Ussher: Moses from the Exodus to His Death (1491-1451 BC)

James Ussher, The Annals of the World (1658)

Fourth Age: 1491-1012 BC

The Exodus to the Foundation of the First Temple

     1491 BC, Tuesday, May 5 (1^st month, 15^th day): Following the death of all the firstborn of Egpyt (the 10^th and final plague), all Egyptians, even Pharaoh himself, urge the Israelites to leave Egypt (Ex. 12:33-36). They do so exactly 430 years after Abraham left Haran. The Israelites number 600,000 men plus women and children (Ex. 12:29-31, 37, 41, 51; Num. 33:3).

     The liberated Israelites initially meet at Ramses where they first lived in the days of Joseph (Gen. 47:11).

     At Succoth, Moses tells them to annually observe the Passover and to dedicate their firstborn to Yahweh (Ex. 13:1-22).

     At Etham, on the edge of the wilderness, Yahweh starts to lead his people personally with a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21-22).

     Yahweh tells Moses to have the people camp at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon, which is between Migdol and the Red Sea (Ex. 14:2). Pharaoh and his army catch up with them there (Ex. 14:9). Yahweh splits the waters of the Red Sea and allows Moses to safely lead Israel to the eastern shore. In fatal contrast, Yahweh collapses the Red Sea on the pursuing Egyptian army and drowns it (Ex. 14:26-30). “This happened on the 21^st day of the first month on the last day of the feast of unleavened bread” (Paragraph [P]190.4).

     Israel marches three days through the wilderness but finds no water (Tuesday the 22^nd to Thursday the 24^th) (Ex. 15:22, Num. 33:8).

     At Marah (“Bitterness”), Israel starts to murmur against Yahweh and Moses and until Yahweh shows Moses a tree which he tosses into the water there to make it drinkable (Ex. 15:23, 26).

     Israel camps at Elim, by the Red Sea, where it finds an oasis with 12 fountains of water and 70 date palms (Ex. 15:27, Num. 33:9-10) (P190).

     1491 BC, 2^nd month, 15^th day (Thursday, June 4): Wilderness of Sin. The Israelites again begin to murmur against Yahweh and Moses. Yahweh provides them with quails and begins to feed them manna (Ex. 16). They subsequently camp at Dophkah (P9) and Alush (P10).

     At Rephidim (also called Massa and Meribah), the Israelites murmur because of thirst. Moses strikes a rock and out bursts the needed water (Ex. 17:1, 7). This rock then continues with them through the wilderness (Deut. 8:15; Ps 78:16, 20; 105:41; 1Co 10:4).

     Amalekites attack Israel from behind and begin killing stragglers. Moses sends his servant Joshua (Ex. 33:11) as leader of men to repel the attack. Originally named Hoshea, Moses had changed his name to Joshua (Num. 13:16) (Acts 7:45, Heb. 4:8).

     Joshua leads the battle against the Amalekites while Moses prays atop a nearby hill. The Israelites mark the site of their victory with an altar (Ex. 17:8-16, Deut. 25:17-19) (P191).

     1491 BC, 3^rd day, 3^rd month (Monday, June 22): Israelites arrive at Mount Sinai (P192).

     Yahweh gives Moses his law for his people (Ex. 20:1-26, Deut. 5:1-33) while at the same time maintaining the gracious promises he previously made to Abraham in 1921 BC (Gal. 3:17) (P194).

     Moses reads the book of the covenant to the people and ratifies it at the foot of Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:3-8, Heb. 9:19-20) (P195).

     1491 BC, 14^th day, 4^th month: Moses discovers the Israelites partying around a golden calf and smashes the Ten Commandments written in stone by the finger of Yahweh at the base of Mount Sinai (P198).

     1491 BC, 6^th month: Moses returns with a second set of Ten Commandments written in stone by Yahweh. He asks the Israelites for a voluntary offering to use in building a tabernacle for Yahweh (Ex. 34:1-35:35) (P205).

     A census is taken. Men aged 20 and older number 603,550. Each donates half a shekel as required (Ex. 30:12-13). The sum is 100 talents 1775 shekels of silver (Ex. 38:25-26). One talent, then, consists of 3000 shekels (Ezek. 45:12). The people also freely donate 29 talents 730 shekels of gold and 70 talents 2400 shekels of bronze (Ex. 38:24, 29). Donations of other goods reached the point that Moses commands Israel to stop giving (Ex. 36:5-7) (P206). Imagine!

     By the end of the sixth month at Sinai, everything is prepared for right worship of Yahweh by priests in the Tent of Meeting (Ex. 36:1-39, 43) (P208).

     1490 BC: 1^st day, 1^st month, 2^nd year (Wednesday, April 21): Yahweh fills the Tent of Meeting with his presence (Ex. 40:2, 17, 34). Israel celebrates the Passover beginning on the evening of the 14^th day (Tuesday, May 4) (P211).

P229 p 45

     1490 BC, 20^th day, 2^nd month (Wednesday, June 9), 2^nd year after leaving Egypt: The Israelites leave Mount Sinai (Num. 10:11-12, Dt. 1:6-7) (P233).

     4^th month: sometime during this month Yahweh strikes Miriam, older sister of Moses, with leprosy for speaking against the leadership of Moses. Yahweh cleanses of her leprosy a week later (Nm. 12:1-15, Dt. 24:9) (P236.14-P237).

     5^th month: Yahweh commands Moses to send 12 spies, one man from each tribe (Num. 13:1-2, 21-22, Dt. 1:23) into the Promised Land. Included are 40-year-old Caleb of Judah (Jos. 14:7) and Joshua of Ephraim (P239).

     7^th month: The spies return in this month before the Feast of Tabernacles. Ten of the 12 spies deliver a discouraging report. Caleb and Joshua try but fail encourage the people (Num. 13:28-33, 32:9). Instead of leading them into the Promised Land, Yahweh sends his people back into the wilderness for 40 years (Num. 14:26-35).

     1489 BC: Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebel against Moses. Yahweh causes an earthquake and they, with their families, disappear into the earth (Num 16).

     1455 BC: Cadmus and Phenix of Thebes travel north and found Tyre and Sidon (P261).

     1452 BC, 10^th day, 1^st month: Miriam dies (Num. 21:1). She was 130 years old (Ex. 2:4, 7). Aaron dies 4 months later; Moses, 11 months after her.

     At Meribah (“Strife”), the people complain about a lack of water, as their parents had 37 years earlier (Ex. 17:7), and Moses rashly strikes a rock twice. It flows with the desired water, but Yahweh now forbids Aaron and even Moses to enter the Promised Land (Num. 20:23-24, 27:14; Ps. 106:32-33) (P265-266).

     5^th month: Aaron dies. The Israelites mourn for him the whole month (Num. 20:29) (P268).

     6^th month: The bronze serpent (Num. 21:5-9, 33:41; Jos. 3:14; 1 Cor. 10:9) (P270.35).

     Victory against Sihon, Amorite king of Heshbon (Dt. 2:24-36, Num. 21:21-31, Jdg. 1:19-22) (P276).

     Victory against Og, king of Bashan (Num. 21:33-35, Dt. 3:1-11, Amos 2:9) (P278).

     Balak, king of Moab, summons Balaam to curse Israel (Num. 21:1-6, Dt. 33:4, Josh. 24:9) (P281).

     1451 BC: Moses gives the land of Sihon and Og to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh (Nu. 32:1-42; Dt. 3:12-20, 29:8; Jos. 13:8-12, 22:4) (P290).

     5^th day, 11^th month (Saturday, February 20): In the 40^th year since Israel left Egypt, Moses speaks to the people (Dt. 1:1-27:26) (P292).

     12^th month (Adar), 1^st day: Moses climbs Mount Nebo, sees the Promised Land, then dies (Num. 27:12-13; Dt. 3:23-29, 31;2-4, 7; 32:49-50, 34:1-5) (P297).

     The Israelites mourned for Moses the rest of the month (Dt. 34:8) (P300).

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