Gal 3:17 – ‘The law, introduced 430 years later…’

In this passage, Paul seems to be saying that the law was given 430 years the Abrahamic covenant.

The figure assigned in Gen 15:13 is 400 years, whereas 430 years is the figure assigned in Ex 12:40 (MT) to the length of stay in Egypt.

MT: The length of time the children of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years.

LXX: The length of time the children of Israel lived in Egypt and Canaan was 430 years.

SP (Samaritan Pentateuch): The length of time the children of Israel and their fathers lived in Egypt and Canaan was 430 years.

Paul appears to be following either a text that agreed with either the LXX or the SP.  This poses a problem for strict inerrantists, for Paul would then be basing his (inerrant) statement on an errant text.

Hendriksen thinks that Paul is not dating the period from the time of the promise given to Abraham specifically, but rather from the time of the giving of the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob considered as a group.  Hendriksen notes that the terms of the promise are the same in each case (Gen 22:18; 26:4; 28:14).

Alternatively, it could be argued that Paul is using a round number, and the precise duration is irrelevant to his argument.  Cole argues: ‘The round figure has no special importance in itself, except to show the lateness of the Torah as compared with Abraham’s covenant. Whether the Mosaic covenant is later than the Abrahamic covenant by one century or four, there is no contradicting the order in which they occurred.’

Longenecker thinks that Paul is not pitting Genesis 15:13 against Exodus 12:40, ‘but only repeating the traditionally accepted number of years for the time span between the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic law.’