Exploring Exodus: The Origins of Biblical Israel

by Nahum M. Sarna

The book of Exodus records the pivotal events in the formation of biblical Israel—the deliverance from slavery, the leadership of Moses, the wilderness wanderings, and the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. Bible scholar Nahum Sarna, whose widely praised Understanding Genesis has become a standard text, examines and illuminates the distinctiveness of the Exodus narrative in light of ancient Near Eastern history and contemporaneous cultures—Egyptian, Assyrian, Canaanite, and Babylonian. In a new foreword to this edition, Sarna takes up the debate over whether the exodus from Egypt really happened, clarifying the arguments on both sides and drawing us back to the uniqueness and enduring significance of biblical text.

Genres: Religion, Old Testament, Judaism, Jewish, History, Theology, Nonfiction

277 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 1986

About the author

Nahum Mattathias Sarna (Hebrew: נחום סרנא; March 27, 1923 – June 23, 2005) was a modern biblical scholar who is best known for the study of Genesis and Exodus represented in his Understanding Genesis (1966) and in his contributions to the first two volumes of the JPS Torah Commentary (1989/91). He was also part of the translation team for the Kethuvim section of the Jewish Publication Society's translation of the Bible, known as New Jewish Publication Society of America Version.

Reviews

[Regina Beard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning with the birth of Moses to the construction of the Tabernacle, Nahum M. Sarna gives a convincing literary interpretation of Exodus in Exploring Exodus. Sarna, a Professor of Biblical Studies at Brandeis University, gives a full account of the events found in the Book of Exodus and compares the culture and literature with those found in ancient Canaan and Egypt, which adds greatly to the understanding of the philosophy and religion that is developed by Moses and the Israelites. 

Much of what Sarna has interpreted about the Book of Exodus is sound with convincing evidence to back up his statements; however, his assumptions about the timeline of events occurring during the Hyksos rule over Egypt was not convincing. Sarna mistakenly assumes that the event of the Exodus happened during the reign of Ramses II because of the listing of the cities of Pi-Ramses and Pithom being built by the Israelites, which is obviously anachronistic. Plus, Sarna's exposition about dating the events of the Exodus based on the genealogical record did not add up, especially when he does not include that some of the ancestors of the Israelites were not born in Egypt but in Canaan. For example, Judah's children were born before the famine, placing at least two generations in Egypt; another example is that Moses' mother is much older than his father who was actually her nephew - with these considerations, it is conceivable that four generations of Israelites lived in Egypt before the Exodus event.

Another troubling issue is the lack of historical record and archaeological data that could be used to better hone his arguments.  For example, Sarna states that state slavery was forced upon the male population, which is not true because there are Egyptian documents containing lists of the names of slaves in which women were among the names. 

Outside of the above issues, Sarna brings to light the meaning behind the place names and the people for a more in-depth interpretation. In fact, his interpretation of the Burning Bush and why it was a sacred place is pure genius, and the discussion about the name of God gave me much to ponder about. The comparison of the plague account with the story of Creation is another example of why Exploring Exodus is a treasure. The explanation of the evolution of the Hebrew calendar is of great value as is the interpretation of the creation of the Tabernacle and its sacred object. Exploring Exodus is a literary interpretation that should be on the bookshelf of any serious biblical scholar interested in unraveling the philosophy and literary background of the Book of Exodus. 

[esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of my highlighted passages:

“What we are dealing with is state slavery, the organized imposition of forced labor upon the male population for long and indefinite terms of service under degrading and brutal conditions. The men so conscripted received no reward for their labors; they enjoyed no civil rights, and their lot was generally much worse than that of a household slave. Organized in large work gangs, they became an anonymous mass, depersonalized, losing all individuality in the eyes of their oppressors.”

“Satire on the Trades” has this to say of the brickmaker and the builder: “He is dirtier than vines or pigs from treading under his mud. His clothes are stiff with clay; his leather belt is going to ruin. Entering into the wind, he is miserable.… His sides ache, since he must be outside in a treacherous wind.… His arms are destroyed with technical work.… What he eats is the bread of his fingers, and he washes himself only once a season. He is simply wretched through and through.…”

“ We are told that Moses’ mother “saw that he was good (tov).”5 This phrase is usually taken to mean that he was “a goodly/fine/handsome child.” Literally, the Hebrew simply translates “She saw him that he was good.” Now this statement recalls a key phrase in the Genesis creation story—“God saw that it was good”—occurring there seven times,6 and one wonders whether, by repeating it here, there is not a deliberate attempt to stir an echo of that chapter, to inform us that the birth of Moses is another Genesis, an event of cosmic significance. ”

“the Mesopotamian “creation epic” known as Enuma elish closes with the building of a temple to the god Marduk, that is, with the sanctification of space.11 In the Scriptural creation story, it is the sanctity of time—the Sabbath—that is first celebrated.”

[Joe Q. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a literary and historical look at the book of Exodus, situating its narrative, style, and content in the historical context of ancient Egypt and other Bronze Age civilizations.

Sarna is a legend in Jewish studies, and this book is well-written, but it takes a strong apologetic tone -- there are a couple of subtle nods to academic Biblical criticism, but this book reminded me a lot of the commentary in the old "Hertz Chumash". Many of the points he makes will already familiar to those who were brought up with that kind of text, or whose prior reading includes other naturalistic explanations of the Exodus story.

This book is probably best read in conjunction with something by Kugel (or other "popular Academic Biblical scholarship" writers) to provide academic-scholarly balance.

[Jordon Gyarmathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this textual analysis of Exodus. Sarna pairs the breaking down of Hebrew and translation with context of the time in history that Exodus was written and the religious texts of Mesopotamia that pre-date the Torah. Thoroughly researched and engaging, this read is great for people like me who are mere beginners to the study of Torah. I enjoyed Sarna's work on Genesis more but I reckon that is because Genesis is more of an engaging set of stories to me than the end of Exodus, where the dimensions of the Tabernacle are enumerated at length. Overall I would highly recommend this book to any beginner to study of the Torah.

[Ryan Slauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description:

Commentary on Exodus with a focus on ancient Near East culture, archaeology, and the Hebrew language.

My Review Punchline:

This is a very succinct commentary, and it is also a very academic commentary. There are many esoteric references and some of his sections felt, to a layman, like splitting hairs. That said, I learned a lot, and I would recommend this book to anyone trying to glean a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural context of the story of Exodus, less so a deeper understanding of the meaning of the story itself.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent academic consideration of the Exodus. Sarna goes deeply into the comparison of the Ancient Near East and Ancient Israel looking at topics such as slavery, law codes, social mores, and polytheism/monotheism. He carefully considers the different meanings/translations of Hebrew words. He blends history and religious belief seamlessly. It was an ideal source book for teaching Exodus.

[Taylor Swift Scholar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid guide to Exodus, offering some profound insight as well as an occasional dubious claim (which is still interesting as a case study in how people think about the text of Exodus.) I don’t think I would recommend this to someone who has already read a lot of Bible commentary etc., but it would be a good companion to Exodus for someone who has not.

[Jonathan Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful deep dive on a few of the meatier issues in Exodus. Sarna is able to incorporate lots of information from the ANE without it becoming tedious. He really helps you to appreciate the cultural context in which the events of Exodus take place. This is not a commentary, but should certainly be a part of any deep study on Exodus!

[John Rossitto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholarly, conservative Jewish commentary on Exodus. Author has broad knowledge of ancient history and offers many examples of both similarities and differences of Jewish verses other mid east cultures/religions. Book has sufficient detail yet not overwhelming. Well worth time

[Tobias Grunick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and informative read. At times a little dry but worth read to understand the book of Exodus.

[Alex Tongue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely essential scholarship from a titan of Hebrew Bible studies written in a fairly accessible manner.

[Andrew Hasebroock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarna highlights details no other would; always does his research.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a commentary on the book of Exodus by the Jewish scholar, Nahum M. Sarna. Each chapter deals with large literary units rather than the typical verse by verse exegesis. His focuses mostly on historical and cultural backgrounds to the narrative's setting drawing upon a broad knowledge of the ancient Near East. In fact, this was the book's strength. You won't find raw theology here nor will you be left with simple historiography but rather what Sarna calls historiosophy. This would make a great companion volume to a more technical commentary like the one written by Carol Meyers (a former student of Sarna) found in the excellent New Cambridge series.

[Melora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting, but not as good as his Understanding Genesis, which was amazing. It seemed to drag a bit in a few places -- I don't think Anyone can make the details of the construction of the Tabernacle entrancing -- but most of the "dragging" was probably that I was busy and reading in very short snippets. He did a great job with the Plagues, the Golden Calf, etc. Lots of good stuff. The ending was rather abrupt.

[Anja Noordam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get through this book but I marked it up so it will be easy to re-read interesting passages Have to re-think some of the things learned. Also the little part about Cherubim was new to me

[Michele · Rating 1 out of 5]

More of a theological inquiry

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone doing a serious study of Genesis!

[Yehuda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked how he blended Ancient Near Eastern studies to understand the biblical text. It truly shed light for me on the bible, and showed me a new way to interpret and understand the text.