Exodus, along with Genesis, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, is part of the first division of Biblical books known as the Law.
Date Written, Location
Exodus was written while the Israelites wandered the area mostly south of the Promised Land from 1445 to 1405 B.C.
The Author
Moses is the unquestioned author of Exodus, writing it between the ages of 80 and 120. He dies on Mount Nebo around February 5 of 1405 B.C. and is personally buried by God in a secret location.
Time Period
The book of Exodus begins with Israel's migration to Egypt in 1670 B.C. when Joseph was the second most powerful person in the country (Exodus 1:1 - 5).
Exodus ends with Moses anointing the tabernacle in the wilderness so that it may be used to serve God (Exodus 40:1 - 2, 17). It is anointed on the first month of the start of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. This date corresponds to Nisan 1 in Hebrew civil year 2317 or March 18 in 1444 B.C.
[Interior Design of Jerusalem's Temple]
Exodus Chapter Outline
Chpt. 1: Exodus opens with a Pharaoh, ruling sometime after the death of Joseph, worried that the Israelites in Egypt posed a security risk for the nation. His solution to the dilemma is to enslave the children of Israel and weaken their collective power through an ungodly top-down hierarchical system of rule.
Pharaoh, to further neutralize Israel's potential threat to the homeland, first orders Hebrew midwives, and then all Egyptian citizens, to murder any newly born Israelite males they find.
Chpt. 2: Moses' mother, three months after he is born, becomes fearful she can no longer personally protect him from being killed. Her only hope is to trust God by placing her son in a reed basket on the Nile River near where Pharaoh's daughter bathes. The daughter of Pharaoh sees Moses in the basket and decides to adopt him as her own son.
Years later, when Moses is about 40, He witnesses an Egyptian harshly beating an Israelite slave (Exodus 2:11). Feeling that such treatment was wrong, he kills the Egyptian and buries him in the sand. The next day, to his surprise, he learns that the killing he tried to hide is known among the Israelites. Justifiably fearful he will soon be a wanted man, he flees the country to the land of Midian.
While traveling Moses aids the daughters of a Midianite pagan priest who were being bullied at a well (Exodus 2:16 - 17). His kind act is rewarded by a meal hosted by their father. After an unknown period of time he marries the priest's daughter named Zipporah and has a son named Gershom.
Chpt. 3: Moses spends forty years as a Midianite shepherd. God, when Moses is about 80, decides the time has come to save his people from bondage. After getting the patriarch's attention through a miraculously burning bush, the Lord commissions him to be the person through which Israel will be freed.
[List of Old Testament Miracles]
As part of Moses' commissioning it is revealed to him all the major events that will take place from initially meeting Israel's elders to permanently leaving Egypt (Exodus 3:16 - 22).
Chpt. 4: Moses, concerned the Israelites will reject his words, is given the ability to perform several signs to prove his calling came from God.
The patriarch's objection to being God's spokesman to his people and Pharaoh causes the Lord to become angry. The impasse is solved by having Moses' brother Aaron be the spokesman through which the will of the Lord will be conveyed.
Moses, after returning to Midian to retrieve his family, heads off for Egypt. During his travels the Lord confronts him regarding his failure to have one of his sons circumcise per his command (Genesis 17). It is only his wife Zipporah's quick action that saves his life (Exodus 4:25 - 26).
Chpt. 5: Moses and Aaron have their first confrontation with Pharaoh (Exodus 5:1 - 5). Egypt's leader not only rejects freeing the Israelites he also increases their daily workload!
Those Israelites tasked with overseeing the slave laborers, angered their workload was increased, confront Aaron and Moses to blame them for their added burdens.
[How Should the Poor be Treated?]
Chpt. 6: God reveals one of his many names to Moses and confirms he will establish a covenant with Israel (Exodus 6:1 - 4). He also gives the patriarch further instructions and charges him to confront Pharaoh again.
Chpt. 7: Aaron, in order to prove to Pharaoh that God was serious about freeing his people, miraculously has his rod turn into a snake. The pagan magicians of the royal court, however, are able to duplicate this wonder.
The next morning Aaron and Moses confront Pharaoh near the Nile River and demand he free the people. Moses then has Aaron strike the Nile's waters which turns it and all the canals, ponds and so on it feeds into blood!
This first plague to befall Egypt not only makes Nile water stink it also kills all the fish. Pharaoh's heart hardens against the Israelites after his own magicians are able to reproduce this miracle.
Chpt. 8: The second Egyptian plague produces an onslaught of frogs from the Nile which covers the land and even ventures into people's homes. The magicians, however, are also able to duplicate this miraculous occurrence.
Interestingly, although Egypt's magicians can mimic certain plagues, they never claim or exercise the power to stop them!
The third plague is a swarm of lice (gnats) upon both men and animals (Exodus 8:16 - 18). This time the magicians not only fail to reproduce this miracle but also admit that only God could cause such a supernatural event.
The fourth plague that took place was a noisome onslaught of biting flies. Pharaoh, for the first time, offers to let the Israelites leave the country for sacrificial purposes but stipulates they were not allowed to travel far from Egypt (Exodus 8:25 - 28). After the plague ends he hardens his heart again and refuses to let the people go.
Chpt. 9: The fifth of ten plagues God brought upon Pharaoh and Egypt is a destructive pestilence among the cattle (Exodus 9:1 - 7). The contagious disease is so severe that it causes all the cattle to die except those owned by the Israelites!
A sixth plague of painful boils and sores comes upon Egypt which is so severe that the royal magicians are unable to serve Pharaoh (Exodus 9:8 - 11).
The seventh plague to befall the country is a historic devastating hail that destroys crops with the ability to also kill either man or beast hit by it (Exodus 9:18 - 26).
Chpt. 10: The eighth disaster to affect Egypt is an incredibly huge swarm of locusts that decimates any remaining plant or tree in the country (Exodus 10:1 - 20). Pharaoh's admittance he has sinned and pleading the locusts be taken away causes the plague to end. He quickly, however, hardened his heart yet again toward Israel.
The ninth cataclysm to come upon the nation is complete and total darkness for 72 hours straight! Pharaoh then unsuccessfully attempts to bargain with Moses by offering to allow the people to leave Egypt if they only left all their animals behind (Exodus 10:21 - 23).
Greatly angered that his "generous" offer to free the Israelites is rejected, Pharaoh resorts to threatening Moses' life! Moses' response is to promise the Egyptian leader that they will no longer see each other face to face.
Ex. 11 to 20 Outline - Ex. 21 to 30 Outline
Ex. 31 to 40 Outline - Ex. 1 to 10 Questions
Ex. 11 to 20 Q's - Ex. 21 to 30 Q's
Ex. 31 to 40 Q's - Amazing Exodus Facts!