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Is there a reason provided in Genesis for the enslavement of the ancient Israelites for 400 years?:
Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed
shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve
them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Exodus chapter 1 reports how the Pharaoh felt threatened by the ancient Israelites and enslaved them:
Exodus 1:8-11 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know
Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of
Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us
deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out,
they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them
with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and
Raamses.
However, we are led by Genesis 15:13 to believe that this was ultimately God’s plan.
Does Genesis indicate that this was a punishment for some particular naughtiness on Abram’s part or of the People or that there was a particular divine objective?
