israel journey out of egypt map

The Researcher
Podcast Interview: The Lost Sea
The Exodus Enigma
The Date of the Exodus
The Sojourn in Egypt

Map of the Exodus from Egypt

Proof of Mount Sinai in Arabia
Exodus Mysteries Book
Mount Sinai and the Apostle Paul
Was Mount Sinai a Volcano?
The Sea of the Exodus
Wind and the Sea Crossing
The Lost Sea of the Exodus
Where Was Ancient Midian?
Exodus Synopsis
Return Policy
Reader Reviews
Dead Sea Topics
Jerusalem Archaeology

The likely starting point of the Exodus was Tel el-Dab’a (ancient Rameses ), in Goshen in the northeast Nile Delta ( Map 1 ). My research, published in The Lost Sea of the Exodus , placed the sea parting at the Gulf of Aqaba (Hebrew: Yam Suph ), on the east side of the Sinai Peninsula. If so, Mount Sinai would lay further east in Arabia, and the Hebrews would have hurried through the peninsula to get there.

Map 1. Proposed Exodus Route Across the Sinai Peninsula. Click to enlarge.

En route to Arabia, (Exod. 13:20; 14:2), Moses received a divine command in Etham to turn from the path that lead to the head of the gulf and, instead, enter the wilderness to encamp somewhere on its shore. The only accessible and sizeable beachhead lies near the midpoint of the gulf at Nuweiba ( Map 1 ). Suitable seafloor topography also extends toward Arabia from that point, albeit in very deep water.

What was the likely Exodus route between Rameses and Nuweiba ?

Some investigators surmise that the Hebrews followed the Darb el Hajj (Arabic: “way of the pilgrimage”), a road developed for the Muslim Hajj after the 7 th -century emergence of Islam (see Map 2 ). The first peninsula Hajj road was constructed ca AD 875 by the Egyptian governor under the Fatimid Caliph. Much of the route lacks archaeological evidence of more ancient use. Darb el Hajj was a general term for various pilgrim routes leading to Mecca and the Sinai Peninsula route was called Tariq al-Hajj al-Masri , meaning “the opening stage of the Hajj.” Several variations of this road developed, but the main route was always outfitted with stations provisioned in advance with water and supplies. Although this route linked the heads of the gulfs (Suez and Aqaba), it would have been a problematic path in the Exodus because it notoriously lacked water and fodder.

Map 2. Ancient Roads in the Sinai Peninsula . Click to enlarge.

There are three other historical routes across the Peninsula ( Map 2 ). The oldest, which followed the Mediterranean coast, was called “ways of Horus” by the Egyptians, and “Via Maris” (Latin: “way of the sea,” e.g., Latin Vulgate Matt. 43:15) by the Romans. The Bible called it the “way of the land of the Philistines,” but indicated that it was not used in the Exodus: “…when Pharaoh had let the people go, God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near…” (Exod. 3:17)

The oldest route connecting the heads of the gulfs was the Darb esh-Shawi (Arabic: “way of the heights”?). It also would have presented water and fodder limitations for the Hebrews.

Further south, the Roman Road, named for its depiction on the Roman-Byzantine (4 th -century AD) Peutinger Table , passed just north of the traditional Mount Sinai. Ancient Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic graffiti along this route indicate that it was used by Nabataeans prior to the Roman period and later by religious pilgrims. This route did provide some oasis stops, but it would have added much distance to the Hebrews’ trek across the Peninsula.

My research indicates that Moses did not follow any of the above routes. The Bible says that they took “the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea (Hebrew: yam suph )” (Exod. 13:18); yam suph referring to the Gulf of Aqaba.

The Hebrews left Egypt on the 15 th of Aviv , which fell close to the Spring Equinox (March 21) and coincided with the end of the Peninsula rainy season. Arabian explorer Alois Musil (1926) observed:

If the Israelites migrated from Egypt in the month of March and if there had been an abundance of rain on the peninsula of Sinai that year, they would have found rain pools of various sizes in all of the cavities and in all of the hollows of the various river beds, and they could have comfortably replenished their water bags and watered their flocks.

Considering these factors, the best conditions would have been offered by a route utilizing the extensive wadi (valley) network in the northern peninsula plateau. Not only do these wadis offer more passable terrain, they have a greater potential for providing water and vegetation. Following this line of thinking, explorer E. H. Palmer noted that:

In the larger wadies, draining as they do so extensive an area, a very considerable amount of moisture infiltrates through the soil, producing much more vegetation than in the plains. Sufficient pasturage for the camels is always to be had in these spots, and here and there a few patches of ground are even available for cultivation (Palmer 1872).

Map 1 lays out a feasible route through the network of low-lying wadis. The travel distance between Rameses and Nuweiba via this path is about 438 km (272 mi.). Given these circumstances, and the travel chronology in the book of Exodus, I estimate that the Hebrews crossed the Sinai Peninsula in as little as 18 days, an average of 15.1 miles per day.

Consult The Lost Sea of the Exodus for more details.

2. Israel’s Exodus from Egypt and Entry into Canaan

Possible route of the Exodus

Jordan River

Salt Sea (Dead Sea)

Great Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

Philistines

River of Egypt

Wilderness of Zin

Rameses (Tanis)

Wilderness of Shur

Kadesh-barnea

Wilderness of Paran

Arabah (Rift Valley)

Eastern Wilderness

On (Heliopolis)

Pi-hahiroth?

Wilderness of Etham

Sinai Peninsula

Ezion-geber

Noph (Memphis)

Gulf of Suez

Wilderness of Sin

Sinai Wilderness

Wilderness Camps

Gulf of Aqaba

Mt. Sinai? (Horeb)

0 40 80 120

Rameses Israel was thrust out of Egypt ( Ex. 12 ; Num. 33:5 ).

Succoth After the Hebrews left this first campsite, the Lord attended them in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night ( Ex. 13:20–22 ).

Pi-hahiroth Israel passed through the Red Sea ( Ex. 14 ; Num. 33:8 ).

Marah The Lord healed the waters of Marah ( Ex. 15:23–26 ).

Elim Israel camped by 12 springs ( Ex. 15:27 ).

Wilderness of Sin The Lord sent manna and quail to feed Israel ( Ex. 16 ).

Rephidim Israel fought with Amalek ( Ex. 17:8–16 ).

Mount Sinai (Mount Horeb or Jebel Musa) The Lord revealed the Ten Commandments ( Ex. 19–20 ).

Sinai Wilderness Israel constructed the tabernacle ( Ex. 25–30 ).

Wilderness Camps Seventy elders were called to help Moses govern the people ( Num. 11:16–17 ).

Ezion-geber Israel passed through the lands of Esau and Ammon in peace ( Deut. 2 ).

Kadesh-barnea Moses sent spies into the promised land; Israel rebelled and failed to enter the land; Kadesh served as the main camp of Israel for many years ( Num. 13:1–3, 17–33 ; 14 ; 32:8 ; Deut. 2:14 ).

Eastern Wilderness Israel avoided conflict with Edom and Moab ( Num. 20:14–21 ; 22–24 ).

Arnon River Israel destroyed the Amorites who fought against them ( Deut. 2:24–37 ).

Mount Nebo Moses viewed the promised land ( Deut. 34:1–4 ). Moses delivered his last three sermons ( Deut. 1–32 ).

Plains of Moab The Lord told Israel to divide the land and dispossess the inhabitants ( Num. 33:50–56 ).

Jordan River Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. Near Gilgal, stones from the bottom of the Jordan River were placed as a monument of Jordan’s waters being divided ( Josh. 3:1–5:1 ).

Jericho The children of Israel captured and destroyed the city ( Josh. 6 ).

The Nile Delta was a triangular area of marshland about 150 miles from north to south, from Memphis to the Mediterranean, and about 150 - 200 miles wide.

Upper Egypt was a bit further south from Lower Egypt, starting at Memphis (bottom of the Nile Delta Triangle) and extended for about 600 miles down the Nile River Valley to Elephantine (Aswan).

Genesis 47:6 - The land of Egypt [is] before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest [any] men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

Hosea 9:6 - For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant [places] for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns [shall be] in their tabernacles.

Exodus 14:1-2 - And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

Exodus 14:21-22 - And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Egypt in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE Egypt 1. The Basis of the Land: Though Egypt is one of the earliest countries in recorded history, and as regards its continuous civilization, yet it is a late country in its geological history and in its occupation by a settled population. The whole land up to Silsileh is a thick mass of Eocene limestone, with later marls over that in the lower districts. It has been elevated on the East, up to the mountains of igneous rocks many thousand feet high toward the Red Sea. It has been depressed on the West, down to the Fayum and the oases below sea-level. This strain resulted in a deep fault from North to South for some hundreds of miles up from the Mediterranean. This fault left its eastern side about 200 ft. above its western, and into it the drainage of the plateau poured, widening it out so as to form the Nile valley, as the permanent drain of Northeast Africa. The access of water to the rift seems to have caused the basalt outflows, which are seen as black columnar basalt South of the Fayum, and brown massive basalt at Khankah, North of Cairo. 2. The Nile Valley: The gouging out of the Nile valley by rainfall must have continued when the land was 300 ft. higher than at present, as is shown by the immense fails of strata into collapsed caverns which were far below the present Nile level. Then, after the excavations of the valley, it has been submerged to 500 ft. lower than at present, as is shown by the rolled gravel beds and deposits on the tops of the water-worn cliffs, and the filling up of the tributary valleys--as at Thebes--by deep deposits, through which the subsequent stream beds have been scoured out. The land still had the Nile source 30 ft. higher than it is now within the human period, as seen by the worked flints in high gravel beds above the Nile plain. The distribution of land and water was very different from that at present when the land was only 100 ft. lower than now. Such a change would make the valley an estuary up to South of the Fayum, would submerge much of the western desert, and would unite the Gulf of Suez and the Mediterranean. Such differences would entirely alter the conditions of animal life by sea and land. And as the human period began when the water was considerably higher, the conditions of climate and of life must have greatly changed in the earlier ages of man's occupation. Full Article

Egypt in Smith's Bible Dictionary

Egypt (land of the Copts), a country occupying the northeast angle of Africa. Its limits appear always to have been very nearly the same. It is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by Palestine, Arabia and the Red Sea, on the south by Nubia, and on the west by the Great Desert. It is divided into upper Egypt --the valley of the Nile --and lower Egypt, the plain of the Delta, from the Greek letter; it is formed by the branching mouths of the Nile, and the Mediterranean Sea. The portions made fertile by the Nile comprise about 9582 square geographical miles, of which only about 5600 is under cultivation. --Encyc. Brit. The Delta extends about 200 miles along the Mediterranean, and Egypt is 520 miles long from north to south from the sea to the First Cataract. NAMES. --The common name of Egypt in the Bible is "Mizraim." It is in the dual number, which indicates the two natural divisions of the country into an upper and a lower region. The Arabic name of Egypt --Mizr-- signifies "red mud." Egypt is also called in the Bible "the land of Ham," Ps 105:23,27 comp. Psal 78:51 --a name most probably referring to Ham the son of Noah --and "Rahab," the proud or insolent: these appear to be poetical appellations. The common ancient Egyptian name of the country is written in hieroglyphics Kem, which was perhaps pronounced Chem. This name signifies, in the ancient language and in Coptic, "black," on account of the blackness of its alluvial soil. We may reasonably conjecture that Kem is the Egyptian equivalent of Ham. GENERAL APPEARANCE, CLIMATE, ETC. --The general appearance of the country cannot have greatly changed since the days of Moses. The whole country is remarkable for its extreme fertility, which especially strikes the beholder when the rich green of the fields is contrasted with the utterly bare, yellow mountains or the sand-strewn rocky desert on either side. The climate is equable and healthy. Rain is not very unfrequent on the northern coast, but inland is very rare. Cultivation nowhere depends upon it. The inundation of the Nile fertilizes and sustains the country, and makes the river its chief blessing. The Nile was on this account anciently worshipped. The rise begins in Egypt about the summer solstice, and the inundation commences about two months later. The greatest height is attained about or somewhat after the autumnal equinox. The inundation lasts about three months. The atmosphere, except on the seacoast, is remarkably dry and clear, which accounts for the so perfect preservation of the monuments, with their pictures and inscriptions. The heat is extreme during a large part of the year. The winters are mild, --from 50 Full Article

The Exodus in Smith's Bible Dictionary

Exodus, The of the Israelites from Egypt. the common chronology places the date of this event at B.C. 1491, deriving it in this way: --In 1Ki 6:1 it is stated that the building of the temple, in the forth year of Solomon, was in the 480th year after the exodus. The fourth year of Solomon was bout B.C. 1012. Add the 480 years (leaving off one years because neither the fourth nor the 480th was a full year), and we have B.C. 1491 as the date of the exodus. This is probably very nearly correct; but many Egyptologists place it at 215 years later, --about B.C. 1300. Which date is right depends chiefly on the interpretation of the Scripture period of 430 years, as denoting the duration of the bondage of the Israelites. The period of bondage given in Ge 15:13,14; Ex 12:40,41 and Gala 3:17 as 430 years has been interpreted to cover different periods. The common chronology makes it extend from the call of Abraham to the exodus, one-half of it, or 215 years, being spend in Egypt. Others make it to cover only the period of bondage spend in Egypt. St. Paul says in Ga 3:17 that from the covenant with (or call of) Abraham the giving of the law (less than a year after the exodus) was 430 years. But in Ge 15:13,14 it is said that they should be strangers in a strange land,a nd be afflicted 400 years, and nearly the same is said in Ex 12:40 But, in very truth, the children of Israel were strangers in a strange land from the time that Abraham left his home for the promised land, and during that whole period of 430 years to the exodus they were nowhere rulers in the land. So in Ex 12:40 it is said that the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years. But it does not say that the sojourning was all in Egypt, but this people who lived in Egypt had been sojourners for 430 years. (a) This is the simplest way of making the various statements harmonize. (b) The chief difficulty is the great increase of the children of Israel from 70 to 2,000,000 in so short a period as 215 years, while it is very easy in 430 years. But under the circumstances it is perfectly possible in the shorter period. See on ver. 7 (c) If we make the 430 years to include only the bondage in Egypt, we must place the whole chronology of Abraham and the immigration of Jacob into Egypt some 200 years earlier, or else the exodus 200 years later, or B.C. 1300. in either case special difficulty is brought into the reckoning. (d) Therefore, on the whole, it is well to retain the common chronology, though the later dates may yet prove to be correct. The history of the exodus itself commences with the close of that of the ten plagues. [PLAGUES, THE TEN] In the night in which, at midnight, the firstborn were slain, Ex 12:29 Pharaoh urged the departure of the Israelites. vs. Ex 12:31,32 They at once set forth from Rameses, vs. Ex 12:37,39 apparently during the night v. Ex 12:42 but towards morning on the 15th day of the first month. Nu 33:3 They made three journeys, and encamped by the Red Sea. Here Pharaoh overtook them, and the great miracle occurred by which they were saved, while the pursuer and his army were destroyed. [RED SEA, PASSAGE OF] Full Article

The Red Sea in Smith's Bible Dictionary

The Passage of the Red Sea It is necessary to endeavor to ascertain the route of the Israelites before we can attempt to discover where they crossed the sea. The point from which they started was Rameses, a place certain in the land of Goshen, which we identified with the Wadi-t-Tumeylat. They encamped at Succoth. At the end of the second day's journey the camping place was at Etham, "in the edge of the wilderness." Ex 13:20; Nu 33:6 Here the Wadi-t-Tumeylat was probably left, as it is cultivable and terminates in the desert. At the end of the third day's march for each camping place seems to mark the close of a day's journey the Israelites encamped by the sea, place of this last encampment and that of the passage would be not very far from the Persepolitan monument at Pihahiroth. It appears that Migdol was behind Pi-hahiroth and on the other hand Baalzephon and the sea. From Pi-hahiroth the Israelites crossed the sea. This was not far from halfway between the Bitter Lakes and the Gulf of Suez, where now it is dry land. The Muslims suppose Memphis to have been the city at which the Pharaoh of the exodus resided before that event occurred. From opposite Memphis a broad valley leads to the Red Sea. It is in part called the Wadi-t-Teeh, or "Valley of the Wandering." From it the traveller reaches the sea beneath the lofty Gebel-et-Takah, which rises in the north and shuts off all escape in that direction excepting by a narrow way along the seashore, which Pharaoh might have occupied. The sea here is broad and deep, as the narrative is generally held to imply. All the local features seem suited for a great event. The only points bearing on geography in the account of this event are that the sea was divided by an east wind. Whence we may reasonably infer that it was crossed from west to east, and that the whole Egyptian army perished, which shows that it must have been some miles broad. Full Article

The Bible Mentions "Egypt" Many Times

This video is part of a series of 12 animated maps.

▶ view series: the bible and history, the routes of the exodus.

This map is part of a series of 12 animated maps showing the history of The Bible and History.

Towards the end of the Book of Genesis, Abraham’s grandson Jacob travelled to Egypt with all his tribe in order to escape the famine that was devastating Canaan.

In the Book of Exodus, it is said that, after several generations, Jacob’s descendants were still living in Egypt and had been reduced to slavery.

God then ordered Moses and his brother Aaron to take the Hebrews out of Egypt and lead them into the Land of Canaan. Because the Pharaoh [ identified by some Biblical scholars as Ramesses II ] refused to release them , God inflicted several disasters on the Egyptians, known as the ‘ten plagues of Egypt’.

The Hebrews managed to leave but were chased by the Egyptian Army. This led to the famous episode when the sea opened up before the People of Israel and let them cross over. It then closed again on the Egyptians. This sea is usually believed to be the Red Sea.

The most direct route from Northern Egypt to Canaan lies along the Mediterranean coast, a long way from the Red Sea. But Canaan was at that time ruled by Egypt and this route would have been protected by garrisons established in fortresses.

Drawing on information in the Book of Exodus and the Book of Numbers, Biblical scholars have established two possible routes for the Hebrews.

The first would have taken them from the south of the Sinai Peninsula to the mountain known in Arabic as Jabal Musa (‘Mount Moses’), where the Divine Law is said to have been revealed to Moses.

After the revelation of God’s Law, the Hebrews continued their journey and reached the gates of the Promised Land, south of the Negev Desert.

According to the second itinerary, they would have taken a more northernly route which ran parallel to the coast as far as the mountain called Jabal Halal.

The Book of Numbers [chaps. 13–14] tells us that, despite the miracles performed by God, the Hebrews later revolted against him and Moses and that, being very afraid, they refused to go further into Canaan. For this reason, they were condemned to wander in the desert for 40 years.

Subsequently they travelled to the Gulf of Aqaba and then marched north, either via the so-called Valley of Arabah, linking the Gulf of Aqaba to the Dead Sea, or by a more mountainous route to the east close to Arabia.

They finally reached the shores of the Dead Sea and the eastern banks of the River Jordan which they had to cross in order to enter the Promised Land.

The story of the Exodus is the origin of the Jewish Feast of Passover and consequently of the Christian Easter. However, according to most archaeologists and Biblical scholars, the historical reality of this event is open to question.

Some Egyptian documents mention several occasional escapes by Levantine slaves. It is possible that the Exodus story emanates from the memory of a small group that might have experienced these kinds of events. This might have been transformed over time into a foundation story for the Hebrew people.

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The Exodus Itineraries

9 minute read

Reading itineraries has a similar effect on the mind as reading genealogies . But, it’s worth ploughing through them for the same reason we should suffer the name lists – there’s often more in there than meets the eye. The Exodus itineraries are no exception.

There are three main sources in the Hebrew Bible for the Israelites’ itinerary through the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan:

Numbers 33 – It sticks fairly closely to an itinerary format, i.e. “They set out from X and camped at Y”, making it quite easy to draw up a list of all the places the Israelites passed through.
The narratives found in Exodus and Numbers – This itinerary takes a little more work to extract, but it’s not too much hassle. It begins in Rameses (Exodus 12:37) and ends on the plain of Moab (Numbers 22:1).
Moses’ speech in Deuteronomy 1-3 – Here the Israelites’ journey begins at Mt Sinai (Deuteronomy 1:19) and ends in the valley opposite Beth-peor (Deuteronomy 3:29).

Overview of the itineraries

Here’s a short summary of each itinerary. Bear in mind that most of the places mentioned in all three sources have not been firmly identified, 1 neither does their location really matter for what we’re dealing with in this post. So we’re sticking with the traditional locations for now.

The Israelites leave Rameses (Nu 33:3), cross the Red Sea (Nu 33:8), wander through the wilderness of Sin (Nu 33:11), finally arriving at Sinai (Nu 33:15).

After leaving Sinai they head through the Sinai desert passing through Hazeroth (Nu 33:17) up to Ezion Geber near modern Eilat (Nu 33:35) on their way to Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin (Nu 33:36).

From Kadesh they head east (Nu 33:40), through Oboth (Nu 33:43) up onto the Transjordanian plateau (Nu 33:44).

They then head north up the King’s Highway straight through the territory of Moab through Dibon (Nu 33:45).

From there they continue up through Moab to Nebo, then west down into the Plain of Moab opposite Jericho (Nu 33:48).

Here’s what it looks like on a map:

Exodus & Numbers narratives

From Rameses (Ex 12:37) the Israelites travel to the point opposite Migdol (Ex 14:2), and cross the Red Sea (Ex 14:22). They then head via the wilderness of Sin (Ex 16:1) and Rephidim (Ex 17:1) to Sinai (Ex 19:1-3).

After receiving the law they head north via Hazeroth (Nu 11:35) to Kadesh (Nu 13:26) from where the 12 spies are sent out.

As a result of the faithless report brought back by the spies the Israelites are condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty years (Nu 14:33-35) in the region of the Aravah (Nu 14:25).

After many years they come back to Kadesh (Nu 20:1) where Miriam dies. Next they go to Mt Hor, where Aaron dies (Nu 20:22-29). From there they head east to the Aravah – the Jordan Valley south of the Dead Sea – and travel on the Way to the Red Sea (Nu 21:4). Going through Oboth (Nu 21:10) they climb onto the Transjordanian plateau (Nu 21:11)

The Israelites then head north to the river Zered (Nu 21:12) and continue on to the river Arnon (Nu 21:13). Still moving north they travel through Moab until they get to the top of Pisgah (Nu 21:20). After conquering the Transjordan (Nu 21:21–35) the Israelites head west down onto the Plain of Moab opposite Jericho (Nu 22:1).

And now in map form:

Moses’ speech in Deuteronomy

Slightly unconventionally, this itinerary begins with the Israelites at Mt Sinai. From there they speed through to Kadesh (Dt 1:19) from where the spies are sent out (1:22–39).

The Israelites are then told to head back into the wilderness toward the Red Sea (Dt 2:1) and “skirt Mount Seir for many days” (Dt 2:1) – Mount Seir is the name for the range of hills to the east of the Aravah north of Eilat. 2

They wander in this area (described as being the area of the Aravah, Eilat, and Ezion Geber) for a long time (Dt 2:3) and then head into Mt Seir (Dt 2:8) – following the modern route from Aqaba to Wadi Rum in the direction of Moab.

Along the way the Israelites cross the River Zered (Dt 2:13) where the last of the Israelites who left Egypt die off (Dt 2:14-15).

Having been told not to engage the Moabites in warfare (Dt 2:9) who were located at this time between the Zered and the Arnon they head north peacefully to the River Arnon (Dt 2:24).

Once across the Arnon the Israelites take all the cities from there (Aroer being nestled on the northern edge of the Arnon), up to Gilead (Dt 2:36) in a thin strip to the east of the Kingdom of the Ammonites (Dt 2:37).

After fighting Og king of Bashan (Dt 3:1-7) and dividing up the territory they’d captured (Dt 3:8-17) we find the Israelites camped in the valley opposite Beth-peor (Dt 3:29).

And, on a map:

If it’s not clear yet, we’re dealing with quite different itineraries.

Combining the itineraries

If we place all three itineraries on the same map we get the following:

See? Itineraries are interesting.

Differences

Let’s highlight a couple of differences between the itineraries:

The Exodus and Numbers narratives place the decades of wilderness wandering between the two visits to Kadesh. The first time they visit the spies are sent out; the second time they visit Miriam dies. Numbers 33 on the other hand has only one visit to Kadesh. Moses’ speech in Deuteronomy also has only one visit. The Deuteronomy itinerary does mention the wilderness wandering, but it is explicit in that when they’re finished wandering the Israelites head into Mt Seir; not Kadesh which would be in almost the opposite direction.
In Numbers 33 and the Exodus and Numbers itineraries the journey from Kadesh (the only time in Numbers 33 and second visit in the Exodus and Numbers itinerary) to the Transjordanian plateau goes due east through Zin, across the Aravah and through Oboth before walking through the ravines up onto the Transjordanian plateau. In Deuteronomy on the other hand the Israelites head from Kadesh (their only visit) south-east towards Eilat, and from there they head through the Wadi Rum area and then head north.

These differences between the itineraries cannot be reconciled. You cannot visit Kadesh both only once and twice. You cannot travel from Kadesh both due east across the Aravah into Transjordan and south to Eilat and up into the Edomite hills in the direction of Wadi Rum.

A known problem?

We are not the first to stumble across these differences, so let’s see what others have written on the matter.

First up is Aharoni, a towering figure in the archaeology of Israel. Discussing the Kadesh-to-Plain-of-Moab itinerary of Deuteronomy vs. that found in the Numbers narrative he writes:

It would seem, therefore, that there are preserved here memories of two different journeys, the first in the fourteenth century to the plains of Moab before the various kingdoms in this area became organised, and the second in the thirteenth century which led around Edom and Moab along the fringe of the desert and which ended in the conquest of Heshbon. These different routes constitute one of the conclusive evidences that the Israelite conquest was not carried out in one campaign or at one time but rather continued in several waves which were blended together in the tradition to a single campaign of conquest. 3

Brown in his Expositional Bible Commentary provides no explanation for the differences, but he does note that they exist:

Moses recounts the way in which God brought the people to the border of Canaan by a different route and to a different place from the first occasion. 4

And before launching into an excellent treatment of the problem Tigay in the JPS Torah Commentary on Deuteronomy wryly notes:

There are several apparent discrepancies between these descriptions of the Israelites’ route. 5

So, we’re dealing with a known problem. The itineraries are different.

Is there an explanation for the differences?

In Aharoni’s writings we see one attempt to explain the problem: the different itineraries are attributed to different Exoduses. One itinerary was followed by one group at one point in time, another itinerary was followed by a different group at a different point in time.

Others have attempted to “fix” the itineraries, e.g. finding a second Kadesh in the Numbers 33 itinerary – they claim that Nu 33:16’s Kibroth Hattaavah is another name for Kadesh. 6 This however doesn’t work – Kibroth Hattaavah is somewhere that the Israelites visit on their way to Kadesh (cf. Nu 11:34 & 13:26).

Others claim that the Exodus and Numbers narratives along with the Numbers 33 itineraries simply miss out the portion of the journey that took them down to Eilat and up into the mountains of southern Jordan, thus reconciling the Deuteronomy itinerary with the others. 7

Finally, in the view of those following critical approaches, the inconsistencies between the itineraries are the result of a late editor weaving together ancient sacred documents, not feeling like they could change or cut out sections which made the final product contradictory. 8

Conclusions

What can be learned from this?

Robustly made and pious sounding claims of internal consistency within the biblical text are nothing but bluster and wishful thinking. Any such claims don’t match the evidence – discrepancies exist, as the various Exodus itineraries demonstrate.

If discrepancies in the Bible make us uncomfortable that only tells us that our understanding of the nature of the text needs adjusting.

Finally, instead of making untrue – and therefore disrespectful – claims about the nature of the text, we should base our understanding of it on what we find in it, and we should do so in a humble and inquiring manner.

So, let’s work with what the text says, not try to pretend it says something else.

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The Route Through Sinai: Why the Israelites Fleeing Egypt Went South

028 The Route Through Sinai: Why the Israelites Fleeing Egypt Went South -->

By Itzhaq Beit-Arieh

Can modern ecology and ethnology help to establish the route of the Exodus? I believe they can.

The Bible clearly identifies by name the stops along the Exodus route ( Numbers 33:5–37 ). The area settled by the Israelites in Egypt is consistently identified as Goshen ( Genesis 45:10 , 47:1 , 4 ), which surely lay in the eastern Nile Delta. The Israelite rallying point for the Exodus was the Raamses, one of the store cities in the eastern Nile Delta that the Israelites had built for Pharaoh ( Exodus 12:37 ; Numbers 33:3 , 5 ); that is where the Exodus began.

Later the Israelites arrived at 031 Kadesh-Barnea ( Numbers 33:36 ; Deuteronomy 1:19 ). There they spent “many days” ( Deuteronomy 1:46 ). From Kadesh-Barnea the Israelites attempted to, and finally did, enter Canaan.

With almost no dissent, scholars are agreed that Kadesh-Barnea is to be identified with the modern site of Ein el-Qudeirat. a Located at the confluence of two, important, ancient desert routes in northeastern Sinai and adjacent to the most abundant spring in northern Sinai, Ein el-Qudeirat also fits the geographical markers for Kadesh-Barnea in the Bible. Indeed, Ein el-Qudeirat has no real competition as the site of Kadesh-Barnea. There is also a tell at Ein el-Qudeirat (formerly Tell el-Qudeirat and now called Tel b Kadesh-Barnea), but thus far it has yielded no remains earlier than the tenth century B.C., hundreds of years after the Exodus. And this, of course, remains a problem.

Having located the beginning point and the end point of the Israelites’ wilderness trek, it remains only to determine how the wanderers got from point A to point B. That, however, is easier said than done.

The Bible mentions several sites where the Israelites arrived shortly after leaving Raamses. From Raamses, they went to Succoth ( Exodus 12:37 ; Numbers 33:5 ). From there, they went to Etham “on the edge of the wilderness” ( Numbers 33:6 ). From Etham, they turned back and camped at Migdol ( Numbers 33:7 ). These and a few other sites mentioned in this passage are no doubt also in the eastern Nile Delta, and scholars have suggested a number of candidates for these sites.

The problems for scholars really begin, however, after the Israelites entered the desert. The Israelites started with a three-day journey into the wilderness of Etham, arriving at Marah. From there, they went to Elim and from there to the Reed Sea by the wilderness of Sin. Next came Dophkah, then Alush and on and on, one site after another ( Numbers 33 ).

And we have no idea where these sites are. They simply cannot be located on the ground with any confidence. That is why we have so many proposed routes for the Israelites’ wilderness wandering.

To have validity at all, any suggested route must follow what I call the tracks of Sinai. Except along the Mediterranean coast, the roads or trackways of Sinai run—and have run from time immemorial—along the dry streambeds called “wadis.” Most ancient settlements were built beside these wadis, 1 not only for the obvious reason of ease of communication with other settlements, but also because the available water resources were located mostly in the wadi beds, rather than on the high mountain uplands.

Four principal routes for the Exodus have been suggested by scholars.

The first and shortest is the northern route, along the Mediterranean Sea—the “way of the sea,” first mentioned by that name in Isaiah 9:1 (8:23 in Hebrew). Since the Roman period, this route has been known in Latin as the Via Maris. The ancient Egyptians, at least in the reign of Seti I (1313–1301 B.C.), used it for military campaigns against the northern countries and called it “the way of Horus.” The Bible refers to it also as the “way of the Philistines,” but goes on to state explicitly that this was not the route taken by the Israelites after they left Egypt:

“Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; for God said, ‘The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people roundabout, by way of the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds” ( Exodus 13:17–18 ).

Proceeding from north to south, the next candidate for the Exodus route through Sinai is the Way of Shur. This appears to have been the route taken by the patriarchs on their way to the land of Goshen ( Genesis 16:7 , 25:18). This route probably led from the area of Kadesh-Barnea via Jebel Halal, Bir Haseneh and Bir Gafgafa to the area of the modern town of Ismailia. The route passed between lakes where the Egyptians had constructed a fortification line called “Shur Mitzrayim,” the Wall of Egypt, to protect the Delta and to control the movement of nomads coming from the other side.

Another possibility is the Way of Seir ( Deuteronomy 1:2 ). This route probably led from the Gulf of Suez, via Eilat, to the mountain of Seir in the land of Edom, in southern Jordan. c Today, this route is known as the 032 “Darb el Haj,” or Way of the Celebrants, because caravans of Moslem pilgrims travel along it on their way to Mecca for the observance of the haj (pilgrimage). In Biblical times it was named after its destination, the Mountain of Seir, or Edom.

The final and most southerly possibility is “the way to the hill country of the Amorites” ( Deuteronomy 1:19 ). This route led from Mount Horeb in the south (wherever that is) to Kadesh-Barnea.

If we accept a southern location for Mt. Sinai, then this way is related to the second half of the Exodus journey—“From Horeb we went through all that great and terrible wilderness” ( Deuteronomy 1:19 ). d This route would proceed (along the Gulf of Eilat) to Ezion-Geber ( Numbers 33:16–35 ) and, via “the way to the hill country of the Amorites,” to Kadesh (-Barnea) ( Numbers 33:36 ). This segment is referred to in the Bible as “the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea” ( Exodus 13:18 ).

At least theoretically, each of these routes is a possibility. How do we decide among them?

Mt. Sinai was of course a critical stop along the route; if we could locate the mountain where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, that could well be determinative of the route through the Sinai.

But, as we all know, the location of Mt. Sinai is in dispute and is a matter of speculation at best. Some scholars locate it deep in southern Sinai. Others go in the other direction and place it in the Negev Highlands. Still others place it in central Sinai; and others in north central Sinai. One scholar (Emmanuel Anati) argues that it is a site in the central Negev; another (Frank Moore Cross) that it is in Arabia. For those who wish to pursue the matter further, I have listed in the sidebar “Proposed Locations of Mt. Sinai” the various mountains that have been proposed, their locations and the scholars who support each location (with citations to their work).

It is interesting that of all the sites proposed for Mt. Sinai, only two have remains of human presence in ancient times.

One, proposed by the Italian scholar Emmanuel Anati, is the site known as Har Karkom, located in the central Negev Highlands, about 70 miles southwest of 033 Beer-Sheva and 50 miles northwest of Eilat. Anati recently published a sumptuously illustrated book titled The Mountain of God , concerning his recent investigation of this massif, and even earlier reported to BAR readers on his findings. e I do not wish to comment at length on Professor Anati’s interpretation of certain structures discovered on this massif, except to note that his interpretation seems to me to strain the limits of my strictly archaeological approach. However, the most important point in connection with the problem we are exploring in this article is that most of the remains at Har Karkom date to the third millennium B.C., far too early for anyone’s (except Anati’s) reckoning of the Exodus. Moreover, those architectural elements at Har Karkom that Anati interprets as “cultic” are found in parallel forms at other mountain sites both in Eastern Sinai and in the Negev itself. At one mountain site in the Negev—Hasham el-Tarif—located some 40 miles southwest of Eilat, the remains of a number of sanctuaries, most of them open-air sanctuaries, were found. 2 These have been dated generally (due to a lack of specific finds) to the fifth or fourth millennium B.C. They are contemporary with the sanctuary recently excavated in Bika’at Uvda (on the fringes of the Arava, about 30 miles north of Eilat), also dated to the fifth millennium B.C. The remains discovered on the Har Karkom massif are also from this period, extending to as late as the third millennium B.C. So Har Karkom can hardly be Mt. Sinai and thus affords no assistance in locating the route of the Exodus.

The other site proposed for Mt. Sinai where human remains have been found is Serabit el-Khadem. f At Serabit el-Khadem, turquoise deposits were exploited by the ancient Egyptians during the Middle and New Kingdom periods (c. 1991–1190 B.C.). 3 At the beginning of the Middle Kingdom, a sanctuary dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Hathor was built here and was continually expanded over the centuries.

A number of very early alphabetic inscriptions (dated to about 1500 B.C.) have been found at Serabit el-Khadem in the mine area, rather than in the sanctuary area. Known as Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions, this pictographic-alphabetic script seems to have been used for a Semitic-Canaanite language. 4 Other examples of this script from an even earlier time (c. 1600 B.C.) have also been found in Canaan!

In addition, several pictures of what appear to be Semites were engraved on stelae in the Serabit el-Khadem sanctuary, and some of the names written on it in hieroglyphics are also Semitic.

Clearly, Semites were present at this Egyptian mining operation.

Some scholars have suggested that an Egyptian religious tradition sanctified Serabit el-Khadem, and that this religious tradition was somehow passed on to the Israelites. In that way, Serbit el-Khadem provided the model for Mt. Sinai.

Few scholars and fewer laymen are likely to be convinced by this speculation, however. Moreover, at the time of the Exodus, whether in the 13th century B.C. or in the 15th century B.C., Egyptian turquoise mining in the Sinai was at its most intensive. As we are told in the Egyptian dedication stelae of the Serabit el-Khadem sanctuary, Egyptian army escorts guarded the mines and the mining personnel. It is therefore highly unlikely that at this time the Israelites would have experienced a theophany here. Serabit el-Khadem is not Mt. Sinai.

We must admit that we can get no help in locating 035 the Exodus route by trying to locate Mt. Sinai.

Let us therefore look at the ecological and ethnological picture of Sinai to see what guidance we can find.

The entire Sinai peninsula covers over 23,000 square miles. I would like to concentrate, however, on the nearly 2,900 square-mile area of south central Sinai.

Geologically, south central Sinai is part of the Arabian-Nubian massif. The highest peaks reach 8,200 feet above sea level. The mountain landscape is broken and cut by ravines and gullies. Some of these wadis are only a few yards wide; others are 500 feet wide and more.

As noted earlier, these wadis, or at least the wider ones, provide convenient natural passages along which traffic moves; they form the principal routes and arteries of the region and are also the main areas in which human activity was, and still is, concentrated.

South central Sinai has a semi-desert climate. The median low temperature in winter is 23° Fahrenheit; the median high temperature in summer is 105° Fahrenheit. Rainfall is rare and irregular. The average annual rainfall is less than 2.5 inches. However, a small amount of melt water from the snows that cover the mountain peaks in winter adds to the water supply.

Water resources also include rock aquifers (natural, subterranean reservoirs), which are sufficiently close to the surface to be rather easily tapped. Natural open pools along wadis also collect runoff rainwater. The water accumulated in these pools can be drawn on for many months of the year. In a few places, springs fed by high ground-water levels flow into the wadis. It is at these places where oases, such as the Feiran oasis in the west and Ein-Kid oasis in the east, have developed. A fairly dense growth of typically stunted, desert trees and bushes covers the streambeds and the nearby plain areas. This growth is exploited by the local Bedouin for grazing, as well as for fuel.

Today, the area has a population of approximately 10,000 Bedouin, who live in both temporary and permanent settlements. Their dwellings consist mostly of tents, wooden huts and, at the more permanent sites, a few stone structures.

In the 15 years between 1967 and 1982, when Israeli archaeologists had access to Sinai, it was clearly shown that the largest concentration of ancient settlements was in this mountainous region of south central Sinai. Except for the coastal strip, all other areas of Sinai have few economic resources and little water, as a result of which there is almost no regular or settled population. Central Sinai is called in Arabic “Badyat el-Tih,” the Desert of the Wanderers. It is a flat area of limestone and sand, unsuitable for farming of any kind. Even the wild flora struggle to survive because of the lack of water.

Based on this evidence, I believe that the southern 036 route is the one most likely taken by the Israelites on their trek from Raamses to Kadesh-Barnea. As compared with other regions of Sinai, here in south central Sinai they would have found a reasonably adequate water supply and a relatively comfortable climate that makes it possible to maintain a daily lifestyle suitably adapted to the conditions of the desert. Moreover, the high mountains of south central Sinai are geomorphologically adapted to providing plenty of rock shelters; the high cliffs shield settlements established in their lee against the blasts of the cold winter winds.

Compared to other parts of Sinai, this region is ecologically better adapted to the sustenance of life, because it is covered by assorted vegetation consisting of acacia and palm trees and a fairly dense growth of perennial bushes, along with a seasonal cover of grasses and weeds suitable for pasturing sheep and goats.

In a pastoral economy (where ordinary argiculture is not possible) a flock of goats is essential. The Bedouin flocks even today are mostly black goats of a special dwarf breed physiologically adapted to arid conditions. As experiments have shown, this breed of goat can go for as long as 14 days without water. At the end of the two-week period, the goats will have lost 40 percent of their body weight. Although deprived of water for this entire period, however, the goats show no ill effects and continue to carry out their bodily functions normally. Then, when given water, they gulp up enough in two minutes to equal 40 percent of their body weight.

This animal’s ability to endure for weeks without water allows Sinai pastoralists to wander long distances with their flocks. The economic existence of the ancient population of south central Sinai was probably dependent on the domestication of the desert goat, which provided the populace not only with meat and milk, but also with hides and perhaps with wool as well.

In our excavations, g we found numerous animal bones of black, dwarf-breed goats from as early as the third millennium B.C. With flocks of such goats, the pastoralists could range across south central Sinai without having to worry about a nearby water source, such as a pool, a cistern or a well.

The concentration of Bedouin in this area today confirms our analysis of the situation in ancient times. In this respect, things haven’t changed very much.

But there is another reason why I believe that this is the area most likely traversed by the Israelites on their way through Sinai. That relates to the area’s geographic isolation vis-à-vis the regions that surround it. This isolation results from the region’s geomorphological structure, which cuts it off from the mountain ranges to the north and from the Red Sea gulfs on the east and west.

Whether for this or for other, additional reasons, ancient Egyptian hegemony never extended into south central Sinai. As we have seen, the Egyptians did reach the western strip of southern Sinai, where they worked the turquoise mines of Serabit el-Khadem and similar mines at nearby Wadi Maghara. But despite the fact that south central Sinai contains copper deposits that were highly prized in ancient times, there is no evidence to indicate that the Egyptians were active in the exploitation of these copper deposits.

Perhaps they refrained from penetrating into the south central mountain region, because they feared a conflict with the local population, which enjoyed a clear strategic advantage over any foreign invader. This is suggested by an Egyptian rock relief discovered in the Wadi Maghara. This relief, dating to about 2600 B.C., depicts the pharaoh Sekhemkhet, the third king of the third dynasty, smiting an enemy. Whether the depicted act was an actual historical event is irrelevant; the fact remains, the Egyptians perceived the need to invoke magical powers against their enemies in this region.

In any event, for whatever reason, we find no evidence of an Egyptian presence in south central Sinai at any time in the entire history of ancient Egypt.

So south central Sinai was suitable as the wandering ground of the Israelite tribes not only from an economic-ecological viewpoint, but also from the geopolitical viewpoint. It was a region free of any Egyptian presence. Here, in short, the Israelites were safe.

Yet there is a problem. Nowhere have we found any material remains of human occupation at the time (Late Bronze Age—1550–1200 B.C.) when the Exodus is supposed to have occurrred . h Perhaps it will be argued, by those who subscribe to the traditional account in the Bible, that the Israelite material culture was only of the flimsiest kind that left no trace. Presumably the Israelite dwellings and artifacts consisted only of perishable materials.

But it must be pointed out that we did find substantial evidence of human occupation from even earlier periods. We discovered scores of settlements, especially from the so-called pre-pottery Neolithic period (sixth-fifth millennia B.C.) and from the Early Bronze Age II period (first half of the third millennium B.C.). In the EB II period, a Canaanite population established a series of small settlements in south central Sinai. The principal economic activity of these settlements was the production of copper from locally mined ores, which was then transported by caravan to the large population centers in Canaan.

What are we to conclude then from all this evidence? It is clear that no single, consistent picture of the Exodus emerges. But what we can say is that if a large-scale Exodus as described in the Bible, or even a small-scale Exodus, did in fact occur, it probably followed the southern route through the Sinai.

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See Rudolph Cohen, “Did I Excavate Kadesh-Barnea?” BAR 07:03.

A tel or tell is an artificial mound formed by accumulated remains. “Tel” is the spelling used in Hebrew site names; “tell” is the spelling used in Arabic site names.

Another view (held by Zvi Ilan and supported by some other scholars) is that the mountain of Seir is not located in Jordan, but in east central Sinai close to the Negev Highlands. According to this view, this route starts in the Temed area and goes north via the Wadi Watir, the Wadi Shaireh and Jebel Shaireh (notice the similarity between the Arabic name Shaireh and the Hebrew name Sinai) to Kadesh-Barnea ( -->see dashed line on map -->). In this view, Horeb/Sinai should be located in the area of Temed because “there are 11 days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir unto Kadesh-Barnea” ( Deuteronomy 1:2 ).

The mountain of God is called both “Horeb” and “Sinai” at different places in the Bible (see, for example, Exodus 3:1 and Deuteronomy 1:6 for “Horeb”; and Exodus 19:20 , 34:29 for “Sinai”).

See Emmanuel Anati, “Has Mt. Sinai Been Found?” BAR 11:04.

From 1971 to 1982 I headed an archaeological expedition, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, that investigated the archaeology of southern and eastern Sinai.

See my article, “Fifteen Years in Sinai,” BAR 10:04.

For the earlier date, see John J. Bimson and David Livingston, “Redating the Exodus,” BAR 13:05; for the later date, see Baruch Halpern, “Radical Exodus Redating Fatally Flawed,” BAR 13:06).

Itzhaq Beit-Arieh, “A Pattern of Settlement in Southern Sinai and Southern Canaan in the Third Millennium B.C.,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 243 (1981), pp. 31–54.

U. Armer, “Ancient Cult Sites in the Negev and Sinai Deserts,” Tel Aviv 11 (1984), pp. 115–131.

William M. Flinders Petrie, Researches in Sinai (New York: Dutton 1906); see also Beit-Arieh, “Fifteen Years in Sinai,” BAR 10:04; and Beit-Arieh, “Serabit el-Khadim: New Metallurgical and Chronological Aspects,” Levant 17 (1985), pp. 89–116.

William F. Albright, The Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions and Their Decipherment (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1969); Frank Moore Cross, “The Evolution of the Alphabet,” Eretz-Israel 8 (1967) p. 12; and Joseph Naveh, Early History of the Alphabet (Jerusalem. Magnes Press, Hebrew Univ., 1982).

The Geography of the Exodus: A Journey from Egypt to Canaan

The Exodus is one of the most significant events in the history of the Israelites. It is the story of their escape from slavery in Egypt and their journey to the land of Canaan, which God had promised to them. The geography of the Exodus played a crucial role in shaping the experiences and beliefs of the Israelites. Here's a closer look at the journey from Egypt to Canaan.

Egypt: The Exodus began in Egypt, where the Israelites had been living in slavery for over 400 years. According to the Bible, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, which God miraculously parted to allow them to pass.
Sinai Peninsula: After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites traveled through the Sinai Peninsula, a barren and desolate region that was difficult to navigate. It was at Mount Sinai that Moses received the Ten Commandments and established the covenant between God and the Israelites.
Wilderness: The Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, a harsh and unforgiving landscape that was marked by sand dunes, rocky terrain, and extreme temperatures. They relied on God's provision of manna and water to sustain them during their journey.
Jordan River: The Israelites eventually arrived at the Jordan River, which they crossed into the land of Canaan, the promised land. The crossing of the Jordan River is seen as a symbol of the Israelites' transition from slavery to freedom.
Canaan: The land of Canaan was a region that was rich in resources and had fertile soil, making it an ideal location for settlement. The Israelites faced many challenges as they established themselves in the land, including conflicts with other tribes and struggles to maintain their religious beliefs.

The geography of the Exodus provides us with a greater understanding of the challenges and triumphs of the Israelites as they journeyed from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. The landscape of the region played a significant role in shaping their experiences and beliefs, and continues to be an important part of their cultural and religious heritage.

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The Exodus Route: Goshen to the Red Sea

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The Red Sea Crossing

Introduction:

We only know with certainty, three of the nearly 50 places listed in the exodus between Egypt and the Jordan 40 years later. Rameses (Goshen), Ezion-Geber (modern Elat) and Mt. Nemo. God has chosen for us to know only the starting, midway and ending cities. Nothing in between is known for certain.
Additionally, of all the wilderness areas mentioned in the exodus, we only know for certain that the Wilderness of Shur was in Midian where Ishmael settled.
We do not know for certain any of the following places: Mt. Sinai, Wilderness of Sinai, Kadesh Barnea, Wilderness of Zin, Wilderness of Paran. All these places are interdependent on each other. The fact that there are over 15 different proposed sites for Mt. Sinai on three different continents proves this.
In trying to locate the crossing point of the Red Sea, we need to follow closely what the Bible says. Of course the actual crossing point needs to be possible, logical and harmonize with scripture. For example, crossing a shallow freshwater lake like the Bitter Lakes, where winds merely blew the water away, creates a problem for how the Egyptian army would be drowned. On the other hand, a crossing through the center of either the Gulf of Suez or Gulf of Aqaba where the water is often 1800 meters deep, easily explains the drowning of the army, but creates a problem in actually getting one million men, women, children and livestock to negotiate the steep 60 degree downward slope to the bottom almost a mile deep, then back up the other equally steep side.
The date of the exodus was 1446 BC, in the 18th dynasty of Egypt, 480 years before Solomon built the Temple: 1 Kings 6:1. About 70 years later, Pharaoh Akhenaten (1379 - 1362 BC) would arise and promote a monotheism that worshipped the sun god Aten.
All things considered, we are proposing that the Straits of Tiran in the Gulf of Aqaba, is the best candidate crossing point in 1446 BC.

A. They took the long southern route, not the short eastern route via the Philistines:

All northern crossing points on the Mediterranean sea like "Lake Sirbonis" are wrong because the Bible says they did not go the short route towards the Philistines, but the long route to the Red Sea: "Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines , even though it was near; for God said, "The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea ; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt. " Exodus 13:17-18
In addition to directly contradicting the Bible, all northern crossing points like "Lake Sirbonis" must be wrong because like the Bitter Lakes, they provided no absolute security and protection from Egypt.

B. The Bible says the Red Sea is the Gulf of Aqaba.

The gulf of Aqaba is called the Red Sea and is what the average Hebrew thought of when referring to the Red Sea: Ex 23:31; Num 21:4; Deut 2:1; Judges 11:16; 1 Kings 9:26.
The gulf of Suez is called the Red Sea only once: Ex 10:19.
No freshwater body of water is ever called the Red Sea in the Bible including the Bitter Lakes and Lake Timsah. These two lakes are suggested as possible traditional "Red Sea" crossing points.
Bitter Lakes and Lake Timsah are never called the Sea of Reeds but they are shallow lakes with reeds in them. But this is true of all shallow freshwater bodies in the region.
Red sea (yam suph) means: Red Sea! Calling the Red sea, the "Sea of reeds" is a guess based upon an inference of etymology. The same word is used of both freshwater bulrushes: Ex 2:3,5; Isa 19:6 and saltwater ocean plants: Jonah 2:5. So for those not content to call it just the Red Sea, they should be consistent and call it: "sea of plants" "Sea of weeds". Calling it "Sea of Reeds" creates a bias towards a freshwater body and causes us to rule out the Gulf of Aqaba. Likewise calling the Red Sea "Sea of Seaweed" biases towards a saltwater body. Although the Gulf of Aqaba is the Red sea, we feel it best to just stick with what the Bible called it.
The correct name therefore is "Red Sea". Let us forever cease from calling it "The Sea of Reeds".

C. Deep enough to create a wall of water: Type of Baptism.

The Bible says that God blew the water back with a strong wind and there was a wall of water on both sides: "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. " Exodus 14:21-22
All of this was miracle. The wind both helped divide the waters, but more likely were the agent that dried the seabed. Then there was the miraculous wall of water on both sides. Skeptics looking for naturalistic and non-miraculous explanations, like to think of a shallow lake a few feet deep (like the Bitter Lakes), being swept back by a typical strong wind. But they cannot explain the wall of water. In fact they dismiss the wall of water, saying the word in Hebrew just means a brim, a wave. In fact the word "wall" is used over 140 times in the Old Testament and it is the common word used countless times for city walls.
Further, Apostle Paul argues the walls of water on both sides and the cloud above, were a metaphor for water baptism by full immersion: "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; " 1 Corinthians 10:1-2. The word baptism always means full immersion in the Greek and it was only changed to sprinkling for "dead bed baptisms" in 757 AD and even then immersion was the normal mode of baptism. The point here is that Paul argues that the Israelites were a type of full immersion, with water on both sides like city walls, and a cloud of water vapour over top of their heads. Paul says that just as Israel was saved when they were "baptized into Moses", so too we are saved when we are baptized into Christ. (See Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pe 3:21)
Bulrushes and reeds grow in very shallow lakes. The Bible says that their was a wall of water on both sides of the sea when they crossed, indicating a great depth that would not allow reeds to grow. "Sea of Reeds" is the name the modernists prefer so they can explain away the great miracle of the parting of the Red Sea. They explain that it was a shallow fresh water lake of bullrushes and God simply blew away 10 feet of water to allow them to cross. Of course their real intent is to find a non-miraculous explanation for the story and this is why they prefer to call the Red Sea, the Sea of Reeds.

D. Far enough away to justify their bitter complaints about being in the wilderness: Exodus 14:11-12

When Israel saw the Egyptian army getting ready to attack them: "Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness ? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? "Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness ."" Exodus 14:11-12
This is where any suggested crossing point like the Bitter Lakes or the northern Suez becomes plain silly because they are just too close to Egypt to say this. They are clearly NOT IN THE WILDERNESS, since the Bitter lakes are about 25 miles from the edge of Goshen where they lived. The Northern Suez crossing is only 60 miles. Far too close to worry about dying in the wilderness if it was just a days walk back to your old bed in Goshen. Why they would probably walk to the Bitter Lakes to fish on their day off just for fun. But if you are 240 miles away from your bed, in a desolate area far from civilization, then the complaints about dying in the wilderness at the hands of Pharaoh's army are quite justified.
Also, the Bitter Lakes are fresh drinkable water. With their herds, they had no concerns of starving or dying of thirst. So being 30 miles from their beds, with ample food supply, beside a major fresh water lake, no one would call this "in the wilderness".

E. The crossing point guaranteed security from Egypt:

Israel rejoiced after crossing the Red Sea. They did not fear the Egyptian army any more.
Three suggested crossing points must be wrong because they provided absolutely no security: 1. Bitter Lakes. 2. Lake Timsah. 3. Northern tip of Gulf of Suez.. At these crossing points, the pillar of fire could not protect Israel, since Pharaoh's army would simply go around the lake from both sides and ambush them! Even with Pharaoh's army drowning, these crossing points are so close to Egypt, that a second army, though inferior to the first, would be sent by Pharaoh. The second army would attack Israel from all directions. Therefore, these crossing provide no peace of mind at all.
If I had just crossed a small lake that was 5 miles through the middle and 10 miles around the shores, I would not be singing the song of Moses, I would keep running away ! But when they crossed at the Gulf of Aqaba, they knew they were fully secure right there and then with no "what ifs", second thoughts or worries.
Therefore, the only crossing point of all our choices that would provide absolute security and peace of mind is the "Straits of Tiran" at the Gulf of Aqaba.

F. Don't ignore the wilderness of Egypt before they crossed the Red Sea.

Wilderness of Egypt is the Sinai Peninsula: "As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt " Ezekiel 20:36
Notice these two passage that say they went through a wilderness of Egypt before crossing the Red Sea: "For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh" Judges 11:16; "Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt." Exodus 13:18
The Bible sequence for the exodus route says they traveled in the wilderness of Egypt to get to the Red Sea. The correct sequential order is "wilderness before the Red Sea" crossing. (Exodus 13:18; Judges 11:16). "Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea ; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt. " Exodus 13:18 "For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh, " Judges 11:16.
Only a crossing at the Gulf of Aqaba has a wilderness wandering before they crossed the Red Sea.
The traditional crossing points like the Bitter Lakes, have no "wilderness sojourn before the Red sea.". The West side of the Bitter Lakes was not considered wilderness. Instead it was considered within the formal boundaries of Egypt. A crossing at the Bitter Lakes fails because Israel did not go " through the wilderness to the Red Sea ." Judge 11:16
Those who believe Israel crossed at the north tip of the Gulf of Suez fail to harmonize the sequence of "Wilderness travel before Red Sea". They trace the route due south from Goshen towards the western side of the Gulf of Suez, then cross over into what is traditionally called the Sinai peninsula where they travel in the wilderness to the traditional Mt. Sinia at Jebel Musa (St. Catherine's Monastery).
Some "north Gulf of Suez crossing advocates attempt to harmonize the "Wilderness before the Red Sea crossing" sequence by tracing the route as follows: From Goshen east of either the Bitter lakes, "into the wilderness" then south for 20 miles, then west (back out of the wilderness) towards the Nile over top of the Gulf of Suez, then south again for about 5 miles to the west side of the Gulf of Suez where they crosses the "Red Sea" from west to east back into the "Wilderness of Sinai" a second time. This is just too bizarre a route to be correct. A better choice is a crossing at the Gulf of Aqaba.
Most people completely overlook this clear detail that Israel traveled through a wilderness to get to the Red Sea. Once they crossed the Red Sea, they entered into the Wilderness of Shur.
Only the Gulf of Aqaba crossing at the Straits of Tiran agrees with the sequence of events in the Bible: 1. They left the populated areas of Egypt. 2. traveled a considerable distance in the wilderness. 3. which led to the Red sea where they crossed. The Bible says they traveled in the wilderness to get to the Red sea. The traditional crossing points have it opposite: They crossed the Red Sea then afterwards, entered the wilderness. This is backwards and proves a Gulf of Aqaba crossing point.

G. Etham and Red Sea were the "distant edge" of the wilderness.

Immediately before the crossing of the Red Sea is "Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness ." Numbers 33:6. Traditional thinking interprets this as the starting edge of the wilderness on the west side of the Bitter Lakes before they entered what is traditionally called the Sinai Peninsula.
When you cross a wilderness there are always "two edges". The near edge at the start of the wilderness crossing and the far edge as you leave the wilderness.
The correct interpretation is that Etham was on the far and outer edge of the wilderness after they had traveled through it to reach the Red sea. Remember the Bible sequence: They leave Goshen, travel through the wilderness and after they have crossed this wilderness, they arrive at the Red sea and cross it". (Exodus 13:18; Judges 11:16)

H. They arrived at the Red Sea after traveling through the wilderness and were then at the "distant edge" of the wilderness.

Now lets imagine they travel from Goshen to the Bitter lakes or the North Suez.
If the 10 mile area between the outskirts of Goshen and the Bitter Lakes are considered a wilderness, then the edge of the wilderness, in traditional thinking, would be at the outskirts of Goshen where they began. But the edge of the wilderness was immediately before they crossed.
You cannot travel through a wilderness, then be at the starting edge of the same wilderness at the same time. Remember there is only one wilderness in focus here.

I. Judges 11:16 indicates two generally equal distances between Egypt, Red Sea and Kadish Barnea:

Clearly this is a general summary verse that traces the whole trip: "For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh, " Judges 11:16.
It just so happens that the distance from Egypt they went through the wilderness to the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) is roughly about the same distance of 220 Miles. After they crossed, they were only 30 miles from Mt. Sinai (Jebel al-Lawz). The crossing therefore was the approximate halfway mark of the journey to Kadish Barnea (just south of Petra) where they spent 30 years (many days) living before entering the promised land. That is what the verse is conveying.
The traditional and most popular route is a red sea crossing at the Bitter Lakes, through the wilderness to Jebel Musa in what is traditionally called the Sinai Peninsula, then to Kadesh Barnea at Ein el Qudeirat. But the traditional route from Egypt to the Bitter Lakes to Kadesh are dramatically unequal in every regard. The first leg was 30 miles from Goshen to the Bitter Lakes (Red Sea) and the second leg was a wopping 350 miles to Kadish Barnea. (Ein el Qudeirat). Even if they got the location of Kadish Barnea correct just south of Petra, the second let is still 300 Miles.
For the traditional thinkers, if Israel crossed at the Bitter Lakes, then Judges 11:16 would read differently than it does. For them, Judges 11:16 should read: "they came up from Egypt came to Mt. Sinai (220 miles), then from Mt. Sinai to Kadesh Barnea (190 miles)." These are similar distances.

J. What does the Bible call that "V" shaped area of land between the Gulfs of Suez Aqaba? "Wilderness of Egypt" you say?

The Bible name of the "Sinai Peninsula" is the " Wilderness of Egypt ". (Ezekiel 20:36; Judges 11:16; Exodus 13:18)
All modern maps are wrong in regard to the "Sinai Peninsula". One glaring error is calling "V" shaped area of land between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba the Sinai Peninsula. Mt. Sinai must be in the Sinai Peninsula, Right? Wrong. The error is circular reasoning. Because Queen Helina chose Jebel Musa in 325 AD, (St. Catherine's Monastery) as Mt. Sinai, all maps since have called it the wilderness of Sinai or the Sinai Peninsula. But if Mt. Sinai is really at Mt. Karkom, located about 30 miles north west of Ezion-geber. (modern Elat), then this changes everything! And if Mt. Sinai is really Jebel al-Lawz in modern North Saudi Arabia, this really changes everything!
The Bible no where identifies the wilderness of Sinai as being geographically tagged to the V shaped area of land between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. All we know is that Mt. Sinai/Horeb is in the wilderness of Sinai. Find one and you have found the other! But the Bible doesn't specifically tell us where the wilderness of Sinai is located. If it did, we would not have 10 different candidate locations for Mt. Sinai hundreds of miles apart! The Bible does tell us that Mt. Sinai is in the wilderness of Shur. And Shur is where the Ishmaelites lived. And we know the Ishmaelites lived directly with the Midianites. In fact they are used interchangeably in the story of Joseph being sold into Egypt. So we know Mt. Sinai must be in the land of Midian.
Although the Bible never directly tells us where the Wilderness of Sinai is, the Bible does give four different names for geographic V shaped area of land between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba that has traditionally been called the Sinai Peninsula. Here they are: 1. " the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea" (Exodus 13:18) 2. " the wilderness to the Red Sea" (Judges 11:16). 3. " the wilderness of the sea " (Isa 21:1) 4. " wilderness of the land of Egypt" (Ezekiel 20:36) If you study these four passages carefully, you can see that this is clearly the case. We feel perfectly justified in calling it the " The Egyptian Red Sea Wilderness ", based strictly upon what the Bible calls this region.
In Isa 21:1 Babylon is likened unto the geographic region west of the Negev (traditionally called the Sinai peninsula) and called "the wilderness of the sea". "The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea . As windstorms in the Negev sweep on, It comes from the wilderness , from a terrifying land. " Isaiah 21:1. Here the "the wilderness of the [Red] sea" does not refer to the geographic land of Babylon. Instead, it is saying that Babylon will destroy Judah, like the wind that blows into the Negev from "the wilderness of the sea" . The heavy and damaging winds always blow from west to east, so the Bible calls the modern Sinai Peninsula "the wilderness of the sea". The Israelites were all too familiar with the strong and destructive winds that blew from this area into the Negev. Isa 21:1 is warning that destruction for Judah will originate with Babylon in the same way that the strong winds originate from the "the wilderness of the Red sea" . The "the wilderness of the Red sea" is a metaphor for Babylon, but not exactly the same as Babylon.
Notice the Hebrew parallelism that seems to indicate that the Red sea was seen as adjacent to the territory of Egypt: The Red Sea is in the land of Ham: "Wonders in the land of Ham And awesome things by the Red Sea . " The Bible tells us that Ham lived in Egypt and archeology tells us he lived on both sides of the Gulf of Suez. Psalm 106:22 "And smote all the firstborn in Egypt, The first issue of their virility in the tents of Ham . " Psalm 78:51 "Israel also came into Egypt; Thus Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham . (Before exodus)" Psalm 105:23. We admit the Hebrew parallelism of Ps 106:22 is weak because it also works for a crossing at the Bitter Lakes. It also could be viewed as not being a Hebrew parallelism: "Wonders in the land of Ham (ten plagues) and awesome things by the Red Sea (parting the water). But if the crossing is the Staits of Tiran, it works too!

K. The Egyptian-Israeli border is the "River of Egypt".

The formal western boundary of Israel is the River of Egypt (Wadi al-Arish). Cross the River of Egypt and you are in Egypt! That's why its called The River of Egypt!
God told Abraham the land promise included: "From the River of Egypt (Wadi al-Arish) as far as the great river, the river Euphrates" Gen 15:18
Abraham went directly from Egypt to the Negev without passing through any other territory. "So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. " Genesis 13:1. This verse is exactly what we would expect if the River of Egypt (Wadi al-Arish) is the boundary line between the Negev and Egypt.
Notably, when people cross the River of Egypt the Bible never puts any land, region or area between the two. If the border of Egypt really was at the edge of the land of Goshen by the Bitter Lakes, we would expect the Bible to say things like, "An Abraham left the Negev and travelled in the wilderness, then came to Egypt. We never find a single Bible verse that indicates a land between Egypt and Israel, because the River of Egypt is the eastern boundary of Egypt !
Premillenialists discount the Bible verses that say Israel got all the promised land: "So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. " Joshua 21:43. They argue that the River of Egypt is not the Wadi al-Arish, but the Nile River. Of course this won't work because the Nile is a much greater river than the Euphrates and of course it would mean that they were already in the promised land in Goshen before the exodus started! So the western boundary of Israel is the River of Egypt, which is the Wadi al-Arish. Most Bible map sets have this correct.
The power of name of this river that the sets the boundary between Egypt and Israel was understood in the mind of every Jew. What country other than Egypt controlled this region? Was it just a blob of vacant wasteland no country laid claim to? The fact remains that from 1500BC up to the completion of the New Testament, the land west of the River of Egypt was considered part of Egypt. Sure Egypt proper was west of the Nile, but this area was an Egyption protectorate.
The Romans annexed what we call the "modern Sinai Peninsula" in 106 AD. Prior to this, it was considered the territory of Egypt. Because of mining operations, it was an Egyptian protectorate under the military control of Egypt. This means that Egyptian territory butted up to the western boundery of Israel (Wadi al-Arish in the Negev).
After 106 AD, the "modern Sinai Peninsula" became accociated with Arabia. This understanding also proves that Mt. Sinia cannot be in this region at Jebel Musa, since Paul said Mt. Sinai was in Arabia. (Gal 4:25) Since Arabia was restricted to Saudia Arabia and south east of the Dead Sea, until 106 AD, Jebel al-Lawz becomes a primary candiate for Mt. Sinai. Remember Queen Helina chose a lot of places in 325AD on the basis of feelings and superstition that were clearly not historically correct. These include the Birth place of Christ's birth (Bethlehem) and Jebel Musa for Mt. Sinai.
Ezekiel calls the "modern Sinai Peninsula" the " wilderness of the land of Egypt". Ezek 20:36 "As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt , so I will enter into judgment with you," declares the Lord God." Ezekiel 20:36. Just where did God judge Israel in " the wilderness of Egypt "? The first recorded faithless grumbling is Israel was while they were still in Egypt against Moses who was trying to get them to leave in the first place. Ezekiel makes reference to the second recorded faithless grumbling of Israel in the wilderness of the land of Egypt just before crossing the Red Sea: "Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? "Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."" Exodus 14:11-12. Although God did not kill them until their next faithless grumbling on the other side of the Red Sea, Ezekiel tells us that God had Judged them for their faithlessness. They were marked for punishment.
The Ishmaelites and the Midianites lived together in the land of Midian and are referred to interchangeably in the Bible. But the Bible also says that " Ishmael settled from Havilah to Shur which is east of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria; he settled in defiance of all his relatives." Genesis 25:18 Haviliah was south east of the dead sea and Shur was in the land of Midian (modern Saudi Arabia). There was a highway running north to south between Haviliah and Shur where Ishmael lived. Another reference to this highway is: "So Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, which is east of Egypt . " 1 Samuel 15:7. Now that we know the highway ran north and south but east of Araba Valley which would drain the dead sea into the Red sea if the water still flowed. Here is the point: This area is described as being, "east of Egypt" which only makes sense if the "Traditional Sinai Peninsula" is considered part of Egypt .
Notice that Pharaoh considered them still within Egypt before the crossing of the Red sea: "For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, 'They are wandering aimlessly in the land ; the wilderness has shut them in.'" Exodus 14:3

L. The Straits of Tiran in the Gulf of Aqaba is the best candidate for the crossing point

If we let the Bible guide us first, then look at the geography of the Gulf of Aqaba, we will see that the Straits of Tiran are the best candidate for the Red Sea crossing.

M. "Shut in" by the sea and the mountains at the Straits of Tiran:

Scripture says that Israel went past the Red Sea crossing point to Pi-hahiroth, then turned back again. "For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, 'They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in .'" Exodus 14:3. The Straits of Tiran are clearly where this happened!
Pharaoh, knowing the geography of the area understood that Israel had reached the dead end of this plain and was literally boxed in by high mountains and the Red Sea. Pharaoh's best army came roaring up behind them leaving them only two choices: climb or swim . Praise God for miracles!
As Israel departed Goshen, they traveled 275 miles to reach the Straits of Tiran. There is a wide coastal plain on the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez that butts up against a high mountain range and also follows the coastline around to the Straits of Tiran. So as they walked south for the entire trip beside the Gulf of Suez, they were boxed in on the east by the mountains and on the west by the Gulf of Suez. But this continuous coastal plain provided the perfect highway for a million people. When they got to Pi-hahiroth, they turned back again to the Straits of Tiran because they hit a dead end: A mountain range. Pharaoh knew Israel must trace their steps back the way they came and figured it would an easy slaughter, since Israel was trapped. So for a military leader the route they traveled was a disaster, but Israel's military leader could part the red sea.
There is no absolute "boxing in" at any other crossing point like the Bitter Lakes or the north Gulf of Suez.

N. Natural land bridge across the Straits of Tiran:

The Gulf of Aqaba is a very deep channel of water ranging from 800-1800 meters in the middle. However at the Straits of Tiran, there is a natural land bridge so the deepest point the Israelites would encounter is only 205 meters.
The crossing at the Straits of Tiran is 18 km long and a natural land bridge provides for an 800 meters wide pathway the full distance of the crossing. The Straits of Titan have a shallow coral reef in the middle with a one way shipping lane on either side. From modern nautical charts, we can see that the eastern "Enterprise Passage" is 205 meters deep and 800 meters wide and the western "Grafton Passage" is only 70 meters deep and 800 meters wide. A diver need go only 13 meters at deepest point on top of Jackson's Reef from the surface.
Coral growth over the last 3500 years since the miraculous crossing means that we cannot really know what the sea floor looked like exactly back then. For example, as the coral grew up and came to the surface, the tides flowing around the coral would dig a natural channel deeper on the north and south ends of the reef where all the water would flow around. Gradually, the coral reefs would act like a partial dam over the center 80% of the strait. This is a very realistic scenario and means that 3500 years ago, the coral was under water and therefore the tides would not dig the deep channel at either end of the reef where it is today.
But even with the depths we see today, it causes no problems for the exodus crossing. The slope of descent is far more important than the depth. The Straits of Tiran, as we see them today pose absolutely no problem for a crossing by a million people since the slope is shallow and the depth is no more than 600 feet. (205 meters).
So 3500 years ago the 18 km crossing point at the Straits of Tiran would likely have been deeper than it is now over the coral reef and shallower than it is now in the two shipping channels. In other words, 3500 years ago it may have been a uniform depth for the entire 18 km of between 100-200 meters. A very easy crossing indeed.
There is one other natural land bridge that provides the only other possible crossing site in the Gulf of Aqaba that is adjacent to Nuweiba. This is not likely the crossing point, since the depths there reach 765 meters (2300 Ft.) and with much steeper slopes. Neweiba is also in the middle of a mountain range making it difficult to access for the Israelites. It doesn't have easy continuous access back to Goshen like the Straits of Tiran offer. It does too good a job at "shutting them up in the wilderness" since there is a very narrow and long canyon through the mountains they needed to cross to even get to the shore at Neweiba. Neweiba is therefore a distant second choice to the Straits of Tiran for the location of the Red Sea crossing.
The incline across the Enterprise Passage on the west side of Gordon Reef is easy even today to cross. Remember miracles were involved here so if it was too steep, perhaps God filled in some dirt ahead of time!

O. Pharaoh's army sank to the bottom like a stone in deep, mighty, raging waters! Exodus 15:5, 10

The Bible says that pharaoh's army sank to the bottom of the sea like a stone, as well as others washing up on shore. "They went down into the depths like a stone . ... They sank like lead in the mighty waters. " Exodus 15:5, 10 "You hurled into the depths, Like a stone into raging waters." Nehemiah 9:11. As God released the water, the surge would be like a 40 foot tsunami (wave) that would easily sweep the entire army off the 800 meter wide land bridge into 1300 meter deep water immediately on either side. The deepest part is 1800 meters. Pharaoh's army sank to the bottom like a stone in very deep, mighty, raging waters! It was a bad day for heavy body armor.
Divers have claimed to find what looks like "18th dynasty Egyptian, eight spoke chariot wheels", 50 miles north of the Strait of Tiran in shallow water. To really do the job right, a professional deep sea archeological expedition of "Titanic proportions" is needed to explore the depths of 1800 meters in much of the 30 mile ocean gully at the bottom of the Gulf of Aqaba. The Titanic is in 4000 meters of water so 1800 meters is clearly possible. Although cold water would preserve the wood, realistically, with earthquakes and natural sedimentation, it is unlikely to find anything that is 3500 years old at the bottom of the deepest parts visible to any dive team, but its worth a try!

Conclusion:

Once they crossed the Red Sea into the Land of Midian, what is now North Saudi Arabia, they headed for Jebel al-Lawz, which we consider the best candidate for Mt. Sinai when both the Bible and Archeology are considered.
Mt. Sinai located near the following areas: Wilderness of Etham and wilderness of Sinai are synonymous. Mt. Sinai was in the wilderness of Shur, where the Ishmaelites lived, which was in the land of Midian.

By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections .

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Paul & Barnabas return to Antioch in Syria
Paul & Barnabas attend the Council of Jerusalem
Paul & Barnabas take the decision to Antioch
Paul starts his 2nd Missionary Journey
Paul travels to Troas
Paul sails across to Europe
Paul arrives in Philippi
Paul travels to Amphipolis & Apollonia
Paul in Thessalonica
Paul in Berea
Paul in Athens
Paul in Corinth
Paul returns to Jerusalem
Paul starts his 3rd Missionary Journey
The Ephesians are filled with the Holy Spirit
The silversmiths riot in Ephesus
Paul travels to Corinth
Paul returns to Macedonia
Eutychus falls from a window in Troas
Paul leaves for Assos
Paul sails to Miletus
Paul visits Cos and Rhodes
Paul visits Philip in Caesarea
Paul meets violent opposition in Jerusalem
Paul addresses the crowds
Paul in Caesarea
Paul appeals to Emperor Nero
Paul sets sail for Rome
Paul is shipwrecked
Paul in Malta
Paul heads for Rome
An Introduction to Paul's Letters
Paul's Letter to Galatia
Paul explains his personal background
Alive in Christ
Set free from Slavery
The Fruit of the Spirit
Paul's 1st Letter to Thessalonica
Paul hopes to visit Thessalonica
The Day of the Lord
How Christians should behave
Paul's 2nd Letter to Thessalonica
The coming Day of the Lord
Saved by the power of the Holy Spirit
Paul's 1st Letter to Corinth
The Holy Spirit helps us understand
Temples of the Holy Spirit
Advice on Marriage & Relationships
Running the Race of Life
The Lord's Supper
Spiritual Gifts
Worship in the early church
The risen Lord Jesus appears to his followers
Paul's 2nd Letter to Corinth
Paul explains his revised plans
Christ's Victory Parade & the New Covenant
How God changes lives
Paul's plans for the future
Paul defends himself against criticism
Paul's weaknesses
Paul's Letter to Rome
How to be put right with God
God's covenant promise fulfilled
New life in the power of the Holy Spirit
Persecution by the Jews
Paul's mission
Paul's Letter to Ephesus
God's secret plan
The new life
The armour of God
Paul's Letter to Colossae
Jesus is exactly like God
Saved by Christ's death
Practical advice for believers
Paul's Letter to Philemon at Colossae
Paul's Letter to Philippi
To live is Christ
Warnings about the Jewish Law
Introduction to Paul's Pastoral Letters
Paul's 4th Missionary Journey
Paul's 1st Letter to Timothy in Ephesus
Worship among the believers
Holding onto the truth
Paul's Letter to Titus in Crete
Appointing Church Leaders
Paul's 2nd Letter to Timothy at Ephesus
The 'last days'
Paul's Final Sacrifice
The Letter to the Jewish believers
God speaks through the prophets & Jesus
Jesus is greater than Moses
Jesus speaks to God for believers
Jesus - a priest like Melchizedek
The New Covenant agreement
God does not want animal sacrifices
Having faith
Looking forwards, not backwards
The General Letters: James, Jude, Peter & John
The Letter of James to the Jewish believers
Faith without actions is worthless
The power of words
The Letter of Jude to the Jewish believers
Signs of 'the last days'
The 1st Letter of Peter to the Jewish believers
The living hope
Living stones
Baptism & the flood
The 2nd Letter of Peter to the Jewish believers
Peter speaks out against immorality
The 'Last Days' & The 'Day of the Lord'
Introduction to John & his 3 Letters
The 1st Letter of John
The 'logos' of God
The 'new' commandment
The last days
Filled with the Holy Spirit
Love one another
God's love drives away fear
The 2nd Letter of John
The 3rd Letter of John
Introduction to the Revelation of John
John's Letter to the 7 Churches of Asia Minor
The messages to the believers on the coastal plain
The messages to the believers living inland
John's vision of God's heavenly rule
The satan's rebellion against God
The downfall of Rome & it's empire
The resurrection of the dead
The final judgement
The new heaven & the new earth
Introduction to the Romano-Jewish world
Roman Emperors in the New Testament
Jewish Religious Leaders
New Testament Languages
Jewish & Greek Names
Jewish & Roman Currency
Jewish Nationalists
The Romano-Jewish War
Constantine & the Helena Churches
Ecumenical Church Councils
Palestine - A Land Bridge
Routes across Palestine
The River Jordan
Ancient Israel
The Message of the Old Testament
Who wrote the Old Testament?
Dating events in the Old Testament
The Biblical account of Creation
Adam's Journey from the Garden of Eden
Cain is sent on a journey to the east of Eden
Enoch founds a city in Mesopotamia
Noah journeys to Aratta on the flood
The Colonisation of the Ancient World
The Tower of Babylonia
Abram's Journey to Canaan
Abram settles in Canaan
Abram travels north to rescue Lot
The birth of Ishmael
Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed
Abraham journeys south and Isaac is born
Abraham's sacrifice on Mount Moriah
Abraham's wife dies at Hebron
Abraham seeks a wife for Isaac
Abraham dies at Hebron
Isaac moves to Beersheba
Jacob cheats Esau and flees to Mesopotamia
Jacob returns to Canaan and meets Esau
God blesses Jacob at Bethel
Joseph is sold into slavery in Egypt
Joseph becomes Vizier of Egypt
Jacob's family joins Joseph in Egypt
The Israelites in Egypt
Prince Moses escapes to Midian
Moses is called by God at Mt Sinai
Egypt suffers ten plagues

The Israelites flee from Egypt

The Israelites cross the Sea of Reeds
Moses receives the Ten Commandments
Moses constructs the Ark of the Covenant
The Israelites rebel against God
The Israelites are counted
Hardships encountered in the desert
Moses sends spies into Canaan
Korah leads a rebellion against Moses
The Israelites remain at Kadesh Barnea
The Israelites attempt to enter Canaan
The Israelites journey north to Moab
The Israelites defeat King Sihon and King Og
Balaam blesses the Israelites
The Israelites defeat the kings of Midian
The boundaries of Canaan are agreed
More laws and religious practices
Moses dies at Mount Nebo
The Israelites cross the River Jordan
The Israelites conquer Jericho and Ai
Joshua builds an altar at Mt Ebal
Joshua is deceived by the Hivites
Joshua conquers the Southern Cities
Joshua embarks on the Northern Campaign
Canaan is divided among the twelve tribes
Six Cities of Refuge are set up
Joshua says farewell
The Israelites fight the remaining Canaanites
God appoints inspirational leaders
Israel under the 'judges': Othniel and Ehud
Deborah and Barak defeat Sisera
Gideon defeats the Midianites
Abimelech becomes king
Jephthah defeats the Ammonites
Samson challenges the Philistines
The conquest of Laish
Gibeah is destroyed & the Benjamites punished
Job is faced with adversity
Ruth's journey to Bethlehem
Samuel is taken to Shiloh
The Ark of the Covenant is captured at Aphek
The Ark is taken to Ashdod
The Ark is moved to Ekron
The Ark is returned to the Israelites
Samuel administers justice from Ramah
Saul's Journey to Kingship
Jonathan demolishes the Philistine pillar at Geba
Samuel condemns Saul at Gilgal
David defeats Goliath of Gath
Saul becomes jealous of David
Samuel dies and is buried at Ramah
David marries Abigail
Saul is killed by the Philistines at Mt Gilboa
David becomes King of Judah and Israel
David captures Jerusalem
The Ark of the Covenant is brought to Jerusalem
David's victories over Israel's neighbours
David's affair with Bathsheba
Absalom's flight & his rebellion against David
Further events during David's reign
Solomon succeeds his father David
Solomon's alliance with Egypt
Solomon builds the Temple in Jerusalem
Solomon builds a palace and furnishes the Temple
The Ark of the Covenant is installed in the Temple
Solomon rebuilds the cities of Israel
Solomon's overseas trading expeditions
The Queen of Sheba travels to Jerusalem
Solomon builds a network of chariot cities
Solomon turns away from God
Solomon dies and the kingdom is divided
Jeroboam builds temples to worship Baal
Israel and Judah fight each other
Israel descends into civil war
Jezebel kills the prophets & Elijah escapes
Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal
Elijah organises the opposition to King Ahab
King Ahab seizes Naboth's vineyard
Elijah is taken up to heaven
Elisha performs miracles and healings
Elisha displays spiritual gifts
Jehu races to Jezreel to depose King Joram
King Joash repairs the Temple in Jerusalem
Pharaoh Shoshenk I rescues Israel
Jeroboam II restores the boundaries of Israel
Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria invades Israel
Israel falls & the exiles are led to Assyria
Assyrians settle in Samaria
King Hezekiah of Judah rebels against Assyria
Sennacherib attacks and destroys Lachish
Isaiah prophesies the destruction of Judah
King Josiah ushers in religious reforms
Assyria is conquered by the Babylonians
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades Judah
Jerusalem falls and the exile in Babylon begins
Biblical sources relating to Judah in exile
The middle years of exile (586-539BC)
Daniel interprets dreams and riddles
Daniel's vision of the 'Son of Man'
Daniel's vision of the 'end times'
The later years of exile & the return to Judah
The completion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem
A third group of exiles returns with Ezra
A fourth group of exiles returns with Nehemiah
Nehemiah becomes Governor of Judah
The people renew their covenant with God
Jerusalem's new walls are dedicated
Esther becomes Queen of Persia
Mordecai uncovers a plot to kill the king
The origin of the Jewish festival of Purim
What are the Psalms?
Some psalms of King David
Songs of Praise and Despair
Later psalms ... and the earliest
Some Memorable Sayings
The wisdom of Solomon's words
The Ways of the LORD
Quarrelling, drinking & gossiping
The Philosopher
More wise words from the Philosopher
More from the Lovers
Love is as strong as death
The Mourner
The LORD's love and mercy continue
Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets
Introduction to the Book of Amos
Amos denounces social injustice in Israel
Introduction to Hosea's prophesy
Hosea laments the unfaithfulness of Israel
The Lord promises to punish Israel
Introduction to Micah's prophesy
Micah decries social injustice in Israel and Judah
Introduction to the Book of Isaiah
Prophecies written before the fall of Jerusalem
Isaiah predicts a future golden age
Isaiah reassures King Ahaz of God's support
Troubled times and a glorious future kingdom
Isaiah foresees the return of the exiles
Isaiah warns of six catastrophes
The final years before the fall of Judah
Words of comfort after the fall of Jerusalem
The LORD will help Israel
God chooses Cyrus to save his people
The suffering servant of the LORD
Encouragement for those in exile
Those returning are encouraged to follow the LORD
The LORD's blessing will rest on Jerusalem
Introduction to the Book of Jonah
Jonah is thrown overboard to appease the gods
Jonah arrives at Nineveh
Introduction to the Book of Nahum
Nahum predicts the fall of Nineveh
Introduction to the Book of Jeremiah
Jeremiah says idolatry will bring Judah's fall
Jeremiah prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem
Jeremiah calls for repentance
Plots are hatched against Jeremiah
Jeremiah is beaten and arrested
Jeremiah is charged with treason
Words of hope and consolation
Miscellaneous flashbacks to earlier times
Jeremiah attempts to leave Jerusalem
Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians
Gedeliah is murdered & Jeremiah goes to Egypt
Jeremiah sees disaster in Egypt
Messages to the surrounding nations
Introduction to the Book of Zephaniah
Zephaniah warns of the punishment of Judah
Introduction to the Book of Habakkuk
Habakkuk asks why the cruel Babylonians succeed
Introduction to the Book of Ezekiel
Ezekiel is called to be a prophet
Ezekiel's vision of idolatry in the Temple
Ezekiel speaks through prophesies and parables
Ezekiel's message of impending doom
Further prophecies & the fall of Jerusalem
Hope for the future - New life for Israel
The defeat of Gog and Magog
Ezekiel's vision of the New Jerusalem
Ezekiel sees the glory of the LORD
The restored land of Israel
Introduction to the prophecy of Obadiah
Obadiah prophesies the resurgence of Israel
Introduction to the Book of Haggai
Haggai urges the exiles to re-build the Temple
Introduction to the Book of Zechariah
Zechariah has visions of horses & horns
The vision of the measuring line
Further visions about Jerusalem
The LORD promises to restore Jerusalem
Prophesies about the coming of the Messiah
Prophesies about the Last Days
An Introduction to the Book of Malachi
Malachi announces the Day of the LORD
God promises to send Elijah
Introduction to the Book of Joel
Joel foresees the Day of the LORD
The Names of the God of Israel
Foreign gods
Pharaohs of the Old Testament
The Old Testament & the Jewish Tanakh
Sources of the History of Israel and Judah
The Dead Sea Scrolls
Between the Old and the New Testaments
The Old Covenant & The New Covenant
Who is my neighbour?
Seeking revenge or Offering forgiveness?
The Commandments - Impossible to keep?
Was Jesus the Jewish Messiah?
Was Jesus an outspoken rabbi or was he God?
How to get right with God: Sacrifice or Faith?
How to get right with God: By water or the Spirit?
The power of the Holy Spirit - for everyone?
A new nation? Or eternal life in God's kingdom?
1. From Cain & Abel to the Judges
2. From the Kingdom of Israel to the Exile
3. From the Exile to the Birth of Jesus
4. From the Birth to the Death of Jesus
5. From Acts of the Apostles to John's Revelation
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1 Jan. John 2:1-11
2 Jan. Luke 4:14-30
3 Jan. Luke 4:31-37
4 Jan. John 3:1-7
5 Jan. John 3:9-19
6 Jan. John 4:1-9
7 Jan. John 4:7-13
8 Jan. John 4:15-26
9 Jan. Mark 1:14-15
10 Jan. John 4:43-53
11 Jan. Luke 7:11-17
12 Jan. Mark 1:16-20
13 Jan. Mark 1:21-27
14 Jan. Mark 1:29-34
15 Jan. Mark 1:35-42
16 Jan. Matthew 4:25 - 5:10
17 Jan. Matthew 5:13
18 Jan. Matthew 5:14-16
19 Jan. Matthew 5:38-48
20 Jan. Matthew 6:5-13
21 Jan. Matthew 6:19-24
22 Jan. Matthew 7:1-5
23 Jan. Matthew 7:7-12
24 Jan. Matthew 7:13-14
25 Jan. Matthew 7:24-29
26 Jan. Mark 2:1-6
27 Jan. Mark 2:13-17
28 Jan. Mark 2:21-22
29 Jan. Mark 2:23-27
30 Jan. Mark 3:7-12
31 Jan. Mark 3:13-19
1 Feb. Mark 3:20-30
2 Feb. Mark 4:1-8
3 Feb. Mark 4:30-34
4 Feb. Mark 4:35-41
5 Feb. Mark 5:1-15
6 Feb. Mark 5:21-43
7 Feb. Mark 6:1-6
8 Feb. Mark 6:6-13
9 Feb. Mark 6:14-16
10 Feb. John 5:1-18
11 Feb. Luke 11:1-4
12 Feb. Luke 11:5-13
13 Feb. Luke 12:13-21
14 Feb. Mark 6:31-44
15 Feb. Mark 6:45-52
16 Feb. Mark 7:1-13
17 Feb. Mark 7:24-30
18 Feb. Mark 7:31-36
19 Feb. Mark 8:11-21
20 Feb. Mark 8:22-29
21 Feb. Mark 8:31-33
22 Feb. Mark 8:34-9:1
23 Feb. Mark 9:2-9
24 Feb. Mark 9:11-13
25 Feb. Mark 9:14-27
26 Feb. Mark 9:33-37
27 Feb. Matthew 17:24-27
28 Feb. Luke 17:11-19
1 Mar. John 7:14-24
2 Mar. John 7:37-44
3 Mar. John 7:44-52
4 Mar. John 8:12-20
5 Mar. John 8:21-59
6 Mar. John 9:1-34
7 Mar. Mark 9:42-43
8 Mar. Luke 10:25-37
9 Mar. Luke 15:11-24
10 Mar. Luke 15:25-32
11 Mar. Luke 17:20-21
12 Mar. John 10:1-10
13 Mar. John 10:11-18
14 Mar. John 10:22-33
15 Mar. John 10:40-11:11
16 Mar. John 11:17-44
17 Mar. John 11:45-54
18 Mar. Luke 19:1-10
19 Mar. Mark 11:1-7
20 Mar. Luke 19:28,35-40
21 Mar. Luke 19:41-44
22 Mar. John 12:12-19
23 Mar. Mark 11:12-14,20-24
24 Mar. Mark 11:15-19
25 Mar. Mark 11:27-33
26 Mar. Matthew 23:1-28
27 Mar. Matthew 25:31-46
28 Mar. Mark 12:1-12
29 Mar. Mark 12:13-17
30 Mar. Mark 12:18-27
31 Mar. Mark 12:28-34
1 Apr. Mark 12:41-44
2 Apr. Mark 14:1-9
3 Apr. Mark 14:12-16
4 Apr. John 13:1-15
5 Apr. John 13:21-30
6 Apr. John 14:1-11
7 Apr. John 14:15-26
8 Apr. John 15:1-11
9 Apr. Mark 14:22-25
10 Apr. Mark 14:26-31
11 Apr. Mark 14:32-42
12 Apr. Mark 14:43-52
13 Apr. John 18:12-14,19-24
14 Apr. Mark 14:53-59
15 Apr. Mark 14:60-65
16 Apr. Mark 14:66-72
17 Apr. Luke 23:1-11
18 Apr. John 18:28-40
19 Apr. Matthew 27:27-40
20 Apr. Matthew 27:62-66
21 Apr. Matthew 28:1-10
22 Apr. Luke 24:35-43
23 Apr. John 20:24-29
24 Apr. John 21:1-13
25 Apr. Matthew 28:16-20
26 Apr. Luke 24:45-53
27 Apr. 1 Corinthians 15:1-9
28 Apr. John 21:20-25
29 Apr. Acts 1:1-5
30 Apr. Acts 1:15-26
1 May. Acts 2:1-4
2 May. Acts 2:5-13
3 May. Acts 2:14-42
4 May. Acts 2:43-47
5 May. Acts 3:1-10
6 May. Acts 3:11-26
7 May. Acts 4:1-31
8 May. Acts 4:32-5:11
9 May. Acts 5:12-16
10 May. Acts 5:17-42
11 May. Acts 6:1-7
12 May. Acts 6:8-15
13 May. Acts 7:1-60
14 May. Acts 8:1,11:19-21
15 May. Acts 8:5-8
16 May. Acts 8:9-13
17 May. Acts 8:14-25
18 May. Acts 8:26-40
19 May. Acts 2:1-2,3:1-2,5:1-3,8:14-17
20 May. Acts 9:32-43
21 May. Acts 10:1-23
22 May. Acts 10:23-48
23 May. Acts 11:1-18
24 May. Acts 12:1-19
25 May. Acts 7:58-8:3,9:1-9
26 May. Acts 9:10-19
27 May. Galatians 1:11-2:2
28 May. Acts 11:19-26
29 May. Acts 11:27-13:3
30 May. Acts 13:1-5
31 May. Acts 13:4-12
1 June Acts 13:13
2 June. Acts 13:14-52
3 June. Acts 14:1-7
4 June. Acts 14:8-20
5 June. Acts 14:21-28
6 June. Acts 15:1-20
7 June. Acts 15:22-35
8 June. Acts 15:36-16:5
9 June. Acts 16:6-8
10 June. Acts 16:9-10
11 June. Acts 16:13-15
12 June. Acts 16:16-24
13 June. Acts 16:25-34
14 June. Acts 16:35-40
15 June. Acts 17:1
16 June. Acts 17:1-9
17 June. Acts 17:10-15
18 June. Acts 17:16-33
19 June. Acts 18:1-11
20 June. Acts 18:12-17
21 June. Acts 18:18-23
22 June. Acts 18:24-28
23 June. Acts 19:1-7
24 June. Acts 19:8-10
25 June. Acts 19:11-20
26 June. Acts 19:23-20:1
27 June. Acts 20:1-3
28 June. Acts 20:3-6
29 June. Acts 20:7-12
30 June. Acts 20:13-38
1 July Acts 21:1-7
2 July Acts 21:7-15
3 July Acts 21:17-26
4 July Acts 21:27-40
5 July Acts 22:1-29
6 July Acts 22:30-23:11
7 July Acts 23:12-32
8 July Acts 24:1-26
9 July Acts 24:27-25:12
10 July Acts 25:13-27
11 July Acts 26:1-32
12 July Acts 27:1-6
13 July Acts 27:7-20
14 July Acts 27:21-44
15 July Acts 28:1-10
16 July Acts 28:11-31
17 July Colossians 4:2-17
18 July 2 Peter 1:1-2,3:1-16
19 July Galatians 1:1-24
20 July Galatians 2:1-10
21 July Galatians 3:1-14
22 July Galatians 3:19-29
23 July Galatians 4:1-31
24 July Galatians 5:16-25,6:1-18
25 July 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
26 July 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
27 July 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
28 July 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
29 July 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
30 July 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
31 July 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
1 Aug. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-15
2 Aug. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
3 Aug. 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
4 Aug. 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
5 Aug. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
6 Aug. 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
7 Aug. 1 Corinthians 3:1-23
8 Aug. 1 Corinthians 4:1-17
9 Aug. 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
10 Aug. 1 Corinthians 7:1-16
11 Aug. 1 Corinthians 9:1-27
12 Aug. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17,11:20-34
13 Aug. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
14 Aug. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
15 Aug. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
16 Aug. 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
17 Aug. 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
18 Aug. 1 Corinthians 15:1-26
19 Aug. 1 Corinthians 15:35-55
20 Aug. 1 Corinthians 16:1-24
21 Aug. 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
22 Aug. 2 Corinthians 2:12-17
23 Aug. 2 Corinthians 3:5-18
24 Aug. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
25 Aug. 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
26 Aug. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
27 Aug. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
28 Aug. 2 Corinthians 6:1-18,7:1
29 Aug. 2 Corinthians 8:1-12
30 Aug. 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
31 Aug. 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
1 Sept. 2 Corinthians 13:5-14
2 Sept. Romans 1:1-7
3 Sept. Romans 1:18-32
4 Sept. Romans 2:1-11
5 Sept. Romans 3:19-31
6 Sept. Romans 4:1-16
7 Sept. Romans 5:1-11
8 Sept. Romans 6:1-14
9 Sept. Romans 7:1-6
10 Sept. Romans 8:5-17
11 Sept. Romans 8:18-30
12 Sept. Romans 8:31-39
13 Sept. Romans 10:1-13
14 Sept. Romans 12:1-21
15 Sept. Romans 13:1-10
16 Sept. Romans 14:1-12
17 Sept. Romans 15:1-33
18 Sept. Romans 16:1-27
19 Sept. Ephesians 1:1-10
20 Sept. Ephesians 1:11-22
21 Sept. Ephesians 2:1-10
22 Sept. Ephesians 2:11-22
23 Sept. Ephesians 3:1-13
24 Sept. Ephesians 3:14-21
25 Sept. Ephesians 4:1-16
26 Sept. Ephesians 4:17-32
27 Sept. Ephesians 5:1-20
28 Sept. Ephesians 5:21-33
29 Sept. Ephesians 6:1-9
30 Sept. Ephesians 6:10-18
1 Oct. Ephesians 6:18-24
2 Oct. Colossians 1:1-14
3 Oct. Colossians 1:15-23
4 Oct. Colossians 2:1-15
5 Oct. Colossians 2:16-23
6 Oct. Colossians 3:1-17
7 Oct. Colossians 3:18-4:6
8 Oct. Colossians 4:7-18
9 Oct. Philemon 1:1-7
10 Oct. Philemon 1:7-25
11 Oct. Philippians 1:1-11
12 Oct. Philippians 1:12-26
13 Oct. Philippians 2:1-18
14 Oct. Philippians 3:1-21
15 Oct. Philippians 4:1-23
16 Oct. 1 Timothy 1:1-7
17 Oct. 1 Timothy 1:12-20
18 Oct. 1 Timothy 2:1-15
19 Oct. 1 Timothy 3:1-13
20 Oct. 1 Timothy 4:1-16
21 Oct. 1 Timothy 5:1-22
22 Oct. 1 Timothy 6:3-21
23 Oct. Titus 1:1-14
24 Oct. Titus 2:1-15
25 Oct. Titus 3:1-15
26 Oct. 2 Timothy 1:1-18
27 Oct. 2 Timothy 2:1-26
28 Oct. 2 Timothy 3:1-17
29 Oct. 2 Timothy 4:6-22
30 Oct. James 1:1-21
31 Oct. James 2:14-19,4:11-12
1 Nov. Jude 1:1-24
2 Nov. 1 Peter 1:1-11
3 Nov. 1 Peter 2:1-10
4 Nov. 2 Peter 1:1-19
5 Nov. 2 Peter 3:1-16
6 Nov. 1 John 1:5-9
7 Nov. 1 John 1:1-4
8 Nov. 1 John 2:7-17
9 Nov. 1 John 2:18-19
10 Nov. 1 John 2:20-29
11 Nov. 1 John 3:11-24
12 Nov. 1 John 4:7-20
13 Nov. 2 John 1:1-13
14 Nov. 3 John 1:1-15
15 Nov. Revelation 1:1-11
16 Nov. Revelation 2:1-7
17 Nov. Revelation 2:8-11
18 Nov. Revelation 2:12-17
19 Nov. Revelation 2:18-27
20 Nov. Revelation 3:1-6
21 Nov. Revelation 3:7-13
22 Nov. Revelation 3:14-22
23 Nov. Revelation 4:1-11
24 Nov. Revelation 5:1-14
25 Nov. Revelation 6:1-17
26 Nov. Revelation 7:1-17
27 Nov. Revelation 12:1-9
28 Nov. Revelation 17:1-18:19
29 Nov. Revelation 20:1-15
30 Nov. Revelation 21:1-27
1 Dec. Luke 1:5-20
2 Dec. Luke 1:26,39-56
3 Dec. Luke 1:57-80
4 Dec. Luke 3:1-16
5 Dec. Luke 3:15-20
6 Dec. Mark 1:1-8
7 Dec. Matt 3:13-17, John 1:28-34
8 Dec. Mark 6:14-29
9 Dec. Matthew 11:2-15
10 Dec. Luke 1:26-38
11 Dec. Luke 2:1-5
12 Dec. Luke 2:6-7
13 Dec. Matthew 1:1-17,22-23
14 Dec. Luke 2:8-14
15 Dec. Luke 2:15-20
16 Dec. Luke 2:21-24
17 Dec. Luke 2:25-35
18 Dec. Matthew 2:1-6
19 Dec. Matthew 2:7-9
20 Dec. Matthew 2:10-12
21 Dec. Matthew 2:13-14
22 Dec. Matthew 2:14-15
23 Dec. Matthew 2:16-18
24 Dec. Matthew 2:19-23
25 Dec. John 1:1-14
26 Dec. Luke 2:40-43
27 Dec. Luke 2:43-52
28 Dec. Hebrews 1:1-4
29 Dec. Hebrews 3:1-4:1
30 Dec. Hebrews 4:14-5:6
31 Dec. Hebrews 9:1-5,11-15
1 Jan. Genesis 1:1 - 2:3
2 Jan. Genesis 2:4-24
3 Jan. Genesis 2:8-17
4 Jan. Genesis 3:1-23
5 Jan. Genesis 4:1-16
6 Jan. Genesis 4:17-26
7 Jan. Genesis 6:5-22
8 Jan. Genesis 7:11-24
9 Jan. Genesis 8:1-17
10 Jan. Genesis 9:1-16
11 Jan. Genesis 10:11-12,32
12 Jan. Genesis 11:1-9
13 Jan. Genesis 11:27&37,12:1-7
14 Jan. Genesis 12:6,8-20
15 Jan. Genesis 13:1-18
16 Jan. Genesis 14:8-20
17 Jan. Genesis 15:1-11,17-21
18 Jan. Genesis 16:1-16
19 Jan. Genesis 17:1-16
20 Jan. Genesis 18:1-16
21 Jan. Genesis 19:1-26
22 Jan. Genesis 21:1-21
23 Jan. Genesis 22:1-18
24 Jan. Genesis 23:1-19
25 Jan. Genesis 24:1-61
26 Jan. Genesis 24:61-67
27 Jan. Genesis 25:1-11
28 Jan. Genesis 25:19-21,24-34
29 Jan. Genesis 26:1-9,12-15,23-25
30 Jan. Genesis 27:1-23,30-33,42-45
31 Jan. Genesis 28:10-22
1 Feb. Genesis 29:1-30
2 Feb. Genesis 29:31-35,30:1-12,17-24
3 Feb. Genesis 30:25-43
4 Feb. Genesis 31:1-21
5 Feb. Genesis 31:25-55
6 Feb. Genesis 32:1-8,13,22-30
7 Feb. Genesis 33:1-11
8 Feb. Genesis 33:12-20
9 Feb. Genesis 35:1-7
10 Feb. Genesis 35:9-15
11 Feb. Genesis 35:16-21,27-29
12 Feb. Genesis 37:1-11
13 Feb. Genesis 37:12-24
14 Feb. Genesis 37:25-34
15 Feb. Genesis 39:1-6
16 Feb. Genesis 39:6-22
17 Feb. Genesis 40:1-23
18 Feb. Genesis 41:1-14
19 Feb. Genesis 41:15-37
20 Feb. Genesis 41:39-57
21 Feb. Genesis 42:1-38
22 Feb. Genesis 43:1-33
23 Feb. Genesis 45:1-28
24 Feb. Genesis 46:1-7,28-30
25 Feb. Genesis 47:1-7,11-12,27-31
26 Feb. Genesis 50:1-26
27 Feb. Exodus 1:1-14
28 Feb. Exodus 1:15-22
1 Mar. Exodus 2:1-10
2 Mar. Exodus 2:11-15
3 Mar. Exodus 2:16-22
4 Mar. Exodus 3:1-10
5 Mar. Exodus 3:11-20
6 Mar. Exodus 4:1-17
7 Mar. Exodus 4:18-31
8 Mar. Exodus 5:1-21
9 Mar. Exodus 5:22-6:9
10 Mar. Exodus 7:14-21
11 Mar. Exodus 11:1-10
12 Mar. Exodus 12:1-17
13 Mar. Exodus 12:21-30
14 Mar. Exodus 12:29-40
15 Mar. Exodus 13:17-14:4
16 Mar. Exodus 14:5-31
17 Mar. Exodus 15:1-27
18 Mar. Exodus 16:1-18,31
19 Mar. Exodus 17:1-7
20 Mar. Exodus 17:8-16
21 Mar. Exodus 18:1-27
22 Mar. Exodus 19:1-11,14-19
23 Mar. Exodus 20:1-20
24 Mar. Exodus 21:1-23:17
25 Mar. Exodus 24:12-18
26 Mar. Exodus 25:1-26,33
27 Mar. Exodus 32:1-20
28 Mar. Exodus 32:21-35
29 Mar. Exodus 34:1-22,27-29
30 Mar. Exodus 40:1-21,33-36
31 Mar. Leviticus 1;1-14:4
1 Apr. Numbers 1:1-2:34
2 Apr. Numbers 10:11-11:35
3 Apr. Numbers 12:1-16
4 Apr. Numbers 13:1-33
5 Apr. Numbers 14:1-38
6 Apr. Numbers 14:41-45
7 Apr. Numbers 16:1-40
8 Apr. Numbers 16:41-17:11
9 Apr. Numbers 20:1-13
10 Apr. Numbers 20:14-21:4
11 Apr. Numbers 21:4-9
12 Apr. Numbers 21:10-20
13 Apr. Numbers 21:21-35
14 Apr. Numbers 22:1-24:25
15 Apr. Numbers 25:1-18
16 Apr. Numbers 26:1-65
17 Apr. Numbers 27:12-23
18 Apr. Numbers 31:1-16,25-31
19 Apr. Numbers 32:1-38
20 Apr. Numbers 34:1-18,35:1-12
21 Apr. Deuteronomy 8:1-11
22 Apr. Deuteronomy 34:1-12
23 Apr. Joshua 1:1-18
24 Apr. Joshua 2:1-24
25 Apr. Joshua 3:1-17
26 Apr. Joshua 4:1-24,5:1
27 Apr. Joshua 6:1-27
28 Apr. Joshua 7:1-26
29 Apr. Joshua 8:1-29
30 Apr. Joshua 8:30-35
1 May. Joshua 9:1-27
2 May. Joshua 10:1-28
3 May. Joshua 10:29-43
4 May. Joshua 11:1-14
5 May. Joshua 13:1-8,14:1-4,18:1
6 May. Joshua 20:1-9
7 May. Joshua 22:1-16,21,28,30-34
8 May. Joshua 23:1-16,24:14-16,22-27
9 May. Joshua 24:29-33
10 May. Judges 1:1-11,17-19
11 May. Judges 2:1-5,10-15
12 May. Judges 2:16-23
13 May. Judges 3:5-11
14 May. Judges 3:12-30
15 May. Judges 4:1-24,5:31
16 May. Judges 6:1-27
17 May. Judges 6:33-40
18 May. Judges 7:1-25
19 May. Judges 8:4-28
20 May. Judges 8:29-9:21
21 May. Judges 9:22-49
22 May. Judges 9:50-57
23 May. Judges 10:1-16
24 May. Judges 10:17-11:33
25 May. Judges 11:30-31,34-40
26 May. Judges 12:1-6
27 May. Judges 12:7-15,13:1
28 May. Judges 13:2-25
29 May. Judges 14:1-11
30 May. Judges 14:12-20
31 May. Judges 15:1-8
1 June Judges 15:9-20
2 June Judges 16:1-3
3 June Judges 16:4-15
4 June Judges 16:16-31
5 June Judges 17:1-13
6 June Judges 18:1-31
7 June Judges 19:1-30
8 June Judges 20:1-48
9 June Judges 21:1-23
10 June Job 1:1-22
11 June Job 2:1-13
12 June Job 3:11-13:8
13 June Job 38:1-42:17
14 June Ruth 1:1-22
15 June Ruth 2:1-23
16 June Ruth 3:1-18
17 June Ruth 4:1-17
18 June 1 Samuel 1:1-20
19 June 1 Samuel 1:21-2:2
20 June 1 Samuel 2:11-12,18-26
21 June 1 Samuel 3:1-21
22 June 1 Samuel 4:1-18
23 June 1 Samuel 5:1-12
24 June 1 Samuel 6:1-21,7:1
25 June 1 Samuel 7:2-17
26 June 1 Samuel 8:1-22
27 June 1 Samuel 9:1-27,10:1
28 June 1 Samuel 10:1-11
29 June 1 Samuel 10:13-25
30 June 1 Samuel 11:1-15
1 July 1 Samuel 12:1-25
2 July 1 Samuel 13:2-7
3 July 1 Samuel 13:8-15
4 July 1 Samuel 14:1-23
5 July 1 Samuel 14:24-46
6 July 1 Samuel 14:47-15:9
7 July 1 Samuel 15:10-31
8 July 1 Samuel 16:1-13
9 July 1 Samuel 16:14-23
10 July 1 Samuel 17:1-52
11 July 1 Samuel 17:57-58,18:1-16
12 July 1 Samuel 18:17-29
13 July 1 Samuel 19:1-18
14 July 1 Samuel 20:1-47
15 July 1 Samuel 21:1-9
16 July 1 Samuel 21:10-11,22:1-5
17 July 1 Samuel 22:6-19
18 July 1 Samuel 23:1-13
19 July 1 Samuel 24:1-22
20 July 1 Samuel 25:1-44
21 July 1 Samuel 26:1-25
22 July 1 Samuel 27:1-12
23 July 1 Samuel 28:1-20
24 July 1 Samuel 29:1-11
25 July 1 Samuel 30:1-31
26 July 1 Samuel 31:1-13
27 July 2 Samuel 1:1-16
28 July 2 Samuel 2:1-7
29 July 2 Samuel 2:8-17
30 July 2 Samuel 3:1,6-21
31 July 2 Samuel 3:22-32
1 Aug. 2 Samuel 4:1-12
2 Aug. 2 Samuel 5:1-12
3 Aug. 2 Samuel 5:17-25
4 Aug. 2 Samuel 6:1-23
5 Aug. 2 Samuel 7:1-17
6 Aug. 2 Samuel 8:1-14
7 Aug. 2 Samuel 9:1-13
8 Aug. 2 Samuel 10:1-14
9 Aug. 2 Samuel 11:1-17,26-27
10 Aug. 2 Samuel 12:1-18
11 Aug. 2 Samuel 12:24-31
12 Aug. 2 Samuel 13:1-39
13 Aug. 2 Samuel 14:21-33
14 Aug. 2 Samuel 15:1-12
15 Aug. 2 Samuel 15:13-37
16 Aug. 2 Samuel 16:1-22
17 Aug. 2 Samuel 17:1-29
18 Aug. 2 Samuel 18:1-33
19 Aug. 2 Samuel 19:1-18
20 Aug. 1 Kings 1:5-27
21 Aug. 1 Kings 1:28-53
22 Aug. 1 Kings 2:1-12
23 Aug. 1 Kings 2:13-46
24 Aug. 1 Kings 3:1-15
25 Aug. 1 Kings 3:16-28
26 Aug. 1 Kings 4:7,20-34
27 Aug. 1 Kings 5:1-18
28 Aug. 1 Kings 6:1-22,38
29 Aug. 1 Kings 7:1-12
30 Aug. 1 Kings 7:13-30,37-38,45-46
31 Aug. 1 Kings 8:1-11
1 Sept. 1 Kings 8:22-34,54-57,62-63
2 Sept. 1 Kings 9:1-9
3 Sept. 1 Kings 10:1-10,13
4 Sept. 1 Kings 11:1-13
5 Sept. 1 Kings 11:14-40
6 Sept. 1 Kings 11:42-12:20
7 Sept. 1 Kings 12:25-33
8 Sept. 1 Kings 14:1-20
9 Sept. 1 Kings 14:21-31
10 Sept. 1 Kings 15:1-16
11 Sept. 1 Kings 15:25-29,17-24
12 Sept. 1 Kings 16:1-22
13 Sept. 1 Kings 16:23-28
14 Sept. 1 Kings 16:29-33
15 Sept. 1 Kings 17:1-16
16 Sept. 1 Kings 17:17-24
17 Sept. 1 Kings 18:1-9,15-21
18 Sept. 1 Kings 18:22-40
19 Sept. 1 Kings 18:41-46
20 Sept. 1 Kings 19:1-18
21 Sept. 1 Kings 19:19-21
22 Sept. 1 Kings 20:1-22
23 Sept. 1 Kings 21:1-16
24 Sept. 1 Kings 21:17-29
25 Sept. 1 Kings 22:1-40
26 Sept. 2 Kings 1:1-18
27 Sept. 2 Kings 2:1-15
28 Sept. 2 Kings 3:1-27
29 Sept. 2 Kings 2:19-22,4:1-7
30 Sept. 2 Kings 4:8-37
1 Oct. 2 Kings 4:38-44
2 Oct. 2 Kings 5:1-15
3 Oct. 2 Kings 6:8-23
4 Oct. 2 Kings 8:7-15
5 Oct. 2 Kings 9:1-25
6 Oct. 2 Kings 9:30-37
7 Oct. 2 Kings 12:1-12
8 Oct. 2 Kings 13:1-9
9 Oct. 2 Kings 13:14-21
10 Oct. 2 Kings 14:23-29
11 Oct. 2 Kings 15:19-20,16:15-18
12 Oct. 2 Kings 17:1-18
13 Oct. 2 Kings 17:24-34
14 Oct. 2 Kings 18:1-8
15 Oct. 2 Kings 18:13-21,28-31,36
16 Oct. 2 Kings 19:1-10,19-20,32-36
17 Oct. 2 Kings 20:1-11
18 Oct. 2 Kings 20:12-21
19 Oct. 2 Kings 22:1-13
20 Oct. 2 Kings 23:1-4,8-11,21-25
21 Oct. 2 Kings 23:29-37
22 Oct. 2 Kings 24:1-7
23 Oct. 2 Kings 24:8-18
24 Oct. 2 Kings 25:1-21
25 Oct. Daniel 1:1-17
26 Oct. Daniel 3:9-15,19-20,24-30
27 Oct. Daniel 5:1-13,16-18,20-31
28 Oct. Daniel 6:1-11,16-17,19-23
29 Oct. Daniel 7:1-9,11-14,16-18
30 Oct. Daniel 11:1-9
31 Oct. Daniel 12:1-13
1 Nov. Ezra 1:1-11
2 Nov. Ezra 2:1-70
3 Nov. Ezra 3:1-13
4 Nov. Ezra 4:1-13,19-21
5 Nov. Ezra 5:1-9,6:1-4.13-22
6 Nov. Ezra 7:1-6,11-23,8:31-36
7 Nov. Nehemiah 1:1-4,2:1-10
8 Nov. Nehemiah 2:11-20
9 Nov. Nehemiah 4:1-23
10 Nov. Nehemiah 5:1-16,6:1-3,15-16
11 Nov. Nehemiah 8:1-12
12 Nov. Nehemiah 12:27-43
13 Nov. Esther 2:1-18
14 Nov. Esther 2:19-23
15 Nov. Esther 3:1-13
16 Nov. Esther 4:1-16
17 Nov. Esther 5:1-14
18 Nov. Esther 6:1-14
19 Nov. Esther 7:1-10
20 Nov. Esther 8:1-14
21 Nov. Esther 9:1-17,24-28
22 Nov. Amos 1:1-15,2:1-2
23 Nov. Amos 5:1-7,10-15
24 Nov. Hosea 1:1-11
25 Nov. Hosea 9:1-9
26 Nov. Micah 1:1-9
27 Nov. Micah 4:1-5,5:1-5
28 Nov. Isaiah 1:1-7,11-20
29 Nov. Isaiah 7:1-17,8:3-4
30 Nov. Isaiah 9:1-7
1 Dec. Isaiah 10:28-34,11:1-10
2 Dec. Isaiah 40:1-11
3 Dec. Isaiah 44:1-11
4 Dec. Isaiah 45:1-7,13-17
5 Dec. Isaiah 52:13-15,53:1-12
6 Dec. Isaiah 60:1-14
7 Dec. Nahum 2:1-13
8 Dec. Jeremiah 6:1-8,13-23
9 Dec. Jeremiah 7:1-11
10 Dec. Jeremiah 18:1-12
11 Dec. Jeremiah 19:1-13
12 Dec. Jeremiah 23:1-8
13 Dec. Jeremiah 26:1-15
14 Dec. Jeremiah 29:1-12
15 Dec. Zephaniah 1:1-13
16 Dec. Habakkuk 1:1-13
17 Dec. Ezekiel 1:1-17,22-28
18 Dec. Ezekiel 10:1-19,11:22-24
19 Dec. Ezekiel 17:1-10
20 Dec. Ezekiel 33:21-26,34:1-24
21 Dec. Ezekiel 37:1-14
22 Dec. Ezekiel 40:1-31
23 Dec. Ezekiel 43:1-12
24 Dec. Obadiah 1:1-11
25 Dec. Haggai 1:1-15
26 Dec. Zechariah 1:1-6
27 Dec. Zechariah 9:9-17
28 Dec. Zechariah 14:1-11
29 Dec. Malachi 3:1-5,4:1-6
30 Dec. Joel 2:1-11
31 Dec. Joel 2:25-32
Bible Journey 2
22. The World of the Old Testament Journeys
23.The Journeys of Adam, Enoch, Noah & Abraham
24. The Journeys of Isaac, Jacob & Joseph
25. The Israelites journey from Egypt to Mt Sinai
26. The Journey continues from Sinai to Moab
27. The Israelites move into Canaan
28. The Israelites face continuing opposition
29. The Journeys of Ruth and Samuel
30. Israel becomes a kingdom under Saul and David
31. The Golden Age of Israel under King Solomon
32. The Divided Kingdom & Journey into Exile
33. Judah after the fall of Israel
34. Judah in exile in Babylonia
35. The Exiles return to Judah
36. Songs, Prayers & Memorable Sayings
37. The Philosopher, the Lover & the Mourner
38. Amos, Hosea & Micah criticize Israel
39. Isaiah predicts the fall of Israel & Judah
40. Isaiah offers comfort to those in exile
41. Jonah goes to Nineveh & Nahum condemns it
42. Jeremiah warns of the destruction of Jerusalem
43. Zephaniah & Habakkuk foretell Judah's fall
44. Ezekiel warns of the conquest of Jerusalem
45. Obadiah foretells the punishment of Edom
46. Haggai & Zechariah encourage re-building
47. Malachi & Joel await the Day of the LORD
48. The Jewish World of the Old Testament
49. Judaism and Christianity compared

Ex 12:37-51 The Israelites set out from Avaris (Raamses) on the 14 th day of the Jewish month of Nisan in c.1447BC. As it was halfway through the lunar month, the night sky was lit by a full moon.

The Israelites set out towards Succoth (the ancient Egyptian town of Tjeku in the Wadi Tumilat ). Succoth (the Hebrew word indicating a ‘shelter’) was located to the south of Avaris (Raamses) near Pithom (on the site of Tell al-Maskutah ) . The Israelites possibly came this way to meet up with other fellow Hebrews escaping from Pithom (see 1 on Map 44 ).

Map 44 The Journey from Egypt to Sinai

The Israelites had lived in Egypt and Canaan for 430 years – half of this time in Egypt (see Exodus 12:40 where footnotes usually indicate the inclusion of the words “and Canaan ” in the earliest versions of the Bible). The Jewish historian Josephus explains that the Israelites left Egypt 430 years after Abraham travelled to Canaan , and 215 years after Joseph invited Jacob and his family to settle in Egypt .

The Israelites take their cattle and sheep – and their unleavened bread - with them.

Ex 13:1-16 The firstborn of every Israelite family, herd and flock are consecrated to God as a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt .

Ex 13:17-18 God leads the Israelites – but not by the direct road that goes up the coast to Philistia ( The Way of the Sea ). Instead, they follow the desert road "towards the Red Sea ” (Exodus 13:18) (that is, when translated correctly, towards the Sea of Reeds – Hebrew , ‘Yam-suf’) (see 2 on Map 44 ).

Ex 13:19 In accordance with his request before he died (see Genesis 50:25), Joseph’s bones are removed from the small pyramid-shaped mausoleum in the garden of his palace at Avaris and are taken out of Egypt by the Israelites.

The Eastern Desert of Egypt near Etham

Ex 13:20 The Israelites move further south and camp at Etham on the edge of the Eastern Desert (see 3 on Map 44 ).

Ex 13:21-22 The LORD goes ahead of the Israelites as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

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THE ROUTE OF THE EXODUS JOURNEYS

(From newsletter # 2 first published January 1993)

The first indepth study we will present will be the events of the Exodus journey, beginning with the time the multitude leaves Egypt until they cross the Red Sea. A map is attached for reference. We will systematically take each step of their journey. We do not continue their journey once they cross the Red Sea and enter Midian, but we do show on the map the location of Mt. Sinai.

FIRST, LOCATE MIDIAN As I began to study the Biblical account, in Exodus 3, Moses encounters the burning bush while he is in Midian, tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law. There, God tells Moses that he is to bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt.

EXO 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Moses was told in this verse to bring them back to Midian, to the mountain where God spoke to him. In my studies of ancient Egyptian history, it became clear to me that Midian was not in the Sinai peninsula– that it was in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

GAL 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

All through the Sinai peninsula there is tremendous evidence of the ancient Egyptians having control of this area. The inscriptions tell of their mining operations there. There are temples out there as well as fortresses. Had Moses led the people across the Gulf of Suez, they would have still been in Egyptian-controlled territory.

But in Saudi Arabia, there is no evidence of Egyptian occupation. In fact, when I showed the archaeologist from Riyadh University the petroglyphs of cows and bulls on the golden calf altar, he was very excited– he said this ancient Egyptian style of petroglyph was found nowhere else in Saudi that he knew of. The horns of the cows and bulls were drawn in the Egyptian style which represented the gods, Hathor and Aphis.

With this established, that Mt. Sinai lies in NW Saudi Arabia, and the crossing took place across the Gulf of Aqaba, (see map) let’s begin their entire route to the sea.

WHERE WAS RAMESES?

Unlike the commonly held thought, Rameses, was not a city– it was the Delta region; the land given to Joseph’s family to live in by the pharaoh. This was called “the land of Rameses” and “the land of Goshen.” This was where the great population of the Israelites lived: GEN 47:11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. GEN 47:27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.

Rameses could not be referring to a city for the simple reason that there just wasn’t a city in ancient Egypt large enough to hold the 2-3 million people Moses led from Egypt, much less all of their flocks and herds.

They were “in their homes” prior to leaving Also, we know that just before the “angel of death” took the lives of all the first born of Egypt, and pharaoh told Moses to take the people and go, God tells Moses to have the Israelites cook a lamb and to place the blood of this lamb upon the doors of their houses, that the “angel of death” would pass over their house:

EXO 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

They leave Egypt the same day This clearly implies that they were in their homes when this event occurred. Then, He goes on to tell them to eat unleaven bread for 7 days:

EXO 12:17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

God tells Moses in this verse that on that very day (selfsame day), while they are still in their homes, He will have brought them out of Egypt. This tells us that they left Egypt before sundown the day after the angel of death visited Egypt.

* Note that a “day” to the Israelites was not as we think of a day- from midnight to midnight. Instead, it was from evening to evening. LEV 23:32 …, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

EXO 12:37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

In summary, when word came to the people that they were allowed to leave, just after the “angel of death” visited Egypt, they all left their homes in Rameses, or Goshen, and proceeded to leave Egypt “proper.” How was this possible– that they were able to be out of Egypt so quickly? On the attached map, you can see that Egypt is extremely long, but its east/west boundaries are very narrow. They left Rameses and assembled in Succoth, which was very near, but at the same time, outside of the boundary of Egypt “proper:”

WHERE WAS SUCCOTH? Succoth had to be a place large enough for this tremendous amount of people and flocks to assemble. Long before I ever began my overseas field work, I had studied ancient Egyptian history. I had read numerous accounts of inscriptions which spoke of a place called variably “Tharu”, T’aru” and “Takut,” which fit the description of Succoth perfectly. The following are quoted from “Life in Ancient Egypt” by Adolf Erman:

p. 28- “The isthmus of Suez was of the greatest consequence also from a military point of view- it was doubtless fortified in very early times. Probably here stood the great fortress of T’aru, often spoken of as the starting-point for the expeditions into Syria,…”

p.537- “The line of fortifications which was intended to keep back these Beduins of the Delta, is met with as early as the time of the Middle Empire, and is still standing. It consisted of a wall strengthened by small towers,…; this formed an obstruction which the slaves who tried to escape from Egypt, and the Beduins who wanted to pasture their cattle on the fields of the Delta, found difficult to pass. At this time we also meet with a defensive work of another kind, namely a broad canal, which presumably connected the lakes of the isthmus together. At the point where a bridge crossed this canal were strong fortresses on both sides;… The great fortress which defended this bridge was the fortress of T’aru’, which is so often mentioned as the starting point of the military expeditions.”

To sum up what he has said, in ancient Egypt, there was a line of guarded fortifications along the canal which connected the Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea. This canal is known to have existed anciently by satellite photos and infrared photos which still show its path. At the point where one would leave Egypt proper and go into the Sinai desert, there was a fortress and a bridge. Inscriptions tell us that this fortress was called Tharu (or one of the various spellings).

This is also located near the Delta, or “Rameses,” where the Israelites were living. “Tharu” was where the Egyptian army assembled in preparation for their military expeditions to the north. Armies consisted of a great deal of men, horses and chariots; and they required a large area to assemble properly.

Moses well knew Tharu, called “Succoth” in the Biblical account– and it was here that he organized the people for their journey. They had left Egypt proper once they crossed this line of fortification, just as the Lord had promised. EXO 13:18 ;…and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

THEY LEFT “HARNESSED” We know of a surety that “harnessed” doesn’t mean “armed with weapons” because they had no weapons until God provided them by washing the bodies of the dead Egyptian army upon the shore after the waters of the Red Sea closed back up. The chariot soldiers had to strap their weapons to their bodies, and when they were washed upon the shore, the multitude simply collected their weaponry.

So what does it mean? The Hebrew word “chamushim,” which is the Hebrew word translated “harnessed” in the above verse, is found only 4 times in the Hebrew text– Exodus 13:18; Joshua 1:14; Joshua 4:12; and Judges 7:11. The word means “in ranks.” Apply that definition to the above texts and see for yourself if it does not seem appropriate. Also of note, is the fact that in Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua, the Hebrew word “chalats” is used in denoting “armed soldiers.”

If we really study the Biblical account, and use good, common sense– we can learn much from what is implied, but not actually spelled out for us. Moses, as “the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” was the heir to the throne of Egypt. As such, he was the “crown prince.” If you study any Egyptian history, you learn that the person in line for the throne was given very exacting training– the Pharaoh was considered the “earthly embodiment of the god”, so the “pharaoh-in-training” spent a part of his training studying with the priesthood: ACT 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

The next stage of a “crown prince’s” training was military. Moses was thoroughly trained in all aspects of military leadership and would have known well how to assemble large numbers of peoples for travel.

While no specifics are given in the Bible as to Moses’ life in Egypt, several ancient historians make reference to the fact that he was a general. And we admit that we do not accept all of what these people have to say as being totally accurate, but the fact that Moses was indeed a general in the Egyptian army seems to have been a well-known fact. Josephus writes about this in his “Antiquities of the Jews, Book II, Chapter X. As a military man, once again, Moses knew “Tharu”, and it was here that he organized his largest “army” ever for travel. And from here, they travelled to Etham.

WHERE WAS ETHAM? EXO 13:20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. Etham was in the “edge of the wilderness.” What wilderness was this? The answer is in the Exodus account: EXO 13:18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea:…

Etham was not a singular location, like a town- it was a designation of the land that lay around the mid-northern edge of the Gulf of Aqaba. We know this because once they cross the sea, they are still in an area called Etham: NUM 33:8 And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.

It was while they were at Etham on the western side of the sea that God told Moses: EXO 14:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

In order for them to be “entangled in the land,” they would have to be travelling through an area of wadis (canyons) with high mountains all around, which would seem to hem them in. This takes place prior to crossing the sea, so I looked for an area such as this which would terminate on a beach or shore of the sea which was large enough to hold perhaps 2 or 3 million people, as well as their flocks. I found a beach of tremendous size on the Gulf of Aqaba at Nuweiba, and the only passage to it is through an 18 mile long wadi system. (See color photo of this beach enclosed.)

From “Etham in the edge of the wilderness”, they changed their direction of travel from a northerly direction, (which would have soon taken them around the northern tip of the sea,) and went south, through a wadi system that must have appeared like an endless maze to them. Hemmed in to the left and right, they could only travel in one direction– and the only path through that wadi leads to the tremendous sized beach.

THE SITE OF THE CROSSING As I mentioned, I found this tremendous beach on the Gulf of Aqaba which could easily have held the multitude, their flocks, and also pharaoh’s army– separating the 2 groups by several miles. But there’s another interesting fact about this site…

Josephus gives an additional bit of information in his “Antiquities of the Jews,” Book II, Chapter XV. Speaking of pharaoh’s army pursuing the multitude, he states: “They also seized upon the passages by which they imagined the Hebrews might fly, shutting them up between the inaccessible precipices and the sea; for there was [on each side] a [ridge of] mountains that terminated at the sea, which was impassable by reason of their roughness, and obstructed their flight; wherefore they there pressed upon the Hebrews with their army, where [the ridges of] the mountains were closed with the sea;…”

When I first visited the site of Nuweiba in 1978, these mountains could be seen on the south end of the beach area which terminated at the sea– no passage would have been possible to the south. (See color photo of this area, where the mountains meet the sea on the south end.) As I found the chariot parts when diving on the southern end of the beach, this implies that the multitude travelled to this section of the beach.

Pharaoh’s army entered from the same wadi, which is the only entrance onto the beach. This wadi is located midway of the beach, and once the army entered the area, the multitude’s only means of escape would have been to the south. But the mountains to the south extend all the way to the sea– they had no way of escape, or so it seemed.

WHERE WAS ETHAM? EXO 13:20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.

Etham was in the “edge of the wilderness.” What wilderness was this? The answer is in the Exodus account:

EXO 13:18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea:…

It was the Wilderness of the Red Sea– the mountainous land of the mid and southern Sinai Peninsula. This was along a route that was commonly taken in those days by both caravans and the army, and it was called “the southern route.” This route was taken because it was safer than travelling along the coast, where the Philistines were. Etham was not a singular location, like a town- it was a designation of the land that lay around the mid-northern edge of the Gulf of Aqaba. We know this because once they cross the sea, they are still in an area called Etham:

NUM 33:8 And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.

It was while they were at Etham on the western side of the sea that God told Moses:

EXO 14:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

THE SITE OF THE CROSSING

As I mentioned, I found this tremendous beach on the Gulf of Aqaba which could easily have held the multitude, their flocks, and also pharaoh’s army– separating the 2 groups by several miles. But there’s another interesting fact about this site… Josephus gives an additional bit of information in his “Antiquities of the Jews,” Book II, Chapter XV. Speaking of pharaoh’s army pursuing the multitude, he states:

“They also seized upon the passages by which they imagined the Hebrews might fly, shutting them up between the inaccessible precipices and the sea; for there was [on each side] a [ridge of] mountains that terminated at the sea, which was impassable by reason of their roughness, and obstructed their flight; wherefore they there pressed upon the Hebrews with their army, where [the ridges of] the mountains were closed with the sea;…”

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Numbers 33 New International Version

Stages in israel’s journey.

33 Here are the stages in the journey ( A ) of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt ( B ) by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. ( C ) 2 At the Lord ’s command Moses recorded ( D ) the stages in their journey ( E ) . This is their journey by stages:

3 The Israelites set out ( F ) from Rameses ( G ) on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. ( H ) They marched out defiantly ( I ) in full view of all the Egyptians, 4 who were burying all their firstborn, ( J ) whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment ( K ) on their gods. ( L )

5 The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Sukkoth. ( M )

6 They left Sukkoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert. ( N )

7 They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon, ( O ) and camped near Migdol. ( P )

8 They left Pi Hahiroth [ a ] ( Q ) and passed through the sea ( R ) into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah. ( S )

9 They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped ( T ) there.

10 They left Elim ( U ) and camped by the Red Sea. [ b ]

11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin. ( V )

12 They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

13 They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.

14 They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. ( W )

15 They left Rephidim ( X ) and camped in the Desert of Sinai. ( Y )

16 They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah. ( Z )

17 They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. ( AA )

18 They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

19 They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.

20 They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah. ( AB )

21 They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.

22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

23 They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

24 They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

25 They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

26 They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

27 They left Tahath and camped at Terah.

28 They left Terah and camped at Mithkah.

29 They left Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. ( AC )

31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan. ( AD )

32 They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.

33 They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. ( AE )

34 They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

35 They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. ( AF )

36 They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin. ( AG )

37 They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, ( AH ) on the border of Edom. ( AI ) 38 At the Lord ’s command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died ( AJ ) on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year ( AK ) after the Israelites came out of Egypt. ( AL ) 39 Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40 The Canaanite king ( AM ) of Arad, ( AN ) who lived in the Negev ( AO ) of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.

41 They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

42 They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth. ( AP )

44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab. ( AQ )

45 They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.

46 They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.

47 They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, ( AR ) near Nebo. ( AS )

48 They left the mountains of Abarim ( AT ) and camped on the plains of Moab ( AU ) by the Jordan ( AV ) across from Jericho. ( AW ) 49 There on the plains of Moab they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth ( AX ) to Abel Shittim. ( AY )

50 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho ( AZ ) the Lord said to Moses, 51 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, ( BA ) 52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. ( BB ) 53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. ( BC ) 54 Distribute the land by lot, ( BD ) according to your clans. ( BE ) To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. ( BF ) Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes. ( BG )

55 “‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns ( BH ) in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. 56 And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them. ( BI ) ’”

Numbers 33:8 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text left from before Hahiroth
Numbers 33:10 Or the Sea of Reeds ; also in verse 11

Cross references

Numbers 33:1 : Ex 17:1; 40:36
Numbers 33:1 : Nu 1:1
Numbers 33:1 : S Ex 4:16; 6:26
Numbers 33:2 : S Ex 17:14
Numbers 33:2 : S ver 1
Numbers 33:3 : Nu 10:2
Numbers 33:3 : S Ge 47:11
Numbers 33:3 : Jos 5:10
Numbers 33:3 : S Ex 14:8
Numbers 33:4 : S Ex 4:23
Numbers 33:4 : 2Ch 24:24; Jer 15:3; Eze 14:21
Numbers 33:4 : S Ex 12:12
Numbers 33:5 : Ex 12:37
Numbers 33:6 : Ex 13:20
Numbers 33:7 : Ex 14:9
Numbers 33:7 : S Ex 14:2
Numbers 33:8 : Ex 14:2
Numbers 33:8 : S Ex 14:22
Numbers 33:8 : S Ex 15:23
Numbers 33:9 : Ex 15:27
Numbers 33:10 : Ex 16:1
Numbers 33:11 : S Ex 16:1
Numbers 33:14 : S Ex 15:22; S 17:2
Numbers 33:15 : S Ex 17:1
Numbers 33:15 : S Ex 19:1
Numbers 33:16 : S Nu 11:34
Numbers 33:17 : Nu 11:35
Numbers 33:20 : Jos 10:29; 12:15; 15:42; 21:13; 2Ki 8:22; 19:8; 23:31; 1Ch 6:57; 2Ch 21:10; Isa 37:8; Jer 52:1
Numbers 33:30 : Dt 10:6
Numbers 33:31 : Dt 10:6
Numbers 33:33 : Dt 10:7
Numbers 33:35 : Dt 2:8; 1Ki 9:26; 22:48
Numbers 33:36 : S Nu 13:21
Numbers 33:37 : S Nu 20:22
Numbers 33:37 : S Ge 36:16; S Nu 20:16
Numbers 33:38 : S Nu 27:13
Numbers 33:38 : S Ex 16:35
Numbers 33:38 : Nu 20:25-28
Numbers 33:40 : S Ge 10:18
Numbers 33:40 : S Nu 21:1
Numbers 33:40 : S Ge 12:9
Numbers 33:43 : Nu 21:10
Numbers 33:44 : S Nu 21:11
Numbers 33:47 : Nu 27:12
Numbers 33:47 : Nu 32:3
Numbers 33:48 : Nu 27:12
Numbers 33:48 : S Nu 26:3
Numbers 33:48 : S Ge 13:10
Numbers 33:48 : Nu 22:1; Jos 12:9
Numbers 33:49 : Jos 12:3; 13:20; Eze 25:9
Numbers 33:49 : S Nu 21:16
Numbers 33:50 : ver 48
Numbers 33:51 : Nu 34:2; Jos 3:17
Numbers 33:52 : Ex 34:13; S Lev 26:1; Ps 106:34-36
Numbers 33:53 : Dt 11:31; 17:14; Jos 1:11; 21:43
Numbers 33:54 : S Lev 16:8; Nu 36:2
Numbers 33:54 : Nu 26:54
Numbers 33:54 : Nu 35:8
Numbers 33:54 : Jos 18:10
Numbers 33:55 : Jos 23:13; Jdg 2:3; Ps 106:36; Isa 55:13; Eze 2:6; 28:24; Mic 7:4; 2Co 12:7
Numbers 33:56 : Nu 14:28

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From Egypt to Mount Sinai

The map below traces the journey of the Children of Israel from Egypt to Mount Sinai as described in Exodus 12:37-19:2.

The Children of Israel leave Egypt from Ramses (Exodus 12:37) on the 15th of Nissan.
Their first stop on the journey from Egypt is Succoth (Exodus 12:37) .
From Succoth they travel to Etham (Exodus 13:19) .
They camp between Midgol and the sea while the Egyptian army pursues them (Exodus 14:1-14) .
The sea splits, allowing the Jews to cross on dry land while the pursuing Egyptian army drowns (Exodus 14:15-31) .
The people travel to Marah where they find bitter water. God sweetens the water for them, gives them some laws and promises to be their healer (Exodus 15:23-26) .
In Elim they find 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees (Exodus 15:27) .
In the wilderness of Sin they complain about the lack of food and are given manna from heaven and quail to eat (Exodus 16:1-36) .
They again lack water in Rephidim . God provides water from a rock after which Amalek attacks (Exodus 17:1-16) .
From Rephidim the people travel to the wilderness of Sinai and camp near Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-2) . It is here that they are given the Torah, make the golden calf and build the Tabernacle.

* This map follows one of several opinions, some locations are approximate

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Map of the Route of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt
Exodus Route Map
The Exodus Route: Wilderness of Egypt: the Sinai Peninsula
The Exodus Route: Wilderness of Egypt: the Sinai Peninsula
The Exodus
Graphics and Maps of the Exodus and Tabernacle. Moses Bible Study

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COMMENTS

Map of the Route of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt
This map shows the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land under the leadership of Moses. The Nile Delta was a triangular area of marshland about 150 miles from north to south, from Memphis to the Mediterranean, and about 150 - 200 miles wide. Upper Egypt was a bit further south from Lower Egypt, starting at Memphis (bottom of ...
The Map of the Exodus from Egypt
Map 1 lays out a feasible route through the network of low-lying wadis. The travel distance between Rameses and Nuweiba via this path is about 438 km (272 mi.). Given these circumstances, and the travel chronology in the book of Exodus, I estimate that the Hebrews crossed the Sinai Peninsula in as little as 18 days, an average of 15.1 miles per ...
2. Israel's Exodus from Egypt and Entry into Canaan
2. Israel's Exodus from Egypt and Entry into Canaan. Image. Bible map 2. Rameses Israel was thrust out of Egypt ( Ex. 12; Num. 33:5 ). Succoth After the Hebrews left this first campsite, the Lord attended them in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night ( Ex. 13:20-22 ). Pi-hahiroth Israel passed through the Red Sea ( Ex. 14; Num. 33 ...
PDF ROUTE OF THE EXODUS OF THE ISRAELITES FROM EGYPT
Journey of the Israelites Through the Wilderness Mt. Sinai Mt. Horeb Arabia Egypt Elim Marah WILDERNESS OF ETHAM WILDERNESS ARAN Gaza Hebron Philistines Beersheba oward the land of the LAND OF WILDERNESS OF SHUR GOSHEN E A G R E A T S E A Ashkelon Mt Nebo Nile River Bible History Online oward. Title: Map-Route-Exodus-Israelites-Egypt
Map of the Route of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Free Bible)
Map of the Route of the Hebrews from Egypt. This map shows the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land under the leadership of Moses. ... At the end of the second day's journey the camping place was at Etham, "in the edge of the wilderness." Ex 13:20; Nu 33:6 Here the Wadi-t-Tumeylat was probably left, as it is cultivable and ...
The Exodus Route: Travel times, distances, rates of travel, days of the
1. The 47-day exodus itinerary alone refutes the Nuweiba exodus route of Glen Fritz because even he admits his 555-mile (888 km) route cannot be travelled in less than 53 days. Fritz calculates Israel arrived at Mt. Sinai on day 64-65 and he added 12 "arbitrary" filler days to delay the arrival from day 53 to day 65. 2.
Map: Exodus From Egypt
B2 Genesis and the Travels of the Patriarchs. B3 The Exodus From Egypt. B4 Conquest of the Promised Land. B5 Tabernacle and High Priest. B6 Settlement of the Promised Land. B7 Kingdom of David and Solomon. B8 Temple Built by Solomon. B9 World Powers Foretold by Daniel. B10 Israel During the Time of Jesus.
Bible Maps: The Exodus from Egypt: 1440 BC
Satellite map of the Exodus 1440 BC. Exodus Route proven from the Bible. Encyclopedia of Exodus Route Maps: Old, Ancient, Antique, Vintage and Modern maps.
The Routes of the Exodus
The Routes of the Exodus. This map is part of a series of 12 animated maps showing the history of The Bible and History. Towards the end of the Book of Genesis, Abraham's grandson Jacob travelled to Egypt with all his tribe in order to escape the famine that was devastating Canaan. In the Book of Exodus, it is said that, after several ...
The Exodus Itineraries
The narratives found in Exodus and Numbers - This itinerary takes a little more work to extract, but it's not too much hassle. It begins in Rameses (Exodus 12:37) and ends on the plain of Moab (Numbers 22:1). Moses' speech in Deuteronomy 1-3 - Here the Israelites' journey begins at Mt Sinai (Deuteronomy 1:19) and ends in the valley ...
The Route Through Sinai: Why the Israelites Fleeing Egypt Went South
I believe they can. The Bible clearly identifies by name the stops along the Exodus route ( Numbers 33:5-37 ). The area settled by the Israelites in Egypt is consistently identified as Goshen ( Genesis 45:10, 47:1, 4 ), which surely lay in the eastern Nile Delta. The Israelite rallying point for the Exodus was the Raamses, one of the store ...
The Geography of the Exodus: A Journey from Egypt to Canaan
Here's a closer look at the journey from Egypt to Canaan. Egypt: The Exodus began in Egypt, where the Israelites had been living in slavery for over 400 years. According to the Bible, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, which God miraculously parted to allow them to pass. Sinai Peninsula: After crossing the Red Sea ...
Map of the Israelite Journey: Out of the Wilderness, Into the Promised
This is a map of the Israelite journey out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. ... Map of 'Out of Egypt to the Wilderness and Promised Land' Paul's Journeys - PowerPoint ... Empires of the Ancient Near East. Related Images. Map of the Prophets to Israel and Judah. Map of the Journeys of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph - The Founders. Map of ...
10. The Scenic Route To The Promised Land (Exodus 13:17-22)
1. God's way of dealing with us is to take us on "the scenic route.". When we used to live in Southern California and wanted to get to the Bay area, if we had the extra time we enjoyed taking the more scenic route up Highway 1 along the coast. The fastest way there is Interstate 5 which goes right up the middle of the State.
FreeBibleimages :: Journeys from Egypt to Canaan :: Maps of the Exodus
Maps of the Exodus and Canaan to the times of the judges. ... by The Bible Journey. Read terms of download. View slideshow Download image set Story planner. Download story: Journeys from Egypt to Canaan. Choose the file type and the file format: PowerPoint. 4:3 ... We are a team of Christians creating a visual journey through the Bible as a ...
The Exodus Route: Red Sea Crossing
The Red Sea Crossing. Introduction: We only know with certainty, three of the nearly 50 places listed in the exodus between Egypt and the Jordan 40 years later. Rameses (Goshen), Ezion-Geber (modern Elat) and Mt. Nemo. God has chosen for us to know only the starting, midway and ending cities. Nothing in between is known for certain.
The Exodus
The Exodus ( Hebrew: יציאת מצרים, Yəṣīʾat Mīṣrayīm: lit. 'Departure from Egypt' [a]) is the founding myth [b] of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four of the five books of the Pentateuch (specifically, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy ). The consensus of modern scholars is that the Pentateuch does not ...
The Israelites flee from Egypt
Map 44 The Journey from Egypt to Sinai. The Israelites had lived in Egypt and Canaan for 430 years - half of this time in Egypt (see Exodus 12:40 where footnotes usually indicate the inclusion of the words "and Canaan" in the earliest versions of the Bible). The Jewish historian Josephus explains that the Israelites left Egypt 430 years ...
THE ROUTE OF THE EXODUS JOURNEYS
The first indepth study we will present will be the events of the Exodus journey, beginning with the time the multitude leaves Egypt until they cross the Red Sea. A map is attached for reference. We will systematically take each step of their journey. We do not continue their journey once they cross the Red Sea and enter Midian, but we do show ...
Num 33-36 NIV
Stages in Israel's Journey - Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. At the LORD's command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their journey by stages: The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out ...
The Places Where Israel Camped During
The Places Where Israel Camped During Their Journey - Here are the places where the Israelites camped during their journey. When they came out of Egypt, they marched in groups like an army. Moses and Aaron led them. The LORD commanded Moses to record their journey. Here are the places where they camped. The Israelites started out from Rameses on the 15th day of the first month. It was the day ...
Numbers 33 NIV
Stages in Israel's Journey - Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. At the LORD's command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their journey by stages: The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out ...
From Egypt to Mount Sinai
The map below traces the journey of the Children of Israel from Egypt to Mount Sinai as described in Exodus 12:37-19:2. The Children of Israel leave Egypt from Ramses (Exodus 12:37) on the 15th of Nissan.; Their first stop on the journey from Egypt is Succoth (Exodus 12:37).; From Succoth they travel to Etham (Exodus 13:19).; They camp between Midgol and the sea while the Egyptian army pursues ...