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Exodus
Raymond B. Dillard and Tremper Longman III
AN INTRODUCTION to the OLD TESTAMENT
As the second part of the Pentateuch, the book of Exodus continues the story that began in Genesis (see Fokkelman, 59-62). The Hebrew title for the book is “And these are the names” ( t~/mv] hL,a×ew“ , w eelle4h s]emo=t , the opening words of the book) and demonstrates the connection with Genesis in two ways. In the first place, the book begins with the conjunction “and,” showing that it is a continuation of a preceding narrative. Second, the opening phrase repeats a phrase in Genesis 46:8, both passages naming those “sons of Israel” who went down to Egypt at the time of Joseph. The concluding episode in Genesis (Gen. 50:22-26) also highlights the connection between Genesis and Exodus. At his death, Joseph requested that his bones be carried up from Egypt. When Israel finally left Egypt, the text mentions that Moses took the bones of Joseph (Exod. 13:19). Thus, Exodus continues the story of Genesis. There is, however, a considerable time lapse between the two books. When the curtain closes in Genesis, the people of God are a moderate-sized extended family prospering in the land of Egypt. When the action begins in Exodus, they are a large group, nation-sized, living in bondage and cruel oppression.
By Scripture
Old Testament