Mt. Sinai
in Arabia: The
Exodus Route Restored!
Proving the exodus
route from the Bible: An Analysis of scriptural evidences.

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Exodus Route
Restored:
The Scriptures as a whole teach, along with
geographic analysis, that the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea on the Gulf of
Aqaba, specifically at the Straits of Tiran.
The
Scriptures teach that Mount Sinai is somewhere in north Saudi Arabia.
(History leads us to suggest Mt. Lawz as the most
likely place.)
The
Scriptures teach that Kadesh
Barnea is Transjordan, somewhere south of the Dead Sea in modern Jordan.
(History and Archaeology leads us to suggest that Petra, or just
north of Petra at Beidha is
Kadesh Barnea.)
"Don't Make the Monkey Mad!"
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Buy “Exodus Route Restored” from
Amazon by Steven Rudd
Buy Discounted copy: Email Steven Rudd to order: Order discounted copy direct from author by
email
In AD 2005, using the Bible
only, Steven Rudd noticed 42 keys to decoding the Exodus Route that indicated
the Red Sea crossing was at the Straits of Tiran, Mt. Sinai was in Saudi
Arabia and Kadesh Barnea was at modern Petra.
Buy: Exodus
Route Restored
ISBN: 9798619062717
As featured in Tim Mahoney’s
Patterns of Evidence
“The Red Sea Miracle”
and “Journey to Mt. Sinai”

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Overview of the Exodus and
Conquest:
In 1446 BC, the 700 km trip from Goshen (Tell
el-Dab’a) to Mt. Sinai took a total of took 47 days. After travelling day and
night 500 km from Goshen, Israel made the 19 km crossing of the Red Sea at the
Straits of Tiran on day 25 then took 22 days to travel 200 km from the Red Sea
Crossing to Mt. Sinai. Travel was easy for the 2-3 million Hebrews because
there was a 20 km wide, flat coastal plain that hugged the eastern shore of the
Gulf of Suez from Goshen to the Strait of Tiran, which the author calls, “The
Exodus Highway”. On day 9 after leaving Goshen, they arrived at Succoth,
adjacent to the turquoise mines of Serabit el-Khadim and waited for the Hebrew
mining slaves to join the main group. On day 15 they reach the Straits of Tiran
and pass the Egyptian Migdol watchtower stationed above the final Red Sea
crossing point and on day 16 they reached the dead-end at Etham. God orders
them to backtrack to the final Red Sea crossing camp beside the Migdol where
God used Israel to bait Pharaoh to attack. On day 17, as Israel leaves Etham,
it would take 4 hours for a passenger pigeon (cf. Eccl 10:20) to fly 400 km
from the Egyptian watchtower (Migdol) back to Egypt with the message that
Israel was trapped and wandering aimlessly. (If a passenger pigeon was not
used, Israel travelled day and night arriving on day 7, leaving plenty of time
for a message to get back to Egypt by horseback in 7 days and pharaoh to return
in 7 days, maintaining a Red Sea crossing on Day 25.) For 8 days Israel camped
at the Red Sea crossing point (days 17-24) while Pharaoh's army pursued them
with 600 choice horse-drawn chariots (Exodus 14:6-9). On day 18 Pharaoh's army
easily traveled the 400 km from Goshen to the Red Sea crossing in 7 days (days
17-24), at a rate of 57 km/day with horse-drawn chariots and arrived on day 24.
The Egyptians were stopped on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Suez by an
angel, about 36 km short of Israel’s camp. After crossing the Red Sea at the
Straits of Tiran via the natural underwater land bridge on day 25, Israel
travelled 3 days (day 25-27) on “The Exodus Highway” through the Wilderness of
Shur and the land of Midian, then travelled 3 more days (day 28-30) and arrived
at the second Red Sea camp, then one more day to reach the wilderness of Sin.
The only difficult portion of the trip was the canyons between the Wilderness
of Sin through Dophkah to Alush. Amazingly Scripture notes that only during
this portion of the journey, they “travelled in stages” (Ex 17:1) because the
terrain was narrow and difficult. Exactly 31 days after leaving Goshen they enter
the Wilderness of Sin (Nisan 15 - Iyar 15: Ex 16:1). In the Wilderness of Sin
Israel camped 8 days (day 31-38) to learn about the Manna/Sabbath day cycle.
Leaving the Wilderness of Sin as a single group of 2-3 million, Israel arrived
at Dophkah on day 39. Between Dophkah and Alush Israel travelled in small
groups by “stages” through the 23 kilometers of mountain canyons to Alush on
days 40-41. On days 41-42 Israel arrived in stages at Rephidim and complained
about having no water. God told Moses that when he finally arrived at Mt.
Horeb, he is to bring water out of the “split rock” as the main water supply
for the 11 months stay camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai. On the night of day 42
the Amalekites attack and the next morning Moses assembles an army, and his
hands are held up high on a hilltop on day 43. That night Jethro arrives, and
watches Moses judge the people all day long on day 44. Day 45 is the second
sabbath and Jethro gives Moses his advice about delegating the judging duties
to others. Day 46 Jethro returns home to Midian while Moses departs for Mt.
Sinai arriving after dark on day 47 which is Sivan 1 (Ex 19:1). In the morning
of day 47 Moses strikes and splits the rock at Mt. Horeb for a massive water
supply for 3 million Hebrews. On day 48 Moses ascends Mt. Sinai for the first
time and God recites the Ten Commandments orally. Moses descends and tells the
people to take an oath to obey the laws of YHWH (Ex 19:3-8). On day 50
(Thursday, Sivan 4), God tells Israel to prepare for three days (Friday –
Sunday) at the end of which God will descend upon Mt. Sinai. (Ex 19:10-11). On
Pentecost Sunday (Sivan 7), day 53 from leaving Egypt, Mt. Sinai explodes (Heb
12:18) when God gives the law to Moses over a period of 40 days. Israel spent
343 days (11 lunar months and 19 days) camped in the Wilderness of Sinai (Num
10:11) while Moses received the law and Israel built the Tabernacle tent. The
journey from Mt. Sinai through Ezion Geber (Numbers 33:35-36) to Kadesh Barnea,
was 20 stops over a period of about 11 months. Israel spends 38 years camped at
Kadesh Barnea located at modern Petra. Aaron died on the 1st day of the 5th
month of the 40th year of the wilderness wandering (summer 1407 BC). Shortly
after mourning Aaron for 30 days, the people left Mount Hor which was beside
Petra (Kadesh) and moved south to the Red Sea (“Yam Suph”- Deut 1:40 – Gulf of
Aqaba) passing a second time through Ezion Geber (Deut 2:8). They journeyed
east to avoid the Edomites living in the mountains and began moving north.
Before they crossed the Wadi Zered, Israel rebelled again with the result that
God sends poisonous snakes to kill the people. In obedience to God, Moses sets
up a pole with a snake to heal them. Those who had been bitten could look at
the snake and be healed as a type of the crucifixion of Christ (Jn 3:14). They
crossed the Wadi Zered at the south end of the Salt Sea and Moses spoke the
words of the book of Deuteronomy at Iye-abarim. The conquest began and Israel
passed directly through Dibon-gad and commenced the defeat of the Transjordan
nations. While camped at Shittim (Tel Hammam) Israel mourned Moses for 30 days.
In 1406 BC Israel crossed the Jordan on the 10th day of the 1st month of the
41st year (spring, 1406 BC), four days before the 41st Passover, which was
exactly 40 years from when they left Goshen. They started counting sabbatical
years and Jubilees after crossing the Jordan. (Num 33:38; 20:28; Deut 34:8;
Josh 4:19; 5:10). Israel camped at Gilgal then defeated Jericho and Ai. They
traveled to Shechem and built Joshua’s Altar. The Ark of the Covenant was
positioned in the valley between Mt Gerizim and Mt. Ebal with half the tribes
on each of the two mountain sides. The echo-ritual “curses and blessings
ceremony” of Deut 27-28 were spoken across the valley to each of the six tribes
on each side. From 1406-1400 BC Israel first defeated the northern Amorite
Pentapolis, then second, the southern Amorite Pentapolis. They were unable to
defeat the five Philistine Pentapolis cities (Ex 13:17-18; Deut 2:23; Josh 11:22;
13:2-3; Jud 1:18-19; 3:1-3) until the time of David. The Philistines had
restricted Israel’s possession of the promised land to the central hill country
until 1003 BC. After 6 years of conquest war, on the first Sabbatical year of
1399 BC, Israel moved the tabernacle from Gilgal to Shiloh which served as
Israel’s first capital city for 305 years until the Philistines burned the city
in 1094 BC.

Quick links within this
document:
Authors introduction
Links to related Exodus Route documents
10 Chronological facts about the
events of the Exodus
Historical survey before the
Exodus
Exodus Antitypes in the New
Testament
25 antitypical parallels between
Moses and Apostle Paul
14 Keys that unlock the Exodus Route:
1.
The Exodus was a Miracle: They journeyed day and
night
2.
Succoth: The stop to get Hebrew miners at Serabit
el-Khadim
3.
The Etham Dilemma: "The Great Backtrack when
they hit THE WALL"
4.
The Ignored second Red Sea camp
5.
"Journey in stages" through mountains
and difficult terrain
6.
Edom's territory was Transjordan from 1446 - 605 BC.
7.
Moses was "not out of Egypt" until
he was off the Sinai Peninsula
8.
The River of Egypt is the border between Egypt
and Israel
9.
The Ezion-Geber enigma
10.
The southern border of Judah puts Kadesh at
Petra
11.
"Piltdown Kadesh" vs. Biblical
Kadesh Barnea at Petra
12.
Without the Gulf of Aqaba, the Sinai Peninsula
becomes Arabia.
13.
How Paul, Josephus, Strabo and Herodotus defined
Arabia
14.
Ishmael Is Arabia: Find Ishmael, find Sinai!
Ishmael lived in Shur.
Conclusion
The Great Exodus Psalm 78
50 stops of the Exodus:
(4 legs of the Journey)
3 stops between Goshen and the Red Sea crossing
Goshen, Wilderness of Egypt,
Succoth, Migdol,
Etham, Pi Hahiroth, Baal Zephon, Straits of Tiran
10 Stops between the Sea crossing and Mt. Sinai
Wilderness
of Shur, Marah, Elim, Second Red Sea Camp,
Wilderness of Sin,
Dophkah, Alush, Rephidim (Meribah),
Wilderness of Sinai,
Mt. Sinai, Wilderness of
Paran
22 Stops between Mt. Sinai and Kadesh Barnea
Ezion Geber,
southern Arabah
valley, Kadesh Barnea,
Petra, El-beidha
Wilderness
of Zin, Ein
el-Qudeirat, Ein
Qedeis, Ein
El Weibeh, Ein Hasb
Jezirat Faraun
Island, Timna,
15 Stops between Kadesh Barnea and the Jordan
Mt.
Hor, Edom and Mt.
Seir, The
Way of the Spies and Hormah
See also:
Top
ten list of reasons why the exodus route was not restored until now.
Six
men who misled the world away from the true exodus route.
Date and
Pharaoh of the Exodus: 1446 BC. Thutmoses III (1485 - 1431 BC)
When
was Israel "out of Egypt"?
Miracles
of the Exodus and Red Sea Crossing
The
eight ascensions of Moses up Mt. Sinai
History of the search for Kadesh
Barnea.
Antitypes
of when Moses struck the rock.
Thirty-eight
continuous years at Kadesh
Judah's
southern border and the location of Kadesh.
Travel
times, distances, days of the week
History of the Transjordan Territory of the Edomites.
Historic
antique Exodus route maps from 1500 AD that had no Gulf of Aqaba.
Population
of the Exodus Jews: 2-4 Million Hebrews left Egypt not 35,000!
Excluding
various exodus routes: We reject: Bitter lakes, Lake Sirbonis, Lake Ballah,
Nuweiba Beach, Gulf of Suez, Mt. Musa, Ein el-Qudeirat, Mt. Karkom, Gebel Khashm et-Tarif (Hashem el-Tarif),
Mt. Sin Bisher.
10 Quick Chronological
facts:
1.
The Date of the Exodus: 1446 BC
2.
Pharaoh who killed Hebrew children: Amunhotep I: 1532-1511 BC
3.
Pharaoh's Daughter who adopted Moses: Hatshepsut: 1526 BC
4.
Pharaoh of Moses' flight to Midian in 1486 BC: Thutmoses II/Hatshepsut:
1498-1485 BC
5.
Pharaoh
of the Exodus: Thutmoses III: 1485/1464 - 1431 BC
6.
Red sea crossing: Straits
of Tiran on the gulf of Aqaba crossing
on day 25 arriving 20 days later at Mt. Sinai on day 44.
7.
Mt. Sinai: Jebel/Mt. Lawz in Saudi Arabia arriving
on day 47 and spending 11 months, 5 days at Sinai.
8.
Kadesh Barnea at El
Beidha beside modern Petra spending
38 years.
9.
Crossing the Jordan in 1406 BC, 40 years to the exact day they left Egypt.
10. The
Conquest took 6 years and on the first sabbatical year of 1399 BC they set up
the
tabernacle tent at Shiloh where it stood for 305 years until 1094BC.

Authors
note: The exodus route proposed herein was conceived by the author in
2005 AD, but it is actually a restoration of the ancient view held by first
century Christians.
1.
Step #1: I began with the Bible as my only guide and
blueprint for locating places connected with the exodus. I completely ignored
everything EXCEPT the bible: I ignored maps, history, commentaries and the
opinions of my fellow archeologists. From this study, I concluded the
Scriptures taught that Israel crossed the Red Sea somewhere on the Gulf of
Aqaba, forcing Mt. Sinai to be in Saudi Arabia. (Paul plainly tells us Mt.
Sinai is in Arabia: Gal 4:25) I was also able to prove from scripture that
Kadesh Barnea must be Transjordan, somewhere south of the Dead Sea in modern
Jordan.
2.
Step #2: Only after I had concluded my scriptural study,
did I begin to consider two important additional witnesses: Historical literary
sources and archaeology. Josephus, Eusebius Jerome and others pointed Mt. Lawz
as the best candidate for Mt. Sinai. Josephus and Eusebius led me to target the
general Petra area for the location of Kadesh Barnea. When conflicts arose
between the Scriptures, history and Archaeology, I always chose the infallible,
all-sufficient, imperishable and inerrant Word of God.
While this may not make Bible doubting archeologists
happy, I have more trust in the Bible than the ever-shifting opinions of fellow
archeologists who are often looking to disprove the Bible, rather than support
it as the book of true ancient history that it really is. Having said this,
Archaeology is an important tool in validating the Bible. I have travelled
extensively throughout Israel and the Levant. I have been directly involved in
many archeological digs under the authority of the IAA (Israel Antiquities
Authority). I am a professional staff archeologist for the Shiloh Israel
excavation from 2017 to the present. I did not discover this exodus route, I
merely restored it to what is revealed in scripture. I hope this book will
strengthen your faith in God's inspired word. You can print the maps and glue
them into the back of your bible. You can use this material in public
presentations and sermons, as long as you do not put any part of this book on
the internet or sell it.
Why not visit one of our local
churches? Click
here to locate a congregation in your hometown.
Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments,
input or corrections.
The Exodus Route
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Overview map
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Satellite map
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Introduction: Historical
and Archaeological survey of the Exodus
1899 BC: Israelites enter
Egypt
The Hebrews entered Egypt in 1899 BC when Joseph was sold by
his brothers to the Ancient Arabians known as "Ishmaelites".
Archeology has shown from excavations at Ramesses (Avaris, Goshen, Tel
el-Dab'a), that at the time of Jacob entering Egypt in 1876 BC, Asiatics (i.e.
Semitics) ran a commerce hub located there as an egalitarian society. In 1997
AD, agnostic David Rohl was first to make the connection with the archeology at
Tel el-Dab’a and the tomb of Joseph. Rohl reexamined the excavation reports by
Austrian Manfred Bietak, who was director at Tel el-Dab'a. For this Rohl is to
be praised in spite of the fact that he unnecessarily shifts Egyptian
Chronology hundreds of years. From ancient times, Goshen (Tel el-Dab'a) was the
main shipping commercial hub at the beginning of the “Way of Horus” coastal
road north to Tyre. The Hebrews were very prosperous until the Hyksos arrived
and took over the management of Avaris. Like modern port cities with millions
of containers being loaded and offloaded from ocean tanker ships, Avaris needed
huge storage areas for all the goods.

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A stunning archeological find at Tel el-Dab'a was a
fractured statue that dated to the 12th Dynasty Pharaohs (c. 1806
BC). In Goshen (tel El-Dab’a/Avaris) several limestone fragments from the
statue of the non-Egyptian Asiatic man were excavated in 1991 AD and
reconstructed from the S/E section of cemetery F/I, phases H (1820-1785 BC,
Low Egyptian Chronology = LC) and G4 (1785-1750 BC, LC). These dates
correspond to the death of Joseph in 1806 BC. The Egyptians were always
careful to portray different things that showed the national background of
the subjects of their paintings or statues, as well as their status in
society. The person portrayed in this statue had a lighter skin than was used
in portraying native Egyptians. He also had a flail held across his chest.
The flail symbolized that a person possessed considerable authority, but not
a pharaoh. Pharaohs were shown with the double crown of Egypt and the
‘uraeus’ or cobra’s head on that crown. He was therefore an ‘Asiatic’,
Semitic person (Hebrew). Single and double donkey burials excavated at the
tomb complex are typical of Semitic ritual at the time of Joseph and indicate
Hebrews were present.
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Low Egyptian Chronology (LC) is favored. Kris J. Udd notes
that the trend is towards the Low Chronology of the 18th dynasty Egypt which
makes Thutmoses III the pharaoh of the Exodus because LC start of his reign was
1485 BC. (Has Radiocarbon Artificially Raised Bronze Age Dates?, Near Eastern
Archaeological Society Bulletin, Vol 58, 2013 AD)
The mushroom hairstyle is also Semitic and non-Egyptian. An
additional fragment from the shoulder with the flail features a clear
multi-coloured coat design. The coat Jacob gave Joseph got him sold to Egypt
but then became the symbol of his authority over them. His statue had been
smashed into pieces by someone who was very angry at him and what he
represented, although previously he must have been held in high regard. The
destruction of the statue, if Joseph, is predictable, given the destruction of
Egypt during the Exodus. Deliberate chisel marks on the head and in the eye
socket are visible. This is consistent with a widespread phenomenon known as
the “erasure of Hatshepsut” (see below) at the time of the Exodus, where many
of the images of her that had been carved in wall reliefs were deliberately
defaced with chisel marks, likely because since she adopted Moses who destroyed
Egypt with 10 plagues. The statue of Joseph was slightly larger than life size.
It was also associated by some archaeologists with an impressive mansion that
its own tomb in the form of a small pyramid. The tomb, however, was empty;
someone had removed the mummy, apparently before the smashing took place. This
led to speculation that this was a portrayal of Joseph, since all these facts
would fit what we know about Joseph from the Bible. It has therefore been
called by some “the Joseph statue.” Others think it is instead a statue of
Joseph’s father, Jacob, but this does not fit with the youthful appearance;
Joseph was 30 years old when he became vizier, but Jacob did not enter Egypt
until he was 130 (Genesis 47:9).
1657-1538 BC: Hyksos rule Egypt for 119 years: “The
Pharaohs who knew Joseph”.
In c. 1657 BC the Hyksos overthrew the pharaohs of Egypt and
built their palaces at Tel el-Dab'a. The Hyksos ruled for about 119 years,
displacing the Egyptians as the government of Egypt. They were the Pharaohs who
"knew Joseph" and cooperated with the Hebrews. Archeology has
confirmed that the Hyksos built three palaces at Tel el-Dab'a directly beside
the Hebrews. From the time of Joseph down to the end of the Hyksos period, the
Hebrews enjoyed freedom with no slavery, but that was about to end. The Hyksos
were expelled by the 18th dynasty Pharaohs of Egypt who “Knew not Joseph”. In
1538 BC Ahmoses I finally defeated the Hyksos and the Hebrews were stripped of
their financial control of the commercial shipping hub and became oppressed
slaves who built two storage cities of Pithom and Ramesses (Ex 1:11). The
oppression of the Hebrews began in 1538 BC and ended in 1446 BC with the Exodus
of Moses.
Egyptian oppression and slavery began in 1538 BC
1557 BC: Rise of the 18th Dynasty "MOSES PHARAOHS who knew not Joseph"
Ahmoses I (1557-1532 BC) was only 10 years old when he
ascended the throne after the death of his brother. Excavations at Tel el Dab’a
(Avaris) by Bietak and synchronisms with day book entry in year 11 of Khamudi
(the last Hyksos king) in the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus indicate the defeat of
the Hyksos at Avaris started in the 15th year of Ahmoses I in 1542 BC. This
seems to be confirmed by records of Ahmoses I first military campaigns which
began after his 10th regnal year in 1547 BC at age 20. Inscriptions on the wall
of a cliff-tomb at El Kab, located 100 km south of Luxor, of a naval officer
named Ahmoses (who served under three pharaohs: Ahmoses I, Amenhotep I, and
Thutmose I,) contains the biography of Ahmoses I. The El Kab inscription
records a sequence of three successive sieges of Avaris that were interrupted
by a Nubian offensive which was defeated. Avaris finally fell after the 4th
attack. Khamudi, the defeated Hyksos king then fled from Avaris to the biblical
city of Sharuhen (Joshua 19:6) in the Simeon Negev where the inscription
records a six-year siege until Sharuhen finally fell in the 21st regnal year
(1536 BC). This marks the end and final expulsion of the Hyksos by Ahmoses I.
The inscription then records the first foreign offensive campaign south into
Nubia against the Troglodytes and two successive counter attacks that were
defeated. Another inscription found in the ancient Egyptian mining town of Tura
located 15 km south of Cairo on the east bank of the Nile, indicate the latest
possible date for the defeat of the Hyksos was in the 22nd regnal year of
Ahmoses I (1535 BC). “Ahmoses must have conquered Avaris by [sometime before]
the 18th or 19th year of his reign. This is suggested by a graffito in the
quarry at Tura whereby, “oxen from Canaan were used at the opening of the
quarry” in Ahmoses’s regnal year 22. Since the cattle would probably have been
imported after Ahmoses’s siege of the town of Sharuhen, which followed the fall
of Avaris, this means that the reign of Khamudi must have terminated by year 18
or 19 (1539-1538 BC) of Ahmoses’ 25-year reign (1557-1532 BC) at the very
latest.” (Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times, Redford, Donald, Bronze
Age Collapse, Ch 8, 1992 AD) We conclude that the Hyksos ruled Egypt for no
earlier than 1657 BC and no later than 1538 BC for a maximum total possible
years of 119.
The Egyptians finally over-threw the rebel Hyksos government
in 1538 BC by AhMOSES I who became the
first 18th dynasty Pharaoh who "did not know Joseph" (Ex
1:8). With the rebel Hyksos expelled, Ahmoses I took over the Hyksos palaces at
Tel el-Daba, which explains how Moses was found in the river by Pharaoh's
Daughter near where the Hebrews lived. Ahmose I marks the beginning of the
period of slavery and oppression for the Hebrews as a way to prevent the
Hebrews from seeking the throne or leaving Egypt. Exodus 1:11 tells us that the
Hebrews were making mud bricks to build the storage cities of Pithom (Tell
el-Retaba) and Ramesses (Tel el-Dab'a), both of which have been extensively
excavated through archeological digs. It may be a puzzle as to why Pharaoh
would build a storage city in the very town where the Hebrews lived, until you
remember that this was the main shipping hub at the beginning of the Way of
Horus. (see exodus route map above) Tel el-Dab'a was a city similar to modern
port cities with millions of containers being loaded and offloaded from ocean
tanker ships. The Slavery and oppression was a political and social policy to
make sure the Egyptians never lost economic control of their country again, as
they had dating back to the time of Joseph in c 1800 BC. The specific fear of
Ahmoses I was that the Hebrews would leave Egypt not that he would be deposed
by them. "Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will
multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who
hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.”
(Exodus 1:10) Notice the Exodus narrative begins with the defeat of the rebel
Hyksos at the rise of Ahmose I with a special note regarding how prosperous the
Hebrews had become. But during the next 92 years (1538 – 1446 BC) from Ahmose I
to Thutmoses III (Pharaoh of the Exodus), the Hebrews went from a management
role to slaves and may have lost some of their business skills during this
period. However, God saw fit to once again give them world-class training at
another major commerce center like Tel el-Dab'a at Kadesh Barnea. Kadesh,
located at modern Petra, was a triple crossroads of trade where they spent 38
years once again learning trade, commerce and how to run a business. Kadesh
Barnea would later become the capital city of the Nabatean Arabic empire that
controlled trade routes. This may explain why even today, the Jews are so
incredibly prosperous in the world of business. If only we could get these
"natural branches" to believe that Jesus Christ is their risen messiah.
18th Dynasty Pharaohs of the Exodus (LC):
Pharaoh who killed Hebrew children: Amunhotep I: 1532-1511 BC
Pharaoh's Daughter who adopted Moses: Hatshepsut: 1526 BC
Pharaoh of Moses' flight to Midian: Thutmoses II/Hatshepsut: 1498-1485 BC
Pharaoh of the Exodus: Thutmoses III: 1485/1464 - 1431 BC. Thutmoses III
was Pharaoh in 1446 BC for a total of 54 years but there were three
distinct phases to his rule.
- (1485-1464) First was when he was a baby
and his step-mother Hatshepsut ruled as co-regent for 21 years .
- (1464-1446) Second, after Hatshepsut died he ruled as
Pharaoh for 18 years until the exodus .
- (1446-1431) Third, he ruled another 15 years after
the exodus.

1526 BC: Moses is adopted by Hatshepsut into Pharaoh's
house.
Pharaoh who killed Hebrew
children: Amunhotep I: 1532-1511 BC
Pharaoh's Daughter who adopted Moses: Hatshepsut:
1526 BC
The previous efforts to "let us deal wisely"
with the Hebrews was not working and the Egyptians were being out-populated
by the productive Israelites. Amunhotep I (1532-1511 BC, LC) decides to kill
all the male Hebrew children. This is antitypical to Herod's slaughter of the
babies in 1 BC after Jesus was born in 2 BC. Hatshepsut was the daughter of
pharaoh who drew Moses out of the water and adopted him into the king's
household. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmoses I who married her brother
Thutmoses II and was co-regent with her son Thutmoses III.
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1486 BC: Moses flees to Midian in Saudi Arabia after
killing the Egyptian at age 40:
Pharaoh of Moses' flight to
Midian: Thutmoses II/Hatshepsut: 1498-1485 BC
Pharaoh Thutmoses II (1498-1485 BC) married his sister
Hatshepsut who was the adoptive mother of Moses. Moses saw the oppression of
his fellow Hebrews and killed the Egyptian, which was an act of treason.
"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of
God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the
reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he
endured, as seeing Him who is unseen." (Hebrews 11:24–27) At age 40,
Moses fled Egypt to Midian where Jethro was the priest of Mt. Sinai, which was
called the "Mountain of God". Moses probably escaped exactly the same
route in 1486 BC as he used 40 years later in the Exodus by travelling down the
eastern shore of the Gulf of Aqaba to cross over to Arabia (Midian, wilderness
of Shur) by one of the many boats that ferried between the two shores of Arabia
and Egypt at the Straits of Tiran.
1446 BC: The Exodus begins after the 10 plagues destroy
Egypt
Pharaoh of the Exodus: Thutmoses
III: 1485/1464 - 1431 BC.
The exodus began when the entire population of 2-4 million
Jews left Egypt. Be warned, that attempting to reduce the migration to
35,000 using a fallacious argument based on the Hebrew word
for 1000 [elep] meaning "clans", guts the inspiration of the bible.
At the time of the exodus, the city of Tel el-Dab'a was called, Parunefer
meaning "happy journey" because Tel el-Dab'a is the starting and
staging hub of the Way of Horus and was a major commerce center. Moses was
forbidden from taking the "Way of Horus" which hugged the
Mediterranean coast to Canaan. Instead, Moses retraced the possible route he
took 40 years earlier, except this time he crossed the Red sea, not in a boat,
but by a miracle of God. Moses arrived at Mt. Sinai and climbed the mountain for
a total of eight
ascensions up Mt. Sinai. The exodus Route has about 50 stops and traverses
7 wildernesses. We can be certain of only the locations of Goshen (tel
El-Dab'a), Ezion-Geber, Dibon, Mt. Nebo and Shittim (Tel el-Hamman) and the
wilderness of Shur (Midian) in north Saudi Arabia.
Erasure of Hatshepsut, step-mother of Thutmoses III and
adopted mother of Moses
Moses and Thutmoses III were step-brothers. Hatshepsut was
married to her brother Thutmoses II and when he died, her stepson Thutmoses III
took the throne. Hatshepsut was coregent with her stepson Thutmoses III from
1485-1464 for a period of 21 years until she died at age 77. Thutmoses
III carried out 17 annual campaigns that came to an end in 1446 BC, the year
his army drowned in the Red Sea. After Egypt was destroyed by Moses, Thutmoses
III began a campaign of vandalizing any images he could find of his step-mother
Hatshepsut. Pharaoh himself did not die in the Red sea. Ps 136:45 says,
"God overthrew [lit: shook off] Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea."

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This is referred to as the "Erasure of Hatshepsut".
Thutmoses III is the best candidate as the Pharaoh of the Exodus not
only because he was Pharaoh in 1446 BC, but also because an incredible double marker stands
out like a flashing neon light. Two key events happened at the same time:
After 17 yearly military campaigns, they suddenly stopped and at the same
time the erasing of Hatshepsut from many statues and reliefs began. Both of
these events happened as a direct result of the 10 plagues and the exodus of
Moses. While the exact timing of the Erasure of Hatshepsut is
difficult to pinpoint, the motive of vengeful retaliation for adopting Moses
seems clear.
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The Exodus as a Messianic Prophecy:

Messianic prophecies of Exodus:
The Exodus Story
as a Messianic Prophecy
“Out of Egypt
did I call My Son” Mt 2:15
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Moses and Israel
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Jesus and Church
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Hidden from Pharaoh twice after two death threats: Ex
2:2,15; Heb 11:23
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Hidden from Herod: Mt 2:13
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Moses called out of Egypt twice to Mt. Sinai
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Jesus called out of Egypt: Mt 2:15
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Passover memorial: Ex 12:3-6
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Communion memorial: 1 Cor 11:23
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Baptized into Moses at Red sea: Ex 14:21-31
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Baptized into Christ: 1 Cor 10:1-4
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Grumbled, Manna from heaven: Ex 16; Deut 8:3
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Grumbled, Jesus from heaven; communion: Jn 6:31-35
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Water from Rock: Ex 17:1-7; Num
20:8-12
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Jesus is the rock and waters of eternal life: 1 Cor 10:4;
Jn 4:14
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Fasted 40 days on Mt. Sinai: Ex 24:18; 34:28
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Fasted 40 days in wilderness: Mt 4:2
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Radiant face on mountain: Ex 34:35
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Radiant on Mount: Mt 17:2; 2 Cor 3:7-8
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Aliens in Kadesh 38 years: Deut 2:14; Acts 7:29
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Aliens in Church till death: 1 Peter 1:1; 2:11
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Moses Interceded: Num 14:11-21; 21:7
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Jesus Intercedes: Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25
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Serpent on pole heals: Num 21:6-9
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Christ, a type of the serpent, on cross heals: John
3:14-16
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Joshua was a forerunner when he spied out the land and who
brought Israel into Canaan 40 years later: Num 14:6-7
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Jesus was a forerunner for us into heaven at His ascension
and will return to take us to heaven at the Second coming: Heb 6:19-20; Jn
13:36
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Cross Jordan = Canaan rest: Deut 12:10-11; Ps 95:10-11
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Death = Heaven rest: Heb 4:8-11
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Many of the New Testament antitypes and images have their
origin in the exodus.

The Tabernacle Messianic Prophecy: “Shadow of what was to
come” Col 2:17
- 10 Commandments/Law of Moses is replaced by Law of Christ:
1 Cor 9:21; Gal 6:2.
- High Priest is replaced by Jesus (change of Law): Heb
7:12,26-28; 9:24-28.
- Outer court wall is removed. The Law of Moses removed,
which created a barrier between Jew and Gentile. Now the Law/barrier
is removed/abolished and both Jew and Gentile are lost without Jesus
& stand in the outer court together: Eph 2:14-15. Now both Jew
and Gentile must sacrifice themselves on the altar of burnt offering
and be baptized by immersion to enter church: Midrashic inference.
- Holy Place is replaced by Christ/Christian’s body: Jn
2:19; 1 Cor 6:19;Eph 2:19-22.
- Aaronic priests are replaced by Christian men and woman:
Rom 15:16; Heb 7:12; 1 Pet 2:5; Rev 1:6; Rom 2:28-29.
- Priestly garments are replaced by Christian good works:
Rev 19:8; Mt 22:11-12.
- Altar of burnt offering animal sacrifices are replaced by
Christian Self-sacrifice and moral living: Ex 29:18; Lev 1:9; Phil 2:17;
4:18; 2 Cor 2:14-16; Eph 5:1-2; Rom 12:1; 15:16; 2 Tim 4:6; Gal 2:20; Mt
16:24.
- Brass water basin for physical ritual outward purity is
replaced by water baptism for true spiritual forgiveness of sins for
inward purity: Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet 3:21.
- Shewbread is replaced by Communion: 1 Cor 10:16-21.
- Minora candlestick is replaced by Jesus and Scripture
inside Christians: Rev 1:20; Ps 119:105; Mt 4:14-16; Mt 5:14; Prov 4:18;
Phil 2:15.
- Altar of incense is replaced by Christian’s fruit of lips
through prayer and song: Rev 5:8; Heb 13:15; Hos 14:2.
- Instrumental music with harp is replaced with acapella
singing with heart: Eph 5:19.
- Mandatory 10% tithing is replaced by freewill offerings: 1
Cor 16:1-2; 2 Cor 9:7.
- Most Holy Place is replaced by Heaven itself: Heb
9:11,24.
- Ark of Covenant is replaced by the true one in Heaven: Heb
9:24.
- Blood of Passover lamb is replaced by the body & blood
of Jesus: 1 Cor 5:7; Heb 9:13-14; 10:3-10.
- Veil removed by Jesus’ body signaling the way to heaven is
known: Heb 10:19-20.
Only through the body and blood of Jesus can we get to heaven: John
6:53-58; 14:6
Additional Exodus route messianic Prophecies:
- The pillar
of fire and the angel was the first physical appearance representing
the presence of God on earth.
- This symbol went through a series of physical
transformations.
- The presence of God in the Pillar of fire was replaced
after they crossed the Jordan by the most holy place in the Tabernacle of
Moses, which was replaced by the Temple of Solomon, which finally became
the body of a Christian individually and the church collectively. (1
Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:19-22) see: detailed
study
- The pillar of fire also represented the light of God's
word that lights our path: Ps 119:105.
- God as "Our Rock" is a type of the Rock
Moses struck for water. 1 Cor 10:4.

- Mt. Sinai is a type of the heavenly Jerusalem: Hebrews
12:18-24.
- Just as the Hebrews did not stumble "Like a horse in
the desert", when they travelled day and night then crossed the Red
Sea, so too Christians will never stumble if we walk in the light and
imitate Jesus. (Isaiah 63:11-14; Psalm 105:37; 2 Peter 1:10-11)
- Our salvation from the slavery of sin happens when we are
baptized into Christ, and is a type of the Red Sea crossing when they were
saved from the slavery of Egypt and baptized into Moses: 1 Cor 10:1-4.
Have you been baptized in water by full immersion as a believer in order
to be saved?

Three promises of
Abraham fulfilled
"But as the time
of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the
people increased and multiplied in Egypt" (Acts 7:17)
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Promised
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Physically fulfilled
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Spiritually fulfilled
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Great Nation
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Gen 12:1-7; 18:18;
22:17-18; 26:3-4; 28:13-14; 13:14-17; 15:5-21; 17:2-8; 48:4; Exod 32:13
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Jews: Gen 46:3; Deut 1:10; 10:22; Heb11:11-12
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Christians: Rom 4:16-17; Gal 3:29; Gal 4:28
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Land
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Gen 12:1-7; 22:17-18;
26:3-4; 28:13-14; 13:14-17; 15:5-21; 17:2-8; 24:7; 28:4; 35:12; 46:3; 48:4;
Ex 32:13; 6:2-8; 12:25; 13:5; 23:31; 33:1
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Canaan: Deut 6:18; 9:5; 30:5 Josh 21:43-45; Josh
24:28; 2 Sam 8:3; 1 Ki 4:21; 2 Ki 14:25; 2 Chr 9:26; Neh 9:8; Ps 105:42-44;
Jer 11:5; Ezek 20:42; Acts 7:17; 13:19; Rom 4:13
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Heaven: Rom 4:13-14; Gal 3:18; 4:23-28; Eph 1:10-14;
Heb 4:3; 6:11-13; 6:19-20
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seed
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Gen 12:1-7; Gen 18:18;
22:17-18; 26:3-4; 28:13-14
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none
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Christ: Acts 3:25-26;
13:32-33,38; Gal 3:8-9; 3:18,29
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See also: Men
who misled the world away from the Exodus route

Main Exhibit
Keys that Unlocking the
Exodus Route
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KEY#1
The Exodus was a
Miracle: (Ex 13:21; Deut 8:4; 29:5; Neh 9:21)
Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Ps 78:19
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- The exodus
was a miracle: Israel traveled 24 hours a day, day and night and their
feet didn’t swell, never stumbled. Their cloths and shoes never wore out.
They consumed manna and quail provided by miracle and water from a rock.
The cloud sheltered them from both sun and rain. The pillar of fire gave
them light at night and guidance on the journey.
- "The Lord
went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the
way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night."
(Exodus 13:21)
- "The clothes on your back
did not wear out and your feet did not
swell these forty years." (Deuteronomy 8:4)
- "I have led you forty years in the wilderness. The
clothes on your back have not worn out, and the sandals
on your feet have not worn out;" (Deuteronomy 29:5)
- "They asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied
them with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock and water flowed out; It ran in
the dry places like a river. " Psalm 105:37-41
- "Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness so
that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not
wear out and their feet did not swell." (Nehemiah 9:21)
- "When the Lord has washed away the filth of the
daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst,
by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, then the Lord will
create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud
by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for
over all the glory will be a canopy. There will
be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and
protection from the storm and the rain." Isaiah 4:4-6
- Echoing the exodus, Jeremiah says in 595 BC that at the
end of the 70 year Babylonian captivity (which began in 605 BC), none who
leave bondage for the promised land will stumble!. "Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, And I
will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among them the blind
and the lame, The woman with child and she who is in labor with child,
together; A great company, they will return here.
“With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I
will make them walk by streams of waters, On a
straight path in which they will not stumble; For I am a father to
Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.”" (Jeremiah 31:8–9)
- "Then He brought them out with silver and gold, And
among His tribes there was not one who stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed, For the dread of them had fallen upon
them. He spread a cloud for a covering,
And fire to illumine by night. They asked,
and He brought quail, And satisfied them
with the bread of heaven. He opened the
rock and water flowed out; It ran in the dry places like a river. " Psalm 105:37-41
- "Then He brought them out with silver and gold, And
among His tribes there was not one who stumbled."
(Psalm 105:37)
- "Then they remembered the days of old, of Moses his
servant. Where is the one who brought them up out
of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the one who
put within them his holy spirit, who caused his glorious arm to march at
the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for
himself an everlasting name, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble.
Like cattle that go down into the valley, the spirit of the Lord gave them rest. Thus you led
your people, to make for yourself a glorious name." (Isaiah
63:11–14)

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"Like a horse in the
desert, they did not stumble
as they crossed the Red
Sea" Isa 63:13; Ps 105:37; Jer 31:9
Steve Rudd, Randall Price, Don Patton, ride mountain
horses to the 4200 m. camp on Mt. Ararat during the 2012 Expedition to find
Noah's Ark. Ararat mountain horses are small but are able to scale the
45-degree incline of Ararat without slipping. It
was terrifying at times, but the horse never stumbled once.
This is what Isa 63:13 means that God will provide, and His people should not
be anxious!
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- They were given supernatural help travelling long
distances so their feet did not swell and when crossing the Red Sea, none
of the elderly tripped or fell down.
- The Exodus Highway is a flat coastal plain that is 20 km wide and
runs the full length of the 500 km journey from Goshen to the Straits of
Tiran. This coastal plain slowly rises from sea level to the eastern
mountains at 250 meters above sea level. Travel would be fast and easy.

- "Then His people
remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out
of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy
Spirit in the midst of them, Who caused His glorious arm to go at the
right hand of Moses, Who divided the waters before them to make for
Himself an everlasting name, Who led them through the depths? Like the
horse in the wilderness, they did not
stumble; As the cattle which go down
into the valley, The Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So You led Your
people, To make for Yourself a glorious name." (Isaiah
63:11–14)
- “Indeed, forty years You
provided for them in the wilderness and they were not in want; Their
clothes did not wear out, nor did their
feet swell." (Nehemiah 9:21)
- One of the biggest errors in determining the exodus route
is in calculating distances and travel times.
- ERROR 1: Three days to Red Sea
crossing point: "The three day journey to reach the Red
Sea crossing point": Since there are three stops between Goshen and
the Red sea crossing point, it is wrongly concluded that they only
travelled three days. This seems like a solid conclusion given the fact
that Moses asked Pharaoh to let Israel make a three-day journey to sacrifice
to YHWH (Exodus 3:18). Notice however, this was all Moses knew at the
time. Even while standing on the shore of the Red Sea, Moses had no idea
that God would part the waters until God told him. And three days to
what? Red Sea crossing? Mt. Sinai? So reject the idea that a three days
journey is any help in determining the location of the Red Sea crossing
point. Josephus gives almost no usable information in determining the
Exodus route but he did say it took three days to reach the Red Sea in
Antiquities 2.315. Many have been misled by Josephus with his statement
who wrongly assumed the three stops between Goshen and the Red sea listed
by Moses took three days. We have several passages that say Israel
travelled day and night. Israel crossed the Red Sea on day 25.
- ERROR 2: Miscalculation of
daily travel rates: "A group of three million could not
move more than 15 km per day." Much effort is put into determining
the number of kilometers per day that the exodus Hebrews could travel in
a day. All this calculation is nullified by the fact that Israel
travelled day and night with supernatural help. The 500 km journey from
Goshen to the Straits of Tiran at a rate of only 29 km per day ensured
they arrived at the Red Sea on day 17 days. They then waited an entire
week for Pharaoh to arrive with his army and then crossed the Red Sea on
day 25.
- Philo describes a long and difficult journey from
Goshen to the Red Sea. He also describes how they were trapped by the sea
which fits the Straits of Tiran. If this was the bitter lakes, they would
simply go around the shore:
- "having accomplished together a long and desolate journey through the wilderness,
destitute of any beaten road, at last arrived at the sea which is called the Red Sea." (Philo,
On the Life of Moses, 2:247, Young, 1854 AD, Updated by Charles Duke,
1993 AD)
- Men and women alike, they had traversed
a long and pathless wilderness, and arrived at the Red Sea, as it is
called. They were then naturally in great difficulties, as they
could not cross the sea for want of boats, and did not think it safe to
retrace their steps. When they were in this state of mind, a greater
misfortune burst upon them. The king of Egypt, accompanied by a very
formidable body of infantry and cavalry, came in hot pursuit, eager to
overtake them and so chastise them for leaving the country. He had,
indeed, permitted them to do so, induced by unmistakable warnings from
God. But the disposition of the wicked is, as may be well seen, unstable,
suspended as it were on a balance and swayed up and down by the slightest
cause in opposite directions. Thus, caught
between the enemy and the sea, they despaired each of his own
safety."" (Philo, Moses II 247-249, Harvard, 1962 AD)
- This essentially guts the idea that they would travel
such a short distance to cross at the Ballah, Timsah, Bitter lakes, or
the Gulf of Suez. Israel would never need to cross through these small
lakes, they would simply go around. If they did cross the Egyptians would
not follow but follow the shore to the other side.
- The total journey took 47 days. Israel crossed the Red sea
on day 25 after which the Bible narrative starts counting 22 days till
they reach Sinai on day 47. Those who propose a Red Sea crossing at
Ballah, Timsah, Bitter lakes, or the Gulf of Suez fail to realize these
were the weekend fishing holes and vacation spots of the Hebrews in while
they lived in Goshen.

- Gordon Franz's "7-day challenge" to walk from
Goshen to the Straits of Tiran is ill informed given Israel crossed on day
25 and they miraculously travelled day and night (Exodus 13:21).
- Humans walk at 5 km per hour. If Israel walked 3 hours,
had a two-hour lunch then walked 3 more hours, they would travel 30 km per
day. More details: Travel
times, distances, days of the week
Trip
|
Distance
|
Total days
|
Camp days
|
Travel days
|
Daily rate of travel
|
Goshen to Red Sea (including
Etham backtrack and Red Sea crossing)
(7 camp days at red sea)
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500 km
|
24
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7
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17
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29 km/day
18 miles/day
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Red Sea to Sinai
(Camp days: 7 days in wilderness of Sin including 1st
sabbath, 3 days at Rephidim, 2nd sabbath)
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200 km
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22
|
11
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11
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18 km/day
11 miles/day
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Goshen to Sinai
(including Etham backtrack 44 km and Red Sea crossing 16 km)
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700 km
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47
|
18
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29
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24 km/day
14 miles/day
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KEY#2
The Succoth Stop:
Hebrew miners at Serabit el-Khadim join Moses.
The stop at Succoth was not to
rest, it was to collect the Hebrew workers at
the Egyptian controlled copper and turquoise mines Serabit el-Khadim.
They travelled day and night by
miracle.
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1.
The stop at Succoth was not to rest, it was to collect
the Hebrew workers at the Egyptian copper and turquoise mines Serabit
el-Khadim.
a.
See detailed outline on Succoth.
b.
Two Egyptian copper/turquoise mines were in full operation in 1446 BC in
the Sinai:

2.
It is important to understand that Israel travelled day
and night without stopping.
a.
"The Lord was going before them in a pillar of
cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give
them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by
night, from before the people." Exodus 13:21-22
b.
See also: Miracles of the Exodus and Red Sea Crossing
3.
They likely stopped for brief food breaks to eat their
unleavened bread.
a.
"The Egyptians urged the people, to send
them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with
their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders." (Exodus 12:33–34)
b.
They did not stop to set up tents or sleep.
c.
This changes all the “how many miles did they travel in
a day” calculations.
d.
See also: Travel times, distances, days of the week.
5.
Several of the recently translated 16 “Sinai
Inscriptions” document Hebrew life at Serabit el-Khadim.

a.
Pictured above is Sinai Inscription #361 (dated to 1446
BC) which translates from Hebrew into English, “Our bound servitude had
lingered. Moses then provoked astonishment. It is the year of astonishment
because of the Lady [Hathor-the cow goddess]”. See details: Sinai
Moses Inscription 361”.
b.
Sinai inscriptions #115, 345, 349, 353, 357, 360, 361,
275a, were all excavated by Flinders Petrie at Serabit el-Khadim in 1905 AD.
c.
The language was unknown and they sat in museums till
Douglas Petrovitch recognized them as Hebrew and translated them in 2016 AD.
d.
The now famous “Moses Inscription” (Sinai 361) is the
first archeological confirmation of Moses ever to be discovered.
e.
The inscriptions are proof of a sizable slave
population working at the mines.
f.
See also: 16
Sinai Inscriptions”.
6.
Moses would know about this slave population working at
the mine and he would certainly stop to collect the men.
a.
These men would have wives and children asking Moses to
stop and get their husbands and fathers.
b.
Moses could send runners ahead of the main group to
instruct them to start packing up and make the short trip.
7.
Distances between Succoth and the mines at Serabit
el-Khadim
a.
Succoth to the mines at Serabit el-Khadim: 20 km over
mountains, 40 km around the mountains.
b.
Succoth and the mines at Bir Nasb: 12 km over
mountains, 25 km around the mountains.
c.
This journey is an easy day trip for the slave miners
to join Moses camped at Succoth.
8. Today, there is a road that follows the valleys in the mountains
between the beach and Bir Nasb, then continues to Serabit el-Khadim. This route
is likely an ancient pathway used by the Hebrews and is only 20 km to Serabit
el-Khadim.
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KEY#3
The Etham
Dilemma: "The Great Backtrack when they hit THE WALL"
Only the Straits of
Tiran fit the geography of Exodus 14:2-3
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"Tell the sons of Israel
to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea;
you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. “For Pharaoh
will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering
aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in." (Exodus 14:2-3)

- When Israel reached Etham, they hit a huge
impassable mountain range.
a.
Etham may be derived from Egyptian word for
wall/fortification. Hb. šûr = “wall” and Egyptian htm = “wall,
fortress”. "Etham is simply Egyptian
for Hebrew Shur, both meaning “wall, fortification.”." (The JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers 33:8, 1999 AD)
b.
The mountains they hit were known as "THE
WALL" or THE ETHAM.
- God told them "now turn back" (backtrack and
retrace their steps) and camp at what would be the crossing point of the
Red Sea.
- This is how God "baited" Pharaoh to say, "They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the
wilderness has shut them in".
- No other crossing point can satisfy the "Etham
Dilemma" where they pass the final camping spot and stop at Etham
because of the mountains, then backtrack to the camp where they would
cross the Red Sea. Only the Straits of Tiran make Etham work!
- Red Sea crossing points at Ballah, Timsah, Bitter lakes,
Suez or the Nuweiba beach fail to meet the Bible requirement and for
them, the Etham backtrack is a huge Dilemma. Etham is one of the most
interesting and most important locations for determining the exodus route
and the crossing of the Red Sea.
- This essentially guts the idea that they would travel
such a short distance to cross at the Ballah, Timsah, Bitter lakes, or
the Gulf of Suez. Why would Israel even cross through these small lakes?
They would simply go around because NOTHING was "trapping
them". It’s simple details like these that most miss when
considering the Red Sea crossing point.
2.
Philo also records that Israel was "enclosed like a shoal of fish" and trapped at Etham by the geography.
Today we know this trapping was because at Etham, the huge mountain range
crossed to the edge of the Gulf of Aqaba, making the northern coastal land
route impassable.
- "and not being able to
escape, for behind was the sea, and in front was the enemy, and on
each side a vast and pathless wilderness" (Philo, On the Life
of Moses, 1:165-171, Young, 1854 AD, Updated by Charles Duke, 1993 AD)
- "But when the prophet saw that the whole nation was now enclosed like a shoal of fish, and in great
consternation, he no longer remained master of himself, but became
inspired, and prophesied as follows: " (Philo Moses II 250, Young,
1854 AD, Updated by Charles Duke, 1993 AD)
- All other proposed crossing points except for the Strait
of Tiran have no geographical means of "TRAPPING" Israel. In
other words, crossing points at Ballah, Timsah, Bitter lakes, Suez or the
Nuweiba beach fail to trap Israel at Etham, forcing them to backtrack and
camp at the final crossing point while waiting for Pharaoh to arrive. The
Bible narrative indicates they passed by the final Red Sea camp and hit
the dead end at Etham, then backtracked to camp at the place they passed
the day before.

3. There are a number of ways of viewing the Wilderness of
Etham:
a.
It may be derived from Egyptian word for
wall/fortification. Hb. šûr = “wall” and Egyptian htm = “wall,
fortress”. "wilderness of Etham Although identified as Shur
in Exodus 15:22, this need not imply two versions. Etham is simply Egyptian for
Hebrew Shur, both meaning “wall, fortification.”" (The JPS Torah
Commentary: Numbers 33:8, 1999 AD) After crossing the Red Sea, they went
three days into the wilderness of Shur. Therefore, the Wilderness of Etham is
identical to the Wilderness
of Shur.
b.
It may be a textual gloss: Etham is not found
in the Septuagint (LXX) in Number 33:8. The
"Wilderness
of Etham" may not exist. It is only found in one passage: Num 33:8. Etham is not in
the LXX at Num 33:8. Instead, the Septuagint has the word, "they"
which is spelled almost the same, with the vowels removed. Perhaps the
Masoretes erred when they added the vowels. Many commentators completely ignore
it in Num 33:8.
c.
It may simply mean there is a place called
Etham on both sides of the Gulf of Aqaba at the straits of Tiran.
d.
Perhaps the Straits of Tiran were viewed as a
"wall" from both sides. On either side there was no place to go
except to backtrack or cross to the other side. It was a dead end on both
sides! Thus THE WALL.
- The 700 km journey from Goshen to Sinai took 47 days.
- The exodus was a miracle and Israel traveled 24 hours a
day, day and night (Exodus 13:21). God gave young and old supernatural
help so that they NEVER stumbled: Isaiah 63:12–14; Psalm 105:37.
- The 400 km trip from Goshen (Tel El-Daba) to the Straits
of Tiran is a flat 18 km wide packed sand terrain and is absolutely
perfect for travel with no ups and downs. It is a virtual highway! I have
PERSONALLY travelled it and have photos demonstrating how perfect it is
for easy quick travel. But this path ends with an abrupt mount range just
past Tiran at Etham. God told them to stop, turn back, retrace their
steps and camp at the crossing point of the Red Sea under the Egyptian
Migdol watchtower located at the tri-intersection water way. (Ex 14:2,
Num 33:7)
- They arrived on day 17 at the Straits of Tiran. Israel
crossed the Red sea at the Straits of Tiran on day 25 after which the
Bible narrative starts counting 22 days till they reach Sinai on day 47.
- Word was sent back to Pharaoh that Israel was trapped via
passenger pigeon from the overlooking Migdol in 5 hours as message
something like this: "They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the
wilderness has shut them in." (Ex 14:3) The Egyptian Migdol
(literally watchtower) at the triple junction forks of the Red Sea was one
of the most important ones, of the more than 60 known "migdols"
in Egypt and they would clearly report the exact movements of Israel to
Pharaoh. Israel camped 8 days as Pharaoh raced by chariot to the scene
down the sandy Egyptian highway and arrived at Tiran on day 25 giving
plenty of time for the stragglers to reach the camp. After crossing at
Tiran they spent 20 days getting to Sinai on day 45, which includes 8 days
camping at Sin to learn the Sabbath cycle.
Click
on image for Hi Resolution

|
The Etham dilemma is utterly ignored since all other proposed Red Sea crossings provide no block, stop, wall or trapping and the
need to retrace and camp at the crossing point. The very idea that Israel was
outside Egypt's control after crossing at the Bitter Lakes (the Hebrew's
weekend fishing vacation spot while they lived in Goshen) or the major
Egyptian seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Suez (I would not rejoice
after crossing, I would keep running) is unconscionable. In fact, the Straits
of Tiran provide the only workable geography to solve the Etham dilemma.
After crossing at Tiran into Saudi Arabia, they were truly "out of
Egyptian control". Only then did they rejoice in the Wilderness of Shur,
the historic homeland of Ishmael and Jethro of Midian.
Click
on image for Hi Resolution
|
- Only the Straits
of Tiran are workable, given they came to Etham,
stopped when they hit the mountain range, and then retraced their steps to
camp at the crossing point to wait for the Egyptians to arrive 7 days
later.
- Only a crossing at the gulf of Aqaba works and only the
Straits of Tiran fit the "Etham backtrack" narrative.
- And if I just crossed the "Red Sea" at the
Ballah, Timsah or Bitter lakes or the north end of the Gulf of Suez, I
would not rejoice, I would keep running to escape the Egyptians!
- Notice that 90% of the crossing distance is very shallow
and that one short section (about 2 km) was 205 meters deep.
- This is where God supernaturally assisted the Hebrews
"Like the horse in the wilderness, they
did not stumble" (Isaiah 63:11–14) and where Pharaoh's
army drowned as he watched safely on the shore.
- Pharaoh survived the Red Sea the
army did not:

|
Remember, the Bible nowhere says that Pharaoh (Thutmoses
III) drowned in the Red Sea: "But He overthrew [literally: shook off not
drowned or killed] Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His
lovingkindness is everlasting." (Psalm 136:15)
NO CHARIOT WHEELS!!!
Chariots were built 100% of wood and floated hundreds of
kilometers from the Red Sea crossing site.

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|

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KEY#4
The Ignored second Red
Sea camp
|

- The body of water that is the RED SEA, must be large
enough to facilitate first a crossing, then the second camp after
crossing. Only a crossing at the Straits
of Tiran allows for a workable second
Red Sea camp in the same body of water.
- From scripture and historic references, the Red Sea most
certainly includes many bodies of oceanic water:
- AD 100: Pliny the Younger explains that “erythra
Thalassa” is equal to “mare rubrum”: “The sea [Indian Ocean] then makes a
two-fold indentations in the land upon these coasts, under the name of Rubrum
or “Red,” given to it by our countrymen; while the Greeks have called it
Erythrum, from king Erythras, or, according to some writers, from its red
colour, which they think is produced by the reflection of the sun’s rays;
others again are of opinion that it arises from the sand and the
complexion of the soil, others from some peculiarity in the nature of the
water. (24.) Be this as it may, this body of water is divided into two
gulfs. The one which lies to the east is called the Persian Gulf, and is
two thousand five hundred miles in circumference, according to
Eratosthenes. Opposite to it lies Arabia, the length of which is fifteen
hundred miles. On the other side again, Arabia is bounded by the Arabian
Gulf. The sea as it enters this gulf is called the Azanian Sea.” (Pliny,
Natural History 6.28)
- The Gulf of Suez: Exodus 10:19 refers in our
opinion to the Gulf of Suez. The argument that “Red Sea” is never used of
the Gulf of Suez is unnecessary to prove a Mt. Sinai in modern Saudi
Arabia. Having said this, there are very few certain references in the
Bible to the Gulf of Aqaba being the Red Sea. In fact, the reference in
Ex 10:19 might be saying that the “sea wind/west wind” blew the locust
into the gulf of Aqaba. "So the LORD shifted the wind to a very
strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the
territory of Egypt." (Exodus 10:19) Herodotus comments on the
construction of the Suez Canal: “Psammetichus had a son, Necos, who
became king of Egypt. It was he who began building the canal into the Red
Sea, which was finished by Darius the Persian. This is four days’ voyage
in length, and it was dug wide enough for two triremes to move in it
rowed abreast. [2] It is fed by the Nile, and is carried from a little
above Bubastis by the Arabian town of Patumus; it issues into the Red
Sea.” (Herodotus 2.158). “There is another canal [Suez Canal] also, which
empties itself into the Red Sea, or Arabian Gulf, near the city Arsinoë,
which some call Cleopatris. It flows through the Bitter Lakes, as they
are called, which were bitter formerly, but when the above-mentioned
canal was cut, the bitter quality was altered by their junction with the
river, and at present they contain excellent fish, and abound with
aquatic birds.” (Strabo 17.1.25)
- The Gulf of Aqaba: Exod 23:31; Num 14:25; 21:4;
Deut 1:40; 2:1; 1 Kgs 9:26; Jer 49:21. Via Nova
Traiana: “Tell-tale signs of the course of
the Via Nova Traiana include walled forts and interior structures,
reservoirs, aqueducts, a Roman bridge, and the Trajanic triumphal arch at
Petra. Actual stretches of preserved paved roadway itself have been
located by a host of researchers. But it is the numerous milestones
that most clearly mark both the actual alignment of the highway, and most
plainly signals the artery’s strategic value to the Roman imperium. To
date, nearly 275 milestones have been discovered in close proximity to
the Via Nova between the sites of Bostra and Aila/Aqaba (none antedating
Trajan). Some 42 of these have been found in the southernmost
segment, between Petra and Aila. At least 25 inscribed Trajanic
milestones or fragmentary specimens along the transportation artery, all
firmly dating between AD 111-114 and discovered at findspots ranging from
the vicinity of Bostra to Aila/Aqaba—contain a formulaic inscription that
is of seminal relevance to this essay: viam novam a finibus
Syriae usque ad mare rubrum aperuit et stravit [“a new highway
was opened and paved from the border of Syria as far as mare rubrum”].
This formula makes explicit the fact that the Via Nova led to and
directly joined the mare rubrum [=Gulf of Aqaba and the city of
Aila/Aqaba]… Moreover, the conviction that Trajan’s road met the
Red Sea at Aila/Aqaba, and not at some other place, is reinforced by the
fact that several of the milestones were found south of where the modern road to Ramm, Egra and Medina diverges
SE. If additional confidence in these data is desired, the security
of this conviction becomes even more decisive by virtue of the fact that
5 of the milestones are thought to have been originally erected in the
vicinity of Kh. al-Kithara, inside the confines of the canyon-like Wadi
Yutm and at a site along the road just 20 km northeast of Aqaba.
Two of these Kithara stones manifest inscribed Trajanic titulary, and one
contains the entire Via Nova Traiana formula. MacAdam flatly
declares (1986:21)—“’To the Red Sea’ can mean only one thing—the road terminated
in the far south at the gulf of ‛Aqabā, more specifically at
the port of Aela.”” (The Red Sea in Biblical, Classical and Early
Cartographically related traditions, Barry J. Beitzel, NEAS annual
meeting, 2016 AD)
- The Bay of Bengal: Philostratus, Apollonius 3.50.2
refers to the Bay of Bengal as “Erythra Thalassa”
“Apollonius traveled [from the vicinity of Taxila, Pakistan] along the
Ganges river for ten days until he reached the coast of Erythra Thalassa
[Heb: yam sûf; Gk: erythra thalassa], the deepest blue sea which
gets its name from [king] Erythras, who named the sea after himself; from
the Ganges, Apollonius then sailed west and eventually passed the mouth
of the Indus river.” (The Red Sea in Biblical, Classical and Early
Cartographically related traditions, Barry J. Beitzel, NEAS annual
meeting, p1, 2016 AD)
- Indian Ocean: “That Cyrus’s empire was the
greatest and most glorious of all the kingdoms in Asia—of that it may be
its own witness. For it was bounded on the east by the Indian Ocean [Literal Greek: Erythra Thalassa = Heb: yam sûf],
on the north by the Black Sea, on the west by Cyprus and Egypt, and on
the south by Ethiopia. And although it was of such magnitude, it was
governed by the single will of Cyrus; and he honoured his subjects and
cared for them as if they were his own children; and they, on their part,
reverenced Cyrus as a father.” (Xenophon, Cyropaedia 8.8.1) “Livy
42.52.14—the Roman ancestors subdued all of Europe, crossed into Asia,
and with their weapons they opened up a whole world that had been
previously unknown even to rumor; they did not discontinue their
conquests until, reaching the barrier of Rubro mari [Red Sea], there was
nothing left to conquer (N.B. 42.52.15a—ultimis Indiae
oris—"farthermost shores of India;" Eutropius 8.3—the emperor
Trajan conquered Persia, Seleucia, Ctesiphon, Babylon, and Edessiani, and
carried everyone before him as far as the coasts of India and mare
Rubrum) [see also Aristides, Panathenaic Oration 119; Valerius Flaccus,
Argonautica 5.77].” (The Red Sea in Biblical, Classical
and Early Cartographically related traditions, Barry J. Beitzel, NEAS
annual meeting, p1, 2016 AD)
- Persian Gulf: Diodorus 2.11.1-2 “the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers, which have their headwaters in the Armenian mountains,
enclose Mesopotamia and give this name to the country; after passing
through Babylonia, these rivers empty into Erythra Thalassa [Greek: Erythra Thalassa = Heb: yam sûf]; cf.
Eusebius 901/164:7-9; Calvin, Genesis (Baum, Corpus Reformatorum 1882 ed,
vol. 23, col. 42)” (The Red Sea in Biblical, Classical
and Early Cartographically related traditions, Barry J. Beitzel, NEAS
annual meeting, p1, 2016 AD)
- Gulf of Aden: “Claudius Ptolemais 6.7.1-2. Arabia
Felix [the southwestern Arabian Peninsula] is terminated on the north by
Arabia Petraea, on the northeast by the Persian Gulf, on the west by the
Arabian Gulf, and on the south by [Greek] Erythra Thalassa (= Hebrew yam sûf)[N.B. the expression is
employed here in contradistinction to both the Persian Gulf and the
Arabian Gulf.” (The Red Sea in Biblical, Classical and
Early Cartographically related traditions, Barry J. Beitzel, NEAS annual
meeting, p1, 2016 AD)
- The itinerary is as follows:
- Three days in the wilderness of Shur (Midian) to reach
Marah
- Elim: day 4
- Second red
sea camp: day 5: "They journeyed from Elim and camped by the
Red Sea. They journeyed from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of
Sin." (Numbers 33:10–11)
- Wilderness of Sin
- The second Red Sea camp is a huge problem for all who
propose a Red Sea crossing at Ballah, Timsah or Bitter lakes. Most of the
time their maps simply ignore it altogether.
- Even worse, a Red Sea crossing at Lake Timsah, would
force the second Red Sea camp to be on the REAL Red Sea directly beside
the major Egyptian sea port on the north shores of the Gulf of Suez.
- Red Sea NOT Sea of Reeds. Those who say the Red Sea
crossing was at the freshwater lakes of Ballah Lake, Timsah Lake or the
Bitter lakes always insist that "Red Sea" = "freshwater sea
of reeds".
- They always go into a long study of the Hebrew original.
Although the same word "suph" (Red) is used of a
freshwater "reeds/plants" in Exodus 2:3 and Isaiah 19:6, we can
be certain that Ezion-Geber was on the SALTY Red Sea near Elat in the
Territory of Edom: "King Solomon also built a fleet of ships in
Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of
the Red [suph] Sea, in the land of Edom." (1 Kings 9:26)
- The fact that the Masoretic Hebrew Text uses “sea of
reeds” is irrelevant since the Gulf of Aqaba is also called the “sea of
reeds” many times in the Masoretic text: 1 Kings 9:26; Jeremiah 49:21;
Deut 1:4,40; 2:1.
- The Hebrew word used for freshwater reeds in Exodus 2:3
and Isaiah 19:6, may refer to their red colour. The "flower" of
cattails and most reed plants are reddish coloured. When they reach the
end of their cycle of life, they turn reddish brown before they die. This
gives the shore a red colour from offshore.
- “Red” in Exodus 2:3 and Isaiah 19:6 is referring to a
plant not a lake or a body of water!
- No ancient historian ever called the Ballah, Timsah or
Bitter lakes the Red Sea and referring to them as the SEA OF REEDS is a
modern fiction to support a wrong and failed exodus route.
- Herodotus used the Greek word for RED in describing the Red sea: "there is a gulf
extending inland from the sea called Red" (Herodotus, Hist. 2.11.1)
- When pressed for a second Red Sea camp, freshwater lake
advocates will then choose the SALTY Gulf of Suez as the second RED SEA
camp. Did you catch that? After arguing vociferously that Red Sea means
"sea of reeds" saying, "ITS IN THE HEBREW and is a
freshwater lake!!!" they then place the second Red sea camp on the
Gulf of Suez where NO REEDS GROW.
- The clincher is that the Holy Spirit inspired New
Testament writers to use “Red Sea”, which confirmed the translation of
the Septuagint. The Greek word used in the New Testament for Red Sea. is
the colour red.
- Since the Red Sea is a large salty ocean body of water, we
only have two choices: The Straits of Tiran and the north Gulf of Suez
crossing.
- The Suez crossing is even a more troublesome than the
freshwater lakes because the crossing point for the FIRST Red Sea
crossing is at the location of a major shipping port for Egypt.
- The Egyptians would sit on lawn chairs waiting for Israel
to come to them while sipping on an organic latte made from real GMO free
goat milk! They wouldn't even need to leave the army barracks. They would
just wait for Israel to come to them.
- The high hills on the west side of the Gulf of Suez would
allow the Egyptians to see the entire path of the Red Sea crossing and
simply go around to the other side, which is faster and easier than going
through the ocean.
- To suggest they were free from Egyptian military control
after crossing is absurd.
- Israel would not rejoice after crossing directly into a
major Egyptian seaport, THEY WOULD KEEP RUNNING FOR THEIR LIFE and wonder
what God is doing.

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KEY#5
"Journey in
stages" though mountains and difficult terrain: Ex 17:1
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- Bible texts:
- "Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according
to the command of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no
water for the people to drink." Exodus 17:1
- "They journeyed from the wilderness of Sin and
camped at Dophkah. They journeyed from Dophkah and camped at Alush."
Numbers 33:12-13
- Another synchronism I discovered in my research on the
exodus route is the fact that between the Wilderness of Sin and Rephidim
(Meribah) they "journeyed in stages". Two legs of the journey
took them from the Dophkah, to Alush and finally to Rephidim.
- This overlooked synchronism of "Journey in
stages" though mountains and difficult terrain is actually a perfect
fit for my proposed exodus route and is a disaster for most others.
- If you check my exodus route map, the 23 kms of canyon
travel between Dophkah and Alush is the only time in the entire journey
they passed through mountains AND therefore the narrative indicates they
had to journey in stages of smaller groups, as opposed to moving as a
mass group of 3 million.
i.
See my exodus route for the stunning synchronism of geography, bible
timing/distance after a Red Sea crossing at the Straits of Tiran)
ii.
Little is known about Alush or Dophkah except that they are obviously
located in difficult terrain that required moving in stages. Alush or Dophkah
are both staging locations between the wilderness of Sin and Rephidim.
- Israel also travelled by stages when they left Mt. Sinai:
- The same word for stages [nāsa’ – Strongs 4550] in
Ex 17:1 is also used in Num 10:12-16 when Israel clearly departed Sinai
in stages of smaller groups rather than as one large group.
- “nāsaʿ is also used in the sense of to “journey
by stages.” Headed for Sinai, the Israelites “moved on from the
wilderness of Sin by stages” (pl. of massaʿ, Ex 17:1).
- Later they “set out by stages from the wilderness of
Sinai” (Num 10:12).” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 1380
נָסַע, p584, Marvin R. Wilson, 1999 AD).
- This proves the word “stages” means smaller travel groups
of the larger population in Ex 17:1.
- They had to travel in stages, because the entire
population was unable to move together at the same time.
- So, Moses must have divided up the group and sent them
"caravan style" in staggered groups.
- Another synchronism is that the Amalekites attacked when
the first group completed the stages, exited the mountainous area and
started on their way to Rephidim: Exodus 17:7-8
- It was a brilliant military move that the Amalekites
attacked the first group, who was also short of water before the entire
population arrived.
- Something so simple as "journeyed by stages" has
been missed by everyone but it is a key to unlocking the exodus route. Any
proposed route that cannot account for mountainous or difficult terrain
during this section of the journey must be rejected.

Expected difficulty of Terrain of Exodus Route
They Journeyed by stages between the Wilderness of
Sin and Rephidim: Ex 17:1
|
Route
|
Terrain expected from Bible narrative
|
Terrain encountered
Steven
Rudd1
|
Terrain encountered
Gordon
Frantz2
|
Terrain encountered
Glen
Fritz3
|
Goshen
to Red Sea camp
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Difficult and narrow before Nuweiba
|
Red
Sea camp to Wilderness
of Sin
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Difficult and narrow
|
Wilderness of Sin
to Dophkah
|
Difficult and narrow
|
Difficult and narrow
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Dophkah to Alush
|
Difficult and narrow
|
Difficult and narrow
|
Easy
|
Difficult and narrow
|
Alush to Sinai
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Sinai to Kadesh
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Difficult via
Ezion Geber
|
Easy
|
Assessment
|

Bible
|

100% Perfect fit
|

50% failure
|

50% failure
|
1: Rudd: Red sea crossing is at Tiran, Mt. Sinai
is Lawz, Kadesh is at Petra.
2: Frantz: Red sea crossing is at Ballah, Mt. Sinai
is Sin Bisher, Kadesh is at Qudeirat.
3:
Fritz: Red sea crossing is at Nuweiba, Mt. Sinai is Lawz, Kadesh located
inside Judah 32 km due west of Ein Hatzeva and 12 km SE of Sde Boker.
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KEY#6
Edom's territory was
Transjordan from 1446 - 605 BC
This forces Kadesh
Transjordan at Petra
Most bible maps today
wrongly locate Kadesh at Ein
Qudeirat
|
- Kadesh Barnea is located on the border
of Edom and archeologically, it is rather simple to prove that Edom
was Transjordan during the exodus in 1446 BC.
- Kadesh Barnea located at Petra is on the historic border
of Edom!
- Kadesh Barnea located Ein
Qudeirat is impossible because it is 80km west of the Transjordan
border of Edom.
- Kadesh Barnea is located in both the Wildernesses of
Paran and Zin.
- Edom never ventured out of her Transjordan territory until
after the attack of Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC as seen in the Arad
Ostraca and Obadiah, Ps 137 etc.
- Joshua never encountered Edom during the conquest. In
fact the only two times Edom is even mentioned in the book of Joshua is
when Judea's territory "reached the border of Edom" (Josh
15:1,21
- The Arad ostraca document the first historic incursion of
Edom into the territory of Judah after 605 BC
- Kadesh is on the border
of Edom with a Transjordan location. Edom never ventured west of the
Arabah valley into Judah/Simeon territory until after the first attack by
Nebuchadnezzar 605 BC. Qudeirat as Kadesh Barnea is impossible because it
is 80 km west of the border of Edom in 1446 BC.
- Learn more about Arad
Ostraca .
- Learn more about the history
of Edom.

- The map below on the left is the archeologically and
historically correct border of Edom: 1446-605 BC. The map on the right is
the "Revisionists Map of Errors" all because they put Kadesh
Barnea in the wrong place deep inside the Promised Land:
- Some archaeologists modify the record of the biblical
text and archeology of the territory of Edom in a Finkelsteinly manner.
- These revisionists have shockingly moved Edom's Territory
80 km west inside the Promised Land at the time of the Exodus and conquest.
Take note that Edom was not one of the nations Joshua fought.
- These fiction writers are not content with moving Edom's
borders 80 km west, they also move southern border of Judah 100 km north,
ignoring the fact that the Bible clearly defines the southern border of
the promised land as the Wadi El-Arish or the River of Egypt (Gen 15:18).
- It is actually quite shocking that such an assault on the
Bible is ignored by Bible students when they follow the opinions of
archeologists who are hard pressed to reform truth to fit their false
exodus route theory. Its time for churches to wake up!
- These revisionist fiction theorists ALSO move the
Wilderness of Paran and Wilderness of Zin from their correct Transjordan
location to INSIDE THE PROMISED LAND, when they are NEVER placed in the
territory of Judah and Simeon in any scriptural narrative. Paran and Zin
are clearly not inside Judean lands.
- All this rewriting history and redrawing ancient national
boundaries is done TO KEEP KADESH BARNEA AT QUDEIRAT.
- Perhaps these revisionists might consider leaving truth
alone and moving THEIR Kadesh Barnea at Qudeirat out of the promised land
and back to its truthful Transjordan location at Petra.
Archeologically
and historically
correct border
of Edom: 1926-550 BC

|
"Map of
Errors" used by revisionists
who locate
Kadesh at Ein
Qudeirat

|
|

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KEY#7
Sinai Peninsula is
Egyptian territory in 1446 BC
Wilderness of Egypt = Sinai Peninsula ="not
out of Egypt"
|
- Moses was not "out
of Egypt" until he was off the Sinai Peninsula.
- The eastern border of Egypt extended from the Nile to the
port town of Arish on the Mediterranean Sea.
- The Eastern border itself was the River of Egypt (Wadi
El-Arish) that started at the port city of Arish and followed the river
south towards the Gulf of Aqaba.
- The Amarna
letters came from all the port cities of Canaan including Gaza, but
none from Arish because it was part of Egypt.
- What is important is that these letters record foreign
city kings requesting the help of Egypt to defend against the conquests
of Joshua.
- To have a record of Joshua's conquest written in
cuneiform on clay tablets buried in the Egyptian city of Amarna, built by
Akhenaten, that names the Hebrews is incredible The cuneiform consonantal
translation of the invading enemy is "Habiru" or Hebrew!
- The 382 Amarna letters mention the Hebrews countless
times as Joshua conquers the 7 nations of the promised land.
- The Amarna letters, therefore show that Arish was inside
Egyptian territory.

- Sinai Peninsula = Wilderness of Egypt:
- See Wilderness
of Egypt
- Israel was not "out
of Egypt" until they exited the Sinai Peninsula at the Straits
of Tiran into the wilderness of Shur at Midian. (Saudi Arabia)
- "As I entered into judgment with your ancestors in
the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I
will enter into judgment with you, says the Lord God." (Ezekiel 20:36)
- The judgement Ezekiel refers to is when God judged the
entire nation of Egypt, as he is about to do to Jerusalem in 587 BC:
"Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for
he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea."
(Exodus 15:1)
- The Amalekites lived near Mt. Sinai in north Saudi Arabia
near Egypt, which can only be the Sinai Peninsula:
- "Now David and his men went up and raided the
Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites;
for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come
to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt."
(1 Samuel 27:8)
- Shur would be near the city of Midian near the Straits of
Tiran
- "as far as Egypt" can only be the Sinai
Peninsula.
- Those who say Israel are "out of Egypt" on the east
side of the Ballah, Timsah or Bitter lakes after crossing through them,
ignore the historical fact that the port town of Arish (Tharu) was a state
prison camp on the eastern border of Egypt:
- "the law be applied against
him by cutting off his nose and sending him to Tharu."
(Horemheb’s great edict, 108. Edict from Karnak, Texts from the Amarna
Period in Egypt (Vol. 5). W. J. Murnane, E. S. Meltzer, p235, 1995 AD)
- After walking 40 km from Goshen and crossing the Red Sea
at Lake Timsah are you then out of Egypt and safe?
- The prison camp at Arish/Tharu is over 160 km east of
Lake Timsah. You can't make this stuff up!
- "I brought your fathers out
of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers
with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea." Joshua 24:6 and "And
on that same day [the day they left Goshen]
the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the
land of Egypt by their hosts." Exodus 12:51. The argument goes
like this: Exodus 12:51 says that Israel was "out of Egypt" the
moment they left Goshen. Therefore the Sinai Peninsula cannot be part of
the land of Egypt. Further, Joshua 24:6 says that Israel was "out of
the land of Egypt" when they stood at the shores of the Red Sea.
Therefore they were out of Egypt the entire time they were at Mt. Musa
(modern Mt. Sinai) which is in the middle of the Sinai Peninsula.
- It is just this kind of sloppy exegesis that creates the
problems of restoring the exodus route.
- For those who say the Sinai Peninsula was not Egypt, we
ask, "What country did the Sinai belong to?"
- Out of Egypt in this context simply means out of the
populated areas.
- We use the same language today when we say we are leaving
town to go home to the suburbs, yet you are still in New York or Houston
or Los Angeles.
- But now let’s turn the argument of these etymological
gymnasts back on themselves: Gordon Franz, does this means that before
they reached Lake Timsah or the Bitter Lakes, Israel was OUT OF EGYPT?
- What proves the ridiculous proves nothing at all!
- They travelled through a wilderness IN A ROUNDABOUT WAY to
reach the Red Sea but were still inside Egyptian controlled territory
until after they crossed the Red Sea:
- "but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red
Sea and came to Kadesh." (Judges 11:16)
- "So God led the people by
the roundabout way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. The
Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle."
(Exodus 13:18)
- "They set out from Succoth, and camped at Etham, which is on the [far] edge of the wilderness."
(Numbers 33:6)
- Philo describes a long and difficult journey from Goshen
to the Red Sea: "having accomplished together a long and desolate
journey through the wilderness, destitute of any beaten road, at last
arrived"
- The Red Sea crossing had to be far enough away from Goshen
to justify their bitter complaints about being in the wilderness: Exodus
14:11-12
- "Our fathers in Egypt did
not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant
kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red
Sea." (Psalm 106:7)
- When Israel saw the Egyptian army getting ready to attack
them: "Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no
graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die
in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way,
bringing us out of Egypt? "Is this not the word that we spoke to you
in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For
it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.""
Exodus 14:11-12
- This is where the suggested crossing point near the
Bitter Lakes or the northern Suez becomes absurd because they were only
25 miles from their homes in Goshen. Also, the Bitter Lakes are fresh
drinkable water. With their herds, they had no concerns of starving or
dying of thirst.
- They would never complain, they would just walk home and
sleep in their own beds by evening!
- After crossing the Red Sea, there had to be an absolute
guarantee of security from Egypt.
- Israel rejoiced after crossing the Red Sea but if they
had just crossed near the Bitter lakes THEY WOULD KEEP RUNNING. Three
suggested crossing points must be wrong because they provided absolutely
no security: 1. Bitter Lakes. 2. Lake Timsah. 3. Northern tip of Gulf of
Suez. At these crossing points, the pillar of fire could not protect
Israel, since Pharaoh's army would simply go around the lake from both
sides and ambush them! Even with Pharaoh's army drowning, these crossing
points are so close to Egypt, that a second army, though inferior to the
first, could be sent by Pharaoh. The second army would attack Israel from
all directions. Therefore, these crossings provide no peace of mind as
all of them are inside Egypt.
- After crossing at the Gulf of Aqaba, they knew they were
fully secure. Therefore, the only crossing point which would provide
absolute security and peace of mind is the "Straits of Tiran"
at the Gulf of Aqaba.
- Two Egyptian copper/turquoise mines were in full operation
in 1446 BC in the Sinai:

- The entire Sinai Peninsula is "IN EGYPT" and
has always been under Egyptian control. Two ancient Egyptian controlled
copper and turquoise mines at the time of the exodus were located at
Serabit el-Khadim and Timna. Another major Egyptian sea port was located
at Jezirat Faraun Island near modern Elat. Jezirat Faraun cannot be Ezion
Geber because it is not inside Edom.

- Any Mt. Sinai located inside the modern "Sinai
Peninsula" was not "out
of Egypt".
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KEY#8
The River of Egypt is
the border between Egypt and Israel
Wadi el-Arish = River of
Egypt
Arish = Tharu in
1446 BC and Rhinocolura [lit: cut off nose] in 100 BC
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A. THE BIBLE SAYS: West of the River of Egypt (Sinai
Peninsula) has always been Egyptian territory

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1.
The Bible clearly defines the Sinai Peninsula as Egyptian territory
since the border between Egypt and Israel has ALWAYS been the River of Egypt
(Wadi el-Arish). Gen 15:18; Num 34:3-5; Deut
11:24; Josh 1:4; 15:1-4, 47; 1 Ki 4:21; 8:65; 2 Ki 24:7; 2 Chro 9:26; Isa
27:12-13; Ezek 47:19; 48:28
- The Wadi el-Arish is called the brook of Egypt BECAUSE IT WAS THE BORDER BETWEEN EGYPT AND ISRAEL.
- "On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,
saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of
Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:" (Genesis
15:18)
- "So Solomon observed the feast at that time, and
all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to
the brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven
more days, even fourteen days." (1 Kings 8:65)
- “The south side toward the south shall extend from
Tamar as far as the waters of Meribath-kadesh, to the brook of Egypt
and to the Great Sea. This is the south side toward the south."
(Ezekiel 47:19)
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- The eastern border of Egypt WAS the river of Egypt (Wadi
El-Arish)
Text
|
Northern
border
|
Southern
border
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Gen 15:18
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as the great river, the river Euphrates
|
from the river of Egypt
|
1 Ki 8:65
|
from the entrance of Hamath
|
to the brook of Egypt
|
2 Ki 24:7
|
to the river Euphrates
|
from the brook of Egypt
|
2 Chr 7:8
|
from the entrance of Hamath
|
to the brook of Egypt
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Isa 27:12
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from the flowing stream of the Euphrates
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to the brook of Egypt
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2 Chr 9:26
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from the Euphrates River
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as far as the border of Egypt
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1 King 4:21
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from the River
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to the border of Egypt
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Jer 2:18
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to drink the waters of the Euphrates
|
to drink the waters of the Shihor?(see: Joshua 13:3)
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Ex 23:31
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to the River Euphrates
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from the wilderness
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- Notice the interchangeability between brook of Egypt and
border of Egypt!
Brook of Egypt
|
Border of Egypt
|
Euphrates to brook of Egypt: Gen 15:18
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Euphrates to border of
Egypt: 2 Chron 9:26
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Solomon ruled to brook of Egypt: 1 Ki 8:65
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Solomon ruled to border of
Egypt: 1 Ki 4:21
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- MOST BIBLE MAPS ARE
WRONG: because they fail to
recognize the River of Egypt as the border between Egypt and Israel
- MOUNT SINAI: Any Bible map that locates Mt. Sinai west of
the River of Egypt is wrong because they were out of Egypt after crossing
the Red Sea. Israel did not spend 11 months at Mt. Sinai still in Egypt.
- KADESH BARNEA: Almost every Bible map since 1916 AD wrongly
places Kadesh 27 km east of the River of Egypt at Qudeirat which is
inside territory of Judah/Simeon. Israel did not spent 38
years INSIDE the Promise Land at Kadesh (at Qudeirat).
- The border
of Egypt has always been the Wadi el-Arish.
- Notice that Egypt proper ended at the Brook of Egypt:
"The king of Egypt [Pharaoh Nico II] did not come out of his land
again, for the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar had taken all that belonged
to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to
the river Euphrates." 2 Kings 24:7
- So, you think the Sinai Peninsula was outside the control
of Egypt? Answer this: What country or king controlled the "Sinai
Peninsula" at the time of the Exodus?
- Their answer, if they can even think of one, is "I
don't know" or "no one" or "it was a barren waste
land nobody wanted" or "it was a caravan crossroads between
nations" or "it is kind of like asking who owns the Atlantic
Ocean: everyone and no one at the same time. The Sinai Peninsula was a
kind of "desert ocean" no one controlled."
- Yet all these are wrong. Egypt has always controlled the
Sinai just as we see today.
- Josephus specifically calls the Sinai Peninsula
"Egypt":
- Time of Joshua: "the lot of Simeon bordered upon Egypt and Arabia." (Josephus,
Antiquities 5.78)
- The only place Egypt can border Simeon is the Sinai
Peninsula, thus proving the entire Sinai was part of Egypt both at the
time of the Exodus and in the first century AD when Josephus lived.
- Arish was the eastern border town of Egypt where criminals
with their noses cut off were sent at the time of Joshua.

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ARISH PRISON CAMP: Nose cut off
and exiled to the border
The fact that Arish was an Egyptian prison town from
the time of the Exodus down to Paul, is utterly
devastating to those who say the Sinai was not Egypt proper. The port
city of Arish was in fact the far eastern border of Egypt at the Wadi
el-Arish. It always has been. Any Mt. Sinai located in the Sinai Peninsula is
impossible because the entire Peninsula was "inside Egypt" and
under Egyptian control. Only a Mt. Sinai in Arabia, on the other side of the
Gulf of Aqaba is outside Egypt entirely. Detailed study
of Rhinocolura.
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- The Wadi el-Arish flows into the Mediterranean Sea at
Arish. Arish was called Tharu in 1446 BC and Rhinocolura
[lit: cut off nose] in 100 BC.
- 1348-1320 BC: "my majesty commands: that every officer
who seizes the dues and taketh the craft of any citizen of the army or of
any person who is in the whole land, the law shall be executed against
him, in that his nose shall be cut off, and he
shall be sent to Tharu. (James Henry Breasted, Ancient Records of
Egypt, 1906 AD, Vol 3 p 50-67, The
Great Edict of Pharaoh Horemheb, 1300 BC)
- Against Requisitioning Boats Used for State Corvee
Duty: "If a private individual makes for himself a boat with its
on-board shelter, in order to be able to serve Pharaoh, l.p.h., and if
people] of the army [come and appropriate it as if it were for (?)]
taxes: then the individual is despoiled of his property and deprived of
his abundant means [of doing service. This is a
crime!] Something like this should not be done [to controvert] his
good purposes. As for every boat which is taxable for the offering halls
of Pharaoh, l.p.h., by the two deputies [of the army] …, [if someone
comes] and seizes a boat belonging to any member of the army or anybody
in the entire land, let the law be applied to him
by cutting off his nose and sending him to Tcharu {Tharu}. [As
for] an individual who is without a boat, and he gets from someone else a
boat for his service obligation, and undertakes on his own to bring wood
and is thus fulfilling his obligations [to Pharaoh, l.p.h., …]: [should
others] seize and plunder his cargo, and steal it, and the individual
stands despoiled of his [means of doing service … so that] he has
nothing—This is not good, this report: it is an abuse indeed! My Person
had decreed that one should turn away from it. Indeed, [this applies to
…, and to] those who contribute to the Private Quarters, and similarly to
all the gods’ offerings when they are taxed by the two deputies of the
army and …: [if anyone does this, let] the law
[be applied] against him by cutting off his nose and sending him to
Tcharu {Tharu}." (Horemheld’s great edict, 108. Edict from
Karnak, Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt (Vol. 5). W. J. Murnane, ,
E. S. Meltz, p235, 1995 AD)
- 15 AD: "Next to Gaza is Raphia, where a battle was
fought between Ptolemy the Fourth and Antiochus the Great. [218 BC] Then
Rhinocolura, so called because the noses of the colonists had been
mutilated. Some Ethiopian invaded Egypt, and,
instead of putting the malefactors to death, cut off their noses, and
settled them at Rhinocolura, supposing that they would not venture to
return to their own country, on account of the disgraceful condition of
their faces." (Strabo, Geogr. 16.2.31, reporting event in 218 BC)
- Notice that Strabo reports even in 15 AD, that it was the
Egyptians who settled the criminals. This fact proves the Sinai Peninsula
was under Egyptian control both during the Exodus and IN THE MIND OF
PAUL.
- In addition to Arish/Rhinocolura and the Bible
"slapping us silly in the face till we get it" with 13 verses
that the Sinai Peninsula was Egyptian territory with the River of Egypt as
the eastern border of Egypt, Josephus actually proves the Sinai Peninsula
is not part of Arabia:
- "However, our admirable author Apion hath before
told us, that “they came to Judea in six days’ time;” and again, that
“Moses went up to a mountain that LAY BETWEEN EGYPT AND ARABIA,
which was called Sinai, and was concealed there forty days, and that when
he came down from thence he gave laws to the Jews.” (Against Apion 2.24)
- Josephus is clearly refuting both the timing and location
of Mt. Sinai in the Sinai Peninsula by "fiction writer Apion".
- So Queen Helina was not the first person to wrongly place
Mt. Sinai inside Egyptian territory (Sinai Peninsula) in 325 AD, Apion
gets the prize for this deception.
- Josephus identifies Apion as the first person in history
to misplace Mt. Sinai in the Sinai Peninsula as fiction he invented.
- Read the quote again and suddenly it all becomes clear!
Josephus knew Sinai was located in Saudi Arabia but Apion, known for his
deliberate corruption of details of the Exodus, moved it into the Sinai
Peninsula outside of Arabia.
- Solomon built a series of fortresses near the
Egyptian border just east of the Wadi el-Arish in the Negev to protect his
Kingdom.
B. ANCIENT SOURCES set the border of Egypt at Wadi
El-Arish and Arish/Tharu/Rhinocolura.
1.
1457 BC: Tuthmosis III in the Battle of Megiddo
a.
"Year 22, fourth month of the second season, on the twenty-fifth
day his majesty was in Tharu on the first victorious
expedition to extend the boundaries of Egypt with might. Now, at that
period the Asiatics had fallen into disagreement, each man fighting against his
neighbor. Now, it happened that the tribes - the people, who were there in the
city of Sharuhen; behold, from Yeraza to the marshes of the earth, they had
begun to revolt against his majesty. Year 23, first month of the third season,
on the fourth day, the day of the feast of the king's coronation, he arrived at
the city, the possession of the ruler, Gaza." (An Egyptian Account of The
Battle of Megiddo by Pharoah Menkheperre, Tuthmosis III, 1457 BC)
2.
1273 BC: Ramses II in the Battle of Kadesh
a.
In 1273 AD, Ramses II marched by the fortress of Tharu in full splendor
of his father Montu en route to begin the battle of Kadesh against the
Hittites. Tharu, at this time, was an Egyptian fort and historically it was the
border of Egypt. It proves that Egypt had control right up to the Wadi
el-Arish.
b.
"Behold, his majesty prepared his infantry and his chariotry, the Sherden
of the captivity of his majesty from the victories of his word - they gave the
plan of battle. His majesty proceeded northward, his infantry and his chariotry
being with him. He began the goodly way to march. Year 5, the second month of
the third season tenth month, on the ninth day, his
majesty passed the fortress of Tharu, like Montu [his father] when he goes
forth. Every country trembled before him, fear was in their hearts; all
the rebels came bowing down for fear of the fame of his majesty, when his army
came upon the narrow road, being like one who is upon the highway." (James
Henry Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, 1906 AD, Vol 3 p 136-147, The
Battle of Kadesh, Ramses II, 1273 BC)
3.
250 BC: The Septuagint (LXX):
a.
The Septuagint substitutes "the brook of Egypt" in Isa 27:12
for Rhinocolura.
b.
This shows that everyone knew that the River of Egypt in Gen 15:18 was
the same as Rhinocorura and ancient Tharu at the time of the exodus in 1446 BC.
c.
"In that day the Lord will start His threshing from the
flowing stream of the Euphrates to the Rhinocolura (LXX), and you will be
gathered up one by one, O sons of Israel. " Isaiah 27:12 (LXX)
4.
150 BC: Polybius:
a.
Ptolemy was marching from Egypt to Rhinocolura to Raphia to Gaza. Rhinocolura (Tharu) was the border of
Egypt for it says, Raphia was the first city you reach after leaving Egypt. Of
course today, Raphia is the Modern border between Egypt and Israel.
b.
"Ptolemy, marching on Pelusium, made his first halt at that city,
and after picking up stragglers and serving out rations to his men moved on
marching through the desert and skirting Mount Casius and the marshes called
Barathra. Reaching the spot he was bound for on the
fifth day he encamped at a distance of fifty stades from Raphia, which is the
first city of Coele-Syria on the Egyptian side after Rhinocolura. Antiochus was
approaching at the same time with his army, and after reaching Gaza and resting
his forces there, continued to advance slowly. Passing Raphia he
encamped by night at a distance of ten stades from the enemy. At first the two
armies continued to remain at this distance from each other, but after a few
days Antiochus, with the object of finding a more suitable position for his
camp and at the same time wishing of encourage his troops, encamped so near
Ptolemy that the distance between the two camps was not more than five stades.
Skirmishes were now frequent between the watering and foraging parties, and
there was occasional interchange of missiles between the cavalry and even the
infantry." (Polybius, The Histories 5:80, 150 BC)
5.
AD 70: Josephus:
a.
Josephus gave two separate accounts of how Herod the Great escaped from
the king of Arabia, into Egypt about 25 BC. Notice that as Herod traveled along
the shoreline from Israel to Egypt, he stopped at an Egyptian Temple, that was
very near Rhinocurura. This proves that as late as 25 BC Rhinocurura was the
border between Egypt and Israel.
b.
"Hereupon he [Herod the Great] resolved to go away, and did go very prudently the road to Egypt; and then it was that he
lodged in a certain temple; for he had left a great many of his
followers there. On the next day he came to Rhinocolura,
and there it was that he heard what had befallen his brother. (Josephus,
Antiquities 14.374, 25 BC)
c.
"So when Herod had found that the Arabians were his enemies, and
this for those very reasons whence he hoped they would have been the most
friendly, and had given them such an answer as his passion suggested, he returned back and went for Egypt. Now he lodged the
first evening at one of the temples of that country,
in order to meet with those whom he left behind; but on the next day word was
brought him, as he was going to Rhinocurura,
that his brother was dead, and how he came by his death; and when he had
lamented him as much as his present circumstances could bear, he soon laid aside such cares, and proceeded on his journey."
(Josephus,
Wars 1.277, 25 BC)
- Josephus records the line of cities in sequential order
from Gaza, in Israel towards Egypt. Notice the order is Joppa, Jamnia,
Ashdod, Gaza, Anthedon, Raphia, and Rhinocolura. Rhinocolura being the
ancient border between Egypt and Israel as stated in Gen 15:18 to
Abraham. (River of Egypt or wadi-el-Arish) "Now at this time the
Jews were in possession of the following cities that had belonged to the
Syrians, and Idumeans, and Phoenicians: At the seaside, Strato's Tower,
Apollonia, Joppa, Jamnia, Ashdod, Gaza, Anthedon, Raphia, and
Rhinocolura." (Josephus,
Antiquities 13.395)
- Josephus, at the time of Titus's destruction of Jerusalem
in 70 AD, says that the border between Egypt and Israel (actually Syria
at this time) was at Rhinocolura. Josephus said that Raphia was the first
town within "Syria". Raphia is the modern border town today
between Israel and Egypt. What this means is that the modern boundaries
between Egypt and Israel closely match the ancient boundaries. "So
Titus marched on foot as far as Nicopolis, which is distant twenty
furlongs from Alexandria; there he put his army on board some long ships,
and sailed upon the river along the Mendesian Nomus, as far as the city
Thmuis; there he got out of the ships, and walked on foot, and lodged all
night at a small city called Tanis. His second station was Heracleopolis,
and his third Pelusium; he then refreshed his army at that place for two
days; and on the third passed over the mouths of the Nile at Pelusium; he
then proceeded one station over the desert, and pitched his camp at the
temple of the Casian Jupiter, and on the next day at Ostracine. This
station had no water; but the people of the country make use of water
brought from other places. After this he rested
at Rhinocolura, and from thence he went Raphia, which was his fourth
station. This city is the beginning of Syria. For his fifth
station, he pitched his camp at Gaza; after which he came to Ascalon, and
thence to Jamnia, and after that to Joppa, and form Joppa to Cesarea,
having taken a resolution to gather all his other forces together at that
place." (Josephus,
Wars 4.659, 70 AD)
- "The lot of Simeon (inside Judah), which was the
second, included that part of Idumea [Edom] which bordered upon Egypt and Arabia." (Josephus,
Antiquities 5.82) In Joshua 19:1-9 Hormah is listed as one of the cities
of Simeon. Hormah may have been located at Ein
Haseva in 1446 BC.
6.
AD 325: The Onomasticon by Eusebius
- Eusebius wrote a book called the Onomasticon in
about 325 AD.
- The Onomasticon
is a dictionary of places, towns and countries. It is an ancient atlas.
- The Madaba map (600 AD, see below) was based in part upon
the Onomasticon.
- "Bethaphu (Jos 15:53), in the tribe of Judah. A
village near Raphia, on the 14th milestone on the road to Egypt, which
marks the boundary of Palestine." (Eusebius, Onomasticon 50,18-20;
Jerome 51,18-19)
- Eusebius says the actual border between Israel and Egypt
was just west of Raphia. Since we know that the town of Tharu
(Rhinocolura) was under Egyptian control, this is exactly what we expect
and fits perfectly with where the border was located.
7.
AD 400: Jerome:
- Jerome says the border of Egypt bordered on Raphia. This
is east of the Wadi el-Arish.
- Raphia is where the modern border of Israel is located.
- "In a battle near the town of Raphia, which is on the borders of Egypt, Antiochus
lost his entire army and was almost captured while escaping through the
desert. He retreated from Syria, and eventually the war was concluded
with a treaty on certain conditions." (Jerome, Daniel 11:10-14, 400
AD)
8.
AD 542: Madaba Map:
- The "Madaba map" is a mosaic floor laid in AD
542. It is in St. George's Orthodox church in the city of Madaba, Jordan.
The map is famous because it is one of the oldest maps of Bible lands in
the world. It agrees with the "Onomasticon"
(dictionary of cities) written by Eusebius in AD 325.
- The proof doesn't get much better than this! An actual in
situ mosaic we can visit by jumping on an airplane today and see for
ourselves with our own eyes!
- It is a mosaic that confirms that the Wadi el-Arish is
the border between Israel and Egypt.
- The Madaba map has the words in Greek “Horoi Aigyptou kai
Paleaistines” which translates to "Border of Egypt and
Palestine". Notice the border is between the towns of Bitylium and
Rhinocolura.

Conclusion:
- Fiction writers say that the Sinai Peninsula was not
Egyptian Territory.
- Both the Bible and all ancient sources say that Egypt's
border ended at the port city of Arish and the River of Egypt also known
as the Wadi El-Arish.
- Only a sloppy, careless disregard of the inspired
scriptures and all history would cause someone to ignore the fact that
the River of Egypt has always been the border between Egypt and Israel.
- In light of such megalithic evidence from scripture and
ancient sources, those who continue to say that the Sinai Peninsula was
NOT Egyptian territory are myopic.
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KEY#9
The Ezion-Geber enigma
"It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount
Seir [Edom via Ezion-Geber] to Kadesh Barnea." (Deuteronomy 1:2)
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- The Ezion-Geber enigma is any exodus route map that
does not pass through Ezion-Geber as the last of 22 stops between Sinai
and Kadesh Barnea. (Num 33:36)
- Ezion
Geber is a critical location many overlook in their exodus route
maps.
- Any exodus route map that does not pass directly through
Ezion-Geber is flat wrong.
- Ezion-Geber was a sea port town on the north end of the
Gulf of Aqaba in the land of Edom:
- "Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on
the seashore in the land of Edom." (2 Chronicles 8:17)
- "King Solomon also built a fleet of ships in
Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land
of Edom." (1 Kings 9:26)
- Since Jezirat
Faraun was an Egyptian sea port to facilitate mining at Timna, Ezion-Geber must be located
on the Arabian (eastern) side of the northern tip of the Red Sea in the
land of Edom.
- Ezion-geber was inside Edom and Kadesh was on the border
with Edom. Edom never ventured out of her Transjordan territory until
after the attack of Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC as seen in the Arad
Ostraca and Obadiah, Ps 137 etc. Transjordan Edom is 100 km east of
Qudeirat whereas Petra is another perfect fit as it is on the eastern
border of Edom just as the Bible says.
- "It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of
Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea." (Deuteronomy 1:2)
- The 11-day route between Mt. Sinai at Lawz in Saudi
Arabia via Edom (Mt. Seir) through Ezion-Geber to Kadesh Barnea at Petra
is a perfect fit.
- Mt. Seir means they passed by the capital city of
Transjordan Edom at Mt. Seir.
- “The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He
shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came from the midst of ten thousand
holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them."
(Deuteronomy 33:2) Here is the best candidate for Mt. Paran in the middle
of the wilderness of Paran in historic Edomite territory.

- Ezion-geber supports a Kadesh located at Petra and makes
Kadesh Barnea in most Bible maps at Ein
Qudeirat impossible for these reasons:
- There is an almost impassable mountain range between
Ezion-Geber (near Elat) and Ein
Qudeirat. I have driven the modern road between Elat and Qudeirat
many times and the route is impossible for a large population.
- Ezion-Geber was the LAST of 22 stops between Sinai and
Kadesh but is geographically at the halfway point if Kadesh is Ein
Qudeirat. The idea that 135 km journey (as the bird flies) from
Ezion-Geber to Ein
Qudeirat is ONE STOP through the mountains is impossible to
harmonize.
- On the other hand, the Arabah Valley Between Ezion-geber
and Petra is a flat wide, easy downhill walk through a 5 km wide flat
valley.

- Many Exodus Routes that suffer from the Ezion-geber
Enigma!
- Gordon Franz's Sinai at Mt. Sin Bisher is absurd since
Ezion-geber is the last stop before a Kadesh at Qudeirat. Indeed, Franz
totally ignores Ezion-Geber on his exodus route map.
- Even if he did have the route between "his
Sinai" and "Woolley/Lawrence's Kadesh" at Qudeirat, pass
through Ezion-Geber, the Israelites would have to traverse a huge
mountain range not once BUT TWICE.
- Even worse is a mount Sinai at Gebel Khashm
et-Tarif (Hashem el-Tarif)

- Israel would travel 40 km to go 3 stops from Tel el dab'a
to Lake Timsah
- Then travel 260 km to go 8 stops between Lake Timsah and Gebel Khashm et-Tarif
- What is worse, is now you travel 30 km
to go 21 stops between Gebel Khashm et-Tarif and Ezion-geber.
- What is worse still, is that this is the
opposite direction if you are heading for Kadesh at Qudeirat. If Kadesh
is your destination Ezion-geber is the wrong way.
- But worse again is that the trip is through
an impassible mountain range as high as the Canadian Rockies!
- Then after reaching the "dead end" at
Ezion-geber you must "pull an Etham" and turn around and
backtrack, and retrace your steps through these impassible mountains a
second time.
- Worse still is that you then go directly past Mt. Sinai
at Gebel Khashm et-Tarif.
- But it gets worse because while it took you
21 stops to get from Mt. Sinai to Ezion-geber, now you only have 1 stop
to get from Ezion-geber passing by Mt. Sinai at Gebel Khashm et-Tarif and
then head north to travel 110 km.
- After spending 38 years at Kadesh (Qudeirat) the Israelites would need to retrace
their path a third time through the mountains past Ezion-geber and then
start heading north to Dibon, Mt. Nebo and Shittim to cross the Jordon.
- This is a good example of the Ezion-geber Enigma and why
most ignore the problem altogether by creating exodus routes that ignore
this critical stop.
- Check your exodus route map to see if the last stop before
Kadesh passes directly past the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba at
Ezion-Geber. If it does not, its wrong!
|

|
KEY#10
The southern border of
Judah puts Kadesh Barnea at Petra
"The border of
Judah goes up to the south of Kadesh"
Numbers 34:3-5; Joshua
15:1-4; Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28
|
A. The Bible says Kadesh is Transjordan near Petra
See: detailed
study of the southern border of Judah
- The Bible makes it crystal clear that Kadesh is
Transjordan near Petra by simply tracing the southern and eastern border
of Judah. Here are the two texts:
- "‘Your southern sector shall extend from the wilderness
of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern border shall extend from the end of the Salt Sea eastward. ‘Then
your border shall turn direction from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim
and continue to Zin, and its termination shall be
to the south of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall reach Hazaraddar and
continue to Azmon. ‘The border shall turn direction from Azmon to the
brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea." (Numbers
34:3-5)
- "Now the lot for the tribe of the sons of Judah according
to their families reached the border of Edom, southward to the wilderness
of Zin at the extreme south. Their south border was from the lower end of the Salt Sea, from the bay
that turns to the south. Then it proceeded southward to the ascent of
Akrabbim and continued to Zin, then went up by
the south of Kadesh-barnea and continued to Hezron, and went up to
Addar and turned about to Karka. It continued to Azmon and proceeded to
the brook of Egypt, and the border ended at the sea. This shall be your
south border." (Joshua 15:1-4)
- "The south side toward the south shall extend from
Tamar as far as the waters of Meribath-kadesh,
to the brook of Egypt and to the Great Sea. This is the south side
toward the south." (Ezekiel 47:19)
- "And adjoining the territory of Gad to the south,
the boundary shall run from Tamar to the waters
of Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt to the
Great Sea." (Ezekiel 48:28)
- Kadesh Barnea, the assent
of Akrabbim and the Wilderness
of Zin are all OUTSIDE THE PROMISED LAND AND THE LAND OF JUDAH.
- ROAD TRIP! Imagine you are in a car driving on the Bible
border of Judah.
- You start driving at Engedi and follow the western
shoreline of the Salt Sea.
- When you reach the end of the Salt Sea, turn left (East)
and start driving towards modern Jordan. Those who wrongly place Kadesh
at ein
el-Qudeirat must head WESTWARD, not Eastward. They go 180 degrees the
wrong direction and head in a straight line through the assent
of Akrabbim (wrongly located at Ma'ale Aqrabim on the west side of
the Arabah valley), and continue in a straight line through the middle of
Judah's territory (which they wrongly call the Wilderness
of Zin) and then to complete their comedy of errors, on to ein
el-Qudeirat as their choice for Kadesh.
- But if you drive eastward, as the Bible says, you reach
the real "assent of Akrabbim", turn right and drive due south
towards the Gulf of Aqaba.
- Next you pass the Wilderness
of Zin on your left (in modern Jordan), but you never actually enter
the Wilderness of Zin.
- Then, as you keep driving due south, you pass Kadesh
Barnea (at Petra) again on your left. THIS IS THE
ONLY WAY KADESH REMAINS OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARY OF THE PROMISED LAND as
the Bible says.
- After you pass the sign on the road that says,
"Kadesh due East on your left" you keep driving SOUTH OF
KADESH. A few miles south of Kadesh is where the north/south portion of
the border "terminates".
- The border continues "as
far as Kadesh" (which is at Petra outside the land of
Judah) then changes direction due west, and starts heading for the Brook
of Egypt.
- So as you drive past Kadesh on your left, only then do
you make a 90 degree turn to the right and start driving due west towards
the River of Egypt.
- In this way the border "went
up south of Kadesh". Placing Kadesh Barnea at ein
el-Qudeirat simply cannot harmonize any of these details.
- Only when Kadesh is located somewhere Transjordan between
the Dead Sea and the Red Sea on the eastern side of the Arabah valley, do
these details fit perfectly!

B. We can prove Kadesh is Transjordan from the Bible,
when you understand this illustration:
- Illustration: Texas is the promised land and Tampa is
north of Brownsville.
- False conclusion: If Tampa is north of Brownsville it is in
Texas.
- Truth: Tampa is not in Texas but is located both north
of Brownsville and outside the state of Texas.
- Conclusion: Tampa is in Florida and outside the promised
land of Texas!
- Application: Judah is the promised land and Kadesh Barnea
is north of the southern border of Judah.
- False conclusion: If Kadesh is north of the southern border of
Judah it is inside the promised land at Qudeirat.
- Truth: Kadesh is not in Judah but is located both
north of the southern border of Judah and outside the promised land.
- Conclusion: Kadesh
Barnea is located at Petra and cannot be located at Qudeirat.

- Compare this map of Judah with the illustration above:
- Qudeirat is north of the southern border of Judah but
inside the promised land given to Judah by 27 km.
- Petra is north of the southern border of Judah but NOT
inside the promised land given to Judah.

Conclusion:
- Failure to trace the southern border of Judah is why every
Bible map is wrong when it places Kadesh inside the promise land at
Qudeirat.
- A simple reading of Numbers 34:3-5; Joshua 15:1-4 will
show that "The border of Judah goes up to the south of Kadesh",
means that Kadesh is at Petra.
- Kadesh is at Petra not Qudeirat and every Bible map in the
world is wrong.
- See: detailed
study of the southern border of Judah
|

|
KEY#11
"Piltdown
Kadesh" vs. Biblical Kadesh Barnea at Petra
Israel did not spend 38
years inside the promised land at Ein Qudeirat
Most modern Bible maps
put Kadesh Barnea in the wrong place
|
Indiana Jones: "Balloq's medallion only had writing on
one side? You sure about that?" Sallah: "Positive!" Indiana:
"Balloq's staff is too long. Indiana." Both: "They're digging
in the wrong place!"
"For 100 years they have been digging for Kadesh
in the wrong place"
Detailed study of the history
of the search for Kadesh Barnea.

Kadesh Barnea at Petra and the "Piltdown
Kadesh" on all our modern Bible maps at Ein
Qudeirat
- Piltdown man was a deliberate hoax that deceived
the world for 40 years that evolution was a fact.
- In 1912, Arthur Woodward announced to the world that he
had found the missing link between ape and man. Piltdown Man, as he
called it, consisted of a jaw bone and a piece of skull which he
estimated to be over 500,000 years old!
- However, in 1953, when the new fluoride dating process
was applied to the bones, scientists were shocked to learn that the jaw
bone was less than 50 years old. Only then did they notice that the bones
and teeth had been treated with salts and filed to make them appear old
and primitive.
- In other words, Piltdown Man was a complete fraud. Take
note Bible student! The world's foremost scientific experts had been
fooled for over 40 years! (Read 1 Corinthians 3:18-20.)
- For almost a half century, evolutionists pushed Piltdown
Man in the faces of Bible believers as scientific proof that man evolved
from apes! Some proof!
- In spite of over 100 years of intensive searching, the
only place you will find a missing link today is in the colourful
imagination of an evolutionist. Museums certainly don't have any!
- "In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth." (Gen 1:1)
- Have you ever considered that when God created the
universe in six short 24 hour days, He may have been taking His time?
- PILTDOWN KADESH: The 100 year fraud Christians
still believe!
- For 100 years a deliberate fraud by Henry Clay Trumbull
deceived the world with his lying account of Ein
el Qedeis which moved Kadesh Barnea from Petra to inside the promised
land. Until Trumbull came along, everyone was looking for Kadesh Barnea
Transjordan at Petra or in the Arabah valley that runs from the Salt Sea
to the Gulf of Aqaba.
- For details of Trumbull deception, see
introduction.
- Since 1916 AD all Bible maps wrongly place Kadesh Barnea
at Ein
Qudeirat after Woolley/Lawrence chose that location after rejecting
nearby Ein
el Qedeis once the lies of Trumbull we exposed.
- It is impossible for Ein
Qudeirat to be Kadesh, since it is 27 km deep inside the promised
land.
- Edom and the Negev are such a problem to those who want
Ein Qudeirat to be Kadesh, that they move Edom to inside Judah and the
Negev north of Beersheba. (see above)
- As the largest oasis in the Sinai Peninsula, Joshua
identifies Ein Qudeirat as "Ain" not Kadesh: Joshua 19:7; 1
Chron 4:32 as part of Simeon's Territory.
- The location of Kadesh must satisfy these facts:
- PETRA = ROCK = Moses brought water from a rock at Kadesh:
The Nabatean name "Petra", actually traces its origin back to
the time when Moses brought water from the rock at Kadesh. There is an
ancient tradition that dates back to Josephus that the Siq at Petra is
the river of Moses from the Exodus. Josephus also names one of the springs
at Petra, at the top of the Siq "Ain Musa" or “Spring of
Moses”. Both of these names are in use today among the Arab population.
In the Late Bronze age of the Exodus (1446 BC) the name of Petra was
Kadesh Barnea, but it was called Sela (ie. rock), during the monarchy
(1000 BC).
- Kadesh is a burial city because 2-3 million Hebrews died
at Kadesh (Num 14:29-35). The modern Nabatean city (300 BC-69 AD) was one
big necropolis (Burial city). This tradition likely traces back to the
exodus while they lived 38 years at Petra between 1444-1407 BC.
- Kadesh is Transjordan, southeast of the salt sea.
(Numbers 34:3-5; Joshua 15:1-4)
- Kadesh Barnea was on the border of Edom: Num 20:16. Archeology
has proven the fact that Edom was historically Transjordan (east of
the Arabah) until they first moved into Judean territory after the
Babylonian captivity that began in 605 BC. This means that before 605 BC
Edom's territory was always Transjordan. Ein
el Qudeirat is nowhere near the border of Edom, which disqualifies it
as Kadesh. Modern Bible maps make a grave error of locating Edom well
into the Negev, not because of archeological evidence, but because they
know the border of Edom was beside Kadesh.
- In a spectacular display of circular reasoning these maps
bring the border of Edom right beside Ein el Qudeirat, where they wrongly
believe Kadesh is located. Kadesh Barnea, wilderness
of Paran and Wilderness
of Zin must be outside all boundaries of Israel and outside the
Negev. No Bible passage says that Kadesh Barnea, Paran or Zin were ever part
of Israel territory or located in the Negev, or on the western edge of
the Arabah.
- Kadesh is near Mt.
Hor, the burial place of Aaron. This photo take from an altar on the
summit of a mountain at Petra looking east to Mt. Hor where Aaron was
buried.

4.
Ancient sources who located Kadesh Barnea at Petra:
- Josephus
stated that the burial place of Aaron was at Petra. "Then it was
that Miriam, the sister of Moses, came to her end, having completed her
fortieth year since she left Egypt, on the first day of the lunar month
Xanthicus. They then made a public funeral for her, at a great expense. She was buried upon a certain mountain, which they call
Sin; and when they had mourned for her thirty days ... Now when
this purification, which their leader made upon the mourning for his
sister, as it has been now described, was over, he caused the army to remove and to march through the wilderness and through
Arabia; and when he came to a place which the Arabians esteem their metropolis, which was formerly
called Arce, but has now the name of Petra, at this place, which was
encompassed with high mountains, Aaron went up one of them in the
sight of the whole army, Moses having before told him that he was to die, for this place was over against them."
(Josephus, Antiquities 4.82-83)
- In 325 AD Eusebius (and Jerome in 400 AD) wrote the Onomasticon,
which is a "dictionary of places" and locate Kadesh at Petra:
- At Petra, the 1 km long Siq that the water was channeled
down is called, the "wadi of Moses" according to ancient
tradition. The Onomasticon says that in AD 325, you could still see the
rock that Moses struck at Kadesh and the tomb of Aaron at Petra.
- Eusebius writes: "Kadesh Barnea (or Cades Barnea):
"Kadea Barne. The desert which extends to (the city of) Petra a city of Arabia. There Mariam went up and died, and there the doubting Moses
struck the rock to give water to the thirsty people. The tomb of Mariam
herself is pointed out there even now. There also Chodollagomor
beat the chiefs of the Amalakites." (Eusebius, Onomasticon,
round brackets are Eusebius') Footnote #: 580.
Kadēa Barnē. Numbers 32:8; K. 112:8; L. 270:4. Textual variant
city of Palestinē (Greek) instead of Arabia. This reflects again
the uncertainty of editorial additions and of the use of Arabia in the Onomasticon
(K. 110:27). Latin combines K. 112:7 and K. 112:8. Some confusion in
order of this and the next three entries. A summary of biblical
information from Numbers 21:1, 11; Numbers 27:14 and Genesis 14:7. A
tomb tradition is here. No location is given other than near Petra (K.
142:7). Procopius repeats the entry in 332D and 1021D. It also is
reaffirmed by Jerome in Commentary on Ezekiel 38:23(cf. K.
46:26). In Interpretation of Hebrew Names "Cades, holy or
change" (63); "Cades, alteration or holy" (80);
"Cadesbarne, selected change or changeableness" (80). (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- Eusebius writes: "Mt Hor: ōr. Mountain on which Aaron died near the city of Petra.
There is now pointed out the rock which flowed for Moses (which
Moses struck and gave water to the people)." Footnote #: 979. ōr. Numbers 20:22, 28;
K. 176:7; L. 291:88. Mt. near Petra (K. 142:7). Cf. K. 126:19 and K.
46:14 for Aaron's death. See K. 150:23 for Mt. Seir. Josephus Antiquities
IV, 4, 7 tells of Aaron's death up on the mountain range that encloses
Petra. In Interpretation of Hebrew Names "Or,
passionate" (77) and "Or, light" (83). (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- Eusebius writes: "Kadēs. Where the spring "of judgment" was. Footnote #: 579. Kadēs. Genesis 14:7; K. 112:7; L. 269:3. Simple
biblical notation. In Hebrew Questions Jerome says "Cades is
a place near Petra called the spring of judgment
where God judged the people". (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- Eusebius writes: "Beroth. "Of the sons of
Jakeim (Iacim)." Place in the desert where Aaron died. It is pointed out (still today) ten miles from Petra
on the summit of the mountain." (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- Eusebius writes: "Barnea (same as Kadesh Barnea):
"Barne: This is Cades Barne, on the desert which extends up to the
city of Petra." (Eusebius, Onomasticon, round brackets are
Eusebius') Footnote #: 213. Barnē.
Joshua 10:41; K. 46:26; L. 247:74. Identified
with the desert stretching south of Petra (K. 142:7) and more
frequently Kadēs Barnē (K. 112:8). (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- Eusebius writes: "Petra. City in the land of Edom
in Arabia which is called Iechthoel. This is also called Rekem by the
Assyrians (Syrians). Footnote #: 762.
Petra. Judges 1:36; K. 142:7; L. 279:71. No letter division in the
Vatican Greek manuscript here. Procopius 1048B has Petra in Idumala (K.
102:23). On Tabula Peutinger it is 48 miles south of Theman (K.
96:18). It is an important reference for the Onomasticon and all
the Roman road systems. It is also called Rekem (K. 144:7 and K. 36:13).
Mt. Hor (K. 176:7) is nearby. The Nabatean influence lasted into the
Roman period of the Onomasticon. Petra was one of the Nabatean
cities given autonomy about 106 A.D. with the establishment of the Roman
Province of Arabia. It was a great city in the 3rd and 4th centuries.
The Christians of Petra were persecuted by Diocletian. (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- Eusebius writes: "Rekem. It is also Petra, city of
Arabia, "whose ruler Rocom the children of Israel killed. It is
said he was also king of Madiam." Footnote
#: 773. Rekem. Numbers 31:8; K. 144:7; L. 280:94. Identity and
summary of biblical information (Joshua 13:21; Numbers 31:8; cf. K.
142:7 and K.36:13, for Petra, named Rekim by Josephus). In Interpretation
of Hebrew Names "Recem, variety or painting". (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- Notice that Eusebius sees two different Cades, but the
true Cades (or Kadesh Barnea) is next to the wilderness of Paran, also
known as the desert of the Saracens: "Gerara. The Geraritike is now
called after this, (the region) beyond the Daroma. Twenty-five miles
south of Eleutheropolis. It is the old southern boundary of the
Chanaanites and a royal city of the Philistines (metropolis of
Palestine). It is located, as Scripture affirms, "between Cades and
Sur" (i.e., between) two deserts.
The one adjoins Egypt whence the people came having come through the
(straits of the) Red Sea. The other (true) Cades
extends up to the desert of the Saracens." (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD) Of course the Bible does not say that
Gerar is between Kadesh Barnea and Shur, but that Abraham lived there,
then moved and sojourned near Gerar. Eusebius and the Madaba map
correctly place Gerar, but confuse its position in relation to Kadesh
and Shur. Even today people misread Gen 20:2 the same way Eusebius did.
- Eusebius writes: "Asasan Thamar (Asasonthamar).
Where the Amorrites dwelled whom Chodollagomor destroyed is located near the wilderness of Cades. It is
said there is a village Tharmara (a fort Thamara) one day journey from
Mapsis on the road from Hebron to Ailam.
[Elat on the Red Sea, see Ailam] Today there is a garrison (Roman fort)
of soldiers there." Footnote #: 8:
Asasan Thamar (Asasonthamar). Genesis 14:7; K. 8:6; L. 234:84. On the Madaba Map there is a Thamara located as
suggested by Eusebius here. Tabula Peutinger has a Thamaro
52 or 53 miles from Jerusalem while Ptolemy's list (V, 15, 5f) has a
Thamaro about 55 miles distant. The Notitia Dignitatum (74:40)
has a Tarba and (74:46) a Thamarra both of which have a garrison. Alt
found a fort at Qasr el Juheiniye and he is followed by many
locating the fort there and the village at 'ain el 'Arus. Aharoni
more recently (TEJ, 1963, p.30ff) suggests 'Ain Husb which
is about a day's walk (32 km) from Kurnub which is generally identified
with Mapsis (cf. also Avi-Yonah) and has a large Roman fort as well as
Nabatean and Iron II sherds. The Madaba Map
using Jerome's spelling has located properly Mampsis. Many
Nabatean, Roman-Byzantine levels excavated at Kuroub. It shows a
revival in the fourth century A.D. as also does Oboda (Avdat, 'Abda, and
K. 176:9).This may be indicated by "village" in Greek and
"oppidum" in Latin (cf. K. 10:25). II Chronicles 20:2
identified Thamar with En Gedi or at least locates it in the district of
En Gedi (86:16). Jerome in Hebrew Questions says, "his city
which we now call Engaddi, is rich in balsam and palms since Asason
Thamar translated into our language is city of the palms'" (18)
(cf. Judges 1:16). (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- Eusebius writes: "Ailam (Ailath). Is situated at
the extremity of Palestine between the southern
desert and the Red Sea where cargo was transported by ship from both
Egypt and India. A detachment of the Tenth Roman Legion is
stationed there. Properly called Aila today (it was formerly pronounced
Ailath) from whence the ancient people the Ailamites whose king was
Chodollagomor [who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles]. Another
Ailam of the foreigners (of Palestine) is noted in Kings." Footnote #: 6: Ailam (Ailath). Genesis 14:1;
K.6:17; L. 234:75. In the Vulgate we find Ailath, Elath, and Aila for
this same site. Palestine is the southern part of Syria. This word is
missing in the Vatican Manuscript. Technically the southern limits of
the Onomasticon should be Ailam (Ailath). The ruins are inland about one mile from Aqabah but not as far
inland as Tell el Kbeleifah which is probably the older Ezion
Geber (K. 36:l, cf. K. 34:23, 62:13, Josephus Antiquities,
IX, 12, 1). It was the end of the road going north to Damascus and the
terminus of the overland road west to the Mediterranean. In Jerome's
time it was a very busy port (Vita Hilariaris, 18, and cf. Commentary
on Ezekiel 47:18). Eusebius does not indicate its size but it may be
inferred that it was a polis. A bishop was present at Nicea.
Eusebius uses some army source and the text is useful for noting the
deployment of the Roman legion. The Tenth is located here. The Notitia
Dignitatum (73:18f.) verifies this entry. The Tabula Peutinger,
820 has a Haila 83 miles from Petra and 150 miles southeast of Gaza
which fits this site at el 'aqaba. The city in II Samuel 10:16 is
in northeast Transjordan. The Syriac text notes it is a city of the
Philistines. The Greek allophulos usually means Philistines but
once or twice we cannot be positive, so in this present translation the
general term "foreigners" has been preferred, especially when
Jerome does not have Filistine. He has Filistine in K.
7:15, K. 21:2, K. 3:25, K. 119:3 but more often uses transliteration allofylorum
(see Appendix I). (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- The Onomasticon references two "Kades": One
near Gerar but the "true Cades" at Petra. Eusebius places Arad
near the Desert of Kadesh Barnea, but the Madaba map places Arad between
Beersheba and Egypt rather than between Beersheba and the Dead sea.
However the Madaba map is not to scale and has huge distortions of
distance and relative size. "Arad. City of the Amorrites near the desert of Cades. There is now (shown)
a village four miles from Malaatha, and twenty from Hebron. Tribe of
Juda." (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- 400 AD: Jerome: En-mishpat, Kadesh, Spring of Judgement
is at Petra: Gen 14:7
- "Gen 14:7: And they returned and came to the
fountain of judgement, that is, to Cades. Because Cades was so named
later on, it is specificied by way of anticipation; and it refers to a
place near Petra, which is called 'The Fountain of Judgement', because
God judged the people there" (Saint Jerome's Hebrew Questions on
Genesis, translated by C. T. R. Hayward, p 46, Gen 14:7, 1995 AD)
- "Kadēs. Where the spring
"of judgment" was. Footnote #:
579. Kadēs. Genesis 14:7; K.
112:7; L. 269:3. Simple biblical notation. In Hebrew Questions
Jerome says "Cades is a place near Petra called the spring of judgment where God judged the
people". (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
- "No location [for Kadesh Barnea] is given other
than near Petra (K. 142:7). Procopius repeats the entry in 332D and
1021D. It also is reaffirmed by Jerome in Commentary on Ezekiel
38:23(cf. K. 46:26). In Interpretation of Hebrew Names
"Cades, holy or change" (63); "Cades, alteration or
holy" (80); "Cadesbarne, selected change or
changeableness" (80). (The
Onomasticon, Eusebius, 325AD)
5.
Modern sources who locate Kadesh Barnea is located at Petra:
a.
1856 AD Arthur Penrhyn Stanley:
- "It is moreover one of the few facts localised by
anything like an authentic tradition,-in this case preserved by
Josephus, the Talmudists, Eusebius, and Jerome, --that Kadesh was either
identical, or closely connected with Petra." (Sinai
and Palestine, in connection with their history, Arthur Penrhyn
Stanley, 1856 AD, p84-99)
- "It [Mt Hor at Petra] is one of the very few spots
connected with the wanderings of the Israelites, which admits of no
reasonable doubt." ... "If there be any ground for this
conclusion, Petra assumes a new interest. Its rock-hewn caves may have
served in part for the dwellings, in part for the graves of the
Israelites ; it is dignified as the closing scene of the life both of Miriam
and Aaron". ... Is it too much to suppose that this point and Mount
Hor were long regarded as the two sacred spots-of Petra ; that the scene
of the death and sepulture of Aaron was designedly fixed in view of
this, the innermost sanctuary of the Holy Place of " Kadesh ;
" that this sanctity was retained through the successive changes of
Pagan and Christian worship; and that the pilgrims of the Desert mounted
these time-worn steps, and traced their inscriptions upon the rock, on
their way to the only spot, whence they could see the grave of
Aaron?" (Sinai
and Palestine, in connection with their history, Arthur Penrhyn
Stanley, 1856 AD, p84-99) Note: In 1901 AD, Robinson comments on
Stanley, who said Kadesh was at Petra: "Stanley in his Sinai
and Palestine (pp. 92-8) identifies Sela' or Petra with Kadesh,
which is absurd." (Modern
Kadesh or Ein Kadis, George L. Robinson, The Biblical World, Vol.
17, No. 5., May, 1901 AD) Of course, there is nothing absurd about Petra
being Kadesh. Stanley's ill informed belief that the city carved in
stone we see today, like the "Treasury" dates back to the
Exodus is indeed absurd! Stanley was wrong to suggest that Petra as we
see it today, is the result of the Hebrews in 1446 BC when in fact the
city we see today was carved by the Nabataeans in 350 BC. But Stanley
was right in correctly locating Kadesh at Petra. He was a lone voice of
truth, who needed the help of modern archeology to make the correct
conclusions we are making today almost 150 years later.
b.
In 1891 AD Keil & Delitzsch state they are certain that Mt.
Hor is located at Petra. In a most puzzling confusion, Keil & Delitzsch
located Kadesh at Ein
Qedeis, but located Mt. Hor 100 km east of Qedeis, at Petra. Both Kadesh
and Mt. Hor were on the border of Edom and Mt. Hor was only "one
stop" from Kadesh: Numbers 20:22; 33:37. This makes it impossible for
Kadesh to be located 100 km west of Mt. Hor at Qedeis. The border of Edom
cannot be both the Arabah valley AND at Ein Qedeis! Keil & Delitzsch write:
"Death of Aaron at Mount Hor. - The Israelites left Kadesh [which Keil
& Delitzsch believed was at Ein
Qedeis], and passed along the road just mentioned to Mount Hor. This mountain,
which was situated, according to Num. 33:37, on the border of the land of Edom,
is placed by Josephus (Ant. iv. 4, 7) in the neighbourhood of Petra; so also by
Eusebius and Jerome: "Or mons, in quo mortuus est Aaron, juxta civitatem
Petram." According to modern travellers, it is Mount Harun, on the
north-western side of Wady Musa (Petra), which is described by Robinson (vol.
ii. p. 508) as "a cone irregularly truncated, having three ragged points
or peaks, of which that upon the north-east is the highest, and has upon it the
Muhammedan Wely, or tomb of Aaron," from which the mountain has received
its name "Harun," i.e., Aaron (vid., Burckhardt, Syr. pp. 715, 716;
v. Schubert, Reise, ii. pp. 419ff.; Ritter, Erdkunde, xiv. pp. 1127ff.). There
can be no doubt as to the general correctness of this tradition; for even if
the Mohammedan tradition concerning Aaron's grave is not well accredited, the
situation of this mountain is in perfect harmony with the statement in v. 23
and Num. 33:37, viz., that the Israelites had then reached the border of the
land of Edom." (Keil & Delitzsch, 1867, Num. 20:22-29)
c.
In 1871 AD, Jamieson, Fausset, Brown give Petra as one of two
locations on the Arabah Valley for Kadesh: "they came ... to Kadesh—an
important encampment of the Israelites. But its exact situation is not
definitely known, nor is it determined whether it is the same or a different
place from Kadesh-barnea. It is supposed to be identical with Ain-el-Weibeh,
a famous spring on the eastern side of the desert [Robinson], or also with
Petra [Stanley]. (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown, 1871 AD, Num 13:26)
d.
In 1908 AD: "Yet ever since Dean Stanley in 1856 (Sinai
and Palestine, pp. 152, 153, 161) identified Jebel Nebi Haroun with Mt.
Hor, and Petra with Kadesh-Barnea, most commentators have adopted without
question his conclusion. (The
True Mount Hor, Jebel Maderah. George L. Robinson, The Biblical World, Vol.
31, No. 2., Feb., 1908, p 86-100)
e.
In 1910 AD, Nathan Schmidt, after considering Weibeh,
Kades
and Qudeirat,
rejected them all and concluded that Kadesh was in fact at Petra: In
choosing the location of Kadesh, Schmidt rejected Qudeirat in favor of Petra in
1910 the same way that Stanley rejected Weibah in favor of Petra in 1856:
"It seems to me even more probable that Petra was the original scene of
these stories. Here the great Deliverer (Cp. my article "The Jerahmeel
Theory and the Historic Importance of the Negeb," Hibbert Journal, vi. 2
January, 1908, pp 339ff.) performed the miracle of piercing the rock and
sending the wonderful stream through the Sik, and here his older brother Aaron
died on the peak of Mt. Hor. In earlier times the gulf of 'Akabah reached
farther north than it does today [note: Schmidt is wrong about water
levels. Solomon's
fortress at Elat -Tell el-kheleifeh was built on a hill 500 meters
from the shore of the Red Sea less than 12 feet above current sea level. This
proves sea levels have not changed much in 3000 years.], and a passage from
the eastern side over to El Tih may not have been as easy as it is at present.
Nomadic tribes pushing northwest from the land of Midian no doubt found their
way down into the Negeb through the defiles of Mt. Seir (Jebel Sharra). The
Idumaean clans that camped around Moserah and Zin probably brought with them
the traditions of their heroes. Their way from Sinai-Horeb to Kadesh Barnea and
Mt. Halak is likely to have led them through the Valley of Moses and put the
reputed resting place of Aaron in Petra." (Kadesh
Barnea, Nathan Schmidt, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol 29, no 1, 1910
AD, p75-76)
6.
The most ancient written sources unanimously located Kadesh Barnea at
Nabatean Petra.
- The southern border of Judah places Kadesh near Petra.
- All ancient sources place Kadesh at Petra.
- This all changed when a deceiver named Trumbull
fabricated a false story about finding a "New England meadow"
at Ein Kades which led to its present misidentification on every map in
the back of YOUR Bible since 1916 AD.
|

|
KEY#12
Carsten Niebuhr
discovers the Gulf of Aqaba in 1762 AD
Without the Gulf of
Aqaba, the Sinai Peninsula becomes Arabia
|


Step aside Christopher Columbus, Carsten
Niebuhr discovers the Gulf of Aqaba in 1762 AD
- The Gulf of Aqaba was unknown to many ancient geographers
and renaissance Exodus route maps ~1600 AD
- Without the Gulf of Aqaba, Arabia begins in the Sinai
Peninsula and the Red Sea crossing must be at the Bitter Lakes area or
the north Gulf of Suez!
- You will never find truth when the truth option is not on
the table!
- If you get the geography wrong, you will never get the
exodus route right!
- Herodotus:
484 BC had no idea the Gulf of Aqaba existed:

- MOST OF THE EXODUS ROUTE MAPS
OF THE RENAISSANCE WERE WRONG: Without the Gulf of Aqaba,
Arabia begins in the Sinai Peninsula!
- The 1589 AD map of Abraham Ortelius has no concept of the
Gulf of Aqaba:

- Let us take note a few exceptions to this ignorance of the
Sinai Peninsula and the Gulf of Aqaba.
- Agatharchides:
169 BC is unique in that he is one of the few geographers of his day
that understood the Gulf of Aqaba calling it the "Laeanites
Gulf". He restricts "Arabia" to south and east of the Gulf
of Aqaba. Agatharchides did not sail down the Laeanites Gulf, but says
the Arabs live on the east/south shore of the Gulf of Aqaba and that at
the end of the Gulf, is Petra! No Arabians lived in the Sinai Penisula.
As he sails down the Red Sea towards the Indian Ocean, he describes all
the various tribes of Arabians. No Arabians lived in the modern Sinai
Peninsula.
- Strabo:
15 AD is one of the few ancient
cartographers who understood the gulf of Aqaba and gives us great insight
into how Apostle Paul and Josephus viewed the Sinai Peninsula as NOT part
of Arabia. So finally when a cartographer correctly maps the gulf of
Aqaba, they correctly exclude the Sinai Peninsula from Arabia and locate
Arabia on the south of the gulf of Aqaba! "There is said to be a passage thence across, of
1260 stadia, to the city Aila (Aelana) [Elat], situated on the innermost
recess of the Arabian Gulf [Red Sea]. This recess has two branches, one, in the direction of Arabia [south of Gulf of Aqaba] and Gaza [north of
Gulf of Aqaba], is called Ailanites
[Gulf of Aqaba], from the city upon it; the other [Gulf of Suez] is in
the direction of Egypt, towards Hereopolis, to which from Pelusium is the
shortest road (between the two seas).
(Strabo, Geogr. 16.2.30)

- The Peutinger
Map 330-381 AD is one of the oldest extant maps in the world and was
likely authored during the Constantine years. The Peutinger
Map correctly draws the Gulf of Aqaba in distinction with the Gulf of
Suez. Not surprisingly, Mt. Sinai is exactly where Constantine's mother
chose it, based upon a vision she saw in a dream. This is how the
traditional location of Mt. Sinai had its origin inside the Sinai
Peninsula at St. Catharine's Monastery. Although Kadesh Barnea is not
named, the Nabatean city of Petra (100 BC) is on the map. Eusebius
believed Kadesh Barnea was at Petra and that is why the Byzantines built
a three memorial churches at Petra. In the Late Bronze age of the Exodus
(1446 BC) the name of Petra was Kadesh Barnea, but it was called Sela
(ie. rock), during the monarchy (1000 BC). The name Petra, actually
traces its origin back to the time Moses brought water from the rock at
Kadesh. What is interesting, is that Josephus
and Eusebius both place Kadesh Barnea at Petra. So while the location of
Mt. Sinai was chosen by a dream, Kadesh Barnea was a known location
through Josephus and Eusebius
and his Onomasticon.

- Heinrich Bunting Hem of Germany (1585 AD) drew a rough
version of the gulf of Aqaba, but most did not. Heinrich Bunting Hem, lived in Germany
during the Renaissance, in the 16th century. This is the century the
Protestant revolution took place in Germany. It appears that he was one
of the few Renaissance cartographers who understood the Gulf of Aqaba. He
has a north Suez crossing, Kadesh Barnea south of Beersheba and places
Midian at Elat at the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba. The map is clearly
early since it still uses the letter "i" in place of
"J" in the alphabet which the KJV of 1611 also used. The King
James Version of 1611 spells Jesus' name as "Iesus" (iesus).

- In 1762 AD, Carsten Niebuhr is one of the first to
actually draw the Gulf of Aqaba somewhat correctly, although his
understanding was limited. He also placed the "Straights of
Tiran" on the map! This is the crossing point of the Red Sea,
although he probably didn't know it at the time. However he incorrectly
mapped the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba as a "forked tongue".

- Here is a full discussion of the rediscovery of the Gulf
of Aqaba and its impact on the exodus route: catalogue
of over 50 historic exodus route maps.
- See the entire Exhibit of Ancient and Antique Exodus route
maps: www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-maps.htm.
|

|
KEY#13
If you want to know how
Paul defined Arabia, just ask Josephus, Strabo and Pliny, because they never
call the Sinai Peninsula "Arabia".
Josephus calls the Sinai
Peninsula "Egypt" in Antiquities 5.78
|
A. Arabia at the time of
Paul's conversion in 36 AD was the Nabatean kingdom with Petra as the capital
city
- Mt. Sinai is located in Arabia not the Sinai Peninsula:
- Some have generated the fiction that the Nabatean Kingdom
headquartered at Petra controlled the Sinai Peninsula. This is false.
- The Nabateans never controlled the Sinai Peninsula even
though they did travel the caravan routes which crossed the Sinai of
Egypt. Full study on Arabia
at the time of Paul.
- Paul is the antitype of Moses in 25 direct parallels; one
of them is that both Moses and Paul received the law at Mt. Sinai:
- Paul went to Arabia (Mt. Sinai) immediately after being
converted: "But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s
womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me
so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately
consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who
were apostles before me; but I went away to
Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus." (Galatians
1:15–17)
- "This is allegorically speaking, for these women are
two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are
to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount
Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she
is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is
our mother." (Galatians 4:24–26)
25
ANTITYPES: Paul is the Antitype of Moses as Lawgiver of New Covenant
See
full outline
|
1. Chosen from
birth for special purpose
2. Outsider
"Trojan horse" brought into highest level of inner circle
3. Top education
the world had to offer at the time
4. Rejected
earthly/fleshly position, riches and prestige for persecution and invisible
Heavenly treasures.
5. Faith took
action before directed by God
6. Murder involved
in their conversions
7. Both were
rejected as a deliverer by their brethren at first
8. Both were
visited by God with a bright light in wilderness
9. Kings tried to
kill them
10. Both escaped death through a woven
basket
11. Both immediately fled to Mt. Sinai and
received instruction
12. Both asked the Unknown God to identify
Himself as "I AM".
13. Returned to Egypt/Jerusalem only after
king who had tried to kill him was dead
14. Both received instructions on the law
at Mt. Sinai
15. Fellow Hebrews rejected the message
16. Fellow Jews returned to slavery
17. Both performed miracles
18. Both speech problems
19. Both saw incredible visions and revelations
that affected them physically
20. Both repeatedly asked God for a request
but were denied
21. Both were law givers
22. Veiled Mystery of Moses removed by
Christ/Paul
23. Stone vs. Spirit
24. Became fearful during the mission and
needed reassuring
25. Moses prophesied his replacement is
Christ: Acts 3:22-23 (Moses prophesied that his replacement would be Another
Jew — whom we know is Jesus. Moses says not listening to Jesus will cause one
to be cut off from among His people (i.e., Jesus’ people). Paul did listen to
Jesus and was cut off from his people (the Jews).
|
B. In 36 AD, ARABIA = NABATAEA= PETRA:
- The Nabatean Petrae kingdom WAS Arabia in the first
century AD
- First
century Arabia was the Nabatean Kingdom at Petra
- Arabia was a separate country from Rome when Aretus I,II,
III, IV were the kings. Notice Aretas is called the KING OF ARABIA:
- Aretas is called the KING OF ARABIA:
- "Aretas king of Arabia" (Jos., Wars 1.124)
- "Aretas king of Arabia Petrea" (Jos. Ant.
17.287)
- "he also persuaded Hyrcanus to fly to Aretas, the king of Arabia, and to lay claim to
the kingdom" (Josephus, Wars of the Jews 1.124)
- Aretas IV (4 BC - 40 AD) was the King of Arabia when Paul
was converted at Damascus in 36 AD:
- In Paul's mind Arabia was Aretas IV: "In Damascus
the ethnarch under Aretas the king was
guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, and I was let
down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his
hands." (2 Corinthians 11:32-33)
- Here is the coin I have excavated of Aretas IV at Kirbet
El-Maqatir (Ephraim of John 11) in 2013, Cav1.
What you read in the book, you find in the
ground!

- The Nabateans extended their territory to the Negev, and
controlled the trade routes that extended to Gaza and eventually took control
of Damascus under Aretas III:
- "Nabatean Occupation: After Alexander’s
death, independent kingdoms arose in Arabia. The Nabateans occupied the
land vacated by the Edomites in northwest Arabia on the eastern side of
the Aravah. They controlled the trade routes from southern and eastern
Arabia to the Mediterranean. The Nabateans were nomadic herders who
opposed Greek rule and culture (Bowersock, Roman Arabia, 13–14).
They had considerable wealth, being the middlemen of the spice trade. By
the time of the Maccabees in the second century bc, the Nabateans were
relatively peaceful, settled traders (except for an episode of piracy on
the Red Sea, for which they were “punished” by Ptolemaic naval forces),
as opposed to other Arab tribes who were nomadic and violent (Bowersock, Roman
Arabia, 20–21)." (The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Arabia, 2016 AD)
- The domain of Aretas IV Philopatris (4BC-40 AD) as king of
Nabatean Arabia Petrea at Paul's conversion in 36 AD was as follows:

- Petra is Transjordan and the capital city of first
century Arabia: "Since therefore Antipater saw that Hyrcanus did
not attend to what he said, he never ceased, day by day, to charge
feigned crimes upon Aristobulus, and to calumniate him before him, as if
he had a mind to kill him; and so, by urging him perpetually, he advised
him, and persuaded him to fly to Aretas, the king of Arabia; and
promised, that if he would comply with his advice, he would also himself
assist him, [and go with him]. (15) When Hyrcanus heard this, he said
that it was for his advantage to fly away to Aretas. Now Arabia is a
country that borders upon Judea. However, Hyrcanus sent Antipater first
to the king of Arabia, in order to receive assurances from him, that when
he should come in the manner of a supplicant to him, he would not deliver
him up to his enemies. (16) So Antipater having received such assurances,
returned to Hyrcanus to Jerusalem. A while afterward he took Hyrcanus,
and stole out of the city by night, and went a great journey, and came
and brought him to the city called Petra, where
the palace of Aretas was." (Josephus, Antiquities 14.14-16)
- The Sinai Peninsula was outside Arabia and considered
the land of Egypt when Joshua gives Simeon his land which bordered on
EGYPT: "The lot of Simeon, which was the second, included that part
of Idumea which bordered upon Egypt and Arabia." (Josephus,
Antiquities 5.78)
- The Arab Peninsula from the Persian Gulf to the
Red Sea up to the Gulf of Aqaba and Transjordan.
- Macherus was on the border between Rome and
Arabia: The area east of the Salt Sea, west of Machaerus where John the
Baptist was beheaded: "Macherus, which is a place on the borders of
the dominions of Aretas and Herod" (Josephus, Antiquities 18.111)
- Arabia controlled the eastern portion of Syria around
Damascus:
- "Aretas reigned over Coele-Syria,
being called to the government by those that held Damascus, by reason of
the hatred they bare to Ptolemy Menneus. He also made thence an
expedition against Judea, and beat Alexander in battle, near a place
called Adida; yet did he, upon certain conditions agreed on between
them, retire out of Judea." (Josephus, Antiquities 13.391)
- At their zenith of territorial expansion and control under
Aretas IV Philopatris (4BC-40 AD), the Nabateans occupied a collection of
towns (Oboda, Sobata, Elusa, Ruheiba, Nessana, Mampsis, Advat) just south
of Beersheba in Judah.
- Oboda was founded in the early Greek period (300 BC).
- However, around 25 AD, the Romans had learned to use the
Monsoon winds to successfully sail directly by sea which decimated the
Nabatean economy.
- Then these cities were destroyed 40-70 AD and the
Nabateans were driven back to their Transjordan territory.
- "According to the archaeological evidence Oboda was
settled for the first time at the end of the 4th century or early in the
3rd century bc by the Nabateans, who established a halt there on the
caravan route from Petra to Gaza. The conquest of Gaza by Alexander
Jannaeus, the Hasmonean monarch, in about 100 bc put an end to the
Nabatean hold on the Negev. At the end of the 1st century bc, during the
reign of Aretas IV, Oboda was rebuilt and enjoyed a period of glory, as
is well attested by numerous inscriptions and other archaeological finds.
In about the middle of the 1st century ad the city was sacked, probably
by newly arrived nomadic tribes from Arabia, whose rock drawings and
graffiti were found on rocks around the site." (The Archaeological
Encyclopedia of the Holy Land, Oboda, 1986 AD)
- "After his death Obodas was buried at Oboda, the
town named after him. Obodas was deified and—as evidenced by Nabatean and
Greek inscriptions—his cult persisted at Oboda until the 3rd century AD.
Without waiting for Augustus’ confirmation Aretas IV (4 BC–AD 40), son of
Obodas, ascended the throne. In his coins and inscriptions he is known by
the title ‘he who loved his people’. During his reign the kingdom reached
its highest point, both economically and in its architecture, sculpture,
painting and pottery. Except for the dispatch by Aretas of a military
force to quell some riots in Judea after Herod’s death in 1 BC (Josephus,
Antiq. xvii, 287), and a mention of him as ruler of Damascus in AD
39 (2 Cor. 11:32), there is little about him in the ancient sources. On
the other hand an exceedingly large number of inscriptions, dated by the
years for which Aretas IV had reigned, have been found in every quarter
of the kingdom, from northern Arabia in the south to southern Syria in
the north, and to Oboda and Sobata in the west. These testify to the
great expansion of the kingdom. The decline set in during the reign of
Malichus II (AD 40–70), the first-born son of Aretas IV. First the
Nabateans lost Damascus. In AD 67 Malichus sent an army to help Vespasian
in the siege of Jerusalem (Josephus, War iii, 68). Otherwise he is
little mentioned. It was in his time that the Romans learned to make use
of the southwest monsoon. Earlier in the 1st century AD Hippalus had
discovered that the monsoon made it possible to sail safely to India and
back and they were therefore able to bring spices and aromatics directly
from India to Alexandria and thence to Rome, dealing a mortal blow to the
Nabatean economy. In about AD 50 it seems to have suffered another blow. New
tribes migrated from Arabia to the southern parts of the kingdom and
penetrated the Negev, where they destroyed Oboda and the forts on the
Petra-Gaza road." (The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land,
Nabateans, 1986 AD)

"Rome annexed Nabatean
kingdom and added the Sinai Peninsula FROM EGYPT to form the New triplet Arabia
in 106 AD under Trajan. "It was not until 106 AD that the Romans
officially annexed Nabatea and the “area around Petra” (Millar, Roman Near
East, 94). Eventually, Rome extended their territory as far as Meda’in
Saleh—300 miles south of Petra. Rome designated three sub-regions within
Arabia: Arabia Petraea (Sinai and the old territory of Nabatea), Arabia
Felix (the southwestern coast of the Arabian Peninsula), and Arabia Deserta
(roughly the rest of Arabia). The Romans would control Arabia until the rise of
the Islamic Arabian Empires of the seventh century." (Lexham Bible
Dictionary, Arabia, 2016 AD)
- The Nabatean kingdom was conquered by Trajan in AD 106 and
the Romans annexed of the Sinai Peninsula from the Egyptians when it was
formally labelled Arabia Petraea.
- "It was not until 106 AD that the Romans officially
annexed Nabatea and the “area around Petra” (Millar, Roman Near East,
94). Eventually, Rome extended their territory as
far as Meda’in Saleh—300 miles south of Petra. Rome designated three
sub-regions within Arabia: Arabia Petraea (Sinai and the old territory of
Nabatea), Arabia Felix (the southwestern coast of the Arabian
Peninsula), and Arabia Deserta (roughly the rest of Arabia). The
Romans would control Arabia until the rise of the Islamic Arabian Empires
of the seventh century." (Lexham Bible Dictionary, Arabia, 2016 AD)
9.
If the Sinai Peninsula was not considered Arabia at the time of Paul, it
is impossible for Mt. Sinai to be located in the modern Sinai Peninsula.
C. Ask Josephus where "Arabia" was and find Mt.
Sinai in Transjordan Saudi Arabia!
- Josephus calls the Sinai Peninsula "Egypt". When
Joshua gave Simeon his land in the Negev, Josephus said it bordered on
EGYPT:
- "The lot of Simeon, which was the second, included
that part of Idumea which bordered upon Egypt and Arabia."
(Josephus, Antiquities 5.78)
- The only place Egypt can border Simeon is the Sinai Peninsula,
proving the entire Sinai was Egypt both at the time of the Exodus and in
the first century AD when Josephus lived.
- Josephus never calls the Sinai Peninsula
"Arabia": NOT EVEN ONCE!
- Josephus uses the word Arabia/Arabian 241 times and NEVER
ONCE IN REFERENCE TO THE SINAI PENINSULA.
- Josephus did not consider the modern Sinai Peninsula to
be Arabia.
- It is clear that Josephus used the term Arabia
exclusively as Transjordan, whose capital was located at Petra.
- Remember that the Nabateans controlled cities in the
Judean Negev and Transjordan north to Damascus!
- Josephus was a soldier of the
first Jewish War in AD 66. He was at Gamla in AD 67 and but was captured
by the Romans. July-Aug AD 67. Josephus captured, 39 Jews at Jotapata, 37
commit suicide (Josephus Wars 3.141-150; 342-344; 352; 362; 383-384; 392).
- Coins at Gamla were minted while Josephus was part of the
rebel forces fighting Rome in the First Jewish War 66-69 AD)
- Here is one of the Gamla revolt coins I excavated at
Khirbet el-Maqatir in 2013 AD, Cav1:

- While in jail, Josephus found favor and composed his
famous Jewish Wars as he became the war recorder for Titus in AD 70.
- King Agrippa II buys a copy of Joseph's book and Josephus
actually describes his capture, captivity and writing his book: "As
for myself, I have composed a true history of that whole war, and all the
particulars that occurred therein, as having been concerned in all its
transactions; (48) for [at Gamla] I acted as general of those among us that are named
Galileans, as long as it was possible for us to make any
opposition [First Jewish War: 66-69 AD].
I was then seized on by the Romans, and became a
captive. Vespasian also and Titus had me kept under a guard, and
forced me to attend them continually. At the first I was put into bonds;
but was set at liberty afterward, and sent to accompany Titus when he came from Alexandria to
the siege of Jerusalem; (49) during which time there was nothing
done which escaped my knowledge; for what happened in the Roman camp I
saw, and wrote down carefully; and what information the deserters brought
[out of the city], I was the only man that understood them. (50) Afterward I got leisure at Rome; and when all my materials were prepared for that work,
I made use of some persons to assist me in learning the Greek tongue, and
by these means I composed the history of those transactions; and I was so
well assured of the truth of what I related, that I first of all appealed
to those that had the supreme command in that war, Vespasian and Titus,
as witnesses for me, (51) for to them I presented
those books first of all, and after them to many of the Romans who
had been in the war. I also sold them to
many of our own men who understood the Greek philosophy; among whom were
Julius Archelaus, Herod [king of Chalcis], a person of great gravity, and
king Agrippa himself, a person that
deserved the greatest admiration." (Josephus, Against Apion
1.47-51)
- After 70 AD when Josephus wrote his famous book, the
Nabatean Empire had lost its presence in the Negev of Judea and was now
entirely Transjordan.
- This explains why to Josephus in
AD 70, Arabia was not in southern Judea and certainly never in the
Sinai Peninsula.
- A careful
study of original sources will prove that in the first century, the
Nabatean's did not control the Sinai Peninsula.
D. Strabo (15 AD) viewed "Arabia" as
Petra
- In the mind of Strabo, Arabia
was east of Judea, south of Syria, west of the Euphrates and the northern portion
of modern Saudi Arabia to the exclusion of the Sinai Peninsula.
- Strabo defines "Arabia
proper" as being Transjordan: "Above
[ie to the east: East-up map] Judæa and Cœle-Syria, as far as Babylonia
and the river tract, along the banks of the Euphrates towards the south, lies the whole of Arabia" (Strabo,
Geography 16.3.1)
- Strabo
says Arabia begins from Babylon and goes west through the Arabian Desert.
"ARABIA commences [begins] on
the side of Babylonia with Mæcene. In front of this district, on one side
lies the desert of the Arabians, on the other are the marshes opposite to
the Chaldæans, formed by the overflowing of the Euphrates, and in another
direction is the Sea of Persia."
(Strabo, Geography 16.4.1)
- Strabo continues to define "Arabia" through Eratosthenes,
as being Transjordan in north Saudi Arabia in distinction to "Arabia
Felix": "I return
to the opinions of Eratosthenes, which he next delivers respecting
Arabia. He is speaking of the northern and desert part, lying between
Arabia Felix, Cœle-Syria, and Judæa, to the recess of the Arabian Gulf."
(Strabo, Geography 16.4.2)
- Strabo defines Arabia proper as being
Transjordan, south of the gulf of Aqaba, east of the main branch of the
Red Sea (south of the Straits of Tiran) and west to the Persian gulf:
"When we were describing Arabia, we
included in the description the gulfs which compress and make it a
peninsula, namely the Gulfs of Arabia
[section below the tri-intersection of the Gulfs of Suez, Aqaba
and Arabian] and of Persis [Persian
gulf near Babylon]. (Strabo, Geography 17.1.1)
- Strabo calculates the length of the
Red Sea from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Indian Ocean and says the area
south of the Aqaba and east of the Red Sea is ARABIA: "The part of the Arabian Gulf along the side of
Arabia, if we reckon from the recess of the Ælanitic bay, is, according
to the accounts of Alexander and Anaxicrates, 14,000 stadia in extent;
but this computation is too great." (Strabo, Geography
16.4.4)
- Strabo may have defined Lower Egypt
as being the Sinai Peninsula. The southern limit of the Gulf of Aqaba may
be not only where the Gulf of Aqaba intersects the Red Sea at the Straits
of Tiran, but also the full length of the Gulf of Aqaba as well: "But Lower Egypt and the country as far as the Lake
Sirbonis were sea, and confluent perhaps with the Red Sea at Heroopolis,
and the Ælanitic (Aqaba) recess of the gulf." (Strabo,
Geogr. 17.1.35)
E. Agatharchides:
169 BC describes "Arabia" in great detail, including the
various Arabian tribes.
- Agatharchides
first specifically defines the gulf of Aqaba (Laeanites Gulf), then says
that Arabia lies to the south of the gulf of Aqaba and east of the Arabian
Sea (Main branch of the Red Sea south of the Gulf of Aqaba)
- Agatharchides
did not sail down the Laeanites Gulf (Aqaba), but says the Arabs live on
the east/south shore of the Gulf of Aqaba and that at the end of the Gulf,
is Petra!
- Agatharchides
never says that any Arabians lived in the Sinai Penisula.
- As he
sails down the Red Sea towards the Indian Ocean (Erythraean Sea), he
describes all the various tribes of Arabians.
F. Pliny the Elder, (died 79 AD)
defines Arabian nations in Saudi Arabia
1. “The Arabian nations of the
Canchlæi join these on the east, and, on the south the Cedrei [modern
el- Hejaz], both of which peoples are adjoining to the Nabatæi. The two gulfs of the Red Sea, where it borders upon Egypt,
are called the Heroöpolitic [Bahr-el-Soueys or Gulf of Suez] and the Ælanitic
[Bahr-el-Akabah, or Gulf of Akabah]. Between the two towns of Ælana
[Elat/Aqaba] and Gaza upon our sea there is a distance of 150 miles. Agrippa
says that Arsinoë [north shore of gulf of Suez], a town on the Red
Sea, is, by way of the desert, 125 miles from Pelusium. How different the
characteristics impressed by nature upon two places separated by so small a
distance!” (Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.12, died 79 AD)
a. “Immediately following this, and in one of Pliny’s frequent bursts of
clarification, he recites Agrippa’s distances between the cities of Pelusium
and Arsinoe (125 [Roman] miles=115 statute miles), and between Gaza and Aelana
(150 [Roman] miles=137 statute miles). The fact that Agrippa’s mileage
between Gaza and Aelana corresponds almost to the mile when compared with
modern air mileage (=138 statute miles) provides compelling evidence that the
location of Aelana and the northernmost stretch of the Gulf of Aqaba was well
known and understood in the early classical period.” (The Red Sea in Biblical,
Classical and Early Cartographically related traditions, Barry J. Beitzel, NEAS
annual meeting, 2016 AD)
2. Pliny assigns the Arabian people
in Hejaz (Modern Saudi Arabia)
3. Pliny also says that Egyptian
territory included the modern Sinai Peninsula since the gulf of Aqaba “borders
on Egypt”.
4. Pliny clearly defines the Gulf of
Suez as being part of the Red Sea.
G. This provides conclusive proof that in the mind of
Paul, Agatharchides, Strabo, Pliny and Josephus, that Arabia WAS NEVER the
Sinai Peninsula, contrary to what the fiction writers or those with an
overactive imagination boldly assert.
- Those who say the Sinai Peninsula was viewed by Paul as
being "in Arabia", are perpetuating a fiction, creating
confusion and causing a hindrance to identifying the true location in
north Saudi Arabia.
- The location of Arabia proper really hasn't ever changed,
from the time of the Exodus (1446 BC) when Israel arrived at Mt. Sinai
down to the time of when Paul visited Mt. Sinai IN ARABIA in 36 AD.
- There has never been a time in history that the Sinai
Peninsula was defined as Arabia.
- Even today the Sinai Peninsula is Egypt not Arabia.
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KEY#14
ISHMAEL IS ARABIA: Find
Ishmael, find Sinai!
The wilderness of Shur
and Paran is where Ishmael lived
Ishmael = Midian = Hagar
= Sinai
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"This is allegorically speaking, for these women are
two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be
slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai
in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in
slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our
mother. For it is written, “Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; Break
forth and shout, you who are not in labor; For more numerous are the children
of the desolate Than of the one who has a husband.” And you brethren, like
Isaac, are children of promise. But as at that time he who was born according
to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is
now also. But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her
son, For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the
free woman.” So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of
the free woman." (Galatians 4:24-31)
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|
- HAGAR = ISHMAEL = MIDIAN= ARABIA = MT. SINAI:
Paul's Allegory in Gal 4 about Mt. Sinai:
- It is actually shocking that for all the efforts to
locate Mt. Sinai, that so many completely ignore the fact that Paul
located Mt. Sinai, NOT ONLY in Arabia, but where Hagar lived.
- In 2066 BC Abraham and Hagar are the parents of Ishmael
who became the Ishmaelite tribe.
- In 2066 BC Abraham and Keturah are the parents of Midian
who became the Midianites.
- Ishmael and Midian were brothers who lived in the same
exact geographic location and intermarried to become one people by the
time Joseph entered Egypt in 1899 BC
- In 225 BC, Demetrius the Chronographer connected Moses
living in Midian as the place to which Abraham sent his two sons Ishmael
and Midian to live.
- "There is, therefore, no inconsistency in Moses and Zipporah
having lived at the same time. And they lived in
the city of Midian, which was named from one of the sons of
Abraham. For it (i.e. Scripture) says that Abraham sent his sons to the East to settle there. And
(it says that) for this reason also, Aaron and Miriam said at Hazeroth
that Moses had married an Ethiopian woman." (Eusebius, Preaparatio
Evangelica 9:29.1-3, quoting Demetrius the Chronographer, 225 BC)
- This places the burning bush and the Mountain of God in
Saudi Arabia.
- Find Ishmael; find Sinai because ISHMAEL IS ARABIA.
- The Bible is quite explicit that Ishmael lived
Transjordan in the wilderness of Shur and the wilderness of Paran.
- Ishmael NEVER lived in the Negev of Judah/Simeon as
witnessed by their absence during the conquest of Joshua in 1406-1399 BC

- FIND MIDIAN, FIND BURNING BUSH, FIND SINAI: Ishmaelites
= Midianites = Midian: There is almost universal agreement that Midian
was in north west Saudi Arabia, beside the Straits of Tiran. The
Ishmaelites and the Midianites were both sons of Abraham through different
mothers around 2066 BC. When Joseph was sold by his brothers in 1899 BC
into slavery, the Midianites and Ishmaelites had intermarried and become
the same people. This can be proven by their interchangeable use in the
Biblical narrative. Midian was Abraham's son through Keturah (Gen 25:2);
Ishmael was Abraham's son through Hagar. Although originally different
sons of Abraham, the Midianites and Ishmaelites melded into a single group
of people from the same region.
Gordon Franz gives the
store away!
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"I would agree with the
proponents of Jebel al-Lawz that Midian is in
the area of northwestern Saudi Arabia today.
I think most scholars would attest to that (Parr 1989: 39-66; 1996: 213-218)." (Gordon Franz, Is
Mount Sinai In Saudi Arabia?, Bible and
Spade, Volume 13, Page 105, 2000 AD)
|
- Midianites and Ishmaelites are used interchangeably in
the story of selling Joseph to Egypt: Gen 37:25-28,36; 39:1; Judg
8:22-24.
i. "Then
they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold,
a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead,
with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to
bring them down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers, "What profit
is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? "Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him,
for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to
him. Then some Midianite traders passed by,
so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of
silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt. " Genesis 37:25-28
ii. "Meanwhile,
the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar,
Pharaoh's officer, the captain of the bodyguard." Genesis 37:36
iii. "Now
Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of
Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from
the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. " Genesis 39:1
- The Midianites were also called Ishmaelites who oppressed
Israel 7 years and Gideon beat them in battle: "Then the men of
Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you and your son, also
your son's son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian." But Gideon said to them,
"I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord
shall rule over you." Yet Gideon said to them, "I would request
of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil." (For
they had gold earrings, because they were
Ishmaelites.) " Judges 8:22-24
- Ishmael lived in the wilderness
of Shur:
- “He [Ishmael] will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will
be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east [Transjordan] of all his brothers.”"
(Genesis 16:12)
- "They settled from Havilah to Shur which is east of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria;
he settled in defiance of all his relatives." (Genesis 25:18)
- "He lived in the wilderness
of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of
Egypt." (Genesis 21:21)
- The Ishmaelites are grouped with other Transjordan
tribes: "The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal and Ammon and Amalek" Psalm 83:6
- "Transjordanian tribes of
Gad and Manasseh, subjected the Hagrites and
took control of their territory “until the [Assyrian] exile” (1 Chr 5:10,
19–22). Since the Hagrites are listed with other
Transjordanian enemies of Israel during the preexilic period—Edom,
the Ishmaelites, and Moab (Ps 83:7—Eng
83:7)—it appears that the hostilities continued even afterwards."
(ABD, Hagrites)
- Ishmael lived in the wilderness
of Paran

- Kadesh Barnea (modern Petra) was in the larger
wilderness of Paran on the border of Edom. The Ancient Arabia (the Ishmaelites)
did not live at Petra. However in the first century, modern Arabians
(Nabateans) had their capital city at Petra, which was still inside the
wilderness of Paran, the ancient wilderness where Ishmael lived.
"they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the
congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness
of Paran, at Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all
the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land." (Numbers
13:26)
- Shur is on the far side of the Red Sea crossing:
"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in
the wilderness and found no water." (Exodus 15:22)
- Paran is located after they left Mt. Sinai to Kadesh:
"the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of
Sinai. Then the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran." (Numbers 10:12)
- The wilderness of Paran is Transjordan because
when Moses spoke the words of Deuteronomy in the Wadi Zared, he was near
Mt. Paran: "These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel
across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between
Paran and Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth
and Dizahab." (Deuteronomy 1:1)
- The Amalekites lived near Mt. Sinai in north Saudi Arabia:
- "Now David and his men went up and raided the
Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites;
for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come
to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt."
(1 Samuel 27:8)
- Havilah is at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula.
Gen 25:18
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Ishmael settled
|
from Havilah to Shur
|
which is east of Egypt as
one goes toward Assyria
|
1 Samuel 15:7
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Amalekites
|
from Havilah as you go to Shur
|
which is east of Egypt
|
1 Samuel 27:8
|
Amalekites from ancient
times
|
as you come to Shur
|
even as far as the land of
Egypt
|

- Mt. Sinai is located in the territory of Ishmael/Midian
which is Transjordan in the wilderness
of Shur and the wilderness
of Paran in Saudi Arabia but never in the Sinai Peninsula. Gal 4:25
says that Mt. Sinai is in Arabia, where Ishmael lived.
OVERALL
CONCLUSION:
- My thesis has used the "Bible only" to determine
the exodus route.
- Once the information from inspired scripture was exhausted,
only then did I supplement it with cartography, geography, history and
archeology.
- Scripture alone is the only infallible record of history
and it trumps the opinions of men, including mine.
- RED SEA CROSSING:
- Scripture alone leads us to conclude that only the
Straits of Tiran fulfills all the requirements to be the Red Sea crossing
point.
- This forces the location for the Wilderness of Shur
(Ishmael and Midian) to be in north western Saudi Arabia, even though
scripture already told us that's where Hagar and Ishmael lived.
- Any crossing point on the Gulf of Aqaba forces Mt. Sinai
to be in north Saudi Arabia.
- MOUNT SINAI:
- Most important, of course, is that most miss the gorilla
in the room in Paul's statement: "Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in
Arabia" (Galatians 4:25) Paul directly associated Mt. Sinai with the
historic territory of the Ishmaelites/Midianites (Hagar), in Saudi
Arabia.
- Gordon Franz argues that Goshen was in Arabia, but he was
looking for the wrong thing. Forget finding Arabia. Paul's point in Gal
4:25 is simple: FIND ISHMAEL, find Sinai. This ruled out the
entire Sinai Peninsula and utterly refutes Franz by his own words, since
he locates Ishmael in the land of Midian near Mt. Lawz in Saudi Arabia.
- With Josephus, Jebel Lawz fits his description that
"Sinai was the highest mountain in the region".
- There is nothing archeology can provide to support Mt.
Lawz is Mt. Sinai. Please ignore 100% of Ron Wyatt's unicorn
archeological proofs that Lawz is Mt. Sinai.
- KADESH BARNEA:
- Using Scripture alone to trace the southern border of
Judah, we can prove beyond doubt, Kadesh Barnea is Transjordan southeast
of the Salt Sea near Petra.
- With Josephus, we are able to pin Kadesh at Petra.
- With Archeology, El
Beidha, located 5 km north of Petra, becomes the best location for
Kadesh since it is one of the oldest cities in the world. Indeed, Abraham
visited Kadesh Barnea about 2050 BC in Genesis 14:7 when it was called
"En-mishpat".
- Even with extensive professional excavations at Petra or El
Beidha, there is nothing from archeology that provides any direct
occupational evidence for the Hebrews in either location.
- Josephus confirms the ancient tradition that Aaron was
buried at Mt. Hor, 3 km to the west of Petra on the eastern side of the
Arabah valley.
- Other evidentiary synchronisms for Kadesh at Petra
include: the spring of Moses (Ein Musa), the river of Moses (Wadi Musa =
the Siq), Petra being a burial city (necropolis), modern Jews refer to
their funerals as a "Kadesh" (holy).
- Most important, unlike Piltdown Kadesh at Ein
Qudeirat where most modern bible maps put Kadesh since 1916 AD, Petra
is not inside the promised land.
- When you use the Bible as your infallible guide and get
the chronology right, the geography right, the archeology right and the
history right you restore the Exodus route. Praise God!
By Steve Rudd: 2005 -
October 2016: Contact the author for
comments, input or corrections.
BECOME A CHRISTIAN TODAY:
Today in your personal life, when you reach your
"Ethan" and feel "trapped" with nowhere to go while the
Devil keeps his eye on you from his Migdol military watchtower, remember that
God will always provide the way of escape. We escape the slavery to sin when we
are baptized by full immersion like Israel through the Red Sea. As Christians,
we are "the church in the wilderness" awaiting the time when our
Saviour Jesus/Joshua returns from spying out the land (Hebrews 6:19-20) and we
will cross the Jordan to live with God forever in the promised land of Heaven.
"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and
steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where
Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest
forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:19-20)
The Great Exodus Psalm:
"He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, And
He made the waters stand up like a heap. Then He led them with the cloud by day
And all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness
And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths. He brought forth
streams also from the rock And caused waters to run down like rivers. Yet they
still continued to sin against Him, To rebel against the Most High in the
desert. And in their heart they put God to the test By asking food according to
their desire. Then they spoke against God; They said, "Can God prepare a
table in the wilderness? "Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed
out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also? Will He provide meat
for His people?" Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath; And a
fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted against Israel, Because
they did not believe in God And did not trust in His salvation. Yet He
commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven; He rained down manna
upon them to eat And gave them food from heaven. Man did eat the bread of
angels; He sent them food in abundance. He caused the east wind to blow in the
heavens And by His power He directed the south wind. When He rained meat upon
them like the dust, Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas, Then He let them
fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their dwellings. So they ate
and were well filled, And their desire He gave to them. Before they had
satisfied their desire, While their food was in their mouths, The anger of God
rose against them And killed some of their stoutest ones, And subdued the
choice men of Israel. In spite of all this they still sinned And did not
believe in His wonderful works. So He brought their days to an end in futility
And their years in sudden terror. When He killed them, then they sought Him,
And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was
their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with
their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not
steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being
compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them;
And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath. Thus He
remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes and does not return.
How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the
desert! Again and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel.
They did not remember His power, The day when He redeemed them from the
adversary, When He performed His signs in Egypt And His marvels in the field of
Zoan, And turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, they could not
drink. He sent among them swarms of flies which devoured them, And frogs which
destroyed them. He gave also their crops to the grasshopper And the product of
their labor to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hailstones And their
sycamore trees with frost. He gave over their cattle also to the hailstones And
their herds to bolts of lightning. He sent upon them His burning anger, Fury
and indignation and trouble, A band of destroying angels. He leveled a path for
His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave over their life to
the plague, And smote all the firstborn in Egypt, The first issue of
their virility in the tents of Ham. But He led forth His own people like sheep
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; He led them safely, so that
they did not fear; But the sea engulfed their enemies. So He brought them to His
holy land, To this hill country which His right hand had gained. He also drove
out the nations before them And apportioned them for an inheritance by
measurement, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents. Yet they
tempted and rebelled against the Most High God And did not keep His
testimonies, "Psalm 78:13-56
By Steve Rudd: 2005 -
November 2020: Contact the author for
comments, input or corrections.

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