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Chapter 5

The Meaning of the Prophecy “In the Fourth Generation They Will Return”

Genesis 15:13–16 And God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years. 14But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15And as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

God said that the period of the Israelites’ enslavement in a foreign land would be 400 years (Gen 15:13). Afterwards, in Genesis 15:16, He said that Abraham’s descendants would return to the land of Canaan in the fourth generation.

There are a few different theological perspectives on this matter. The majority of theologians, commentators, and pastors wrongly interpret the 400 years in Genesis 15:13 as being the same as the four generations in Genesis 15:16. In this view, one generation is equivalent to 100 years, which means 400 years would be four generations. They assert that although the 400 years and the four generations refer to the same amount of time, it was expressed differently for emphasis. This argument construes one generation as “the entire lifespan of a person,” approximating that the average lifespan is about 100 years. In this way, the 400 years and four generations are in agreement, and there would be no need to give further consideration about the time of its fulfillment.

2. Are 400 Years Equivalent to Four Generations?

As is evident from the previous excerpts, many theologians and pastors view the 400 years and the four generations as interchangeable time periods expressed differently. However, there are problems that arise from this interpretation.

First, the average lifespan of the patriarchs who lived in the ten generations prior to Abraham far exceeded 100 years. The lifespan of the patriarchs during that time were as follows: Noah lived 950 years (Gen 9:29); Shem, 600 years; Arpachshad, 438 years; Shelah, 433 years; and Eber, 464 years (Gen 11:10–17). Without question, the general lifespan was drastically shortened after the Tower of Babel; however, Peleg still lived 239 years; Reu, 239 years; Serug, 230 years; Nahor, 148 years; and Terah, 205 years (Gen 11:18–25, 32).

If God had equated 100 years to one generation and accordingly, 400 years to four generations, then the average lifespan of the patriarchs contemporaneous to Abraham would have been about 100 years. However, the average lifespan at that time far exceeded 100 years.

This argument is also valid for the generations that came after Abraham. The average lifespan exceeded 140 years even for some of the main figures in the Bible, such as Abraham, who lived to the age of 175 (Gen 25:7); Isaac, 180 (Gen 35:28–29); Jacob, 147 (Gen 47:28); Joseph, 110 (Gen 50:22); and Moses, 120 (Deut 34:7).

Even among the 20 immediate descendants of Adam down to Abraham, there was not one person who died around the age of 100. Thus, calculating 100 years as one generation and interpreting 400 years of slavery as four generations is unpersuasive.

Second, the 400 years and four generations are measured differently altogether. We must ponder deeply as to why God has distinctively described the time of the fulfillment of the covenant of the torch as “400 years” in Genesis 15:13 and the “fourth generation” in Genesis 15:16. The “400 years” refer to the length of time that it would take for the fulfillment of the covenant, while the “fourth generation” refers to the number of generations or number of people. Thus, different units are used in calculating the 400 years and the four generations.

In particular, the word generation in the phrase “in the fourth generation” is in Hebrew, meaning “period,” “generation,” or “dwelling.” Unlike the assertions of the commentators noted above, this word refers not to an individual’s entire lifetime, but to the time period from the birth of an individual until he grows up and fathers the next generation. In other words, it refers to the time it takes for a child to grow to adulthood and give birth to another child. Hence, one generation is generally estimated to be about 30 years.

An examination of the generations starting from Noah’s first son, Shem (eleventh generation), to Abraham (twentieth generation) suggests that the birth of the first sons generally began the next generation when their fathers were around 30 years old. This pattern emerged after the birth of Arpachshad, who was born when his father, Shem, was 100 years old because of the special circumstances surrounding the flood.

Genesis 11:12 And Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah.

Genesis 11:14 And Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber.

Genesis 11:16 And Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg.

Genesis 11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu.

Genesis 11:20 And Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug.

Genesis 11:22 And Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor.

Genesis 11:24 And Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah.

Thus, based on the verses above, equating approximately 30 years to one generation is a more accurate assessment. Furthermore, nowhere in the Bible is the word used to refer to the time span of one hundred years.4

There were ten generations, which totaled 490 years, from the time when Noah had his firstborn Shem at the age of 502 (Gen 5:32; 11:10) until Abraham had Isaac.

Furthermore, it is said that Job, who presumably lived during the patriarchal age, lived an additional 140 years after his tribulation and lived to see four generations of his descendants.

Job 42:16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his grandsons, four generations.

In this case, one generation is calculated much shorter than 100 years. Thus, the argument that 400 years equates to four generations seems unpersuasive.

Therefore, 400 years and four generations cannot be referring to the same period of time. They are two different prophecies that say two different things in the covenant of the torch. The prophecy about 400 years (Gen 15:13) is in reference to the number of years that the Israelites would be in slavery under the Egyptians, whereas the prophecy of the fourth generation (Gen 15:16) refers to the generation in Abraham’s line which would “return” to the land of Canaan.

Here, the relationship between the 400 years and the four generations is exposited for the first time in history.