How long was the period from Abraham's call to Israel's exodus from Egypt?
The period from Abraham’s call to go to Canaan until Israel came out of Egypt as a nation was 430 years. God delineated that exact span. Within it, 215 years elapsed before Israel’s sojourn in Egypt began, meaning the Egyptian bondage did not cover the entire 430-year period.
Les explains that a timeline helps show how much time passed between biblical events that people often assume were only a week or two apart but were actually years. He teaches that God promised Abraham that from His call to go to the land He would show him—Canaan—until Israel would be a nation coming out of Egypt would be 430 years. God specifically delineated that 430-year span. The exact middle, 215 years, is when Israel’s sojourn in Egypt begins. Thus, 215 years elapsed before the Egyptian sojourn even started, correcting the impression that the Israelites were in slavery and bondage for the whole 400 years.