The Exodus Tradition in the Psalms, Isaiah and Ezekiel

Abstract

In order to identify the exodus tradition outside the book of Exodus – not an easy task –, we need to identify an exodus pattern in three phases – coming out of Egypt, walking in the desert, and entering into the promised land –, sometimes in two phases, without the coming out of Egypt. In the Psalms and the Prophets the exodus motif is used for hymnic or paraenetic-didactic purposes, i.e., to glorify the Lord and/or to invite the people to learn His mighty deeds of the past and to live according to His laws. This means that outside the narrative section of the book of Exodus, references to the exodus are not necessarily complete but only the facts that serve each purpose are evoked. To take notice of this difference is very important in order not put divergent references one against the other and not to put the basic narrative under doubt. The texts examined in this essay are Psalms 78, 80, 81, and 105, and the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, together with various parallel passages.