I was wondering if the possible crossing could be on the eastern side of the Sinai peninsula?<\/p>\n\t
Such a crossing would not match the account on numerous factors.<\/p>\n
“Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds – a great deal of livestock<\/em>” (Exodus 12:37).<\/p>\n
“Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness<\/em>” (Exodus 13:17-20).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
From these passages, we learn that the first leg of the journey went from Rameses to Succoth and from Succoth to Etham, which is described as being on the edge of the wilderness. We know from archaeology where Rameses is located. It was located on the edge of the Nile River delta.<\/p>\n
Notice that Exodus 13:17 states that the Way of the Philistines, which went up along the Mediterranean coast, was the nearer or shorter way to Canaan. That would not be true if the departure was east of the land of Canaan.<\/p>\n
“Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in’<\/em>” (Exodus 14:2-3).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
After crossing the Red Sea, we read:<\/p>\n
“So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah<\/em>” (Exodus 15:22-23).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Wilderness of Shur is another area well documented in archeology. It is the desert area on the western edge of the Sinai peninsula, just east of Egypt’s traditional borders.<\/p>\n
“Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters. And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt<\/em>” (Exodus 15:27-16:1).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The total time for the first portion of the journey was one month. “They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians<\/em>” (Numbers 33:3). While it might appear slow to people of today with their cars, buses, and planes, the distance is very reasonable for a group of probably over 2 million people with livestock to travel if we note that they traveled down the western leg of the Red Sea.<\/p>\n
If someone wanted to argue that they crossed the eastern leg of the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aqaba or the Gulf of Eilat), then they would have had to travel the northern side of the Sinai Peninsula to leave Rameses. This route would have taken them along a major caravan route – something the Bible specifically says God did not allow them to do. Second, the route would have to lead them past the southern border of Canaan and out into the Arabian desert, thus raising the claim that God was unable to lead Israel in the right direction. Finally, read the account again and realize that Pharaoh pursued Israel in a matter of days (shortly after they buried their dead). The speed required for this large population to travel such a distance is not possible.<\/p>\n
Typically, people wish to claim that Mount Sinai was on the Arabian Peninsula. Believers in Islam would love to claim that Mount Sinai is in Arab territory. But there are subtle clues that must not be overlooked. The wood used for the tabernacle and its furnishings was Acacia wood (Exodus 25:5, 10, 13, 23, 28; 26:15, 26, 32, 37; 27:1, 6). Acacia is the only hardwood that grows on the Sinai Peninsula, and it only grows in that region. Thus, it makes perfect sense that God specified a local hardwood to be used for the construction of His tabernacle.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I was wondering if the possible crossing could be on the eastern side of the Sinai peninsula? Answer: Such a crossing would not match the account on numerous factors. “Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[484,223,279],"class_list":["post-4767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-exodus","tag-geography","tag-history"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21285,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-did-israel-get-across-land-they-were-forbidden-to-travel-if-they-came-from-the-sinai-peninsula\/","url_meta":{"origin":4767,"position":0},"title":"How did Israel get across land they were forbidden to travel if they came from the Sinai Peninsula?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have read in several places in the Bible where the southern border of the Promised Land is from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea (Exodus 23:31) If you look at a map you will see the Promised Land seals the Northern Sinai Peninsula from end to end.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/Boundaries-of-Israel-Numbers-34-and-Ezekiel-47.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24605,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-paul-say-sinai-was-in-arabia\/","url_meta":{"origin":4767,"position":1},"title":"Why did Paul say Sinai was in Arabia?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 21, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a great admirer of your well-studied responses. I wanted to ask about a comment from the question; \"Could Israel crossed the Red Sea on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula?\" In your response, you said, \"Typically people wish to claim that Mount Sinai was on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3924,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/crossing-the-sea\/","url_meta":{"origin":4767,"position":2},"title":"Crossing the Sea","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 8, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The Junior High class had an excellent question the other day: Just where did the Israelites cross over from Egypt to the Sinai Peninsula? If you look at the maps in the back of most of our Bibles you will find multiple routes shown. None of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/RedSea.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7542,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-could-the-israelites-have-left-egypt-if-they-crossed-into-the-sinai-peninsula\/","url_meta":{"origin":4767,"position":3},"title":"How could the Israelites have left Egypt if they crossed into the Sinai peninsula?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 17, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question regarding the map of your proposed route for the Exodus. You show the Israelites going south and crossing the Gulf of Suez. The problem I see is that this route invalidates Exodus 12:41 which states that the Israelites \"left Egypt\" on precisely the same day\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17599,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-long-did-the-exodus-from-egypt-take\/","url_meta":{"origin":4767,"position":4},"title":"How long did the exodus from Egypt take?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How long did it take Israel to travel out of Egypt? I know that they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai, but how long did it take them to walk the journey from Egypt to the crossing of the Red Sea? Answer: The Exodus started on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10458,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-does-your-map-show-israel-in-egyptian-territory-when-the-bible-says-they-left-egypt\/","url_meta":{"origin":4767,"position":5},"title":"Why does your map show Israel in Egyptian territory when the Bible says they left Egypt?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why does your map of the Exodus route so blatantly defy what the Scriptures tell us happened and instead follows the theories of secular men? Doesn't the Bible tell us that the Hebrews left Egypt completely the day following Passover (Exodus 12:51)? Don't all accounts of when the Hebrews\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/Exodus-Large-300x218.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4767\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}