Why was the exodus a turning point in the history of the israelites?

Answer 1

Exodus was a turning point in the history of the Israelites because it describes the freeing of the Israelites from the Egyptians. If they had not been freed, the history of the ancient Hebrews would have suffered a big impact.

Answer 2

If there really was an Exodus from Egypt as described in The Bible, a view with which almost all scholars disagree, it certainly did not make them eternally grateful to God. According to Exodus chapter 32, they could hardly wait to make a golden calf to worship as soon as Moses was absent for only a few days. According to the Bible, the Exodus did provide the Israelites with a new home and a sel-sufficient future, as a result of conquest and genocide.

The scholarly position is that the biblical Exodus did not really occur and that there was no military conquest of the Promised Land. Instead, the Hebrew people were Canaanites who migrated peacefully from the region of the rich coastal cities, to settle in the hitherto sparsely populated hinterland. The Exodus legend simply gave them something to be proud of in centuries to come.

Answer 3

1) It made the Israelites into a distinct nation. 2) It gave them reason to be eternally grateful to God.

3) It provided a powerful impetus to obey God. Many of the Torah's commands are stated along with "Thus says the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt."

4) It taught us various lessons and ways of God, such as the importance of loving the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19), and God's personal concern for us (Exodus 2:24

5) It was the context for a number of miracles.

6) It showed that God keeps His promises (see Genesis ch.15).

In the Exodus, Moses brought the Israelites out of the Egyptian slavery under the guidance of God, after God brought plagues upon the Egyptians (Exodus ch.1-12).

After the Israelites left, Egypt was in turmoil for decades. Though Israel was later harassed (Judges ch.3,6 and 10) by its smaller neighbors (Ammon, Moab, Midian), not a peep was heard from Egypt for four hundred years.

Egypt's turmoil is also borne out by the Ipuwer papyrus ("Pestilence is throughout the land....the river is blood") (Professor John van Seters, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology no. 50). The plagues were also described by ancient historians, including Herodotus and Diodorus. The Exodus is mentioned by Strabo, Berosus, Artapanus, Numenius, Justin, and Tacitus.

See also:

Archaeology and the Hebrew Bible

Why did the Israelites complain and make a Golden Calf?

Answer 4

Another answer from our community:

It made them into a separate nation, and it made them eternally grateful to God.