Exodus 12:41, “And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.”
Skeptics and atheists of the Bible often quote Exodus 12:41 against Genesis
15:13 as evidence of an alleged inconsistency of the Bible. We read in
Exodus 12:41 that the Jews spend 430 years in Egypt; but we read in Genesis
15:13 that the Jews spent 400 years in Egypt. Why the discrepancy?
Genesis 15:13: “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.”
Carefully notice in Genesis 15:13 what God told Abraham...
“they shall afflict them” ... 400 years!
The Jews weren't afflicted for the first 30 years under the Pharaoh who loved Joseph. But another Pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph and the bondage began and lasted for 400 years. So that's why we have these two different numbers in the Bible. The Jews were in Egypt for a total of 430 years, but they were AFFLICTED in hard bondage and slavery for 400 of those years. There are NO discrepancies in the Bible.
