Distinguishing the World of the Exodu Narrative from the World of Its Narrators: The Question of the Priestly Exodus Account in Its Historical Setting

When interpreting biblical texts historically, it is crucial to acknowledge the difference between the world of the narratives and the world of the narrators and to account for this difference in a methodologically controlled manner. The biblical account of Israel's exodus from Egypt narrated in Exodus 1-15 is a highly debated topic in Hebrew Bible studies, in terms of both its compositional and also its historical evaluation. Nonetheless, in the global discussion on the Pentateuch, there is broad consensus about the Priestly texts in Exodus 1-15 (Exod 1:7, 13-14; 2:23*-25; 6:2-12; 7-11*; 14-15*). They provide an apt starting point for inquiry into the different historical settings of the biblical exodus account. The present chapter will discuss several narrative peculiarities in the Priestly exodus account that might be explained by their authorial setting in the early Persian period.