The book of Exodus (Greek word for departure) begins a story that will continue into the next three books of the Bible. It is an epic tale that tells the story of how Israel became a nation and how it received its divine laws. Here we learn of Moses, the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, God’s revelation of the Law, the 40 wandering years in the wilderness, and eventually the emergence of Israel into Canaan (as told in the book of Joshua). Put together, all of these successive events are crucial to Jewish faith and its understanding of the national history of Israel. The stories seem even more firmly grounded in history than the story of the patriarchs does. But how much of it is really history?

Learn more about the historicity of the Exodus narrative in this new 5-part knowledge center article:

Part 1 – Moses
Part 2 – Authorship & Sources
Part 3 – The Evidence for Israel in Egypt
Part 4 – The Possibility of an Exodus
Part 5 – Conclusion: Myth & History in the Exodus