Read Exodus 6 at Bible Gateway.
Now why would the genealogy of Moses appear in the middle of the chapter 6 narrative? God is quietly answering a 400-year-old promise!
Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Gen 15:13-16
The Structure in the Hebrew:
A Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs
→ B And will serve them
→ B And they will afflict them
A Four hundred years.
Or, if we were to put it the way it would be expressed in English without that complex Hebraic prophetic poetry structure: Your descendants will be strangers in a land not theirs (sojourners, like you)—they will be eventually enslaved and afflicted (in the fourth generation they shall return to Canaan)—for their first 400 years.
Fast-forward to Exodus 6:14–20 and the family tree:
Generation 1 = Levi, brother of Joseph; that generation the first in Egypt
Generation 2 = Kohath, his son
Generation 3 = Amram, his son
Generation 4 = Moses, his son; this generation returned to Canaan.
We start counting 400 years from Isaac officially named Abraham’s heir at his weaning (Gen 21:8-10), 30 years after Abram entered Canaan. Paul confirms the correct chronology:
And this I say, that the Law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. Gal 3:17
- Covenant made with Abram upon entering Canaan: ground zero
- Isaac weaned, officially named Abraham’s heir: + 30 years
- The Law given in the year of the Exodus: + 400 years
Why This Matters: When the numbers add up this exactly, with every minute mention accounted for, it shouts, “God keeps every single detail of His promise!” No contradictions, no myths—just airtight truth from Genesis to Revelation.
The Hebrew paragraphs for this chapter:
4:27-6:1 {s} Pharaoh’s response to Moses and the children of Israel
6:2-9 {p} YHVH to reveal the meaning of His name by redeeming Israel from Egypt
6:10-12 {p} Speak to Pharaoh/ How shall he heed me? (Moses’ question)
6:13 {s} YHVH commanded Israel and Pharaoh, through Moses and Aaron
6:14-28 {s} Moses and Aaron the seed of Levi
6:29-30 {p} I am YHVH (YHVH’s answer)
If there are questions, these are good resources:
The Chronology of the Old Testament – Dr. Floyd Nolen Jones
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