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Stations of the Exodus

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The Stations list is the list of the locations visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt. [1]

As the map illustrates, the list places its first six stations in Egypt. Starting near Thebes the capital of Egypt in the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt they head down the wadi Ham ma m3at from Etham toward Thebes Red Sea port at Elim where Hatshepsut kept her trading fleet. The fleet was used to bring mortuary materials from across the Red Sea at Elat to the temple of Karnak at Thebes. The list, or lists as there are variations in other books of the bible, contain several brief narrative fragments. For example "...And they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water, and seventy date-palms...". Viewed in the context of the conflict between Egypt and its rivals as mentioned in the Amarna Letters and in the context of the campaign reports of the 18th dynasty and the 19th dynasty The Exodus taken with Joshua and Judges places the participants in the midst of the conflict during one of the first major wars between empires.

The Egyptian and Hittite spheres of influence around the time of the 18th dynasty.


The Stations of the Exodus in Egypt

Station Biblical Reference Description Modern Location
1. Ramesses Ex. 12:37; Nu. 33:3,5 the Rameses district was of the highest quality land in Egypt (Ge. 47:11) Thebes, Egypt
2. Sukkoth Ex. 12:37, 13:20; Nu. 33:5-6 The tombs of Karnak from which the bones of Joseph are retrieved across the Nile from Thebes
3. Etham Ex. 13:20; Nu. 33:6-8 "on the edge of the wilderness" The wadi Ham M3at leading from Thebes to the Red Sea
4. Pi-Hahiroth Ex. 14:2-3; Nu. 33:7-8 "between Migdol and the sea, opposite Ba'al-Zephon" (the god of the west wind) In Egyptian the place of "facing the fear of coming forth abroad as a fugitive"
5. Marah Ex. 15:23; Nu. 33:8-9 lit. 'bitterness' The outskirts of Thebes port of Elim
6. Elim Ex. 15:27, 16:1; Nu. 33:9-10 Had 12 wells and 70 palm trees Modern Thebes Port of Quasire

The 7th Station of the Exodus

The 7th Station of the Exodus lies between Elim and Elat in the Red Sea which is an anglified version of the Greek name, the Erythrian Sea.

Station Biblical Reference Description Modern Location
7. By the Red Sea Nu. 33:10-11 By the Erythrian Sea Thebes Port of Quasire

The Passage of the Red Sea is described in the [2]. (Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. According to the story it is in the first month, the time of inundation that they leave from Thebes, but in the second month that they arrive off Sinai. The Gulf of Aqaba separates the kingdoms of the Araba or Arabia Petra from Egypt, just as Egypts province of Canaan separates Egypts vassals from the Hittites and their allies the Nahraim.

The Stations of the Exodus after reaching Sinai

The 8th stastion reaches Sinai. None of the Stations except number 8 are actually in the Sinai

Station Biblical Reference Description Modern Location
8. Sin Wilderness Ex. 16:1, 17:1; Nu. 33:11-12 God supplies quail and manna, "Between Elim and Elat" Gulf of Aqaba

The Stations of the Exodus in and around Elat

The 9th-13th stations are in and around Elat The Stations list now refers to the stations or stopping point of the Sons of Israel in their Exodus after they have [3] left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea.

The list of the locations the Israelites stopped at after the Exodus from Egypt are taken from the locations mentioned in the Book of Exodus and the rest of the Pentateuch. [4] discuses reports of habiru from the Amarna letters which agree and are colaborated by Egyptian campaign reports and those places on the stations list which are also on the Kings Highway

Station 12 refers to a dozen campsites in and around Timna in Modern Israel near Elat.

What follows is a list of the various stops of the Israelites on the Stations Lists, which are also links to the respective underlying articles.

The biblical reference is given in the next column. The modern equivalents of these locations, such as are known, are given in the column at right. Click on the first station to begin the tour:

Station Biblical Reference Description Modern Location
9. Dophkah Nu. 33:12-13 "Dophkah" from the semitic root for Adonis, a Phoenician emporia at Elat Egyptiam suburb of modern Elat
10. Alush Nu. 33:13-14 the summit of Horeb where the water flowed from the rock Mt Horab at modern Elat
11. Rephidim Ex. 17:1, 19:2; Nu. 33:14-15 near Mt. Horab at Elat Place of rhe First Contact with the Amalek and Rephidim of the Negev, Edom, and Canaan
12. Sinai Wilderness Ex. 19:1-2; Nu. 10:12, 33:15-16 The campsites near Elat
13. Kibroth-Hattaavah Nu. 11:35, 33:16-17 lit. Graves of Longing or Graves of Lust The burials of those who fought the Amalek at Horab

The stations that follow the border of Edom

Stations 14-21 follow the border of Edom heading North adjacent to the desert of Sn and then turn east back to Moab and Medeba which is a plateaus of cattle ranges in Jordan.

The 14th-18th lead North up to Gaza following the western bound of Edom
The 19th-21st lead East back to Moab following the northern bound of Edom
Station Biblical Reference Description Modern Location
14. Hazeroth Nu. 11:35, 12:16, 33:17-18 Between Elat and Kadesh Barnea - -
15. Rithmah Nu. 33:18-19 Near Kadesh Barnea - -
16. Rimmon-Perez Nu. 33:19-20 Kadesh Barnea the Brook of Egypt - -
17. Libnah Nu. 33:20-21 The White land in the West, Libyan Frankincense emporia
18. Rissah Nu. 33:21-22 a fortified well on the Kings highway
19. Kehelathah Nu. 33:22-23 The place of gathering antimony on the Kings highway
20. Mount Shapher Nu. 33:23-24 from Arabic safarya, journey, from safar, departure
21. Haradah Nu. 33:24-25 the place of departure a place of fear between Mount Shapher and Makhelot near Moab

The Exodus reaches Moab and heads south toward Petra

The 22nd-25th lead south to Petra following the eastern bound of Edom
The 26th through 28th are in and around Petra.
The 29th-32nd lead south from the cleft in the mountain at Petra back to Ezion Geber or Elat.
Station 33 goes back North to Kadesh
Station 34 goes back East to Mt Hor at Petra.
The 35th -37th lead north along the kings highway and the border of Moab to Mt Nebo.
Station 38 is Mount Nebo and 39 is Dibon the capital of Moab.
Stations 40-42 are in Moab near Mt Nebo.
Station Biblical Reference Description Modern Location
22. Makheloth Nu. 33:25-26 A place dedicated to Moloch Near Moab
23. Tahath Nu. 33:26-27 Egyptian for the land of gardens On the borders of Moab and Edom
24. Tarah Nu. 33:27-28 Ta Ra The land of the Egyptians On the borders of Moab and Edom
25. Mithcah Nu. 33:28-29 associated with Petra on the borders of Moab and Edom near Petra.
26. Hashmonah Nu. 33:29-30 Ha Shmona Kiryat Shmona South
27. Moseroth Nu. 33:30-31 The place where Aaron died at the foor of Mt Hor (Petra)
28. Bene-Jaakan Nu. 33:31-32 the wells of Jaakan Near Mt Hor (Petra)
29. Petra Nu. 33:32-33 Siq The cleft in the cleft of the mountain the entrance to Petra
30. Jotbathah Nu. 33:33-34 Between Petra and Elat - -
31. Abronah Nu. 33:34-35 Near Elat - -
32. Ezion-Geber Nu. 33:35-36 Elat Near northern tip of Gulf of Aqaba
33. Kadesh Nu. 20:1,22, 33:36-37 Located in the Wilderness of Zin; Miriam's burial place Kadesh Barnea, the southern Border of Israel at the Brook of Egypt
34. Mount Hor (Petra) Nu. 20:22, 21:4, 33:37-41 On the MoabEdomite border; Aaron's burial place
35. Zalmonah Nu. 33:41-42 where the manna was delivered textual artifact al mon = manna
36. Punon Nu. 33:42-43 A place without mannah where the sons of Israel complained of hunger and were attacked by snakes
37. Oboth Nu. 21:10-11, 33:43-44 adjacent to Mt Nebo Moab, Ammon, Edom, Zobah, and the Philistines
38. Abarim Ruins Nu. 21:11, 33:44-45 Israelites encamped beneath Mount Nebo at the ruins
39. Dibon Gad Nu. 33:45-46 Dhiban was the capital of Moab in Jordan east of the Dead Sea south of Amman
40. Almon Diblathaim Nu. 33:46-47 where the manna was delivered by the west wind Phillistine Athaim, a town in Moab
41. Abarim Mountains Nu. 33:13-14 Israelites encamped beneath Mount Nebo - -
42. Moab Plains Nu. 22:1, 33:48-50 Israelites encamped on the Jordan River from Beith Hayishimoth to Aveil Hashittim Occupied most of the Trans-Jordan region

Alternative unreferenced version

The Stations list is the list of the locations visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt.

Under the documentary hypothesis, the list is believed to have originally been a distinct and separate source text. In the hypothesis, it is believed that the redactor, who combined the sources, used parts of the Stations list to fill out awkward joins between the main sources. The list lists the locations visited by the Israelites, during their journey through the wilderness, after having left Egypt. Consequently, the parts which were inserted to join up the sources appear in suitable locations in the Book of Exodus and the Book of Numbers.

However, a slightly variant version of the list appears in full at Numbers 33, and several parts of the journey described in the full list, most noticeably the journey from Sinai to Zin, do not appear in the fragmented version. It is tempting to suggest that the journey from Sinai to Zin was cut out of the fragmented version due to a copying error caused by the similarity in sound of "Sinai" and "Zin". However, as there are 42 locations in the full list, and the Israelites were said to have been in the desert for 40 years, it is possible that several locations in the full list were added to the list of destinations as a literary device. It may even be the case that both of these are true, the full list being the original on which the fragmented version was based.

Both versions of the list contain several brief narrative fragments. For example "...And they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water, and seventy date-palms...". It is the matter of some debate as to how much of the narrative is part of the original text of the list, and how much is extra detail added into it by the redactor.

The situation also occurs in reverse, where some brief texts, within parts of the list, and ascribed to the redactor, are usually regarded as not being part of the list of stations, albeit without much conviction. This is particularly true for Numbers 21:14-15, which references unknown events in the lost Book of the wars of the lord, and Numbers 21:16b-18a, describing the digging of the well at Beer.

What follows is a list of the various stops of the Israelites on the Stations Lists, which are also links to the respective underlying articles. The biblical reference is given in the next column. The modern equivalents of these locations, such as are known, are given in the column at right. You can also just click on Rameses to begin with the first location of the tour:

Further readings

Archaeological References

Near Eastern References

Marine Archaeology Rederences

Egyptological References

Linguistic References

Classical References

Historical References

Mathematical References

Mensurational References

Architectural References

Medieval References

Misc

  • 5. James B. Pritchard, Template:Section:Book reference after author discuses reports of habiru from the Amarna letters which agree and are colaborated by Egyptian campaign reports and thos places on the stations list which are also on the Kings Highway

References

  1. ^ (Nelson Glueck "Rivers in the Desert followed the list of stations from the Exodus and located many of the sites in the Negev)
  2. ^ (Dr. Muhammed Abdul Nayeem, "Prehistory and Protohistory of the Arabian Peninsula")
  3. ^ (The Book of Exodus in the Pentateuch, chapters 13 : 16)
  4. ^ (James B. Pritchard, "The ANE" )
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