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The Greek Septuagint translation of Exodus 12 counts 430 years for Israel’s stay in Egypt and Canaan together. Galatians uses the same figure for the time from Abraham’s promise to the Torah, arguing the Torah could not undo what God promised earlier.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Exodus 12:40
Septuagint
38 And a great mixed company went up with them, and sheep and oxen and very much cattle. 39 And they baked the dough which they brought out of Egypt, unleavened cakes, for it had not been leavened; for the Egyptians cast them out, and they could not remain, neither did they prepare provision for themselves for the journey. 40 And the stay of the children of Israel, while they stayed in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan, was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it happened after the four hundred and thirty years, all the forces of the Lord came forth out of the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night watch kept to the Lord, so that he should bring them out of the land of Egypt; that very night is a watch kept to the Lord, so that it should be to all the children of Israel to their generations.
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Galatians 3:17
New Testament
15 Brothers and sisters, I offer an example from everyday life: When a covenant has been ratified, even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture does not say, “and to the descendants,” referring to many, but “and to your descendant,” referring to one, who is Christ. 17 What I am saying is this: The law that came 430 years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to invalidate the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise, but God graciously gave it to Abraham through the promise. 19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. It was administered through angels by an intermediary.
Date: 54–55 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Paul applied the principle of the permanence of faith by affirming that a covenant made so long before could not possibly be altered by a later giving of the Law. The Law was given 430 years after the promise. When did that lengthy period of time begin? Some have suggested it began with Abraham, in which case the 430 years included the Israelites' time of about 200 years in Canaan and about 200 years in Egypt. The Septuagint supports this view, but this conflicts with the clear statement in Exodus 12:40 that the Egyptian sojourn was 430 years. Another suggestion is that the period began with the confirming of the Abrahamic Covenant with Jacob (Genesis 35:9-12). A third and perhaps best view is that the period began with the final confirmation of the covenant to Jacob (given in Genesis 46:1-4). Accordingly the 430 years went from the end of one era (the Age of Promise) to the beginning of another (the Age of Law). This seems to fit best with Exodus 12:40 ..."
John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Victor Brooks, 1983), 598–599.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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