Q&A: A Contradiction in the Book of Exodus
A Contradiction in the Book of Exodus
Question
Have a good week, Rabbi,
A difficulty occurred to me while reading this week's Torah portion on the Sabbath: in Exodus chapter 7, verse 7, it says that Moses was eighty years old when he spoke to Pharaoh.
So how is it that, within the forty years until Moses' death at age 120, according to the plain meaning of the verse, Moses managed to experience all the plagues, the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation at Mount Sinai, and the actual forty-year wandering in the wilderness—and yet Moses died at age 120?!
Answer
What's the problem? The plagues of Egypt lasted a fairly short time (I don't remember exactly how long at the moment). The forty years of wandering in the wilderness include the Exodus from Egypt and the revelation at Mount Sinai. And Moses died shortly before they entered the Land. I don't see any problem here.