The number 430 represents the duration of Israel's stay in Egypt, symbolizing a period of slavery, testing, and God's faithful deliverance.
In Exodus 12:40–41 it is stated that the Israelites' stay in Egypt lasted 430 years, and that they were led out by the Lord on the exact day this period ended. Paul also refers to this number in Galatians 3:17, where he says the law came 430 years after the promise to Abraham. In Jewish tradition, the number emphasizes God's precise timing and faithfulness to His promises, symbolizing that even long periods of suffering and oppression have a divinely appointed end. The number 430 also appears in Genesis 11:17, where it is told that Eber lived 430 years after he had his son Peleg. In Jewish tradition, Eber is regarded as the ancestor of the Hebrews, and his name is linked to the very term 'Hebrew' (ivri). The Septuagint (LXX) and the Samaritan Pentateuch read Exodus 12:40 as indicating that the 430 years include the stay both in Canaan and in Egypt, not only in Egypt alone. This reading aligns more easily with Paul's chronology in Galatians 3:17, where the 430 years are counted from the promise to Abraham. The Masoretic Text, however, mentions only Egypt. Rabbinic commentators such as Rashi follow the Septuagint's interpretation and count the period from the covenant with Abraham.*