Chapter by chapter
1Exodus opens with Israel’s growth under oppression, the midwives’ fear of God, and Pharaoh’s escalating assault on Hebrew children.2Exodus 2 follows Moses from rescue to exile, then turns to God’s attention to Israel’s suffering and his covenant.3God reveals his holy presence and enduring name as he commissions Moses to bring oppressed Israel out of Egypt.4YHWH answers Moses’ objections with signs and help, while asserting his authority over the messenger and Pharaoh alike.5Pharaoh answers YHWH’s command with harsher slavery, leaving Israel’s officers accusing Moses and Moses questioning God about the lack of rescue.6God pledges to redeem Israel through his covenant power while the people remain overwhelmed and Moses questions his fitness.7YHWH confronts Pharaoh’s refusal with signs and judgment so that Egypt will know who rules over it.8Exodus 8 shows YHWH’s unmatched rule over Egypt and Pharaoh’s refusal to obey even after receiving relief.9YHWH demonstrates his unmatched rule over Egypt, while Pharaoh’s repeated refusal exposes the limits of confession without obedience.10YHWH asserts his rule over Egypt through locusts and darkness as Pharaoh resists the demand to release Israel.11YHWH announces a final judgment that will break Pharaoh’s resistance, while distinguishing Israel from Egypt and preparing their departure.12Exodus 12 joins YHWH’s judgment on Egypt and rescue of Israel to a lasting observance of remembrance and worship.13Exodus 13 joins Israel’s remembrance of deliverance to God’s claim on the firstborn and his guidance into the wilderness.14YHWH rescues Israel through the sea and defeats Pharaoh’s army, making his supremacy known through deliverance and judgment.15Israel praises YHWH who defeated Pharaoh, then faces thirst and a test of obedience under that same God’s care.16YHWH feeds Israel in the wilderness and tests their obedience through the gathering of manna and Sabbath rest.17YHWH sustains Israel through thirst and battle, while their doubts and Moses’ weakness remain in view.18Exodus 18 joins praise for YHWH’s deliverance with counsel for sharing the burden of governing his people.19God brings rescued Israel into covenant with himself, declaring their calling and setting strict bounds around his holy presence.20God grounds Israel’s obedience in his deliverance from Egypt and commands reverence for himself and faithfulness toward neighbors.21Exodus 21 places Israel’s household and civil disputes under God’s authority, assigning consequences for violence, injury, and neglect.22Exodus 22 places property disputes, protection of vulnerable people, and exclusive worship under the authority of Israel’s holy God.23God orders Israel’s public life and worship under his authority, joining commands for justice with promises and warnings about the land.24God confirms his covenant with Israel through spoken commands and sacrificial blood, then grants access to his holy presence.25God provides the pattern for a sanctuary where he will dwell among Israel and speak his commands to Moses.26God directs the tabernacle’s construction in detail, setting its structure and the boundary around the most holy place.27God sets the pattern for Israel’s worship, specifying the altar, the court’s boundaries, and the care of its light.28God appoints priests whose garments express the holiness of their service and their responsibility to bear Israel before him.29God establishes a consecrated priesthood and continuing sacrifices so that he may dwell among Israel as their God.30Exodus 30 establishes God’s terms for worship, marking priestly service and holy materials with boundaries that carry grave consequences.31God equips workers for his dwelling, commands Israel’s Sabbath rest, and gives Moses the written tablets of the covenant.32Israel’s worship of the golden calf brings judgment, while Moses appeals to God’s promises and pleads for forgiveness.33Moses pleads for the presence that distinguishes Israel, and God grants his request while guarding the holiness of his glory.34God renews his covenant with Israel, declaring his mercy and justice while requiring undivided worship and obedience.35Exodus 35 places the tabernacle work under God’s command, joining Sabbath rest with willing gifts and God-given skill.36Exodus 36 records how God-given skill and willing gifts supply the work of building the sanctuary according to YHWH’s commands.37Exodus 37 records the skilled making of the tabernacle’s furnishings, attending to their materials, dimensions, and intricate design.38Exodus 38 records the construction and material costs of the tabernacle, showing skilled work carried out under God’s command.39Exodus 39 records the completion of Israel’s sanctuary work, measuring its craftsmanship by obedience to YHWH’s commands.40Exodus closes with Moses completing the tabernacle as commanded and YHWH filling it with glory, directing Israel’s movements.
Read Exodus with a pen in hand.
Psalmlog builds a reading plan through Exodus and turns each day's passage into an entry with one next step.
Nearby books← GenesisLeviticus →The whole map
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).