The Book of Exodus Overview – Part 1 of 2
The title ‘Exodus’ is derived from the name which the ancient Greek translators gave to the book, Exodos, meaning ‘the going out’, ‘exit’. The name reflects the book’s particular interest in the departure of the Israelites from Egypt.
The book of Exodus is composed of blocks of material which usually have clearly marked beginnings and ends. The present chapter divisions are a poor guide to these narrative units and are best ignored. The different episodes are rarely self-contained. They assume a knowledge of earlier material and anticipate later events. To understand Exodus it is important to follow the flow of the narrative and see how the various episodes relate to each other (e.g. the account of the Israelites’ meeting with God at Sinai in ch. 19 has close parallels with Moses’ first encounter with God at Horeb/Sinai in ch. 3).
Carson, D. A.: New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA : Inter-Varsity Press, 1994, S. Ge 48:1
