Bible Dictionary
Exodus (Book)
Exodus (Book)
The second book of the Pentateuch.
In the Hebrew texts, the title of the book is given by the first words: “These are the names.”
It is not without reason that the Greek translation gives the book the name Exodus, because it recounts the departure from Egypt, so decisive in the history of Israel.
Exodus can be divided into three main sections:
(a) In Egypt (Ex. 1-12:36).
Much time passes between Jacob’s arrival in Egypt and the events on which the book focuses, but only a brief allusion is made to the increase in numbers of the Hebrews after Joseph’s death (Ex. 1:7).
From verse 8 onwards the sufferings of the oppressed Israelites are recounted.
Chapters 2 through 4 recount the birth of Moses, and his youth and calling.
From 5 to 12:36 we have the fight against Pharaoh, the 10 plagues and, in relation to the last plague, the story of the institution of the Passover.
(b) Pilgrimage from Egypt to Sinai (Ex. 12:37-19:2).
In Ex. 12:37-42 we have the Israelites abandoning the city of Rameses;
Ex. 12:43-51: prescriptions regarding the Passover and conditions under which foreigners may take part;
Ex. 13:1-16: order to consecrate the firstborn and future celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in connection with the Passover;
Ex. 14: crossing the Dead Sea;
Ex. 15:1-21: song of deliverance;
Ex. 15:22-16:36: episodes of the bitter waters in Marah, of the manna, of the quails;
Ex. 17-18: the arrest at Rephidim, the water gushing from the rock of Horeb, the victory over Amalek, the visit of Jethro.
(c) Arrival and prolonged stay at Sinai (Ex. 19 1-40 38);
The departure from Sinai is mentioned in Num. 10:11.
The establishment of the theocracy is based on the covenant with Jehovah and involves obedience to his orders (Ex. 19: 3-6);
the elders and the people promised to observe this condition (Ex. 19:7-8).
Promulgation of the 10 commandments and the secondary laws recorded in the Book of the Covenant (Ex. 20-23; 24:4; for the analysis and content of these laws, see THEOCRACY).
The ratification of the covenant by the people (Ex. 24:1-8),
and confirmation meal between the covenanting parties (Ex. 9:11).
Moses on Mount Sinai:
prescriptions for the construction of the tabernacle and its furniture and utensils, the two tables of stone (Ex. 24:12-31:18; for details, see TABERNACLE).
The golden calf (Ex. 32-33).
Moses’ second stay on the mountain;
the laws concerning the renewal of the covenant are summarized, and accompanied by compelling exhortations (Ex. 34).
Construction and assembly of the tabernacle (Ex. 35-40).
For questions of paternity, date, wording and authenticity, see PENTATEUCH.
SPIRITUAL MESSAGE.
According to 1 Cor. 10:1-6, 11 and Rom. 15:4, Israel’s experiences are examples already written for the purpose of our instruction.
The Exodus is the book of redemption par excellence. God’s people are captive, fallen, enslaved and powerless.
God intervenes, and raises up Moses as a liberator; He uproots the people from Pharaoh’s tyranny, saving them from the destroyer through the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, reveals his law to them, and grants them his permanent presence in the tabernacle.
In the same way, we are fallen beings, captives, far from paradise, subjected to the slavery of the prince of this world.
God sends us the Savior, whose death frees us and takes us out of the world; He brings us to Himself, and by His Spirit places His law and presence in our hearts.
Few OT books are more Christ-centered than the Exodus. It is full of types and images that foreshadow the person and work of Christ.
Moses prefigures the Son who would be placed over all the house of God (Heb. 3:1-6). Christ himself is “our Passover,” the lamb slain for our salvation (1 Cor. 5:6-8; John 1:29).
The crossing of the Red Sea represents the Christian’s liberation from the power of Satan through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Heb. 2:14).
Manna is the type of the living Bread that came down from heaven (Ex. 16; Jn. 6:31-34 ff.).
The beaten rock from which water gushed “was Christ” (Ex. 17:1-7; 1 Cor. 10:4).
The Mosaic worship, the sacrifices, and the various parts of the tabernacle were all “a form and shadow of heavenly things” (Heb. 8:4-5; 9:23-24, etc.).
Finally, Aaron prefigures our one and only perfect high priest (Heb. 7:11-28), of whom Melchizedek appears to have been an anticipated appearance (Heb. 7:1-11).
Recapitulating, we can cite the extremely important themes that we know essentially thanks to the book of Exodus: preparation, intervention and intercession of Moses; the 10 plagues; Easter; the passage of the Red Sea; Mana; the rock of Horeb; Sinai; the first two tables of the law; the golden calf; the tabernacle.
These themes are taken up again and again and confirmed by the rest of the Scriptures. They constitute a topic worthy of deep and intelligent study by the believer.
BETHEL
is the name of a Canaanite city in the ancient region of Samaria, located in the center of the land of Canaan, northwest of Ai on the road to Shechem, 30 kilometers south of Shiloh and about 16 kilometers north of Jerusalem.
Bethel is the second most mentioned city in the Bible. Some identify it with the Palestinian village of Beitin and others with the Israeli settlement of Beit El.
Bethel was the place where Abraham built his altar when he first arrived in Canaan (Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3). And at Bethel Jacob saw a vision of a ladder whose top touched heaven and the angels ascended and descended (Genesis 28:10-19).
For this reason Jacob was afraid, and said, “How terrible is this place! It is nothing other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven »and he called Bethel the place that was known as «Light» (Genesis 35-15).
Bethel was also a sanctuary in the days of the prophet Samuel, who judged the people there (1 Samuel 7:16; 1 Samuel 10:3). And it was the place where Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, was buried.
Bethel was the birthplace of Hiel, who sought to rebuild the city of Jericho (1 Kings 16:34).
When Bethel did not yet belong to the people of Israel, Joshua had to battle against the king of Bethel and other kings and defeated them (Joshua 12-16).
When the people of Israel had taken possession of the promised land, in the division by tribes it was assigned to the Tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18-22), but in later times it belonged to the Tribe of Judah (2 Chronicles 13:19).
It was one of the places where the Ark of the Covenant remained, a symbol of the presence of God.
In Bethel the prophet Samuel judged the people.
Then the prophet Elisha went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some boys came out of the city and mocked him, and said to him: “Go up, bald man; Come up, bald! When he looked back and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the forest and tore to pieces forty-two boys” (2 Kings 2:23).
After the division of the kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam I, king of Israel, had a golden calf raised at Bethel (1 Kings 21:29) which was destroyed by Josiah, king of Judah, many years later (2 Kings 23:15). .
Bethel was also a place where some of the Babylonian exiles who returned to Israel in 537 BC gathered. (Ezra 2:28).
The prophet Hosea, a century before Jeremiah, refers to Bethel by another name: “Bet-Aven” (Hosea 4:15; Hosea 5:8; Hosea 10:5-8), which means ‘House of Iniquity’, ‘House of Nothingness’, ‘House of Vanity’, ‘House of Nullity’, that is, of idols.
In Amos 7: 12-13 the priest Amaziah tells the prophet Amos that he flee to Judah and no longer prophesy in Bethel because it is the king’s sanctuary, and the head of the kingdom.
The prophet Jeremiah states that “the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel” (Jeremiah 48:13), because of their idolatry and, specifically, the worship of the golden calf.
PUTEOLI
(lat.: “small fountains”).
Two days after arriving in Rhegium, the ship carrying Paul arrived at Puteoli, which was then an important maritime city.
The apostle found Christians there, and enjoyed their hospitality (Acts 28:13).
It was located on the northern coast of the Gulf of Naples, near the site of present-day Pouzzoles.
The entire surrounding region is volcanic, and the Solfatare crater rises behind the city.
PUT
Name of a nation related to the Egyptians and neighbors of their country (Gen. 10:6).
Put is mentioned with Egypt and other African countries, especially Libya (Nah. 3:9) and Lud (Ez. 27:10; Is. 66:19 in the LXX. Put appears between Cush and Lud in Jer. 46:9; Ez. 30:5).
In the LXX he is translated as Libyans in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Josephus also identifies it with Libya (Ant. 1:6, 2), but in Nah. 3.9 is distinguished from the Libyans.
Current opinion is divided between Somalia, Eastern Arabia and Southern Arabia (Perfume Coast).
PURPLE
A coloring substance that is extracted from various species of mollusks. The ancient Tyrians used two types of them: the “Murex trunculus”, from which the bluish purple was extracted, and the “Murex brandaris”, which gave the red.
The ink of its coloring matter varies in color depending on the region in which it is fished.
Piles of murex shells, artificially opened, have been discovered in Minet el-Beida, port of ancient Ugarit (Ras Shamra), which gives evidence of the great antiquity of the use of this purple dye (see UGARIT).
Due to its high price, only the rich and magistrates wore purple (Est. 8:15, cf. the exaltation of Mordecai, v. 2, Pr. 31:22; Dan. 5:7; 1 Mac. 10 :20, 62, 64; 2 Mac. 4:38; cf. v 31; Luke 16:19; Rev. 17:4).
The rulers adorned themselves in purple, even those of Midian (Judg. 8:26). Jesus was mocked with a purple robe (Mark 15:17).
Great use had been made of purple-dyed fabrics for the Tabernacle (Ex. 25:4; 26:1, 31, 36) and for the high priest’s vestments (Ex. 28:5, 6, 15, 33; 39: 29). The Jews gave symbolic value to purple (Wars 5:5, 4).
PURIM
(Heb., plural of “luck”).
Haman cast lots to determine a day of good omen for the destruction of the Jews.
As Haman’s designs were undone, the liberation of the Jews was marked by an annual festival (Est. 3:7; 9:24-32) on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar.
This festival is not mentioned by name in the NT, although there are exegetes who assume that it is the one referred to in Jn. 5:1.
This festival continues to be celebrated within Judaism: the book of Esther is read, and curses are pronounced on Haman and his wife, blessings are pronounced on Mordecai and the eunuch Harbonah (Est. 1:10; 7: 9).
PURIFICATION, PURITY
In the Mosaic Law four ways to purify oneself from contamination were indicated:
(a) Purification of contamination contracted by touching a dead person (Num. 19; cf. Num. 5:2, 3),
(b) Purification from impurity due to bodily emissions (Lev. 15; cf. Num. 5:2, 3).
(c) Purification of the woman in labor (Lev. 12:1-8; Luke 2:21-24).
(d) Purification of the leper (Lev. 14).
To this, the scribes and Pharisees added many other purifications, such as washing hands before eating, washing vessels and dishes, showing great zeal in these things, while inside they were full of extortion and iniquity (Mark 7: 2-8).
In Christianity the necessary purification extends:
to the heart (Acts 15:9; James 4:8),
to the soul (1 Pet. 1:22), and
to the conscience through the blood of Christ (Heb. 9:14).
Poetry of Praise and Redemptive Mission
The Praise that Unites All
Praise Resounds Throughout Creation
True Worship that Pleases the Lord
From Heavenly Greatness to Inexhaustible Love
The Gift of Himself
Healing Time
A Personal Promise
-
Christian Quotes6 months agoSteven Furtick Quotes
-
Christian Quotes6 months agoJohn MacArthur Quotes
-
OUR DAILY DEVOTIONAL | My Daily Bread6 months agoGod’s Power, Our Strength
-
Christian Quotes6 months agoPriscilla Shirer Quotes
-
Bible Dictionary6 months ago
BETHEL
-
Christian Quotes6 months agoAnthony George Quotes