Spivey's Unauthorized Biblical Timeline
a Scripture-centered journey through God's redemptive story from a historic perspective. 

Spivey's Unauthorized Biblical Timeline Note: The portion of time dealing with the period that the Israelites were in Egypt is one of the most contentious among and between those who give authority to Academia and those who give authority to the Word of God.  Mine is labeled "Unauthorized" because I have no academic credentials. This exercise, for me, is 1) to organize biblical history and 2) to see where world history falls in the biblical timeline.  These are two separate puzzles.  The biblical puzzle, when put together, may not fit the world puzzle because humanity likes to create its own puzzle pieces instead of the one that is already made.  I have tried to read the scholarship of Academia and filter through a biblical lenses.  I am not interest in acceptance; only to find fact and truth around the biblical text.  In order to do this, certain assumptions must be made.

The First Assumption is that the historical references in the Holy Bible (NIV 1984 based on Hebrew Masoretic text for the Old Testament and Apostolic Writings / Epistles for the New Testament) are literal, factual and truth: 

John 17:17 "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."

Psalm 119:160 "All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal."

Proverbs 30:5 "“Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him."

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If the Holy Bible says that the Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years then it is 430 years.  As a Christian, the history of humanity must conform to the history in God's Word or God's Word is a lie.  The inclusion of world history in addition to the biblical history is not important, but helps to understand context and show how God uses foreign nations to accomplish His will (Jeremiah 25:8-14), whether it is bad (disciple, judgment or correction) or good (blessings, salvation or provision) for the people of Israel.

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The Second Assumption is that the Israelites were in Egypt 430 years ("long sojourn"), not 215-years:

The 215-year theory is guided by the interpretation of Galatians 3:16-17, which states "16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise." Another Article - A response to a long Sojourn advocate

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1876 BC - Abraham entered Canaan

  -25     

1851 BC - Issac was born

  -60     

1791 BC - Jacob was born

-130     

1661 BC - Jacob entered Egypt (First 215 years)

-215     

1446 BC - Exodus from Egypt (Second 215 years)

Why do I believe that the 430 years does not start with Abraham? 

1. The timeline calculations already presented in the Starting Point section.

2. Genesis 15:13 states "Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there."  If the Israelites were in Egypt for 215 years then how can they be mistreated for 400 years?  The math is not consistent with the short sojourn theory.

3. Galatians 3:16 states "the promises" and the "430 years" is not a promise, but it is a prophecy.  This word "promises" is plural and speaks to the many promises given to Abraham by God in Genesis 12:2-3 . These promises were:

   • I will make you into a great nation

   • I will bless you

   • I will make your name great

   • You will be a blessing

   • I will bless those who bless you

   • I will curse whoever curses you

   • All peoples on earth will be blessed through you

4. Galatians 3:17 speaks directly to the "430 years" and speaks to "and to your seed".  First, the Mosaic Law ("Law") and its requirements were given to the Israelites by Moses, which spoke to the "promised" Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:14-22), and it is the Prophet / Messiah that not only fulfilled its requirements and is the high priest to intercede before God the Father, but Jesus never broke any of the Law.  Second, the 430 years later speaks to the delivery of the Law, not the "promise".  The Law was given in 1446 BC at the base of Mt. Sinai. This mountain is currently known as Jabal Al Lawz in Saudi Arabia as referenced in Galatians 4:25 or it was located in the land of Midian in Exodus 3-4. (1446 + 430 = 1876)

The Third Assumption is that there is no contradiction between Genesis 15:13-14 (400 years) and Genesis 12:40-41 (430 years)?  The 400 years is the total time of oppression; the 430 years is the total time in Egypt. The Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years after moving from Canaan.

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There is very little historical text regarding what happened within these 430 years:

1. The Israelites reproduced rapidly and overtook the land of Goshen. (Exodus 1:1-7)

2. A new pharaoh implemented the policy of oppression against the Israelites. (Exodus 1:8-14)

3. The oppression started when Joseph was alive. (Genesis 50:24-25)

4. The Hebrews were oppressed for 400 years. (Genesis 15:13) Oppression could have been mild and grew to forced labor.

5. The "new king, who did not know about Joseph" must have been the king when Moses was born since the dialogue moves toward the midwife command and genocide.

6. The Israelites went back to the land of Canaan in the fourth generation of oppression: Levi, Kohath, Amram and Moses (Genesis 15:16).

7. The 430-year allotment of time works with the genealogy. Moses was from the Tribe of Levi (his great-grandfather);

   • Levi begat Kohath (his grandfather). He was born in 1925 BC, lived 137 years (Exodus 6:16) and died in 1788 BC. He was 49 years old when he moved to Goshen (Genesis 46:8, 11).

   • Kohath begat Amram (his father), He lived 133 years. His age when he moved to Goshen is unknown (Genesis 46:8, 11).

   • Amram begat Moses. He lived 137 years.

   • Moses was born in 1526 BC.  The Exodus occurred in 1446 BC. (1446 + 80 = 1526 from Exodus 7:7).

   • The total years from Israelites move to Egypt (1846 BC) to Moses' birth (1526 BC) was 350 years.

     • The total years between Kohath in Egypt (1915 BC) and Amram's death is 407 years, minus Kohath's age at move (407 - 49 = 358) was 358 years.

     • Only an eight (8) year difference in time means that, like so many of Abraham's descendants, many children were born very late in their lives, very close to their death dates.

   • For illustration purposes within the 8 years, the following genealogical dates are correct for Levi and Moses, but assumed for Kohath and Amram:

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