Genesis 15:13
“Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.”
King James Version
The 400-year Egyptian bondage predicted to Abraham, fulfilled exactly in the Exodus.
Fulfillment References
Exodus 12:40-41 Galatians 3:17 Acts 7:6
Archaeological & Historical Evidence
The Ipuwer Papyrus (Leiden Museum) may reflect Egyptian turmoil associated with the Exodus. Brickmaking records from Deir el-Medina and the Merneptah Stele (c. 1208 BC) provide context.
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
JewishFulfilled in the Exodus — the Passover is the memorial celebration of this fulfillment. The 400-year figure is discussed in the Talmud (Seder Olam).
CatholicGod's covenant faithfulness demonstrated — he predicted and then fulfilled the Egyptian sojourn and Exodus. A prefiguring of baptism.
ProtestantA model of predictive covenant fulfillment — 400 years before the Exodus. Demonstrates God's sovereign foreknowledge.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.