An examination of the generations starting from Noah’s first son, Shem (eleventh generation), to Abraham (twentieth generation) suggests that the birth of the first sons generally began the next generation when their fathers were around 30 years old. This pattern emerged after the birth of Arpachshad, who was born when his father, Shem, was 100 years old because of the special circumstances surrounding the flood.
Genesis 11:12 And Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah.
Genesis 11:14 And Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber.
Genesis 11:16 And Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg.
Genesis 11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu.
Genesis 11:20 And Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug.
Genesis 11:22 And Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor.
Genesis 11:24 And Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah.
Thus, based on the verses above, equating approximately 30 years to one generation is a more accurate assessment. Furthermore, nowhere in the Bible is the word
There were ten generations, which totaled 490 years, from the time when Noah had his firstborn Shem at the age of 502 (Gen 5:32; 11:10) until Abraham had Isaac.
Furthermore, it is said that Job, who presumably lived during the patriarchal age, lived an additional 140 years after his tribulation and lived to see four generations of his descendants.
Job 42:16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his grandsons, four generations.
In this case, one generation is calculated much shorter than 100 years. Thus, the argument that 400 years equates to four generations seems unpersuasive.
Therefore, 400 years and four generations cannot be referring to the same period of time. They are two different prophecies that say two different things in the covenant of the torch. The prophecy about 400 years (Gen 15:13) is in reference to the number of years that the Israelites would be in slavery under the Egyptians, whereas the prophecy of the fourth generation (Gen 15:16) refers to the generation
Chapter 6
The Starting Point of the Four Generations
Another important issue in the study of the fulfillment of the prophecy in Genesis 15:16 is the question about when the four generations begin. There are two major approaches among the scholars. The most prominent is the viewpoint that the four generations begin from the time when Abraham’s descendants (the sons of Jacob) entered Egypt. The other viewpoint is that the generations begin from Abraham.
1. The Viewpoint that Four Generations Are Counted from the Time When Abraham’s Descendants Settled in Egypt
Genesis 15:16 states, “Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Some theologians, such as James Montgomery Boice, assert that the pronoun “they” in Genesis 15:16 refers only to Abraham’s “descendants who entered Egypt.”5 They hold that Jacob’s sons who moved to Egypt were the first generation, and Moses was the fourth generation (Exod 6:16–20; 1 Chr 6:1–3). They construct the four generations as Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses. Other theologians, such as Peter S. Ruckman6 and H. L. Willmington,7 also support this view that the four generations are those from the time of Levi to Moses. Somewhat similarly, S. R. Driver interprets that the four generations begin with Joseph (not Levi, his brother) and continues to Moses.8
However, the number of generations between Levi and Moses is actually more than four, and thus the view that the four generations begin with Levi is inaccurate. Many generations were omitted in the generations from Levi to Moses.9 According to the interpretation of Numbers 1 in The Grand Bible Commentary, we can deduce that there were six to seven generations between Kohath and Moses’ father Amram, who appear in Exodus 6:16–20 and 1 Chronicles 6:1–3.10
The Bible shows that Levi had already fathered Kohath when he arrived in the land of Egypt with his father, Jacob (Gen 46:8, 11). Kohath died in Egypt at the age of 133 (Exod 6:18). Moses was born 80 years prior to the exodus (Exod 7:7), and the amount of time that the Israelites dwelled in Egypt was 430 years (Exod 12:40–41). Subtracting Kohath’s longevity of 133 years and Moses’ age of 80 years at the time of exodus from the Israelites’ 430 years of dwelling in Egypt leaves a gap of 217 years, even if we assume that Kohath was at least one year old when he entered Egypt (430 – 133 – 80 = 217). Since Kohath’s son Amram lived 137 years (Exod 6:20), it is impossible for Amram to have been the only generation that lived during the 217 years. Consequently, there must have been many more generations that lived between Kohath and Moses (besides Amram), but they have been omitted.
In contrast, all of the generations in the genealogy of Joshua were recorded without omission. This genealogy records 12 generations between Jacob and Joshua (cf. “Abraham’s Genealogy,” see p. 313).
In light of the facts above, it becomes evident that calculating the “four generations” from the time when Abraham’s descendants entered Egypt is simply not in accordance with the Bible.
2. The Viewpoint that Four Generations Are Counted from Abraham
In order to solve this problem, we need to examine closely the actual scene of Genesis 15. Through the text in which God spoke to Abraham, we can clearly understand how He revealed the details of the covenant of the torch and with whom the four generations begin.
According to Genesis 15:12–16, God spoke of four things when the sun was going down and a deep sleep had fallen upon Abraham.
• First, Abraham’s descendants would become strangers in a land that is not theirs and would be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years (v. 13).
• Second, God would judge the nation whom they were to serve, and they would come out with many possessions (v. 14).
• Third, Abraham would live to a good old age and return to his fathers in peace (v. 15).
• Fourth, Abraham’s descendants would return to the land in the fourth generation (v. 16).
After God had told Abraham that his descendants would become strangers in a foreign land where they were to be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years (Gen 15:13), God went on to say that He would judge that land, and Abraham’s descendants would come out with many possessions after 400 years (Gen 15:14).
God spoke of all that would happen from the time when Abraham’s descendants first moved to Egypt until the time of their exodus; He spoke of each stage: from the beginning of their lives under slavery, during slavery, and their departure from Egypt. Then, God changed the focus back to Abraham who was receiving the revelation at the time. After speaking of the dismal future of Abraham’s descendants, God returned His focus directly to Abraham and blessed him with longevity