Which part of the Red Sea did the Israelites cross over – the Gulf of Suez, or the Gulf of Aqaba? Or, was it 'a reed sea' as some have claimed? Also, where did they spend the forty years of wilderness wandering?
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Exodus 14:8 and Numbers 33:3, "the children of Israel went out with a high hand"
– the Exodus! One and a half moths later, they reached Mount Sinai and made a covenant
with the Lord. But, exactly what was the route of the Exodus, and the location of
Mount Sinai? And, where did Israel go over the Red Sea – or, it is better to ask,
which part of the Red Sea did the Israelites cross over – the Gulf of Suez, or the
Gulf of Aqaba? Or, was it "a reed sea" as some have claimed? Further, one must ask
also, where did they spend the forty years of wilderness wandering, before they
entered the Promised Land? That is a question one must ask, because the Bible makes
it clear that it was only forty-five days after the Israelites departure from Rameses
in Egypt that they came into the wilderness of Sinai. Once again: The Scriptures
clearly state that it was only one and a half months after their departure from
Goshen, that Israel came into the Sinai desert. That makes it clear that the biblical
Sinai was not where present-day maps place "Sinai peninsula", "Sinai desert" and
"Mount Sinai". This essay proceeds to discuss, among other things, the following
points:
We read:
Exodus 19:1 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. (TNIV)
Exodus 19:1 In the third month after their departure from the land of Egypt, on its first day, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai. (NAB)
That is, they reached the wilderness of Sinai on the first day of the third month of that year, which is to say, forty-five days after Passover. (Israel's months began on new moon days – dark moon/crescent – and their year began two weeks before the Passover, see Exodus 12:2.)
The timings of the Exodus, counting days from the Passover:
(There are many different translations of Exodus 19:1. Many of them are confusing and misleading. Later in this essay, that passage and related matters will be discussed in more detail.)
Please note that in of Exodus 19:1, "the first day of the third month" does not refer to a third month of travelling. No, that verse talks about the first day of that year's third month. That is, circa forty-five days after the Passover and the departure from Goshen which took place on the fifteenth day of that year's first month.
Putting that in other words, this time counting instead from the beginning of that year:
The fact that it took Israel thirty days to reach the desert of Zin and forty-five days to reach the desert of Sinai, makes it clear that the "traditional" placement of Mount Sinai simply cannot be true. More details regarding that forty-five day trek, and the fifty days between the Passover and the making of the covenant, will be discussed later in this essay, along with the route of the Exodus and the actual location of the wilderness of Sinai.
(Again, the translation of Exodus 19:1 and the timings matter will be discussed in more detail, later in this essay.)
The same goes for the area where Israel spent the forty years of wilderness wandering, and for the place of the crossing of the Red Sea. The traditional ideas or claims regarding where those places supposedly were, are in several ways in direct conflict with what the Scriptures say.
Exactly what does the Bible say about these things? This essay takes a closer look at that subject from the biblical point of view, and provides answers to such questions as, what the most likely route of the Exodus was and where Mount Sinai really was located, and also, which part of the Red Sea the Israelites actually crossed over. Even the claim regarding "a sea of reeds" or "a reed sea" crossing will be sorted out. Likewise, the general area of the forty years of wilderness wandering (or wilderness sojourn as some call it) will be identified, by the help of the Scriptures. It will also be shown why and in what way the "commonly accepted" views and dogmas regarding those things are not reconcilable with the biblical record.
This essay also contains a map that shows the likely locations of Mount Sinai and of the Israelites' forty years long wilderness sojourn (desert wandering), a satellite image of the most likely place of Red Sea crossing, and an image of the mountain in Arabia which most probably is the biblical Mount Sinai.
A note on the origin and meaning (etymology) of the word "exodus": It comes from the Greek noun exodos which is compiled of ex ("out") and odos (hodos), "way". The word exodos (ex-odos) had several idiomatic meanings; among them, "going out", "way out", "marching out".
Many people have been caused to think that the crossing of the Red Sea supposedly took place around only one day after the Israelites had departed from Goshen. That is nonsense. Explanation: Even though the Bible does not tell us the exact number of days that passed between their departure and their arrival at the Red Sea, a number of things make it nevertheless clear that it took them several weeks to get to the place where they crossed that sea. There is more on this, later in this essay.
In the Bible, the story of the journey from Goshen to the place where they crossed the Red Sea, is compressed into a very short, summary description – Exodus 12:37-39 and 13:17 to 14:2. Events that took forty-five days in real life, are squeezed into a text that covers only a couple of pages in an average printed bible. In other words: The Scriptures mention only a few highlights of the events during that more than six weeks long journey.
This essay explains why the "traditional views" regarding the route of the Exodus, the location of the wildernesses of Zin and Sinai, Mount Sinai and Midian and Arabia, are wrong. The approximate, most likely locations for those places will also be presented.
Some have claimed that the Israelites did not at all cross the Red Sea but supposedly some "reed sea" instead. But, a closer study of that matter reveals that the "reed sea" dogma is in conflict with several scriptural facts. There is more on that subject, in footnote 1, towards the end of this essay.
Many people have been caused to think that the biblical Sinai desert and Mount Sinai were located on the peninsula between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Mediterranean sea. But, the "knowledge" of a certain mountain in that area supposedly being "Mount Sinai" is not based on the Scriptures. The source of that "knowledge" may actually be the emperor Constantine who lived in the 300s. One story says that Constantine sent his mother to look for that mountain, and that she then "found" it, through her "psychic abilities". (Constantine: The ruthless Roman emperor who was a Mithra-worshipper to his death and who was the de facto founder of the Catholic Church.)
Biblical sites are placed at different locations, depending on who made the map. Why is that? And, are any of those placements reliable?
It is important to understand that the placement of ancient sites and cities on maps is often based more on suppositions, theories and dubious "identifications" and so on, instead of being based on factual knowledge.
Thus, one should not place very much trust on "biblical" maps when it comes to the locations of various sites mentioned in the Bible, or the route of the Exodus, or similar things.
That knowledge has been lost for the Jews. So, is it then possible to know where Mount Sinai actually was located? Yes, and also no: It is not possible to point out the exact location, with certainty – but the general area where that mountain lay, and the most likely route of the Exodus, can be deduced from the biblical record, through a careful study of the Scriptures in question.
This essay gives an outline of what one can learn in the Bible regarding the location of Mount Sinai, the route of the Exodus, the area of Israel's desert sojourn, and the crossing of the Jordan river.
Paul wrote to the saints in Galatia:
Galatians 4:25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children [...] (NKJV)
Arabia: The large peninsula where the modern-day states of Saudi-Arabia, Jordan, Yemen, Oman and so on are located. See this map where Arabia is marked with its name:
In short: Arabia is the land-mass between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, all the way to the Indian Ocean in the south. It could be that during Roman times, even a part of what today is erroneously called "Sinai desert", may have been called "Arabia", and not only the area that lies east of the Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea (see the map above) which is what the word "Arabia" normally refers to. More: In the LXX (the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament), the word "Arabia" was used even of Goshen in Egypt (Genesis 45:10, gê gesem arabias, Genesis 46:34, gê gesem arabia). The thing to do is to find out what the apostle Paul really meant by the word "Arabia" (Galatians 4:25). Other parts of the Bible come handily to help in regard to that matter. There is more on these things, below.
Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. The Lord only let him see it from a distance, from the top of a mountain in the land of Moab, east of the river Jordan, close to the Dead Sea. (See Deuteronomy 3:27 and 34:1-5.)
It was only after Moses' death, that the Israelites got into that land. They entered it by crossing the river Jordan from the east, by Jericho, from an area on the Arabian peninsula which today belongs to the kingdom of Jordan. The Lord caused the river Jordan to temporarily dry up in that area, in order to allow Israel to cross over on dry land (Joshua 3:11-17).
(A note: By that time, some Israelites had already settled down, in an area east of Jordan, but the Promised Land "proper" lay west of that river.)
So, where was the wilderness (desert) where the Israelites spent the forty years between their exit from Egypt and their entry into the Promised Land?
Consider this important fact: When the Israelites crossed over the Jordan river into the Promised Land, from the east, that was the first time the nation of Israel set their foot in that land. Please remember this, as you read on.
Some have claimed that Israel supposedly stayed for forty years on the peninsula that today is erroneously called "Sinai". But, that simply does not add up. That claim is in clear conflict with several things in the biblical record. Read on, for more.
Some have claimed that the Israelites supposedly spent the forty years in the area which today is called "Sinai peninsula". Were it so, then they would have spent those years either in Egypt (the western part of that peninsula belonged to Egypt) – or, they would have been in the Promised Land, because the eastern part of that peninsula belonged to the Promised Land.
But, the Israelites did not stay in Egypt but left it – and, the Bible shows that it was only forty years later that they for the first time set their foot in the Promised Land.
That leads to the question, where were the biblical, true wildernesses of Zin and Sinai? That is, where was it that the Israelites lived as nomads in a desert, for forty years?
The simple answer is that the Israelites' 40-year wilderness-sojourn took place in the area east of the line formed by the Gulf of Aqaba, the Dead Sea and the Jordan river. (That is, in an area that today belongs to the kingdoms of Saudi-Arabia and Jordan.) The wilderness of Sinai and Mount Sinai were not located in what today is called "Sinai desert". The places which today are called "Sinai", "Mount Sinai" and "Sinai peninsula", have nothing to do with the biblical wilderness of Sinai and Mount Sinai.
Again, the western half of the peninsula which today is erroneously called "Sinai desert", belonged to Egypt. And also, the Bible shows that the other half belonged to the Promised Land.
We read:
Genesis 15:18 In that day LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, To thy seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates (ACV)
Numbers 34:5 And the border shall turn about from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea. (ACV)
Joshua 15:4 and it passed along to Azmon, and went out at the brook of Egypt. And the goings out of the border were at the sea. This shall be your south border. (ACV)
(Some translations have made it to "the river of Egypt". It is important to understand that that does not refer to the Nile. There is more on this, below.)
In our day, the Bible's "brook of Egypt" is called Wadi Al Arish. (Wadi: A river-bed that is dry for a part of the time.) The end of that wadi is by the city of Al Arish, slightly south of the present-day border between Israel and Egypt, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
In short: The Mediterranean end of the border between ancient Egypt and the biblical land of Israel was almost where it is in our day.
A note: Some have claimed that the "brook of Egypt" supposedly was the Nile river. But, were it so, then the Bible would not be true. Point: Had the Nile been the "River of Egypt", then the Israelites would have been in the Promised Land, directly after getting to the east side of the Nile river (Nile delta). But, the Bible makes it clear that it was only forty years after their departure from their dwelling-place in Egypt, that the Israelites entered the Promised Land, for the first time.
These things make it clear that the Israelites' desert-sojourn simply could not have taken place on the peninsula which today is erroneously called "Sinai". They passed through the western part of that peninsula, along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Suez – but, they did not stay on that peninsula but crossed over into Arabia. The 40-year wilderness sojourn took place on the Arabian peninsula – the area east of the Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea. That is the Arabia the apostle Paul referred to (Galatians 4:25). This will be explained in more detail, later in this treatise.
Exodus 14:26, "Moses stretched his hand over the sea" (Hebrew yam). The Pharaoh's army drowned in that sea (verses 27-28). The Hebrew text of Exodus 15:4 tells us that that sea was called Yam Suph.
Then, the Hebrew text of 1 Kings 9:26 shows that the Gulf of Aqaba was called Yam Suph (also spelled Yam Cuwph, Yom Suph and so on). In the Bible, that phrase is mostly translated as "the Red Sea". That passage may be the only one that clearly connects the phrase Yam Suph to a well-defined geographical location. We read:
1 Kings 9:26 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea [Hebrew, Yam Suph], in the land of Edom. (NRSV, comment added)
This verse mentions Ezion-Geber, Edom and Eloth. Ezion-Geber was located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba (or the Gulf of Aqabah, as some spell it). The land of Edom was on its (north-)eastern side. Eloth lay approximately where the modern-day city of Eilat is; at the northern end of that gulf.
Thus: When the Bible connects the name Yam Suph to a clearly defined geographical location, it points to what today is known as the Gulf of Aqaba. Not the Gulf of Suez, nor some "reed sea" in the Bitter Lakes area, but the Gulf of Aqaba.
A note: The above-quoted passage shows that the Gulf of Aqaba used to be called Yam Suph in Hebrew – or, that it was a part of the Yam Suph.
The old Greek name for the Red Sea was hê eruthra thalassa (there is more on that name, below). But, in 1 Kings 9:26 which was quoted above, the Greek LXX (Septuagint) has epi tou cheilous tês eschatês thalassês en gê edom. In the LXXE, Brenton translates that into English as "on the shore of the extremity of the sea in the land of Edom".
It seems that in that particular case, the Septuagint translators, or at least some later copyist or editor, interpreted the Hebrew word suph (cuwph) in its meaning "end". (In this connection: Those who are interested, can compare the Hebrew words that have the numbers 05486, 05487, 05488, 05489, 05490 and 05491 in Strong's system. They all have the same letters (consonants). Some of those words are said to mean "end", some "red", and some, something else.) However, regarding the Septuagint's Greek phrase thalassês en gê edom in 1 Kings 9:26 – it is also worth noting that the Hebrew name and word edom (adom) meant "red". Anyway – Edom lay north-east of the Gulf of Aqaba. These things make it clear that the name Yam Suph in the Hebrew text of 1 Kings 9:26 refers to the Red Sea, more exactly its north-eastern arm which today is called Gulf of Aqaba.
Regarding the Hebrew word suph: Some think that it came from the old Egyptian language. What it really meant, is not clear. Some have claimed that it meant "reed", and have then further claimed that the Israelites supposedly did not cross over the Red Sea but instead some shallow marsh with reeds, or similar – "a reed sea" or "a sea of reeds" such as the Bitter Lakes in Egypt. But, that "reed sea" claim is in clear conflict with several things in the Bible. Also: The Bible clearly and specifically identifies the Gulf of Aqaba as Yam Suph. There is more on this, in footnote 1, towards the end of this essay.
It could be that when the word suph was used alone, it in some cases referred to water plants of some kind, but it is quite clear that when it was combined with yam into the phrase Yam Suph, then the reference was to what we today call the Red Sea – including its arms, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. (See Exodus 10:19, Exodus 14:21-22, Numbers 21:4, Numbers 33:10, 1 Kings 9:26, Psalms 106:9 and 136:13, and so on, and also footnote 1 towards the end of this essay.)
In other passages (besides 1 Kings 9:26) where the Hebrew text has the phrase Yam Suph, the LXX Greek text has thalassan eruthran, or similar. Some have thought that the word eruthran in that old Greek phrase or name does not have to refer to the red colour (eruthros, erythros), but rather to Erythras or Eruthras, the name of an ancient ruler in that area. But, it is hard to say what the origin of the name thalassan eruthran or hê eruthra thalassa really was.
A note: It seems that in Herodotos' mind, the Eruthrê thalassa, "the Erythrean sea", included also the Indian Ocean and not only the Red Sea or Arabian Gulf. And, it appears that later, it was also used as a name for the Persian Gulf.
When other bible-passages are taken into account, in addition to 1 Kings 9:26, it becomes even more clear that the Yam (the sea) of Exodus 14 and the Yam Suph (the Red Sea) of Exodus 15 indeed are the same as what even modern-day maps call Red Sea. Further: A study of several relevant bible-passages, combined together, shows that the Israelites crossed over the north-eastern arm of the Red Sea – that is, the Gulf of Aqaba. See the next point.
The Red Sea (as that name is used today): It is a sea about 2,250 kilometres (1,400 miles) long, starting from Yemen in the south. In the north it is divided into two branches, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. Both are parts of the Red Sea. Israel crossed one of those gulfs. The question is, which?
This is actually quite easy. The Israelites simply had to cross the Red Sea at the Gulf of Aqaba, in order to get into Midian and to the area east of Jordan from which they forty years later entered the Promised Land. The following will explain why this is so. (Midian: See Exodus 3:1 and 14, and even 4:19.)
It is an indisputable fact that it was from the east side of Jordan that the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land. More: There was no way by land, to go from Egypt to the area east of Jordan, except by passing through the Promised Land and the land of Edom. But, the Bible shows that it was only after forty years of wilderness sojourn that the Israelites for the first time set their foot in the land of their inheritance, and that when they did that, they entered it from the east. The Bible also shows that they were not allowed to pass through the land of Edom. These and several other things make it clear that the crossing of the Red Sea was over the Gulf of Aqaba and not over the Gulf of Suez. Here is a map of the most likely route of the Exodus, the location of Mount Sinai, and also the general area of the "wilderness of wandering":
Also, one must understand that if Israel would have crossed over the Gulf of Suez, that would only have taken them from one part of Egypt to another part of Egypt. A number of historians have noted that in the days of Moses, the western half of what today is called "Sinai", was an Egyptian province, Egyptian-controlled area.
Here is a satellite image of the area of the most likely place for the crossing of the Red Sea, at the Straits of Tiran (retrieved by using NASA's World Wind software) – note the close-to-surface sandbanks or reefs:
For a larger, 1680 x 1050-pixel satellite-image of the Straits of Tiran, see the page eo06-2.htm.
Regarding the alternative route (via Wadi Watir) that some have proposed – see footnote 2, towards the end of this present treatise.
We read:
Exodus 2:15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. (KJV-1769, highlighting added)
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middle of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (KJV-1769, highlighting added)
Exodus 4:19 And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought your life. (AKJV, highlighting added)
So, Moses was at Mount Horeb, in Midian. That place was not in Egypt. Moses had fled to Midian, an area outside Egypt, to escape the Pharaoh's wrath (see Exodus 2:15, quoted above). Midian was located on the Arabian peninsula, in an area which lies within the present-day kingdoms of Saudi-Arabia and Jordan.
It was there in Midian in Arabia, by the true Mount Horeb, also called Mount Sinai, that the Lord called Moses. We read:
Exodus 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with you; and this shall be a token to you, that I have sent you: When you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. (AKJV, highlighting added)
Exodus 3:12 says "this mountain" (Horeb, see verse 1). The Lord said that Moses would come back there, with his people, the Israelites.
Again: The biblical Mount Horeb/Sinai was situated in the land of Midian on the Arabian peninsula, east of the Gulf of Aqaba, in an area that lies within the modern-day kingdoms of Saudi-Arabia and Jordan. That was where Moses was to return later, together with Israel (Exodus 3:12).
This has to do with such scriptures as Numbers 33:3, Exodus 16:1 and Exodus 19:1. This matter was discussed earlier in this essay, but it is good to consider it one more time.
The Israelites had stopped at Elim (Exodus 15:27), and a bit later they entered the wilderness of Zin (Exodus 16:1). They had begun their journey on the fifteenth day of that year's first month. A month later, they reached the desert of Zin, on the fifteenth day of the second month. The desert called Sinai was reached around two weeks later; there is more on this a bit later in this essay.
This passage records how they first reached the wilderness of Zin, on their way to Sinai:
Exodus 16:1 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. (RSV)
(Again: The wilderness of Sin = the wilderness of Zin, not the same as the wilderness of Sinai.)
A note, regarding that wording "on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt". The word "after" was added by translators, and can confuse and mislead. The whole passage is a bit hard to understand, if one does not take into account other, related scriptures. Without going into all the technicalities – this modern-language translation makes things a bit more clear:
Exodus 16:1 Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. (NLT-04)
It is important to note that after Israel had begun their journey out from Egypt, leaving Goshen, it was only after four weeks of travel that they entered the desert of Zin. Also, it took them two more weeks to reach the desert of Sinai.
Exodus 19:1 records that they reached the desert (wilderness) of Sinai, on the first day of that year's third month, forty-five days after their departure from Goshen. Unfortunately, many translations render that verse in confusing or misleading ways. Here is how the TNI version has it:
Exodus 19:1 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. (TNIV)
The meaning is neither "on the third new moon day after the Israelites' departure", nor "two months after their departure". Exodus 19:1 refers to that year's third new moon day. Israel left Goshen on the fifteenth day of that year's first month. It took them circa thirty days to reach the desert of Zin, and around forty-five days to reach to the desert of Sin. (After some five more days, circa fifty days after having left Egypt, they made a covenant with the Lord, at Mount Sinai.)
Again, there are many kinds of translations of Exodus 19:1. Some have "third new moon", some have "in the third month", some "two months after", some "three months after", and so on. But, without going into all the details – several other passages and factors make it clear that it was this way:
Once again: Exodus 19:1 does not refer to "the third new moon day after the Israelites' departure". No, that verse refers to the third new moon day of that year. Here is an excerpt from the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown bible commentary's entry on Exodus 19:1:
1. In the third month—according to Jewish usage, the
first day of that month—"same day."—It is added, to mark the time
more explicitly, that is, forty-five days after Egypt—one day spent on
the mount (Ex 19:3), one returning the people's answer (Ex 19:7,8), three days of
preparation, making the whole time fifty days from the first passover
[...]
Earlier, Israel had left Rameses and journeyed to Succoth (see Exodus 12:37). That was of course not the other Succoth east of Jordan but a place in Egypt, not very far from Rameses. (The word succoth simply meant "tents" or "booths", or perhaps, freely expressed, "temporary encampment".)
Then there is this passage:
Exodus 13:17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt. 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. [A] And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. (NKJV)
[A] The meaning of the phrase "the wilderness of the Red Sea" in verse 18 is explained later in this essay, and is also marked on a map above.
Exodus 13:17-18 makes sense only if the Israelites on that occasion were on the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez. They had "left Egypt" in the meaning that they had departed from their Egyptian dwellings in Goshen, but they were still in Egyptian-controlled territory on the peninsula between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. According to historians, the area east of the Gulf of Suez was in those days a part Egypt, just as it is today. Instead of having Israel go east towards the land he had promised to them, the Lord led them south-ward, along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Suez. (See the map above.)
In other words: The Israelites never crossed over the Gulf of Suez. What happened is that they travelled eastward, on dry land, past the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez, and then turned towards south-south-east and followed its eastern shore, towards the Gulf of Aqaba and the Straits of Tiran. It was obviously there they crossed the Red Sea. (See the above map which has that route marked on it.)
"The Lord drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground" (Exodus 14:21-22, HCSB). Again, here is a satellite image of the Straits of Tiran (retrieved by using NASA's World Wind software). Note the sandbanks or reefs which form "underwater bridges".
For a larger, 1680 x 1050-pixel satellite-image of the Straits of Tiran, see the page eo06-2.htm.
It must have been here (see the satellite image above) that the Israelites finally left Egyptian-controlled territory, by crossing over the Red Sea at the Straits of Tiran, into Arabia which is where the biblical wilderness of Zin and the wilderness of Sinai and Mount Sinai are located. Exodus 14:21-22 records that he Lord caused the waters to be "divided", and so, Jacob's descendants could walk over.
A note: As was mentioned above, some have suggested that the crossing was instead over the middle-part of the Gulf of Aqaba. That matter is sorted out in footnote 2, towards the end of this essay.
Again, we read:
Exodus 13:17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt. 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. (NKJV)
Explanation: In Egypt, the Israelites lived in Goshen which was located north of the Gulf of Suez. Because of that, they had no need to cross over that gulf. But they did not travel towards the Promised Land, either. That route would have been eastward, towards Gaza. Instead, the Lord led them "by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea", Exodus 13:18. That was towards south-east, along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Suez, towards the Straits of Tiran. (Those places are marked on the map above.)
So, the Bible calls (the western part of) that peninsula "the wilderness of the Red Sea". The wilderness of Sinai, on the other hand, is located in Arabia, east of the Gulf of Aqaba (see the map above).
When the Israelites reached the Gulf of Aqaba (by the Straits of Tiran), its waters were divided, and they crossed over it, into Arabia. We read:
Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground [...] (HCSB)
After having crossed the Gulf of Aqaba, they came into the desert of Zin which is located on the Arabian peninsula – an area that lies within the present-day kingdoms of Saudi-Arabia and Jordan. But that was the desert of Zin; they were not yet in the desert of Sinai.
Here (below) is a computer-generated image from Google Earth, based on NASA data. It shows the Saudi-Arabian mountain Jabal al Lawz which probably is the same as Mount Sinai. On this image, the mountain is in the middle, the Straits of Tiran on the middle at the top of the picture, the main part of the Red Sea on the upper left hand, and the Gulf of Aqaba on the upper right hand.
The exact location of mount Horeb (which is the same as Mount Sinai) remains unknown, but there are several mountains in that part of Arabia. One of the higher ones is today called Jabal al Lawz (see the picture above).
Again, we cannot know the exact placement of all the Exodus-related places – but a closer study of the biblical record reveals the general area of many of them.
The nation of Edom did not allow Israel to pass through their country, when the Israelites were on their way from Kadesh towards the north. (This was east of the Gulf of Aqaba.) We read:
Numbers 20:14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, Thus said your brother Israel, You know all the travail that has befallen us: 15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelled in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 16 And when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and has brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of your border: 17 Let us pass, I pray you, through your country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed your borders. 18 And Edom said to him, You shall not pass by me, lest I come out against you with the sword. (AKJV)
Edom did not allow the Israelites to pass through. So, they had to make their way around the country of Edom, starting in the south on the eastern side of the Gulf of Aqaba and then passing Edom on its east side, going north. In other words: When Edom did not allow Israel to pass, that was not a matter of travelling in the west-to-east direction but from the south towards north. That forced the Israelites to add an extra "bow" to their route and go much further east, deeper into Arabia.
It was in Kadesh Barnea (or Kadeshbarnea, as some spell it), in the wilderness of Zin, that Moses struck the rock. Moses was so mad at the complaining Israelites that he failed to give the honour to the Lord when he struck the rock so that water came out of it. Instead, he said unto them, "Hear now, you rebels; must we get water for you out of this rock?" (Numbers 20:10, where "we" is Moses and Aaron – as if it would have been they who produced that water.) Because of that, Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. (See also Numbers 20:12 and 27:14.)
Kadesh is also where Moses' sister Miriam died:
Numbers 20:1 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. (AKJV)
And, it was in the Kadesh area that the Israelites rebelled against the Lord so badly that he told them that he would not allow them to enter the Promised Land (except for Joshua and Caleb; see Numbers 32:10-12). All who were of mature age during that rebellion, died there in the wilderness. Only their children were allowed to enter the Promised Land.
Strangely, some have nevertheless claimed that Kadesh (Kadesh-Barnea) supposedly was inside the Promised Land. That is, of course, totally illogical and erroneous. The Bible shows that the Israelites spent a large part of their wilderness-sojourn in the Kadesh-area. At the same time, the Bible makes it clear that Israel did not set their foot in the Promised Land, until after the forty years in the wilderness (in Arabia).
Also, when Moses (shortly before the Israelites crossed over the river Jordan) sent twelve men into the Promised Land as spies, that was done from the Kadesh-area. (See Numbers 13:3 and Numbers 13:26, and so on.)
In short: Kadesh was located in the desert east of the Arabah – that is, in the area east of line formed by the Gulf of Aqaba, the Dead Sea and the Jordan river. ("The Sea of the Arabah" = "the Sea of the Plain" = "the Salt sea" = the Dead Sea.)
The words "on this side Jordan" in this translation may have confused some:
Deuteronomy 1:1 These be the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 (There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir to Kadeshbarnea.) (AKJV, highlighting added)
Among others, the LIT has a different wording. Here, the last verse of the preceding chapter is included, for the sake of clarity:
Numbers 36:13 These are the commandments and the judgments which Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses to the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab, beside the Jordan, near Jericho. (LIT, highlighting added)
Deuteronomy 1:1 These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan; [B] in the wilderness, in the Arabah, opposite to Suph, [C] between Paran and Tophel, and Laban and Hazeroth, and Dizahab; 2 eleven days from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadeshbarnea. (LIT, highlighting added)
[B] "Beyond Jordan" – some other translations have "on the far side of Jordan", "across the Jordan", "over the Jordan", "east of the Jordan river" or "on the east side of Jordan". Those that have "on this side" are somewhat misleading and confusing, because the facts are that Moses gave the speech recorded in Deuteronomy 1:6 and onward, "in the plains of Moab" (Numbers 36:13), east of the Jordan river. That is also where the Lord let Moses see the Promised Land, from a high mountain, in the land of Moab, east of the river Jordan. (Moses mentioned that event in his long speech, see Deuteronomy 3:27 and 34:1-6) And, that is where Moses died (see Deuteronomy 34:5). (A slightly similar matter, regarding Joshua 2:10, is discussed in the last part of footnote 1, towards the end of this essay.)
[C] "Opposite to Suph" – here, the word Hebrew word Cuwph refers to the Red Sea, just as many translations have it. Here the point is, in regard to Numbers 36:13 and Deuteronomy 1:1, that that event with Moses speaking to the Israelites took place in the area east of the line formed by the Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea and the river Jordan.
What does this mean, in regard to the location of Paran, Mount Seir (which is the land of Edom), and Kadesh-Barnea, and so on? Of course, that even they were located east of the line marked by the Gulf of Aqaba, the Dead Sea and the Jordan river.
Likewise, it is good to understand that even though Exodus 12:41 talks about Israel "departing from Egypt", that does not mean that Israelites would on that day have reached an area outside Egyptian-controlled area.
Exodus 12:41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the same day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD departed from the land of Egypt. (RWBS)
It is fully clear that the Israelites did not actually exit Egyptian-controlled territory on that day. What happened on that day was that they "left" or "departed" from Egypt in the meaning that they got under way – they left their Egyptian homes, marched out from Goshen and began their rather long journey away from Egypt. On that day (or "at that time", as the Hebrew word yowm also can be interpreted), they departed from their dwelling-area in Egypt, but they did not reach an area outside Egyptian-controlled territory until around a month later, when they miraculously crossed over the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aqaba).
There are even some other "problematic" passages, in connection with the route of the Exodus, and the Exodus in general. However, the main lines of that matter are quite clear. Also, one must realise and keep in mind that the ancient Hebrew text of the Old Testament is very difficult to decipher. In many passages, translators have simply had to guess what the meaning might have been. (That is one of the reasons why translations of a given Old Testament passage often differ in such amazing ways.)
If one uses the clearer passages as a starting place for one's study, then it is easier to fit the remaining puzzle-pieces together, in order to get the right picture. And, one must understand that one cannot rely on any given translation; all of them have errors. (Many people have been subjected to the "KJV only" dogma. The essay es03c.htm has more on that translation and the men who were involved in producing it.)
Let us again read this passage:
Exodus 16:1 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. (RSV)
"On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt." Their departure (which is mentioned in Exodus 12:41) had taken place a month earlier, on the fifteenth day of the first month (in a calendar or time reckoning different from ours). This shows that it was only four weeks after leaving Goshen, that the Israelites entered the desert of Zin. Again, please note that the desert of Zin (also spelled Sin), and the desert of Sinai, were two different places. A clearer translation in modern language:
Exodus 16:1 Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there [D] on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. (NLT-04, note sign added)
[D] "They arrived there" – that is, they reached the desert called Sin (Zin) which was not the same as the desert of Sinai.
The Israelites reached the wilderness of Sin or Zin, after having crossed the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aqaba) at the place which we call the Straits of Tiran. That was one month (around 30 days) after their departure from Goshen.
After that, it took them two weeks to reach the wilderness of Sinai. Thus, the journey from Goshen to the wilderness of Sinai took circa forty-five days. Other passages show that after five more days, adding up to fifty days after their departure from Goshen, they made a covenant with the Lord, at Mount Sinai. (Here, we are of course talking about the true Mount Sinai and the true desert Sinai, those on the Arabian peninsula, east of the Gulf of Aqaba. The true Mount Sinai was located somewhere in the area of the present-day kingdoms of Saudi-Arabia and Jordan. That is also where the "wilderness of wandering" was, as well as the places called Kadesh or Kadesh-Barnea, Paran and so on.)
After having crossed the Red Sea at the straits of Tiran at the southern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, Israel spent forty years in a wilderness – in Arabia, in an area which today lies within the kingdoms of Saudi-Arabia and Jordan.
After those forty years, they (that is, their children) journeyed to the eastern bank of the river Jordan, and crossed over that river and thus finally entered their Inheritance, the Promised Land "proper", west of the river Jordan. This passage records that occasion:
Joshua 3:14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; 15 And as they that bore the ark were come to Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overflows all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up on an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17 And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. (AKJV)
It is perhaps not so important to know where the true Mount Sinai really was or is (even though that is interesting). What is important, is to realise that we humans all too easily accept as "truth", whatever churches and "theologians" tell us. The question regarding the location of that mountain and of the area of the wilderness-wandering, is only one small example of that.
Point: In the world of religion, "commonly accepted facts" are often opposed to what the Bible really says.
If one keeps to the Bible, then one is much safer. But then, one must understand and keep in mind that translations of the Bible are not a work of God, but a work of men. The same also goes for Hebrew and Greek lexicons, dictionaries and so on (and even manuscripts). The pages es01d.htm and es02c.htm have more on in-depth study of the Scriptures, and proper tools for that.
It is interesting to study the symbology of the Exodus and the events connected to it, and what the Promised Land itself symbolised. There are several parallels to spiritual things. One part of that matter is as follows:
The land of Canaan had been promised to Abraham. The Israelites were his descendants and received it as an inheritance. That land was called their "rest", because, after they had crossed over the Jordan river into the Promised Land, Joshua brought them to a "rest" there. After all the years of slavery in Egypt and the forty years of nomad-life in the wilderness, they finally could settle down, "in rest". In this particular connection, the words "promise", "inheritance", "land" and "rest", all refer to one and the same thing. We read:
Deuteronomy 12:9 for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which Jehovah your God is giving you. 10 But when you have crossed over the Jordan and dwell in the land which Jehovah your God is giving you to inherit, and He has given you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety [...] (VW-2006, highlighting added)
Joshua 1:15 [...] until Jehovah has given your brethren rest, as He has given you, and they also have taken possession of the land which Jehovah your God is giving them. [...] (VW-2006, highlighting added)
Joshua 22:4 And now Jehovah your God has given rest to your brethren, as He has promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you on the other side of the Jordan. (VW-2006, highlighting added)
Joshua 23:1 Now it came to pass, many days after Jehovah had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua had grown old and advanced in age. (VW-2006, highlighting added)
Those were real events that happened to real people, but at the same time, they were types of things that were to come, types of what later happened to the saints, on the spiritual level.
As was shown above, Deuteronomy 12:9-10 and Joshua 1:15, 22:4 and 23:1 make it clear that the "rest" to which Joshua led the Israelites, was the earthly Promised Land. But, the apostle Paul pointed out that that was not the "real thing" – that was not the ultimate fulfilment of what had been promised to Abraham. Paul wrote about this in the epistle to the "Hebrews" (Jewish saints/believers):
Hebrews 4: [...] 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterwards have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God. (KJ-21)
Again, in the above-quoted passages, the word "rest" referred to a place – a land. In the case of ancient Israel (see Deuteronomy 12:9-10 and Joshua 1:15, 22:4 and 23:1, quoted above), that "rest" was the earthly Promised Land. In the saints' case, the "Rest" in question was the better, heavenly Promised Land. See Hebrews 3:11, 18 and 19, and Hebrews 4:1, 5, 6, 10 and 11 – all those passages refer to entering a "rest".
Thus, when the apostle Paul used the word "Rest" (Hebrews 4:9), he was talking about the saints' promised Inheritance – the heavenly Promised Land. That is why he in that letter repeatedly wrote about "entering" (entering that better Promised Land) – see Hebrews 3:11, 18 and 19, and 4:1, 3, 5, 6, 10 and 11 (and even 6:19 and 20, and 10:19, which likewise refer to entering the house of God in Heaven).
So, just as ancient Israel received as their inheritance an earthly land where they could settle down in rest, so were the saints promised to receive a heavenly Land as their Inheritance and place of Rest. The essays eb05b.htm and ex11b.htm have more on this.
If one reads certain bible-translations along with some commentaries, one might begin to believe that there could be factual support for the "reed sea" claim. However, a more detailed analysis of that matter leads to a different conclusion.
For the first, several things in the biblical record of places and events make it fully clear that the sea-crossing which is mentioned in Exodus 14:16-30, was over the Gulf of Aqaba. It simply could not have been over some "reed sea" in the Bitter Lakes area, nor could it have been over the Gulf of Suez. This solid fact is explained in detail, in the essay above.
Secondly, there is the linguistic part, regarding the meaning of the ancient Hebrew word suph and the phrase Yam Suph (also spelled Yam Cuwph). Even there, a closer study of the relevant scriptures makes it clear that the "reed sea" claim is not correct. This footnote discusses certain linguistic details in that regard.
Let us look at the use of the word suph in Scripture. The 1769 KJ version renders it 24 times as "red", 3 times as "flags" and 1 time as "weeds".
Exodus 2 is the first bible-passage where the word suph appears. There, in verses 3 and 5 (and also in Isaiah 19:6), the 1769 KJ version translated suph as "flags" (not reeds but some smaller sea-weed). We read:
Exodus 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes [gome], and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags [suph] by the river's brink. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags [suph], she sent her maid to fetch it. (KJV-1769, comments added)
Please note that here, the reeds which that small raft was made of, were called gome (verse 3). That is what gome meant – "rush", "bulrush" = reeds, such as the papyrus reed; see even Job 8:11, Isaiah 18:2 and Isaiah 35:7. So, Exodus 2:3-5 states that the basked or "boat" where the child Moses was put, was made of reeds (gome). But – if reeds were called gome, then what did the word suph in that same verse mean? Read on, for more.
Instead, as was mentioned above, it renders suph as "red", (in 24 passages), as "flags" (in 3 passages), or as "weeds" (in 1 passage).
Here is a scripture where reeds were in the Hebrew text called qaneh, while suph referred to something else:
Isaiah 19:6 And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds [qaneh] and flags [suph] shall wither. (KJV-1769, comments added)
Just as in Exodus 2:3-5, even here reeds and suph are not the same.
What this all cooks down to is that when the word suph was used alone, it referred either to the colour red or to some smallish sea-weeds – and when suph was used in the phrase Yam Suph, it referred to the Red Sea, just as most bible-versions have translated it.
This is the third passage where we find the word suph:
Exodus 10:19 And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea [Yam Suph]; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt. (KJV-1769, comment added)
The context shows that the locusts (grasshoppers) were so many that they covered the whole land of Egypt. We read:
Exodus 10:15 And they covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left; and there remained not any green thing on the trees, and in the herbs of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. (DBY)
And again, verse 19 states that that immense number of grasshoppers were cast (drowned) in the Yam Suph.
Now, the proponents of the "reed sea" theory claim that Yam Suph means "sea of reeds" – more exactly, they claim that Yam Suph supposedly refers to one of the Bitter Lakes (located where the Suez canal passes today). Ask yourself: Could that enormous cloud of locusts that covered and darkened all of Egypt, be cast into one of the relatively small Bitter Lakes, so that "not one locust" remained? No, that is not likely; those lakes are not large enough for that. But the main part of the Red Sea, on the other hand, is large enough for receiving and drowning all those locusts.
Point: It is clear that in Exodus 10:19, the phrase Yam Suph refers to the Red Sea, and not to some "reed sea".
We read:
1 Kings 9:26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea [Yam Suph], in the land of Edom. (KJV-1769, comment added)
This place was "on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom". That gives us a clear and exact definition regarding what Yam Suph referred to here, because the coast of the land of Edom (see the map above) lay by what we today know as the Gulf of Aqaba.
It is totally clear that here, Yam Suph referred to the Gulf of Aqaba. The in that verse mentioned Eloth where Solomon's had those ships, lay approximately where the modern-day town Eilat is – at the northern end of that gulf. Consider this: Solomon did not build a fleet of ships built for sailing on some small and shallow Egyptian "reed sea", but for sailing on the Red Sea, for the purpose of trade.
Let us proceed further in our study of the meaning of the phrase Yam Suph, by considering this verse which talks about the borders of the Promised Land:
Exodus 23:31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea [Yam Suph] even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. (KJV-1769, comment added)
"The sea of the Philistines" mentioned in this verse is the same as the Mediterranean Sea, also called "the Great Sea" (Numbers 34:6-7, Joshua 1:4, and so on). And, the Yam Suph of Red Sea of Exodus 23:31 is the same one which is mentioned in 1 Kings 9:26.
In other words: Exodus 23:31 tells us that Israel's south-eastern border-corner lay right where it lies even today. The border went from the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, towards north-west, to the Mediterranean.
A note: Several bible-passages make it clear that Israel's border was there, even in ancient times. The main part of this essay has some details on this – see also the map there. The border-corner of Exodus 23:31 and the town Eloth of 1 Kings 9:26 lay approximately where Ezion-Geber is on that map.
We read:
Numbers 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea [Yam Suph], to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. (KJV-1769, comment added)
Mount Hor and the land of Edom lay east of the line formed by the Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea. Numbers 21:4 means that since the Edomites did not allow the Israelites to pass through the land of Edom on their way north, they had to go around that land, through the desert on its east side (further into Arabia). Again, see the map above.
A note: These things may not make sense to the reader, unless she or he has read all of the main art of this essay, above.
Even this passage mentions Yam Suph. It records the words of the woman Rahab, to the two Israelite spies whom she housed and hid and helped to get back over the river again. We read:
Joshua 2:8 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; 9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea [Yam Suph] for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. (KJV-1769, comment added)
The woman Rahab spoke those words to the Israelite spies (Joshua 2:10) in Jericho, west of the Jordan river. Thus, her words "on the other side of Jordan" refer to its eastern side. (A note: At that time, the other Israelites were still east of the river.)
The two kings of the Amorites (in the area east of Jordan) whom she spoke about, are mentioned also in these verses:
Deuteronomy 3:8 And we took at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites the land that was on this side Jordan, from the river of Arnon unto mount Hermon (KJV-1769)
Deuteronomy 4:47 And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising (KJV-1769)
Point: How had the people of Israel reached that "other side of the river", the area east of Jordan where they (with the exception of those spies) still remained when Rahab spoke those words (Joshua 2:8-10, quoted above)? They had not gone there by passing through the Promised Land, because the first time they set their foot in the Promised Land was when they, shortly after the event of Joshua 2, entered it by crossing the Jordan river from the east (see Joshua 3:14-17, quoted above). In short: The Israelites had not reached the area east of Jordan by land. They had travelled there by crossing the Gulf of Aqaba.
(Again, see the map above, and the main part of this essay.)
By the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, at the Straits of Tiran, the waters are shallow, and there are sand reefs that form "under-water bridges".
Apparently, there is even by the middle part of that gulf, close to the mouth of Wadi Watir on its western shore, a place where the waters are not quite as deep there as elsewhere in that gulf. Some have suggested that the Israelites could have crossed the Gulf of Aqaba there, starting from the mouth of Wadi Watir. That is marked on the map above as an alternative route.
But, for several reasons, the most likely route is via the shallowest and narrowest part of that gulf by its southern end, at the Straits of Tiran. (See the satellite photo of that area; note the sand banks that are seen on the picture.) Read on.
The route from Rameses to Wadi Watir would have been rough and time-consuming: First a long trek over mountainous and rough desert ground and then through a long, winding and narrow wadi. That is not a likely route of travel for hundreds of thousands of people with much cattle.
And then, the area where the Israelites in that case would have had to gather before the crossing, seems too small for the between 1 and 3 million Israelites who left Egypt, and their cattle, wagons, tents and all the rest.
Further: The geography and landscape of Wadi Watir, and the limited size of the plain area by its mouth, are very hard to align with this record of events:
Exodus 14:9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon. 10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 And they said to Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? why have you dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. 13 And Moses said to the people, Fear you not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom you have seen to day, you shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. 15 And the LORD said to Moses, Why cry you to me? speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward: 16 But lift you up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the middle of the sea. 17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honor on Pharaoh, and on all his host, on his chariots, and on his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honor on Pharaoh, on his chariots, and on his horsemen. 19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. (AKJV)
Point: Exodus 14:9-10 and the rest of the story clearly indicate that the area of those events was open, wide, plane (level) and large, so that the Israelites could already at a distance see how the Egyptians approached (verse 10, "and when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them"). Had the place of the crossing been at the mouth of Wadi Watir, then that would not have been possible, because the open area there is so limited that the Pharaoh's troops could not have been sighted until they already were too close, without leaving time for escape. (Even the long wadi-ravine that leads there is so narrow and winding that a sighting of the kind described in verse 10, would not have been possible.) By the Straits of Tiran things are different; at that site there is a much larger plain area, so that the Pharaoh's troops could be sighted already at a distance, just as is recorded in Exodus 14:10.
There is more to that matter, but in short: It is very hard to align Exodus 14:10-25 and a number of other things connected to the Exodus, with the by some proposed place of crossing at the mouth of Wadi Watir. The route via the eastern coast of the Gulf of Suez down to the Straits of Tiran and then making the crossing there, as indicated on the map above, is for these as well as for other reasons much more likely.
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If this page did not contain what you were looking for, see the links below, and the key-word index and the table of contents, or use the search function.
Additional reading at the Bible Pages, on related as well as other issues:
A clarifying explanation of the short names for the bible-versions quoted or mentioned at this site, such as that NKJV stands for New King James Version, YLT for Young's Literal translation, HCSB for Holman Christian Standard Bible, NRSV for the New Revised Standard Version, and so on. → es09c.htm
A larger, 1680 x 1050-pixel satellite-image of the Straits of Tiran. → eo06-2.htm
For those who are interested – printable word-search puzzles:
Moses – Jesus the Second Moses – parallels between Moses and Jesus – the seat of Moses – Jesus, Moses and Elijah. → eo08c.htm
The Old Covenant's holy day Pentecost and its meaning and symbolism, and some New Covenant parallels. → ex02c.htm
On the Old Covenant's Passover, and the New Covenant's bread and wine. → ec04g.htm
What does the Bible say about authority? Who has biblical, spiritual or religious authority on the mundane, human level? Who can speak for God? Knowing the answers to those questions is a vital key to understanding the Bible in a better and deeper way. → es06d.htm
Jesus warned his disciples about false prophets, teachers of falsehood, deceivers and deception. He said that many would be deceived. → eo09e.htm
How to understand the Bible. Easy keys to interpreting and understanding Scripture in a better and deeper way, by avoiding certain fundamental but common mistakes and errors in bible study. These vital keys are really the basics for objective bible study. Knowing these keys will make many things easier to interpret and comprehend, and one will see several central matters in the Bible from a new and different perspective, especially in connection with the Gospels and the Epistles. → eg02c.htm
Is Jesus "a cap-stone on top of a pyramid" as some have claimed, or is he, as the Bible says, the main corner-stone of the foundation of God's spiritual house or dwelling? → ea05c.htm
Check your bible knowledge. A basic self-test with fifteen biblical questions (with answers and commentary). → es04b.htm
How to study the Bible in a deeper way. Some simple guidelines and notes on study methods. Also, advice and information on easily available practical study helps and useful modern-day tools and resources which, on top of many other things, can help one to view and translate the Hebrew OT and Greek NT texts. → es01d.htm
Gentiles, pagans and heathen or heathens – what do those words mean? This exposition makes it plain and clear what the concepts "gentile", "pagan" and "heathen" actually refer to, in the Bible. → eg01c.htm
For real and thorough in-depth study and exegesis of the Scriptures, an interlinear bible with Strong's numbers and a concordance with a lexicon and bible commentaries are not good enough; a computer bible is needed. Some facts and recommendations regarding bible study suites for computers, including tools for word search, word study and adding and editing your own electronic marginal notes verse for verse, tools for studying the Hebrew text of the Old Testament and the Greek text of the New Testament, and links for download of bible software (both free and commercial). → es02c.htm
The Promises spoken to Abraham, and the saints' heavenly Rest and Inheritance. How the earthly Land of Israel symbolised and foreshadowed a Promised Land in Heaven. Also, how the words Promise, Inheritance, Rest and Land in certain bible passages point to the same thing. → eb05b.htm
A clarification of the actual nature of the sabbatismos or Rest of Hebrews 4:9. → ex11b.htm
The King James bible, the Authorised Version – is it somehow "the inspired Word of God", better than other translations, or a particularly "holy" bible-version, or the best or most exact or accurate one as some have claimed? Also: In what way or sense is it authoritative, or, who "authorised" it? This essay has some details of the story behind the King James translation or KJV, including the men who were involved in producing it. Two examples of pages in KJV-1611 are included as well; one is an image showing the page with Hebrews 1, the other is a PDF-file containing a facsimile, picture format copy of the book of Matthew in the year 1611 edition of the King James version. There are also some brief remarks on the so-called "Received Text" or Textus Receptus, the Greek NT text compilation produced by the Catholic priest Gerrit Gerritszoon ("Erasmus"). → es03c.htm
Many people wonder, why does God allow evil, sickness, pain, war and suffering? What is the biblical answer – does the Bible explain that matter, or in some way make it understandable? → ew01b.htm
Galatians 3:17-19 – what did Paul mean by the term "added law"? What was the original thing? And, the addition that came 430 years later, was it some "extra rituals", or something else? Further: What did the apostle Paul mean when he in that same epistle wrote, "This is the only thing I want to find out from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" (3:2) and, "Tell me, you who want to be under the Law, do you not understand the Law?" (4:21). Those things in the letter to the saints in Galatia might seem confusing, but this essay makes them clearer and more easily understood, and shows what the apostle was talking about. → ec10c.htm
The lost ten tribes of Israel in prophecy. What happened to Israel's northern tribes? Where are they today? Does the Bible give any clues regarding their fate? → ey01b.htm
On the Feast of Tabernacles and its symbolism. (The Feast of Booths or Tents, Succot – Exodus 23:14-17, Leviticus 23:33-36 and 42-43, Deuteronomy 16:13-15.) → ex06c.htm
On the Last Day of the Feast, the great one, and its symbolism, including notes on John 7:37. → ex07c.htm
"Amateur bible students" versus "professional theologians". Some preachers have spitefully called people who actively study the Bible on their own, "amateur theologians". Indeed, many a clergyman seems to feel that a layman should not put his or her nose into theological studies but should rather leave those things to "experts". But, is that correct? This treatise sorts out that matter, and clarifies and explains in layman's terms the linguistic and historical background of the concepts "clergymen" and "laymen", and gives the definition and actual meaning of such words as "clergy", "laity", "scholar" and "scholarly". → es07c.htm
The meaning of the words Christ, Christian, Messiah and Messias. Also: Did the saints call themselves "Christians" – christianos or christianoi? → eg07b.htm
Info on the goal and purpose of this site, and a contact address.
→
purpose.htm
Table of contents for this site, including a synopsis or a short, summary description
of each essay or article. →
filename.htm
Search for specific words, phrases or bible passages at this site. →
search.htm
An alphabetical bible topic keyword index of the essays and articles at this site:
1-9
– A
– B
– C
– D
– E
– F
– G
– H
– I
– J
– K
– L
– M
– N
– O
– P
– Q
– R
– S
– T
– U
– V
– W
– X
– Y – Z –
Detailed index overview
If you find any of the essays or treatises at this site interesting and helpful, please provide a copy to other people as well. But before printing or distributing anything, make sure to get the very latest version, exactly as it is, directly from this web site. In regard to printable copies of these pages, for example as PDF-format papers, booklets or brochures or so – there are no specially printer friendly variants (except some bible puzzles), nor is there a need for that – simply, when you print an essay, set the margins and the text size to fit your needs and the paper you use, in the program you use for viewing these pages, and then send it to your printer. (This varies in different browsers and word processing programs. In web browsers, for setting the margin size and headers and footers, look for "Print Format" in the File menu; to set the text size for print-out, look under "Preview" or "View" in the same menu.)
Important: You are welcome to quote the documents at this site – the Bible Pages – provided that you mention the source, by giving the full web address to the page in question. Please link to these essays and give copies to friends. However, you may not re-publish any part of the contents of this site, as a booklet, brochure or on the Internet or in other ways, without a permission from the author; he retains the copyright. For more on copying and quoting, and a few words about the author and his religious education and credentials, see the page purpose.htm.
The essays at this site are not in "bible lesson" or "bible study course" format, nor are they meant as on-line "bible study classes" of some kind. Even though this site gives ready answers to biblical questions of many kinds, its main goal is providing food for thought on a variety of biblical subjects, and challenging and encouraging people to get started with deep personal bible study and then continue with that. (Many religious organisations and denominations have their bible lessons and correspondence courses; they are ready-made "studies" which are shrewdly constructed and written in such a manner that they lead the reader to conclusions that fit the dogmas of the group in question.) A careful, closer study of the books of the Bible with proper tools will help a believer to gain better and deeper biblical understanding. In that way, one will find out more about what the Bible really says, means and teaches. One can then, with wisdom, use that knowledge as a guide for one's life, instead of accepting as "biblical truths" whatever commercial religion – churches and their ministers (preachers) – have taught and want people to believe.
A more thorough, bible-based study with care and with thought will, not only help one to learn more, but also show one how many a popular belief has no scriptural basis or support but is altogether false and not biblical at all. This applies, not only to prophecy and "end time" related things, but also to many other subjects where prevailing dogmas are often taken "for granted". For this reason, it is extremely important for believers to personally study the Writings, and to thoroughly analyse them down to the smaller details, in order to find out the real facts. For doing that, it is not necessary to know the Hebrew, Greek or Latin languages (even though learning their letters and alphabet can be a good idea); there are modern, advanced tools which can help one to study in an effective way – see the pages es01d.htm and es02c.htm for more on this. The essay eg02c.htm supplies a number of easy, elementary keys to acquiring a better and deeper understanding of the Bible, simply by consciously and methodically avoiding certain usual errors and pitfalls.
This site is non-denominational and non-sectarian. It is not connected to any church, sect or religious organisation or movement. This site looks at things from a biblical perspective, and not from a dogmatic one. It does not claim to be without error or to "know it all" or to have a perfect or complete explanation to all things – it consists of an ongoing bible study that has been made public, and as the study goes on, the contents of these pages are revised and also expanded, with new topics and themes being addressed. Readers are invited and welcome to write to the author with thoughts and comments, or to ask questions or to point out a mistake if they feel that they have found one. For more on this, see the page purpose.htm.
The address to this page is www.biblepages.web.surftown.se/eo06f.htm
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This page was created or modified 2010-03-11.