December 13, 2025

Last time, I presented the two prevailing views for the date of the exodus: 1446 B.C. if one takes as literal the time marker of 480 years in 1 Kings 6:1, and perhaps 1270-1250 if one takes it figuratively (though I would suggest that a figurative interpretation in this case merely means that the interpreters have settled on a more preferable date for the exodus and thus need to bend the clear meaning of this verse to coincide with their preferred date).

But what evidence would compel someone to so readily brush aside a literal interpretation of 1 Kings 6:1 in favor of a figurative one when there is nothing in the verse to warrant doing so? For the answer to this question one must examine Exodus 1:11, a verse that arguably forms the backbone of a thirteenth-century dating for the exodus. It reads, “Therefore they set taskmasters over [the children of Israel] to afflict them with their burdens, and they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.”

Here’s one of the arguments of those who propose a late date for the exodus in the thirteenth century. “The city of Rameses [an alternative spelling] was built sometime during the lengthy reign of Rameses II in 1304-1236 B.C.[High Chronology], therefore, the exodus could not have taken place in the fifteenth century because the city of Rameses had not yet been built.”

But dismissing the straightforward dating of the Bible for a conjectured association between the supply city of Raamses mentioned in Exodus 1:11 (built in the fifteenth century or even earlier if the Bible is taken literally) and the capital city of Rameses (built in the thirteenth century) hardly seems warranted. In the chronology of Exodus 1-2 the city of Raamses was built at least eighty years before Moses arose to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and thus in the chronology of those who propose a late date for the exodus (c. 1270-1250 B.C.), the city of Rameses could not have been built any later than 1330 B.C. (1250 + 80), which turns out to be years before the birth of Rameses II.

Also, given that the name Rameses existed in Egyptian history long before the time of Rameses II, there is no reason to force the round peg of 1 Kings 6:1 into the square hole of a thirteenth-century dating for the exodus. Yes, I personally hold to the authority of the Bible, but even if one does not, the Bible certainly deserves a fair hearing on this matter, for as we’ll see next time, there is even more biblical evidence for a fifteenth-century dating for the exodus.

Daniel McCabe

Upcoming Trips to Israel

Would you like to visit Nazareth, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Sea of Galilee? Wade through Hezekiah’s Tunnel, see the little town of Bethlehem or ride a camel in Jericho? Join us as we travel to the Holy Land this coming spring and summer!

With both Covid and the war in Gaza largely in the rear view window, tourists are returning to Israel again in large numbers. Here are the dates for our two upcoming trips.

Trip #1: March 16-27, 2026

Trip #2: May 18-29, 2026

The trips cost approximately $3200 + airfare, depending on group size, which includes estimates for lodging, travel insurance, day trip expenses (such as trains, trams, taxis, shuttles and site fees), administrative fees, meals and groceries. It does not include luggage fees, snacks, postage and souvenirs. In order to keep costs down for you, we adjust the price according to the number of people who participate, so the price can rise a little or even fall.

Are you ready to go? Contact us at [email protected] to receive a trip brochure.

Trivia

(Answer at the bottom of the page)

A. What is the name of the city that is at the heart of a region in Israel known as “Silicon Wadi” due to its high concentration of tech companies? Wadi is a common Hebrew word for “valley,” hence a play on words from “Silicon Valley.”

Smart Carts: Life in the Land

I saw my very first smart cart in an Israeli grocery store. I had no idea they even existed until that moment, but I’ve since learned that Israel is one of several key countries that is active and influential in this field of technology. So, what is a smart cart? They’re AI-powered grocery carts equipped with weight scales, sensors and cameras that scan, price and take payment from the customer without any need to stand in line. Some carts suggest recipes based on the items that the customer has placed in his or her cart. Other carts offer promotional deals or even navigate the customer to the aisle in the store where the item can be found. Perhaps I’m behind the times and you already knew all about them, but isn’t that fascinating?

Daniel McCabe

Archaeology: The Wounded Lion of Nineveh

There are two whole books in the Bible that focus on the city of Nineveh. Can you name them? Perhaps you quickly recalled the story of Jonah who reluctantly preached to the Ninevites after three days inside the “great fish,” but then there’s the prophet Nahum too whose three-chaptered prophecy pronounces judgment upon Nineveh from start to finish.

Tucked inside chapter two of Nahum is a colorful description of lions stalking and devouring their prey and then returning with the meat to their dens. It is an obvious metaphor for powerful Nineveh which now faces judgment from God despite having experienced unchecked military dominance over its neighboring nations for many years. In anticipation of Nineveh’s soon destruction, Nahum asks with biting sarcasm in 2:11-12, “Where is the dwelling of the lions [now]?”

Likening the city of Nineveh to a lion once struck many modern scholars as odd—not unlike comparing Quito to a penguin given that penguins clearly aren’t native to Ecuador—for lions weren’t native to Nineveh either. But then archaeologists in the mid-nineteenth century discovered rock reliefs of lions on the palace walls of Nineveh during the time of King Ashurbanipal of Assyria who reigned contemporaneously with the prophet Nahum. Known as the “Lion Hunt Reliefs,” they picture the king with his attendants on a staged lion hunt, for lions were brought to Nineveh for this express purpose, released from their cages into an arena and killed by the “courageous” king in a scripted fight to the death. Many of the scenes depicted in the reliefs show wounded and dying lions in deeply emotive poses as can be seen in the attached picture. How fun that the Bible yet again dovetails so beautifully with ancient history.

Daniel McCabe

Scripture Study: God’s Attributes

So far I’ve summarized God’s essence and His nature. Now let’s look at His attributes. He’s holy in His divine majesty and infinitely higher than His creation. He’s separate from His creation. He’s not the same. He’s not bound within it, for holy means to be distinct and separate. He also wants His people to be holy, i.e., different and separate from the peoples around them.

God is also good. Everything He does is good. He’s holy and separate from everything that is immoral and corrupt. He never sins. We see this in Deuteronomy 32:4. Sin is anything that runs contrary to God’s nature and His will. God can never be contrary to His nature. Whatever is of God is good and whatever is not of God is not good. So again, sin is anything that runs contrary to His nature and will. He just can’t be that.

It’s not possible for God to sin. When Jesus, the Son of God, was here on earth, He took on human flesh. He was tempted to sin. Theoretically He was able to sin, but He was tempted in every way, yet without sin. So because of His holiness, His perfect accordance with God’s will, and His perfect goodness, He was not going to sin though He was technically capable of it.

God is the only appropriate object of worship. He is omnipotent, according to Ephesians 3:20. He created all reality simply by the power of His command. We see this in Genesis 1 where He spoke things into existence. According to Genesis 1, God created the universe. He created every person. He is the giver of life. He has complete control over His creation and over human affairs. He is omnipotent. He’s all powerful. He can do anything. There’s nothing He cannot do.

Furthermore, God is omniscient, and He knows every possible counterfactual. This could get me into an area where there might be some disagreement within orthodox Christianity. I just think that God knows every possible counterfactual and every event before they occur. What is a counterfactual? A counterfactual is something that didn’t happen. It could have, but didn’t. For example, I went to work this morning. I could have stayed home. It wouldn’t have been right for me to stay home. I wasn’t sick. I had the responsibility to go to work. But staying home is a reality that never happened though it’s one of an infinite number of possibilities that could have happened.

If I’m driving to the store, I could have taken a left or taken a right down a certain road. Instead of having eggs for breakfast, I could have eaten cereal or toast. There are an infinite number of possibilities in our lives. Combine our lives with every molecule in the universe, yet still God knows every counterfactual. There are no alternate universes either, but perhaps you could put on your sci-fi hat to create an alternate universe. Still God intimately knows every detail of every possibility even if it doesn’t exist. That blows my mind, and although we might think that we can understand it, we never could. God knows every possible counterfactual and every event before they occur. That’s how omniscient He is—so far beyond our ability, far beyond the created order.

Finally, God is omnipresent. He’s everywhere. He is Spirit, after all, and He is constrained by neither time nor space.

Adam Keim

Life in the Land: Name That Fruit, part 3

To close out our series, I have three more unusual fruits from the land of Israel.

1. Sometimes called the “sweetie,” this green-yellow fruit has become so popular among the Japanese that they often buy up almost the entire Israeli crop. It’s a hybridized fruit from a grapefruit and a pomelo. It’s sweeter than a grapefruit, smaller and juicier than a pomelo, and contains high amounts of antioxidants. Studies even show that it helps lower one’s cholesterol. Do you know it?
2. This thorny fruit is usually green or purplish in color. It has a thick peel, black seeds and a sweet taste. Because it is prickly on the outside and soft on the inside, native-born Israelis are also called by the name of this fruit. Can you name it?
3. This dark purple fruit has a sweet-and-sour taste and it’s packed with crunchy seeds. Many people like to scoop it on their vanilla ice cream or make a fruit shake with it. What is it?

Daniel McCabe

Answer to the Trivia

C. Tel Aviv