The challenge of moving 2.5 million people out of Egypt in a mere five hours at night raises significant logistical concerns. The area of Goshen, where the Israelites resided, spans approximately 30 miles wide by 15 miles long, with the city of Rameses as a central point built by their labor. From Rameses, they journeyed toward Succoth, about 25 miles southeast, without modern conveniences, carrying baggage, the riches of Egypt, and herds of livestock. According to the proposed timeline, the earliest they could have received permission to leave after the Death Angel passed at midnight would be 1 am, allowing time for Pharaoh to send a messenger to Moses, and for Moses to inform the elders and the people. With sunrise around 6 am in spring, their window to depart Rameses at night was between 1 and 6 am. Organizing such a massive group in darkness, including children, the elderly, and the disabled, poses an immense challenge. Assuming a column a mile wide, the line of people would stretch at least ten miles to the rear, likely longer if narrower. A trained army marches at 2 to 2.5 miles per hour, but the Israelites, burdened by diverse groups and possessions, would be fortunate to average one mile per hour in the dark. Even at this pace, from the moment the first person stepped toward Succoth until the last crossed the starting point, more than ten hours would elapse, meaning the final departures from Rameses would occur well after sunrise. This timeline suggests that the concept of the entire group leaving Egypt in the middle of the night within five hours is not feasible.

The Israelites left Egypt during the dark part of a 24-hour day, marking a significant event as described in Exodus 12:42. It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. They departed at the beginning of the 15th, 24 hours after the events of the 14th began. Well-instructed and organized, they selected the lamb on the 10th, held it until dusk or twilight as the 13th ended and the 14th began, killed it, poured its blood into a basin, skinned it, and roasted it whole, which took at least a couple of hours. They ate it in their homes, dressed to depart as soon as morning arrived. At the break of day, they left their homes and began their trek to the gathering place, identified as Rameses or possibly Qantir, located just outside Goshen, averaging a walk of 10 to 12 miles for a population of 2 to 3 million, including men, women, children, elderly, a mixed multitude, and a vast number of livestock. They were to remain in their homes until morning, defined as the daylight portion of the day, the breaking of dawn. They ate in haste, a term reflecting both speed and trepidation, driven by fear as they heard the wails from Egyptian homes struck by death during the night. The Death Angel passed through while they were in their houses, spread out in the large area of Goshen, not in a single city like Rameses. The term midnight indicates the general time of a major event during the middle watch of the dark period. Once daylight arrived, they began their journey to the departure point, a major logistical operation involving organizing and moving a vast population and their belongings.

The notion of the Israelites leaving Egypt at night under a compressed timeline raises significant logistical challenges. With 2.5 million people, including children, the elderly, and livestock, assembling in Rameses and marching out in order toward Succoth, the task seems nearly impossible within the proposed five-hour window. The earliest they could have received permission to leave after the Death Angel passed at midnight would be 1 AM, allowing time for Pharaoh's messenger to reach Moses, and for Moses to inform the elders and the people. Since sunrise in spring occurs around 6 AM, and the Bible states they left at night, their departure from Rameses had to occur within those five hours of darkness. Even with Moses' experience in logistics as a former general in the Egyptian army, moving such a massive group under these conditions is daunting. Exodus 12:37 confirms they departed from Rameses, not directly from their homes. Lined up in a column a mile wide, the group would stretch at least ten miles long, likely even longer if narrower. A trained army marches at 2 to 2.5 miles per hour, but Israel, burdened by diverse ages, baggage, animals, and darkness, would be fortunate to average one mile per hour. Even conceding this pace due to urgency and adrenaline, it would take over ten hours for the entire column to pass a single point, meaning the last group would leave Rameses well after sunrise, contradicting the requirement of a nighttime departure. Thus, the idea of completing this exodus in five hours at night does not hold under scrutiny.