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Detailed Chronology of the Exodus from Egypt
Rick Aschmann

Bible chronology main page

 

Espańol

Last updated:

18-May-2022 at 15:02

(See History.)

© Richard P. Aschmann

 

(biblechronology.net/The_Exodus.html)

Extensive info about the Hebrew calendar added in the charts in May, 2022. See History.

1.      Introduction

2.      Month-by-month Summary View of the Exodus

3.      Detailed Chronology of the Exodus

4.      The Hebrew Calendar

 

1.    Introduction

            In this chronology I only include events from 1447 or 1446 B.C. through 1406 B.C., since this period contains month-by-month or even day-by-day detail in many cases, actually an amazing amount of detail perhaps not matched anywhere else in the Bible. This covers part of Exodus, all of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and part of Joshua. Earlier events in Exodus and later events in Joshua are already clearly shown on the Bible chronology main page.

            The dates provided are my own, based on information gleaned from the text itself. The Narrated Bible generally does not provide these detailed dates for this time period, which is a bit surprising, given the amount of detail the text provides. If anyone thinks I have interpreted the text incorrectly in a particular case, please let me know. Note that events in the Bible text are not necessarily sequential, and in a few cases it is not entirely clear which events occur first, as in the case of Leviticus 10 and following chapters versus Numbers 7:54 and following. I have just tried to place them as logically as possible.

            The English month names given in quotes in the charts below actually refer to the Hebrew months. To see a comparison of the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars, see ‎4. The Hebrew Calendar.

2.    Month-by-month Summary View of the Exodus

 

Hebrew
Year
Counted
from the
Exodus

Hebrew
Month

Year

B.C.

Approximate
Month in the
Gregorian
Calendar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

1447?

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

(Late in year?)

- Burning bush, etc., Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh, backlash (Exodus 3-6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1446

(Early in year?)

- Early plagues (Ex. 7:1-9:12)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March?

- Plague 7 (Ex. 9:13-35)

 

 

1

1 Abib

 

“April”

- Plagues 9-10, first Passover, the Exodus, cross Red Sea (Ex. 10-15)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

“May”

- Wilderness of Sin, quail and Manna, Rephidim, Jethro (Ex. 16-19)

 

 

Moses 40

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

“June”

- Arrive at Sinai, Ten Commandments (Ex. 19-31)

“June” 11?

  

days on

 

 

 

“June” 1?

  

 

 

 

 

4

 

“July”

- Golden calf (Ex. 32:1-34:29)

“July” 20?

 

Mount

“July” 23?

 

Moses on

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sinai

  

Mount Sinai

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

“September”

- Moses comes down from mountain, veils face (Ex. 34:29-33)

 

 

 

“Sep.” 4?

 

another

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40 days

 

 

Israelites

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

at Sinai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction of the tabernacle

 

 

almost

 

 

 

 

1445

 

 

 

over the course of 7 months

 

 

12 months  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Exodus 35:1-40:16)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

1

 

“April”

- Tabernacle erected, priests ordained, second Passover (Ex. 40:17-38, all of Leviticus, Numbers 7-9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

“May”

- Census, leave Sinai, Taberah, Kibroth Hattaavah (Numbers 1-6,10:1-11:34)

 

 

 

“May” 20

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

“June”

- Miriam’s complaint and leprosy (Numbers 11:35-12:15)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Early fall?)

- Arrive in Kadesh, spies sent (Numbers 12:16-13:20)

 

Spies explore the land for 40 days

 

 

 

 

 

(Late in year)

- Spies return, people rebel and are judged (Numbers 13:25-13:22)

 

 

(Numbers 13:21-24)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1445

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 38 years of wandering in the wilderness! (Numbers 14:21-35, Deu. 2:1,14)

 

 

 

 

1407

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40

1

1407

“April”

- Return to Kadesh, death of Miriam (Numbers 20:1)

 

 

 

 

 

- People complain about lack of water (Numbers 20:2-13)

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Passage requested of Edom, refused (Numbers 20:14-21)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

“August”

- Mount Hor, death of Aaron, battle with Arad (Numbers 20:22-21:4a)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Late in year?)

- Travel stages, cross Zered River (38 years after leaving Kadesh towards the end of 1445 to wander in the desert! (Numbers 21:4b-12)

 

 

 

 

 

 

- More travel stages (Numbers 21:13-35)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1406

(Early in year?)

- Arrive at Plains of Moab, trouble with Moab and Midian, Reuben and Gad settle in Gilead, directives for conquest (Numbers 22-36, Joshua 12:1-6)

 

 

 

11

“February”

- Moses’ Deuteronomy addresses, Death of Moses (Deuteronomy 1:1-34:7)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People mourn Moses 30 days (Deuteronomy 34:8)

 

 

41

1

 

“April”

- Joshua takes leadership, spies in Jericho, first Passover in Canaan, manna ceases (Joshua 1:1-5:12)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Initial Conquest of Canaan (undatable, unclear how much occurred during 1406) (Joshua 5:13-11:23,12:7-24)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.    Detailed Chronology of the Exodus

            In Moses’ Deuteronomy addresses he retells some of the events in the Exodus story. I have added a few of these references in the Deuteronomy column beside those events (and in a few other places), but in blue and in parentheses and with a grey background[1] (unless there is already another colored background) to show that these are Moses’ later recollections of them. (I will not provide page numbers in The Narrated Bible in these cases.) I have not included all of Moses’ retellings, since Moses’ style is a bit rambling, and it became too complicated to do so.

            An almost complete list of the Israelite encampments is listed in Numbers 33, and I have given this list its own column. Most of these places are unknown.

            In The Narrated Bible the Laws in the Pentateuch are often rearranged by topic, so the page numbers are not as helpful as for the narrative sections. In these cases I usually do not provide page numbers, but usually simply have ~, or occasionally ~ with a page number. It is not always clear when sections composed exclusively of laws and regulations were given. I will mark these in green to show that they do not really form part of the chronological narrative. For other colors used, see Format.

            As with all of my chronology material, I wrote this so that I would understand what happened, and hopefully it will help others as well.

 

Year

B.C.

Date

Verses and phrases
that support the date

Israelite encampment
or other location

Event(s)

Chapters
in Exodus,
Leviticus,
and Joshua

Chapters
in
Numbers

Num.
33

camp
list
(183-
184
)

Chapters
in
Deuter-
onomy

Date given
(or implied)
by Smith

Page
in
The
Narr-
ated
Bible

1447?

(Late in year?)

 

Midian

Burning Bush

Exodus

 

 

 

 

99

 

 

 

 

 

3:1-4:17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midian

Moses leaves for Egypt

4:18-23

 

 

 

 

101

 

 

 

lodging place

Moses’ son circumcised

4:24-26

 

 

 

 

102

 

 

 

Mountain of God (Sinai)

Aaron meets Moses

4:27-28

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egypt (Goshen = Rameses)

Moses and Aaron meet Israelites

4:29-31

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pharaoh’s court

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh

5:1-5

 

 

 

 

103

 

 

 

Egypt (Goshen = Rameses)

backlash

5:6-23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God promises deliverance

6:1-12

 

 

 

 

104

 

 

 

Family record

6:13-27

 

 

 

 

102

 

 

 

Aaron to Speak for Moses

6:28-7:9

 

 

 

 

104

1446

(Early in year?)

Exodus

Pharaoh’s court

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh again

7:7

 

 

 

1446?

105

 

 

7:7

 

(Moses 80, Aaron 83)

7:10-13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Acts 7:30)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout Egypt

Plagues 1-6

7:14-9:12

 

 

 

1446?

105

 

March? [2]

9:31-32

Plague 7, hail

9:13-35

 

 

 

 

108

 

 

 

Plague 8, locusts

10:1-20

 

 

 

 

109

 

“April” 11-13

10:22-23

Plague 9, darkness for three days

10:21-23

 

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 14

12:6: 14th day of month

Pharaoh refuses, Passover

10:24-12:28

 

 

 

 

110

 

“April” 15

12:29 “At midnight”

13:3-4 “in the month of Abib”

Plague 10, Angel of Death

12:29-13:16

 

 

 

 

112

 

(Numbers 33:3: 15th day, 1st month)

Goshen = Rameses

The Exodus: leave Rameses (Goshen)

13:17-18

 

3-5

 

 

113

 

 

 

Succoth

 

13:20

 

5-6

 

 

114

 

 

 

Etham

 

13:20

 

6-7

 

 

114

 

 

 

Pi Hahiroth

Crossing of the Red Sea

14:1-15:21

 

7-8

 

 

 

 

 

Marah

Bitter water made sweet

15:22-26

 

8-9

 

 

117

 

 

 

Elim

12 springs, 70 palms

15:27

 

9-10

 

 

118

 

 

 

Red Sea

 

 

 

10-11

 

 

118

 

“May” 15

16:1: 15th day, 2nd month

Wilderness of Sin

Quail and manna

16

 

11-12

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dophkah

 

 

 

12-13

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alush

 

 

 

13-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rephidim (Massah, Meribah)

water from the rock, Amalek

17

 

14-15

 

 

119

 

 

 

”?

Jethro brings Moses’ family

18

 

 

 

 

120

1446*

“June” 1? [3]

19:1 (see footnote)

Wilderness of Sinai

arrive at Sinai, consecration

19:1-15

 

15

 

1445?

122

 

“June” 3?

19:16 “the third day”

Moses meets God on the mountain

19:16-25

 

 

 

 

123

 

 

 

Ten Commandments

20:1-17

 

 

(5:6-21)

 

123

 

 

 

People afraid to meet God

20:18-20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First lawgiving

20:21-24:4a

 

 

 

 

124

 

“June” 4?

24:4 “early the next morning”

Moses called to the mountain again

24:4b-16a

 

 

 

 

126

 

“June” 11?

24:16 “on the seventh day”

God calls to Moses

24:16b-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second lawgiving

25-31

 

 

 

 

 

 

“July” 20?

32:5-6 “Tomorrow… festival”

Worship of golden calf

32:1-5

 

 

 

 

135

 

“July” 21?

24:18 “forty days and forty nights”
               from June 11

Calf destroyed; tablets broken

32:6-29

 

 

 

 

136

 

“July” 22?

32:30 “The next day”

Moses intercedes for the people

32:30-34:3

 

 

 

 

137

 

“July” 23?

34:4 “early in the morning”

Moses returns to the mountain

34:4-28

 

 

 

 

138

 

“September” 4?

34:28 “forty days and forty nights”

Moses comes down, veils face

34:29-33

 

 

 

 

139

 

 

 

Construction of the tabernacle

35:1-40:16

 

 

 

 

140

1445

“April” 1

40:17: 1st day, 1st month, 2nd year

Tabernacle erected

40:17-33

 

 

 

 

147

 

“April” 1

 

Cloud first appears over tabernacle

40:34-35

9:15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regular travel procedure

40:36-38

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leviticus

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 1?

 

Wilderness of Sinai

Laws about offerings

1-7

 

 

 

 

~

 

“April” 1?

 

Ordination of priests

8

 

 

 

 

148

 

“April” 1

Numbers

Leaders of tribes bring offerings:

 

7:1-11

 

 

 

153

 

“April” 1

7:12 “first day”

               Judah

 

7:12-17

 

 

 

154

 

“April” 2

7:18 “second day”

               Issachar

 

7:18-23

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 3

7:24 “third day”

               Zebulun

 

7:24-29

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 4

7:30 “fourth day”

               Reuben

 

7:30-35

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 5

7:36 “fifth day”

               Simeon

 

7:36-41

 

 

 

155

 

“April” 6

7:42 “sixth day”

               Gad

 

7:42-47

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 7

7:48 “seventh day”

               Ephraim

 

7:48-53

 

 

 

 

 

Leviticus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 8?

9:1 “eighth day”

Ordination of priests completed

9

 

 

 

 

149

 

“April” 8??

 

Nadab and Abihu die

10:1-7

 

3:4

 

 

 

150

152

 

“April” 8??

 

other issues with priests

10:8-20

 

 

 

 

150

 

“April” 8??

Numbers

More laws

11-27

 

 

 

 

~

 

“April” 8

7:54 “eighth day”

               Manasseh

 

7:54-59

 

 

 

155

 

“April” 9

7:60 “ninth day”

               Benjamin

 

7:60-65

 

 

 

156

 

“April” 10

7:66 “tenth day”

               Dan

 

7:66-71

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 11

7:72 “eleventh day”

               Asher

 

7:72-77

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 12

7:78 “twelfth day”

               Naphtali

 

7:78-83

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of offerings

 

7:84-88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moses hears God in Most Holy Place

 

7:89

 

 

 

157

 

 

 

More laws

 

8

 

 

 

~

 

“April” 14

9:1,3,5: 14th day, 1st month, 2nd year

second Passover celebrated

 

9:1-14

 

 

 

158

 

“May” 1

1:1,18: 1st day, 2nd month, 2nd year

census of Israelites (without Levites)

 

1

 

 

 

159

 

 

 

arrangement of camp

 

2

 

 

 

161

 

 

 

separate census of Levites

 

3:1-39

4

 

 

 

162

 

 

 

redemption of the firstborn

 

3:40-51

 

 

 

165

 

 

 

More laws

 

5-6

 

 

 

~

 

 

 

Silver trumpets for mobilizing

 

10:1-10

 

 

 

166

 

“May” 20

10:11: 20th day, 2nd month, 2nd year

leave Sinai

 

10:11-34

16

(1:6-8,19a)

 

166

 

“May” 23

10:33 “three days”

Taberah

complaining and fire

 

11:1-3

(9:22)

 

168

 

 

 

Kibroth Hattaavah

cry for meat

 

11:4-34

16-17

(9:22)

 

 

Late “June”

11:20-21 “a whole month”

Hazeroth

Miriam’s complaint and leprosy

 

11:35-12:15

17-18

 

 

170

 

 

 

Rithmah

 

 

 

18-19

 

 

 

 

 

Rimmon Perez

 

 

19-20

 

 

171

 

 

 

Libnah

 

 

 

20-21

 

 

 

 

 

Rissah

 

 

 

21-22

 

 

 

 

 

Kehelathah

 

 

 

22-23

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Shepher

 

 

 

23-24

 

 

 

 

 

Haradah

 

 

 

24-25

 

 

 

 

 

Makheloth

 

 

 

25-26

 

 

 

 

 

Tahath

 

 

 

26-27

 

 

 

 

 

Terah

 

 

 

27-28

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mithcah

 

 

 

28-29

 

 

 

 

 

Hashmonah

 

 

 

29-30

 

 

 

 

 

Moseroth / Moserah

 

 

 

30-31

(10:6)[4]

 

216?

 

 

 

(Beeroth) Bene Jaakan

 

 

 

31-32

(10:6)

 

 

 

 

Hor Haggidgad / Gudgodah

 

 

 

32-33

(10:7)

 

216?

 

 

 

Jotbathah

 

 

 

33-34

(10:7)

 

 

 

 

Abronah

 

 

 

34-35

 

 

 

 

 

Ezion Geber

(northern tip of Gulf of Aqaba)

 

 

35-36

 

 

1445

(Early fall?)

 

Kadesh in Wilderness of Zin

(also the W. of Paran)

arrive in Kadesh

 

12:16

36-37

(1:19b)

 

171

 

 

 

Spies selected and commissioned

 

13:1-20

 

(1:20-23)

 

 

 

(40 days)

13:25

(various places)

Spies explore the land for 40 days

 

13:21-24

 

(1:24)

 

172

1445

(Late in year)

 

Kadesh

Spies return and give report

 

13:25-33

 

(1:25)

 

 

 

 

 

Israelites murmur, God declares judgment

 

14:1-35

 

(1:26-40)

 

 

 

 

 

Spies die

 

14:36-38

 

 

 

174

 

 

 

People decide to obey, but too late

 

14:39-43

 

(1:41-43)

 

 

 

 

 

Hill Country

People are defeated

 

14:44-45

 

(1:44-46)

 

 

 

 

 

Kadesh

More laws

 

15

 

 

 

~

1445

(Late in year)

 

Challenge to leadership

 

16-17

 

 

 

174

 

 

 

Laws about priests and Levites

 

18

 

 

 

177

 

 

 

More laws

 

19

 

 

 

~

1445

1407

Num. 14:33-34

(Deu. 2:14-16)

 

38 years of wandering in the wilderness!

(Leave Kadesh initially heading
south towards Red Sea)

 

(14:21-35)

(14:25)

 

(2:1)

(2:14-16)

 

 

1407

“April”[5]

Numbers

Kadesh in Wilderness of Zin

Return to Kadesh, death of Miriam

 

20:1

36-37

 

 

179

 

 

20:1: 1st month

(also the W. of Paran)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People cry for water

 

20:2-12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Second place named Meribah)

 

20:13

 

 

 

180

 

 

 

Passage requested of Edom, refused

 

20:14-21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Hor (border of Edom)

arrive at Mount Hor

 

20:22

37

 

 

180

 

“August” 1

33:38-39: 1st day, 5th month, 40th year

Death of Aaron

(age 123, 40th year after Exodus)

 

20:23-29

38-39

(10:6)4

 

180

 

 

 

King of Arad heard about them

 

21:1a

40

 

 

 

 

 

King of Arad captures some Israelites

 

21:1b

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arad (Hormah)

Israel defeats Arad

 

21:2-3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Hor (border of Edom)

Leave Mount Hor

 

21:4a

41

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zalmonah (on the Red Sea?)

Go by way of the Red Sea around Edom

 

21:4b

41-42

(2:2-12)

 

181

 

 

 

 

People impatient, bronze serpent

 

21:4c-9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Punon

 

 

 

42-43

 

 

 

 

 

Oboth

 

 

21:10

43-44

 

 

181

 

 

 

Iye Abarim (Iyim) (border of Moab)

 

21:11

44-45

 

 

181

 

(Late in year?)

Deuteronomy

Valley of Zered River

38 years after leaving Kadesh towards

 

21:12

 

(2:13-15)

 

 

 

 

(2:14)

 

the end of 1445 to wander in the desert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dibon Gad (on Arnon River)

 

 

21:13-15

45-46

(2:16-25)

 

181

 

 

 

Beer

 

 

21:16-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mattanah

 

 

21:18-19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nahaliel

 

 

21:19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bamoth

 

 

21:19-20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almon Diblathaim

 

 

 

46-47

 

 

 

 

 

 

mountains of Abarim (near Nebo/Pisgah)

 

 

21:20

47-48

 

 

182

 

 

 

Amorite territory

Israelites defeat Amorites

Joshua

21:21-30

 

(2:26-37)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12:1-3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bashan

Israelites conquer Bashan

12:4-5

21:31-35

 

(3:1-11)

 

 

1406

(Early in year?)

 

plains of Moab (Shittim)

arrive at Plains of Moab

 

22:1

48-49

 

 

185

 

 

 

 

Balak and Balaam

 

22:2-24:25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

plains of Moab (Shittim)

immorality with Moabite
and Midianite women

 

25

 

 

 

191

 

 

 

new census

 

26

 

 

 

194

 

 

 

the daughters of Zelophehad

 

27:1-11

 

 

 

~273

 

 

 

preview of Moses’ death

 

27:12-14

 

 

 

308

 

 

 

Joshua commissioned to succeed Moses

 

27:12-23

 

 

 

198

 

 

 

More laws

 

28-30

 

 

 

~

 

 

 

Vengeance on Midian (and Balaam)

 

31

 

 

 

191

 

 

 

Reuben and Gad settle in Gilead

 

32

 

(3:12-20)

 

199

 

 

 

directives for the conquest

 

33:50-36:13

 

 

 

201

 

 

 

 

Moses’ Deuteronomy addresses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“February” 1 [6]

1:3: 1st day, 11th month, 40th year

Moses’ first Deuteronomy address

(40th year after Exodus)

 

 

 

1:1-4:40

 

203

 

 

 

Moses sets apart eastern cities of refuge

 

 

 

4:41-43

 

~200

 

 

 

Moses’ second Deuteronomy address

 

 

 

4:44-11:32

 

210

 

 

 

More laws

 

 

 

12:1-26:15

 

~

 

 

 

The covenant renewed

 

 

 

26:16-19

 

296

 

 

 

Blessings and curses

 

 

 

27-28

 

301,296

 

 

 

Covenant renewed in Moab

 

 

 

29-30

 

299

 

 

 

Final events in Moses’ life

 

 

 

31-33

 

303

 

 

34:7

Mount Nebo/Pisgah

Death of Moses (age 120)

 

 

 

34:1-7

 

311

 

 

34:8

plains of Moab (Shittim)

People mourn Moses 30 days

 

 

 

34:8

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua takes the leadership

1:1-9

 

 

34:9

 

312

 

“April” 3?

Joshua

Jericho

Rahab hides the spies

2:1-21

 

 

 

 

313

 

(or 6?) [7]

2:22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2:22

hills west of Jericho

Spies hide in hills three days

2:22

 

 

 

 

314

 

“April” 6?

2:22

plains of Moab (Shittim)

Spies return to Joshua

2:23-24

 

 

 

 

314

 

(or 9?) 7

1:11

Mobilization ordered

1:10-11

 

 

 

 

314

 

 

 

Reminder to eastern tribes

1:12-18

 

 

 

 

314

 

“April” 7

3:1 “Early in the morning”

3:2 “after three days”

Jordan bank

Israelites move to Jordan bank

3:1

 

 

 

 

313

 

“April” 9

3:2,5 “tomorrow”

Jordan bank

Preparations for crossing

3:2-5

 

 

 

 

314

 

“April” 10

4:19: 10th day, 1st month

Jordan bank

Israel crosses the Jordan

3:6-4:18

 

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 10

4:19

Gilgal east of Jericho

Camp on west side of Jordan

4:19-24

 

 

 

 

316

 

 

 

new generation circumcised

5:1-9

 

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 14

5:10: 14th day

first Passover in Canaan

5:10

 

 

 

 

317

 

“April” 16 [8]

5:11 “The day after the Passover”

People eat the produce of the land

5:11

 

 

 

 

 

 

“April” 17

5:12 “the day after they ate this food”

Manna ceases after 40 years (Ex. 16:35)

5:12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(throughout Canaan)

Initial Conquest of Canaan

(undatable, unclear which
events occurred during 1406)[9]

5:13-11:23

12:7-24

 

 

 

 

317

327

 

* Indicates a date about which I vary slightly from F. LaGard Smith’s The Narrated Bible (I have the 1984 edition).

4.    The Hebrew Calendar

            The English month names given in quotes in the charts above actually refer to Hebrew months. The correspondence is as follows:

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Pre-exilic Hebrew name:

אָבִיב

זִו

 

 

 

 

אֵ֫תָנִ֫ים

בּוּל

 

 

 

 

 

ʾāˈḇîḇ

ziw

 

 

 

 

ʾęṯāˈnîm

būl

 

 

 

 

Name used in English Bibles→

Abib

Ziv

 

 

 

 

Ethanim

Bul

 

 

 

 

 

(6: list)

(2: list)

 

 

 

 

(1: list)

(1: list)

 

 

 

 

Postexilic and modern Hebrew name:

נִיסָן

אִיָּר

סִיוָן

תַּמּוּז

אָב

אֱלוּל

תִּשׁרִי

מַרְחֶשְׁוָן

כִּסְלֵו

טֵבֵת

שְׁבָט

אֲדָר

 

Nīˈsān

ʾIyˈyār

Sīˈwān

Tamˈmūz

ʾĀḇ

ʾĔˈlūl

Tišˈrī

Marḥešˈwān

Kisˈlēw

Ṭēˈḇēṯ

Šəˈḇāṭ

ʾĂˈḏār

 

Nisan

Iyar

Sivan

Tammuz

Av

Elul

Tishrei

Cheshvan

Kislev

Tevet

Shvat

Adar

Name used in English Bibles→

Nisan

 

Sivan

 

 

Elul

 

 

Chislev

Tebeth

Shebat

Adar

 

(2: list)

 

(1: list)

 

 

(1: list)

 

 

(2: list)

(1: list)

(1: list)

(8: list)

Approximately:

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

 

            The English month equivalence is only approximate, and varies from year to year, since the calendar is actually lunar. This means that every month begins on the new moon, and that the months are always either 29 or 30 days long, since a lunar cycle averages 29.53 days, though this can vary significantly. This means that the 12 months don’t actually reach to the end of the year, but only to about 354 days. A “leap month” is added when needed to keep the months from moving into the wrong season. (This would need to occur about every three years.) This is called a lunisolar calendar, and existed in the ancient Middle East well before this time, as the Babylonian/Sumerian calendar, which is found as early as the third millennium B.C., hundreds of years before the Exodus.[10] It seems likely that the Egyptian calendar used at the time of the Exodus was also lunisolar; however, later it changed to a form more similar to our modern calendar. Originally the start of a new month was set by observing when the new moon occurred in the sky each month, so it was impossible to know in advance whether a given month would have 29 or 30 days, though in most cases it alternated from one month to the next, since the lunar cycle is quite close to 29.5 days. (Nowadays the calendar is mathematically predetermined, and most months always have the same number of days, but this was not the case throughout Old Testament times.)

            The names of the months are very seldom used in the Bible; instead, normally only the month numbers are used. (For each month name used, a link to a list of its occurrences is provided in the chart above.) Those used before the Babylonian exile are completely different from those used afterwards, as the Jews adopted the Babylonian names during that time. Only four of the older names occur in the Bible; the others are simply unknown.

            The Bible never says that leap months were added, but they almost certainly were, since even the name of the first month אָבִיב /ʾāˈḇîḇ/ means “fresh, young ear(s) of barley”, and this makes it clear that this month occurred when the barley was ripe, and without leap months this correspondence could not be maintained. As the first link in this paragraph indicates, Jewish tradition used the ripening of the barley as an indicator of whether to add the leap month. This was always added right before אָבִיב /ʾāˈḇîḇ/. Interestingly, in Exodus 9:31 we are told that the barley was ripe before the 7th plague, the plague of hail, and that because of this the Egyptians’ barley crop was destroyed, and in fact this very word אָבִיב /ʾāˈḇîḇ/ is used in this verse to say that the barley was “in the ear”! (See endnote 2 for more on this.)

            Because of this lunar calendar, the אָבִיב /ʾāˈḇîḇ/ of 1445 would not have started 365 days after the אָבִיב /ʾāˈḇîḇ/ of 1446, but only 354 days or so, and this would be the same for 1407 and 1406. This doesn’t seem to affect any of the chronology in the charts above, since we are always told when a new אָבִיב /ʾāˈḇîḇ/ occurs, and don’t need to add up any numbers from the end of the previous year. Also, it is impossible to know if there was a leap month in either of these cases, but there is no evidence that there was one.[11]

            Throughout this chronology it turns out not to be necessary to know whether any given month had 29 days or 30 days, since almost all dates are given by month and day. The one place where this is not true is from “June” through “September” of 1446, where two periods of 40 days are specified, plus various additional days, but no days of the month are specified. I have assumed that “June” and “August” had 30 days and “July” 29, following the current Jewish conventions, since there is no way to actually know. I’m not sweating this, since my goal is just to get a picture of the actual time flow.



[1] Originally I had simply marked these references with the color blue, and explained briefly what they were, but this was apparently not at all clear, as contributor Dick Wallace pointed out, so on 23-Mar.-2020 I decided to put them in parentheses with a gray background to avoid any confusion. Thanks, Dick!

 

[2] This according to various commentators on this page: biblehub.com/commentaries/exodus/9-32.htm, based on Exodus 9:31-32. Though their estimates vary somewhat, they all agree that the wheat and the spelt ripen at least a month later than the flax and the barley. The consensus seems to be that the latter would be harvested around March, and the former at least a month later.

 

[3] Different translations have interpreted the meaning of Exodus 19:1 in various ways, making it hard to determine which day they actually arrived at Sinai. If we look at various parallel translations, we see the problem. The translations I have listed, some of the most popular, imply three different dates:

 

New American Standard Bible: In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. (“June” 15)

King James Bible: In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. (“June” 15)

Holman Christian Standard Bible: In the third month, on the same day of the month that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai. (“June” 15)

New Living Translation: Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. (“June” 15)

New International Version: On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt--on that very day--they came to the Desert of Sinai. (“June” 1)

Good News Translation: …on the first day of the third month after they had left Egypt they came to the desert of Sinai. (“June” 1)

English Standard Version: On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. (“July” 1)

 

               (Surprisingly, some of the translations in Spanish, such as the Nueva Versión Internacional or the Dios Habla Hoy, seem to suggest a fourth alternative, “three months after”, which would be “July 15”!)

               The problem is that the Hebrew phrase הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ /baˈḥōḏeš haššəlîˈšî/ can be interpreted these three different ways, “in the third month”, “on the new moon (at the beginning) of the third month”, or “on the third new moon”, since חֹ֫דֶשׁ /ˈḥōḏeš/ can mean either “month” or “new moon”.

               It might seem that the obvious interpretation is “June 15”, implied by four of the six versions above. However, Jewish tradition adheres to the “June 1” interpretation (suggested by two of the versions above), and in fact claims that the Torah, or at least the Ten Commandments, were given exactly 50 days after the Exodus (though I only get 47 days to “June” 3, since either “April” had 30 days and “May” 29 or vice versa, so this would mean that Moses got the Ten Commandments on his third day on the mountain, or else I have calculated differently than Jewish tradition), which would correspond to the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) or Pentecost, though the Old Testament never explicitly makes this connection. Therefore I have tentatively followed this interpretation.

               All of the subsequent dates through “September” 4 depend on this date, being calculated by adding together day counts provided in the text, as seen in the “Verses that support the date” column of the large chart above.

 

[4] Deuteronomy 10:6-9 is a parenthetical section that has been confusing to many commentators, such as these: biblehub.com/commentaries/deuteronomy/10-6.htm. The four place names listed in verses 6 and 7 seem to match four sequential place names given in the encampment list in Numbers 33, with slight variation in all or nearly all the names:

Numbers 33:30-34

1. Moseroth

2. Bene-Jaakan (the children of Jaakan)

3. Hor Haggidgad

4. Jotbathah

Deuteronomy 10:6-7

2. Moserah

1. Beeroth Bene-Jaakan (the wells of the children of Jaakan)

3. Gudgodah

4. Jotbathah (KJV Jotbath)

 

Top is plural of bottom, though the meaning is uncertain.

 

 

 

               Though there are variations, the four names are too similar to just be a chance listing of similar but unrelated names, but must actually be the same names. However, there are several problems with this:

               1. The order of the first two names is swapped in Deuteronomy from that in Numbers, indicating that the route of travel was reversed.

               2. In Deuteronomy 10:6 it indicates that Moserah is where Aaron died and was buried, but Numbers 33:38-39 and Numbers 20:23-29 indicate that Aaron died on Mount Hor.

               3. The Israelites passed through these four places in Numbers 33:30-34 in the latter part of the year 1445, but Aaron died in August of 1407, which seems to be the temporal context of Deuteronomy 10:6-7, 38 years later!

               So, how do we reconcile these? Some who do not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture simply declare it to be an error, but this is entirely unnecessary, as the commentators mentioned above make clear. The location of Mount Hor is unclear, so what makes the most sense is to assume that Mount Hor is near Kadesh, that these four places are all very close to Mount Hor, Moserah being the closest, and that the Israelites passed through them twice, 38 years apart, but in Numbers 33 it was not thought necessary to repeat them on the list. The fact that they would have passed through four places so close together two different times is not a problem if we remember that God was the one leading them, and his priorities might not have been the shortest distance!

 

[5] There is no mention of the people celebrating the Passover this year, perhaps because they were still in their 38-year wandering stage, though they celebrated it in 1446, 1445, and 1406, as can be seen in the charts, with the word Passover marked in red.

 

[6] Oops! This was an error: the 11th month clearly corresponds most closely to February (see ‎4. The Hebrew Calendar), but I had put March here! This error had been there since this page was first posted in November, 2016, and for many years before that I had made this same error in a note I made in my copy of The Narrated Bible. I only noticed the error and corrected it in January, 2020! This error affected my entire analysis of the last few months of my chronology on this page, since I had said, “…in 1406… we find that all of the events fit exactly in the time frame, with no slack time at all, assuming that the preceding month had 30 days.” This was completely incorrect, since there was another month of slack time that I had not included! I had necessarily assumed that Moses’ Deuteronomy addresses and the rest of the events in Deuteronomy up to Moses’ death had only taken one day, which is unlikely. (Also, I had failed to notice the 3 days mentioned in Joshua 1:11, which tends to make the chronology a bit less clear. See endnote 7.) I’m surprised none of my contributors noticed this error, since they have caught many other mistakes on this website.

 

[7] It is fairly certain that the three days in Joshua 1:11 are the same as those in Joshua 3:2. However, there are differences of opinion among commentators as to whether these are the same as the three days in Joshua 2:22, or whether they follow them (see this page). In either case some reordering is necessary: it is impossible for all of the text in Joshua 1-3 to be in chronological order. This tendency to not always follow the chronological sequence is quite common in the Bible, as seen in many other places on this website. This is so often true that Matthew Poole (at the link above) says: “interpreters have formed this general rule, that there is no certain order, no former nor latter, in the histories of the Scripture”. For the specific days I have mostly followed Barnes (at the link above), though the Pulpit Commentary (at the link above) thinks more days should be included. I have included the alternative scenario in parentheses.

 

[8] Up until May, 2022 I had had “April” 15 here, and “April” 16 for the day the manna ceased, since this seemed to be the obvious meaning, but numerous commentators, including those on this page, have made it clear that it would have actually been the next day. Keil and Delitzsch say, «“The morrow after the Passover” is used in Numbers 33:3 for the 15th Nisan; but here it must be understood as signifying the 16th, as the produce of the land, of which they ate not only on that day, but, according to Joshua 5:12, throughout that year, cannot mean the corn [grain in general] of the previous year, but the produce of this same year, i.e., the new corn, and they were not allowed to eat any of that till it had been sanctified to the Lord by the presentation of the wave sheaf on the second day of the Passover (Leviticus 23:11). According to Leviticus 23:11, the presentation was to take place on the day after the Sabbath, i.e., the first day of the feast of Mazzoth, which was kept as a Sabbath, or the 16th of Nisan, as the seven days’ feast of Mazzoth commenced on the 15th (Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:17).»

 

[9] What is clear is that later events, starting in chapter 13, did not occur during 1406, but from 1400 on.

 

[10] But this calendar may be much older, and may predate writing. Lunisolar calendars appear to have been the original calendars of peoples all around the world. Noah also used a calendar of numbered months in Genesis 7 and 8, but the odd thing is that it does not appear to be lunisolar, since every month seems to have 30 days, based on the figures provided in the text. (However, there may be another explanation for this which would allow it to have been lunisolar: see my article Flood.html where it says, “This article suggests a possible solution to this dilemma”.)

               Exodus 12:2 might seem to suggest that God invented this calendar from scratch for the Israelites in Exodus 12, or at least told them when the New Year was supposed to start. But I don’t think the passage requires us to assume that, and given its striking similarity to the Babylonian/Sumerian calendar I consider it unlikely. Also, the word “month” is used twice during the time of the patriarchs, in Genesis 29:14 and in Genesis 38:24, which suggests that they were already using some kind of calendar.

 

[11] I have looked for web sites of other Bible believers who have calculated these month-by-month sequences as I have, but those I have found seem to be too elaborate and to have particular agendas and claims that I don’t think are biblical. If anyone knows of one that doesn’t have these issues, please let me know. 1260-1290-days-bible-prophecy.org/Jubilee-exodus-chart-bible-prophecy.htm, bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-travel-times-distances-days.htm, biblenumbers.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/chronology-wilderness-wanderings1.pdf.