypt, and in the rest of the lands;” and in the same way Aben Ezra interprets the words. And certain it is, that Israel did not dwell in Egypt four hundred and thirty years, and even not much more than two hundred years; but then they and their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, dwelt so long in Mesopotamia, in Canaan, and in Egypt, in foreign countries, in a land not theirs, as the phrase is, (<011513>Genesis 15:13) where the place of their sojourning, and the time of it, are given by way of prophecy. The Jews reckon from the vision of God to Abraham between the pieces to the birth of Isaac thirty years, so the Targum of Jonathan; but that cannot be, though from his coming out of his own native place, Ur of the Chaldeans, to the birth of Isaac, might be so many years, since he was seventy five years of age when he came out of Haran, (<011204>Genesis 12:4) and if he stayed at Haran five years, as probably he did, then there were just thirty from his coming out of Ur of the Chaldees to Isaac’s birth, since he was born when he was one hundred years old; and from the birth of Isaac to the birth of Jacob was sixty years, (<012526>Genesis 25:26) and from thence to his going down to Egypt was one hundred and thirty, (<014709>Genesis 47:9) and from thence to the coming of Israel out of Egypt were two hundred and ten years, as is generally computed, which make the exact sum of four hundred and thirty years; of these ((see Gill on “<440706>Acts 7:6”)), ((see Gill on “<480317>Galatians 3:17”)).
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