This table maps the events of Exodus 7:10-15:26 to days, bearing in mind that the Hebrew day began at dusk.
Day |
Exodus |
1st Month feasts |
7th Month feasts |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
1st |
7 days of fulfilment, during which ‘tomorrow’ is a key textual marker for the passage of time (Exod 7:14-10:20, note 7:25). |
Moses goes to Pharaoh in the morning. River turned to blood. Moses goes in to Pharaoh. Arrival of frogs. Promise that frogs will go tomorrow. |
|
Rosh Hashanah |
2nd |
|
Frogs die. Lice replace them. Moses goes to Pharaoh early in the morning. Promise of flies tomorrow. |
|
Middle eight Days of Awe (The Days of Awe are a 10 day period for repentance and include Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) |
3rd |
|
Flies arrive. Moses promises that the flies will depart tomorrow. |
|
|
4th |
|
Flies depart. Moses goes in to Pharaoh. Promises of livestock dying tomorrow. |
|
|
5th |
|
Livestock dies. Moses goes to Pharaoh early in the morning. Promise of Hail tomorrow. |
|
|
6th |
|
Hail stops Promise of locusts tomorrow |
|
|
7th |
|
Locusts arrive. East wind all day. |
|
|
8th |
3 days of darkness (Exod 10:21-29) |
East wind continues all night. Locusts now gone. 1st day of the darkness. |
|
|
9th |
|
2nd day of darkness. |
|
|
10th |
|
3nd day of darkness. Pharaoh’s meeting with Moses seals his judgement. Each Israelite takes in their lamb. |
|
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) |
11th |
3 days of waiting |
Not mentioned in the text |
|
|
12th |
|
Not mentioned in the text |
|
|
13th |
|
Not mentioned in the text |
|
|
14th |
Passover at twilight (Exod 12:6-12) |
Lambs slaughtered at twilight on 14th day (therefore at the boundary between the 14th and the 15th day). |
Passover at twilight |
|
15th |
First day of flight (Exodus 12:29-37) |
Angel passes over & Israel flees to Succoth. |
Unleavened bread, day 1 |
Start of Succoth (Feast of Booths), day 1 |
16th |
Second day of flight (Exod 13:20) |
Move on to camp at Etham. |
2 |
2 |
17th |
Third day of flight (Exod 14:8-14) |
Move on to Pihahiroth. Salvation announced. Israel to keep silent whilst the Lord fights for them. (Anniversary of God remembering Noah) |
3 |
3 |
18th |
Crossing the sea (Exod 14:15-21) |
Israel escapes through the midst of the sea. |
4 (the ‘Eighth Day’*) |
4 |
19th |
Three days journey (Exod 15:22-23) |
1st day, not mentioned in the text |
5 |
5 |
20th |
|
2nd day, not mentioned in the text |
6 |
6 |
21st |
|
3rd day, camp at Marah |
7 |
7 |
* Passover effectively started with taking in the lamb on the tenth day, so the great and final day of Israel’s tribulation at the hands of Egypt (cf. John 7:34), fell on the annual Edenic covenant renewal, seven days later. Leviticus’ reference to a special assembly on the eighth day in connection with Tabernacles (Lev 23:36, cf. Neh 8:8) is therefore best understood as a reference to the original Passover timetable. The Talmud presents the Red Sea crossing as taking place on the seventh day of the Passover1. This is consistent with the picture presented above.
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1 Polano H., The Talmud, Frederick Warne & Co Ltd, undated, pg 345