exodus

[ ek-suh-duhs ]

noun

1. a going out; a departure or emigration, usually of a large number of people:

   the summer exodus to the country and shore.

2. the Exodus, the departure of the Israelites from Egypt under Moses.
3. (initial capital letter) the second book of the Bible, containing an account of the Exodus. : Ex.

Exodus

¹

/ ˈɛksədəs /

noun

1. the Exodus
   the departure of the Israelites from Egypt led by Moses
2. the second book of the Old Testament, recounting the events connected with this and the divine visitation of Moses at Mount Sinai

exodus

²

/ ˈɛksədəs /

noun

1. the act or an instance of going out

Exodus

1. The second book of the Old Testament ; it tells of the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt (see also Egypt ), made possible by the ten plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea . Moses led them, and their destination was the Promised Land . God guided them by sending a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to show them the way they should go. God also fed them with manna and gave them water out of a solid rock. Because of their frequent complaining and failure to trust him, however, God made them stay in the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land. God gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Mosaic law on Mount Sinai during the Exodus. Exodus is a Greek word meaning “departure.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of exodus¹

First recorded before 1000; from Late Latin, the name of the second book of the Bible, from Greek éxodos “a going out, marching out,” equivalent to ex- “out of” + (h)odós “way”; ex- ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of exodus¹

C17: via Latin from Greek exodos from ex- ¹+ hodos way

Related Words

• departure
• evacuation
• flight
• migration
• withdrawal