Exodus 14-15, 19

An exegetical exercise

Description of book and of human author

Exodus recounts the story of Israel’s escape from Egypt and 40 years in the desert on their way to the land God promised them. It also contains the ten commandments and the laws that are to govern the people

Place of text

Forms part of the Torah: 5 first books. It is the second, coming after Genesis It picks up the story after that of Joseph who brought his family to Egypt.

Type of text

Literary Style: An account2 'Tell the Israelites to turn back and

pitch camp in front of Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, facing Baal-Zephon. You must pitch your camp opposite this place, beside the sea,

3 and then Pharaoh will think, "The Israelites are wandering to and fro in the countryside; the desert has closed in on them." 

Type of text

Poetry:It was then that Moses and the Israelites

 sang this song in Yahweh's honour: I shall sing to Yahweh, for he has covered himself in glory, horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 Yahweh is my strength and my song, to him I owe my deliverance. He is my God and I shall praise him, my father's God and I shall extol him.

3 Yahweh is a warrior; Yahweh is his name. 

Type of text

A legal piece of writing There he laid down a statute and law

 for them and there he put them to the test. Then he said,

26 'If you listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh your God and do what he regards as right, if you pay attention to his commandments and keep all his laws, I shall never inflict on you any of the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians, for I am Yahweh your Healer.' 

List of people, places…

People: Yahweh, Moses, Israelites, Pharoh and his officials, Egyptians on horses

Places: Sea near Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, facing Baal-Zephon. (See maps)

MAP

MAP

Literal Meaning

Moses leads the people out of Egypt. The Egyptians pursue them. At the edge of the Red sea God tells Moses to raise his staff. The sea parts etc. It is meant to be a factual recount.

God establishes a covenant with Moses. See comments above for details of this.

Spiritual: Allegorical

The passing through the Red Sea: Baptism. Just as it caused the demise of Pharaoh, our washing is an end to the power of Satan. In the sea the enemy is slain.

In baptism our enmity with God is slain. The people emerged unharmed. From baptism the Christian is saved by grace.

Moses is a type of Christ. Exo 19 reference to the three days that

Moses was gone and then comes into the sight of the people: Type of Christ.

Spiritual: Moral

The people murmur and grumble and are ungrateful

Typologogy: Israel and the Church. Griping and ingratitude ensnare us ( see 1 Cor 10: 6-11)

Spiritual: Anagogical

Elim: Place of plenty, 12 springs of water, 70 palm trees.

Elim could symbolise the Church, or heaven. 12 springs could be the 12 apostles.

Exo 19: The covenant with people, making a Holy Nation, a Kingdom of Priests can be seen as pre-figuring the Church Jesus Christ would establish.

Used by the Church

In the Easter Liturgy: Easter Vigil. One of the seven Old Testament readings.

Applied today

• We can also wander through deserts of life if we constantly rebel against God’s plan for our happiness.

A Covenant with Moses and the Israelites5 So now, if you are really

prepared to obey me and keep my covenant, you, out of all peoples, shall be my personal possession, for the whole world is mine. 

The Promise of the Covenant6 For me you shall be a kingdom of

priests, a holy nation." Those are the words you are to say to the Israelites.' 

The condition

• Go to the people and tell them to sanctify themselves today and tomorrow.