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Exodus

 

Second book of the Old Testament. The title refers to the departure of the Israelites from Egypt under Moses in the 13th century BC. The book begins with the story of the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt and God's call to Moses to become a prophet. It tells of the plagues sent to persuade the pharaoh to free the Israelites, and it recalls their crossing of the Sea of Reeds (or the Red Sea) and their 40 years of wandering in the Sinai desert. It also recounts how God made a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, handing down the Ten Commandments. In Exodus God establishes his reliability as Israel's protector and savior, and lays claim to its loyalty and obedience.

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Encyclopedia of Judaism: Book of Exodus
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Second book of the Pentateuch, known in Hebrew as Shemot ("Names") from the second word of the opening sentence. In the Midrash it is referred to as Sefer ha-Ge'ulah ("the Book of Redemption"), because of its content; the Greek Septuagint, however, calls it Exodos, "the Departure from Egypt."

Following the Latin Vulgate, printed Hebrew Bibles divide Exodus into 40 chapters and 1,209 verses. The Babylonian cycle of readings (which is followed today by all Jewish communities) divides the book into 11 sections (sedarot), but according to the Palestinian Triennial Cycle of Second Temple times it contains 33 (or 29) sections. Traditionally, the book encompasses a period of 129 years, from the death of Joseph to the building of the Sanctuary. Jewish tradition also maintains that Exodus, like the rest of the Pentateuch, was written by Moses under Divine inspiration.

In terms of form and content, the volume is a direct continuation of the Book of Genesis, but constitutes a separate unit. Genesis describes the beginning of the Israelite people, first as individuals and later as a family; Exodus describes Israel's transformation into a nation. The Book of Genesis tells of God's assurance to the patriarchs that they will have descendants and a Promised Land, whereas Exodus demonstrates the gradual fulfillment of these promises in three stages: (1) The redemption of the Israelites from Egypt; (2) The Covenant made by God with His people; and (3) The building of the Sanctuary.

The only hint concerning the historicity of events described in te book is the mention of two Egyptian cities, Pithom and Raamses (Ex. 1:11). Raamses was the capital of Egypt under the 19th dynasty, and was built by Ramses II (Usermare Ramses, 1294-1224 BCE). It is generally assumed that Ramses II was "the Pharaoh of the Oppression" and that the Exodus from Egypt took place during the reign of his son and heir, Baenre Merneptah (1224-1204 BCE).

Among Bible critics, proponents of the documentary theory maintain that Exodus contains elements of three sources (J, E, and P) that were combined. The school of "form criticism" regards this volume as a narrative epic created to explain the festival of Passover. Chapters 1-15 constitute "the Passover legend," representing the Sitz im Leben of the book. According to this view, the sources which deal with the Giving of the Torah, the various laws (chapters 21-24), and the details of the Sanctuary (Tabernacle) are of later origin.


 
Exodus (ĕk'sədəs), book of the Bible, 2d of the 5 books of the Law (the Pentateuch or Torah) ascribed by tradition to Moses. The book continues the story of the ancestors of Israel in Egypt, now grown in number to a large landless population enslaved by the pharaoh. Although the book describes all 12 tribes, it is much more likely that the book is based on the traditions of a group of nomadic Hebrews whose sojourn in Egypt became one of oppression and slavery. Grouped around Moses, they were freed from bondage at the Red Sea. Their saga and their Mosaic religion became the determinative feature of the great national epic that is enshrined in the Pentateuch and the historical books of the Hebrew Bible. The religious and 12-tribe political establishment of the later Temple period is read back into the Exodus narrative. The events of the book may be outlined as follows: first, the bondage in Egypt, from which God prepares liberation through the agency of Moses, including Moses' early career and vocation, and the first nine plagues of Egypt; second, the exodus proper, with the plague of the first-born and the institution of the Passover and the dry crossing through the Red Sea; third, the first divine legislation at Mt. Sinai. The last portion includes the Ten Commandments, a law code, directions for a tabernacle and worship, the designation of Aaron as high priest, the first national apostasy in worshiping the golden calf, a brief restatement of the code, and the institution of the tabernacle.

Bibliography

See studies by N. M. Sarna (1986), J. Durham (1987), and T. E. Fretheim (1991).


Bible Dictionary: Exodus
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The second book of the Old Testament; it tells of the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, made possible by the ten plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. Moses led them, and their destination was the Promised Land. God guided them by sending a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to show them the way they should go. God also fed them with manna and gave them water out of a solid rock. Because of their frequent complaining and failure to trust him, however, God made them stay in the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land. God gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Mosaic law on Mount Sinai during the Exodus. Exodus is a Greek word meaning “departure.”

Translations: Exodus
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - udvandring, flugt, udvandringsbølge, jødernes udvandring af Ægypten

Nederlands (Dutch)
uittocht, exodus

Français (French)
n. - exode

Deutsch (German)
n. - Exodus, Ausgang

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ., μτφ.) η 'Εξοδος, (μαζική) έξοδος, (ομαδική) φυγή

Italiano (Italian)
esodo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - êxodo (m)

Русский (Russian)
Исход, массовый исход населения

Español (Spanish)
n. - éxodo, salida

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - uttåg, utvandring

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
大批的离去, 出埃及

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 大批的離去, 出埃及

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 외출, 이스라엘 사람들의 이집트 출국, 출애굽기

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 出て行くこと, 出国, 出エジプト記, エジプト脱出, イスラエル人のエジプト脱出

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) هجرة جماعيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נהירה המונית, יציאת מצרים, שמות (חומש)‬


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Ex (abbreviation)
Exod. (abbreviation)
Shelumiel (in the Old Testament)

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Encyclopedia of Judaism. The New Encyclopedia of Judaism. Copyright © 1989, 2002 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Bible Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
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