BACKGROUND OF THE BOOK OF EXODUS

 

BACKGROUND OF THE BOOK OF OUTCOMES

a. Historical and Literary-Theological Context

 Background

The book of Exodus is a powerful and dramatic book. The Book of Exodus records events from the birth of Moses to its completion and ordination the Tabernacle at Sinai in the first month of the second year after the Exodus from Egypt (cf. 1:1; 2:1-14). So the actual history of the Book of Exodus covers a period of time about eighty five years. The book of Exodus is a book related to salvation and deliverance, which tells how the Israelites gained freedom from the Egyptians under the leadership of the almighty God. The firstborn in Egypt died, when the Easter angel saved the children's lives firstborn of Israel because the blood of the lamb was shed for them. At Mount Sinai, God revealed Himself to Israel and made a covenant with them, a covenant summarized in the Ten Commandments.

In the desert of Sinai, God gave Israel the tabernacle, a place of worship, where the Israelites could worship the God who now lives in their midst.

 Theological background

            Exodus theology is often referred to as liberation theology. Israel's extraordinary liberation from Egypt and its slavery has been linked in recent years to the development of liberation theology. Israel got deliverance because of God's omnipotence. The book of Exodus provides a theological understanding of deliverance, where God has shown the work of liberation for the Israelites from Egypt. Also about Easter, worship to Allah. God not only freed the Israelites, but God also wanted the Israelites to worship Him. The work of liberation of the Israelites was a work of salvation given by God.

In the context of this work of God's deliverance there is a very important event, namely the establishment of the Passover celebration (Exodus 12:1-28; 43-50; 13:1-6). The Passover celebration reminded them of the work of God that freed them from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 13:3-4, 8-9).

 Historical Situation in the Pericope

o Author

According to Jewish and Christian tradition the author of Exodus was Moses, he wrote at the command of God in connection with Israel's covenant experience with Yahweh at Sinai.12 Other Torah books attribute Moses to its writing and most biblical literature treats the Torah as a unit. So it is concluded that Moses is the author of all the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy). The Jews firmly believed that Moses was the author of the Penteteuch. Moses is believed to be the author of the Pentateuch because it is seen from several qualifications, including: (a). Education that he can prove he deserves to be called the author, it is estimated that he was educated in the court of the 18th Dynasty, one of the most powerful and advanced dynasties in Egyptian history. (b). Moses' experience is a qualification which adds to his accuracy as the author of Genesis-Deuteronomy, where he lived in Egypt and after that he lived in Midian because he fled. This helped him traverse the desert with the Israelites, Moses was very familiar with the area. He knows the climate, geographical setting, flora and fauna of the desert. his knowledge of Egypt also helps him in describing the experiences of his ancestors when they settled in the delta region (Genesis 37-50). (c). It deals with Moses' role as Israel's political and religious leader. He was a key figure on Mount Sinai in the formation of the nation as God's special people, bound in a covenant to Him. Moses as the author of Deuteronomy (Pentateuch) is also supported by the Pentateuch (Exodus 24:4,7; Deuteronomy 31:24, 9); Other books in the Old Testament (Joshua 1:7-8, 8:31, 34-35; 1 Kings 2:3, 2 Kings 2:3) and also in the New Testament (Mark 12:26; Luke 16:29, 31, 24:27; John 5:46-47).

o Time

The story recorded in the Book of Exodus covers the period of about 300 years of the Israelites' stay in Egypt, up to the time before the birth of Moses, about a century before the Israelites left the land of Egypt. The book of output is estimated to have been written in 1440-1400 BC. This book describes the mapping of the rapid growth of Jacob's descendants, from Egypt to the establishment of their nation as a religious state in the Promised Land. 

o Geography

Egypt

Egypt is located in the southwest of Palestine. The Nile was considered a god by the Egyptians because all life depended on the flow of this great river. Egypt receives up to eight inches of rain each year, with the rest of the country receiving less than an inch of rain. Agricultural activities depend entirely on irrigating the fertile, sedimentary soils that settle along the su valleys river as a result of overflows or floods that occur every year.

Ancient Egypt was divided into a higher kingdom (along the narrow strip of land from the river valley to the south) and a lower kingdom (which was basically a deltaic area to the north). The predictable flood pattern of the Nile and the great natural barriers of mountains and desert on the eastern and western borders kept Egyptian civilization unchanged. Egypt developed an economy based on reliable agriculture, a stable government structure and an orderly society.

Egyptian influence can be seen in other areas, namely in Old Testament language and literature. Egypt's territory includes the outskirts of Africa to the northeast, bounded by the Sahara Desert to the west, the tropical jungles of Nubia to the south, the Red Sea to the east and the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Delta and coastal areas have high temperatures and high humidity in summer and heavy rains in winter. This changing climate brought disease to the Egyptians.

Sukkot

Succoth was the first place the Israelites reached on their journey during the Exodus. Probably the same as the ancient Egyptian city (Piton), which is located east of Wadi Tumilat (Exodus 12:37; 13:20; Numbers ng33”5-6). This is the route used by refugees to enter and exit Egypt.

Etam

Etam was the Israelite camp on the isthmus of Suez (Exodus 13:20; Numbers 33:6-7). Muller suggested it had something to do with the name of the Egyptian god, Atum. The Nile became the most important trade route for Egypt. Since the winds generally blow south the boats can sail upstream on the Nile.

Since prehistoric times, the Egyptians were people who sailed on rivers and by 3000 BC, they had taken their ships out to sea. Egyptian ships reigned in trade to the south of the land of frankincense, myrrh, latex and ivory. As Egypt expanded its trade and became a prosperous nation, it had to develop better ways of farming. Foodstuffs and textile fibers are the mainstay of its economic strength.

 Culture

In this case the author will focus on Egyptian culture.

a. Nation

The oldest evidence of human activity in Egypt, are flint tools dating to the Palailotic era (ancient stone age) found on the stairwells of the Nile.

b. Language

The origin of the ancient Egyptian language is the mixing of several native languages ​​and a long history. Usually called the Semitic-Ham language. Many Egyptian vocabularies are closely related to Semitic languages ​​and have similarities in sentence structure. In the history of the Egyptian language, five main stages can be distinguished in

written sources. The first stage is Ancient Egypt, an ancient form used during the I-VIII dynasties in the 3rd millennium BCE. The second stage is Middle Egyptian, probably the colloquial language of Dynasties IX-XI (2200-2000 BC) and generally spoken throughout Egypt. The third stage was the common language of the Aman New Kingdom and later (16th-8th centuries BC) but it was already a common language two centuries before this era (1800-1600). The fourth stage, Demotic, is the language of the common people of Egypt. The fifth stage is Copt language, which is the last stage of the Egyptian language and became the common language in Egypt during the Roman-Binzantine era.

 Religion

In this case the author will focus on the Egyptian religion. Egyptian religion was never a single entity. There were always local gods throughout the land. Some are P(e)tah, the creator god in Memfis; Tot, god of knowledge and the moon in Hermopolis; The "hidden" Amun, the god of Thebes, who overtook the war god Mentu there and became the Egyptian state god in the millennium. The closest thing to a true national religion was the worship of Osiris and his group. Egyptian worship was in complete contrast to Hebrew worship in particular, as well as Semitic worship in general. Worship of the great gods uses only one common form of worship, namely that the god is treated just like the king of the world. Every morning he was awakened from his sleep by singing, washed and dressed (i.e. his statue), given breakfast (morning sacrifice) doing his morning work and having lunch and dinner (according to the victims) before resting all night.

 Literary and Historical Foreground

How the historical development of people/nations in the text Later on, the prophets repeatedly advised Israel to return to God. The psalmist in their writings always remember this Exodus, then praise the grace of God who called and released His people from slavery in Egypt, to fulfill His promises to their ancestors, so that they could serve God. For them the deliverance of the Israelites represent an event that must be remembered forever with a grateful heart and respond to it with acts of obedience. In the New Testament it is said that the Lord Jesus fulfilled the last “Exodus”, which is true deliverance (cf. Heb 13:13).

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