New Light on Biblical Chronology
THE facts brought to light by recent archaeology make necessary a fresh examination of the chronological data furnished by the Bible. We say “examination,” and not “revision” nor “accommodation.” It has long been realized that the system of Ussher, given in the margins of many editions of the Scriptures, is far from satisfactory; but no serious attempt to achieve a better understanding of the facts seems to have been made until the publication, in 1904, of Rev. JOHN URQUHART’S book, “How Old is Man?” Before continuing our review of the bearing of the new archaeological facts upon the Biblical History, we must certainly try to get clearness of thought on the chronology of that History. The present writer believes that the Bible does furnish a definite and accurate chronology back to the times of Abram, who received the Promises, and with whom it was on that account fitting that there should begin the counting off of the years of waiting for the fulfillment of those promises.
One fact in itself is enough to show that it is not the purpose of God in the Scriptures to furnish a chronology of human history. That fact is that “there is no recognized era in the Bible reckoning.” The purpose is a much higher one, namely, the teaching of great spiritual truths, and, in particular, the vitally important doctrine of substitution. To that matter we shall presently return. Let us ascertain the facts, as far as we can.
We may safely assume B. C. 606 as the date of the fall of the Jewish Kingdom, which had lasted for 490 years. From the Exodus to the Kingdom was likewise 490 years. (See Note 1 appended to this chapter.) From God’s first promise to Abram until the Exodus was 430 years (Gal. 3:1717And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. (Galatians 3:17)). (See Note 2 appended.) We thus have the following dates:
B.C.
606. Fall of the Jewish Kingdom.
1096. Saul became King of Israel.
1546. Joshua led Israel into Canaan.
1586. The Exodus of Israel from Egypt.
2011. Abram left Haran for Canaan.
2016. Abram’s call, and his departure from Ur.
2086. The birth of Abram.
2216. The birth of his father, Terah.
The last of the above dates results from a comparison of the statements made in Gen. 11:3232And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. (Genesis 11:32) and 12:4, and Acts 7:44Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. (Acts 7:4). In the selected genealogy recorded in Gen. 11:10-2610These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. (Genesis 11:10‑26) at least one generation (that of Cainan) has been blotted out (see Gen. 11:1212And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: (Genesis 11:12) and Luke 3:3535Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, (Luke 3:35)).
Now to return to the way in which the doctrine of substitution is taught by statements which seem at first sight to be chronological. In one case after another the advent of the firstborn son is hailed as the assurance of the birth of God’s chosen one; in other words, God’s elect is reckoned as the firstborn. For example, compare Gen. 5:3232And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Genesis 5:32) and 6:10 with 9:24 and 10:21; also 10:22 with 11:10; also 11:26 with 11:32 and 12:4 and Acts 7:44Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. (Acts 7:4). This means that in every generation in Gen. 11:10-2610These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. (Genesis 11:10‑26), in order to arrive at the actual chronology, we have to add on the number of years that intervened between the birth of the actual firstborn and the birth of that son whom God chose as the ancestor of the Redeemer.
In the case of the last link in this chain—that of Terah and Abram—we know that we have to add 60 years (130-70). It will therefore be fairly safe to assume an average of 60 years to be added in each generation as far back as Peleg, and an average of, say, 100 years to be added in each generation from Eber back to Shem. (For we see by the figures given that God in the time of Peleg halved the average duration of human life; and this remarkable fact must be allowed for in our calculations).
Following then the indications given in the Divine record, we reach the following approximate dates: B.C.
2305 Birth of Nahor (2216 and 29 and 60).
2395 “” Serug (2305 and 30 and 60).
2487 “” Reu (2395 and 32 and 60).
2577 “” Peleg (2487 and 30 and 60).
2711 “” Eber (2577 and 34 and 100).
2841 “” Salah (2711 and 30 and 100).
2976 “” Cainan (2841 and, say, 35 and 100).
3111 “” Arphaxad (2976 and 35 and 100).
3214 The Flood came (3111 and 3 and 100).
As there will be a margin of error either way, it will be safer to date the Flood as between 3100 and 3300 B. C.
To those who are wedded to Ussher’s system or to some modification of it, all this will appear very strange. Nevertheless, in view of facts which we are about to set forth, it is at least worthy of calm and patient consideration; and this is all that we ask of our readers.
Egyptian Chronology
By those who have had only a slight knowledge of the subject, the Bible has sometimes been accused of inaccuracy as to certain dates, the assertion being made that “Egyptian chronology contradicts the Bible.” In view of the frequent failure of similar accusations, one is tempted to reply: “So much the worse for Egyptian chronology.” To all, however, who have studied the subject, it is well known that the ancient records of Egypt do not furnish any connected system of chronology, nor even materials from which such a system can be constructed. The nearest approach to accurate dating for ancient times, from purely Egyptian records, has been the calculation of a few dates from certain references to the time of the rising of the Nile and the rising of the star Sirius; but modern investigators of this point have shown that there exist factors of uncertainty which render all such calculations unsatisfactory. This is especially so for the more ancient periods.
A recent excellent history of Egypt is ARTHUR WEIGALL’S “History of the Pharaohs,” the second volume of which was published in 1927. It deals with the period from Abraham to Moses. Now it is noteworthy that this volume leaves us in uncertainty on many points of Egyptian chronology. There is uncertainty as to the order in which some kings reigned (pp. 192, 203, 283, 389), and as to the dynasty to which some kings belonged (p. 209); and sometimes the ancient records disagree with his arrangement of kings (p. 389), and with his system of calculating dates (pp. 348-9). Thus this history of Egypt, like all the others, emphasizes the need for an assured basis for the chronology of ancient times.
Similarly, WALLIS BUDGE, in his 1925 volume on “Egypt,” remarks (pp. 49, 50): “Unlike the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, the Egyptians cared little for chronology, and at first, at least, their years were dated by events.... But mathematicians have discovered what they say are serious differences in the results attained by the different authorities from the same data, and the archaeologist must therefore look upon all early dates ‘fixed astronomically’ with some doubt.” Later on he says (p. 52): “The Egyptian scribes themselves made mistakes in reading the names of the earliest kings of Egypt, and their mistakes, repeated by Manetho, were greatly added to by his copyists, who regarded the forms in the documents from which they copied as uncouth and barbarous. And of course they misread many of the figures in the totals of the years of the kings’ reigns.”
Until very recently no sure basis for ancient chronology was known; and the consequence has been that among archaeologists there has been a great deal of uncertainty and considerable controversy concerning dates, and also a great deal of wild talk about “the ridiculously small” dating of ancient events given in the Bible. We now proceed to explain how at last, through a remarkable discovery, there has become available an assured basis for the chronology of ancient Egypt as well as Mesopotamia; and it will also be seen with what beautiful exactness the results accord with the real facts of Bible chronology as set forth above.
Certainty as to Ancient Dates
Hammurabi, King of Babylon (the Amraphel of Gen. 14), belonged to the First Babylonian Dynasty. The tenth king of that dynasty had a record made by his astronomers, for the twenty-one years of his reign, of the times of morning and evening appearances and disappearances of the planet Venus. The final results of date-calculations from this record were published in 1927 in the Revue d’ Assyriologie; and the date of the foundation of this dynasty of Babylonian kings is fixed at B.C. 2105, with a less-likely alternative of B. C. 2113. Hammurabi was the sixth king of the dynasty, and was probably co-regent with his father for some years before commencing his sole reign. His father died three years after overthrowing the Elamite Dynasty in B.C. 2007. These Elamite monarchs were really emperors, ruling over many kings; and their Mesopotamian seat of government was the city Isin. The Elamite Dynasty had lasted for 225 years, having been founded therefore in B.C. 2232. Its founder was an Elamite prince who conquered all Southern Mesopotamia and overthrew the Third Dynasty of Ur, which had been founded 120 years before this, namely, in B.C. 2352.
The Date of the Flood
As explained, the Scripture seems to indicate that God sent the Flood somewhere around B. C. 3200. For those far-off times the archaeological dating is at last emerging from the “guess and calculate” stage, thanks to the discovery of the King-Lists and especially to the fixing of the date for the First Babylonian Dynasty. From these we can with assurance work back to the date for the establishment of the Third Ur Dynasty, B. C. 2352. For periods prior to this, various factors of uncertainty enter into the calculations.
The Second Ur Dynasty lasted for 108 years, and was thus founded in B.C. 2460, just after the First Ur Dynasty had been overthrown by Sargon the Great, who conquered Ur near to the beginning of his reign.
Taking now the Isin King-List: the First Ur Dynasty lasted for 177 years, and so had been founded in B. C. 2637. Preceding this, the List gives an Erech Dynasty of 12 kings; and, prior to that, a Kish Dynasty of 23 kings, listing this as the first dynasty after the Flood. In both cases the figures as given are impossibly long, amounting in all to 26,820 years for the 35 kings. If we assume that these two dynasties were consecutive, and if we allow 20 years as an average length of reign, the 35 kings would then account for 700 years. But there is definite evidence to show that the two dynasties overlapped to a great extent. So the calculation is left very much “in the air” as far as this Isin King-List is concerned.
Let us now take the Kish King-List: the first post-Flood dynasty is given as one of 6 kings and as lasting for 99 years; the next as one of 8 kings, their reigns totaling 156 years; after that, one king, reigning for 25 years; and then Sargon the Great. So that, according to this, kingship after the Flood began 280 years before Sargon, that is, about B. C. 2740.
From the Bible we learn that from the Flood to the days of Nimrod enough time had passed by to allow a family of eight persons to develop into a community of many myriads. In this connection it is helpful to remember that Jacob’s family of seventy persons during 210 years of sojourn in Egypt, increased to about half a million of actual descendants.
Now from the date of the Flood as indicated in the Bible, on to B. C. 2740, is a period of some 450 years, which is clearly consistent with the implied increase in population from the Flood to the days when Nimrod established his empire. (Since Nimrod may have founded his empire by the conquest of a number of minor kings belonging to dynasties previously established, his date may be this side of B. C. 2740).
Here again we have a striking example of the way in which the most recent discoveries are confirming the accuracy of those parts of the Biblical History which have been most assailed by hostile criticism.
Joshua judged Israel for about
Then followed a brief period of, say,
From 1st Oppression to Jair’s death was
Philistine Oppression of most of Israel, including Samson’s 20 years, lasted..
Eli’s judgeship was one of..
Samuel’s judgeship lasted, say,
The Biblical statements exclude the possibility of any overlapping up to the death of Jair; and the statement in Judg. 10:6, 76And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him. 7And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. (Judges 10:6‑7), shows that the Philistine Oppression on the West of Jordan and the Ammonite one on the East began at the same time.
The difference between the two reckonings:
From the Exodus to Moses’ death,
Thence to Saul’s coronation, about
Saul’s reign, 40; David’s, 40; making..
3 or 4 years of Solomon’s reign,
The difference, then, is some 93 years. And this is the total of all the periods of judgment upon Israel for apostasy as given in the Book of Judges.
(3) The Spiritual Teaching. All the first readers of 1 Kings realized that these 93 years of apostasy were treated as not worth counting in the sight of God. This lesson is eternal. Time spent out of fellowship with God is worthless. Thus in 1 Kings 6:11And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord. (1 Kings 6:1), as in other passages in the Old Testament we have, not mere chronology, but something far more valuable.
From this passage many have concluded that the Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years. The Hebrew wording may be translated in either of two ways: (1) “And the sojourning of the children of Israel, who sojourned in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.” (2) “And the sojourning of the children of Israel, which they sojourned in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.” The inspired apostle, in Gal. 3:1717And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. (Galatians 3:17), has fixed the correct translation. He says that the Law was given (just after the Exodus) four hundred and thirty years after God’s people, in the person of Abram, became sojourners because of belief in the Divine promises. In addition to this decisive statement, we have the further fact that a period of 430 years in Egypt is far too long to be reconciled with the particulars mentioned in Ex. 6:16-2016And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years. 17The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families. 18And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years. 19And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations. 20And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. (Exodus 6:16‑20). As to Gen. 15:1313And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; (Genesis 15:13), it is a question of punctuation. (In the original Hebrew there was no punctuation at all.) The verse should read thus: “And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not theirs; and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them: four hundred years.” From the birth of Isaac to the Exodus was just 400 years.