381 
cases in tlie previous history show that there is no improba- 
bility, certainly no impossibility, in Levi having had a child 
born to him after having been 70 or 80 years in Egypt, when 
he was 120 or 130 years old, nor in his daughter, so born to 
him, having given birth to Moses when 55 or even 65 years 
of age. And thus, the whole period of 215 years is seen to 
have been spanned (even as Moses says it was spanned) by 
the three periods of existence in Egypt : first, by that extend- 
ing from the entrance thither of Levi and Kohath, to the 
birth of Jochebed and her husband Amram; secondly, by the 
space of time between their birth and that of their son Moses ; 
and lastly, by the first 80 years of his life. 
8. Now, on turning to the previous history, it is, to say the 
least, very remarkable that a few incidental notices of dates 
in the lives of the Patriarchs will give us the other half of the 
430 years, as the period of their sojourn “in a land which was 
not theirs,” even in Canaan. From Abraham's entrance into 
Canaan to the birth of Isaac was 25 years. From that date 
to the birth of Jacob was 60 years. On his arrival in 
Egypt, Jacob tells Pharaoh that the number of his years was 
130. We thus get again 215 years. Now these several 
coincidences are too many and too exact to be the result of 
accident ; yet so incidental as to forbid the idea of design on 
the part of the historian. Though undesigned, however, by 
Moses for such a purpose, they appear to me evidently intended 
by Him who inspired Moses, to guide us to the truth in this 
important question. 
9. But how marvellous then the increase of population from 
seventy persons to 2,500,000 in 215 years! Yes, and the 
inspired writers admit and assert the marvel ; and more than 
that, they give us one or two special instances of this increase. 
In the first seventy years* Moses says of the children of Israel, 
that “ they were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multi- 
plied, and waxed exceeding mighty ; and the land was filled 
with them.” The king that arose, who knew not Joseph, 
evidently felt the value of the people ; but was acquainted 
with their purpose at some time to quit Egypt for Canaan, and 
such was their increase in his time (within the first 100 years) 
that he feared, lest, joining with some enemy of Egypt, they 
would be strong enough to get them out of the land.f For 
this reason the servitude and affliction foretold to Abraham 
was brought upon them. The endeavour to keep down the 
population extended even to the attempt by various devices 
to destroy every male child. But the recorded marvel is this. 
* Exod. i. 
t l'b. 
