Gen 15:13-16 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Gen 15:13-16: 15:13-16 Not even 400 years of bondage could interfere with God’s plan to fulfill the covenant. 15:13 oppressed: The same word is used in Exod 1:11-12 . Egypt, like predatory birds (Gen 15:11 ), would try to destroy Israel and hinder the covenant’s fulfillment. • Apparently 400 years is a round number (also Acts 7:6 ; cp. Exod 12:40 ; Gal 3:17 ). Using the chronology in the Hebrew text, the family moved to Egypt around 1876 BC , and the Exodus occurred around 1446 BC (though many scholars date the Exodus later, around 1270 BC ; see Exodus Book Introduction, “The Date of the Exodus”).

a15:13-16►

b15:13►

cExod 1:11-12►

dGen 15:11►

eActs 7:6►

fExod 12:40►

gGal 3:17►

h15:16►

iJosh 2:1-15►

j6:23-25►

kHeb 11:31►

lJas 2:25►

mGen 15:12►

‏ Genesis 15:13-16

Summary for Gen 15:13-16: 15:13-16 ^a Not even 400 years of bondage could interfere with God’s plan to fulfill the covenant. 15:13 ^b oppressed: The same word is used in Exod 1:11-12 ^c. Egypt, like predatory birds (Gen 15:11 ^d), would try to destroy Israel and hinder the covenant’s fulfillment.

• Apparently 400 years is a round number (also Acts 7:6 ^e; cp. Exod 12:40 ^f; Gal 3:17 ^g). Using the chronology in the Hebrew text, the family moved to Egypt around 1876 BC, and the Exodus occurred around 1446 BC (though many scholars date the Exodus later, around 1270 BC; see Exodus Book Introduction, “The Date of the Exodus”).
15:16 ^h The reasons for Israel’s bondage included God’s justice. God would tolerate the sins of the Amorites until they fully deserved judgment.

• do not yet warrant their destruction (literally are not yet full): To give the Promised Land to Israel, the Lord would dispossess the land’s inhabitants in a way that satisfied his justice. The fulfillment of promises to Israel also brought retributive judgment on people of the land (though individuals were saved by faith; see Josh 2:1-15 ⁱ; 6:23-25 ^j; Heb 11:31 ^k; Jas 2:25 ^l). Until then, God would send the family to Egypt where Israel could become a great nation. Seeing all this in advance was terrifying (Gen 15:12 ^m), but it was comforting to know that nothing could interfere with God’s plan.