The journeys of Israel may be divided as follows: 1. Raamses to the Red Sea; 2. Red Sea to Sinai; 3. Sinai to Kadesh-Barnea; 4. Kadesh-Barnea westward, then southward, and finally eastward to Mt. Hor; 5. Mt. Hor southwest by Wady Jerafah to Ezion-geber; 6. Ezion-geber to Kadesh-Barnea; 7. Kadesh-Barnea to Mt. Hor and Ezion-geber, preparatory to encompassing the land of Edom; 8. Ezion-geber by the desert of Arabia and the land of Moab to the Jordan near Mt. Nebo.

      1. The first stage of the journey brought Israel to Etham near the head of the Red Sea. From this point the obvious course was eastward across the upper end of the sea, and thence down its eastern shore toward Sinai; but Israel was divinely led by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, and this guide turned them back westward and brought them around Jebel Attaka and through Wady Tawarik to the western shore of the Red Sea. Here Israel found a beach almost as smooth as a floor and sloping gently to the sea. This beach is two miles wide and nine miles long. Here Israel encamped. God told Moses that they should come to this place, that Pharaoh might think them entangled in the wilderness, and so be induced to pursue them. A glance at the small map will show how the situation tempted Pharaoh. Israel was in a trap. When Pharaoh filled Wady Tawarik with his chariots, there was apparently no escape for Israel. The cliffs of Jebel Attaka to the north and west and those of the Abu Duras Range to the south left Israel no choice but to cross seven miles of sea varying from three to sixteen fathoms in depth in the channel. The cliffs of these mountains are about 300 feet high, and the "strong east wind" would dash the water against their bases, making escape impossible. But Israel's despair was God's opportunity. The people under Moses crossed in safety, but the closing walls of water swallowed up the Egyptians. [xxiv]

      2. After refreshing themselves at the wells of Moses, of which there are seven, the Israelites followed the shores of the sea, journeying in a southeasterly direction. Twenty-five miles of travel brought them to the bitter waters of Marah (or bitterness), Dow called Ain Hawarah (or fountain of destruction). The waters here are still bitter. Five miles farther on they came upon Elim (or trees), with its twelve springs and seventy palm-trees. Just beyond Elim they encamped by the shores of the Red Sea. Thus far their second stage had been through the Wilderness of Shur (or wall); they now entered the Wilderness of Sin (or moon god). Here quails were sent, and manna was first given. Through this wilderness they passed some fifteen miles to the mouth of Wady Feiran, up which they ascended and came to Rephidim. Here they murmured for lack of water, and Moses was sent on before with the elders of Israel to bring water from the rock in Horeb. While the rear of the caravan was at Rephidim, "faint and weary," the Amalekites fell upon them. Next day Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, and aided by the prayers of Moses, routed Amalek. Thus Israel came to Sinai. Of Mt. Sinai (Ras Sufsafeh, i. e., "the head or peak of the willow," so called from a large willow which grew in one of its crevices) and the surrounding mountains, Porter thus writes: "The nakedness and desolation of these mountains form one of the most striking characteristics. Their sharp, jagged tops, their rugged sides, the wild clefts and glens which rend and separate them, are all bare granite. The scarcity of water and the burning sun of a long summer, combined with the nature of the rock and the extraordinary dryness of the atmosphere, account for the absence of vegetation. This again causes a great scarcity of animal life. Beasts and birds are almost as rare as human inhabitants. A silence as of death reigns throughout the entire peninsula. The slightest sound--the call of the shepherd, or the shout of the camel-driver--is heard to a great distance. The report of a gun, or the fall of a fragment of rock from the mountain-side, reverberates from cliff to cliff, and from valley to valley, like a thunder peal." "They were wrapt," says Stanley, "in a silence which gave full effect to the morning and evening shout with which the encampment rose and pitched, and still more to the 'thunders, and the voice exceeding loud' on the top of Horeb." "Yet," says Porter, "though so naked, stern and desolate, the mountains of Sinai are beautiful. The gorgeous coloring of the granite rock makes up for the absence of foliage and vegetation." "The rocks," says Miss Martineau, "were the most diversified I ever saw. I noted them on the spot as being black, green, crimson, lilac, maroon, yellow, golden and white; and their form was that of a whole host of cones. . . . The red granite mountains we were now in the midst of, are massive and awful beyond any other mountains I ever saw. The sunset lights and the morrow's dawn dressed them in splendor, but scarcely relieved their gloom." Of the approach of Israel to Sinai, Stanley thus speaks: "Onward they went, and the mountains closed around them, upward through the winding valley and under high cliff, and over rugged pass, and through gigantic forms on which the marks of creation even now seem fresh and powerful; and at last, through all the different valleys the whole body of the people were assembled. On their right hand and on their left rose long successions of lofty rocks, forming a vast avenue, like the approaches which they had seen leading to the Egyptian temples between colossal figures of men and of gods. At the end of this broad avenue, rising immediately out of the level plain on which they were encamped, towered the massive cliffs of Sinai, like the huge altar of some natural temple; encircled by peaks of every shape, and height, the natural pyramids of the desert. In this sanctuary, secluded from all earthly things, raised high above even the wilderness itself, arrived, as it must have seemed to them, at the very end of the world--they waited for the revelation of God."

      3. In front of Sinai, in the plain of Rahah (rest), the people encamped just a month and a half after their departure from Raamses. Here they remained for one year, lacking ten days. Among the prominent events of this stage we should note the descent of [xxv] Jehovah upon Sinai; the sound of his voice speaking to the people; the giving of the law; the worship of the golden calf; the construction of the tabernacle; the consecration of the priests and setting apart of the Levites; the deaths of Nadab and Abihu; the numbering of the people; the visit of Jethro, and the winning of Hobab.

      4. For three days the people journeyed through a desolate land from Sinai toward the wilderness of Paran. Their route lay through a dreary region of rugged hills and bleak valleys, and inconsequence complaints were many. For this God sent fire among the people till the prayer of Moses stayed it. But the mixed multitude were not to be quieted; they almost broke out in open rebellion against Moses for lack of meat. God again sent them quails, and the quails were followed by a disastrous plague. The caravan then reached Hazeroth, a little spring eighteen hours distant from Sinai, where Aaron and Miriam turned against Moses. From Hazeroth the route lay a little east of north to the bluffs of Mt. Shepher. Here Israel probably turned eastward as the nearest way to Kadesh-Barnea.

      5. From Kadesh-Barnea the spies were sent to view the Promised Land, and the behavior of Israel on their return led to the sentence of forty years' wandering (or thirty-eight years, as the two years already spent in the wilderness were mercifully counted). It is said that Israel abode many days at Kadesh. But the wilderness of Paran and Kadesh are used interchangeably,, and so it is fair to suppose that the Kadesh springs were used as headquarters, and that during the rainy seasons of many years Israel pastured their flocks over the whole Wilderness of et Tih, as indicated on the map, until they came to Mt. Hor. The Wilderness of et Tih (the wanderings) is so called from time immemorial, because it is traditionally the place where many or most of the thirty-eight years were spent. Of the wilderness of et Tih Porter says: "No part of it is ever wholly destitute of vegetation; and it contains, notwithstanding long centuries of neglect and desolation, many tracts of fertile soil, and rich pasture, and thickets of tamarisk, juniper, and other dwarf trees and shrubs. In fact, it is manifest that even at the present time the desert of et Tih is capable of supporting immense flocks and herds, and a considerable population." In the torrent beds which cut its surface, and in the blasted trunks of old trees, the traveler can see evidences which prove that rainfall was once much more abundant, and that there were approaches to forests in some parts. There are also extensive ruins of towns and cities, which are substantial testimonials to the former prosperity and population of this land. It is probable that the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram took place during these years spent in Kadesh and et Tih.

      6. Of the thirty-eight years of wandering little is said, and the journeys are not clearly indicated. It is reasonable that they should be obscure, for the people were not really journeying; they were merely spending time, and were probably scattered far and wide over the scant pasture land of et Tih. But part of this time was also spent in the Arabah, along the borders of Edom. Our sixth stage therefore finds them wandering slowly down towards Ezion-geber, stopping to pasture their flocks wherever grass was found and abiding until it was consumed. They would not travel as a businesslike, compact caravan, but would be found skirting the foothills of Mt. Seir, and stretching clear across the valley to the hills of the Wilderness of Zin, and thus they descended to the head of the Gulf of Akabah.

      7. From Ezion-geber Israel again turned northward and returned to Kadesh-Barnea. This second visit, like the first, was prolonged, and probably covered several years. Here Miriam died and was buried. The Kadesh springs were unequal to the demands of so great a multitude, so Moses was again called on to bring water from the rock. Here he and Aaron sinned in not glorifying God before the people, and were forbidden to enter the Promised Land. Amalek and the Canaanites lay north of Kadesh, and it would have been hard to enter Palestine by pressing directly northward. Besides, it appears to have been God's design that Israel should enter by crossing the Jordan, that a new significance might be given to the wilderness journey. Hence Israel sent messengers to Edom, and sought to pass eastward through their land. They would probably have journeyed from Kadesh to Ain el Weibeh and thence between the northern end of the Shelrah Range and the southern end of the Dead Sea. But Edom refused to permit this passage. [xxvi]

      8. Consequently Israel turned eastward to the borders of Edom at Mt. Hor. Here Aaron died at the command of God. From Mt. Hor they turned southward to Ezion-geber, that they might turn the southern end of the Shelrah Range. It would have been nearer had Israel passed directly from Kadesh-Barnea southward to Ezion-geber, and the route would have been much more pleasant. The Arabah is the most desolate and most trying portion of all the region west of the Shelrah Range. It is probable that God led them down this sultry, blistering vale of Arabah that it might partly prepare or educate them for the even more trying land which they would find east of the Shelrah Range when they turned north from Ezion-geber. They needed such a preparation, but were ever slow to learn.

      9. Somewhere about Ezion-geber the people again murmured, and fiery serpents were sent among them, causing Moses to erect the Brazen Serpent. Seeing the wasting away of an entire generation save himself, Caleb and Joshua, it is probable that Moses at this period wrote the ninetieth Psalm. The Desert of Arabia, by which they passed to the confines of Moab, is a desert indeed. All their former journeyings in wildernesses failed to prepare them for their experiences in crossing this howling waste. "It is," says Porter, "a vast table-land, extending from the mountain range of Edom eastward to the horizon, without tree or shrub, stream or fountain. The surface is either bare rock, or white gravel mixed with flints, or drifting sand. The very Bedawin dread the passage of this 'great and terrible wilderness.' For days together the daring traveler who ventures to cross it must hasten onward, and should the supply of water which he is obliged to carry fail, all hope is gone. Wallin, one of the very few who traversed it, says: 'It is a tract the most desolate and sterile I ever saw. Its irregular surface, instead of vegetation, covered with small stones, which, shining sometimes in a dark swarthy, sometimes in a bright white color, reflect the rays of the sun in a manner most injurious to the eyes.' Mr. Palgrave, who crossed it more recently, almost in the track of Wallin, also gives a frightful account of it. It is far more desolate and dreary and terrible than any region west of the Arabah." It was a dreary waste for Israel; but the journey was made in safety, and at last the wanderings of Israel were over. They now entered upon the period of conquest which forms another chapter in their history. [xxvii]

[Standard Eclectic Commentary for 1902, pp. xxiv-xxvii.]

      The electronic version of Philip Y. Pendleton's "The Wilderness Wanderings" has been produced from a copy of the Standard Eclectic Commentary (Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing Company, 1901) held by the Disciples of Christ Historical Society.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained; however, corrections have been offered for misspellings and other accidental corruptions. Emendations are as follows:

            Printed Text [ Electronic Text
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 p. 25:     Repidim, [ Rephidim,
 p. 27:     an other [ another
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
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Derry, PA 15627-9770
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Created 3 May 1999.