Exodus
Exodus tells how a family became a nation and how a nation met its God. Israel groans under Egyptian slavery until God, remembering his covenant, confronts Pharaoh through plagues and leads his people out through the sea. But rescue is only half the story. At Sinai the freed slaves receive the Ten Commandments and a covenant that makes them God's treasured people, then nearly forfeit everything with a golden calf. The book closes with the tabernacle built and the glory of God descending to dwell in Israel's midst, a God no longer distant but present, traveling with them.
Traditionally Moses; composition and editing history remain discussed among scholars.
Events c. 1446 or c. 1260 BC; the date is debated.
Israel in the wilderness and later generations shaped by the exodus story.
To recount Israel's deliverance from slavery and formation into a covenant people among whom God dwells.