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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 42

The Increase of Israel

The Increase of Israel.

The gentleman next startled his hearers by telling how the Jewish nation was started.

"They were in Canaan then, and they numbered seventy souls, counting Joseph and his children, who were already in Egypt. They lived in Canaan 215 years, and then went into Egypt, where they also lived 215 years, at the expiration of which time they numbered 3,000,000 souls. At the time of the Revolution in this country, there were 3,000,000 people. Since that time there has been four doubles, until now there are 48,000,000. In 215 years with eight doubles, the children of Israel would have increased to 40,000, instead of 3,000,000. He knew there were 3,000,000, because they had 600,000 men of war. For every honest voter in the State of Illinois there were five other people, and everybody knew that there were more voters, as a rule, than there were men of war. If the Jews had 600,000 men of war, they must have had, at the lowest possible estimate, 3,000,000 people. Was that true? Was there a minister in Chicago who would certify to his own idiocy by claiming that 70 people in 215 years increased to 3,000,000? If there was, let him say so, and don't let him begin to talk about the civilizing influence of a lie. When they got into the desert they took a census, and found they had 22,273 first-born males. It was reasonable to suppose there was about the same number of first-born girls, or 45,000 first-born children. There must be about as many mothers as first-born children. Dividing 3,000,000 by 45,000 mothers, it was found that the women in Israel had to have on the average 68 children apiece. Some stories were too thin. This was two thick. There must have been about 300 births per day, and according to the Old Testament, the mother had to make a sacrifice for the crime of having been a mother! If there was anything in the universe that was infinitely pure, it was a mother with a child in her arms, and yet a Jewish women had to sacrifice a couple of doves or pigeons, and the priests had to eat the pigeons in the most holy place. At the rate of 300 births a day, and with only three priests, each of the latter would have to eat 200 pigeons apiece per day. Col. page 13 Ingersoll looked upon those priests as the champion bird-eaters of this world."

Let us sum up the facts here.

1.The circumstances of the Jews while in Egypt were conducive to a rapid increase of numbers.
2.We know that they had 51 males at the beginning of their 215 years of bondage.
3.Each man might have had a family of ten children within ten years after going into Egypt. And a like increase might have obtained every 30 years thereafter.
4.This would give us eight generations; counting ten years for the first, 30 for all the others except the last which would have but 25. This, however, would be enough, as we are at liberty to suppose that they had many children when they came out of bondage.
5.If these children were half boys and half girls, then each generation would increase their males by five-fold.
6.The following calculation will show the number that they might have had, and yet no miracle needed.
The number they went into Egypt with, 51
1st Generation thereafter 255
2nd Generation thereafter 1,275
3rd Generation thereafter 6,375
4th Generation thereafter 31,875
5th Generation thereafter 159,375
6th Generation thereafter 696,875
7th Generation thereafter 3,984,375
8th Generation thereafter 19,921,785

Thus by natural causes their numbers might have been 33 times what they were recorded.

And yet there were more than 51 males that wont down into Egypt with Jacob. It would be unreasonable to suppose that he had no servants. And they too would go in the national count. From Gen. xiv., 14, we learn that Abraham had 318 trained men in his service who answered as soldiers. Nor can we suppose that Jacob was without such help. When he was returning from Padan Aram he sent many presents to Esau in advance of his coming. At least thirty men would have been needed to have conveyed these flocks. See Gen. xxxii., 13-20.

Then he remained in Canaan at least forty years, and was greatly prospered. His sons also have come to own extensive flocks and herds, and would also have many servants. To suppose that page 14 there were 200 in the family, 100 men servants and 100 women servants, would be a very moderate calculation. Upon this basis, then, there would have been at least 150 men who went down into Egypt, and hence according to the possible rate of increase we noticed a few minutes ago, they would have had a hundred times as many as the record calls for.

The gentleman seems to suppose that all the mothers of firstborn were then alive; that these must have been of recent date; that they had but three priests, and that these priests had to eat so many pigeons when a first-born was offered to the Lord; and yet not one of these things is taught in the Scriptures.

Now if such objections as these were urged by some essayist in the presence of a club of scientific goslings who read the Science Monthly, and sneeze when Prof. Youmans takes snuff; who suppose that they will never have credit for independency of thought unless they sneer at religion and the Bible, it would be no cause of surprise. But to think of a grown man ranting out such objections, only shows that they can find nothing else. Indeed, the only wonder, when all the facts are in, is that the children of Israel did not number more than they did. I rather look for this to be their next objection.