In the Bible, numbers have meanings beyond the digits on the page. A case in point is the quantity of Hebrew slaves that exits Egypt: “The people of Israel journey from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand (כשׁשׁ מאות אלף; k’shesh-meot elef) men on foot, besides women and children” (Exodus 12:37). Based on this verse, some estimate the total number of escapees exceeding two million. Archaeologists note that such a mass of people should have left behind a trove of artifacts but, to date, precious little has been unearthed. This disparity leads some readers to dismiss the exodus as unhistorical, but such a conclusion misses Scripture’s numerical symbolism. “Six hundred thousand” is not meant as a precise population—as the approximative prefix, “about” (כ), clarifies— but as a recollection of the sixth day in Genesis. In recalling the creation of humanity on the sixth day, Exodus shows that Israel’s emergence from Egypt marks a new and greater creation.
The outset of Exodus echoes the beginning of Genesis, and thereby frames the ensuing narrative as a new creation story. At the end of Scripture’s first chapter, God tells humanity, “Be fruitful (פרו; peru) and multiply (רבו; revu) and fill the land (מלאו את-הארץ; milu et-ha’arets)” (Genesis 1:28). Exodus shows that the Hebrews in Egypt fulfill God’s first command to human beings. After Joseph and his generation died, “The people of Israel were fruitful (פרו; paru) and multiplied (ירבו; yirbu)… and the land was filled (תמלא הארץ; timale ha’arets) with them” (Exodus 1:7). The beginning of Exodus repurposes the exact language of God’s command in Genesis in order to show the reader that what is about to unfold will be an instance of new creation.
Throughout the rest of Exodus, references to the sixth day of creation recur continually. For example, God provides two days’ worth of manna “on the sixth day” (ביום השׁישׁי; b’yom ha’shishi) so that the people will not need to gather food on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:5, 22, 29). When Moses receives the Torah on Sinai, God recalls creation again, declaring, “Six days (שׁשׁת ימים; sheshet yamim) you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day… you shall not do any work…. For in six days the Lord made the skies and the land, the seas, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day” (20:9-11; cf. 23:12). Such rest from labor also extends to the work of a Hebrew slave after “six years” (21:2) and to following “six years” of working the land with a fallow seventh year (23:10-11). Finally, the glory of the Lord covers Moses in a cloud for “six days” and God speaks to Moses on the seventh day (24:16).
All of these instances recall the sixth day of creation (and subsequent seventh-day rest) on which God fashioned human beings in the divine image. After this crowning creative achievement, “God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day (יום השׁישׁי; yom ha’shihi)” (Genesis 1:31). Therefore, when “about six hundred thousand” emerge from Egypt (Exodus 12:37), the number provides another link to creation, and conveys the theological truth that freedom from slavery constitutes a new humanity in God’s chosen people.
Love the scripture . Well explained. Thank you . God bless Thanks for reading, Benedicta. We are very happy that you’ve joined our discussion forum. Would you believe that these articles are only a taste of what Israel Bible Center has to offer? We also provide comprehensive teaching on a variety of biblical, historical, and cultural topics. You might begin with The Jewish Gospel of Matthew or The Hebrew Psalms: How To Worship God. You’ll be amazed at the Jewish world that awaits you. Don’t delay another minute: enroll now!
Number of Hebreys when he Come in Goshen was be 70 people and just do some matematic thrue 430g and woila. God bless you Thank you for your Bible Center for Christians. I just preached a sermon on the 5th book of Moses - "You know the Word..." and bring the Hebrew Tanach into every worship service. You mean there is no significance that pharoah demanded that all male babies be thrown into the Nile for 40 years? These are the survivors, and should mean a severe shortage of men, no? The above article doesn't treat the topic, but Pharaoh does not demand that all male babies be thrown into the Nile for "forty years." More, though Pharaoh makes the command to kill baby boys (Exodus 2:22), the text doesn't explicate the extent to which anyone followed this command. Israel Bible Center equips you with the tools you need to enter into the Jewish world of Scripture. We provide first-rate teaching, and the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s top scholars. As a student, you will be able to interact personally with our teaching faculty, and gain access to hundreds of hours of Bible courses, including The Jewish Gospel of Matthew and The Hebrew Psalms: How To Worship God. Become a part of the community of teachers and students at Israel Bible Center today!
Very Grateful I can Get these Teachings on my Apple Phone!! I prayed to get an Understanding of the Jewish Roots of Jesus. ❤️ I love Israel and have visited 4 Times, 1 of which was a mission trip 2019. We ministered the Word, Prayed with People, (Jews, Arabs, etc.) Thank you for engaging with our site, Theresa. Israel Bible Center equips you with the tools you need to enter into the Jewish world of Scripture. We provide first-rate teaching, and the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s top scholars. As a student, you will be able to interact personally with our teaching faculty, and gain access to hundreds of hours of Bible courses, including The Jewish Gospel of Matthew and The Hebrew Psalms: How To Worship God. Become a part of the community of teachers and students at Israel Bible Center today!
First time i now and read deep the bible,so it's fruitfull Thank you for sharing the truth of our faith. I am happy to learn from IBC. May God bless IBC . Are you familiar with David Rohl's research on the Exodus? What about his theory on the meaning of the six hundred thousand?
Thanks, Damon. Yes, this reading is possible. However, the Septuagint reads the Hebrew as "thousand" (χιλιάδας) and Matthew alludes to these thousands of people at the Exodus in Jesus' feedings of the five and four thousand (cf. Matt 14:21; 15:38). More, when Exodus describes an approximation of an אלף elsewhere, it refers to "about three thousand men" who die after the golden calf incident (32:28); thus, the approximation in Exod 12:37 should probably be understood similarly (cf. Exod 38:26).
This is part of a much wider correspondence between the creation of humankind from primordial chaos and creation of the chosen people from the Babel confusion through the word of God (Gn1:3;12:1) up to god 's presence in Eden and in Tabernacle.
Load more commentsAccording to Rohl, the word translated "thousand" in Exodus is "aleph" which can ALSO mean family head, clan leader, etc. (Zech. 9:7 & 12:5-6). So, instead of 600,000 men, we would have 600 troop commanders leading the Exodus.