wilderness wanderings

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The Wilderness Wanderings

The wandering in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy 2:7 - For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness : these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

From Sinai, God led the Israelites through "the great and terrible wilderness" to Kadesh (the border of the promised land). Moses sent 12 spies, one from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, into Canaan to explore the land. The spies returned with glowing reports of the fruitfulness of the land. They brought back samples of its figs and pomegranates and a cluster of grapes so large that it had to be carried between two men on a pole (Num. 13:1-25)

The majority of the spies, however, voted against the invasion of the land because of the huge inhabitants of Canaan, and fortified cities "walled to heaven" . It was a report of doom. Yet two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, brought back a report full of faith and encouragement.

Num 13:30-33 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. "There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." . . . Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."

But the people lost heart and rebelled, refusing to enter Canaan and crying for a new leader who would take them back to Egypt. To punish them for their lack of faith, God condemned all of that generation, except Caleb and Joshua, to perish in the wilderness for 40 years (Num. 14:26-38). All those 20 years old and up would indeed perish in the wilderness with the exception of Joshua and Caleb.

During these years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses' patience was continually tested by the murmurings, grumblings, and complaints of the people. At one point, Moses' patience reached its breaking point and he sinned against the Lord, in anger against the people. When the people again grumbled against Moses, saying they had no water, the Lord told Moses to speak to the rock and water would flow forth. Instead, Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Apparently because he disobeyed the Lord in this act, Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land (Num. 20:1-13). That privilege would belong to his successor, Joshua.

After 40 years the sandglass ran out and Moses brought the tribes back to Kadesh. They camped on the plains of Moab where Moses spoke to them for the last time. Moses then turned his leadership over to Joshua. God led him to the top of Mount Nebo to see the land and there Moses died.

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Wilderness wanderings: where is kadesh.

Kadesh in the Bible and on the ground

“I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-Barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him an honest report.” —Joshua 14:7

According to the Bible, the Israelites stayed at a place called Kadesh following their Exodus from Egypt and wanderings through the desert. Kadesh—also called Kadesh-Barnea in some Biblical passages 1 —was where Moses’ sister Miriam died and was buried (Numbers 20:1) and from where Moses sent 12 men to spy out the Promised Land (Numbers 13:26).

KADESH IN THE BIBLE. In the Hebrew Bible, a place called Kadesh—also known as Kadesh-Barnea—was an important stop during the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings. Where is Kadesh? The site of Tell el-Qudeirat in the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula is considered to be the best candidate. Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority.

Where is Kadesh-Barnea? Investigations since the early 19th century have attempted to find the site. Tell el-Qudeirat, located in the valley of the Wadi el-Ein in the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula, is the best candidate for Biblical Kadesh-Barnea, according to scholarly consensus today.

Excavations conducted at Tell el-Qudeirat and its surroundings in 1914 by Leonard Woolley and T.E. Lawrence and between 1976 and 1982 by Rudolph Cohen have revealed the ruins of three Iron Age (Israelite) fortresses. However, the archaeologists uncovered no evidence dating before the 10th century B.C.E.—the time of King Solomon . There appears to be no evidence, therefore, that Tell el-Qudeirat was occupied during the time of Moses and the Biblical Exodus . 2 What do we make of this?

In “Kadesh-Barnea—In the Bible and on the Ground” in the September/October 2015 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review , David Ussishkin, Lily Singer-Avitz and Hershel Shanks explore the archaeological evidence uncovered at Tell el-Qudeirat. An analysis of the finds—especially the pottery—from the Iron Age ruins sheds new light on the identification of Tell el-Qudeirat with Kadesh in the Bible.

In the free eBook Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus , top scholars discuss the historical Israelites in Egypt and archaeological evidence for and against the historicity of the Exodus.

Fragments of Qurayyah Painted Ware discovered at Tell el-Qudeirat suggest that there was a presence at the site—believed to be Biblical Kadesh-Barnea—during the time of Moses and the Biblical Exodus. Pictured is a restored Qurayyah jug from Timna, Israel. Photo: Eretz Israel Museum.

BAR coauthor Lily Singer-Avitz suggests that several finds discovered in the later strata, including Egyptian-style seals and seal impressions and local pottery sherds, should be associated with a Late Bronze Age–Early Iron I period presence at Tell el-Qudeirat. Particularly important are the sherds belonging to what is called Qurayyah Painted Ware found in different strata throughout the site. As Singer-Avitz argues:

The Qurayyah Painted Ware was in use during the latter part of the Late Bronze and the Iron I periods, from the 12th to the 11th centuries B.C.E., about the time of the Exodus from Egypt according to those who attribute some historicity to this central Biblical event.

Learn more about Qurayyah Painted Ware and its importance to the site of Tell el-Qudeirat— Kadesh in the Bible—by reading the full article “Kadesh-Barnea—In the Bible and on the Ground” by David Ussishkin, Lily Singer-Avitz and Hershel Shanks in the September/October 2015 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review .

—————— Subscribers: Read the full article “Kadesh-Barnea—In the Bible and on the Ground” by David Ussishkin, Lily Singer-Avitz and Hershel Shanks in the September/October 2015 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review .

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1. The name Kadesh-Barnea in Hebrew is qādeš barnēa‘ . The Hebrew root qdš means “holiness,” “separateness”; the meaning of the second word is not known. See Dale W. Manor, “Kadesh-Barnea,” in David Noel Freedman, ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary , vol. 4 (New York: Doubleday, 1992), p. 1.

2. Rudolph Cohen, “Did I Excavate Kadesh-Barnea?” Biblical Archaeology Review , May/June 1981; Rudolph Cohen, “Qadesh-Barnea,” in Eric M. Meyers, ed., The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East , vol. 4 (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1997), pp. 365–367.

More on the Exodus in Bible History Daily :

Exodus in the bible and the egyptian plagues.

Who Was Moses? Was He More than an Exodus Hero?

Out of Egypt: Israel’s Exodus Between Text and Memory, History and Imagination

Searching for Biblical Mt. Sinai

This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on September 14, 2015.

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12 Responses

[…] 1. Wilderness Wanderings […]

My equinox year hypothesis is based on the idea that before the Assyrian cultural dominance in the Levant (i.e. before 750 B.C.E.) the Israelites used a 6 month period as the year. Then the Exodus would be in the first part of the 11th century. It fits the chronology of the layer 4c (on page 41 in the article). The next question is, is there any evidence it was occupied by the Israelites? And the next question is, is there any evidence that they came from Egypt?

Almost everything the socalled experts tell us about archaeology is wrong when it comes to precise dating. Relative dating is pretty accurate. But they’ve sold us a bill of goods with the timeline.

The Mountain that Burned with Fire has been estalished as in Saudi Arabia. When Israel crossed the Red Sea, it was that part now called The gulf of Aqaba. To look for Kadesh Barnea in the so-called Sinai Peninsula seems to me to be a very bad diversion. If the current idea can be reached from Saudi Arabia it would seem possible, and would fit with another scripture. When Israel was finally to go into the land they had to go AROUND the land of Edom, indicating that they were to the west and south of it. Since Eilat became a major port for Solomon, it would add to the possibility.

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200002564#h=1:0-9:570

KADESH (Kaʹdesh) [Holy Place], Kadesh-barnea (Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a) [Holy Place of Barnea].

An Israelite wilderness encampment situated at the extremity of Edomite territory near “the way to Shur,” perhaps the modern Darb el-Shur extending from Hebron to Egypt. (Ge 16:7, 14; Nu 20:14-16 [Heb. ʽir (city) at Nu 20:16 may simply mean encampment; compare Nu 13:19.]) Apparently 11 days’ travel distance by way of Mount Seir separated Kadesh-barnea from Horeb.—De 1:2.

Kadesh is spoken of as being located in both the Wilderness of Paran and the Wilderness of Zin. Possibly Zin and Paran were adjoining wildernesses that met at Kadesh, and therefore, the site could be referred to as lying in either one. Or, the Wilderness of Zin may have been part of the larger Wilderness of Paran. (Nu 13:26; 20:1) In Abraham’s time the place was known both as En-mishpat and as Kadesh. (Ge 14:7; 20:1) It is perhaps the same site as Kedesh.—Jos 15:21, 23.

ʽAin Qedeis, about 80 km (50 mi) SSW of Beer-sheba, has been suggested as a possible identification for Kadesh. In the midst of a desolate wilderness (compare De 1:19), the pure and sweet water of the spring at Qedeis supports an oasis of grass, shrubs, and trees. There are also two other springs in the vicinity, ʽAin el-Qudeirat and ʽAin el-Qeseimeh. Today the largest of the three springs is ʽAin el-Qudeirat, and for this reason some favor identifying it with Kadesh-barnea. However, ʽAin Qedeis is the most easterly spring. Consequently, the identification of ʽAin Qedeis with Kadesh-barnea seems to be more in line with the description of the E-W course of Canaan’s southern boundary: Kadesh-barnea (ʽAin Qedeis?), Hazar-addar (ʽAin el-Qudeirat?), and Azmon (ʽAin el-Qeseimeh?).—Nu 34:3-5.

If the Israelites did encamp in this area, because of the vast multitude they doubtless used all three springs. For example, the encampment just before crossing the Jordan spread out “from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.” (Nu 33:49) That was a distance of about 8 km (5 mi), according to the suggested sites for those places. The distance from Kadesh-barnea (ʽAin Qedeis) to Azmon (ʽAin el-Qeseimeh) is about 14 km (8.5 mi); and to Hazar-addar (ʽAin el-Qudeirat) is 9 km (5.5 mi). So, for them to have used all three springs is not an unreasonable possibility. It is also possible that the whole area was called Kadesh-barnea with the name preserved in the SE spring.

There would be no evidence even if it the famous Biblical site because the Israelites didn’t have permanent settlements during the Exodus. Over the years many people would have camped at the site especially if there was water nearby. But because there is likely to be no physical evidence of the Exodus people will always scoff at the idea that the Exodus actually took place. The Hyksos for example left Egypt shortly before the Exodus, but have we any evidence of their sojourn into Canaan and other parts of the Middle East? No. It was no different for the Israelites and the Exodus after all it happened about 2500 years ago.

Kadesh-Barnea in the Eastern Sinai is a place I know from the recent wars between Egypt and Israel, but I tend to believe that if an Exodus took place at one time, it had to be some place where there are some signs that such a mighty host of people camped for 40 years, and the best candidate is the Hezaj. However, if, contrary to the Bible story, the Exodus was a durative phenomenon that took place over a very long time, then the Kadesh Barnea of the 20th century wars can be where most people believe it to be. There simply isn’t enough collaboative archaeological data accumulated to ascertain with any degree of certainty.

From Egypt to the Promised Land People everywhere know of the Exodus from Egypt. But what awaited Moses and God’s people after they crossed the Red Sea? Where did they head, and how did they reach the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land?

Exodus Route Their goal was the land of Canaan, yet Moses did not take the shortest route—about 250 miles [400 km] along the sandy coast—which would have led straight through Philistia, enemy territory. Nor did he head across the vast center of the Sinai Peninsula, where intense heat baked the gravel and limestone plateau. No, Moses led the people south, down the narrow coastal plain. The first camp was at Marah, where Jehovah made bitter water turn sweet.* After leaving Elim, the people murmured for food; God sent quail and then manna. At Rephidim, water was again an issue, attacking Amalekites were vanquished, and Moses’ father-in-law urged him to get help from capable men.—Ex, chaps. 15-18.

Moses then led Israel toward the mountains farther south, camping at Mount Sinai. There God’s people received the Law, built the tabernacle, and offered sacrifices. In the second year, they went north through a “great and fear-inspiring wilderness,” the journey to the area of Kadesh (Kadesh-barnea) apparently taking 11 days. (De 1:1, 2, 19; 8:15) Because of becoming fearful over a negative report from ten spies, the people had to wander for 38 years. (Nu 13:1–14:34) Among their stops were Abronah and Ezion-geber, and then they went back to Kadesh.—Nu 33:33-36.

When it was finally time for Israel to approach the Promised Land, the Israelites did not move due north. Their route took them around Edom’s heartland and up “the king’s road,” the King’s Highway. (Nu 21:22; De 2:1-8) It was not easy for a whole nation—with children, animals, and tents—to move over this trail. They had to wind down into and climb back out of formidable gorges—the Zered and the Arnon (nearly 1,700 feet [520 m] deep).—De 2:13, 14, 24.

Finally, the Israelites reached Mount Nebo. Miriam had died at Kadesh, and Aaron, at Mount Hor. Moses now died in sight of the land he had desired to enter. (De 32:48-52; 34:1-5) It fell to Joshua to lead Israel into the land, ending a journey begun 40 years earlier.—Jos 1:1-4. Also called En-mishpat; Kadesh-barnea.photos of oasis near: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200273219#h=2

Of course you won’t find Kadesh in the Sinai, They crossed the Red Sea and stayed on the Arabian side for 40 years. It’s over there someplace.

A step by step the puzzle of Exodus will be uncovered. Hopefully there will be also the findings from anthropology field. Thank you BAR BAS BHD.

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“Numbers 13–36: Wilderness Wanderings, Part 2,” Old Testament Student Manual Genesis-2 Samuel (1980), 204–212

“Numbers 13–36,” Old Testament Student Manual , 204–212

Numbers 13–36

Wilderness Wanderings, Part 2

(18-1) Introduction

The Old Testament has some stories of great and marvelous men and women. Abraham, Sarah, Ruth, Moses, Adam, Eve, Enoch, and many others provide inspiration to all who desire to achieve true greatness. But the Old Testament also records many tragedies. The tragedy was not so much in what happened, but in what was lost, in what could have been, compared to what was. King David lost his exaltation because of his foolish attempt to cover his sin of adultery through murder. Saul, called by the Lord to be the first king of Israel, soon forgot who was the true king and ended his life in a frantic search for tranquility. Samson had unusual powers given him, and yet he wasted them in frivolous and self-centered actions.

In this chapter you will study another Old Testament tragedy, but in this case it was a national tragedy. The Israelites had been led out of the power of the greatest empire in the world at that time. They had been personal witnesses to plagues that afflicted the Egyptians but left Israel untouched. They had with their own hands smeared blood on the doorways of their homes and then heard the cries of the Egyptians as their firstborn fell. They had walked between towering walls of water that divided at the command of Moses, then watched as those walls collapsed on the armies of the pharaoh. They ate bread that miraculously appeared each morning, drank water gushing from a rock, felt Sinai quake, and saw it glow with fire. What people in all of history had greater witness that God was with them and would use His unsurpassable power in their behalf? They had so much and were promised so much more. Then came the choice. In one foolish, blind, faithless choice this generation of Israel lost it all.

Read now the tragedy of Israel. It should make every righteous soul of every age weep for these foolish people. Look into your own heart and see if the tragedy of Israel could not be repeated in your own life.

Notes and Commentary on Numbers 13–36

(18-2) numbers 13–14 . the spies and their evil report of the land.

At this point in history, Israel was just a few months out of Egypt, and they had been given the law of God. The Lord indicated that it was then time to go in and possess the promised land. He commanded that a reconnaissance group be sent into Canaan to reconnoiter the land. The evidence of the richness of the land was irrefutable, and the spies even brought back a cluster of grapes carried on a staff between two men to demonstrate the beauty and richness of the produce (see Numbers 13:23 ). Yet the spies, except for Joshua and Caleb, reported that, despite the richness of the land, there was no hope for driving out the inhabitants. The exaggerated tone of their negative report shows in the use of such words as “ very great,” the land “eateth up the inhabitants thereof,” “ all the people … are men of great stature,” “we saw the giants, ” “we were … as grasshoppers ” ( vv. 28, 32–33 ; emphasis added).

Such an exaggerated report of itself was bad enough and demonstrated the lack of faith of the ten men who gave it. But the national tragedy began when Israel hearkened to their report. They openly rejected the numerous evidences of God’s power that had been almost daily fare and began to cry out that it would have been better for them never to have left Egypt. Nor did the murmuring stop there. A movement was started to reject Moses and choose a leader that would take them back to Egypt (see Numbers 14:4 and Nehemiah 9:17 , which suggest that they actually chose the leaders who would take them back). When Joshua and Caleb tried to counteract the effect of the negative report, the congregation sought to have them stoned (see Numbers 14:10 ).

Little wonder that the anger of the Lord was kindled. In a great intercessory prayer, Moses pleaded for mercy for his people (see Numbers 14:13–14 ). He did not excuse the behavior of his people, but only emphasized the long-suffering mercy of the Lord. Israel was spared destruction but lost the privilege of immediately entering the promised land. For the next thirty-eight years they were to wander in the harsh wilderness of Sinai. During that time they could have conquered the inhabitants of the land of promise, built cities, eaten the fruit of the land flowing “with milk and honey” ( Numbers 13:27 ), and raised their children in comfort and peace. But they would not, and so all above the age of twenty who had repudiated the power of the Lord, except Joshua and Caleb, were to die in the wilderness.

(18-3) Numbers 14:40–45 . Can Israel Prevail without the Lord?

When Moses told the Israelites all the words of the Lord, he records that they “mourned greatly” ( Numbers 14:39 ). And yet, their mourning was not that of true repentance, as the events which immediately follow show. Like immature children who missed the whole point of parental punishment, Israel suddenly decided they would go up against the Canaanites, “for we have sinned” ( v. 40 ). But Moses indicated that it was too late. The Lord had retracted the commandment to go up and possess the land, and, therefore, if they went up then, they would go without His power.

Then came the second stage of the tragedy. The Israelites had just lost the right to enter the promised land because they had refused to follow the Lord. Now, in an attempt to show how “repentant” they were, they refused to follow the Lord. With sorrowful brevity Moses simply said, “Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them” ( v. 45 ).

(18-4) Numbers 15:1–26

Recorded here is the actual application of the various sacrificial offerings prescribed in Leviticus 1 through 7. The laws of sacrifice, which brought about atonement and reconciliation with God, were reiterated at this point in Moses’ account because in Israel’s state of rebellion they provided the way to come back into God’s favor.

(18-5) Numbers 15:27–31

Persons who sinned willfully in ancient Israel were to be “cut off” ( v. 30 ). That is, they were to be excommunicated from the camp of Israel (see v. 30 ). In some cases the sin also required the death penalty. This extreme action was necessitated because the sinner “despised the word of the Lord” ( v. 31 ). It was not a sin committed in ignorance or weakness, but a deliberate refusal to obey the word of the Lord. This law thus teaches, on an individual basis, the same lesson taught Israel collectively; that is, when persons or nation despise the word of the Lord and willfully sin, they will be cut off from God and not be counted part of His covenant people. They will suffer spiritual death.

(18-6) Numbers 15:32–36 . Is Picking Up Sticks on the Sabbath Worthy of Death?

To stone a man for violation of the Sabbath seems a harsh punishment. But in its historical context, two things are significant. Moses had just given the law for willful rebellion against God. Did this man know the law of the Sabbath? Moses had clearly taught earlier that one who violated the Sabbath was to be put to death (see Exodus 31:14–15 ; 35:2 ). Obviously, here is an example of one who “despised the word of the Lord” ( Numbers 15:31 ).

But think for a moment of what had just happened to Israel. They, as a nation, had despised the word of the Lord, first, by refusing to go up against the Canaanites when the Lord had told them to, and second, by going up against them after the Lord had told them not to. Thus Israel had been denied entry into the promised land. Now, an individual despised the word of the Lord and refused to enter the rest required on the Sabbath. Just as Israel was to suffer death in the wilderness for their rebellion, so a rebellious individual must be punished with the same punishment. Otherwise, God would be inconsistent.

(18-7) Numbers 15:37–41 . What Were the Fringes on the Garment?

A symbol is one thing that represents another. One use of symbols is to remind us of our important commitments. For example, the bread and water of the sacrament are symbols that remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice for us and of our covenants with Him. Israel practiced the law of sacrifice for a similar reason.

Similarly, the Lord commanded wandering Israel to fringe the borders of their garments so that when they looked upon the fringes they would be reminded of the commandments of the Lord (see v. 39 ).

Clothing is used to cover, protect, and beautify. To put fringes on an article of clothing symbolized that an individual is clothed, or covered, with the commandments of God.

The ribbon of blue also symbolically suggested concepts of deep importance. Blue signifies the heavens and so symbolizes the spiritual realm or godliness (see Fallows, Bible Encyclopedia, s.v. “colors,” 1:440).

“The zizith [tassel] on the sky-blue thread was to serve as a memorial sign to the Israelites, to remind them of the commandments of God, that they might have them constantly before their eyes and follow them, and not direct their heart and eyes to the things of this world, which turn away from the word of God, and lead astray to idolatry.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 1:3:104.)

(18-8) Numbers 16:1–40 . The Rebellion of Korah and Other Leaders of Israel

In Korah’s rebellion is a direct challenge to Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership. Up to this time, Israel was constantly murmuring and complaining, but apparently this was a greater attempt to replace Moses as the one chosen by God to lead His people. (Miriam’s and Aaron’s rebellion was an attempt to be equal with Moses, but it did not seek to overthrow him.) Korah, a Levite, had two hundred and fifty of Israel’s most prominent leaders behind him when he accused Moses and Aaron of taking too much upon themselves (see vv. 2–3 ). Korah’s statement that “all the congregation are holy, every one of them” ( v. 3 ) is similar to that of the apostate Zoramites who, in their great wickedness, thanked God that they were His “holy children” ( Alma 31:16 ).

Had the insurrection been led by just any Israelite, it would have been serious enough, but Korah was a Levite, one who held the holy priesthood, and should therefore have been one of those in the forefront of obedience rather than of rebellion. Moses’ questions to him in verses 9 and 10 are very pointed ones. The Prophet Joseph Smith made a significant change in verse 10 . It should read, “Seek ye the high priesthood also” ( JST, Numbers 16:10 ; emphasis added). Instead of having a sense of awe and gratitude that he had the honor of being a Levite, Korah and those with him sought to take the higher priesthood and the leadership of Israel unto themselves. This was a serious crisis in the political and religious life of Israel, and the Lord chose to deal with it in a direct and dramatic manner.

The Lord commanded both Aaron and the legitimate priesthood holders and Korah and those who followed him to bring censers and incense to the tabernacle. A censer was a small metal container made to hold hot coals taken from the altar of the tabernacle. During the tabernacle service, the officiating priest was required to sprinkle incense on the burning coals on the altar of incense, which stood directly in front of the veil of the tabernacle. Other scriptures indicate that the burning of incense was a symbol of prayer (see Revelation 5:8 ; 8:3–4 ; Psalm 141:2 ), suggesting that God can only be approached in holy supplication. By asking each group to bring censers and incense, the Lord set up a test very similar to that of Elijah’s contest with the priests of Baal (see 1 Kings 18:17–40 ). In that instance, false worshipers were asked to call upon God for a sign that Baal had power. When they failed, the Lord gave a dramatic physical witness that He was God—fire from heaven consumed not just the sacrifice but also the altar.

Here, Korah and his supporters were asked to bring fire before the Lord as a symbol of their prayers and supplication for His support of their cause. Instead, the earth opened up and swallowed the leaders of the rebellion (see Numbers 16:31–33 ), and fire came down and consumed the other two hundred and fifty who presumed to take priesthood power unto themselves (see v. 35 ).

(18-9) Numbers 16:41–50 . The Children of Israel Murmured

One cannot help but stand in disbelief at the hardness of the hearts of Israel. They had seen an incredible demonstration of the Lord’s power that directly supported the call of Moses and Aaron as leaders of Israel. Yet, in the face of that miraculous power, they murmured and said that Moses and Aaron had killed the true servants of the Lord (see v. 41 ). No wonder Abinadi described them as “a stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God” ( Mosiah 13:29 ). One also cannot help but marvel at the patience and long-suffering of the Lord.

(18-10) Numbers 17:1–13 . What Is the Significance of the Budding of Aaron’s Rod?

In the rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron, the Lord gave two miraculous demonstrations that showed Israel without question whom He had chosen to lead His people. First, Korah and those who joined him in the rebellion were killed by being either swallowed in the earth or consumed by fire. Second, those who still continued to sustain his evil leadership, even after Korah’s death, were killed in a plague (see Numbers 16:49 ). The scriptures state that nearly fifteen thousand people died trying to prove that Moses and Aaron were not the ones who should lead Israel. Then the Lord offered one more miracle to further demonstrate who was chosen to hold the priesthood. Bible scholars have explained the significance of this miracle in this way:

“The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature, was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood. The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question. A man’s rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation; with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre, the insignia of rule [see Genesis 49:10 ]. As a severed branch, the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way. But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod. And so Aaron had naturally no preeminence above the heads of the other tribes. But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts, but upon the power of the Spirit, which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom, and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil. It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people, by causing Aaron’s rod to put forth branches, blossom, and fruit, through a miracle of His omnipotence; whereas the rods of the others heads of the tribes remained as barren as before. In this way, therefore, it was not without deep significance that Aaron’s rod not only put forth shoots, by which the divine election might be recognized, but bore even blossom and ripe fruit. This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling, but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit, and bore the fruit expected of him. The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this, as an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees, and has received its name [in Hebrew, which means] ‘awake,’ from this very fact [cf. Jeremiah 1:11 ].” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 1:3:114).

(18-11) Numbers 18 . The Levitical and Aaronic Priesthoods

Here a distinction is made between the two orders of the Aaronic Priesthood. Although the terms Aaronic and Levitical are sometimes used interchangeably (see D&C 107:1, 6, 10 ), there were differences in duties. The lesser priesthood was given to those of “the tribe of Levi” ( Numbers 18:2 ), to which Aaron and his sons belonged. The Levites performed the housekeeping chores of the tabernacle, such as filling and lighting the lamps, carrying the ark of the covenant, assembling and disassembling the tabernacle, and so forth. The priests, who were chosen from Aaron’s sons alone, were appointed to offer sacrifice, burn incense, instruct in the law, and so forth. Presiding over all the priests, or sons of Aaron, was a firstborn son. He served as high priest or president of the priests (see Numbers 3:5–10 ; 18:1–7 ; 1 Chronicles 23:27–32 ).

Those selected to minister in the offices of priest and Levite were to be supported from the tithes and offerings made by the children of Israel (see Numbers 18:21, 24 ). The Lord said to Aaron, “All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the first fruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee” ( v. 12 ). These, like everything else in Israel, were to be tithed (see v. 26 ).

In addition, the Levites had to have a place to live. They were not given land as the other tribes were because their inheritance was the priesthood instead (see v. 20 ). In order to scatter them among the tribes and provide homes for the Levites, Moses commanded that forty-eight “Levite cities” be established for those who ministered to Israel’s spiritual needs (see Numbers 35:1–8 ). This Levitical inheritance was provided when the land of Canaan was conquered under Joshua (see Joshua 21 ).

(18-12) Numbers 19 . Laws of Purification

Anciently, an Israelite who had been in the presence of one who died or had been dead was held to be defiled (see Reading 15-3 ). This chapter in Numbers describes the way in which such a person was purified. First, a red heifer was slain, burned, and the ashes laid aside. Then the ashes were placed in pure water and the mixture sprinkled upon those who had been defiled. This was known as “the water of separation,” since by it one was separated, or purified, from sin ( v. 9 ). Failure to avail oneself of the cleansing power in this way resulted in being “cut off from among the congregation” ( v. 20 ).

Much vital symbolism can be found in this ordinance. One who defiles himself with sin undergoes a spiritual death and is cut off from God’s presence through the loss of the Holy Spirit. Recovery from spiritual death is obtained by faith in Christ’s Atonement (symbolized by the death of the red heifer), repentance from sin, baptism in water, receiving the Holy Ghost, and obedience to God’s commandments. All who thereafter commit certain serious sins and refuse to repent are likewise “cut off from among the congregation,” that is, excommunicated ( v. 20 ).

(18-13) Numbers 20:2–13 . Why Was Moses Not Allowed into the Holy Land?

Rebellion among the children of Israel was not at all uncommon in their desert wanderings. The rebellion described in these verses, however, was especially serious because it apparently led Moses, the prophet of God, to momentarily forget what the Lord had commanded him to do. The Lord had told Moses to provide water for murmuring Israel in a special way. Pointing out a certain rock, the Lord told Moses, “Speak ye unto the rock before their [Israel’s] eyes; and it shall give forth his water” ( v. 8 ). But Moses was weary and angry with Israel. “Hear now, ye rebels,” he said. “Must we fetch you water out of this rock?” ( v. 10 ; emphasis added). Then, instead of speaking to the rock as God commanded, Moses “smote the rock twice” and water gushed forth ( v. 11 ). The Lord then chided Moses and Aaron for their failure to sanctify Him in the eyes of the people and told both men that neither of them would be allowed to bring Israel into the promised land (see v. 12 ). Not only did they not follow the Lord’s instructions carefully but they also suggested by the use of we that they were the ones who provided the water.

This incident, taken together with other scripture, creates a number of questions. Did Moses really sin against the Lord? Was that the reason Moses was not permitted to enter the promised land? Did Moses really assume glory to himself, or was he simply angry with the lack of faith exhibited by the children of Israel? Was this one error enough to cancel out years of great faith, obedience, and devotion?

At least two other Old Testament passages indicate that Moses did sin in striking the rock at Meribah (see Numbers 27:12–14 ; Deuteronomy 32:51–52 ). Other passages, however, help to clarify the matter. Deuteronomy 3:26 and 4:21 indicate that the Lord told Moses that the reason he could not enter the promised land was that the Lord was angry with him “for your sakes” (emphasis added). This statement could imply that there were reasons other than the error of Moses for the prohibition. Two other facts strengthen this supposition. First, both Moses and the higher priesthood were taken from Israel because of the people’s unworthiness, not Moses’ (see D&C 84:23–25 ). Second, Moses was translated when his mortal ministry was finished (see Alma 45:19 ). In other words, Moses was privileged to enter a land of promise far greater than the land of Canaan. He had finished his calling in mortality, and a new leader was to take Israel into the promised land. And, Moses was translated—hardly a punishment for sinning against God.

Wilderness of Edom

(18-14) Numbers 20:14

Moses referred to his people as “brother Israel” when he addressed the king of the Edomites ( v. 14 ) because the Edomites were direct descendants of Edom (Esau), the brother of Jacob (Israel), from whom the Israelites descended. There was therefore a blood relationship between the two peoples. The things that Moses said imply that the Edomite king was well aware of the relationship. Still, he refused to let the Israelites pass through his lands.

Between the rebellion of Korah (chaps. 16–17) and the request for passage through the land of Edom (chap. 20), thirty-eight years of wandering had transpired. For reasons not known to us now, Moses did not describe those years in this record.

Near the King’s Highway

(18-15) Numbers 20:17 . To What Does the Phrase “King’s High Way” Refer?

“The ‘king’s way’ is the public high road, which was probably made at the cost of the state, and kept up for the king and his armies to travel upon, and is synonymous with the ‘sultan-road’ ( Derb es Sultan ) or ‘emperor road,’ as the open, broad, old military roads are still called in the East” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 1:3:134).

The highway ran along the highlands of present-day Jordan from the Red Sea up into Syria. On the east it paralleled the Dead Sea and the River Jordan.

(18-16) Numbers 20:22–29 . What Is the Significance of Moses’ Removing Aaron’s Clothes and Placing Them on Eleazar?

“This was, in effect, depriving him of his office; and putting the clothes on his son Eleazar implied a transfer of that office to him. A transfer of office, from this circumstance of putting the clothes of the late possessor on the person intended to succeed him, was called investing or investment, ( clothing; ) as removing a person from an office was termed divesting or unclothing.” (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 1:682.)

The same custom continues to this day in some institutions. When an officer is installed or removed from office, ceremonial clothing is either put on or taken off, symbolizing a transfer of authority. When one departs in dishonor, he is literally stripped of his gown or robes. In the military, the cutting off of one’s epaulets or insignia of rank is the same thing.

Aaron, however, was not retiring in dishonor or disgrace. His death was imminent (see v. 28 ), and it was time for new and younger leadership.

(18-17) Numbers 21:4–9 . The Brazen Serpent in the Wilderness

For the typological significance of this event read John 3:14–15 ; 2 Nephi 25:20 ; Alma 33:19–20 ; Reading 18-26.

(18-18) Numbers 22–24 . The Story of Balaam

When the two mighty kings of the Amorites were defeated by the irresistible might of Israel, the Moabites, with their Midianite confederates, were filled with such alarm that Balak, their king, sought assistance. It was not from his own god, Baal, who had proven impotent against Israel during the Amorite conflict, that he sought power, however. Instead, he decided to use Israel’s own God, whose power had been marvelously manifest, against them. To this end he sent a delegation bearing presents to Balaam of Pethor, a celebrated prognosticator in upper Mesopotamia, who apparently had a reputation for being able to bless and curse with great effect (see Numbers 22:3–6 ).

It is difficult to determine from the record whether or not Balaam was a true prophet of God holding the powers of the priesthood authority. He lived in an area known as Aram, probably named after the son of Kemuel and grandson of Nahor, a cousin of Abraham. Haran, the place of Abraham’s first settlement after he left Ur, was a seat for the worship of Jehovah and was also in Aram. Therefore, Balaam could have been one of the few scattered people such as Jethro, who held the priesthood and exercised its power. The Bible suggests that he had a true knowledge of God and was susceptible to revelation from Him. Regardless of their origin, the Lord raises up inspired men to all nations (see Alma 29:8 ).

It is significant that Balaam is referred to as a soothsayer or diviner, somewhat on the order of Simon of the New Testament (compare Joshua 13:22 ; Acts 8:9–24 ). Although he acknowledged Jehovah and professed his dependence on Him, Balaam was willing to go against the Lord’s counsel and accompany the men of Balak. To assure his responsiveness to God’s will, the Lord sent an angel to threaten him with death should he curse Israel.

One of the remarkable things about Balaam’s blessing of Israel is the Messianic promise of Christ (see Numbers 24:14, 17, 19 ).

The rebuke received by Balaam from an animal wrought upon by the Spirit of God is a singular event in history. Speculation on how the deed was accomplished is useless. It is certain that the beast spoke in a way understandable to Balaam. Other scriptures indicate that when animals are filled with the divine Spirit and celestialized, they will be able to express themselves in ways presently denied them (see Revelation 4:6, 9 ; D&C 77:2–4 ). Balaam is not recorded as showing surprise at this phenomenon, which circumstance has led some to suggest that Balaam’s mind was troubled because of his attempt to serve both God and mammon. Had he been more thoughtful, the unusual behavior of his otherwise obedient mount would have caused him to look about to discover the trouble. Then perchance he would have discovered the angel’s presence.

The incident was sufficient to carry out the Lord’s purposes, however. Balaam was shown that it was not the journey in itself that was displeasing to God, but the feelings and intentions he harbored. The entire incident seems to have been brought about to sharpen his conscience and sober his mind so he would strictly speak only the word of God.

The record next describes the whoredoms Israel committed with the daughters of Moab; that is, Israel joined the women of Moab in worshiping Baal-peor, a fertility god, including offering sacrifices to the god and indulging in sexual immorality. What is not mentioned here but is explained later ( Numbers 31:16 ) is that Balaam advised the Moabites in this action. Evidently, when he saw that he could not earn Balak’s commission by cursing Israel directly, he told Balak that God would only bless Israel when they were righteous. If the Moabites could seduce Israel into idol worship, they would lose God’s power. Thus, Balaam became a symbol of those who use their callings and gifts to get gain and pervert the Lord’s people (see 2 Peter 2:15 ; Revelation 2:14 ).

(18-19) Numbers 25:1–10

Despite the severe action taken by Moses against those who had joined the Moabites in the worship of Baal, one man dared to bring one of the women into camp. Phinehas slew them both, signifying to all that the priesthood could not tolerate such evil. He knew that the evil of a few could result in suffering and even death for many. If Israel lost power with God by tolerating evil in their midst, innocent people would die in the wars with the Canaanites when Israel crossed over Jordan.

Modern bishops have a similar responsibility to put away evil in the Church. While excommunication is the most severe penalty they can invoke, it is nonetheless their responsibility to root out evil from among the Saints. Failure to do so is to bear responsibility for the people’s sins themselves (see Jacob 1:19 ).

The land of Moab

(18-20) Numbers 26

Prior to entrance into the promised land, Moses and Eleazar, the priest, counted by their respective tribes the children of Israel aged twenty years and older. In the process, they discovered that, except for three people, not one living soul over twenty years of age who had been numbered at the beginning of the desert wanderings thirty-eight years earlier was left among the children of Israel. Only Joshua, Caleb, and Moses himself remained of the original company that came out of Egypt. All of this was as the Lord had said (see v. 65 ). Numbers 33:54 gives the reason the Israelites were numbered on this occasion.

(18-21) Numbers 27:18–23

The event described here is the ordination and setting apart of Joshua to the priesthood held by Moses.

“Special blessings, anointings, sealing of anointings, confirmations, ordinations, callings, healings, offices, and graces are conferred by the laying on of hands by the Lord’s legal administrators. As with all of the Lord’s prescribed procedural requisites, the proffered blessings come only when the designated formalities are observed. (Teachings, pp. 198–199.) …

“‘According to the order of God,’ ordination to offices in the priesthood is performed by the laying on of hands. ( Alma 6:1 ; Acts 6:5–6 ; 1 Tim. 5:22 .) Setting apart to positions of presidency, administration, or special responsibility comes in the same way. ( Fifth Article of Faith ; Num. 27:18–23 ; Deut. 34:9 .)” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 438.)

For an account of ancient Israel’s use of the Urim and Thummim, see Reading 13-13 .

(18-22) Numbers 30 . The Making of Vows and the Conditions of Validity

The making of a covenant with the Lord was a very serious act in ancient Israel (see Reading 16-15 ). This chapter in Numbers discusses the force and strength of one’s vows before the Lord. Particularly, it sets forth the relationship between man and woman where a vow or covenant is concerned. Four special instances are discussed:

“The first case (vers. 3–5) is that of a woman in her youth, while still unmarried, and living in her father’s house. If she made a vow of performance or abstinence, and her father heard of it and remained silent, it was to stand, i.e. to remain in force. But if her father held her back when he heard of it, i.e. forbade her fulfilling it, it was not to stand or remain in force, and Jehovah would forgive her because of her father’s refusal. Obedience to a father stood higher than a self-imposed religious service.—The second case (vers. 6–8) was that of a vow of performance or abstinence, made by a woman before her marriage, and brought along with her (… ‘upon herself’) into her marriage. In such a case the husband had to decide as to its validity, in the same way as the father before her marriage. In the day when he heard of it he could hold back his wife, i.e. dissolve her vow; but if he did not do this at once, he could not hinder its fulfilment afterwards. … The third case (ver. 9) was that of a vow made by a widow or divorced woman. Such a vow had full force, because the woman was not dependent upon a husband.—The fourth case (vers. 10–12) was that of a vow made by a wife in her married state. Such a vow was to remain in force if her husband remained silent when he heard of it, and did not restrain her. On the other hand, it was to have no force if her husband dissolved it at once.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 1:3:224).

(18-23) Numbers 32

See map 3 in the Bible for the tribal divisions of the land.

(18-24) Numbers 35:9–27 . Why Were “Cities of Refuge” Necessary, and Who Was the Appointed “Revenger of Blood”?

Six of the forty-eight Levitical cities were appointed to be “cities of refuge,” places where those who had taken human life could find protection until they had been tried and either convicted of murder or released ( v. 11 ). These cities were to be located on both sides of the Jordan (see v. 14 ). Note the distinction that Moses made between murdering and slaying a human being (see vv. 15–25 ). Differentiation was made among what is called today premeditated murder, murder of passion, manslaughter, and self-defense.

“Cities of refuge among the Hebrews were necessary, because the old patriarchal law still remained in force, viz., that the nearest akin had a right to avenge the death of his relation by slaying the murderer; for the original law enacted that whosoever shed man’s blood, by man should his blood be shed, Genesis 9:6 , and none was judged so proper to execute this law as the man who was nearest akin to the deceased. As many rash executions of this law might take place, from the very nature of the thing, it was deemed necessary to qualify its claims, and prevent injustice; and the cities of refuge were judged proper for this purpose. Nor do we ever read that they were ever found inefficient, or that they were ever abused.” (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 1:730.)

(18-25) Numbers 36 . The Daughters of Zelophehad and Their Inheritance

Here Moses dealt with a practical problem that would face Israel when they began to conquer the land. Once the tribal divisions were determined, individual families within each tribe were given a land inheritance. If a portion of land was given to a single woman and she married into another tribe, which was probably quite common, then the woman’s land would become the joint property of her husband. Thus, another tribe would get a portion of the land assigned by the Lord and Moses to the original tribe. Moses and the elders foresaw the potential problems and ruled that land inheritances could not move from tribe to tribe.

Points to Ponder

(18-26) In this chapter we have reviewed several instances in which Israel or its individual members did not keep the laws of God.

Read Numbers 21:4–9 .

This incident is famous in Israel’s history. Notice that all one had to do to recover from the serpent’s poisonous strike was to look to the brass serpent on the pole that Moses had made and held up before the people. Nothing more is told of the story. Yet, later prophets have used this incident to teach some valuable lessons. Jesus used it as a type of Himself. How?

Read John 3:14 .

Nephi reported that although God had prepared the serpent on the pole as a means of the people’s being healed, some refused to avail themselves of the proffered gift. Why? What happened then?

Read 1 Nephi 17:41 .

Alma added a reason why the people would not obey. What does he say?

Read Alma 33:20–22 .

Nephi, son of Helaman, said that Moses and later prophets taught the children of Israel that the brazen serpent was a type of Christ. What special connection did Nephi draw between the serpent on the pole and Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

Read Helaman 8:13–16 .

Elder Boyd K. Packer likewise drew upon this incident to teach us why we should heed the words of the living prophets.

“They are given divine authority. Not one of them aspired to the office he holds, nor did he call himself, for ‘in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one takes the place to which one is duly called,’ said President Clark, ‘which place one neither seeks nor declines.’ (Improvement Era, June 1951, p. 412.)

“‘Ye have not chosen me,’ said the Lord, ‘but I have chosen you, and ordained you.’ ( John 15:16 .)

“We don’t have to listen to them or pay heed to them—we have our agency. But there is a lesson in scripture to consider.

“The children of Israel entered the land of Edom. It was infested with serpents and snakes, the bite of which was so painful and so dangerous that they called them fiery, flying serpents. They cried for deliverance.

“‘… And Moses prayed for the people.

“‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

“‘And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.’ ( Num. 21:7–9 .)

“‘How silly,’ some must have said. ‘How can such a thing cure me? I’ll not show my stupidity by paying any attention,’ and some would not look. …

“And today many say, ‘How silly! How could accepting Christ save me?’ They will not turn their heads to look nor incline their ears to hear. They ignore the great witness that comes from these conferences. We ought to, indeed we must, heed the counsel of these men, for the Lord said, ‘What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.’” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1968, pp. 75–76.)

It is not because they are learned, or have achieved professional success, or have traveled widely, that one should listen, but because they are “called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof” that one should listen ( Articles of Faith 1:5 ). Those who fail to heed their warning voice lose the promised blessings. Truly, as the scriptures record, there are no successful sinners.

Wilderness Wanderings

Ethnographic lessons from modern bedouin.

Every natural environment, however, has its unique characteristics, its natural possibilities. Human beings generally try to live and work in harmony with their varying natural environments.

This is certainly true of the Sinai Peninsula and the Bedouin who live there, at least until the modern technological revolution reached them at the end of the 20th century. And a comparison of the Bedouin way of life with that attributed to the Israelites in the wilderness after leaving Egypt may uncover a certain authenticity to the Biblical narrative not available otherwise. In short, we may be able to recognize in this comparison the historic and geographic background of the Israelites (or of one or more of the Israelite tribes) 034 as a nomadic group living and wandering in the desert.

We may begin with the very basic characteristic of Bedouin life: They live as nomadic shepherds.

Journeys of nomadic Sinai tribes in years of drought to find pasturage for their flocks in Egypt were and are common. An ancient Egyptian document tells of the permission given nomads from Edom (in its general meaning as a large geographical area including southern Jordan, the Negev and the Sinai) to enter the area of the Nile Delta in a drought year, about 1200 B.C.E.:

“The Scribe Inena communicating to his lord… life, prosperity, health… [We] have finished letting the Bedouin tribes of Edom pass the Fortress [of] Mer-ne-ptah… to keep them alive and to keep their cattle alive.” 1

But the Egyptians did not like the Bedouin: “All shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians” ( Genesis 46:34 ).

The margins of the Nile Delta, like “the Land of Goshen” (where the Israelites settled), were a place of refuge for the nomads. Nomadic tribes would encamp at the edge of the irrigation channels in order to survive, and they almost certainly enjoyed the protection of the authorities as well as elementary food provisions. In return, the nomads would offer their labor. As the rulers became accustomed to exploiting this cheap manpower, it is no wonder that they would want to 035 maintain their hold over them. This is apparently the background for the enslavement of the Israelites.

After Moses killed the Egyptian taskmaster and fled to Midian, he lived as a shepherd ( Exodus 2:11–15 ). He tended his father-in-law’s flock. He “drove the flock into the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb” ( Exodus 3:1 ). When nomads settled along the margins of the Delta, it was natural for them, when flight was necessary, to flee to the desert, as did Moses. This is somewhat reminiscent of an early Egyptian papyrus that describes the pursuit of two escaped slaves who passed through the “Shur of Egypt” and escaped into the desert. 2

Intelligence and resourcefulness are characteristics of many Bedouin shepherds that I have known personally. Some of them have developed an excellent sense of observation that, together with their rich experience, aids them in locating sites to dig for water. Some are even able to strike rocks to get water, instead of digging… And so did Moses: “Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Out came copious water, and the people and their beasts drank” ( Numbers 20:11 ).

“Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness,” Moses tells Pharaoh in God’s name ( Exodus 5:1 ). If we understand it as is, the purpose of this request was to deceive Pharaoh and to conceal their intention to travel to their real destination: the Land of Canaan. But Pharaoh and his advisors are not naïve. They are not stupid. They “buy” this request to go into the desert because this “excuse” has a background in reality. It probably reflects the custom of pilgrimages to tombs, sacred places and mountains, a common custom among nomads. The Biblical words translated as “hold a feast to me in the wilderness” should be understood as “make a pilgrimage to me in the wilderness.” Even today this custom, called Zu’ara (“visit, pilgrimage”) is observed among the Sinai Bedouin, who make pilgrimage to their sheikhs’ tombs; some of these are tribal, whereas others are holy to all the tribes.

In Exodus 12 , the Lord (through Moses and Aaron) instructs the Israelites in the observance of the Passover festival, centering on the sacrifice of a lamb and the eating of unleavened bread ( matzah ). This festival has come to represent the entire story of the Exodus. Many scholars believe it finds its origins in an early shepherd custom before the herds were taken out to spring pastures. The Bedouin refer to this as Rabi’ah, that is, the going out to the far mountains for seasonal pasturage.

Instructions to hold the Passover feast were given to the Israelites while they were still in Egypt, just before the tenth plague—the slaying of the firstborn—that would finally induce Pharaoh to let the people go. As part of the instructions, the Israelites are told to take the blood of the slaughtered lamb and smear it on the doorposts and lintels of their houses ( Exodus 12:7 ). This will be the sign to the Lord to “pass over” the houses of the Israelites ( Exodus 12:22–23 ).

I have actually witnessed a similar Bedouin ritual at ‘Ain Fortaga in Sinai, in which, after sacrificing a goat, they smeared blood on camels’ necks, as well as on the children’s foreheads. This was 038 considered a wish for health, abundance and good fortune.

Matzah (unleavened bread) also has its origins in Bedouin life. The Bedouin call it libeh . Libeh is baked two or three times a day. It is made of a quick mixture of flour, water, a pinch of salt and, of course, no leavening. It is then baked on the burning coals of an open fire.

In the wilderness the Israelites lived in booths, rough temporary shelters. It was in commemoration of this that the festival of booths ( Sukkoth , or Tabernacles) was established, when for seven days the Israelites are to live in booths—“in order that future generations may know that I made the children of Israel to live in booths (b’sukkoth) when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt” ( Leviticus 23:43 ).

The date palm is the principal fruit tree of the Sinai. Booths made from date palms are common throughout the Sinai. Posts are made from the trunks, and walls and roofs are made from the fronds. The parts are fastened with ropes made of date fiber. These are temporary dwellings; the Bedouin live in these booths for a few weeks only, at the end of summer and during early autumn, when they stay in the oases. In this season the herds have finished feeding on the pasturage in the hills and the water sources there have dwindled. So the Bedouin assemble in the desert oases, where the water sources are perennial, grazing their herds in the surrounding area waiting for the first rains. During the autumn nights, the Bedouin “Date Festival” celebrates not only the harvest of dates but also the in-gathering of the tribes, who were scattered until now over the grazing areas, one family here and one family there.

This comparison of the Biblical text with the life of the Bedouin in Sinai is a strong indication that the Israelites may indeed have wandered as nomads in the wilderness.

I do not mean to suggest that the entire Biblical account is to be regarded as a reliable reflection of historical events. The Biblical account, in its final form, is the product of various traditions transmitted through the tribes and “woven into a complete all-encompassing tapestry, combining early memories together with folktales and images from later periods.” 3

It is nevertheless the case that many of the events described in the Exodus story have a realistic background in the natural conditions of the Sinai and reflect a nomadic way of life that exists to this day. Such a way of life does not leave behind many traces, and this can explain the total absence of archaeological evidence for these stories. But the ethnographic evidence supports the theory that the Israelites (or some of them) did indeed sojourn in the wilderness.

Does the narrative of the journeys of the Israelites in the wilderness have any authentic background? Could the wanderings really have taken place in Sinai? After all, as is frequently noted, there is a complete absence of any archaeological remains that would evidence their wanderings. Every natural environment, however, has its unique characteristics, its natural possibilities. Human beings generally try to live and work in harmony with their varying natural environments. This is certainly true of the Sinai Peninsula and the Bedouin who live there, at least until the modern technological revolution reached them at the end of […]

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James Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament ( ANET) (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1950), p. 259.

Pritchard, ANET, p. 259.

Benjamin Mazar, “The Exodus and Conquest of Israel,” Canaan and Israel (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1974), p. 100 (Hebrew).

Deuteronomy 2 New International Version

Wanderings in the wilderness.

2 Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea, [ a ] ( A ) as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir. ( B )

2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; ( C ) now turn north. 4 Give the people these orders: ( D ) ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, ( E ) who live in Seir. ( F ) They will be afraid ( G ) of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. ( H ) 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched ( I ) over your journey through this vast wilderness. ( J ) These forty years ( K ) the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. ( L )

8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from ( M ) the Arabah ( N ) road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, ( O ) and traveled along the desert road of Moab. ( P )

9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar ( Q ) to the descendants of Lot ( R ) as a possession.”

10 (The Emites ( S ) used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. ( T ) 11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, ( U ) but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites ( V ) used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did ( W ) in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)

13 And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley. ( X ) ” So we crossed the valley.

14 Thirty-eight years ( Y ) passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea ( Z ) until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation ( AA ) of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. ( AB ) 15 The Lord ’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated ( AC ) them from the camp.

16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar. ( AD ) 19 When you come to the Ammonites, ( AE ) do not harass them or provoke them to war, ( AF ) for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot. ( AG ) ”

20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, ( AH ) who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. ( AI ) The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. 22 The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, ( AJ ) when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23 And as for the Avvites ( AK ) who lived in villages as far as Gaza, ( AL ) the Caphtorites ( AM ) coming out from Caphtor [ b ] ( AN ) destroyed them and settled in their place.)

Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

24 “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. ( AO ) See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, ( AP ) king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage ( AQ ) him in battle. 25 This very day I will begin to put the terror ( AR ) and fear ( AS ) of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble ( AT ) and be in anguish because of you.”

26 From the Desert of Kedemoth ( AU ) I sent messengers to Sihon ( AV ) king of Heshbon offering peace ( AW ) and saying, 27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left. ( AX ) 28 Sell us food to eat ( AY ) and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot ( AZ ) — 29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord ( BA ) your God had made his spirit stubborn ( BB ) and his heart obstinate ( BC ) in order to give him into your hands, ( BD ) as he has now done.

31 The Lord said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.” ( BE )

32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle ( BF ) at Jahaz, 33 the Lord our God delivered ( BG ) him over to us and we struck him down, ( BH ) together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed [ c ] ( BI ) them—men, women and children. We left no survivors. 35 But the livestock ( BJ ) and the plunder ( BK ) from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36 From Aroer ( BL ) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, ( BM ) not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave ( BN ) us all of them. 37 But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God, ( BO ) you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, ( BP ) neither the land along the course of the Jabbok ( BQ ) nor that around the towns in the hills.

Deuteronomy 2:1 Or the Sea of Reeds
Deuteronomy 2:23 That is, Crete
Deuteronomy 2:34 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord , often by totally destroying them.

Cross references

Deuteronomy 2:1 : S Ex 14:27; S Nu 21:4
Deuteronomy 2:1 : S Nu 24:18
Deuteronomy 2:3 : Dt 1:6
Deuteronomy 2:4 : Nu 20:14-21
Deuteronomy 2:4 : Ge 36:8
Deuteronomy 2:4 : ver 1
Deuteronomy 2:4 : Ex 15:16
Deuteronomy 2:5 : Jos 24:4
Deuteronomy 2:7 : Dt 8:2-4
Deuteronomy 2:7 : S Ex 13:21; S Dt 1:19
Deuteronomy 2:7 : ver 14; S Nu 14:33; 32:13; Jos 5:6
Deuteronomy 2:7 : Ne 9:21; Am 2:10
Deuteronomy 2:8 : S Nu 20:21
Deuteronomy 2:8 : S Dt 1:1
Deuteronomy 2:8 : Nu 33:35; 1Ki 9:26
Deuteronomy 2:8 : S Nu 21:4
Deuteronomy 2:9 : S Nu 21:15
Deuteronomy 2:9 : Ge 19:38; Ps 83:8
Deuteronomy 2:10 : Ge 14:5
Deuteronomy 2:10 : S Nu 13:22, 33
Deuteronomy 2:11 : S Ge 14:5
Deuteronomy 2:12 : S Ge 14:6
Deuteronomy 2:12 : Nu 21:25, 35
Deuteronomy 2:13 : S Nu 21:12
Deuteronomy 2:14 : S ver 7
Deuteronomy 2:14 : S Dt 1:2
Deuteronomy 2:14 : Nu 14:29-35
Deuteronomy 2:14 : Dt 1:34-35; Jos 5:6
Deuteronomy 2:15 : Ps 106:26; Jude 1:5
Deuteronomy 2:18 : S Nu 21:15
Deuteronomy 2:19 : S Ge 19:38
Deuteronomy 2:19 : 2Ch 20:10
Deuteronomy 2:19 : S ver 9
Deuteronomy 2:20 : S Ge 14:5
Deuteronomy 2:21 : ver 10
Deuteronomy 2:22 : S Ge 14:6
Deuteronomy 2:23 : Jos 13:3; 18:23; 2Ki 17:31
Deuteronomy 2:23 : S Ge 10:19
Deuteronomy 2:23 : S Ge 10:14
Deuteronomy 2:23 : Jer 47:4; Am 9:7
Deuteronomy 2:24 : Nu 21:13-14; Jdg 11:13, 18
Deuteronomy 2:24 : S Dt 1:7
Deuteronomy 2:24 : Dt 3:6
Deuteronomy 2:25 : S Ge 35:5; Dt 11:25
Deuteronomy 2:25 : Jos 2:9, 11; 1Ch 14:17; 2Ch 14:14; 17:10; 20:29; Isa 2:19; 13:13; 19:16
Deuteronomy 2:25 : Ex 15:14-16
Deuteronomy 2:26 : Jos 13:18; 1Ch 6:79
Deuteronomy 2:26 : Dt 1:4; Jdg 11:21-22
Deuteronomy 2:26 : Dt 20:10; Jdg 21:13; 2Sa 20:19
Deuteronomy 2:27 : Nu 21:21-22
Deuteronomy 2:28 : Dt 23:4
Deuteronomy 2:28 : S Nu 20:19
Deuteronomy 2:30 : Jdg 14:4; 1Ki 12:15
Deuteronomy 2:30 : S Ex 4:21; Ro 9:18
Deuteronomy 2:30 : S Ex 14:17
Deuteronomy 2:30 : La 3:65
Deuteronomy 2:31 : S Ge 12:7
Deuteronomy 2:32 : S Nu 21:23
Deuteronomy 2:33 : Ex 23:31; Dt 7:2; 31:5
Deuteronomy 2:33 : S Nu 21:24
Deuteronomy 2:34 : S Nu 21:2; Dt 3:6; 7:2; Ps 106:34
Deuteronomy 2:35 : Dt 3:7
Deuteronomy 2:35 : S Ge 34:29; S 49:27
Deuteronomy 2:36 : S Nu 32:34
Deuteronomy 2:36 : S Nu 32:39
Deuteronomy 2:36 : Ps 44:3
Deuteronomy 2:37 : ver 18-19
Deuteronomy 2:37 : S Nu 21:24
Deuteronomy 2:37 : S Ge 32:22

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JewishEncyclopedia.com

Wilderness, wanderings in the., by: emil g. hirsch.

Stages of Wanderings.
—Biblical Data:
Forty Stations in Forty Years.
—Critical View:
Historical Foundation.

Next to the Exodus, the remembrance of the wanderings in the desert for a period corresponding to the life of a generation ( see Forty ) is central to the historic consciousness of Israel. Hence the scene of these migrations is often called "the" wilderness ("ha-midbar") par excellence (Ex. iii. 18, xiv. 11; Num. xxxii. 13; Deut. i. 31; comp. Judges xi. 16, 18; Amos ii. 10; et al. ). This wildernesscorresponds to that designated as Arabia Petræa by the Greco-Roman geographers. The story of the Hebrews' wanderings is related in: (1) Ex. xiv.-xix. 24, 32, comprising the stations from the time Israel left Egypt to the promulgation of the Law on Sinai; and Num. x. 11-xxii. 1, giving those from the revelation to the arrival of the people opposite Jericho; (2) Deut. i. 2, 19 et seq. ; ii.; iii. 6 et seq. (comp. xxxiv.), which are without chronological order, but begin with the desert of Sinai (Horeb) and extend to the incursion into the land of the Amorites; (3) Num. xxxiii. 5-50, cataloguing the camping stations on the march from Rameses to Jericho. The last-mentioned list differs from the data in Exodus and Numbers in so far as it inserts eighteen stations between Hazeroth (Num. xi. 35) and Kadesh or Sin (Num. xii. 16; xiii. 2, 21; xx. 1) that are not mentioned in the historical narratives, while the stations enumerated in Num. xi. 1 et seq. ; xxi. 16, 19 are omitted. Other, smaller divergences appear between Num. xxxiii. 30 et seq. and Deut. x. 6, and between Num. xx. 22 et seq. and the same passage of Deuteronomy.

The discrepancies just referred to have been noticed by all commentators, and various theories have been advanced to account for them. The favorite explanation of the precritical scholars was that the historical narratives contain only the names of the localities at which something occurred worth chronicling, while the fuller list includes all the points touched on the march. But this assumption was recognized as insufficient, especially by Goethe ("Westoestl. Divan"), who urged the opinion that the eighteen stations were fictitious and were inserted merely to carry out the theory that Israel wandered about in the wilderness forty years and had one station for every year. Most of the names of the stations can not be located topographically, and comparison of the data shows that the order of the stations varies as well as the events connected with them.

In P a clearly chronological scheme is carried out, the duration of the wanderings being calculated accurately by days, months, and years. On the fifteenth of the first month the Israelites started out from Rameses (Num. xxxiii. 3); on the fifteenth of the second month they reached the wilderness of Sin (Ex. xvi. 1); in the third month they arrived at that of Sinai (Ex. xix. 1), the exact day having been expunged by a later hand (see Dillmann, Commentary, ed. Ryssel, p. 209); on the first of the first month of the second year the Tabernacle was erected (Ex. xl. 1, 17); etc. But these chronological data conflict with Num. xiv. 34 (comp. Num. i. 1, x. 11, xiii. 25, xx. 1, xxxiii. 38; and Paran ; Sin ). The forty years correspond to the forty days of the spies, and they are reckoned at one time from the Exodus, and again from the return of the spies. Still, P did not invent the number forty; it must have been based on an old tradition that the generation of the Exodus perished in the wilderness (Deut. i. 3; ii. 7; viii. 2, 4; xxix. 4; Josh. xiv. 7, 10; Amos ii. 10, v. 25; Neh. ix. 21; Ps. xcv. 10).

But at the back of this tradition lies the historical fact that before and after the exodus from Egypt many of the tribes and clans of Israel moved about as nomads in this region, and were only gradually welded together into a union sufficiently close to give support to the effort of some of their number to gain a foothold across the Jordan. Many of the names are those of stations in which even in historic days the nomadic tribes would encamp, being connected with oases ( e.g. , Elim ). Other names gave rise to legends, e.g. , Marah (Ex. xv. 23) and Taberah (Num. xi. 3); and a few are explained variously, e.g. , Massah and Meribah (Ex. xvii. 2, 7; Num. xx. 13; Deut. xxxiii. 8; see Paran and Kadesh ; comp. Num. xiii. 3, 26a and ib. xiii. 26b; Deut. i. 19, Josh. xiv. 6, and Num. xx. 1; Deut. i. 46, Num. xiv. 25, and Deut. ii. 14, for the difficulties in the way of harmonizing the divergent statements of the sources [Wellhausen, "Prolegomena," iv. 349]). The religious or, to be more exact, irreligious anti-Moses and anti- Yhwh attitude of Israel in the wilderness (Ex. xxxii.; Num. xi., xiv., xx., xxv.) reflects the conditions of a later historical period. Many of the occurrences are outgrowths of the natural tendency to impute greatness and miracles to the heroic generations (Ex. xvi., xvii. 5, xxiii. 20; Num. ix. 15 et seq. , xx. 8; Deut. viii. 4; see also Manna ; Quail ; comp. Hosea ii. 16, 17; ix. 10; Deut. xxxii. 10; Ezek. xvi. 8; Jer. ii. 2; Amos V. 25).

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

What Can We Learn from the Wilderness Wanderings? Part 2

We need to learn to focus on the opportunities, not the obstacles. Focus on the greatness of God and not the task that seems undoable. Finally, focus on God’s abilities, not our inabilities, for we can do nothing without Him.

In our second point, we will look at something that is definitely done in our time today. Although we might hear people say, “I do not do that, do I.” We will be able to recognize this in the lives of many people.

Some may still argue that it is not there, but it is. Moses had gone up to Mt. Sinai to receive word from God. When Moses came down the mount, he spoke the words of God as written in the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:3-17 tells us plainly and precisely what we are to do. Unfortunately, humanity makes such idols for itself today.

Finding Idols During Wilderness Wanderings

Yes, we might say that some people actually do worship little statues of Buddha, like those we see in some restaurants, but I am referring to idols we have in our everyday lives that do not necessarily sit on a shelf.

Do we know that some people put their money before God? In a sense, they worship the almighty dollar. They cannot tithe like they should because they need that little extra in their bank account to tide them over until the next paycheck.

They have to save it for a rainy day. “I worked hard for my money, it’s mine !” Some people may say. Greed has set into their lives. But what did God say about tithing?

Every tithe of the herd and flock — every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod — will be holy to the Lord ( Leviticus 27:32 ).

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver ( 2 Corinthians 9:7 ).

Some people see their worldly possessions, i.e., houses, land, cars, clothes, etc., as more important than God. We can possibly name numerous other things that any person has that could be placed before God or what he considers more important than God.

Many people have to have this or that, or they need this or that. Something has been placed more important than God. What a shame.

Today’s society has become a “gimme, gimme, gimme all you can, and I will take all you can” society. We have to get what we can, take what we can, and keep what we can before someone else gets it.

People have put their jobs or careers before God. They would rather work than go to church or serve. They work so much that they have to take a day to sleep in or “catch up” in their free time.

They have to “be” somebody according to society. They have to reach a certain plateau in the eyes of the world. They tell themselves that they will have time for faith stuff later. They do not have time for God right now.

For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation ( 2 Corinthians 6:2 ).

When we put things before Christ, we are not serving. We have put Jesus on the back burner of the stove of our lives. Our lives have become our idols.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” ( Matthew 6:24 ).

Some may say they do not do these things, but if they would examine their lives, they just might find that they actually do. Many have given in to the world’s tactics. Many Christians are still worldly-minded.

Who Do We Serve?

Who do we hold fast unto, or whom do we serve? Do we serve God, or has Satan put us in a snare? Do we strive for what is right in the eyes of God? Have we put Jesus first in our life?

These are questions we should ask ourselves each day. We should ask the Lord to show us our weaknesses and ask for strength to conquer those areas in our lives. Let the Lord be the center of our lives. Joshua had put it simply:

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” ( Joshua 24:15 ).

One more point that I would like to look at is the “wall of water” and the “ensuing enemy.” Moses was leading the children of Israel out of Egypt.

How Many Times Did Jesus Appear after His Resurrection?

The Egyptian army was in hot pursuit all the way until the Israelites faced the Red Sea in front of them with the army behind them. The children of Israel cried out, wondering why Moses had led them this way. They were afraid. They only saw a negative outcome.

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again” ( Exodus 14:13 ).

How Does This Apply to Us Today?

What does this sound like from people today? Do we not do the same thing? When trouble comes, we just totally lose it. Fear sets in our hearts, and we begin to lose faith. If and when we see those trials creeping up on us, we should be like the Psalmist.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble ( Psalm 46:1 ).

We need to learn to avoid faulty ways of dealing with trouble. Do not hold God responsible for any trouble that might come in your life. In other words, do not blame God for the terrible things but rather; thank Him for the opportunity that lies ahead. Do not resort to resentment and hatred toward people.

Just say, “There is a lesson to learn here.” Do not surrender to self-pity and despair. Yes, it is hard not to. When an issue arises that we cannot understand, we all seem to draw inward in some way. The cares of this life can be a major pain.

Face those troubles with faith in God. Discover and depend upon the promises of God .

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry ( Psalm 40:1 ).

Trust in the goodness and power of God for help.

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry ( Philippians 4:13 ).

We need to learn to search for the good in all things at all times.

One way of enduring the pain of troubles is by developing a plan. Listen to God speak to you by reading His Word. Let God speak to you through worship. Praise God at all times, and be thankful for your blessings.

For further reading:

What Can We Learn from the Israelites Wandering the Desert for 40 Years?

What Can We Learn from the Wilderness Wanderings? Part 1

What Is the Significance of the Promised Land in the Bible?

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Givaga

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Bible Encyclopedias Wilderness, Wanderings in the

The 1901 jewish encyclopedia.

Wilderness of the Wanderings
Wanderings in the Wilderness
Wilderness of The Wandering
Wandering In The Wilderness
Wandering in the Wildernesses
Wilderness of the Wandering of the Children of Israel.
Wilderness, Wanderings in the

Stages of Wanderings.

—biblical data:.

Next to the Exodus, the remembrance of the wanderings in the desert for a period corresponding to the life of a generation (see see Forty) is central to the historic consciousness of Israel. Hence the scene of these migrations is often called "the" wilderness ("ha-midbar") par excellence ( Exodus 3:18 , 14:11 ; Numbers 32:13 ; Deuteronomy 1:31 ; comp. Judges 11:16,18 ; Amos 2:10 ; et al. ). This wildernesscorresponds to that designated as Arabia Petræa by the Greco-Roman geographers. The story of the Hebrews' wanderings is related in: (1) Exodus 14 - 19:24,32 , comprising the stations from the time Israel left Egypt to the promulgation of the Law on Sinai; and Numbers 10:11 - 22:1 , giving those from the revelation to the arrival of the people opposite Jericho; (2) Deuteronomy 1:2,19 et seq. ;; 3:6 et seq. (comp. ), which are without chronological order, but begin with the desert of Sinai (Horeb) and extend to the incursion into the land of the Amorites; (3) Numbers 33:5-50 , cataloguing the camping stations on the march from Rameses to Jericho. The last-mentioned list differs from the data in Exodus and Numbers in so far as it inserts eighteen stations between Hazeroth ( Numbers 11:35 ) and Kadesh or Sin ( Numbers 12:16 ; 13:2,21 ; 20:1 ) that are not mentioned in the historical narratives, while the stations enumerated in Numbers 11:1 et seq. ; 21:16,19 are omitted. Other, smaller divergences appear between Numbers 33:30 et seq. and Deuteronomy 10:6 , and between Numbers 20:22 et seq. and the same passage of Deuteronomy.

Forty Stations in Forty Years.

—critical view:.

In P a clearly chronological scheme is carried out, the duration of the wanderings being calculated accurately by days, months, and years. On the fifteenth of the first month the Israelites started out from Rameses ( Numbers 33:3 ); on the fifteenth of the second month they reached the wilderness of Sin ( Exodus 16:1 ); in the third month they arrived at that of Sinai ( Exodus 19:1 ), the exact day having been expunged by a later hand (see Dillmann, Commentary, ed. Ryssel, p. 209); on the first of the first month of the second year the Tabernacle was erected (Ex. 1, 17); etc. But these chronological data conflict with Numbers 14:34 (comp. Numbers 1:1 , 10:11 , 13:25 , 20:1 , 33:38 ; and PARAN ; SIN (3) ). The forty years correspond to the forty days of the spies, and they are reckoned at one time from the Exodus, and again from the return of the spies. Still, P did not invent the number forty; it must have been based on an old tradition that the generation of the Exodus perished in the wilderness ( Deuteronomy 1:3 ; 2:7 ; 8:2,4 ; 29:4 ; Joshua 14:7,10 ; Amos 2:10 , 5:25 ; Nehemiah 9:21 ; Psalms 95:10 ).

Historical Foundation.

But at the back of this tradition lies the historical fact that before and after the exodus from Egypt many of the tribes and clans of Israel moved about as nomads in this region, and were only gradually welded together into a union sufficiently close to give support to the effort of some of their number to gain a foothold across the Jordan. Many of the names are those of stations in which even in historic days the nomadic tribes would encamp, being connected with oases ( e.g. , ELIM ). Other names gave rise to legends, e.g. , MARAH ( Exodus 15:23 ) and Taberah ( Numbers 11:3 ); and a few are explained variously, e.g. , Massah and MERIBAH ( Exodus 17:2,7 ; Numbers 20:13 ; Deuteronomy 33:8 ; PARAN and see KADESH ; comp. Numbers 13:3,26 a and ib. 13:26b; Deuteronomy 1:19 , Joshua 14:6 , and Numbers 20:1 ; Deuteronomy 1:46 , Numbers 14:25 , and Deuteronomy 2:14 , for the difficulties in the way of harmonizing the divergent statements of the sources [Wellhausen, "Prolegomena," 4:349]). The religious or, to be more exact, irreligious anti-Moses and anti-Yhwh attitude of Israel in the wilderness ( Exodus 32 ; Numbers 11 , , , ) reflects the conditions of a later historical period. Many of the occurrences are outgrowths of the natural tendency to impute greatness and miracles to the heroic generations ( Exodus 16 , 17:5 , 23:20 ; Numbers 9:15 et seq. , 20:8; Deuteronomy 8:4 ; also Manna; QUAIL ; comp. Hosea 2:16,17; 9:10; Deuteronomy 32:10 ; Ezekiel 16:8 ; Jeremiah 2:2 ; Amos V. 25).

Opinion The meaning of Hagar

The bible’s human authors put characters in play for a reason. what were they trying to tell us with the servant girl cast in the wilderness.

This essay is adapted from “Reading Genesis,” Marilynne Robinson’s literary and spiritual exploration of the Bible’s defining story of birth and regeneration (happily timed for spring — the season of the same).

Marilynne Robinson is a novelist and essayist. Her novels include “Gilead,” the winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and, most recently, “Jack.” She lives in California.

The book of Genesis evokes the vernal moment, the very spring of Being, when new light awakens fecundity, and futurity, in anything it touches. When every niche of the good and possible is filled, mists rise from the primal garden and there they are, our glorious human progenitors, already complicating everything. Genesis introduces a very distinctive understanding of God and humankind and their history with one another. Within the terms of its vision, it establishes fundamental premises — that there is one God, Creator of heaven and Earth, that human beings are made in His image and likeness; that they are estranged from Him nevertheless; that in response to their estrangement, He offers a covenant bond with humankind in the person of a wandering herdsman named Abraham, and with his wife, Sarah, and their descendants. These appear to be random assertions to which conditional assent might be given, as to the “Once, there was a man who had two sons” that introduces the parable of the prodigal son, or “Behold! Human beings living in an underground cave … here they have been since their childhood” that introduces Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.”

In these two instances, a narrative strategy is being used to say something that is not factual but is to be recognized as addressing truth. In the case of Genesis, however, the few persons and events that are the givens of the narrative do not figure in tales that are complete and meaningful in themselves. Rather, the God and protagonist of Genesis has intentions through and beyond Abraham and his offspring that will, over vast reaches of time, embrace all the families of Earth. These stories can be thought of as resembling parable or allegory, with the great, limiting difference that the force of history complicates them, enriches them, draws them out.

Instruction, history and prophecy are entwined continuously with the passage of generations. After the moment of Creation, the emergence of solidity and light, there is the sequence of days, time. Finally, fragile strands of human names are threaded through duration, each name a life contingent on the one that precedes it. Value and meaning inhere in the beauty of this very fragile and arbitrary construction of reality.

The lives that are known to us as more than names, for example, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are not interpretable as they would be if they were characters in a parable or allegory. Abraham, a hero of faith and patience, dies leaving one son who, despite his miraculous birth, is the slightest possible assurance that God’s promises to Abraham, notably a multitude of descendants, will be fulfilled. The moral of Abraham’s story would seem to be that, though he is the Lord’s familiar and confidant, this does not alter the fact that history unfolds on a scale human hope or dread or foresight cannot accommodate. At the scale of history, Providence can seem so attenuated that it becomes invisible in the stream of events. In Abrahamic terms, the faithfulness of God must be, and may be, taken on faith. No one can gauge the importance or success of his or her life or the life of anyone else, or imagine its further consequences. Nevertheless, because of the interest of Genesis in the origins of things — being, the sidereal heavens, nations, languages, the harshnesses of life — seeing persons or actions as existing in historic time, as having been seminal, with ongoing significance, is pervasive in Genesis.

Modern readers are offended by the story of Hagar, the Egyptian servant girl who, as a surrogate for childless Sarah, is given by her to Abraham as a wife. She bears him a son, then, at Sarah’s behest, is cast out into the wilderness with the child. This is indeed an ugly act, which Abraham permits and the Lord approves — perplexingly, if the proper frame of interpretation is the interactions within Abraham’s household. But Hagar’s story is, among other things, an account of the origins of the Ishmaelites, dwellers in the wilderness who are acknowledged to be descendants of Abraham, close kin of the Hebrews. Awareness of kinship never precludes hostility, but it acknowledges an important truth all the same, strikingly here in what begins as a sad tale of resentment and abuse. In so economical a text as Genesis, notice should be given to the amount of attention any figure receives. Hagar’s story in its essence is told at relative length, twice. First, pregnant with Abraham’s child, she flees from Sarah’s cruelty into the wilderness. An angel finds her there and tells her to return and submit to Sarah. If the pericope, the portion of the text used as the basis of a sermon, went only this far it could seem to argue that oppression is a state of things to be borne by those subject to it. But “the angel of the Lord also said, ‘I will so greatly multiply your descendants that they cannot be numbered for multitude.’” This reiterates the Lord’s promise to Abraham and elevates Hagar with her child to a dignity comparable to his.

If the pericope ended here, interpretation might conclude that people enduring injustice and servitude can also be enjoying the extraordinary favor of God, manifest over time. This is the story of the Hebrews. We might not regard descendants, even a nation of them, as adequate compensation for a life like Hagar’s or any alleviation of the guilt of those who mistreat her. But this is an etiological narrative, told from a point at which the Ishmaelites are already a numerous people. The story tells us that this is true, for them as for Israel, because it manifests God’s intention and His blessing. If the pericope included these verses, the sermon could argue that every nation, every people, should be assumed to be sacred at its origins. Hagar takes refuge in the wilderness, and her son and descendants are desert-dwellers, hunters skilled with the bow, a literary conflation of her situation and the future it portends.

That blessing is the center of the narrative is startlingly clear in the next words of the angel, identified again as an angel of the Lord: “Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his name Ishmael; because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.” This is the first annunciation in Scripture. No angel comes to Sarah bringing a theophoric name that forever afterward will remind its bearers that they embody the attentive care of God. The name Isaac recalls Sarah’s laughter of disbelief, joy, astonishment, and this is charming. If the Gospels reflect the emphases historic Judaism placed on certain of its traditions over centuries, this story of the handmaid Hagar would appear to have been treasured, and to have had an aura of especial holiness.

The angel continues, in words that have, in translation, the possibility of undercutting every generous interpretation of this scene. In some translations, Ishmael “shall be a wild man”; in others, more accurately and to the modern reader more jarringly, “he shall be a wild ass of a man.” Here, an even broader context is summoned into consideration. First, a wild ass is a solitary, untamable wilderness creature, an onager, among those and of the kind that the Lord celebrates in the poem at the end of the book of Job. The lawfulness of the divine regime mediated by Moses exists within a wilderness, a fourth or fifth day of Creation, where creatures of proud autonomy — the lion, the ostrich, the wild ass, even great Leviathan — delight their Maker with their ferocity and elegance. The sacred energy that moves in the storm gives strength to their sinews and bones. Ishmael’s people will be like them. Wilderness is re-envisioned not as a harsh refuge for the outcast but as a homeland for the ascetic and irascible, the wild asses and the ostriches among us, whom God also loves, cares for, delights in.

There is always more to consider. Hagar’s words as she ponders what she has met with introduce important new meaning to the story. “She called the name of the Lord that spake unto her ‘Thou God seest me.’” This would be an extraordinary realization for anyone, but for an ill-used slave girl to find that her life is known and that it has this order of significance has immediate and universal relevance, greatly widening the meaning of Abraham’s encounters with God in her experiencing a near-equivalent of them. Hagar’s experience can only be glimpsed obliquely in the brilliant few words in which she marvels that she has seen and been seen. If her epiphany comes at cost to the good name of Abraham, this can be taken as evidence of its importance to the text.

Four chapters on, Hagar, with Ishmael, is again driven into the wilderness by a resentful Sarah, now the mother of Isaac. Abraham again allows this, and the Lord intends it. She seems to be carrying an infant or a small child. This is inconsistent with the chronology of the text. Ishmael would have been in adolescence. This might suggest that it is another version of the earlier story, preserved though it disrupts the text. However, the effect of its placement is once again to make clear the parallel of Hagar’s experience with that of Abraham. The chapter that follows Hagar’s near loss of her child tells the famous story of the testing of Abraham and the near-sacrifice of Isaac. Hagar’s faith, whatever it is, is not tested. In her case, obedience is not a choice. The stories have in common peril to a singularly precious child and intervention at the crucial moment when an angel calls to each of them from heaven. The Lord then tells Hagar again that He will make Ishmael “a great nation.” He blesses Isaac at greater length, but also with the promise of numerous descendants. The story of Hagar and her child might be placed here to draw attention to the fact that the Lord does not intend the death of either child, that there will be a well or a ram provided to assure that they are both meant to live. Ishmael and his people will be habituated to the wilderness, at home in it. Isaac will be the bearer of a covenant and a heritage that open on all the danger and turbulence of history.

In the narrative of Genesis, Hagar has more in common with Abraham by far than does anyone else. This should be a factor in considering how those who are “chosen” are singular and how they are not. This is relevant to the much larger question of His relationship to the whole human world. That she is a woman, a slave and a foreigner makes this question especially interesting. Very commonly, it is assumed that Bronze Age people would have had demeaning views of women, especially, and to have blighted other ages through the influence of Scripture. But the Bible, by means of its singular point of view, tells us that God’s care, His estimation of worth, were not subject to the limited vision of Abraham, or of the period in which these texts were written, or of the many generations of interpreters who have rationalized prejudices by means of inattentive reading, or readings too narrow to allow the story its fullness of meaning. The old text can give us a new story, of Hagar the matriarch, attended by angels. In the words of Gerard Manley Hopkins, “There lives the dearest freshness deep down things.”

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Published Articles

Saturday, March 30, 2024

The good story.

[Originally published in the Monroe News on March 29, 2024]

Saturday, March 2, 2024

He more than get us.

[Originally published in the Monroe News on March 1, 2024]

Monday, February 5, 2024

The god who prays.

[This sermon was originally delivered at Grace Lutheran Church on February 4, 2024. The sermon was preached for Epiphany 5, Series B and was on the gospel text, Mark 1:29-39. This sermon delves into the topic of prayer, the example of Jesus in prayer, and touches upon how we can expect God to answer our prayer.]

Saturday, January 27, 2024

[Originally published in the Monroe News on January 26, 2024]

Saturday, December 23, 2023

A new set of clothes.

[Originally published in the Monroe News on December 22, 2023]

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness review

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness right front

Wilderness. The term sends your mind deep into a forest, a rocky desert landscape or a swampy area with critters running all about and the mud caking up on your hiking boots or bike tires.

Subaru knows all that which is why it’s added Wilderness trims to the top of most model lineups. Its top-selling Crosstrek gets it for 2024.

Only a few months back I tested the updated 2024 Crosstrek, a compact crossover that may be the new more affordable Jeep option because of its stellar all-wheel-drive system. In fact, the tested Geyser Blue Crosstrek Wilderness is even sportier looking than the other trims, and way more off-road worthy.

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Premium nose, right side

Here’s why!

First, Subaru raised it 0.6 inches for a ground clearance of 9.3 inches, which is more than many bigger SUVs, and nearly all crossovers.

Second, it slapped serious off-roading rubber to its snazzy matte black 17-inch alloy wheels in the form of Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tires.

Third, to help it crawl in and out of serious muck and over dips and trenches it altered the approach and departure angles front and rear by 2 and 2.9 degrees respectively so it’s less likely to get stuck.

Then there’s the upgraded suspension system and advanced dual-function X-Mode, its off-road system that controls the AWD when you trundle off pavement into the wild. That black side cladding also is bigger over the wheel arches for 2024 and there are two tow points front and rear, one assumes for you to help others get out of a Big Stuck, since your Subie will be just fine.

All this is on top of a couple major improvements to all Crosstreks for 2024 including a chassis that’s 10% stiffer for safety and suspension tuning to create a better ride. Still a bit of jiggle but no sharp blows on this short wheelbase crossover.

Likewise Subaru improved its once fairly hard seats with additional padding and better side bolster shape for a more comfy and refined feel, particularly nice on long highway jaunts.

Then there’s better sound deadening along with an insulated windshield to give Crosstrek a quieter interior than one might expect in a low-cost off-roader that a family will fit in.

Power is another area where Wilderness has a leg up on lower trim Crosstreks. It packs the more muscular 2.5-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine with 182 horsepower and a 178 torque rating. That’s up from the base boxer that only delivers 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque.

Not only will the Wilderness power up to highway speeds easier (still some engine noise, but improved from past models) but it will pull more if you want to tow a small camper or boat. This one tows 3,500 pounds, about double the smaller engine’s pulling power.

Both use an improved Lineartronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) for putting that power to the four wheels and it feels more refined than earlier models. Handling is quick and precise as Subaru has added the dual-pinion electronic power steering used in its racy WRX boy-toy drifter Subie. That perks up steering response for a more nimble feel.

Haven’t even touched on the visual improvements.

Wilderness spiffs its exterior with anodized copper-finished accents on its unique front and rear bumpers, plus on the Crosstrek badge in the black cladding on each side, and on the brackets holding the two roof rails. It’s a difference like sporting brightly colored shoe laces, or not, and it works.

Plus there’s a Wilderness badge with the copper color on each door and the accents are carried inside with part of the steering wheel hub so colored along with copper stitching in the black and gray StarTex water-repellant seat upholstery. Fake black carbon fiber trims also grace the dash and doors.

Rubber mats cover all the floor slots and trunk, and naturally, most carry the Wilderness logo. These mats are thick and easy to clean so when you track in dirt or mud from your off-road romp a quick hose down cleans them up.

Other standard interior features include two-level heated seats (controls easily found on the console), a wireless charger under the center stack and a giant 11.6-inch touchscreen with real volume and tuning knobs.

That screen, while large, can become quite reflective on sunny days though and includes too many visual entities that makes it rather distracting at times. Screen simplicity is better and angling it toward the driver or putting a bit of a hood over it could curtail the reflection some.

This Wilderness added just one option package, costing $2,270 and including a small power sunroof and shade, 432-watt amp and 10-speaker Harman-Kardon stereo, and maybe more important, a 10-way power driver’s seat. The front passenger seat is manually adjusted.

Other pluses include good cargo room behind the split-and-fold rear seat, a rear window wiper, and smart cruise control along with EyeSight. That’s Subaru’s electronic safety package that includes rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot detection, lane change assist and reverse automatic braking if an object is detected in your path.

A less noted safety features is Subaru’s continuing design practice of providing visual space between the roof’s A-pillar and the side rear-view mirrors so a driver or passenger can more easily see to the side. That’s helpful at many intersections.

A few misses as the engine sometimes hesitates briefly when one gets quickly on the accelerator and that EyeSight black box that holds all its electronics is quite large behind the interior rear-view mirror. Some passengers, especially taller ones, complain they feel it partially blocks their view out the windshield. Additionally on this test car the passenger’s seatback rattled when the Wilderness trod over bumps and cracked pavement. Probably just a test car problem.

Then there’s the lawyer-required warning that chimes every time you turn off the ignition to alert the driver to check the rear seat for items such as dogs, groceries, or kids. Unneeded!

The EPA says to expect reasonable gas mileage, 25 mpg city and 29 highway. I fell way short of that at 22.2 in a mix, but had managed 29.1 with the Premium model and its less powerful engine that I tested earlier.

I can’t help but believe that Subaru keeps missing the mark here by not adding a hybrid system to boost mileage and better reflect its outdoorsy image that’s national park- and dog-friendly. A hybrid system is needed, like yesterday, and in all Subies.

On a brighter, note Crosstrek’s pricing starts at an incredible $26,540, that with the smaller engine, but still standard AWD. There are five trim levels with the Wilderness being the top dog (sorry) at a base price of $33,290, including delivery. With the one option the tested off-roader was $35,560, or about $10k under the average new car/crossover price.

That makes this an off-roading, or on-roading, bargain. Consider that a two-door Jeep Wrangler goes for $33,890 before options and a more comparable four-door for $38,490, and wouldn’t be as comfy or refined. Just sayin’!

Trains Moscow to Elektrostal: Times, Prices and Tickets

Train Times
Seasonality
Accommodations

Moscow to Elektrostal by train

The journey from Moscow to Elektrostal by train is 32.44 mi and takes 2 hr 7 min. There are 71 connections per day, with the first departure at 12:15 AM and the last at 11:46 PM. It is possible to travel from Moscow to Elektrostal by train for as little as or as much as . The best price for this journey is .

Get from Moscow to Elektrostal with Virail

Virail's search tool will provide you with the options you need when you want to go from Moscow to Elektrostal. All you need to do is enter the dates of your planned journey, and let us take care of everything else. Our engine does the hard work, searching through thousands of routes offered by our trusted travel partners to show you options for traveling by train, bus, plane, or carpool. You can filter the results to suit your needs. There are a number of filtering options, including price, one-way or round trip, departure or arrival time, duration of journey, or number of connections. Soon you'll find the best choice for your journey. When you're ready, Virail will transfer you to the provider's website to complete the booking. No matter where you're going, get there with Virail.

How can I find the cheapest train tickets to get from Moscow to Elektrostal?

Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. You can find train tickets for prices as low as , but it may require some flexibility with your travel plans. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets. Unfortunately, no price was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find price results. Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets.

How long does it take to get from Moscow to Elektrostal by train?

The journey between Moscow and Elektrostal by train is approximately 32.44 mi. It will take you more or less 2 hr 7 min to complete this journey. This average figure does not take into account any delays that might arise on your route in exceptional circumstances. If you are planning to make a connection or operating on a tight schedule, give yourself plenty of time. The distance between Moscow and Elektrostal is around 32.44 mi. Depending on the exact route and provider you travel with, your journey time can vary. On average, this journey will take approximately 2 hr 7 min. However, the fastest routes between Moscow and Elektrostal take 1 hr 3 min. If a fast journey is a priority for you when traveling, look out for express services that may get you there faster. Some flexibility may be necessary when booking. Often, these services only leave at particular times of day - or even on certain days of the week. You may also find a faster journey by taking an indirect route and connecting in another station along the way.

How many journeys from Moscow to Elektrostal are there every day?

On average, there are 71 daily departures from Moscow to Elektrostal. However, there may be more or less on different days. Providers' timetables can change on certain days of the week or public holidays, and many also vary at particular times of year. Some providers change their schedules during the summer season, for example. At very busy times, there may be up to departures each day. The providers that travel along this route include , and each operates according to their own specific schedules. As a traveler, you may prefer a direct journey, or you may not mind making changes and connections. If you have heavy suitcases, a direct journey could be best; otherwise, you might be able to save money and enjoy more flexibility by making a change along the way. Every day, there are an average of 18 departures from Moscow which travel directly to Elektrostal. There are 53 journeys with one change or more. Unfortunately, no connection was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find connections.

Book in advance and save

If you're looking for the best deal for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal, booking train tickets in advance is a great way to save money, but keep in mind that advance tickets are usually not available until 3 months before your travel date.

Stay flexible with your travel time and explore off-peak journeys

Planning your trips around off-peak travel times not only means that you'll be able to avoid the crowds, but can also end up saving you money. Being flexible with your schedule and considering alternative routes or times will significantly impact the amount of money you spend on getting from Moscow to Elektrostal.

Always check special offers

Checking on the latest deals can help save a lot of money, making it worth taking the time to browse and compare prices. So make sure you get the best deal on your ticket and take advantage of special fares for children, youth and seniors as well as discounts for groups.

Unlock the potential of slower trains or connecting trains

If you're planning a trip with some flexible time, why not opt for the scenic route? Taking slower trains or connecting trains that make more stops may save you money on your ticket – definitely worth considering if it fits in your schedule.

Best time to book cheap train tickets from Moscow to Elektrostal

The cheapest Moscow - Elektrostal train tickets can be found for as low as $35.01 if you’re lucky, or $54.00 on average. The most expensive ticket can cost as much as $77.49.

Find the best day to travel to Elektrostal by train

When travelling to Elektrostal by train, if you want to avoid crowds you can check how frequently our customers are travelling in the next 30-days using the graph below. On average, the peak hours to travel are between 6:30am and 9am in the morning, or between 4pm and 7pm in the evening. Please keep this in mind when travelling to your point of departure as you may need some extra time to arrive, particularly in big cities!

Moscow to Elektrostal CO2 Emissions by Train

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Geographic coordinates of Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, Russia

City coordinates

Coordinates of Elektrostal in decimal degrees

Coordinates of elektrostal in degrees and decimal minutes, utm coordinates of elektrostal, geographic coordinate systems.

WGS 84 coordinate reference system is the latest revision of the World Geodetic System, which is used in mapping and navigation, including GPS satellite navigation system (the Global Positioning System).

Geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) define a position on the Earth’s surface. Coordinates are angular units. The canonical form of latitude and longitude representation uses degrees (°), minutes (′), and seconds (″). GPS systems widely use coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes, or in decimal degrees.

Latitude varies from −90° to 90°. The latitude of the Equator is 0°; the latitude of the South Pole is −90°; the latitude of the North Pole is 90°. Positive latitude values correspond to the geographic locations north of the Equator (abbrev. N). Negative latitude values correspond to the geographic locations south of the Equator (abbrev. S).

Longitude is counted from the prime meridian ( IERS Reference Meridian for WGS 84) and varies from −180° to 180°. Positive longitude values correspond to the geographic locations east of the prime meridian (abbrev. E). Negative longitude values correspond to the geographic locations west of the prime meridian (abbrev. W).

UTM or Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system divides the Earth’s surface into 60 longitudinal zones. The coordinates of a location within each zone are defined as a planar coordinate pair related to the intersection of the equator and the zone’s central meridian, and measured in meters.

Elevation above sea level is a measure of a geographic location’s height. We are using the global digital elevation model GTOPO30 .

Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia

Turn Your Curiosity Into Discovery

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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Elektrostal

Elektrostal Localisation : Country Russia , Oblast Moscow Oblast . Available Information : Geographical coordinates , Population, Area, Altitude, Weather and Hotel . Nearby cities and villages : Noginsk , Pavlovsky Posad and Staraya Kupavna .

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Why was Israel cursed with forty years of wilderness wandering?

Numbers 13–36

(18-1) Introduction

Notes and Commentary on Numbers 13–36

(18-3) Numbers 14:40–45 . Can Israel Prevail without the Lord?

(18-4) Numbers 15:1–26

(18-5) Numbers 15:27–31

(18-6) Numbers 15:32–36 . Is Picking Up Sticks on the Sabbath Worthy of Death?

(18-7) Numbers 15:37–41 . What Were the Fringes on the Garment?

(18-8) Numbers 16:1–40 . The Rebellion of Korah and Other Leaders of Israel

(18-9) Numbers 16:41–50 . The Children of Israel Murmured

(18-10) Numbers 17:1–13 . What Is the Significance of the Budding of Aaron’s Rod?

(18-11) Numbers 18 . The Levitical and Aaronic Priesthoods

(18-12) Numbers 19 . Laws of Purification

(18-13) Numbers 20:2–13 . Why Was Moses Not Allowed into the Holy Land?

(18-14) Numbers 20:14

(18-15) Numbers 20:17 . To What Does the Phrase “King’s High Way” Refer?

(18-16) Numbers 20:22–29 . What Is the Significance of Moses’ Removing Aaron’s Clothes and Placing Them on Eleazar?

(18-17) Numbers 21:4–9 . The Brazen Serpent in the Wilderness

(18-18) Numbers 22–24 . The Story of Balaam

(18-19) Numbers 25:1–10

(18-20) Numbers 26

(18-21) Numbers 27:18–23

(18-22) Numbers 30 . The Making of Vows and the Conditions of Validity

(18-23) Numbers 32

(18-24) Numbers 35:9–27 . Why Were “Cities of Refuge” Necessary, and Who Was the Appointed “Revenger of Blood”?

(18-25) Numbers 36 . The Daughters of Zelophehad and Their Inheritance

Points to Ponder

Read Numbers 21:4–9 .

Read John 3:14 .

Read 1 Nephi 17:41 .

Read Alma 33:20–22 .

Read Helaman 8:13–16 .

Wilderness Wanderings

Deuteronomy 2 New International Version

Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

Cross references

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JewishEncyclopedia.com

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Who Do We Serve?

How Does This Apply to Us Today?

Bible Encyclopedias Wilderness, Wanderings in the

Stages of Wanderings.

Forty Stations in Forty Years.

Historical Foundation.

Opinion The meaning of Hagar

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