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1849.]

Kadesh-Barnea.

379

The next place is the Kadesh in question. "The water of Kădés or Kŭdés, called 'Ain Kădės, lies about twelve miles (or four and a half hours by camel) to the E. S. E. of Moilàbhi." Where then is this Kūdės? The reader, perhaps, will be surprised to learn, that the spot here pointed out is mentioned both by Seetzen and in the text of the Biblical Researches, and is inserted on our map. If he will turn to the map he will find marked, in that direction and about that distance from el-Muweileh, a fountain called 'Ain el-Kudeirât; it is a little east of our route, and is described by us according to the accounts of the Arabs. The Kudeirât are a tribe or clan of Arabs in this region, who water their flocks at this fountain, and sometimes also as far north as Beersheba.2 Seetzen lodged at one of their encampments.3 The conclusion is inevitable, that the name Kūdes as here presented by Mr. Rowlands is the mere blunder of a tyro in Arabic for el-Kudeirât; nor is it to be wondered at in one who could first inake Moilahhi out of Muweileh, and then form it into the representative of Beer-lahai-roi.

As therefore the whole hypothesis of a Kadesh in this place rests upon the supposed identity of name; and the said name is thus shown to be a mere blunder; it might perhaps be sufficient to let the matter rest here. There are however certain other considerations bearing so strongly upon the point in question, independently of any name, that it may not be labour lost briefly to present them.

1. We read in Ex. 13: 17, that in the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt, "God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return into Egypt: but God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea." The object of this circuitous route was to avoid the Philistines; and therefore in approaching Palestine they came first to Kadesh. Now if Kadesh was at 'Ain el-Kudeirât, or anywhere in that region, then the direct and usual route from it into Palestine is and always was by way of Beersheba. But this would have brought the Israelites directly along side of the Philistines; and thus have frustrated the very purpose for which God led them by so great a circuit. Besides, if here was to be the point of their approach to the Promised Land, they might just as well have taken the route of Jacob when he went down from Beersheba to Egypt; and the whole circuit, and the visit to Kadesh itself, were unnecessary and without purpose.

2. In Num. 20: 16, Kadesh is described as "in the uttermost borders of

Bibl. Res. I. p. 280.

3 Ritter, Erdk. XIV. p. 837 sq.

2 Bibl. Res. II. p. 619.

Edom." Now, at that time, as all agree, the territory of Edom was limited to the mountains on the east of the 'Arabah. At a later period, indeed, in and after the exile, when the Nabatheans from the east pressed upon the Edomites, the latter passed over and took possession of the south of Judah as far as to Hebron; where they were afterwards subdued and incorporated with the Jews. But in the time of Moses they had no territory west of the 'Arabah; otherwise, the Israelites in journeying three times between Kadesh and Ezion-geber must have passed twice through Edom; which we know was not permitted.-It follows, that if Kadesh was at 'Ain el-Kudeirât, it lay more than forty miles distant from any part of Edom; and was therefore in no sense "in its uttermost border."

3. According to the scriptural account, both the spies and the Israelites in entering the Promised Land from Kadesh, had immediately to ascend a mountain. It Kadesh was at 'Ain el-Webeh or in the vicinity, all this is a natural and exact representation; since the ascent from the great valley begins immediately back of that fountain. But if Kadesh be sought at 'Ain el-Kudeirât or anywhere in that region, the language of Scripture is wholly inapplicable. The tract between the latter spot and Beersheba is an open rolling country; there are swells, but no mountain, to be crossed; and none to be ascended until we reach the mountains of Palestine proper on the north of Beersheba towards Hebron; a distance from 'Ain el-Kudeirât of about sixty miles, or four days' march for troops.

4. While at Kadesh the Israelites sought permission from the king of Edom to pass through his territory, in order to shorten their journey around the Dead Sea; and when this was refused, they "turned away," and "journeyed unto Mount Hor," Num. 20: 14–22. If Kadesh was at or near 'Ain el-Webeh, all this again is easy and natural. Over against that spot is the broad Wady el-Ghuweir, affording an easy ascent into the land of Edom; while in the south-east towers the lonely summit of Mount Hor, toward which they "turned away," and at whose base they encamped after a day's march. But if they were at 'Ain el-Kudeirât when the refusal of Edom came, they did not "turn away" at all; but, in proceeding to Mount Hor, they marched for at least three days, through a mountainous and pathless region, in precisely the direction they must have taken had Edom granted their request. But as "Edom came out against them with much people, and with a strong hand," such a march is hardly supposable.

5. The testimony of Eusebius and Jerome, if it does not serve definitely to fix Kadesh at 'Ain el-Webeh, is yet wholly inconsistent with any position of it on the high desert west of the 'Arabah. In the Ono2 Num. 13: 17. 14: 44, 45. Deut. 1: 24, 41.

1 See Bibl. Res. II. p. 557 sq.

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The Israelites at Sinai.

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masticon, art. Cades, they write as follows: Euseb. Káddns Bagvý, čo̟nμος ἡ παρατείνουσα Πέτρα πόλει τῆς Παλαιστίνης. Jerome, translating and correcting: "CADES, ubi fons est judicii, et CADESBARNE in deserto quae conjungitur civitati Petrae in Arabia.” Also in art. Barne; Euseb. Βαρνή, αὐτή ἐστι τῇ Κάδης Βαρνῇ ἐν ἐρήμῳ τῇ παρατεινούσῃ Πέτρα πόλει. Jerome: "BARNE, haec ipsa est, quae et Cades Barne in deserto, quod extenditur usque ad urbem Petram." Again in his Comm. on Gen. 14: 7, Jerome writes: "Significat locum apud Petram, qui fons judicii nominatur, id est Cadesh."—At that time Kadesh was a known place; for both Eusebius and Jerome speak of the sepulchre of Miriam as still shewn there in their day. It must have been situated on the route between Hebron and Petra. NOTE. It may not be out of place to mention, that the name Kadesh under different forms has been not unfrequently found of late years. So Mr. Rowlands says that el-Muweileh is also sometimes called 'Moilâbhi Kadésah;' from which I infer that it may occasionally be known as ‘el-Muweileh el-Kudeirât,' i. e. as a watering place of the Kudeirât. Messrs. Williams and Rowlands, also, when at a point of the high ground some hours west of the Tell of Madurah, and overlooking the southwestern part of Wady Fikreh, had pointed out to them "some hours to the west, in a valley, the site of Kaddese, the Kadesh of Scripture." Now this could hardly have been 'Ain el-Kudeirât, the Kades of Mr. Rowlands; which is at least thirty miles distant from their position on an air line, and towards the south-west. Bertou likewise says he found ‘Kadessa' (Kadesh) at the Tell of Madúrah itself. Earlier than all these, Seetzen speaks of a dry 'Wady el-Kdeis,' on his route between Gaza and Sinai; but it is difficult to fix the locality of it. At an encampment of the 'Azazimeh the Wady and fountain el-'Ain were described to him as lying a few hours towards the east; and from thence he travelled one and a half hour on the usual road from Hebron to Suez, before reaching Wady el-Kdeis. This would seem to place it some fifteen or twenty miles south-west of el-'Ain. At any rate the Wady can have no relation to Mr Rowland's 'Kādēs; nor has any one else heard of the like name in that quarter.2

V. POSITION OF THE ISRAELITES AT SINAI.

A discussion has of late years sprung up, not only in respect to Sinai itself, but likewise respecting the position which the people of Israel must have occupied before the mount. This latter point has been brought into consideration only in recent times; the earlier travellers and writers appear never to have thought of it.

1 Bibl. Res. II. p. 662.

2 See Ritter XIV. p. 839 sq.

The decision of both these questions, so far as they can be decided at all, must have reference to and depend upon the specifications in the 19th chapter of Exodus. The verses which have a bearing upon the points before us, are the following:

V. 10. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes, (11) and be ready against the third day for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. (12) And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death. (13) There shall not a hand touch it, but he shall be surely stoned or shot through: whether it be beast or man, it shall not live.

V. 16. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount. . . . (17) And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. . . . (21) And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. (23) And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

...

Chap. 20: 15. And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they removed and stood afar off.

In this language there are implied three specifications, or particulars, which must all be present in any spot answering to the true Sinai :

1. A mountain-summit, overlooking the place where the people stood. 2. Space sufficient, adjacent to the mountain, for so large a multitude to stand and behold the phenomena on the summit.

3. The relation between this space where the people stood and the base of the mountain must be such, that they could approach and stand at "the nether part of the mount;" that they could also touch it; and that, further, bounds could appropriately be set around the mount, lest they should go up into it or touch the border of it.

Let us now apply these tests to some of the leading hypotheses.

Jebel Serbal, which has recently been very strenuously and ingeniously put forward by Lepsius as the true Sinai, is at once excluded by its utter want of adaptedness in the second and third particulars. According to the special map of Lepsius himself, and the description of Mr. Bartlett, there is no place near that mountain where a multitude could stand or even approach the base.1

In like manner Jebel Kâtherin, proposed by Rüppell, is excluded, and for the like reasons. For although a large multitude might by possibility

1 See Lepsius Reise nach der Sinai, spec. Map. Bartlett Forty Days in the Desert, p. 54 sq.

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The Israelites at Sinai.

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be congregated in the valleys either on the east or on the west of this mountain; yet its base is so irregular and shelving, and extends so far, that the circumstances required in the third particular are wholly wanting.

There remains the isolated ridge of Sinai, strictly so called at the present day; having on its southern end the peak of Jebel Mûsa with an open region towards the south-east, and at its northern end the lower summit es-Sufsàfeh impending over the plain er-Rahah. The question is narrowed down to this, viz. On which of these two summits was the Divine glory manifested, and on which of the tracts below did the people stand?

In 1838 the Rev. Eli Smith and myself spent a day in visiting and exploring the ridge of Sinai, in reference to this very question. We ascended both Jebel Músa and es-Sufsâfeh; though Lepsius, who must have read our account very cursorily, represents us as unable to climb the latter. We had no prejudices to warp our minds in any direction; not even the poor motive of desiring to differ from our predecessors; for at that time the question had never been put forward. After full and earnest consideration, the conviction forced itself upon us both, that all the particulars and circumstances above enumerated, existed very strikingly in connection with es-Sufsàfch and the plain er-Râhah; but did not thus exist in respect to Jebel Mûsa and the tract on the south. In the former case, the naked and perpendicular mountain, impending over the plain at the height of twelve or fifteen hundred feet, and rising abruptly from its base, so that one may approach and touch it; the plain itself shut in like an adytum by stern mountains, and enlarged by a recess on the west and by the opening of Wady esh-Sheikh on the east; these satisfied all the conditions of the question; and the language of Scripture, as applied to them, became singularly descriptive and beautiful. As the southern summit (Jebel Músa) is not visible from any part of the northern plain, we felt that if the people stood in er-Rahah, then Jebel Musa could not be assumed as the place of the celestial phenomena; because Scripture describes these as having been manifested "in the sight of all the people;" Ex. 19: 11. 20: 18. The observations and measurements made by us, as well as our conclusions, are fully described in the Biblical Researches.1

It has not as yet been denied, I believe, that the statements on which our conclusion was based as to the northern summit and plain, were correct; nor that there is, in all the circumstances, a very striking correspondence to the specifications of Scripture. But yet there attaches to Jebel Musa such an idea of veneration, either as a higher summit or as the seat of tradition, that many are still desirous to regard it as the scene

1 Vol. I. p. 130, 140 sq. 154 sq. 157 sq.

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