Claims Examined · Archaeology
The Exodus can be firmly dated to 1446 BC.
Our rating
DebatedModerate confidenceIn brief
Scholars who accept a historical Exodus divide mainly between an early date (mid-15th century BC) and a late date (13th century BC). Each reads the biblical numbers and the archaeological evidence differently. “Firmly” overstates the case.
Where this claim comes from
Derived from the 480 years of , counted back from Solomon’s fourth year.
Weighing the evidence
Supports the claim
- gives 480 years from the Exodus to the temple’s founding, pointing to about 1446 BC.
- Defenders argue destruction evidence at some Canaanite sites fits the early date.
Counts against it
- names Rameses as a store city, a name associated with the 13th-century pharaohs.
- Many read the 480 years as a schematic number (12 generations of 40 years).
Sources reviewed
- secondaryK. A. Kitchen, On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Eerdmans, 2003.
- secondaryJames K. Hoffmeier, Israel in Egypt. Oxford University Press, 1997.
- secondaryBryant G. Wood, The Rise and Fall of the 13th-Century Exodus-Conquest Theory. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48:3, 2005.
Review history
- First published.