YEARS. 300 years, minus 17 years for the term of Joshua, is 283 Add for Jephthah (Judg. 12: 6) 6 For Ibzan 7 years; for Elon 10; for Abdon 8 (according to Judg. 12: 8, 11, 14) 25 Servitude to the Philistines (Judg. 13: 1) 40 Sampson (Judg. 15: 20 and 16: 31) not less than 20 Eli (1 Sam. 4: 18) 40 A period without dates (narrated Judg. 17–21) estimated at 40 ――――― Makes a total of 454 It is entirely impossible to bring these internal dates in the history within the short period of 339 years for the Judges. We must therefore accept the long period――450 years――and place the Exodus in 1013 + 591 = B. C. 1604. * * * * * The next period of conflicting authorities is the _Sojourn in Egypt_. The issue lies between the long period, 430 years, and the short one, 215 years.――――The first proof text is Ex. 12: 40: “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years.” Next is Gen. 15: 13: “Thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not theirs and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them 400 years”:――which is quoted substantially by Stephen, Ac. 7: 6.――――On the other hand stands Gal. 3: 17, which makes the giving of the law on Sinai 430 years _after_ the covenant made with Abraham. The interval from that covenant to Jacob’s standing before Pharaoh is readily computed thus: From the covenant with Abram, he being then 75 years old (Gen. 12: 4) to the birth of Isaac, Abraham 100 years old (Gen. 21: 5) is 25 years.――――From birth of Isaac to birth of Jacob (Gen. 25: 26) 60.――――Jacob standing before Pharaoh (Gen. 47: 9) at 130, the sum of which numbers is 215. According to Paul, this would leave for the sojourn in Egypt but 215 years. A distinct class of proofs came from an estimate of the generations between the fathers who went down into Egypt and the sons who entered Canaan. Of this, presently.