EXODUS (Lat., from Gk. gEo5os, cxodos, way out, from a, e.e, out + hodos, way). The Latin name of the second book of the Pentateuch, so called from the fact that it treats of the de liverance of the Hebrews from Egypt. It con tains, however, much more than this. Taking up the narrative with the death of Joseph, where Genesis left off, it recounts the oppression of the Hebrews by their Egyptian taskmasters; the birth, youth, and call of Moses (chs. i.-vi.) ; the plagues and the deliverance from Egypt (vii. xv.) the way to Sinai and the establishment, of the Covenant with Jehovah. incidental to which a series of laws is set forth (xvi.-xxiv.) ; direc tions for the construction of the tabernacle (xxv. xxxi.) : the sin of the golden calf I xxxii.-xxxiv.) ; and the making of the tabernacle and its furni ture, concluding with the setting up of the edifice (xxxv.-xl.).
It will thus be seen that Exodus is a mixture of historical narrative with legislative portions. The thief sections of the latter are: (1) Exodus xx. 23. known as the Book of the Covenant: (2) the Decologne (Ex. xx. 1-17) ; and (3) an older Decalogne (xxxiv. 10-28). (See DEcm.o611):.)
It is the opinion of the critical school that these legal sections date from different periods and represent independent compositions, and that in the historical sections we find the usual traces of the Elohistie and Yahwistie histories in the combination known as .1E. (See ELonts-r AND VAIIWIST.) It is generally supposed by critics that .1 (the Yab•istie history) the older Decalogue xxxiv. 10-28), and that in 1): (the Elohist ic history) was embodied the sec ond Deealogue and the Hook of the Covenant, so that the further work of the later writers was In eombine these historical and legislative por tions with the so-ealled Priestly Code ( at the lime that Genesis and the three books following Exodus were combined into the present Penta tench. See GENESIS; and, for the relationship of the Book of the Covenant to the other codes, see HExaTErcn.
Consult the commentaries on Exodus, particu larly those of Dittman, Bentsch, and kalisch; for the route of the Israelites, consult: Trumbull, Kn desh•Barnea ( New York, 1884) ; Palmer, The Desert of the Exodus (Cambridge, 187 l).