Expert: Marilyn - 2/25/2010

Question
QUESTION:   
(1). According to the bible how many Jews were captured by Pharaoh ?

(2). How many women in total (if known) were part of the group ?

ANSWER: See the P.S. below. Thanks for your rating.

Hello Lance;

Depends on what you mean by "captured."

By the time Joseph finished solving Egypt's famine problems and moved his family to Egypt to live in the section called "Goshen," there were probably about 70 Hebrews. They weren't captives, but favored guests up until a pharaoh ascended the throne who didn't remember why the these people lived in Goshen.

From that point on, the Pharaohs began oppressing the people and gradually they became slaves. By the time they left Egypt there were "six hundred thousand men on foot," Exodus 12:37. The number of women and children is not revealed.

In Numbers God orders Moses to take a census: "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one..." Numbers 1:2. See Numbers 1:20-49 for the results.

Sincerely,

Marilyn

P.S. posted in response to the comment posted with your rating:

You need to check your math. If we assume that of the 70 people who entered Egypt, only 24 were women of child bearing years, and each of them had only 4 children...if we also assume a generational gap of 25 years instead of the standard 20 years, 430 years allows for 17 generations. After one generation, the 24 women have had 96 children; for ease of calculation, let's round it up to 100, assuming half were girls. From here on we're going to assume that each girl has 4 children, 2 of which are girls so that the actual population is twice the number of girls...Two generations--50 doubles to 100 girls; 3 generations--200; 4th generation--400; 5th generation--800; 6th generation--1600; 7th generation--3200; 8th generation--6400; 9th generation--12,800; 10th generation--25,600; again for ease of calculation, lets round this down to 25,000 girls remembering this is 50,000 total population. 11th generation--50,000; 12th generation--100,000; 13th generation--200,000; 14th generation--400,000...we now have 3 more generations to go and the total population is 800,000 which is more than the 600,000 you say the Bible says left Egypt, so the average woman only has to produce 4 or fewer live children.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Howdy Marylin, et al:

I wonder if you could verify the following "solid math" behind the following bible quotes:

Did David kill 700 Arameans (2 Sam. 10:18) or 7,000 (1 Chron. 19:18)? Did he buy a threshing floor for 50 shekels of silver (2 Sam. 24:24) or 600 shekels of gold (1 Chron. 21:25)? Did 24,000 die in a plague (Num. 25:9) or did 23,000 (1 Cor. 10:8)? Did God say that Abraham's descendants would be enslaved 400 years (Gen. 15:13) or 430 (Ex. 12:41, Gal. 3:17)? Did God ask for a census of Israel (2 Sam. 24:1-2), or was it Satan (1 Chron. 21:1-2)? (Conservatives really put non-conservatives down when they say, oh, God must have made Satan do it.) Was humankind the last thing God created (Gen. 1:26) or the first (Gen. 2:7)? Did Abraham move to Canaan before his father died (Gen. 11:32, 12:4) or afterward (Acts 7:4)?

Answer
Lance;



David's kills: The Holman Christian Standard Bible points out that in Samuel the word used is "horsemen" and in Chronicles the word used is "charioteer." Two different types of soldier units.

Threshing floor payment: II Samuel 24:24 records the payment for the threshing floor, in Hebrew, the "goren," and in I Chronicles 21:25 the payment for the place, in Hebrew the "maqom." So David paid 50 shekels of silver for the "goren" and 600 shekels of gold for the "maqom."

Deaths in the plague: Wesley's Notes re I Corinthians 10:8: "And fell in one day three and twenty thousand - Beside the princes who were afterwards hanged, and those whom the judges slew so that there died in all four and twenty thousand. Num 25:1,9."

It should be noted that Numbers mentions all "who died in the plague" Paul mentions "all who died in one day," Holman Christian Standard Bible. These numbers would not necessarily be the same quantity.

years enslaved: "enslaved and mistreated 400 years," Genesis 15:13; "at the end of the 430 years..." Exodus 12:41, NIV. The first 30 years they were not mistreated. After Joseph's death a Pharaoh came to power who did not remember Joseph or his service to Egypt and conditions changed.

David's census: II Samuel says God did it, I Chronicles said, literally, "an adversary" did it; Satan's name means "Adversary," NIV. Young's Literal Translation says, "And the anger of Jehovah addeth to burn against Israel, and [an adversary] moveth David about them, saying, `Go, number Israel and Judah," II Samuel 21:1 & 2. In I Chronicles 21:1 & 2 it reads, "And there standeth up an adversary against Israel, and persuadeth David to number Israel..."

God was angry because David was considering a census. And someone David knew was advising him to take a census and so he did, then God punished them. Joab in II Samuel 24:3 questions David, implying that maybe this isn't such a good idea. In I Chronicles 21:4, "The king's word, however, overruled Joab..." indicating Joab had argued that David's plan was a really bad idea. Verse 6 & 7, "...Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king's command was repulsive to him. The command was also evil in the sight of God..." God and Joab didn't agree with David, but some other adviser had the king's ear and he listened to that unnamed person--a person who turned out to be an adversary.

creation of humankind: Western story telling generally follows a chronological format where all pertinent details are included in one account. Genesis, chapters 1 & 2 does not follow this format, rather the creation story is told from three different points of emphasis.

Genesis 1:1 is a creation story all by itself and includes details not mentioned later.

Genesis 1:2 tells a detail which is left out of the main story which begins with verse 3. This detail is held apart because explaining why the earth became formless and empty would change the focus of the main creation story.

Genesis 1:5 says that the creation of light is the first "day;" thus the main creation story begins with verse 3, "Let there be light," and ends with Genesis 2:3.

The third creation story focuses primarily on the creation of man, it is the same story with different emphasis, specifically details about the creation of man.

Abraham's travels: Haran is not in Canaan, http://scriptures.lds.org/biblemaps/9

The family headed out, Genesis 11:31, they settled in Haran, then Terah died, verse 32. God renewed His command, Genesis 12:1, and Abraham set out again for Canaan, finally arriving in verse 4. Acts 7:4 presents no disagreement.

Sincerely,

Marilyn