SOURCE: Sarna, Nahum M. Introduction to The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus, pp. xi-xv. Philadelphia, Penn.: The Jewish Publication Society, 1991.

In the following essay, Sarna provides background for Exodus.

The Title

The commonly known Hebrew title for the second book of the Torah is Shemot, shortened from the opening words ve'elleh shemot. This follows an ancient and widespread Near Eastern practice of naming a literary work by its initial word or words. In Genesis Rabba¹ we find the full title: Sefer 'Elleh Shemot, “The Book of ‘These are the Names.’” The Hebrew name was transliterated in Greek as oualesmoth² and was used in Latin Bibles in the form of Hebraica veelle semoth.

Another ancient Hebrew name was sefer yetsi'at mitsrayim, “The Book of the Departure from Egypt,” expressing its central theme. The Jews of Alexandria, Egypt, in pre-Christian times, rendered this title in Greek as Exodos Aigyptou, abbreviated simply...