Gordon,
I was aware of the fact that the Masoretic Text, which the portions of the
scriptures contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls usually closely resemble, does
not contain the words "and Canaan" in Ex. 12:40.
However the MT does allow for us to understand that it was in fact referring
to a larger time of Israelite "dwelling" than just the time they spent
dwelling in Egypt. For the actual word structure of Ex. 12:40 in the MT tells
us that "the time of the dwelling of the Israelites, who had dwelt in Egypt,
was 430 years." This word structure, allowing for the understanding that Ex.
12:40 is referring to a larger time of dwelling than just the time the
Israelites dwelt in Egypt, is faithfully reproduced in the KJV. The fact that
the writer/translators of the SP and the LXX held this understanding of the
chronological history of the Jewish people, and more importantly that the
inspired Bible writer the apostle Paul himself apparently did (Gal. 3:16,17),
proves to me that it is a correct understanding of Ex. 12:40.
Mike
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