Guide
What Is the Book of Exodus?
ca. 1200–332 BCE
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The Birth of the People of Israel
Exodus, the second book of the Bible, includes both narrative and law. The narrative begins after Jacob and his family settle in Egypt, where they have come to escape a famine in Canaan. There, they grow into a people, and they are later enslaved by the Egyptian king until God sends Moses to take them out of Egypt and bring them to the land he promised them. God sends plagues against the Egyptians until the king agrees to allow the Israelites to leave. Moses leads them across the sea and through the wilderness to Mount Sinai.
The remainder of the book of Exodus (chapters 19–40) takes place at Mount Sinai, where God transmits his laws to Moses and the Israelites. The laws in Exodus include the Ten Commandments and the Book of the Covenant and laws about the Tabernacle and sacrifices. The book concludes with the construction of the Tabernacle.
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Song at the Sea (Exodus 15), Leningrad Codex
Song at the Sea (Exodus 15), Leningrad Codex, 1009 CE. The photo shows the first fourteen verses of the poem (Exodus 15:1–14) and a few prose verses from the end of the preceding chapter. The text of…
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Oppression and Exodus
Exodus 1–18 (selections)
The biblical book of Exodus tells the story of the Israelites' march from oppression to liberation.
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At Sinai
Exodus 19–34 (selections)
This account of the divine revelation at Mount Sinai and the making of the golden calf is the highlight of the Torah’s wilderness narratives.
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In the Wilderness
Exodus 16|Numbers 11–24 (selections)
Exodus
Chapter 16Setting out from Elim, the whole Israelite community came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their…
Chapter 16Setting out from Elim, the whole Israelite community came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their…
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The Ten Commandments
Exodus 19–20 (selections)
In this passage, God delivers the Ten Commandments to the Israelites at Mount Sinai amid thunder and lightning.
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Hebrew Slaves
Exodus 21:2–11
When you acquire a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years; in the seventh year he shall go free, without payment. If he came single, he shall leave single; if he had a wife, his wife shall leave…
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Crimes against Persons
Exodus 21:12, 15–30
Biblical laws differentiate between crimes against persons and crimes against property, reflecting ancient Israelite social values.
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Property Offenses
Exodus 21:33–22:16
When a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or an ass falls into it, the one responsible for the pit must make restitution; he shall pay the price to the…
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Ethical and Religious Laws
Exodus 22–23 (selections)
You shall not tolerate a sorceress.
Whoever lies with a beast shall be put to death.
Whoever sacrifices to a god other than the Lord alone shall be proscribed.
You shall not wrong…
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The Ratification of the Covenant
Exodus 24:3–8, 12–13
Moses went and repeated to the people all the commands of the Lord and all the rules; and all the people answered with one voice, saying, “All the things that the Lord has commanded we will do!” Mos…
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Building the Tabernacle
Exodus 24–25, 29, 31 (selections)
When Moses had ascended the mountain, the cloud covered the mountain. The Presence of the Lord abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud hid it for six days. On the seventh day He called to…
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Passover and Related Laws
Exodus 12 (selections)
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you. Speak to the…
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The Sabbath
Exodus 16:2–7, 11–31, 35
In the wilderness, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the…
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The Song at the Sea
Exodus 15:1–18
Moses' hymn of victory, one of the oldest texts in the Bible, celebrates the defeat of the Egyptian forces at the Sea of Reeds.
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Moses’ Prayer after the Golden Calf Incident
Exodus 32:11–13
Moses appeals to God for mercy and forgiveness on behalf of the Israelites after the golden calf incident.
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God’s Attributes
Exodus 34:5–7
God's revelation to Moses on Mount SInai includes a list of divine attributes.
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Donations for the Tent of Meeting
Exodus 35:20–29
So the whole community of the Israelites left Moses’ presence. And everyone who excelled in ability and everyone whose spirit moved him came, bringing to the Lord his offering for the work of the…
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Tefillin from Nahal Se’elim
These tefillin (phylacteries) were found in Naḥal Se’elim, in the Judean desert. Tefillin are small leather ritual boxes used during prayer. They are affixed to one’s forehead and nondominant arm with…