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The emphasis on the number four is evidently intentional. "Four hundred years",
"Fourth generation", and both were literally fulfilled. In Exod. 12: 40, 41 at the coming
out of Egypt, we read:
"Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred
and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even
the self same day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of
Egypt."
The reader, who is conscious of the apparent discrepancy between the "four hundred
years" of Gen. 15: and the "four hundred and thirty years" of the present passage, will
also be aware that the record appears to be a fulfillment, by reason of the words "the
self same day". The LXX version and the Samaritan version insert the words "and in the
land of Canaan", reading:
"The sojourn of the children of Israel who sojourned in Egypt and in the land of
Canaan was 430 years,"
which interpretation was accepted by Stephen (Acts 7: 6) and by the apostle Paul
(Gal. 3: 17). Thus we get 30 years to the weaning of Isaac, when he became "heir" and
Ishmael was cast out. Then 185 years unto the going down of Jacob to Egypt, followed
by the 215 years affliction, deliverance and the giving of the law, making 430 years all
told. This question is incidental to our main enquiry, a fuller examination will be found
in the series entitled "Time and Place". This still leaves the insistence on the number
"four" untouched.
The iniquity that was the cause of this interval of four hundred years was the iniquity
of the Amorite. The Amorite was a tribe descendant from Canaan, the fourth son of
Ham, and they, together with other Canaanitish peoples, were in possession of the
promised land. Both Sihon and Og were kings of the Amorites, which link the Amorites
with the giants whose stature so terrified the children of Israel. Jacob appears to have
anticipated the ultimate triumph of his seed, for he bequeathed to Joseph one portion
above his brethren, which he had taken out of the hand of the Amorite with the sword and
bow (Gen. 48: 22). The word "portion" is the Hebrew shechem translated in the LXX
Sychar, and referred to in John 4: 5:
"Then cometh He to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of
ground that Jacob gave his son Joseph."
This was a pledge or earnest of the ultimate possession of the whole land, parallel to
the earnest and pledge given the church until the redemption of the purchased possession
(Eph. 1: 13, 14). Whether this parcel of land is the same that Abraham and Jacob had
bought in Shechem (Gen. 23: 17, 18; 33: 18, 19) we cannot now be sure. The type
remains however, and for our present enquiry it is enough. The chief feature of interest
to us is that it was "taken out of the hand of the Amorite", a token and forecast of the day
when there shall be no more Canaanite in the land. For us, this passage has deep
significance by reason of the fact that the Canaanite is an O.T. type of those spiritual
wickednesses that antagonize the Church of the Mystery, and apparently dispute their