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In the Samaritan version of Exodus, the 430 years before the exodus include Israel's ancestors living in Canaan, not just the time in Egypt. Paul starts his 430 years with God's promise to Abraham, a count that only works if Canaan is included.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Samaritan Exodus 12:40
Samaritan Penteteuch
Samaritan
39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. 40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel and fathers of them, who dwelt in Canaan and in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 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.
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.
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Notes and References
“... Another chronological notation that has caused considerable debate is found in Exod 12:40. The MT and 4QExodc of Exod 12:40 read: [...] And the time that the people of Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt was 430 years. Compare here the SP: [...] The time that the children of Israel and their fathers dwelt in the land of Canaan and the land of Egypt was 430 years. The LXX agrees with the SP but simply reverses the order of the land of Canaan and the land of Egypt. The tradition of the 430-year stay in Egypt appears also in Ezek 4:5, but the Apostle Paul appears to favor the chronology now rendered in the SP and LXX (Gal 3:17). ...”
Anderson, Robert T., and Terry Giles
The Samaritan Pentateuch: An Introduction to Its Origin, History, and Significance for Biblical Studies
(p. 81) Society of Biblical Literature, 2012
* 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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