The Book of Exodus

Who is the Author?

The book of Exodus—along with the rest of the Pentateuch—is traditionally attributed to Moses. This classical perspective, supported by biblical and extrabiblical testimony, prevailed until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Around that time, scholars began to insist that the first five books of the Bible were actually composed over a span of several centuries by various “redactors” who integrated assorted source materials into a coherent anthology.1 Over time, however, the relevance of this modern hypothesis declined as the soundness of its methods was questioned.2

Twenty-first century scholars tend to focus on the final form of the Torah and less on its historical development.3 Most evangelical scholars today recognize that the Pentateuch contains both pre-Mosaic sources and post-Mosaic glosses and elaborations.4 Even so, one can still confidently affirm—and with intellectual integrity—the “essential,” or “substantial,” Mosaic authorship of Exodus and the Pentateuch as a whole.

One major compositional issue arises when considering the book of Exodus: the relationship between narrative and law.5 Within the broader narrative of Exodus is both the Decalogue (Ex 20:1–17) and the Book of the Covenant (Ex 20:22–23:19). Today, most scholars believe that these legal sections were composed independently and added to the narrative by editors at a later date.6 Examples from Hittite sources and other ancient literature, however, suggest that law and history are not mutually exclusive.7 This lends support to the traditional idea of Mosaic authorship. We should also note that Exodus itself testifies to Mosaic writing activity in three different chapters: 17:14; 24:4; and 34:4, 27–29.